Cao Cao rode his horse and stood behind the Jizhou military camp. Seeing that he had tricked Yuan Xi and had a rare opportunity, he drew his saber and waved, "The whole army attacks. Whoever kills Yuan Xi will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be granted the title of Marquis of ten thousand households!"
"Kill!" "Kill!" Encouraged by Cao Cao, the Yanzhou soldiers beat the war drums and kept waving flags and shouting.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Soldiers from both sides fired at each other, but because each was well prepared, the shooting effect was not obvious.
"Come on, let me fight off the resisting horses!" Xiahou Dun shouted, wearing heavy armor and rushing forward with many infantry.
Many of the infantrymen were wearing heavy armor. They held a halberd in one hand and a shield in the other. They rushed to the fence despite arrows and used their long halberds to hook the antlers of the resisting horses and clear the obstacles for subsequent soldiers and horses to attack.
"General, please allow me to lead my troops out to rob and kill them for a while to dampen their spirit!" Mi Wei asked.
"Wait, take your people and prepare behind the first row of camps. Do not attack without my order!" Yuan Xi ordered. The Danyang soldiers are the elite of the infantry, and they are also the trump card for launching counterattacks.
Mi Wei did not dare to disobey the order, so he and Mi Fang gathered the Danyang soldiers to wait for orders. Our cavalry cannot gallop in the camp to accumulate power, so we can only rely on infantry to resist the enemy's attack.
After Xiahou Dun led his troops to clear out the rebels and retreat, Yuan Xi also dressed neatly, and Xu Chu, Zhu Gongdao and other guards also surrounded him.
"Charge!" Four generals, Li Dian, Zhang Ji, Yu Jin, and Li Tong, led four thousand infantry to charge forward. They acted as the vanguard of the attack and further destroyed fences and other facilities.
"Spearmen, come out!" General Zhang He shouted, and then the spearmen of the Jizhou Army who were lined up behind the fence rushed forward. They attacked the Yanzhou soldiers who were rushing forward behind the fence.
The sounds of weapons clashing continued, and soldiers from both sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Those in the front row naturally fell and were pushed up by the back row, consuming the number of soldiers like harvesting grass.
The battle lasted from morning to afternoon, with soldiers from both sides taking turns to fight. After being trampled and destroyed by the army, the fence was finally bulldozed, and the infantry on both sides were extremely exhausted. Especially the Jizhou army did not even have time to eat breakfast and came out again. He did not go outside the camp to fetch water, so the soldiers became even more hungry and thirsty.
"Lord, eat some dry biscuits!" Jia Xu handed over a ball of dry food, and then distributed it to several generals and guards.
Yuan Xi took the dry food and swallowed two mouthfuls, then went to the water bag and took a drink of water. He was not in the mood to eat, so he said helplessly, "Let's distribute the remaining dry food and water to the soldiers!"
With that said, he handed the water bag to a guard.
"I don't know when the follow-up troops will arrive." Guo Tu said worriedly.
"If nothing goes wrong, the second batch of cavalry should arrive before dusk." Jia Xu replied.
"It may be that the Yanzhou Army's cavalry rushes into the camp later. Let the soldiers be ready!" Yuan Xi raised his spear and shouted angrily, "No matter what, we must not let the enemy's cavalry rush through the third camp!"
There are more than 20,000 Jizhou troops. It stands to reason that as long as you form a formation and stick to it, you can last for a long time, but this has a prerequisite, that is, there is sufficient food and water.
If the soldiers are hungry, thirsty and tired, even 20,000 men are in danger of capsizing. The Huns' tactic of cutting off enemy troops from leaving the camp was precisely to seize the water source.
After taking turns, the opponent's ground water is consumed even more, which gives the attacker a huge advantage, which can be said to be vicious.
Yuan Xi and others looked at the soldiers worriedly. Although they have a strong will to resist. However, when there is a lack of water, the soldiers' physical energy is greatly depleted, and their combat effectiveness decreases accordingly.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Another burst of rapid drum beats sounded, and the Yanzhou infantry retreated to both sides and shot arrows into the camp, leaving a space in the middle.
The dull sound of horse hooves shook the ground. Thousands of Yanzhou cavalry rushed towards the camp in the smoke and dust. The Yanzhou cavalry wore iron armor and held halberds and spears in their hands. They had the potential to overwhelm the Jizhou military camp.
"Crossbowmen, crossbowmen!" Zhang He, who was commanding the soldiers, shouted loudly.
Braving arrows from both sides, the crossbowmen gathered in the middle and fired arrows at the Yanzhou cavalry that was charging at high speed in turn.
The horses in the front row neighed continuously, and the cavalry in the front row fell down. The ground in the back row was flooded instantly. The Yanzhou cavalry arrived at the edge of the camp in a few sprints.
The crossbowmen and the horses that were rearranged on the edge of the camp slightly blocked the impact of the cavalry. Spearmen and halberdiers formed a formation and rushed to intercept.
Suddenly, the soldier was startled
call. It turned out that a flaming war horse rushed into the camp first. The war horse sat astride the general, majestic and full of bloodthirsty killing intent.
Although the general wore an iron helmet, everyone knew his identity from the war horse and the unique Fang Tian painted halberd!
It was really the popular Marquis of Wen, Lu Bu, who played with red rabbits and horses during the day and played with Diao Chan at night. He was very coquettish for a while.
Lu Bu made two circles with his horse, and wherever the halberd in his hand touched, there was blood and rain. The soldiers where Lu Bu was were unable to stop him and retreated one after another to give way. Wherever Lu Bu went, the troops and horses moved.
Yuan Xi looked at the unparalleled Lu Bu coldly. The conflict between the two was irresolvable and they were destined to be natural enemies.
Just like Li Shimin treated Shan Xiongxin, Shan Xiongxin must die, and Yuan Xi will never let Lu Bu go.
Lu Bu seemed to notice Yuan Xi on Shuaiqi's side, and his eyes became gloomy and cold. What happened in Luoyang was an eternal pain in his heart, and only the blood of his enemies could be smoothed away.
The fiery red tug rushed straight towards the flag of the Jizhou military commander, and Fang Tian's painted halberd even split out clusters of blood flowers.
Even though he was one step away from Shuai, no one could block the impact of the fierce fire. Lu Bu only had eyes for the prey under Shuai's banner, and he had the aura of taking the head of a general out of ten thousand troops.
However, there was no shortage of capable men in the Jizhou army. A white horse rushed out diagonally, and a ball of cold spears stabbed Lu Bu.
"Ding!" The spears and halberds clashed, and the weapons of both sides bounced off. Zhao Yun used the impact of the horse to use the goshawk to fight the rabbit, but Lu Bu used brute force to defeat him.
Fang Tian's painted halberd is different from ordinary halberds. Its unique structure requires the user to not only have extraordinary physical strength, but also requires the user to have superb skills, otherwise it will not be able to exert its power at all.
For example, Xue Rengui, the most powerful general of the Tang Dynasty in later generations, used Fang Tian's painted halberd. Because it had crescent-shaped branches, it was also called "halberd" in the "Martial Classics" of later generations.
Lu Bu's murderous intent was finally aroused to the extreme. His painted halberd was like a windlass, and he used his divine power to strike at the head.
"Crack!" The sound of weapons clashing came far away, the halberd and sword were knocked open, and Zhao Yun's war horse was also shaken and knocked back a few steps.
Zhao Yun felt that his arms were numb and his energy and blood were boiling, but he knew that he could not stop. The two Tuna generals gathered their breath and once again rushed towards Lu Bu with their guns drawn.
The spear thrust straight out and went straight to Lu Bu's throat at a lightning speed.
Lu Bu used the body of his halberd to dislodge the big iron spear, and then struck Zhao Yun in the forehead with his halberd in a "Gangfeng Er Er" move.
Zhao Yun shrank his neck and hid his head to dodge the sudden counterattack. He raised the tip of his spear and counterattacked with a move. The two of them were fighting each other.
If one accidentally fails to block Lu Bu's killing move, there is a risk of serious injury and death.
"Zhongkang, go up and help Zilong defeat the enemy!" Yuan Xi ordered.
Xu Chu had already become angry after seeing this, so he immediately got on his horse and rushed forward after giving the order. A black wind blew by, and Xu Chu appeared in front of Lu Bu. A steel knife struck straight out.
"Bang!" Lu Bu was not pleased with this head-on move. Xu Chu's physical strength was absolutely super strong among the Jizhou army, and he would not necessarily lose to Lu Bu if he fought with brute force.
The two of them fought against Lu Bu. The battle came to a stalemate. Although Lu Bu had magic soldiers and magic horses, no matter how fierce he was, he could not win the combined attack of two powerful generals with a force value of 97+.
Looking at Zhu Zhengdao beside him who was eager to try, Yuan Xi shook his head. This cavalry battle was not a synchronous battle, and it was not possible to gain an advantage by encircling him with more people. It would be bad if something goes wrong.
With Chi Tu, Lu Bu could quickly evade. In many cases, he only faced one person, while the other person could only cooperate from the side. Sending one more person under such circumstances will only consume Lu Bu's physical strength. You can't kill him quickly.
Yuan Xi took a strong bow. After adding feathered arrows, he calmed down and followed Professor Zhao Yun's special skills, aiming for the neutral position and shooting with his bow!
"Whoosh!" Yu Jian went straight towards Lu Bu. Lu Bu saw it clearly, flicked away the spear and "hid in the stirrup".
Although he dodged the arrow, the opportunity was lost. He pinched the horse's belly and galloped towards the rear.
Lu Bu retreated, and the Yanzhou cavalry also retreated.
"How could there be so many brave generals in Jizhou that they could defeat Lu Bu!" Cao Cao frowned, and then said firmly: "The infantry are pressing forward, and we cannot give the Jizhou army a chance to breathe!"
Li Tong, Li Dian, Zhang Ji and Yu Jin received the order and led their infantry to force them to the Jizhou military camp.
Cao Cao's decision
The conclusion is undoubtedly correct, after a series of fights. The Jizhou army was extremely hungry, thirsty and exhausted. It could collapse at any time. Although Cao's army was small in number, they fought at a good pace.
Seeing the large number of infantry who couldn't help but retreat, Yuan Xi shouted at Mi Wei: "Danyang troops are on the way!"
Give the order. Mi Wei and Mi Fang rushed forward with the well-equipped Danyang soldiers to block the menacing Yanzhou soldiers.
"Come forward!" Li Tong and others shouted. Just a few more steps and the Jizhou soldiers would be defeated.
"Spear, stab!" Mi Wei followed the Danyang soldiers and raised their spears to block them.
The Danyang soldiers were so arrogant. Wearing fine armor and holding sharp blades, they were simply weapons of massacre, forcibly blocking the torrent of Yanzhou soldiers.
Yuan Xi and others were all anxious. Although the Danyang soldiers could hold off for a while, over time, they were exhausted due to lack of water and were about to be defeated.
"General, the eastern trench has been filled for a period. Do you want the soldiers to break out?" Zhang Yan asked breathlessly.
"Zilong, you lead the cavalry out first, be sure to restrain the soldiers and don't let them get crowded!" Yuan Xi ordered.
"Here!" Zhao Yun promised and immediately organized troops to break out.
"Zhang Yan, you command the remaining soldiers and horses to leave the camp one by one. No crowding!" Yuan Xi ordered again.
"Here!" Zhang Yan accepted the order and left.
"Xu Chu, lead the guard infantry to meet the Danyang soldiers and retreat slowly!" Yuan Xi said to Xu Chu beside him.
"Take your orders!" Xu Chu replied gruffly.
"We can only withdraw from the camp. We can ask the soldiers to throw the baggage into the camp to stop the enemy soldiers, and then light the tents to block the enemy soldiers!" Guo Jia stepped forward and suggested.
Yuan Xi agreed, took the tiger guard and a few followers, and followed the infantry formation to withdraw towards the east camp.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The crossbowmen of the Yanzhou soldiers in the east kept shooting arrows, trying to drive the Jizhou soldiers back to the camp.
"Kill!" Zhao Yun shouted softly and led the guards to rush out first. The soldiers knew that this was a way to save their lives, so they all mustered up their spirits and tried their best to rush out.
Once the cavalry broke out of the camp, they immediately formed a position to guard against the attack of the Yanzhou cavalry.
The Jizhou Army infantry also rushed out of the camp quickly, and finally the Danyang soldiers and the Guards infantry were left to retreat slowly.
Since Yuan and Cao had been fighting in the past few days, and Cao Cao did not send reinforcements, Puyang was suddenly captured.
Wei Zhong didn't have time to send the news out. Afterwards, it was Wang Li who informed Mao Jie. Mao Jie did not dare to neglect. On the one hand, he sent Jia Xin to lead troops to resist the enemy, and on the other hand, he immediately informed Cao Cao.
Although he knew that Puyang might be breached, Cao Cao still sighed in his heart when it was really breached.
In ancient battlefields, there was a time lag in information transmission.
Cao Cao's face suddenly changed and he said sternly: "How did you lose Puyang, where is Wei Zhong?"
If Puyang is not lost, as long as Cao Cao holds off Yuan Xi's army here, Cao Jun still has a chance to make a comeback. Just like how Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty Liu Yilong defended the Shouchun line in Runan in the face of the fierce attack of Tuoba Tao, the Taiwu Emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty. able to make a comeback.
The messenger trembled and said in fear: "Let me report to the Prime Minister that Mr. Wei has been captured."
Cao Cao slapped his palm on the table, causing the incense burner and wine glasses in front of him to fall to the ground. He stood up, kicked the short boy away, and said sternly: "Come in and see me, generals."
Xiahou Dun, Cao Hong, Li Tong, Yu Jin and other generals and counselors such as Cheng Yu, Xun You and Dong Zhao gathered in a short while.
Cao Cao got angry and said, "Do you know that Puyang White Horse is missing?"
All the generals agreed in unison: "I know, I know."
Cao Cao shouted angrily: "Just knowing is of no use, is there any way to defeat the enemy?"
Xiahou Dun stood up and said: "The last general is willing to lead troops to retake Puyang."
Yu Jin also came out and said abnormally: "I will go there eventually."
Cao Cao thought to himself, if they all go to Puyang, what will happen to Guandu?
Cheng Yu worriedly said: "The current war crisis is not good for our army. It is not a good idea to send troops to Puyang. It is best to frustrate the enemy's energy and let our army breathe a sigh of relief from repeated defeats."
Xiahou Dun was dissatisfied and said in his heart that Bai Wuyi is a scholar. He said loudly: "Mr. Zhongde is wrong. Although our army has been defeated, we still have 70,000 elite soldiers. The number is not inferior to Yuan's army. We will definitely defeat the enemy in a decisive battle."
Why let others' ambition destroy your own prestige. "
Cheng Yu explained: "On the battlefield, it all depends on the generals working together and commanding flexibly, and it has little to do with the number of troops. Although our army is large, its morale is low. Although Yuan's army is small, but its momentum is like a rainbow. The soldiers and generals are inspired by the winning streak. Below, like a sharp sword unsheathed in the early morning, it is dazzling and cold with infinite sharpness. Yu means that our army can temporarily avoid its sharp edge. When the veterans of his division are tired, we can fight with him decisively. "
Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said: "What Zhongde said makes sense. I also know how to avoid its sharp edge. But it is inevitable to avoid it now. Where are you going to avoid, Xuchang or Luoyang?"
Cheng Yu then explained: "Why not follow the example of Emperor Qin Yingzheng and bribe ministers of the Yuan family with heavy sums of money to make them withdraw their troops and leave."
Cao Cao frowned and said: "Yuan Xi is not a mediocre person. Besides, none of his ministers are greedy for money, lustful and life-threatening. Zhongde, which one do you want to bribe?"
Cheng Yu laughed and said: "My generals are not greedy for money. We can find them among his brothers and wives. I heard that Yuan Shang, the third son of Yuan Shao, was extremely ambitious. He was very dissatisfied with Yuan Xi's accession to the throne and always wanted to seize the throne. Yuan Xi had an empty state. During the expedition, there is an uneasy factor in Jizhou, Yuan Shang. The prime minister can write a letter, prepare a generous gift, and send it to Yuan Shang to persuade him to take the opportunity to stand on his own. If there is a fire in Yuan Xi's backyard, he will definitely return to Jizhou to fight for the throne. Our army should not fight. And win.”
Cao Cao stroked his palm and said, "Wonderful, I'm just afraid that Yuan Shang won't obey."
Cheng Yu continued: "Don't worry, Prime Minister, Yu still has a clever plan to force Yuan Shang to rebel. He can't escape my plan."
Cao Cao's eyes lit up and he said, "Then use the plan as Zhongde said, but tell me first, what plan will you use to force Yuan Shang to rebel?"
Cheng Yu looked around and said, "This -"
Cao Cao nodded and said: "Zhongde, come with me——"
Cao Cao took Cheng Yu into the inner tent.
Not long after, everyone heard a burst of laughter, and Cao Cao said loudly: "My son Yuan Xi, he died today——"
In the Jizhou military camp, food, money and silk were piled up in the tents, and the Tiger Guards set fire everywhere. Black smoke billowed out from the Jizhou military camp for a while, and the Yanzhou soldiers were blocked by baggage and other people, and they all stopped.
Once the Jizhou army broke out of the camp, they formed a defensive formation beside Honggou Water and fetched water to quench their thirst.
Yuan Xi rode his horse to the water's edge. The faces of him, Guo Jia and others suddenly changed. It turned out that the water flow had become very gentle and the water level had also dropped a lot. This was clearly the Yanzhou soldiers accumulating water upstream!
"Ugh!" "My throat hurts!" "My stomach hurts!" Suddenly, the soldiers drinking water fell to the ground and groaned. They grabbed their necks and stomachs and rolled around, looking like they were in excruciating pain.
Yuan Xi's face turned pale instantly, and Yanzhou soldiers poisoned the water. At this moment, he felt a deep sense of frustration. Once he united his troops, he won every battle. This was a rare defeat for him.
The heroic Cao Cao's military prowess and magical powers are really not formidable. If the situation were different, perhaps Taizong Xuanwu Emperor Yuan Xi might fail, but there is no assumption.
"Quick, stop drinking, go to higher ground!" Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun and others shouted loudly.
More than 10,000 people gathered at the water's edge. How could they react so quickly? Only a low roar was heard, and a white water line rushed towards the Jizhou Army at the water's edge!
"Wow! Wow!" "Run!" The water rushed over and the Jizhou soldiers were pushed a few steps away, causing the whole army to panic.
The water in the chasm was not deep, and the terrain on both sides was relatively flat, so the impact of the water was not very great. The soldiers were only washed away some distance, but the consequences were very serious!
First of all, the formation was disrupted, and the ground became muddy and difficult to walk on, putting the Jizhou soldiers at an absolute disadvantage!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The war drums of the Yanzhou Army's assembly sounded, and more than four thousand cavalry formed a queue. The leader, Lu Bu, held a painted halberd, and bloodthirsty and cruel killing intent burst out from his eyes.
