Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 260 Cao Liu Dang Kou
Liu Bei read Fazheng and Meng Da, who came all the way from the Yangtze River thousands of miles away, bringing a large amount of food and grass and four thousand soldiers. He made an exception and held a banquet for the two of them in the big tent.

In the big tent, all the civil and military generals were sitting, with Liu Bei in the middle, Zhuge Liang on the left, and Fa Zheng on the right.

The attendants brought the fish, meat, and wine into the account. Liu Bei smiled and said, "The war is about to begin. If I am not well received, I hope you two gentlemen will understand."

"Your Majesty, you are very considerate!" Fa Zheng thanked Liu Bei and said, "We dare not ask for more!"

Zhuge Liang happened to be at the right moment and added: "When the war broke out in the past, the army was not allowed to drink water. Now, thanks to the blessing of the two kings, Liang and his officials can enjoy the banquet before the war."

With Zhuge Liang's praise, Fazheng and Meng Dadu changed their previous expressions and showed flattered expressions.

Zhuge Liang's role for Liu Bei was not only to advise Liu Bei and prepare supplies, but also to speak appropriately to express Liu Bei's intentions to the outside world.After all, there are some words that are not suitable for Liu Bei to say in person.

At the banquet, everyone was enjoying themselves and welcomed Fazheng and Mengda.They drank wine and talked about the customs and customs of Shu.

However, there were also displeased people at the banquet.It was none other than the bandit general Guan Yu.

"General Guan!"

Seeing the displeasure on Guan Yu's face, Zhao Yun, who was sitting next to him, pushed him with his arm and whispered, "Is there something wrong?"

When Guan Yu saw that it was Zhao Yun, he said, "Cao's army is in the north now, and Zhang Liao goes deep into Lushan to pursue Lei, Chen and other Jianghuai righteous men. Yu is worried about the military and dare not drink!"

Guan Yu spoke loudly, and everyone present in the tent could hear his words.

However, everyone present had different reactions!

Meng Da glanced at Guan Yu, feeling slightly dissatisfied, but did not show it.

Fa Zhan looked ashamed and wanted to apologize to Liu Bei.

Lu Yi glanced at Guan Yu, lowered his head and drank alone, his mouth seemed to be smiling but not smiling, which was very strange.

Zhao Yun sighed in his heart, not knowing what to say.

Zhuge Liang was stunned for a moment, then shook the feather fan that had stopped, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Lord Guan, my lord already has a candidate in mind, but General Yide has not arrived yet."

"Yes!"

Liu Bei reacted and said: "Gu Yu ordered Yide to go out to fight, but Yide is patrolling the camp and has not issued military orders yet."

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently and said with a smile: "Zhang Wenyuan is courageous and resourceful, and has always been brave enough to be brave. He followed Cao Cao to attack Yanshan in the west, flatten the seaside in the east, and outside the Weiwei Wall in the north. When he was at Bailang Mountain, he strongly recommended Cao Cao to attack Wuhuan and hold on to the enemy. He led his troops to defeat Tadun, and he had the style of prostitution."

When Liu Bei saw Zhuge Liang winking at him, he seemed to know what Zhuge Liang meant, and he sang and said: "When I am alone in the world, I am only afraid of Lu Bu's courage. However, under Lu Bu, Zhang Liao should be the first."

"Thinking of Zhang Liao's bravery, the most capable enemy in Gu Jin's tent is none other than Zilong and Yide. Zilong is in charge of the central army for Gu, so only Yide can be sent out to defeat the enemy!"

As the two sang together, Guan Yu's red face became even redder, and he sneered at Zhuge Liang's praise of Zhang Liao.

Zhuge Liang didn't seem to see Guan Yu's face and said: "General Yide has the ability to summon tigers and is extremely brave. In the high and dangerous mountains, large armies cannot move. Only the brave dare to fight and march with all their strength. Anyone who can fight against Zhang Liao, Gai Yi General De!"

Guan Yu put down the wine bottle angrily and asked intentionally: "Although Yi De is brave, is my bravery weak?"

Historically, when Ma Chao surrendered to Liu Bei, Guan Yu wanted to argue with Ma Chao about his superiority.Zhuge Liang had no choice but to write to Guan Yu, saying that Ma Chao's ability could only be on par with Zhang Fei and not as good as Guan Yu's.

At present, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei can still praise Zhang Liao, but in front of Guan Yu, they praise Zhang Fei's courage alone and deliberately ignore his ability.

How can you let Guan Yu endure it?

"Ha ha!"

Liu Bei completely understood what Zhuge Liang meant and said with a smile: "Yun Chang, why do you ask this?"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and said: "Yun Chang is so powerful that he breaks the formation and kills Yan Liang, and rides alone to kill Le Jin. In today's world, Yun Chang has unparalleled martial arts skills and is outstanding in the world. Everyone recognizes him? Although Yide is brave, , but how can it be as long as the shoulder-to-shoulder clouds!"

Guan Yu's expression slowed down and he said: "Zhang Liao's bravery and military habits are mostly similar to those of Yu, and Yu knows his abilities well. Although Yide is brave, he is not familiar with Zhang Liao's habits. Why don't you send me to fight against Zhang Liao now, brother?" ?”

"cough!"

When Zhuge Liang saw Guan Yu taking the bait, he laughed and said, "Guan Junhou also has military strategy and can command an army of tens of thousands of people. Now let the monarch lead the elite into the mountains, climb up and fight, and use the few soldiers, isn't it overkill and underutilized?"

After saying that, Zhuge Liang said worriedly: "Although General Yide has the courage to summon tigers, he may not know Zhang Liao's habits as Guan Junhou said. Now that I think about it, only Guan Junhou can definitely defeat Zhang Wenyuan."

Seeing that Liu and Ge agreed, Guan Yu said: "Cao Cao has no boats or big ships, so I can't help him. The boats and water soldiers can be used by Xingba to rule; the infantry and knights can be used by their wings and virtues. However, the mountains of Haoshan In the battle, Zhang Liao was brave, but the three generals were in danger and the people were displaced. If they could not be rescued quickly, Cao Cao would surely succeed."

As he spoke, Guan Yu stood up, stroked his sword and came out, cupped his hand and said: "My lord, if you want to protect the safety of the people, you can ask Yu to lead his elite troops to Yanshan to make it difficult for Cao Cao to succeed."

Liu Bei pretended to think about it and said: "In this case, Yun Changke will lead Ziming to fight, not to defeat Zhang Liao, but to protect the people of Lushan."

"The last general has received his order!" Guan Yu accepted the order with his hands raised, and said: "Now the situation has been broken and we are far away."

Seeing Guan Yu walking out of the tent, Liu Bei said with a smile to Fazheng and Meng Da: "Yun Chang is thinking about the war, so it won't affect your banquet."

"Thank you for your kindness, envoy!" the two said, cupping their hands.

Fazheng stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Everyone knows that Guan Junhou is so powerful that the tiger is powerful in the world. Zheng Zheng has admired him for a long time, and seeing him today, he is indeed an extraordinary warrior."

Liu Bei personally poured wine for Fazheng and said with a smile: "Yun Chang always puts business first, has a forthright temperament, and loves the Spring and Autumn Period. From now on, if Xiaozhi and Zi Jing work with Yunchang, they will know the wonders of Yunchang and should become close friends. .”

As he spoke, Liu Bei pointed at Lu Su with a smile and said, "Meng Zijing may not know, but Lu Zijing should know."

Lu Su put down the wine bottle and said in agreement: "What my lord said is true. Guan Junhou has a heroic temperament and can often share joys and sorrows with the soldiers. He is deeply loved by the soldiers."

It is always good to praise others instead of talking short of others.The reason why Guan Yu was dissatisfied with Fazheng and Mengda was also simple.Fazheng and Mengda were only school captains, but they allowed Liu Bei to host a banquet and invite everyone to accompany him. How could Guan Yu feel comfortable?

Of course, this is also related to Liu Bei. Due to information confidentiality considerations, only Zhuge Liang and Lu Su know the true identities of Fazheng, Meng Da, and Zhang Song.

Even Huo Jun, Liu Bei never told him.There are mutual secrets between the monarch and different ministers, and they will not keep anything secret just because of their close status.

The war was about to begin, so they didn't dare to drink too much. Everyone chatted for a long time, and then the banquet was over.

Fazheng, Mengda and Liu Bei stayed alone for a long time before wandering back to the tent.

Taking off the sword from his waist, Fazheng asked, "Zijing saw Duke Xuande for the first time, but what did he think?"

Meng Da pondered for a while and said: "Gong Xuande is sincere in his treatment of others, has a strategic mind, and has the ability to understand people. He can discuss things with Cao Cao. Da thought that Duke Xuande could be a famous master! But~"

"Ok?"

Fazheng looked up at Mengda and asked, "Is there still some shortcomings?"

Meng Da shook his head and said: "It's not that Mr. Xuande has any shortcomings, but that Guan Yu's temperament is too aloof and arrogant."

As he said that, Meng Da was slightly depressed and said: "Not to mention that we have traveled thousands of miles to deliver food, but tonight's banquet was hosted by Xuande Gong, and he actually dared to be so disappointing. Not only did he not take us seriously, he also didn't care That Xuande Gong’s face.”

In fact, not only Meng Da was unhappy, but Fazheng was also uncomfortable, but thinking about Liu Bei's attitude towards him, he relieved himself.

Fa Zheng comforted Meng Da and said: "General Guan is extremely brave and brave. Anyone who is capable has a good temper. This should be a matter of public affairs. How can I not think of my kindness to you when you treat me so kindly?"

Meng Da felt dissatisfied and complained: "Huonan County defeated Cao Cao at Jinkou, and he was not arrogant. He treated us politely when he saw us. Now Guan Yu is not as good as Huonan County. How dare he be so arrogant?"

After saying that, Mengda changed his voice and said: "But please rest assured Xiaozhi, Da is not an ignorant person. You will treat me with sincerity, and I will treat you with sincerity."

"That's good!" Fazheng said.

It is not easy to rectify the law. He recognizes Liu Bei as the master, but it does not mean that Meng Da recognizes Liu Bei as the master.In order for Meng Da to serve Liu Bei, he did a lot of work.If there is any dissatisfaction, he needs to deal with it.

Not to mention that Fazheng and Mengda were murmuring in private.After receiving the order from Liu Bei, Guan Yu led 3000 infantry to Poyang County. Under the guidance of Huo Du, he rushed to Lushan Mountain in an attempt to defeat Zhang Liao and save the people of Jianghuai.

At this time, the scenes of chase and escape are being staged in the mountains.

In late autumn, strong winds roar, and the trees all over the mountains and plains rustle and make the sound of surging tides.On the quiet and narrow mountain road, more than a thousand people were cut into several sections by trees and boulders.

Jianghuai's powerful troops tried to contain the danger and defend, using spears and crossbows to attack the pursuing Cao soldiers.However, the high morale and tenacity of Cao's soldiers' fighting spirit were beyond their expectation. Even if they attacked from behind, the tiger soldiers under Zhang Liao's tent climbed up the mountain with the strength of their bows and crossbows, and poured into the forest to fight with the powerful troops. Qu fights.

Cao's army took the lead with spears and rifles, and soldiers with shields and shields were among them.Whenever a sergeant fell, new infantrymen would fight on top.Intertwined with the enemy bandits, entangled and fought with each other, it was already red-blooded.The sounds of fighting and shouting had already resounded through the mountains and forests, alarming the birds resting in the trees.

Although Jianghuai's powerful tribesmen were very old soldiers, their armor and weapons were not as elite as the sergeants of Cao's army.However, during the battle, he relied on his own will and reluctantly fought with Cao Jun's sergeants to buy time for the family members in the rear to escape.

In order to break the enemy's obstruction, Zhang Liao, wearing heavy armor and holding a walking stick, took the lead and fought against the Jianghuai tribe.In a narrow space, there is no place for Changshu.However, due to Zhang Liao's amazing martial arts, even in narrow forests and mountain roads, he danced the long tree into flowers.Take advantage of your height, arm length, and amazing physical strength.There are no generals meeting under the tree, there is a bit of cold light, and blood is splashing!
Fighting on a dangerous road is just like Zhao She said, two rats fighting in a hole, the brave one will win.

I don't know how long the fight lasted. Under the fierce offensive of Cao Jun, the powerful tribes gave up the fight and fled, leaving corpses scattered on the ground and fled to Tianzhu Mountain not far away.

"Chase!"

Zhang Liao waved the long spear in his hand to signal the sergeants under his tent to pursue him.

"General, it's getting late, and I don't know how deep the front is. It's better to rest on the spot and pursue the pursuit tomorrow." Niugai said.

"No, Tianzhu Mountain is steep. If we can conquer it quickly, we should conquer it early. If we let the Jianghuai soldiers build fortifications and defend according to the danger, we will fail!" Zhang Liao objected.

Although the subordinates of Jianghuai's powerful account were not as well-equipped as Sergeant Zhang Liao, they relied on the terrain and tenacious struggle along the way to block attacks at dangerous points and bought too much time for the group of old and weak men and women.

Today, the Jianghuai tyrants have tricked Tianzhu Mountain into retreating. If they can break through the dangerous points of Tianzhu Mountain, they can catch up with the bandits, behead them and move the people back.If they cannot catch up, the bandits such as Chen Lan and Lei Xu will climb over Tianzhu Mountain and flee to the boundary of Poyang County.

The mountain road winds up, with rugged rocks and thick bushes on both sides.Zhang Liao led his sergeants up the wall. His feet, accustomed to horse fighting, were not slow at all on this steep mountain road.

Under the dusk sky, hundreds of defeated Jianghuai powerful tribesmen fled in panic along the Tianzhu Mountain road.Zhang Liao led his sergeants in pursuit, sometimes using bows and crossbows to shoot at the fleeing enemy invaders.

The mountain road is rugged, either narrow enough for only one or two people to pass, or widening enough for three or four people to pass.After running for unknown miles, Sergeant Cao's soldiers were walking among the mountain roads. On the rocky rocks above their heads, more than 200 crossbowmen quietly poked out, stringing their bows and aiming at the passing soldiers of Cao's soldiers.

"Head, enemy attack!"

Cao Jun, who was responsible for observing the enemy's situation, shouted loudly: "Mount the big shield!"

Hearing this, Zhang Liao suddenly raised his head and not only saw the approaching night, but also found that the dark gray rocks on both sides were covered with crossbowmen.The iron arrowheads had a faint cold glow, which made the hairs on the hair of Cao Cao's soldiers tremble.

"shoot!"

Lei Yuan's face was ferocious, and his raised arms were waving downwards.The crossbowmen on the left and right pulled the trigger, and the arrows shot out of the air and landed on Cao Jun's head.

Chen Lan blocked the enemy behind the mountain hall. Lei Xu and tens of thousands of Jianghuai people fled into Tianzhu Mountain, while Lei Yuan was ordered to garrison at a strategic point in Tianzhu Mountain to support Chen Lan's troops.

When he saw Lei Yuan's two or three hundred men on the rock, Zhang Liao subconsciously rolled over and hid behind a big tree.With the sound of breaking through the air, several arrows shot directly at the location where he had just been.

"what!"

Zhang Liao was able to dodge the arrows with his agility, but his men were not so lucky. Except for the sergeant holding a shield, the sergeant who lacked cover was injured many times by arrows and rolled on the hillside wailing.Or he was shot to death and fell to the ground. His whole body rolled down like a rolling log. Many of the sergeants behind him tripped and hit the tree pole before stopping.

"General!"

While the crossbows and arrows were being fired, several sergeants holding large shields protected Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao looked at the increasingly dark sky and said coldly: "Let them go and withdraw our troops!"

"promise!"

"withdraw!"

The sergeants of Cao's army who climbed up the mountain immediately retreated, with the bow and crossbowmen behind, the spears and spears withdrawn, and each team covered each other.The vanguard led by Zhang Liao walked away slowly under the cover of the shield wall.

"Put the Rolling Stones!"

Seeing Zhang Liao withdrawing, Lei Yuan signaled his men to release the rolling stone.A large number of his brothers and subordinates died in Zhang Liao's hands, how could Lei Yuan be willing to let Zhang Liao retreat easily.

However, it would be difficult for the rolling stones to play a frightening role in Tianzhu Mountain. Although Tianzhu Mountain is dangerous, it is already lush with trees due to few people living there all year round. Even the trail up the mountain is surrounded by a large number of trees.

The roaring rolling stones collided with each other among the trees, and the impact of the rolling stones was weakened. Except for dozens of unlucky people who were injured and killed, a large number of Sergeant Cao's soldiers walked among the trees and escaped the collision of the rolling stones.

Zhang Liao glanced at Lei Yuan coldly, then led his sergeants to the rear in person and ordered his troops to withdraw in an orderly manner.

At that time, the rear army had camped at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain, and Zhang Liao and Niugai each welcomed their troops back to camp.

In the tent, Zhang Liao took off his armor and said: "Lei Xu and Chen Lan led tens of thousands of tribesmen to flee into Tianzhu Mountain. The situation of this mountain is more dangerous than that of Yashan Mountain, with few roads and dense forests. Qu Jingrui is holding a dangerous position, I wonder if General Niu has a plan to deal with it?"

Niu Gai hesitated for a while and said: "General, our army pursued from Yaxian County to Tianzhu Mountain. General, many of the enemy invaders were defeated. Now we have penetrated two to three hundred miles. General Jun Yi led the old and weak to move the people behind. General and Gai led the Lead the elites forward, rush into Yanshan Mountain, and kill Lei Xiu."

"Tianzhu Mountain has a steep terrain and is covered by most of the bandits. Our army is outnumbered and we are afraid that we will not be able to defeat it! Moreover, the Prime Minister swept away the bandits in the Jianghuai River and pacified Hefei, Lu'an and other cities. Chen Ce was beheaded, Mei Cheng fled, and Lei , Chen Erkou led his troops to move south. Now that the order has been completed, Liu Bei's reinforcements are already on the way, so it is better to withdraw."

Zhang Liao was slightly displeased and said, "The Prime Minister ordered you and me to lead the army to attack Chen Lan. Now that Chen Lan is on the run, how can we say we will succeed?"

As he spoke, Zhang Liao put his hand on the hilt of his sword and said in a deep voice: "Lei and Chen are walking slowly with their people. If they can defeat their army, they will surely capture their people. The mountain roads in Tianzhu Mountain are dangerous and narrow. The brave must not move forward.”

"Although the Jianghuai bandits have fighting spirit, their armors are crude and their bows and crossbows are incomplete. We will attack them tomorrow and kill the enemy bandits before returning. If we do not attack them quickly, Liu Bei's reinforcements will arrive!"

Zhang Liao's judgment is undoubtedly correct. Cao's army is a regular army, and many of his troops are elite.Most of the bandits in Jianghuai are local people.Even if the troops are elite, the armor and bows and crossbows in their hands cannot compare with the elite of Cao's army.

The crossbow is the weapon of the army.Perhaps a few hundred sets of crossbows are a powerful asset, but compared with the crossbows carried by Zhang Liao's army, there is a big gap.The sergeants under Zhang Liao's tent were armed with more than a thousand powerful crossbows, and they were all good at shooting, but they were not comparable to the powerful troops.

Niu Gai saw that Zhang Liao was determined to fight, so he stood up and said, "I am willing to go to war with the general."

"it is good!"

The next day dawned, the sun was shining brightly, and the morning glow was brilliant.

Compared with the equipment during the pursuit at dusk yesterday, Sergeant Cao's soldiers were fully equipped with weapons today and were very well prepared.Zhang Liao and the sergeants under his tent were all carrying swords and axes, ropes tied around their waists, light and heavy armor, and bows and crossbows as they climbed the mountain.

Zhang Liao and the sergeants around him were all good archers and crossbowmen, and could easily hit moving targets while in motion.Learning from yesterday's lesson, shieldmen and crossbowmen marched together, and sent a large number of sergeants to investigate.

Walk on the mountain and hide in the forest. If you encounter enemy bandits, shoot them with heavy crossbows and strong bows.The crossbowmen moved alternately, advancing slowly to keep their energy levels high.Such a steady and steady style of play, using his outstanding shooting skills and spreading out, caused a lot of losses to Jianghuai's powerful team.

Zhang Liao captured the Yanyan where he set up an ambush yesterday and used the Yanyan as a foothold.Zhang Liao continued to lead his soldiers up, with the crossbowmen in the lead and the shieldmen as cover. The few engaged the enemy and marched slowly.

By noon, Zhang Liao had captured most of the twenty-mile mountain road.Finally, they reached the place where Chen Lan and Mei Cheng led their troops to set up a dangerous camp.

The place Chen Lan chose to camp was extremely dangerous and the trails were cut off. Only two or three people could walk side by side on the mountain road.Chen Lan, Meicheng, and Lei Yuan set up camp on the mountain and waited for Cao's army on the mountain wall. This was their most reliable line of defense.

However, they arrived at Tianzhu Mountain not long ago and did not have time to build defensive fortifications such as horse-stopping, falling tiger, and snares. They only had simple fences for defense.

Zhang Liao was not afraid of the steepness of the terrain. He waited and looked at the terrain and selected men who dared to die, with the shield-hands in front and the spear-hands behind.

The mountain roads along the way were rugged and narrow, and Jianghuai tribesmen threw javelins and fired arrows, but they were all blocked by the heavy shields.Cao Jun also used strong bows and crossbows to fight back, showing no fear.Even if there are casualties, there will be follow-up sergeants to supplement them.

Under this life-for-life style of play, the mob under Jianghuai's powerful tent was simply unstoppable.Moreover, the Jianghuai tycoon had already been chased by Zhang Liao and was frightened. A large number of his colleagues were killed by him along the way. Now that the terrain was too dangerous and he could not stop him, he could not help but retreat and flee.

"on!"

Zhang Liao waved his hand, motioning for the sergeants to press forward, and shouted: "Enter the enemy's stronghold and behead the enemy's head, that is success."

"promise!"

Sergeant Cao's soldiers marched bravely along the mountain road littered with their own corpses, quickly breaking through the dangerous path.When they arrived at the crossing, they used bows and crossbows to deal with the surrounding enemy bandits, and then used flying hooks to destroy the fences, and the sergeants swarmed up.

At the cost of two to three hundred casualties, Zhang Liao, surrounded by soldiers, marched up to the stronghold with a spear in hand.

However, when Zhang Liao entered the enemy's stronghold, the sound of military drums rang out all around, and armored sergeants on the left and right appeared one after another, numbering no less than a thousand.The flags were waving and the banner was eye-catching, causing all Cao's soldiers, including Zhang Liao, to panic.

In Zhang Liao's eyes, he saw flags suddenly raised in the powerful camp in Jianghuai, with the words "Guan" written on them, and "Han Shoutinghou" and "Dang Kou General" written on the left and right. He was excited about climbing the stronghold to defeat the enemy. Zhang Liao's whole body became cold.

Niu Gai's smile turned to panic, and he shouted: "Why is Guan Yu here?"

Then, a burly figure appeared from a high place, wearing a familiar green brocade robe as the inner part and a large bright armor as the outer part. He wore a feathered pouch on his head, held a long spear in his hand, and walked out majestically.

Seeing Guan Yu appear here, Zhang Liao began to take a deep breath to calm down his nervous mood, and tightened his grip on the long spear in his hand.He never expected that Guan Yu would appear here, waiting for him.

Why did Guan Yu come so quickly?
Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said in a deep voice: "Wenyuan, the camp has been destroyed. Now our troops are deep into the dangerous mountains. I wonder if we are willing to surrender?"

Zhang Liao turned his head and looked down at the foot of the mountain, only to see that the camp he had set up last night was on fire and black smoke was rising.

"Yun Chang, what a trick!"

Zhang Liao suddenly realized that he had fallen into Guan Yu's plan. He gritted his teeth and said, "Although the situation is like this, how do I know you will win?"

(End of this chapter)