With the addition of ballistae, the siege of Luoyang returned to its normal state.
Yes, after Lu Meng set up all the crossbow carts, the huge stone that Zhang Liao had been waiting for finally arrived.
What else is there to say? Let’s face it.
After several days of bombardment, the Chu army's ballistae were all destroyed as expected.
Of course, the results are also outstanding.
Zhang Liao looked at the dozen or so catapults scattered behind him and felt like crying.
Just relying on these ten or so catapults, it is impossible to suppress the fire, let alone directly smash the Luoyang city wall.
Just as Luoyang fell into a stalemate again, Zhao Yun's army finally successfully crossed the Taihang Mountains.
"Send an order to the entire army to rest and recuperate on the spot. Wait until tomorrow to attack Shangdang directly!"
Because they successfully crossed the Taihang Mountains, Zhao Yun's army could naturally bypass Huguan and directly attack Shangdang County, the seat of Bingzhou.
However, Zhao Yun did not know that the current Shangdang County City had already changed its owner.
Bingzhou, in the city of Shangdang County.
"Ma Chao, Wei Xu, Cheng Lian, and the lonely king have left 20,000 troops for the three of you. I must guard Shangdang with the lonely king."
After several days of rest, Lu Bu finally decided to attack Yuan Xi in Huguan.
After all, Huguan blocks the entrance from Jizhou to Bingzhou.
If you don't take Huguan, then occupying a barren Bingzhou is meaningless.
Although, the Xiliang cavalry led by Lu Bu were not good at attacking cities.
Don't forget, Lu Bu has a general under his command, and that general's name is Gao Shun!
Yes, Gao Shun!
Although Gao Shun's personal martial arts skills were only in the middle of Lu Bu's army, his ability to train troops was unparalleled.
The 20,000 soldiers under his command were Lu Bu's biggest asset in conquering Huguan.
You must know that Gao Shun was trapped in the camp, but when he attacked Niu Fu, the Flying Bear Army established with Dong Zhuo faced off head-on and won a complete victory.
In Lu Bu's heart, being trapped in the camp is the best infantry in the world.
"The whole army is moving, target Huguan, let's go!"
After arranging the garrison of Shangdang County, the Xiliang army set out again.
Coincidentally, the Xiliang army and Zhao Yun's Chu army passed by each other, and no one noticed the other.
A few days later, we were near the town of Shangdang County.
"Report! General Zhao, Shangdang County is heavily guarded and cannot make a sneak attack.
only......"
When Zhao Yun heard the scout's report that there was no chance of a sneak attack, disappointment immediately appeared on his face.
But when he heard that the scout had not finished speaking, he immediately regained his energy.
Is there still a turning point?
"But what? Come quickly!"
Seeing the scout's hesitant expression, Zhao Yun became impatient.
You are quite a freshman, is there anything you can't say?
"General Zhao, on the big banner at the top of Shangdang City, what is embroidered on it is Qin State, Lu..."
What!?
Zhao Yun was really shocked when he heard the news.
Qin? Lu?
This? How is this possible? Isn't this Bingzhou the territory of Yuan Xi? How is it possible that the flag embroidered on the large scroll is the flag of Qin Lu Bu?
Could it be!?
Damn it, it must be Lu Bu!
At this moment, Zhao Yun had already thought of the general process.
This must be because Lu Bu saw that Overlord Xiang Ji was going to conquer Hebei and couldn't bear it, so he took a long way from outside the Great Wall and attacked Bingzhou!
This will cause trouble!
You must know that Bingzhou is a must-win place in Xiang Ji's strategy.
Although Bingzhou is barren, its geographical location is very important.
Bingzhou is the northern gateway to Sizhou!
Now that Bingzhou is in the hands of Yuan Xi, Xiang Ji can still tolerate it. After all, this guy is just a slave and poses little threat to Sizhou.
But if Bingzhou falls into Lu Bu's hands, Sizhou's defensive pressure will surge.
Moreover, Bingzhou is connected to Jizhou in the west and outside the Great Wall in the north, which is a bridgehead for the entire Han Dynasty to defend against foreigners.
Xiang Ji had no favorable impressions of foreigners, so how could he tolerate Bingzhou falling into the hands of others?
Previously, Xiang Ji only thought that the master of Bingzhou was still Yuan Xi, so it would not be a big problem for the 80,000 troops commanded by Zhao Yun to bypass the Taihang Mountains and directly attack the Shangdang County where he was governed.
But now, Shangdang County has changed hands, and this matter is no longer an ordinary trouble.
How could Lu Bu be compared to Yuan Xi?
Now that Shangdang County has been occupied by them, the difficulty of conquering it has increased exponentially.
"Come here, let's go and inquire. We must find out how strong the defensive forces are in Shangdang County."
Now, the only chance left for Zhao Yun is the emptiness inside Shangdang County.
As long as Lu Bu's main army is not around, Zhao Yun will still have a chance.
At worst, I have captured Shangdang County and will just be fighting a defensive battle.
Now Zhao Yun no longer seeks to occupy the entire territory of Bingzhou, his only desire is to hold back Lu Bu.
If Lu Bu's army were allowed to enter Jizhou, the entire strategy of the Chu State would be affected and undergo huge changes.
After waiting for a long time, the anxious Zhao Yun finally got the scout back.
"How about, what is the internal defense strength of Shangdang County? Has it been found out?"
Seeing the scout returning, Zhao Yun quickly stepped forward to question him.
"General Zhao, after careful investigation, several of my subordinates agreed that Lu Bu's main force is no longer in the city.
At present, the defender of Shangdang County seems to be a general named Ma."
The surname is Ma?
Is there a general named Ma in Lu Bu's army? I've never heard of him?
You know, after several years of development, Chu State spies have already spread all over the country.
Detailed military secrets are difficult to find out, but the general list of generals is still listed.
But as far as Zhao Yun knows, Lu Bu doesn't have any general named Ma under his command?
Could it be!
Could it be the Xiliang Ma family? Ma Teng?
Suddenly awakened, Zhao Yun remembered Ma Teng and Ma Shoucheng, one of the eighteen princes in the past!
Yes, it must be Ma Teng. Otherwise, how could Lu Bu give up randomly assigning an unknown person to defend this Shangdang County?
But Zhao Yun didn't know that the commander of Shangdang County was not Ma Teng, but his son, Ma Chao!
"Send the order to the whole army to reorganize immediately, let's go to the party!"
Now that he knew that Lu Bu's main force was not here, Zhao Yun stopped doing what he wanted.
Don’t you, Lu Bu, want to invade the Central Plains?
Then I will cut off your escape.
Now Lu Bu can be considered a cross-border expedition.
Shangdang is his current base camp.
If Shangdang is lost, Lu Bu will probably be restless.
"Come here! Go quickly and find out what happened in the south? Why is the dust and smoke billowing?"
As Zhao Yun's army was launched, Ma Chao at the top of Shangdang City noticed something strange and immediately gave orders to his soldiers.
Could it be that His Highness the King of Qin has returned? Impossible? Are they heading east?
Obviously, Ma Chao has not realized that the smoke and dust billowing in the south is because someone wants to attack the city he is guarding.