Dong Zhao was on the watchtower, looking at the hussars raising smoke and dust all over the sky, and his heart sank.
He hoped that only Xu Chu and the front hussars would come, but he also hoped that Fei Qian would come as soon as possible. These contradictory attitudes were mixed together in him.
If you just look at the appearance, there doesn't seem to be much decadence in Cao Jun's camp.
The flags are like clouds, the armor, swords and spears are as cold as the snow.
It seems that there is still no difference from before...
But if you look closely at the soldiers of Cao's army in each formation, you will find that although these soldiers of Cao's army are in formation, their expressions are tense and panicked.
"Is General Lu finished?!"
"Didn't you say that General Lu went to attack the Hussars' former army camp?"
"But now the Hussars are coming, but General Lu is gone!"
"We are doomed..."
"That's not right. Didn't Commander Dong make a false report before when he said that General Lu was in danger? What do you say now?"
"What do you say now? Is it still important?"
"This...that's true..."
The soldiers of Cao's army were talking a lot. The more they talked, the more frustrated they became.
These thoughts of the soldiers also circulated in the military academy, and some military academy non-commissioned officers could not help but run to ask Dong Zhao.
But this time, Dong Zhao finally stopped looking for excuses.
"Victory and defeat are common matters for military officers."
Although Dong Zhao still didn't say it clearly, at least he said it.
This time, Cao Cao and others were not only defeated by Fei Qian, but also by the "nobodies" under Fei Qian's command.
In the land of Shandong, starting from Yuedan Comments, no, maybe earlier, from the time when students from the Academy began to comment on this or that, the criterion for judging a person's ability is whether he has a good reputation.
A good reputation…
However, these people under Qiusi's command have neither reputation nor fame.
The hussars were getting closer and closer.
Fortunately, the strategy did work, and the hussars came in a hurry, without any siege equipment.
He still has more than 7,000 men, plus the traps in the mountain roads. As long as Cao Cao can defeat the Tongguan troops, then he can get support, and there is no chance of turning defeat into victory!
"Drumroll! Fight!"
But whether it was the battle here at Zhongtiao Mountain or the battle at Tongguan, could it really be what Dong Zhao expected?
…
…
Yanxiang.
"The front door is broken!"
When this shrill howl of despair came, Cao Zhang was holding his rice bowl and preparing to eat.
He had just retreated from the front line, and before he had time to take a breath, he heard such shouts. His hands suddenly shook, his rice bowl fell down, and grains of rice were scattered on the floor.
Even in this tense and desperate situation, the sergeants and soldiers of Cao's army still ate in different places.
Ordinary soldiers only eat mixed soup, but the military academy generals still receive a bowl of rice.
The distinction between Jing and Wei is clear.
But at this moment, when they suddenly heard the news, people on both sides looked at each other blankly.
The next moment, Cao Zhang kicked the bowl away, grabbed the sword on the side, and rushed out.
At this moment, Cao Zhang seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, always feeling unreal but full of fear.
He just retreated. How long did it take? How could it be possible to break it just by saying it?
When he retired, didn't the hussars also retire to rest?
Even if the hussars attack again, it's impossible for the soldiers guarding the front gate to be unable to hold on in such a short period of time, right?
He took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but he was soon staggered by the shouts and shouts coming from the front door!
Is it true?
Weapons clashed, screams and screams came and went, and the sound of war drums was so scattered that it was impossible to distinguish one node from another.
Where is Liu Fu?
Where's the damn Liu Fu?
But in the blink of an eye, the other side of Yan Xiang was also filled with fierce killings...
Cao Zhang's heart suddenly tightened into a ball!
Regardless of what happened at the front gate, or how the hussars broke through the city gate, Yan Xiang is in danger!
Cao Zhang's guards also hurried over, looking panicked, "General! What should I do? What should I do?!"
"Why are you panic?!" Cao Zhang yelled, "Gather the team immediately! Check the equipment! Wait for orders!"
"Wei!" Seeing that Cao Zhang still had his own ideas, the guards calmed down somewhat and each took orders to assemble the soldiers in the city.
At this moment, there was already chaos in Yanxiang City.
In particular, most of the petty officials who were responsible for the logistics of the rear camp had never been on the battlefield. The news that the front door was broken reached here, and the camp exploded in an instant. Some people got into the house when they saw it, and some people knelt down and cried. Howling from heaven to earth, there are some people running around like headless chickens, some people just follow others in despair, and of course there are people running around in circles as if they are looking for something to defend themselves, and then they find that no matter what kind of knife or gun it is, it seems None of them take advantage...
The soldiers around Cao Zhang were in chaos for a while. After being shouted at by the guards for a while, they were barely restrained.
However, when they were rushed by the small officials in the rear camp, there seemed to be some confusion again. Many soldiers followed him involuntarily. Several military schools and scoldings did not help at all. They could only draw their swords and kill a few people. The smell of blood filled the air. And it was only after opening that these soldiers woke up a little bit.
Cao Zhang had no time to pay attention to this, he was eagerly looking for Liu Fu.
He stood at the street corner and saw that the city gate seemed to be full of fleeing soldiers. Cao's military flag was falling and crumbling...
The army was defeated like a mountain, and the army was in chaos. It was useless to say anything at this time. The first thing was to find a favorable terrain to stabilize the team, and then talk about other things...
Cao Zhang looked up at the sky, "What time is it now?!"
The guard on the side said: "It was probably Xu Shi..."
Cao Zhang was silent.
It’s only the evening of the second day!
They couldn't even last three days!
Damn it!
Before Cao Zhang and others could reach the front door, they saw a small group of hussars rushing over from the street!
There were fire heads everywhere at the city gate.
I don’t know whether it was Cao’s army or the Hussars who lit it, but there was a mess of fire and blood everywhere.
It is precisely because of this that the Hussars did not yet fully control the Qianmen, but Cao's soldiers were already panicking and running around.
There were originally stones and wood that Cao Zhang had hoarded in the city gate opening. On the one hand, it was to defend the city wall for easy access, and on the other hand, it was to prevent the hussars from blowing up the city gate with gunpowder. But now I don’t know when they were moved out of a narrow space.
The passage, some hussars are rushing towards the city along this passage!
Because of the flames and debris, the entry of these hussars was not smooth, and their number was not as large as the number climbing up the city wall. However, the intimidation power of these hussars to Cao's soldiers was far greater than their number. More than a dozen cavalry
, or even a few cavalry, can trample at the entrances of streets and alleys, chop down people when they see them, and burn them when they see fire!
The soldiers of Cao's army were in panic and could not rely on each other for support. They could only fight in clusters here and there. When the hussars rushed them, they were cut into pieces like wheat. They either collapsed here or fled there.
The flesh and blood of broken arms and legs flew everywhere, and the stump of his head was kicked by human legs and horse hooves and rolled all over the ground.
There are also a few soldiers of Cao's army who are not afraid of death. They rush towards the hussars and fight for their lives to throw the hussars off their horses. They struggle into a ball. Even if they die, they have to drag a hussars on their backs...
…
But such brave soldiers of Cao's army were only a few after all.
When the hussars who rushed in saw Cao Zhang coming with a large force, they did not fight to the death. Instead, they whistled and ran along the street...
"Leave them alone! Find the military advisor first!"
Cao Zhang shouted that he must first find Liu Fu to understand the situation.
Cao Zhang saw Liu Fu.
Liu Fu and others were surrounded by hussars near the watchtower at the top of the city.
The soldiers led by Liu Fu formed a double-layered array with the watchtower as the core. The outer layer was covered with shields, spears and halberds. When the hussars were shot with arrows, they would raise their shields. If they dared get close, they would chop with their swords and spears and pierce the halberds.
After hooking up, the injured person retreated into the inner circle, and someone inside naturally stood up to take his place. Twenty or thirty archers climbed to the top of the watchtower, and fired wildly toward the outside with their bows drawn.
"The rescuer comes out!"
Cao Zhang shouted and rushed towards the watchtower with his men.
The hussars who gathered around the watchtower did not have a general in charge. They were unable to stop Cao Zhang's charge. Seeing that the bones here were not easy to chew, they withdrew with a whistle.
Before Cao Zhang and Liu Fu could say anything, and before they had time to breathe for a moment, they heard another loud shout outside!
Cao Zhang and Liu Fu turned around and saw a "Zhang" battle flag slowly approaching!
Zhang Liao is coming up!
Cao Zhang's face suddenly turned pale.
Yan Xiang can’t be saved!
Although the fighting around Yanxiang has never stopped since early yesterday morning, sometimes a group of hussars came up to harass and test, sometimes soldiers pushing some siege equipment came over to play ping-pong-pong, and some Sometimes two or three hussars attacked at the same time. Several times the situation was extremely critical, and the city was destroyed and people were killed in an instant. It was Cao Zhang, Liu Fu, and the soldiers from the Huben camp who ran around like firefighters. Put out the fire of destruction for once...
But now...
"There's... there's a spy!"
Liu Fu was holding one arm and his face was pale. He was obviously injured in the battle just now.
"spy?!"
When Cao Zhang heard what Liu Fu said, he refused to believe it at first, but the reality was right in front of him, and he couldn't help but believe it!
The hussars outside the city roared, and the shouts of "the hussars will be victorious" were as if they could knock down mountains and make the river flow backwards!
Looking at the approaching "Zhang" family's battle flag, Cao Zhang gritted his teeth angrily.
Why can't he hold on?
Why couldn't those soldiers of Cao's army hold on?
But no amount of whys can change the current situation.
Although the flames and stone blocks at the city gate will somewhat affect the speed of the hussars rushing into the city, Cao's soldiers already know that the city gate has been lost, and the collapse of the whole city is imminent...
Although Cao Zhang has the intention to continue to hold on, how can he hold on?
Liu Fu also looked tired, as if he had aged ten years in the past two days.
Who would have thought that Yan Xiang's final downfall was due to something like this?
He still hasn't realized it yet, why did someone suddenly defect to the Hussars?
He remembered that when he replaced Cao Zhang, he went to inspect the city gate and did not see anything special.
The collapse of the defense at the front gate has now triggered riots throughout the city. Now Cao Zhang and Liu Fu have only two choices left, either to immediately take their people to the blazing Qianmen of Yanxiang to fight Zhang Liao and survive in the fire, or It is eternal life in the fire...
The other road is the old road they are familiar with.
"Retreat..."
Liu Fu said.
Something went wrong when he was guarding the front door. Whether it was Liu Fu's problem or not, it has now become his problem, so Liu Fu is very depressed. But no matter how depressed he is, he must do his duty and propose the most suitable solution. The current strategy, even if Liu Fu knew that he proposed such a strategy, after saying this, he would probably not be able to escape the reputation of "fear of war" in the future.
After the war, Cao Zhang must be brave and dare to fight, but he is cowardly and has been holding Cao Zhang back. The main culprit for Cao Zhang's defeat is Liu Fu himself...
Coupled with the loss of the front door this time, it is simply indisputable!
But even if Liu Fu knew this, what could he do?
"We are retreating now, and we can hold off for a while until we get to Wangmat Village," Liu Fu said helplessly, "This can be considered as holding off for three days..."
Cao Zhang had no choice but to order, "Burn the tinder! Let's retreat!"
When the soldiers of Cao's army heard the order to retreat, they hurriedly ran away. As they ran, they threw torches and other objects on the fire starters to block the pursuit of the hussars.
Even so, some hussars still bypassed the line of fire and chased Cao Zhang and others.
It's just that Cao Zhang, Liu Fu and others retreated from the Tongguan camp all the way to Yanxiang. Both the soldiers and the military academy were relatively experienced and would not raise flags when escaping. The hussars charged for a while, looking for Cao Zhang, Liu Fu and other important military academy generals were not there, and they were worried that the flames would be too big and Yanxiang would be burned down, losing a place to rest and rest. Therefore, after chasing for a while, they slowly retreated to put out the flames and clean up the mess. .
The sun sets.
Looking to the west, there was no longer a large group of cavalry. Even if a few hussars appeared, they looked around for a while, and then turned around and left.
Only then did Cao Zhang exhale a long breath, knowing that the catastrophe was temporarily over. His heart relaxed, and as soon as the breath he had held in his chest was released, he felt that his whole body ached terribly, and his arms and legs felt like they were filled with lead. It was so heavy that he could no longer lift the heavy sword in his hand. He slowly sat down on the ground with the sword in his hand, and gasped with his mouth wide open.
There was the sound of clanging weapons and heavy breathing everywhere.
No one spoke, just breathing.
It's like a drowning person coming back to life, feeling the beauty of breathing and the existence of life.
Cao Zhang took a few breaths and felt that his body had relaxed a little, and his arms and legs were no longer trembling so much. He looked to the left and right, but did not see Liu Fu.
"Where is the military advisor?" Cao Zhang asked.
"I don't know, I was still behind..." Guard Cao Zhang replied.
Cao Zhang's expression suddenly changed, and his eyes rolled twice.
This bad old man, could he have surrendered to the enemy when the situation turned bad?
No wonder Cao Zhang became suspicious, after all, when the Yanxiang city gate was breached, it happened to be the time when he and Liu Fu changed defenses.
Liu Fu replaced him and asked Cao Zhang to go back to rest, but something happened...
Liu Fu said it was a spy, but where did the spy come from? Did he sneak in, or was he already in the queue?
Cao Zhang couldn't help but turn his head, raised his eyebrows, and looked around.
"General?" The guard beside Cao Zhang saw that Cao Zhang's eyes were somewhat ferocious, and couldn't help but tremble with fear, "General, you... what are you..."
Cao Zhang came to his senses and rubbed his face with his hands, "It's okay."
In fact, he was also a little frightened by this turn of events.
The people around him are basically the core soldiers of Cao Cao's army, that is, the veterans who followed Cao Cao all the way from Chenliu, and some are Cao's clan members, or people from the same hometown. If there are also some of these people,
Traitor, then the Cao family will just assume that the matter is completely over, and they still need Cao Zhang to distinguish and verify it at this time?
After a while, Liu Fu came from the other direction.
Cao Zhang also suddenly remembered that Liu Fu was injured, so he must not be able to "walk" as fast as Cao Zhang and the others. It is normal to fall behind...
As if to conceal his thoughts just now, Cao Zhang stood up and approached him, "Military advisor... can you still hold on?"
Liu Fu's face was pale, his arm was wrapped with a tie, and some blood was still seeping out, "It's okay... I won't die for the time being..."
Cao Zhang seemed to want Sanqian to help Liu Fu sit down, but he didn't know whether intentionally or not, he touched the wound on Liu Fu's arm. The pain made Liu Fu tremble, "Ah, I'm sorry! I was so careless!"
Quick, get out of the way and let the military advisor sit inside!"
Liu Fu glanced at Cao Zhang and sighed slightly in his heart, but said nothing.
The two sat down and then talked about what happened at the front door of Yanxiang.
When this matter was mentioned, Liu Fu couldn't help but feel a little confused.
He didn't notice any signs.
It seemed to happen all of a sudden.
But Liu Fu's words sounded a little different to Cao Zhang's ears.
What does "happen suddenly" mean and what does "happen without warning" mean?
At that time, the soldiers of the military academy were on duty at the front gate, but they were all under Liu Fu's command. Why did they say they didn't know anything?
But looking at Liu Fu's expression, Cao Zhang swallowed the questions that arose again.
"Send someone to contact the lord first..."
Fortunately, Cao Cao made arrangements in advance. Although he failed to meet Cao Cao's requirements in terms of time, he could still manage to meet the standard, right?
perhaps……
Cao Zhang stood up and stopped asking Yan Xiang what happened in Qianmen City.
Now that the matter has come to this, even if we ask what is going on, how much meaning does it have?
It's just that this is like a thorn, hidden in Cao Zhang's heart. Maybe he doesn't know when it will prick him...