Cao Xiu had suffered a loss at the hands of Zhang Fei, so he did not dare to look down on the black-faced man. He ordered the tiger and leopard cavalry to retreat two miles to be on guard, waiting for Cao Cao to arrive before making a decision.
A few hours later, Cao Cao left 30,000 troops in Hechi, and led the remaining 20,000 troops to defend against Xiangxiao.
In addition to saving the physical strength of the army, Cao Cao also despised Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei only has more than 10,000 Hu and Han soldiers, and it would be wrong to send more troops to suppress them.
The tiger and leopard cavalry stood in order, and Cao Xiu took the initiative to greet Cao Cao.
"Why is Wen Lie here? How can Zhang Fei set up defenses?"
When Cao Cao saw that Cao Xiu was standing still, he thought that Zhang Fei had arranged a tight defense. Cao Xiu's method of protecting the tiger and leopard cavalry made Cao Cao feel in his heart that Zhang Fei had the talent to lead.
"The gates of Xiabian City are closed, and there is no one on the wall. I suspect Zhang Fei has a trick, so I dare not go near and take risks..." Cao Xiu lowered his head and clasped his fists. The memory of the pig urine bag thrown on him in the past was really profound.
Cao Cao was also a suspicious person. He urged his horse and looked at the afterimage of Xia Bian in the distance, constantly wondering about Zhang Fei's tricks.
Ordinary generals can use tactics according to the art of war, so they should also follow the art of war when facing off. A general like Zhang Fei, who is a pure fool, has no rules when it comes to playing tricks. He just follows his heart's desire and joy.
"De Rong, you are quite familiar with Yongliang, so please lead an army to lead the way." Cao Cao looked at Yongzhou Governor Zhang Ji and ordered.
"only."
Zhang was startled when he heard this, but then he responded with clasped fists. He had helped Xiahou Yuan Hubu pass to Ding Yongliang on the right, and last year followed Cao Hongwu to conquer Zhang Fei. He was indeed familiar with this area, but he had never been a pioneer.
Zhang Ji was in Cao Hong's camp when the pig urine bag incident happened. He tried his best to restrain himself from laughing, but he didn't expect that God would reincarnate and become the guide.
Zhang Ji was ordered to lead the way and urge his troops towards the city, but always keeping a safe distance.
The emotions of superiors can infect others. Under Zhang Ji's influence, the leading soldiers became cautious and slow in action.
No one answered the calls at the city gate, and no defenders appeared on the city walls.
The cold wind passed through the gaps in the city gate, making an extremely suspicious sound, which combined with the quiet surroundings gave people an eerie feeling.
"Exit first." Zhang Ji shouted, and the soldiers in front retreated one after another.
The entrance to the city gate was shrouded in echoes, and the soldiers fled away as if hearing ghosts crying and howling, like a defeated general running towards the rear. Zhang couldn't stop him and had no choice but to walk back.
The soldiers and horses in front suddenly ran in panic. Xu Chu was worried that Cao Cao had made a mistake, so he led the tiger guards to line up in front of the formation.
Cao Cao saw from a distance that no pursuing troops were coming. Why were these soldiers so frightened? He frowned in thought.
Zhang Ji galloped to meet him and said, "General Wen Lie's words are true. The city gates are closed and there are no defenders on the city. I am afraid that Zhang Fei has some conspiracy, so I report to the King of Wei for his decision."
"De Rong was so cautious, why didn't he try to break open the city gate?" Cao Cao was speechless after hearing this. Cao Xiu has already said it before, am I just sending you to verify the authenticity of his words?
"Uh...Zhang Fei is very scheming, I..."
"Humph, when did Zhang Fei make you afraid? If this person really had the ingenuity of Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, would Liu Bei have been drifting in the world for the first half of his life?"
Cao Cao snorted coldly and led the army forward. Zhang Ji and Cao Xiu followed him with shame on their faces.
Walking under the city gate, the silent city in winter creates a strange atmosphere.
Cao Cao asked Xu Chu to lead the tiger guards to explore again. Xu Chu walked fearlessly at the front. The tiger guards also had sharp eyes and were already superior to Zhang Ji in terms of momentum.
Xu Chu put his ear against the city gate and patted it. When he felt there was no response inside, he called two tiger guards and pushed inward with all his strength.
The wooden door shaft squeaked as it bit the shaft ring. When the door opened, the cold wind blew dust in the face, and the tiger guards in front of them ate dust instantly.
There was no one on Xiabian Street. Cao Xiu looked around on his horse, and finally whispered to Cao Cao: "King Wei, with such a strange image, could it be that Zhang Fei left an ambush?"
Cao Cao frowned. He remembered the battle between Puyang and Lu Bu that day, when he was almost captured alive. After thinking for a long time, he pointed his whip forward and said: "At this moment and that moment, even if Zhang Fei is ambushed, how big can his rabble be? Langhua? Let’s occupy the city gate first and look down from a high position, and then choose those who dare to die to enter the city to visit. I don’t believe we will lose to that black guy.”
"Wei." Liu Ye, Cao Xiu and others all clasped their fists.
Cao Jun argued for two hours, and finally found that there was no sign of Zhang Fei's ambush. The reason why the people in the city did not dare to go out was because Zhang Fei was so busy transporting food. They were worried that their property would be robbed, so they all People are afraid to go out on the streets after closing their doors.
After Cao Hong settled in Xia Bian, his old illness relapsed. He accused a dozen wealthy households in the city of collaborating with the enemy, and took away their wealth and maids for his own enjoyment. Unfortunately, Zhang Fei finally took them away. The face is still clean.
Zhang Fei rewarded his subordinates with the looted supplies and maidservants, so that the soldiers were willing to fight guerrillas with him and maintained a high combat effectiveness.
Cao Cao was furious at being "played" by Zhang Fei. Just when he was about to skin Zhang Fei and cramp him, the scouts found Zhang Fei's figure in the south of Xiabian. It was initially determined that there were only a few hundred people.
"This black guy is so arrogant, who is willing to kill him on Gu's behalf?"
Cao Cao stood up and pointed at the generals in the hall and asked questions. Because Zhang Fei had long been notorious, no one of the generals accompanying the army asked him to come, so everyone lowered their heads.
"Zhongkang, do you dare to fight Zhang Fei?"
Cao Cao thought that Zhang Fei was indeed no ordinary person when he faced an enemy of ten thousand people. He was afraid that only the Tiger Marquis Xu Chu could fight, so he directly ordered generals regardless of the embarrassing situation.
"The general will be willing to cut off Zhang Fei's head and present it to the King of Wei when he comes back." Xu Chu's face showed no fear and his words were sonorous and powerful.
Cao Cao nodded happily, "Zhang Fei seems to have made great progress. Wen Lie, I will go with you and ten thousand troops to accompany Zhong Kang. I hope you can bring back good news."
"only."
When Cao Xiu saw that Xu Chu was accompanying his army, at least some of them were brave and bold, and he became more confident in winning.
Xu Chu and Cao Xiu went to Zhang Fei to fight. Zhang Fei cursed a few words and fled into the mountains to the south. Cao Jun bullied Zhang Fei and led young soldiers to pursue them.
Zhang Fei kept a certain distance from Cao Jun. Cao Xiu and Xu Chu went around two or three valleys, and suddenly someone threw stones on the hillside on the left and right.
"As expected, Zhang Fei set an ambush here. Let's get out of the valley quickly." Cao Xiu saw this and was about to retreat.
Xu Chu grabbed the reins of Cao Xiu's horse and said: "Join the army and listen to what I say. There are only a few falling rocks on the slope. It must be Zhang Fei who is pretending to be a ghost. If he leaves like this, he may be reprimanded by the King of Wei. Don't forget the false alarm we made."
Cao Xiu was startled when he heard this. Could it be that Xu Chu knew better by watching?
"General Xu's words are reasonable. He ordered the whole army to continue to move forward cautiously, but he also sent someone to report to the King of Wei. After all, Zhang Fei has a lot of troops. It would be unthinkable if there is a large-scale ambush." Cao Xiu analyzed.
