I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 142 The Man Cao Cao Fell in Love with

Before the two armies, Xiahou Dun was well versed in the art of war and was not a brainless reckless man. Therefore, although he led his troops to attack, he did not attack recklessly. After seeing that the front row of the Northern Army's armored soldiers did not move at all, he relied on the mobility advantage of his troops to distance himself and let his cousin Xiahou Yuan command the archers to attack the enemy's morale with a rain of arrows.

Arrows fell continuously. In Xiahou Dun's opinion, the Danyang soldiers had always lacked long-range attack methods, and only a small number of archers could launch sporadic counterattacks. Standing there and taking a beating without being able to fight back was very damaging to morale.

So Xiahou Dun wanted to provoke Zhou Tai, make him give up his defense and launch an attack, and then wait until Zhou Tai's formation became chaotic, and then he could suddenly launch a surprise attack and defeat him.

But Zhou Tai was not stupid. He had already seen that this was a deliberate tactic of Xiahou Dun, who wanted to force him to lose his patience and then take the initiative to launch an attack.

The most important thing right now is to defend the position tightly. Once the attack is launched, the formation of our right wing will inevitably loosen, which may cause unfavorable changes in the entire battle situation.

Moreover, the order Wang Jing issued when the war began was to defend the city with all his might, so Zhou Tai knew that he must not move and must not be fooled by the enemy.

Xiahou Dun led his troops about a hundred steps away from Zhou Tai, creating a safe enough distance so that the archery troops commanded by Xiahou Yuan could attack boldly.

Looking at Zhou Tai who still chose to defend himself, Xiahou Dun sneered: "Let's see how long you can hold out."

Zhou Tai held a large shield in his hand, stood at the front row, and yelled loudly: "Hold the formation!"

At the same time, he also ordered the crossbowmen in his team to launch a counterattack. When Wang Jing formed his army, he was influenced by the military thinking of later generations and liked to cooperate with multiple arms in combat.

In the wars of the cold weapon era, the limitations of a single type of soldier were too great. Therefore, if one wanted to adapt to the ever-changing battlefield conditions to the greatest extent possible, one needed to combine long and short range forces to maximize the combat effectiveness of the soldiers under one's command.

Because of the cold weapon combat, often only the front row can swing the sword to hit the enemy, if the back row does not have some long-range weapons such as bows and crossbows, then they can only stand and watch the show.

Soon, the crossbowmen commanded by Zhou Tai began an alternative counterattack.

The teammates held shields to block the rain of arrows, while the archers shot arrows at the enemy through the gaps in the shields.

咻咻 咻 ~
As the mechanism of the powerful crossbow sounded, the crossbow arrow immediately flew through the air, piercing the bodies of the allied soldiers, leaving bright red blood flowers.

"Ah, I was hit by an arrow!"

The soldiers under Xiahou Dun were all new recruits. If they did not die immediately after being shot by arrows, they would often scream loudly, causing panic.

On the other hand, Zhou Tai's resentment from standing and getting beaten was now vented, especially the Danyang soldiers standing in the front row who were enduring the rain of arrows. They all clapped and cheered: "Shoot them to death!"

"Well done!"

The situation on the battle changed abruptly as a result, from watching the opponent being hit in the face by a rain of arrows to both sides shooting at each other.

The shooting was not a big deal, but the soldiers on the coalition side had a low armor-wearing rate, and many of them had no armor to wear. With the medical conditions in ancient times, even if someone was hit by an arrow and did not die on the spot, the mortality rate after the war was 70 to 80 percent.

Complications of wound infections such as tetanus have an alarmingly high mortality rate. Even two thousand years later, people still shudder at the mention of them, let alone in the late Eastern Han Dynasty!

Military generals can still hold on thanks to their strong physiques and advanced skills, but ordinary soldiers can only wait to die on the spot.

After shooting for a long time, the enemy was not hurt at all, but our side was about to collapse.

"How hateful! The Danyang soldiers actually have so many powerful crossbows. Does Marquis Qi really have so much money that he has nowhere to spend it?"

Xiahou Dun was also very depressed about this.

There aren't many good things like crossbows in the coalition forces, so why is it that the Northern Army is equipping them as if they are free? The Danyang soldiers have just joined and they have already been equipped with them?

Aren’t you afraid that they will take it and run away?

But he had no idea that Wang Jing had confiscated all the arsenals in Luoyang. In addition, with the promotion of Mohism, a large number of reclusive Mohists gathered under Wang Jing and worked for him.

The production of powerful crossbows has been resumed, and the Northern Army really has no shortage of this thing.

Seeing that he was constantly losing in the duel, Xiahou Dun could no longer sit still. For now, he could only grit his teeth and go forward: "All troops, attack! Follow me!"

A true macho man is one who meets men head on, with men on top and men on both sides.

Zhou Tai was also a first-rate general in the world, and was a strong and muscular man of the same level as Huang Zhong and Xiahou Dun. Naturally, he was not afraid of facing men head-on, with men on top of men, or men on both sides.

"Fight! Fight!"

"kill!"

Zhou Tai was hit by dozens of arrows, and his whole body was pierced like a hedgehog, but he still waved the long steel spear in his hand and fought bloody battles.

His bravery was so impressive that even Cao Cao, who was watching from behind, was amazed and asked his men, "Marquis Qi has such a fearless general under his command. Who is he?"

A young scholar beside Cao Cao happened to recognize Zhou Tai, so he replied: "This man's name is Zhou Tai, with the courtesy name Youping, and he is from Xiacai, Jiujiang. He previously served under Yuan Shu, but was only the leader of a team. He was defeated in Liang County and captured. He surrendered to Wang Jing together with his fellow villager Jiang Qin, and was appointed as the Jianwu school lieutenant."

"This is a real warrior!"

As a wise leader, Cao Cao naturally had a habit of collecting famous generals. When he saw Guan Yu and Zhang Fei beside Liu Bei, he was jealous and wanted them.

Now that he sees Zhou Tai under Wang Jing's command, he is still envious and wants it!
"Alas, such a humble favor seems to be of no use to me."

Cao Cao sighed sadly, wondering why the good men he liked were often already taken, and the kind that he couldn't even poach.

At this time, the battlefield was filled with shouts of killing. The fight between Xiahou Dun and Zhou Tai became increasingly fierce. The troops of both sides were intertwined and the fight became a huge flesh-and-blood grinding wheel.

Swallowing up fresh lives, what are spitting out are cold corpses.

Xiahou Dun was under military orders and wanted to break the enemy's formation, so he swung the ring-handled sword in his hand with great force, and his attack became more fierce: "Kill! Break it for me!"

Zhou Tai obeyed Wang Jing's orders and tried his best to defend, not letting the enemy army get beyond the line of defense: "You think you can break our army? Dream on!"

Both sides were blood-thirsty and the battle was tense. After the troops advanced, there was no room for a charge. Xiahou Dun simply dismounted and fought, slashing left and right with the sword in his hand, killing people as if he was chopping melons and vegetables, showing his amazing martial arts.

Zhou Tai quickly led more than a hundred of his followers to block the enemy, hoping to stop the enemy in the front and protect his rear army: "Don't be so arrogant! I will meet you!"

Xiahou Dun and Zhou Tai are both masters at the top of the four realms of martial arts, and their fighting styles are very similar. They are both bold and resolute, and they are straightforward. The two fought head-on, and for a while, the fight was hard to tell.

After several hours of fierce fighting, the coalition forces still could not make any progress. Cao Cao felt inexplicably panicked: "I always feel like something is wrong..."

While the fighting was in full swing on the front line, 4,000 cavalrymen led by Lu Bu had successfully landed at Yanjin Port. Riding on the Red Hare and holding a recast Fang Tian Huaji, Lu Bu defeated the port garrison with a single blow and successfully planted the Northern Army's flag into the heart of the coalition forces.

The bloody smell in the air at this time aroused the ferocity in Lu Bu's body. He looked around with his tiger eyes and soon set his sights on Suanzao County. He licked his lips excitedly as if he saw delicious food.

Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou who led his troops to garrison in Xingyang, was so frightened when he saw a raging fire over Yanjin Port and a large group of cavalry passing through that he sent troops out to stop them.

Liu Dai was a relative of the Han royal family. His father was Liu Yu, the prefect of Shanyang. His background was much better than Liu Bei's. At least he was not so poor that he had to sell straw sandals himself. Therefore, his career was much smoother than Liu Bei's.

In his early years, Liu Bei had a really miserable life. He had to sell straw sandals to make a living while studying and learning skills. Although he studied under the great Confucian scholar Lu Zhi and had the care of his senior brother Gongsun Zan, he still had to fight with the Yellow Turban Army to enter the officialdom. After that, he was up and down and kept running away.

In contrast, Liu Dai just followed the procedures and became a provincial governor, a frontier official and a key figure of the imperial dynasty. Now he controls the rich Yanzhou, with Cheng Yu as his civil servant and Bao Xin and Yu Jin as his military commanders. He should have made some achievements in the chaotic times.

But a waste is a waste. In history, Liu Dai couldn't even defeat the Yellow Turban Army in Yanzhou. In the third year of the princes' campaign against Dong Zhuo, he was killed by rebel soldiers and disappeared from the stage of history.

As the saying goes, if one general is incompetent, the three armies will be exhausted.

Lu Bu marched along the official road with 4,000 cavalrymen in a swaggering manner, with no intention of attacking Xingyang.

As a result, Liu Dai could not bear this provocation and actually wanted to go out of the city to intercept and kill him in order to save some face. General Bao Xin, who destroyed the enemy, quickly stepped forward to dissuade him: "The enemy general Lu Bu is a rare and unparalleled hero in the world. The cavalry under his command is experienced in many battles and is now in high spirits. The main force of our army is fighting outside Hulao Pass. At this moment, there are only the old and weak left in the city. We must not start a war lightly. It is better to use it as a deterrent."

Bao Xin was a calm, resolute and strategic person, and his statement was a profound insight.

Cheng Yu also echoed and said, "Sir, we can send someone to inform the leader of the alliance and ask him to lead troops to rescue us. Then our coalition forces will attack from both inside and outside. Even if Lu Bu is brave, he will die without a burial place."

However, Liu Dai was a coward and a reckless man. He hesitated in the face of a powerful enemy. When he heard Cheng Yu talking about asking Yuan Shao for help, he immediately became angry and said, "Shut up! How could I, Liu Gongshan, ask for help from that bastard of the Yuan family?"

Liu Dai ignored Bao Xin's advice and forcibly led his troops to fight and intercept Lu Bu.

Twenty thousand infantry and seven hundred cavalry were all recruited by Bao Xin with great effort to fight against Dong Zhuo. Liu Dai looked around and was surrounded by a sea of ​​heads. His heart was suddenly filled with emotion and he was so arrogant that he did not even take Lu Bu's four thousand cavalry seriously.

"What a peerless hero! Today, watch how I capture and kill this man, and let the world see my Liu Gongshan's abilities!"

Liu Dai was very confident. He gathered his troops and went to Lü Bu without hesitation. "Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Opportunities cannot be missed. Come on, all troops, attack. Whoever can capture and kill Lü Bu will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be made a lieutenant!"

"Wan Sheng!"

At this time, Yanzhou had been peaceful for a long time, and due to its geographical advantages, its business was prosperous. It was not a place that was at war on all sides. Therefore, the local county and state troops usually faced only mountain bandits and river bandits, and at most a group of Yellow Turban refugees who could not even get enough food.

They have never fought against any powerful army in the world.

Lu Bu originally thought he had met a capable person, but when he saw the enemy infantry rushing towards him in a disorderly manner, he was stunned. He was a little bit unbelievable: "The infantry faced the cavalry, instead of strictly guarding their positions, they actually took the initiative to attack? Is there a trick?"

If something is abnormal, there must be something wrong. Although Lu Bu is not smart, he was warned by Wang Jing before coming here, so he is still cautious now, worried that the other party may have some conspiracy.

For this reason, Lu Bu retreated three miles and stopped to wait and see.

After all, how could there be such stupid people in the world?
Instead of defending the city, you lead the miscellaneous infantry out of the city to fight with the cavalry on the plain?
Anyone who has not been kicked in the head by a donkey would not do such a stupid thing.

However, the world is so big that there are all kinds of strange things.

Liu Dai is such a fool.

Twenty thousand infantrymen launched an entire army to fight for the credit, but they were completely exhausted after chasing for two miles. Not only were they exhausted, but their formation was also in disarray.

Lü Bu looked back and couldn't help laughing. "God is really helping me. It seems that the general of the coalition army is a fool who doesn't know the art of war. He treats the battle like a joke. As the saying goes, if you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences. I will not refuse such a credit that is delivered to my door! Hahaha!"

"Return and fight back!"

The four thousand cavalrymen, well-rested, suddenly turned around and launched a surprise attack under the command of Lu Bu. The heavy cavalry of the Tunqi Camp only launched a few rounds of charges, and defeated Liu Dai's 20,000 troops, leaving them crying for their parents.

If Bao Xin's fellow countryman and subordinate Yu Jin had not led 700 cavalrymen in a desperate fight, and if Lu Bu had not had no intention of pursuing, Liu Dai would have probably been doomed in this battle.

After returning to Xingyang in disgrace, Liu Dai sent someone to do a census.

My goodness, there were 20,000 people when they went out, and only 3,000 were left when they came back?
The key point is that in this battle, he didn't even touch a single hair of Lu Bu. The defeat was too shameful. From now on, Liu Dai will never be able to hold his head up again within the coalition.

After Liu Dai was defeated, his generals Cheng Lian and Wei Yue jumped out and suggested: "General, Liu Dai is incompetent. Why don't we attack Xingyang and burn and kill people before leaving?"

When they said this, their eyes lit up. You have to know that Xingyang is located on the south side of Xingshui on the west bank of Xingze, with Hongdu connecting Huaihe River to the east, Mangshan Mountain facing the Yellow River to the north, Jingsuo in the south, and Luoyang across Hulao River in the west. It is the hub of the north and the south and the passage between the east and the west.

This place has been a "famous capital city in the world" since the Wei State period. When the Wei State dug the Hong Canal, it not only irrigated local agriculture and increased output, but also facilitated shipping and promoted trade.

Therefore, the prosperity of Xingyang is beyond imagination.

With such a piece of fat meat in front of you, so tempting, who can resist being tempted?
Especially for people like Cheng Lian and Wei Yue, how can fighting be as fun as robbing?

There was no doubt that Lu Bu was tempted, but he remembered that the Northern Army had very strict military discipline. If he really wanted to seize Xingyang, he would be punished by Wang Jing's military law.

Therefore, Lu Bu finally refrained from taking action, and even scolded Cheng Lian and Wei Yue: "Don't talk nonsense. The military situation is urgent now. The top priority is to break the enemy's formation and kill the enemy. Don't ruin your future for a little profit."

If it were Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu would still dare to argue.

But Wang Jing is not Dong Zhuo. When it comes to issues of military discipline, he has killed many ignorant people. The awe of Wang Jing is deeply imprinted in his mind at this moment, and he dares not disobey Wang Jing's orders at all.

Lu Bu knew very well that he was now alone in deep territory with enemies everywhere. If he did not defeat the coalition forces of the princes, he would be dead even if he captured Xingyang.

What’s the point of stealing money if you don’t have a life to spend it?

Therefore, Lu Bu did not dare to look at Xingyang for too long, and immediately led 4,000 cavalrymen to march non-stop towards the northwest, rushing to the battlefield.

Thirty-two miles is almost a blink of an eye for the cavalry.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who had assembled their large forces for the frontal battle, had no idea that the fatal threat would come from behind.

At dusk, both armies were exhausted.

Lu Bu's 4,000 cavalrymen suddenly arrived at the battlefield. They swung their Fang Tian Hua Ji forward with a cold glow, and at the same time, they let out a tiger roar that resounded through the sky: "Kill!"

Cavalry is a special force!
Without any hesitation, Lu Bu launched a fierce attack from behind the coalition forces, stabbing the anus of the coalition forces of the princes wildly. It was simply a super-enhanced version of the Thousand Years of Killing.

Faced with the sudden attack from behind, the allied soldiers, who had been fighting for most of the day, were caught off guard and confused, as if there were enemies on all sides. They were soon killed and fled in disarray.

The elite troops were concentrated on the front line to fight against the Bingzhou soldiers. Those left in the rear were either wounded soldiers or a group of old, weak and sick people. How could such trash be Lu Bu's opponents?

With the heavy armored cavalry of the 1,000 Tunqi Battalion as the spearhead, the 4,000 cavalrymen were like a peerless sword, piercing fiercely into the coalition army's formation. Their iron hooves stomped in all directions, moving freely and unexpectedly making hundreds of thousands of coalition troops helpless.

Suddenly, Yuan Shao, who was fighting Wang Jing at the front, was shocked to hear about the chaos in the rear. He almost fainted and shouted angrily, "Why is Lu Bu attacking from the side and rear of our army?"

When an army is on a warpath, the thing it fears most is being cut off from behind. Once they are stabbed in the back, the morale of the army will easily be shaken, and in serious cases it may even collapse.

And now, the situation is very serious!
Most of the soldiers under the coalition forces were newly recruited soldiers, who were restless and had strong attachment to their hometown.

Now hearing that their rear was surrounded by the enemy, they were even more worried about whether their hometown would fall. They suddenly lost interest in fighting and started to run away.

The great escape has begun!

The army was defeated like a mountain!
Yuan Shao held the famous general Tai'a in his hand, looked up at the sky in despair, and roared unwillingly: "Is it God who wants to destroy me, Yuan Shao? I don't accept it!"

Cao Cao, realizing that he could not recover from the defeat, also led his troops to slowly retreat and leave the battlefield under the advice of his adviser Wang Bi. Continuing to fight would only cause losses to his own troops and would be meaningless.

The battle was already a complete defeat, and even if Sun Wu were alive again, he would be powerless to save the situation.

Cao Cao gazed deeply at Wang Jing's tall and majestic figure in the distance: "Lord Qi, all this is within your expectations, right?"

I lost. I lost completely this time.
Cao Cao was as unwilling as Yuan Shao. The coalition forces clearly had the advantage in terms of military strength, but were defeated inexplicably.

On the battlefield, the 200,000 defeated soldiers of the coalition forces ran around like headless flies, and soon formed a surging tide. The scene was once very chaotic.

Wang Jing originally wanted to pursue Yuan Shao, but in such a chaotic environment, looking for someone was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Instead, the Hongming Sword was shaking continuously, as if it had sensed a trace of true dragon's luck. The tip of the sword was pointing to a certain place in the distance. Wang Jing looked closely, and three extraordinary and arrogant figures came into view.

(End of this chapter)