Do you like to report large numbers of military forces in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty? It seems that Yuan Shao brought 700,000 to Guandu and Cao Cao to Chi

Do you like to report large numbers of military forces in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty? It seems that Yuan Shao brought 700,000 to Guandu and Cao Cao to Chibi 800,000? Mausoleum of Liu Bei with 700,000 to fight Soochow

Comparison of the actual strength of the two sides in the Guandu Battle

The comparison of the strength of the Yuan and Cao armies directly fighting in Guandu was 105,000 to 33,000 (the comparison of the strength of the two armies was 3.2 to 1). If the rear army and transportation troops who did not directly participate in the war are included, the strength comparison between the two sides is 120,000 to 34,000. ?

The Battle of Guandu is a veritable classic example of defeating more with less.

Looking at the entire battle process, Cao Jun’s actual combat strength was 33,000. They were put into combat in stages: ?

The number of Cao Jun's troops participating in the battle in Guandu in the first phase was 19,000; Thousands of people went into battle, and Cao Hong's army on the southern front was reinforced with 4,000 people (see "Three Kingdoms - Biography of Cao Hong") and the right-wing cover force Zhang Xiu's army was 5,000 people (see "Three Kingdoms - Biography of Zhang Xiu"). ?

Cao Cao believed that the right wing was far away from Yuan's army and was defended by troops from Juancheng to the north and Langya and other places to the east, so it was relatively less of a threat, so he deployed his main force to the main battlefield; while the southern front was temporarily The threat was eliminated and troops were promptly deployed to the main battlefield. At this stage, the number of Cao's troops participating in the battle in Guandu reached 33,000 (or slightly less, due to casualties in the battle). ?

It should be said that the reserve troops invested by Cao Cao during the most difficult period of the campaign played a very key role. ?

The Xiahou Dun Army, the left-wing covering force, has no record of participating in the battle, and it is estimated that it did not directly participate in the Guandu battle. Analyze the reasons: First, Mengjin and Aocang defended by Xiahou Dun are extremely important: Mengjin is an extremely important crossing on the river. If it is occupied by Yuan's army, it can easily bypass Xudu with a large force. Aocang was the largest granary of Cao's army at that time. For Cao Cao, who was very poor in food, there must not be any mistakes. Second, Xiahou Dun's defense line faced Yuan's army across the river, and there was no other buffer zone in between. It would be very dangerous to transfer it to other areas. Third, Mengjin is 400 miles away from Guandu and cannot be quickly reinforced (Chenliu on the right is 100 miles away from Guandu, so reinforcements are convenient). ?

The participating troops of Yuan Army: all the front army and the middle army participated in the battle; basically all the left and right armies participated in the battle, and only the rear army and transportation troops did not participate in the battle. The actual number of troops participating in the war was 105,000. ?

After this battle, Yuan Shao failed to recover and later died of illness. After several battles and 7 years, Cao Cao finally eliminated all Yuan Shao's military groups and occupied the four northern states, laying the foundation for the unification of northern China. . ?

Some articles over-exaggerate Cao Cao's capabilities, believing that Cao Cao's army fought 100,000 against Yuan's 100,000; while other articles, in order to belittle Cao Cao, said that Cao Cao's army participated in the war as many as 60,000 to 70,000. I think this is all incorrect. ?

There are also articles that believe that Yuan Shaojun's combat effectiveness is poor, and it is ordinary for Cao Cao to win. In fact, it was not the case. Yuan Shao's army was an elite force in the north (it was true that it was not as elite as Cao's army). At that time, Gongsun Zan's army was composed of people from Yan and Dai, and it was already very fierce - especially cavalry and strong crossbowmen as the main attacking force. In the Battle of Jieqiao between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Zan had 14,000 cavalry for the charge (including about 4,000 elite white horse Yi Cong). And Yuan Shaojun was able to wipe out all such fierce troops, which shows that his strength is not weak. ?

There are also articles that believe that Cao Cao's successful attack on Wuchao was due to good luck. Xu You first came to deliver information, and then Yuan Shao failed to listen to advice and made poor decisions, which allowed Cao Cao to succeed in the battle. In fact, this is not the case. All kinds of things must have their inevitability by chance. Xu You came to surrender. At that time, many generals thought that a surprise attack on Wuchao was dangerous. Only Xun You and Jia Xu persuaded Cao Cao to attack. Since Cao Cao's central army only had less than 14,000 troops, and if he left more troops, he would not have enough troops to attack Wuchao. If he left too few troops, Yuan Shao might counterattack the camp. As a result, Cao Cao chose to attack with only 5,000 infantry and cavalry. Wuchao was 80 miles deep behind enemy lines. If the sneak attack failed, it would most likely be cut off by Yuan's army and the entire army would be annihilated. Moreover, Yuan General Chunyu Qiong was also a famous general of Yuan Shao (please don’t believe the vilification of him in the novel). He had been assigned to the post of Eighth Commander in the court together with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao very early on.

Historical records record that Chunyu Qiong was very sober: Cao Jun arrived at night to attack. Since he could not judge the strength of the enemy's troops, Chunyu Qiong chose to defend the camp. After dawn, he found that Cao Jun's troops were few and went out to fight with Cao Jun. However, during the fierce battle, was killed by Cao Jun's fierce general Le Jin). His troops kept fighting with Cao Cao's elite in Wuchao. In the end, all the generals who commanded the army were killed (including 5 generals including Chun Yuqiong and Mu Yuanjin, and no generals escaped), and Yuan Jun was defeated. . What's more, there was also a flanking attack by cavalry reinforcements sent from Yuan Shao's camp. It can be said that the Wuchao sneak attack operation was really thrilling. In fact, Yuan Shao believed that Cao Cao was desperate to attack Wuchao. With Wuchao's location and heavy defense, Cao Cao must lead the main force of the camp there, and the camp must be empty. Using the main force to seize the opportunity to attack Cao's camp will definitely succeed. But he didn't expect that Cao Cao would dare to attack Wuchao with only 5,000 troops, and the camp was reinforced by Cao Hong's army. Yuan Shao could only fail. But in this environment, I believe that Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei would not dare to risk a sneak attack on Wuchao with such a small force. With Chunyu Qiong and others fighting to the death, if Yuan Shao sent Zhang He's main force to flank Cao Cao, I'm afraid Cao Cao would really not be able to succeed. But the key is that Cao Cao's troop deployment was beyond Yuan Shao and Guo Tu's expectations, which caused Yuan Shao's decision-making error. ?

Due to the lack of historical data, many troop deployments were based on the analysis of the generals of the two armies and the positions of both sides at that time. This article mainly discusses the actual strength of the participating troops in this battle, without much reference to the strategic and tactical characteristics of both sides. ?

The summary is as follows: ?

The comparison of Yuan's and Cao's troops in direct combat in Guandu was 105,000 to 33,000 (the comparison of the strength of the two armies was 3.2 to 1). If the rear army and transportation troops who did not directly participate in the war are included, the strength comparison between the two sides is 120,000 to 34,000. ?

The Battle of Guandu is a veritable classic example of defeating more with less.

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Battle of Chibi

1. Deployment of forces of both sides before the war

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Liu Biao and Liu Bei's troops: According to historical records: It is relatively clear: Liu Cong surrendered to Cao Cao with an army of more than 70,000 people, Liu Qi's army in Xiakou had more than 10,000 people, and Liu Bei's army had more than 10,000 people. Total More than 90,000 people.

Since the Liu Biao Group is located in the Yangtze River and Han River area, its navy is the main force, but there is no historical data to explain the proportion of the navy in its total force (estimated to be about 50%). In addition, when Liu Bei retreated to Xiakou, he was defeated by Cao's army in Dangyang. It is estimated that he lost thousands of people. Therefore, at the beginning of the battle, Liu's army only had about 15,000 people (located in the Xiakou area).

Sun Quan’s Army: Historical records are also relatively clear: Sun Quan sent 30,000 troops to Zhou Yu for direct combat with Cao’s army.

At that time, Sun Quan's total military strength was estimated to be 70,000 to 80,000. However, since the troops were scattered in various places to station and quell rebellions in various counties, it was difficult to mobilize them for a while. In addition, to defend against Cao's army's three-pronged attack on the eastern front. A diversionary attack also requires more than 10,000 troops. In addition, it is estimated that Sun Quan himself led a strategic reserve of about 20,000 people, located behind Zhou Yu (Chaisang).

Cao Cao's Army: The most confusing statement about the strength of Cao's Army in history:

1. According to Cao Cao's surrender letter to Sun Quan, it was said that "the navy will be controlled by 800,000 people (now I have trained With an army of 800,000 by land and water), Fang and his generals joined forces to hunt Wu." From this, the statement that Cao's army of 830,000 was derived. But this statement is completely incorrect: first, it is a written article by Cao Cao to scare Sun Quan, hoping that Sun Quan would not dare to resist and surrender; second, the total population of the northern region occupied by Cao Cao at that time was only more than 3 million, which was reduced. Excluding 50% of women, and subtracting 50% of the old, young, sick and disabled, there are only about 700,000 to 800,000 people who can actually serve as soldiers. There are also officials in various states, counties, and manpower to develop production. Cao Cao can have 350,000 The military is the limit. Note that the 800,000 people mentioned in the bragging here refer to Cao Cao's entire army, not the troops that marched to Jingzhou.

2. According to the records of "Zi Zhi Tong Jian", Zhou Yu reported to Sun Quan the strength of Cao's army: "Everyone was frightened when they saw Cao Cao's book saying that he could move eight hundred thousand troops, but they didn't know what he was doing." There is no point in starting this discussion based on the facts. Now let's check it out with facts: the number of Chinese people he captured was only 150,000 to 60,000, and they have been exhausted for a long time; the number of soldiers he obtained was only 70,000 to 80,000, and he was still suspicious.

"——Cao Cao's total Central Plains troops are only 150,000 to 160,000, and the newly surrendered Liu Biao army is at most 70,000 to 80,000. So Cao Cao's total army is more than 230,000. I think this number is relatively accurate: First , this was the two top military leaders within Sun Quan discussing the situation, and they should have done so from the most objective standpoint; second, Sun Quan did not want to surrender at that time, and Zhou Yu did not need to reduce the strength of Cao's army to deceive Sun Quan; third, Zhou Yu had always The loyalty to Sun Quan should be believed to be that he revealed the true situation to Sun Quan; fourth, it was consistent with the strength comparison of various groups at that time. Even though Cao Cao's army only had 160,000 troops, it was the largest military group in the country at that time, so Cao Cao brought the Central Plains troops to Jingzhou. There are about 80,000 to 90,000 people.

3. Regarding Zhou Yu’s conversation above, relevant history books believe that Zhou Yu is referring to the 150,000 to 160,000 Central Plains troops used by Cao Cao to attack Liu Biao in Jingzhou. In this way, Cao Cao's total military strength may reach about 300,000. However, after careful analysis of the causes and consequences of this passage, Cao Cao's character, military habits, and general military common sense, this article believes that this understanding is incorrect (see Note 1 for detailed analysis. ).

Comparing the above three statements, we can conclude that the second statement is most consistent with the situation at the time. Therefore, the correct number is: Cao Cao's total military strength at that time was more than 230,000, and he personally led it. The Central Plains troops in Jingzhou were 80,000 to 90,000, and the surrendered troops in Jingzhou were 70,000.

We can also infer based on the evolution of Cao’s army during this period:

August 194. , Cao Cao returned from Xuzhou to rescue Yanzhou, but was defeated by Lu Bu's army. The army suffered heavy losses, with less than 10,000 troops (see "Zi Zhi Tong Jian Han Ji Fifty-Three" "In the tenth month of winter, Cao Cao arrived at Dong'e... Cheng Yu said: Although Yanzhou is now in ruins, it still has three cities and no fewer than ten thousand capable warriors.").

At the Battle of Guandu in 2000, the total strength of Cao's army was about 65,000 (Note 2).

After the Battle of Guandu, what was the total strength of Cao's army? It was estimated to be about 75,000. It was 65,000 before the war. 12,000 surrendered during the battle. Note: 70,000 were captured later. ~80,000 people were killed by Cao Cao according to historical records.

In other battles to destroy Yuan, some Yuan army generals also surrendered:

In April 203, Yuan Tan's generals Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang surrendered; their strength was about 5,000;

In July 204, Yuan Shang's generals Ma Yan and Zhang Kai led their troops to surrender Surrendered with about 5,000 troops;

In September 204, Yecheng was captured. Dongmen Xiaowei Shenrong led his troops to surrender with 1,000 troops and some others captured;

In January 2006, Yuan Xi's generals Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan returned to Youzhou with a force of 25,000.

In addition to the surrender of 100,000 tribesmen in Heishan, it is estimated that more than 10,000 of them could be selected.

In this way, after defeating the four northern states, Cao's army must have had about 120,000 troops. With the addition and development of Cao's army, it is estimated that the total strength will be in the spring of 208 after the northern region is pacified. There are 150,000 to 160,000 people (including 70,000 to 80,000 elites led by close associates), but not more.

Cao Cao has always believed that the key to having more troops is not to have more troops, but to be more skilled, and to use the generals who lead the troops. This is why Cao Cao's troops have never been very large. In addition, when Cao Cao started his business, he suffered three losses because his troops were large but not elite: once during the crusade against Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao led thousands of newly recruited troops to fight Dong Zhuo's general Xu Rongjun alone. As a result, Cao Cao's army failed. He was defeated by the regular army's attack, and Cao Cao himself almost died (fortunately, he was saved by Cao Hong, leaving behind the story of "the world cannot be without Hong, but cannot be without the king"); once when the army returned from Xuzhou to fight with Lu Bu, 30,000 The Qingzhou soldiers adapted from the Yellow Turban Army were defeated by Lu Bu's 10,000 cavalry, and he was almost injured. During the third expedition against Zhang Xiu, the remaining Qingzhou soldiers from the previous battle were defeated by Zhang Xiu's sneak attack. Not only did he himself Two of his children died in battle with the fierce general Dian Wei, and he was almost finished.

Since then, Cao Cao has insisted on using small but very elite troops. Even if the elephant leader is killed in battle, the troops will not collapse.

For example:

Battle of Guandu - Cao Cao personally led 5,000 elite troops deep into Yuan Shao's rear and defeated his general Chunyu Qiong's more than 10,000 defenders and reinforcements from the front and rear, and burned all of Yuan's army stationed in Wuchao. Grain and grass;

Attack on Guanzhong - Facing the Xiliang spearmen, who were known as the most ferocious at the time, Cao Jun was never overwhelmed by them;

Hanzhong defense - Facing the general Xia Houyuan After being killed in an ambush, the troops quickly gathered together and under the command of other generals, they tenaciously withstood Liu Bei's attack until Cao Cao's army arrived.

The only exception is that in this battle, Cao Cao directly used the newly surrendered Jingzhou navy. This is mainly because:

First, Cao Cao did not have a navy of his own and had to use (Note 3).

Second, in order to eliminate Liu Bei as soon as possible, Cao Cao had no time to reorganize and train this naval force.

Third, Cao Cao planned to use this navy to attack Liu Bei, and Liu Bei's navy was relatively weak.

Cao Cao also knew that this navy was no match for Zhou Yu's navy, so when he encountered Zhou Yu's army in Chibi, Cao Cao avoided fighting. However, Cao Cao suffered a big loss for the last time due to his lack of elite troops. It was this naval force that led to the biggest failure in his life.

2. Analysis of the entire Battle of Chibi and the number of troops participating in the battle

It is more appropriate that the entire battle should be called the Battle of Jingzhou. Because the battle of Chibi (Wulin) is only the most important battle among them. The Battle of Jingzhou began in July 208 and ended in November 209, lasting one year and four months. Among them, the Battle of Chibi (Wulin) lasted less than 2 months from October to November 208.

Introduction to the battle process:

The first stage: Outpost War. In July 208, Cao's army gathered and began to march towards Jingzhou.

In September, Cao Jun arrived in Xinye. Liu Biao's successor Liu Cong surrendered with 70,000 troops, and Cao's army continued to advance. Liu Bei, who was stationed in Fancheng, led his army to retreat to Jiangling in the south, and ordered Guan Yu to lead hundreds of naval ships to retreat from the Han River;

Cao Jun entered Xiangyang and found that Liu Bei had withdrawn, so Cao Cao personally led the troops. Five thousand elite cavalry traveled three hundred miles day and night and caught up with Liu Bei at Changban Slope in Dangyang. Liu Bei's army was defeated in panic. Liu Bei abandoned his family and fled with dozens of cavalry including Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun. Thousands of troops were lost (note: Liu Bei's army has 10,000 troops, and it is estimated that the navy accounts for 50%. Liu Bei will not hand over all the troops to Guan Yu to be transported away by ship. The navy should be taken away by Guan Yu, and the army should be taken away by Guan Yu. Liu Bei led the retreat along the land route. Liu Bei's army was basically lost in the battle of Changbanpo).

Liu Bei gave up the idea of ????evacuating to Jiangling and instead evacuated to Xiakou where Liu Qi was. Cao Jun occupied Jiangling.

The second stage: Sun and Liu united.

Because Cao Cao's occupation of Jingzhou was too smooth, he wanted to use the same method to frighten Sun Quan and make Sun Quan surrender without any blood. He sent a letter persuading Sun Quan to surrender. At the same time, they actively prepared to attack Liu Bei's army stationed in Xiakou.

At that time, Liu Bei's situation was extremely serious: his troops had just been defeated by Cao Jun, and Liu Qi's troops were weak in combat effectiveness. Liu Bei once had the idea of ????fleeing to Cangwu in the south. Zhuge Liang suggested: "The situation is urgent. Please ask General Sun for help."

After the efforts of Zhuge Liang, Lu Su, Zhou Yu and others, they defeated the capitulation faction and finally promoted an alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei to fight against Cao Cao. Sun Quan appointed Zhou Yu as the governor to lead 30,000 troops to resist Cao's attack.

Cao Cao's advisers advised him not to attack Sun Quan in a hurry, but to stabilize Jingzhou first and then strengthen the navy. By then, Jiangdong could be defeated without a fight. Cao Cao did not adopt it.

The third stage: fighting.

Cao Cao's plan is to divide his troops into two groups to attack Jiangxia County (from Xiakou to Fankou) where Liu Bei is located, first eliminate Liu Bei, and then attack Sun Quan depending on the situation. In order to prevent Sun Quan from supporting Liu Bei, three more troops were sent to conduct a diversionary attack on the eastern front.

Sun Quan’s plan is: with Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu as the chief and deputy governors, lead the troops up the river, cross Liu Bei’s army, and confront Cao’s army. Another three groups of troops were arranged to resist Cao Jun's feint attack troops on the eastern front. He is gathering some troops to support Zhou Yu.

It is estimated that the Sun-Liu coalition forces also have a joint battle plan: Zhou Yu's army goes up the Yangtze River to attack the West Route Army led by Cao Cao himself, while Guan Yu and Liu Qi's troops are deployed in Jiangxia County to defend Cao's North Route Army. Attack from the Han River.

Cao Jun's west route went eastward from Jiangling along the Yangtze River (along both sides of the Yangtze River, with the navy in the middle), and his north route went south from Xiangyang along the Han River. The two routes will attack Liu Bei's army in Jiangxia.

In October 208, Zhou Yu led his army up the river to attack Cao Jun. On October 10, the leading troops of the two armies encountered each other in Chibi, and a small-scale battle broke out. Cao's army was defeated and retreated to Jiangbei. Zhou Yu's army confronted Cao's army in the south of the Yangtze River.

A plague broke out in Cao's army. Many northern soldiers fell ill and their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced. So Cao Cao set up a large camp in the Wulin area on the north bank, preparing to rest and reorganize his troops and fight again in the spring. Zhou Yu's army crossed the river several times to challenge, but Cao's army refused to fight. Zhou Yu made a fire attack plan based on the situation that Cao's warships were all connected together.

On November 13, 208, Zhou Yu's army used a false surrender strategy to successfully attack and burned many of Cao's warships. At the same time, Cao Jun's land camp was burned down. Zhou Yu's army took advantage of Cao's army's confusion and immediately landed to attack Cao's army fiercely.

Cao Cao saw that the situation was irreversible, so he ordered the remaining warships to be burned and then retreated westward. Due to heavy rain and muddy roads, Cao Cao abandoned all his baggage before passing through Huarong. At this time, Zhang Liao and Xu Chu led the cavalry to meet them, and then they fled back to Jiangling. After Cao Cao fled back, he left Cao Ren and Xu Huang to defend Jiangling, Le Jin to defend Xiangyang, and he led other generals to retreat to the north.

After Zhou Yu's army defeated Cao's army in Wulin, they continued to march westward. In the Baqiu area, they discovered and attacked the transport fleet of Cao's West Route Corps. Cao's generals burned the fleet and fled.

Yu’s army arrived at the south bank of Jiangling and confronted Cao’s army across the river. At the same time, he sent 2,000 troops to capture Yiling.

Liu Bei's army saw Zhou Yu defeating Cao's army in the Jiangxia area, and took advantage of the situation to pursue Cao's army and captured many soldiers and supplies. Later, taking advantage of Zhou Yu's confrontation with Cao's army in Jiangling, he went south and occupied Wuling, Changsha, Guiyang and Lingling counties.

A year later, because Jiangling was close to the Yangtze River, it was very difficult for Cao Ren to defend Jiangling under Zhou Yu's continuous attacks. Finally, Cao Cao agreed to abandon Jiangling and evacuate to Xiangyang north. The entire battle ended here.

3. Analysis of the actual fighting forces in the Battle of Chibi (Wulin)

The real combat location of the Battle of Chibi was Wulin on the north bank of the Yangtze River. Chibi on the south bank was only the initial encounter. location. Therefore it is more accurate to call the Battle of Ulin. However, in order to be consistent with the usual statement, this article still uses the Battle of Red Cliff.

In the most critical Battle of Chibi in this campaign, what was the actual fighting strength of both sides? Please see the following analysis:

Zhou Yujun: 30,000, of which elite navy troops are estimated to account for about 50%. The main generals are as follows:

The left governor: Zhou Yu, the right governor: Cheng Pu

Zanjun Lu Su, the commanding officer, Gan Ning, Hengye Zhonglang General Lu Meng, Zhonglang General Han Dang, < /p>

The vanguard captain Huang Gai, the left guard Chenglie captain Ling Tong, Fenwei captain Quan Cong, Yichun Chang Zhou Tai, Wumeng captain Pan Zhang, and the running captain Fuyi general Zhu Zhi.

Liu Bei's army: The main force did not participate in the battle in the Xiakou area (only Liu Bei followed Zhou Yu's army).

The proof is:

First, after the Battle of Chibi, Zhou Yu’s army arrived at Jiangling. Zhou Yu sent Gan Ning and Liu Bei to lead 2,000 troops to attack Yiling in the west (Zi Zhi Tongjian) records). If Liu Bei had his own troops, how could he follow Gan Ning and lead such a small number of troops to fight?

Second, all official histories about Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun do not record their participation in the Battle of Chibi.

Thirdly, if Liu Bei’s 15,000 people (called 20,000) participated in the battle, it would have played a big role, and Liu Bei would not have humbled himself and asked Sun Quan for more territory later. .

Fourth, according to the subsequent analysis, Cao's army in Chibi only had 45,000 people. If the main force of Liu Bei's army participated in the battle, the strength of both sides would be equal. According to historical records, Zhou Yu's army was smaller than Cao's army.

Fifth, according to historical data, when Zhou Yu's army arrived at Liu Bei's station in Fankou, Liu Bei asked Zhou Yu how many troops he had brought. Zhou Yu said there were 30,000 soldiers, which Liu Bei felt was a little small. And Zhou Yu said to Liu Bei: Don't worry, please see how I defeat the enemy. Rather than saying that we must defeat the enemy together. Sixth, the main force of Liu Bei's army stationed in the Xiakou area is mainly to prepare to prevent Cao's North Route Corps from attacking southward from the Han River.

Seventh, Zi Zhi Tong Jian Han Ji Fifty-Nine records, Yu said: "In the battle of Wulin, General Zuo was in the field, trying his best to defeat the enemy. How could it be in vain, without a piece of soil?" , indicating that Liu Bei was alone in Zhou Yu's army at that time.

Eighth, "Jiang Biao Zhuan" records that at that time Liu Bei was planning to send Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with 2,000 men and Zhou Yu to fight against Cao Cao. However, considering that Zhou Yu might not be able to win due to the small number of soldiers, he did not send.

Cao Cao's army: about 40,000, of which the newly surrendered Jingzhou Navy accounts for about 75%.

The reason is: Only Cao Cao's West Route Corps participated in the Battle of Chibi, and the other troops were not here at all and did not participate in the battle. Because according to historical records, only a force led by Cao Cao personally arrived on the battlefield and participated in the Battle of Chibi.

First of all, we analyze the deployment of Cao Jun at that time as follows (see the situation map of the Battle of Chibi):

West Road: Commander Cao Cao, counselors: Xun You, Jia Xu, Chen Jiao, Dong Zhao , Chen Qun, etc.,

Tiger Cavalry, Dragon Cavalry, Leopard Cavalry generals of the guard army: Xu Chu, Cao Chun, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu,

General Fenwei Man Chong, General Li Feng Cao Hong, Zhechong General Le Jin,

Navy Commander Cai Mao, Navy Deputy Commander Zhang Yun,

North Road: Commander-in-Chief Protector (Seventh) Army Zhao Yan, Fenwei General Cheng Yu , the Prime Minister's army offered wine to Du Xi and Yuan Yu,

General Huwei was in Jin, General Zhang Liao was the general to suppress the invaders, Zhang He was the general to suppress the invaders,

Zhu Ling was the general to suppress the invaders, and Li Dian was the general to destroy the invaders. , General Yangwu Luzhao, General Feng Kai,

Navy pioneer general Wenpin, Jiangxia prefect,

East road diversionary offensive force: Pingdong General Chen Deng attacked Danyang County,

General Weilu and Xuzhou Governor Zang Ba attacked Wu County,

Yangzhou troops attacked Lujiang County from Shouchun and Hefei.

The troops left behind in Jingzhou: General Xu Huang who stayed behind in Fancheng, general Cao Ren who stayed in Jiangling to conquer the south,

Xia Houyuan, the food supervisor of the transportation force, and the prefect of Runan Li Tong et al.

Cao Cao's northern elite troops are directly commanded by Cao Cao's kin generals and other famous generals, such as: Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, Xia Houyuan, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Man Chong, Yu Jin, Le Jin, Li Tong and others each led about 5,000 elite troops. This is equivalent to the modern era. Cao Cao is the commander-in-chief, and the trusted generals are the army commanders and division commanders who directly lead the troops. We only need to look at where the army commanders and division commanders are to know the location of Cao Cao's elite Central Plains troops. Cao Cao would never leave the army commanders and division commanders who directly lead the troops in a certain place, but would lead all the troops they led by himself. Therefore, the best way to analyze the deployment of Cao's army is to look at where its main generals are.

Where were Cao Cao's main generals at that time? Please read some records in the history books:

Cao Ren - Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms Cao Ren's biography: "From Ping Jingzhou, he used benevolence to conquer the southern generals, stayed in Jiangling, and rejected the Wu general Zhou Yu."

Cao Hong. ——No record found. But "tired from the expedition," Cao Cao usually took him with him.

Xiahou Dun—no record found. It seems that after losing his eyesight, he basically stayed behind.

Xia Houyuan—no record found. But at that time, he was basically responsible for the important work of escorting grain and grass.

Xu Huang - A Biography of Xu Huang in the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms: "Conquer Jingzhou, stationed in Fan, and fight against the bandits in Zhonglu, Linju and Yicheng."

Man Chong - A Biography of Man Chong in the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms: "I conquered Jingzhou from Taizu. When the army returned, I left a favor with General Fenwei and stationed in Dangyang."

Le Jin - Legend of the Three Kingdoms Lejin Biography: "Later, I pacified Jingzhou, stayed in Xiangyang, and attacked Guan Yu. , Su Fei, etc. all left. They also attacked Liu Bei, Ju Changdu Pu, and Jingyang Changliang Da, but they were all defeated." Zhang Liao - Biography of Zhang Liao in the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms: "At that time, Jingzhou was not settled, so he was sent back. "Liaotun Changshe" was later controlled by the military governor Zhao Yan.

Yu Jin, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Li Dian, Lu Zhao, and Feng Kai—were controlled by the Commander-in-Chief and Protector Zhao Yan.

Wenpin - Biography of Wenpin in the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms: "The envoy and Cao Chun pursued Liu Bei in Changban. He appointed him as the prefect of Jiangxia, and together with Yue Jin, he attacked Guan Yu in Xunkou. With meritorious service, he also defeated the rebel general. ."

Li Tong—was the prefect of Runan at the time, and there is no record of participating in the war. It is estimated that he may participate in the transportation of grain and grass.

Was Cao Cao's army deployed as described above? The analysis is as follows:

Cao Jun’s West Route Corps: Cao Cao’s important generals on the West Route are Cao Hong, Le Jin and Man Chong, and the other important generals are not with Cao Cao. The other one is Su Weijun. There are about 5,000 Su Wei troops (led by Cao Chun, Cao Zhen, and Cao Xiu, who once marched 300 miles day and night to chase Liu Bei. Xu Chu was not in the army for some reason at that time), plus 5,000 troops each from Cao Hong, Le Jin, and Man Chong. Therefore, there are only 20,000 elite Central Plains Army troops on the west route. There are two other generals on Cao Cao's west route: Cai Mao and Zhang Yun of the Jingzhou Navy. The two men led the navy, and they would not be the elite soldiers brought by Cao Cao from the Central Plains.

If we assume that half of Liu Cong's 70,000 troops were naval troops, then the total number of naval troops who surrendered would be 35,000. The three generals of the Jingzhou Navy were Cai Mao, Zhang Yun and Wenpin, so it was more reasonable for each of them to lead a navy of more than 10,000 people. In addition, it is reasonable that one-third of the Jingzhou navy is weak on the Han River and two-thirds strong on the Yangtze River. Therefore, there are approximately more than 25,000 naval troops in Cao Cao's West Route Corps.

Therefore, Cao Cao's West Route Corps is composed of: 20,000 elite land troops from the Central Plains plus 25,000 newly surrendered naval troops, totaling 45,000 soldiers (similar to the North Route).

Cao Jun’s North Route Corps: There is no accurate record of its deployment location in historical materials, but it must be far away from Cao Cao. Because according to the records in the "Three Kingdoms Zhao Yan Biography", in order to unify, coordinate and command the seven important generals on this road, Cao Cao specially appointed Zhao Yan to serve as the guard of the Seventh Army. If these seven generals were deployed near Cao Cao, Cao Cao could lead them personally without having to send seven more troops to protect them. Each of the seven generals led 5,000 elite troops from the Central Plains, plus nearly 10,000 naval troops hired by civilians, totaling 45,000 people. It is estimated that they were preparing to go south along the Han River from Xiangyang, but they were still far away from Chibi and there was no road in between, so they were unable to participate in this battle.

Cao Jun’s garrison and transportation troops in Jiangling, Xiangyang, Fancheng, and Dangyang: the three important generals Cao Ren, Xu Huang, and Li Tong each have 5,000 troops, plus the grain and grass envoy Xia Houyuan’s 5,000 troops (See "Three Kingdoms Biography of Cao Ren"), a total of 20,000 people.

Eastern front diversion offensive force: 3 generals divided into three groups with 5,000 troops each, totaling 15,000 people.

Cao Jun’s troops left behind in the north:

Xun Yu’s troops left behind in Xuchang, Central Plains: 5,000, and 5,000 Xiahou Dun’s troops guarding Guanzhong, totaling 10,000.

Those left behind in Yanzhou and Xuzhou areas: about 10,000 people.

The remaining troops in the newly recovered four northern states (estimated): 5,000 from Bingzhou Governor Liang Xi, 15,000 to 20,000 from Youzhou’s Jiao Hu and Zhang Nan, and 10,000 from Jizhou’s Gao Lan and Jia Xin. and Qingzhou 5,000 people, totaling 35,000 to 40,000 people.

In addition, it is estimated that the 35,000 newly surrendered army troops in Jingzhou are undergoing reorganization training due to poor combat effectiveness and did not participate in the battle.

The total number of the above troops is about 220,000. Because of the previous analysis, the strength of Cao's army in the Central Plains was between 150,000 and 160,000. Including Jingzhou's surrender, the total strength was 220,000 to 230,000, which is very consistent. The above basically includes all the generals under Cao Cao at that time.

Based on the above analysis, as far as the local Battle of Chibi is concerned, the actual strength comparison between the two sides is 45,000 to 30,000, and Cao’s army is dominant (if the main force of Liu Bei’s army participates in the battle, it is not that Cao’s army is dominant ). However, Cao Jun's 25,000 navy troops were newly surrendered, and their morale was unstable, and their morale and combat effectiveness were low. The 20,000 Central Plains Army troops with strong combat effectiveness were not good at water warfare and contracted the plague (possibly schistosomiasis). Failure is inevitable.

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The Battle of Yiling, Shu Kingdom invested 50,000 troops, and Sun Quan invested 50,000 troops.

The Battle of Yiling, also known as The Battle of Yiling and the Battle of Xiaoting were large-scale campaigns launched by Liu Bei, Emperor Zhaolie of the Shu Han Dynasty, against Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period. They were a famous successful example of active defense in the history of ancient Chinese wars and the last of the "Three Major Battles" of the Three Kingdoms. field. In July of the first year of Zhangwu (221), three months after Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor, Liu Bei sent troops to conquer Sun Quan of Eastern Wu on the pretext of avenging the famous general Guan Yu. After Sun Quan failed to seek peace, he decided to seek peace with Cao Wei and avoid fighting on two fronts, while sending Lu Xun to lead his army to fight. Lu Xun used the method of waiting for work to stop the Shu Han army's offensive, and even defeated the Shu Han army in the Yiling area in August of the second year of Zhangwu (222). The disastrous defeat in the Battle of Yiling was another major loss of Shu Han's strength after Guan Yu lost Jingzhou.

Although Wu won this battle, since the novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" mainly describes the Shu Han, many parts were rewritten to favor the Shu Han, as follows:

1. Gan Ning He and Huang Zhong died of illness before the Battle of Yiling. Gan Ning was not shot by the barbarian general Samoko, and Huang Zhong was not killed in Pan Zhang's ambush because of his bravery.

2. Several well-known Wu generals such as Zhu Ran and Pan Zhang made great achievements in the Battle of Yiling, and were written in the novel that they died in this battle. Therefore, the Battle of Jiangling between Soochow and Cao Wei was not written.

3. After Fu Shiren and Mi Fang surrendered to Soochow, they did not escape back to Shuhan, nor did they kill Ma Zhong. However, it was described in the novel that when they saw something was wrong, they killed Ma Zhong and fled back to Shuhan, but were attacked by Liu Bei. execution. Fan Jiang and Zhang Da agree.

4. Lu Xun retreated because he thought that Cao Wei would take advantage of the opportunity to attack and retreat. It was not that he was trapped by the eight formations of the maze and could not pursue him in the novel.

5. The Shu army did not number 700,000, but about 50,000. Wu's army was not 200,000 strong (cumulative), but 50,000.