The Taihang Mountains are undulating and the terrain is steep, but there are clear and sweet trickles that meander in the mountains, and then merge into small rivers and large rivers, running eastward. The rocks are rugged everywhere, and the vegetation is thick. The trails are hard to find, but the roads are accessible. quiet.
Fortunately, Changtun himself had been living among them for many years, so he knew the terrain well and was familiar with the roads, so he walked quite quickly.
But despite this, the steep mountain road almost scared Yuan Xi and his party to their knees.
In modern times with advanced science and technology, walking around Taihang, Shanxi is not an easy task, let alone ancient times.
Although the soldiers and horses of Changtun and Liu Xiongming were good at walking on mountain roads, the environment there was too difficult. Not only did they have to cut roads through mountains and build bridges over water, but they also had to face many natural dangers in the mountains and forests. The soldiers and horses rushed quickly and slowly, That is the speed of advancing more than twenty miles per day.
As for Gao Rou, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao and others on the Hanoi Avenue, Yuan Xi probably fought with Cao Jun, but this side may not have gone halfway.
It's a bit of a loss of face, but Yuan Xi is used to it. Besides, as a king, the credit doesn't have to go to me, right?
"Report~~~!"
While he was talking, he saw Liu Xiongming, the big thief at the Wu Pass crossing, limping towards Yuan Xi with his feet covered in mud. He hurriedly raised his hands to Yuan Xi and said, "My lord, the general's spies are heading towards Wu Pass." We have found a pass out of the mountain, which is connected to the main road leading to Liyang in Jizhou! But next to the pass, Cao's army is already preparing for war. They are holding their throats. Dare you ask my lord what we should do?"
Yuan Xi sighed and secretly thought that Cao Jun was well deployed. At the same time, he also asked Liu Xiongming: "Who is guarding the pass? Have you ever found out clearly?"
Liu Xiongming nodded hurriedly when he heard this and said: "We have found out clearly. Bai Bo's thief Li Lebu is now the Prime Minister of Pingjin and Cao Cao's army. He is also accompanying the army during Cao Cao's Northern Expedition."
"Li Le? Baibo Thief...well, is there anything else?"
Liu Xiongming swallowed lightly and spit out: "There is another person, Dian Wei, the commander of Cao Jun's Guards, who is famous for his bravery among Cao Jun generals! And Cao Cao's adopted son Cao Zhen."
"Tsk, tsk, Dian Wei... Cao Zhen... Haha, it turns out it's them!" Yuan Xi looked at Xu Chu next to him again. Everything was really unpredictable.
Sima Yi walked to Yuan Xi and whispered: "My lord, I heard that Li Le and Dian Wei are from the bandits and bandits. They are very good at mountain warfare and are difficult to deal with! We are waiting to cross Taihang and take a small road. The soldiers have already Tiredness, if you conflict with it head-on, I’m afraid it’s not a good idea!”
Yuan Xi nodded slightly and said: "I know this too, but it doesn't matter, I have a way!"
Sima Yi asked cautiously, "May I ask my lord, what is the best strategy?"
Yuan Xi stared at Sima Yi silently, smiling without saying a word, which made Sima Yi feel a hair in his heart.
At the mouth of Taihang Valley, Cao Jun camped.
It has been a long time since we came to guard the valley entrance. At the beginning, Cao Zhen, Dian Wei and Li Le of Cao Jun sent large-scale troops to patrol and search the mountains every day, closely guarding Yuan Jun, and suddenly jumped out from the mountains to attack. The two of them were ready and dedicated to their duties.
However, as time passed, no one could be seen coming out of the huge mountain forest. The people who waited were really feeling dizzy and miserable. Moreover, the mountains were steep and there were many beasts and birds in them. The environment was harsh, and Cao's soldiers were not willing to get into it.
The leaders Cao Zhen, Dian Wei and Li Le also felt that the possibility of Yuan's army taking the Taihang Mountain Road was too small. It was a waste of time to defend here. It would be better to return to join the main force and attack and kill the Jizhou army.
But an idea is just an idea after all. If you want to think about it, you can't say it out loud.
Although the three of them are unwilling to stay here, Cao Cao's military order has been issued. If they violate the order, according to Cao's army's practice of clear rewards and punishments, they may not get a few whips, but they will be able to get over it.
If you disobey the general in the army, you will really have to pay the price with your life. Cao Cao's laws are very serious.
In this era of troubled times, the sad thing is that what Cao Cao did was actually the right thing to do.
As a result, the three of them had to reluctantly continue to lead their troops to guard the pass. However, there were far fewer soldiers sent to the mountains every day, and their alertness also dropped a lot. They just dealt with the situation every day. Sou Shan was in trouble, but Hun Bu took all this seriously.
On the other hand, deep inside the mountain, Yuan Xi led Chang Tun, Liu Xiongming and other thieves to arrange themselves closely in the forest.
According to Yuan Xi's request, his troops were divided into ten teams. According to his request, many stones, soil, and tree trunk transplants were arranged in a lush area in the dense forest.
Just like decorating a new house, the objects in the dense forest with a radius of several miles were rearranged according to Yuan Xi's method!
Seeing that Yuan Xi did not come out of the mountain, he instead let the soldiers and horses mess around in the forest.
Sima Yi couldn't stand it, and then asked him: "My lord, now Cao Zhen, Li Le and Dian Wei are stationing troops outside the mountain, blocking our army's way to reinforce Jizhou. My lord has no idea how to send troops to defeat him, but instead spends the whole day in Here, the soldiers are ordered to play with wooden piles, stones and blocks every day, but what are they doing?"
Yuan Xi smiled slightly, took out an old bamboo slip from his arms, waved it gently in front of Sima Yi, and said with a smile: "Zhongda, test your knowledge. What is this?"
Sima Yi was dazzled by the bamboo slip in Yuan Xi's hand. He couldn't see it clearly for a moment. After a long time, he suddenly said: "Dunjia Tianshu...? Qimen Dunjia?"
Yuan Xi said quietly: "Well, this is what Mr. Zuo Ci gave me. Later, it was compiled by Jia Xu, Guo Jia, and Liu Ye, and it was a wonderful book written by one step. It covers everything from astronomy, geography, art of war, formations, and stars." Luo Wanxiang.”
"Qi Men Dun Jia?" Sima Yi couldn't help but frowned upon hearing this.
"This Qimen Dunjia is not the other Qimen. You see, it says here that the so-called Qimen Dunjia is not a magic spell, but a kind of magic that relies on heaven, geography, weather, the arrangement of object carriers, and The inversion of the formation is just a technique to confuse the opponent's five senses of vision. It is a bit similar to a trick to deceive others... Now we are in this mountain forest, with many trees, secluded paths, and the weather is hazy and thick with fog. , it’s a good place to use this strange escaping formation technique to defeat the opponent! Both sides are killing each other for a while, why not give it a try, maybe it will have some miraculous effects." Seeing Sima Yi's hesitation, Yuan Xi added.
Sima Yi shook his head and said: "Even if the lord is right, your arrangements are dead, and Cao Zhen, Dian, Wei and Li Le are all alive. If you can make them come, they will definitely come into the circle you drew." Drill?"
Sima Yi didn't know that a few years later, he himself would be trapped by Zhuge Liang using similar means.
Later, it was Emperor Taizong Xuanwu and Yuan Xi who invited the hermit Zhou Yin to break the situation.
Yuan Xi touched his chin when he heard this and thought quietly for a long time before grinning.
"Well, I really just have a little trick that I can try. Zhongda, go help me and find Liu Xiongming. I have something to tell him!"
*********************
As the sun sets in the west, the bright sun gradually sets from the top of the mountain. The sky becomes gray little by little, and the birds in the mountain forest begin to return to their nests.
The animals gradually began to look for food, and everything seemed so terrifying and eerie without even realizing it, showing the true nature of the barren mountains.
Dian Wei was sitting next to the commander's camp. He had a big cauldron in his left hand and a dagger in his right hand. He was cutting up the roe deer meat in the cauldron and stuffing it into his mouth. Although it looked a little ugly, he felt very comfortable eating. He kept his mouth full. Come up with big ideas.
Cao Zhen had a sad look on his face and did not have the appetite of Dian Wei at all. He looked at the piece of roe deer meat in front of him and just pulled it gently with his dagger, moving it here and there, but he didn't eat a single bite.
"Report~ Young Master~!" The two of them were eating in the dining room when they saw Li Le walking over in a hurry and saluting the two of them: "Two generals, the team searching for the lost horse has returned!"
Cao Zhen perked up after hearing this and said hurriedly: "Have you found them? Those lost horses!"
Li Le shook his head gently and said: "The search team searched for a radius of five miles, but could not find even Ma Mao. The night was already dark, and our team did not dare to go forward to the dense forest and come back." I apologize to the two generals!"
"Hey!" Cao Zhen angrily inserted his dagger into the flesh of the roe deer in front of him, and said angrily: "General Li, what tricks are you doing? For three days in a row, our army first disappeared out of thin air, and then lost five of our army's meat sheep. I picked up four horses and sent them out to search, but not a single hair was left...This, this is really evil!"
Dian Wei ate happily and stuffed the last piece of meat in the cauldron in one gulp. He shook his head at Cao Zhen and said: "Master, these deep mountains and forests, in the wilderness, are full of carnivorous wolves, wild dogs, and large insects. It's all right. It's reasonable to drag him with a few horses and sheep. If it were the original farm in our Chenliu area, people would be thrown away every day. It's not a big deal... That meat in your bowl Are you still going to eat? If you don’t want to eat, you, you, please pass the meat to me~~~"
When Cao Zhen heard this, he sighed and handed the roe deer meat in his cauldron to Dian Wei. He shook his head and said, "General Dian, you are very generous and don't be in a hurry! But the problem is that we are not only losing horses and mutton these days. Even some of the weapons and crossbows placed on the fence of the barracks were lost, and what’s even more bizarre is that a soldier came to report to me, saying that even the private money he had saved for many years was fucking missing!”
While chewing the meat, Dian Wei touched his chin and thought carefully, and said: "Young master, don't mention it. When I was a senior member of the Chenliu County clan, I heard from the elders that there are not only birds and animals in this mountain forest. , there are also many mountain spirits and monsters that take human lives, and we can’t guarantee when they will pop out and entangle you and me, it will be very harmful to people!”
When Cao Zhen heard this, he trembled all over. He stared at Xu Chu hesitantly and said, "You are so evil, don't scare me with these dirty words. I won't accept this..." "
Before he finished speaking, a soldier from Li Le ran up to the two of them crazily, knelt down towards the three of them with a bang, and said tremblingly: "Three generals, something bad has happened! The lieutenants just now I carefully counted the soldiers in each camp, but I found that the camp to the west is missing twenty brothers patrolling the mountains, and I can't find them no matter how hard I look!"
Dian Wei sighed heavily when he heard this: "What? Is it really embarrassing? When did you find out that you were missing!"
Hearing this, the soldier panicked and said: "This morning, the twenty soldiers were divided into a team and were routinely ordered to patrol the mountains in the west. Unexpectedly, they went there for a whole day and night and have not come back yet. A hundred people from the Xitun camp will send several I called the brothers to look for them, but no trace of these people was found! I sent a special villain to report, and asked several generals to deal with it!"
Cao Zhen rubbed his chin and pondered for a long time. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he said to Li Le: "We have lost sheep, horses, and money in the past few days, and now we have even lost people! Could it be that there is really Yuan Jun in the mountains who is causing trouble and is secretly making things difficult for us?"
Li Le thought for a while, shook his head and said: "But I don't understand why, if it is really Yuan Jun, he didn't take advantage of the opportunity to attack our camp, but instead stole our horses, sheep and baggage, making us defensive and alert. This Is this a little too weird? Was it really Yuan Jun who did it? Are they trying to do this?"
Hearing this, Dian Wei raised his hand and scratched his head, and said in a naive voice: "Li Le's words are reasonable, but if Yuan Jun didn't do this, there could be monsters, monsters, and ghosts in this mountain... ..”
"Don't talk nonsense! They are all generals in the army. If you talk about evil spirits, be careful to make the soldiers laugh..." Cao Zhen said happily.
Just as I was thinking about it, I saw another soldier running towards me. He cupped his hands towards Cao Zhen, Dian Wei and Li Le and said, "To the three generals, there seems to be a figure singing and dancing in front of our camp in the mountains and forests, floating back and forth. , we dare not approach without the generals, so we specially ask three generals to deal with it!"
The three generals woke up immediately after hearing this.
"Take us to see it!" Dian Wei shouted and got up first......
When I was young, I saw Cao Zhidian, Wei and Li Le, three generals, fully armed, leading their troops and horses to the outside of the camp. Looking at the soldiers leading the way, I saw more than ten figures in the mountains and forests not far away. , dancing with the wind in the forest, erratic from left to right, accompanied by the roar of the "hunting" wind in the mountains, but there is an indescribable weird atmosphere.
Dian Wei squinted his eyes for a while, snorted coldly, and said angrily: "Where did this thief come from? He dared to play tricks in front of his grandpa Dian's stronghold. He's so tired of living! Follow me and kill that Capture a few of them who are having convulsions on the mountain, and after being tortured, you will know what they are and what they are!"
But Dian Wei suddenly turned over, got off the horse, waved the iron halberd in his hand, and shouted at the soldiers behind him: "The mountain road is rugged, it is difficult for the horses to travel, and the riding position is disadvantageous. All of you, please dismount and follow me to slaughter." All those pretentious bastards!"
Dian Wei has a high prestige in the army, but no one dares to disobey him when he speaks. The cavalrymen hurriedly got off their horses one by one, holding weapons in hand, and followed Dian Wei in a hurry towards the figures in the mountains. go.
Although Cao Zhen was shocked and worried, he had just received Dian Wei's sarcasm. If he really retreated now, as a general, how would he be able to hold his head high in front of the three armies in the future? He had no choice but to bite the bullet and chase him away. .
The phantom in front was still there, walking and walking, stopping and walking, keeping a short distance from Cao Jun.
No matter how out of breath Cao's army ran behind them, they couldn't catch them.
After another half an hour, the two groups came to a dense forest at a mountain pass. They saw the figures that had been wandering in front. For some unknown reason, they turned around and disappeared into the dark night sky and mist. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared completely.
After Li Le, who was chasing after him, caught up, everyone was dumbfounded.
