Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 483 Xu Huang set a bait to escape
On April 4th of the first year of Jianxing, Shen Chen, the general of the Hussars of the Han Dynasty, defeated the [-] Cao army with a force of about [-] in the battle of Leishou Mountain, and beheaded Cao Zhen, the general of the enemy Zhenxi.

From the 21st to the 23rd, Shen Chen escorted the prisoners, cleaned up the battlefield, and led the troops back to Puban.

However, on the same day as the Battle of Leishou Mountain, a battle also took place in Puban County. In order to support Cao Zhen and prevent the Han army outside Puban City from rescuing Shen Chen, he took the initiative to attack the Han army camp.

Xu Huang thought that if Shen Chen wasn't there, even if the Han soldiers were numerous and powerful without the command of a general, even if they couldn't be defeated, at least they would be able to retreat unscathed.

Unexpectedly, when he led the soldiers to raid the camp of the Han army, Zhao Yun suddenly led his troops out and defeated him.

After Xu Huang made a desperate decision, he reluctantly returned to Puban City with some remnants.

As a result, on the 21st, he heard the news that Cao Jun was defeated in Leishou Mountain, and even Cao Zhen was beheaded.

"what?"

In Puban County, Xu Huang's upper body was bare, with a bandage wrapped around his right shoulder. He was resting on the bed, but when he heard the news, he almost sat up like a bounce.

Because of the excessive force, the wound was affected, so that the original white gauze was soaked with bright red blood.

But Xu Huang didn't care about this, and came to Zhou Sheng in three steps and two steps, almost gnashing his teeth and asked: "You said that General Zhenxi died in battle? What's going on? What are you doing for food!"

Sun Li and Zhou Sheng were responsible for the sneak attack on Shen Chen's rear as cavalry. As a result, Shen Chen made a desperate attempt and burned the middle camp and disconnected Sun Li and Zhou Sheng's cavalry. Only Sun Li led thousands of people off his horse and rushed over. Already died in battle.

Zhou Sheng and more than 1 cavalry were blocked by the fire and could not get through. He could only circle around the periphery anxiously, trying to find a way to join the battlefield, but he was unable to break through the sea of ​​flames, so it was almost useless.

At night, some rout soldiers who had escaped from the mountains joined him. Only then did Zhou Sheng know that the front had been defeated, and even Cao Zhen had been beheaded by Shen Chen himself.

In desperation, he had no choice but to flee back to Puban overnight.

Although the Han army surrounded Puban, Zhou Sheng entered the city through the east gate because the force was not so exaggerated that it could surround the whole city, and informed Xu Huang of the news.

Facing Xu Huang's fury at this moment, Zhou Sheng said with tears: "The Han army is also in ambush. Ma Dai crossed the Yellow River, and Pang De's fleet went south to the battlefield. Shen Chen set fire to his camp. We can't get through. There is no way." There is a way to help the governor."

"It's over, it's over."

Xu Huang sat back on the bed with one buttocks, only felt his head buzzing, and his whole body was in a trance, even though the wound on his shoulder stabbed by Zhao Yun burst open and blood gushed out, he didn't seem to notice it.

He really just felt that the sky was ruined now, because Cao Zhen was defeated, and with Zhu Ling's death, the entire western front of Cao's army had completely collapsed.

Now there are only 1 defenders in Tongguan and more than 1 people here. Even if Zhou Sheng brought back more than 2 cavalry, he only looks like more than [-] people, and he can't defend Hedong at all.

Once Hedong County is taken, Bingzhou will be completely unable to defend, then the front of the Han army will point directly at Luoyang and Hebei, and the entire hinterland of the Central Plains will be at stake.

So Xu Huang is very clear about one thing, that is, Hedong must be lost, so what should he do next?
Lu Jian and Yang Ping, the generals from the side, came over and seeing Xu Huang's distraught appearance, he quickly persuaded him, "General, now that most of the governors have been defeated, we won't be able to last long in the city, what should we do?"

That's a big problem.

More than 1 of them could eat for half a year before, but now more than two months have passed, and there are less than four months of food left.

The problem is that Zhou Sheng brought more than 1 people here, and if he persisted, the food and grass might not last for two months.

It would take at most one and a half months to eat them all. This is not counting the consumption of horses, that is to say, Zhou Sheng was quite smart. He didn't bring all the people here, but only brought hundreds of guards into the city to report.

Otherwise, if more than 1 horses enter the city, the food and grass will be gone in more than 20 days.

Xu Huang gradually recovered from the shock, and his face was already ugly. After a while, he said: "Withdraw the troops, we must withdraw to Bingzhou before Shen Chen returns!"

"General, the enemy may also guess that we are going to withdraw our troops. What should we do?"

Lu Jian said sadly.

Xu Huang gritted his teeth: "We can't fight at night. If we have more cavalry, we should give full play to our advantages. Let all the cavalry enter the city today, use the food and grass in the city to feed everyone, and then everyone will bring dry food and leave the city tomorrow."

"Out of town during the day?"

Yang Ping was surprised and said: "If this Zhao Yun chases after him, wouldn't it be us?"

Only then did Xu Huang realize the severe pain coming from his shoulder, he had no choice but to cover the bandage on his shoulder and frowned and said, "If we leave tonight, we will be ambushed. What's more, we won't be able to use our cavalry skills at night, and we will be killed by tens of thousands of infantry." Chasing and beating, that's bad."

Horses have excellent night vision, much better than humans.The key is that the cavalry themselves will not be able to see the road clearly at night. Once the cavalry is raided by the Han army and the cavalry is in chaos, it will easily lead to collapse.

Therefore, the best way is to evacuate during the day. If Zhao Yun chases him out, he can use the mobility of the cavalry to retreat while fighting, and cover the infantry to escape.

On this point, Xu Huang is still clear, and the Han army also knows that they don't have much food and grass. Once Shen Chen's main force returns to the army and [-] to [-] Han troops surround Puban, then Puban will inevitably be defeated, so the Han army also knows that they Definitely will be gone in a couple of days.

Even the Han army may have sent people to set up an ambush outside Dongcheng tonight, so Xu Huang had to think clearly about how to leave.

Going out during the day is always better than swarming out at night and being ambushed.

The few present here are all experienced generals, so they naturally understand that what Xu Huang said is correct. Although the Han army has 4 or [-] people outside the city, the number is far greater than them, but at least the Han army's cavalry is now in the south. Facing [-] to [-] pawns, if you just focus on running, it shouldn't be a big problem.

So everyone felt that what Xu Huang said made sense, and they all agreed.

Xu Huang didn't hesitate at the moment, and immediately let Zhou Sheng and Yang Ping go out of the city, and brought the cavalry back to the city first. Now most of the east of the river has been occupied by the Han army. Everyone has to be hungry, so add some supplies before making plans.

The worst result is nothing more than abandoning the entire city's luggage, all the soldiers travel lightly, only carry weapons and a little dry food on their bodies, and flee with one horse and two people. As long as they can run dozens of miles in a short time, they will not believe in Han. The army can still catch up.

And just when Xu Huang got the news and made plans to withdraw his troops and return to Bingzhou, Zhao Yun also knew that Shen Chen had won a complete victory, and even Cao Wei Zhenxi General Cao Zhen had been killed.

"Okay!"

In Zhao Yun's camp, all the generals sat separately.

He sat on the first seat, listened to the words of the messenger, and said happily: "The governor will show the power of our Han army in this battle. Hedong County and Bingzhou will be won in a short time."

"General."

General Wu Dang, as Shen Chen's disciple, was still very capable, and immediately cupped his hands and said, "I'm afraid Xu Huang will also get the news soon. He doesn't have much food and grass in the city. Once the governor returns, he should understand that Pu Ban must be He can't keep it any longer, so he will definitely flee in the next few days."

"Ah."

Zhao Yun nodded slightly, looked around and said: "That's right. As long as Xu Huang is not stupid, he will definitely do this. I will personally lead people to set up an ambush in the east city. From tomorrow onwards, you will send troops every morning to surround the three cities in the west, south and north." , forcing Xu Huang to escape from Dongcheng."

"only!"

All the soldiers suddenly responded.

But that night, the scouts of the Han army came to report that a large group of cavalry entered the city from the east gate.

The news on the battlefield is complicated, and all kinds of intelligence are constantly exchanged.

Zhao Yun also knew that part of Cao Jun's cavalry managed to escape, so he also guessed that Zhou Sheng's part of the cavalry ran back, so he didn't care.

Soon the next day came, and in the early morning, the camps of the Han army sounded horns and beat gongs and drums to gather.

Lines of Han soldiers were ready to go out, forming a formation outside the city.

Xu Huang on the top of the city probably understood what the Han army wanted to do, and Lu Jian, the general beside him, said, "General, is the Han army planning to attack the city today?"

"Not necessarily, it's not that easy to attack the city. They're trying to hold us back. If I'm not wrong, there's obviously an ambush outside the east city. If we go out at this time, we're afraid we'll be ambushed."

Xu Huang said.

"How about that?"

On the other side, Yang Ping said sadly: "Can't we leave?"

Xu Huang pondered for a moment.

He guessed that Zhao Yun would definitely be prepared, but he didn't expect Zhao Yun to besiege the city on three sides, and then set up an ambush outside the east city.

If he left the city directly through the east gate according to the original plan, he would definitely be stopped by Zhao Yun's ambushes.

At that time, the Han army from the other three gates will also surround them and surround them.

Although they have cavalry, they can choose one horse and two men, but the problem is that one horse and two men are fine for short distances, but they cannot withstand long distances.What's more, if you go directly from the east gate, you won't be able to run very far for a short distance.

The main reason is that there is a river and forest outside the east gate. The river is the Sushui River, which goes around from the south city of Puban to the east city. If they run out, they have to cross the river.

If the Han army did not encircle them on all sides, but took a slow step and guarded in the camp, they could leave calmly, first run to the river and cross the river, and then leave in a big way, then it would be too late for the Han army to come out of the camp to encircle .

But now.

Xu Huang thought about the terrain around Puban. The Han army reacted too quickly. He originally planned to leave today, but the current situation may not be suitable. Maybe he should make sufficient plans.

Thinking of this, Xu Huang first ordered the soldiers of the three armies to rest in the city, eat and sleep, and don't rush out of the city, but wait.

He himself went to the gates of each city to watch the situation.

Outside the East City Gate, about four or five miles away from the city, there are dense forests on both sides of the wide official road. Between the forests, there used to be a village with fields all over the place. Now the village is deserted, and the fields are full of weeds. It is the Sushui River.

The south gate of the city is closer to the Sushui River, about three or four li to the river, where the camp of the Han army is stationed, and the Han army is now arrayed outside the city, so it is not easy to get close to it.

Needless to say, the West Gate is the main camp of the Han army.

Only the north city gate looks pretty good. Although there are also Han army camps stationed there, the terrain is flat. As long as they can bypass the Han army camps, horses can pass unimpeded on the plain.

After the investigation, Xu Huang probably knew what he should do, so he summoned the generals and secretly made a plan.

At the same time, in the dense forest of the East City Gate, eight thousand Han troops were waiting for them. The forest was dense, and only the official road in the middle was relatively spacious, but it was absolutely impossible to pass so many cavalry at once, so it was normal to set up an ambush in the forest.

The most important thing is that Zhao Yun is not afraid that Cao Jun will know that they are setting up an ambush. Their task is to hold Cao Jun back. When Cao Jun is entangled by them, the rest of the Han army will naturally swarm.

The Han army has been waiting solemnly in the forest. By evening, the scouts in front had not reported the situation, and Cao Jun seemed to be huddled and did not move.

"strangeness."

On a small hillside in the forest, Zhao Yun was riding on horseback, overlooking the city in the west, slightly puzzled.

Logically speaking, Xu Huang shouldn't be so stupid and wait until Shen Chen's main force returns.

One must know that Leishou Mountain is only a day or two away from Puban. After the battle on the [-]th, even if he had to clean up the battlefield, he would not be delayed for a few days. There was only so much time left for him to escape, and he was not in a hurry. ?
Wu Tao, the general next to him, said: "General, does Xu Huang want to wait until after dark before acting? After all, we have to go back to the camp to rest after dark, and it is impossible to guard outside the city all the time."

"Well, it's possible."

Zhao Yun nodded, and began to think in his heart, if he was Xu Huang, what should he do now?
Shen Chen often told the generals and students that they must learn to empathize on the battlefield.

Although Zhao Yun was not Shen Chen's student, experience like this was something a senior general should learn, and he couldn't always just think about fighting without thinking.

Just as he was thinking, a scout suddenly came to report: "Report! The enemy's east city gate is wide open, and thousands of cavalry have come out."

"It must be Cao Jun's vanguard troop."

Another general Huo Yang said: "General, do you want to stop them?"

"hold on"

Zhao Yun thought about it: "I always feel that something is wrong. Besides thousands of cavalry, is there anything else?"

"Nothing."

replied the scout.

"Walk."

Zhao Yunle turned his horse's head and said, "Follow me to have a look."

Talking down the hillside, everyone galloped all the way, approaching the exit of the forest in front of them to wait and see.

I saw thousands of war horses slowly moving forward on the official road in the distance, and someone behind the leader was carrying a big flag with the word "Xu" written on it.

Xu Huang?

Zhao Yun felt very puzzled, the other party only sent out thousands of cavalry, where did the rest go?
The infantry was already slower than the cavalry. Since they wanted to leave, they should send the cavalry out as the vanguard first. Aren't they afraid of disturbing the Han army?
After a while, Xu Huang's army approached the edge of the forest, and a general said: "General, they are here, give an order."

"Well"

Zhao Yun hesitated a little. At this moment, a long and melodious sound of horns suddenly sounded from the far north. Because of the distance, he could not hear it very clearly, but he could barely distinguish that it was the horn of the Han army.

"not good!"

Zhao Yun understood in an instant, and immediately said: "The enemy intends to break out from the north gate, this is the bait to deceive us."

Just after saying this, the cavalry who approached the forest immediately changed their formation and ran northward.

"Chase!"

With a big wave of Zhao Yun's hand, the horse galloped out of the forest.

Immediately, nearly ten thousand Han soldiers in the forest chased after Xu Huang, shouting and killing.

(End of this chapter)