Great Han Empire

Chapter 848 The Heroes of Troubled Times Compete in the Central Plains
In May, Yanzhou Dongjun, Yancheng.

After reading Xingyuan's urgent letter, Yan Liang put him on the desk casually, and let out a heavy cold snort from his nose.

"Map, take the map down for me..." Yan Liang pointed to the big map hanging on the side of the big tent, and shouted at the two guards standing at the door of the big tent, "Put it on the ground, hurry up."

"What's the matter?" Wen Chou, who was writing the battle report at his desk, looked up at him, and asked with a smile, "What did Xingyuan say? Urging us to attack as soon as possible?"

"Reminder, reminder, reminder all day long." Yan Liang pushed the case away and stood up, "A few days ago, in order to urge us to cross the river to attack, Xingyuan sent Wang Ling to come. This time, in order to urge us to attack Yancheng, we His Excellency Chang Shi actually came in person."

"Master Jia is here?" Wen Chou put down his pen and said in surprise, "Why did he come? Did he bring us anything? Is it recruits or ordnance?"

Yan Liang bent down and picked up the bamboo slips on the case table and threw them to Wen Chou, then strode to the middle of the big tent.The two guards spread the large map on the ground and bowed to retreat.At this time Zhou Shan and Wang Ling came in talking and laughing.Seeing Yan Liang with frosty face standing in front of the map, Zhou Shan joked, "Tiger is hungry, is he going down the mountain to eat Cao Cao?"

Yan Liang glared at him, "Order the generals of the various ministries to discuss with the army in the tent."

"Are you going to fight right away?"

"If you don't fight anymore, Xingyuan will kill me with a knife." Yan Liang said coldly, "They eat hot and spicy food in Handan, how do they know our difficulties?"

Zhou Shan hurried out of the big tent to deliver the order.Wang Ling walked up to Yan Liang and said in a low voice, "Xingyuan is urging you again?"

"Master Jia is coming." Yan Liang looked at him and shook his head, "After the army in the middle route advanced to Junyi and Kaifeng, it was stubbornly blocked. After escaping to Yancheng, the strength of the rebel army has greatly increased, if we forcefully attack, we will suffer great losses."

"If you don't fight, you have to fight." After reading Xingyuan's letter, Wen Chou raised his head and said to Yan Liang, "Xingyuan's worries are justified. At present, the Central Plains battlefield has not yet formed a decisive battle, and the rebels' backup troops are continuing to go north. If we can't advance to Henan and occupy the entire territory of Yanzhou before the rebels launch a counterattack, we are very likely to form a stalemate with the rebels in Yancheng, Fengqiu, Junyi, Kaifeng, Yongqiu, and Xiangyi. Stalemate [-]%, the development of the war situation will be very unfavorable to us.”

"General Zhao Yun is coming soon." Wang Ling said, "As soon as the iron cavalry arrives, the rebel army's food road will be under our threat. At this time, we will launch a fierce attack. The rebel army may retreat voluntarily in panic. Big."

"What we need is time, it's time..." Yan Liang tore off his armor and said irritably, "Now that the rebel army is strong, the city is strong, and food, grass and weapons are sufficient, we hope that the iron cavalry will cut off their food roads and force them It is impossible to retreat quickly." Yan Liang pointed to the map and said, "When the rebels stabilized their positions in Junyi and Kaifeng and blocked the main attack of our army, their reinforcements could immediately go north to support, and the two sides immediately formed a stalemate In this situation, the battlefield is actively controlled by the rebels. At this time, as long as the rebels concentrate their forces on either side of the left and right wings of the battlefield to defeat us, the stalemate will immediately turn into a counterattack, and we may be defeated."

Yan Liang then slapped his foot on the map, "If the armies on the left and right flanks can push forward to the front line of Honggushui and Langtangqu before the rebels complete their assembly and use their strength to stabilize the front line, we will form a formation with the main army in the middle. If we work together, we can support and protect each other, so that the decisive battle can be achieved, and the situation in the Central Plains will be under our control."

Yan Liang waved his hands in the air and shouted at Wang Ling: "What we need is time, time..."

=

Zhang He, Wang Dang, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Liao, Gao Lan, and Xu Huang arrived at the main tent of the Chinese army one after another.

Wen Chou read Xingyuan's letter and briefly described the current battle situation, "At present, the general is leading the main force of the army to the front line of Junyi and Kaifeng. The troops of the three adults Yan Rou, Jiang Wu, and Gao Shun are heading to the east. We don’t know the exact situation of the battle, but judging from Xingyuan’s repeated urging for us to step up our attack on Yanjin and Suanzao, they have no confidence in using the southern flank battlefield to break the current stalemate, because the rebel reinforcements such as Most of the Jingzhou army and the troops of Yuzhou's counties are concentrated in the area of ​​Yingchuan and Liangguo. Even if Master Yan Rou leads the army to break through Bocheng and go to the front line of Xiangyi and Yongqiu, it will be difficult for them to pose too much threat to Yuzhou. Mobilize the rebels on the frontal battlefield."

"The current breakthrough is in the northern battlefield. The general hastily dispatched Master Zhao Yun to lead the Xiongnu iron cavalry north to support, and Master Xingyuan Jiaxu rushed to the White Horse himself. It is for this reason, but we only have 5000 people. Even if Master Zhao Yun comes, There are only [-] cavalry, and there is no advantage in military strength. Now Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Xin Ping, and Gao Gan rely on Yancheng to build a solid line of defense between Yancheng, Zuo (zuo) City, and Jiating. If we attack forcefully, we will lose too much, and we will definitely not be able to kill them, and we don't have that much time."

After Wen Chou finished introducing the situation, Yan Liang pointed to the crowd and asked, "Apart from a strong attack, what better attack strategy do you adults have?"

No one spoke.The battle situation was changing too fast, and these generals in command were helpless.Originally thought that after the army defeated Xin Ping and Gao Gan at Pingyang Pavilion, they could let it go. Unexpectedly, Cao Cao and Liu Bei suddenly appeared and blocked the army under the city of Yancheng.

"Since everyone has no idea, there is no hope for a strong attack, and the urgency is tight, and time is running out, then divide the troops in Hanoi, cross the river from Ji County and Huojia City in Hanoi County, and kill Yanjin and Suanzao directly. "Yan Liang said, "Although the attack by dividing troops is very risky, there is no other way but to give it a try."

"Divide troops to attack?" The generals were taken aback.At this time, divide the troops to attack, and if they fail, the consequences will be disastrous.

"Meng Sen, tell me in detail." Yan Liang pointed to Zhou Shan and said, "The explanation is clear. Let's see if you have anything to add."

Zhou Shan walked to the map, faced the worried eyes of the generals, and said with a solemn expression: "Master Yan thinks that there is no chance of winning a frontal attack, so he plans to use a force to hold back the main force of the rebel army under Yancheng City, and use a force to hold back the main force of the rebel army. The troops crossed the Yellow River in the north and returned to Hanoi, crossed the south from the direction of Jixian and Huojia in Hanoi, and went down to the south, directly killed Yanjin and Suanzao, rushed into Henan at the fastest speed, captured the two cities of Yuanwu and Yangwu, pushed into Honggoushui, and threatened Xingyang , Zhongmu area, forcing the rebels to withdraw from Junyi and Kaifeng, breaking the stalemate on the frontal battlefield, so as to quickly form a decisive battle situation on the Central Plains battlefield.”

This strategy is very risky, mainly because Yanjin and Suanzao are too close to Yancheng, only more than 130 miles away.Especially Xuncheng, which has a heavy army, is only [-] miles away from the ferry of the Yellow River, and only [-] miles away from the small city of Yanjin.It will take time for our army to cross the Yellow River south at Yanjin Ferry.After hearing the news, the rebels will quickly divide their troops and retreat. If the rebels block us on the Yellow River with a part of their troops, and at the same time concentrate their main force to attack under Yancheng City, our army may be forced to Withdraw the white horse.In this way, the strategy of dividing troops and sneak attack failed.

After we withdraw to the white horse, the flanks of the central army will be completely exposed to the attack of the rebels, and the safety of the central army will be seriously threatened.If the follow-up reinforcements of the rebel army enter the battlefield in time, the central army can only retreat if there are insufficient troops.In this way, our army is in trouble on the Central Plains battlefield, and the development of the war situation will become more and more unfavorable to us.

In order to ensure the success of the surprise attack on Yanjin, Master Yan decided to send 3 people back to Hanoi.This army was commanded by Master Wen Chou, and Zhang Yun, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang led the army to accompany them.The [-] troops will rush northward to the Yellow River tonight.

Yancheng is 120 miles away from Qingshuikou, the nearest crossing of the Yellow River, and after crossing the river, rush [-] miles to Jixian and Huojia.In the early morning of two days later, you will launch an attack on Yanjindu, and strive to capture the two cities of Yanjin and Suanzao, which are fifty miles away, in the shortest possible time, in order to stabilize your position on the bank of the Yellow River.

At this time, two situations will occur on the battlefield.One is that we captured Yanjin and Suanzao.Worried that their rear would be cut off, the rebels resolutely abandoned Yancheng, and retreated with all their strength to the Yuanwu and Yangwu cities on the west bank of the gutter water.One is that the rebels returned to help in time to stop the attack. You failed to occupy Yanjin and Suanzao. At the same time, they took the opportunity to concentrate their forces and stormed the army under the city of Yancheng.

"Whether this plan will be successful or not depends on the early morning two days later." Zhou Shan looked worried, and forced a smile as he looked at the generals, "According to the time calculation, in two days' time, Lord Zhao Yun's iron cavalry will rush to the city of Yancheng The arrival of this iron cavalry may help us defeat the rebels, and may help us successfully retreat back to the White Horse. In short, I believe they will bring us good luck."

Yan Liang's attack strategy made the generals in the big tent feel a little suffocated while being excited.This battle is only allowed to win, not to lose, the difficulty of success is too great.

No one objected.

Zhou Shan then gave a detailed account of the marching routes of the various armies, the arrangement of the ferry boats and other matters.

"Let's go." Yan Liang waved his hand, "We've won, I'll treat you to a drink at Suanzao."

=

Yuan Shao's urgent letter was sent to Yancheng by riding eight hundred li.

Knowing that Zhang Fei, Jian Yong, and Yang Ping succeeded in attacking Changyi and successfully rescued themselves and the family members of many Yanzhou officials, even Xun Yu was accidentally rescued, the Yanzhou army camp immediately boiled, excited The sound of war drums echoed through the sky.Cao Cao, Cao Hong and others rushed to the Xuzhou army camp in person to thank Liu Bei and the Xuzhou army officers and men.

The morale of the Yan and Xu armies suddenly rose, and the soldiers cheered, sweeping away the haze that shrouded the camp.This sentiment immediately affected the Henan Army.While Xin Ping and Gao Gan carried heavy gifts to condolences to Cao Cao and Liu Bei, they spread the good news to all the soldiers of the battalion.The northern border army is not as invincible as imagined, as long as we have the opportunity, we can defeat them.

That night, Cao Cao summoned the generals to discuss the matter, intending to use the high emotions of the soldiers of the army to attack the northern army.This is a rare opportunity. If this opportunity can be used to severely injure the Northern Border Army, the current unfavorable situation will be completely reversed, and the Central Plains War may have a shocking reversal.

If you want to defeat the northern army under Yancheng, you need troops first, and you need to gather superior troops to defeat the enemy.In the absence of reinforcements, if you want to form a superior force on a local battlefield, you can only try to weaken the opponent's strength, so that the opponent will lose the strength to compete with you without knowing it.

For this reason, Cao Cao discussed for a long time with Guo Jia, Mao Jie, Cao Hong, Xia Houyuan and others.

Mao Jie suggested crossing the river from the direction of Yanjin to attack Hanoi, pretending to attack the northern border army stationed in Huaicheng with Gao Rou and Zhu Ling in Hanoi.After this false attack was made, the Northern Xinjiang Army was worried that after Hanoi was lost, they would let their opponents join forces to attack Jizhou, harass and cut off the food roads of the Northern Xinjiang Army, and must order Yan Liang under the city of Yancheng to divide his troops to support.

When Yan Liang divided his troops, the opportunity to attack came.

Cao Cao immediately invited Liu Bei and Xin Ping. The three discussed for a long time, and agreed that at this moment all the troops in Hebei had gone south to the Central Plains, and it was impossible for Jizhou to have troops to support Hanoi. They could only recruit troops from Yan Liang's army.The chances of success of this plan are very high.

While rushing to report to Xuchang, Cao Cao asked for an increase in the allocation of food, grass and luggage, and at the same time increased troops to Xuncheng and Yanjin, deployed ships at the Yanjin Ferry, and at the same time sent a large number of scouts to Jixian and Huojia on the opposite bank.

=

The scouts of the northern Xinjiang army who were investigating the enemy's situation in the area of ​​​​Yanjindu quickly reported back. The rebels suddenly increased their troops to Yanjin and Xuncheng, and it was estimated that they would attack Hanoi and threaten Jizhou.

Yan Liang was taken aback, thinking that the rebels found out that he had dispatched troops from Hanoi to attack Yanjin, so he hurriedly wrote a letter to Wen Chou, temporarily stopped marching into Ji County and Huojia, and instead stationed troops in the Qingshui River and Qingshuikou area, waiting for the reaction of the rebels before making a decision.

"My lord, Master Zhao Yun's iron cavalry is crossing the Pushui River in the direction of Changyuan. Do you want to ask Master Zhao Yun to attack Yancheng from the flank first, so as to attract the rebel forces from Xuncheng and Yanjin?" Wang Ling suggested.

"No, no..." Yan Liang waved his hands again and again, "Master Zhao Yun, don't cross the river from Changyuan, go north immediately, and cross the river from Wating in the northeast of Yancheng. Be sure to hide your tracks, and don't let the rebels send us reinforcements."

"My lord, since the rebels are increasing their troops with great fanfare in Xuncheng and Yanjin, it is obvious that they have discovered the purpose of our attack and intend to stop our actions. After they divide their forces, they will not have enough troops on the frontal battlefield, so they will not attack in the Yancheng area." Launch an active attack. At this time, it is useless to hide Lord Zhao Yun's cavalry, it is better to let the cavalry directly attack Yancheng."

"Once the iron cavalry appears behind Yancheng, the rebels will panic and defend the city to the death. At the same time, they will ask Yuan Shao on the middle battlefield for help. When Yuan Shao heard that the iron cavalry had arrived in Yancheng, he would naturally be able to judge the strength of Junyi and the Northern Xinjiang army under Kaifeng city. Insufficient. He may not send troops to the north to support, but he will definitely launch a counterattack against our main force. In this way, we will be blocked in the north and counterattacked in the middle. There will be no time to defeat the rebels and go to Yanjin and Suanzao to threaten Henan. Yan Liang frowned deeply, and shook his head again and again, "I need time, I need time. I am eager to hope that the rebels will go out of the city to attack. The rebels see that we divide the troops in Hanoi, and they are very likely to go out of the city to attack. At that time, Master Zhao Yun's iron cavalry roared out. , will be able to take Yancheng."

Wang Ling didn't dare to persuade him anymore, so he hurriedly went out of the tent to send an order.

Yan Liang pulled off the helmet on his head and walked around in the big tent.

"My lord, do you want to listen to a piece of music?" Zhou Shan, who was writing the report, was so dizzy by Yan Liang that he had to put down his pen, and asked cautiously, "You are so restless, you are prone to accidents."

Yan Liang glared at him, "How can I be in the mood now? The more I listen to it, the more annoying I get. Why don't you draw a picture for me to see."

"Then I'll draw a snow scene to cool you down."

Yan Liang smiled wryly, "Meng Sen, it will be early summer soon, what kind of snow do you draw?"

Zhou Shan stood up and said with a smile: "You may feel calm when you see the north wind whistling and the snowflakes flying."

Yan Liang forced a smile, "The north wind howls... What do you mean, you want me to shudder?"

=

Zhou Shan's pen dances on the canvas, and little snowflakes dance among the mountains.

"No..." Yan Liang, who had been standing quietly beside him, suddenly yelled.Zhou Shan was startled, his paintbrush trembled, and a crooked bridge suddenly appeared on a small frozen river.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Shan asked in surprise.

"The rebels may not have discovered our actions." Yan Liang said excitedly, "Is there such a possibility? The rebels wanted to defeat us, so they pretended to send troops to Yanjin and attack Hanoi to lure us to divide our troops and return to help. With insufficient troops, sneak attack us and drive us back to Baima."

Zhou Shan thought for a while, then nodded, "This possibility is very big. We crossed the river at night, and in the daytime, all the boats dispersed, and the enemy may have found it too small. In addition, as soon as we crossed the river, the rebels increased their troops to Yanjin, Xuncheng, aren't they reacting too quickly?"

"We can try it out." Yan Liang said, "We immediately assembled ships at Qingshuikou, and asked Zhang Xiu to lead the army to move back and forth between the two sides of Qingshuikou, making the illusion that the army was crossing the Yellow River north. At the same time, we withdrew the camp for twenty miles, The army battle flags were hoisted as usual to give the illusion of confusing the enemy. At this time, if the rebels have not crossed the river in the Yanjindu area, it means that they have no intention of attacking Hanoi at all, and all of this is false.”

"My lord still wants to implement a sneak attack strategy?" Zhou Shan asked in surprise.

"What are you afraid of?" Yan Liang frowned and said with a wave of his hand, "If the rebels want to send troops to Hanoi, they will not have the strength to attack us, and their troops crossing the river will also be hit head-on by us in Ji County and Huojia. On the contrary, If they attack east and west, and the main attack direction is Yancheng, so what if we lose once? We lost to Baima, but the rebels lost Yanjin and Suanzao. You have to flee south in panic." Yan Liang gritted his teeth, and waved his hand vigorously, "When the time comes, how will they escape?"

"Order Wen Chou, Zhang He, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang to attack immediately and secretly rush to Ji County and Huojia to wait for my attack order."

"Order Zhang Xiu to assemble the ships and command the army to cross the river back and forth. The momentum should be bigger."

"Urgently tell Mr. Zhao Yun, cross the river quickly, don't stop at Wating, go directly north to station troops at Pingyang Pavilion, and wait for my attack order."

"Order all the ministries of the camp to retreat [-] miles and set up camp."

=

Cao Cao received an urgent report from the scouts.The northern army retreated [-] miles to set up camp. At the same time, hundreds of large ships were transporting soldiers at Qingshuikou. It is estimated that at least nearly [-] people crossed the river.

Cao Cao was overjoyed, and hurriedly discussed the attack with Liu Bei and Xin Ping.Because he was worried that the northern Xinjiang cavalry on the east bank of the Pushui River would take the opportunity to cross the river and attack, threatening his rear, Cao Cao also deliberately strengthened his troops in the direction of Jiating.The troops in the direction of Jiating have increased. Except for the original defensive troops in the direction of Xuncheng and Yanjin, the rest of the troops who rushed to pretend to cross the river must gather in Yancheng to ensure that the army has enough troops to hit it with one blow.

Liu Bei expressed concern about this.Qingshuikou is only more than 100 miles away from Jixian County and Huojia. If the Northern Xinjiang Army advances at full speed, it can arrive within a day.Once they get the news that we are attacking their main force, they cross the river and go down to occupy Xuncheng, Yanjin and Suanzao, and we will be in a dilemma.Liu Bei suggested not to recruit troops from Xuncheng and Yanjin.

Cao Cao disagreed.Now there are more than 5 people on our own side, while the northern army on the opposite side has only more than 4 people at most.The Northern Xinjiang Army on the opposite side are all soldiers and horses from the Seventh Battalion of Jizhou.Among them, Zhang Liao and Peng Lie were in Huaicheng, Hanoi, and Gao Shun and Wu Xiong first appeared in Xuzhou and then went to Rencheng.Get rid of these two battalions of soldiers and horses, and get rid of their losses on the Henan battlefield, there are only more than 4 people at most.If the scouts had made no mistakes in their investigation, there would only be 3 people in the northern camp opposite.Attack the enemy camp with an army of nearly 5 people, and the victory is sure.After defeating Yan Liang, our goal of defending Yancheng has been achieved. We only need to send an army north to pursue and kill, while the rest of the army will return to defend Yancheng, and at the same time divide our troops to reinforce Xuncheng and Yanjin to prevent the northern army from attacking.

In Cao Cao's view, after the defeat of the Northern Army in Yancheng, they suffered heavy losses. In order to defend Baima, they would send back the troops supporting Hanoi as quickly as possible.The possibility of nearly ten thousand Northern Xinjiang troops rushing to Hanoi to take the opportunity to cross the river to attack Yanjin is too small, because they have few troops.

In this large army, the Yanzhou army has an absolute advantage in numbers. Cao Cao insisted on one thing, Liu Bei was not good at persevering, and because Xin Ping was eager to recapture the white horse, he tried his best to encourage Cao Cao to be more courageous and simply take advantage of the situation to kill the white horse. , Drive the Northern Army back to Puyang City.

The strategy of the attack was decided in this way.

=
The next night, Cao Cao ordered an attack after confirming that there were no abnormalities in the Changyuan, Pingqiu, Jixian and Huojia areas on the east bank of the Pushui River.

The army is divided into two groups.Along the way, Xia Houyuan and Gao Gan led a 1 vanguard army composed of Yanzhou Army, Xuzhou Army, and Henan Army to launch a sneak attack.After they entered the camp of the Northern Xinjiang Army, the Northern Xinjiang Army was bound to be in chaos and fled in panic. Then Liu Bei and Xin Ping led the follow-up [-] troops to chase and kill.Cao Cao himself took more than [-] people to sit in Yancheng, just in case.

=

In the dark night, Yan Liang was fully armored, sitting upright on his horse, shaking the whip in his hand constantly.

"My lord, if the rebels don't attack the camp tonight, will we just stand there overnight?" Zhou Shan yawned several times and asked vaguely.

"You can sleep on horseback." Yan Liang sneered, "but if your head falls off, don't scold me when you get to the ground. I have warned you again and again."

"I stood all night last night." Zhou Shan complained dissatisfiedly, "There are so many things to do during the day, I didn't even blink my eyes. You slept all afternoon, of course you are in good spirits."

"Be patient." Yan Liang glanced at him, "When you get to Pingyang Pavilion, you can have a good sleep."

=

Xiao Hei and Stick sat side by side on the grass.

Xiao Hei looked up at the stars in the sky.Stick hugged his head and fell asleep.After fighting with the army for more than two months, Xiao Hei has already integrated into the army, and he is already like a veteran.On the battlefields of Baima and Puyang, Xiao Hei fought very bravely, killing four or five enemies one after another, and he stood out among the recruits.

In the past two days, the work schedule of the army has suddenly changed.Sleeping during the day and sitting on the grass counting the stars in full gear at night made Xiao Hei feel very fresh.The leader of the team, Huang Tong, told him not to count the stars, but to hurry up and sleep.This is a war, not a joke, if you have no physical strength, you will lose your life.

Xiao Hei stared at the stars intently, without distraction, as if he was looking at a beautiful embroidery painting, until an earth-shattering drum sound suddenly pulled him back from the dream.

The sound of the drums became more and more intense, thrilling and exciting.

"The war is on, the war is on..." Huang Tongyi kicked the stick that was still ignorant, and shouted, "Be more energetic, be more energetic."

Before Huang Tong's shouting stopped, the voices of the messengers rang out everywhere, "My lord has an order, retreat quickly, retreat quickly."

Huang Tong and the soldiers looked at each other, wondering why they had to retreat before the battle was fought.

=

The killing sound is shocking.

Xia Houyuan and Gao Gan led the forward army into the Northern Xinjiang Army camp aggressively.

The northern army was unprepared and caught off guard. The soldiers scattered and fled into the darkness before the enemy entered the camp.

Xia Houyuan looked at the abandoned ordnance and supplies, and was extremely excited, "Send the order, chase, chase me and kill..."

Gao Gan found Xiahouyuan in time, "Master Xiahou, something is wrong. It is impossible for the Northern Border Army to run so fast..."

Xia Houyuan gave him a contemptuous look.This kid can become the prime minister of a country, and can command an army, but he has the honor of Yuan Shao, and he has a fart.First he lost Puyang, and later he was defeated in Baima, and was frightened by the northern army.

"These northern border troops are soldiers and horses from the Seventh Battalion of Jizhou. To put it bluntly, they are farmers farming. Except for their better weapons than the Yellow Turban Army, everything else is the same as the Yellow Turban Army." Xia Houyuan waved his hand disdainfully. Hesitant, chase immediately, so as not to lose the opportunity to annihilate the enemy." He yelled and roared away with a group of personal guards.

Gao Gan shook his head helplessly.Maybe I was really scared of being beaten by the Northern Xinjiang Army.When the victory was within reach, I couldn't believe it.I must be worrying too much.Gao Gan stopped thinking about it and led the army to rush in.

=

Baiyu Pavilion, sixty miles northeast of Yancheng.

A bright red sun hangs high in the sky.

Liu Bei looked up at the sky, his expression was very serious.

The speed of the Northern Xinjiang Army's escape was too fast, and the direction of escape was also suspicious.It stands to reason that in the chaos, some people would definitely panic and flee northward to Qingshuikou, which is the closest to the Yellow River. But so far, the scouts have not found a single fugitive from northern Xinjiang on the way to Qingshuikou.During the escape process, the Northern Xinjiang Army can still maintain the consistency of the direction of escape, which cannot but be doubted.

The scouts rushed over.Xia Houyuan and Gao Gan have already caught up with the northern border army, and the two sides fought a battle.The Northern Xinjiang army fled faster, and along the way, there were all the ordnance, food, and even silk money discarded by the Northern Xinjiang fugitives.The two adults believed that the northern border army could no longer organize a counterattack, and they wanted to take Baima City with all their might.

Liu Bei and Xin Ping looked at each other, both surprised.Yan Liang's army fought bitterly in Henan for more than a month, and after being transferred to the White Horse Battlefield, they immediately won consecutive battles. How could such a powerful army be easily defeated by his own night attack?And he lost so badly that he didn't even want to throw away his money?

"Yan Liang's army has been fighting continuously for more than two months. The soldiers are exhausted. The fight to Yancheng may have exhausted their strength and made them vulnerable. They are all at the end of their strength." Xin Ping said with a smile.

Liu Bei stared at him without saying a word.The tone of Xin Ping's words was weak, and his confidence was obviously lacking. Maybe he himself didn't believe this extremely forced explanation.He avoided Liu Bei's gaze, with an uneasy expression on his face.

"I am familiar with the Northern Border Army, more familiar than all of you." Liu Bei waved his horsewhip vigorously, and said loudly, "Master Xiahou, Lord Gao, keep your distance and don't chase too fast. This must be a lure by the Northern Border Army." The enemy's plan, please be careful, don't fall into the trap and be surrounded."

Before the words were finished, a dozen scouts came galloping from the northeast, and the horses were almost flying into the air. It was obvious at a glance that there was a major enemy situation.

Liu Bei's expression changed immediately.

=

Zhang Xiu, Song Xian, Zhao Hu, and Hu Che'er of the Northern Frontier Army suddenly appeared at Baiyu Pavilion with [-] troops, blocking Liu Bei's way forward.

Liu Bei immediately ordered the [-] troops to regroup and attack the Northern Army, trying to break through the Northern Army's defense line and rescue Xia Houyuan and Gao Gan.

"Urgently tell the prime minister, the vanguard army is surrounded, please come to the rescue immediately, the prime minister."

=

When Cao Cao received Liu Bei's urgent report, his head was dizzy, and cold sweat burst out of his back.

Counted.

"Call Liu Bei urgently, withdraw to Yancheng, withdraw back." Cao Cao dropped the bamboo slip still in his hand, jumped up from behind the table, and rushed out of the house like flying.

"My lord, where are you going?" Cheng Yu, Guo Jia, Mao Jie and others followed behind him in a panic, shouting repeatedly.

"I'm going to meet the retreat of the army." Cao Cao's cry was full of despair and anger.

=

At noon, Pingyang Pavilion.

Zhao Yun, Liu Ming, and Lan Rong were stationed in Ma Gaopo, looking at the Northern Xinjiang soldiers who were staggering on the road in the distance and were in a panic, all of them smiled happily.

"My lord, next time we meet General Tiger Head, let's make fun of him." Liu Ming stroked his beard and laughed, "Is this the first time we see General Tiger Head in such a state of embarrassment?"

"Forget it. If it were you, you would have been chopped off by the enemy." Zhao Yun said with a smile, "It's nearly a hundred miles from Yancheng to here. Just run and see, I guess you haven't run halfway. It's going to crawl on the ground."

"In order to lure the enemy into the bait, General Hutou did not hesitate to use his body as a bait. His courage is astonishing." Lan Rong said excitedly, "Seeing the distressed appearance of the most powerful general in northern Xinjiang, this trip to the Central Plains was not in vain. .”

The three laughed.

The scouts rushed over.The rebels are still fifteen miles away.

"Why is it so slow?" Liu Ming asked strangely, "The speed of this pursuit is too slow? Can this also chase and kill the opponent?"

"Return to my lord. The pursuers picked up the money we discarded along the way, and some people fought with each other, so the speed was much slower." The scout bowed back and said, "These pursuers are extremely fast, and they caught up with us along the way. Three times, hundreds of us were killed. Later, General Hutou ordered to throw away all our belongings, and we finally distanced ourselves from them.”

"Hmph..." Zhao Yun sneered, "They won't live long, let them be happy before they die."

As soon as the scouts left, Yan Liang's messenger arrived.General Hutou confessed that after the enemy army was completely wiped out, he rushed to rescue Baiyuting.Now Master Zhang Xiu is leading an army to intercept the enemy's second batch of pursuers at Baiyu Pavilion. General Hutou wants the three Lords to do whatever it takes to severely injure the rebels and drive them back to Yancheng.

Zhao Yun collected Yan Liang's warrant, and rode back with Liu Ming and Lan Rong to the slope.

Under the hillside, an army of [-] cavalry is standing in line, majestic and majestic, like a rainbow.

=

At noon, Baiyu Pavilion.

Liu Bei commanded the army to attack continuously, but the northern army was like a rock, motionless.

Xin Ping called back Liu Bei, who was in command at the front line, "Xuande, we've been tricked, let's withdraw."

Liu Bei was so aggressive that he was out of breath and didn't speak for a long time.

"Xuande, have you forgotten about my failure in Baima?" Xin Ping became anxious, and he didn't care about his face, and briefly talked about the battle that day, "I have already told you in detail about these things in Yancheng." I’ve said it. Think about it, is there any similarity between today’s battle and mine? Yan Liang must have an army ambushing in the direction of Pingyang Pavilion. He ate Xia Houyuan and Gao Gan, and he will vent his anger immediately Now, surround us too."

Liu Bei shook his hand angrily, and cursed bitterly.

"If Yan Liang didn't send troops to support Hanoi at all, then there are at least 1 troops in the direction of Binh Duong Ting. With [-] troops to encircle and wipe out the already exhausted vanguard army for a hundred miles, isn't it easy to capture? Go, there is still time to retreat. Once you are captured The northern border army encircled us, with brother Meng De's [-] people, not only would they not be able to rescue us, but even Yancheng would be lost." Xin Ping's face was flushed, and he was sweating profusely.

Liu Bei wiped the sweat off his face and gradually calmed down.I fought all morning and didn't make a single step. It seemed impossible to rescue Xia Houyuan's 1 horses.Going back now, there are still 4 people in the direction of Yancheng, and they can continue to fight against the Northern Xinjiang Army, but if they ruin these 2 people, the northern battlefield will be a thousand miles away, and there is no possibility of saving it.

"Withdraw..." Liu Bei gritted his teeth and shouted decisively, "Retreat to Yancheng."

=

The battlefield trembled violently amid the huge roar.

An army of [-] cavalry roared down like a river bursting its embankment, sweeping across the battlefield with a destructive force, sweeping away everything, leaving only bloody smears.

The rebel soldiers suffered a catastrophe. They had no power to fight back. Their tired bodies didn't even have the strength to run because of fear. They could only watch helplessly as they were submerged under countless horseshoes.

Xia Houyuan's war horse was shot, and fell to the ground with a miserable hiss.He stood up staggeringly, pulled off the crooked helmet, and waited for the imminent death.

A team of iron cavalry came from the dust.

With sharp eyes and quick hands, Gao Gan reached out and grabbed Xia Houyuan's armor, and pulled him into the air onto the horse's back.

"Go, escape to the woods ahead, quick, quick..."

With the experience of escaping for the first time, this time he was much calmer and calmer, and he was not frightened by the overwhelming cavalry behind him.

=

At night, Liu Bei led his army back to Yancheng.

Cao Cao endured his grief and frustration, and urgently discussed countermeasures with everyone.

In the early morning of the next day, Xia Houyuan and Gao Gan fled back to Yancheng with dozens of personal guards.

The next morning, Yan Liang returned with an army of cavalry.He piled the severed heads of the rebel soldiers into a hill below the city, and then returned to the camp in a grand manner.

This hill of human heads seriously hit the morale of the rebels, and even Cao Cao lost the confidence to defeat the northern army.If Liu Bei and Xin Ping hadn't retreated in time this time, I guess I would have completely finished the game.Yan Liang on the opposite side is too powerful, he deserves to be the number one warrior in northern Xinjiang, and he is not half sure about fighting this kind of person.If you persist for a long time, you may die here.He immediately conceived the idea of ​​withdrawing troops.
Just when he had no excuses, a piece of news that terrified Cao Cao came.The Northern Xinjiang Army crossed Yanjindu in the early morning and quickly occupied Xuncheng, Yanjin and Suanzao.The army's retreat was cut off.

Cao Cao and the generals looked at each other with big eyes and small eyes, and they were all dumbfounded.Cao Cao didn't fully understand until now that his strategy of attacking east and west happened to hit Yan Liang's strategy of attacking east and west.The two of you plot against me, and I plot against you. In the end, Yan Liang took the first step and took the upper hand, but he made a mistake, was half a step slower, and lost completely.

"Let's withdraw." Cao Cao didn't need to hesitate, and he didn't need to make excuses.If we don't withdraw now, when the Northern Xinjiang Army has gained a firm foothold in the Yanjin and Suanzao areas, the 4 horses will be swallowed by Yan Hutou one by one.

=

Cao Cao led his army to the south and retreated to Wuchao.

Wuchao is located forty miles southeast of Suanzao, at the confluence of Pushui River and Jishui River, only fifteen miles away from Fengqiu City.

After receiving Cao Cao's request for help, Yuan Jun who was stationed in Fengqiu crossed the Pushui River to meet him.

Cao Cao withdrew safely, and then followed Yuan Shao's order to march west along the south bank of the Jishui River to the territory of Henan, stationed in the two cities of Yuanwu and Yangwu, and confronted the northern army in the gutter.

=

At this point, the northern border army approached Honggoushui, threatening Henan, and the warring parties on the Central Plains battlefield gradually formed a decisive battle situation.

=

(End of this chapter)