In the camp of Cao's army in Baxiantai, the guard Xiahou Shang heard that his brother had been killed. He was furious and wanted to take revenge.
Dai Ling, who fled back, hurriedly persuaded him. Although Yan Yan was old, he was very skilled in martial arts. Xiahou De was killed because he was not his opponent. At this time, he must not underestimate the enemy.
Xia Houshang said angrily: "I've gone too far to bully others. I swear to kill this thief."
Only one person was heard saying loudly: "We were ordered to conquer Hanzhong and pacify Xichuan. The army has not yet sent out, but we have been attacked by thieves. If we do not send out troops, when will we defeat the enemy and how will we take revenge?"
Xia Houshang looked and saw that it was Xia Houping, his younger brother, who was a brave man and was originally a soldier of Xia Houyuan. He received his guidance when he was in Xuzhou. He was promoted to general this time just to gain experience and meritorious service.
"What my dear brother said is absolutely true. The terrain of Baxiantai is dangerous, and only three thousand defenders are enough! Our original intention is to intercept the enemy's army, so that it cannot approach Jigu, consume its food and grass, and wait for work, so that we can divide our troops to stop the attack. "
Dai Ling frowned and said, "What the general said is reasonable, but Yan Yan is old and cunning, and his two generals are very powerful. He is afraid that if he separates his troops and goes out, he will be defeated instead, and the gain will not be worth the loss."
"Why should the old thief be afraid?" Xia Houshang said angrily: "One of the generals of your defeated army has not yet been punished, and he does not know how to do meritorious service. Instead, he is arrogant to our army and has the spirit of the enemy. If he dares to talk nonsense again, he will be punished together. "
Dai Ling asked helplessly: "General, what good advice do you have?"
Xia Houshang sneered and said: "From Taibai Mountain to Qingsong Plateau, there are still several dangerous places. They are only a few miles in front and back, and they echo each other from a distance. A certain company went down to three villages to block the enemy along the way. Even if they are defeated, they can still weaken their energy and wait for it. The enemy's horses are tired, but I use all my elites to defeat them easily."
Xia Houping praised: "You can gain momentum in one go, then it will weaken again, and it will be exhausted three times. My brother's plan coincides with the art of war."
Xia Houshang laughed and said: "I have not wasted my time these years. I have devoted myself to learning the art of war and strategy, just to be successful today."
Dai Ling asked: "I wonder where the general will deploy his troops?"
Xiahou Shang said: "The Tiger Leaping Cliff, Qinglong Pond, and Qibu Cliff ahead are all dangerous places, which are enough to station troops for self-defense."
Dai Ling saw that Xia Houshang's deployment was appropriate. These places were all in Taibai Mountain, not far from the main camp, and reinforcements could arrive in half an hour, so he stopped trying to dissuade him.
Xia Houshang immediately ordered Xia Houping, Dai Ling, and Liu Zhu to lead their troops to camp. Three thousand elite troops were left on the mountain, ready to support the front army at any time.
A scout had already reported the movement of Cao's army to Qingsongyuan. Yan Yan heard the report and said with a smile: "I was worried about the dangerous obstacles ahead, but Xia Houshang actually divided his troops to fight. God bless this man."
Ju Fuyan said: "We have won the first battle. We have been recharging our strength in the past two days. If we can kill more generals and break through the barrier, and the morale of the three armies is strong, we can take Baxiantai in one go."
"That's right!" Zhang Yi laughed and said, "I have been waiting in Xichuan for many years and have not been able to show my talents. This time when we enter the Central Plains, it is the time to make achievements and become famous, so we should give it a try."
Yan Yan also sighed with emotion. He has been in Yizhou all his life and has long wanted to visit this great mountain and river. This year he passed his sixtieth birthday. Although he felt like a hero in his late twilight years, he was finally able to lead the army to the expedition and achieved his wish. If he could march into Chang'an , what regrets in this life?
At that moment, the two generals were ordered to be the vanguard, and each led their elite troops to the Tiger Leaping Cliff. Here, two mountains faced each other, and the Bao River ran across it. The water flow was fast. It is said that a tiger once jumped over the cliff, hence the name.
The terrain here is different from that of Qingsong Plateau. There is a slow slope extending forward. There is a camp under the hillside. There are cavalry on the mountain who can swoop down at any time.
Fu Yan said: "Cao's army set up camp like this, with the front army setting up defenses and the rear army responding. However, he never thought that once the camp was broken, it would resist the cavalry. I used my force to break it in one fell swoop."
While observing the formation, suddenly there was a loud sound of drums in the camp, and a general led his troops out of the camp. Hengdao immediately came to fight. It was Xia Houping, who planned to kill the enemy and become famous in the army.
The two of them were playing exactly what they wanted, and the man raised his knife and shouted, "Old thief Yan Yan killed my brother, why don't you come and die?"
Jufu glanced at the person who came and said to Zhang Yi: "This person is not Xiahou Shang, but he wants to avenge Xiahou De. He must be a descendant of the Xiahou clan. Most of them have good eyesight but low hand, so they will be vulnerable to a single blow. We can kill him and rush into the stronghold." , seize the camp."
Zhang Yi understood, and immediately called the troops to prepare secretly. Three hundred cavalry were in front, and the infantry was behind, forming a formation pretending to be a support and plundering formation.
Gofu stepped forward and said loudly: "I am Gofu, and Yan Yan is my master. If you want to fight with him, you must get through me first."
Seeing that he was an unknown person, Xia Houping's confidence increased and he sneered: "Listen up, I am Xia Houping. As the saying goes, the father's debt is paid by the son. Today, I will cut off your sacrifice flag first."
He looked sideways at the visitor and said mockingly: "The Xiahou family's children are indeed like this. Although they have a strong tone, they have no ability at all. If it weren't for the glory of their fathers, they would probably be fugitives on the street."
Xia Houping was furious. He shouted and urged his horse to come out of the battle. He raised his sword and struck Jufu directly. Jufu stepped forward to meet the enemy. Both of them were taught by famous teachers and had outstanding martial arts skills.
Seeing that Ju Fu's martial arts skills were mediocre, Xia Houping sneered: "Sichuan is indeed a mediocre people."
"Noisy!" Ju Fu shouted sharply, and suddenly the sword swept across, swinging his sword away, and then slashed with his backhand.
Seeing the shocking momentum of the sword, Xia Houping did not dare to be careless, and hurriedly parried with the sword. However, he did not expect that it was a false move. The blade suddenly flipped over and was whipped upwards, as fast as lightning.
At this time, the two horses were crossing each other, and they were moving very fast, and there was no way for him to change his moves. A cold light flashed, and Jufu slashed him under the horse with a knife.
"Charge!" Ju Fugen didn't stop and took the lead and rushed straight towards the panicked Cao Jun.
Although Jufu looks weak and thin, but most Sichuan people are like this, he is also brave and good at fighting. In addition, Yan Yan's coach is strict and his talent is far superior to Xia Houping, so he deliberately showed weakness and killed him.
Cao Jun was shouting for support, but he didn't expect that the situation would take a turn for the worse. Xia Houcun was beheaded, and Ju Fu rode his horse to kill him. There was a sudden chaos, and he turned around and fled to the camp.
Zhang Yi, who was in the rear, was already ready to attack. He followed closely behind and led his troops to charge forward. The Han army's morale was like a rainbow, and they rushed into the camp gate. Cao's army was caught off guard and rushed to the rear camp to escape.
The cavalry camp on the mountain was lost, and they hurried down to rescue them. Halfway through the charge, they saw the deserters coming out. The front army hurriedly reined in their horses, but the rear army could not hold back. The men and horses collided with each other and became a mess, causing numerous casualties.
Jufu and Zhang Yi led their troops to the rear camp. Cao's army was knocked dizzy by their own men and horses. Only the more than two hundred horsemen on the half slope fled in panic. The rest were captured, and there were countless casualties.
Zhang Yi captured the prisoners for interrogation and learned that there were two camps ahead, less than four or five miles apart, so he immediately sent someone to report to Yan Yan.
In the evening, Yan Yan led the troops to the camp. He was very satisfied with the performance of the two generals. He smiled happily and said: "In this battle, all young people are fighting. Cao's army is no better than the children of the clan. I, a big man, have a bright future."
Ju Fuyan said: "The first battalion of Cao's army is at Qinglongtan, near the water and leaning on the cliff. The two of us will go to get this place tomorrow."
Yan Yan said with a smile: "As the saying goes, you can make great efforts only to lose your strength. Now is the time to take advantage of the victory and march into the army. Don't slack off and miss the opportunity!"
