The army was defeated like a mountain, and countless Cao Jun soldiers had thrown down their weapons and hid in the woods nearby.
Seeing that they could no longer escape, countless Cao Jun soldiers knelt on the ground and shouted to surrender.
Cao Cao also knew that there was no way to reverse it, so he could only grit his teeth and give an order that he least wanted to say.
"Retreat!"
Cao Cao led his men to retreat all the way. Those infantry without horses were really unlucky.
The entire battle lasted until dawn, before Lu Bu ordered his troops to retreat and returned in great force with the spoils of war and prisoners.
Cao Cao fled back to the camp, his face was livid with anger, and he kept roaring, "What's going on? How did the little Lu Bu know our plan?"
Lu Qian sighed, "My lord, it seems that Tian Xiang has really betrayed us. He teamed up with Lu Bu'er to plot against us."
Cheng Yu shook his head, "It's impossible. If he wanted to betray us, tonight wouldn't be like this."
Hearing this sentence, Cao Cao's eyebrows moved, "It makes sense. It seems that Tian Xiang shouldn't betray us."
Cheng Yu nodded, "If Tian Xiang wants to betray us, the place where Lu Bu's son will set up an ambush should be at the east city gate, not in the wilderness.
The terrain inside the east city gate is narrow, and it would be more beneficial to Lu Bu's son if he set up an ambush there.
The fact that Lu Bu's son chose to ambush in the wild is enough to prove that Tian Xiang did not betray us."
Hearing this, Lu Qian frowned and said, "If we put it this way, even Tian Xiang may not know the strategy devised by Lu Bu's son, right?"
Cao Cao turned his head and looked at Lu Qian, "What do you mean by this?"
Lu Qian cupped his hands and said, "Lord, there is only one way to go from us to Puyang City.
What if we, Lu Bu'er and Tian Xiang designed a plan and asked Tian Xiang to lead us to the North City Gate.
Tian Xiang didn't know about it, because Lu Bu's son didn't plan to set up an ambush in the city, but on the road we must pass.
This means that Lu Bu's son asked Tian Xiang to lead us to the city. It was actually just a pretense, and he didn't even take it seriously.
The most important thing is that Lu Bu is best at fighting on the plains and is known for his bravery. It is reasonable for him to do such a thing."
After hearing this analysis, Cao Cao frowned and asked slowly, "In that case, do you think Tian Xiang wants to cooperate with us, or with Lu Bu'er?"
Lu Qian smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's hard to say now, but we can send people to inquire. If Tian Xiang has captured Lu Bu's son, then he is interested in us. On the other hand, this is their plan." Cao Cao turned his head and looked at Xia Houyuan, "What are the losses of our army?"
Xia Houyuan hurriedly raised his hand and said, "When we set out yesterday, we brought a total of 40,000 troops and horses.
After the battle last night, when we came back to count the number of people, we found that there were 15,000 people who had not returned."
Hearing this number, Cao Cao was immediately surprised, "So many?"
Cao Cao really felt a little distressed. Although the military discipline of these Qingzhou soldiers was not very good, they were young and strong men selected from millions of Yellow Turban troops. Over time, they would become an absolute elite force.
However, there was a sneak attack last night and so much was lost.
Xia Houyuan hurriedly handed over his hand and said, "Lord, maybe everyone ran away, and soldiers will come back one after another in the future. The actual number of losses will not be so many."
Cao Cao waved his hand feebly, "Everyone, please go back and rest first."
Just when everyone was about to exit, a voice came among the crowd.
"Wait a minute."
Cao Cao turned his head to look, but it was Guo Jia who walked out of the crowd, cupped his hands and said, "My lord, our army has returned with a great defeat, and Lu Bu'er will most likely take advantage of the victory to pursue him. If our soldiers go down to rest, in case the enemy forces charge
Come on, how should our army respond?"
When everyone heard these words, they reacted, and at the same time, they secretly felt ashamed.
Lu Qian cupped his hands and said, "My lord, what Guo Fengxiao said makes sense. Our army should send more sentries around to prevent Lu Bu from succeeding in another sneak attack."
Cao Cao nodded and was about to speak when Cheng Yu suddenly said, "My lord, since we know that Lu Bu's son will come, why should we give up this good opportunity? Why don't we take this opportunity to devise a plan and let Lu Bu's son dare to come?"
He never comes back."
After hearing this, Xia Houyuan shouted loudly, "Okay, that's a good plan. We will use our lives today to ensure that Lu Bu's son cannot go back."
Cao Cao nodded lightly, turned to look at Guo Jia, and asked slowly, "Fengxiao, what do you think?"
Guo Jia cupped his hands and said slowly, "My lord, do you still remember that there is a Maling Mountain not far from our place? We can pretend to retreat and set up an ambush in the mountain. If Lu Bu's son comes, our army can sneak attack.
”
Cheng Yu's eyes lit up and he recalled the Maling Mountain he passed by. He clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Feng Xiao is right. The terrain of Maling Mountain is dangerous. As long as an ambush is set up halfway, Lu Bu's child will definitely not be able to escape." p>
Guo Jia smiled and cupped his hands, "That's exactly what I meant."
After hearing what the two said, Cao Cao frowned slightly. If it were normal, he would definitely rise up and shout for good advice.
But now, he is a little hesitant, because he also knows these things.
How to choose?
Will Lu Bu come?
Cao Cao fell into deep thought!
……
Puyang City.
Lu Bu and the generals were all beaming with joy, and the atmosphere in the room was unusually relaxed.
Wei Xu stepped forward and raised his hands and said, "Marquis Wen, Cao Mengde lost a lot of troops this time, and his vitality must have been severely damaged. Why don't we take advantage of the victory to pursue them and defeat them directly."
Lu Bu nodded slightly, but did not speak. Instead, he turned his gaze to Chen Gong and asked, "Gongtai, what do you mean?"
Chen Gong cupped his hands and said slowly, "Cao Mengde returned with a huge defeat last night. His morale must have been greatly reduced. It is a good time for our army to attack."
As soon as he said this, there were sudden footsteps outside the door. A soldier hurriedly walked in from outside the door. He raised his hands and said, "I'm reporting to Marquis Wen. The news came back from the exploration horse. Cao's army has set up camp and seems to be preparing to leave."
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Upon hearing the news, Wei Xu shouted, "No, they want to run away."
At this point, Wei Xu turned around and cupped his hands towards Lu Bu, "Marquis Wen, Cao Mengde must have fled with his soldiers because he saw that he couldn't defeat us.
The last general is willing to lead a group of soldiers and horses as the vanguard to chase Cao Mengde, and I ask Marquis Wen to agree!"
When all the generals heard that they had the opportunity to beat up the drowned dog, they all stepped forward to ask for help.
"Marquis Wen, let the general go."
"The mission will be completed in the end."
"The last general must come back with Cao Mengde's head."
After hearing what everyone said, Lu Bu frowned and turned to look at Chen Gong again.
"Gongtai, what do you think?"
After hearing the question, Chen Gong pondered for a moment and nodded slowly, "Cao Mengde came back from Xuzhou and was already exhausted. Coupled with several battles, he suffered heavy losses and his morale was already low.
So I also think that Cao Mengde’s move is very likely to be true.”
When Lu Bu heard Chen Gong's analysis, he also felt that it made sense. He nodded and shouted loudly, "Generals, obey the order."
When everyone heard this, they hurriedly stood up and held their hands, "General, you will obey the order."
"Zhang Liao and Cheng Lian will lead the cavalry and open the way in front. Remember, after arriving at Maling Mountain, stop at the mountain pass and wait for the arrival of the army. Do not act rashly."
"The general will obey your orders."
After receiving the order, the two of them bowed their hands and turned to leave.
Lu Bu looked around and said, "Zang Ba will stay to defend the city, and the rest of the people will go with me to pursue Cao Mengde."
Although the credit this time went to Zhang Liao and Cheng Lian, it is still good to have some soup.
Everyone cupped their hands and responded loudly, "I will obey your orders."
Half an hour later, Zhang Liao and Cheng Lian led the cavalry out of the city and headed towards Maling Mountain.
Everyone was walking quickly and were about to reach Maling Mountain. Just when Zhang Liao was about to give the order to speed up, the spy in front came back with news.
"Reporting to General Zhang, Cao Jun's baggage team has been spotted ahead. Do you want to continue the pursuit?"
When he heard the news from the spies, Cheng Lian was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Lao Zhang, that's great. Although Cao Mengde ran away, the baggage team was too slow. Unexpectedly, we caught up with him."
Baggage team: a series of logistics materials such as ordnance, food and grass, tents, uniforms, etc. carried by the transport troops.
Zhang Liao frowned and asked slowly, "The baggage team is no small matter. Cao Mengde will definitely send heavy troops to guard it. We must not be careless."
Cheng Lian hurriedly turned to look at the spies, "Have you found out how many there are there?"
The spy cupped his hand and said, "The enemy's baggage team may have tens of thousands of people, but my subordinates have observed that the number of soldiers capable of fighting cannot exceed 4,000 at most."
Upon hearing the news, Cheng Lian was overjoyed and said with a wild smile, "Old Zhang, they only have 4,000 people. Although we only have 1,000 people, they are all cavalry. They are no match for us."
At this point, Cheng Lian snorted heavily, "Lao Zhang, don't hesitate. If we make this vote, it will be enough for the brothers to eat for a long time."
Zhang Liao hesitated, "But Marquis Wen won't let us act rashly, what if something happens?"
Cheng Lian waved his hand and laughed and said, "Old Zhang, you are good at everything, but you are too cautious. Although Marquis Wen said he would not let us chase him, he specifically told us that he would not let us chase him into the mountains.
Now the enemy's baggage team is outside the mountain, what are you afraid of?"
After finishing speaking, Cheng Lian did not wait for Zhang Liao's answer, turned around and shouted to the cavalry behind him, "Brothers are ready, let's go quickly, grab the things and come back as soon as possible."
These cavalrymen are brave men, and stealing the enemy's baggage team is what they are most willing to do. They immediately shouted with a smile, "I am willing to listen to the general's orders."
Cheng Lian blinked at Zhang Liao and said, "Old Zhang, let's go. If Marquis Wen asks, I will bear the responsibility."
After finishing speaking, Cheng Lian did not wait for Zhang Liao to answer, and rushed out with a group of cavalry laughing.
Zhang Liao was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile, his face full of helplessness.
Among the Bingzhou Army, Zhang Liao's position was very embarrassing.
He is very capable, whether in terms of martial arts or strategy, he is second to none. Apart from Lu Bu, he can be regarded as the first person.
Song Xian, Wei Xu and others were able to gain Lu Bu's trust because of their loyalty.
Gao Shun is Lu Bu's brother, and Lu Bu also knows it, so no one can surpass Gao Shun in terms of status.
But that's the bad thing. Although Lu Bu didn't mind, he couldn't stand the thought of many people saying bad things about him, which aroused Lu Bu's suspicion.
Zhang Liao knows this very well, so he is always very careful in doing things and is unwilling to leave any excuses for others to say.
Just like before, if he were to lead the troops alone, he would not hesitate to rush forward and intercept this batch of goods.
Because, even if this is Cao Mengde's strategy, he can be sure that the strategy must be an ambush in Maling Mountain, not outside the mountain.
Zhang Liao guessed that there were two reasons why the baggage team was outside Maling Mountain. One was that the baggage team moved too slowly, delaying the time. By the time he arrived, he had not yet entered the mountain.
Another reason is probably Cao Mengde's bait. If Lu Bu tasted the sweetness of eating these baits, he would have no scruples and think that he was sincerely escaping, so he chased him into the mountains and was ambushed by him.
Spit out what you eat.
Therefore, if you were outside Maling Mountain, you would definitely not be in danger even if you ate this batch of goods.
Thinking of Lu Bu, Zhang Liao frowned slightly, but felt a little strange in his heart. According to past experience, knowing that Cao Mengde had escaped, he would definitely lead the Bingzhou cavalry to pursue him.
But this time, why didn't you come in person instead of sending yourself and Cheng Lian forward?
And also told myself, never enter Maling Mountain?
Could it be that he also guessed that there was danger?
Ta-ta-ta!
Cheng Lian took the lead and ran along the official road. Not long after walking, he saw the slow-moving baggage team in front of him. He was overjoyed and roared angrily.
"Brothers, they are right in front, rush for me."
Seeing the enemy's baggage team in front, Zhang Liao did not dare to be careless. He hurriedly took off the spear on his horse, and Cheng Lian and Cheng Lian rushed out from both sides and went straight to the baggage team.
The soldiers of Cao's army guarding the baggage team also noticed that someone was chasing them, and hurriedly formed a formation to attack them.
When Han Hao and Shi Huan saw the enemy coming back in two groups, they hurriedly separated to meet the enemy, shouting at the same time, "Hurry up and leave."
Cao's soldiers stayed to block the road, and the baggage team continued to move forward, hoping to escape.
Cheng Lian rushed to the front with a spear in his hand. Shi Huan came from the opposite side and said, "How dare you come to rob food? You must die immediately."
Cheng Lian snorted coldly, "Stop talking nonsense, you can still show your skills."
Ta-ta-ta!
Two horses rushed towards them, Shi Huan thrust out with his spear, and Cheng Lian raised his head to stop them.
The two of them fought with both guns at the same time. Although Cheng Lian's martial arts was slightly better, Shi Huan resisted desperately, and for a while, it was impossible to tell the winner.
Zhang Liao met Han Hao from the other side, and the two fought together. After more than ten rounds, Han Hao felt a little overwhelmed.
Han Hao was also a fierce general, but compared with Zhang Liao, he was far behind. Soon he was sweating profusely. By accident, he was stabbed in the left arm by Zhang Liao. He was startled and hurriedly turned his horse's head around.
Go.
When Zhang Liao saw Han Hao about to leave, he roared angrily, "The enemy will stop leaving. If you have the ability, fight for another 300 rounds."
Han Hao covered his injured left arm, not daring to answer. He slapped his horse and galloped towards Maling Mountain.
Shi Huan on the other side suddenly panicked when he saw Han Hao taking him away.