A puff of smoke and dust rose from the north. The infantry of the Qingzhou Army finally moved to the north of Lu County. More than 3,000 infantry lined up along the river, with bows and crossbows mounted on arrows and shields, waiting for the general's order.
The tall but ordinary-looking Ji Lingce stepped forward, raised his hands and saluted, "General Gongming. The last general has arrived with his troops. Please give the general's order to cross the river."
Xu Huang pointed his ax at the high ground upstream of Zhu River and ordered, "We must capture this place in one fell swoop. After the crossbows are diffused, no matter what happens after the volley, we must cross the river!"
"Here!" Ji Ling firmly grasped the three-pointed two-edged knife.
Although Yuan Shu had his glorious moments, Yuan Shu liked to give orders to his subordinates on the fly. It would be fine if it was a correct order, but Yuan Shu was so happy with his achievements that he often had many constraints on his subordinates, making Ji Ling feel like he couldn't use his strength. This time he joined the Qingzhou Army, and Ji Ling hoped to establish a career based on his ability.
"Crash!" Thousands of Qingzhou soldiers took the lead to go down the river. They attacked through the water. Although their steps were difficult, they were wearing heavy armor and were not afraid of the arrows from the opposite side.
Seeing that the front of the Qingzhou infantry had reached the river, Cao Xiu immediately led the spearmen to attack. Rows of spearmen thrust out to block the Qingzhou soldiers who were halfway across the river.
"General, the Qingzhou soldiers have crossed the river again upstream!" the deputy general next to him shouted in panic.
Cao Xiu hurriedly mounted his horse and ordered, "Let the city send more troops and horses to come to our aid. Hou Qu and I will go to stop the enemy!"
Xu Huang took the lead, clamped the horse's belly, and the horse jumped onto the opposite river bank. The rear cavalry jumped onto the river bank one after another.
"Advance!" Xu Huang raised his ax and shouted. The river bank was full of pebbles, and the cavalry could only die if they fought here.
"Chi yo yo!" The Qingzhou cavalry pulled up the reins and rode their horses away from the river bank with their general Xu Huang.
When Cao Xiu led his troops to the upper river bank, Xu Huang had already left the river bank a hundred steps away, and more than a thousand Qingzhou infantry rushed into the water behind him, preparing to cross the river with strength.
"Shoot!" Xu Huang shouted, and he galloped downstream.
Although Cao Xiu and his several hundred men occupied a favorable position on the river bank, they gradually became embarrassed under attack from both sides, especially the harassment from the cavalry who boarded the shore.
Generals Qiao Rui and Li Feng carried shields and followed the soldiers. They finally forced Cao Xiu's hundreds of men to land ashore.
"Withdraw below!" Cao Xiu saw the Qingzhou soldiers landing and decisively withdrew to the high ground by the river below.
Just then Cao Xiu divided his troops, and under Ji Ling's supervision, the Qingzhou Army below also stepped onto the river bank to confront the Yanzhou Army on the high ground.
The high ground is less than two feet, and can only accommodate a thousand people to stand, so the remaining Yanzhou soldiers have to fight with the Qingzhou soldiers, and the originally active battle situation becomes a passive situation.
Cao Xiu led more than 40 soldiers to the rear, while Xu Huang led the cavalry to catch up and hold on tightly.
"Ding!" Axes and guns clashed. Cao Xiu was not well prepared and turned around to fight back again, his right arm was numb from the shock.
Xu Huang gained the upper hand and showed no mercy, turning around and slashing out again. The tip of the ax swung down and hit Cao Xiu's right arm.
"Ah!" Cao Xiu groaned. The spear in his hand had fallen to the ground, and the blood slowly soaked the shoulder armor.
Xu Huang clamped his horse's belly again, and after two steps to catch up, he straightened his ax and struck Cao Xiu in the back, preparing to get the first kill.
"Whoosh!" A feather arrow struck. Go straight to Xu Huang's door.
Xu Huang had no choice but to turn sideways to let Cao Xiu out of the attack range. You are the commander of the army, there is no need to fight to the death.
After calming down, Xu Huang saw clearly the oncoming opponent. He was a general wearing armor and had an extraordinary status, and there were more than 40 cavalry who were also wearing fine armor.
"Kill!" Xu Huang shouted and led his troops forward.
The armored general raised his strong bow after passing Cao Xiu, and the forty cavalry behind him also raised their swords.
After the fight, Xu Huang discovered that each of the more than 40 cavalrymen had extraordinary skills. They rushed left and right, and they rushed back to the high ground surrounded by most of Xu Huang's cavalry.
Cao Xiu anxiously looked at the battle situation above. When the general returned to the high ground, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "General Zixiao. The general failed to block the Qingzhou soldiers, and I need you to come out to rescue them."
That general was Cao Ren, and the more than forty cavalry beside him were all soldiers who had been with him for many years. Although there were not many in number, they were all strong and capable with extraordinary martial arts.
"I underestimated the enemy and asked you to resist the Qingzhou soldiers with more than two thousand people. This water source is very important. Now I
Bringing three thousand people is enough to defend this place! "Cao Ren said slowly.
As soon as Cao Ren finished speaking, the Qingzhou soldiers launched another attack. Soldiers from both sides fought fiercely around this contested land and water, and there were several emergencies on the high ground.
This is a battleground in Sun Tzu's Art of War. Gains lead to life, losses lead to death, for example, the Battle of Tashan in Northeast China.
The sky was dim and the Zhu River was stained with patches of scarlet. The sound of fighting had not stopped since the morning. Soldiers from both sides were divided into several groups and took turns to fight.
"General. Let's eat some scones." Deputy General Hao Zhao handed a ball of dry food to Xu Huang.
Xu Huang took the pancake and ate it with the river water. Other soldiers also took advantage of the opportunity to eat dry food.
"General Xu, I think it will be difficult to capture this water source if this continues. How about sending cavalry to seize the city and county in a roundabout way!" General Hao Zhao suggested.
Xu Huang's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but said, "Botong, tell me what you think!"
"The Yanzhou soldiers are very difficult to deal with. If we fight hard, we will have to pay a lot of casualties to capture this place. Although General Jushuo only asked us to seize the water source, I saw that the Yanzhou soldiers left the city in a hurry and did not bring any dry food. It was only at this time that some soldiers were sent back to the city to get it. Come." Hao Zhao pointed to the county seat in the distance, "Cao Ren also knows the importance of this water source. He will send heavy troops here, so the county seat must be empty. Our cavalry will take advantage of the empty space when they return to the city to fetch food. There must be an opportunity. take!"
Xu Huang laughed and said, "Botong's words coincide with the method of using troops, which is exactly what I want! These two thousand cavalry cannot be deployed here, so it is perfect for a surprise attack! It's just that the infantry here needs you to command."
"We must contain Cao Ren!" Hao Zhao said.
When the sky became hazy again, Hao Zhao ordered his infantry to launch a more violent attack in turn. Two thousand cavalry took advantage of the weather to quickly advance towards Lu County by taking a route from the south to the northeast.
"Hurry up and move the dry food to the car, and you want the firewood too!" Yanzhou Junya Gatekeeper shouted.
The soldiers were busy loading food and pots into the carts. Although the soldiers fighting outside had no intention of eating, they would definitely be hungry and exhausted after the fighting stopped. The carts loaded with grain and firewood were sent to the Zhu River, and torches were lit near the city gate.
"Tick-tock!" The sound of horse hooves came. By the time the guards used torches to see clearly, the Qingzhou cavalry had already rushed not far away from them.
"The enemy is attacking, Qingzhou people!" the guards shouted loudly.
"Hmph!" Xu Huang took the lead and cut down several guards while his horse was galloping. He ran straight towards the enemy general who was commanding the transportation.
"Kill!" Qingzhou cavalry shouted while beating small war drums.
Now there are only two thousand Yanzhou troops guarding the city in Lu County, and many soldiers have been assigned to deliver food. They were frightened by the surprise attack by the Qingzhou army, and they were immediately panicked.
The warning sounds were ringing, but the more they sounded, the more the guards became alarmed. In the dim sky, they couldn't see how many Qingzhou soldiers were coming. The timid ones had already fled far away. The generals wanted to gather their men, but there was chaos around the city.
Naturally, the Yanzhou soldiers outside the city also heard the sound of the golden drum. They were surprised and unavoidably scattered their positions.
At this time, Cao Ren also saw the fire coming from behind.
"No, it's the Qingzhou army attacking the city!" Cao Ren was excited, annoyed at his own carelessness.
"General Zixiao. I am here, lead your troops back quickly!" Cao Xiu said urgently.
Cao Ren glanced at Cao Xiu, who had an injured arm, and ordered with concern: "Stabilize your formation and defend from high ground. Wait until I come back!"
After speaking, Cao Ren led his two thousand men to withdraw from the river bank and rushed towards Lu County.
The Qingzhou army was not willing to let Cao Ren go. Under Hao Zhao's dispatch, Qiao Rui and Zhang Xun led nearly a thousand people to catch up with Cao Ren.
they know. As long as Cao Renlu County is held back, the Yanzhou army outside the city will collapse without a fight.
Cao Ren was very angry. He picked up his long sword and rushed to the front with more than 40 elite cavalry soldiers, slashing open the Qingzhou soldiers who were blocking the way.
Qiao Rui arrived on horseback. He swung his halberd and stabbed Cao Ren. Zhang Xun also raised his halberd and killed Cao Ren's soldiers.
Cao Ren has always been fond of hunting with bow and horse, and his riding skills are very superb. He threw the bridge ridge aside with two gallops, and slashed towards the gate facing the bridge ridge with his long knife.
"Cang!" The bridge was cut off, and he himself was so shocked that his eyes turned black.
Cao Ren turned the blade around. Just about to finish Qiao Rui,
But at this moment, there was a sound of "coaxing", and the rider came out of the dark clearing.
This distracted Cao Ren slightly, and Qiao Rui took advantage of this to turn his horse and duck aside.
Cao Ren came to his senses, took out his strong bow, "Whoosh!" A feather arrow went straight to the bridge.
Qiao Rui's eyes were dizzy, and he vaguely noticed an arrow coming, so he leaned down. But he was still shot in the shoulder and rolled off his horse.
"Tsk!" The elite soldiers following Cao Ren chopped off Qiao Rui's head with one sword! Cao Jun achieved the first kill.
"Kill!" The ambush soldiers on both sides shouted loudly at the top of their lungs. There were not many of them at first, but at this moment they were so powerful that they stunned the Yanzhou soldiers.
Xu Huang had long expected that Cao Ren would return to Junlu County, so he rode and lurked by the road. Disperse the Yanzhou troops returning for reinforcements.
Although Cao Ren is known as brave. But after all, they are not ghosts and gods. The Yanzhou soldiers are already exhausted from the early battle.
Did they get any food, but now they were caught between two sides. The soldiers were weak and frightened.
Looking at his men who were scattered, Cao Ren knew that he could no longer stop the defeat, so he led his elite cavalry to rush to the rear to join Cao Xiu, then fought and retreated, and fled to Rencheng.
The overall situation has been decided, and Yuan Cao Dongfang's first battle started with a small victory for Yuan Xi. Although he lost one general, he won in the end.
After Cao Ren and Cao Xiu retreated, Hao Zhao divided half of his troops to pursue him, and the other half attacked Lu County to assist Ji Ling's troops.
"The first battle to seize the city, we made the first contribution, this time we can show our faces!" Zhang Xun chuckled.
"But Cao Ren really didn't want his life. He dared to fight back and forth among the army with just a few dozen riders. Unfortunately, Qiao Rui was also killed." Zhang Xun suddenly said with lingering fear, somewhat sad.
"As a general, you must be prepared to die on the battlefield." Hao Zhao sighed, and then asked: "General Xu, how much food and supplies are there in the city?"
"Cao Ren has been operating here for a long time and has accumulated a lot of grain and supplies. Our army can station troops in Lu County as a temporary grain storage stronghold." Xu Huang said.
"Then immediately send someone to report to General Jushou." Hao Zhao said.
"General Hao, you will lead your troops to stay here to rest and recuperate, while I will lead my cavalry to pursue Cao Ren." Xu Huang said.
"Aren't you waiting for the follow-up troops? It was a hard battle just now. How can you hold on without rest!" Hao Zhao said worriedly.
Xu Huang shook his head and explained, "If I can't intercept Cao Ren, I have to get to Rencheng before him. Otherwise, if he gets to Rencheng, he will definitely organize troops to resist."
Xu Huang's strategy was the same as when Li Shimin defeated Xue Rengao.
"Do you want to force Cao Ren to go to Shanyang or Jiyin?" Hao Zhao asked.
"Our army wants to go deep into the enemy's territory, so we need to continue fighting and keep advancing! Fight to the end." Xu Huang replied.
"Well, I will catch up with General Xu quickly!" Hao Zhao cupped his fists.
"The follow-up cavalry is expected to arrive in an hour or two. The leader of the cavalry will be Taishi Ci. When the time comes, Botong, let him catch up quickly. I will rest for half an hour, feed the horses and leave!" Xu Huang said firmly.
The Battle of Lu kicked off the decisive battle between Cao and Yuan. Xu Huang and Ji Ling, the pioneers of the Qingzhou Army, used rushing and roundabout tactics to capture Lu County, seizing a large amount of supplies that Cao Ren had hoarded here, opening the door to the depths of Yanzhou.
This battle also laid the foundation for Xu Huang to enter Lingxiao Pavilion after his death and enjoy the special treatment of being buried with Qianling Mausoleum.
The river was rushing endlessly, and tens of thousands of Yuan troops rushed to cross the rivers in Hanoi, Baimajin, Yanjin, and Puyang in the Yanzhou waters of Jizhou. For a time, the river was covered with boats, and the scene was spectacular.
In the waters of the Puyang section, eighteen battleships of the Qingzhou Army crossed the river. The bows and crossbows on the ships fired in unison to avoid Cao's ships.
Bian Xi stood on the bank of the river wearing armor. He ordered his soldiers to use bows and crossbows to fight back at the approaching fighting ships.
At the front were the infantrymen holding shields and guns, and the rows of crossbowmen behind them kept firing, trying to prevent the Qingzhou Army ships from approaching the shore.
Xu Sheng stood on the deck holding a shield. He looked at the sunk Yanzhou ship with cold contempt and ordered, "The generals obey the order, move the ship sideways, and fire all the crossbows at a distance of a hundred paces in the middle!"
The flag waved, and more than ten battleships lined up. The soldiers on the boat all fired arrows alternately with powerful crossbows. For a while, a hundred-foot-wide area on the river bank was covered by arrow rain.
Boats kept following behind, and boats one after another joined forces.
Come, the navy soldiers who ran up connected the boats with iron ropes and hemp ropes. Soon, a pontoon bridge was built across the river, and Qingzhou soldiers rushed through the pontoon bridge to attack the river bank.
"Hurry up the crossbowmen, don't let them get ashore!" Bian Xi kept shouting.
The Yanzhou soldiers surrounded the river banks on both sides of the floating bridge. Although the Qingzhou soldiers occupied the river bank dozens of steps wide, they were still in danger of being driven down the river by them.
Xu Sheng shouted and ran to the other side of the battleship with several soldiers. They took off their armor. Just holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, you can tell it is Xu Shengdi's Hebei Navy without even looking.
"Gu dong dong! Many sailors jumped into the river. Although the water was still cold and biting, for them who made a living among the rivers, this was a normal thing.
"Wow! Wow!" Water splashed out from the river. Many sailors quickly ran ashore from behind the Yanzhou soldiers.
"Kill!" Xu Sheng shouted angrily and led his navy to kill Bian Xi who was commanding him.
The Yanzhou soldiers were unable to turn around and were forced out of the way by Xu Sheng.
Bian Xi saw that there were not many Qingzhou soldiers attacking. Feeling relieved for a moment, he shouted loudly, "Destroy the Qingzhou bandits for me!"
After saying that, Bian Xi led more than two hundred spearmen to surround Xu Sheng. He also wanted to make a contribution in the decisive battle between Yuan and Cao.
After all, the decisive battle between Yuan and Cao will be recorded in history.
Xu Sheng sneered and blocked the spear with his shield. His body kept clashing and jumping around. With the cooperation of other sailors. After a while, he rushed in front of Bian Xi, and this was the first kill of the navy.
Bian Xi also sneered, he relied on his own bravery. He also used weird weapons like the meteor hammer, and many generals suffered losses under his hands. So he looked down on Xu Sheng a little.
"Buzz!" The hammer head of the meteor hammer flew towards Xu Sheng. The momentum is truly terrifying.
"Cang!" The shield and the hammer collided, and the iron sheet was dented. Even Xu Sheng was shocked to the point that his left hand went numb.
"Drink!" Xu Sheng shouted angrily, and let go of the shield with his left hand. He touched the ground with both feet before Bian Xi launched his second attack, and flew to his right side, slashing out with the special ring-headed steel knife in his hand. "Chi!" Bian Xidi's head was chopped off and flew to the ground.
"Kill!" Xu Sheng laughed ferociously and hacked at the surrounding Yanzhou soldiers.
As soon as the general died, the Yanzhou soldiers nearby collapsed and dispersed. With more and more Qingzhou soldiers rushing ashore, the Yanzhou Army's coastal defense line was shattered.
Han Meng, who was the first to land ashore, immediately gathered his troops and obtained a total of 1,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry. Then Han Meng led his troops to pursue and kill the fleeing Yanzhou soldiers.
Han Meng rushed to the front. He led a thousand cavalry to kill the fleeing Yanzhou soldiers along the way, and pursued them to two miles outside Puyang City without much effort.
At this time, a troop of more than 2,000 troops suddenly came out from the direction of Puyang. The leader was Lu Qian who was stationed in Puyang.
As a last resort, Han pulled the reins fiercely, and he and his cavalry had no choice but to fire arrows around the Yanzhou soldiers to slow down their offensive.
"Stabilize your position and the archers will fight back!" Lu Qian ordered.
Most of the Yanzhou soldiers were infantry. They formed a square formation. The pikemen outside set up shields, and the archers in a row inside fired arrows to fight back. They were very strict and orderly.
Han Meng led his troops to surround Yanzhou soldiers and harass them, but Lu Qian's defense was tight. It would be difficult to defeat them unless they attacked.
