Even the clear sky seems to be rendered into a cruel picture by these black and red colors.
The sound of war drums was deafening.
Iron armor and swords and guns complement each other.
Cold light and flesh alternately sing.
Horse hooves trample the boundary between life and death, and the dust buries unfulfilled wishes.
The roars and screams of the soldiers intertwined into a tragic battlefield movement.
Guanzhong and Heluo, from ancient times to the present, have witnessed too many victories and defeats in life and death, and have retained countless whispers of wronged souls.
Zhang Liao raised his head slightly and looked at the flag of Cao's army on Yanxiang.
Yanxiang is a small county town located at the exit of Tongguan Slope Road. Some people also call it Tongguan Old City, or Little Tongguan.
From the early morning battle until now, the soldiers are somewhat tired.
"Let the soldiers retreat and rest where they are!"
Zhang Liao ordered.
Even if Zhang Liao didn't have any system, he could still pay attention to the physical strength of his soldiers based on experience.
Once the physical strength value is cleared, it will be very slow to restore it.
Flags waved, orders were conveyed, and the military academy shouted and repeated. The entire army was like a rigorous war machine, with gears meshing with each other, rotating, twisting, and erupting with fire and blood.
Like an ebbing tide, the hussars retreated behind the offensive line in an orderly manner.
There are still troops on guard at the front line. Even if Cao Jun is unlikely to attack, there are still soldiers guarding the front line with bows and arrows.
The soldiers who returned from the front line sat on the ground one after another, regardless of the dirt and blood on their hands, and started to eat the dry food on the spot after receiving it.
The dry food is very simple, with whole grain pancakes filled with bacon.
Meat is serious meat.
Meat that has been marinated and dried can be stored for a long time.
It's a bit toothsome to eat dry, so if possible, it's usually steamed to make it softer.
It's just a little softer.
The multigrain pancakes were not finely ground into powder, but even contained some coarse particles, which mixed with the sand and blood stained on the soldiers' hands, forming a meal with a bloody battlefield flavor that is difficult to describe in words.
Fortunately, these days, no hygiene monsters have appeared.
These soldiers handed water bags to each other, then wolfed down the pancakes with meat, tore them apart, and swallowed them.
Look at the corpses lying in a pool of blood. If you can still take a bite, it proves that you are still alive.
On the battlefield, isn't this the happiest thing?
Zhang Liao stared at Yan Xiang, and after confirming that Cao Jun was unlikely to attack, he turned to the guards beside him and said, "Inform Pang Lingjun that someone will take Xijinggou next!"
The guard responded loudly and immediately rode away.
Different from the narrow terrain on the Tongguan Slope Road, Yanxiang is relatively open now, and the key is that the troops of Zhang Liao and others are not enough to surround Yanxiang ten times, so naturally they will clear the periphery of Yanxiang bit by bit. Defend, and then attack the main city of Yanxiang.
However, this is not difficult for Zhang Liao, and what makes Zhang Liao most powerful in fighting is not his personal bravery, nor his ability to fight on the front line, but his knowledge and willingness to cooperate with others.
Just like now, Zhang Liao not only opened the peripheral gap in Yanxiang by himself, but was also willing to share the news with Ma Yue in the rear and the other direction of attack. Only in this way can the maximum effectiveness of coordinated operations be exerted, forcing Cao Jun to Corresponds to attacks in two directions at the same time.
During the short rest period, Zhang Liao did not forget to go among the fighting soldiers, let the guards distribute dry food, and encourage the soldiers.
"Now you and I have the honor to serve under the hussar, and exchange our bravery for fame!"
"To build a successful career, everyone depends on their ability! Whether you can accumulate meritorious land for your family depends on you!"
"Have you seen that small town?"
Zhang Liao shouted, raising his finger and pointing at Yanxiang, "As long as we capture this city, we will open the channel to attack Heluo! Next, we have to march into Shandong and capture the Central Plains! Unify the world! And you will all be the heroes to unify the world. When the time comes, you will be given the title of wife and son, and you will enjoy glory and wealth!"
"Oh oh oh oh!"
"Wonderful victory!"
"The hussars are victorious!"
The soldiers cheered one after another.
After resting for about half an hour, Zhang Liao gave the order again, letting his soldiers begin to rush into Yanxiang City on the plateau.
Many people think that cities are square, but in fact most cities in China are irregular.
The same is true for Yanxiang.
The Yanxiang City on the plateau is not that steep and majestic.
Of course, this is related to the fact that Yan Xiang's position in Heluo is not important.
To the west of Yanxiang, there is Tongguan, and to the east, there is Hangu. Naturally, there is no need to build another pass here. Yanxiang was originally a transit station, a county town for people to stop and transfer things. After all, you entered Tongguan. It is difficult to turn around after the slope road, so many vendors who are unwilling to climb Niutou Plain and Linzhi Plain will transfer their goods to others here, and then turn around and go back to Heluo directly.
Cao Jun may have originally wanted to build something here, but now he has no time.
Zhang Liao was responsible for attacking the west gate of Yanxiang from the front, while Ma Yue was responsible for attacking Yanxiang's flank from the ravine around the mountain plateau.
The building boats on the water are responsible for bombarding the water gate in the direction of the river in the north of Yanxiang and controlling the tidal flats on the water surface.
Attacking in three directions at the same time and cooperating with each other, even if Cao Jun built fortifications and defense systems in Yanxiang, it would be difficult to sustain them. In just one day, the industrial defense system outside Yanxiang was almost knocked down. Only Yanxiang itself and some fortifications very close to Yanxiang are still resisting.
It's like the stone castle that Zhang Liao is going to fight now.
In other words, a stone barrier would be more appropriate.
The person who built this stone fortification had some foresight. He used a stone body more than ten feet high on the mountain to build a small fort, arranged for archers to shoot arrows inside, and also set up a crossbow cart to control the surrounding area of 200 steps. There can be certain threats within the range.
Not far from one side of this stone barrier is the corner of the Yanxiang city wall. Therefore, if you want to capture this small stone barrier on the outside of the Yanxiang city wall, it is obviously impossible to climb the stone body, but it will be possible to walk on the earth slope. Being shot into the chrysanthemum by the Yanxiang city wall on the other side...
After trying a wave of attacks, Zhang Liao discovered this problem and attacked with arrows from two directions, which would definitely cause heavy casualties.
"The ladder truck cannot be mounted!" The frontline military academy came to report, "The stone body is slightly protruding and is blocking the ladder truck! The ladder truck's mounting plate is not long enough and the frame cannot be mounted!"
Zhang Liao asked the soldiers to stop temporarily, then he climbed up a hillside, strode around a small half circle, constantly observing the terrain, and called the guide to inquire carefully, and finally made some new discoveries.
Although the northern slope of this stone barrier is higher, the terrain is much gentler. Only the top section is a section of stone cliff. In fact, you only need to attack a small section to reach the stone barrier.
Zhang Liao simply sent out a squad of his own soldiers, and under the cover of other soldiers, they raided the northern slope of the stone barrier.
The battle started again, and the two sides fought again.
Zhang Liao stared in the direction of the stone barrier. When he saw a black shadow rising from the stone cliff on the north slope, he couldn't help but waved his fist and took it down!
…
…
"Report! The outer stone barrier has been lost!"
A Cao Jun general hurriedly reported the information to Cao Zhang.
Cao Zhang let out a laugh, and his anger couldn't help but rise up inexplicably, "We have lost the defense again! Have these guys not eaten?! Bastards! Incompetent! White land! Waste!"
Liu Fu on the side coughed and waved his hand to signal the ordering soldiers to retreat.
Liu Fu could understand why Cao Zhang was so angry, but the reality was so cold and cruel.
Although Cao Zhang brought food and supplies, which seemed to stimulate the morale of Cao's army in a short period of time, the defeat was determined after all, and the tacit cooperation between the hussars made Cao's army focus on one thing but not the other.
In just one day, the outer defenses were almost bulldozed by the hussars, which really shocked Liu Fu.
It’s like returning to the Tongguan camp again...
I want to block it, but I can't. I want to drag it, but I can't.
Looking at the incompetent and furious Cao Zhang, Liu Fu suddenly became distracted for some reason.
When he was in Shandong before, he had great expectations that he could become a strategizing general and lead thousands of troops to conquer cities and achieve great things. Now these wishes seem to have come true, but they also seem to be different from his original expectations. Same.
How can I put it, the strategists were lucky, but the more they were lucky, the more they lost.
He led troops and horses to attack the city and plunder the territory, but after the attack, he was beaten back by his opponent.
As for whether he has accomplished something great, it's even harder to say. I don't know whether he accomplished it for himself or if he wants to accomplish something for others...
Cao Zhang still hadn't recovered from his incompetent rage, and Liu Fu had no interest in trying to dissuade him.
Because they have no time to care about anyone's mood now.
Liu Fu even wanted to shout aloud, after all, the pressure placed on them by the Hussars was too great.
They had expected the bravery and eliteness of the hussar soldiers, but they did not expect that it was still beyond their imagination. Especially the mutual cooperation between the hussar soldiers surprised Liu Fu.
At the Tongguan camp, because the Niutouyuan and Tongguan slopes were relatively narrow, the hussar soldiers could not deploy their lines, so they were not aware of the degree of tacit cooperation between the various parts of the hussar army. Now the Yanxiang area is relatively spacious. Somehow, this kind of cooperation among various parts of the Hussars made Cao Zhang and Liu Fu somewhat confused in dealing with it.
If there is a mess, there will be problems.
Once something goes wrong, it will inevitably lead to failure.
And if it fails...
Liu Fu did not dare to continue thinking about it.
He has become accustomed to his current life. If he is asked to choose another way and start from scratch, he no longer has the energy or courage of his youth.
Seeing Cao Zhang venting his emotions, Liu Fu also wanted to yell and let out the depression in his heart, but he held back and did not indulge his emotions.
"General!" Liu Fu shouted, "It's time to send out the Huben camp..."
Cao Zhang turned around and stared at Liu Fu, "Are you sure?"
Liu Fu nodded, "If you can't survive even one day... then it will collapse even faster tomorrow! The layout of the Lord's place will take at least three days... so now is the most critical time... it's time to send out the troops." !』
Cao Zhang took a deep breath, was silent for a moment, and nodded, "Okay."
…
…
The sun sets from the west.
Fei Qian stood on the mound with his hands behind his back, looking at the sunset on the horizon.
The setting sun dyed his figure golden.
When Sima Yi looked up and saw Fei Qian's back, he couldn't help but feel dazed.
Fei Qian stood on the hill.
Sima Yi is at the foot of the hillside.
The setting sun shrouded Fei Qian's body, making Fei Qian's armor and jersey seem to be emitting light.
Majesty is like a mountain, like a river, or like an abyss.
For some reason, Sima Yi suddenly felt that the words or excuses he had prepared should not be spoken...
He lowered his head.
Gods cannot be looked directly at.
Sima Yi stepped forward and asked the hussar guards to see Fei Qian.
The sound was transmitted layer by layer, reaching the top of the hill, and then it was transmitted down layer by layer.
"please!"
The guard motioned towards Sima Yi.
Sima Yi took a breath, calmed down his mood, and walked up the hill step by step.
After climbing the hill, we were faced with the sunset glow in the sky.
Like blood.
Like the sea.
Fei Qian seemed to be standing in the sunset like a sea of blood.
"Zhongda..."
Fei Qian didn't look back.
"My subordinates are here."
Sima Yi's expression was solemn.
"How many of your men are left? Five hundred, eight hundred?"
Fei Qian asked.
Sima Yi lowered his head and said, "Report to my lord... there are still five hundred left..."
He and Hao Zhao combined the forces that attacked the Tiaoshan camp before.
Now if we only count Sima Yi's own subordinates, after deducting the casualties, there are only about 500 left.
The attack on the Zhongtiao Mountain camp failed, and Sima Yi indeed made some mistakes in underestimating the enemy.
He thought that by strategizing, he could play tricks on everyone in the world. As a result, he broke into the outskirts of Cao Jun's camp, but it did not cause a large-scale collapse of Cao Jun. Instead, he was surrounded and intercepted by Cao Jun's soldiers, and he was almost trapped.
Inside the Zhongtiao Mountain camp.
Fei Qian asked Sima Yi to tell the specific story again.
Sima Yi slowly narrated his judgment and preparation, execution and results after he discovered the movements of Xu Chu and Cao Jun.
No embellishments, no excuses, no excuses.
He just tells the story as it is and does not avoid his own mistakes.
Fei Qian kept listening and did not interrupt Sima Yi in the middle. After Sima Yi had finished speaking, he pondered for a moment without commenting, but asked: "Zhongda, what is the most important thing about dividing troops?"
After Sima Yi thought for a moment, he said: "The momentum of division and reunification is also the change of the cardinals. The division of troops is like a lush tree, with branches divided but the root is solid; like the flow of a river, although scattered, the source is deep."
"The purpose of dividing the troops is to control the enemy. If the enemy is strong, divide them to weaken them; if the enemy is weak, unite them to annihilate them all."
"Dividing the troops can be a response to changes. We cannot stay in one corner so that the enemy cannot predict our strength and weakness, but I can defeat the enemy because of it."
"My subordinate Qian Jian, please give me some advice from my lord."
Fei Qian nodded, "That's right. However, I asked about "Tao", not "Skill"!"
Sima Yi was stunned for a moment, then bowed his hands and said, "Please give me some advice, my lord."
Fei Qian said slowly, "Divide the troops to secure the country. The country is so big that the troops cannot be gathered, so we must divide the troops to subdue it. Therefore, the way to divide the troops is to fight, not to fight, to train generals so that there are not too many troops.
But when it comes to skill, generals are not about bravery, but about strategy. Divide and seek unity, fight without fighting, this is the way to go."
"Therefore, Zhongda, if you divide your troops and advance, can you seek to unite them? Can you unite them?"
Sima Yi felt sweat on his forehead, "I... feel ashamed..."
Fei Qian looked at Sima Yi. This guy is capable, but he also has problems. He will ask others to cooperate with him, but he doesn't know how to cooperate with others. To put it simply, he is a guy who likes to steal the spotlight and wants to be the one all the time.
The protagonist does not want to be a supporting role.
Fei Qian turned his head and watched the sunset on the horizon change.
The sunset is different every day, and everyone has a different personality.
Sima Yi obviously still needs to be polished, and he is not suitable for being released as a commander alone...
Just like what Fei Qian said, he did not divide the troops solely for the purpose of war. He also had the intention of testing the abilities of these people during the process of dividing the troops. Which ones were suitable for guarding one side, while others might only be suitable for staying in the central hub?
The position is as an auxiliary and cannot serve as a local chief official.
Fei Qian had previously thought that Sima Yi could be said to have grown up in Shoushan Academy and was trained in Qinglong Temple, so it should be somewhat different from the historical situation. However, he did not expect that Sima Yi's knowledge and concepts may have changed somewhat, but his personality...
"Let's not talk about this for now and focus on the present!"
Fei Qian waved his hand and motioned for Sima Yi to follow him.
The two of them went down the hill and returned to the camp's main tent with their guards.
Fei sneaked in front of the map, pointed at the map of Cao Jun's Zhongtiao Mountain camp and said, "Come on, Zhongda, how should we decide on a strategy if we want to attack this place?"
The location pointed by Fei Qian is at the intersection on the north side of Zhongtiao Mountain.
The North Pass of Zhongtiao Mountain is located at the northern end of Zhongtiao Mountain. Cao Jun has deployed layers of defense systems here to guard the entrance and exit of the mountain road. Once the Hussars capture this North Pass, they can quickly reach Zhongtiao through soldiers.
To the south of the mountain. For Cao Jun, as long as this passage is still in Cao Jun's hands, it will be easier to defend or fight.
"My lord, Cao Jun must have laid a trap on this road!" Sima Yi pointed to the north entrance and said, "My subordinates attacked before, and Cao Jun tried to lure us into the road!"
Fei Qian nodded, "This is Cao Jun's conspiracy."
"A conspiracy?" Sima Yi quickly reacted, nodded and said, "What the Lord said is true! It is indeed a conspiracy!"
This conspiracy was very simple, it was on the surface. Sima Yi just didn't think of it for a moment, but after Fei Qian got it, he understood it.
Along the Zhongtiao Mountain Road, Cao Jun deployed the defense line widely for more than ten miles, occupying the entire road and mountain passes with the strength of each camp, and used the terrain of the mountains and rivers to lay traps and defend.
This is a method of keeping a point but not a line, and connecting the dots to form a line. It may seem ordinary, but it is actually very difficult to break through.
In later generations, similar methods of defending important roads appeared in Zhongtiao Mountain, which blocked the invaders for a long time. If it hadn't been for some incomprehensible changes later...
"Zhongtiao Mountain is a question left by Cao Mengde..."