Inside Cao Jun's tent at Shouchun Ferry.
He frowned while looking at the battle report in his hand. As one of the many generals under Cao Ren, Le Jin did look good, with a rough appearance, a swollen beard, and a tall and tall figure.
Within a few days, Chen Deng, Zang Ba, Ji Ling and others from Xuzhou captured three cities along the two southeastern roads. .
On the same day, Jushou, Gao Lan, Zhu Ling and others from Yuzhou swept eastward along Runan Xiacai and defeated several villages. Cao Hong's army was invincible in repeated battles, and the situation was extremely unoptimistic for Cao Ren.
Five days ago, Yuan Xi and Liu Bei divided their troops into two groups, with generals Zhang Xiu, Zhang Liao, Zhang Fei and others at the front, and constantly harassed the towns north of Shouchun. Yuan's army was stationed there, but Yuan's army was outnumbered and not in a hurry to fight. Instead, they harassed everywhere. If this continues, all the towns under Cao Ren's command would be in danger of being defeated at any time.
The most terrifying thing is Yuan Xi's army, which has hundreds of thousands of troops overwhelming Huaibei, slowly advancing, and bit by bit eating into the important areas in Huainzhong. Moreover, Yuan Jun's movements and strategies are currently almost unknown, making it difficult to guess.
Looking at these battle reports, although they were not urgent yet, but the situation was becoming more and more dangerous, Le Jin couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. He was not afraid of the enemy's strength, but if he could not keep the Cao family's last blood supply, Such a failure to the late master Cao Cao was the biggest failure in a loyal military commander's life.
"General!" It was his lieutenant who interrupted Le Jin's train of thought.
Hearing this, Le Jin raised his head and frowned, "What's the matter?"
"Report to General! Scouts have come to report that an army from Huaibei has sneaked into Shouchun. There are about ten thousand troops and horses. From the looks of it, they should be Yuan Xi's troops. Please make a decision, General."
"What!" Le Jin stood up suddenly when he heard this.
He turned around three times in the tent and glared fiercely.
Finally making up his mind, he gritted his teeth and said, "The Northern Army is marching south slowly, and there is indeed a conspiracy! Fortunately, God bless the Cao family, and the general is here! Send an order to the entire army to prepare for war."
On the plain, a group of about ten thousand elite soldiers was marching slowly southward. The first few generals, each armed with long swords and white spears, were the chief general Zhang He, his deputy Guo Huai and the fierce general Yan Liang.
Yuan Mai, the cavalry captain of the Chinese army, also accompanied him. Yuan Mai also had another official position, Sili Xiaowei, but here he used the position of Cavalry Commander.
At this time, Zhang He and others, not long after entering the country, knew that Cao Ren had sent Le Jin as the last support envoy and stayed in Shouchun. This time to attack Shouchun, they would inevitably have to fight Cao Ren.
"Bo Ji, in your opinion, how should we fight Le Jin this time?" Zhang He turned his horse and asked Guo Huai.
Guo Huai gently combed his beard and said calmly: "Le Jin is a famous general under Cao Cao. Although he is not very resourceful, he is not an idle person. This time it is a matter of life and death for Cao Ren, but we are not victorious." he."
"That's not necessarily true." The two of them couldn't help but be startled when they heard this, and then turned to look, but it was Yuan Mai who was talking to himself on the side.
"Even if a person is good at fighting and brave on weekdays, once faced with a dilemma, especially at a critical moment of life and death, like the current situation where several armies are converging on Jianghuai, his mind will definitely be very different from usual, and not only his temper will Even if you have knowledge, your mind will not be as bright as usual due to being too nervous."
After Yuan Mai finished speaking, no one answered for a long time. Then he turned around, but Zhang He and Guo Huai looked at him blankly. Yuan Mai blushed, and then prefaced: "These are just my own guesses... "
Hearing this, Guo Huai chuckled and said, "What the Fifth Young Master said is true. Now that Cao Ren is in danger, Le Jin must also be deeply affected. He may be suspicious and cautious."
Zhang He shook his head and said, "Even so, we can't be too magnanimous."
Yuan Mai hurriedly said: "Why don't we give it a try and see what Le Jin's current mentality is like?"
Zhang He heard this and asked curiously: "What's Xian Yong's clever plan?"
Yuan Xi whispered, "Just this, this, this..."
"Report to the general! Yuan's army and Zhang He's troops are approaching Shouchunkou. Guo Huai's army and horses in the front are currently less than ten miles away from our army's tent!"
Hearing this, Le Jin stood up suddenly, looked at the sentry reporting in front of him, and then said in a deep voice: "The enemy must not be allowed to approach.
Shouchun City! The whole army listens to my order and marches out of the barracks to stop Zhang He! "
An hour later, I saw the plain at Shouchunkou.
Zhang He and Le Jin's troops were already facing each other. Zhang He quietly looked at Le Jin opposite him. He was wearing bronze armor and a shining silver spear, but he was a mighty and heroic general between bears and tigers.
I saw Le Jin leading his two lieutenants and clapped their horses forward and said angrily to Zhang He who was opposite him: "Common man, you are so audacious and invade our border. Japan will let you and other common men die without a burial place today!"
Zhang He couldn't help laughing when he heard this and said: "Le Jin, you are also a famous general, how can you be so ignorant of the fate? Now that Cao Ren is dead, why don't you dismount and surrender, instead of helping the tyrants to commit evil, wait until I bring you to Luoyang for questioning. By now, it’s too late to regret!”
Le Jin was a fiery person. Hearing this, he couldn't help but said angrily: "Zhang He! Don't talk nonsense! Who will kill this thief with me!"
Over there, Lieutenant General Li Ming heard this and shouted: "The general is angry, I will capture this thief for the general later!"
After saying that, he slapped his horse and wielded his sword, and went straight to Zhang He.
Over there, Guo Huai thought to himself: "What the Fifth Young Master said is indeed true, but Le Jin is impetuous at this moment. A few words can make him furious. Let's see, I'm waiting to test him."
Guo Huai chuckled and said, "Who are you? Are you worthy of taking action against General Zhang? Wait until someone comes to meet you!"
I saw Guo Huai waving his spear and rushing out. In an instant, he was fighting with Li Ming. Guo Huai's martial arts skills were extraordinary. Although he was not the top general of Yuan's army, his marksmanship was still rare. After more than twenty rounds, he saw Li Ming could no longer hold on.
After more than ten seconds, Guo Huai swung his spear, and the blade energy from the spear streaked across Li Mingshan's face, stinging Li Mingshan's face. At this time, Li Ming's defeat was inevitable.
Le Jin glared angrily and gritted his steel teeth.
Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and shouted loudly: "You bastard! The thief will be so rampant!"
After saying that, he saw a horse flying out from his seat, a tiger dancing with a silver spear in his hand, and only came to take Guo Huai.
"Humph, Le Jin is a common man. He is indeed impetuous, but what Xian Yong said makes sense." Zhang He sneered in his heart.
But his face was calm, he just walked out of the battle, smiled leisurely at Le Jin and said, "Le Jin, since you and I are the generals, we have to fight, how can we bully the subordinates with more than others? It will ruin your reputation for a lifetime."
Looking at Zhang He who was full of confidence, standing with his gun pointed out, and speaking sarcastically.
Le Jin's face turned purple and he laughed angrily: "Okay! Since you are seeking death, a certain family will help you!"
In an instant, I saw two spears raised at the same time and two horses intersecting. One side had superior martial arts skills and was very fast in fighting. The other side was as powerful as a tiger. The tiger and tiger danced with silver spears and the wind was strong. After more than thirty rounds of fighting, it was hard to tell the winner. He only looked at the soldiers on both sides and shouted loudly.
"Dang!" Zhang He held the silver spear in Le Jin's hand and said with a smile on his forehead: "General Le Jin is good at marksmanship, but it's a pity that Cao Ren didn't have the right time, and his defeat is certain. It can't be done by the general alone. With the general's methods, why not join the Ming Lord? If you persist in your stubbornness, I'm afraid disaster is not far away."
"Zhang He! Don't talk nonsense! How could a certain family surrender to that traitor Yuan Xi!" Le Jin counterattacked.
Zhang He sighed slightly, then waved his hand.
Yuan Mai, who was behind, saw the signal and immediately shouted: "Soldiers, attack and destroy the rebels, today, charge!"
As soon as Yuan Mai finished speaking, Yuan Jun poured out like a flood.
The Cao army on the other side responded accordingly. Suddenly, there was a sound of frightened killings on one side of the field, and in an instant, screams of mourning filled the field. The battlefield was like Shura Hell, and the sky was stained with blood everywhere.
Yuan Mai charged from left to right under the protection of his bodyguard Wang Shuang. He had Xiahou Dun's heart and soul to teach him martial arts, and he was protected by tiger soldiers. Although he was not unstoppable on the battlefield, he was still safe.
After a while, I saw that both armies were dead and wounded. When Zhang He saw this, he slightly raised his forehead, then made a feint, broke Le Jin away, beat the horse back, and shouted to the herald behind him: "Ming Jin!"
"General! Yuan's army has retreated!" The deputy general walked up to Le Jin with an excited look on his face and replied excitedly.
Li Ming over there also hurriedly shouted: "Come on, the whole army! Capture Zhang He alive!"
"Slow down!" He saw Le Jin's expression change, and he waved the silver gun in his hand to stop the rear army. Looking at Yuan Jun who was slowly retreating, his face turned purple and green, and then gritted his teeth and said: "The enemy retreated without defeat. There must be something fishy in this. Yuan Xi's military tactics have always been dangerous and deceitful. There is no guarantee that he will not have any back-ups! We are the barrier of Shouchun, so we cannot pursue him deeply!"
The two lieutenants were all excited when they heard this, and then they hurriedly stopped the rear army. Cao's army stood still, watching helplessly as Yuan's army retreated slowly.
When Yuan Mai, who was in the Yuan Army, saw this scene, he couldn't help but feel excited. Sure enough! Le Jin was already so nervous that it was difficult for him to behave as usual. Not only was he anxious and irritable, he was also worried about his head and tail because of the pressure of the army! It seems...this battle can be won!
At night, Zhang He stayed in the camp.
A group of generals headed by Zhang He were discussing secretly.
Zhang He, who was standing at the top, gently stroked his beard and said in a deep voice: "Today morning, we tested Le Jin. As expected, as the Fifth Young Master said, Le Jin was not only anxious and irritable, but also suspicious. In this way, it's true that It’s time for us to break through in one fell swoop and capture Shouchun!”
Guo Huai heard this and said with his forehead: "What the general said is very good, but the time has not come yet. From Huai's perspective, first, Cheng Lejin was restless, so he attacked his main stronghold in one fell swoop. He first defeated Lejin's army, and then attacked Shou with all his strength. Spring. The second is to contain Le Jin here on the one hand, and on the other hand divide the troops to attack Shouchun. Both strategies have their own pros and cons, but the first one is too slow. I am afraid that Cao Ren will prepare in advance and burn the grain and the valley. Then everything we wait for here will be an illusion. Article 2: Although Shouchun can be captured quickly, making it difficult for Cao Ren to guard against it, the method of dividing the troops is ultimately inappropriate. It is not as safe and appropriate as the first strategy. Let the general decide."
Zhang He slowly lowered his head after hearing this, thought for a moment and said: "What Bo Ji said is indeed good advice. As for these two strategies... Although Le Jin is in a state of confusion at the moment, he is a famous general of the Cao family after all. If you want A strong attack cannot be carried out at once. Our main focus this time is to attack Shouchun quickly. In this case, we will adopt the strategy of dividing our troops to attack Shouchun."
"General Junyi, fighting like this is really not advisable!" Yuan Mai stood up and offered advice: "Although Shouchun is currently deploying most of its troops, I heard from Mr. Fengxiao that the city here is high and the water is deep, so it is not something we can do casually. When there are only more than 20,000 elite troops, if we divide our forces to attack, if Shouchun cannot be attacked for a while, wouldn't it be dangerous for Lejin to be prepared? We should defeat Lejin first, and then capture Shouchun!"
Zhang He sighed softly and said in a deep voice: "Fifth Young Master, I don't want to take such a risk, but if it is delayed for a long time, I'm afraid Cao Ren will have made preparations early. Who will I be busy with after all the hard work?"
I saw Yuan Mai touching his chin and saying softly: "Just now, General Boji mentioned a good strategy. Ling Mai also has some ideas. I wonder if General Junyi knows that there is a plan called "Luring the snake out of the hole." "
Seeing Zhang He and Guo Huai stunned, Yuan Mai immediately lowered his head and smiled and expressed his thoughts, "This way, this way..."
The two of them thought for a long time after hearing this. After a while, Zhang He smiled slightly and said in a deep voice: "Okay! That's a good way to lure the snake out of the hole!"
At the second watch, Le Jin's military tent was located at the easternmost foothills of Chao Mountain in Huainan, between two mountains.
The military stronghold built on the mountain has three complicated walls forming a horse-shaped defensive barrier, blocking Shouchunkou.
At this time, Le Jin couldn't help but feel restless as he looked at the battle report in his hand. Ju Shou and Chen Deng's troops were full of momentum. Zhang Liao, Zhang Xiu, and Zhang Fei also reported good results one after another. The battle on Xia Cai's side remained stalemate.
Le Jin let out a long sigh, stood up and walked back and forth in the tent, his rough cheeks full of sadness.
"General! General!" Le Jin looked up and saw that it was his deputy general Li Ming who rushed into the tent with an anxious look on his face and said urgently: "General! The scouts sent during the day have an urgent military situation!"
Hearing this, Le Jin was excited and shouted hurriedly: "Bring it to me!" Then he grabbed the military report from the deputy general's hand without any explanation.
After a quick glance, Le Jin's head was covered with layers of sweat.
"Why, why are there enemy troops entering from the southeast! What does Cao Zhen do for food!" Le Jin was seen throwing the battle report to the ground fiercely, with a tiger's beard standing upright on his face, a terrifying look on his face.
Li Ming hurriedly picked up the battle report on the ground and persuaded: "General, you can't blame them for this. The enemy is surrounded by several groups and there are many soldiers and horses. Yuan Xi can divide his troops to sneak into our territory, and Liu Bei can divide his troops to sneak into our territory.
This is also normal. "
"Alas!" Le Jin couldn't help but cover his head and sat down, gritting his teeth and said, "Now Zhang He is watching from the side. How can I, Le Jin, have three heads and six arms? If I can guard against the east, how can I guard against the west?"
Just when Le Jin was at a loss what to do, he saw the deputy general rush into the tent anxiously and said anxiously: "General, something serious has happened."
"The scouts have come to report that there are troops entering the country secretly from the southeast. They may be Liu Bei and Chen Deng who came from Lingbi and Xiacai. General! What should we do?"
"Stop making noise!" Le Jin shouted angrily, stood up, shouted angrily at the deputy general, and immediately choked back the deputy general's next words.
After a while, Le Jin suddenly stood up and gritted his teeth and said: "In that case, forget it! Tomorrow we will go to Zhang He's military camp to challenge! Once we defeat this guy, we will quickly turn to the southeast!"
The next day, all Lejin's army went to Zhang He's camp.
