Three Kingdoms.

 Barren grass.

 Loess mound.

 The tricolor hussars flag.

 The soldiers on duty on the high ground looked around with vigilant eyes.

 On the ford on the river bank beside the road, soldiers were helping the horses wash. The war horse stood obediently in the water, only occasionally touching its owner with its long neck, not sure whether it was urging or showing intimacy.

At dawn the next day, Sima Yi caught up with Sima Fu who had fled. He immediately gathered the remaining troops and retreated slowly. He did not stay until he connected with Xu Zheng's troops.

Sima Yi did not build a camp. Instead, he built a three-circle defense system in the wild like nomads. The outer cruising troops, the inner rest area, the core and the baggage area.

Xu Ju's infantry camp fell behind Sima.

The advantage of setting up a camp like Sima is that you can leave at any time, but the disadvantage is that it is not very comfortable and the rest is not good enough.

 War is a choice, and different choices ultimately determine different directions.

 Obviously, Sima Fu's choice was not a good direction.

The embarrassed Sima Fu fled to Sima Yi. Sima Yi was neither angry nor scolded, only calm. Sima Fu's defeat this time was even more miserable than when he was in Beiqu. At the same time, he was even more depressed inside. He almost lost all his energy and spirit. He was like a walking zombie, without any reaction to the outside world. It wasn't until sunset the next day that I finally regained my consciousness.

Sima Fu's injury was not good at first, but now it became more and more serious. The wound burst open for the second time. The doctor finally managed to stop the bleeding, but he was destined to be unable to continue riding, and he would not be able to continue fighting.

This almost means that Sima Fu's battle in Hedong will end in a very disgraceful ending.

Xu Ju took a look but said nothing.

Xu Zhi is a smart man. He knows this matter, so he still wants the Sima family to deal with it first.

Two soldiers took Sima Fu to the bend of the river. Sima Yi was sitting on a big rock, seeming to be thinking about something. The shirt outside the armor fluttered in the cold wind.

“Brother...” Sima Fu bent down and stood respectfully, with some blood on his face and body, and his voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed burning charcoal. He is younger than Sima Yi, but now he looks at least ten years older than Sima Yi.

Sima Fu lost a lot of blood and his lips were all white in color. It seemed like he would fall to the ground if he was blown by the wind.

 Sima Yi's expression was very calm.

 It was so calm that Sima Fu was a little scared.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ded by Qi's army, the general will fight. "Sima Yi's calm voice sounded, as if he was not affected by Sima Fu's defeat at all, "You must have read this article..."

Sima Fu was stunned for a moment.

　　　Do you remember? ” Sima Yi’s faint voice sounded in the wind, “Meat-eaters are despicable and cannot plan far. 』

　　　　Brother, are you saying that I am stupid? ” Sima Fu said.

Sima Yi's voice was calm, "If you can't even figure this out...you should die...you know, it's enough for me to kill one Cao family, and now you...are forcing me to kill the second one..."

  Defeat, defeat, and kill, the difficulty increases step by step. If you want to kill an enemy general, you must not only have the right time, place, and people, but also have some luck. Even in the game, there are many people who escape with **** skin.

Sima Fu’s body was slightly stiff.

 Meat-eaters are despicable, which does not mean that vegetarians are better, but refers to the fact that rulers are out of touch with reality. Rulers who are divorced from reality often show why they don't eat minced meat. This is not a problem with their intelligence. On the contrary, if the rulers are to protect their right to eat meat, their intelligence will far exceed that of ordinary people. , just like Cao Gui himself, he is also one of the meat eaters.

As for the emperors in the past dynasties, there have always been imbeciles. However, such imbeciles also appear in other vegetarians or poor families. They are not representative. They even appear among poor people at the grassroots level due to malnutrition. The probability of imbeciles is even higher than that of carnivores.

 So if you simply say that eating meat will make you stupid, or that all rulers are fools, then you are really stupid...

What Sima Yi means, of course, is that Sima Fu took it for granted in this war.

 Why is the prey always the prey?

Having been hunted all the way, you never thought that you would be hunted in the opposite direction?

Arrogant and arrogant, letting down your guard, are you willing to fight to the death...

　　　Do you understand? Sima Yi asked.

Sima Fu lowered his head and said, "I understand." A gentleman should focus on the foundation...the foundation is established, and the Tao is born..."

 He was greedy and forgot the "origin".

Sima Yi exhaled, "Okay, then you know what we should do now?" 』

"I..." Sima Fu said one word, then paused and became silent.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　dedication? Sima Yi asked.

Sima Fu was silent for a moment and said: "Young Master, you can't fight even if you don't have food, clothing, or sacrifices. Only the prisoner... who is in charge... can fight." 』

Sima Yi closed his eyes and sighed: "Of course." 』

Sima Fu's bent waist was like a broken flag, and his tone was sad, "Brother..."

　　　　Go. ” Sima Yi sighed.

Sima Fu opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

Sima Yi exhaled, "I will try my best to kill Xiahou..."

 Sima Fu paid his respects, "Thank you...brother..."

Sima Fu didn’t say that he was seriously injured, and Sima Yi didn’t ask.

Several guards came forward, said a slight apology to Sima Fu, then knocked off Sima Fu's crown, removed his seal and ribbon, and then escorted Sima Fu into the prison car and drove away.

 From beginning to end, Sima Yi never looked back.

Although he went to Hedong to lead the army, he was still the Minister of Dali Temple and did not step down from his post.

Xu Ju came from a distance and watched Sima Fu being escorted away. He raised his eyebrows and said nothing to plead for mercy. He was not familiar with Sima Yi, and he only came here because he received Xun Chen's order to come to support.

 Obviously, there are only two mobile units in Hedong.

 One is the cavalry led by Sima, and the other is the infantry commanded by Xu Zhi. The cavalry force was defeated by Sima Fu, and only a little over 200 of the 500 men fled back. As a result, Sima Yi's total number of men and horses was reduced to less than 700. The infantry force was also somewhat damaged after annihilating Cao's army at Fenglingdu. In addition, two thousand soldiers still need to be left to garrison at Fenglingdu, so the number of infantry under Xu Ju's command is also only half of the original number. More than two thousand people.

　　　　What are you going to do? "Xu Ju stood beside the stone and looked into the distance like Sima Yi.

 That side is the direction of Pingyang.

　　　Cao Jun will definitely go to Pingyang. Sima Yi said, "He is going in circles, but in fact his goal is only Pingyang." 』

“That’s true,” Xu Ju nodded and said, “But if we garrison Pingyang, wouldn’t we be allowing Cao’s army to wreak havoc in the east of the river? 』

　　　That’s why I’m going to follow. ” Sima Yi said calmly, “Follow him, bite him, hold him back...until he turns around and hits us...and then..."

Sima Yi’s eyes turned to the river not far away.

Xu Ju pondered for a while and looked around, "Where is it?" here? This is not a nice place. 』

 Ambush.

 The most common and common strategy.

The terrain here is not dangerous, and there are no strong and steep stone walls around it. On one side are some low mounds, and on the other side is a river with more tidal flats exposed due to the dry season.

 Overall, it is definitely not as suitable for ambushes as canyons, ravines, dense forests and other places.

Sima Yi nodded and stood up, "Only in this way can he be arrested." If it is a dangerous place, Cao's army will definitely flee far away. It will be difficult to gather together and annihilate them again. 』

Sima Yi turned around and bowed to Xu Ju, "The success or failure of this battle depends on Captain Xu!" 』

 Xu Ju hurriedly returned the gift, his eyes moved slightly, "This... Qing Dali is really too polite... Since Qing Dali has given an order, Xu will obey everything..."

Sima Yi nodded, "Thank you very much Captain Xu."　　　　　『Don’t dare, don’t dare. ” Xu Zhi was also very polite, “Just ask Dali Qing to give the order. 』

 The two men straightened up and each smiled.

He seems to be very enthusiastic, but there is a distant feeling in his bones.

 …

 …

 Xia Houyuan's highlight did not last long.

If Sima Fu is a rookie, then Sima Yi, who has been trained in the Northern Territory, although he does not look like the sly and cunning model in the later stages of history, is still an out-and-out fox.

 Cunning fox.

 A battle often brings some traces and some changes. For example, since the Beiqu camp, Sima Yi began to deviate to the heavy cavalry route. Sima Yi felt that this fighting mode was a devastating blow to most of the infantry and made it impossible for the infantry to resist.

 Obviously, when the archers faced off against the lancers, they suffered a bit.

At first, the Hu nomads were primitive lightly-armed or naked horse archers, but when they faced the lancers of the Han Dynasty, they were helpless. Shooting arrows while a war horse is running is not that simple. It is also impossible to have the ability to automatically cruise and guide arrows to hit the target like in the game.

For horse archers, if you want to increase the probability of a single arrow hitting the target, you must either stand still and shoot, or shorten the shooting distance. Both of these methods are very dangerous when fighting against lancers.

 Most of Cao's cavalry are lancers at the moment.

 In other words, it has not completely branched out, and there is no refined multi-functional cavalry.

 Multi-functionality naturally has a variety of adaptability, but it also means that it will definitely be inferior in proficiency in certain specialties.

 But for Sima Yi, who was just about to take the route of specializing in armored archers, Cao Jun's cavalry was still difficult to deal with.

If you are far away, you will miss, and if you are close, there is a risk of damage. Especially since Xia Houyuan's force is naturally greater than that of Sima Yi, it is not cost-effective to fight head-on, so Sima Yi came up with a way...

 Shoot a horse.

Compared to a rider who is smaller in area and can hide and sway left and right, hold a shield to block and other ways to avoid arrows and crossbows, a silly war horse that can only run is undoubtedly an easier target to shoot. target.

  After Sima Yi formulated the overall tactics, Xia Houyuan's good days came to an end.

 Sima Yi's tactical thoughts and combat modes cannot be brought out from the mother's womb, or they can be learned from military books, and they can reach the full level as soon as they appear on the field. When he was in the Northern Territory, he was basically engaged in logistics and civil affairs. Besides, under Zhao Yun and others, it was generally not Sima Yi's turn to charge with a sword.

 Now in Hedong, it is Sima Yi's own training place and the place to open up the edge.

Sima Yi told Sima Fu before that he must be able to work hard. For Cao Jun, it is best to consume his soldiers, but it is also a fatal blow to consume his horses, because Cao Jun cannot replenish his horses in time in Hedong.

If bows, arrows and crossbows can effectively kill Cao Jun’s armored units within fifty steps, then at a distance of a hundred steps, Cao Jun’s horses can easily be shot...

Although it is true that war horses have rougher skin and thicker flesh than humans, and they may not be killed on the spot even if they are hit by a few arrows, no life can withstand continuous bloodletting.

Sima Yi was like a locust. He flew over, took a bite, and then flew away with a huff. He would never confront Xia Houyuan and others head-on. Once he got stuck, he couldn't get rid of him.

 Cao Jun wanted to fight Sima Yi, but Sima Yi ran away.

 Cao Jun stopped, Sima Yi and others also stopped, and then looked for an opportunity to take another bite.

 In the upgraded version of H&R, the biggest reliance is not on people, but on horses.

 When he was actually on the battlefield, dancing on the tip of the sword all the time, Sima Yi truly understood why the hussar Feiqian had to work so hard to accumulate war horses and control the number of soldiers as much as possible...

 It's very simple. It's easy to attack the soldiers, but what about the war horses? A farmer who just picks up a spear becomes a spearman, just like a herdsman who mounts a horse becomes a cavalry. Apart from quantity, such soldiers do not have many advantages, but will consume the potential of war. After all, the effectiveness of a war horse used by an elite who has been trained for a long time is far greater than that of a war horse assigned to an ordinary herdsman.

 Just like now.

 The reason why Sima Yi was able to fly kites was not that he had more men, but that he had more war horses than Cao's army.

Xia Houyuan was going crazy with Sima Yi's rogue tactics.

　　　Not seeking to kill people, but seeking to injure horses.

And the horses are obviously Xia Houyuan's lifeblood now. Let alone cutting off the roots, even if they open a hole, it will be extremely painful.

Xia Houyuan then realized that unless he completely killed the cavalry led by Sima, there would be no need to take the next step. Even if he reluctantly attacked, the ditch behind his back would probably be poked open.

For chrysanthemums and war horses... Well, it seems a little weird to say this, but it is indeed Xia Houyuan's current worry. He had to focus on and in turn capture Sima Yi who was following behind.

It’s a pity that Sima Yi has received intensive training in the Northern Territory. Unlike Sima Fu who needs to camp to sleep, Sima Yi can even have someone tie him up to sleep on a horse...

Xia Houyuan didn't know what the difference was between Sima who was flying the same Sima clan flag. Unknowingly, when he was chasing Sima Yi in turn, he was led to Xu Zhi.

Xu Ju was obviously more reliable than Sima Fu. Without Sima Yi's special instructions, he deployed a lot of resistance horses in the right places. Juma is very simple, but its effect is not bad. Sawed-off trees were blocking the road, leaving only two narrow corridors in the middle for passage. Sima Yi and others filed in, and if Cao Jun, who was following Sima Yi, wanted to follow up, he would have to bear the brunt of Juma's attack. Attack from both sides.

 Seeing this posture from a distance, Xia Houyuan's face turned green.

Those tree trunks with crisscrossed branches formed a line, blocking the road tightly. On the mound on the other side of the road, there was a formation of more than a dozen baggage trucks.

Now Xia Houyuan finally understood what was going on with Sima Yi's logistics. Why were there supplies and why were the war horses replaced? It turned out that there was an infantry battalion following behind!

 But after solving a mystery, Xia Houyuan did not feel relaxed. Instead, he became even more angry and anxious.

 It’s such a simple question, why couldn’t I figure it out before? !

If you don't deal with this Sima who keeps wandering around behind your back, how can you fight Pingyang?

After rejecting the horse, Sima Yi got off the horse with blood on his crotch. He shook his legs and insisted on standing, looking at Xia Houyuan in the distance.

Xu Ju saw that Sima Yi was working so hard, and the slight contempt he had felt before was put away. Those who dare to be cruel to themselves must be cruel to others. If possible, try not to offend him. So he asked someone to treat Sima's injury with some enthusiasm, and at the same time asked: "Dali Qing, what if this Cao Jun is like this?" If we withdraw like this, what should we do? 』

Sima Yi smiled, lowered his head and looked at his hips, then smiled and said: "They are human beings too..."

Chasing by Cao Jun also consumes manpower and horsepower. If nothing is gained, just retreat, no matter how the morale changes, the horses will not be able to bear it at first. Cao Jun did not have a rear camp of infantry to take care of the horses and restore their strength like Sima Yi. If Cao's army retreats like this, Sima Yi, who has been slow for a while, will replace his horses with sufficient strength to attack. By then, Cao's army will be exhausted and he will definitely lose!

 So, now Cao Jun has to fight.

There is still a slight chance of victory in this battle. If we withdraw, there will really be no chance of victory.

Xu Ju was suddenly enlightened and immediately geared up, saying, "That's great!" Mr. Dali, please renovate it carefully and let's see how I can make it! 』

Sima Yi smiled, and although his face was a little pale due to fatigue, he looked happy, "Xu Lieutenant, be careful, Cao Jun still has methods..."

Xu Ju was stunned, and quickly raised his hands and asked, "May I ask Dali Qing, what other methods does Cao Jun have?" 』

 …

 …

　　　『Must fight! 』

Just as Sima Yi expected, Xia Houyuan rejected the retreat proposal.

Xia Houyuan took the water bag handed over by the guard and drank a few sips. Then he found that there was not much water in the water bag. He shook it and handed it to the guard. "Look, that's it...if you don't knock it off." These nasty bugs in the back are so troublesome for us to even water them! 』

"General, these hussars are hiding among the rebel horses. If we want to attack them, we must first move these rebel horses away..." Xia Houyuan's confidant said, "But if we move these rebel horses, we will be attacked by their archers." attack…"

　　　『Sima, huh, if I can defeat him once, I can defeat him a second time! Xia Houyuan gritted his teeth, "Do these cowards think they can stop me with Juma?" 』

Xia Houyuan looked at the position that Xu Zheng had set up, for a while he stared at the car formation on the hill, for a while he looked at the horse formations made of tree trunks and branches scattered across the road, and then at the tidal flats exposed by the dry water, and suddenly He smiled and said, "Since it's difficult to move Juma, then don't move it!" 』

"ah? ” Xia Houyuan’s confidants didn’t understand.

　　　『I remember we also brought some kerosene? Xia Houyuan asked.

 The confidant understood somewhat, "General, what you mean is...burn?" 』

Xia Houyuan nodded and said, "No matter how many horses are rejected, they are still wood. Pour oil on them and burn them!" When these insects are forced out of their shells, we go around behind them through the river beach and kill them all! Steal their supplies and war horses, and we will have our control over this Hedong area! 』

 (End of this chapter)