"Sikong, as soon as the garrison in Baima City withdrew, the Lu army in Liyang City crossed the river to seize it, and marched non-stop to Juancheng, Puyang, Dongming and other places!
In Qiao County, Gao Shun led his people to the border of Ruyang, and Taishan County was gradually taken over by Zang Ba and others.
Fortunately, our troops did not suffer any immediate losses, and the city's troops are now in Xudu! "
On Beimang Mountain, Xu Chu came over to report to Cao Cao after receiving the latest information.
When Cao Cao didn't reply, Xu Chu continued: "In addition, Lu Jun's general Zhang Nanjiao led his troops to Xingyang. Even if we broke through Meng Jin's shackles, we might not be able to bypass them.
However, Young Master Cao Ang has already led his troops to meet outside Luoyang City. As long as the passage in front of them is opened, they can go all the way south. "
Cao Cao remained silent.
These things were foreseen when they ordered the rear to shrink its defenses. Once Tongguan was defeated, they would naturally pursue and kill them. Now it seemed that Lu Jun was taking over the city in the rear. In fact, Zhang Liao was blocking the front. On the road, Zhang Nanjiao cut off the passage, clearly trying to trap tens of thousands of people on Mang Mountain.
But now that Cao Ang is here, it is still possible to break out of the siege.
It's just a pity that after escaping all the way, there are only more than 30,000 soldiers and horses left around him.
On top of Mang Mountain, Cao Cao, wearing a black robe and a red cloak, sat on a bluestone slab under a green pine tree. His eyes were full of fatigue, and his messy hair could break free from the shackles of his helmet, letting this once-high-ranking man float out. The powerful and high-spirited princes looked as if they had aged more than ten years overnight.
No one knew what he was thinking. He just stared at the roaring Yellow River below in a daze.
It's funny to say that if history didn't change, he would have stood by the sea and ambitiously recited "Landing the Jieshi to the East" to view the sea.
But now, his tired eyes showed endless dejection and thoughts.
After a long while, he asked in a low voice: "Is he back?"
Xu Chu didn't answer, but buried his head lower.
Cao Cao didn't go into details further, just looked at the surging Yellow River and sighed, "More than ten years ago, the eighteen princes gathered together to fight against King Dong Qin. Dong Zhuo kidnapped His Majesty and burned down the eastern capital Luoyang and moved to Chang'an. Perhaps he also stood Bemoan your fate on the land beneath my feet.
I just didn't expect that Dong Zhuo of the past would see him again. "
In fact, Cao Cao had never looked down upon Dong Zhuo, because he felt that Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao were both the same type, playing a good hand of cards to pieces.
But he had to admit that his current situation seemed not much different from Dong Zhuo's back then.
They were also hunted down, and they were also forced to move their capital.
Perhaps, I am not as good as his situation.
At least he was in Luoyang Taiji Hall and coerced all the officials to evacuate, and most people still didn't dare not follow him.
As for myself, in my current situation, I can't even return to Xuchang City to summon civil and military officials to move south. I can only let Cao Honglin rush to direct the evacuation.
I think the effect will definitely not be very good, and many people will try their best to stall it.
Cao Cao didn't care about this. After all, there was no reason to follow the defeated army in life. It was just unclear how much of the imperial court's heritage could be retained.
It's really a mistake that will lead to eternal regret.
No matter what, I never expected that my hard-fought attack after taking Yizhou would produce such a result. Seventy or eighty thousand people did something from the beginning to the end.
First, Lu Bumang broke through the camp, and after being delayed for so long, the whole army was finally defeated.
Even the two states of Yan and Henan were lost for this reason, and even the imperial court had to move its capital for this reason.
"Sikong, it's almost time to take action." Although Cao Cao didn't take the initiative to speak from the beginning to the end, and the rare times he spoke was just mumbling to himself, Fazheng could still hear his self-pity. This is not what a hegemon should do. mentality.
Xu Chu thoughtfully handed over the water bag, and after taking a sip of water, Cao Cao stood up and said, "Let's go."
Mang Mountain is the last barrier to the Central Plains before Guanzhong. As long as you get down from the mountain, you will reach a flat plain.
But this does not mean that Cao's army is safe. In fact, they all know that there is still a fierce battle waiting for them. Zhang Liao, who had arrived at Mengjin early to wait, is now full of energy and ready to make a move.
Zhang Liao didn't come with many people, only around 10,000. This had been proven earlier. He even had Cao Ang's 10,000 troops to support him, plus more than 30,000 people accompanying him. It sounds like he could backhand him if he wanted to. Zhang Liao was eaten.
But the actual situation is that the more than 30,000 people who accompanied him have hurriedly fled here. How can they still have the strength to fight? Even the armor rate of these people is very low. If they encounter Zhang Liao's troops head-on, , it can be destroyed in one wave.
This point was also included in the earlier budget, so Cao Cao did not plan to return to Xuchang. As long as he broke through Zhang Liao's siege, he would move directly to Jingzhou.
As for the imperial court, Cao Hong was directing the evacuation. If nothing unexpected happened, he and Liu Xie would enter Nanyang head-on.
As long as they return to Nanyang and withdraw into Xiangyang City, all this will be over.
After all, the city's defenses were unmatched even by Xuchang City.
Of course, you will suffer a lot of damage in the process.
This is the cost of forcing a war, and you have to face it.
"General, Cao Cao's troops who have seized Linyang City have come out and are guarding the Linyang crossing. It seems that Cao Cao is preparing to break out." Guo Huai, who had just ran back from outside, reported.
In Mengjin City, Zhang Liao, who was wearing black armor and holding a hook and sickle, nodded and said: "I have long heard that Cao Cao's son is good at both culture, Tao and martial arts, and he is much better than Yuan Shao's three sons. Today, it seems that this boy is There’s something.”
"General, the soldiers are ready. Let's go out of the city to pursue him. Time waits for no one." Guo Huai was very excited.
It's not surprising that he looked like this. Hao Zhao had already made a great sacrifice to serve as General Pingnan Zhonglang. He was still serving as the marching captain. It was against his will to say that he didn't want to gain some merit.
Especially in a chase-type battle like this, the merit is simply for nothing.
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't worry yet."
Zhang Liao put on the posture of a veteran and patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I will only take eight hundred old brothers to hunt for this battle. The others will be controlled by you. They are mules or horses. Let’s see what you can do.”
"Thank you, General!" Guo Huai excitedly raised his hand!
This is a battle involving tens of thousands of people, and in addition to Zhang Liao's 800 elite cavalry, there are also more than a thousand cavalry. The tactical flexibility is very high, and there is indeed room for him to show off his maneuvers.
As a member of Lu Lin Jiangshan's team and a veteran-level minister, Zhang Liao no longer cares about gaining meritorious service.
He was the first to leave the city and his thoughts were still a little wandering.
"What are you thinking about, general?" asked the veteran Bingzhou general who was following him.
"Oh, the Jingqi under Marquis Wen are called Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry by Yunwen, Boping's tribe is called the Trap Camp, and I heard that Zilong has formed a cavalry and archery force called Feiyun Dragon Cavalry. Our group The old brother is well-equipped and has unparalleled martial arts skills, but he still doesn’t have a designation, so it feels inappropriate.” Zhang Liao muttered.
Sure enough, the boss's brain circuit is different from ordinary people.
I'm about to go out and kill him now, but I'm still thinking about this thing.
However, the veterans of Bingzhou are also accustomed to Zhang Liao's unconstrained thinking, and they always smile and say nothing.
"Don't you, the general, like the false and the true? Let's call it the false and true camp."
After meeting Zhang Liao's eyes, the captain asked again: "What about Qi Zhengying?"
"Ergou, study more so you can help me take care of my worries."
Zhang Liao said earnestly, then looked back at the heavily armored cavalry behind him, and said sonorously: "Our old brothers are called Xiaoni cavalry!"
"Kill your cavalry?"
Colonel Ergou took a breath of cold air and said, "This name isn't very good either."
"If you keep nagging me, I'll beat you up!" After Zhang Liao gave Ergou a hard look, the eight hundred people behind him started shouting: "I'll cut your cavalry, I'll cut your cavalry!"
The target is pointed directly at Linyang Road Crossing.
After coming down from Mang Mountain, you must pass through Mengjin City when you return to Xuchang in the east. However, Cao Ang led his men to guard the Linyang crossing. Obviously, Cao Cao was preparing to enter the Jingzhou area directly.
If Zhang Liao wants to block as many of Cao's troops as possible, this pass must be recaptured.
Guo Huai, who had led more than 9,000 people, followed Zhang Liao. He had light cavalry, but in order to maintain the speed of the team, the speed could not be increased.
In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the area around Luoyang was wrapped in silver. Fortunately, spring was about to begin and the snow was not too deep. Zhang Liao was able to gallop with more than 800 heroic cavalry without any pressure.
Just after entering Linyang, he saw sporadic Cao troops rushing south. Those should be defeated soldiers who had escaped from Sizhou. Zhang Liao had no intention of chasing them.
His target is a large number of Cao's troops.
According to the information that Guo Huai had discovered before leaving the city, more than 800 cavalry arrived near the Linyang crossing. In the open plain, the black armor of Cao Jun was very conspicuous under the silver armor.
Looking at the well-formed troops in front, Zhang Liao was not afraid at all. He turned around and shouted: "There should be Cao Jun's supporting troops in front. Rush up and disrupt them!"
"Kill!"
Looking at the heavy armored cavalry rushing in like a torrent of steel, Cao Jun, who had a team of ten thousand people, couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
Cao Ang took a quick look and said in a deep voice: "It's difficult to deal with him without a hook and sickle."
Cao Anmin on the side also tightened his grip on the spear in his hand, "I have never seen heavy armored cavalry from Lu Jun on the battlefield. I didn't expect to see them today."
The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry trained by Cao Chun in the early years are known as Cao Cao's most elite troops. The Tiger Cavalry is heavily armored, while the Leopard Cavalry is light and fast. Their incomparable coordination has also made great contributions.
Naturally, as members of the Cao clan, they are well aware of the power of heavy armored cavalry. Cao Chun once said that the most effective way to deal with these heavy armored cavalry is to attack the horse's legs.
However, they did not carry hooks and sickles with the army. They were either ordinary spears or ring-headed swords. This battle was very passive.
A hundred paces away, the crossbowmen fired arrows at the oncoming cavalry.
Facing the rain of arrows that were as dense as locusts, the Xiaoni cavalry could not dodge as quickly as the light cavalry. They simply waved their weapons to block the shots. If they failed, they would protect their faces. Anyway, they were wearing heavy armor. It's not like these arrows can break it.
As they expected, countless arrows landed on the heavy armor with clanging sounds, but failed to cause any casualties to the Xiao Ni cavalry.
Cao Ang was not surprised by this. The heavy armored cavalry were all leftover from the Cao family.
"Anmin, prepare for a bloody battle."
Cao Ang's eyes were calm, he wiped the steel gun in his hand, pointed forward, and shouted: "Shield!"
Immediately, before the Xiao Ni cavalry rushed in, the soldiers at the front raised their shields and dropped their spears into the groove in the middle of the shields, forming a tight line of defense.
The crossbowmen at the rear fired another burst of arrows and then all changed their weapons.
At this time, Zhang Liao had already rushed in front of him. With his loud shout, the gray shadow took advantage of the situation and jumped more than ten feet, easily crossing the iron line.
Before it hit the ground, the hook and sickle was swept backhand, and the throats of the three Cao soldiers behind the shield were cut. The fourth Cao soldier's neck happened to be stuck in the mouth of the hook and sickle, and he was dragged by him, and his head was missing.
"I am Zhang Wenyuan, anyone who stands in my way will die!" Zhang Liao continued to move forward with undiminished momentum, the hooked sickle in his hand thrust out from left to right like a broken bamboo.
Liao Shen's gameplay is actually very risky. After all, as the coach, what he has to do is to find Cao Cao's main force first, and then divide them into prisoners.
But now, he was like a fierce general in battle, charging into a siege of ten thousand people alone, without even the intention of waiting for the eight hundred heroic cavalry behind him.
There is no way, I have been holding it in for too long. Every day, either Yan Liangwen fought against Guan Yu, or Lu Bu ravaged Ma Chao, rushed through Cao's camp, and Zhao Yun took Ta Dun's head from the crowd of thousands of troops, and it was reported that his head was dead.
If they don't take action, they will probably forget who the Liao God is who has eight hundred to thirty thousand under Guangling City.
The Xiaoni cavalry at the rear did not disappoint him. The heavy armored cavalry that was built at a large price was not just a decoration. The shield weighing dozens of kilograms was held in front by an iron pestle, but it was broken through by the torrent of steel, with a rumble. The sound of tumbling shields came and went.
Of course, they were not reckless. The combat power of Zhang Liao's bodyguard was already comparable to that of the enemy camp. When they got close, they first knocked away the spear in the groove, and their horses also crashed along the gap between the shields. Yes, there is no pressure at all.
If I have to say it, the speed has been reduced a lot.
"Quickly leave!"
While Cao Ang was directing the army not to get together, he shouted: "Try to cut off their horse legs and throw them down!"
This is what he shouted. The army he brought was considered loyal and did not collapse at the first touch. However, after all, he did not expect the heavy armored cavalry to appear beforehand. However, he was caught off guard and was penetrated by the Xiao Ni cavalry from the front. The formation was instantly in chaos.
Zhang Liao looked around, laughed with satisfaction, raised his blade and shouted: "Charge again!"
This feeling is so enjoyable!
Cao Ang had no choice but to dismount this time and prepare to personally demonstrate how to fight with this iron cavalry.
When the cavalry rushed past, leaving a trail of blood, Cao Ang saw the right moment and pounced on him, throwing one of the cavalry off the horse, and the two of them rolled in the snow.
Cao Ang was a little confused. Normally, his strength was not small, but the fallen man was able to wrestle with him. He quickly strangled the cavalryman's neck with one hand and swung his sword with his right hand, and then the result was achieved.
"Be sure to hold on for me!"
With Cao Ang's demonstration, in the third round of charge, more than a dozen riders were indeed thrown down. However, not everyone in the army was Cao Ang. The combat effectiveness of the guards who fell off their horses should not be underestimated, and there were important With the armor on his body, two or three of Cao's troops were stuck close to him, but they couldn't take it off for a while.
Zhang Liao felt angry when he saw this posture. These guys were much smarter than he thought.
Originally, the massed army could block the light cavalry's charge and break the formation, but the heavy armored cavalry could not stop it.
If they are scattered, they will be easily defeated by light cavalry one by one. Similarly, the speed disadvantage of heavy armored cavalry will also be exposed.
Zhang Liao, who was not yet good at fighting with heavy armored cavalry, pointed his long sword at the old brothers rolling with Cao Jun in the snow and shouted: "Damn it, save them!"
It is true that Cao Ang's handling was very correct. Unable to hold back this group of people, they did not pursue the charge at all. Watching the scattered troops rushing towards the fallen Lu Jun, they also turned around and attacked, driven by the instinct of survival. They quickly retreated.
The few who were lucky enough to survive quickly mounted their horses and continued the charge.
On the battlefield, sometimes spears and shields are exchanged. Cao Jun knew that this method could kill heavy cavalry, and Lu Jun also knew that they would use this method and naturally took precautions consciously.
Relying on the tacit understanding of more than ten years, Zhang Liao could quickly issue instructions for them to divide into two groups to charge, thus resolving this method of being caught alone by the opponent.
But Cao Ang couldn't do it. The same military order was conveyed, and the upper limit of the number of people would make him feel strenuous. At the same time, the swaying of military morale was also a huge test.
"Anmin, stop this guy with me!" It's not that Cao Ang doesn't know Zhang Liao's reputation, but he also knows clearly that as the core figure of this cavalry, if he is not restrained, what can these tens of thousands of troops do to these few people? The hundred iron cavalry rushed to pieces and collapsed.
The two men gathered around with their horses and spears to attack, but they couldn't stop Zhang Liao who escaped.
After swinging the hook and sickle away from the two of them, he turned his horse and looked back, excitedly saying: "Which one of you is Cao Ang?"
It's not that Zhang Liao doesn't want to find the opponent's general, but after all, this is a battle involving an army of ten thousand people. How can it be so easy?
Of course, my identity is easy to identify. In order to stand out, I even wear a silver armor and a red robe, so I am afraid that others will not recognize me.
The problem is that the other party's attire is no different from ordinary generals, so it is difficult to find them.
Now seeing someone coming to kill him, his martial arts skills were not weak, Zhang Liao's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Ask me about the spear in my hand!" Cao Anmin is not stupid. If his identity is revealed, he will probably catch Cao Ang and not let him go.
Keng!
After the spear thrust was blocked by the back of the hooked sickle, Zhang Liao raised his long knife and slashed with his backhand, barely blocking the blow. Cao Anmin felt his arm go numb, and even his horse took a few steps back.
Man, that's so powerful.
Seeing that Zhang Liao was about to take advantage of the victory and pursue the enemy, Cao Ang stabbed the flank with his long spear, hoping to save the enemy.
When it comes to fighting alone, these two people are no match for Zhang Liao, but they can still do something if they are tied together.
Zhang Liao found that the two people had a very good tacit understanding, and there was a hint of the combination of Yan, Liang, Wen and Chou, and he really couldn't stand them for a while.
The same surprise arose in the hearts of the two of them. The spears were almost piercing into honeycombs. It was still a flanking attack from the left and the right. The heavy hooked sickle in Zhang Liao's hands seemed to be lighter than the spear, and it could easily resolve the killing moves of the two. Nothing can be done.
Moreover, during this process, Cao Jun would come to help from time to time, but he was kicked out of reach by Zhang Liao's gray shadow, which was very unfortunate.
After slowly becoming familiar with the two's routines, Zhang Liao began to consciously use Gray Shadow's speed to adjust their movements, creating suppression on the scene.
It won't take long, Zhang Liao is confident that he can harvest both of them, and by then it won't matter which of you is Cao Ang.
"General, don't panic, I'm here to help you!" Guo Huai arrived.
Looking at the tens of thousands of troops being disrupted by Zhang Liao's hundreds of cavalry, he was very confused. This was too reckless. At least we could wait for us to come over and divide them up.
Not caring about anything else at the moment, he immediately commanded the cavalry to step forward to divide the chaotic Cao army, while the infantry stepped on both sides to form a double flank.
Zhang Liao turned a deaf ear to this and cursed in his heart, "Which of your eyes saw me panicking!"
Perhaps because he was worried about Zhang Liao's safety, Guo Huai gave up command of the army after rushing into the formation and rushed to Zhang Liao's side immediately, creating a two-on-two situation.
(End of chapter)
