Cheng Yi's intuition was not wrong. In a cave in the Western Mountains, every move of the Xiliang Army was under the surveillance of the Di people.
Ma Chao couldn't hold himself back anymore and asked: "Yan Xing's troops have not retreated or asked for reinforcements for three days. How will the military advisor prepare to deal with the enemy next?"
Xu Shu glanced at the camp and said slowly: "Yan Xing suffered a big loss this time. The food and grass were destroyed, but he is still here. Due to the continuous harassment in the past few days, he expected that we were nearby and was unwilling to retreat."
"It turns out that this is the purpose of the military advisor's harassment of them." Only then did Agui understand why he always sent those dozen people to sneak attacks in the past few days. Wasn't this to scratch the itch of the Xiliang army?
Ma Dai said: "The morale of the rebel army is low, and the horses are almost eaten up. If we don't send troops again, I'm afraid they will really retreat."
Xu Shu smiled and said: "After three days of starvation, it's time for you to fight."
Ma Chao clasped his fists and said, "No matter what the military advisor says, I will kill Yan Xing this time."
Xu Shu said: "Although the general is brave, Yan Xing still has more than 10,000 elite soldiers. If we fight to the death, we can win, but Han Sui will follow closely, and we will be unable to resist the enemy!"
Naturally, Agui didn't want his people to suffer heavy losses, so he hurriedly asked: "What's the military advisor's clever plan?"
Xu Shu said: "The morale of Yan Xing's troops is low, but they still have the strength to fight. We need to weaken their morale again and use tactics to defeat him. If Yan Xing is killed, it will definitely shake the Xiliang army. Even if Han Sui raises his troops, he will also If you hesitate, you can wait for the reinforcements to arrive."
Ma Dai nodded and said: "The military advisor is right. Yan Xing is the general that Han Sui relies on most. If we get rid of this thief, it will be like cutting off Han Sui's arm. The rest of the troops will not dare to attack with all their strength in order to preserve their strength."
Xu Shu stroked his beard and smiled and said: "This was Qin's plan to defeat the six kingdoms. This White Fox Ridge is Hangu Pass. Although Han Sui has many soldiers, they are not under each other's control, so there is nothing to be afraid of."
After hearing this, everyone's confidence increased greatly. From being in a desperate situation and narrowly escaping death, to now killing the enemy for revenge, and even having the potential to fight back, who dares to disobey Xu Shu?
The group of people left the cliff and came to a canyon hidden by dense forests, preparing to obey orders.
Xu Shu glanced at the crowd and said loudly: "This battle is a matter of life and death. All generals have their own military orders. Do not listen to my orders. Do not be reluctant to fight, let alone slack off. Once Yan Xing's troops are completely annihilated, you can rest assured."
"Obey!" At this time, everyone was led by Xu Shu, and even Ma Chao was willing to obey.
Xu Shu asked Agui: "The road in the back mountain of Baihu Ridge is uneven, with cliffs and strange rocks protruding. There are only paths on the ridge. Can this place have a name?"
Agui replied: "There was originally a mountain temple on the top of the mountain. We locals called it Miaogou."
Xu Shu ordered Ma Le: "Later, when he saw the Xiliang army chasing through the woods, he waved flags and shouted, leading them to Miaogou Mountain and retreating towards the mountain temple."
"Yes!" Ma Le went to prepare first.
Xu Shu then said to Ma Chao and Ma Dai: "Later, the two generals will come forward to fight Yan Xing. They will win first and then lose. If they see Yan Xing's uncle and nephew and pretend to be defeated and leave, we will lead them to the back mountain."
Ma Chao asked: "When can Yan Xing be killed?"
Xu Shu smiled and said: "Miaogou is the burial place of the Xiliang army. Meng Qi can fight to his heart's content by then."
Everyone perked up after hearing this, and each went to prepare. They had been recharging their energy in the past few days, waiting for the decisive battle to take revenge.
After the order was passed, Xu Shu told Shi A to take the fifty followers and leave the camp with their luggage, while the others went up the mountain to ambush and wait.
Brothers Ma Chao and Ma Dai detoured from the back mountain and came to Baihu Ridge again. They first ordered Ma Dai to go near the woods to attract Yan Xing to fight.
In the Xiliang army camp, Yan Xing's face was ashen and he was hesitating whether to retreat. The horse meat made him feel a little nauseous.
However, he had been harassed by enemy troops for days and knew that the Di people were nearby, so he was unwilling to retreat.
Cheng Yi advised again: "The food and grass are no longer available, and the people and horses are exhausted. If the Di people attack while the food is gone, we will be in danger!"
"Retreat!" Yan Xing nodded helplessly. The last food was eaten up and the three armies were without food. He did not dare to take any more risks.
"Report——" Just as he was about to give the order to break out of the camp, Tan Ma rushed in and shouted: "Ma Chao is here, behind the forest!"
"Oh? It turns out that these bastards are hiding in Nanshan!" Yan Xing suddenly realized, no wonder they couldn't find any trace, it turned out that they were on their way here.
Immediately shouted: "Send troops to meet the enemy!"
Cheng Yi frowned and said, "Ma Chao hasn't been seen for several days, but he suddenly appears today. I'm afraid there's something wrong with him."
Yan Xing sneered and said, "This thief must have seen us waiting for the food to run out. He thought the army had no fighting spirit and wanted to take advantage of it. But he didn't know that the soldiers would win. He will be unable to escape today."
He immediately sent an order to the troops and told the three armies that whoever captured Ma Chao and his generals would be rewarded by their own troops. He would not share the credit, and he would be rewarded separately.
The military order was passed down, and the whole army was excited. The morale of the Xiliang army was greatly increased. Without the generals above to share the credit, if a ten-man team captured Ma Chao, wouldn't it be soaring to the sky?
Yan Xing personally led the troops to fight. Yan Ba cheered up and led 3,000 troops to fight. After passing through the woods, he saw Ma Dai waiting with 500 troops.
Yan Ba stepped forward and said with a broad smile, "Ma Dai, I thought your brother would just hide like a mouse, but are you finally willing to show up today?"
"Suffer death!" Ma Dai was furious, and suddenly his horse came out with a sword.
Yan Ba stepped forward to meet the enemy and fought with Ma Dai for more than ten times. Seeing that his sword skills were ordinary, he sneered and said, "You are no match for me. Call Ma Chao!"
Ma Dai was furious and slashed down with his sword in front of him. The momentum was terrifying. Yan Ba tried to parry with his sword, but the huge force of the counterattack bounced his sword up and shook his body.
"Hey, I'll kill you first to sacrifice the flag!" Yan Ba's confidence increased greatly, and his moves became faster and more aggressive.
After another battle, Ma Dai gradually lost the enemy. He pushed his horse away, but Yan Ba was chasing after him. His mount was excellent and he was about to catch up and behead Ma Dai under his horse.
"Don't hurt my brother!" At this moment, a general flew over the hillside.
Hearing a loud noise, Yan Ba's knife that he was determined to win was stopped abruptly.
"Ma Chao?" Yan Ba reined up his horse and glanced at the incoming general, and sneered: "Sneak attack from behind, you are not worthy of the title of General Shenwei Tian!"
"Blood debt must be paid with blood!" Ma Chao's face was full of murderous intent. He did not answer him and stabbed him with his gun.
Yan Ba's fighting spirit was high and he raised his sword to parry. The two of them fought on the hillside. Only the sounds of a series of weapons clashing were heard. The two refused to give in to each other, like tigers fighting each other.
Yan Xing led his troops out at this time and saw the two fighting. Ma Chao's momentum was astonishing, but Yan Ba was not weak at all, and the fight was indistinguishable.
"Ma Dai, come together!" Ma Chao saw that he could not fight for a long time, lost his patience, and called Ma Dai to join the battle.
Yan Ba laughed wildly and said: "Jin Ma Chao is nothing more than that, he actually wants to bully the minority with more."
Ma Chao's face turned red and he shouted: "Brothers in battle, my brothers always advance and retreat together."
While he was talking, Ma Dai slashed at him from behind with his sword. Yan Ba was not afraid and actually fought against the two of them with ease. He could see the Xiliang army cheering in unison in the distance.
Ma Chao's reputation in Xiliang is well known to everyone. Even the Qiang people respect him, let alone Han Sui's subordinate.
Normally, Ma Chao was a general, and no one dared to offend him. Now, everyone was delighted to find that he was not as well protected as Yan Xing.
