Cao Cao thought for a long time and finally made up his mind to restore things to their original state before making plans.
But unfortunately, just as he made up his mind, he received news the next day that Lu Bu led his troops out of the city and headed for Cangting.
Upon hearing the news, Cao Cao was immediately shocked and hurriedly summoned everyone to discuss the matter.
After Cao Cao finished explaining the matter, everyone was shocked. No one expected that Lu Bu would dare to take the initiative to send troops.
In the battle in Puyang, although Lu Bu had a slight upper hand, everyone knew that in terms of overall strength, Cao Cao still had the upper hand.
In this case, Lu Bu should stick to Puyang, recruit troops, and then think of countermeasures.
But, Lu Bu just sent out troops?
Everyone was confused, and Cao Cao was even more surprised. He had already planned to restore things to their original state, but Lu Bu suddenly sent troops. In his memory, this incident must have never happened.
So, why did Lu Bu send troops?
Lu Qian stepped forward and said, "My lord, Lu Bu is taking troops to Cangting, most likely to Fan County. Why don't we send troops to reinforce in case there is a mistake?"
After hearing Lu Qian's suggestion, Cao Cao didn't speak, but his brows furrowed even more tightly. He turned to look at everyone and asked slowly.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
Cheng Yu stepped forward and said, "My lord, Lu Bu is going to Cangting with his troops to either capture Fan County or Dong'a. It is better for us to send troops to stop them and keep them out."
Xia Houyuan stepped forward and said, "If Lu Bu can be eliminated in this battle, it will be considered a blessing. Only Chen Gong and Zhang Miao are left to worry about."
Cao Cao nodded absently, and after thinking for a long time, he slowly said.
"Xia Houyuan, Cao Hong, Xu Chu, Yu Jin, Han Hao, and Shi Huan obey orders."
The six people hurriedly stepped forward, raised their hands and said, "The end will be here."
Cao Cao nodded, "I order the four of you to lead 30,000 troops and horses to Cangting and drive Lu Bu away."
At this point, Cao Cao paused and looked around the four of them, "If Lu Bu withdraws his troops, you don't have to chase him. You just need to drive him away."
Xia Houyuan was stunned and asked tentatively, "Lord, even if our army has the upper hand, can't we catch up?"
Cao Cao hesitated for a moment and nodded slowly, "Our army is now exhausted and it is time to recuperate. If Lu Bu retreats on his own initiative, let him go and don't pursue us."
Everyone was a little surprised when they heard Cao Cao's order, but they had no choice but to accept it.
Cangting.
Lu Bujun's camp was built along the river. The bonfire was raised and the water in the large pot was quickly boiled. The cook broke up some hard pancakes and threw them into the pot. Seeing that they were still a little thin, he got some grain and
I threw the wild vegetables in one after another and stirred it with a spoon. I stopped when I saw that the soup was a little cold.
The white mist in the cauldron floated throughout the camp with the aroma of grain, immediately making the soldiers salivate.
Everyone has traveled a long distance and is already exhausted. Now having a bowl of hot porridge is considered a delicacy in the world.
In the distance, several spies on horseback hurried back. As soon as they arrived in front of the camp gate, Cheng Lian, who was on duty, saw the spies and immediately asked loudly.
"How's it going? Have you gotten any information?"
The spy hurriedly handed over his hand and said, "Return to the general, Juancheng has sent troops and horses, and they are heading this way."
Upon hearing the news, Cheng Lian hurriedly grabbed the spy and said, "Let's go, I will go with you to see Wen Hou."
At this moment, Lu Bu and Chen Gong were discussing their next actions, when Cheng Lian and the spies broke in.
"Marquis Wen, troops have been sent out from Juancheng."
Lu Bu raised his head and looked at the spies, "How many people are there?"
The spy hurriedly handed over his hand, "About thirty thousand people."
Lu Bu turned to look at Chen Gong and said with a smile, "Cao Mengde sent quite a lot of troops. It seems they want to drive us away!"
Chen Gong nodded, "Cao Mengde does have a lot of troops, but if they are divided into two, the number will be similar to ours!"
Xia Houyuan led his troops on a rapid march, and halfway there, spies came to report.
"General, Lu Bu's army is divided into two. One part is stationed in place, and the other part rushes to the direction of Dong'a."
"What?"
Hearing the news, Xia Houyuan was immediately surprised and hurriedly called the generals to discuss the matter.
"Everyone, Lu Bu split his troops into two again. What do you think we should do?"
Yu Jin frowned, "The last time we divided our troops, we already suffered a loss. This time, this trick is unexpectedly used again, so we must be careful in dealing with it."
Cao Hong nodded, "The last time we divided our troops, it ruined our ambush plan. This time, why did Lu Bu divide his troops?"
Xu Chu laughed loudly, "It goes without saying, of course he didn't dare to fight us, so he divided his troops to fight Dong'a."
Xia Houyuan shook his head, "No, if Lu Bu doesn't dare to fight us, he won't be able to divide his troops, which will make his troops even weaker."
After hearing this, Cao Hong remembered what happened last time, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly said, "I understand, I finally understand."
When everyone heard this, they hurriedly turned to look at Cao Hong, "General Cao, what do you understand?"
Cao Hong sneered and said slowly, "Last time Lu Bu divided his troops and rushed all the way to Juancheng and the other to Dingtao.
In fact, if you think about it carefully now, Lu Bu's real goal is to take Dingtao back. He wanted to take it back, but he was worried about an ambush, so he used the soldiers and horses who went to Juancheng to lure us back."
Yu Jin nodded, "Yes, the most important thing is that we have to pay attention to the troops and horses sent by Lu Bu to Juancheng. Dingtao can be lost, but Juancheng must not be lost, so we can only go back."
Cao Hong snorted coldly, "If my guess is correct, Lu Bu's division of troops this time will be the same as the last time."
Xia Houyuan's heart moved and he asked tentatively, "General Cao, do you mean to say that Lu Bu's real target this time is actually Dong'a?"
Cao Hong nodded, "Absolutely yes, the soldiers and horses they left behind just want to contain us, and their real purpose is to capture Dong'a."
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Hearing this, Xia Houyuan sneered, "In that case, we don't have to go to Cangting. We can go directly to Dong'a to stop this group of soldiers and horses and destroy Lu Bu's plan."
Cao Hong nodded and said with a smile, "That's exactly what it should be."
Xu Chu scratched his head, "But if we leave, what will happen to Fan County behind us?"
After hearing this, Yu Jin nodded, "General Xu is right. Although we guess that Lu Bu's real target is Dong'a, if we rush over and the troops left behind by Lu Bu go straight to Fan County, wouldn't we be caught off guard?
, maybe something will happen in Fan County, but it will be too late to regret it."
Xia Houyuan put away the smile on his face, thought carefully, turned to look at Cao Hong, and said slowly, "Since Lu Bu has divided his troops, General Cao, we will also divide our troops. You and General Yu will lead the troops to Dong'a. I will stay here."
Block the rest of Lu Bu's people here."
Cao Hong nodded, "Okay, let's do it like this. We will divide our troops into two groups."
Following the order, 30,000 Cao's troops were divided into two groups, led by Cao Hong, and headed straight to the north.
The other way was led by Xia Houyuan and went straight to Cangting.
The distance to Cangting is relatively short, so Xia Houyuan arrived first.
"Reporting to General, Lu Bu's army left the camp and retreated."
Upon hearing the news from the spies, Xia Houyuan couldn't help but be stunned, "Lü Bu is gone?"
After reacting, he suddenly roared, "Give me the order to go down and chase after me."
As soon as Xiahou Yuan finished speaking, Xu Chu shouted loudly, "General Xiahou, when we came, the lord once said that we would not be allowed to pursue him."
Uh!
Xia Houyuan was stunned again. Thinking of Cao Cao's words, he could only sigh secretly, "Give me the order to set up camp where you are, and you are not allowed to pursue me."
Xia Houyuan was experienced in leading troops. In order to prepare for trouble, he specially selected an open space to guard against enemy sneak attacks. He also ordered people to put up fences around and build a strong camp.
That night, Xia Houyuan was about to take a rest when suddenly there was an urgent report from a detective horse.
"General, Lu Bu's army set off overnight and is heading here."
Xia Houyuan frowned and asked slowly, "Have you seen the Bingzhou Cavalry?"
The spy nodded hurriedly, "Yes, my subordinate also saw Wen Hou Lu Bu among them. There is absolutely no mistake."
Upon hearing the news, Xia Houyuan was stunned for a moment, and then sneered.
"As expected, Lu Bu's son actually dared to sneak attack me. Hum, let him have a taste of my power."
"Come here, call General Xu and General Han, and tell them that I have something to discuss with them."
Not long after, Xu Chu came to the tent with a puzzled look on his face, "General Xiahou, it's so late, what can I do?"
Xia Houyuan smiled slightly and said, "General Xu, Lu Bu's son retreated during the day and wants to attack us at night. What's your clever plan?"
Xu Chu scratched his head and said nonchalantly, "General Xiahou, if you have anything to do, just say it and I will listen to you."
Xia Houyuan nodded with satisfaction, "General Xu, since Lu Bu's son has rushed back, we will let him never come back."
Xia Houyuan sneered, "General Xu, since they want to make a sneak attack, okay, then we'll let him make a sneak attack."
Hearing this, Xu Chu became a little anxious, "How can this be done?"
Xia Houyuan waved his hand and said with a smile, "General Xu, don't worry. We will ambush in the woods next to the camp. When they attack the camp, we will attack from both sides and catch him off guard."
Hearing this, Xu Chu was overjoyed and nodded with laughter, "Yes, what a brilliant idea. Tonight, we will make sure Lu Bu's child never comes back."
There is no wind and no moon tonight, which is when the wind rises.
Han Hao led 5,000 soldiers and horses and hid in the depression on the left side of the camp.
Xia Houyuan and Xu Chu led 6,000 soldiers and horses, hiding in the woods on the right side of the mountain.
The remaining 4,000 troops and horses were led by Shi Huan and stayed in the camp to prevent Lu Bu from becoming suspicious.
The two made an appointment, and the fire was the signal.
After everything is prepared, we are waiting for the arrival of Lu Bujun.
The woods were silent and pitch-black all around. No one could have imagined that 6,000 soldiers and horses could be hidden in these woods.
Xia Houyuan sat on a huge rock and listened to the news from the spies.
"General, Lu Bu's army is coming all the way here without turning."
"General, Lu Bu's army continues to rush this way. There are only 20 miles left from here."
Xia Houyuan sneered in his heart when he heard the news that the spies kept coming back.
There are still 20 miles left. As long as Lu Bu dares to rush into the camp, today will be his death day.
In addition to the 4,000 soldiers and horses in the camp, there are already piles of flammable objects around the camp. As long as Lu Bu dares to rush in, a torch can turn the camp into a sea of flames.
Hum, so what if you are a flying general? Can you really fly out in the fire?
Xu Chu was already impatient with the waiting, "General Xiahou, why haven't you come yet? I've been waiting impatiently."
Xia Houyuan smiled slightly and said, "General Xu, don't be anxious. After tonight, we will have made great achievements."
Xu Chu scratched his head, "How about I go take a look?"
Seeing that Xu Chu was about to go, Xia Houyuan hurriedly grabbed him and said, "General Xu, there are only 20 miles left. It won't be long before they come over. You should recuperate here. Wait a minute, there will be a big battle."
I need to fight."
"General, Lu Bu's army has not stopped all the way, and now it is only ten miles away from here."
Hearing the distance between the two sides, Xia Houyuan was a little nervous at the moment, no matter how conceited he was. After all, the person he was facing was the famous Lu Bu.
"Give the order, let everyone be ready, keep the sword in hand, and wait for the order."
Just when everyone was paying attention to the direction Lu Bu was coming, no one noticed that a group of soldiers and horses suddenly appeared at the edge of the woods behind them.
These people came to the edge of the woods and quietly threw the jars of kerosene into the woods. After doing all this, with an order, Huo Zhezi lit the torch and threw it into the kerosene.
When a strong fire meets kerosene, the fire will burst into thick smoke in a blink of an eye.
At this time, the woods were already dry, and oil and kerosene were used as a starter. As soon as the fire started, it had already risen as high as a person. Driven by the breeze, it started to burn rapidly into the woods with a crackle of thunder.
The bushes on the ground burned even faster, spreading forward at a speed almost visible to the naked eye.
Finally, someone from Cao Jun discovered the fire and screamed in horror.
"No, it's on fire."
"Run quickly, the fire is too strong."
Xia Houyuan stood at the front and was the last to find it. When he heard the shouting, he hurriedly turned back to look, and there was already a fire behind him.
The billowing smoke spread along the woods, and countless soldiers coughed violently in the smoke, running back and forth in the woods like headless flies.
"Run quickly, the fire is coming."
Xu Chu, who was not afraid of anything, turned pale with fright. He grabbed Xia Houyuan and said, "General Xiahou, let's run quickly, otherwise it will be too late."
Xia Houyuan was also frightened with cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, and shouted sternly, "Everyone, get out of the woods quickly, the fire is coming."
Hoo ho ho!
The fire burned fiercely in the woods. The war horses were frightened and did not listen to their master's call. They broke free from the rope and began to run in the woods. When they encountered soldiers blocking the way, they stepped over them unceremoniously and rushed out of the woods. At this moment, the woods are filled with the neighing of war horses and the screams of soldiers.
There are 6,000 soldiers in this forest. If everyone obeys the order, no accidents will happen. At this moment, people are in panic. No one obeys the order. They are fleeing in all directions, trying to find a way out, making the whole forest even more chaotic.<