The battle lasted from night to dawn. Yan Xing's 20,000 soldiers and horses were wiped out. The Di people obtained countless supplies and weapons, and the whole family rejoiced.
Agui danced with joy and was extremely grateful to Xu Shu: "We Di people have never fought such a wealthy battle!"
Xu Shu said: "It's too early to be happy now. When Han Sui hears the news, he will surely come with troops. We must take precautions early."
Ma Chao laughed and said: "There are military advisors deploying, and several of my brothers are fighting. Even if they reach Jincheng, Han Sui will not be able to resist them."
Xu Shu said, "Han Sui surrendered to Cao Cao. Our headquarters and Cao's army totaled 100,000, so don't be careless! We are waiting for a breakout this time, and it's not time to take revenge. Remember that arrogant soldiers will be defeated!"
Ma Chao smiled and said: "I'm just talking nonsense, everything is still at the discretion of the military advisor."
Xu Shu said: "Han Sui came out in full force and tens of thousands of troops entered Longxi. I believe that the lord will have heard the news and will definitely send troops to help. Now the Xiliang army is frightened, so they can rest assured and wait for help."
Ma Chao asked: "Where should we station our troops now?"
"Still in Baihu Ridge!" Xu Shu said with a smile: "The Xiliang army is afraid of the general's bravery and will hesitate to advance as long as it creates doubts about the formation. You just need to gather your strength and wait for the reinforcements to arrive, which is the time to counterattack. "
Everyone took the order and followed Xu Shu to Baihuling. They re-planned and deployed the camp, built trenches along the mountains, built outposts and camps in the mountains, and set up defenses to await reinforcements.
…
At this time, Liu Qi had sent troops from Hanzhong, leaving Wei Yan, Fazheng, Li Yan and others to guard Hanzhong, waiting for an opportunity to enter Tuguanzhong.
He led his army to Wudu and garrisoned troops at Bian, and sent Zhao Yun to Tazhong to meet Ma Chao, who was preparing to march to Qishan.
Suddenly, Yang Wanwan, the leader of the Di people in Wudu, came to report. The Xiliang army, Cao army, and Qiang soldiers entered Longxi together, laid down heavy defense lines along the Tao River, and surrounded Ma Chao and others.
Liu Qi was shocked and said: "Han Sui is so aggressive that he seems to be going to drive Ma Chao to death."
Pang Tong said with a smile: "This shows that Ma Chao has a very high prestige in Xiliang. Once he is asked to escape, it will be like a tiger returning to the mountain, and Han Sui and others will never have peace!"
Liu Qi said: "Han Sui has united Cao's army and more than 100,000 Qiang soldiers to go to Longxi. Why don't we change our strategy and take Longxi first to defeat Han Sui, and then go out to Qishan to conquer Hanyang? What do the military commanders think?"
Pang Tong nodded and said: "My lord's words coincide with mine. Since Dong Zhuo, Xiliang has been led by Han Sui and Ma Teng. Now Han Sui is out in force. If we can eliminate them in Longxi in one fell swoop, we can then help Ma Chao raise his troops." If we counterattack Xiliang, the battle in Hexi will be settled!"
Liu Qi said: "If Han Sui is in Jincheng, there is nothing he can do for a while. Now that he is eager to pursue the enemy, how can he miss this God-given opportunity? In this case, the military adviser will take Qishan to contain Cao's army. I will go to Longxi to destroy Han Sui and rescue Ma Chao. Divide your troops and take Xiliang directly."
Pang Tong also knew that Liu Qi had to go in person to conquer Ma Chao. The Qishan army also needed to cooperate with Hanzhong, so he asked Zhang Fei to follow Liu Qi.
It was decided after discussion that Liu Qi appointed Yu Jin as general, Pang Tong as military advisor, and Zhang He, Wu Yi and other generals to take Qishan and prepare to attack Tianshui.
He divided his troops all the way, with Zhang Ren as the vanguard and Yang Wanwan as the guide, and went to Tazhong to meet Zhao Yun.
Tazhong is located in the lower reaches of the Bailong River. Going east along the river, you can return to protect Wudu and Hanzhong. Going west, you can enter the Tao River, and then you can occupy the Wei River and attack the Tianshui River.
This place is a basin with abundant water resources, vast fields, and is connected to the Yinping Ancient Road. No wonder Jiang Wei chose to farm here.
Liu Qi and Zhao Yun reunited, but they were unable to deal with the war in Longxi. Cao Jun's army blocked the territory with several troops and was gathering in the area of Puhan. The specific situation was not known.
Yang Wanwan was surprised and said: "The King of Di only has 5,000 troops at most, and the Xiliang army dispatched 100,000. I'm afraid they have already..."
Liu Qi shook his head and said, "If Ma Chao were defeated, Han Sui would have already withdrawn his troops and continued to increase his troops to encircle and suppress them, which shows that the war is not over yet."
Zhao Yunyan said: "All the princes from Xiliang have arrived in Longxi, and Cao Jun and Qiang soldiers are also helping in the battle. The situation is complicated. I don't know who is helping Ma Chao."
Liu Qi frowned slightly: "The entire Longxi County has become a mess!"
Zhang Fei cupped his fists and said, "I only need ten thousand elite soldiers to break the siege of Fanhan."
Liu Qi said: "The situation in Longxi is unclear, so we cannot rush out."
Zhang Fei laughed and said: "Xiliang Jin Ma Chao, I have heard about it for a long time. Now that we are poor and trapped, I must help out."
Liu Qi said: "The purpose of sending troops this time is to eliminate Han Sui in one fell swoop. With the help of Xu Yuanzhi, Ma Chao can protect himself and save others easily. But he is afraid that Han Sui will see that the situation is not good and escape back to Jincheng. It will be difficult to capture him again." .”
Zhang Fei cupped his fists and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I, Zhang Fei, will go out and take back Han Sui's head. Let's see how he returns to Jincheng."
Everyone laughed, and Zhang Ren thought for a moment and offered advice: "Han Sui was eager to get rid of Ma Chao and deployed heavy troops along the Tao River. All the troops and horses gathered at Fanhan. The north of the Tao River must be empty. Why not divide his troops to surprise Didao and cut off his return route? ?”
"This is also a plan to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao!" Liu Qi's eyes lit up and he nodded: "If we take Didao, the Xiliang army will be in chaos. Can Leader Yang know the road?"
Yang Qianwan replied: "From the north of the Tao River, you can go from Zhang County to the source of the Weishui River, and enter Didao from Baishi Mountain. However, the road is difficult to travel over mountains and ridges, and it is feared that it will be difficult for cars and horses to pass."
Liu Qi smiled and said: "I have five thousand Ba soldiers, who can walk over mountains and ridges as if they were walking on flat ground. Can Wang Ping dare to take charge?"
Wang Ping was overjoyed and said: "Don't worry, my lord, the general will definitely capture Didao and cut off his return path."
Liu Qi ordered Yang Wanwan to select a thousand Di people, and he and Wang Ping made a surprise attack on Didao from the north road. The rest of the troops marched to Lintao and captured Pouhan from the south of the Tao River to attract the attention of the Xiliang army.
Han Sui had known for a long time that Ma Teng and his son were on good terms with Liu Qi, and had heard that Ma Chao had fled to Longxi. He had already set up an army in Lintao to block the way south.
Lintao guard Zhang Heng learned that Liu Qi had taken Wudu, and he had already sent troops to monitor closely. When he heard that Liu Qi personally led the army, he hurriedly reported to Han Sui.
When Liu Qi's troops arrived at Taoshui, Han Sui sent Candidate and Liang Xing to assist in the battle, with a total of 30,000 troops.
When Tan Ma reported the news, Zhang Ren said: "This must be because Han Sui was afraid of his lord's reputation and sent two generals to support him. If Lintao can be captured, the Xiliang army will be panicked."
Liu Qi sneered and said: "The Xiliang army looks like a large number of people, but in fact it is a ragtag group of people who do not belong to each other. They can be defeated by tactics."
At that time, Ma Chao raised an army to avenge himself. Together with Han Sui, he had ten soldiers and horses, all heroes of Xiliang. Ma Chao was defeated and retreated to Xiliang. These people were all recruited by Han Sui to surrender to Cao Cao.
Zhang Ren cupped his fists and said, "The bandits are coming from the north and south of the Tao River. The general is willing to lead an army to the north. My lord can meet the enemy in the south of Tao. After defeating the enemy, troops from the north and south will advance. The bandits will inevitably be in chaos."
"This is a great plan!" Liu Qi was overjoyed. Zhang Ren was indeed a capable general, and having him lead the army alone felt more reassuring than Zhao Yun.
Immediately, Zhang Ren and Liu Xian were ordered to lead five thousand troops to meet the enemy on the Taohe North Road, and then led the army to Lintao. This was originally the location of the captaincy of southwestern Longnan, but the imperial court had declined and it had long been abandoned and occupied by the Qiang people.
Everyone was lamenting the decline of the imperial court and remembering the great power of the Han Dynasty when it was powerful in the Western Regions. When they came to report, the guard Zhang Heng led his troops out of the city to resist the enemy.
Zhang Fei said angrily: "There is such a scum in the Zhang family, I want to get rid of it with my own hands!"
