Ten days later, Zhang Xiu set off from Wancheng with 20,000 Xiliang cavalry.
Wearing black armor, brocade robes and feather crowns, he was 1.96 meters tall, holding a tiger-headed spear with a majestic look. When he stepped on the Xiliang horse, a sense of pride arose spontaneously, and the blood in his body began to boil. , consciously the blood rushed to his face, and his pride soared into the sky.
The 20,000 war horses behind him were like a black torrent, snoring and kicking their hooves.
"Set off!"
The voice seemed to be venting the pride in his chest that was about to break through his body.
As he took the lead, Hu Che'er and Lei Xu followed him from left to right, and the 20,000 war horses galloping behind him were like thunder on the ground.
rumble! rumble!
The sound of huge horseshoes rang in the ears like raindrops, forming an unstoppable torrent, churning up dust and heading towards Duyang City.
Arriving in front of Duyang City, Zhang Xiu looked from a distance.
This is the only pass in Nanyang County, connecting Yecheng to the east and Nanyang Basin to the west. It was a city pass built by the Chu State before the Qin Dynasty and was part of the Chu Great Wall.
Duyang City is bordered by the remaining veins of Funiu Mountain to the north and Tongbai Mountain to the south.
Although it is not as easy to defend and difficult to attack as the Shudao Pass, it is still a majestic pass. As long as the soldiers are well-prepared, it can completely block the enemy outside the city and prevent them from entering.
Chen Yu, the county magistrate of Duyang City, had already greeted him at the city gate.
The ground shook, and the 20,000 cavalry were like rushing waves. Chen Yu couldn't help but feel frightened.
When Zhang Xiu arrived at the city, an unstoppable momentum rolled over him.
Chen Yu also met Zhang Xiu for the first time.
Standing on a tall horse, Zhang Xiu was wearing black armor and holding a tiger-headed gun. He looked at Chen Yu with sharp eyes, making his heart tremble again.
Chen Yu held back his trembling heart and leaned forward, clasping his fists and bowing his waist: "Chen Yu, Magistrate of Duyangcheng County, comes to see General Zhang."
Zhang Xiu is now General Jianzhong and Marquis Xuanwei.
Nanyang County is in his hands, but the court has not officially recognized him, so he is now the self-controlled Nanyang County Governor, and local officials cannot call him County Governor Zhang.
Zhang Xiu asked immediately: "Is there any unusual movement in the direction of Yecheng?"
"Reporting from the front, Xu Du's grain and grass have been shipped to Yecheng one after another. Cao Cao's army will arrive in Yecheng in less than half a month."
"Jia Changshi has made arrangements for Wancheng, and he will lead his troops here soon. You can work together to defend the city, and there must be no mistakes!"
Chen Yu repeatedly said yes.
Zhang Xiu put too much pressure on him, which made him panic unconsciously.
They didn't stay long in Duyang City and walked directly north. After a journey of more than 20 kilometers, they arrived at their destination, Hanshan Mountain, in less than an hour.
Hanshan Mountain is more than 500 meters above sea level and is a branch of the Funiu Mountains.
The mountain of Hanshan is not steep, it is a gentle slope. It is difficult for war horses to attack it, but it can be unstoppable if it rushes down.
Standing on the hillside of Hanshan Mountain and looking towards Yecheng, you can only see the vague outline of Yecheng, surrounded by endless white snow.
The heavy snowfall of more than ten days ago has melted a lot in the sunshine, but the cold wind is getting tighter.
Twenty thousand troops quickly settled in the valley and set up tents for the Chinese army. Zhang Xiu asked Lei Xu to patrol around with 500 troops to see if there were any scouts from Cao Cao.
There are still seven or eight days before Cao Cao arrives in Yecheng, and Cao Cao's scouts should be arriving soon.
This is the first time that Zhang Xiu has faced the battlefield. His nerves from the past are still unable to adapt to this cruel battlefield, and his heart is always on edge.
Next to him was Hu Che'er.
Hu Che'er is an absolutely burly man, two meters tall, wide and heavy, and holding a sixty-pound sword. He is simply a beast.
Seeing that Zhang Xiu was a little melancholy, Hu Che'er asked, "My lord, are you worried about Cao Cao's army?"
After Zhang Xiu woke up from that coma, Hu Che'er found that he had changed. He spoke less and became calmer and more ruthless in his actions. His eyes were as deep as the abyss, which made him afraid to look directly.
He was in awe and a little scared of the current Zhang Xiu.
Zhang Xiu withdrew his gaze, stood up and walked towards the camp, "I have heard for a long time that Cao Cao is strict in running the army and has many fierce generals under his command. Now we are facing off against Cao Cao -" he raised his eyebrows and looked at Hu Che'er, "-what do you think the chances of winning are? "
Hu Che'er smiled broadly and said: "I just fight, there are many things I can guess. As long as the lord gives the order, I will go east if you ask me to go east, and if you ask me to go west, I will go west."
Zhang Xiu smiled and patted his shoulder and walked towards the military tent.
But the worry in my heart has not eased at all.
In fact, what he was more worried about was not himself, but Duyang City and Wancheng.
Xiliang's cavalry is the most brave in the world, and it can also attack unexpectedly. It has a high chance of winning. Even if it cannot be defeated, his cavalry can easily escape from the battlefield.
But that’s not the case in Nanyang.
Because there are not only external troubles there, but also internal worries.
Before leaving Wancheng, he had arranged for a thousand cavalry and two thousand new soldiers to stay in Wancheng under the leadership of Zhang Xian to prevent the powerful nobles in Wancheng from colluding with Cao Cao to cause chaos.
Let Jia Xu lead 3,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry into Duyang City to resist Cao Cao's frontal attack.
Whether these three thousand new soldiers can resist Cao Cao is a critical question.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning. This thought made him freeze in place, with a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
His 20,000 cavalrymen came out in full force. Jia Xu's men in Duyang City were 3,000 infantrymen and 2,000 cavalry newly recruited.
If Jia Xu opens the city and surrenders, the consequences will be unbelievable.
Everything he has now will become a real castle in the air, a cloud of smoke in the past.
At this moment, the brocade robe was actually wet with sweat.
When Hu Che'er saw Zhang Xiu suddenly standing on the spot, his face suddenly turned sallow, his body trembled violently, and at that moment, his eyes widened to the point of being distracted.
He was a little confused and looked at Zhang Xiu strangely.
Zhang Xiu recovered quickly and walked into the military tent with a livid face.
When his butt was firmly seated in the tent, his heart had completely calmed down, and he was sure that Jia Xu would never betray him now.
In this era of the late Han Dynasty, reputation was extremely important. If Jia Xu dared to betray him, he would not be reused even in the hands of Cao Cao.
Feeling relieved, Zhang Xiu began to think about the current situation.
Facing Cao Cao's army, he could not guarantee that he would survive the battle, let alone others.
The war is fierce and dangerous!
These four words are no joke.
But the benefits this battle brought to him were huge. Not only could he completely control Nanyang and bring the Nanyang nobles back home, but he could also make his own name and establish a complete foothold in Nanyang.
This battle was crucial to Zhang Xiu and his 20,000 Xiliang cavalry.
So far, Jia Xu has always called him a general, not a lord.
This shows that Jia Xu has not fully recognized him, but he will not surrender easily.
At least before this battle is over, Jia Xu will not give up on him easily.
I also believe that after this battle, Jia Xu will truly return to his heart and become his number one military advisor.
But how easy is it to defeat Cao Cao?
How could he, who came from later generations, not know how many powerful generals Cao Cao had, and they were all top-notch generals.
Looking at myself, my own strength is barely top-notch, Hu Che'er is second-rate at best, and Lei Xu and Zhang Xian are not top-notch at all.
The only way to open up this situation of no generals is to defeat Cao Cao.
As long as he wins this battle, there will definitely be some heroes who come to seek refuge with him.
This battle!
Zhang Xiu took a deep breath.
At this moment, a soldier covered in blood staggered in, opened the tent and shouted: 'General! General Lei was killed in Houshan. '
Then he fell to the ground.
