The sound of galloping horse hooves echoed throughout the battlefield.
The Youzhou Army was already in chaos. The infantry phalanx looked towards the west, the cavalry phalanx had horses neighing, and many knights were constantly calming the horses.
But at this time, the command system was being restrained by the enemies coming out of the city, and no general issued any military orders.
This caused most of the soldiers in Youzhou to be at a loss, and the situation was extremely tense for a while.
"kill!"
The cavalry of Gao Gan's army had already appeared on the horizon. Finding that the enemy in the distance had not yet reacted, the general immediately launched an offensive.
In fact, the position of the Youzhou Army at this time was very awkward. Their position was in the north, facing Handan City in the south, while the high-ranking Bingzhou Army attacked from the west, that is, from the right side of their position.
This formation was to accept surrender, so the formation of the Youzhou army was not like a square formation like on the battlefield, but a relatively dense army formation, with infantry and infantry standing in a row, and cavalry and cavalry standing in a row.
Because the formation was too dense, even if a general issued a military order, it was impossible for them to complete the turn in a short time. Therefore, their position was actually the most taboo position on the battlefield - being blocked by the enemy.
Flanking attack.
Therefore, from the beginning, even if there was no problem with the command system of the Youzhou Army, it would be too late to immediately issue an order to turn to face the enemy. It would take time for the military order to reach the entire army, tens of thousands of people were crowded, and with the horses turning, everyone
If they collide with each other, the entire battle formation will turn into a mess.
The only one who was relatively safe at this time was the Qingzhou Army. Liu Bei didn't bring any troops or horses at all this time. He only had a total of 2,000 black armor heavy cavalry. His position was still at the side and rear of the brigade, which was northeast of Handan City, which happened to be
Facing the oncoming Bingzhou Army diagonally.
This means that if Liu Bei returns to his own formation at this time, reacts quickly and immediately orders his Xuanjia heavy cavalry to rush to the flanks of the Bingzhou Army for protection, and launch an offensive against the galloping Bingzhou Army, it will be in time.
.
However, Jiang Yiqu delayed him for a while, and Chen Mu did not remind Liu Bei of the correct approach at this time. So when Liu Bei returned to the protection of the black armor heavy cavalry, the soldiers surrounded Liu Bei and began to retreat.
It's not that Chen Mu wants to betray his teammates, but he is thinking about a question at this time - that is, what will happen if they let the Xuanjia heavy cavalry rush over and protect the Youzhou army under the charge of tens of thousands of Bingzhou troops?
There is only one answer: the entire army of Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry was wiped out.
And even if we buy a certain amount of time, with the level of Xian Yufu and this group of people, they may not be able to reunite the scattered formation as soon as possible.
Xuanjia heavy cavalry is not invincible. Although it is a heavy armor cavalry, there is a limit.
That time when Wenchou was beheaded, it seemed that the situation was one thousand against ten thousand. However, they occupied a favorable location and the Jizhou cavalry was on a relatively narrow official road and could not take advantage of the cavalry at all.
But this time it was on the large plain outside Handan City. The high-ranking Bingzhou cavalry rushed over like wolves and tigers. The two thousand Xuanjia heavy cavalry were like a huge boulder blocking the river. Although they would not fall down immediately,
But under the erosion of the river water, it will be quickly consumed.
The disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves, coupled with doubts about whether the Youzhou Army could respond in time, made Chen Mu unable to make this decision. After all, this was a gamble with the life of the Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry, no matter whether he lost or won the bet.
, they are all bound to die.
Chen Mu is not a virgin enough to risk the lives of his own soldiers to save the lives of others, so the final result is that after they return to the main formation of Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry, they can only watch the Youzhou Army being roared.
Flooded.
This time Gao Gan not only brought 30,000 infantry and his only 2,000 Bingzhou cavalry, but also hired nearly 20,000 Xiutu tribes, that is, the central Xianbei and the southern Huns who inhabited the northern grasslands of Bingzhou.
It was not easy to transport cavalry from the Taihang Mountains to this side. Fortunately, the senior officials controlled the key road Fukouxing, and the Qingzhou Army surrounded them without attacking, which also gave them a long time to prepare.
The overwhelming Xiutu cavalry howled like wolves, waved their weapons, and charged at the Youzhou Army like a group of wild beasts. When the Youzhou Army was already in chaos, they were swallowed up like a torrential flood.
Liu Bei and the others could do nothing and could only watch from the sidelines.
"Brother, mobilize the troops!"
Chen Mu immediately said to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei woke up from a dream and quickly said to Xu Chu: "Zhongkang, quickly send someone to find Zhang Liao to help."
"only!"
Xu Chu immediately ordered a cavalryman to ride fast to report the news to Zhang Liao.
Chen Mu said solemnly: "General Xianyu's troops are in chaos and cannot be saved. After Zhang Liao comes to help, we must not attack immediately to prevent the Youzhou army from colliding with our troops."
"Then what should we do now? Should we do something?" Liu Bei was anxious for a moment. After fighting for so many years, he had never encountered this kind of situation.
But the problem is that Xian Yufu represents the imperial court and the emperor. He is a close confidant of the emperor. If his troops suffer heavy losses, but his own troops are unscathed, or even just stand aside and watch, what will the world and the emperor think?
Kill with a borrowed knife?
Deliberately using Yuan Shao to weaken the few troops loyal to the emperor?
Although his political sense is not as sharp as Chen Mu's, after being reminded by Chen Mu the last time that he might be slandered after being crowned king, Liu Bei already understood that people's associations and prejudices are a huge mountain that cannot be stopped.
So after understanding his embarrassing situation and the rumors he was likely to encounter in the future, Liu Bei hoped that Chen Mu could find a way to save the Youzhou Army.
But...how is this possible? Chen Mu is not a god. At this moment, he really can't do anything. What's more, this is a plan in itself.
A plan to use the Youzhou Army to extinguish all Yuan Shao’s hopes!
"We can't do anything, brother. The war situation is already doomed when we believe that Yuan Jun really surrenders."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Chen Mu shook his head: "Even if we fill up the Xuanjia heavy cavalry, it will only fill up a few more lives. Now, find a way to save Xianyu
General them."
"Is there really nothing we can do?"
Liu Bei lowered his head in disappointment. He had no ill intentions towards Xian Yufu and the others. We were all from Youzhou and should have taken care of each other, but at this critical moment, he could do nothing.
Zhang Fei has been in the army for many years and naturally knows that if an enemy with many people and a perfect formation attacks and a small number of people in a scattered formation, it is impossible to save them.
So he could only comfort Liu Bei and said: "Brother, it's better to retreat to a safe place and wait for the arrival of Yuan Jun."
"well."
Liu Bei sighed, turned his horse's head and retreated to the rear.
The Xuanjia heavy cavalry followed the crowd and surged back like a tide, because at this time the Youzhou army had begun to collapse, and the defeated soldiers would begin to attack their troops. If they did not evacuate, they would be drowned in the tide of chaos.
among.
At the top of Handan City, Yuan Shao rested his hands on the parapet, overlooking the situation outside the city. When he saw the Xiutu cavalry rushing into the Youzhou army formation, splashing countless dust and blood, his pale face finally turned pale.
With a trace of blood, he laughed and said: "If the sky does not stop me, the enemy will be defeated."
Liu Hui and many generals on the side looked at his maniacal laughter and understood that the gloom accumulated by his Ming Gong for many days had been cleared away at this time. Liu Hui immediately stepped forward and said: "Ming Gong, you should take advantage of the victory at this time.
When pursuing, you must not wait until the enemy slows down."
"Yes, chase after the victory!"
Yuan Shao ordered to the generals: "Give me the order to go out of the city and fight."
Liu Hui said quickly: "Ming Gong, the soldiers in the city don't know yet that Ming Gong faked his death. At this time, their morale is low and they may not be able to fight."
"What about that?"
Yuan Shao asked.
Liu Hui suggested: "Ming Gong can stand above the city gate. When the soldiers lead the army out of the city, everyone can see Ming Gong. Ming Gong only needs to stand here, which is the best way to boost morale."
"good!"
Yuan Shao turned around, walked towards the city gate, and stood proudly above the city gate.
The generals immediately split up and went to their respective camps to convey military orders.
With the news of Yuan Shao's death, the entire Jizhou Army in Handan City was already in a dire situation, and their morale dropped to the bottom.
But soon the generals asked officers at all levels to spread the news throughout Handan that Yuan Shao was not dead but had just faked his death to lure the enemy.
The soldiers were hesitant, but instinctively obeyed the order and followed the officer to the city gate.
Lines of remaining Jizhou soldiers moved toward the city gate with confusing steps. When the soldiers at the front walked to the city gate, the general shouted to them: "Have you seen it? Ming Gong is watching you from the top of the city. We have reinforcements."
We have arrived, the enemy formation has dispersed, follow me and fight out!"
"That's really Duke Ming. Duke Ming is not dead."
"Have you heard the shouts of killing outside the city? Are reinforcements really coming?"
"We are going to win the battle!"
"Long live!"
Some people shouted, some were surprised, and some were talking about it.
But morale was slowly recovering. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the leading general immediately ordered his soldiers to leave the city and prepare for battle.
Soon, the second and third batches of Jizhou troops cheered for joy after seeing that Yuan Shao was not dead. Their morale gradually recovered, and under the command of the generals, they began to leave the city in an orderly manner.
The Yuan family is not completely unpopular in Jizhou. At least Jizhou has been resting and recuperating for many years, and Yuan Shao has also introduced many policies to rest with the people and measures to treat the people well.
Historically, when Yuan Shao died, many people in Jizhou were very sad, so Yuan Shao still had many supporters.
At this time, Yuan Shao came back from the dead, which boosted the morale of the entire army, and Yuan's army began to rush out on a large scale.
Under the impact of the soldiers in the city and high-ranking soldiers and horses, the Youzhou army was even more defeated.
Countless black spots were scattered throughout the plains and wilderness, and the mountains and plains were filled with the defeated Youzhou Army and the chasing Jizhou Army. The two sides were attacking and defending in different positions. Yuan's army won a great victory and began to pursue the victory.
This battle lasted for a long time, and Zhang Liao's troops were actually not far away. He was five miles away from the east city. When he received Liu Bei's order, the soldiers in Handan City had not yet left the city.
However, it took some time for him to reorganize his troops and go out to meet the enemy. Therefore, by the time he left the camp, the Youzhou army was already in ruins and defeated.
At the urging of the officers, rows of Wansheng Army rushed out of the camp and ran towards the north. Almost not long after Zhang Liao led the Wan Sheng Army out of the camp, they encountered Liu Bei who had retreated from the front line.
Zhang Liao hurriedly rode over, dismounted in front of Liu Bei, knelt down on one knee and said, "Ming Gong, it's too late for the end of the world."
"It's okay, Wenyuan, get up quickly and go rescue General Xianyu."
Liu Bei quickly asked him to get up.
Chen Mu muttered: "Brother, no, Wenyuan cannot attack immediately."
"Why?"
Liu Bei was surprised and said: "General Xianyu can't hold on for much longer."
Chen Mu smiled bitterly and said: "It's not that I don't want to save them, but Wenyuan is alone and the enemy's morale is high. If we collide now, there is not much chance of winning, so we can only wait for work and move forward slowly in formation."
"The array moves forward slowly?"
Liu Bei wondered: "Why do we have to move forward slowly?"
"This is because the enemy is in a hurry. If we are also in a hurry, then the two sides will collide. In the end, whoever has more people on both sides will win."
Chen Mu explained: "But if the enemy is anxious and we are slow, their formation is scattered and our formation is complete. If the scattered formation cannot break the complete formation, then we will win."
"I see."
Liu Bei is also a veteran who has fought for many years, so he still understands this.
The reason is very simple. If Wan Shengjun rushes to attack high-ranking cadres, the formation will inevitably not remain intact, but will become a mess and rush in swarm.
As I said before, with the same 10,000 people, one side forms an unbreakable formation, and the other side is scattered and attacking the unorganized army. No matter how elite they are, it is impossible to defeat the united team.
Therefore, if Zhang Liao launches an attack and cannot form a formation due to the running process, then the enemy will be in a swarm and they will also be in a swarm. It will be a temporary encounter, and it basically depends on which side has more people.
And if they go up in formation, the high-ranking troops will rush in swarm, like a pack of crazy wolves, attacking without any plan, and will only hit the copper wall headfirst.
Therefore, what Chen Mu said is right. There is no need to be hasty or chaotic now. Only by forming a military formation can we ensure that our formation will not be scattered like the Youzhou Army.
Chen Mu continued: "What's more important is that Wen Yuan has formed a formation and stepped forward to rescue General Xianyu's soldiers."
"Why?"
Liu Bei didn't understand. They walked over slowly. How could they save him?
Chen Mu said: "Deterrence! Think about it, brother, if a well-disciplined and well-formed army is by your side, but your army is scattered, will you worry about being defeated by this army?"
"I see!"
Liu Bei suddenly understood, nodded approvingly and said: "At this critical moment, the fourth brother is still clear-headed. Wenyuan, you should immediately do what the fourth brother said. It is better to go slowly rather than hastily. You must deter the enemy and wait for the arrival of our other reinforcements!"
"
"The general will obey your orders!"
Zhang Liao clasped his hands into fists and followed the order and left.
Zhang Fei's hands itched when he saw it, and he immediately said: "Brother, I'm going too."
Chen Mu said: "Third brother must go to his own camp to summon cavalry. The enemy has a large number of cavalry and cannot be controlled without cavalry."
"Yes, third brother, please don't miss out on important matters by greedy for merit. You should immediately lead the cavalry to help."
Liu Bei also said to him immediately.
Zhang Fei wanted to fight now, but Chen Mu and Liu Bei were right, so he could only say regretfully: "Okay, I'll go now."
At that moment, Liu Bei continued to give orders and sent out scout cavalry. With his own orders, he summoned Gao Shun, led Zhao and his own troops, and immediately came to rescue him, preparing to fight Yuan Shao to the death.
The scouts were galloping around like scattered stars, issuing orders to various ministries. Only Chen Mu's eyes were looking at the west, deeply and full of light.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. If nothing unexpected happened, the war had already started in the direction of Shexian County and Fukouxing.
This time, in terms of tactics, Yuan Shao faked his death and indeed opened a breakthrough for himself.
But strategically, I once again won.
It is not a bad thing to exchange partial losses for the passage from Jizhou to Bingzhou, or even directly cut off the retreat of high-ranking cadres, so that Cao Cao can directly win Bingzhou, which he has worked hard to obtain in the future.