Cao's army had not many troops left outside, and they encountered the well-equipped Lu Bu's army. It was expected that they would be defeated.
Although Cao's army retreated from the alley and continued to step forward for reinforcements, it was almost impossible to save the defeat with this fueling tactic.
Although Xiahou Dun was unwilling to give in, he could only retreat with the remaining defeated soldiers.
"Kill!"
"Ahhh!"
Half an hour later, Cao Jun was completely defeated, and followed Xiahou Dun and others like a tide.
Seeing the enemy collapse, soldiers trapped in the camp stopped to rest. After all, as heavy infantry, they consume the most physical strength. They can only be used for offensive battles, not suitable for pursuit battles.
Pursuit battles are the strength of the Bingzhou Iron Cavalry. Although the number is small, they can use extremely fast speed to cut the fleeing enemies into pieces, and then the soldiers of Lu Bu's army who rush over will destroy them.
…
Lu Bu did not participate in the battle, but stayed in Xiaopei, waiting for news from Xuzhou.
Although the news from Xiaopei was slower than that from Xuzhou, it took so long to receive news from Huainan.
The thing that worried Lu Bu the most was the news from Cao Bao.
Although Liu Bei tried his best to hide the news of Cao Bao's dispatch of troops, as the former commander of the Xuzhou Army, how could he possibly hide it from him as long as he was willing to pry!
"Marquis Wen, Xuzhou's troops have been stationed in the East China Sea."
Lu Bu felt relieved after hearing the news from the spies.
If the soldiers and horses of the Xuzhou Army came directly to attack, it would indeed be difficult to deal with them.
In order to resist Cao's army coming from Yanzhou, the direction of building defenses was mainly in the north. Although some defenses in the direction of Xuzhou were also built, they were far inferior to those in the north.
In other words, if the Xuzhou Army attacks, they can bypass the defense and go straight to Xiaopei. The defense that they spend a lot of time building will have no effect.
Therefore, Lu Bu had to deal with it carefully.
Chen Gong, who was standing aside, couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief when he heard the news, and said with a smile, "Marquis Wen, since the troops from Xuzhou didn't come directly, it's good news for us!"
Lu Bu nodded and said with a smile, "This time, we have to thank Yuan Jiujiu. If his soldiers and horses hadn't contained Xuzhou's soldiers and horses, I'm afraid Liu Bei might have really had his thoughts this time."
After hearing this, Chen Gong's eyes lit up and he suddenly said, "Marquis Wen, in this case, can we take advantage of this?"
Lu Bu turned his head and looked at Chen Gong, "Gongtai, how should we use it?"
Chen Gong thought for a while and said slowly, "If my prediction is correct, Huainan's convenient troops must be waiting for the Xuzhou army to leave, and then take the opportunity to sneak attack Xuzhou.
But Liu Xuande's troops left secretly. I'm afraid the Huainan side didn't know. If we tell the Huainan side this news, what will be the result? "
Hearing this, Lu Bu frowned and said, "Gongtai, although this method is very good, if Huainan really succeeds, wouldn't it mean that Xuzhou is taken over?"
What Lu Bu is worried about is that the pressure against Liu Xuande is less now, but if the Huainan soldiers and horses occupy Xuzhou, they may have to face the Huainan soldiers and horses.
Huainan's troops and horses are much stronger than Liu Xuande's troops, and the pressure on Lu Bu will also increase a lot.
The most important thing is that Lu Bu is now facing pressure not only from Xuzhou, but also from Yanzhou's Cao Mengde.
Once Cao Mengde and Yuan Gulu use their strength at the same time, they will attack Xiaopei together.
If something like this really happens, it may not be easy for Lu Bu to escape unscathed.
Chen Gong waved his hand, "Marquis Wen, don't worry. Even if Huainan soldiers and horses arrive and Xuzhou soldiers and horses are defeated, Xiapi City has high walls and thick walls. It may not be that easy for Huainan to succeed."
Lu Bu frowned and said, "Gongtai, you mean that they will eventually reach a stalemate?"
Chen Gong shook his head, "Although I'm not sure, as long as Liu Xuande doesn't leave hastily and knows how to advance and retreat, he shouldn't be easily defeated."
After hearing this, Lu Bu pondered for a moment and nodded, "In that case, send a message to Huainan immediately, hoping that he will send troops as soon as possible."
Chen Gong smiled and nodded, "I hope Liu Xuande can persist longer, otherwise, we will be disappointed."
…
"Lord, good news, Liu Xuande has really sent troops!"
Yuan Shu, who was sitting in the high hall, was overjoyed when he heard the news from Yang Hong, "That's great. Send an order immediately to send troops to Xuzhou."
"Wait!"
Yan Xiang hurriedly spoke to stop him, "Yang Zheng, the news from the spies is that the Xuzhou Army has been parked in the city. Where did you get the news that the Xuzhou Army was dispatched?"
Ji Ling frowned and said, "Yes, many spies have been sent to Xuzhou to investigate, but no large groups of troops have been found?"
Yang Hong sneered, "The reason why you didn't find out is because when Xuzhou's soldiers and horses set off, they left the city secretly, so spies naturally couldn't find it."
Yan Xiang frowned at Yang Hong and asked slowly, "Yang Zheng, where did your news come from?"
After hearing this, Yuan Shu also turned to look at Yang Hong, "Yang Zheng, how did you learn that the Xuzhou Army was sending troops?"
Yang Hong's face did not change, he raised his hands and said, "I have already realized that Liu Xuande is extremely cunning, so I sent people to guard the road leading to Xiaopei. As long as he sends troops, he will definitely be discovered.
As a result, I really discovered that Liu Xuande secretly sent troops to Xiaopei. "
Hearing this, Yuan Shu laughed loudly, "Yang Zheng, this time, thanks to you sending people to guard the road, otherwise Liu Xuande would have been deceived.
If Xuzhou can be captured this time, Yang Zheng, you should be the first to contribute. "
Yang Hong hurriedly handed over his hands and said with a smile, "It's all because of my lord's wisdom that I was able to discover Liu Xuande's trick. Speaking of which, it is my lord who deserves the most credit!"
Yuan Shu looked at Yang Hong, nodded with satisfaction, and then shouted, "Zhang Xun obeys the order."
Zhang Xun hurriedly stepped forward and held his hands, "The general will be here."
Yuan Shu said slowly, "Zhang Xun, I order you to take 50,000 troops and horses, rush to Xuzhou immediately, and take advantage of Xuzhou's emptiness to capture it in one fell swoop."
"Wait!"
Just when Zhang Xun turned around to leave, Yang Hong hurriedly stepped forward, "My lord, wait a minute!"
Yuan Shu looked at Yang Hong and felt that he was particularly pleasing to the eye. He asked with a smile, "Yang Zheng, is there anything wrong with him?"
Yang Hong cupped his hands and said, "My lord, Liu Xuande wanted to stabilize our army, so he used the method of secretly sending out troops to deceive us."
At this point, Yang Hong paused and suddenly sneered, "In that case, why don't we deal with him in the same way?"
Yuan Shu's eyes lit up, "Yang Zheng, what do you mean?"
Yang Hong cupped his hands and said, "The army sets off, hiding day and night, trying to hide its whereabouts. When it reaches the place, it suddenly strikes with thunder, and it will definitely succeed in one fell swoop."
"Ha ha!"
Hearing this, Yuan Shu looked up to the sky and laughed, "Zhang Xun, do you understand the plan?"
Zhang Xun hurriedly handed over his hand and said, "My lord, the general has understood."
Yuan Shu laughed loudly and waved his hand, "Now that you understand, why don't you do it quickly!"
…
Xiahou Dun looked at the defeated soldiers in front of him, and his heart suddenly rose with anger. He punched the tree next to him and roared.
"Little Lu Bu, you are so hateful!"
Man Chong sighed, "I thought Lu Bu only relied on the Bingzhou cavalry, but I didn't expect that what he really relied on was those red houses."
Li Dian gritted his teeth and said, "If it weren't for those red houses, we would have reached Xiaopei City."
Lu Qian said with a wry smile, "Now that our army has been defeated, what should we do next?"
Li Dian didn't even think about it, and immediately gritted his teeth and shouted, "Although our army is defeated, we can still fight back as long as we gather our troops and horses."
Lu Qian shook his head, "But what about those red houses? Even if we kill them back, we still won't be able to survive?"
Xiahou Dun originally wanted to go back and take revenge, but after hearing these words, he suddenly fell silent again.
There is no way to break through the defense line of the red house, and everything you say is in vain.
Man Chong frowned and said, "If our army wants to break through the defense line of the red house structure, in addition to heavy losses, it will also tie up a large number of troops. If Lu Bu repeats his old tricks, I'm afraid our army will still be difficult to deal with."
Lu Qian nodded with a wry smile, "Yes, even if Lu Bu's army doesn't have to attack in a large scale, as long as they continue to harass us with Bingzhou cavalry, I'm afraid it will cause a lot of losses."
Man Chong nodded, "If this continues, our army will come from afar and food will inevitably be lost, and the situation will be even more unpredictable."
Xiahou Dun frowned even more when he heard what the two said. After pondering for a long time, he suddenly sighed and said, "You don't need to say any more. Let's retreat."
Although they were defeated and suffered heavy losses, retreating at this time was the best choice.
Hearing this, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "I obey."
No one wants to continue this hopeless battle.
Xiaopei.
"Military emergency, everyone get out of the way!"
Several spies galloped in from outside the city gate and galloped towards Lu Bu's mansion.
"Marquis Wen, I'm so happy. Cao's army has been defeated and has now fled back to Yanzhou."
"Very good!"
Upon hearing the news, Lu Bu was overjoyed and punched the table, feeling completely relieved.
As long as Xiahou Dun's troops retreat, even if Liu Bei's army comes to kill them, they won't be fighting on both sides.
"Great, let me tell you the details of the battle."
After listening to the soldier's story, Chen Gong smiled and nodded, "I didn't expect that the defensive line designed by Wang Wenxing really worked. It really made a great contribution this time."
Lu Bu nodded, "That's great. Send an order immediately. Chen Dao will continue to hold the defensive line, and the rest of the troops will return to Xiaopei."
Chen Gong suddenly said, "Marquis Wen, since Liu Xuande has launched troops against our army, why not take this opportunity to capture Xuzhou?"
After Lu Bu thought for a long time, he shook his head and said slowly, "Liu Xuande left me in Xiaopei just because he wanted me to block Yanzhou's troops for him."
At this point, Lu Bu turned to look at Chen Gong and said with a smile, "Our current strength is still not enough. Leaving Liu Xuande in Xuzhou can also protect us from the dangers in Huainan."
Hearing this, Chen Gong shook his head with a wry smile, "Having said that, Liu Xuande is very powerful. Once he becomes powerful, he will probably have endless troubles."
Lu Bu shook his head, "Gongtai, leave Liu Xuande in Xuzhou to block the troops from Huainan for us, and we can take advantage of this opportunity to expand to the East China Sea, and we can also capture Langya County to the east.
When we are strong enough, we will capture Xuzhou in one fell swoop. Even if Yuan Jiujiu wants to send troops to attack, we will have the strength to deal with it. "
Hearing this, Chen Gong nodded, "That's fine, our strength is still too weak now."
At this point, Chen Gong paused for a moment before continuing, "Marquis Wen, since we are not strong enough, can you recruit fewer refugees and leave more food for expansion?"
Lu Bu's decision has always been to accept no matter how many refugees come.
Because there were so many refugees, fewer soldiers and horses were recruited.
According to Chen Gong's plan, from now on, all efforts will be made to recruit soldiers to deal with the dangerous situation at hand.
When Lu Bu heard these words, he frowned, thought about it carefully, then nodded and spoke slowly.
"Gongtai, in this case, we can recruit more soldiers, but if we want to recruit at full strength, I'm afraid it's still not possible.
The refugees we are recruiting now can at least cultivate the land, and when the harvest comes, they can supplement the food needs of our army.
But if a large number of soldiers are recruited and all of them become soldiers, no one will be able to farm, and the food issue will not be easy to solve.
So it’s better to be moderate and don’t be greedy for too much. "
…
Pengcheng.
Guan Yu sat at the table, slowly drinking the wine in his glass, with a dazed look in his eyes.
In the past, he always thought that drinking would cause trouble, but now, he suddenly discovered that wine is really a good thing. As long as he drinks it to a certain extent, it can make him forget any troubles.
One drink can relieve a thousand worries!
"Little Lu Bu, I'm going to kill you!"
Snapped!
Guan Yu slammed the wine glass in his hand to the ground, looked at his broken arm, and gritted his teeth.
How passionate the three brothers were when they became sworn brothers!
At that moment, he was full of pride and fearless of anyone in the world.
But now, he has become a pitiful cripple!
Guan Yu looked at his broken left arm, and his eyes suddenly became wet.
Although it was his left arm that was broken, his right arm could still pick up a knife and fight, but it was far from what he was at his peak.
Lu Bu destroyed him, and Guan Yu thought that he was helpless on the battlefield, and had nothing to say if he was defeated.
However, what he couldn't stand the most was his elder brother's attitude towards him.
Although the eldest brother was still smiling and speaking with concern, Guan Yu keenly saw a trace of disappointment in his eyes.
And the third brother's reckless words always stung the pain in his heart, making him even more angry.
It was for this reason that Guan Yu took the initiative to request and lead troops to Pengcheng to garrison the city.
Maybe you can hide away for a while and let yourself be quiet so that you can think about the problem calmly.
Guan Yu also wanted to know, what should he do in the future?
