Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 460: The arrow is cold, the heart is even colder!

After Guan Yu decided to lead his 8,000-foot cavalry to the north, he did not dare to delay the journey, so he took a boat and sailed against the Qishui River. Three or four hundred miles of water journey, with Guan Yu marching day and night, the army passed through Xinye and Juiyang, and finally arrived at Wancheng in four or five days.

The sun is high in the sky, the autumn wind is blowing slightly, and there are no clouds in the sky.

The army disembarked at Nanjiujin Ferry, south of Wancheng. Guan Yu sent scouts to explore Wancheng and sent people to contact Hou Yin. He led his troops to disembark at Jinkou, and under the command of Guan Yu, all the troops were organized on the spot.

"Your Majesty, gather from the south and travel north for more than ten miles to reach Wancheng, Nanyang County." Hu Xiu pointed to the surrounding geography and said: "Between the roads, there are hills and woods, which are plum groves."

"Ok!"

Guan Yu looked around, stroking his beard and nodding.

During the Battle of Zhushui, Hu Xiu, the governor of Jingzhou, and Fu Fang, the governor of Nanxiang, returned to the Southern Han Dynasty. Because Fu Fang defected before the battle, Guan Yu was hampered by the lack of personnel, so he ordered Fu Fang and Meng Da to send troops to Nanxiang and occupy the upper reaches of Xiangyang as a response.

The governor Hu Xiu and Guan Yu stayed by their side as advisors for the Northern Expedition to Wancheng. Although Guan Yu had stayed in Xinye, it had been too long and his memory had already faded. Now that he has the ambition to conquer the four counties, Guan Yu wants to rely on Hu Xiu, the former governor.

Having passed through Xinye by boat before, Hu Xiu relied on his reputation and the old officials he had left in the state capital to persuade Xinye City to surrender.

Xinye City was the seat of Jingzhou under the Northern Wei Dynasty. Although it is a small city with few people, there seems to be no reason for it to be used as a state seat. But the reason why it became a prefecture seat is that Xinye is located in the center of the Nanyang Basin, connecting Wancheng above and Xiangfan below.

The return of Xin Ye from the Prefectural Government greatly boosted Guan Yu's fighting spirit, and he also valued Hu Xiu more and more.

Just when Hu Xiu was introducing the geography of Wancheng, the scouts who contacted Wancheng had already galloped back.

"Report!"

The scout turned over and dismounted, gave a military salute, and said: "For your information, sir, I have contacted Wancheng."

"What is the current situation in Wancheng? Are there any movements of the bandits?" Guan Yu asked.

"The gates of Wancheng are closed now, and they are still occupied by General Hou. According to General Hou, the traitor general Xu Huang has retreated ten miles north of Wancheng after hearing the news that the Lord is coming. The situation in Wancheng is somewhat relieved," the scout replied. : "The thieves on the city tower were wearing ragged clothes. They were very happy when they heard that our troops had arrived."

After a pause, the scout added: "When the servant was talking to General Hou, General Hou refused to let the servant enter the city because the thieves were outside. The situation in the city was difficult for the servant to investigate. However, General Hou burst into tears when he heard that the leader of the army had arrived in person. Today I ask you to lead your troops to Wan as soon as possible, so that he can catch the wind for our army."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled, and said: "Fortunately, our troops arrived late. If it had been a few days late, I might have lost Wan City. Gong Ming knew the news about our army and moved his army to Wanbei in order to make a good retreat." .”

With that said, Guan Yu pointed forward and said: "Order the army to set off and march towards Wancheng. Zhao Lei will lead his troops to stay behind and be responsible for guarding the ships."

"promise!"

Under the command of flags and drums, Guan Yu led 5,000 infantry and cavalry troops towards Wancheng, leaving Zhao Lei with 3,000 troops and horses to guard Jindu.

Five thousand sergeants lined up in long queues, shuttling between the roads. Guan Yu rode his horse on the left and right, with a smile on his face, and chatted with them.

The road is halfway through, deep into the plum forest, and approaching Wancheng.

Liao Hua looked at the silent Mei Lin on the left and right, feeling increasingly suspicious in his heart, and stepped forward to pull Guan Yu's reins.

"What's wrong with Yuan Jian?" Guan Yu held the reins and asked.

Liao Hua pointed around and said: "When the prince is here, Hou Yin neither sends troops or horses to greet him, nor does he send an envoy to greet him respectfully. According to Hou Yin's letters, he is not so rude and arrogant. This is very serious." Abnormal."

"Xu Huang, who is known as the brave general, has not yet arrived at Wancheng. He does not know the number of troops and horses, so he withdraws to the north of Wan. This is the second abnormality. The princes gathered their troops in the south, and within a few miles of the plum forest, there was no one inhabited. Wan was uninhabited. The city is governed by Nanyang, and the population is small, which is the third reason for alleviating doubts."

Liao Hua's face straightened slightly, he cupped his hands and said: "The above three suspicions may be biased, so it is difficult for the prince to believe it, but it must be doubted. Hua was afraid that Wancheng had been conquered by Xu Huang, so he used this to deceive the prince. "

Guan Yu put away his smile, looked thoughtful, and said: "Perhaps Hou Yin was afraid of Xu Huang's troops and did not dare to send troops to meet him. As for not sending an envoy, it was a moment of negligence."

"Then why don't you see the traitor army?"

As he spoke, Liao Hua lowered his tone and asked: "Since you have not seen Hou's voice, how can you trust the letter just because of the letter? From Hua's perspective, you should proceed with caution. If Wancheng is captured by Xu Huang, our army will It might be in danger."

In times of war, it is often difficult to distinguish between civil and military official positions. As the chief secretary, Liao Hua, even though he was a civilian official, had been following the army in battles all year round, so he was already familiar with military affairs.

In addition, Liao Hua himself has a stable temperament and is not a radical person. Hou Yin's abnormal behavior now made him really uneasy, so he only advised Guan Yu to be careful.

Guan Yu narrowed his eyes slightly and looked around Mei Lin.

Seeing Guan Yu like this, Hu Xiuduo didn't take it seriously and said: "The Lord must be suspicious. Now Xu Huang has withdrawn to Wancheng ten miles north, and Hou Yin is defending Wancheng. This is because of the current situation. If Xu Huang had gone to Wancheng earlier, , how could he not kill the scouts of our army, and An Neng could answer the scouts fluently."

"this?"

Hearing this, Liao Hua looked troubled. Hu Xiu was right. Hou Yin had been in contact with them for a long time. How could Hou Yin be able to talk to the scouts if he didn't know the details of their contact. Could it be that I am overthinking it?
Guan Yu explored the surrounding areas of Meilin. Suddenly, his sense of smell, which had been paralyzed by victory, responded. Merlin was too quiet, which made him shudder.

"Wait a minute!"

Guan Yu raised his horsewhip and signaled the sergeant to stop, saying: "What Yuan Jian said is reasonable, Hou Yin's behavior is abnormal, the plum forest is silent, and there are few birdsong, I'm afraid something has changed in Wan City."

"Send more scouts into the mountains and forests to search, and order people to go to Wancheng to conduct a detailed investigation of Hou Yin and his soldiers."

After all, Guan Yu was Guan Yu. Even though his mind was confused by his military exploits and victory, when he regained consciousness, he could already feel that something was wrong.

"promise!"

The left and right were ordered to retreat, and dozens of scouts came out of the queue to search and explore the mountains and forests in all directions to be on guard against ambushes.

Not long after the scouts went out to investigate, the sound of golden drums sounded along the Meilin Mountain Road. The drums were like thunder, startling the birds in the forest and also startling the sergeants of the Han army.

"not good!"

Liao Hua took Guan Yu's hand and said, "Your Majesty, the Wancheng Fruit was taken by Xu Huang."

"this!"

Hu Xiu's face was tense, and he was about to cry but had no tears. He followed Cao Ren into Zhushui, but was ambushed and defeated by Guan Yu. Now he followed Guan Yu north to Wancheng and was ambushed by Xu Huang. Although Guan Yu was angry and annoyed that he had been tricked by the enemy, he knew that it was not the time to get angry, so he tried to keep his expression calm and ordered his sergeants to line up in a hurry.

When the Han army was in formation, several 'Xu' flags appeared in the woods, along with 'Tian' flags on their left and right. Along with the sound of drums, the Wei army's banners were getting closer and closer to the Han army.

Under the banner of 'Xu', Xu Huang pressed the reins and walked slowly, saying to his left and right: "I originally wanted to let Guan Yu reach Wancheng, so as to attack Guan Yu from behind. However, Guan Yu seems to be on guard now, and the old strategy is difficult to achieve. The only way is to use troops in advance. To attack water thieves."

Since Xu Huang adopted the suggestions of Zhao Yan and Sima Yi and pardoned the mountain people who had gathered in Wancheng to rebel, most of the mountain people under Hou Yin's account rebelled.

Then, Xu Huang sent his soldiers to attack the city, surrounded it three times and guarded one. He used his troops in the morning and destroyed the city in the evening. Hou Yin and his followers fled from Beicheng and fled into the mountains. Dongligun recruited hundreds of county soldiers to attack Hou Yin's troops.

Because Zong Jin surrendered to Hou Yin, he replaced Hou Yin, wrote letters to himself, and contacted Guan Yu. Under Sima Yi's guidance, Guan Yu was finally deceived into Wancheng.

Sima Yi stroked his beard, with a treacherous look in his eyes, and said: "Guan Yu is observing our army's ambush. Although he intends to attack the thieves suddenly, he is afraid that the new soldiers will not be able to defeat Guan Yu and his elite troops."

After saying that, Sima Yi sneered a few times and said: "The general has always been on good terms with Guan Yu, and he always prides himself on his loyalty. Why not, in the name of reminiscing about old times, pretend to give Guan Yu time to prepare for war, and ask him to come to the battle line to answer. In fact, we are reminiscing about old times with Guan Yu. When judging the situation, if you use arrows to shoot, and then lead your army to cover up the enemy, Guan Yu will be defeated!"

Xu Huang showed hesitation and said: "Joining the army, Guan Yu and I love each other because we are from the same hometown. Now, in the name of reminiscing about old times, I will lead the army to cover up the defeat of the defeated army. I will shoot them with arrows, for fear of feeling treacherous."

Sima Yi's face was slightly cold and he said: "Xiangfan is in danger. It is a matter of national importance. The general was ordered to save him. How can he ruin the matter of national affairs because he is subordinate to an old love and worries about Guan Yu's life?"

Hearing this, Xu Huang sighed in his heart. He could not help but do what Sima Yi said today.

Although Xu Huang was reluctant, his expression showed a sign of disillusionment. He raised his hands and said, "If I hadn't joined the army, I would have ruined national affairs. Now Huang should invite Guan Yu to join the battle. In the name of remembering old times, he will take the opportunity to cover up and defeat him."

"The general is very wise!" Sima Yi said with a smile.

Now that he had a plan, Xu Huang sent his men to ride their horses to the front of the battle formation and asked Guan Yu to come out of the battle formation to talk about old times and answer questions.

"Xu Huang asked the prince to come out to answer, I'm afraid it's a lie." Liao Hua said.

Guan Yu looked at the Han army that was still in formation and said: "We are suddenly encountering an enemy force, so our army is hastily preparing for battle. The front army is still in good order, and the rear army is in formation. It is not appropriate to rush into battle. And I am ordering my scouts to inform Zhao Lei and order him to He led his army on alert, thinking that he would be able to support our army."

"Going out to answer questions can buy time for the army!"

Guan Yu was quite confident and said: "I have known Gongming for a long time, and we have a feeling of being from the same hometown. When we go out to reminisce about old times, will Qian'an harm me?"

After saying that, Guan Yu ordered Liu Zan and Zhou Cang to assemble the army, and led several of his attendants to go out into battle to reminisce with Xu Huang, who was waiting in front of the battle formation.

Guan Yu reined in his horse and rode to the front of the formation, shouting: "Where is Xu Gongming?"

Xu Huangtong rode out, and the two of them replied from a long distance apart: "Your Majesty, we have not seen each other for more than ten years. Now we meet again in Wancheng. Unexpectedly, your beard and hair are gray!"

"When we met in Xuchang in the past, I can't recall the majestic appearance of the monarch. I can't thank you enough for the teachings I received from you."

Then, Xu Huang's words revealed the meaning of praise, saying: "The prince built a water to defeat Cao Ren, and Fancheng was imprisoned. It shook half of China's arms and shocked China. It made old friends jealous after hearing about it."

Hearing Xu Huang's words, Guan Yu's deceitful and angry mood retreated slightly, and he said: "I have a deep friendship with Gongming. We are fellow villagers from Hedong, and we are not inferior to others. How dare you set up a trick to deceive someone now?"

Xu Huang felt guilty and replied: "The king is both wise and brave. He is a tiger and bear hero, making many enemies afraid. If we don't implement this strategy now, it will be difficult to defeat the king."

Guan Yu held the reins, his horse pacing there, and said: "Although you have many soldiers, I am not afraid of you. Now the two armies are arrayed to fight, how about deciding the winner?"

Xu Huang raised his arm slightly, made a signal, and shouted: "Huang really has this intention. Today, I invite you to come out to reminisce about old times, just to give you and your sergeants time to line up."

"good!"

There are sharpshooters in the Wei army's formation aiming at Guan Yu, their arrow clusters shining brightly there. In the Han army formation, Liao Hua took matters into his own hands and recruited several sharpshooters to target Xu Huang.

While Guan and Xu were reminiscing about old times, Xu Huang violently waved his arms and shouted: "Whoever kills Guan Yu will be rewarded with a thousand catties and be granted the title of Marquis of Pavilion."

Guan Yu, who was chatting happily, changed his expression drastically and said in shock: "Why did Gong Ming say this?"

"This is a major national matter, and we dare not abandon public service for private reasons."

Before he could finish his words, five sharp arrows from the Wei army's formation shot out of the air and flew towards Guan Yu.

Seeing this, Guan Yu hurriedly drew his sword and the attendants on the left and right blocked the arrows with their bodies.

At this time, several sharp arrows were shot out from the Han army formation, hitting Xu Huang who looked apologetic.

"Bah!"

Because of its long range, the arrow cluster is weak. Guan Yu swung his sword to block two sharp arrows. The two arrows were protected by the body of his attendants. However, he saw an arrow coming too fast and too hard. It penetrated the armor on his chest and shot into Guan Yu's body.

"what!"

Guan Yu held back the pain and growled lowly for fear of shaking his army's morale.

When the attendant saw that Guan Yu had been hit by an arrow, he wanted to call for help, but Guan Yu stopped him.

"The morale of the army cannot be shaken!"

Xu Huang didn't fare much better, and the arrows from the Han army also hit Xu Huang. Two sharp arrows hit Xu Huang's arm and Xu Huang's lower abdomen.

Xu Huang was hit by an arrow in his arm and lost his balance. His body swayed a few times and he fell off his horse. He was hurriedly protected by his attendants and retreated into the formation.

"Guan Yu was killed by an arrow, the whole army charges!"

Sima Yi ignored Xu Huang's injury and directly passed Xu Huang to give the order, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"kill!"

In the sound of fighting, the two armies fought together!
(End of this chapter)