Cao Thief

Chapter 341 Yanjin Great Retreat (12) [-]
There are three simple pontoon bridges on the Duting River.

The planks are threaded up with cables as thick as a child's arm, connecting the two banks.The pontoon bridge is not too wide, and two people can pass side by side.The load-bearing is not very good, if the pontoon bridge is full of people, the bridge deck will be submerged in the water.It is not particularly smooth for people to walk on it.

But walking is not a problem, the key is to have an order.

At this time, the east bank of the river was already full of people, including soldiers and common people from Suanzao.

For this retreat, Cao Peng can be regarded as exhausted.During the ten days, he went back and forth between Suanzao and Duting several times, and perfected the evacuation plan again and again.Historically, Liu Bei led the people to evacuate Xinye without any plans or arrangements at all.It is precisely for this reason that the evacuation speed is extremely slow, which has caused heavy casualties in Changbanpo and the displacement of the people.

There is a saying in later generations that the reason why Liu Bei took these civilians to evacuate was that he wanted to use these civilians to slow down Cao Jun's pursuit.

In fact, it turned out to be exactly that.

Without the barrier of the 10,000+ people, it would be difficult for Liu Bei to escape.

This is also one of the reasons why many people hate Liu Bei deeply, thinking that this person is just hypocritical and not a good thing at all.

Compared with Cao Cao's massacre of the city, the casualties caused by Liu Bei's Changban slope seem to be greater.

But many people in later generations recorded these casualties in the name of Cao Cao... Cao Peng is not considered great, let alone benevolent.If it was really kind, he would not have set fire to the white horse; if it had been kind, he would not have been indifferent after witnessing casualties in several wars.War is war, and Cao Peng does not understand the principle that compassion does not command soldiers.But he still insisted on evacuating the people, which was more of an impulse.The night of the white horse is of great significance to Cao Peng.That night, let him know what he should do.It's not about being a saint, let alone a hero, he just wants to keep some seeds of the Han people as much as possible.

Yuan Shao's ferocity may not be inferior to Cao Cao's.

After the tragic fight in Yanjin, he will definitely take revenge on Suanzao.

This has nothing to do with birth, even the Overlord of Western Chu and the Great Patriarch of the Han Dynasty had records of slaughtering cities.Sometimes, the more you read and the more knowledge you have, the more unscrupulous you are when you kill people.So what about Yuan Shao's family background?He has more treachery and ungratefulness than Cao Cao.Thinking back when Dong Zhuo entered Beijing and Yuan Shao fled to Bohai Sea, Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, was very helpful.

But after the battle of the princes against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao was the first to kill Han Fu.

There is a well-written song in later generations that says 'morality and righteousness are placed on both sides, and the word 'li' is placed in the middle'.Almost, that's what it means.

Cao Peng galloped his horse up a hill, set up a pergola and looked at the long line of people on the east bank of the river in the night, and couldn't help but smile in relief.

"When is it?"

"It's about time!"

Cao Peng nodded, and said softly, "My lord, it looks like it's time to come."

He thought for a while, and said in a deep voice: "Derun, go down and tell Hao Zhao to block the bridge and clear the bridge passage. Let everyone pass the small pontoon bridge one by one according to the number plates issued out of the city. Each time 600 people are released, and the first batch is about to reach the bridge. At the end of the day, the second batch can climb the bridge.

We still have plenty of time, presumably before dawn, we should be able to pass all of them.

After you notify Bodao, go to the other side, tell Ziyu, light the torch, and prepare to receive the people to retreat...Okay, let's start. "

Kan Ze bowed his hands and rushed down the mound.

There was a commotion at the head of the bridge, but order was quickly restored.

On both sides of the river, bonfires were lit, making the line of sight suddenly transparent.Cao Peng and Xia Houlan reined in their horses and stopped on the mound, followed by a hundred flying demons.Originally, Cao Peng wanted Fei Yan to follow Gan Ning to Qu Yuju, but Gan Ning refused, and only took half of them away.Later, Cao Zhen transferred [-] cavalry from the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and Cao Peng handed them over to Gan Ning to guard Ta Village.

"How is the situation over there, my lord?"

"We're setting up an ambush in Datan, waiting for Yuan Shao to pursue."

"I guess it's time to start."

Cao Peng and Xia Houlan were talking, when there was a sudden noise on the official road under the hill.

It turned out that it was Cao Jun's heavy vehicles that arrived at Duting.It was Dong Zhao and Xun You who led the retreat of the train and horses.Cao Peng didn't dare to slack off, and hurried down the hill to meet him.

Xun You looked at the orderly river bank and the pontoon bridge on the river, and couldn't help smiling with satisfaction.

"Ah Fu, you really did it."

Cao Peng quickly replied: "Peng is just doing my best."

Dong Zhao couldn't help but said, "But you still caused a lot of trouble for the lord.

Such a large-scale retreat is likely to be noticed by Yuan Shao in advance.The lord should have arrived at Duting at this time, but now, he is still waiting for Yuan Jun's pursuit. "

Cao Peng couldn't help showing embarrassment.

He didn't know that this behavior caused Cao Cao a lot of trouble, and might even cause huge casualties.

However, Cao Peng had to insist.If 3 people were slaughtered by Yuan Shao, Suanzao would definitely become a huge Shura hell.This is by no means the result he hoped to see.

"Gongren, Ah Fu did this out of benevolence and righteousness. Although it took some trouble, it's nothing."

Dong Zhao smiled and did not speak again.

In fact, he didn't really want to blame Cao Peng, but he just couldn't help it and complained a few words...

Boom!

Suddenly there was a loud noise on the official road, followed by people shouting and neighing continuously.

"what's going on?"

"Servant, a carriage has overturned and is blocked in the middle of the road."

Upon hearing this, Cao Peng and others rushed to the scene of the incident.A six-wheeled cart fell in the middle of the road. Dozens of soldiers desperately tried to help the cart up, but the loads on the cart were so heavy that the cart lay motionless on the road.As a result, the originally wide road suddenly became narrow, and the cars behind had to stop, making the road suddenly congested.

"Turn the carts to the side of the road and clear the way."

"But in that car..."

"In terms of important things, human life is not as important. If the order continues, all large vehicles will be discarded, and light vehicles will pass through the pontoon at a high speed."

Cao Peng urged the horse to go forward and stopped drinking sharply.

Dong Zhao frowned, "Lieutenant Cao, there is still a lot of baggage on this cart."

"These things are not important. Gather them all together and burn them!" Cao Peng said, and clasped his hands to explain to Dong Zhao. It may not be able to hold on. If there is a problem on the bridge, it will definitely be more troublesome. My lord is now strategically evacuating, and some unnecessary luggage should be burned as soon as it should be burned, and discarded as it should be discarded."

If you are not in charge, you will not know the difficulty of being in charge!
But I have to admit that what Cao Peng said makes sense.

Xun You thought for a while, "Gongren, just follow what Ah Fu said."

Dong Zhao pondered for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement.Indeed, the presence of these large vehicles would indeed slow down the speed... So, six-wheeled vehicles piled up under the hill, and in the blink of an eye there were nearly a hundred vehicles, piled up like a hill.Xia Houlan ordered someone to pour tung oil on it and ignite it quickly.The flames soaring into the sky crackled and crackled, illuminating the official road, making people's hearts suddenly brighter.

Sometimes this light brings a sense of security.

The people who were originally a little anxious and anxious, suddenly became much quieter when the flames were lit.

One after another, the light vehicles quickly boarded the pontoon bridge and headed towards the opposite bank of the pontoon bridge.The speed of the convoy has more than doubled.Regardless of whether Dong Zhao felt comfortable or not, he had to admit that at this speed, when Cao Cao's troops arrived, all the convoys of supplies could pass.He couldn't help but secretly glanced at Cao Peng, and saw Cao Peng pull the roadside, calling loudly for the convoy to speed up.

"Gongda, this Youxue is a man of courage."

He suddenly let out a sigh of emotion.

But Xun You smiled slightly, "Otherwise, why would my lord be so accommodating to him?"

Dong Zhao couldn't help laughing too...

When it was almost ugly, a group of cavalry appeared from the end of the official road.

Cao Chun led the tiger and leopard riders to Duting, and seeing the soaring flames from a distance, he couldn't help being a little dazed.Xun You and Dong Zhao greeted them, and asked with concern, "Zihe, how is the battle ahead?"

Cao Chun smiled wryly, "I waited in the middle of the night, but I didn't see Yuan Shao's troops."

"Yuan Shao didn't pursue him?"

"no!"

Xun You and Dong Zhao couldn't help but stare at each other in astonishment.

"The lord..."

"The lord has ordered Wen Qian to lead his troops to retreat to Fengqiu. He led the Wuwei Army and the Huben Army to break off. He also ordered me to lead the tiger and leopard cavalry to cross the river first and line up on the other side."

The tiger and leopard cavalry is the elite that Cao Cao spent countless money and energy to build.

Since Yuan Shao did not pursue, the role of tiger and leopard cavalry also weakened accordingly.The combat effectiveness of the tiger and leopard cavalry lies in charging, and Cao Cao seems to have decided to retreat, so the tiger and leopard cavalry are naturally useless.Since there is no use for it, then simply retreat first and retreat to Hexi.

At this time, the convoy of baggage has all passed.

Cao Peng is at the bridge, talking with Hao Zhao.

Cao Chun said softly, "Why did you burn the cart down?"

"A Fu said that the bridge can't support the weight of the many large vehicles, so it's better to discard it and speed up the traffic."

"This kid..."

Cao Chun couldn't help laughing, and looked up to both sides.Seeing teams of people passing through the three small bridges in an extremely orderly manner, he couldn't help expressing his emotion: "Youxue is careful, and almost covers everything. If this evacuation can be successful, Youxue will be the first... ..."

"Well, I heard that he also built dozens of rafts in Qu Yuju to carry the people.

In this way, the pressure on Duting's side will be reduced a lot... When he made this suggestion, I didn't quite agree with it.Unexpectedly, such a big thing was actually done by him!Zihe, the disciples of the Cao family are really extraordinary, and they will have a bright future in the future. "

Hearing the praise of Cao Peng, Cao Chun couldn't help being very happy.

No matter what Cao Peng said, he was a child of the Cao family.He has done a great job and being recognized by others is actually a kind of honor to the Cao clan.

"Zidan!"

"The end is here."

"Go, take over the defense of the bridgehead, and order the boys to cross the river quickly."

Cao Zhen quickly agreed, and led a hundred riders from his headquarters to the head of the pontoon bridge.

After whispering a few words with Cao Peng, Cao Peng nodded in agreement, and ordered Hao Zhao to lead the black men to quickly cross the pontoon bridge and set up camp on the west bank of the river.

"Your melody is extremely talented."

Seeing Hei Xuan quickly pass the pontoon bridge, Cao Zhen couldn't help but praise.

Cao Peng smiled, "Although Bo Dao's martial arts skills are not high, he manages the army rigorously and has the style of a general.

Before that, he was the director of a trilogy under Zhang Liao's command, but he was sent to my side... How can I not repay such kindness. "

Cao Zhen knew that what Cao Peng was talking about was about letting Lu Bu's family go in Xiapi.

He nodded slightly and said, "If it were me, I'm afraid it would be the same."

"By the way, how is Zhu Mei now?"

"Mei, very good."

Zhu Mei, the son of Zhu Zan.

After Zhu Zan's death, Zhu Mei's mother and son were taken in by Cao Zhen, and they even worshiped Cao Zhen as their adoptive father.In the past two years, Cao Peng and Cao Zhen haven't had much contact with each other to be honest.So when the two are together, it is inevitable that they will talk about some personal matters.It will naturally include the living conditions of Zhu Zan's wife and children.

"It's almost two years old."

"Yeah, in a blink of an eye, May will also be able to speak."

While the two were talking, Cao Chun led the tiger and leopard riders and began to cross the pontoon bridge.

Xun You and Dong Zhao also traveled with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.Before leaving, Dong Zhao asked, "Youxue, don't you cross the bridge?"

"My lord ordered me to garrison Duting. How can I cross the river before he arrives?"

"So, it's hard work!"

Cao Peng smiled and nodded in agreement.

He greeted Cao Zhen, and then led Fei Yan away from the pontoon bridge.

In this matter, thousands of people have passed the pontoon bridge. Cao Peng saw that the speed was still a bit slow, so he informed him that 400 people could be added each time. Significantly faster.After the tigers and leopards rode across the pontoon bridge, Xixi's Changshui camp arrived at Duting.With the arrival of one after another, the Du Pavilion became more and more lively and noisy.

Xia Houlan couldn't help feeling secretly: Without these three small pontoon bridges, I'm afraid the Du Pavilion would have become extraordinarily chaotic.

Now, although the situation looks noisy, there is no chaos.Soldiers walk on the big bridge, and civilians walk on the small bridge, without any influence on each other.He took a deep breath, and looked at Cao Peng, who was standing upright and patrolling along the way, with a lot of admiration in his heart.

No, I must try to get Zilong to come.

Back then, Xia Houlan had said that she would persuade Zhao Yun to come and work for Cao Peng.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yun finally followed Liu Bei!This also made Xia Houlan feel very unhappy, and even felt ashamed when seeing Cao Peng.He does know where Zhao Yun is, it is said that he is now in Weizi Township in Nanyang.Moreover, Zhao Yun also sent someone to send a letter to Xia Houlan, in which he said: Uncle Liu Huang is a family member of the Han family, he is orthodox in the world, he is generous, and he is unparalleled in benevolence and righteousness.

And said that Xia Houlan abandoned Cao Peng and went to assist Liu Bei.

Maybe it's because she has been with Cao Peng for a long time, so Xia Houlan's impression of Liu Bei is not particularly good.

During several conflicts, it was Liu Bei's people who took the initiative to provoke, which made Xia Houlan feel a little repulsive in her heart...

Liu Bei benevolence?

Does he have the benevolence and righteousness of my son?
My son can risk his life to persuade [-] people, can Liu Bei do it?
My son can work tirelessly for these [-] people, can Liu Bei do it?My son is the true benevolence and righteousness, and Liu Xuande is just hypocritical benevolence and righteousness.Thinking of this, Xia Houlan felt that she should persuade Zhao Yun to come over.Just tell him what happened today, what else can Zilong say?Although the son is young, if you talk about benevolence and righteousness, he is unparalleled in the world!

At this moment, there was a sudden burst of noise and commotion in the distance.

Cao Peng hurriedly urged his horse to go forward, while comforting the people, he ordered people to inquire about the news.

Not long after, I saw a small school galloping towards me, "The big thing is not good, Yuan Shao's pursuers arrived, and the lord was scattered by Yuan Jun..."

(End of this chapter)