The influence of climate on the outcome of the war is recorded in many historical books. In the romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong vividly describes the whole process of Zhugeliang taking advantage of the east wind and Zhou Yu burning Cao Cao’s ship. However, novels are novels after all, and the stories in novels do not represent the truth of history. At that time, Cao Jun was on the North Bank of Chibi and sun Liu allied forces were on the south bank. If the east wind blows, the fire boats of Huang Gai cannot burn all the ships on the north bank. In fact, it was a southeast wind at that time, and Huang Gai’s Mengchong fighting ship was angry at the same time more than two miles away from Cao Jun’s ship. By virtue of “the fire and strong wind, the ship went like an arrow, burning the North Ship and extending to the camp on the shore”.
The battle of Chibi is a famous battle example in ancient times. The battle of Kunyang, which took place in 23 A.D., is also a typical battle example in Chinese history. Coincidentally, when the battle of Kunyang was at its most intense, lightning and thunder, strong winds blew up, and hundreds of thousands of Wang Mang’s troops collapsed.
Wang Mang wants to destroy the green forest army at one stroke
The ancient battlefield of Kunyang is in Ye County, Henan Province today. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the treacherous Minister Wang Mang usurped the throne of the Han Dynasty and established the new dynasty. Due to the harsh laws of Wang Mang regime, local officials “invaded the small people, the rich could not protect themselves, and the poor could not survive, so they became thieves”. Among the many “thieves” who resisted Wang Mang’s regime, the red eyebrow army in the north and the green forest army in the South were the most powerful.
Wang Mang began to think that the red eyebrow army was the strongest, sending 100000 heavy troops to encircle and suppress the red eyebrow army, and using the county army and the temporarily recruited troops to deal with the green forest army. After the green forest army defeated the Xinmang army and publicly proposed to restore the Han Dynasty and establish a reformed regime, Wang Mang realized that the threat of the green forest army was greater, so he shifted the strategic focus and specially ordered the great Sikong Wangyi and situ Wang to find the commander, mobilized the troops of all counties, and prepared to destroy the green forest army at one stroke. Wang Mang also enlisted the so-called people who were proficient in 63 military techniques at that time to serve as military officials, and appointed the “long man” Ju Wuba as a base captain. He also trapped tigers, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants and other beasts into the army, so that they could be released to frighten the enemy during combat.
Shortly after Wang Mang’s order was issued, 420000 troops were concentrated in Luoyang, known as a million troops. In May of the first year of the reform (AD 23), Wang Yi and Wang Xun LED large troops to march towards Kunyang occupied by the green forest army. After arriving in Kunyang, Wang Yi commanded the army to surround Kunyang and set up more than 100 military barracks.
Liu Xiu took the lead and rushed to the enemy
At that time, there were only 89, 000 rebel troops in Kunyang, and Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu, who was then a general of Taichang Pian, was in charge of the battle. Liu Xiu called Wang Feng and Wang Changshou to Kunyang. He rode out of the South Gate of the city with General Li Yi and others at night for 13 days to “withdraw troops outside”.
On the first day of June, the rescuers brought back by Liu Xiu and Li Yi arrived at the foot of Kunyang city. At that time, the offensive and defensive war in Kunyang was in a stalemate. Liu Xiu personally led more than 1000 death squads as forwards. When he was four or five miles away from Wang Mang’s army, he put into formation, and Wang Yi and Wang Xun sent thousands of troops to fight. Liu Xiu rushed to the enemy line and killed dozens of people, forcing the troops of Wang Yi and Wang Xun to retreat. The generals of the rebel army “became more and more courageous, and all of them were worth a hundred”, but Wang Yi and Wang Xun still did not pay attention to the rebel army. They led more than 10000 people to fight alone with the rebel army, and ordered all military barracks not to act rashly. As a result, when the war was bad, other armies did not dare to go out of the camp to save them without authorization. After the troops of Wang Yi and Wang Xun were disrupted, the rebel army killed Wang Xun. At this time, the defenders in the city “clamored out, combined with the Chinese and foreign forces, shook the world, the reckless soldiers collapsed, and the walkers leaped and trampled, and the corpses were buried for more than a hundred miles”.
At this time, the sky suddenly flashed and thundered, and a strong wind blew up. At that time, “the roof tiles were flying, the rain was pouring, the tigers and leopards were fighting, and the soldiers went to drown. Tens of thousands of dead people died, but the water did not flow. Wang Yi, Yan you, Chen Mao rode the dead to cross the water and escape”. The battle of Kunyang ended in the complete failure of Wang Mang’s army.