The Great Shooting Ritual is gradually coming to an end. Only a dozen people who have hit all four shots have been awarded special rewards by the emperor.
Following the Great Shooting Ceremony, there was a banquet where the emperor and his guests rejoiced over wine. The first reason was that it was the appropriate ritual after the Great Shooting Ceremony, and the second was to prepare for the celebration of the New Year on the second day.
The time finally arrived for the first day of the first month.
At dawn, Cao Rui burned incense and offered sacrifices on the sacrificial platform in the south suburbs of Shouchun and declared the new era "Taihe" after announcing that he would launch a southern campaign. He then stood on the platform, pulled out his sword, and declared a campaign to the south.
The troops marched in the order previously determined. The cavalry went first, followed by the infantry.
The various armies set out from the south suburbs of Shouchun City towards the south, with the length of the army stretching over dozens of miles. The leading cavalry had been on the move for half a day, while the rear infantry had just left Shouchun City.
It can only be said that the movement of a large army is indeed so, which is a huge trouble from the management and logistics perspective.
Yangzhou has a total of 160,000 soldiers available.
Originally, there were a total of 10,000 foreign troops stationed in Hefei, Yangzhou, and Lu'an. Among them, Hefei originally had 4,000 soldiers. After adding the 5,000 foreign troops from Shouchun that were later transferred to Hefei, there are now 9,000 soldiers in Hefei.
In addition to the 5,000 people from the department of the Yu Province Governor Wang Shang, who were sent to repair roads, and the 10,000 people from the department of the Yu Province Governor Jia Kui, who were sent to construct works at Wuqiangkou, and the 5,000 people from the department of General Liu Ruo, there are already 20,000 people who have set out southward.
Out of the initial 160,000 troops, 15,000 were sent first and then 20,000 more were dispatched. At this point, the total number of troops marching south from Shouchun City is a whopping 125,000. Add in the conscripted civilians from earlier and later, and this army's appearance can be falsely claimed to be as large as 400,000.
Commanders of Cao Xian's level must be at the rear.
Leading the vanguard of 10,000 cavalry southward was General Zhu Gai, who had long been stationed in the areas around the Yangtze River and Huaihe Rivers, and possessed extensive combat experience.
Zhu Gai is also an experienced veteran. During the first attack by Cao Wei on Wu Commandery, Zhang Liang led Zhang He and Zhu Gai's two armies to destroy Chen Lan who had been residing atop the Tianshu Mountain in the north of Wu Commandery.
In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, when Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan to the north, Cao Cao urgently ordered Zhu Gai and Shen Shu in the area of Min River to lead 12 camps and their troops to Yan City under the command of Xu Guang. Zhu Gai's contribution to Xu Guang's 'full speed' breakthrough and defeat of Guan Yu's ten-layered deer fence was included in this achievement.
Now, to use military force in the region of the Huaihe River and to campaign against Wu Commandery, it is most appropriate that General Zhu Gai, who is familiar with the local geography and has long been in the military, lead the vanguard with 10,000 cavalry southward.
The center army has 30,000 cavalry, and a total of 15,500 foreign troops from Yangzhou, Yu Province, and Huai Commandery. After Zhu Gai led the 10,000 foreign troops southward, there were only 35,500 left. In this case, General Cao Xiu followed closely behind Zhu Gai to command the remaining 35,500 soldiers southward.
Only 1,000 tiger guards led by Xiahou Xian and five cavalry camps led by the commander of the encampment, the commander of the frontier cavalry, the commander of the rapid cavalry, the commander of the infantry, and the commander of shooting sound were left for the emperor.
The five cavalry regiments total 4,000 riders. If one were to say which army among these several tens of thousands has the longest heritage, it would be none other than the five cavalry regiments.
As early as the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu established the eight commanders in the northern army, which were an important force for guarding Chang'an. In the later Han Dynasty, three commanders were abolished: Bingshuang, Hujie, and Tiger-bear Commanders. The remaining five commanders formed the nucleus of the northern army. The rank of the five commanders was equal to a marquess and their official positions were high but leisurely. Many of them were appointed by the imperial family or close relatives.
During the Han Dynasty, the position responsible for managing the five cavalry regiments was originally called "Nan Army Zhonghou" with a rank of 600 grains of rice. Liu Table and Liu Jingsheng, who ruled Jingzhou, were previously stationed in Luoyang. They were selected and appointed by General He Jin and held the position of "Nan Army Zhonghou."
However, after Cao Pi ascended the throne, he changed the rank from 600 grains of rice to 2,000 grains of rice, and the name of "Nan Army Zhonghou" was also changed to "Five Camps Commander Supervisor." At this time, the Five Camps Commander Supervisor was held by Wen Qin, from Qiao County, known as Wen Zhongruo, who was highly trusted by the Cao family.
As the vanguard, Zhu Gai led 10,000 riders. General Cao Xiu, under command of Zhu Gai's 30,000 riders.
The remaining 85,000 troops mainly consisting of infantry were naturally handed over to General Cao Zhen for command, following closely behind General Cao Xiu and slowly marching southward.
To travel south from Shouchun to Wu Commandery, one must pass through the entire jurisdiction of Lüjiang Commandery. Starting from Shouchun, one first reaches Shu County, and then passes through areas like Jia Shi and Wuqiangkou before proceeding to Wu Commandery.
The distance from Shouchun to Wuqiangkou is about 350 miles. The governor of Yanzhou, Wang Chang, had already started early and repaired the roads along the way. Many empty spaces and places for logistical support were built along the road, so the march south from Shouchun was very fast.
The vanguard of 10,000 cavalry led by General Zhu Gai set out at dawn on the first day of the first month and arrived at the large camp built by General Jia Kui at Wuqiangkou by night of the third day.
It must be said that people with ability will complete tasks with high standards no matter what is assigned to them.
Yes, Jia Kui is like that.
Jia Kui led the vanguard of 10,000 troops from Yu Province and divided them into four parts. He sent 4,000 troops to Wu Commandery, 2,000 troops to construct defensive works on both sides of the Jia Shi Road, and 4,000 troops to build a large fort at Wuqiangkou.
The road at Jia Shi is narrow, and the 2,000 men constructing fortifications only took three days. After that, they arrived at Wuqiangkou. The number of troops at Wuqiangkou under Jia Kui's command increased from 4,000 to 6,000. With the arrival of the 5,000 men from General Liu Ruo's department, there were a total of 11,000 troops.
The eight large forts that can accommodate a massive army of 100,000 people are arranged in a line facing south, with mountains on the north side and the river on the south side. They have all been completed. Jia Kui can be considered to have established this campaign's first victory.
General Zhu Gai arrived at the large camp at Wuqiangkou on the evening of January 3rd, traveling a distance of 350 miles in two and a half days. After resting for one and a half days, he set out from Wuqiangkou on the morning of January 5th, following the mountain footland from northeast to southwest, continuing his advance towards Wu Commandery.
The advantage of cavalry is mostly about speed. General Zhu Gai covered 350 miles in three days while maintaining his formation and was able to continue the southward campaign after a one-night stand. If the normal pace of infantry is to travel 60 miles a day and night, that can be considered extremely fast.
Starting from Wuqiangkou, the distance to Wu Commandery is only 180 miles.
This route is familiar to General Zhu Gai. At the age of more than fifty, General Zhu Gai, who serves as the right general, let alone walked this route when he was following General Zhang Liang's campaign against Chen Lan years ago. Last August, when he accompanied General Cao Xiu in capturing Wu Commandery and killing Sheng De, he walked this route again.
Just as Zhu Gai set out from Wuqiangkou, riding on his horse, he said to Song Wei, the officer in charge of a separate detachment under his command, "The distance from Wuqiangkou to Wu Commandery is 180 miles. Although you were not in the military when I was campaigning against Chen Lan early on, you did come with me last August. You should be familiar with the route."
The mounted cavalry advanced without pause in a southwestern direction, and Song Wei naturally followed Zhu Gai's rear on horseback.
Song Wei respectfully asked, "General, shall I go ahead to scout the path?"
Zhu Gai held the rein in his left hand and stroked his beard with his right hand, "That's right. The road was muddy in August, but now it's January, and the roads are dry with little water. The pace of movement must have quickened considerably."
"There are 90 miles from Wuqiangkou to Guachuan. Give you three hours. Lead your main army of 1,000 riders to clear the way for me and find a place to camp near Guachuan."
"Can you do it?" Zhu Gai stared into Song Wei's eyes.
Song Wei was in his thirties, the prime of his life for a cavalryman, and he replied without hesitation, raising his hands in salute, "Understood. After I reach there, when can the general expect to arrive?"
Zhu Gai stroked his beard again, thinking for a moment before saying, "You go ahead and clear the way. I will arrive at most one hour later than you."
Song Wei, sitting on his horse and raising his hands in salute, replied immediately without stopping, turning his horse and galloping forward to find his own main force of 1,000 riders.
Guachuan is ninety miles from Wuqiangkou, a strategically important location with both mountains and rivers, which Zhu Gai has always been familiar with.
Within the ninety miles range, either rush to set up camp in a strategic location at Guachuan to gain advantageous terrain, or stop after traveling for about 40 or 50 miles and set up camp randomly in the middle, as the terrain conditions are similar. Then, pass through Guachuan early in the morning tomorrow.
In fact, the area of Huainan is always full of rivers and hills. The route from Wuqiangkou to Wu Commandery is almost a straight line from northeast to southwest. In fact, it's not even a road, but just a long belt of flat land at the foot of the Dabie Mountains.
The distance between the Dabie Mountains and the Yangtze River is no more than a hundred miles. If you choose to start from any point at the foot of the Dabie Mountains and head straight towards the Yangtze River, you would first pass through flat land that is no wider than several miles, followed by hills that stretch for fifty to sixty miles. Only after crossing a vast mountain range can you reach the banks of the Yangtze River.
The roads suitable for cavalry are indeed few, and Zhu Gai can only send Song Wei's detachment to scout the way first.
The advantage of cavalry lies in this, although the speed advantage over infantry in long-distance march is not large, but once it comes to the need for speed, cavalry can complete tactical maneuvers with rapidity and far exceed the speed of infantry, achieving the tactical intent of the general.
On a regular day, cavalry can travel about 80 miles. Now, when it's needed, they can cover 90 miles in just three hours. As for the fatigue of men and horses, Song Wei's 1,000 riders can rest afterward.
The advance guard of Song Wei's 1,000 riders can create a path by marching forward. Zhu Gai, with his vanguard of 9,000 riders, follows along the newly created path.
However, at noon, just when Zhu Gai was still twelve li (about half an hour's journey) away from Guachuan, Song Wei suddenly rode back urgently.
Seeing Song Wei return, Zhu Gai was both surprised and angry: "What has happened ahead? Why are you coming back to see me at this time?"
Song Wei did not answer, and only when he rode up to Zhu Gai's side did he salute and speak in a voice only two people could hear: "General, I divided my forces into two teams of 500 men each and sent them out first. I personally led the front team. When we arrived at Guachuan, arrows were shot down from the short mountains on both sides."
"Understood, the subordinate quickly ordered a retreat, but about fifty riders were still lost. The subordinate has already told the remaining about four hundred riders and the five hundred riders in the rear to set up camp three li behind a hill."
"The subordinate came to find the general myself."
Zhu Gai furrowed his brow and remained silent.
From a military perspective, Song Wei abandoning his 900 riders to come back alone to look for his commander can be considered a crime of 'abandoning the army'.
But from a political perspective, just now, with the loss of over fifty riders at Guachuan, this is the first setback since the campaign began! Song Wei coming alone to find his commander is a matter not yet widely known by many people, and there might still be room for maneuver.
(Chapter complete)
