Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 3416: War and chaos

Cao Chun ran away.

The reason why Cao Chun ran away was simple: he was anxious.

Dogs jump over the wall when they are anxious, and people go crazy when they are anxious.

As the art of war goes, surround them tenfold.

Zhao Yun's military strength is not ten times that of Cao Chun. And the most critical point is that Zhao Yun discovered that Cao Jun seemed to be consciously engaging in a war of attrition with the Hussars in the near future. Therefore, in order to effectively attrition the Youzhou Army and himself, he adopted the strategy of encircling but not attacking, or in other words, not attacking at all. Instead of attacking by force, they carried out attacks and raids on Cao's troops coming for reinforcements from the surrounding areas.

At the same time, he took advantage of military equipment in an attempt to force Cao Chunlai to fight outside Yuyang City.

To put it simply, it is a battle that maximizes the advantages of the Hussars in combat and avoids the disadvantages.

Therefore, when Zhao Yun launched the Youzhou offensive, this strategy just restrained Cao Chun's plan and dealt a heavy blow to the entire Youzhou Cao army.

If Cao Chun fought for his life with Zhao Yun from the beginning, then there is no doubt that he could really fight for his life and consume some of Zhao Yun's troops.

But Cao Chun couldn't bear to let go, so naturally he tied his hands and feet. The longer he was dragged behind, the more Cao Chun's soldiers and horses lost their fighting spirit...

Cao Chun's strategy was not a complete failure.

However, among the four-county encirclement he prepared, Cao Chun was the most certain and entrusted Xia Houheng of Jixian County with an important task. Instead, he ran away first. Then, the soldiers of Juyong County in Shanggu were defeated by Zhang He and half of them retreated to Juyong. Yong, a small number of people fled to Changping.

Although Zhang He did not lead his troops to Changping, Changping's soldiers did not dare to come.

Juyong doesn't have to think about it now, it's probably going to be over.

The reinforcements from Lu County were hesitant, taking two steps, stopping one step, and running away as soon as there was any sign of trouble.

On the contrary, it was the most remote Wuzhong County, which Cao Chun originally didn't care much about, and was even somewhat marginalized, and he arrived with people.

The reason is very simple. The guard general of Wuzhong County feels that Cao Chun promoted him, so he wants to repay the favor.

As for whether he will die...

It just so happened that Wuzhong County was located in a remote location, so he didn't care about those things outside of him.

People are always a little different.

It is a pity that the number of soldiers in Wuzhong County is only a few thousand. Although they are not unbrave, they still cannot defeat the hussars led by Zhao Yun. They are soon suppressed in a small area, unable to move, and in danger. .

It was at this moment that Cao Chun ran away...

Perhaps if he had escaped a moment earlier, the people in Wuzhong County would not have lost their lives.

But Cao Chun really didn't accept the failure of his plan until the people from Wuzhong County arrived...

Reinforcements from the other three counties have been slow to arrive, and the troops that finally came were only from the most remote county, Wujing County!

Cao Chun's face was burning with pain.

Some people suggested retreating to Jixian and then continuing to fight against the Hussars, but Cao Chun rejected this suggestion.

Xia Houheng of Jixian County didn't even know where he went, and he didn't even see half a person.

To evacuate Jixian under such circumstances would be like throwing yourself into a trap!

So Cao Chun planned to withdraw directly to Jizhou...

Cao Chun made a decision, and immediately took advantage of Zhao Yun's siege of the soldiers in Wuzhong County. He bluffed and held out torches, as if he was going to fight in one fell swoop. In the end, with a bluff, he led the cavalry to escape Yuyang and ran away in one breath. After traveling forty or fifty miles, we stopped for a while to rest. As a result, Cao Chun found that three or four out of ten of the escaped soldiers and horses did not know whether they had fallen behind or escaped. He was so angry that his head was buzzing, but there was nothing he could do.

For a moment, Zhao Yun really didn't expect that Cao Chun would be so "ruthless and unjust".

According to Zhao Yun's own understanding, he felt that Cao Chun would at least try to rescue the Wu Zhong County soldiers. Even if the attack failed and he continued to escape, it would be considered as his best effort...

Everyone has different views. If Zhao Yun were to do what Cao Chun did, he would definitely not be able to do it. Naturally, he would not be able to predict the enemy according to Cao Chun's ideas, so he was half a step too slow to react until he sensed that someone was not in his favor. When people looked around, they discovered that Cao Chun had escaped.

After all, Zhao Yun still focuses on the series of generals, not counselors.

Xinpi was a little annoyed.

If he had known that Cao Chun would escape tonight, he should have made more preparations under Yuyang City, or discussed with Zhao Yun an emergency contact signal...

When he was under the city and discovered that Cao Chun had escaped, he sent people to find Zhao Yun. He came and went, but was naturally delayed.

It is useless to talk more now. Zhao Yun gave Xin Pi a few words of comfort. After all, seeking stability on the battlefield is the right choice. Risky advancement may succeed, but as long as it fails once, it may be catastrophic.

Zhao Yun is indeed right. The battle situation is ever-changing and no one can predict everything.

The conclusion that Zhao Yun and Xin Pi had discussed before was to surround the point for reinforcements. Then a wave of reinforcements came, and Cao Chun ran away...

The person who can predict everything and has the world at his fingertips is probably either Brother Pig or the keyboard warrior.

However, Cao Chun was a cavalryman, and Zhao Yun also led cavalrymen.

Zhao Yun asked Xin Pi to station in Yuyang, extinguish the flames, handle related matters, and take precautions against all possible escape routes. At dawn, he followed the horse's hoof prints left by Cao Chun and pursued him.

…

…

Cao Chun fled all the way, and when he passed through Changping, he also brought the soldiers from Changping County with him. Although the number increased, because most of the soldiers in Changping were infantry, the speed was not as fast as before.

This is also a helpless move.

On the one hand, the number of soldiers was not large, and Cao Chun could not control the escape of the soldiers in the army. He could not rush back to Jizhou. Now there are only a few hundred people left in the cavalry unit of two to three thousand people. It would be impossible to make amends even if he committed suicide and apologized. .

On the other hand, there were some supplies in Changping. When Cao Chun fled Yuyang, he was in such a hurry that it was naturally impossible to carry much dry food supplies. And after taking the supplies from Changping County, it was impossible to say that the people in Changping County would be taken away. Throw down…

If you throw it away again, there will really be no one left.

To the south of Changping is Jixian County.

The more Cao Chun thought about it, the more unwilling he became. At the same time, he also wanted to know what was going on in Jixian, so he sent scouts to Jixian to investigate.

The scout came back from the investigation and said that there was indeed a tricolor Hussars flag above Jixian County.

Cao Chun and Changping guard Chen Bin were both in disbelief.

When did the hussars emerge from the rear and capture Jixian?

And it was still silent, and Jixian was taken away without any sound?

Could it be that he mistakenly blamed Xia Houheng, who also died in the Hussars' raid?

This is not completely impossible. After all, Yuyang has been besieged for several days. It is indeed possible for Zhao Yun to send soldiers south...

"That's wrong..." Changping guard Chen Bin said, "General, I haven't seen the hussars crossing the city and heading south in the past few days!" If the hussars were to cross the city and go south, how could their subordinates raise the beacon alarm... Could it be that they were in disguise? It's not right. During this period of time, the war was chaotic. There were not many people on the road or in the wilderness..."

"During the day and out at night..." Cao Chun said halfway before shaking his head, "That's not right either. There are also traces of staying up during the day and coming out at night...』

The two looked at each other, still confused.

Unless Jizhou also fell?

this…

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

The scout team leader hesitated on the side.

"Is there anything left to say?" ” asked Cao Chun.

"General, look at Ji County... it's a little weird..." the leader of the scout team said, "The city gates are wide open in all directions, and there are no soldiers stationed... And there is only a three-color flag on the top of the city, and there are some small ones... It doesn't look like a serious person." The standard hussars flag...is slightly smaller than this one...』

The scout team pointed at the general's flag beside Cao Chun.

"Smaller than this?" The cavalry recognized the flag? ” asked Cao Chun.

"no. ” The scout team leader shook his head.

In order to reduce wind resistance, the cavalry did not use large flags, but mostly used long small flags or triangular flags.

“Just one tricolor flag? No general flag? ” Chen Bin asked.

The scouts shook their heads.

"Strange, indeed strange. ” Cao Chun pondered.

"General, could it be that...Jixian County is an empty city?" ” Chen Bin said.

Cao Chun waved his hand at first, "How is it possible...huh?" It's really possible! 』

This group of "hussars" appeared out of nowhere and beat Xia Houheng away, and then pursued him all the way. There was no man left to guard Jixian!

"Captain Chen!" "When Cao Chun thought of this, he immediately ordered, "I order you to lead five hundred troops and go to Jixian immediately to check the truth and report! 』

Chen Bin swallowed his saliva and thought to himself, I might as well give him a thousand, since there were only five hundred people...

If they were to encounter the Hussars, they wouldn't be able to fill their teeth. But looking at the looks on Cao Chun's side, he could only admit it, lower his head and follow the orders.

…

…

Yi Shui, Yi Jing.

"Angel? ! 』

Wei Yan's eyes widened.

Yan Rou sighed and nodded, "Angel." 』

"Sure? Wei Yan asked again, "What is this angel doing here?" 』

Yan Rou sighed again, "What else can we do... mediate... both sides, cease fighting." 』

"Pfft!" ” Wei Yan slapped his hand on the table, “Don’t even think about it! 』

Yan Rou frowned.

"It's better..." Wei Yan smiled and tightened his grip on the handle of the knife, "This war is in chaos..."

Yan Rou shook her head, "That's inappropriate..."

This angel didn't come here secretly. How many people saw it along the way, and then encountered a horse thief near Yi Jing and disappeared?

Even if you really meet a horse thief, others won’t believe it!

"Then stop him!" Stay in Yi Jing and don't let him leave! Wei Yan said again, but soon he shook his head, "It's useless... To them, we are the Hussars, and staying here means they have arrived!" This won't work, that won't work either, what should we do? ! 』

If Yi Jing was not in the hands of Wei Yan, then the Angel would definitely have to move forward. But now that Yi Jing is under the control of the Hussars, it means that the Angel has arrived at the place where the two sides are fighting. Whether they stop him or not, they can't leave. None of them are too important issues.

The important thing is whether to accept mediation or not...

For Wei Yan, of course he was unwilling to accept it.

Just kidding, after finally occupying Yi Jing, I was able to wrap up Youzhou soldiers and horses and eat them. I saw that the stuffing was almost wrapped in the skin, but an angel came and wanted to make a hole...

Wei Yan suddenly thought of something, his heart suffocated, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes.

If General Hussar takes Youzhou now, judging from the current situation, he will definitely become what people in Shandong consider as the second "Dong Zhuo" and the second "rebellious minister and traitor".

Whether it is an angel, the emperor, Cao Cao, or officials from various prefectures and counties, it is obvious that the general Hussar occupied Youzhou to revitalize the Han Dynasty and for the sake of the people of the world.

So what kind of angel is this? He has evil intentions!

If you accept it, you will be beaten in vain in the early stage. Now you have finally counterattacked, but you have to stop it.

If you don't accept it, then the people in Shandong will use the Hussar General to cause trouble to the country as an excuse. Even if the Hussar General takes control of the court in the future, it will leave an indelible stain on these guys.

Just like Er Yuan.

Moreover, in addition to the Jingxiang sect, Guanzhong now has many officials and military academies from other places. How will they view this matter?

Even if we don’t say it now, what about the future?

When General Feiqian of the Hussars was born, no one might make a fuss about it, but...

These people from Shandong have really evil intentions!

Seeing Wei Yan gritting his teeth, Yan Rou quickly said: "This matter must be decided by the hussar... General, please don't do anything wrong!" 』

Wei Yan sighed, "I know this...but have you ever thought about two questions...One is this back and forth, how long will it take?" If it fails in the end, wouldn't it mean that he fell into Cao's thief's delaying scheme? The other thing is that we sons and daughters are all holding their breath. No matter what the angel is, now that we stop, our breath is relaxed..."

"Yes," Yan Rou nodded, "Then what do you want to do?" 』

Wei Yan wandered around twice and suddenly clapped his hands, "Yes!" Find a way to delay it first! Angels... aren't they just edicts and scepters... What would he do if there were no edicts and scepters? If we don’t beat him or kill him, let him go back and make another one. Wouldn’t that free up time? ! 』

Yan Rou's eyes widened, "You mean... no, no, even if we grab the scepter... we can't even steal it!" This will also have an impact on the hussar..."

Wei Yan smiled and said, "Of course it's not us...don't forget, we still have Cao Jun here!" 』

Yan Rou blinked and said, "I understand." Then... give it a try first? 』

"You must try it for sure!" 』

Wei Yan snorted.

Seeing Wei Yan touching the handle of the knife again, Yan Rou had a headache, "Let's just say it first, no matter what, you can't make your own decisions and hinder the great cause of the Hussar!" 』

Wei Yan waved his hand, "I know, I know!" 』

Seeing this, Yan Rou didn't say much and left the hall to deal with military affairs.

…

…

Ji County.

The horse thieves in the city smashed open the restaurants and shops, dressed in red and green, and held banquets on the cross streets, eating meat and drinking wine.

I don't know which one of them heard from whom, saying that the Hussars were coming and Cao's army was about to run away, so they rushed to make a three-color flag overnight, hoping to fish in troubled waters.

After all, in this era of war and chaos, fishing in troubled waters is almost a must-have skill for horse thieves.

They almost got into a fight over what the tricolor flag looked like.

The horse thief's original plan was just to wander around Jixian County and scare the defenders of Jixian County. Generally speaking, when the defenders see this situation, shouldn't they close the drawbridge and guard the city gate? So it gave the horse thieves a chance to plunder the countryside.

In the end, no one expected that Cao Jun in Jixian County saw the horse thieves and ran away without saying a word!

this…

So the horse thief rushed into Jixian naturally, like a mouse falling into a rice vat!

Things that I couldn’t eat or wear on weekdays were now being poured into my mouth like crazy and draped over my body!

It doesn’t matter if you vomit after eating too much, or whether it looks good when worn on your body, or whether it is contaminated with oil.

At the beginning, these horse thieves were still worried about whether Cao Jun would come back, but after waiting for a day or two and not seeing Cao Jun, these guys naturally relaxed their vigilance, and even the sentries on the top of the city came down to eat and drink. .

In China, being a stalker is not something worthy of glory.

That's right, according to the official announcement of the Han Dynasty, there are no "thieves" in the world.

How could there be a "thief" in this clear world?

Even if there is one, it can only be called a "stalker" and definitely not a "thief", otherwise it will fail the official review.

But the official is not allowed to call "thief", is there really no more "thief"?

The more wars and chaos there are, the more unstable the order is, and the more "stalkers" there are, either actively or by force...

Basically, these people are the lower class people.

The children of the gentry clan can still make a living in the clan even if their lintel has fallen and they have become a poor family. Even if the food is not so comfortable, and sometimes he has to endure the ridicule and scolding of the big family members, at least survival is not a problem, and he can even drink a little wine from time to time to improve his life. It is basically impossible for these horse thieves to have any guarantee at all, and there are no extra rooms or vehicles to rent out. If they want to fill their stomachs, they have to work hard...

Just change the name and pretend it doesn't exist. Perhaps only a big man can do that.

"The way I see it, we...we are right here, raising the flag of justice here!" "A horse thief said with a loud tongue, "Right here! Flag of righteousness! Don't care... what about the Hussars... we, we are just... what kind of army are we? 』

"Heaven...Army of the Heavenly King!" ” shouted another one, holding up a wine bowl.

"Hahaha! Army of Heavenly Kings! 』

"I did this for the Heavenly King's Army!" 』

"Oh oh oh..."

A group of people were laughing and shouting, as if there was no one around, and they didn't even notice that some people were coming to the city gate.

When Chen Bin led his people into Jixian County, they saw this scene...

He couldn't help but be stunned.

Even the men he brought with him widened their eyes and opened their mouths.

this…

Is this a group of thieves who occupied Jixian County?

What about Xia Houheng?

What is going on?

A horse thief who was drunk from eating and drinking needed to urinate and left the street. He swayed a few times in the direction of Chen Bin and others, and almost fell to the ground. He finally stopped and lifted up his lower skirt to reveal his work. Looking in the direction of Chen Bin and others, he looked up and saw Chen Bin with a dark face and Cao Jun soldiers occupying the street.

The horse thief tilted his head and seemed to be trying hard to identify Chen Bin and others. Then he seemed to be stabbed and suddenly shouted, "Ah...ahhhhh!" 』

Chen Bin had a dark face and waved his hand, "Kill me!" 』