Sun Tzu said, "Therefore, if the soldiers win, they will be counted in baht, and if they lose, they will be counted in baht. The winner's battle, if it is determined to accumulate water in a stream of thousands of miles, is also shaped. "

The author has always believed that a clever general is fluent and sophisticated in using troops. Now I know the theoretical source of this feeling, and Sun Tzu has explained that the situation is indeed the key to predicting the outcome.

(Because the purpose of this article is not to study the strategic situation of both sides, but it's not that I don't consider it, but that's not the focus of this article. )

Let's start reading the text.

Let's start with Zhou Yu:

Background analysis:

Strictly speaking, as a defender, it is very difficult to really defend the great river, because if the troops are scattered on the defense line along the river, the local space defense of the tactical main battlefield will inevitably be weak (just like sand blowing along the river), because the peripheral enemies have the initiative in crossing the river, so they can concentrate their superior forces to break through the defenders scattered along the river. Therefore, defending a big river or an island is just like defending the Great Wall. If we disperse our forces, it will be easy to break through one by one. Therefore, deep mobile defense is generally adopted, that is, the main points of natural disaster prevention are used to find out the offensive weaknesses of external enemies and make effective breakthroughs, such as supply lines, grain routes and military routes. As an inside line of cross-regional defense, when a certain point on the defense line is effectively broken by the enemy, mobile troops can be dispatched to remedy the situation in the area, and the defense posture can be fan-shaped and several areas can cooperate. Therefore, sticking to the tactical points and finding the enemy's weaknesses are the key to breaking the enemy.

Therefore, Zhou Yu and Sun Quan discussed, Zhou Yu adhered to the main points along the Yangtze River, and Sun Quan dispatched troops in Chaisang (Jiujiang). In fact, the time from Chai Sang to Jiangxia is very short, because after Yiling, the river is gentle and the speed of advancing along the northwest is also very fast. For information about Yiling, please refer to my previous information.

As an inside defense of the Yangtze River, Zhou Yu is familiar with water warfare and tactics. He knew that finding the assembly point of Cao Cao's army was his defensive tactical point (because Cao Cao was fighting on exterior lines and the supply line was long, he divided his troops into two roads south, all the way to Hanshui and all the way to Nanjun, so he needed to assemble and cross the river together. See below for details), and because Liu Bei occupied Xiakou, an important place where Cao Cao moved eastward, as a regional commander, he focused on defending Cao Cao crossing the river and looking for Cao Cao's loopholes while waiting.

Besides, Cao Cao:

Background analysis:

Strictly speaking, Cao Cao has not fought in the south, so he is not familiar with water warfare. After marching north to Wuhuan, he practiced the water army in Xuanwu Pool, thinking that his purpose at that time was to deal with Liu Biao in Nanjun County, and he was not prepared to deal with Sun Quan in the southeast for the time being.

After Cao Cao took Nanjun, Cao Cao's army was scattered in the battle of Jingzhou. This is because Cao Cao's initial strategic intention is very obvious, that is, to win all Jingzhou. Jingzhou leaves Xiangyang with two strategic points: Nanjun, Xiakou and Fankou, which are adjacent to Sun Quan. So Cao Caobing was divided into two ways, all the way south to win Nanjun, and the other way from Xiangyang to Yanhanshui south to prepare to win Xiakou. However, Liu Bei's eastward advance made it impossible for the water army in the south to capture Xiakou, and it needed to join another main force of Cao Cao who captured Nanjun. Some people may ask, since the Yangtze River can be crossed everywhere, why didn't Cao Cao cross the river from Nanjun, and why did he have to cross the river from Wulin and Lukou to Battle of Red Cliffs? Because Yannan County extends eastward to Lukou, and Yunmeng osawa and Dongting Lake are in the south of the Yangtze River, even crossing the river is not conducive to replenishment and action. Moreover, Wulin is located in the gathering place where the two armies go south, so the supplies can be carried along the river or by land, which is convenient. Therefore, Cao Cao will choose to gather the main force here, and Zhou Yu stopped Cao Cao from crossing the river at Lukou on the south bank of the Yangtze River for the above reasons.

(Actually, aside from the topic, in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu asked Zhuge Liang to attack Cao Cao's route for providing foodstuff, which was indeed what an inside guard should do. However, after many years of fighting, Cao Cao won't make the mistake of military blind obedience like Yuan Shao, so even if Zhou Yu wants to break Cao Cao in food, he just thinks about it. )

Since Cao Cao's defeat, we have carefully analyzed the reasons for his failure. Tactically, Cao Cao is faced with two new topics, how to cross the river and how to jointly fight with the water army and the army.

In fact, since the river defense is difficult to defend and the weaknesses are everywhere, the most common way for the attacker to break through the river defense is to cross the river in multiple ways, make use of multiple local crossing points to form advantages, and make full use of the characteristics of numerous troops to effectively form the tactics of main attack and flank response (Sun Tzu said: whoever fights wins will be surprised. Therefore, the good and the strange are infinite like heaven and earth, and infinite like rivers and seas. In the end, the sun and the moon are also. Dead and alive. It's four o'clock. )。 Historically, the Jin and Sui dynasties destroyed Wu and Chen, and the Song dynasty destroyed Nantang, all of which used military advantages to cross the river more often, so that although the enemy had regional defense, it forced the river-guarding side to be constrained everywhere and it was difficult to maneuver in all directions. (Sun Tzu said: Therefore, the method of using troops is to surround it with ten, attack it with five, and divide it by times. We can carefully analyze its tactical principle. On the red cliff battlefield, Cao Cao crossed the river at a single point, which was very unfavorable to himself, which just proved that Cao Cao was not familiar with the characteristics of crossing the river. Another tactical problem of Cao Cao is the combat problem of waterway cooperation. Cao Cao confronted Zhou Yu's water army at Lukou and was defeated, but Cao Cao obviously didn't realize that the water army was the key to the victory or defeat of this war. His thinking mode still stays on the land war, that is, the number of people and materials in the local battlefield is the key to victory or defeat. As Zhou Yu, who is used to water warfare, his main opponent is Liu Biao's water army, which has been defeated repeatedly. Liu Biao's water army has been killed in the previous battle with Zhou Yu. The key is that Cao Cao's attitude towards them is obvious. They are just an army forced to surrender, so their morale and tactics are very low. In the water war, Zhou Yu has obvious advantages, which can be said to be far superior to Cao Cao, enough to achieve the tactical purpose of preventing Cao Cao from crossing the south.

Therefore, the reason for Cao Cao's failure is that he is not familiar with crossing the river tactics and waterway coordination tactics.

Then summarize the reasons why Zhou Yu won. As a commander of a war zone, Zhou Yu knew the characteristics of his own army, and in the military discussion with Sun Quan, he pointed out the shortcomings of Cao Cao's army, that is, Cao Cao was unfamiliar with water warfare, and the army's long journey was already a spent force. (Sun Tzu said: Those who wait for the enemy on the battlefield are tired first, and those who wait for the war on the battlefield are tired later. Therefore, a competent commander can bypass the enemy instead of being moved. Those who can make the enemy self-sufficient will benefit; What can keep the enemy from coming will also cause harm. Therefore, the enemy can work hard, be hungry and be active. And he is familiar with the methods and tactics of defending the Yangtze River. He and Liu Bei stopped Cao Cao from going south, and he found a chance to break Cao Cao. Speaking of this, we can't help but talk about a question mentioned by a grandson: "Wait". (Sun Tzu said: Those who were good at fighting in the past were invincible first and waited for the enemy to win. You can't beat yourself, but you can beat the enemy. Therefore, a good soldier can be invincible, but the enemy cannot be defeated. Therefore, it is not feasible to win. )

In the process of war, the situation changes rapidly, but the commander who can follow the trend is the real tactician, and if he can create opportunities and seize them, it proves that this command talent is really extraordinary. Judging from the three major battles in the Three Kingdoms, the three outstanding commanders, Cao Cao, Zhou Yu and Lu Xun, all made use of their opponents' tactical shortcomings, waited patiently, found and discovered the enemy's tactical loopholes during the waiting, and resolutely raided and attacked them, resulting in far-reaching changes. Moreover, they are all in a tactical confrontation. Because the enemy is not familiar with the military or tactics, he makes mistakes and even mistakes lead to loopholes. For example, in the battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao ignored the loopholes in the supply line in the outside attack and was caught by Cao Cao. Battle of Red Cliffs Cao Cao was not familiar with crossing the river and mixed waterway operations, but Zhou Yu found an opportunity. Liu Bei's problem (which I will mention in the next article-the battle of Yiling) was discovered by Lu Xun. Their similarity is to find a tactical balance point first (so a good soldier is invincible and does not lose the enemy's defeat), and to strike the enemy with his own flexible tactics. For example, Cao Cao took advantage of the loopholes in the external supply, Zhou Yu took advantage of Cao Cao's unfamiliarity with the water army, and Lu Xun took advantage of Liu Bei's scattered troops to seize the opportunity.

In fact, Cao Cao, Zhou Yu and Lu Xun, as the commanders of three decisive battles, are all famous for their mastery of ever-changing fighters, which can be said to be brilliant tacticians. However, they have different tactical characteristics. After Cao Cao broke Xuzhou, he deduced the tactics of maneuvering and interspersed operations. (in the "Motor Sun Tzu", it is said: Therefore, those who are good at moving the enemy will follow; Give it and the enemy will take it away. Take advantage of it and treat it with a pawn. On the principle of mobile warfare, Sun Tzu said: Take what you don't want, and take what you don't want. Those who walk Wan Li Road without toil walk in a land where no one lives; If you attack what you take, you will attack what you don't keep. He who defends and consolidates will defend and attack. Therefore, those who are good at attacking, the enemy does not know what they are defending; A defensive man, the enemy doesn't know what he is attacking. Very few, as for intangible; As for silence, being able to accurately find fighters in Guandu can be said to be familiar with the basic tactical characteristics of land warfare, while Zhou Yu used Cao Cao's unfamiliar characteristics of the water army to boldly attack the enemy with fire, which can be said to be proficient in the water army. While waiting, Lu Xun took advantage of the weakness of Liu Bei's army scattered in the long forest (personally, Liu Bei's mistakes were lower than Yuan Shao's) and attacked Liu with fire, which showed his good military literacy. (Sun Tzu said: Those who were good at fighting in the past were invincible first and waited for the enemy to win. You can't beat yourself, but you can beat the enemy. Therefore, a good soldier can be invincible, but the enemy cannot be defeated. Therefore, it is not feasible to win. )

Therefore, in Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao reflected that Cao Cao was unfamiliar with crossing the river and was used to overwhelming the other side in terms of troops and materials, while Zhou Yu was familiar with water warfare, and accurately analyzed that Cao Cao's army was unfamiliar with water warfare and crossing the river. So seizing the opportunity to defeat Cao Cao is enough to prove that Zhou Yu is indeed an excellent tactician.

This paper summarizes the analysis of Chibi.

New content:

Now that we have talked about Zhou Yu, let's say a few more words. As a tactician, Zhou Yu has many qualities of an excellent tactician. In fact, to put it bluntly, it is gambling. (Sun Tzu said, "Whoever hits him will win if he is properly handled." . Therefore, the good and the strange are infinite like heaven and earth, and infinite like rivers and seas. In the end, the sun and the moon are also. Dead and alive. It's four o'clock. )

Zhou Yu's attack on Cao in Chibi can be said to be a bright spot, but his idea of taking Shu really dares to gamble. Zhou Yu analyzed the situation and thought that Liu Bei would not, or was not prepared to, cut off his posterior road while Zhou Yu was taking Shu. Zhou Yu thought that Liu Bei first thought that he was expanding his digestive period and had no ability and time to take care of Zhou Yu. Second, he thought that Cao Cao, or Liu Bei, would not attack himself behind his back with Liu Bei or Cao Cao, and won a great victory in Chibi and Nanjun. With Yiling and Nanjun as the supply bases and Gan Ning, who is familiar with Shu, as the internal force, we should be able to break Liu Zhang. (Sun Tzu said: As for the stone drifter, it is ok; As for the disease of birds, as for those who are destroyed, it is also a festival. Therefore, a good soldier is dangerous and short. If Liu Zhang attacks and Pakistan is occupied, even if Liu Bei goes north and Cao Cao goes south, Zhou Yu will have a supply base. Therefore, an excellent tactician should be good at taking advantage of the situation to gamble. Personally, Zhou Yu's attack on Shu is no better than Yamamoto's attack on Pearl Harbor. They are all good at using each other's passivity and paralysis to form the most effective tactical strike. Of course, the rest of the results are always left to strategists. For example, people like Lu Su and Sun Quan often think more about politics and alliance, which is different from a tactician.