Hundreds of crossbows and arrows as thick as a child's arm shot straight towards Cao Ying in the air with a whistling sound like ghosts crying and wolves howling.
Cao Cao has ordered Cao Hong to clear the front camp and clear an open space to prevent catapults. However, the limit distance of the crossbow is not more than 100 feet for catapults, but more than 1,000 meters.
Although this distance can only be achieved in a few cases, such as at a very high location. For example, "Book of the Later Han·Chen Qiu Zhuan" records the use of bed crossbows: "The string and big wood are used as bows, and the feather spears are used as arrows, and the machine is used to fire them.
Shooting from a distance of more than a thousand steps will kill many people."
But even if it is a flat shot, it is more than enough to shoot four to five hundred meters. What's more, the imperial army's bed crossbow has been modified after years of research and modification by the School of Physics. Ma Jun and Chen Mu personally participated in the debugging. The winch and pedals used have a range of more than a kilometer.
So don't say that Cao Cao just moved the tents in the front camp less than a hundred feet back, leaving an open space in the school grounds about one thousand meters long and more than two hundred meters wide. Even if he moved it back more than a hundred feet, the same would happen.
Can shoot.
He saw dots of firelight shining in the sky, and the sharp crossbow arrows seemed to pierce the sky and light up the night sky. Cao Cao's pupils dilated. In his dull eyes, a crossbow arrow was getting closer and closer.
The next second, it seemed that Cao Cao was about to be penetrated.
"Ming Gong!"
At this moment, Le Jin, who had been serving as the commander of Cao Cao's personal attendants, reacted quickly and jumped forward, knocking him to the ground.
boom!
The huge crossbow arrow hit the earth where Cao Cao was standing just now, and shot straight into the earth, half of it engulfed. The other half was still burning with blazing flames, illuminating Cao Cao's ferocious and frightened face.
At this moment, he ignored his disgrace and quickly got up from the ground, looking back at his camp.
I saw like countless torches falling into the camp. In an instant, the camp behind me burst into flames. The whole camp was in chaos. The soldiers ran out of their respective camps like headless flies. There were shouts and shouts everywhere.
.
"Quick, put out the fire!"
Cao Cao was so anxious that he was sweating. He thought that the enemy might arrange a bed crossbow, but who would have thought that there would be flames on the bed crossbow?
When Chen Mu lit up the Yellow Turban camp with rockets, he was the one who witnessed it.
However, the rockets at that time were extremely crude. They were wrapped in rags and soaked in fish paste and ignited. They were light-headed and heavy-footed. Their range was not far at all, and they were easily extinguished by the wind in the air.
But now this flame has not been extinguished by the wind. Why?
Is it another newly invented thing from Taishan Academy?
Cao Cao was extremely worried.
This was the season of summer and autumn. Once the camp caught fire, it would be a disaster. Although his camps were scattered and separated from each other, the fire would at most burn down the front camp and the rest.
Some parts of the camp cannot be burned.
But the problem is that since people already have the technology of setting fire to crossbow arrows, if they burn the front camp this time, they can continue to burn other camps surrounding Cao Camp next time.
At present, the main generals under Cao Cao include Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Hong, Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Le Jin, Yu Jin, and Li Dian. These people are his most trusted generals and basically control some of their soldiers. The rest are like Dong Fang Li Tongshi
Huan, Liu Dai, Wang Zhong, Chezhou and others were among the middle-level generals.
Now his rear Jiyin is guarded by Xi Zhicai and Xiahou Yuan, while Cheng Yu and Cao Chun are sent to the north, while Chen Gong and Xiahoudun are in charge of grain and grass matters in Junyi County, and Cao Ren is sent to Junyi to ambush.
The imperial court went to attack Junyi's troops.
Therefore, Cao Cao only had four generals: Cao Hong, Yue Jin, Yu Jin, and Li Dian, and a number of other middle-level generals. These four men each had their own camp, and Cao Cao himself camped outside, so the entire Cao Cao camp was quite complicated.
Zhuge Liang used rosin rockets that only appeared in the Song Dynasty, smeared them on the crossbow arrows, and fired at Cao Cao's camp wildly. Cao Cao's front camp caught fire, but the rest of the camps behind him were safe and sound, and there was no trouble.
At this moment, seeing the fire in the front camp, in addition to forming a formation in Yu Jin to prevent the enemy from sneak attack, the rest of Li Dian, Cao Hong and others quickly mobilized troops and horses and went to Cao Cao's camp to put out the fire.
However, the bed crossbows fired incessantly, and they were set alight again just after they were extinguished. Moreover, the earthen hills in the camp were also swept away, and all the catapults on them were burned.
In desperation, Cao Cao could only order the soldiers to evacuate backward. At the same time, the entire army moved back nearly 500 feet, out of the range of the crossbow, dug a ditch to avoid the fire, and diverted water from the Guandu River next to it into the ditch, and then barely controlled the fire.
spread.
After a night of tossing, Cao Cao's soldiers and horses were exhausted. When the soldiers were counted the next morning, there was a fire in the front camp yesterday, and thousands of men and horses were lost, making Cao Cao, who was already not wealthy, even worse.
What's more important is that the morale of the army has plummeted, and the soldiers are all frightened, fearing that arrows will attack again, causing panic and panic in the camp.
Moreover, Cao Cao did not know at this time that something was also going wrong in Junyi County, which was hoarding grain and grass in the rear.
Midnight last night.
Xu Chu led his cavalry to the outside of Junyi City.
There was great fanfare and momentum in Junyi City. Seeing this scene, Xu Chu laughed and said to the surrounding soldiers: "There is indeed an ambush in the city."
An old Xuanjia heavy cavalry captain who had followed him to protect Liu Bei for many years asked curiously: "How did the general know about it?"
Xu Chu said: "Before coming, Shangshu Ling told me that if there is no ambush in the city, they will definitely keep silent and make us suspect that there is an ambush in the city. Only if there is an ambush, they will make a big noise and make us suspect that there is no ambush in the city.
And attack.”
"do not understand."
There are so many twists and turns here that the team leader can’t figure it out.
Xu Chu said: "I didn't understand it either, but since the enemy is really what Shangshu Ling said, it proves that Shangshu Ling is right. Send me an order to attack the southeast corner of the city. There is a gap there. If the enemy ambush
Come out and retreat immediately."
"only!"
The squad leader quickly sent someone to convey the order.
The five thousand cavalry were all led by officers at all levels. School lieutenants, commanders, commanders, camp commanders, and captains at all levels received instructions and asked the soldiers to act according to the instructions. With Xu Chu's order, the cavalry suddenly started.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Thousands of troops and horses roared like thunder, dust was flying in the wilderness, and countless torches connected into fire dragons, rushing towards Junyi County in a mighty manner, like several dark clouds.
Devour the entire city.
The cavalry charge is actually not a swarm charge, but a scattering. The ancients had an idiom of a horse stalling, because the road was difficult at that time and the horse would easily fall to the ground if it missed the step.
If a large number of cavalry gather together to charge, one fall can easily injure ten of them. Therefore, the cavalry often disperse and charge, that is, they are arranged horizontally in a line, which can be seen in many movies of later generations.
Although Xu Chu was not like Zhang Fei, he was born in the Yan region. He was good at equestrian skills since he was a child. He later commanded tens of thousands of light cavalry in Qingzhou and had rich experience in cavalry command.
But he has been commanding the Xuanjia heavy cavalry for nearly ten years. He has superb riding skills and knows the cavalry tactics very well. This battle is his first time to lead an army alone. He cherishes this opportunity very much, so he must do it.
Complete.
All the cavalry were divided into five groups and carried out raids from all directions, covering the west and south sides of the city in Junyi County. Since the scouts had previously investigated, the Junyi city was in a dilapidated state with a large number of fractures and gaps. Cao Jun had no time to repair it. At this time, he could
Break into it.
Xu Chu's attack on Junyi was not to test whether there was an ambush here, but to annihilate Junyi's defenders and burn Cao's army's supplies. If Junyi could not be captured, then the mission would fail. Naturally, he would not allow this.
things happen.
Soon countless cavalrymen swarmed in. Xiahou Dun only had 3,000 soldiers and horses in the city. There were hundreds of archers at the top of the city. They shot sparse arrows. Although they caused many casualties, they did not stop the fearless and brave court cavalry.
It's not that the cavalry are not afraid of death at all, but under the twenty-level military merit and title system and the comprehensive pension system, almost all the soldiers and horses of the imperial court have become war madmen, screaming and charging in the face of enemy bows and arrows.
In the feudal era, it was unrealistic to want to build an army with high quality, high morals and lofty ideals like our army in later generations. It was impossible for ordinary soldiers to have the awareness to dedicate themselves to their home and country.
But if you talk about money and interests with them, there are many people who will fight to the death for you. Although there is a suspicion that having breasts is a mother, this is the reality, and it is also the motivation for people to survive in this troubled world.
Several black clouds braved the rain of arrows and rushed toward the city. Junyi County was too dilapidated. Not only were the city gates and walls broken, but there were no trenches or moats.
The cavalry rushed into the city almost like a broken bamboo. Cao's army blocking the gap was quite fierce, and one after another came up to stop them.
However, the imperial cavalry became even more fierce and unafraid of death, and soon a large number of corpses were piled up inside and outside the city.
On the city tower, Xiahou Dun and Chen Gong were quickly directing the battle, constantly dispatching troops and generals to arrange manpower.
Both of them were so busy that Xiahou Dun even led his troops down to the city tower several times to block the gaps, and then managed to push back the enemy. Unfortunately, the Junyi city wall was in vain. Defending this side could not block the other side. More than ten gaps had been blocked.
The imperial cavalry broke through and fought their way into the city.
"Gongtai, please send the signal. If it's too late, we won't be able to hold it."
Because of historical changes, Xiahou Dun was not blinded by Cao Xing, but at this time he was panting from exhaustion, and his body was covered in sweat and blood. Even though he was extremely brave, after killing more than a dozen enemies, he was still beaten by the enemy's fierceness.
Not afraid of death.
Chen Gong also did not expect that the enemy would be so fierce. Although he expected that the morale of the imperial army would be greatly boosted after the launch of the twenty-level military merit title system, the morale increase was so outrageous that they were all desperadoes.
After looking at the situation outside the city, he originally expected to block all the enemies outside the city and bring the war to a stalemate. At this time, all the ambush troops came out, attacked from both sides, and wiped out all the imperial cavalry.
But the enemy was so brave that they were almost attacking the city. You must know that Junyi was the granary of Cao's army before. Chen Gong suggested moving the granary to Fengqiu and Xiaohuang, but so much grain and grass could not be transferred so quickly. The day before yesterday and the 20th
After many hours of continuous operation, only half of it was transported, and the other half was transported. Almost 40% of the total food and fodder was left in the city.
If it is breached now, food and grass will not be guaranteed.
Therefore, seeing that the purpose of a tactical stalemate could not be achieved, Chen Gong could only grit his teeth and said: "It's a pity that we can only send out a signal. I originally wanted to wipe out all the enemies, but I didn't expect them to be so fierce and almost broke through our city. Now I can only
Protect yourself first, but no matter what, I’m afraid I won’t be able to wipe out all the enemies.”
Now a small number of cavalry have entered the city, and most of them are still on the periphery. They are not at all in a stalemate with Chen Gong as he expected. He no longer has the strength to delay the enemy. If the ambush comes out at this time and the enemy retreats, most of them will
Can escape.
Xiahou Dun shook his head and said: "When the war reaches this point, don't think about annihilating them all. Let's think about how to win first."
After that, he sent someone to deliver the signal.
In the mountains and forests outside the south city, Cao Ren, who had been lying in ambush, was watching the battlefield closely. After discovering the signal, he immediately issued an order to attack.
At this moment, all the ambush troops were out, and they were charging towards the outside of the city. In order to deal with the cavalry, Cao Cao gave all his few thousand cavalry to Cao Ren. When the wind and thunder rolled, the iron hooves trampled the grass in the wilderness, letting out a roar that shook the sky.
There was movement on their side, and Xu Chu immediately noticed it. The rapid and continuous sound of horns resounded through the night sky. After hearing this, the imperial cavalry inside and outside the city retreated like a tide.
"Oops, I didn't expect the imperial army to be so vigilant. This response was really quick."
Chen Gong was shocked when he saw this scene.
The soldiers and horses of the imperial court are well-trained and will immediately retreat when they hear the sound of the horn. He is a cavalry and can leave at any time if the two sides are not entangled as he expected.
This made Chen Gong very regretful.
He actually thought about whether to put all the enemies into the city to block them, but he felt sorry for the remaining grain and grass in the city that had not been transported away, and he did not dare to lead the wolves into the house, fearing that even if all the enemies were wiped out, the grain and grass would be burned.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Now it seems that it is better to keep all these people here at the cost of destroying some of the food and grass.
After all, the loss of five thousand cavalry was a serious injury to the imperial army.
In addition to the lack of combat effectiveness, the court also had to pay out a large amount of pension, so that Cao Cao could achieve his strategic goal of bringing down the court. It was worth paying some price.
Unfortunately, there is no regret medicine in the world, and it is too late to regret now. Chen Gong can only pray that Cao Ren will act quickly and eliminate as many enemies as possible.
"They are retreating, what should we do now?"
Xiahou Dun asked.
Chen Gong said without hesitation: "Of course the whole army went out to hunt them down, killing every one. I heard that the imperial court would reward a large pension for the loss of a soldier. Didn't Ming Gong want to use this to bring down the imperial treasury?
?”
"Understood."
Xiahou Dun then led his troops down the tower, got on his horse, raised his sword and roared: "Kill out!"
"Kill!"
When Cao Jun saw that the enemy was retreating, his morale was greatly boosted and he pursued them.
At this moment, Xu Chu fought and retreated, letting the rear team become the front team. He personally cut off the rear and ordered the soldiers to go back.
You have to do all the tricks. If you don't stop the enemy's pursuit, the enemy may catch up and cause casualties to the rear. When the time comes, you will disperse your own rear formation, and the pretended retreat will become a real retreat.
Cao Ren's cavalry quickly came over and the men and horses of both sides fought together. Cao's cavalry and infantry all came out inside and outside the city. The two sides were intertwined in the dark night.
The war intensified. Xu Chu fought hard to repel Cao Ren among the rebels, and fought with Xiahou Dun for dozens of rounds to cover the retreat of his troops before leaving.
The imperial cavalry suffered heavy losses this time. After being attacked by the enemy, there were hundreds of casualties. In addition to the casualties from the previous siege, the loss was nearly a thousand.
However, Cao's army was not much better. In ambushing the enemy, it also suffered nearly a thousand losses. From this point of view, we can see how fierce the imperial troops are. Even if they are ambushed, they are not afraid of death.
One of the two sides was fighting and retreating, while the other was pursuing closely. They quickly pursued for several miles and had already approached a large forest in the west of the city.
Among the trees, there were countless figures, the sharp steel knives in their hands shining brightly under the moonlight.