Seeing the defeated soldiers returning to camp, they were so tired that they didn't care about any military discipline. They just lay down on the grass and sucked in the fresh air, as if they had returned from hell. They could even hear a few faint cries. Guo Jia I feel very sad.
He really hoped that he had guessed wrong, but unfortunately he was right.
"Sir, I regret that I didn't listen to what you said, that's why you suffered such a big defeat."
In the Chinese army tent, the shirtless Xiahou Dun choked up and sobbed when he saw Guo Jia entering.
Just now, when he was surrounded from both sides in the city, and his subordinates were fighting on their own, he witnessed Cao's troops falling one after another in front of him, and his heart ached.
Was this the first time Xiahou Dun lost a battle?
Obviously not.
But this was the first time that he was defeated because of his reckless greed. It can be said that those brothers died because of him.
If Guo Jia hadn't taken out the Tiger Talisman to confront him, he might have died more than that. Xiahou Dun suddenly realized Cao Cao's intention for such an arrangement.
"It will be good when the general comes back." What can Guo Jian say? You people just don't want to look back until you hit the wall.
"If sir hadn't sent Zhang He and his Euphorbia warriors to guard the city gate, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to come back."
Xiahou Dun deliberately wanted Guo Jia to clear up his past feud. He stood up and walked to Guo Jia, bowed his hands to apologize, and then asked in a muffled voice: "Have the casualties of each department been counted?"
Guo Jia shook his head and sighed: "There are still defeated soldiers returning to the camp one after another, but it seems that the loss is no less than ten thousand people."
No less than ten thousand people
Despite his prediction, Xiahou Dun couldn't help but feel heartbroken when he heard this answer.
"Let's go, General. At this time, you should go among the soldiers." Guo Jia felt that appeasing the morale of the soldiers was the most important and only thing he could do at the moment.
"Zhongkang." Xiahou Dun called Xu Chu, who was also shirtless and drinking wine in the tent, and the two followed Guo Jia out.
In the military camp, Cao Jun, who had narrowly escaped death, was lying on the grass in a mess. Xiahou Dun did not dare to say anything and just walked silently among them.
When he saw a wounded soldier, he helped him and sent him to the wounded soldier's camp for treatment.
He could only express his inner apology in this way.
"Jun Yi?"
While walking, they suddenly saw a crying man lying on the grass. Several people stepped forward and saw that it was Zhang He. "Brother, get up quickly!"
At first, Xiahou Dun looked down upon Zhang He, a surrendered general who turned his back on the battlefield. Tonight, if he had not led his Euphorbia soldiers to guard the city gate and opened an escape route for his brothers, they would not have been able to avoid the tragedy of annihilation of the entire army.
"Jinyong can't come back, and Euphorbia can't come back either. My brothers, my brothers all died in Anfeng City." The nine-foot man cried into tears, but they didn't know how to comfort him.
It is understandable that even if he carries the reputation of being one of the four pillars of Hebei Province, as a surrendered general, he will inevitably get some strange looks at the beginning.
In a strange place, strange colleagues, and even a strange new master, the only people who could bring him any comfort at this time were his former brothers Pao Ze, namely Gao Lan and Euphorbia Shi.
But after this battle, his only spiritual destination was destroyed. An unprecedented loneliness hit him like a tsunami, and Zhang He burst into tears.
Xu Chu, who was also grateful for Zhang He's life-saving grace, helped him up and said, "Come on, don't cry here, it's ugly, come in, I'll get drunk with you and then we'll stop!"
Guo Jia turned a blind eye to this, drink it, he did pay a lot for the overall situation.
In the Chinese army tent, Xiahou Dun, Xu Chu and Zhang He were getting drunk, but Guo Jia, who had always been a heavy drinker, stopped drinking.
He is calculating and waiting.
It wasn't until Xu Huang and Che Zhou came in that Guo Jia came back to his senses.
"Military advisor, after our army was defeated, Lu Jun immediately closed the city gate without pursuing us. He waited for half an hour before he ordered the soldiers to retreat to the camp."
"Military advisor, Lu Jun on Yanhui Ridge has not moved all night. It is almost dawn, so we can only let the brothers come back."
Xiahou Dun was stunned when he heard this.
I thought Guo Jia just disapproved of his surprise attack, but I didn't expect that he had paid so much for the overall situation. Not only did he send Zhang He to guard the only way out, but he also sent Xu Huang to ambush outside Anfeng City, and asked Chao Jia to guard Lu on Yanhui Mountain. military.
Now when I look back and think about it, I am really unqualified as a coach. He did not speak, but secretly thought in his heart that he must obey the military advisor's words from now on.
"It's impossible. I've been thinking about Zhang Liao for some time. Although this man is brave and resourceful, he couldn't have endured the battle last night."
Guo Jia knitted his brows, twirled his fingers and murmured: "It seems that there are experts behind Zhang Liao who are giving guidance."
In Anfeng City, Chen Deng pretended to surrender to induce a sneak attack. Either he didn't do this kind of thing. Once he did it, in theory, he would have to make a comprehensive deployment.
Especially Zhang Liao's temperament that dared to lead 800 men to attack the 30,000 Jiangdong Army. He would definitely pursue it desperately with the potential of a great victory, and he would consider the empty camp in the rear and dispatch the defenders on Yanhui Ridge for a sneak attack.
unreasonable.
Guo Jia didn't think Zhang Liao could predict so calmly after the fierce battle. The only reasonable explanation was that he was assisted by a counselor with an extraordinary temperament.
Chen Deng?
Guo Jia thought for a while and shook his head. He didn't have the ability.
Chen Gong is in Xiaoguan.
Unexpectedly, besides Lin Mo, there are also capable people in Lu Ying.
Now that he has suffered another defeat and his vitality is severely damaged, it will be difficult to fight next.
"Sir, sir"
Xiahou Dun put down his wine glass and walked up to Guo Jia and asked respectfully: "How should our army deal with itself?"
Zhang He also looked at Guo Jia with scarlet eyes. The two of them had met in the past when they were in the North Country. Zhang He didn't look at him highly at that time, but now, he is the only one who can see that something is wrong with the situation in Anfeng City. He immediately placed high hopes on him, hoping that he could give him a strategy to defeat the enemy and avenge his former brother Pao Ze.
Guo Jia slowly shook his head and said softly: "Just wait for the rainy season."
So, is it still necessary to cause floods to flood Anfeng?
There was a flash of disappointment in everyone's eyes.
It wasn't that they felt that the plan to flood Anfeng was inappropriate, but they just wanted to vent the accumulated depression in their hearts and wished they could chop Zhang Liao into pieces right away. Waiting for more than two months would be too long.
However, this time no one dared to object.
Including Xiahou Dun.
If he didn't listen to Guo Jiayan, he had already suffered a big loss and it was time to be wise. He sighed, bowed and said, "I will follow your plan."
If civil and military forces can work together, even if Guo Jia suffers a loss, he still feels that there is still hope of winning this battle.
He nodded, turned around and walked out of the Chinese army tent, looked in the direction of Anfeng City, and murmured: "Who is it?"
In Anfeng City, the battlefield has been cleaned, the battle losses and gains of each unit have been counted, and the battle report has been submitted to Zhang Liao's desk.
Thirteen thousand Cao's troops were killed, and many of Cao's troops fled back with wounded soldiers. It was considered a complete victory.
Two thousand one hundred and fifty-six war horses were captured, the heavy armor of the Euphorbia soldiers was also stripped off, and a Gao Lan was added, and the harvest was full.
Zhang Liao's fingers were tapping rhythmically on the desk. Lu Bu gave him 2,000 horses when they arrived in Pengcheng, and also brought 500 horses from Guangling. Counting the more than 2,000 horses captured, it was enough to form an army of more than 4,000 people. cavalry.
Zhang Liao felt a little emotional, thinking that when he followed Lu Bu from Guanzhong to the Central Plains, the number of cavalry in the entire army did not exceed this number. Now that he has four thousand cavalry under his command, it is really different from what it used to be.
However, there were also some injuries. More than 4,800 people were killed in this battle, most of which were caused by the Euphorbia soldiers led by Zhang He in the battle at the gate of the city.
Originally, there were only about 26,000 people in Anfeng City, and another 5,000 people had to be divided into Yanhuiling Village. After this battle, there were only about 15,000 soldiers and horses in the city.
Next, you should be careful.
"Sir, do you think I need to send some war horses to Guangling to prevent Jiangdong's evil intentions from rising again?" Zhang Liao thought for a while and realized that he seemed to have too many cavalry.
According to the troop configuration, for a team of 20,000 people, the maximum number of cavalry is 2,000.
Of course, I think so because I have another level of concern. I am in Guangling, so of course I am not afraid of Jiangdong. The problem is that when I arrive in Anfeng, it is hard to say whether the people across the river will have any ideas.
Without cavalry, a team's combat effectiveness and tactical options are too limited.
"No need. Sun Ce was attacking Jiaozhou and was defeated twice. He no longer has the ability to divide his troops and attack Guangling again."
Jia Xu pointed it out directly, and Zhang Liao nodded knowingly, "What are your plans next?"
Chen Deng's line was dug out by Lin Mo's deployment of red-sleeved talents in advance. In any case, it can be regarded as a trump card.
But after this trump card is used, it no longer has any backup.
Of course, judging from the current situation, Zhang Liao has an absolute advantage in terms of troops, food and morale, and it may not be impossible to defeat him.
"I don't think Cao Jun will dare to do anything in the short term, so let's throw some bait to catch them."
Looking at Jia Xu, who was twirling his short beard, Zhang Liao's mouth curled up. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but he seemed to be quite excited.
After some discussion, Zhang Liao clapped his hands again and said, "Okay, okay, haha, sir, what you said is very consistent with the truth, the truth, the truth, the truth, the truth. It's wonderful."
"The general is serious."
Jia Xu is usually very casual, and can take Zhang Liao's occasional nervous tics in stride, "By the way, how are you going to punish Chen Deng, general?"
Speaking of this, Zhang Liao took a deep breath, with suspicion on his brows, "Yunwen sent someone to deliver a letter to me not long ago, saying that when the matter is completed, a grand celebration banquet will be held to commend Chen Deng for his meritorious service in false surrender. You said, Chen Deng has already He has considered surrendering to the enemy twice, why is Yunwen so afraid of him?"
Why is it so generously rewarded?
Jia Xu touched his nose, thought for a moment, and made a decision in his mind.
It seems that Yunwen is really murderous. Chen Deng's death is not long ago. That's right. This will cause the least turmoil. Yunwen's killing skills are quite high and powerful.
"gentlemen?"
Jia Xu came back to his senses and smiled, "Yunwen did this for a very deep reason. Firstly, it was to stop the Chen family from thinking of joining Cao Cao in the future. Secondly, it was to plant suspicion in Cao Cao's heart and even in the hearts of other princes. Seed, in the future, if someone in our army really wants to collaborate with the enemy, they will be instinctively suspicious."
Jia Xu divided his guess into two halves. He told Zhang Liao the first part, but he felt it was unnecessary for the second part.
People still can't be too smart.
Hearing this, Zhang Liao chuckled and said, "I didn't expect that Chen Deng has reached this stage, and my wise nephew can still make a big fuss about it. He has a way of taking it seriously."
Your nephew has not just one, but several, Jia Xu curled his lips.
Therefore, Zhang Liao summoned the heroes of this time to hold a grand celebration banquet that day, and the first credit was given to Yan Liang and Wen Chou. These two men indeed made great achievements in this battle, and they cannot be praised enough.
However, Chen Deng did not come. The people sent to invite Chen Deng came back and told Zhang Liao that Chen Deng was drunk, unshaven, and looked as if he was dozens of years older. He was also mentally depressed and could not attend the banquet.
Zhang Liao smacked his lips. He didn't expect that Wang Lan was so good at Kung Fu and confused Chen Deng like this. He suddenly understood the absurdity of King Zhou You's beacon-fire play on the princes.
Sometimes, a woman kills someone without a sword at all, but with a eloquent mouth. I have to be careful.
Talented men and beautiful women are all unlucky.
Zhang Liao is still very measured. Although it is a celebration banquet, everyone is strictly controlled when drinking.
He doesn't care if you are having fun, if you are all drunk, who will defend the city?
It's a shame to find a few singers to give them some meat. That would be the most benevolent thing.
At midnight, the south city gate slowly opened, and Zhang Liao walked out with three people.
"When Uncle Zhi was alive, he always said that we old brothers should unite at all times, even if we die, we must die together. If I really attack you, I will be afraid that Uncle Zhi will blame me when I see him in the future.
But if you are handed over to Marquis Wen, it will only make things difficult for him. Forget it, you go away, go far away, and never appear again. "
When he said these words, Zhang Liao even turned his back to the three of them.
Cao Xing and the other three looked at each other in confusion, unable to see clearly the expressions on their faces, but everyone knew that guilt and reluctance lingered in each other's hearts.
"Wenyuan, if you let us go, how will you explain it in front of the three armies? How will you explain it to Marquis Wen and Lin Mo?" Cheng Lian was very sad.
"Are you worried about me? Put away your hypocrisy."
Zhang Liao suddenly turned around and looked at the three of them, and asked with a sneer: "If I hadn't dug you out and Cao Jun entered the city, I would have had the only option to die in battle. You wouldn't have been worried when you made your choice." me."
"Wenyuan."
Before Cao Xing could say anything else, Zhang Liao took out the sword from his waist with his right hand and pulled the cloak behind him with his left hand. The green sharp edge passed by and the cloak was cut off. "Today, I will let you all look at Uncle Zhi's face. Now we cut off the cloak and sever the righteousness from now on." Finally, I, Zhang Liao, am no longer your brother, get out!"
At this moment, the wind stopped, and even the air seemed to freeze.
In fact, Cao Xing and the others were just bewitched by Chen Deng, but they did not think carefully about what would happen if An Feng defeated Zhang Liao.
Now seeing Zhang Liao cutting off his robes, all the past events flooded his mind.
They really wanted to tell Zhang Liao that they were just deceived by a villain for a moment, and they didn't really want to do anything to you or Marquis Wen, and they didn't dare to let go.
Soldiers are very poor, so poor that only the friendship in their hearts is left.
Now that they see this friendship broken with their own eyes, they feel very sad.
Zhang Liao left, resolutely.
The moment the city gate closed, he didn't even look back.
The three of them knew that Zhang Liao was really sad.
But they couldn't see the tears in Zhang Liao's eyes.
After hesitating for a long time, they finally rode away.
The world is so big, but it feels like I don’t know where it can fit.
Zhang Liao, who stood in the darkness on the horse trail and watched them go away, said with tears in his eyes, "We say goodbye today and we will never see each other again."
(End of chapter)
