It is approaching evening, and darkness is about to cover the earth. The working farmers have gone home to rest, and even the birds in the woods have stopped singing.
On the official road, a large army was running at a very fast speed. Due to the long journey, the soldiers were all sweating profusely and panting.
The general's horse also began to sneeze, telling its owner that it was tired.
Cao Hong's face was solemn, and he kept urging and shouting along the way, which made his voice hoarse. However, despite this, he still urged the soldiers on their way with a hoarse accent.
"Quick, speed up, we must catch up with them."
Yu Jin rode over and said, "General Cao, do you want everyone to take a rest?"
Cao Hong turned his head to look at Yu Jin and said slowly, "General Yu, the enemy is very fast. If we don't speed up our journey, we may be left behind by them."
Yu Jin looked at the soldiers next to him with some worry, "But everyone is tired. In this state, how can we catch up with them?"
He didn't finish what he said, but his meaning was clearly expressed.
Everyone is exhausted. Even if we catch up, how can we have the physical strength to fight the enemy?
Cao Hong hesitated for a moment, and finally shook his head firmly, "General Yu, if anyone is dissatisfied, go tell everyone and let everyone persist. As long as this enemy army is eliminated, everyone will be rewarded."
After hearing these words, Yu Jin knew that Cao Hong had made up his mind, so he could only leave with a wry smile to comfort the exhausted soldiers.
It was getting dark, and Cao Jun was like a long black dragon, galloping along the official road.
Thirty miles away, there was also a group of soldiers and horses advancing rapidly, led by Hao Meng and Cao.
The two of them walked at the back of the team, on the one hand to urge the soldiers on their way, and on the other hand, to observe the movements of the pursuing soldiers behind them.
Listening to the news from the spies, Cao couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"These Cao soldiers are really hateful. They have been chasing us for so long and they still refuse to stop."
Hao Meng frowned and felt a little worried. It was getting late now. He originally thought that Cao Jun would take a rest, but he never expected that this group of Cao Jun would chase after them desperately. They didn't even care about the darkness and looked like they were not chasing.
A posture of never giving up.
According to the plan, it will take at least until tomorrow evening to arrive at the designated location.
But, can the soldiers hold on for so long?
This time, Hao Meng was really worried. The Cao army behind him was like a tiger. If it caught up with him, he would probably be torn into pieces by the angry tiger.
After thinking for a long time, Hao Meng turned to look at Cao and said with a wry smile, "General Cao, in order to speed up the process, go and tell everyone to throw away everything except some food."
Hearing this, Cao couldn't help but be stunned, "General Hao, do you have everything?"
In the marching team, they carry not only food, but also many necessary supplies, such as drinking water, which is equally important as food.
Don't think that the large army must encounter a big river to drink water. When you are on the road, you must also bring a lot of water. Otherwise, what will you do if you are so thirsty that you can't stand it and you don't encounter a big river or stream?
, can I pay my respects?
There are also military tents, which are also very important. Without these tents, everyone would have to live in the wilderness.
And if you want to build a tent, most of the keels and materials used are well-made materials. When building a tent, use these materials directly to build it, which saves speed and makes the tent safe.
If you want to use local materials and cut down some trees to build a tent, it will not only waste time, but also make the tent unsafe because the materials are not suitable. It may collapse in the middle of the night.
Needless to say, the materials for building tents, even for the construction of fences around the camp, are mostly prepared and pulled by carts. When they arrive at a certain location, these prepared materials can be used to build.
If you rely on the woods and the felled trees to build tents and fences, even a skilled soldier will probably take a day.
Therefore, don’t think that when a soldier and horse are on the road, they only carry some food and many necessary supplies, such as firewood and cauldrons for cooking food. These all need to be carried.
There are also equipment for repairing shoelaces for blacksmiths in the army, carpenters, and military doctors. In short, a soldier and horse will carry many carts on the road. These carts are also pulled by oxen, but there are not many oxen.
Only some large-scale equipment uses precious things like cattle. Normally, soldiers push carts with wooden wheels and rush through the army.
Hearing Cao's question, Hao Meng hesitated again, nodded slowly, and said firmly, "Throw it away. Throw away everything except the equipment and food."
After finishing speaking, Hao Meng saw that Cao was about to leave and sighed, "Keep some water and throw away the rest."
When the soldiers of Lu Bu's army heard this order, they were surprised and happy.
I'm surprised that these things have been lost. It's not that easy to set up camp.
I'm happy that I can finally put aside this big burden and travel lightly.
Following the order, the soldiers threw the carts everywhere and continued to move forward at a brisk pace.
After throwing away these heavy objects, Hao Meng felt a little relieved.
An hour later, when Cao Jun was on his way, a spy hurried over to report.
"General, there are a lot of supplies dropped by Lu Bu's army ahead. Do you want to keep them?"
Upon hearing the news, Cao Hong was immediately surprised, "Where is it?"
"In front and inside and outside."
Cao Hong's face turned ugly and he gritted his teeth and said, "Oops!"
Yu Jin also heard the news and hurried over, "General Cao, they lost all their supplies just to speed up their journey. Do we still want to chase them?"
Cao Hong frowned and thought quickly in his mind. Lu Bujun would definitely be faster if he threw away the extra supplies. It would be almost impossible for him to catch up.
You know, along the way, they also brought a lot of supplies, which slowed them down.
Cao Hong thought for a long time and suddenly snorted coldly, "General Yu, since they have thrown away all the supplies, well, we will divide our troops into two groups now. The two of us will lead the capable soldiers to pursue them in front, and leave some people to escort the supplies.
, drive slowly behind, I don’t believe you can’t catch up with them.”
After hearing this, Yu Jin remained silent because he also knew that this was the only way to catch up with the enemy.
Soon, following Cao Hong's order, Cao's army divided into two groups. Cao Hong and Yu Jin led 12,000 lightly armed men into battle and quickly pursued them.
Leave 3,000 soldiers and horses to escort the supplies and hurry up behind.
In the early morning, the morning light shines on the ground, and also covers the faces of the soldiers who are on their way. The pale faces and half-open eyes show that everyone is exhausted.
Although Hao Meng was riding on the horse, he was already exhausted and his legs were a little numb, as if they were no longer his own.
"It's really hateful. Do these Cao soldiers want their lives?"
Cao pointed his hand in the direction where Cao Jun was chasing, gritted his teeth and roared, "Can't you stop for a moment, let everyone have a good meal and a sip of water."
Hao Meng chuckled, "General Cao, why don't you go and tell them that your surname is Cao? Maybe they will change their minds and stop pursuing you after listening to you?"
Cao's face turned red and he received it angrily, "What's wrong with my surname Cao? Are the people surnamed Cao the same as them?
General Hao, these Cao soldiers are so hateful. They are chasing them so closely that I don’t even have time to urinate."
At this point, Cao suddenly laughed and said, "General Hao, do you think they don't have to urinate? Otherwise, why don't they rest?"
Hao Meng waved his hand angrily, "How do I know? If you really want to know, ask them. They will definitely be able to give you a satisfactory answer."
The surnamed Cao shrank his neck and said, "No, I'm afraid it's their swords that answer my words. I can't be fooled."
The two were talking and laughing, and they felt a lot more energetic. Hao Meng's eyes, which were almost unable to open, also gained some strength.
"General Cao, tell everyone, if you persist for a while, everyone will feel relaxed."
Cao sighed and said, "General Hao, how many times have I said these words this night? We have been traveling for such a long time. Everyone is really tired. It is useless to say these things."
Hearing this, Hao Meng sighed and said with a wry smile, "Then let me tell you, if you don't run quickly, once Cao Jun catches up, you will definitely die, and no one will be able to save them by then."
Cao smiled bitterly and nodded, "It seems that's all I can say."
The sun is gradually rising, and the temperature is gradually getting higher, but as it gets warmer, sleepiness gradually increases.
The soldiers half-closed their eyes and hurried forward in a daze. The only feeling in their bodies was their legs. Their brains mechanically issued a single order and hurried on.
Some soldiers couldn't hold on anymore and fell asleep while walking. They kept bumping into their companions and suddenly woke up. They looked around blankly. After they realized what they were doing, they hurried on again.
Lu Bu's army had been working hard on the road, and Cao Hong's soldiers and horses were already exhausted. The originally neat formation had now become disorganized.
Compared with others, Cao Hong was full of energy, his eyes were wide open, and he still urged the soldiers on their way with a hoarse voice.
Only he himself knows that in order to resist the sleepiness, his thighs have been pinched blue by himself, and even broken in some places.
In order to catch up with Lu Bujun in front, Cao Hong also fought hard this time!
After a night of traveling, the distance between the two separate groups of Cao's troops became farther and farther. In the morning, according to spies' reports, the two sides were already 30 miles apart.
Perhaps after traveling all night, Cao Hong was already a little dizzy. He only knew that he wanted to catch up with Lu Bu's army in front, but he did not expect that there was also a troop chasing them.
Fifty miles away from Caohong, there is a small river flowing through the mountainside.
The river water is very clear and stable, and you can even see small fish swimming in the river.
Beside the river, countless war horses were lusting greedily by the river.
Cheng Lian held up the river water, took a big sip, and then laughed and said, "It's so refreshing."
Zhang Liao washed his face, and the coolness of the river immediately dispelled the sleepiness of last night.
In order to pursue the enemy, they also stayed up all night.
Cheng Lian took out a piece of cloth, gently wiped the sweat from the horse's body, and said to Zhang Liao next to him, "Old Zhang, they are not far away now. Let everyone rest for a while. Let's go there quickly."
Zhang Liao took out the cloth and wiped off the water stains on his face, "Let everyone rest for a while. Even if you are not tired after traveling for such a long time, aren't your horses tired too?"
Cheng Lian reached out and patted his horse's big head, and said with a smile, "Of course Dahei is tired. Look at the sweat on his body. There is so much sweat on his body. It feels really distressing to see him."
Everyone stayed by the river to rest for a while, then mounted their horses and chased in the direction of Cao Jun.
Han Bu yawned and turned to look at the large and small vehicles around him. Listening to the sound of the wheels, he felt more and more sleepy.
He is a captain in Cao's army. This time Cao's army is divided, and he is here to command the soldiers and horses escorting the supplies.
Han Bu felt at ease. Since the large army had left, he was not in a hurry, nor did he rush the soldiers to hurry up. He just walked slowly.
Although he was very sleepy, he did not dare to stop. Once General Cao found out about it, he might not even be able to save his head in his rage.
"If you can't catch up, just stop chasing. Is it worth spending so much effort?"
Han Bu muttered and yawned again.
Before he could close his open mouth, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind.
Han Bu's sleepiness had not dissipated, and his brain was not moving very quickly. He was stunned for a moment, and then he came to his senses. He hurriedly turned his head to look, and saw smoke and dust on the official road in the distance, and the rumble of horse hooves came from the smoke and dust.
Outgoing.
Cavalry!
This thought flashed into Han Bu's sleepy mind. His face quickly changed, he reacted, and he shouted hurriedly.
"The whole army is on alert. The cavalry is coming. Get ready. Don't be stunned."
While Cao's soldiers were in a hurry, a group of cavalry rushed out of the smoke. It was the Bingzhou cavalry led by Zhang Liao and Cheng Lian.
The target of their operation this time was not Cao Hong's troops, but the senior troops they left behind.
Seeing the large group of cavalry rushing towards them, the exhausted Cao Jun soldiers suddenly panicked. Some went to get their weapons, and some wanted to push carts to block the road.
By the time the cavalry came, chaos had already begun.
Han Bu took out his broadsword, saw a charging soldier, and shouted, "Hurry and push the cart to the front. They are cavalry and cannot rush over."
Now that they had a backbone, everyone reacted immediately and hurriedly pushed their vehicles and blocked the official road, trying to prevent the cavalry from passing.
To be precise, the baggage troops are not without combat effectiveness. On the contrary, these escorting soldiers
They are all experienced soldiers.
After these soldiers passed the panic period, they immediately pushed the available vehicles to block the surrounding areas, forming a circular fortress.
This method of resisting cavalry is even more effective than pikemen.
Ta-ta-ta!
The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, and countless cavalry roared over, the swords in their hands shining coldly in the sun.
Han Bu was sweating on his forehead and his sleepiness had long since dissipated. He looked at the visitor with a trace of fear in his eyes and a chill in his heart.
The enemy has come with so many cavalry, it may be dangerous this time!
And he also knew that Lu Bu's army only had one cavalry team, and that was the prestigious Bingzhou Cavalry.