The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

Puyang County is on the south bank of the Yellow River, and Lihu County is on the north bank of Pushui River. The two counties are opposite each other, only 80 miles apart.

The battalion that Cao Cao led out at night was followed by new infantry and other infantry. He personally led the cavalry of Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun and the elite veterans of the infantry, and galloped first. By the morning of the next day, before noon, Lihu County was already in sight.

Seeing the city of Lihu County in the distance, the scouts sent out before turned back to report one after another.

All the reports are similar in content: although there are guards in Lihu County, the guards are not very strict. Not only are the city gates not closed, and people are constantly coming in and out, but there are not many guards on the city walls.

When Cao Cao heard the words, he was overjoyed, and Gu Yu Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun said: "If our army arrives in a hurry, as I expected, Pan Zhang's rough and fierce disciples rely on their own courage and have no guards. Now I can easily break the city, Get rid of the fox!"

Xiahou Dun looked back at the more than 1,000 cavalry and more than 2,000 foot soldiers who were on the line, and spoke to Cao Cao, saying: "What Duke Ming said is very true. It's just that our troops and horses have been running fast for a night and a half, the soldiers are tired, and Lihu The defense is not strict, but Pan Zhang has a city as a screen, and his minions are compared to our ministries, which are to wait for work, and the Duke of Ming should not give an order to teach the infantry and cavalry soldiers to rest for the time being, and then attack the fox before it is too late."

Cao Cao disagreed with Xiahou Dun's suggestion and said, "I would send troops out at night to take advantage of their unpreparedness. If Pan Zhang is prepared, he can follow the minister's advice and temporarily lead his troops to rest and recuperate. After the main force arrives, I will attack the city again. Now that he is really unprepared, how can I teach the soldiers to rest? Isn't this giving Pan Zhang an opportunity to rectify the city defense? It is not advisable!"

Xiahou Dun hesitated for a while, but insisted: "Duke Ming, but our troops marched all night until this time, and there was no rest on the way. The art of war said: General Baili Jue, our soldiers are exhausted, and our troops have not brought much. The equipment for siege, if this is a strong attack, if it is unfavorable? If the initial battle is not successful, I am afraid it will damage the morale of my army!"

Cao Cao said with a smile: "What Qing Yan said is based on common sense. The army is like water, and you can't stick to dogma. Now that Pan Zhang is less prepared, it is a great opportunity for our army, and we must not let it go! Although our army is exhausted , but how would Pan Zhang's subordinate know? When our troops approach the city, I expect the defenders in the city will be frightened; if our subordinates don't have many siege equipment such as ladders, crash vehicles, etc. The city gate of Huxian County has not been closed, and I will fight with a hundred warriors, as long as I can capture the city gate, why do I need the ladders?"

Xiahou Dun looked at Cao Chun, hoping that Cao Chun would come out and help him persuade Cao Cao.

But that Cao Chun, as he did not see Xiahou Dun's hint, he restrained his horse and pressed his sword, took the initiative to invite Ying, and said, "Brother, Chun dares to invite you to be the vanguard and capture Lihu City Gate for brother!"

Cao Cao smiled and said: "This is a small job, why do I need a general of my brother?" He summoned Li Gao to approach, and said in a pleasant manner, "Although you are a strong and brave man, you have not been under my account for a long time, and your military achievements have not yet been achieved. The idea of ​​​​compelling Qing is also unworkable. Now I will hand over the task of seizing the city gate of Lihu to Qing. Please don’t disappoint me! Hou Qing seizes the city gate, and I will give you the first step! "

Climbing first and falling into battle are all first-class achievements.

That Li Gao was the elder brother of Li Cao and Li Jin of the Cheng family. He was ordered by Cao Cao. Hearing his sincere and caring words, Li Gao was deeply moved, his fighting spirit was invigorated, and he responded loudly: "Please let me know. Duke is here to watch the battle, Gao Bi will take down the city gate for Duke Ming!"

Cao Cao ordered his left and right generals to dispatch hundreds of dead soldiers who dared to fight, and gave them to Li Gao to lead them. Li Gao, clad in armor, armed with a spear and a sword, led the hundred dead men who had been assigned to him, bid farewell to Cao Cao, and ran to the city gate of Lihu County.

Watching Li Gaoxiong lead the soldiers away, Xiahou Dun was puzzled.

In the past few months, Cao Cao has been defeated one after another, and Xun Zhen beat him back to Dongjun before he could secure the position of prefect of Yanzhou. He was deeply anxious about this, and in the spring, the weather was a little dry, the outside was dry and the inside was hot, but it was his forehead, face, and chin, one after another. When he came out, it was like the grass on the Lili Plain, which could not be burnt by wildfire.

At this moment, Xiahou Dun's black face has three or four huge fire tips.

Subconsciously, he asked Cao Cao while digging at the tip of the fire, and said, "Duke Ming doesn't want to give Pan Zhang a chance to react, and he doesn't want my soldiers to rest, but immediately attack the city. Dun can still understand why, but why is Duke Ming? Hand over the task of attacking the city gate to Li Gao? "

Cao Cao said, "Why did I give this job to Li Gao?"

Xiahou Dun said: "Although Li Gao is brave, he is a new general, and his loyalty to Duke Ming is still unclear. If he fails to do his best for Duke Ming, so that the gate of the city cannot be broken down, he will lose all his achievements, Duke Ming. Can't the plan of Su Ke Li Hu be realized?"

Cao Cao rode on his horse, stroking

Beard, smiled and said: "Yuan Rang, you are good everywhere, but you are lacking in the aspect of 'believing people'. If a man is successful, he should trust people with a pure heart. How can you follow that woman's attitude, doubt this for a while, and then for a while? Doubt that?"

"But Duke Ming...?"

"Yuan Rang, let me tell you, you don't need to be suspicious of people, but you don't have to. Since I used Li Gao, I will trust him! You don't need to say more."

Xiahou Dun had to shut up and replied, "Yes."

Cao Cao ordered Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun and other generals: "Be prepared to attack, as long as Li Gao captures the city gate, our troops will attack!"

Xiahou Dun, Cao Chun and others went to prepare and did not mention it.

But he said Cao Cao, did he really believe in Li Gao? Not really. But this time to counterattack Jiyin and Shanyang, Li Jin of Chengshi County played a large part in Cao Cao's plan. Because, in order to ensure that Li Jin would respond to him, Cao Cao treated Li Gao deliberately. As far as Xiahou Dun's concern is concerned, what if Li Gao can't do his best? There is no harm. The hundreds of soldiers who followed Li Gao to seize the city gate were all veterans of Cao's army, and Cao Cao's deputy to Li Gao was named Niu Gai, and he was also Cao Cao's confidant. The old man will definitely try his best!

However, having said that, the eight words "Don't use people with suspicion, don't use people who are suspicious" are indeed Cao Cao's long-term employment criteria. These eight characters, especially the first four characters, "do not doubt the use of people", seem to be very generous and trust the people who use them, but if you taste it carefully, after these four characters, there is still "doubtful" People don't need" four words. That is to say, the premise of "employing people without doubt" is that those who do not trust have been eliminated. It has to be said that Cao Cao is the hero of the moment, and his eight characters alone are full of human wisdom, and he is definitely not comparable to ordinary people.

...

But they said that Li Gao and Niu Gai, who led a hundred dead soldiers, left Cao's brigade and went straight to Lihu's city gate.

At first, because of the distance, no one in the city noticed, but on the dirt road outside the city, people from the nearby villages came and went, and these people quickly discovered Li Gao and Niu Gaibu.

At first, the people did not know their origins, thinking that the defenders in the city went out to practice and returned them, but the uniforms of the soldiers of the Cao Army and the Xun Army were somewhat different, so there were clever people who identified the soldiers who came. It was Cao Bing, who suddenly panicked. When the news spread, the people on the road scattered and fled. The defenders at the head of the city observed this phenomenon, and the officers on duty on guard were suspicious and sent more than ten soldiers out to inquire. The soldiers he dispatched collided head-on with Li Gao and Niu Gaibu, who were already close to the city.

When the two collided, Li Gao and Niu Gai were already prepared, but the soldiers who came out of the city were in a panic, but they were killed by Li Gao, Niu Gai and others in just three or two strokes. Thai half of the soldiers who left the city were beheaded on the spot, and the remaining two or three ran fast, but they escaped. These people fled back to the city, rushed to the front of the city, and hurriedly reported this military situation to the officers on duty.

The officer was shocked when he heard the words, and hurriedly urged the city gate to be closed. At the same time, he quickly informed Pan Zhang.

However, it was too late.

Li Gao and Niu Gai had already led their troops to the bottom of the city. The city gate was not yet closed at this time.

Niu Gai was powerful, and with a few equally powerful warriors, he just closed most of the gates, and the city gate with a slit left to stand up; Li Gao was heavily armored, and he was not afraid of arrows and spears, leading the rest. Shout out to fight. The officer who was on duty on guard was a Marquis of Qu Jun under Pan Zhang's subordinates. Seeing that the situation was in critical condition, he was not afraid of the danger.

The enemy and our side, with a total of more than 200 soldiers, launched a **** battle in the narrow area of ​​the city gate and city cave.

In the end, Li Gao was brave, and Niu Gai was brave. After the officer who was on guard was stabbed to death by Li Gao, Pan Zhang's department could not resist, and left more than 30 corpses and hurriedly retreated. Li Gao and Niu Gai took down the city gate. The two obeyed Cao Cao's military orders, and did not enter the city to pursue them. They only lined up the soldiers and formed a defensive formation, guarding the city cave and waiting for Cao Cao's troops to arrive.

Pan Zhang drank some wine last night, but he still hadn't woken up. He was woken up in bed by a military officer who came to report the news.

Hearing that Cao's army suddenly attacked, and the city gate to the west had been seized by Cao's army, Pan Zhang stood up and hurriedly called for his own soldiers to take armor. With his chest and bare feet, he casually climbed onto Lan Qi in the outdoor courtyard, copied a straight knife around his head, and rushed out of the county temple, with only seven or eight personal soldiers and military officials, and rushed to the West City Gate.

The news of Cao's army's attack had already spread in the city, and on the way to the West City Gate, there were people from the county fleeing to their homes in a hurry. Pan Zhang was angry that they were blocking the way, and ordered his own soldiers to shoot with their bows, scattered the crowd, and hurried to the west city gate.

Pan Zhang looked up and saw that outside the gate of the West City Gate, under the mobilization of other officers, nearly a hundred city guards had gathered.

The army, but this hundred soldiers were firmly blocked by the soldiers of the Cao army in the gate, and under the rain of arrows from the Cao soldiers, they could not advance half a step.

Pan Zhang told the soldiers to get out of the way, armed with knives, and shouted, "Pan Wengui is here! Who are the thieves who come to invade my city?"

Li Gao and Niu Gai both knew Pan Zhang's brave name, but they thought they were brave, but they weren't afraid of him.

Li Gao saw that Pan Zhang had no armor, not even a coat, but he was shirtless and barefoot, wearing only a pair of trousers and a ring knife in his hand. He was overjoyed. He thought: "Pan Zhang is brave and impetuous, how dare he fight like this! He is a famous brave general under Xun Zhendong's tent, and now he is appointed as Lihu prefect by Xun Zhendong, if I can capture him alive, or If you cut him into an array, then this skill is no less than the skill of first ascending!"

He was eager to grab this great achievement, so he didn't say hello to Niu Gai, but immediately ordered the soldiers to stop shooting arrows, so as to prevent the capture or the battle of Pan Zhang's achievements from being robbed by others, then he walked with a spear and passed the front. The soldiers formed an array and went up to meet Pan Zhang.

The two ran towards each other, and the distance quickly shortened. When they were less than twenty steps away, Li Gao raised his dantian qi and shouted loudly, "My Cheng family..."

Li Gao originally wanted to report his name, but before he finished speaking, he only said three words, and saw Pan Zhang jumping up, just less than 20 paces away, he was instantly crossed by him, and a long knife slashed. . Li Gao didn't bother to shout anymore, and hurriedly parried with the spear. But it never occurred to me that the ring saber held by Pan Zhang was so sharp that Li Gao's spear could not be blocked at all, and it was cut off at the sound of it.

Pan Zhang swung his saber down, following the gap between Li Gao's pockets and the collar of the armor, and hit his neck.

Blood spurted out.

Li Gao had a look of disbelief on his face, and shouted hoarsely twice, the remaining spear handle fell, his body fell back, and he fell to the ground and died.

Pan Zhang shouted: "My precious sword, before I killed Cao Mengde, I cut your head first. The nameless people have defiled my sword!" He ordered the surrounding soldiers to cover up and enter.

Li Gao and Pan Zhang fought each other and died. Pan Zhang was really majestic, and he was led by Li Gao and Niu Gai, both of whom were Cao Jun's elite soldiers. It seemed that they could be expelled from the city cave, but at this moment, the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps sounded outside the city gate, followed by overwhelming shouts: "Cao Gong's army order: Those who kill Pan Zhang will be rewarded with a hundred gold!"

It was that Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun who brought Cao Jun's brigade to kill them in time.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the personal soldiers and military officials around Pan Zhang hurriedly dragged Pan Zhang and ran away. Pan Zhang struggled to get rid of them, and said angrily: "Ming Gong ordered me to guard Lihu. I am entrusted by Ming Gong, how can I leave in the face of battle? Today I am only dead!"

Left and right persuaded: "Today the general is killed in battle, it will not help things, it is better to leave a useful body, and then die for Ming Gong!"

Where is Pan Zhang willing to listen?

He led the soldiers to kill and disperse the Cao soldiers inside the gate, and was about to close the city gate, but the Cao soldiers and horses outside the city were rushing into the city like a tidal wave~www.wuxiaspot.com~. Manpower sometimes runs out. No matter how brave Pan Zhang was, he couldn't stop the thousands of Cao's soldiers who went forward one after the other. About half an hour into the battle, the bodies of Cao soldiers and guards in the city cave were already piled up like mountains, but there were still groups of Cao soldiers who continued to charge inwards. Pan Zhang was drenched in blood, fighting fiercely. A Cao general rode to the outside of the city cave. He was commanding, and in the midst of the melee, he saw Pan Zhang at a glance, so he drew his bow and arrow and shot at him.

Pan Zhang was unprepared, and was hit by the arrow on the right arrow. He was already out of strength, and his shoulder was injured, but he couldn't help but loosen his hand, and the ring knife he used fell to the ground. Pan Zhang was still thinking of picking up the knife and fighting bravely, but the only two or three personal soldiers left around him grabbed one of his arms. , and took him out of the battlefield.

Leaving the battlefield, a few personal soldiers embraced Pan Zhang, first returned to the house, took the mount, and then went out from the east gate to Dingtao.

...

After a fierce battle, Cao Cao captured Lihu County because of the advantage of his surprise attack.

Outside the city cave, it was none other than Cao Chun who shot Pan Zhang with an arrow. The knife dropped by Pan Zhang was acquired by Cao Chun. Looking at the body of the blade, with the words "Puyang" engraved, Cao Chun knew that this blade was newly cast by Pan Zhang after he was appointed as the prefect of Lihu. He said that he wanted this blade to shoot down Puyang and capture Cao Cao's handle. After Cao Cao entered the city, Cao Chun presented the sword to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao looked at the sword and tried it with his hands. It was sharp and worthy of the name of the treasured sword. He asked, "Is this the sword that killed Li Gao?"

Cao Chun replied, "Yes."

Cao Cao wiped his eyes, but he had no tears. He said in a mournful voice: "Li Gao is both intelligent and brave, and I am a hero of Yan. I was trying to use him greatly, but unfortunately died at the hands of Pan Zhang." He ordered the military officials, "Write a letter for me and tell Li Jin about it!"