Back to Cao Cao, when he learned that the Eastern Army came out of camp again, it was nearly half an hour later. The scout's report surprised him. He couldn't help but sit up and confirm it again and again. Seeing that the information was accurate, he couldn't help but feel a smile appear on his lips. While waving people to convene a military meeting, he thought about the next war and said to himself: "I We were planning to fight again the day after, but unexpectedly they came to our door!" There was suddenly a sound of drums and gongs in the east camp, and all the soldiers in the army woke up from their sleep, and were then told to quickly prepare food and drink in order to face the Western Army.
During this period, Cao Cao and his staff in the tent also had meals and discussions. When the generals learned that Dongren was repeating his old tricks, they all reacted in the same way as Cao Cao. They were all happy and asked for battle one after another.
Cao Zhen said: "If it remains like the last battle, the terrain of Wenying Lake is open and flat, which is very suitable for horse racing. As long as the two armies open up and compete, our army's morale and men and horses have the upper hand, can we still win?" Xiahou Shang questioned He said: "There are also wise men among Westerners. How can they not understand this truth? Marshal, I think there is something fishy in it." This statement was quite popular with Xun or Jushou, but as for the design, no one could say.
Cao Cao pondered: "No matter what, since our army knows the enemy's situation, as long as we are prepared and remain unchanged in response to all changes, what is there to be afraid of?" So the whole army went out of camp to form an array, and at the same time continued to send scouts to find out the news.
To Dongren's surprise, the scout's return trip actually took less than half an hour, much longer than usual. When the report came again, the Eastern Army finally knew that the Western Army actually led the troops northward, suddenly heading towards Baishan Mountain.
At this point, how could the generals of the Eastern Army not understand that the Western Army had made a false shot: coming to fight was a lie, but the raid on Xianbei was a real one.
Cao Cao couldn't help but smile to Xun He and said: "Okay, it seems to be Ting Jian's plan. He may think that I will sit back and watch like the Bailu a few days ago without saving me!" It was still dark at this time, but A bright red glow has appeared in the east, dyeing the sky in the west a deep purple, and falling on the majestic mountain shadows in the north, as if a giant is looking back.
Looking at this spectacular scene, Cao Cao immediately made up his mind to lead his troops to fight, and turned to everyone: "Although Ke Bineng is ashamed of me, I can't help but abide by the agreement. As long as he can attack from the north and the south, he will be unable to do anything." There is a way to escape, and the Western bandits will be destroyed in the near future!" So the army marched like a mountain.
They walked very fast at first, but as they got closer to the north, the flat wilderness gradually became undulating, hard rocks broke out of the soil from time to time, and pine forests gradually increased.
I don’t know when it started, but the feet of the Easterners were covered with withered green pine needles, and their vision was gradually obscured by yellow-green needles. When the east wind blew, the soldiers felt that their heads and feet were all covered with
The crisp sound of "rustling" seems to be surrounded by countless souls. When they occasionally poked their heads out of the woods, they suddenly realized that the foothills, which had been as hazy as shadows, had now turned into steep slopes.
As the sun rises in the east, the front ranks of the reconnaissance riders pass through the bottom of a slope, and their sight gradually broadens. They find that at the end of the road is the tail of the main mountain chain of Baishan Mountain. Although the mountain here is only more than ten feet high, the slope cannot be said to be gentle, and On the top of the slope, you can see the red flag planted by the Westerners.
To the south from the top of the slope is a cliff with woods, forming a natural shield for the flanks. From the top of the slope to the north, the mountain rises all the way up, and at the highest point, a flag cover several feet high can be seen standing in the sky, with a red and white flag with the word "righteousness" standing in the sky.
They are as dense as ants lining up on the high slopes, and the halberds stand like a forest, and they continue along with the mountain until the forest is no longer visible.
In front of them, there were many ravines and deep ditches. On the opposite side of the ditch were undulating mounds, with dense rocks sometimes exposed on the slopes, like human bones.
After Cao Cao received the report, he went to observe the terrain in person, and naturally showed a trace of anxiety in his heart. He sighed to Xia Houyuan: "The Xianbei people don't understand the formation, so they gave up such geographical advantages." But then he laughed and said: "But Most of the Western bandits are arrayed here, but don't worry too much about Ke Bineng's side." Since the two armies were close to Chichi, Cao Cao had no intention of withdrawing, but formed an army at the foot of the mountain. .
Cao Cao's arrangement is as follows: Jushou and Xia Houyuan will lead 30,000 cavalry as the forward, Chunyu Qiong, Yuan Yi, and Yu Jin will lead 20,000 cavalry as the left wing, Shenpei, Gaogan, and Wei Zhong will lead 20,000 cavalry as the right wing. The 90,000-foot infantry is the central army, under the jurisdiction of Cao Chun, Han Hao, Tian Chou, Le Jin, Li Dian, Li Zheng, Zhao Yan, Man Chong, Li Tong, Xian Yufu, Wen Ji, Zang Ba, Hu Zhi, Wen Chou, Sui Yuan advanced a total of fifteen troops, and led the rear army with Bao Xin, Xiahou Dun, and Qu Yi, with 20,000 infantry and cavalry under his command as the reserve force of the entire army.
The formation also follows the trend of the mountains and is lined up from south to north. It was already bright at this time, and the Eastern cavalry was walking slowly, but the sound of horse hooves hitting the earth was still like the roar of dull drums.
The morning dew had just passed, and the moisture carried by the weeds on the ground had not completely dried, so there was no vast and flying dust mist.
Westerners were able to use the light of the morning sun to see clearly the endless surging cavalry of the Easterners, just like the waves of the sea surging under Baishan Mountain, one after another, endless, which is amazing.
The infantry halberds behind the cavalry moved slowly like clouds, with yellow and black flags waving among them. Under the flags and halberds, there were pieces of shining metallic light, which was as eye-catching as it was four days ago. It’s dazzling and hard to understand.
The students around Chen Chong almost unanimously thought: "Was this the same scene when Gaozu and Mao Dun confronted each other here?" Of course, no one could answer, but the soldiers all saw Chen Chong's figure under the flag in the glow. Standing on a white rock on the top of a mountain, his body was as tall as a pine, and his eyes were intently watching the formation of the Eastern Army.
This scene made them feel an indescribable faith, allowing them to slowly relieve themselves from this depressing atmosphere.
The various units of the Eastern Army had not yet been fully formed, and the generals who had arrived first could not wait any longer. They were inspired by Qu Yi's capture last time, and wanted to follow suit and sent envoys to the commander's tent to request a battle.
But Cao Cao thought: "The terrain here is so cramped and cramped, how can the cavalry use it? Didn't the bloody battle at Xiangshan the year before last mean that they suffered heavy losses in the mountains?" So he took his staff to the woods at a high place in the north to observe the enemy's situation. .
The aides said that the bandit formation was so tight that there was no room for maneuver in the cavalry attack. Xu You suggested: "It is better to divide the cavalry to go to the eastern suburbs of Pingcheng, burn the camp and baggage, and we will trap them on the mountain. The thieves will have no way out and will die." Cao Cao shook his head and said, "Liu Bei and Chen Chong are not timid people. When the cavalry goes out, they will come down from the mountain to attack me, and the outcome will be unpredictable. With today's momentum, neither the thieves nor me can avoid fighting." There is another reason that Cao Cao did not say: At this time, Ke Bineng has not yet sent an envoy to ask for help. Needless to say, the situation in the north is difficult. It is probably impossible to save him.
But before their troops were completely defeated, they were still able to contain a large number of Western elites. This was a rare opportunity to defeat them by themselves.
After Cao Cao made up his mind, he ordered Xiahou Yuan to lead 3,000 heavy cavalry to charge the right wing of the Western Army in a probing attack.
If the Westerners' defense line can be torn apart, the cavalry will follow, otherwise they will dismount and fight the Westerners on foot. The left wing of the Westerners was protected by cliffs and ravines. The Eastern cavalry could not make a flanking detour and could only attack their front line from the front.
As the exciting drums of the march beat, the Dongren's front army began to loosen up. Waves of knights rode out of the formation, urging their armored iron horses to charge forward.
Each group of people and horses has about dozens of riders. Since the front cannot be unfolded, dozens of groups are needed in total. Each group starts with a slow canter, and only shakes the reins and rushes forward after getting close to the enemy's formation.
At the beginning, each group could basically stay on the same line, but the ground was undulating, and there were even more potholes to avoid, so by the middle of the road, the Easterners were all in a scattered formation.
But even so, the sound of the cavalry on the ground was still like the trembling of the mountains. The turf and mud turned up by the horses' hooves bounced up one after another, and the moisture of autumn grass hit the nostrils with the dull sound of the ground.
The two armies were so close that not long after the last wave was sent out, the one in front had already entered the shooting range of the Westerners.
But the Westerners were not in a hurry to shoot arrows. The experienced veterans of the front row were at the front. They were densely packed together, and several rows before and after stretched out their long bows forward.
The gleaming tips of the needles were lifted up layer by layer, just like iron thorns growing out of the ground. The cold light of the needle tips was so vast that it made people shudder.
The Dongren at the front had no choice but to rein in their horses in front of the Changjing Forest, preparing to draw their bows and arrows to fight back. But at this time, due to the steep terrain, many Dongren were unable to stabilize their bodies, and the order in the front line was chaotic for a while.
When the Western governors saw this, they immediately let out hoarse roars. The Westerners with long swords rushed forward, rushed downhill in front of the almost stationary Eastern cavalry, and stabbed them wildly with their long swords. .
Taking this opportunity, the Westerners in the back row raised their bows and aimed at the tall target on horseback. Although the Eastern knights in the front row also tried their best to use their long poles to stab the Westerners, they were far behind in terms of numbers and flexibility. The poles of both sides collided and squeezed each other, and the poles collided with each other. It was difficult to hold the rod steady, and the flying arrow feathers shuttled up and down the waving rod.
At this time, only those who are not afraid of death dare to stand up and stab the enemy in the face of the rushing swords and flying arrows. Otherwise, they will find it difficult to even open their eyes and fight in vain.
Soon, the Dongren in the front row, both human and horse, were gradually stabbed to death and wounded. It was just that the Westerners were worried about the confusion of their formation and did not crawl over the corpses of men and horses to continue the pursuit.
But just when the Westerners were holding up their long swords and preparing to retreat back to the military formation, some brave Eastern knights, regardless of their bodies being filled with arrows, relied on their accumulated riding skills to violently urge their horses to fly forward. Jump up and fight.
There are always people from the East riding their horses to jump into the long formation in front of the people from the West. Their rising and falling figures are like a wave that never stops.
Some fell on the Western infantry, and the men and horses fell together; some fell on the long forest before they could run up, and pierced the horse's belly with a pop; but a few lucky ones, they He jumped across the gap between the infantry and suddenly jumped into the Western military formation, causing an uproar.
It's a pity that this little chaos is not enough to shake the Westerners' right-wing military formation. They are surrounded by veterans with bloody eyes. It is difficult for the horses to even turn around. Facing the long swords stretching out from all directions, the knights on the horses don't even know where to go. Where is the best place to meet the attack?
So in the end, these Easterners died tragically, and their heads were cut off by Westerners to ask for credit.
