Cao Cao had just made arrangements when he received a letter from Zhang Yan. Cao Cao was so angry that he almost killed the messenger. It turned out that Zhang Yan planned to fight to the end, and Zhang Yan told Boss Cao about the situation in Shangdang County in great detail. , whether it is urban construction or grain and grass reserves, they can last for a year and a half!
"This bastard!" Cao Cao said angrily.
"Prime Minister, please calm down! As a general, it is understandable that Zhang Yan only focused on the Bingzhou battlefield. Judging from the current situation, Zhang Yan's approach is not wrong!" Cheng Yu said
"Hmph! This Zhang Yan doesn't know that we don't have many elite soldiers now. The 30,000 men and horses he brought are all elites. We can't afford to lose anymore. Yuan Rang's Qingzhou Army is still training. They are all Those new recruits who have not experienced war are the most uncomfortable!" Cao Cao said helplessly, how could a good situation become like this? Two hundred thousand troops were gone in the blink of an eye!
"General Xia Houyuan has already sent out troops. He also asked the Prime Minister to inform Zhang Yan immediately so that they can be prepared to retreat. If it is too late, the consequences will be disastrous, because Cheng Feng has already sent Zhang Jia to merge with the state and reach the rear of Shangdang, making it clear that he will cut off Regarding Zhang Yan's return, if we give up joining the party, maybe Chengfeng will open an opening for us!" Xun Yu said
"That's all we can do. I'll send another letter to Cheng Feng, hoping that he will forget his past grudges!" Cao Cao said helplessly. In this society, having soldiers and food is the way to go!
"I hope it's too late!" Liu Ye said with a wry smile. Zhao Yun's skills are all known to these people, and as for leading troops to fight, that's even more difficult to say!
"By the way! How is Xu Huang?" Cao Cao suddenly asked, since the last time the two of them failed to lead troops back, Xu Huang has never been seen in court again!
"I have been shutting myself up and thinking about my mistakes, studying the art of war!" Xi Zhicai said with a smile, "This Xu Huang is really a talented person, but he is quite complaining about us!"
"Oh! There's nothing we can do about it. Who told him to meet our Mr. Cheng Yu? But let's see what happens in the future. Maybe we can even recruit a general!" Liu Ye joked.
"Haha! Do your best and obey fate!" Cao Cao laughed and said, "Send the order to Xia Houyuan. If you can catch Zhang Yan's retreat, then take Luoyang directly. If you can't catch it, then take Sili Jingji!"
"Yes! Lord!" Cheng Yu said quickly. This group of scammers had been laughing at him a lot recently. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Cheng Yu came out to breathe some air. After all, human slaughter was not a good name, and his own reputation was... Xu Shu's Wan Mie disciples are almost the same, but others' ones are majestic, and his own are disgusting!
Watching Cheng Yu walk away, Cao Cao said slowly, "Gentlemen, what do you think of Xu Huang?"
"If you train him, he must be a commander-in-chief, but his heart is not here. I think it is unnecessary!" Xi Zhicai said. He knew that Cao Cao was moved by his love for talents, but who should he target? He is loyal to his opponent. People, the greater the ability, the higher the damage!
"Well! What a pity!" Cao Cao said regretfully
Zhao Yun is observing the map of Bingzhou all the time. This is the first time he has led an army alone, and he is still on the weak side. The most important thing is the siege. It is a real fight and cannot be faked!
"Has Zhang Yan been doing anything lately?" Zhao Yun said with a frown. He felt like Zhang Yan was just like a turtle shell, huddled in the city, but Zhao Yun had no idea what to do!
"General, Zhang Yan's army is stationed in the city. They are not allowed to set foot within a radius of ten miles. All humans and animals that appear near Shangdang City will be killed!" Wang Yong said!
"The walls are strong and the wilderness is clear! This Yan is too clean!" Zhao Yun hammered his thigh hard and couldn't help but complain.
"General, I don't know what we will do next. It is impossible to harass Shangdang County now. If you are not careful, you may be eaten by Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Army!"
"Shrink the troops first. By the way, is there a river near Shangdang County?" Zhao Yundao said
"There is only one small river, but Shangdang's moat is wide and deep. Even if it is flooded, we don't have that much water now!" Wang Yong couldn't help but sigh,
"Haha! Who said the party would be flooded!" Zhao Yun's eyes lit up and he had a plan in mind!
Seeing Zhao Yun's change of state, Wang Yong was also a little puzzled. He couldn't understand Zhao Yun's thoughts!
"Shangdang must be mine!" Zhao Yun secretly made up his mind, "The city is high and the pond is deep, then I will bloom in the center!"
Time flies so fast that people are caught off guard. Xia Houyuan's army met Zhang He at the border of Bingzhou. Neither of them dared to act rashly. They just spent each other's life. Zhang He had a steady supply of food and grass behind him, and so did the army. He was getting stronger and stronger, and Xia Houyuan across the way looked bitter, because he didn't have much food and grass!
"General, what should we do? My lord asked us to send troops because he took a fancy to the speed of the general's cavalry. Now it is unwise to be restrained by Zhang He!" Man Chong said,
Man Chong (? - 242), courtesy name Boning, was born in Changyi, Shanyang (now Juye County, Shandong Province). A famous cruel official and general of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. Man Chong once served as postal supervisor, and later acted as the magistrate of Gaoping County. He once tortured prisoners to death, so he resigned and returned home. In the third year of Chuping (192), he was recruited by Cao Cao, and later served as the magistrate of Xu County, in charge of justice, and was known for his strict law enforcement. He was transferred to the prefect of Runan, and began to participate in the military. He participated in the Battle of Chibi. Later, when Guan Yu besieged Fan City, Man Chong assisted Cao Ren in defending the city, discouraging his plan to abandon the city and flee, and successfully persisted until reinforcements arrived. During Cao Pi's reign, Man favored Jie Jie Yue and served as a former general. During Cao Rui's reign, he was granted the title of Marquis of Changyi and became the governor of Yuzhou. In the Battle of Shiting, he followed Jia Kui and rescued Cao Xiu. After Cao Xiu's death, he was transferred to Yangzhou and took over as the general of Zhengdong. He was responsible for Yangzhou's war against Wu and made many contributions. Later, due to his old age, he was transferred back to the central government to serve as a Taiwei. In the third year of Zhengshi (242), he died of illness, and his posthumous title was Jinghou.
Xia Houyuan let out a long sigh. He didn't know his situation, but he was facing thousands of people slaughtering Xu Shu and Zhang He. They were superior to him in both civil and military affairs. More importantly, he was not here to fight, but just to support Zhang Yan. Now It is impossible to defeat Zhang He's Suzaku Army. "General Man Chong, do you think it is necessary for us to go to Zhang Yan?" Xia Houyuan asked doubtfully. After all, the matter of Bingzhou can be shied away from Zhang Yan's own ideas, and there is still room for reconciliation with Cheng Feng. Once he goes to war with Zhang He , that’s when the real fight begins!
"General, we are here to take care of those 30,000 elite soldiers! No matter what, these elite soldiers must be kept!" Man Chong said murderously. What he meant in his words was that anything can be given up, but these elite soldiers cannot be let go!
"Having said that! But this He is also a man who is good at fighting, and he has Wan Mie disciples to help him. It is really difficult to deal with. With our five thousand cavalry, it is probably for nothing!" Xia Houyuan smiled bitterly,
"We have already passed the news to Zhang Yan. If he doesn't come out, we won't be able to fight him. We can only wait here. It depends on the game between Zhao Yun and Zhang Yan. However, we can't just sit back and wait for death. We should send out more scouts. , check the defenses in the Sili Gyeonggi area, Luoyang City may not be able to capture it, but the Hulao Pass area must be understood clearly to solve the problem of the lord's western front." Man Chong said
"Okay! Just follow what the general said!" Xia Houyuan said excitedly,
Not to mention Xia Houyuan's formation, Zhang He's army of 20,000 troops was firmly pressed to the south of Bingzhou, blocking Zhang Yan's retreat road. At the same time, he sent people to send 500 catapults to Zhao Yun, as well as A lot of kerosene, this is something Cheng Feng recently developed. It is said to have miraculous effects on siege warfare. Zhao Yun was very happy after receiving it!
"Army, listen to the order! Collect the food first!" Zhao Yun sent people to collect the food in Jinyang City, and at the same time sent people to search for stones. After all, all the resources near Shangdang were taken away by Zhang Yan. With five hundred more catapults, the needed materials have increased exponentially!
"General, can clods of earth also be used?" Wang Yong asked
"As long as it can be thrown out, anything will do, even wood!" Zhao Yun said with a smile.
More than 10,000 people worked hard for ten days, and all the supplies in half of Bingzhou were plundered. Even the cavalry horses were so tired that they lost weight. When Zhao Yun saw it, he couldn't help but nod. I think it's time to give Zhang Yan some color. After all, he is the first person to let Zhao Yun suffer a secret loss!
The city of Shangdang County is five feet high, and outside the city is a thirty-foot moat. Zhang Yan can be said to be in a huge bunker, and he can really sit back and relax. It is not easy for him to get out now, because he has The city gates were all blocked, and there was not even a suspension bridge, so he had trouble speaking about Cao Mengde's letter!
"General, Zhao Yun has accumulated a lot of supplies and is probably going to launch an attack!" Cao Hong said
"Come on, come on. I'll see how he breaks in, but I still ask the general to prepare to retreat. These 30,000 elite soldiers cannot be wasted here. The prime minister is in urgent need of troops. Just leave 5,000 here for me!" Zhang Yandao
"General, don't worry. After the city was built, I withdrew more than 10,000 elite troops. Tonight, I will remove 10,000 from the city wall and leave 10,000 for the general. Finally, I will dig up the moat and leave Zhao Yun with nothing to do!" Cao Hong road
"Haha, you don't need that much, just give me three thousand elite soldiers! Without further ado, the general can take action now and bring the elite soldiers to General Xiahou. I will just be left here to deal with Zhao Yun!" Zhang Yan said with a smile, he said to himself He was very satisfied with the arrangement. He had no intention of leaving everyone behind at the beginning. As soon as he received Cao Cao's letter, he ordered Cao Hong to take the people to leave first. However, Cao Hong was afraid of being attacked by Zhao Yun, so he decided to build Shangdang City first. Now It’s reached the point where I can’t leave without leaving. If it’s too late, it’ll be really hard to leave!
"General, take care!" Cao Hong saluted Zhang Yan. He knew that the outcome of staying behind would be death!
"Haha, young general, I'd better leave quickly to avoid worrying the prime minister. The general's army can go all the way south. I don't think Zhang He dares to act rashly!" Zhang Yan said
"Yes!" Cao Hong said
Seeing Cao Hong go away with 30,000 troops, Zhang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief, so that Cao Cao would not have any murderous intention towards her. Originally, my coming to Bingzhou this time was a thankless job. No matter what I did, I would offend Cheng Feng and others. If I did well, I would offend him even more. If I did poorly, Cao Cao would not let him go. Things were changing too fast. Zhang Yan was extremely helpless. She was just recovering from her injuries, so it was really hard for her to go into this muddy water!
"Command to the three armies, have a good rest, eat and drink enough to watch Zhao Yun's performance!" Zhang Yan laughed and said, Zhang Yan has always been unconvinced about Zhao Yun. How much ability can a little child have? Cheng Fengjun's strength lies in weapons and equipment. Okay, now he wants to see how Zhao Yun attacks the city. His mentality is not so much to defend Shangdang for Bingzhou, but to compete with himself and to vent his anger on Zhao Yun!
"Let go!" Zhao Yun gave an order, and five hundred catapults began to work. In an instant, a large number of stones and earth flew towards Shangdang, but most of them fell outside the city wall. After all, the city wall was high and thick. It doesn't matter if it falls into the city occasionally, it won't cause much harm!
Five hundred catapults started working together, and the momentum was frightening. The rounds of attacks also frightened Cao Jun who defended the city. After all, this was a catapult. If one was hit by a catapult accidentally, it would result in at least a bloody head, or even a direct loss of blood. What a life! Half a day passed, and the outside of Shangdang North City was in ruins. The entire moat was covered with large and small stones, and this section of the moat was completely filled in!
"Bump!" Finally, a large number of stones began to attack the city. Although Zhang Yan also deployed some measures on the city, they were all turned into rubbish under Zhao Yun's first round of attacks. Now all Cao's troops are far away. At the North City Gate, only a few dozen people were left hiding in the wall holes to observe Zhao Yun's actions.
"Everyone, be careful! Don't move around easily!" Zhang Yan was calm and calm, with murderous intent in his eyes. At this time, he could only rely on him to stabilize the morale of the soldiers. After all, the flying rocks just above his head were too terrifying!
"Change the fireballs!" Zhao Yun saw that the catapult had advanced a certain distance and was already able to hit the city. He gave the order decisively. He didn't have many fireballs. These were just a few hundred rounds sent by Zhang He. I heard they were successful. The weapon developed by Feng Xin is actually a stone soaked in oil for an extra period of time. Of course, this is Zhao Yun's current view!
As soon as the weapons were changed, everything was different immediately. A large number of fireballs flew over with thick smoke and fire, pressing against the city wall, instantly igniting the wood piled on it. The fire burned fiercely, and the burned city walls were all red. !
When the fire became smaller, Zhang Yan quickly sent someone up to check. At this moment, he suddenly heard a sound breaking through the air. No, Zhang Yan was shocked. This was Zhao Yun launching another attack. There was nothing he could do at this time. Go to the wall, after all, the fire is no joke, but fortunately, the fire can also stop Zhao Yun's footsteps!
In Zhang Yan's horrified eyes, he saw huge stone millstones flying over and hitting the city wall hard. It was like hitting him in the heart, and the city wall was shaking as if it was about to collapse. .
"What's going on? Hasn't the city wall been widened and thickened? Why can't it bear it after just a few attacks?" Zhang Yan was shocked.
"General! After the city wall is heated, you are afraid of encountering cold things. These huge rocks are all wet. It looks like they have been soaked in the river!" A soldier said quickly. He was a blacksmith in his hometown and often made iron. , I am more sensitive to hot and cold, and I immediately thought of the key!
"What should we do?" Zhang Yan asked anxiously
"Don't worry, our city wall is tall. Even if Zhao Yun can open a gap, it won't be too big. It's okay for us to guard the same place together!"
"You mean Zhao Yun doesn't have many boulders?"
"He doesn't have many fireballs, and he doesn't have so many huge stone rollers!"
"That's okay, these are not enough to break through our Shangdang City!" Zhang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but in the blink of an eye, Zhang Yan frowned again. He knew Zhao Yun very well. Although this man is not old, he is very You are calm and will not put everything in front of you so easily!
Just as Zhang Yan thought, Zhao Yun's attack this time was just to make Zhang Yan's army confused about the situation. It also dealt a devastating blow to Shangdang Beicheng and paved the way for the next attack!
"The cavalry obeys the order! Throw the soil!" Zhao Yun saw that it was almost done and gave the order directly! So the scene where Cheng Feng attacked the Yellow Turban Army was staged, but this time the location and characters have changed, and the only thing that remains unchanged is Zhao Yun!
At Zhao Yun's order, the cavalry was dispatched, throwing bags of soil at the bottom of the city. Many of them had participated in the siege battle back then, and were very familiar with this operation. The only drawback was that there were a few people. , I won’t be able to build a slope for a while! Five thousand cavalry were dispatched in turns, and the infantry was also clamping down to load earth. Even the last infantry moved forward to pile earth. As for Zhang Yan, he could only watch now, because his three thousand men had just lost nearly one thousand, and now He was busy rescuing the wounded and cleaning up supplies in the city. As for defending the city, it was unthinkable among the bags of earth. Moreover, a section of the city wall almost cracked just now, which also frightened Empress Zhang Yan. He quickly sent people to repair it. At this time, he regretted it. It was better to leave more people behind!
"General, do you want to build slopes in other places too!" Wang Yong saw that the slopes here were about to be successful, and hurried over to report to Zhao Yun. Although Zhao Yun was also named a Marquis, he still He likes others to call him General, so most people call him General, and only call him Marquis on formal occasions!
"Okay! But you have to maintain your physical strength! The other slopes must be within the coverage of the catapult, otherwise the gain will outweigh the loss!" Zhao Yun thought for a while, although he didn't say much, he thought a lot. thoughtful
"Yes! General!"
Zhao Yun's 10,000 troops stayed awake and built five slopes in three days. They saw five large slopes on the tall city wall. Zhao Yun turned the siege into a simple military training! Zhang Yan's three thousand men did not dare to step forward to stop him, because as soon as they showed their heads, they would be greeted by Zhao Yun's catapult, and Zhang Yan and the others spent three days sorting out the rockfall in the city and preparing for street fighting! Regarding Zhao Yun's approach, they were also unable to do what they wanted!
