Pan Ping was hidden among the crowd.
He timidly hid behind a few soldiers, showing his head from time to time to observe the situation in the city. Once he found anything unusual, he would loudly issue orders.
Compared with the other generals under Xu He and Sima Ju, Pan Ping was actually an outlier. Not only was he thin, but he also had no special skills.
In terms of archery, horseback riding, and even arranging troops and being brave enough to ascend first, some of the Yellow Turbans were ten or a hundred times better than him.
Let’s talk about the ability to save lives.
Pan Ping is a very good player.
Not only is he a thief, but he is also extremely stubborn. At this moment, he is hiding behind a few soldiers. Generals who usually command at the front line really can't do this.
This is also the reason why the Yellow Turban Army's lieutenant generals changed one after another, but he was able to rise all the way.
He was so able to endure that he had endured all the others to death. Except for the two commanders and a few of their confidants, he had the highest status in the army.
"Come closer and don't expose my head. If there is any sharp archer in the city, my life as a general will be entrusted to you here!"
After waiting for a long time.
There was not much movement in the city.
Pan Ping felt that he should be safe. He had just spoken out to warn the car about crashing, which attracted the attention of the defenders, but they did not attack him.
I guess there are no sharp archers in Jinxiang City.
Thinking about it this way.
Pan Ping immediately stuck his head out slightly, wanting to take another look at the scene in the city.
However, it is such a momentary effort.
Pan Ping heard a burst of wind in his ears, and with it, there was a fierce wind blowing directly into his face.
"Pfft!"
An arrow pierced the brain!
Blood spattered on the backs of the heads and clothes of several soldiers in front.
Pan Ping, who had always been known for his ability to be stubborn, fell straight down and died on the spot.
This frightened the surrounding soldiers.
"General Pan is dead!"
"General Pan was shot to death!"
The shortcomings of the refugee army are reflected here.
There is no discipline or structure.
This didn't even require Cao Ang to encourage his soldiers to shout loudly. They themselves panicked first, and several buildings and carriages suddenly became chaotic.
…
And looking at this situation.
Cao Ang said nothing.
Immediately push aside the soldiers on the left and right.
Then the hands kept moving.
Arrows shot towards the battlefield like precise guidance. Every time the bowstring was loosened, a soldier was harvested on the carriage.
At one time, there were more than a dozen building trucks on the top floor.
There were only a few people standing.
Either he was killed by Cao Ang's arrow, or he fell from the roof of the building in panic.
Although there are still a large number of soldiers on the battlefield every moment, their lives are taken away by arrows on the city top, and there is never a lack of screams and blood among the crowds rushing to the city head carrying ladders.
But these are compared with Cao Ang's performance.
It's not surprising enough.
At this moment.
Shanyang County, outside Jinxiang County.
Both sides invested troops, totaling more than 200,000, on the vast battlefield, which has become Cao Ang's personal show.
Bows and arrows in the cold weapon age.
He used it as a hot weapon.
This really shocked many people. Senior generals on both sides of the enemy and ourselves saw such a situation.
Everyone was stunned.
Jaw-dropping!
Is this still a person?
Isn't this just a humanoid crossbow? !
It shoots faster and farther than a crossbow, and the force is not bad at all. It will really make your eyes pop out.
…
"General Cao is mighty!"
"General Cao kills the enemy like slaughtering chickens and dogs!"
The archers are still fighting bravely.
At this stage, the melee infantrymen holding spears were fine. At best, they were passing arrows to the archers.
So he cheered loudly from behind.
Shouts echoed throughout the battlefield.
And accompanied by the soldiers shouting loudly.
"boom!"
There was a huge roar.
It turned out to be Dian Wei, who smashed the Mu Lei that he had been holding, hitting the car in the middle without any hesitation.
The crash is solid though.
But how could it withstand the acceleration of gravity, even with Dian Wei's power exerted on it.
So after the loud noise.
Except for the main part of the collision wood, the rest were all broken into parts on the ground. This collision car was considered useless.
The cheers were louder now.
The cries of the mountains and the sea rang out from the defenders of the city, as if the waves were sweeping over them, with astonishing momentum.
And the more so.
The morale of Cao Jun became even stronger.
The excitement will continue to be contagious, and if everyone cheers, we will be more energetic when outputting.
And the opposite.
On the side of the Yellow Turban thieves, morale began to decline.
So far though.
The Yellow Turban Army has not suffered any substantial losses. At best, it is only the vanguard, which suffered a large-scale attack by archers.
The number of dead and wounded soldiers was compared to the total number.
It's really insignificant.
Not even the fur was hurt.
But sometimes morale on the battlefield is not entirely determined by casualties.
The enemy was calling out from all sides, and all the work on his side was so heavy that he could not lift his head. Even a general died, and all the comrades around him were dejected.
Can you not feel depressed?
One goes down and the other goes up.
The fighting will of both sides widened the gap in an instant, and this was reflected in the fact that when the Yellow Turban thieves marched, they were no longer as courageous as they were when the war first started. They all ran towards the city as if they were desperate for their lives.
…
"Whoosh!"
Shoot the last arrow.
Seeing that there was no one alive on the carriages on the north bank of the moat, Cao Ang felt a little regretful.
This won't work?
Although I am young, my arrow is still sharp!
After shaking his right arm and stretching his muscles, Cao Ang handed the long bow to the guard at the side.
He walked towards Cao Cao.
"Father, this situation looks good. If things continue like this, the enemy will at most touch the city wall and then declare a temporary withdrawal of troops."
Cao Cao stroked his beard.
A rare smile appeared on his face that had been tense all day, and he nodded in agreement.
Although the enemy's withdrawal of troops does not mean defeat.
But for every extra day of delay on our side, the enemy will consume one more day of food and grass.
This battle was a war of attrition.
Either drag the enemy troops until their morale collapses, or let them collapse directly due to lack of food.
In short, according to the current situation.
The balance of victory was already tilting towards the Cao family, and Cao Cao naturally showed joy.
At this moment, I heard my son’s words.
Cao Cao couldn't help but turn his head and look.
Seeing Cao Ang shaking his arms.
Cao Cao quickly asked with concern: "Ang'er, are you okay? Do you want to go down and rest for a while?"
Cao Ang shook his head.
"Don't worry, father. The child is fine. He's just a little sore from pulling the bow too frequently in a short period of time."
Cao Cao then put his heart back into his stomach.
Then he couldn't help but lightly beat Cao Ang's chest and said in a complaining tone.
"On the battlefield, it depends on the two armies fighting each other. In this huge battlefield with more than 100,000 and 200,000 troops, personal bravery will have little effect after all."
"Don't be so reckless in the future. It's just some cars. How can we deal with it? But if you get injured, it's not worth the gain!"
…
Cao Cao's care and love are not fake.
Of course Cao Ang could hear it.
Therefore, he did not argue with his father.
He just smiled and nodded.
After a few words of education, and seeing his son acting obediently, Cao Cao could only helplessly shake his head and stop discussing the topic.
Instead, he placed one hand on the crenellations of the tower.
Looking at Dian Wei who was walking back and forth below, intimidating the enemy.
He couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Zixiu, you and General Dian Wei, the two of you worked together to directly reverse the situation on such a complicated battlefield."
"This is really shocking to my father!"
After hearing this, Cao Ang couldn't help but turn his gaze outside the city. Looking at the enemy who was still in the dark under the city, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"Only a ragtag group like the Ant Thieves, who have no military discipline and rely solely on the strength of their numbers to fight, can the two of us achieve such results."
"If we had an opponent like Uncle Benchu, I'm afraid we would have to fight head-on."
The words just fell.
A complicated look suddenly flashed across Cao Cao's eyes, and he felt that his son's words had a profound meaning.
Why not use others as an example.
But it was Yuan Shao who opened his mouth?
Could it be that in his son's mind, he regarded Yuan Shao as an imaginary enemy from the beginning to the end, and was always ready to fight with his original uncle?
Cao Cao thought it was very possible.
But after experiencing what Cao Ang told him outside Luoyang City.
Cao Cao always believed in one thing.
Anyone who dares to become a stumbling block on his way to becoming the strongest and most powerful loyal minister in the world will be kicked out by him without hesitation.
Even Yuan Shao!
Therefore, regarding his son's words, Cao Cao only felt a change in his heart, but he still said nothing on his face.
He just nodded in agreement.
…………
The sun sets in the west, halfway up the mountain.
As the sun gradually disappeared below the horizon, only large expanses of red clouds remained in the sky, reflecting the entire Jinxiang City like blood.
And corresponding to it.
It was the piles of corpses in the moat outside the city and on both sides of the river.
The ground was covered with blood that had dried to a dark red color, spread out on the yellow earth, as if forming thick shackles, which was shocking.
At this moment, the warring parties have reached a truce.
In fact, just as Cao Cao and his son predicted, the enemy's vanguard only touched the city wall and did not even have time to put the ladder up to the top of the city.
He had to choose to withdraw his troops because the sun was about to set and it was too late.
The lighting conditions in this era were very poor.
Once night enters, no matter which side is attacking or defending the city, their eyesight will be extremely reduced.
Night fighting is basically a blind fight.
The defenders also had the convenience of the city, so as long as it was delayed until night, the attacking side would never be able to fight, so they simply chose to withdraw their troops.
Looking forward to fighting again tomorrow.
…
Now on top of the city.
Cao Ang started from the west and marched to the east, observing the status of the soldiers along the way.
Compared to the battle in Linqiu County.
This battle was actually quite comfortable.
At least after today's battle, the vast majority of the soldiers can still maintain a certain level of energy. Except for the archers, few are too tired to move.
The reason why there is such a battle situation.
Except for the enemy's own tricks.
The most important thing is that the number of defenders in the city is not large, there are tens of thousands of them, and they have not reached the terrifying ratio of one to a dozen when they fought against Zhang Rao.
Therefore, all parties can support each other without being stretched thin, and everyone can take turns to rest.
And as Cao Ang walked to the middle position.
You can also see Xia Houyuan giving military orders there.
"You two will be on duty tonight, take your own troops, and be sure to watch the outside of the city. Don't let your guard down!"
"After nightfall, you guys will take the soldiers out of the city and clean up the battlefield a little. Be sure to clean everything from the root of the city wall to the south bank of the moat."
"What can be burned will be burned, and what cannot be burned will be dragged to both sides. Let the water in the moat flow more or less, and it will be more convenient to defend the city tomorrow."
Cleaning the battlefield and keeping watch at night.
This is considered a basic operation for a regular army. Even if Xia Houyuan doesn't say anything, some generals will take the initiative to ask him for orders.
It's just that they are facing the Yellow Turban Army, a refugee army that often does not follow the routine, so Xia Houyuan needs to make arrangements personally.
Finished commanding these things.
Xia Houyuan turned around and saw Cao Ang.
He quickly bowed to him.
After Cao Ang returned the salute, he smiled and said to Xiahou Yuan: "General Xiahou, remember to go to the county government office to have dinner together later. Afterwards, we need to discuss tomorrow's battle plan."
"General, don't worry, I will remember it!"
…………
That night.
After dinner, the Cao family and his son, together with the generals in the army and several counselors who came with the army, held a discussion that lasted for more than half an hour.
It's mainly about tomorrow's battle plan.
Although today's battle went smoothly, there were almost no casualties on our own side.
But anyone with a discerning eye will know.
Starting from tomorrow is the hard core of this battle. As long as the enemy enters the stage of climbing the city wall, it will be a meat grinder for both sides.
Besides today's battle.
It also consumed a lot of arrows from Cao's army. Although some can be recovered after leaving the city after nightfall, the proportion is not high. A considerable part must have been deformed and cannot be recycled.
A rigorous arrangement was made.
After each arranged their tasks.
The meeting was dissolved.
Cao Ang immediately went to the temporary residence arranged for him. During this special period, there were no servants, so Dian Wei walked in front holding a lantern.
"Um?"
"General, there is a person standing in front of your door. I can't see his face clearly. I don't know what his purpose is!"
When Cao Ang was taking steps in a dazed way.
Dian Wei's warning sound suddenly sounded in his ears.
He immediately looked at it intently.
He saw a thin figure with a hair crown on his head. Cao Ang guessed who this person was after just a brief glance.
"This person is my good friend, Adian. Go to bed early tonight, so you don't have to guard my place."
"Here!"
Since he was someone his general knew, Dian Wei would certainly not look for trouble. Instead, he happily handed the lantern to Cao Ang and went into the next room.
…
"Your Highness, why are you here?"
That's right, waiting in front of Cao Ang's house is Princess Liu Ping of Ten Thousand Years.
At this moment, Her Royal Highness the Princess was wrapped in a black robe, completely covering up her soft and delicate skin.
He still wore the familiar hair crown and a long sword hanging from his waist, looking very heroic.
Liu Ping had just turned around and closed the door.
After hearing Cao Ang's inquiry.
While taking off his black robe under the dim candlelight, he answered casually with a slight smile.
"Today is my first time on the battlefield, and I have witnessed such a magnificent scene in person. I am really excited and overwhelmed with emotions, and I can't sleep at all, so I just came to sit here with you."
"It shouldn't bother you, right?"
That's what I said.
Cao Ang waved his hand decisively.
"With His Highness accompanying me to hold candlelight talks at night, I won't feel disturbed for a long time."
Liu Ping said "ha" and didn't take Cao Ang's teasing to heart at all.
Instead, he blinked twice, a rare soft light appearing in his eyes.
He looked at Cao Ang with a hint of water.
"In the past, I have only heard about General Cao's heroic deeds from other people's mouths and seen them in documents and files, but I have never experienced them with my own eyes."
"Today is an eye-opener. It turns out that General Cao is even more famous when we meet him. General Cao is more majestic and elegant on the battlefield than the rumors say!"
Who doesn't like others to praise themselves?
Even since Cao Ang came to this era, he has received praise from too many people.
But in the face of the princess, she praised him without any hesitation.
He still felt a bit happy.
But he still said humbly: "Your Highness is very grateful. It is all the soldiers who served bravely. I only made a small contribution."
"Ignore me, how did Your Highness feel on the battlefield today? Is there anything uncomfortable about him?"
…
When it comes to myself.
Liu Ping suddenly became more and more excited.
The face that originally had a somewhat heroic air suddenly appeared with two blushes dotted on the left and right sides of the cheeks.
Some are surprisingly cute.
"It's shocking. Standing on such a vast battlefield, it really feels like you are somewhere between heaven and earth."
"As soon as the war drums sounded and the shouts of death came together, it seemed like the blood was rising all over the body. It was really unbearable."
Speaking of which.
Liu Ping quietly stuck out her tongue, bit her lower lip lightly with her teeth, and looked like she was hesitant to speak.
After hesitating for a long while.
Then he said to Cao Ang with a bit of embarrassment: "To tell you the truth, I shot a few arrows down the city while others were not paying attention, and I think I hit an enemy soldier."
This is not surprising.
But for Princess Wannian.
But it can definitely be called a first experience!
After all, as a princess of the Han Dynasty and the favored daughter of the late emperor, even if she was skilled in bow and horse, she could only hunt wild beasts in the royal gardens.
It is impossible to have such an opportunity to go to the battlefield in person, let alone a large-scale battle with a level of more than 200,000.
Therefore, for Liu Ping, it was a novel experience that shocked her mind.
…
"Your Highness is truly full of martial virtue!"
Cao Ang made a gesture of praise sincerely.
Only then did Liu Ping realize that she seemed to have lost her composure.
He immediately calmed down his expression and pretended to smooth the hair on his head to return to normal.
"This makes the general laugh. In fact, I don't like the feeling of harvesting human lives on the battlefield. Watching the lives that originally belonged to the people of my Han Dynasty disappear in this world."
"I will inevitably feel a little disappointed."
"It's just that now that the world is in chaos, these people who used to be peaceful and peaceful have become part of the chaos in the world. Although they are in the situation they are in today, it is also caused by the loss of land."
"But they are ultimately destroying the strength of my Han Dynasty. As long as our army is not victorious, they will cause more and more serious damage, so I can only kill them."
I don’t know if it’s to save his image.
Still deeply analyzing myself.
Liu Ping said a lot.
Cao Ang nodded repeatedly.
"Your Highness, there is no need to say anything, I know your thoughts."
"The princess who was supposed to enjoy her life and be carefree actually came to this most cruel battlefield with weapons in hand. You are doing your part for the Han Dynasty."
"If the people in the world knew about it, they would only admire you and not be harsh on you. Even if the late emperor knew about it, he would still be full of praise for you!"
…
Talk about people when you see them, talk about ghosts when you see ghosts.
This skill is Cao Ang's most proficient skill.
It has been practiced perfectly when facing Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, Yuan Shao and others.
Therefore, when used against Liu Ping, how could Her Royal Highness be able to withstand it?
Cao Ang's words.
It was as if it was scratched directly on her heart twice, making her feel comfortable all over.
After the Han Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, Liu Ping took it as his mission to restore the country and restore the Han Dynasty.
I hope that when I see my father a hundred years later, I can live up to his trust.
And at the same time.
Liu Ping also hopes that someone can understand her behavior, instead of seeing her as an ambitious woman who wants to be Empress Lu after knowing what she has done.
Hence Cao Ang’s words.
It can be said that she has a strong appetite for Princess Wannian.
very nice!
The man in front of me is really a good man, he understands me so well, but it's a pity that he doesn't want to be the emperor's son-in-law.
Otherwise, when he returns to the Han Dynasty, his life will be considered completely complete.
Think of this.
Her Royal Highness has half shed her hard outer shell, revealing her soft inner self.
A pair of eyes are even more sparkling.
There is faint water mist flowing in it.
Just a moment later.
Liu Ping finally controlled herself and quickly regained control of her appearance, becoming the stoic, resolute and heroic woman she had been before.
…
"General Cao, it's getting late. I won't disturb your rest anymore. I'll take my leave first!"
I realized that if I stayed any longer, it would probably lead to further changes in my mentality.
After all, after experiencing the grand battle during the day, my psychological defense line has been somewhat lowered, and it is easy to be invaded by foreign objects.
Liu Ping decisively bid farewell to Cao Ang.
Cao Ang is naturally fine with this.
Although he felt that Her Highness the Princess's mentality was somewhat fluctuating, he really didn't think about it in a deeper direction.
What's more, even if you know it, it's not suitable to do more things. Things like emotions need to be built slowly and step by step.
"Uh-huh!"
Cao Ang stood up and sent Liu Ping to the door.
But when the princess was about to go out.
Cao Ang gave one more warning.
"Your Highness, tomorrow's battle will not be as fierce as today's. The intensity of the battlefield will be far greater than today's. If you continue to stay on top of the city, there will be many dangers."
"Your Highness, please be careful tomorrow and never put yourself in danger. It is best to stay on the tower until the two sides have a truce!"
This kind of thing cannot be ignored.
After all, Liu Ping went to the battlefield for the first time.
Many things are unclear.
If she really thought that the battlefield was a fun place, standing on the top of the city stupidly, any stray arrow could kill her.
I heard Cao Ang's kind reminder.
Princess Wannian bowed slightly and bowed her hands.
"Thank you, General, for reminding me. I don't understand the importance of this and will never act carelessly!"
…………
After a night.
It's still early morning.
The enemy troops outside the city have already sounded the clarion call for attack. It can be seen that they are impatient and waiting to break the city as soon as possible to alleviate the current dilemma of the army.
Go all the way south from Shouzhang County.
The distance covered during this period is too long.
Although they had plundered a lot of food and grass in successive battles, they could not withstand such consumption.
Therefore, it must be replenished in a short time, otherwise the food and grass will soon be exhausted.
Therefore, the offense and defense are divided into two sides.
The Yellow Turban thieves outside the city are the most anxious.
In the face of the enemy's fierce attack, Cao's army was not timid at all. Most of the soldiers had already climbed to the top of the city under the leadership of their respective generals.
Some middle- and high-level generals rushed to Beicheng while stuffing food into their mouths.
Outside Jinxiang County at this moment.
It has been roughly cleaned up.
The mountains of corpses had been dragged to the wilderness last night and burned completely.
As for the corpses that fell in the moat, only a part of them could be roughly cleaned up. Those located in the deepest part of the river could only be put aside temporarily because there was no time.
But even so.
The moat has also started flowing again.
Restored some defensive capabilities.
…………
"Kill!"
It was afternoon in the blink of an eye, and the two sides inside and outside the city were already fighting in darkness.
The shouts of killing that had never stopped since early morning had already made everyone on the battlefield numb.
The siege party used all their strength.
The top floor of the building cart was directly abandoned and replaced by archers on the middle and lower floors, who were conducting fire counterattacks on the city head.
A car crash that was recreated at night.
The ladders that have been hung densely on the top of the city are really countless and dazzling.
Naturally, the defenders did not sit still and wait for death.
The same methods are used.
Use crossbow arrows to attack the archers in the cart, then use wooden mines to smash the cart, and use various means to knock down the ladder.
And after exhausting all means.
Naturally, it was a close fight.
The two sides surrounded the north wall of Jinxiang City, killing each other until rivers of blood flowed. There were countless layers of corpses under the city. It was even exaggerated to the point that after the Yellow Turban soldiers fell from the ladder, they fell on the mountain of corpses without any serious injuries.
And corresponding to it.
Then casualties also began to appear in the city.
No matter how much we gain the advantage, facing such a non-stop high-pressure offensive, it is simply impossible not to pay the price.
…
But overall.
The gap in casualty ratios is still relatively large.
The number of casualties among the Yellow Turban Army officers was particularly exaggerated. Basically, if one person was killed or injured in the city, ten people would lose their lives at the same time outside the city.
This is a battle-loss ratio that was only achieved after close combat. Otherwise, if the timeline moved forward, the gap on the battlefield would be even greater, and the Yellow Turban Army's casualties would be even more tragic.
Follow this trend.
I am afraid that there is no need to wait until the food and grass are exhausted. The attacking party will suffer too many casualties, thus losing morale and collapsing the morale of the army.
The victory of the war is not far away!
It's vaguely in front of you!
…………
ps. The 15,000-word update will continue tomorrow, with just a few more words. Please vote monthly!
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(End of chapter)
