At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 323 Burning Bowang Slope

But Chunyu Qiong received a report from Gao Lan, saying that the famous general Huang Zhong of Jingchu came to rescue Wenpin with five thousand infantry and cavalry.

Chunyu Qiong was surprised and happy. Fortunately, he had captured Ye County. Otherwise, if it had been delayed for a while, it would have been difficult to break the city when Huang Zhong and the supporting troops arrived.

Fortunately, Huang Zhong, as a famous general in Jingchu, came with only five thousand soldiers and horses. If he could defeat him in one fell swoop, or even kill Huang Zhong, it would be a great achievement and inspiring.

If there were only Wenpin and the thousands of remaining soldiers under his command, Chunyu Qiong might not think highly of him.

Now that Huang Zhong was a fat man, Chunyu Qiong's heart suddenly became hot.

He asked his general Sui Yuanjin to take two thousand troops and horses to stay in Ye County, but he took Han Juzi and Zhao Rui and led the rest of the troops to Gao Lan's aid.

While Chunyu Qiong was walking, he suddenly encountered soldiers and horses fleeing from the front line. He couldn't help being frightened, and hurriedly arrested some people for questioning, only to learn that Lu Weihuang was killed in front of the battle by Huang Zhong, resulting in the rout of three thousand soldiers and horses.

Fortunately, because Gao Lan rushed to the rescue in time and blocked the pursuing troops led by Huang Zhong, the loss of three thousand soldiers and horses was not much.

On the one hand, Chunyu Qiong sent people to collect the defeated troops, and on the other hand, he personally led his troops and horses to Gao Lan's aid.

Although he had some difficulties with Gao Lan, he also knew that the other party was a famous general in Hebei. If he was compromised, the impact on morale would be immeasurable.

What's more, Chunyu Qiong, as the vanguard general, will have unshirkable responsibility if Gao Lan dies in battle.

The most important thing is that Chunyu Qiong coveted Huang Zhong's head and wanted to kill him to make a great contribution.

Chunyu Qiong was worried about the situation on the front line and urged his soldiers to speed up the march.

As soon as Chunyu Qiong arrived at the battlefield, he saw that Yuan's army was retreating steadily, and he hurriedly led his troops into the formation, just in time to save the injured Gao Lan.

When Huang Zhong saw Yuan's army approaching, he did not dare to fight and hurriedly led his troops to retreat.

Chunyu Qiong rode up to Gao Lan and looked at his injured right arm, feeling secretly shocked.

Chunyu Qiong knew Gao Lan's bravery and prudence very well.

Now even Gao Lan has been injured. If he hadn't rescued him in time, he might have suffered a loss. This shows Huang Zhong's bravery.

When he learned about the situation and learned that Huang Zhongnai had stabbed someone in the back, he became vigilant.

"The last general failed to rescue Lu Weihuang in time, causing him to die in the front of the battle; he was mistakenly plotted by a bandit general, resulting in the defeat of the army at the rear. Please ask the general to punish him."

Seeing Chunyu Qiong's arrival, Gao Lan gritted his teeth and stepped forward to plead guilty.

Chunyu Qiong, who was very rare, did not blame Gao Lan, but consoled him: "Lü Weihuang did not listen to the advice, and was killed by Huang Zhong in the battle, which had nothing to do with the general. As for being plotted by thieves, he can only blame Huang Zhong for being too insidious."

"Fortunately, my rescue was timely and it didn't lead to a big mistake. Let's not talk about punishment for now."

Although Lu Weihuang was a general under Chunyu Qiong, he lost his troops and his life in the first battle, which naturally made Chunyu Qiong lose face.

If Gao Lan had not turned the tide and saved many soldiers, there would have been a big defeat today, and Chunyu Qiong would not be able to explain to Yuan Shao in the future.

Although he and Gao Lan belong to different factions, they are now in the same camp after all. Moreover, he is from the Yingchuan family. He is far more afraid of the imperial examination system than Gao Lan. He is also the main force in urging Yuan Shao to conquer Chu.

Punishing Gao Lan now is not only useless, but may offend the powerful Hebei faction in the army. Naturally, Chunyu Qiong will not do such a stupid thing.

He comforted Gao Lan, and then said: "You will return to Ye County to recuperate. I will lead my troops to pursue Huang Zhong. I must capture and kill this animal to avenge the general."

Gao Lan hurriedly advised: "Huang Zhong is a famous general in the world and should not be underestimated. Moreover, he won a first victory and his morale was high. Now he is retreating because he has few troops."

"In the opinion of the last general, we should return to defend Ye County at this time and wait for His Majesty to lead the army to arrive. It will not be too late to fight Huang Zhong again."

Chunyu Qiong's face darkened when he heard this, and he shouted: "It is precisely because the Chu army has few soldiers that I have to go and pursue him, so that I can capture and kill Huang Zhong and make great achievements."

"If you let the other party leave at this time, it will be like letting the tiger return to the mountain."

"It will take some time for Your Majesty to lead his army to arrive. By then, Chu's reinforcements may have arrived in Wan County. If we fight with them by then, it may be difficult to win."

"I am the vanguard general. It has taken ten days to attack Ye County. During this period, many troops and horses were lost. Now Lu Weihuang has been killed in the formation, and General Gao has been injured by Huang Zhong's secret arrow. If you are afraid of this, withdraw your troops. How can I explain to His Majesty when we arrive in Ye County and wait for the army to arrive?"

Gao Lan was speechless.

Yuan Shao demanded that the first battle must be fought well, but in the current situation, Yuan Jun was obviously slightly defeated, and the two of them really had no way to explain to Yuan Shao.

Chunyu Qiong looked at Gao Lan's face and said immediately: "You don't need to say anything, just go back and recuperate. I will be careful."

Feeling the pain coming from his right arm, Gao Lan shook his head and said: "The general is going alone, I can't worry."

"It's just a minor injury. Just pull out the arrow and bandage it. There's no need to go back to Ye County to recuperate."

Although Huang Zhong's arrow hit Gao Lan's arm, it did not damage any bones.

Gao Lan was also worried that Chunyu Qiong would underestimate the enemy and advance rashly, and would be ambushed by Huang Zhong, so he insisted on going into battle with injuries.

Seeing the determination on Gao Lan's face, Chunyu Qiong frowned slightly, and finally said: "Since General Gao wants to pursue Huang Zhong together, I will not persuade him any more."

"It's just that your arm is injured. You are not allowed to fight the Chu army unless it is absolutely necessary!"

Gao Lan hurriedly agreed.

But it was said that after Huang Zhong led his cavalry to catch up with Wenpin, he happened to receive an envoy sent by Zhuge Liang.

Huang Zhong looked at the envoy and asked, "The military advisor has sent you here, but what do you have to say?"

The envoy said: "The military advisor asked me to tell the general that if Chun Yuqiong personally leads the army to pursue, the general can slow down slightly while retreating to ensure his own safety and deliberately let Yuan's army catch up."

"If Gao Lan leads his troops to fight, he will be allowed to win but not defeated; if Chunyu Qiong leads his troops to fight, he will be allowed to lose but not win!"

Zhuge Liang still didn't know that Huang Zhong had shot and wounded Gao Lan, and it was impossible for the other party to personally lead his troops to chase Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong frowned and asked, "What do you mean, military advisor?"

The envoy shook his head and said: "The military advisor has not told me, I just asked the general to act according to the plan!"

Although Huang Zhong had doubts in his heart, he also knew that the military orders were overwhelming, and he immediately deliberately slowed down his retreat. As expected, he waited until the pursuers led by Chun Yuqiong arrived.

The two sides fought for half an hour, but Huang Zhong was defeated and led his troops to retreat.

When Chunyu Qiong saw this, he immediately said with some disdain: "Huang Zhong is nothing more than this!"

After Chunyu Qiong defeated Huang Zhong with his large number of troops, he was in high spirits and planned to continue leading the pursuit in order to capture Huang Zhong, a Jingchu general.

However, Gao Lan hurriedly advised: "Although the Chu army was defeated, their formation was not in chaos. And according to my opinion, Huang Zhong should not have tried his best, which may be his strategy to lure the enemy. The general should not be careless." Chunyu Qiong heard this, He couldn't help but feel awe-inspiring in his heart, but he still led his troops to pursue Huang Zhong.

During this period, Huang Zhong fought against Chunyu Qiong several times, but all ended in defeat.

In this way, both sides fought and walked, and finally came to the world-famous Nanxiang Road.

Seeing Huang Zhong enter the Nanxiang Road, Chunyu Qiong was about to lead his troops to chase him, but was stopped by Gao Lan again.

I only heard Gao Lan say: "The Nanxiang Road connects the north and the south. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. The road is narrow, making it inconvenient for large armies to pass, and it is easy to be ambushed."

"Since the general has defeated Huang Zhong several times, we might as well withdraw our troops and give an explanation to His Majesty."

When Chunyu Qiong heard this, her face was full of displeasure.

Although he did win several games against Huang Zhong, the opponent was too slippery and Yuan Jun gained very little. So he returned to the army and told Yuan Shao that he had defeated Huang Zhong. I am afraid no one would believe it.

They only knew that the vanguard general Lu Weihuang was lost here.

In the past, Chunyu Qiong was afraid of Huang Zhong, a famous Jingchu general, and would not have dared to lead his troops to pursue the opponent in such dangerous terrain as the Nanxiang Road.

Nowadays, Chunyu Qiong has defeated Huang Zhong many times, and it is inevitable that he feels a little elated. He immediately said in a deep voice: "I have come with a large army. If I don't behead Huang Zhong, I will never retreat!"

Seeing that Chunyu Qiong had made up his mind, Gao Lan could only continue to persuade: "In this case, the general might as well send a small number of troops and horses first, let them put up more flags, and make a bluff. If there is an ambush, a small number of troops and horses can be used to lure them out. At that time, if we lead a large army to fight out, we will be able to catch them by surprise."

Chunyu Qiong followed his words, so he sent Zhao Rui to lead two thousand troops, set up flags widely, and falsely claimed that eight thousand vanguards went straight to Nanxiang.

Sure enough, just as Zhao Rui led his troops into the middle of Nanxiang Road, he suddenly heard the sound of a cannon, and then saw Wenpin leading 3,000 ambush troops to fight out. Huang Zhong also took the opportunity to rush out from the front and attack Yuan Jun from both sides.

Zhao Rui had been mentally prepared for a long time. Even if his troops were at a disadvantage, he still remained calm and asked the soldiers to put into defensive formations and wait for reinforcements.

Cun Yuqiong, who was waiting in formation outside, learned that there were only three thousand ambush troops, and he immediately said with some disdain: "There are only three thousand ambush troops. It seems that Huang Zhong has nothing to do!"

After saying this, Chunyu Qiong immediately led his troops into it and defeated the Chu army. Huang Zhong and Wenpin were so killed that they abandoned their helmets and armor and fled in panic.

After Chunyu Qiong led his troops out of Nanxiang Road, he became more and more proud and had no intention of stopping. He still led the army in hot pursuit of Huang Zhong and Wenpin.

It was midsummer at this time. After Huang Zhong and others left the Nanxiang Road, they got into the path leading to the south.

Chunyu Qiong led his troops to pursue him, and when he was about to continue the pursuit, Gao Lan persuaded him: "The south road is narrow and the vegetation is too deep, so we cannot pursue it."

Since Chunyu Qiong pursued Huang Zhong, he has won many battles, and it is inevitable that he is a little arrogant in his heart.

Seeing Gao Lan's appearance, and thinking about the other party's constant persuasion to withdraw his troops along the way, he felt a little unhappy.

If he had listened to Gao Lan's words and retreated to Ye County, how could he have achieved the success of today's consecutive battles and victories?

His face immediately darkened and he shouted: "You were shot in the arm by Huang Zhong, why are you so afraid of him like a tiger?"

"This time we are chasing Huang Zhong and we have been victorious. Huang Zhong's fellow is already at his wits end, and the ambush he set along the Nanxiang Road is really ridiculous. If we don't take advantage of the victory to pursue and capture Huang Zhong, how long will it take?"

"If you are afraid in your heart, you can lead your troops and retreat. Stop making noise here and disrupt the morale of our troops!"

If there hadn't been the ambush in Nanxiang Road, Chunyu Qiong might have been more cautious.

However, the other party has obviously used all their means, and there is nothing they can do to ambush him. Now he can only flee in panic, and Chun Yuqiong naturally has no fear anymore.

Gao Lan was reprimanded in public and couldn't help but blushed with shame, but he didn't know how to refute, so he had to leave with his three thousand troops.

After watching Chun Yuqiong lead his troops into the South Road, the deputy general beside Gao Lan said: "Huang Zhong has obviously become a lost dog. If he can be captured and killed, it will be a great achievement. Even if the general is injured and pursued, he can still get some profit." Credit."

"If we retreat at this time, if Chunyu Qiong really captures Huang Zhong, not only will we not get any credit, but we will make others laugh."

Gao Lan couldn't help but hesitate when he heard this.

But when he saw the mountains and wild vegetation in the south that could completely cover people, he finally made up his mind and said: "This place is too dangerous. If the Chu army sets an ambush here, they will not be discovered at all."

"Let us station our troops here. If General Chunyu manages to pass through here intact, it won't be too late to catch up."

"If unfortunately you are ambushed, you can go to the rescue."

However, Chunyu Qiong led his troops into the South Road. Looking at the huge slope in front of him, he couldn't help but ask: "Where is this? Why is there only vegetation in such a large area and no one has reclaimed it into good farmland?"

A soldier who knew the inside story replied: "General Qi, the hillside covered with vegetation in front is Bowang Slope. The reason why no one has cultivated it into fields here is because the soil quality is so poor that it is difficult for crops to survive in it. , even ordinary weeds find it difficult to survive.”

"General, look, these plants and trees that can grow here are extremely tenacious."

When Chunyu Qiong heard this, he suddenly realized.

He looked up at the scorching sun above his head, feeling the wind blowing from the south, and couldn't help but smile: "If there is no wind today, the march will definitely be very hot and muggy. It can be seen that God is helping me and wants me to capture Huang Zhong here."

The soldier just now said: "The general doesn't know something. Since this place is located south of Nanxiang Road, there are strong winds almost every day."

The soldier was right.

The Nanxiang Road connects the north and the south. Whether it is the cold wind from the north in winter or the south wind from the south in summer, it must pass through here.

Air convection will naturally make the wind here relatively strong.

When Chunyu Qiong heard this, her face darkened, and she glanced at the soldier slightly dissatisfied, obviously annoyed that the other person had told the truth.

When the soldier saw this, he retreated uneasily.

Chunyu Qiong continued to lead the troops in pursuit. Almost all the troops behind him entered the lush vegetation of Bowangpo, but there was no trace of Huang Zhong and others.

While Chunyu Qiong was wondering, she suddenly saw thick smoke rising from the vegetation in front of her.

Immediately afterwards, the fire swept towards Yuan Jun's position. Due to the strong wind, the fire became more and more fierce, and it rushed over with terrifying power.

Chunyu Qiong was horrified when she saw this, and said to herself: "I have fallen into the thief's plan by mistake!"

Before he could command his troops to retreat, Yuan's troops abandoned their armor due to the incoming fire, fled frantically, and even trampled on each other. Tens of thousands of Yuan's troops collapsed in an instant.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The fire was inevitably accompanied by billowing smoke. Chunyu Qiong, who was just downwind, was immediately blinded by the thick smoke.

Seeing the fire getting closer and closer, Chunyu Qiong couldn't help shouting: "My life is at stake!"

(End of this chapter)