Zhou Cang's long sword met Bao Xin's neck, and he chopped it off with all his strength. At the critical moment, Li Dian, who was sent by Cao Cao to help, finally rushed in without answering. His spear went straight towards Zhou Cang, forcing Zhou Cang to defend. to rescue Bao Xin.
When Zhou Cang saw another Cao general coming, he was blocked again, and the duck he got flew away like this. Naturally, he became angry and pointed a long knife towards Li Dian.
But Li Dian was not Bao Xin. Although he was a Confucian general, his force value was not weak. He steadily parried Zhou Cang's sword with one spear and began to defend and attack.
Just when Bao Xin was thankful to be saved, a black-faced and short-bearded Yellow Turban Army general approached on horseback, holding a long knife and slashed diagonally at Bao Xin, who was secretly rejoicing on the side.
Sure enough, good fortune and misfortune never come alone. Bao Xin turned sideways to avoid the blade, but he was already locked within the attack range of the long knife, and there was no weapon available. Subconsciously, Bao Xin stretched out his right hand to block it.
The next moment, I saw a broken arm flying up, Bao Xin screamed and fainted, and saw that the general's life and death were unknown, and the surrounding Cao troops suddenly became a mess, fighting each other.
Guan Hai saw the half-dead Bao Xin, so he stepped forward and planned to make a stabbing blow. So he raised the knife, wanting to completely kill Bao Xin who fell to the ground and avenge General Tiangong.
At this critical moment, Le Jin of the Zuo Army also rushed to help. He quickly stabbed Guan Hai with an iron spear, trying to cut down and kill him.
Guan Hai was about to swing his sword when he suddenly felt a dark wind coming and quickly swung his sword to block the iron spear. Both of them were very strong and brave. They fought head-on with iron spears and long knives for more than ten moves. After ten rounds, the two of them were indifferent to the outcome, and both of them were secretly amazed.
Taking advantage of the stalemate between Le Jin and Guan Hai, Cao Cao's soldiers took action and rescued Bao Xin, who was seriously injured and unconscious.
Li Dian and Le Jin naturally would not hold out in the enemy's formation. After resisting the attack for a while, they led the remaining soldiers under the cover of their own soldiers and broke out of the Yellow Turban Army's encirclement.
Zhou Cang was very angry, so he took out the strong bow left by Cao Jun. His archery skills were not good, but he still tried to shoot an arrow. In addition, Zhou Cang was very strong and was lucky. He happened to shoot an arrow and wounded Cao Jun who was protecting Cao Jun. Li Dian evacuated.
Under the command of Li Dian and Le Jin, although Cao Cao's army retreated, it was not in chaos. After marching for half an hour, they finally got rid of the pursuit of the Yellow Turban Army.
Cao Junzhong followed the army doctor and gave Bao Xin a simple bandage treatment.
Bao Xin was lying on a simple stretcher with a pale face. Although he saved his life, he was still in coma and shock. He also lost an arm and was considered a scrap.
Cao Cao asked the military doctor to take good care of Bao Xin, then patted Li Dian on the shoulder and asked with concern, "Is Mancheng's injury serious?"
"I'm sorry, my lord, it's just a minor injury. Li Dian can fight again!" Li Dian said forcefully.
Cao Cao looked at the dejected generals again and said loudly, "It's just a small defeat. Why should you look so weak? Victory and defeat are common things for military officers. Why should you be unable to recover after a setback?"
"It was our incompetence that caused Bao Jibei to be injured. Please punish me, Lord." Le Jin said in shame.
"Haha!" Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "I will definitely recover this debt next time. When I was conquering the Yellow Turbans, I encountered more dangerous situations than this. What kind of storms and waves can the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans cause! "
A general must not be timid, otherwise his subordinates will follow him and have no fighting spirit. Later, Yuan Xi also despised his opponents to boost morale. He despised his opponents strategically, but he had to be cautious in tactics.
Seeing that Cao Cao was so open-minded, all the civil and military officials felt at peace after being affected. The general's courage will make the army safe, and the general's safety will make the army safe.
"What my lord said is absolutely true. The Yellow Turban thieves are so numerous that it is impossible to accomplish them all in one battle. We must be prepared to fight hard and for a long time." Cheng Yu stepped out and said.
Cao Cao looked at several counselors and asked, "What should we do now? Do you have any good strategies?"
Xi Zhong came out and replied: "My lord, our army should return to Shouzhang County first, rest and reorganize the troops and horses, and mobilize soldiers, food and fodder from Dongjun, Jibei and other places before fighting again."
Cao Cao nodded, knowing that nothing could be done, so he asked everyone to act separately.
Qingzhou, on the hills outside Yuling County.
Yuan Xi's central army followed Zhang He's troops across the Yellow River. When Zhang He's troops besieged Jinan City, Yuan Xi continued to advance with two thousand garrison infantry, Zhang Liao's cavalry battalion, and Hao Zhao and Guo Huai's five thousand men. OK, we went to Yuling in the east of Jinan for temporary repairs.
Yuan Xi took Guo Jia and Tian Feng to inspect the terrain and mountains and rivers under the protection of the Tiger Guard. As a general, he must inspect the terrain so that his army's defenses are in a strong position.
All the way from Jinan City, they saw hills and plains. They did not choose any terrain where they could set up an ambush. The strategy was correct, but the implementation of the strategy had to be adapted to local conditions.
"Unexpectedly, there is no dangerous place to ambush. It seems that the plan is going to change." Guo Jia said helplessly. After all, Guo Jia is not a god. A plan is a plan, but the implementation of the strategy must be based on the actual situation.
It's not that he is Guo Jia, he is Zhuge Liang, or he is Zhou Yu, so their strategy is foolproof and it will definitely succeed. The battlefield is changing rapidly and there are too many accidental factors.
"In a head-to-head confrontation, can our army be sure to defeat Lord Tian Kai?" Yuan Xi asked with a frown. The current situation was indeed unexpected.
Tian Feng shook his head and smiled bitterly, "We haven't really experienced the combat power of Tian Kai's army yet. It's hard to say. Furthermore, even if Tian Kai's reinforcements are defeated, it will only be a defeat. He can also retreat to Le'an and Qi. Our army’s previous plan of total annihilation could not be achieved.”
Yuan Xi pressed the hilt of his sword and looked into the distance, and couldn't help but blame himself, "We thought too simply before and wanted to deal with Tian Kai once and for all. Now it seems that even if Tian Kai's army is defeated, we don't have that many troops to defend Le'an." , Jinan, and Qi State, not to mention Beihai and Donglai."
I was careless, just like Li Shimin defeated Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande. Planning before the war is one thing, but grasping the opportunity to implement the strategy on the battlefield is another.
"Then we can do it step by step, first defeat Tian Kai's reinforcements, then occupy Jinan Kingdom, and then manage to incorporate the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, and then plot against the other four counties." Guo Jia added, after all, people are alive, things are dead, the same thing There are many ways to solve the problem.
"Mr. Yuan Hao, Feng Xiao, do you have a strategy to defeat Tian Kai's reinforcements?" Yuan Xi asked aloud.
Tian Feng thought about countermeasures and said nothing for a while.
Guo Jia also closed his eyes and thought for a long time, then opened his eyes and said, "Young master, you should first use your superior force to occupy Yuling and Tugu, which Tiankai must pass through to help Jinan, and then strengthen the defenses to make Yuling a stronghold that Tiankai's army cannot defeat." The thorn that does not come out.”
Guo Jia's strategy was similar to Emperor Taizong Li Shimin's strategy of attacking Goguryeo. Li Ji's strategy was to ignore the immediate situation and attack Pingxiang, causing the enemy to advance and retreat.
Historically, Sima Yi also used a similar strategy to confront Fang Geliang in the northwest, and eventually dragged Zhuge Liang to death in Wuzhangyuan.
"Guo Zheng, do you want to stick to Yuling and drag down Tian Kaijun? Create opportunities for Zhang He and others to rush to help?" Tian Fengsurong asked.
"Yes, our army has deployed heavy troops to guard Yuling. If Tian Kai's army bypasses Yuling, our defenders can attack and threaten the supply route of the army behind them. The enemy will be unable to advance or retreat, so the rest will be left to Xu Huang and Zhang He are the two generals." Guo Jia replied to Tian Feng's question.
"How long can the small city of Yuling County resist Tian Kai's army?" Yuan Xi asked unconfidently.
"It doesn't take long, just a few days. By then the morale of Tian Kai's army will be exhausted, and Xu Huang's and Zhang He's armies in Pingyuan and Jinan can also abandon their two places and rush to fight." Guo Jia replied.
"Mr. Yuan Hao, do you think this strategy is feasible?" Yuan Xi asked Tian Feng. After all, Tian Feng is also a wise man in the world, and his ideas are more objective and accurate.
Tian Feng nodded and said, "Compared to a direct decisive battle, our army's chances of winning should be greatly increased. However, if we just stick to the mausoleum and intercept Tian Kai's army, the task is quite dangerous. We need to recruit Junyi."
Under the city of Jinan, Zhang He was angry about the war. He had pledged his support before Yuan Xi, but now he was trapped under the fortified city, which made him lose face.
Originally, he wanted to organize another raid after the exploratory attack, hoping to capture Jinan City. However, the defenders also defended tenaciously, preventing Zhang He's army from taking any advantage.
The defender seemed to have figured out his strategy of only besieging but not attacking. During a feint attack at night, a surprise force unexpectedly came out of the city, catching Zhang He off guard. If it weren't for the cavalry nearby to provide support, the infantry attacking the city would have been serious. There will be serious losses.
When Zhang He was frowning, he received an order from Yuan Xi to lead his troops to Yuling and join the Chinese army.
A lieutenant general worried: "General, if our army divides its forces, will the Jinan defenders take the opportunity to make a surprise attack?"
Zhang He put away Yuan Xi's order and analyzed, "Jinan's garrison was only two thousand, and even if it had the will, it was powerless. We just suffered a small loss because we were not careful that night. Now that the purpose of drawing out Tian Kai's main force has been achieved, Jinan City's garrison Don’t worry about it.”
Zhang He was also relatively well-known at this time. He suffered a small loss here and had a grudge against the Jinan city guard. He wanted to regain his face, but he knew that the battlefield was not a place for emotions.
So Zhang He told the deputy general: "The defenders have seen through our feint attack strategy. You can stay with two thousand soldiers to contain them. The trick of deceiving soldiers is no longer effective. You can camp in the east of the city to prevent them from making a surprise attack and following our army."
Zhang He's grasp of fighter planes and judgment of timing at this time have already shown the potential of a future star.
After everything was arranged, Zhang He rushed to Yuling with a thousand cavalry and three thousand infantry, and joined Yuan Xi to attack Tian Kai's army.
A young man in his twenties in Jinan City looked at Zhang He's army who was busy breaking out of camp and re-stationing in the east of the city. He was thoughtful and felt that something big was about to happen.
Behind the young man is Huang Yun, a man in his fifties from Jinan County.
"Sir, I see that the Jizhou Army has camped in the east of the city again, and they will definitely split up their forces." The young man affirmed.
County Captain Huang Yun nodded slightly and asked, "So the enemy will not attack Jinan?"
"Otherwise, if the Jizhou army defeats Tian Qingzhou's reinforcements, the Jinan Plain will become an isolated city and will be destroyed without attack." The young man said firmly.
"What should we do? Sir, do you have any good ideas?" Huang Yun, the county lieutenant, is not a person who can make up his mind, so he asked hurriedly.
He was originally a local powerful man. When Tian Kai occupied the three counties of Qingzhou, he was appointed as Jinan County Lieutenant in charge of Jinan's military affairs. However, he had no experience in governing.
So this time the Jizhou army attacked Jinan with great force. Huang Yun was immediately frightened and wanted to surrender, but was opposed by the supervisory army sent by Tian Kai. At the critical moment, a young secretary named Yi Rong came out to persuade him to stand firm and wait for help.
Huang Yun was a timid person, so he immediately asked Yi Rong to help lead Jibei's defense, and he was happy to be at ease.
Yi Rong saw some signs of Zhang He's feint attack, so he organized a group of rural warriors to sneak out of the city and launch a counterattack. Although the result was not great, it had a big impact on the morale of Zhang He's army.
Yi Rong added: "If what I predict is correct, that battalion of the Jizhou army must have gone to block Tianzhou Mu's reinforcements. Your Excellency, you can prepare elite troops in the city and take a detour to pursue and attack the Jizhou enemy."
Huang Yun quickly shook his head and said timidly, "There are only a few troops in the city, and there are Jizhou troops stationed outside the city. What if they take the opportunity to attack the city?"
"We can gather the people in the city to help defend the city, and then send troops to raid the Jizhou army that is leaving. It only takes one day. If the general can be trusted, I am willing to lead people there myself." Yi Rong continued to persuade.
Huang Yun still shook his head and said, "It's better to stick around and wait for help. How do you know this is not a trick of the Jizhou Army? Let's not seek merit but no fault. As for other things that are not mine."
It was because of having such pig teammates that Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, his success was ruined, and his later years were miserable. Yamamoto Isoroku also died in the Pacific Ocean because of teammates like Nagumo Chuichi.
Yi Rong persuaded him again and again, but Huang Yun just disagreed. He didn't want to risk his own life, and there was no order for him to leave the city for a sneak attack. Yi Rong could only sigh helplessly and retreat.
Plain City.
Xu Huang's army used several simple catapults to throw stones and burning objects at the plain defenders in turn.
Xu Huang also commanded the crossbowmen to shoot at the defenders on the city wall from time to time.
Zhang Fei held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, and said sternly, "Brother Zhang, cheer up, otherwise you will be shot by the Jizhou army, and you will have to blame your fate."
"Third brother, how can you speak like that!" Liu Bei, who was patrolling the city wall, saw Zhang Fei scolding his soldiers.
Zhang Fei scratched his head and looked at Liu Bei and Guan Yu behind Liu Bei. He said sheepishly, "Isn't this a reminder to everyone to be careful? I don't mean anything else."
Liu Bei cleared his throat to encourage the defenders and said loudly, "Don't worry, everyone. The Jizhou army is just a bluff. In a few days, reinforcements from Tian Qingzhou will arrive..."
Before Liu Bei finished speaking, there was a harsh sound of piercing the sky from the city. A crossbow arrow with a thick arm was shot at Liu Bei, and it was about to hit Liu Bei before he saw it.
Zhang Fei looked at him quickly and swung his spear to block the crossbow arrows. But the crossbow arrows fired by this bed crossbow were so powerful that Zhang Fei was shocked to the point of bleeding from his mouth.
The crossbow arrow was slightly deflected by his touch, and Guan Yu hurriedly pulled Liu Bei away. Fortunately, Liu Bei was not injured, otherwise he might have become the first hero to fall.
The other soldiers of Liu Bei's army were not so lucky. Wails broke out everywhere, and two soldiers behind Liu Bei were also penetrated by crossbow arrows.
Liu Bei suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and secretly thought he was lucky, while Zhang Fei was on guard while yelling and cursing.
The Jizhou soldiers below the city let out bursts of cheers.
Xu Huang shook his head and ordered a few soldiers to reload the crossbows with arrows. The Yuan family was indeed wealthy and well-equipped. It turned out that Yuan Shao was afraid that Yuan Xi would make a mistake, so he equipped Yuan Xi's army with crossbow arrows.
"What a pity, I almost shot the enemy general to death." A deputy general said regretfully.
"Almost means missed. The two people beside Liu Xuande are really amazing. After seeing each other at Hulao Pass, they are better than before." Xu Huang sighed, Liu Bei's two sworn brothers are indeed good.
"General, the Major General has sent an order to come back to support Yuling. Look." A scout knelt on one knee and reported back.
Xu Huang looked at Pingyuan City, considered countermeasures, and ordered after a while: "Leave two thousand soldiers to continue to monitor the Pingyuan City defenders, and the rest of the troops will break camp."
Xu Huang made the same decision as Zhang He. It can be regarded as a hero who has the same view. Moreover, Tian Kai's reinforcements have arrived, and Liu Bei's 1,800 men cannot make a big wave.
Tian Kai was afraid that the two gates of Jinan and Pingyuan would be breached, so he quickly mobilized the troops and horses from Le'an County and Qi State. In the end, he mobilized 10,000 infantry, as well as 5,000 Youzhou from his direct lineage. The cavalry rushed to Jinan Kingdom for rescue.
As soon as he left Linzi City, people kept resting and horses were not in peace. He received three batches of distress documents from Jinan, which described the situation in Jinan as extremely dangerous. Although Tian Kai was anxious, he still let the army march in an orderly manner. .
People who can leave their names in history have some talents, but their character determines the direction of their destiny.
Before leaving Qi's territory, the vanguard of Tian Kai's army encountered a small group of cavalry from Yuan Xi's army. Yuan's army was destroying roads, bridges and roads. Tian Kai, who learned of this situation, ordered to speed up the march.
Yuling is a small county town. Its city walls are made of rammed adobe and there are less than 500 defenders. Although the city is dilapidated, its location is a battleground for Yuan Xi.
Under the command of Yuan Xitian Feng and others, the Chinese infantry, with the cooperation of bows and crossbows, used urgently constructed ladders to carry out siege warfare.
In Yuling County, under pressure for less than half a day, the county captain surrendered the city. Loyalty? For them, it does not exist. In troubled times, the strong is the king, and they only obey the power and have no evil intentions.
This is a troubled world where rituals and music have collapsed. At least I don’t aspire to it. I would rather be a peace dog than a person in troubled times.
Under the instructions of Yuan Xi and Guo Jia, the Jizhou Army began to urgently relocate the people in the city to make room for more soldiers to be stationed.
Under the coercion of the Jizhou army, the people in the city followed Yuan Xi's army with their families and retreated to the east of Jinan, temporarily stationed in the Tugu area west of Lingxi.
Yuan Xi looked at the battlefield in the distance silently and exhaled sadly, this is war, a war in which people die like grass and grass. It is true that 'one general's achievements lead to the death of thousands of bones', but once he is involved in it, in order to survive, he must have What can be done? .....
This is an era of cannibalism. If you don't eat others, others will eat you. In order to survive, for the Yuan family, for his beloved wife and concubine, and for the unification of China's nine states, he can only go to the dark side. There is no choice.
On the trails of Boyang and Pingchang, a team of thousands of cavalry was marching hastily. A group of knights took turns riding on two horses. Although the march was difficult, these soldiers did not show much expression and just galloped silently.
There is a general in the middle of the team, with a white horse and a spear, and a plain white shirt. Although he is not handsome in appearance, he has a perseverance and aura of determination that makes people like him. He is Zhao Yun, the commander of Yuan Xi's garrison and cavalry.
A scout came to Zhao Yun from the front and reported back, "General, Guangxian is ahead of us. There are some checkpoints and soldiers posted. Do you want to eliminate them to avoid leaking the news?"
"I know it, don't worry about it. Everyone, listen to my order and keep crossing without stopping." Zhao Yun ordered. He was confident enough in the cavalry's marching speed, which was definitely faster than the enemy's message delivery speed, so there was no need to waste time.
After a while, Zhao Yun asked the lieutenant: "How many rations do we each have?"
A hundred-man general thought for a while and then replied: "Report to the general, because it took a day to get lost in the front, and now each person only has five rations."
"I ordered that each person keep one meal of rations and distribute the rest among themselves. We will not rest tonight and rush to Linzi at night." Zhao Yun ordered with determination in his tone.
The deputy general did not dare to disobey and immediately sent the order.
On the same day, Tian Kai's troops and horses were stationed near Xinta, and he himself moved into Xinta City with the subsequent baggage and grain teams.
The next day Tian Kai led the army and continued to march towards Licheng, but Xinta became a temporary distribution center for Tian Kai's army, leaving three thousand soldiers to guard Xinta City.
Not far from Xinda, Tian Kai received the news of the fall of Yuling. He was surprised and angry because a small group of Jizhou Army cavalry troops blocked and harassed Tian Kai's army from time to time along the way. Although there was no damage, the march was still unstoppable. The speed has been slowed down a lot.
Tian Kai's lieutenant, Zhong Kai, suggested: "My lord, the Jizhou army has blocked our army's march in every possible way. It is obvious that the war in Jinan and Pingyuan has reached a critical moment. It is better for us to abandon the infantry and only bring the cavalry to rescue first. What do you think, sir?" .”
"No, we are afraid of falling into the Jizhou Army's trick, so it is better to advance steadily. I have sent out messengers to ask Jinan County Lieutenant Huang Yun to hold on for a little longer." Tian Kai was still a little cautious.
"Then should our army capture Lingcheng, or should we take a detour to aid Nan and then return to the main army?" Captain Zhong Kai asked.
Tian Kai pondered for a long time on his horse and said decisively, "As I said, advance step by step steadily. Concentrate our forces to capture Yuling first. Otherwise, we will be cut off from our retreat and there will be no way to rush to Jinan's aid."
Tian Kai fell into the calculations of Yuan Xi, Guo Jia and others step by step. This is a conspiracy to force you to submit. Unless you have great courage and make a desperate move, you will only be eaten step by step.
