Sun Ce, Zhang Yuan, Huang Gai and others also rushed to the front line of the confrontation between the two armies. They did not expect that the sneak attack had no effect. On the contrary, after Yuan Xi's torture, the morale of the Qingzhou soldiers increased, and they indeed began to fight. Unexpected.
On the other hand, Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun heard the sound of fighting, and while leading their troops to resist the enemy soldiers behind them, they also rushed towards Yuan Xi to support him. The soldiers in the city were spread out in the streets and alleys, fighting in full swing.
"My son, Sun Ce, the Sun family knows all the deceitful tricks, but how dare you fight with a certain person!" Xu Chu raised his sword and shouted provocatively.
Sun Ce was so angry that he ignored the dissuasion of Huang Gai and others and rushed to the front of the two armies, saying that he was going to fight Xu Chu.
Yuan Xi secretly thought that it was possible for Xu Chu to defeat Sun Ce if he went up, but the fighting place was very close to the infantry of both sides. Even if Sun Ce couldn't defeat him, he would have a good chance of escaping back.
It would be great if Zhao Yun was here at this time. Suddenly he remembered that Taishi Ci was coming, who was skilled in bow and horse. So he looked at Taishi Ci and asked, "Ziyi! Whether or not Sun Ce can be defeated is the key to this battle! Ziyi You can snipe Sun Ce."
Taishi Ci was hesitant. It was not a hero's behavior to stab someone in the dark, but he was on the battlefield and couldn't care too much about it. Looking at Yuan Xi's expectant eyes, he hummed, took out his strong bow, nocked an arrow and aimed it at Sun Ce, and was about to charge up his strength.
At this time, Sun Ce and Xu Chu were fighting fiercely, and he tried his best to deal with Xu Chu's entanglement. But Huang Gai, who was watching the battle, immediately noticed Tai Shici bending his bow and setting an arrow, and hurriedly reminded him, "Major General, be careful, beware of hidden arrows!"
Sun Ce was startled to realize that something was wrong, and turned sideways to avoid the cold light. After all, the little overlord's acuity was indeed very powerful. But the next moment, Xu Chu, who was like a tiger descending from the mountain, struck at Sun Ce with an extremely powerful sword.
Sun Ce suddenly turned around and held his spear in front of his chest. But he returned to defense in a hurry, but he could not withstand the fierce sword. After grunting, he turned his horse and ran back to the main formation. It seemed that he had suffered a heavy blow from Xu Chu and could no longer fight.
Huang Gai saw the battle situation clearly and rode forward to meet Sun Ce. He seized the position and blocked the second feather arrow that hit Sun Ce.
The soldiers of the Sun family's army also reacted quickly enough. The archers pressed forward and shot arrows to block Xu Chu's pursuit.
Time passed by minute by minute, and Yuan Xi's heart became increasingly anxious. At this time, the Tiger Guard and the Qingzhou Army were guarding Yuan Xi as if they were dead, with calm expressions on their faces, as if if Yuan Xi was here, everything would be worry-free. Yuan Xi couldn't help but feel bitter in his heart when he saw this, and he couldn't think of what he said from the bottom of his heart. 'It's so effective.
After returning to the formation, Sun Ce felt his energy and blood boiling. He held back a mouthful of blood and did not spit out, but he suffered internal injuries after all. Xu Chu's supernatural power was really unbearable for ordinary people.
In order to save Sun Ce, Huang Gai used his quiver to block the arrow in a critical moment, but the arrow missed the quiver, penetrated his armor, and pierced his shoulder.
Sun Ce calmed down and asked with concern: "General Huang! Are you okay? Is the injury serious?"
"Young General, if you don't mind, I'll ask the doctor to take the arrow, and you can still kill the enemy." Huang Gai said loudly without blinking.
But Sun Ce and the others knew that after this battle, the morale of the Qingzhou soldiers would be even higher, and the offensive and defensive momentum had changed. It was their turn to defend and block the Qingzhou soldiers' attack.
The battle situation at this time did not allow Yuan Xi to think too much. The situation was becoming more and more serious. Of the two thousand infantry in the tent, the number of capable infantry at this time was already 800. Although they are still fighting bloody battles, the decline of the situation is clearly evident.
Although Yuan Xi looked calm, he was really starting to feel frightened. Yuan Xi was also a human being, and he was not yet the great general who later dominated the world and was the leader of the princes.
"Dong~dong~dong~dong~!" The drums suddenly sounded loudly in the distance, shocking people. Then, as they heard the sound of "swish", a shrill rain of arrows hit the sky. After the rain of arrows, the enemy troops were seen. The eyes of the people behind were dull, and then they fell to the ground one after another.
Suddenly Yuan Xi was overjoyed, but he heard that Guo Huai, the general beside him, bowed to Yuan Xi with a look of joy and said: "Young Master has a wonderful plan! General Xu Huang is indeed here!"
Yuan Xi felt his body relax upon hearing this. After calming down, Yuan Xi looked into the distance through the moonlight and the lights in the field, and saw that a group of soldiers and horses had arrived behind the enemy's rear.
Each of the infantrymen was equipped with a long bow and powerful crossbow, while the cavalrymen gathered together with swords and spears. When fighting, the formation was not messy at all, and the whole army was very strict!
In a moment, the enemy army that attacked at night was defeated like a burst of Changhong River under the attack of Xu Huang's army and horses. Screams could be heard in the field. Yuan Xi then said to the general Guo Huai beside him: "Bo Ji, I'm sorry to bother you. Command the entire army.”
Guo Huai bowed deeply to Yuan Xi and said loudly without hesitation: "I obey the master's orders!" Then he got on his horse and organized the men in the camp to cooperate with Xu Huang's soldiers and horses outside to attack the enemy.
When the horses neighed, Han Dang rushed to Sun Ce and reported, "Major General, it's not good, another wave of Qingzhou soldiers came from the west of the city and drove the soldiers near the south gate into the city."
Sun Ce was shocked, frowned and said, "Why are there Qingzhou soldiers again? Which one are they from?"
"The banner is the word 'Xu'!"
"Qingzhou Army, Xu Huang!" Sun Ce and Huang Gai said with dry throats. They are bad. This is the rhythm of being surrounded.
At this time, the situation was completely reversed. Xu Huang's new force surrounded Sun Ce and the others, forming an outflanking trend. After Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao fought hard, they finally reunited with Yuan Xi's Chinese army.
Many of the soldiers led by Xu Huang had crossbows. Under the cover of spearmen and shield bearers, they alternately shot arrows at the enemy soldiers. Then they advanced with the spearmen, gradually pressing the Sun Jiajun and Xuzhou soldiers together.
Compared with Sun Ce's troops, Yuan Jun's individual combat power is slightly higher. Just now, Yuan Xi's army was able to hold on for a long time with a small number of enemies. Now, when they are attacked from two sides, Yuan Jun can be seen one by one, like lightning, the tigers are rushing into the flock. , ruthlessly destroying the enemy.
Huang Gai and the others went upstairs to watch the battle.
"Major General, if we continue to fight, our army will be defeated! I think it is not too late to exit the city through the east gate as soon as possible, find out the situation, and gather reinforcements before fighting again." Huang Gai suggested.
Sun Ce knew what Huang Gai meant. They were at a disadvantage, but if they really wanted to resist, they would be able to fight to the death for several days. However, Sun Ce and Huang Gai were injured, and it was not worth sacrificing Sun Jian's capital for Tao Qian.
"Major General Sun, we and our two armies can still fight. As long as we hold on for a few days, we can send people to Xiapi to ask Tao Shijun for help. Major General, think twice." Zhang Yuan said anxiously, he did not want to give up Tancheng just now. , after all, they still have the strength to fight.
Although he felt embarrassed, Sun Ce still said resolutely: "Sir Zhang, I see Qingzhou soldiers are rushing out in all directions, and there may be an ambush. I will retreat to Xiapi County first, reorganize the troops and horses, and then make plans. Sir what do you think"
Zhang Yuan's hands were shaking and he was speechless, but the Sun Army insisted on abandoning the city, so he could only lead his troops to follow him. After all, the Sun Army was a guest army, not one of his own.
After another half hour, Sun Ce and others opened the controlled east gate and slowly led their troops out of Tancheng. Yuan Xijun quickly took control of the entire city and closed the gates on all sides. Then Yuan Xi asked Zhao Yun and Tai Shici to lead troops to the mountains to the north, and bring the three thousand prisoners who had been placed there before and a thousand soldiers who were left behind to bring them to Tancheng.
At this time, I saw the general who was calmly commanding on the battlefield and had a good bearing striding forward. He had a reddish complexion and no beard, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a suit of hard armor was tightly tied on his straight body. , I saw the visitor bowing to Yuan Xi with both hands, and said loudly and respectfully: "General Xu Huang, please see the young master!"
In the government office, Yuan Xi excitedly helped Xu Huang up and said happily, "General Gongming, thanks to your timely arrival, otherwise it would be difficult to say whether this victory would be won or not. You are really my Zhou Yafu. The general has a firm and steady style in his military use. Today As soon as I saw him, he certainly lived up to his reputation.”
Xu Chu is a rare and fierce general, and Taishi Ci is also a capable man. But when it comes to the use of troops and the art of driving soldiers, from Yuan Xi's own feeling, Xu Huang is better than Taishi Ci and others. There are too many, except Zhang He of course. The five good generals of Cao Wei are all people with foreign surnames, and each of them is a talented person who can stand alone.
In terms of military bravery alone, the five good generals of Wei may not be like the five tigers of Shu. But in terms of steady use of troops and deployment, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it was indeed difficult for the Five Sons of Wei to have any opponents.
Xu Huang smiled faintly, and there was no hint of happiness or anger on his elegant face. He just cupped his hands and said softly, "Young master, it's serious. I led my troops out of Mount Tai and attacked Lanling in the East China Sea. I estimate that the lord's central army should be I arrived near Tancheng, so I wandered around in this area. When the scouts detected that there was a war in Tancheng, I knew that the young master had taken action. However, the crisis had not yet been eliminated at this time. The general Zanyue, I respectfully invite the young master to follow the general and go to the central army. The Commander-in-Chief of the Tent Guard, I don’t know what the young master wants.”
Yuan Xi nodded repeatedly, captured Tancheng, and seized the money and food here. The purpose of this expedition to Xuzhou was achieved. Now that Sun Jian has been added, it will not be easy for Cao Cao to capture Xuzhou, and he cannot help Cao Cao capture Xuzhou.
"Sir, when I led the army to attack Lanling, I received news that Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shu, Heishan and the Xiongnu. Now he has led his troops to capture Yinping and is stalemate with Sun Jian in Boyang, Pengcheng." Xu Huang reported back.
After Yuan Xi thought for a while, he smiled and said: "It's time to pay tribute to Tao Shijun. You can't come to Xuzhou in vain, right?"
Xiapi City.
Cao Hongzhan trembled and brought several urgent reports. After hesitating for a while, he handed them to Tao Qian who was lying on the bed and reported, "Sir, there are urgent reports from Donghai and Langya."
Tao Qian slowly took the emergency report, looked at it closely, shook his head and said, "Zizhong, your eyes are dim. Come and read it."
Chen Deng, Mi Zhu, and Mi Fang were all shocked. Tao Qian fell ill, but they did not expect that his condition was so serious.
Mi Zhu quickly read the emergency report. His face was pale and his hands were shaking as he read, "Quxian and Tancheng fell one after another. Qingzhou soldiers robbed me of countless money and food!"
"Brother! Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, and the others haven't arrived in Xiapi yet. How is the family doing?" Mi Fang asked anxiously.
Mi Zhu was heartbroken, suppressing his sorrow, and scolded, "Mi Fang! Now Cao Cao and Yuan Xi are pointing directly at Xiapi, Tao Shijun and Xuzhou are in danger, why are you talking about family affairs?"
Mi Fang lowered her head in shame, while Tao Qian couldn't help but cough.
Chen Deng frowned and received some urgent reports, and carefully analyzed the situation between the enemy and ourselves, "Hey, how come there is a letter from Yuan Xilai of Qingzhou?" Chen Deng said in surprise.
After watching for a while, Chen Deng saw the signs and said, "Yuan Xi wrote a letter saying that the two armies can discuss a strike, but we need to notify all places to stop attacking the Qingzhou Army, and send people to Tancheng to negotiate peace."
Mi Fang said angrily: "Negotiating peace? His Qingzhou Army attacked my Xuzhou for no reason, and he still wants us to negotiate for peace! Sir, I request to bring a group of troops to defeat the Qingzhou Army."
Although Tao Qian was weak, he listened carefully and his thoughts were still clear, and he said, "Don't be reckless! Yuanlong, are there any other conditions that Yuan Xi has offered? Do you think we should negotiate peace with the Qingzhou Army?"
Chen Deng paused and sighed: "The Qingzhou Army offered to ask for grain, wealth, and silk in exchange for the price of Tancheng. From what I see, Yuan Xi came here only for robbery, and he didn't want to waste it with my army, so the promise was given to him With some money and food, we can make him retreat, so that our army can be free to deal with Cao Cao."
"Wait a minute, didn't Sun Ce lead ten thousand people to Langya for reinforcements? Where are his men and horses?" Mi Fang asked, and his question was also the source of confusion for everyone.
Chen Deng sighed and said, "Sun Ce's army rushed to aid Tancheng, but was defeated by the encircling Qingzhou Army. Now he is stationed in the southern suburbs of Tancheng."
Cao Hong was originally a timid man. Previously he only hated Yuan Xi's actions, but now he was threatened. He advised, "Sir, why don't you pay some money and food to retreat the Qingzhou soldiers, and the future will be long. It will not be too late to avenge this hatred someday."
Tao Qian waved his hand and said decisively, "I don't care about the money now. Yuanlong, discuss with a group of squires and raise a sum of money and food. Cao Hong, go to Tancheng and negotiate peace with Yuan Xi."
Several people looked at each other and retreated.
Pengcheng, Boyang.
Cao Cao led a group of civil and military personnel to inspect Boyang County on horseback, as well as Sun Jian's army stationed outside the city. Brothers Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun were deploying defenses, and they stepped forward to greet Cao Cao.
"Lord! Sun Nuya is really not a person in vain. His soldiers are much stronger than the Xuzhou army. Our army was blocked twice in attacks. It is really difficult to deal with." Xia Houyuan said with emotion.
Xiahou Dun sighed and said, "Sun Jian actually joined in. It's really lively now. Two parties and four families are fighting in Xuzhou."
Cao Cao narrowed his slender eyes, making it unclear what he was thinking. He looked at his adviser and said, "Xuzhou is a chess game for heroes from all over the world! Gongda, Zhicai, how is the progress of the Qingzhou Army?"
Xi Zhong was impressed and said: "The news came from Xuzhou that Yuan Xi abandoned Langya, attacked Quxian from the right wing, and then occupied Tancheng. Now he is echoing our army from a distance, and his troops are pointing directly at Xiapi."
"Surprise attack, dangerous move..." Cao Cao snorted, "Younger Yuan Xi is actually the opposite of his father, bold."
Isn't it true? Jin King Li Cunxu was also surprisingly bold when he attacked Zhu Wen, Taizu of the Later Liang Dynasty.
Xiahou Dun was unconvinced and said: "It's just taking advantage and taking advantage of others. What kind of skill is that?"
Cao Cao sneered, narrowed his eyes and said, "Yuan Xi, the Qingzhou Army? Sooner or later they will vomit out what they have eaten. He probably hasn't known about the loss of his old nest in Yecheng. He must try to stabilize the Qingzhou Army and let them do their best." It’s the power.”
"The Qingzhou Army has occupied Tancheng. Your lord can send someone to contact us to discuss whether we can encircle Sun Jian and Xiapi." Xun You suggested.
Cao Cao looked around at everyone and asked, "Yuan Xi and others are extremely cunning. Who can take on this responsibility?"
"Lord!" Xi Zhong stood up, saluted Cao Cao and said, "If you want to get more benefits from this matter, an important minister must go and meet Yuan Xianyi for a while!"
"What does it mean to be talented...?"
"Someone is willing to go!"
"It is imperative to conquer Tao Qian, but the ambition is not there..."
"I will return in three to five days, and it will not delay my lord's important matters!"
Cao Cao was still a little hesitant!
Xi Zhong has always been resourceful and very in line with Cao Cao's wishes, and he relies heavily on Xi Zhong.
However, Cao Cao felt it was inappropriate for his important minister Xi Zhong to meet Yuan Xi.
Judging from Yuan Xi's behavior these days, every move he makes must have deep meaning. It's impossible for him to not know about his talent as a dramatist.
Being in the Yuan family, with Yuan Xi's knowledge, he definitely couldn't see that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao would have a battle sooner or later.
Killing Xi Zhong will bring more benefits to the Yuan family!
Cao Cao did not dare to gamble with the lives of his important ministers!
"Lord, don't worry, even if someone goes alone, Yuan Xianyi will definitely not harm him!"
However, Cao Cao still didn't agree. Cao Cao/he was really worried!
To conquer the world, what he needs is talents, and he really doesn't dare to gamble with Xi Zhong's life!
"Wonderful talent!" After thinking for a moment, Cao Cao said to Xia Houyuan: "Lead a hundred elite soldiers to accompany you, and be sure to keep your ambition and talent intact!"
"General, take your orders!" Xia Houyuan stood up and took his orders.
"No!" Xi Zhong stopped him: "Among the Yuan family members, Yuan Xianyi is the most talented. He defeated Qingzhou and already became famous in one battle. Even Yuan Shao knew it, but refused to admit it. When meeting such people, be careful. You should be treated with contempt. Please take back your life, my lord!"
"Zhicai's trip makes me feel uneasy!" Cao Cao said, "How can Tao Qian, a mere Tao Qian, compare to Zhicai?"
"Don't worry, my lord!" After giving a big salute, Xi Zhong continued: "I will be back someday!"
Xi Zhong looked at Cao Cao and said, "My lord, the two armies are inseparable from Xun Gongda in strategizing in front of the formation. Xi Zhong is going to Tancheng, but he still needs one person to assist him."
"That's right, though."
Xi Zhong looked at Cao Ang beside Cao Cao with a smile and said, "The eldest son has an old relationship with Yuan Xi, but I don't know whether eldest son would like to go with me?"
Cao Ang stepped out and clasped his fists and said: "I would like to go to Tancheng with Mr. Xi to send envoys to Yuan Jun."
Cao Cao shook his head and sighed, "You go ahead, but Yuan Xi doesn't look like the kind of person who favors old feelings."
