Three Kingdoms

There are only two ways to solve the problem of slow movement of refugees. One is to speed up the refugees, and the other is to slow down Cao Jun's pursuit. But it is basically difficult to make the refugees speed up. In other words, even if a lot of work is done, it is impossible for the refugees to immediately become like soldiers and know how to coordinate and cooperate with orders and prohibitions.

So there was only one way left, to slow down Cao Jun's pursuit as much as possible.

Zhuge Liang didn't feel much nervous during the fierce battle outside Fancheng a few days ago. After all, it could be said that it was Zhuge Liang's long-premeditated plan, and he watched it come true step by step. At the beginning of the war, Cao Jun's behavior trajectory had been predicted, but now, the refugees who did not act according to common sense made Zhuge Liang very helpless.

In the understanding of Zhuge Liang, Liao Hua, Xu Yu and others, whether it is because of the orders of General Hussar or their pity for these Jingzhou refugees, they all feel that these refugees should understand that human life is the most important, so it is important to escape quickly. This is Not quite the right thing? Is it the most important thing for refugees to do?

Unfortunately, the positions are different and the perspectives of thinking are also different.

When you arrive at a refugee place, escaping is important, but the pots, pans, and trivial things around you are equally important. Even the hussar soldiers have repeatedly claimed that new farm tools will be distributed in Guanzhong, and even cattle and sheep can be rented first, etc. policy, but these refugees still feel that all good things are not as good as their own, and they have to drag them to life with those things that Zhuge Liang and Liao Hua consider to be burdensome.

Zhuge Liang even saw someone pushing the stone mill all the way to the refugees. After some hard talking, he finally gave up the idea of ​​rolling the stone mill all the way to Guanzhong...

Human life is undoubtedly the most expensive, but in the hearts of these refugees, their own lives are often lowly, not even worth a few handfuls of grain and a cauldron!

Zhuge Liang did not place his hopes on the refugees. Retreating from Wumingwu Fort to Wuguan was not an easy task. Although there was Danshui to guide him along the way, the ups and downs were not easy, so the refugees would still be slow. , until...

Fortunately, Liao Hua successfully destroyed most of Cao Jun's ships, so that Cao Jun could not pursue by water. Otherwise, Zhuge Liang would face the most embarrassing situation, and he would not even be able to implement his strategy.

This time, Zhuge Liang suggested that Xu Yu rush to Wuguan for help while he and Liao Hua stayed behind to delay Cao Jun's pursuit. The original plan was for Xu Yu and Liao Hua to stay while Zhuge Liang went to Wuguan... After all, was Zhuge Liang's force worth it? Well, when he picked up the long sword, he could probably defeat one or two refugees. Equal to nothing.

However, Xu Yu was injured. Although he received treatment, he could not immediately go into battle and kill vigorously, so he could only make adjustments, but this also led to Zhuge Liang possibly facing more dangers. If you are not careful, let alone defeat, your own life may be in danger. Wealth can be found in danger. Everyone knows this saying, but when faced with danger, most people will shrink back. After all, there are only a few people who can bravely face it.

Zhuge Liang weighed the pros and cons many times, but when he made the final decision, he was still a little nervous.

Liao Hua could sense Zhuge Liang's nervousness at the side, so he said: "Kong Ming is arranging the refugees here... If something goes wrong, you can retreat quickly..." Liao Hua's meaning was very clear. If he couldn't hold off Cao Jun, then he would Let Zhuge Liang leave quickly. Let these refugees slow down Cao Jun...

"If we evacuate, Cao's army will pursue us!" ” Zhuge Liang suppressed his nervousness and tried his best to make his expression look more relaxed, “If what I expected is true, the cavalry will arrive first, followed by the infantry... If Cao’s army sees a large number of refugees, they will definitely drive them away to cover them up, causing chaos for our soldiers.” Formation, if we wait here to attack, we may be in trouble. 』

Liao Hua agreed with Zhuge Liang and said, "So we should attack him!" 』

"Exactly. ” Zhuge Liang nodded.

"Then... what should we do?" ’ Liao Hua asked.

Zhuge Liang turned his attention to the alchemy beside him.

As expected, Cao Jun launched a large-scale pursuit...

After Cao Jun occupied Fancheng, they also argued with each other about whether to continue the pursuit. The coach Xiahou Dun was hesitant. The young general Cao Xiu said that he would not miss the opportunity and must pursue it. Cao Renmo was worried that there might be a trap.

For Cao Jun, it would be good to be able to expand the results of the battle, but it would not be good if the poor soldiers were ambushed in pursuit. When Cao Cao chased Dong Zhuo, he also had a hard time and lost everything. Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren were both present, so they tended to be more cautious.

But the problem is that Cao Xiu is not happy.

The fundamental reason for Cao Xiu's dissatisfaction is not, well, it cannot be said that it is entirely selfish. After all, if this hussar army is really killed and the hussar army abandons their helmets and armor and flees in all directions, even if they cannot take the enemy general's head, it will be It is of great benefit to Cao Cao's overall situation, but under the cover of this big sign, Cao Xiu still has some small thoughts of competing for credit.

Although Cao Ren and Cao Xiu teamed up to defeat Jiangdong's soldiers during the fight against Jiangdong, which was considered a great achievement, this achievement was basically Cao Ren's main contribution and Cao Xiu's auxiliary contribution. Moreover, among the auxiliary contributions, there was also Some were divided, including Hu Qi's part, so what really fell on Cao Xiu was not a lot. But now, Hu Qi returned to cooperate with Cao Cao, and Cao Xiu went to Xiangyang to cooperate with Xiahou Dun. But after such a trip, Cao Xiu suffered defeats near Fancheng. Not only did he not get any new achievements, he even lost his troops and generals!

How could Cao Xiu swallow this bad breath?

What's interesting is that normally, when most of the ships were burned, Xiahou Dun would naturally hesitate. This is normal. General Cao Ren held a conservative attitude. Even if Cao Xiu strongly suggested it, he would most likely favor Cao Ren's opinion. However, Cao Xiu said some very crucial words that immediately changed the final decision.

"In the past when we were fighting against Jiangdong, we had many heads in the capital to watch, and the weir of corpses stood in the sun, and Jiangdong was frightened!" ” Cao Xiu looked at Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren and said, “But now, although Uncle Zixiao has driven back the traitors with three arrows, the Hussar soldiers have not suffered much casualties, which is not enough to break his heart. If the traitors do not die, what will happen if they come back again?” ? 』

Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren looked at each other and then fell silent.

In some respects, Cao Xiu's words are not wrong. After all, from the beginning to now, he has basically been at a disadvantage against the Hussar. It was not easy, well, it can't be said that he has the advantage right now. It is always a slight draw. I returned some, and then just gave up the opportunity to continue to expand my advantage...

"What's more, there are still many people in Fan City, but the thieves retreated lightly..." Regarding this point, Cao Xiu said with some disdain, "If someone defends the city, there are these people, and they can guard it for at least ten more days!" If you retreat so easily, something may have changed, or the thief may be timid! Even if we take a step back and say that in the name of benevolence, she has little desire to sacrifice, so she retreats... Haha, if this is the case, how can such a woman lead an army with her state of mind? ! 』

"This is the key point of Jingxiang. If someone changes the location, even if we fight to the death of one soldier, we will try our best to delay the time to achieve the overall situation!" ” Cao Xiu talked eloquently, “Fighting to occupy the city, the minimum is one for three, and the maximum is one for five. Such a favorable location is a waste of time! If the thieves are determined to fight and use three thousand soldiers in exchange for more than ten thousand of our people, and it can delay the time, why not do it? Now the enemy general cares about life and death and does not dare to fight to the death. He abandons the city and flees. It can be seen that the Hussar army has no intention to fight. If we don't pursue them now, how long will we wait? 』

Does it make sense?

It seems to sound reasonable.

So Cao Jun led the cavalry led by Cao Xiu as the vanguard, and Cao Ren led the infantry behind, and began to pursue Zhuge Liang and others. In order to make it easier to march along the mountain road along Danshui, Cao Xiu placed heavy armor in Fancheng and switched to light armor in order to speed up the pursuit. Anyway, in Cao Xiu's view, Zhuge Liang and others were already frightened and did not There would be too much of a threat.

However, in fact, before Cao Jun's pursuit reached Wumingwu Fort, he was ambushed by a trap set by Liao Hua and others...

Thirty Cao Jun cavalry appeared in the field of vision. They looked very cautious. The first two cavalry held reins in one hand and held halberds in the other. They were neither fast nor slow. They were alert and seemed to be ready to deal with all kinds of cavalry at any time. Sudden changes.

Suddenly, a Cao Jun war horse sank half as low as its front legs, and then heard a heart-wrenching clicking sound. It immediately fell to the ground, throwing the rider on the horse a long way!

"There's an ambush!" alert! 』

"Enemy attack——"

Amidst the pitiful roar, Cao Jun shouted, and then quickly got into a fighting position. His eyes were wide open. He held the shield, raised the bow, and looked around, observing the changes in every light and shadow. .

However, everything was quiet. The rain of locust arrows and cold swords and spears that Cao Jun's soldiers had expected did not appear. The mountain mist was slightly misty, and in the forest, the treetops were swaying slowly and calmly. An old crow flew across the sky, seeming to be laughing at Cao Jun's fuss.

"what happened? ! 』

From the queue, the commander of the cavalry of Cao's army, who was leading the front army, saw that everything was quiet around him and there seemed to be no danger, so he pushed aside the guards and went to the front to ask about the cavalry of Cao's army that had happened.

"I, I don't know either..."

The unlucky Cao Jun cavalry was beaten with bruises and bruises on his face and arms. He looked a little embarrassed with blood, but it was not fatal. Similarly, the war horse lying on the ground whining was not dead either, but its front legs were broken. …

"Gan!" ” Commander Cao Jun dismounted from his horse, checked, and immediately couldn’t help but jump to his feet and cursed, “This is what the damn hussars did!” Specially used to trap horses' legs! Here, here, too, and..."

Commander Cao Jun couldn't help cursing, looking left and right, and pointing, "You can't go this way, and the front..."

Before Cao Jun Qu Chang finished speaking, the grass and trees in the forest on one side shook. A crossbow bolt flew out from under the shadow of the tree and pierced into Cao Jun Qu Chang's chest and abdomen in the blink of an eye!

Perhaps the commander of Cao's army did not dismount to give instructions, and he would not be the target of the hussar sniper. It is possible that another unlucky guy died, but he happened to show different behavioral characteristics from ordinary soldiers, and he suddenly became the target of an ambush. The best target for snipers.

Cao's army was horrified. They subconsciously raised their shields again, and those holding swords were on guard. After a while, they looked at each other without waiting for the follow-up attack. Then someone yelled angrily and cautiously raised their shields to press. In the direction where the crossbow arrow was fired, the person had already disappeared into the tree, leaving no trace.

Although the sun is high in the sky, there are still many places hidden in darkness under the shadows of mountains and trees. Under the swaying vegetation, they all seem to be smiling eerily at Cao Jun with malicious intentions.

Such a strange situation caused Cao Jun, who lost his grassroots commander, to immediately have disagreements. Some people thought that this was just an accidental problem. The death of Qu Chang was just an accident. It cannot stop just because one person died. If he turned back here, it would mean He was afraid that he would be punished for not completing his military duties, but another part of him felt that this must be an ambush by the Qiusi cavalry. There might be more traps ahead, and he had to go back and report to Cao Xiu first.

Different opinions led to different results. Those who insisted on moving forward took a dozen people forward, and then immediately encountered a new ambush. Liao Hua and others suddenly rushed out of the forest and easily harvested their heads. All the war horses that could still walk were taken away, leaving only a mess on the ground.

As expected, those who retreated were punished by Cao Xiu in public, indicating that they not only lost their masters, but also retreated without permission. Either because they could still be punished and meritorious service, he would definitely kill them without mercy, and then hurried forward again. , but encountered a freshly baked horse’s leg trap again halfway!

These small pits were not actually very harmful, but they were quite insulting. Cao Xiu was immediately furious and took the team leader who was responsible for being a forward and whipped him twenty times. After all, these forward troops who were originally responsible for reconnaissance and pathfinding not only failed to complete the task of detecting the markers, but also escaped and were not killed as deserters. Cao Xiu had already exercised great restraint.

While Cao Xiu formed a formation on the spot, he ordered his soldiers to search the surrounding mountains and forests, but found nothing. Although some traces of activity were found, these ambush hussars soldiers were not caught or encountered. War horses cannot enter the mountains and forests, and the speed of pursuit on foot cannot keep up with the hussars who have evacuated. It is impossible for Cao Xiu to abandon the target in front and waste too much time in the mountains and forests. In the end, he can only be disappointed. Return.

While Cao Xiu was increasing his vigilance, he sent his soldiers to the front for reconnaissance. However, the troops that came out immediately received a sad news. The first group of more than ten cavalrymen of Cao's army on the mountain road ahead were completely wiped out. But when Cao Xiu arrived at the scene of the incident, before he could investigate clearly, another bad news came from the front. He was ambushed again, and nearly half of the more than thirty people were killed. Cao Xiu was so angry that his mouth was filled with smoke, but some chills could not help but rise in his heart.

Cao Xiu was afraid that he would be ambushed by dividing his troops again, so he made a step-by-step approach and no longer sent small teams forward. Instead, he divided his troops into two parts, the front and the rear, and pursued them in turn. If there was any disturbance in the mountains and forests, he would first greet him with a round of arrows. past, and then the cavalry roared to clear it up.

Although this action had a certain effect and killed some hussar soldiers, Cao Xiu's own damage was several times higher!

Under the light and shadow of the forest, Cao's cavalry was unable to guard against the snagging ropes and head-cutting wires. Later, they even learned the lesson. Once they entered the dark woods, one person would hold up a long halberd to fish for nothing, while the other person would draw diagonally on the ground...

Even so, Cao Xiu's pursuit could not help but be greatly slowed down.

Liao Hua did not attack by force. He was just taking advantage of his familiarity with the terrain in this area to constantly harass and sneak attack Cao Xiu. After all, although both sides were marching along Danshui, it seemed that they could stop and repair anywhere, but in fact not all The terrain is suitable for drinking horses, and the flat areas are always limited, so these places are naturally the areas that Liao Hua focuses on.

Every time Cao Xiu rests, several or more of Cao Xiu's troops will go missing or die. The hussars and horses seem to be tireless, spying on Cao Xiu and others in the mountains and forests all the time. As long as Cao Xiu's troops are alone, they will They would be attacked in the blink of an eye. Although the number of casualties was not high, it seriously affected the morale of Cao's army.

Cao Xiu tried to set up bait several times, and even took risks to lure Liao Hua, but Liao Hua was not fooled. He was not like Xu Yu, who couldn't move when he saw the enemy general, but carefully implemented Zhuge Liang's plan. , repeatedly harassed Cao Xiu, and only launched a fierce attack when he was sure that he could kill Cao's scattered troops in one go, and then retreated in the blink of an eye, leaving Cao Xiu defenseless. He wanted to pursue but was afraid of being trapped again, and was in a dilemma.

If Cao Xiu had a force several times larger than Liao Hua, then Cao Xiu could pursue and fight fiercely regardless of damage, and could even overwhelm Liao Hua to the point where he was chased away in panic even if he used these moves. But the problem is that Cao Xiu's cavalry is not large in number. In addition, he wants to pursue speed and has removed his heavy armor. In this small-scale battle on the bank of the rugged Danshui River, the skill gap between the soldiers is magnified... …

The cavalry under Cao Xiu are just cavalry. They are like fools when they dismount. Without grassroots commanders, sometimes they don't know what they should do when they are attacked.

Hussars, as long as they are veterans of more than one year, they are almost all-rounders. In the annual military competition, the victorious group of guys can go to Chang'an to meet the hussars, where they can eat well, drink hot food, and further their studies, and they will soon be will be improved, coupled with the gradually popularizing military education and the welfare benefits of professional soldiers, the soldiers under the hussar rarely have the situation where they can only scream and move, and are completely passive. Most of the soldiers are automatic. Spontaneously learning more combat skills, and even practicing on his own after training.

When large-scale soldiers fight, it is not noticeable, but the smaller the number of soldiers, the more small-scale battles occur, the more obvious the gap between soldiers becomes. The hussars can hide in disguise, snipe with crossbows, dig traps, and even know how to bandage and treat themselves. Once Cao Jun is injured, he will just hold the wound and scream...

The two sides started a tug-of-war in the mountains. Cao Xiu gritted his teeth and kept fighting, while Liao Hua appeared and seized every possible opportunity to attack Cao Jun. Cao Jun was in tension all day long, and his nerves were tense every moment. .

If a person is nervous for a period of time, it is not a big problem, but if he is nervous all the time, he will either turn into a salty fish in the end and lie down and let others drag him around, or he will overreact. So when Cao Xiu repaired and set up camp that night, the defensive measures were obviously very good. Even Liao Hua couldn't find a flaw in the attack. However, Cao Xiu's soldiers in his own camp were not sure whether it was because of the old bustard's strange scream at night or some other fright. , actually howled the enemy attack in the middle of the night, and almost caused the camp to roar. If Cao Xiu hadn't reacted quickly and controlled it properly, he would have either continued the attack without Liao Hua, or the entire army would have collapsed.

Under such a situation, even Cao Xiu, who was extremely ambitious, could not continue to pursue forcefully. He could only shamelessly go back and ask Cao Ren for support...