Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 3460 Illusion

What Fei Qian didn't expect was not that Cao Jun had any conspiracy, but that Lu Chang was in trouble.

Big trouble!

For any general, it is a huge trouble when his soldiers are passive and slow in their work, or even start fighting in the opposite direction.

What do you do when the soldiers start to show off?

Under normal circumstances, officers would have hundreds of ways to deal with these messed up soldiers, but now the enemy is right in front of them, and their own soldiers are messed up...

Generally speaking, these soldiers in Shandong are very obedient and honest.

Including the people in Shandong are also very obedient and honest.

But this obedience and honesty come with a price and a limit...

That is "closure".

Tactics to fool people.

"The people can follow it but cannot know it." 』

But now this closed chain has been broken due to the intertwined wars.

If the soldiers and civilians still have a little trust in their superiors, or if they still have the so-called emperor of Han and the belief and faith in the unification of the world in their hearts, then even if they know the information from the outside and feel the The difference in treatment may not cause much sway, and it may be completely ruined.

But the problem is...

Do the soldiers led by Lu Chang have this kind of belief and faith?

For the great man, for the emperor, for the prime minister?

For the reason of the big man, maybe it can be justified. After all, as a soldier, it is indeed our bounden duty to defend against foreign enemies. There is nothing to shirk it from. But the problem now is that Fei Qian is also the hussar of the big man!

So for the emperor?

Who is the emperor? Does he know us? Does he know my name is Zhang Erdan or Li Sangou? He knows that the old woman in my family is blind and lame, and she has to pay taxes every year, and she must not miss a penny?

In the end, was it for the Prime Minister?

Maybe it can be a reason. After all, Prime Minister Cao Cao paid for food and clothing. He was short-tongued and short-handed. After receiving Prime Minister Cao's military pay, he worked for the Cao family. This is indeed no problem, but now there is nothing to eat!

If you want people to work hard for their lives, they must at least provide someone with a stutter, not even without food!

This kind of problem may look like asking for food on the surface, but in fact it has a bad root, showing that the ordinary soldiers of Cao's army don't want to fight at all!

Otherwise, why wasn't there such a big fuss in Cao Jun's Zhongtiao Mountain camp before?

It's a pity that Lu Chang couldn't react.

"Where's the grain collection team?" Not back yet? ! 』

Lu Chang was angry.

Generally speaking, it is normal for the baggage train to be slower.

But the problem now is that there is no baggage team to follow them out!

Lu Chang thought there was one, but it turned out there wasn't!

Lu Chang thought that this time the soldiers could still endure it, but it turned out that this time the soldiers did not want to endure it anymore!

This is a big problem.

The target is ahead, but the soldiers have to eat first.

At least not a starving ghost, this was the reason given by the soldiers, and Lu Chang had nothing to say.

Lu Chang had no choice but to send out a "grain collection team" to collect "grain and grass".

In fact, everyone knows, what kind of "food" can be found around here?

Fortunately, I found some scattered wild animals. Unfortunately, I became a "wild animal".

The key is that each "grain collection team" also has grain and grass indicators!

Performance must be assessed, and those who fail to achieve performance must of course be held accountable.

this…

A portion of the "grain collection team" dispatched by Lu Chang simply took advantage of this opportunity to run away!

So after Lu Chang arrived at the battlefield, he did nothing for most of the day and just ate.

…

…

In the battlefield, no one will give a second chance.

Although Fei Qian felt that this Cao army was a bit strange and its actions were difficult to understand, it did not prevent Fei Qian from organizing an attack.

No matter what Cao Jun's plan was, Fei Qian's response was simple and crude, which was fire reconnaissance.

No matter how good the disguise is, it will be exposed in front of fire reconnaissance.

The leader of the fire reconnaissance was Huang Xu. He pointed in the direction of the hill where Cao's army was located and said, "Kill over!" 』

Now that winter is getting closer, the ground is getting drier and harder.

There were 1,800 cavalrymen in the attack. The men and horses galloped up on the loess land, and there was a huge roar immediately!

Cao Jun, who was stationed on the hill, soon discovered something unusual, "What is that?" ! 』

"What the **** else could it be?" ! The Hussars are coming! 』

Someone immediately reported it to Lu Chang.

Lu Chang's face suddenly fell down, as if someone had hit him **** the head with a stick.

"How many troops are there?" ! ” Lu Chang yelled.

"have no idea! ” The sentry also yelled, “Can’t see clearly! At least a thousand people! 』

"..." Lu Chang was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

The sky was twilight and gray and black. The Hussars did not light large-scale torches. It was normal for Cao Jun's sentries to see clearly.

Now the difficult problem is placed in front of Lu Chang...

Is it the Hussars reinforcements, or is it a bluff by the Hussars' former military camp?

Obviously, the front camp of the Hussars must have known about Lu Chang's arrival, so they might have taken advantage of Cao's army's unsteady footing to launch a sneak attack.

If this is the case, there will not be many attacking hussars, and it may even be a bluff!

So if the men and horses in the front camp of the Hussars were just bluffing, but he was so scared that he turned around and left because of such a small number of soldiers, that would be too stupid.

But what if…

Lu Chang couldn't help but tremble in his heart.

Probably not.

Isn't Hussar in Anyi?

The county town of Anyi is in ruins, and the Prime Minister said that he has some back-up preparations. In addition, there are Governors of Xiahou and General Cao over there, so they must be able to hold back the Hussars and prevent them from going south!

Lu Chang thought.

He was completely unaware that he, like the other generals of Cao's army, had gone from eagerly awaiting the appearance of the hussars to now almost instinctively fearing and avoiding the appearance of the hussars.

This was a completely opposite change, but Lu Chang and other generals of Cao's army did not feel anything was wrong.

Avoiding because of fear.

"General!" What should we do? ! ” asked a confidant on the side.

Lu Chang swallowed, then gritted his teeth and said, "What are we doing here?" 』

"I don't know..." the confidant replied.

"Asshole!" Lu Chang was furious, "It's for the lord's great cause, it's for the people of the world, it's...forget it, let's put it this way, if we don't fight anything now and just go back like this, what do you think will happen?" 』

The confidant immediately trembled.

There are big problems in Cao's army, both high and low. Even if he sits in a position like Lu Chang, he is still trepidatious and doesn't dare to let anything fall into the hands of others.

"The general is right. ” The confidant responded helplessly.

So Lu Chang formed a formation along the mountain, trying to resist the hussars and horses.

…

…

Just when Lu Chang was trying to resist the Hussars on the hill, Cao Hong in Zhongtiao Mountain was also chased and encircled by the Hussars.

At first, Cao Hong didn't pay much attention.

Because in the process of escaping, it is extremely common for some soldiers to "get lost". However, a series of soldiers disappeared inexplicably, which aroused Cao Hong's vigilance.

Then Cao Hong discovered the pursuers he had brought with him.

The pursuit in the mountains is not easy for either the escaping party or the pursuing party.

However, in comparison at the moment, the morale of Cao Hong's side has collapsed and the soldiers have no fighting spirit, so they appear to be more trapped.

If you don't get rid of the pursuers, you will very likely be destroyed in this Zhongtiao Mountain.

"General, I have an idea..." A young guard leader walked up to Cao Hong, pointed to the south and said, "Take some people and pretend to intercept here first, and then look for opportunities to go south along the valley!" Those pursuing soldiers must have thought that the general was going to Heluo, but they didn't expect that the general was actually going back to the Zhongtiao Mountain camp..."

The Zhongtiao Mountain camp is to the west of Cao Hong.

If you take the outer route, the distance is longer in a straight line, but it's actually better.

Because Zhongtiao Mountain is a mountain range that runs almost east-west, the north and south are relatively narrow.

Cao Hong and Yong Yi were both climbing over mountains and ridges in an east-west direction, and they could not go any faster no matter how fast they went.

In addition, Cao Hong had an injury on his foot that had not recovered, which also slowed down the trip.

Cao Hong thought for a moment and hesitated.

If it had been before, even as long as he was not injured, Cao Hong really didn't pay attention to the pursuer, and he might as well have led his men to ambush him and kill him before leaving. But now...

"General!" Decide quickly! "The guard said, "Let me lead the pursuers away! 』

Cao Hong finally agreed to the guard's suggestion, "You should also be careful!" If it doesn't work, just run away separately! Only by sparing his life can he avenge this great revenge! 』

The guard smiled and said, "This little **** lives for his life..."

"No! From today on, you are no longer a mean person! ” Cao Hong took the guard’s hand and said, “You have been following me for many years... Now in times of adversity, you will know the true feelings! We have to return to the Central Plains, you and I are brothers! You are all my brothers, Cao Hong! 』

Cao Hong said loudly, then patted the guard leader's arm, "You all must survive!" Then let’s eat meat, drink wine and enjoy ourselves together! 』

The little guard leader looked very moved, "General!" You take the people and leave now, just leave a few good people with me! 』

Cao Hong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "How can we stop it with just a few people left?" I'll leave some more people for you! Even if you can't stop the pursuers, it's safer if you go together! 』

Cao Hong took a small number of people to the west, while the guard leader stayed with a relatively large number of people.

The remaining soldiers of Cao's army were sitting or leaning on the cliffs.

They are all very tired.

There were no grand words or generous words.

Everyone wants to live, but some people are bound to face the threat of death.

They are Cao Hong's last armor and shield. From the day they served as Cao Hong's guards, they were destined to face these threats of death.

It was these people who advised Cao Hong to flee, but now it was also these people who stayed to intercept the pursuers.

Call these people brave, but when they saw that the momentum was wrong, they were the first to persuade Cao Hong to flee.

Call these people cowardly, but they act brave at this time...

At least being brave on the surface is amazing. After all, there are more people who can't even be brave on the surface.

Whether they were Cao Hong's stand-in at Suoyang Pass before, or they are now taking the initiative to stop the pursuers, it can be said that these people are all desperadoes, but it also proves that human nature is complex and cannot be completely solved by applying an unchanging formula. Analyze and master.

Suddenly there was some noise in the distance, and Cao's troops who were left behind immediately hid their figures and stood ready.

However, these soldiers of Cao's army had not received special training after all. The chasing hussars soldiers discovered them before they could fully enter their ambush circle...

"Fire the arrow!" Shoot the arrow! 』

"Aim and shoot again!" 』

There were not many arrows left on both sides. After three or two rounds of shooting, they lost the support of long-range firepower.

The mountains roared past, which also affected the accuracy of shooting.

After seeing that the interception and ambush had no killing effect, the little guard leader immediately led his people to escape south.

"They fled south!" 』

Some hussar soldiers pointed at the figures of Cao Jun and shouted.

"Towards the south?" 』

I was stunned for a moment.

He was also injured, and it was really not easy for him to persist until now.

However, the opponent turned south, which made Nian Yang confused.

Because Cao Hong had been walking west before, but now he suddenly changed direction. Either Cao Hong planned to turn here, or...

"Don't rush after me yet!" "He always shouted, "Let's look for any other traces first..."

A blood mark can become a mark, but cannot be the primary tracking target.

Because other soldiers of Cao's army may also be injured, or even "intentionally" injured.

Therefore, the main criterion for judgment is the number of people.

Or the number of traces left on the ground.

The number of people is different, and the number of traces of human activities left behind is of course also inconsistent.

The hussars spread out, looking for these marks on the ground.

After a while, the hussar soldiers discovered two different traces in two directions.

One way is to the south, there are more people, and the other way is to the west, there are fewer people.

If there are more people, go south.

There are fewer people, go west.

Which direction should we go in?

Or are these two directions wrong, and Cao Hong is actually hiding somewhere nearby, waiting for us to chase him and then take the opportunity to turn back?

…

…

Lu Chang looked at the hussars rushing towards them in the dusk, his expression ugly.

He felt like a joke.

He had some premonitions before, but he made a mistake in judgment, and now this premonition was vividly placed in front of him.

But he couldn't say it out loud, so he could only hold on and keep a glimmer of hope.

If you had evacuated earlier, you might as well have run back, but now...

Lu Chang is also a veteran in the army, and he can tell whether he is an elite or not, even if he doesn't observe them up close.

These cavalry, who seemed to be able to move freely on horseback, were not only very well-equipped, but also very powerful and full of energy. They were completely different from the Cao soldiers around Lu Chang.

In addition to having a slight advantage at the beginning and having a relatively high momentum, Cao Jun was passively beaten in the middle and later stages. The reason why Cao Jun can maintain it till now is to a large extent it relies on Shandong's long-standing policy of obscuring the people. Otherwise, It has long since collapsed.

Even this kind of foolish people's inertia is now gradually losing control of the situation.

Lu Chang was helpless and a little frustrated.

If the soldiers had not mutinied, he should have arrived at the Hussars' front camp long ago. Then whether the attack was successful or failed, there would be a result, and the job could be ended early.

As a result, it was delayed...

In fact, the delay started when we set off from the Zhongtiao Mountain Camp.

Lu Chang didn't take it seriously at the time.

Why did Cao Jun become like this?

When Cao Cao raised his troops in Chenliu and fought in the north and south, even in the face of Yuan Shao's fierce momentum, he did not collapse like he did now...

Lu Chang looked at the direct guards beside him.

If they can't win, it's up to them whether they can escape back.

When he saw the fierce figures of these hussars galloping down the mountain, Lu Chang lost confidence in defeating the former army camp, and also doubted why he had "gullibly believed" Dong Zhao's advocacy before, thinking that it was "organic" Can you take advantage of it?

Dong Zhao should really be allowed to see these hussars in front of him with his own eyes, and then formulate any strategy!

The only thing that I am thankful for now is that because the soldiers mutinied and clamored for food, Lu Chang did not directly attack the former army camp. Therefore, he did not encounter these hussars in the wild. At least there was still a defensive position, even if This position is crude, but it can give Lu Chang and other Cao soldiers some psychological comfort.

Stay until dark and then retreat!

When the time comes, the Hussars may not be able to find out who they are even if they want to chase them!

The rapid sound of horse hooves roared from a distance, and then it did not immediately attack the infantry line on the hillside. Instead, it often went around the two wings along the foot of the mountain, just like running water encountering a rock, and it did not immediately destroy the rock. Knocked over, but entangled, looking for an opportunity to overturn.

The thunderous sound of horse hooves made these Cao soldiers tremble. They recalled the previous battles dominated by the hussars. Some of them were even so nervous that their hands and feet twitched involuntarily.

Fei Qian led the rear formation and did not move.

"Hello, hussar!" No rebel branch was found within five miles! 』

"No enemy ambush was found!" 』

"Nothing unusual!" 』

While listening to the feedback from the scout rangers, Fei Qian held up his binoculars and looked around.

The gradually getting darker night covered most of the colors and compressed the field of vision to a small range. Even with a telescope, it was impossible to see changes in the distance clearly. One could only judge whether there was Cao Jun based on the presence of lights or the like. Hidden.

"You really have no backup plan?" 』

Fei Qian looked at the firelight rising above the hill and asked, "Are those firelights just signals?" 』

Until now, Fei Qian was still wondering whether there were other Cao soldiers lurking around, and was ready to attack them. He even sent people to the former army camp and notified the military academy in the camp to prevent them from leaving the camp. , to avoid unexpected situations.

Fei Qian knows that if you are cautious ten thousand times, you may be ridiculed as timid or cowardly, but as long as you are careless once, you may never hear these ridicules...

"Lord!" Fight or not? 』

When Huang Xu arrived in front of Fei Qian, he looked eager to try.

If we want to fight now, it means we have to fight at night, but if we wait until dawn to fight, it will be a long night and many dreams.

Fei Qian thought for a moment and waved his arm, "Hit!" 』