Three Kingdoms

Xia Houyuan straightened his body and looked out through the sparse tree branches.

In the distance, there are lifeless refugees, moving forward step by step, densely packed, like a group of migrating sheep, having to endure hunger and stagger forward for the future grassland.

The Cao family has reached the most critical moment. Only the winner can continue to control Jizhou and Yuzhou. Otherwise, once Cao Cao is defeated, the problems that have been accumulated for many years will burst out and submerge the Cao family like a volcanic eruption. Even if they can finally Solving it will inevitably involve paying a heavy price.

Xia Houyuan was originally an extremely impatient person, but now, he waited patiently day after day, and finally waited for the plan to unfold...

In the previous battle at Yanzhou, Xia Houyuan almost became a joke among Cao Jun. Even among his confidants, their confidence in him seemed to be wavering. This is very unfair. After all, Xia Houyuan's original reputation was gained through bloody battles and desperate battles. But now, just one or two defeats have not only erased his previous achievements, but even become his reputation. A source of ridicule!

Later, although it was said that Xia Houyuan followed Cao Cao and fought against Sun Quan in Jiangxia, he rushed to the front line, led the soldiers to sweep and defeated many Jiangdong soldiers, and achieved not too bad results, but his morale was destroyed to the extreme by being beaten by the hussars. , somewhat back.

But this is not enough.

After all, some people still think that Xia Houyuan was just in Cao Cao's favor. If Cao Cao hadn't attracted Jiangdong soldiers from the front, Xia Houyuan might not have had any chance of achieving victory. In the final analysis, Xia Houyuan still couldn't do it, at least he couldn't lead the army alone. This hussar army has repeatedly hindered the development of the Cao family since Jizhou, standing in front of them and causing them repeated setbacks. Now it appears near Jingzhou, as if it is the natural enemy of the Cao family and Xia Houyuan's eternal enemy. Nemesis!

Xia Houyuan refused!

Why? !

Xia Houyuan held his breath.

If he wanted to completely restore his morale and original reputation, Xia Houyuan felt that there was only one thing to do, which was to get up where he fell. Xia Houyuan previously thought that he might have to suffer for a while before the Hussar troops were dispatched. Unexpectedly, this time the Battle of Jingzhou actually led to the Hussar troops, although the time was later than what Cao Cao and others had expected. A little, but it doesn’t matter, everything is ready, everything is ready to go, just waiting for the moment when the time is right!

Some of the refugees seemed to have noticed something and turned to look at Xia Houyuan. Xia Houyuan shrank back subconsciously, and immediately realized that at such a long distance and covered by vegetation, what could these refugees see?

Xia Houyuan stopped looking at the refugees in the distance, turned around, and looked at his own soldiers.

During this period of time, Cao Jun's cavalry lost a lot of skilled cavalry due to collisions with the hussars and horses. The ones in front of them now were recruited by the Cao family from Jizhou, and some of them were from the powerful locals. Private soldiers. Because although Yanzhou and Yuzhou are relatively biased toward Cao Cao and are relatively loyal sources of soldiers besides Qingzhou soldiers, the problem is that not many people in Yanzhou and Yuzhou know how to ride horses, so they have to start all over again to practice. The sex was so bad.

These people from Jizhou, and even some from Youzhou, have some background in riding skills. Since the Cao family's flag was changed, some people have a wait-and-see attitude towards Cao Cao, but there are still some people who want to give it a try and gain wealth. , thus becoming a relatively suitable source of cavalry.

After all, not everyone has a divine perspective and can observe the whole world at every turn. Most people live in a very small area. Ten miles and eight towns may be their largest scope of activities. Naturally, it is impossible to weigh the pros and cons. , choose the best investment direction among Feicao Sun.

Therefore, after gathering together in this way, Cao Jun gathered together another cavalry. Except for one part given to Cao Chun and Cao Xiu, the other part was gathered under Xia Houyuan again. Of course, in addition to these cavalry, there are more than a thousand auxiliary soldiers and farmers who are responsible for doing chores for these cavalry.

Xia Houyuan's close guard came over and asked from the side: "General, are you about to attack?" 』

Xia Houyuan nodded and said: "That's almost it. When this group of refugees passes by, we will follow them..."

"Follow the refugees?" ’ asked the guard.

Xia Houyuan said happily: "That's right!" So don't follow too close or too hastily... Go check the equipment again, and make up for anything missing as soon as possible. If something goes wrong when you get into the battle formation, be careful! 』

The guard quickly accepted, "Don't worry, general, I will definitely be ready!" I'm just waiting to follow the general into a big battle, and he will lose his previous bad temper! 』

Xia Houyuan laughed heartily, waved his hand and said, "My lord is still well-organized and well-planned... I guess this time, even if the hussar is as cunning as a ghost, he will definitely fall into the trap!" Great work for you and me is just around the corner! 』

……（▽）///……

At the Jiangdong camp in Dangyang.

Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu, dressed in military uniforms, stood on the observation deck and looked northward attentively.

On the other side of the river is Cao Jun's camp.

Flags were fluttering, figures were swaying, everything seemed to be fine, but Zhou Yu's heart was filled with all kinds of questions.

During this period, Cao Jun suddenly fell silent, and no longer tried to attack the Jiangdong camp. It seemed that it wanted to compete with the Jiangdong soldiers for a long time, and even seemed to drag the war from this year to next year...

What exactly does this mean?

Zhou Yu stared at the north and said slowly: "The traitor Cao is definitely not ignorant of the art of war when he fights in the north and south. Now he is fighting but not fighting, and leaving but not leaving. What's the point?" 』

Cheng Pu frowned and said, "Otherwise the Cao thieves didn't capture our scouts?" 』

But Zhou Yu shook his head and said: "When we were dispatched before, there were arrangements for death... Now there is no room for death... Therefore, Cao Cao must have learned that we are stationed in Maicheng... According to common sense, if If you have strong reinforcements and have found a weakness in your opponent, how can you not attack? Use the cavalry to make a surprise attack on Maicheng, disrupt our rear, cut off the food routes, and further destabilize the morale of our troops. When we are defeated, use the infantry to advance the cavalry to cover up the kill. This will ensure a decisive victory in one fell swoop..."

Cheng Pu said, "Could it be that Cao Cao was suspicious?" Don't dare to enter lightly? 』

Zhou Yu took a breath, and then said: "The Cao thieves have always been suspicious and have concerns, which is inevitable, but... if De Mou moves to another place and knows that Jiangdong Maicheng is hoarding grain and grass, if he defeats it, it will be a great victory. If you suspect there is an ambush, how should you respond? 』

"Or is it like the present moment? Don't lose your peace of mind?" Cheng Pu responded.

Zhou Yu shook his head again, "Demo, don't forget, the Cao family and the Fei family are not as close as you and I, they are like a family!" 』

Cheng Pu was stunned for a moment, suddenly realized, and slapped the armrest of the observation deck, "Exactly!" exactly! If the Cao thief wants stability, he must let Fei's soldiers and horses be the vanguard! 』

If Cao Cao becomes suspicious, he will definitely instigate Fei Qian's hussars to raid Maicheng. If it succeeds, it will be best. If it fails, he will not be the one who suffers anyway...

"Therefore..." Zhou Yu said in a deep voice, "The Cao thief has not made any move at the moment... I'm afraid..." Zhou Yu smiled slightly, "In the name of a hussar, he is threatening us... If this is really the case... then the so-called qiao Riding men and horses... Haha... Cao Cao's thieves intended to delay the suspicious soldiers and secretly mobilized his soldiers to deal with the hussars! After repelling the hussars, Fang turned around and took advantage of the victory to fight with us! By then we will have exhausted our supplies and our soldiers will be exhausted. Even if we cannot win a big victory, we can still divide Jingzhou and rule it from north to south! 』

Cheng Pu widened his eyes and said, "So, Fei and Cao have not joined forces, let alone an alliance?" Is it just Cao Cao who pretends to be a hussar? Governor, if this... is..."

Zhou Yu stretched out his hand and said with a smile, "You'll know if it's true or false after you try it!" Ruomou's prediction is correct, the current Cao army camp has already assumed the flag, and Cao's thieves are not among them! What a calculation! He almost managed to hide it from someone! I'm afraid Cao Cao had already decided on his plan when he built this camp! 』

Zhou Yu's words made Cheng Pu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, "Cao Cao had already decided on his strategy when he set up camp?" ! 』Cao Cao started planning so early?

"Otherwise, what's the use of building such a majestic camp?" ” Zhou Yu sighed, “At that time, I only thought that Cao Jun wanted to confront us for a long time, but never thought about... someone coming! Send the order, prepare to march! 』

Zhou Yu shook off his cloak, turned and walked down the observation tower, "If Cao Jun can only rely on the camp and dare not go out to fight, Cao Jun's camp will be empty, and the army has already moved north!" If this is true, haha, it is God's gift to Jiangdong! 』

With the sound of war drums, the Jiangdong Camp roared open, and groups of soldiers slowly came out, approaching the Cao Army Camp on the opposite side layer by layer! The long-standing calm and confrontation between the two sides was finally broken!

At the beginning of the attack, those on the front line are always improvised cannon fodder. They are basically civilians, with some supervising soldiers. Naturally, there is no such thing as a complete array, and the equipment is also extremely poor. Even the complete They didn't have any armor, not even a few swords. They had more gun heads that didn't consume much steel, and even dung fork sticks. They formed a loose front and began to wade directly from the shallow water.

These people who managed to survive in the chaotic times of the Han Dynasty were hit and disappointed again and again. Some of their families were destroyed, some of their lives were lost, some of them were scattered around, some of them saw the separation between life and death, or some of them still had instincts. , or because of numbness, they live with the flow, attach themselves to the powerful people everywhere in this troubled world, work for them, and survive for a few days, and they will die in the fierce battles everywhere at any time, or they may be moved at any time. If you die on the way, you will become cannon fodder that consumes the opponent's strength and equipment right now.

The Dangyang River is not very deep originally, and the water dries up in autumn. In the shallows, these people are dragging their heavy steps, like zombies, splashing water and staggering. He swayed and struggled forward against the mud and pebbles at the bottom of the river.

More than a thousand civilians cannon fodder filled this shallow beach in the blink of an eye, but Jiang Dongbing still kept ordering the following civilians to continue joining the river crossing procession and wading through the thigh-deep water. Some people accidentally fell down and splashed twice in the water. Some people got up and continued moving forward, while more people were stepped on the mud at the bottom of the river. They may have to live for who knows how many days. Only then will he resurface and see the light of day again...

These cannon fodders were almost squeezed into a big lump in the Dangyang River. Even if there were some formations originally, they were now completely messed up. Various shouts, mixed with the sound of water and the sound of stepping on mud, became a mess. For any army, at this moment, attacking the enemy halfway across the river is the most relaxed and satisfying time, and it is an opportunity that is absolutely impossible to miss!

In Cao Jun's camp, Cao Ren stood on a high platform, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Uncle Zixiao, why don't you attack?" "Cao Zhen couldn't help but ask.

Under the high platform of Cao's army, some soldiers of Cao's army had gathered and formed an array, just waiting for the order to attack. Everyone raised their heads and looked at Cao Ren together.

Cao Ren, however, fixed his gaze firmly on the Jiangdong soldiers behind these cannon fodder. These civilian cannon fodder crossing the river are nothing to worry about. What is more important is the Jiangdong soldiers behind them. And according to common sense, these Jiangdong soldiers should also move together and follow these cannon fodder civilians, so that they can effectively connect the attack. Rhythm, the role of these cannon fodder will not be wasted...

But these Jiangdong soldiers stood on the opposite side of the river, just watching the cannon fodder advance with cold eyes, which was very abnormal.

If Cao's army is still in Cao's camp, Cao Ren doesn't care much about bringing these cannon fodder closer, because even if there are some Jiangdong death row prisoners hidden among these cannon fodder, they can be slaughtered with just a hail of arrows. Clean!

But the problem is that there are not that many soldiers among Cao's army and in the camp! There are not so many archers!

If we talk about the general cross-river attack mode, the soldier bands are closely connected. Cao Ren can directly send troops. Instead, he uses the fear and confusion of these civilians before the battle to counterpress a wave, and can even defeat the people crossing the river in one fell swoop. A group of Jiangdong troops were directly defeated!

But now Jiangdong shows that he has no intention of supporting or cooperating with these civilians...

Could it be that Jiang Dongbing was testing?

The problem is that if we let these civilians come over and wait for these guys to form a formation, and then want to hit them, the difficulty will inevitably increase a lot, and there will even be a lot more losses...

Cao Ren looked at Cao Zhen beside him, thought for a while, and suddenly said: "If I give you three hundred soldiers, will it be possible to defeat this army?" 』

Cao Zhen said proudly: "Why not?" ! Then I asked Uncle Zixiao to give the order! 』

"good! Be careful about the hidden gangsters among these civilians! ” Cao Ren patted Cao Zhen on the shoulder, “Remember! Don't seek to completely destroy his troops, just seek to intercept and defeat them! Don’t be greedy for success! Remember, remember! 』

Cao Zhen accepted the order, then turned around and got off the high platform, ordered three hundred soldiers, and with the roar of war drums, opened the camp door and went to kill these civilians!

On the other side of the Dangyang River, among the Jiangdong military ranks, Zhou Yu saw Cao Ying's attack. He quickly counted the number of Cao's troops and suddenly laughed, "It's just as expected!" 』

Immediately Zhou Yu turned to Cheng Pu and said, "I'll leave it to Demou next!" 』

Cheng Pu laughed and said, "That's easy to say!" Commander, just wait for the good news! ” Immediately turned around and left.

Although when Cao Jun opened the gate of the camp, smoke and dust were flying, and the distance was long. Even if Zhou Yu's eyesight was strong, he could not clearly see the reality in Cao Jun's camp. However, Zhou Yu could verify what he had in mind based on the reaction of Cao Jun's camp. judge.

"The so-called imaginary is real, and the real is imaginary..." Zhou Yu said slowly, "To show someone is illusory now, is it to make someone think it is true, but to hide the emptiness?" If so, how will you respond if someone loses another child? 』

At this moment, at the crossing of the river, an uncontrollable cry of panic broke out! Although Cao Zhen only commanded three hundred soldiers, all of them were armored soldiers, with red tassels fluttering on the top of their helmets, the armor leaves on their bodies reflecting the sun, strong shields, sharp swords, and sharp spears!

Seeing these soldiers of Cao's army rushing towards them, even these civilians were heartbroken and could not help but scream in panic and became helpless. The shouts of thousands of people intertwined in one place, which involuntarily attracted everyone's attention. In the past, after Cao Zhen's battle, blood and flesh were flying everywhere, and bloody limbs were scattered everywhere. It was like a whole bottle of red ink was suddenly knocked over in the picture, which stung people's eyes and hurt them in the blink of an eye. The surface of the river turns red, and then quickly flows down the river bank...

Zhou Yu still led his soldiers and stood on the river bank here, watching with cold eyes and motionless, as if the civilians who were killed were cannon fodder and had nothing to do with him.

Cao Ren looked at the battle at the shoal for a while, and then turned to look at Zhou Yu's troops on the other side. The reason why he did not send more soldiers was that he did not dare to take risks, and on the other hand he wanted to show his strength to the enemy. Jiangdong Cannon Fodder does not need to dispatch a large number of soldiers at all, and only needs a small-scale force to defeat it.

"General!" there! Jiang Dongbing! "On the high platform, Cao Ren's guard suddenly raised his arm and pointed in another direction, shouting loudly.

Cao Ren quickly turned around and saw that at a distant bend of the river, at some unknown time, a group of Jiangdong stern boats were swaying on the river. They were quickly connecting in one place, and then In the blink of an eye, a pontoon bridge was built, and behind the woods at the bend of the river, a large number of Jiangdong soldiers were pouring out. Among the flags fluttering, there was a big word "Cheng" in the middle!

Swimming in shallow water to attract attention is actually using a pontoon in deep water. Jiang Dongbing's strategy is to attack the east and attack the west!

Cao Ren felt cold all over his body. He turned to Han Hao and said, "It's urgent!" A certain leader led the troops to burn the pontoon bridge and block the troops from Jiangdong! The defense of this camp is entrusted to Yuan Si! 』

Han Hao said anxiously: "General!" It's better to attack! 』

Cao Ren waved his hand and asked his men to take the heavy armor and put it on, while saying: "There are two governors of Jiangdong, one is Zhou Yu and Zhou Gongjin, and the other is Cheng Pu and Cheng Demou!" Now Zhou and Cheng are both here. If they don't come out, that's fine. If they go out to fight and someone doesn't lead his troops to attack, he will immediately be able to tell the truth! 』

In addition to the reason that Cao Ren said that soldiers will fight against generals, Cao Ren also has a hidden worry in his heart, that is, if Jiang Dong really sees through it, only Cao Ren himself can make a decision on the spot and decide to take advantage of the situation. If something goes wrong, retreat. If you send Han Hao out, if you are defeated and trapped in the formation, if you don't go to rescue, it will be like cutting off an arm. If you go to rescue, if Zhou Yu in the shallows continues to press , there is emptiness and no attachment in the camp!

Cao Ren glanced sideways at Zhou Yu's flag on the other side, gritted his teeth, buttoned up his pocket, and said, "Get out of the battle!" 』

This damn Zhou Gongjin is indeed amazing!