In order to prevent Jing's army from plotting, Cao Zhen sent troops and horses along the road to monitor every move of Jing's army and be ready to take countermeasures at any time. The intelligence on the horse exploration along the coast and the battle report in Xiangcheng were sent to Cao Zhen at the same time. When he learned about the two mutations, his face turned as pale as a sheet of paper.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that he had fallen into Jingjun's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
The plan of diverting the tiger away from the mountain is the most mediocre and common strategy. Any general with some talent will not easily improve the plan of diverting the tiger away from the mountain, but Li Ru took the plan of diverting the tiger away from the mountain to a new level. Others diverted the tiger away from the mountain, while he lured the tiger away or forced the tiger to leave. Mountain. So far, he has not responded. Where can a large-scale Jingjun appear from the plains?
Without any time to think, he personally led 5,000 elite cavalry, abandoned all the food and baggage, and rushed to the outside of Xiangcheng as quickly as possible. Xiangcheng had 5,000 defenders and heavy crossbows to defeat the city. As long as they could arrive in time, they could seize back the river bank. The position is still possible.
But what he didn't know was that all this was within Li Ru's plan.
The advantage of defending along the river is that it can defend according to danger. The disadvantage is that the defense line is too long, which seriously disperses the strength of the Wei army, while the Jing army can concentrate its forces to cross the Ru River. The Ru River is not a big river, and the terrain along the way is flat and there are no dangerous terrains. Jing's army can choose to cross it from any point, so Li Ru used a chain strategy to first move the tiger away from the mountain and then attack eastward and westward.
Cao Zhen led his troops south in a hurry, leaving the food, grass and baggage on the other side was the last option. Li Ru also expected that Cao Zhen would make this choice, so when he learned that Cao Zhen was heading south in a hurry, he smiled calmly and waved his feather fan: "Cross the river! "
Therefore, with the assistance of six artillery pieces and Kecheng heavy crossbows, the Jing army broke through the Wei army's defense line and forcibly crossed the Ru River.
…
The battle outside Xiangcheng was supported by Kecheng's heavy crossbows. The Wei army suffered heavy casualties. Lu Kuang did not dare to send more troops to attack, so he retreated three miles to defend and wait for the arrival of reinforcements.
But what he waited for first was not Cao Zhen's reinforcements, but Gao Shun, who rushed over overnight. By the time Gao Shun led the cavalry to the river, the pontoon bridge had already been built. The cavalry quickly crossed the bridge and headed towards Lu Kuang's camp.
Lu Kuang was defeated and killed by Gao Shun's formation. The rest of the Wei army either surrendered or retreated to Xiangcheng in defeat.
Gao Shun wanted to capture Xiangcheng in one go, but when the horses arrived in a hurry and they were already exhausted, and they had to face the incoming Wei cavalry, they had to give up temporarily and ordered the army to rest. At the same time, he sent dozens of horses to pull the artillery and conquer the city. crossbow.
The weight of the Kecheng heavy crossbow is just enough to cross the pontoon bridge, but the artillery is heavy and the pontoon bridge cannot bear it. A thick wooden bridge must be built. The people in the Che Barracks have also begun preparations. It has not been built yet, so the Kecheng heavy crossbow can only be used to block it. The cavalry of the Wei army was gone.
Before Cao Zhen's army reached Xiangcheng, he received news that Li Ru's army had crossed the river.
Only now did he realize that he had fallen into Li Ru's plan.
Despite all his caution, he still fell into the trap. His heart was filled with anger, grief, and unwillingness mixed with a hint of admiration for Li Ru's plan. His complex psychology made his eyes red and sparkling, and he was somewhat unable to face the impending failure.
The hard city wall became fragile under the artillery of the Jing army. Yecheng learned a profound lesson. Twelve artillery fired a salvo, and the city wall made of clay rammed fell apart in an instant, losing its role as a city wall.
After a brief thought, Cao Zhen's face became calm and cold. Behind Xiangcheng is Yingyang City, then Yingyin City, and then Xuducheng.
Yecheng retreats to Xiangcheng, Xiangcheng is defeated and then retreats. How much retreat do they have? The Jing army in Xinzheng in the north has wiped out Hanoi County and is gradually approaching Xinzheng. Chenliu Kingdom is also gradually falling under Zhang Ren's fierce attack. The battle situation in the east is unclear, and the entire Wei Kingdom is in danger.
Can't go back anymore!
Cao Zhen held the spear tightly in his hand, veins popped out on the back of his hand, and his eyes shone with determination.
Live as a member of the Cao family, die as a ghost of the Cao family!
"General!"
Tan Ma came to report: "General Lu Kuang has retreated to the city to defend, and the Jing Army cavalry has crossed the river and occupied our position for defense."
Cao Zhen's eyes flashed fiercely: "Go back to the city!"
After the Wei army returned, they did not launch an attack on Gao Shun's position, but went straight into Xiangcheng. On the contrary, Gao Shun felt as if he had punched cotton in the air. Dozens of Kecheng heavy crossbows were already waiting for him. Unexpectedly, There is no use for it.
After killing Wei general Xu Chu, he became famous.
According to later records, Gao Shun was beheaded by Cao Cao at Baimen Tower early, and his true abilities were not fully utilized, which also led to his not very high reputation. But even though there are very few records about him in history books, they give him a high evaluation: Shun was an innocent and dignified person, did not drink alcohol, did not accept gifts, was loyal and courageous, managed the army strictly, and was brave and resourceful.
Gao Shun's strength is equal to Xia Houchun, and he is a first-class general.
Since he became the general of Jingguo, he won Zhang Xiu's trust and entrusted him with important tasks, which gradually made Gao Shun's reputation famous. Especially after he killed Xu Chu in the Battle of Duyang City, Gao Shun's name was known all over the world.
"General!"
Qin Zhen had also known Gao Shun's name for a long time. He respected and admired him very much, and his words were naturally courteous. "Cao Zhen has also entered the city. I'm afraid he will defend Xiangcheng."
Gao Shun nodded: "Cao Zhen is determined to die. Now that Li Xiang has lost his position on the riverbank in a series of plots, Xiangcheng is so close. If he cannot stop the power of our artillery, the city will be destroyed and people will die."
Then he ordered the army to surround Xiangcheng and wait for the arrival of the army.
Two days later.
Jing's army went down the river and surrounded Xiangcheng. Twelve artillery pieces, fifty heavy crossbows to defeat the city, and three thousand firearms battalions were ready.
Cao Zhen stood on the top of the city with a cold face, his stern eyes swept over the twelve black cannons, and the veins on his cheeks twitched. He really didn't know how Jingjun developed such a powerful weapon.
Qin Zhen sent people forward and shouted: "General Cao! My prime minister knows the general's ability well and cherishes his talent. I hope the general can understand the current affairs and open the city to surrender to save the people of the city from suffering."
Cao Zhen sneered: "Although I am not talented, I know my loyalty, how can I surrender to Zhang Xiu? If you want to fight, then fight, I will sacrifice my life to accompany you, why bother with a dry tongue!"
Zhang Biao heard that he had spoken rudely to his father, and he looked at Li Ru deeply.
The two brothers Zhang Xiang and Zhang Ling were also furious.
Li Ru looked at Pang De: "Cao Zhen is determined to die, the general can order an attack on the city!"
Pound nodded and ordered: "Attack the city!"
"Boom! Boom...!"
Following Pound's order, twelve artillery pieces and fifty heavy crossbows launched a fierce attack on the west gate of Xiangcheng. The city wall made of rammed earth shattered under the huge energy of the artillery, and large and small pieces of earth flew everywhere.
The Wei troops on the top of the city had nowhere to hide under the artillery fire, and they were all blown to pieces.
Countless arrows covered the city head indiscriminately.
