The stars in the night sky twinkled faintly, dotting the dark sky.
Outside the military camp where Cao Zhang's army was stationed in the wild, everything was quiet.
The night wind blows through the grassland, bringing a bit of refreshment.
The moonlight shines on the earth, and its looming light reflects the hills and woods in the distance.
The sound of insects came from the forest, seeming to be singing the songs of the night in a low voice.
In the military camp, smoke curled up, and the refreshing aroma filled the entire camp.
In the military camp, the bonfire was burning brightly, giving off a faint light.
The sergeants were scattered around the tent, some sitting by the fire, some leaning against the tree trunks and meditating, and some gathering together to talk in low voices. The fighting spirit and exhaustion emanating from them were intertwined, filling the entire camp with a special atmosphere.
In the military camp, Xiahou Shang was sitting in the military camp, with a geographical map of Sizhou placed in front of him. He looked at the map, moving his fingers on the map, frowning, obviously full of worry.
Xia Houru walked in with a bowl of vegetable porridge, came to Xia Houchang, and greeted him in a low voice: "Bo Yan!"
Xia Houshang raised his head and saw that it was Xia Houru, and said in agreement: "Is the troops all safe?"
"You have been setting up camp since noon, and it has been so long now, and you still can't do it well?" Xia Houru responded with a bit of complaint.
"Oh, we just stopped to rest after walking such a long way. If we keep going like this, when will we be able to reach Luoyang? We were already delayed for ten days in Xudu, and now we finally set off, and we are still dragging our feet like this."
"If this continues, let alone recapturing Chang'an in a hundred days, even recapturing Luoyang, I think it is all nonsense!" Xia Houshang also said with great dissatisfaction.
"Yes, after all, Li Jue is also a famous general. After he occupied Luoyang, he knew that my army was coming, and he would definitely deploy heavy defenses at Dagu Pass and Yique Pass in the southwest of Luoyang."
"Ziwen is so hesitant. By the time we reach the pass, the enemy has already set up defenses. How can we attack it in our haste? We are afraid that the soldiers will die in vain, but we will not achieve any results!" Xia Houru echoed worriedly.
"No, I have to persuade Ziwen to speed up his march tomorrow and try to reach Luoyang as soon as possible." After Xiahou Shang finished speaking, he stood up and walked out.
"Do you think he can listen if you try to persuade him now?" Xia Houru grabbed Xia Houchang and reminded him worriedly.
"As a member of the army, it is our duty to remind the coach. Whether he listens or not, we have to say it. Do you have any other good ideas?" Xia Houshang looked at Xia Houru in confusion and said.
"I now understand why brother Zihuan warned us two before the army set off. Obviously he knows Ziwen better. I think that instead of hitting a wall, it is better to follow what brother Zihuan said and report the current march situation to the enemy in a timely manner. He reports.”
"Brother Zihuan can communicate with the clan uncles in time and make preparations in advance. If Ziwen takes us to the battle and it is unfavorable, we can make timely remedies." Xia Houru suggested to Xia Houchang.
Xia Houshang pondered for a moment and then said: "What you said makes sense, but reporting it to brother Zihuan is definitely not enough. I should remind you. In this case, I will go to Ziwen, and you can ask Shi A to report the situation of our march. Report to Brother Zihuan and we will go our separate ways."
Xia Houru nodded: "This is best, then let's do it separately."
Xiahou Shang quickly walked out of the military camp and went to find Cao Zhang.
Xia Houru immediately called Shi A and asked him to report to Cao Pi that the troops were moving slowly and were stranded in Yingchuan.
After receiving Xia Houru's order, Shi A immediately took the order and quietly left the military camp, riding away on horseback.
…
About ten miles away from the camp of Cao Zhang's army is the camp of Xu Huang's troops.
According to Cao Zhang's prior arrangements, Xu Huang led a thousand cavalry, disguised as infantry, along with civilians and handymen, escorting supplies such as grain, grass, baggage, war horses, and armor, and moved slowly behind.
When marching in ancient times, it was not like what is shown in today's TV series. All soldiers and generals wore armor, brought weapons, and even rode horses.
Armor and weapons are extremely heavy and very tiring to wear on the body, which will seriously affect the marching speed. Therefore, they are basically kept in a centralized manner and are pulled by civilians and servants using chariots and horses.
The troops basically move forward lightly, so as to ensure a certain speed of movement.
This is why ancient marching operations and surprise attacks on marching troops can often cause heavy damage.
When a fully armed army goes out to face troops marching without weapons or armor, it is not a unilateral massacre. What else can the result be?
Of course, conversely, the same effect would be achieved by a heavily armed force marching in a hurry and launching a surprise attack on a completely unprepared defender.
Xu Huang also received the order to set up camp early and led his troops to set up camp and rest.
A soldier quickly walked into the military camp from outside and reported to Xu Huang: "General, Commander Li Jin is here!"
Xu Huang knew that Li Jin must have brought Cao Zhang's secret order, so he quickly ordered: "Please come quickly!"
After a while, Li Jin walked in and handed the sealed bamboo tube secret order into Xu Huang's hand.
Xu Huang quickly crushed the sealing paint, opened the bamboo tube, and took out the secret order written on Cao Gong paper inside.
Xu Huang unfolded the secret order, which briefly wrote a few lines: Gongming, hand over the baggage and food to Li Jin, and I will send someone to take it over later. You lead a thousand cavalry, act in secret, and march in full force, bypassing Hulao Pass and reaching Luoyang in one day and one night. After resting, you launch a surprise attack and capture Luoyang!
Xu Huang was also shocked when he saw Cao Zhang's secret order!
Their current location is in Yingchuan County, nearly three hundred miles away from Luoyang. This is still a straight line distance. They enter from Dagu Pass in the southwest of Luoyang or Yique Pass in the south.
Now Cao Zhang asked him to go around Hulao Pass in the east of Luoyang, which would be about fifty miles away.
Fortunately, today's war horses have saddles and stirrups, making them easier and lighter to control.
After adding horseshoes, the wear of the horseshoes will also be reduced, and the horse's traveling distance can be extended. It is completely possible to run more than three hundred miles in one day and one night.
After a simple rest, a lot of physical strength can be restored. Although it is impossible to reach the best fighting condition, it is still possible to launch a surprise attack, rush into Luoyang, and give the completely unprepared Li Jue a heavy blow.
Xu Huang stood up immediately and said to Li Jin: "Season, then I will leave the grain, grass, baggage, civilian husbands, and handymen to you. I will lead my troops to set off immediately, and we will meet in Luoyang."
Li Jin was not good at words and could only respond to Xu Huang.
Xu Huang immediately issued an order for the soldiers to quickly assemble and set off.
The soldiers and horses led by Xu Huang were all his soldiers who had followed him since the Baibo Army period, and they all had rich combat experience.
Under the leadership of Xu Huang, there was also strict military discipline. It only took less than half an hour to be fully armed and ready for the expedition.
Xu Huang checked the situation of the troops, and after confirming that it was correct, he issued the order to set off, taking advantage of the night, with a thousand cavalry, to circle and kill at high speed in the direction of Hulao Pass...
