Guan Yu's troops marched into Yuzhou and confronted Zhang Liao in Xuchang to contain the main force of Cao's army. Zhuge Liang divided his troops and advanced westward, bypassing the rear and taking Xingyang directly.
Lu Qian, the guard general of Xingyang, urgently asked Yin Xinpi of Henan to discuss countermeasures and said: "Zhuge Liang is well versed in Tao strategy, and Monk Jia Wen was defeated by him. He must have an intention to come to Luoyang to support the army in Guanzhong. How should we deal with the enemy?"
Xin Pi said: "The soldiers will block you, the water will block you, and the water will cover you. Zhuge Liang is just a fledgling, but he only managed to win by chance thanks to Guan Yu's bravery. This spring, the water has begun to rise. The general uses the Jishui River as his boundary, Song Mountain as his wings, and Tiger Lao as his shield. He can rest easy!" "
Lu Qian frowned and said, "Jingzhou has strong soldiers and horses, so we can only defend ourselves. If we go out to meet the enemy, it may not be a good strategy."
Xin Pi smiled and said: "In the past, when the Chu and Han Dynasties were fighting, the Emperor Gaozu stopped the Chu army's offensive at Xingyang and Chenggao, took Aocang to store millet for food, and waited to enter the Central Plains of Tu. Today, Guan Yu has stationed troops in Xuchang, and the likes of Gan and Ning are far inferior to the overlords. Zhuge Liang is only It’s just marching troops from Yingchuan, what’s the point?”
Lu Qian was convinced of this, so he led his troops to the south of Songshan Mountain and built a tunnel to Weishui, guarding the main road of Xingyang and contending with the Jingzhou army for a long time.
Cao's army set up camp and was deploying along the river when Jingzhou soldiers came rushing towards them. The vanguard general Gan Ning led ten thousand troops with a fierce momentum.
Lu Qian saw that Gan Ning was dressed gorgeously, with a pheasant feather on his head, brocade clothes and red robes. He was like a burning flame in front of the army, and there was a faint shadow of Lu Bu.
While he was observing, Gan Ning came out of the battle with his sword in hand and shouted: "Cao's thieves have usurped the throne. As officials of the Han Dynasty, you actually helped Zhou to commit oppression. Do you know the word shame?"
Mao Hui said angrily: "The water thief is so rampant, look at me and take his head."
Lu Qian shook his head and said: "Gan Xingba's bravery is no less than that of Guan and Zhang. Zhang Ji was killed by him. Don't underestimate the enemy. If the first battle is unfavorable, the military might will be weakened. I will fight against the enemy personally!"
Lu Qian made great contributions when Cao Cao collected Qingzhou troops, and was highly regarded by Cao Cao. He once served as the governor of Mount Tai and managed the situation well. Now that the war in the Central Plains is urgent, he was ordered to be transferred to Xingyang in the face of danger, so he naturally had to fulfill his duties.
When Gan Ning saw Lu Qian coming out of the battle, he urged his horses to rush forward without asking him his name. Now that all the generals in Cao's camp were restrained, wouldn't it be easy to deal with these generals?
The two horses crossed each other, and there was a clang sound. Gan Ning raised his sword and slashed at the opponent's spear. Lu Qian swayed slightly on his horse, but still took the move.
"Oh, not bad!" Gan Ning's fighting spirit suddenly increased, and he circled the horse to fight again.
Lu Qian accepted the attack but was shocked. He was also a battle-hardened general. After just one fight, he knew that Gan Ning was worthy of his reputation, so he hurriedly concentrated on fighting.
The two men returned to fight again. Gan Ning aimed to kill the enemy and establish his power and frighten Cao's army. He used aggressive moves and killed Lu Qian within ten seconds. Lu Qian couldn't resist. Knowing that he was no match for him, he feinted a shot and left.
Gan Ning chased after him, Lu Qian hung his weapon on his horse, secretly took the bow and arrow and looked back. This move of looking back at the moon was his special killing move. Xue Lan, Lu Bu's general, was shot by him with an arrow. Shoot.
Su Fei was watching the battle from behind. When he saw Lu Qian bowing slightly and secretly pulling the bowstring, he was shocked and shouted hurriedly: "Be careful of hidden arrows."
Gan Ning was so smart. After all, he was born in the green forest. He had never seen any deceitful moves. When he saw Lu Qian turning his head to observe from time to time and making obscene movements, he knew there was a trick. He already understood when he heard the cry.
"Ge Laozi, you want to make a sneak attack?" Gan Ning yelled, took a short halberd from his back and struck out.
At the same time, Lu Qian twisted his waist suddenly, and the arrow shot out from under his left rib, piercing through the robe and heading straight for Gan Ning's door. Because the robe was blocking him, his move was extremely secretive.
Although Gan Ning was on guard, he didn't expect the move to be so weird. When he saw the arrow piercing the Zheng's robe, he was already in front of him and hurriedly crouched on the horse's back to avoid it.
Whoosh——
The hidden arrow actually flew past his ear. It turned out that Lu Qian had already expected him to dodge like this and lowered his angle. If his mount hadn't dodged in time, this shot would have hit the Tianling Cap.
But Lu Qian didn't expect Gan Ning to use a hidden weapon. Before he could fire another arrow, he was hit on the right shoulder by an iron halberd. He howled in pain and urged his horse to flee back to the main formation.
Gan Ning chased after him on horseback. Generals Xu Xi and Mao Hui were well prepared and ordered their soldiers to shoot arrows to stop him. He had no choice but to retreat with his horse and cursed: "You son of a bitch, you are too young to play tricks with me!" "
Cao's army could not hold out. Gan Ning saw that he had set up three large camps along the mountains and connected to the Jishui River. They responded to each other and did not dare to move forward rashly. He first retreated five miles to set up camp and wait for Zhuge Liang's army to arrive before discussing.
In the evening, Zhuge Liang led his army to Jianshui. Gan Ning had already ordered his men to set up camp, so he ordered each battalion to set up defense lines, bury pots and cook rice, and fight with Cao's army tomorrow.
Chen arrived and led the white soldiers to protect Zhuge Liang. He drove a four-wheeled vehicle to the river bank to observe the enemy's situation. He saw Cao's army camped along the river for nearly ten miles. The flags on the bank were fluttering. The defenders were ready and their defenses were tight.
Xia Houlan introduced: "Lü Qian is an old general close to Cao Cao. He is both civil and military, and he has Xin Pi as his strategist. He is quite wise and strategic. Looking at this situation, we must rely on the momentum of the mountains and rivers to defend for a long time."
Zhuge Liang stood on the river bank with his hands behind his hands and saw the sparkling water flowing eastward. The Songshan Mountains were rolling and rolling, and there were high mountains and ridges to the west. The location chosen by Cao Jun was a perfect one.
When everyone returned to the camp to discuss matters, Gan Ning said: "Lü Qian has nothing to worry about. I will go to fight tomorrow and I will definitely kill this old thief."
Xia Houlan said, "Lü Qian knows he is no enemy and is injured. He is afraid that he will not want to fight again and will only defend to the end."
Gan Ning laughed and said: "Defend? Defend just right. Now Cao's army is in full decline. If he doesn't march, he will just sit back and wait for death. How long can the turtle son defend?"
Zhuge Liang listened to the arguments and said with a smile: "Today Cao's army has been defeated repeatedly and the Central Plains has been shaken, so we can only face the enemy on the defensive. As the saying goes, a sad army will win. I see that his soldiers are cautious and have the advantage of taking advantage of the opportunity. At this time, we cannot rush to attack. , advancing will strengthen one’s heart.”
Gan Ning wondered: "The two armies are at a stalemate. If they don't advance, they will retreat. Could it be that the military advisor needs to use detours to contain them?"
"No!" Zhuge Liang said: "Just as Xingba said, although Cao Jun was cautious in setting up defenses, he also knew that this move was tantamount to waiting for death. Xinbi is a wise man, and Lu Qian is courageous, so he will wait for the opportunity to attack. , if you want to break its defense, you must first be arrogant."
"A arrogant soldier will be defeated! We should also take this as a warning." Gan Ning believed this and no longer insisted on asking for a fight.
He had always scorned Confucian scholars, but he sincerely respected Zhuge Liang. After traveling for decades, he had never seen such a knowledgeable and wise man.
Zhuge Liang is not only knowledgeable about ancient and modern times, but is also proficient in Qimen Dunjia, and is also involved in hidden weapons. No matter what the problem is, he knows a thing or two. As long as he asks for advice humbly, he will answer it with all his heart. Hearing it makes people enlightened.
If he hadn't been older than him, Gan Ning would have wished to become his disciple and learn strategy and the art of war again.
Chen Daoyan said: "Our army is newly arrived and has not yet established a stable footing. Although Cao's army is on the defensive, we must be careful not to rob the camp."
Zhuge Liang gently shook his feather fan and said with a smile: "Lü Qian was defeated in front of the formation, and he knows that he has a heavy responsibility, so he will never dare to send troops. You can just relax and rest, and just patrol the camp as usual."
