Tao Shang, Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang and others galloped wildly, and finally arrived on the only road from Guandu to Xuchang at the right time.
When I first arrived, this place was unremarkable. There were dense forests on both sides of the road, and there was a small river in the middle. There were three pontoon bridges on the river that seemed quite solid. They looked like they had been recently repaired by the local county town.
.
The potter looked around at the terrain, and after analyzing it carefully for a while, he finally focused on the floating bridge and dense forest.
"It seems that if you want to stop Yuan Jun from attacking Xuchang, the ambush must be in these two places. The key here must be on these three pontoon bridges, or maybe in the dense forest, it depends on how you use it.
"
Zhao Yun looked around for a few times and said: "Not to mention the dense forest, the river here is not conducive to the cavalry. There are pontoons everywhere, which may be detrimental to our military strength. It would be better if we use heavy infantry or crossbows. The cavalry
But it’s hard to hold on.”
While observing the terrain, Tao Shang said to Zhao Yun: "If Yuan Jun wants to sneak attack Xuchang, he will definitely use light cavalry, otherwise the speed will not be enough. This is fair to both parties, and the second brother does not need to worry too much."
Zhao Yun couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this.
fair?
How many war horses does Yuan Shao have?
How many soldiers does Yuan Shao have?
How can this be fair!
Third brother's heart is really too big.
After carefully observing a large circle, the potter scratched his head in confusion.
It's really not easy to ambush at the moment. It's all hidden in the dense forest? It's a bit ridiculous. Although the winding paths in the dense forest are deep, if they are ambushed, Yuan Jun will definitely be able to rush out.
But if you ambush next to the pontoon, it will be easier to be exposed.
This matter is really not easy to handle.
"It seems that the only way to use bluff is to scare Yuan Jun back, that would be the best! As the saying goes, subduing the enemy's troops without fighting is a good thing."
After listening to Tao Shang's muttering, Zhuge Liang stepped forward and said to him: "Although what the teacher said is not unreasonable, the student thinks that Yuan Jun came with the intention of conquering Xuchang, so it is best to scare him away. If he can't retreat, he still needs to use his tactics."
A sure-fire way to win is a sure-fire strategy.”
The pottery merchant turned to look at Zhuge Liang for a while and sighed.
"How can a teacher not know the truth behind this? It's just that the three thousand Jinling White Horse Army are the only ones in my hands right now. With just this one army, can I fight head-on against the soldiers and horses sent by Yuan Shao to sneak attack?
I really don’t have the confidence to win.”
Zhuge Liang turned his head and looked at the dense forest behind the river, and suddenly said: "Teacher, there may be a method that the students can use, but I don't know if the teacher is willing to believe the students?"
The pottery merchant turned to look at him and asked doubtfully, "What do you mean by what Kong Ming said? Try to explain."
Zhuge Liang called for someone to bring a torch, and then took out a roll of carefully wrapped sheepskin pictures from his arms.
Seeing how much Zhuge Liang cherished the sheepskin picture, the potter knew that this boy must have tinkered with some new invention.
This guy is the Eastern Han Dynasty version of Edison.
If Kong Ming had lived in a peaceful era, perhaps he would have been far better as a scientist than a politician.
Unfold the picture, with dots drawn with ink circles on it, and write different characters on the left and right sides of the mountain, such as: Sheng, Shang, Xiu, Du, Jing, Death, Jing, Kai.
The potter's eyes suddenly widened.
"Are you... the Eight Gate Dunjia?"
Zhuge Liang was confused.
"What is the Eight Door Dunjia? This is the Eight Formation Diagram recently researched by the disciple and specially presented to the teacher for detailed reference."
"Eight formations." The pottery merchant was stunned when he heard this and said, "What is the use of this formation?"
Zhuge Liang explained to the potter: "The Eight Formations are the masterpiece of a disciple who has read a lot of books and made them carefully. The disciple thinks that this formation is now the best formation in the world. This formation incorporates both the Jingtian and Taoist Bagua arrangements." The combination is compatible with astronomy and geography, or it can be achieved by using stone barriers, human beings, or mountains, forests, and vegetation as the formation's eyes."
Hearing what Zhuge Liang said was mysterious, the pottery merchant asked doubtfully: "Is this thing of yours an evil method?"
Zhuge Liang shook his head vigorously: "Teacher, don't make fun of students. Where can there be any evil magic in this world? I just borrowed the sixteen formations of the sky and the twelve formations of the earth. The wind is invisible, the clouds are attached to the earth, the sky and the earth rush back, and the dragon flying formation Thank you for the ever-changing opportunities..."
"Okay, Kong Ming." The pottery merchant raised his head and interrupted Zhuge Liang: "Master, I probably understand the principle. Can you tell me what to do now?"
Kong Ming looked at the pottery merchant's almost dilated eyes with confusion and said, "Teacher, are you sure you really understand?"
The potter nodded affirmatively and said, "I'm sure."
"Then repeat what I just said."
The potter stretched out his hand and punched Kong Ming on the head: "You bastard, you haven't even started yet, and you dare to come and take the exam as a master. This is really contrary to you! Tell me the business now."
Zhuge Liang rubbed the bump on his head aggrievedly.
The teacher is not modest at all. He obviously doesn't understand, so he pretends to understand, and even beats people when he is exposed.
"From a student's point of view, this forest has a deep inner diameter, many trees, and is connected to mountains and water sources. It is quite suitable for the Eight Diagrams. If we can lure the enemy into the forest and then use the Eight Diagrams formation to defeat them, they can defeat them several times their own. Strong army!"
The pottery merchant still believed in Zhuge Liang's abilities and methods.
But what he didn't believe in was the ability of his own soldiers to accept it.
"We are very close now. Can you teach your difficult and profound Eight Formation Diagram to the soldiers of the White Horse Army in such a short period of time? I'm afraid they can't practice this so-called Eight Formation Diagram at the moment."
Zhuge Liang nodded lightly and said: "Teacher has seen clearly that the Eight Formations cannot be mastered in one moment, but the beauty of this formation is that humans can use mountains, forests and vegetation as formations, and mountains, forests and vegetation can also be used as formations. If the formation is set up in the forest, this environment is the main body of the eight formations. The soldiers and horses do not need to understand the mystery of the formation, they only need to act according to the sound of drums or trumpet signals!"
The potter finally understood: "What is the code for the sound of drums and horns?"
Zhuge Liang said: "Teacher, please ask General Zhao and several captains of the White Horse Army to come and listen. After they understand the code, they can command the three armies to form formations."
…
Tao Shang made double insurance on the main road from Guandu to Xuchang. On the one hand, he planned to scare away the Yuan army by using suspicion tactics; on the other hand, he planned to use these 3,000 soldiers to set up positions in the dense forest in case something went wrong. formation to deal with Yuan Jun.
Of course, Tao Shang still didn't have much confidence in Kong Ming's eight formation diagram. He still hoped to use bluff to scare away Yuan Jun.
At this moment, in Xuchang City, there was another army of soldiers and horses, led by a young general, heading straight for the Guandu battlefield.
The general leading the army was Cao Cao's young eldest son, Cao Ang.
Cao Ang originally wanted to go to Guandu to help Cao Cao retreat from the enemy, but Cao Cao refused to agree to Cao Ang's request for the sake of his own family. After all, he was his eldest son and Cao Cao's most valued heir. This battle was too dangerous, and Cao Cao himself
Forget it, he didn't want Cao Ang to take this risk.
But obviously, Cao Cao misjudged his son's impetuous character.
Cao Ang finally found a reason and led his army straight out of Xuchang, heading towards the Guandu battlefield.