Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, bandits have sprung up all over Kyushu, and they are inexhaustible.
Among them, the Hebei Heishan Army and the Xuzhou Taishan Bandits were the most famous, while the bandits from the Central Plains gathered in Funiu Mountain, but they were not under each other's control and did not form a climate.
In the upper reaches of Baihe River, in the valley at the end of Funiu Mountain, Evil Tiger Village is famous far and wide. Tiger, the leader of thieves, is fierce, does not abide by the ethics of the world, and does many evil things.
Although the nearby mountain strongholds denounced his actions, no one wanted to offend him, lest they get burned. Until a month ago, a red-faced hero came to pay homage to the mountain, and Sanhe hacked Wang Laohu to death and took over the stronghold.
As the news spread, there was a burst of applause. There was an endless stream of famous heroes who came to visit and discuss, but they were all defeated by him.
In just one month, this man defeated all the enemies in Funiu Mountain. He was also generous and upright, and was nicknamed "Red Faced Yama".
A snake cannot fly without a head, and a bird cannot fly without a head. Over the years, the various villages in Funiu Mountain have become worse and worse, precisely because they are dissatisfied with each other and restrain each other.
Now there is a person who can convince everyone, and everyone hits it off immediately, and discuss recommending him as the leader of the alliance to jointly strengthen the power of Funiu Mountain.
When several respected leaders came to the stronghold again, they found that the people here had left the stronghold empty, and the power of 500 people had disappeared overnight.
One of them lamented: "Red-faced Yama is a great hero, but this small temple cannot accommodate him!"
Another person folded his arms and looked around, feeling lost: "A great hero must do great things. If you find out the movements of Red Faced Yama, I am willing to follow him."
"Yes, we have been living in Funiu Mountain for more than ten years. Master and the others died in the mountains without accomplishing anything. I don't want to continue to hang out like this."
"They must not have gone far yet. Immediately contact friends everywhere and find out about this hero. We will follow them immediately."
"You're right. With his ability, he will definitely achieve great things. If you don't share the hardships with him now, when he becomes prosperous in the future, don't blame me for not recognizing him."
Several leaders discussed it, and each hurried back to the stronghold, sending detailed people to various places to inquire about the news.
This famous Red-faced Yama was Wei Yan. On Liu Qi's orders, he led his troops and hid in the mountains disguised as bandits, waiting for the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Cao's army.
The moon was dim and stars were thin, Wei Yan led his troops across the Baihe River and came to the dense forest southwest of Bowang City. He found a cave behind the vines, lit a fire and entered it.
A group of bats flew out in fright. The deeper they went, the more humid it became. Soon they found newly dug traces. The soil was slippery and even dripping.
The cave was winding and twisting. After walking for an unknown amount of time, it finally reached the end. It looked like a dry well. Wei Yan ordered people to climb up along the hole to investigate the situation.
Soon the soldiers gave a signal, and everyone filed out. They saw that this was an abandoned courtyard, surrounded by a mess, mostly discarded clothes. Cao Jun regarded this place as a garbage dump.
Wei Yan quietly climbed up to the roof, looked around, took a deep breath, and murmured: "Bo Wang City, I, Wei Wenchang, am back again!"
It turned out that after Liu Qi took Bowang City, he ordered people to secretly dig a tunnel in the city and a cave in the back mountain. Wei Yan was in charge of this matter at that time.
At first, Wei Yan thought that Liu Qi was preparing a retreat so that he could retreat calmly once he was surrounded by Cao's army. Later he found out that he was preparing for this moment.
After the arrival of Cao Cao's army, the two armies had mutual victory and defeat, and now they were facing each other in Nanyang. Wei Yan was somewhat regretful that he was unable to participate in the battle, but he also knew that he shouldered a heavy responsibility, and tonight he would completely turn the tide of the battle.
The drumbeat of the third watch came in the wind. Wei Yan ordered his soldiers to put on Cao's armor and sent people to inspect the situation in the city to find where the grain and grass were piled.
Two days ago, they found out about Cao's army transporting grain in the mountains. When the grain and grass arrived in Bowang, they left the stronghold and sneaked into the city to burn grain.
After confirming that grain and grass were piled up in the west of the city, Wei Yan took advantage of the lack of people and led his troops onto the street, holding the waistband of a captain previously captured in his hand, unimpeded.
At this time, Cao's army in Bowang City also worked hard for most of the night. During the day, they carried grain and grass. In the evening, Cao Hong arrived with wounded soldiers to treat the wounded and vacate the camp. They were very busy.
Dong Heng and Dong Chao, who came to deliver supplies, were even driven out of the city and camped outside the south gate. They were all full of resentment.
When Wei Yan led his troops over, the garrison sergeant was leaning against the wall and grumbling. He saw that along the street along the city wall, there were grain carts lined with them, and they would continue to transport them tomorrow. Only the mules and horses were unloaded, and the carts were not moved.
Wei Yan stepped forward and held up his waistband: "General Cao knows how hard you are working, so I will take over. Brothers, please go back and rest early!"
Cao Jun was overjoyed and casually glanced at the badge. Without doubting that he was there, he left in a noisy manner.
Wei Yan left twenty men patrolling outside the door, and the other soldiers entered the grain carts in teams of five and scattered them everywhere. They only waited for the fourth watch drum to sound and then set fire to them together.
In the dead of night, the clear sound of drumming could be heard from the tower. The soldiers started to light the firewood piled in the dark and quietly retreated.
The fire started with the wind, and at first there were a few sparse puffs of green smoke, but the defenders didn't notice it until the fire shot into the sky and thick smoke billowed. The defenders on the top of the city were the first to see it, and they immediately beat their drums and shouted.
Suddenly there was a commotion in Bowang City. Cao's troops thought that the enemy was attacking, so they picked up their weapons and left the camp. They didn't know there was a fire until they saw the fire in the west city glowing red.
Cao Jun nearby came to put out the fire, but Cao Jun far away didn't care. They just thought that the house was on fire and it was none of their business, so they went back to sleep.
"Put out the fire, come quickly!" Wei Yan divided the soldiers into three teams and shouted everywhere while holding torches.
Cao Jun was confused by their accusations. Some went to find barrels, some went to fetch water, but few actually rushed to the grain truck.
"Come here, put out the fire!" Wei Yan observed the situation, shouted, and stuffed the torch into the grain truck.
It was already midsummer, the sky was dry and everything was dry, vehicles and firewood would burn when caught in the fire, and all the civilians transporting grain were resting outside the city, unable to enter the city to put out the fire.
In the blink of an eye, grain carts in almost every corner were set on fire. Wei Yan called for the men and horses to gather at the entrance of West Street and quickly retreat to the road they came from.
At this time, the city was completely in chaos. Cao Jun was running around looking for something to put out the fire. The people Wei Yan brought were burned by the smoke and burned beyond recognition, and they were not afraid of being recognized by Cao Jun.
When Cao Hong woke up from his sleep and came to check, half of the city had been turned into a sea of flames. Not only the grain trucks were burning, but also the surrounding houses were on fire.
"It's over, it's completely over!" Cao Hong sat down on the ground, his face pale.
Xun You came later and looked solemn when he saw this scene, saying: "Seal the whole city and don't let anyone escape."
Cao Hong reacted suddenly and sent an order to bring the person who was guarding the food and grass. He searched the city for suspicious people. He must find the spies and give Cao Cao an explanation.
"Sir, what should we do now?" After the assignment was completed, Cao Hong asked in a trembling voice.
This batch of grain and grass was a life-saving item for the 300,000 troops ahead. It was finally transported to Bowang City, but it was reduced to ashes. Compared with Cao Cao's punishment, he was more worried about the mutiny of the soldiers.
Xun You said: "For the current plan, we can only retreat as soon as possible, send people to report to the prime minister quickly, and order Dong Heng and Dong Chao to deploy troops in the Bowangpo area to prevent pursuing troops."
