It is said that Yan Liang judged from the stove in the camp that "Zhao Chen's" army was losing money quickly, and immediately ordered his men to abandon their baggage, use light and simple vehicles, and pursue them vigorously.
Although Zhang He felt that there was something fishy about this matter, he didn't know where the problem was, so he had to follow Yan Liang in pursuit.
Another day, Yan Liang's army inspected the place where "Zhao Chen's" army was camping and saw that the number of stoves had been reduced to more than 300.
Yan Liang was overjoyed and immediately ordered five thousand cavalry to pursue him. The infantry rested on the spot and returned to the city after defeating "Zhao Chen's" army.
The army entered Bochang territory.
Bochang is a small county in Le'an State, with less than a thousand defenders. When they heard that a large army was passing by outside the city, they did not dare to go out.
Yan Liang's five thousand troops roared past, and it was already sunset when they arrived at Boxing.
Boxing is close to the Yellow River. The terrain here is low-lying and there are woods on both sides.
It was summer, the trees were lush and leafy, and the soldiers were already hungry and thirsty after a day of pursuit.
Seeing a forest, I happened to go into the woods to take shelter and drink water to quench my thirst and relieve the heat.
After sunset, everything was pitch black.
Yan Liang and Zhang He led the army to slow down and fumble forward.
Halfway through the journey, a patch of trees suddenly blocked the way.
To the east is Shishui, and to the west are depressions and ravines. There is nowhere for the army to detour.
Yan Liang had no choice but to order people to cut down some trees and use them as torches.
When the torch was lit, Zhang He suddenly said: "General, there seems to be writing on the tree ahead."
Yan Liang took the torch from Zhang He and stepped forward to check.
As Zhang He said, there are several words engraved on the tree: "Yan Liang died under this tree!"
Yan Liang was shocked and immediately shouted who it was!
As soon as the voice fell, a rocket shot out from the woods and landed directly on Yan Liang's army.
Several other rockets shot directly towards Yan Liang.
Yan Liang couldn't react for a moment, so he had to use a torch to deflect the arrow.
Unfortunately, there were too many rockets, and two arrows hit Yan Liang's shoulder and arm.
The army was thrown into disarray by the sudden rockets, and the number of casualties increased sharply.
At this time, a group of people stood up in the jungle to the southeast, and in the middle was a person who looked like a weak scholar.
Yan Liang took a closer look and asked, "Who are you?"
The frail scholar smiled and said: "Yan Liang, you have been chasing for a long time and you still don't know who you are chasing?"
Yan Liang endured the pain, frowned and asked, "Are you Zhao Chen?"
"Of course!"
Zhao Chen raised his right hand and greeted Yan Liang.
Yan Liang immediately retorted: "Impossible, you are Zhao Chen. Then who was the person who could pass three rounds when you fought me before?"
I saw a young man appear next to Zhao Chen and replied: "I am Xu Shengye!"
Yan Liang suddenly realized that it was a trap from beginning to end, and even the "Zhao Chen" they met was fake.
Zhang He couldn't figure it out at this time. Now he always feels that something is wrong. It turns out that the problem lies here!
Zhao Chen is a counselor and an ordinary scholar.
Yan Liang is a famous general in Hebei who is extremely ferocious.
How could Zhao Chen survive three rounds in Yan Liang's hands and still leave safely?
It turns out that the person who confronted Yan Liang was not Zhao Chen!
Unfortunately, it was too late for the two of them to wake up.
Zhao Chen gave an order and a general came out from the southwest. It was Chen Dao who was currently fighting against Yan Liang.
Chen Dao led an army of four thousand and headed straight for Yan Liang.
Upon seeing this, Yan Liang endured the severe pain, raised his gun, mounted his horse, and took Chen Dao's gun.
The two fought for several rounds, and Yan Liang did not lose.
Zhao Chen couldn't help but sigh: "Hebei's famous general is truly worthy of his reputation. He is truly the bravest of the three armies."
Chen Dao saw that Yan Liang was still brave after being injured, and his marksmanship became more refined.
After fighting for several more rounds, Yan Liang was obviously exhausted and his marksmanship gradually became chaotic.
Seeing this, Zhang He hurriedly came to help.
Suddenly a general came out from behind.
Zhang He looked back and recognized that it was the general who had their first fight outside Zhao Chen's camp.
"I am Zhang Liao!"
After saying this, Zhang Liao went straight to Zhang He.
Zhang He had no choice but to give up aiding Yan Liang and fight Zhang Liao.
Yan Liang bled excessively due to his injuries, and his hands gradually became weak.
Chen Dao seized the opportunity, pushed away Yan Liang's gun, stabbed sideways, and the seven-foot spear went straight into Yan Liang's chest.
Jushou's letter had not even been delivered in time, and Yan Liang had just sent troops to Qingzhou. He never expected that blood would be spattered on the spot when he faced Zhao Chen in the first battle.
Zhang He was shocked when he saw Yan Liang was killed, and the gun in his hand was obviously confused.
Zhang Liao aimed at the opportunity, knocked the spear out of Zhang He's hand, and flew forward to kick Zhang He down.
As soon as Zhang He fell from his horse, the soldiers around him tied him up.
The remaining 5,000 men and horses were hunted down by Xu Sheng's army, and 50% of them surrendered.
After the war, Boxing was in a mess.
In the woods after the fire, tree roots and some thick and charred trunks are exposed under the summer starry sky.
The ground exuding sparks was covered with the corpses of Yan Liang's army, their clothes were torn and their blood was flowing like rivers.
Although Zhao Chen has been marching and fighting for nearly a year, he still feels regretful in his heart when facing such a scene.
They are all living lives. It would be great if we could defeat others without fighting.
What makes Zhao Chen even more regretful is that Yan Liang died in battle.
Yan Liang is one of Yuan Shao's top generals. His combat power may be superior to that of Chen Dao, and he can be ranked high under Liu Bei.
"General Yan is brave. Please use a good coffin to transport the body back to Yuan Shao in Jizhou, and ask people to burn incense for General Yan here."
Before he finished speaking, the soldiers on the side escorted Zhang He to Zhao Chen.
Zhang He was deeply touched when he saw that Zhao Chen was respectful to Yan Liang and asked someone to transport Yan Liang back to his hometown in a good coffin.
He stared at the twenty-three-year-old young man in front of him without saying a word. How could a man who had just passed his prime years have such a realization?
Show mercy to the soldiers, respect the generals, and be kind to the people.
The key is also superb resourcefulness.
Zhao Chen turned around, walked around behind Zhang He, and personally untied Zhang He.
He said: "I have no choice but to come up with this strategy today, not for killing, but to end the war with a fight. General Junyi is loyal and brave, and everyone admires him. It's just that the courage of generals, such as Wei Zi and Han Xin, is not to charge into the battle, but to He is good at anticipating the enemy, adapting to changes, and making good use of terrain to win. His bravery has a touch of the style of a Confucian general, and Chen admires him very much."
Zhang He was slightly startled. He really didn't expect that Zhao Chen would personally untie him and pay so much attention to him.
He replied with a look of shame on his face: "Thank you sir, but you and I are our own masters, otherwise we will definitely be good friends!"
Zhao Chen smiled and said, "It's not too late to get up today."
Zhang He's pupils were slightly opened, and his vision was quietly facing Zhao Chen's deep eyes, as if he wanted to see through the blackness what Zhao Chen was thinking.
Zhao Chen saw this and raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Chen just wants to ask General Jun Yi to join my lord's tent and unify the Central Plains together."
Another sentence about unifying the Central Plains, what a loud tone!
But Zhang He saw that the generals around Zhao Chen were not surprised at all, as if everything was taken for granted.
He really didn't understand that a mere young man in his twenties could gather so many powerful people and talk so brazenly about unifying the Central Plains.
It wasn't until today's battle that I finally understood.
"I have a question."
"General Junyi, please speak."
Zhang He paused and said, "General Yan has inspected your camp. The number of stoves is decreasing every day. It is obvious that there are more and more deserters. Why are there so many soldiers here today?"
Zhao Chen smiled and said: "If Chen reveals his plan, General Jun Yi can work together with Chen?"
Zhang He raised his eyebrows, thought for a moment, and replied: "It is rumored that Mr. He has unparalleled tactics. He just wants to know that he loses."
"Speak to General Junyi over there."
Zhao Chen answered very confidently, as if he was certain that he would be able to join Liu Bei's account.
