The weather is very hot. The chirping of cicadas and insects filled the wilderness, making people even more upset.
Mojia Village is a very inconspicuous village in Dongjun. The majority of people here are named Modi, so it was named Mojia Village. Although the village here is not conspicuous, it is indeed an important traffic thoroughfare.
Whether it is Juancheng in the east. Or go to Chenliu in the south, if you want to go to Puyang. You must pass through Mojia Village, otherwise you will have to walk two days longer.
In view of the geographical location of Mojiacun, the Yanzhou Army set up a beacon tower and stationed more than 300 beacon soldiers.
The secret guards and tiger guard sergeants in black were crawling forward, carefully detecting the enemy's hidden sentry. In the distance, the valiant cavalry soldiers leading their war horses stared closely ahead, waiting for the signal to charge.
Each of them holds a crosspiece in his mouth, the war horse is tied up in the mouth, and the horse's hooves are also wrapped in silk cloth.
Several frog calls were heard from far and near, and Zhao Yun waved his hand with a stern and steady look. Let the knights mount their war horses. Another wave of more than 200 wolf guards rushed forward first.
"Enemy attack!" "Here comes someone!" After a sudden attack by the Tiger Guards. The beacon fire soldiers finally discovered the enemy's situation, and they shouted loudly. And the war drums were beaten.
Once the sound of fighting broke out, the heroic cavalry soldiers immediately rushed up to fight. According to the information provided by the previous secret guards, they quickly found the Yanzhou Soldier Beacon Tower. A hail of arrows from the valiant cavalry turned the Yanzhou soldiers who were on fire into hedgehogs.
Two elite members of the Qingzhou Army took action together, and the battle was over in less than a quarter of an hour. The Yanzhou Fenghuo soldiers who were not killed in the battle saw that the situation was not right, so they ran away and surrendered. However, there were still a large number of Qingzhou soldiers outside, and the fleeing Fenghuo soldiers were inevitably doomed.
Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Tian Yu, and Guan Hai, the four Qingzhou Army generals, all gathered in Mojiacun to discuss the next move. In addition, Yuan Xi also sent Xu Chu and four hundred tiger guards to assist in the battle. The secret guards and shadow guards were an indispensable part of this operation.
"Fortunately, not a single enemy soldier escaped, and they didn't have time to light the fireworks." Zhao Yun said.
Zhang Liao looked up at the night sky covered with thick clouds, frowned and said, "It's going to rain heavily, which will be extremely detrimental to the march!"
"Boom!" After a flash of lightning in the sky, there was a muffled thunder.
"The weather is really crazy, how can we march if it rains heavily!" Guan Hai complained.
At this time, local transportation was extremely backward. Even the official roads were only widened and the soil was compacted. If it is an ordinary trail or side road, it will be even more crude. Once it rains, not to mention flash floods, the rain alone can turn the road into mud.
"We must go even if it is difficult. We must reach Puyang before the fourth watch!" Zhang Liao said firmly.
Tian Yu, who looked like a Confucian general, stretched out his hand to block a few drops of rain and said: "Every disadvantage has its advantages. The heavy rain makes the road difficult to walk, but it is not a bad thing."
Zhao Yun's eyes lit up: "Guorang, you are saying that the people of Yanzhou did not expect us to attack the city on a rainy night, and the sound of rain also drowned out the sound of the march!"
Historically, Li Shuo, a famous general in the mid-Tang Dynasty, took advantage of the heavy snow to attack Xuzhou on a snowy night and defeated Li Shidao in Fan Town. His strategy was similar to that of Tian Yu.
"That's right!" Tian Yu replied.
Zhang Liao looked around at everyone and said decisively: "No matter how difficult it is, we must get through it. The Major General has entrusted us with such an important task and has also sent the most elite soldiers. If we cannot take Puyang City, don't say sorry to the Major General." , the hundred thousand soldiers in front will have no way to retreat."
Zhang Liao was appointed by Yuan Xi as the commander-in-chief of this operation, and the other three were all deputy generals. Yuan Xi dispatched a total of 6,000 troops through disciplinary orders and private deployment of troops. Among them, one thousand Danyang soldiers were taken to Baimajin by Jia Xu and others.
Zhang Liao and others commanded the remaining 5,000 troops, including 1,000 Xiaoqi, the most elite in the army, 1,000 Wuhuan Tu cavalry, 1,000 Guards infantry and Huwei, and 2,000 Danyang soldiers. In order to increase the marching speed and carry supplies, Yuan Xi even allocated 2,000 Qingzhou elite horses to Zhang Liao.
"General Wenyuan, you can promise on behalf of the major general that as long as the soldiers can persist to Puyang, they will be rewarded. In this way, the soldiers will definitely be able to overcome the difficulties on the march." Tian Yu suggested.
Zhang Liao glanced at Tian Yu with admiration. He ordered in a deep voice: "Just do it according to this! Everyone mobilizes his own subordinates, and no one is allowed to leave the team!"
Several people took the order and went down to mobilize the soldiers. After a quick meal of dry food, the five thousand troops secretly marched towards Puyang.
"Boom!" White lightning pierced the sky again, illuminating the world instantly and also heralding the occurrence of this big event.
"Boom!" There was a continuous sound of rain in the distance and near. It roared like a beast.
The heavy rain in late summer was very rapid, and the raindrops hit the soldiers' faces. Not only did their skin hurt, it also made them unable to open their eyes.
The people who were marching in the storm seemed to be in a chaotic state, surrounded by white splashes of water, and the buzzing in their ears made them upset.
But what annoyed them even more was the slippery road surface, which was filled with mud puddles. Not only was my body sticky and wet, but my feet were also stuck with mud and water, making it impossible to get out.
The war horse is tied. But the animals still shook uneasily. In such a bad weather environment, war horses could not be ridden. The soldiers could only use war horses to carry weapons and armor, and marching with restless horses added to the difficulty.
"Crash!" Guan Hai lost his balance and fell into the mud.
"Guanhei, are you okay? A little rain will knock you down?" Xu Chuxiao asked.
Guan Hai looked at Xu Chu who was also soaked and said angrily: "Fat Xu, what are you talking about? I just lie down and wash the mud off my body!"
"You can wash it if you like, I didn't see it. Ah, haha!" Xu Chu said with a smile.
Guan Hai suddenly stood up. Rolling his eyes. Said: "When we were crossing the road just now, weren't there a few bridges? In case the people from Yanzhou came back to help. Are we going to be hacked?"
Xu Chu slapped his forehead and said: "If you didn't tell me, I would have forgotten that the young general taught you what you should call your wife after you are married..."
"Build some roadblocks!" Tian Yu said with a smile.
"That's right!" Xu Chu slapped his forehead again and said, "The roadblock is really tight."
Xu Chu took the steel ax from his horse and turned around to chop down the bridge. Not to be outdone, Guan Hai also took the steel ax and followed.
This late summer heavy rain shows no sign of stopping, but instead gets heavier and heavier...
The night is past half.
The city of Puyang was dark. The people in the city had been moved away long ago. The soldiers stationed in the residences had turned off their lights long ago. The torches on the city walls were also extinguished by the heavy rain.
The Yanzhou Army had five thousand soldiers and horses left behind in Puyang, led by Xi Zhong, Li Tong, and Bao Xin. Originally Xi Zhong strongly requested to go with the army, but Cao Cao was considerate of his health and asked him to stay in Puyang. Who knows, maybe. . . . . . . . .
Although the rain was pouring, it also brought a rare coolness. Except for the soldiers who spent the night on patrol, everyone else fell asleep. But there are also people who stay up all night, namely Xi Zhong and other high-level generals.
Xi Zhong's eyelids twitched and he felt uneasy in his heart. He stood on the edge of the courtyard and looked at the dark west.
"Commander, please go back and rest. I will guard this place. As soon as there is news from the front, I will tell you." Li Tong advised.
Xi Zhong covered his mouth and coughed for a while, then shook his head: "Tonight is the night of the decisive battle. Success or failure depends on this move. How can I sleep? General Li doesn't need to persuade me anymore."
Bao Xin, who had broken his right arm, also walked to Xi Zhong and advised: "After the planning of the lord and the three military advisors, the strategy of attacking Yuan Jun at night is foolproof. Zhicai, you can rest assured and rest, otherwise your condition will worsen." La!"
Xi Zhong still shook his head: "There is no perfect strategy in the world, it can only be based on adapting to the situation. My master is best at making random decisions, but I just can't rest assured."
Bao Xin nodded: "This battle is about the Central Plains. Although we know that Meng De has a great chance of winning, we can't help but feel uneasy."
"The lord's chess piece has fallen, how should you deal with it?" Xi Zhong murmured, looking at the dark sky. There was a bad feeling lingering in his heart, so he was even more worried.
It was said earlier that Yanzhou soldiers moved all the people in Puyang away, but this is not necessarily true. The Yanzhou Army still left some young men to help defend the city. These young men usually did odd jobs, worked as coolies, and cooked and delivered meals.
In the dark room, five strong men got up. After making a gesture, they took out the daggers on their waists. The five strong men each reached the bed, covering their sleeping companions with one hand, and ruthlessly harvesting their lives with the sharp blade in the other hand. Those strong men moved very neatly. Soon there were only five of them left alive in the room.
The few strong men walked out of the house and went to the place they had scouted in advance.
There are still lights on in several houses here, which are the kitchens of Yanzhou Army. The fire-headed soldiers and the strong men recruited from inside are cooking.
The soldiers who patrol overnight are usually divided into two groups. In the middle of the night another group of soldiers will be called up. After they had a meal in the kitchen, they went to the city wall to replace the previous batch of soldiers who were on duty at night.
The five strong men gave a few signals, and soon seven or eight more strong men came from the opposite side. They winked at each other. He walked into the kitchen with ease.
A strong man entered a room, and he slit the throat of a cook with quick movements. Then put on the clothes of a cook. When the last ten soldiers were left in the kitchen, several cooks dressed as cooks went out and sent the Yanzhou soldier on the road using the same technique.
The strong man in the lead captured a Yanzhou soldier, put a dagger against his chest, and asked: "Where are you going for duty?"
"Ah! It's... the fifth section of the east wall..."
The leading young man chuckled. Send the dagger into his heart.
The dozen or so strong men divided their hands to clean up the rest of the cooks, and the rest quickly took off the robes and armor of the soldiers.
"Brother. Are you the one who contacted the outside world?"
"I am Boss Xu's subordinate, and we are the ones who sent the news." Another person replied.
"With such heavy rain, is it true that the army is attacking the city? If the news is false, we will have no choice but to leave the city and escape for our lives!"
"The news spread by pigeons cannot be false!"
Soon ten people put on the Yanzhou soldiers' robes and armor. They took a few sacks, put on their bamboo hats and ran out.
On the city wall, the Yanzhou Army Commander shouted with a sullen face: "Why is it so late!"
The little leader of the "Black Ice" disguised as a Yanzhou soldier replied: "The damn cook is late for cooking, no wonder we!"
The chief officer was surprised and asked: "Aren't Lao Jia and the others here to take turns? Why haven't I seen you before?"
"How do we know? It was ordered by General Li Tong. They may have been sent out." The little leader of Black Ice replied.
The rain continues unabated. The chief waved his hand impatiently and led ten of his people down the city wall.
The little boss looked around. I saw that the soldiers on the city wall were very loosely arranged. The defense area of the ten of them was nearly twenty meters wide. Moreover, the sky was dark and the rain was heavy, which was a good time for a night attack.
The three secret guards took out the ropes from the sacks and tied them tightly at the top of the city. They all climbed down.
Under Puyang City, the infantry of the Qingzhou Army were all crawling in the muddy water, not daring to move even though their whole bodies were sticky and uncomfortable.
Zhang Liao wiped the rain off his face and waited anxiously for news about the secret guards.
"General Zhang, it will be dawn soon. I think it's better to climb the city wall by yourself!" Zhao Yun suggested.
"General, we have contacted him. He is in the middle of the east wall." A soldier reported.
Zhang Liao looked overjoyed, raised his sword and said softly: "Go to the east wall!"
After a while, more than 400 Tiger Guards gathered under the east wall. Yuan Xi has long paid attention to the night fighting ability of elite soldiers, so for the shadow guards, attacking the city at night is no stranger. Their robes and armor were blackened, and even their weapons were blackened.
"I'll go up first!" Xu Chu tied the sword behind his back and was about to step forward.
"Zhong Kang, don't move!" Zhao Yun grabbed his shoulders, "Can that rope carry your head and body?"
Xu Chu scratched his head and grinned bitterly.
Zhang Liao tied the long knife to his waist and ordered: "Zilong and I will go up first, and the rest of the troops will be dispatched by Tian Guorang. Once the city gate is opened, the army will attack immediately!"
"General Wenyuan! As the commander-in-chief, you should stay behind to dispatch the troops and horses of the Chinese army. Just let me go up!" Zhao Yun advised.
Zhang Liao shook his head: "The young general thinks highly of Tian Guorang. I think he is a talented commander. He can dispatch the troops and horses very well. And whether we can capture the city wall is the key to this battle. I don't need to use my martial arts on it. Isn't it a pity? Besides, having me as the commander go first can boost the morale of the soldiers!"
Zhao Yun couldn't persuade him, so he had to climb the rope to the top of the Puyang wall with Zhang Liao.
As soon as Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun reached the city wall, the secret guard sergeant reported softly: "Ten enemy soldiers on the right have been eliminated!"
Zhang Liao nodded, looked at the rainstorm that gradually stopped, and ordered: "Capture the city as soon as possible!"
The darkness and the sound of rain became the best cover, and the Tiger Guard soldiers kept climbing up the wall.
The soldiers who climbed up to the city wall lay motionless on the ground, including Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun. They stared at the Yanzhou soldiers on night watch in the distance, like cheetahs, always ready to pounce on their prey and give their prey a fatal blow.
Several shadow guards moved slowly, using the assassination techniques they had learned, to take as many lives as possible from the Yanzhou soldiers on the city wall.
