It is said that Zhao Chen ordered his people to rush over and deliver eight words, and those eight words were a strategy.
The messenger informed Cheng Yu that the tens of thousands of troops would withdraw to Yingling City, and Cheng Yu immediately understood what Zhao Chen meant.
He used some troops to attract Yuan Tan's attention, and then the cavalry made a surprise attack and defeated the tens of thousands of troops evacuating from Linzi.
Cheng Yu seizes the time and leads the army to the foot of Yingling City to challenge.
Yuan Tan just stood on the city wall and mocked, even insulting "Zhao Chen" for not knowing how to use troops.
Cheng Yu felt happy when he saw that Yuan Tan was still hiding in Yingling City.
Thousands of arrows fell from the sky and landed in front of Cheng Yu's horse. Cheng Yu just smiled, waved his hand and prepared to retreat.
As long as Yuan Tan is confirmed, his mission will be completed.
When Yuan Tan saw Cheng Yu leading the troops to evacuate, he also smiled knowingly: "Zhao Chen still wants to trick me into leaving the city. It's just an idiot's dream. As long as we are in the city, it is impossible to fall into Zhao Chen's trick."
Before coming, Xin Ping once warned Yuan Tan not to confront Zhao Chen head-on. Zhao Chen has long plans and our army may not be his opponent.
Zhao Chen's previous strategy had spread throughout the Central Plains, and many counselors admired it.
Yuan Tan remembered Xin Ping's words.
But little did Yuan Tan know that the person in front of him was not Zhao Chen at all.
It is said that Zhao Chen broke through the city gate of Linzi. There were about 3,000 surrendered troops in the city. Adding his original 4,000 troops, there were still 7,000 in total.
The next plan is to continue going north and capture Le'an Country.
In this way, the communication channel between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shao can be completely cut off, Yuan Tan can be locked up in the Shandong Peninsula, and most of Qingzhou will naturally belong to Liu Bei.
The key to this plan is that Zhao Chen's whereabouts are not known to Yuan Tan and surrounding counties.
Two words, confidentiality!
So Zhao Chen asked Cheng Yu to do his best to prevent senior officials and Qian Zhao from joining the 10,000-strong army with Yuan Tan in order to block the news that Linzi had been breached.
If the news leaks out and the defenders from several surrounding counties are surrounded, Zhao Chen may not be able to resist with his only force.
No matter how good the confidentiality is, there is still the possibility of leaks.
On the evening of the second day after the letter to Cheng Yu was sent, several soldiers surrendered and quietly climbed over the wall and left the city.
When Xu Sheng found out, those people had already run away.
He picked up his sword, mounted his horse, and pursued him for dozens of miles.
Xu Sheng knew in his heart that he had to get it back no matter what.
But contrary to expectations, he was not familiar with the surrounding terrain at all. Halfway through the chase, the traces of those people disappeared.
Surrounded by mountains or trees, Xu Sheng had nowhere to pursue him.
Angrily, Xu Sheng chopped off the tree next to him with a knife.
But the facts could not be changed, so he had no choice but to return to Linzi and take the initiative to collect the punishment from Zhao Chen.
When Zhao Chen heard about the situation, he got up from the ground and asked, "Zixiang, which direction did they flee to?"
Xu Sheng recalled: "They all ran to the west. This happened because Sheng failed to manage the surrendered troops well. Please ask the military advisor to punish him."
Zhao Chen nodded silently: "It has happened, there is no need to talk about it anymore. These people who escaped are most likely going to Yuan Shao to the west, and the whereabouts of our army may have been exposed."
Xu Sheng was quite surprised to see that Zhao Chen did not punish him.
Previously in Xiao Jian's military camp, anyone who made any mistakes would be punished, no matter how big or small.
Now that he had made such a big mistake, Zhao Chen did not pursue it. Xu Sheng's gratitude was beyond words.
He said: "Military advisor, how should we deal with it? Sheng will do his best."
Although Zhao Chen did not pursue the case, Xu Sheng was still like a child who made a mistake and was eager to correct the mistake.
Zhao Chen comforted him: "The more difficult the situation, the more calm you must be and not act on impulse."
He thought for a moment and said: "Once the news leaks out, it will definitely reach Yuan Tan within a few days. Yuan Tan will know that I am not leading the army outside the city, and it is very likely that he will attack. Now, Yide, Shuzhi, Zhongde, Zishan, and Ziyu only have 5,000 troops and cannot resist the 30,000-strong army. Therefore, we must hurry up and join forces to prevent this from happening."
Just at this time, Zhang Liao came in and reported: "Military strategist, Mr. Zhongde replied to the letter. We have made arrangements according to the strategist's wishes. We will fight with an army of 10,000 men outside Pingshou County tonight."
When Zhao Chen heard this, he instantly gained confidence.
He told Zhang Liao in detail about the surrender of troops and their escape from the city, and then said: "For the current plan, we can only divide the troops into two groups. Along the way, Wen Yuan and I will lead a thousand cavalry and go to Yingling early tomorrow morning. Join up with Yide and others to prevent Yuan Tan from raiding. Along the way, Wen Xiang will lead the army, assisted by Boyan, and lead the rest of the army to defend Linzi."
Lu Xun glanced at Zhao Chen's arm and said with concern: "Sir, the wound on his arm has not yet healed. Traveling long distances can easily worsen the wound. Why not stay in the city while Xun and General Wenyuan go to Yingling?"
Zhao Chen shook his head and said: "Bo Yan, this trip to Yingling is very dangerous. We are facing Yuan Tan's 30,000 troops. I must go there myself."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Lu Xun had no choice but to agree.
Zhang Liao and Xu Sheng also responded in unison: "Yes!"
Early the next morning, Zhao Chen changed the bandage on his arm, endured the pain, wrapped his arm in cloth and fixed it to his body, and rode with only his right hand.
Seeing this, Zhang Liao asked softly: "Commander, can this be done?"
Zhao Chen smiled and said: "How can a man say no?!"
Before leaving, Zhao Chen told Xu Sheng: "Linzi City must not be lost until it is absolutely necessary. If the nearby counties raise troops to attack, usually there will be no more than 10,000 soldiers. You only need to defend it to the death, and 6,000 people will defend and 10,000 people will attack the city." , we will definitely be able to hold it. If Yuan Shao leads his army, you should abandon the city and leave the city as soon as possible, and come to Yingling to meet me. Remember, remember!"
Xu Sheng replied again and again: "Don't worry, military advisor, Sheng has remembered it."
Zhao Chen left with his heart in his hands.
It is only one hundred and eighty miles from Linzi to Yingling. With a thousand cavalry on horseback, it only takes one day and night to reach there.
Zhao Chen no longer concealed his whereabouts. Covering up at this time was meaningless. The key was the word "quick".
He must rush back to Zhang Fei and Cheng Yu's camp before Yuan Tan sends troops.
Fortunately, there were stirrups, so Zhao Chen didn't find it very difficult to ride a horse with one hand.
On the other side, Zhang Fei and Chen Dao successfully captured Qianzhao and Gaogan's 10,000-strong army, and 6,000 soldiers surrendered.
This made the two of them very embarrassed.
Before leaving, each person only brought two days of food rations. The food for Qianzhao and the high-ranking army was damaged in the battle and was no longer edible.
Whether it was a matter of feeding or recruiting six thousand troops, it was very difficult for Zhang Fei and Chen Dao, who only had two thousand cavalry.
Zhang Fei even suggested that he should give up the 6,000 surrender troops and lead his own cavalry back to the camp first.
Chen Dao said, "We need troops at this moment. It's a pity to give up all 6,000 surrendered troops."
The two of them were helpless for a while and could only ensure that there was no chaos in the army.
It's late afternoon and the sun is shining brightly.
The soldiers in the army were hungry and thirsty, and complained one after another. A small group of people rose up to resist and broke out of the driving defense line of Chen Dao's cavalry.
Seeing this, the rest of the surrendered troops followed suit. At one time, about a thousand people broke free, broke through the defense line, and dispersed in all directions.
Chen Dao immediately led his troops to pursue him, but the fleeing people fled in all directions, and the cavalry had to divide his troops to pursue them.
However, the strength of the original driving force was instantly weakened, and the calm troops began to prepare to move.
Zhang Fei couldn't get out to comfort him at all, so he could only ride back and forth, suppressing the target one by one.
Unfortunately, there are still fish that slip through the net. It is very difficult for 2,000 people to detain 6,000 people.
Just when Zhang Fei and Chen Dao were at a loss what to do, suddenly, a group of people came not far away.
Everyone was alert for a moment, and Zhang Fei and Chen Dao immediately organized their troops to prepare to meet the enemy.
