During the Spring and Autumn Period, Qi Huangong appointed Guan Zhong as the prime minister. Guan Zhong did not disappoint him, and came up with a set of strategies to enrich the country and strengthen the army. Qi State 's national power was bullish. Qi Huangong became tough in his words and deeds, and was elected as the "leading brother" by the princes.
However, it does not mean that everyone is afraid of Qi State. The Shanrong people in the north do not take Qi State seriously. They often send troops to visit the Yan State border and bring back some local products. By the way, they can also weaken Qi State's ally Yan State.
The Yan State was weak at the time and had no choice but to be beaten passively.
This year, the Shanrong tribe came to "visit" the Yan State again. The king of the Yan State went out with 20,000 soldiers, determined to block these barbarians at the door and not let them in!
However, I never expected that the Yan State's army was ambushed in a place called Devil's Cry Valley, and only a thousand of the 20,000 people escaped alive.
What was even worse next was that the Shanrong tribe went all out and captured three cities in the Yan Kingdom. What if these barbarians don’t leave? Isn't that just like Emperor Zhou , which almost destroyed the country?
Yan State was really in a life-and-death crisis, so he had no choice but to ask for help from his elder brother, "Boss, those uncivilized people from the north always come to my place to burn, kill and loot. Here they come again, and they have captured three cities. You have to make the decision for me!"
Duke Huan of Qi saw that someone dared to bully his younger brother, so he immediately summoned the army and marched directly to the State of Yan with 50,000 troops.
The "big brother who takes the lead" wants to go out to fight, so naturally he must be followed by his younger brothers, otherwise he is not a big brother!
The king of Wu Ending Kingdom asked General Huer Ban to take the 2,000 soldiers he could muster and follow the Qi army all the way to Yan State. He would hang out with his eldest brother. If there are any difficulties in the future, it would be easier to talk to him.
Guan Zhong, as the plenipotentiary representative of Duke Huan of Qi, appointed Hu Erban as the vanguard general to lead his troops and destroy the city along the way, and soon helped the Yan Kingdom regain the three occupied cities.
Soon, Huerban led the vanguard troops to a place called Ligang and ordered the troops to rest on the spot. He ran to Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong and said: "Ahead is the place where Yan's 20,000-strong army was defeated, which is called Devil's Cry Valley. If Shanrong people set up an ambush here, once we enter, we will be very passive unless we can fly out!"
Guan Zhong had already learned in detail about the defeat of Yan's 20,000-strong army, and had already made a plan to deal with the dangerous area of Devil's Cry Valley. He confidently said to Huerban: "General, don't worry, just follow my Qi army for now."
Huerban saw that Guan Zhong didn't explain, and he didn't know how Guan Zhong wanted to fight, so he had to follow the order.
Guan Zhong took out the token and said: " Prince Chengdu , Zhao Chuan listens to the order and orders you two to enter the Valley of Devil's Cry tomorrow morning in accordance with the requirements on the token."
The second general knew that Guan Zhong must have a clever plan, took the token, and quickly went back to prepare for war.
In the early morning of the next day, before dawn, chariots from the Qi army's camp drove out one after another, forming a long snake, heading all the way to Devil's Crying Valley.
These tanks are not ordinary tanks, but modified versions. The mouths of the horses pulling the chariot are all covered by nets, and the wheels of the chariot are also unique, with hemp leather tied on them. The sound of the vehicle is very low while the vehicle is moving. On the chariot, there are soldiers in armor standing, looking majestic. The battle flag of Qi whirls in the morning breeze, setting off the solemn atmosphere.
The Shanrong people had been staring at the Qi camp for a long time. When they saw the Qi army entering the ambush circle step by step, the Shanrong leader Milu waved the small yellow flag in his hand and shouted: "Kill!"
For a time, flying arrows, rocks, and pieces of wood came down. The Qi soldiers were unlucky. Some chariots were smashed, soldiers fell to the ground one after another, and even the Qi flag was knocked to the ground.
Milu was very happy when he saw that his clever plan was successful. He raised the mace in his hand, "killed", and rushed down from the mountain with the soldiers.
Not long after, Milu, who was leading the army, rushed into the valley and saw a general of Qi who was still standing with a few arrows stuck in his body. Without saying a word, Milu swung his mace and smashed it at him. With a "dong" sound, the helmet of the general of Qi fell to the ground. Hey, that's not right. Why didn't the general of Qi do it? After a closer look, there was no head or blood in the helmet. It turned out that it was just a piece of wood covered with clothes and armor.
He was careless, Milu shouted anxiously in his heart, and hurriedly called his cronies to prepare to exit the valley.
At this time, he suddenly heard the sound of "dong", "dong"... and Milu naturally knew that he had fallen into the trap. Looking from a distance, he only saw two generals from Qi (Wang Zi Chengfu and Zhao Chuan) coming with a group of soldiers.
Milu saw that he could not walk away, so he could only face the enemy and wave the mace in his hand.
While he was fighting with the soldiers of the Qi army, he found a tall figure on the chariot in the distance. Judging from his dressing style, he should be Guan Zhong, the Prime Minister of Qi.
then stopped entangled with the soldiers, swung the mace several times, and when he had some space, he quickly rushed towards Guan Zhong, hoping to capture the thief first and capture the king first.
Milu was so brave. Wherever he passed, the soldiers of Qi fell to the ground and retreated. Seeing that Milu was about to kill Guan Zhong, dozens of arrows were fired from behind the chariot. In just a few breaths, the brave Milu fell to the ground like a hedgehog , looking out of breath.
Guan Zhong used a small strategy to easily pass through the dangerous place of "Devil's Crying Valley", helping the Yan State to rescue the siege, and also relieved the Qi State from worries.
[Zixiao’s reflections on reading history]
I have to say that Guan Zhong is really a good player when it comes to strategy!
In the battle to relieve the siege of Yan State, Guan Zhong first used fake soldiers to lead the enemy down the valley, and then the Qi army attacked the enemy head-on in an upright manner; when Milu wanted to play a "capture king strategy", Guan Zhong gave him another lesson. Dozens of arrows told him that if you want to compete with Qi State , you Shanrong people are still far behind! The overlord of the Central Plains is not gained by eating and drinking. The world is not only about human relations, but also about fighting and killing. We, the big brother who takes the lead, are made through fighting.
Eliminate the enemy's advantages, use your own advantages to suppress the enemy, and use strategies to prevent the enemy from jumping over the wall. Guan Zhong is really full of strategies. His name of "Guanzi" is really not just blown away. As the saying goes, "The times and fortunes are adjusted, and the strange and the right come together." Guan Zhong's strategic thinking can be called a classic.
How do you think Guan Zhong did in this battle?
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