Cao Jun sneaked outside the camp. The archers had been preparing for a long time. They lit firewood and arrows and shot them into the camp with the wind.
In an instant, the fire lit up the night sky, and the defenders hurriedly beat drums to warn. Cao Jun took advantage of the chaos and rushed into the camp gate. Instead of fighting with the enemy, he just set fire everywhere.
Feng Kai and Guo Huai also fought out from the left and right, looking for Liu Qi in the camp. There were shouts of killing everywhere, and they saw fireworks filling the air and figures running away.
Feng Kai was rushing towards the tent when he suddenly stopped him and shouted: "Who dare to attack my camp?"
When Feng Kai saw that it was Yan Yan, he was overjoyed. He pointed his gun and stabbed him: "Hey, the old thief is not at home to rest in retirement and go out to fight. Today is the day of your death."
Yan Yan waved his sword to parry, and after several rounds of fighting, he saw more and more Cao's troops and retreated. Feng Kai snorted lightly and followed closely with his gun drawn.
As they were charging forward to kill, Zhang Yi, Jufu and other generals stepped forward to stop them. The two armies fought in a melee in the west camp, occupied the main camp, and forced the Han army outside the camp gate.
The enemy troops gathered in the west and were not defeated. They were deliberately preparing to organize a counterattack. Under the firelight, they could vaguely see Liu Qi arranging his troops.
Upon seeing this, Guo Huai shouted: "Liu Qi is unwilling to retreat and must guard the camp gate."
Feng Kai snorted coldly, Liu Qi still tried to defend Jigu, but little did he know that the reinforcements were about to arrive and they were gone.
His and Guo Huai's mission was to burn down the camp and receive reinforcements. They thought they were still unable to kill Liu Qi, so they divided their forces and set fire to the camp, first burning Jigu.
The west wind was blowing hard, and in a blink of an eye, the entire camp was on fire. The fire illuminated the entire valley. The originally cold Ji Valley became scorching hot, and the people and horses took shelter under the cliff.
Seeing that the situation was over, the Han army had no choice but to retreat towards the mountain. As they were walking to the foot of the mountain, a drum suddenly sounded and the ambush troops rushed out. It was Xia Houshang who was ambushing here.
Arrows shot out in unison, and when he saw the enemy troops screaming in confusion, Xiahou Shang looked up to the sky and laughed, and finally shouted the words that had made him angry for a long time: "Those who surrender will not be killed!"
Yan Yan fought out angrily and led his troops to clash on the hillsides on both sides. The Han army protected Liu Qi and fought his way out of the mountain in embarrassment.
Yan Yan and Xia Houshang were fighting for twenty rounds, and suddenly shouted: "Look at the arrows, kid!"
Xiahou Shang knew that Yan Yan was very good at archery, but he couldn't see clearly in the dark, so he hurriedly dodged back, but he didn't know that Yan Yan was just a feint and led the remaining soldiers to flee.
"Don't leave, old thief!" Xiahou Shang was furious and led his troops to pursue him.
When they were about to reach the hillside, the defenders in the camp were ready. Arrows were fired from the trenches, shooting down countless soldiers. Xiahou Shang retreated hurriedly.
While he was hesitating, Xia Houyuan arrived with his troops and asked: "Where is Liu Qi?"
Xia Houshang pointed to the camp: "Liu Qi has fled back to the camp, and the defenders are on guard."
Xia Houyuan was full of fighting spirit and sent an order: "There will not be many defenders here, so we can take back the stronghold in one go."
Xia Houshang immediately ordered his men and horses to rush to the top of the mountain and go straight to the main camp to kill. As expected, the defenders could not resist, so Liu Qi abandoned the camp and left.
After Yan Yan organized the troops to cut off, he actually fired arrows in secret this time, shooting down several people one after another. Xia Houyuan was also wary and did not dare to pursue the enemy rashly. Seeing that he had captured the high ground, he let him leave.
Unconsciously, the sky was dimming, and all the Han troops had fled, leaving only the flames burning in Ji Valley and black smoke billowing. The entire cliff was blackened and the ground was in a mess.
After finally recapturing Baxiantai and opening up the passage into Hanzhong, Xiahou Yuan felt as if a lump in his throat was vomiting. He was so happy that he abandoned the Jigu camp and ordered the soldiers of all battalions to gather on the mountain to prepare for the pursuit of victory.
At noon, Xun You rushed back from the rear army and ordered his people to check the food and grass. He was shocked to find that there was not much left in the stronghold on the mountain. When he tried to go down the mountain to put out the fire, it was too late.
Xia Houyuan also felt his heart sinking and said: "Liu Qi must not have gone very far. At this time, the only way to alleviate the crisis is to move forward wholeheartedly and seize the camp in front."
Xun You suddenly felt uneasy, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. At this time, the army was short of food, and he could not afford to hesitate, so he had to let Xia Houyuan advance.
After the men and horses were dispatched, Xun You personally went to Jigu Camp to inspect, and saw that the ground was covered with ashes. There were indeed many granaries under the cliff to the north, all of which were burned to scorched earth.
After observing for a while, he ordered people to dismantle one of the barns. The grain and rice inside turned into black ash, but the shape was clearly visible, and he couldn't help but frown.
If Liu Qi really transports all the grain and grass to Jigu and is burned by a fire, all his plans will be in vain.
From Wuzhangyuan, the journey on the Xiegu Plank Road is slow and takes at least half a month. The army will mutiny if they don't have food for one day, let alone more than ten days?
While he was thinking hard about countermeasures, Xia Houyuan sent people to report and recaptured the Hutiao Cliff camp from the front, and obtained another batch of grain and grass, which could temporarily relieve the urgent need, but was not enough to support the use of the army.
Xun You had no choice but to retreat. He could only move forward with his entire army. Victory or defeat depended on this!
He ordered people to rush back to Wuzhangyuan overnight, and asked Xu Huang to lead troops to Jigu to support him. He urgently transported 30,000 shi of grain and transferred grain from Chang'an to prepare for supporting the war ahead.
Cao's army abandoned Jigu and came to Baxiantai. They occupied the high ground but there was no food in the camp. The defenders reduced their meals to one meal a day in the hope that reinforcements would arrive.
At this time, Xia Houyuan had already marched forward from Hutiao Cliff to recapture Qingsongyuan, the first defensive line deployed. Liu Qi was defeated one after another, leaving some food and grass along the way, which he could barely support.
Xun You stood at the gate of the camp every day, looking at the Jigu plank road with eyes wide open, wishing that the grain carts and horses could fly in with wings. In the past few days, the Japanese army had been slaughtering war horses, and morale was very low.
The weather is getting warmer and the ice and snow are melting. Xun You's heart feels like frost. He increasingly feels that this is a huge trap and feels increasingly uneasy.
On this day, Xia Houyuan sent someone to report again that the front army was running out of food and grass, so he had no choice but to continue to advance. He struggled forward not only to seize food and grass, but also to consume troops. Only 500 troops were left to guard each village along the way.
Xun You's heart was heavy. He looked at the scorched earth in the Ji Valley in the distance. Suddenly, his heart moved. He ran like crazy and rushed down the mountain. Cao Jun was inexplicable. He was already dizzy with hunger. Why did he bother like this?
But when the military advisor came down the mountain, the soldiers had to follow him. The two hundred troops hurriedly led their horses and chased them to the bottom of the mountain. They asked Xun You to mount their horses and went straight to the Jigu camp.
A few days later, the burning ashes were blown by the wind, revealing the bones buried underneath. The scene was miserable, but Xun You didn't care to dodge. He dismounted and rushed to a granary at the foot of the cliff, drew his sword and started digging himself.
The soldiers behind looked at each other in confusion, wondering why he acted like this. After waiting for a while, they saw that after the tip of the sword flew away the outer layer of ashes, there was actually sand, gravel and red earth inside.
Xun You stared at the falling sand in astonishment. He took a few steps back helplessly and murmured: "Liu Qi, you really have the power of ghosts and gods. Cao's energy is exhausted!"
Jigu's granaries were all fake, indicating that Liu Qi had already seen through his counterattack plan and had already transported the grain and grass away. At this time, the army had no food and was in a dilemma. Xiahou Yuan went deep into danger again, with disastrous consequences.
Cao Jun behind him didn't know the serious situation, thinking that Xun You was trying to find food from these burned granaries, so they all sighed and shook their heads.
At this moment, a fast horse galloped up the mountain, but it was a letter from the family general.
Xun You was completely exhausted at this time and had no intention of checking. However, when he saw a special mark on the cover, his heart beat wildly. He rubbed his eyes vigorously and opened the letter with trembling hands.
