The Wei army, which could already claim to be victorious, was not in an easy situation.
Wei Ping and Dai Ling combined 9,000 troops to march out of Xiaoguan, and defeated Ma Di's tribe, losing more than 800 people in the battle. They attacked and defended with Zheng Pu's tribe for five days, killing more than 3,000 people, and countless more were injured and unable to fight anymore.
Even if Zhang He arrived in time with more than 2,000 cavalry, there would only be more than 5,000 cavalry left to fight.
With such heavy casualties, any general knows that in terms of the morale of the soldiers or the mixed organization of various units, it is urgent to retreat to camp for rest and recuperation.
This is also the reason why Zhang He wanted to quickly attack and destroy the Han army on the mountain roads on both sides.
As long as the Han army blocking the road is defeated, Wei Ping and Dai Ling can rest and regroup here and guard the Wei army's way into Longyou.
And he led more than a thousand cavalry and drove into various places in Longyou to harass, delaying the time for the Han army to come to block the road again.
However, before he could give the order, thunderous drumming could be heard three hundred steps south of Xiaoguan Road.
It was a Han army shouting "Conquer the Central Plains" and approaching the center rapidly.
From the spread of the banners for two or three miles, it can be inferred that the number of troops is no less than 5,000!
How could the Han army come to the rescue so quickly?
Zhang He, who was sitting on the horse, glanced slightly at the soldiers whose morale was a little unstable due to the enemy's reinforcements, and couldn't help but feel a little helpless in his heart. He didn't know how capable he was, but the exhausted division that had fought hard for five days faced the Bashu army with comparable strength.
Reinforcements, what are the chances of winning?
However, having enlightenment does not mean that he will retreat.
Or rather, he had to fight!
Coming from the Jieting detour, he knew that Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang personally led the army to defend the Longguan Road, and it was difficult to break through the general Cao Zhen who came to supervise the battle. As for the Weishui River Valley, he was familiar with every terrain of Yongliang, and even more
Don't think about it.
The ownership of Longyou has been decided by Xiao Guandao!
The Wei State has already suffered numerous casualties and casualties, and there is absolutely no way it will give up halfway.
Even if it means risking the lives of all the cavalry here, he will not hesitate!
Moreover, he joined Cao Wei as a general and now has the official position of General Zuo.
Deeply blessed by the country, An Neng cherishes his life and never gives up!
Zhang He, determined, quickly adjusted his response formation.
He asked Dai Ling and Wei Ping to each lead their subordinates to attack the Han army on the gentle slope. He himself took the cavalry without horses and formed a formation on the spot to prepare for the Bashu reinforcements.
As for the Han army on the gentle slope, whose morale was boosted by the arrival of reinforcements, and Wei and Dai attacked from bottom to top, it would be difficult to completely defeat them in a matter of seconds.
He asked his eldest son, Zhang Xiong, to lead 1,700 cavalrymen and drive their horses back.
After retreating far enough for the war horse to accelerate, ride into the formation.
Of course!
He wanted to use the lives of his eldest son and nearly two thousand cavalrymen to buy time for Wei and Dai!
Buy time for Wei to occupy this Xiaoguan Road!
However, the road was more than thirty feet wide, and nearly two thousand cavalry could be divided into seven or eight groups. A continuous charge could hold off the Bashu reinforcements for at least an hour.
One hour was enough for him to clear out the Han troops here and build a defensive front.
And the remaining infantry are enough to guard this road for a while.
It was enough for him to send a messenger to find General Cao Zhen.
As for whether Cao Zhen still had extra troops to come to his aid, or whether he could arrive in time, he did not consider it.
I don’t want to think about it either.
He only knew that this was the only chance for Wei's reinforcements to enter Longyou.
Despite the war, there is still a glimmer of hope.
If you don’t fight, all your previous efforts will be in vain!
"Blow the drum!"
"Array up!"
After Zhang He made the decision in a split second, each department of the Wei army took orders and got busy.
The Han army, which was advancing rapidly from a distance, slowed down upon seeing this and reorganized to prepare to meet the enemy.
Those who stand under the general's flag are Chen style.
In the past, after he received the general order from the Prime Minister that "we must rush to Xiaoguandao within six days, violating the marching law", he marched lightly and in a hurry.
Two days ago, we encountered Ma Su's defeated army on the way.
After inquiring about military information and learning that Zheng Pu's troops were in danger, he ordered all soldiers to carry two days' worth of food and carry only their personal weapons for twice the journey. All the food, tents and other baggage were thrown to Ma Su and asked to escort him behind.
At midnight last night, I met Fu Qian and Li Qiu again.
Knowing that Zheng Pu was ready to die in battle, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
Then he ordered to throw away the bows, crossbows and arrows, take off his armor and other weights, and once again the whole army accelerated and rushed towards them.
Fortunately, he is a veteran in the army.
The generals under his command are either veteran soldiers who have experienced hundreds of battles, or they are barbarian soldiers who surrendered in Nanzhong in the past. Their discipline and marching speed are comparable to elite divisions.
He speeded up abruptly and traveled hundreds of miles by day, arriving at the critical moment.
Naturally, there is a saying in the art of war, "The one who can make a profit at a hundred miles can defeat the general; the one who can make a profit at fifty miles can reach half the army."
The disadvantages of rapid marching cannot be avoided.
Excluding those who continued to fall behind, the number of soldiers who rushed here was only more than three thousand, and everyone was exhausted.
Zhang He thought that the incoming army numbered more than 5,000, but the mountain road was long and narrow, so he could not see Chen Shibu's entire army, so he could only rely on the number of banners to estimate.
Therefore, when he heard the sound of drums urging battle in the Wei army's formation, Chen Shi's eyes also showed some bitterness.
Facing the battle with a tired army, he had little chance of victory.
In other words, he had a vague awareness that running for help would turn into death.
However, the arrow is on the string and must be fired.
He could only order his soldiers to line up and fight to the death.
Zheng Pu and others, who were already prepared to die, did not know this.
They heard the thunder of war drums coming from behind, and saw the military flag with the word "Han" standing between heaven and earth. Everyone couldn't help shouting, "Reinforcements have arrived!"
"Reinforcements have arrived!"
Many people even cried with joy.
After all, if they can survive, few people will die in battle.
Therefore, they did not need orders from Zheng Pu, Huo Yi and other generals, so they spontaneously prepared themselves and relied on each other to defend.
So as not to die on the eve of rescue.
However, their efforts were in vain.
The Wei army did not attack, and even Chen Shibu was not charged.
Zhang He had just asked his eldest son Zhang Xiong to lead the cavalry back, buffering the distance between the horses and accelerating, when there was a burst of muffled thunder behind him, from far to near!
The cavalry is coming!
When the soldiers of Wei heard the voice, they looked forward to it.
They thought they had cavalry again, coming from the direction of Liangzhou for reinforcements.
Also a little surprised.
The rescue was a matter of time, so why did the newly arrived cavalry arrive one day later than General Zuo?
But when they cast their doubtful eyes on Zhang He, they found that General Wei Zuo had closed his eyes and raised his head to the sky.
It seems like he is sighing loudly?
"General, leave quickly!"
Wei Ping and Dai Ling, who were about to attack on the gentle slope, withdrew, ran to Zhang He's side, grabbed the reins of the war horse, and headed towards Xiaoguan.
Both of them were generals of the Wei Dynasty.
Since he has been stationed in the Guanlong area for a long time, he is also qualified to know the dispatch of troops and horses of all parties in the Wei army.
Naturally, we also know that the Liangzhou of the Wei Dynasty has no cavalry to come to our aid!
Zhang He sighed because he knew that the Wei Dynasty could not occupy Xiaoguandao.
With the intention of burning the boat, he arrayed all his troops facing the south of the mountain road. In a hurry, he could not turn around to defend against the attack from the north.
Even if he asked his eldest son Zhang Xiong to lead the cavalry to block the road first, he could not reverse the situation.
After all, a cavalryman who does not allow his war horse to accelerate is nothing more than a herd of cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered!
Moreover, if our own cavalry blocks the rear and moves away, who can stop the Bashu infantry in front?
In particular, how many of our soldiers who have been fighting hard for days can still fight to the death due to the attack from both sides by Bashu and Shu?
I, the great Wei Dynasty, lost Longyou~~~~
Zhang He, who had a clear understanding of the situation, was murmuring these words in his heart.
Likewise, Wei Ping and Dai Ling were allowed to pull the reins of their horses and run wildly back to Xiaoguan, while scolding the soldiers in command to stop and resist.
Because, he was heartbroken.
He attacked and defended against Shu Zhuge Liang at Jieting. He killed nearly 10,000 soldiers in the battle, but to no avail.
After galloping for more than ten days and detouring nearly a thousand miles, he finally arrived at the rear of Xiaoguan. He saw the dawn of Wei's retaking Longyou and was full of hope of driving the Shu army out of Longyou.
However, God was kind to him.
First it gave him expectations, and then it extinguished all hope.
I recall that during the Battle of Guandu, he led the crowd to surrender to Emperor Wu. Emperor Wu held his hand and said: "In the past, Zixu did not die early and put himself in danger. How could it be that Wei Zi went to Yin and Han Xin returned to Han?"
Seeing that the trust was very important, the utensils were strange and inexplicable.
He was also impressed by the fact that he spared no effort to fight for the Wei Dynasty for nearly twenty years!
Now he has reached the rank of General Zuo of the Great Wei Dynasty, and he is also over sixty years old. I thought that I would live up to the kindness of my late emperor in this life, and pass away with a reputation of hundreds of battles behind me.
But he didn't want to, watching helplessly as Longyou was snatched away from him by Ni Shu!
How can one not hate evil!
Although it is said that victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists.
He has experienced many defeats in his life.
However, at that time, he could still shoot a two-stone bow, fight for a day without getting tired, ride a horse for ten days without running out, and eat seven pounds of meat per meal!
Even if you lose for a while, you can win again!
But now, he is old!
Is there still a chance to repay Emperor Wu's kindness?
With anger and sadness mixed in his heart, Zhang He felt vaguely that the chest tightness and shortness of breath he had felt when he was at the street pavilion had become more uncomfortable as he rode on horseback for more than ten days and had no choice but to retreat today.
It's like a huge stone is weighing on my heart.
Can't move it, can't take it off.
And as the war horse jolts, the weight gradually increases.
In other words, he didn't want to move away.
At this time, in the north of the mountain road, cavalry wearing Han army armor finally emerged from the ground, broke through the rain curtain formed by the continuous drizzle, and galloped over.
"Nothing before!"
The first rider was wearing fish scale armor, holding a double-edged spear, and roared like thunder.
He is the only general in charge of riding in the Han Dynasty, Zhao Guang and Zhao Yihong.
When the troops left Longyouzhong, Wei Yan's duty was to go north to Pingxiang City to contain the reinforcements from Liangzhou, which were against Wei.
The prime minister transferred Zhao Guang to his command on the grounds that there were many cavalry in Liangzhou. He had made some achievements before, setting up an ambush at Changli River (Hulu River) and repelling the cavalry of Lu Zhai, the rebel general of Wei.
At the beginning, Zheng Pu led Ma Su's troops into Xiaoguan and sent people to Wei Yan for help.
After Wei Yan got his revenge, he immediately spat on the ground.
Angrily criticizing Ma Su's commission is actually a calamity that brings harm to the country.
He also settled old scores and listed in front of many generals the many things they had done together when they were in Hanzhong.
He also thought that the soldiers and horses in Liangzhou, who were rebelling against Wei, did not dare to fight, and General Hao Zhao was transferred to Xiping County to intimidate the Qiang and Hu tribes in the Huangshui River Valley from having any objections. He felt that seven thousand soldiers and horses would be enough to defend them. So he sent Zhao Guang
The cavalry was the vanguard, and Zhang Bao, who led the "蜑獽" army, was the follower and came to Xiaoguandao to assist in the battle.
From the selection of people who rushed to help, we can see that it was no accident that the late Emperor Liu Bei used him to control Hanzhong.
For example, Zhao Guang was Zheng Pu's old subordinate, and he strongly recommended him to be the cavalry supervisor. Due to his emotions and reasons, Zhao Guang would go to great lengths for this rescue, regardless of his own safety.
Not to mention Zhang Bao.
The youngest daughter of the Zhang family was married to Zheng Pu by Emperor Liu Chan!
Isn't it reasonable to be anxious?
This is also the reason why Zhao Guang came so quickly.
After he and Zhang Bao combined their forces, they handed over all the food and supplies to be carried by the infantry and led the cavalry. Along the way, they encountered Zhang He's straggler cavalry, and only two hundred cavalry were assigned to guard them.
When he arrived here, he saw that the Wei army's rear was unprepared, so without thinking, he took the lead and galloped across the formation to destroy the front.
The more than a thousand cavalry behind him were all personally selected from the armies by his father, General Zhao Yun, who conquered the south, and their morale was as high as a rainbow.
"kill!"
"kill!"
Following closely behind, it trembled the earth with its horse hooves, trembled the valley with its roar, and tore apart the drizzle of rain curtains with its raised ring-headed sword. It transformed into an ancient giant python, with the power of a thousand armies to overcome obstacles, and the invincible power of those in power.
, galloping past the soldiers behind the Wei army's palace.
With the help of horse power, people only need to wave the blade at the moment when the two sides get close, and then use the huge inertia to chop anyone's head to death. Like stripping away cocoons, they harvest the lives of the guards layer by layer.
In about twenty or thirty breaths, more than a thousand cavalry rushed to the other side.
Zhao Guang immediately turned the horse's head, preparing for the second round of charge, shouting loudly, "Carousel! Carousel! Speed up! Speed up!"
"Nothing before!"
More than a thousand Han cavalry shouted slogans in unison.
The horse immediately turned around, and in less than ten breaths the team was completed, and accelerated suddenly again.
The sword flew in his hand and kept drawing a trajectory in mid-air. With the cold light, he showed a death smile to the Wei army's rear formation.
Wei Ping and Dai Ling's subordinate commanders looked at the soldiers under their command who suffered heavy casualties, and their eyes were broken.
If you leave behind, you will definitely die.
They had already realized this.
Therefore, I no longer care about my life.
"Come closer!"
"Come closer!"
"Shield forward!"
"Put your spear behind your back and listen to my orders!"
They had been familiar with cavalry warfare for a long time in the northwestern counties. They roared angrily, drove the spearmen to prepare, and stared fiercely at the Han cavalry that was attacking again.
The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, drawing the two sides sharply closer.
When they were about ten feet apart, they shouted, "Throw the horses!"
Suddenly, the spear turned into an arrow and shot straight out.
It directly caused nearly ten war horses to scream and kneel down, and also knocked over several horses behind them who had no time to dodge.
The rider on horseback was even worse. He was thrown into the air by the huge inertia and flew to the ground in front of him. He only had to scream a few times before being trampled alive by countless horses' hooves.
However, in their haste to meet the enemy, their achievements ended there.
"kill!"
"kill!"
The torrent of galloping war horses passed by again, and the whistling ring-headed sword struck again, playing the withering song of life.
The heads of the soldiers at the rear of the Wei army were cut off one after another. With the remaining power of the blade, they flew into the air, whirled and fell into the dust, and were trampled into minced meat by horses' hooves. There were also soldiers who dropped their swords in despair.
Spear, turned around and ran away.
No matter how bravely the two Qudus fought, they could not turn the tide of the war.
By the time Chen Shibu arrived, the war had already come to an end.
Because after those two governors died in battle, the rest either surrendered or fled.
The unstoppable Zhao Guang, although he was eager to kill, did not continue the pursuit.
He led the army galloping all the way, and after several charges and harvests, the war horses produced in Wudu County were faintly exhausted.
Don't chase the poor bandits.
Who dares to conclude that the rebel soldiers who fled earlier will not take advantage of this time difference to set up an ambush along the road?
However, what he didn't know was that this time of riding his horse to kill the enemy on the battlefield, the results were more than just saving Zheng Pu's tribe and allowing the Wei army to withdraw from Xiaoguandao.
Longguandao was unable to break through Jieting, so Xiaoguandao once again had no choice but to retreat, which made Zhang He vaguely foretell that Wei would lose Longyou. And because he had supervised the battles in both places, he blamed himself and felt that he was unworthy of Wei Wu and Cao Cao.
The kindness of the past.
Therefore, after days of hard work and old age, he was filled with grief and anger, and soon after returning to Xiaoguan, he began to vomit blood.
