Three Kingdoms: At the beginning, Lu Bu was mistaken for his father-in-law

Chapter 257 256 Killing the white horse, fighting to the death!

From the moment Cao Jun rushed into the battle circle, to the Black Mountain bandits suddenly attacking them from behind, during this process, Cao Jun, who originally had the confidence to ambush and win, already had the intention of defeat.

After all, the original battle of more than 3 people fighting 2 people suddenly turned into a battle of 4 people ambushing 5000 people. The direct consequence of this disparity was that Cao's army fell in droves.

Therefore, when Xiahou Dun ordered a breakout to the west, Cao's army had already gathered together and was fighting in the direction of Bingzhou.

Perhaps Zhao Yun, Yan Liang and Wen Chou were all restrained, or perhaps their will to survive was too strong. The deaths of Xiahou Dun and Che Zhou caused Cao Zhen to tear a hole in his flank.

As a nephew, he was the adopted son of Cao Cao. He was not related by blood to Xiahou Dun. After all, he had the favor of teaching him. Cao Zhen told him bloodily that he should turn around and avenge Xiahou Dun at this time.

However, the people around him were shouting that Xiahou Dun was dead and the chariot was dead. They were trying to escape from the entanglement of the Black Mountain bandits and Lu Jun like they were avoiding savage beasts. He knew that at this time, the bravery of a common man could only lead to death.

As Cao Zhen, who has been promoted to the post of deputy general of Zhenbei, he must bring these people back to Taiyuan, complete Xiahou Dun's unfulfilled responsibilities, and try his best to defend Jinyang City until Cao Cao's rescue arrives.

With this belief, he kept jumping between the highlands, relying on his agility to quickly escape the pursuit of the Black Mountain bandits.

Zhang Yan was very fierce and did not need Zhao Yun's orders. He led the Black Mountain Bandits to pursue them all the way with their experience in mountain warfare. Lu Jun followed closely behind him, but Yan Liang, Wen Chou and others did not take action.

Probably, in their opinion, the gains from this battle were beyond imagination.

Xiahou Dun, who is he? He is Cao Cao's confidant. To Lu Ying, he is like Zhang Liao.

Thousands of Cao's troops were killed this time, plus the heads of Xiahou Dun and Chaozhou. The three armies were bound to be in turmoil when they merged with the state. It was easy to capture them. This wave made a big contribution.

"Zilong, let the brothers take a rest later, or should we pursue them all the way to Jinyang and take Bingzhou?" Yan Liang felt excited, and he could finally let go of the fact that he was ambushed by Xiahou Dun and got an arrow in his butt.

"The soldiers have traveled more than [-] miles and fought such a fierce battle. It is better to rest first. After sending a message to Marquis Wen and Yunwen, we can go to Jinyang first and see if we can scare Cao's army to abandon the city. escape."

According to the previous understanding of Cao's army in Bingzhou, the garrison in Jinyang City was about 8000. This battle was defeated, and with the pursuit and killing, it was not difficult to kill [-] of his people. Even if the remaining people had returned, it would not be difficult. In Jinyang City, the garrison within the city was only outnumbered by tens of thousands.

The most important thing is that the general was killed and the morale of the army was wavering. If he surrounded them with the 4 people he had on hand, he would be able to scare them into surrender.

When the two armies fought, the morale of the army lay first. With the death of Xiahou Dun, the defenders in the city theoretically no longer had the ability to resist.

Of course, there is another reason why Zhao Yun chose to rest first. Let the bullets fly for a while. If he pursues all the way, the damage will indeed be greater, but that will leave Cao Jun no time to retreat.

If they don't let them report the defeat first, wait until the people in the city are panicked, and then hear that their own army is approaching, then the probability of abandoning the city and fleeing will be greater.

At the same time, letting Lin Mo know the news would also facilitate him to make detailed analysis and deployment at the rear.

Both of them had no objection to this and followed Zhao Yun down the mountain.

As for the logistics issue, this is thanks to Zhang Yan who fought guerrilla warfare in the Taihang Mountains for so many years. The reason why Zhang Yan always seems to be very poor despite his years of looting is that he transformed his wealth into weapons, food and grass. They were stationed in more than thirty villages on the Taihang Mountains.

The advantage of this is that if there is an emergency, he can move people as soon as possible without having to worry about carrying baggage and food. No matter which village he goes to, he can settle directly.

Now, this actually helped Zhao Yun to go directly into the hinterland of Bingzhou without having to consider logistical issues, as long as the black bandits were transported from surrounding villages.

Moreover, after Xiahou Dun's death, the sporadic guards from the surrounding counties of Bingzhou would not dare to leave the city rashly, and the intimidation of Yan Liang and Wen Chou's entourage would also make the aristocratic families from all over the place act like melon-eaters. These 4 to [-] people could march straight in. Arriving directly at Jinyang City would save a lot of effort.

The situation on the front line was very different from what Zhao Yun expected. When he returned to Jinyang City, Cao Zhen was followed by only more than 1000 people, but there were also about [-] or [-] sergeants who returned to the city one after another.

This point is restricted by the military law in the background of this era, and many people dare not run around.

First, you are afraid that you will be punished as a deserter, and even your wife and children at home will be sent as slaves. Second, if you go to other places, you will not even have enough food to eat, and you will end up starving to death in the end.

Even after returning to Jinyang City, the situation is not optimistic.

Xiahou Dun had suffered some defeats in his life, but as a general who could stand alone, his prestige could not be replaced by anyone. So after the news of his death spread, the more than [-] people in the city were frightened and panicked all day long, and even Some people are actively asking when they are ready to evacuate.

For this reason, Cao Zhen was so angry that he whipped the two centurions who were talking nonsense. If Man Chong hadn't come to persuade them, they would have been whipped to death.

"Bo Ning! My uncle was killed in battle. Although we sent fast horses to ask for help from my father, the morale of the army is so low. I'm worried that before the Lu army attacks the city, the soldiers will be tempted to flee!"

Cao Zhen was very angry. He was not a general who liked to beat and scold sergeants, but in the situation just now, it was no longer enough to be ruthless. He had to establish the effect of killing chickens to scare monkeys.

In fact, he held the belief of living and dying with Jinyang. Not to mention Zhao Yun, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, even if he, Lu Bu, came in person, it would be nothing more than a human head on his neck.

The problem is, you can't expect everyone in the army to have the same thoughts as you. Many people are terrified because of Xiahou Dun's death. In addition, the reputations of Zhao Yun, Yan Liang and Wen Chou are too great, so it is inevitable to feel timid.

But if they defend the city with such military morale, let alone 4 people, even if the Lu army only comes with [-] people, they will not be able to defend it.

If the opponent plays something dirty, it may be self-defeating.

Man Chong was pacing back and forth in the hall. He was in the army as a military governor, and his post was actually a counselor. But he was not a counselor who only knew the six arts of a gentleman. In fact, he was very brave, and he was definitely capable of writing. A capable general with both skills.

Now, both Xiahou Dun and Che Zhou were killed in battle. In terms of military positions, Jinyang City now respects him, so his choice directly determines the direction of the next battle.

"Zidan, now is the time of life and death. The most important thing is to unite the morale of the army."

Man Chong finally stood still, with determination in his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Later, all the generals, centurions and above, will be summoned to the school grounds. I have my own way."

Cao Zhen's eyes lit up and he nodded, "Okay, I'll do it right away!"

Cao Zhen moved very quickly. In half an hour, he summoned all 180 seven generals above the centurion in the barracks to the martial arts arena, and he himself stood on the general platform waiting for Man Chong.

Not long after, Man Chong strolled in from outside the camp gate, but what made him a little curious was that Man Chong came in leading his own horse.

What does he want to do?

This suspicion was not limited to Cao Zhen. The seven people in 180 looked at each other and whispered, not knowing what Man Chong wanted. They also said that they wanted everyone to organize the withdrawal of troops.

I saw Man Chong leading the war horse to the back of the general stage, tying the white horse to a large banner on the side, and then shouted loudly:
"Everyone, Zhao Yunzheng, the vanguard of the Lu Army, is leading an army of [-] people to press forward. This time, Jinyang is in danger of breaking the city, and we are also in danger.

If we abandon the city and flee at this time, the Lu army has no cavalry and may not be able to catch up with us. Moreover, even if we return to Xuchang, Sikong may not punish us for losing the city.

However, Bingzhou is the last barrier to prevent Lu Jun from drinking the Yellow River. If it changes hands in our hands, I will not be able to see Sikong again. After death, I will not be able to see General Xiahou, General Chezhou, and those who died in the battle on Taihang Mountain. Thousands of brothers!
Today, in front of you, I personally beheaded my mount to show that I am determined to fight to the end! "

After saying this, under the astonished eyes of everyone, Man Chong picked up the big knife in his hand and stabbed the white horse's neck hard. The horse's head fell to the ground, and a stream of blood spattered on Man Chong's body and face.

This scene made everyone present, including Cao Zhen, stunned.

The war horse is the general's leg. He killed his mount not only to cut off his retreat, but also to let the soldiers in the city understand a truth. This team can only fight to the end, and it is absolutely impossible to abandon the city and flee.

Later, Man Chong picked up the horse's head and shouted sternly: "The city is alive but the people are there, the city is broken and the people are dead!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

Man Chong's actions greatly aroused the morale of the soldiers. They shouted slogans of victory one by one angrily. Deep in their hearts, they already understood that they no longer had to think about the issue of withdrawal. There was only one way in front of them, and that was Defend Jinyang City to the death.Cao Zhen was also raising his arms and shouting that he would win, with a lot of pride in his heart. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, he still relied on Man Chong to stand up and stabilize the morale of the army.

"Everyone can rest assured. We have sent a Pegasus express to report to Sikong three days ago. I predict that reinforcements will arrive within a month. We can immediately cooperate with the inside and outside to annihilate the Lu army and fight for General Xiahou, General Chezhou and the Taihang Mountains." Revenge for the dead robes!"

"Vengeance! Revenge! Revenge!"

Man Chong and Cao Zhen looked at each other, and they both showed a complex smile, like a sigh of relief, but also like a decision before going to death, no matter what, they thought they had an explanation to Cao Cao.

Five days later, Lu Jun arrived at Jinyang City on time, as everyone thought. Facing the closed city gate, Lu Jun was stationed outside the city, while Zhao Yun brought Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang Yan and a few Hundreds of soldiers marched around the city.

Of course, this was not just for demonstration, but also because they wanted to carefully investigate the strength of Jinyang's city defense.

As the capital of Taiyuan, the capital of Bingzhou, Jinyang City is not as strong as Pengcheng and Yecheng, but the city is more than four feet high, and it is well maintained, and there is no obvious dilapidation.

That is to say, the west wall was eroded by wind and rain, and several layers of rammed earth were broken.

But these are not the key. The key is that Zhao Yun discovered that not only did Cao's army in Jinyang City not withdraw, but Cao's army on the horse road looked ready to attack, without any fear, which was beyond his expectation.

At that time, there was only one deputy general of Cao's army. He didn't even know the unknown Cao Zhen. As for Man Chong, compared to Xiahou Dun and Che Zhou, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was not famous.

Therefore, Zhao Yuncai was even more puzzled by Cao Jun's stable posture now.

However, what should be done was still done. After inspecting the city defense, a group of sergeants were sent out as usual to shout at the city gate, "Cao Jun in the city, listen, General Zhao Yun gives you a chance to abandon the dark side and surrender to the bright side. Kaicheng surrender can be a way of survival. Give you two days to think about it. When the time comes, anyone who continues to resist will die!"

After shouting, the sergeants waved the four-pole banners of Zhao, Yan, Wen and Zhang in their hands and shouted slogans to persuade them to surrender.

In fact, giving them two days is a helpless move.

After all, the army had come from a long distance and needed a rest. Furthermore, they did not carry any siege equipment during this trip, and even the ladders had to be temporarily built, not to mention thunderbolt chariots and rushing chariots.

For two days, Zhao Yun sent multiple scouts to watch the periphery of Jinyang City day and night. Cao Jun's reaction was beyond Zhao Yun's and others' expectations.

This is really incredible.

"You want to die, why don't you stop me!" Yan Liang was very disdainful of this. The thunderbolt car and the rush car were not ready yet, but twenty pairs of ladders had been built, so let's not wait and attack the city directly.

The city defense of Jinyang City would indeed suffer a lot of casualties if it were attacked by force, but Zhao Yun thought it would be okay to give it a try. He still did not believe that Cao's army would not be affected at all if three generals like Xiahou Dun died in battle.

Early the next morning, all twenty ladders were pulled to the gate of Xicheng. Yan Liang personally ordered [-] people to ascend first and prepare to storm Jinyang City.

"Attack the city!" Yan Liang gave the order, and the war drums beat behind him, and there was a deafening sound of fighting. The soldiers began to charge forward with ladders on their shoulders.

On the horse trail at the city gate, Man Chong took out the sword from his waist and raised it high. As long as he waved the sword, thousands of arrows would be fired.

This battle was destined to be without backup. In the next month or so, there would be no idea how many attacks like this would happen. Therefore, he had to wait until Lu Jun was close enough before ordering an attack, trying to save some ordnance and supplies.

It wasn't until thirty steps away that even Lu Jun's crossbowmen could shoot at the city gate, that he suddenly swung his sword and shouted: "Fire the arrow!"

Whoosh whoosh~
Arrows as dense as locusts poured down, and the shield soldiers at the front tried their best to cover the sergeants carrying the ladders behind them. They couldn't hold back the arrows, and more than a hundred people still fell.

Just as the rain of arrows fell, the shield soldiers set up their shields, and the Lu army's crossbowmen took advantage of the situation to counterattack towards the city gate.

Most of these crossbowmen were former soldiers of the Northern Kingdom, and their shooting skills were not bad. However, they shot upwards from a height of more than four feet and were protected by a city wall. They only shot down seven or eight Cao soldiers.

After three rounds of arrow rain, Lu Jun had already killed 500 people, and finally the ladder was transported to the city gate.

"Li Yun Ladder!"

Ten pairs of ladders lined up stretched toward Jinyang City Pass like octopus tentacles.

When the silver hook at the top of the ladder was completely embedded in the city wall, Lu Jun's first climber began to climb up rapidly.

Without the protection of their shields, many siege soldiers were shot over by random arrows when they were halfway up, and fell to Xian Deng's generous bounty. Even though Lu Jun's crossbowmen were desperately firing arrows to cover, they could not hold back. Cao Jun's arrows rained fiercely.

The sergeants on some of the ladders had already climbed two-thirds of the way. When they were about to climb first, Manchong picked up a pot of burning kerosene and poured it down the ladder. In an instant, the entire ladder was ablaze. In the raging fire, the five sergeants on the ladder were also burned into flames. Regardless of the height, they jumped and fell to the ground, still screaming and rolling.

At the other end, Cao Zhen was also holding a huge boulder weighing [-] kilograms, aiming at the sergeant on the ladder and hitting it hard. The soldier who climbed up first was directly hit shorter, and the ladder could not bear the force. Juli split into two.

More than half of the [-] advance troops were destroyed in just a quarter of an hour. Yan Liang gritted his teeth and protruded his jaw. He turned around to order another [-] advance troops to attack the city, but was stopped by Zhao Yun.

"We can't continue like this, the casualties will be too great!"

Zhao Yun glanced at Man Chong who was strolling on the horse road, and said in a deep voice: "This man is really a strong man who defends the city. You see, with him cheering from the side, Cao's army fought bravely without fear of death. It is probably this man who held the battle." The military morale of Jinyang City has been improved."

Zhao Yun had been observing Man Chong for a while. His temperament, stability and calmness showed that he was no ordinary general.

"What should I do?" Wen Chou asked beside him.

Zhao Yun sighed, shook his head and said: "Evacuate first, wait until the Thunderbolt Car and Rush Car are built, and then make plans."

This choice was a bit anticlimactic, but even Zhang Yan on the side could see that if they didn't retreat now, the casualties would only become more severe.

If the opponent maintains this situation, they will have to exhaust all their weapons before they have a chance to break through the city.

"Ming Jin!" Yan Liangliang was unwilling to give in, but he could only wave his hand and give the order.

A rapid golden roar sounded, and Lu Jun quickly retreated. Cao Jun on the horse road vented their joy and shouted slogans of victory.

No one expected that an army that had lost its general would be beaten like this. In the central army tent, the three of them lowered their heads and kept silent. Yan Liang was probably really angry and walked back and forth in the tent. I was pacing and couldn't take any time off for a moment.

"Zilong, it will take a few days for the Thunderbolt Chariot to plunder the land first and occupy other counties. This will also prevent the defenders from various places from suddenly launching an attack after the news of our army's unfavorable attack on the city spreads."

Wen Chou's suggestion is still good. If Jinyang cannot be defeated, then I will always have no problem in attacking the counties north of Taiyuan.

As long as the defenders in Jinyang City do not rescue you, other counties and counties will surrender and absorb these territories first to ensure that they do not become a lone army deep behind enemy lines.

Zhao Yun nodded slightly when he heard the words, "Your brothers are very prestigious in the Northern Kingdom. I will allocate 2 people to you. Each of them will lead an army of [-]. They will first take over Yanmen, Wuyuan, Yunzhong and other counties."

"Here!" Yan Liangwen Chou stood up and bowed.

Zhao Yun smiled bitterly. He really didn't expect to kill Xiahou Dun. Jinyang was still a tough guy. He started to worry a little. They must have sent fast horses to report to Cao Cao. If they couldn't capture Jinyang quickly and swallow up Bingzhou completely, Once Cao Cao's reinforcements arrived, the situation became complicated.

Now, the only thing that can be done is to eat a few small counties north of Taiyuan first, as Wen Chou said. In the process, maybe we can wait for a letter from Lin Mo.

Zhao Yun finally began to realize that it was not an easy thing to stand alone. In this regard, he might really need to learn from Zhang Liao, who was both fictitious and upright.

(End of this chapter)