It is said that Zhang Fei followed Zhao Chen's plan, took the fire starter, and led 5,000 men to turn around halfway and quietly headed towards Hongze Lake.
If Yuan Shu wants to sneak attack Huaiyin, Xutai is the only way.
Zhao Chen knew this place very well. It was the first place Zhao Chen lived after traveling through time. The customs, customs, and geographical location were all in Zhao Chen's heart.
Xutai County is close to Hongze Lake, with low city walls and weak guards. Twenty miles northeast of the city, there is a calabash mouth surrounded by water on three sides, which is a natural pocket.
Yuan Shu and Liu Bei fought fiercely here before, and the city walls were also partially damaged. After Yuan Shu withdrew, Liu Bei's army had not officially settled in and had not had time to repair it.
Most of the houses of the people in the city have been damaged, and most of the people have fled.
Zhang Fei followed Zhao Chen's instructions and led all the remaining people out of the city, and arranged for five hundred soldiers to escort them to Huaiyin City overnight.
Then he ordered the soldiers to sprinkle the sulfur and other fire-starting materials they brought on the houses of the people in the city, and set up mechanisms inside.
Then he divided the army into four teams, and each of his generals led 500 men at the south, west, and north gates. They prepared enough rockets. Zhang Fei led 3,000 cavalry at the east gate, waiting for Yuan Shu's army to come.
According to Zhao Chen's prediction, Yuan Shu's army was bound to arrive at Xutai on the same day and night. If there is no resistance in Xutai City, we will enter the city to rest and reorganize. At that time, while Yuan Shu's army was making fire and cooking, brothers from the four gates in the southeast and northwest fired rockets into the city, igniting the houses in the city and waving flags and shouting. Yuan Shu's army must have fled in chaos. The three brothers from the south, north and south gates guarded their respective gates and fired rockets at the door, forcing Yuan Shu's army to the east gate.
Outside the east gate, Zhang Fei personally led his cavalry in an ambush and drove Yuan Shu's army to the southeast of Xutai County.
The southeast direction of Xutai is connected to Hongze Lake, which happens to be in the shape of a gourd bag. Zhang Fei's three thousand cavalry only need to guard the mouth of the gourd, and Yuan Shu's army will be unable to escape.
The terrain of Hulukou is flat, which is just suitable for cavalry to attack. The infantry has no obstruction and has no way to escape.
What Zhao Chen used was Zhuge Liang's plan to burn down the new country in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
The situation between the two is very similar. Zhuge Liang faced the angry Cao army. Cao Ren wanted to kill Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. After entering the new field, he was attacked by fire and after leaving the city, it was flooded. At this time, Yuan Shu's army, which came in a hurry, was also eager for success, hoping to capture Huaiyin as soon as possible before Liu Bei's army could react.
Zhao Chen took advantage of this and came up with the plan to burn Xutai.
Everything was ready, Zhang Fei quietly waited for the arrival of Yuan Shu's army.
At sunset, the sentry from the front rushed all the way.
"General Zhang, Yuan Shu's army was discovered ahead. The leading general Qiao Rui and about 30,000 troops are heading towards Xutai. At this time, they are less than thirty miles away from Xutai City."
Zhang Fei laughed loudly: "Sure enough, the military advisor told me that he is here! It's a pity that Yuan Shu himself is not leading the army, otherwise he could have captured Yuan Shu and made him kneel in front of his elder brother and kowtow to admit his mistake."
"Send the order, all teams are ready, cheer me up, anyone who dares to delay the battle will be served by military law!"
Everyone responded in unison: "Yes!"
The military order followed the herald, and after a while, the army fell into calm again.
The entire Xutai County seemed deserted, with only broken walls and many damaged houses standing quietly in the city.
It is said that Qiao Rui's army hurried along slowly, and when they arrived at Xutai, they were already exhausted.
Seeing that Xutai County was deserted, they sent people into the city to search carefully and found that it was indeed an empty city.
Qiao Rui was happy. Liu Beijun had indeed spent all his resources to attack Guangling County, but there was really nothing behind him. A sneak attack on Huaiyin might be easy tomorrow.
"This Zhao Chen is not as good as Ji Ling said. If you have the ability, just set an ambush here and defeat me, Qiao Rui!"
He immediately ordered to go into the city to rest and make fire and make food.
Qiao Rui knew very well that it was much more convenient to repair in the city than outside the city. There was no need to set up camp or worry about wind and rain. There are many residential buildings in the empty city, so the soldiers can live more comfortably.
But Qiao Rui didn't know that Zhao Chen had already expected what he could think of.
Qiao Rui's 30,000-strong army slowly entered the city. After a while, smoke rose from the chimneys of some houses.
Zhang Fei outside the city was excited looking at the smoke.
"The military advisor is really a god. Can you predict this? Old man Qiao Rui is really obedient and follows the military advisor's instructions exactly."
"Inform all brothers to listen to my orders and set off rockets!"
Suddenly, thousands of rockets fell from the sky around Xutai City, landing on houses and other flammable objects covered with sulfur, and instantly ignited a raging fire, lighting up the entire night.
When Qiao Rui heard this, he was shocked.
"Isn't there no one? Where did the rocket come from?"
For a time, there was great chaos in Xutai City, and fires shot into the sky everywhere.
Qiao Rui's instructions didn't make sense at all, and the soldiers squeezed each other and fled for their lives in the fire.
At the moment when the rockets came in, many soldiers were resting and eating in private houses, but they were surrounded by fire before they could react.
Zhang Fei also ordered his soldiers to wave flags and shout outside the four gates, and used rockets to seal the city gates. The large army of bridge guards in the city were like turtles in an urn, with nowhere to escape.
In just a moment, the fire, thick smoke, and trampling on each other had killed and injured more than half of Qiaorui's army.
The guard hurriedly advised: "General, retreat quickly. If you don't leave, you will be engulfed in fire."
Qiao Rui said frustratedly: "Where should we retreat? Now there are Liu Bei's men guarding the four gates. I don't know how many they have. Where should we retreat?"
The guard said: "East Gate, I think the guards at the East Gate are the weakest. If we concentrate our forces, we may be able to break through to the east."
Qiao Rui was shocked and hurriedly followed the instructions of the guards to organize the only force to break through the east gate.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Fei smiled and waved his hand, signaling the brothers guarding the east gate to get out of the way.
Zhao Chen has warned that the enemy must be surrounded and leave a gap when he is sure of victory, otherwise he will fight like a trapped beast. If the enemy has reached a desperate situation, he must stop it, otherwise he will fight to the death.
Once they rise up to resist, there will inevitably be casualties, which is not what Zhao Chen wants. Human resources are very precious.
Zhang Fei followed Zhao Chen's instructions and left the east gate as a pressure outlet. Otherwise, seeing that there was no hope of breaking out, the Qiao and Rui troops would use all their strength to attack one gate, and Liu Bei's army guarding the gate would inevitably suffer casualties.
The loosening of the east gate gave Qiao Rui hope, and he ordered the army to move towards the east gate.
Once the army arrived, there was almost no siege at the east gate.
Qiao Rui led the army and ran all the way eastward, not daring to look back. They ran until they reached the edge of Hongze Lake and did not stop.
At this time, everyone was exhausted, their helmets and armor were abandoned, and their clothes were in tatters.
When the soldiers saw the lake, they went to the lake to drink, and used the lake water to wet their bodies to reduce the heat caused by the fire.
Before he could rest for a moment, Zhang Fei led three thousand cavalry and chased him not far away.
Qiao Rui saw the uniform Zhang Fei's army, and then looked at the defeated army around her, and instantly closed her eyes and felt discouraged.
He understood that the army at this time was no match for Zhang Fei in terms of numbers and spirit.
Surrounded by water on three sides, there is no way to retreat but surrender.
"It turns out that the east gate is also a trap!"
But he didn't give up. Such a complicated plan must not have been thought up by Zhang Fei, but Zhao Chen.
Who is this Zhao Chen who can come up with such a plan?
