Cheng Yu stood on the top of the mountain where the cold wind was howling, letting the biting cold wind whistling and beating on his body, and his robes rustled.
His cheeks and ears were red from the cold.
His gray beard danced in the cold wind.
He stared at Xu Du for a long time without saying a word.
When he learned that Xu Du had changed and Cao Cao had no choice but to retreat, his heart was as cold as ice, and it penetrated his heart.
Cao Cao's retreat meant the complete failure of the three-sided attack plan. Zhang Xiu actually defeated the three armies without using a single soldier. He felt strongly unwilling to give up and was still silently thinking about the next strategy.
Suddenly.
A bright light flashed in his mind and he caught it keenly.
After Cao Cao retreats, everyone will naturally think that the three armies will inevitably retreat. If at this time, he lets the Maharaja-Korean coalition raid Xiaoguan, they will definitely be able to defeat it in one battle, and then gallop hundreds of miles with lightning speed to rush in. In Chang'an, there is great certainty that Zhang Xiu can be attacked and the city of Chang'an captured.
At this time, Zhang Lu will definitely send troops to grab some credit, so that he can take Guanzhong back into the hands of the Han in one fell swoop.
If he wanted to convince Ma Teng, he was still confident, but Han Sui was not sure.
Ma Teng is more than eight feet long, has a big body, a majestic face and nose, is a virtuous and loyal man, and is respected by everyone. If he were in a peaceful world, he would be an upright official, and he could be convinced after knowing the pros and cons.
Han Sui was an illiterate man who rose to power in the military. He only considered his own interests and not the country. If he succeeded in attacking Guanzhong, the benefits would be great. If he failed, he would be surrounded by Zhang Xiu and the losses would be heavy. , or even his life in Guanzhong, Han Sui naturally had to consider the pros and cons.
Zhang Xiu was able to defeat Cao Cao twice and defeat three armies without using troops or horses. This shows that his strength and resourcefulness coexist and should not be underestimated. How could Han Sui, who had led troops for many years, venture into Guanzhong without knowing the danger?
So Cheng Yu decided to persuade Ma Teng first, and then the two of them worked together to persuade Han Sui to raid Xiao Pass.
When they entered the military camp, the soldiers and horses of both sides had already begun to prepare to withdraw. Winter was coming soon. If they did not withdraw in time, they would be frozen on the way.
When Cheng Yu walked into Ma Teng's Chinese army tent, Ma Teng was rolling up the hung map and putting it into a bamboo tube, preparing to collect the account and withdraw the troops.
"General, are you ready to withdraw your troops?" Cheng Yu stood at the door of the military tent and looked at Ma Teng.
Ma Teng's hands kept moving. "Prime Minister Cao has withdrawn his troops, why are we still here? Do we want to spend the winter?"
"Can't we attack without the Prime Minister's troops?"
Ma Teng stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Cheng Yu. "The Prime Minister's main attack is to attract Zhang Xiu's main force, so that we can have the value of a surprise attack on Xiaoguan. Now that the Prime Minister has withdrawn his troops and there is no main force, are we staying here to fight Zhang Xiu decisively?"
"You think so, Han Sui thinks so, and Zhang Xiu! You think so too."
"Huh?" Ma Teng realized the meaning of Cheng Yu's words.
This is a natural human thinking. When the main force retreats, there is no need for surprise attacks or supporting troops, and it is natural to choose to withdraw.
Zhang Xiujun will definitely relax his vigilance. If he suddenly makes a comeback at this time, the outcome will be uncertain.
Ma Teng looked at Cheng Yu and asked, "Sir, are you planning to surprise Xiao Pass by taking him by surprise?"
Cheng Yu nodded: "We will withdraw our troops openly to give Zhang Xiu an illusion. We will raid Xiaoguan tonight and defeat him in one battle. Then we will lead eight thousand Qingqi and go straight to Chang'an to kill Zhang Xiu. If Zhang Xiu dies, Guanzhong is certain."
Ma Teng sat on the long desk, staring at Cheng Yu's old face and thinking seriously. Cheng Yu's reverse thinking was really terrifying, and there was a high chance that Zhang Xiu would be caught off guard.
"Mr. Cheng is really an expert, but although this plan is clever, it is too risky. Xiao Guan can take it, but if Zhang Xiu reacts, we may be able to get in but not get out!"
Cheng Yu nodded undeniably: "So the key to this battle is speed and Zhang Xiu's reaction ability. I predict that Zhang Xiu will not be able to react in time. We break Xiao Pass quickly and kill everyone in the pass. No one reports to Zhang Xiu. He was naturally unprepared, and by the time our army approached the city, it would be too late."
Ma Teng stood up and said, "Then let's go talk to Han Sui and see what he thinks."
So, the two headed towards Han Sui's Chinese army tent.
…
Hu Ji, courtesy name Weidu.
A member of the Hu family in Yiyang City has been following Zhang Xiu for more than half a year. During this period of more than half a year, he was deeply trusted by Zhang Xiu and entrusted him with guarding the northern gate of Guanzhong.
Hu Ji did not avoid suspicion and dared to speak out. According to later records, he was an important general of the Shu Han Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms and could read and write.
Now Ma Teng and Han Sui led their troops to respond to Cao Cao's eastward expedition to knock the pass. As soon as they arrived at the pass to camp, they received news of Cao Cao's withdrawal, so they set up camp and prepared to return west.
Hu Ji did not take it lightly. He stood on the top of Xiaoguan City and watched the Maha-Korean coalition forces set up camp and leave. He breathed a sigh of relief. Today, Guanzhong has just calmed down three years of chaos, and there must be no more chaos.
The responsibility of allowing the people of Guanzhong to farm with peace of mind falls on him. Fortunately, Zhang Xiu's side was full of ingenuity and was able to retreat the three armies without spending a single soldier, allowing the people in Guanzhong to recuperate.
"Order all the troops to go out and guard the passes tightly, and don't let the enemy take advantage of the loopholes." Hu Ji ordered the captain next to him.
The captain smiled and said: "My Lord, Cao Cao was defeated and retreated. How could Ma Teng and Han Sui attack the city without Cao Cao's support? Today I sent scouts to investigate and found that the Ma Teng and Han Sui forces have completely retreated." "
Hu Ji nodded and felt that they must retreat, so he gave some instructions and went down to the city.
At midnight.
Ma Teng and Cheng Yu persuaded Han Sui to select 8,000 elite soldiers, and they went to cover Xiaoguan.
It was very dark tonight, almost to the point where you couldn't see your fingers. The biting cold in the middle of the night made people shiver all over.
"superior!"
An order was issued in the dark night, and seven or eight dark figures moved toward Xiao Guan, crawled under Xiao Guan, drew the string of their bow to full length, and attached a kind of arrow with a backhook, and a long tail was tied to the tail of the arrow. The rope shot up with a "swish", making a sharp and crisp sound in the dark night.
The people below held their breath and listened carefully.
There was no movement up there.
It turned out that the soldiers, who had been tense for several days, relaxed and snored, and did not hear the harsh sound at all.
"superior!"
Another command sounded in the darkness.
The long rope began to shake violently, and then in the darkness, several black figures were vaguely seen climbing up the rope, with long knives tied behind their backs reflecting the cold light.
under.
When Ma Teng, Han Sui and Cheng Yu saw the soldiers climbing up, their nervous and depressed hearts finally relaxed and they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mount!"
Ma Chao, who was behind, saw the soldiers boarding Xiaoguan and raised his hand to give orders. Hidden in the darkness behind them were five thousand soldiers who got on their horses and stood ready.
The people who jumped into Xiaoguan City were not in a hurry to kill people, but sneaked under the pass and prepared to open the city gate.
In his sleep, under the illumination of the fire, a veteran felt a dark shadow flashing before his eyes, thinking it was one of his own men on night watch. He opened his eyelids sleepily and saw a vague figure of Guisuo, and subconsciously closed them again. , suddenly felt something was wrong, and opened his eyes to look, feeling a chill in his scalp.
He suddenly jumped up and roared: "Enemy attack——!"
Everyone was startled by the voice and woke up.
Ma Hanbing rushed down the tower to open the city gate.
The soldiers guarding the city woke up immediately and hurried downstairs to close the city gate. At this time, the sound of horse hooves sounded like thunder.
