Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 150 144. Battle of Fancheng (End)

As expected, it was just as the Wei army soldiers thought. The drumbeats in Fancheng kept stopping and starting until midnight, when they finally stabilized and continued to sound.

This kind of sound that is loud but not harsh and stable can generally be regarded as background sound and does not affect sleep. For example, the "clang clang" sound of modern trains, or the voice of teachers in class for sleepy junior, senior, and college students.

In short, the Wei soldiers fell into a deep sleep while being able to stand up and deal with possible sneak attacks from the Han army, and the drumbeats did not have much impact.

Cao Ren did hear something was wrong, but being a steady person, he did not plan to do anything in the middle of the night, but waited for dawn.

After a night passed, the sound of drums could still be heard in Fancheng. Cao Ren finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Han army had really run away.

It's not that Cao Ren hadn't thought about the possibility that the Han army would abandon Fancheng and leave, but judging from Feng Xi's performance, it seemed that he was just like himself, determined to do something and not willing to give up Fancheng for no reason. Both sides were holding back on their competition.

When Feng Xi started to confuse Cao Ren yesterday, he felt something was wrong, but Feng Xi's false and real tactics made Cao Ren dare not act rashly. What if he was not withdrawing but taking the opportunity to attack the camp?
Besides, if the Han army really retreated without fighting and gave up Fancheng, it would be a great thing for Cao Ren. Even the losses of soldiers could be minimized, so Cao Ren was happy to see the Han army retreat.

"Haha, it seems that General Shu has also realized that he doesn't have the time to waste here with me."

Cao Ren stroked his white beard and smiled, which was rare for him.

Jingzhou had just been recovered, and Changsha and Guiyang were still within the influence of Eastern Wu. In addition, although Eastern Wu had been defeated, it was not completely without soldiers available. If Sun Quan fought a desperate battle, the soldiers who were guarding against the Wei army would be withdrawn, so it would not be without the ability to fight.

Under such circumstances, if the Han army and the Wei army fought to the death in Fancheng, it would definitely be disadvantageous to the Han army in the long run. After all, Sun Quan was eyeing Jingzhou from the east. If they were entangled in the north of Jingzhou, they would have no time to take care of Jingzhou and other places.

On the contrary, Cao Wei only had a part of its troops in Jingzhou, and there were still troops in Guanzhong and Jianghuai that could be mobilized. This was equivalent to Cao Ren using his own troops to exchange with the main force of the Han army in Jingzhou, locking each other up. No matter how you look at it, Cao Wei gained.

Now Feng Xi's retreat can only be regarded as unexpected, but also reasonable. In this way, Cao Ren will not have to suffer here with his old bones, and Feng Xi can also spare time to sort out the internal affairs of Jingzhou. This outcome is a happy ending for both sides.

"The enemy's drums have been beating all night, so they must have retreated. Let the soldiers go up to the city to check."

Cao Ren called all the generals and issued military orders.

"Ah?! General, then the tunnel I dug was in vain?"

Niu Jin was the one who could not accept it the most. The brothers worked so hard to dig a tunnel, but before it was completed, the enemy ran away. Wasn't it all in vain?

"You rascal, are you still complaining to me? Then I'll give you the credit for being the first to reach the city. Niu Jin, listen to my orders. I order you to lead 5,000 soldiers to attempt to attack the city. If you encounter resistance, do not fight to the death and retreat quickly."

As Niu Jin's old boss, Cao Ren knew very well what Niu Jin was thinking. He just wanted to gain credit for his hard work. So he simply gave him the credit for being the first to capture Fancheng.

"Hehe...Niu Jin obeys the order!"

When Niu Jin saw that Cao Ren had seen through his little tricks, he just smiled awkwardly and gladly accepted the order.

"Kill!"

Led by Niu Jin, the Wei army soldiers once again set up ladders and advanced towards the city, but this time they encountered no obstacles. There was deathly silence on the top of the city, as if it had really become an empty city.

"General Niu, there is no one on the city wall. Those figures are just scarecrows."

A soldier showed Niu Jin a human-shaped straw. Niu Jin was not surprised. After all, since the Han army did not stop him, Niu Jin had guessed that the Han army was most likely to retreat.

Why didn't Feng Xi use this as an excuse to set up another ambush? Because Cao Ren was too stable, as stable as a thousand-year-old turtle. Just like now, Cao Ren still only sent Niu Jin to lead 5,000 people. If Feng Xi set up an ambush, would these 5,000 people eat it? If they eat it, not to mention how much they can retreat, even if they wipe out these 5,000 people, it will not hurt Cao Ren much. The two sides will just continue to waste time.

If he didn't kill these five thousand people, he would be able to find out that the Han army had not retreated. Wouldn't his ambush be in vain? In any case, it would not be a good result.

Therefore, Feng Xi was too lazy to play any tricks with Cao Ren, and finally took a big gamble. If it succeeded, that would be the best. If not, Feng Xi could not continue to waste time with the Wei army in this small piece of land.

"Quick, open the city gate! Then check if there are any Han ambushes in the city! Send a few people to report the situation in the city to the general!"

Niu Jin did not dare to delay and commanded his soldiers to carry out the occupation work in an orderly manner.

In less than half an hour, Niu Jin's soldiers searched Fancheng thoroughly. There was not even a ghost in the city, let alone a person. The Han army withdrew completely, leaving nothing behind.

And although Niu Jin's brain was not very good, he still had some basic qualities. After a careful inspection, he found no kerosene, hay or other flammable items in the city. It was impossible for the Han army to replicate the burning of Xinye.

Only after confirming all this did Niu Jin dare to tell Cao Ren that there was no danger in the city. Cao Ren was still worried, so he asked the careful Cao Zhen to take people into the city to check again. Only after making sure that there were no ambushes or other backup plans did he dare to order the soldiers to enter Fancheng.

"Sniff...why does the city stink so much?"

Cao Ren personally rode his horse across the suspension bridge into the city. Before he entered the city, he smelled the stench of a toilet in the air.

"General, I checked and found that the stench is caused by the many toilets in the city. There are quite a few of them, even near the city gates. I don't know if the Han army is too straightforward to dig so many toilets."

Niu Jin was beside Cao Ren, feeling somewhat helpless. They also smelled the same odor, but after checking, they found that it was just an ordinary dry toilet, full of filth.

Cao Ren nodded, thinking that Feng Xi usually used these filthy things as weapons, so it seemed reasonable to prepare a few more toilets.

Cao Ren and his generals rode along the main road toward the governor's mansion. Along the way, they saw that the houses in Fancheng were in ruins, and many had been uprooted. It was estimated that the Han army had dismantled these houses to use as battering rams and rolling stones when defending the city.

"It's really quiet, and there are no Han troops in the city."

Niu Jin said something inspired by this.

"They probably moved all their troops back across the river."

Cao Ren nodded.

"So our army has made some gains. Although we didn't capture Jingzhou, we have cut off the Han army's ability to move north."

Cao Zhen interrupted from behind.

Soon Cao Ren arrived at the prefect's mansion, and the air was still filled with the smell of the toilet.

"General, the Han army is really not very particular... There are three dry toilets in this prefectural government, so the smell is very strong..."

Niu Jin saw Cao Ren frowning and explained a few words embarrassedly.

(End of this chapter)