Cao Hong was waiting for reinforcements outside Tongguan, but was told that he was asked to redeploy his troops. Xu Huang and Sima Yi crossed the Weishui River to Guanzhong, and they jumped up and cursed in anger.
However, he lost Tongguan and knew that he had a heavy responsibility. He had no choice but to send an order to mobilize troops from Hongnong nearby, and reluctantly gathered 5,000 troops. When he was helpless, Han Hao sent a message and asked him to come to Chang'an to preside over important events.
Cao Hong thought he had heard wrongly and asked the person who sent the message again and again. He couldn't help being overjoyed and hurriedly led his troops to Tongguan. Sure enough, at the critical moment, the banner of Cao's army was raised again.
Han Hao welcomed into the pass and pointed to a red cloth on the table: "The military advisor ordered us to take Ma Teng's head, persuade the defenders to surrender, and send them to Xuchang to report the victory."
"Ma Teng...is dead?" Cao Hong's eyes widened in disbelief. He stepped forward and uncovered the cloth, and it turned out to be Ma Teng's head.
Since Ma Teng rose to power in Xiliang, he has been a major trouble in Guanzhong. He and Ma Teng fought in Guanzhong for nearly a year, but they were still attacked by him.
Faced with the fortified city of Chang'an, there was nothing he could do. When Sima Yi arrived, not only did he retake Chang'an, but he also killed Ma Teng so easily?
Han Hao sighed with emotion and told Sima Yi that he had used a trick to trick the Xiliang army into killing each other. He took the opportunity to seize Chang'an, deceived Ma Teng and his son into the city, and shot them with random arrows. Almost all the Xiliang army of 100,000 people were wiped out.
"Good guy -" Cao Hong took a breath and said after a while: "This young man!"
Han Hao hesitated and said: "It's just that the killing was too heavy this time, I'm afraid..."
"Deserves to be killed!" Cao Hong gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "The Xiliang army is indeed a serious problem in Guanzhong. Ma Teng and his son insulted the prime minister's ancestors again and deserved their death. I will report this to the prime minister."
Having been scolded by Ma Xiu a few days ago, coupled with the sneak attack on Chang'an, Cao Hong had already hated Ma Teng and his son deeply, but he felt that this was the only way to relieve his hatred.
A mere 100,000 people was not a big deal in Cao Hong's eyes. He followed Cao Cao to massacre Xuzhou, Yecheng, and Wuhuan, and he had become accustomed to hundreds of thousands of people at every turn.
Immediately, Han Hao was ordered to send Ma Teng's head to Xuchang, and he rushed to Chang'an to celebrate the victory. Sima Yi had a bright future, so he had to focus on his support.
After thinking about it along the way, Cao Hong suddenly felt something was wrong and rushed to Chang'an. Xu Huang and Sima Yi went out of the city to greet him and asked him to preside over important events.
Cao Hong asked as he walked: "Someone lost Tongguan. You didn't come to rescue me, but instead crossed north to attack the thief. Could it be that you have been waiting for this scene for a long time?"
Xu Huang turned to look at Sima Yi. In fact, he was thinking the same thing, but he was reluctant to ask.
When he divided his troops, he was worried that Cao Hong would not be able to hold on. He reminded him several times, but Sima Yi was not worried. After crossing the river, he was not in a hurry to advance troops. He waited until the news of the fall of Tongguan came before crossing the river and heading north. This was clearly expected.
Sima Yi, however, looked calm, clasped his fists and said: "General, you are worrying too much. I am just waiting for Ma Teng's reinforcements to arrive. His army does not have enough food and grass, so it will transport food from Chang'an. I will use a plan to defeat it and make the Ma family and his son rescue each other." , transferred the tiger away from the mountain, and captured Chang'an in one fell swoop. Ma Teng was unable to send troops outside the pass, so he did not give first aid. Please forgive me, general."
Cao Hong laughed and said: "As long as I can recapture Chang'an and stabilize Guanzhong, I am willing to be a bait!"
After retaking Chang'an and eliminating Ma Teng, Cao Hong's heartache was completely eliminated and he felt proud. Naturally, he no longer cared about this with Sima Yi and ordered a banquet to celebrate his success.
In Chencang City, Han Sui received a message from Ma Teng. He was marshalling his troops and setting off. As soon as the front army moved, some of the defeated troops fled back and reported the news to Chang'an.
Han Sui was shocked and said: "Shucheng has a hundred thousand elite soldiers and has captured Tongguan. How can he be defeated overnight?"
Cheng Gongying, who joined the army, said: "There are many capable soldiers in Cao's camp. If General Ma underestimates the enemy and advances rashly, he will surely fall into a trap."
Yan Xing asked for the order: "Why don't my father-in-law take advantage of the situation and send troops to avenge General Ma, recapture Chang'an, and capture all Guanzhong?"
Han Sui's heart moved, he touched his chin and said: "Cao's army has taken Chang'an again. If I take advantage of its unstable foothold and take back the city, won't the land in Guanzhong be in my hands?"
"No!" Cheng Gongying hurriedly advised: "General Ma's hundred thousand elite troops are still invincible. The souls of the father and son are nowhere to be found. The blood in Chang'an City is still fresh. We can't stand alone. How can we rush in?"
Han Sui was startled and hurriedly sent an order to take back the troops and said: "Quickly go and invite Ma Chao from Xiliang!"
…
While the fighting in Guanzhong was in full swing, the war in Huainan fell into a stalemate.
Liu Qi crossed the river and headed north, met with Zhou Yu's army, and went to the front to check the terrain. Ruxu was as important to Jiangdong as Hefei.
In history, Cao Wei and Sun Wu fought at this pass no less than ten times. The confrontation lasted for decades, with each side winning or losing. It was also one of the focuses of the war between Cao Wei and Sun Wu.
When Soochow Wu marches north into the Central Plains, it must break through Hefei and occupy Shouchun. If Cao Jun wants to take Jiangdong, he must also capture Ruxu and occupy the Yangtze River defense line.
Now Sun Quan's attack on Hefei was defeated, but he lost his hair. He stole the chicken but lost the rice, and Jiangdong was in a hurry.
Although Zhou Yu recaptured the Yangtze River defense line, he also knew that this was because Cao Cao knew that the navy was outmatched and retreated to the dry road. However, the crisis in Jiangdong will still not be resolved unless Ruxu is captured.
Chaohu Lake is surrounded by mountains and the terrain is complex. Ruxukou is the outlet of Chaohu Lake. The water of Chaohu Lake flows to the southeast, passing between Qibao and Ruxu Mountains. Ruxukou is built on the east side of Ruxu Mountain.
Liu Qi personally visited the battlefield and observed the terrain. He saw that the mountains were steep and steep, with the banks facing each other like gates, and Ruxu Water Village becoming a throat connecting the north and the south.
After Sun Quan's defeat in Hefei, he built a fortress in Ruxu to protect the east of the Yangtze River. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides and faced water on one side. Only half of it was built before it was raided by Cao's army and used as a bride for others.
And Cao Jun built a fence and fortress on Qibao Mountain to the west. The two camps echoed each other, and there was no way to communicate by land and water. Even Zhou Lang's wisdom was helpless.
The two armies had been facing each other for more than a month. On the 78th, Liu Qi did not move any troops. He sighed: "With such a battle, when will the fire be lit?"
Xu Shu said: "To burn a fire, you need something to ignite it. The time has not come yet, so we have to wait patiently. When Kongming sent the news, Zhou Lang still refused to send troops, so he had to return to Jingzhou first. The matter between the two rivers is urgent."
Liu Qi helplessly spread his hands: "I originally wanted to go to Jianye to discuss opening a Shuiyunjian branch with Lu Zijing, but now I am trapped in the military camp, which is delaying my making money!"
Since his trip to Xiangyang, Lu Su has been obsessed with the various arrangements and livelihoods in Shuiyunjian. At that time, Xi Guan invited him to open a Shuiyunjing restaurant in Jiangdong. Lu Su was on official business and could not discuss private matters, so he hesitated.
When they met in the camp this time, Liu Qi secretly brought two taels of Dukang, which made Lu Su drunk. He took the opportunity to mention this again, and Lu Su was very tempted.
But in the army, resisting Cao Cao must be the first priority, and Lu Su was unwilling to discuss the matter in detail. Liu Qi had no choice but to deal with this stubborn guy who had a clear distinction between public and private matters, so he had to agree to discuss it privately in Jianye.
Just when he was bored and helpless, Zhuge Jin suddenly came to invite him. Sun Quan added 5,000 reinforcements and asked Zhou Yu to defeat Cao Cao as soon as possible so that Liu Qi could escape early and go to Jianye.
Liu Qi asked in confusion: "Why is Wu Hou so anxious all of a sudden?"
Zhuge Jin sighed and said, "Wu Guotai was very happy when she heard that the general had come to help Jiangdong. She wanted to meet the general personally and ask questions every day. Wu Hou, who is a filial person, did not want his wife to worry too much, so he sent more troops to help in the battle."
Liu Qi asked Zhuge Jin to go back first and arrive when he was ready. He turned around and asked Xu Shu, "Is it possible that Sun Quan is up to another trick?"
