Three Kingdoms

To gain an overwhelming advantage most of the time requires an overwhelming logistics. Almost everyone loses money during the war. Only after the war is it possible to make money, more or less.

Xia Houyuan's biggest problem was not actually his personal problem, but that when he did not have a solid logistical support, he rushed into Hedong in an attempt to recreate Taishi Ci's Battle of Yecheng.

Taishi Ci's one-day trip to Yecheng seems to be Taishi's ability on the surface, but in fact it is closely related to logistics support, and even if Taishi Ci is really trapped in Shandong, there are follow-up rescue methods.

Xia Houyuan did not have these matters, or in other words, was not ready yet...

So Xia Houyuan seemed very passive after being slightly disturbed.

When discussing with Xu Ju how to stop Xia Houyuan, Sima Yi considered what kind of countermeasures Xia Houyuan would adopt. In Sima Yi's view, Xia Houyuan's strategies were nothing more than three: fight, leave, or delay.

If you fight, you will just fall into Sima Yi's trap.

Go, this is what Sima Yi is most worried about. If Xia Houyuan is willing to abandon his obsession and flee immediately at this time, Sima Yi may not be able to stop him. After all, Sima Yi only had the power of harassment, but lacked the force to determine victory or defeat in one fell swoop. Under such circumstances, Sima Yi could only guarantee to defeat him, but was not sure that he would be able to keep Xia Houyuan.

Dragging is a choice between neither going up nor falling. The problem is that Xia Houyuan cannot afford to drag.

When you give up the most, it is the most cost-effective. If Xia Houyuan knew what a sunk cost was, he might be able to understand this. So when Sima Yi saw Xia Houyuan start to attack, he smiled very happily.

What seems to be the toughest battle is actually a very unsuccessful choice.

Also in the hostile rear, Xia Houyuan's situation was completely different from that of Tai Shici at that time.

Under Yuan Shao's rule, many areas in Jizhou were still autonomous. They belonged to Yuan Shao in name, and taxes would be paid to them. Local officials could also be appointed by Yuan Shao. However, in fact, those who managed the countryside were still the original squire. This was already evident when Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan were fighting. Yuan Shao wanted to quickly unify the north and then turn south, but the Jizhou guys were obviously unwilling to do loss-making business. They only wanted fame and status, and wanted to welcome the emperor to get more rewards.

Therefore, in Yuan Shao's territory at that time, Taishi Ci came and went all the time. It was not because Taishi Ci could really challenge the entire Jizhou alone, but because everyone in the Jizhou gentry and gentry shrank their heads. As long as Taishici didn't mess with them, they were even willing to secretly give them to them. Click on tolls or something...

On the contrary, in the east of the river, Sima Yi waited for those guys to pay Xia Houyuan tolls.

The key is that Sima Yi had previously killed a large householder who colluded with Cao's army in Beiqupi County. With the heads rolling, who else would dare to give Xia Houyuan any benefit?

When Taishi Ci was in Jizhou, he was a local snake who pretended to be deaf and mute, and even gloated about Yuan Shao's misfortune, and then secretly greeted Taishi Ci. However, when Xia Houyuan was in Hedong, local bigwigs shunned him like snakes and scorpions, shouting, "Don't come over." …

All this stems from differences in governance methods.

Seeing that Xia Houyuan was about to launch an attack, Xu Zhi led his men into the preset position.

Infantry and fortifications are like cavalry and horses. There is a mutually reinforcing relationship. Infantry without any fortification protection is fragile. Now that there are sufficient preparations, Xu Zhi's confidence is naturally strong. The Cao army that defeated Fenglingdu was not an outstanding achievement. The Sima family already had the head of the Cao family, so why couldn't he have the head of the Xiahou family?

In war, the blood of the enemy is the greatest glory!

Xia Houyuan launched a tentative attack.

Not surprisingly, they immediately received a strong counterattack from Xu Zhi and others.

It cannot be said that Cao Jun's cavalry can only fight on horseback. They are useless when dismounted. These Xiahouyuan's soldiers are carefully selected and have undergone sufficient training. Even if they are dismounted, they are no worse than ordinary infantry. However, After all, they were still cavalry, and faced the pure infantry commanded by Xu Zheng, especially the infantry in the fortifications, they still suffered.

In addition, the physical strength of Cao Jun's horses was also very high. Many of the horses began to pant not long after attacking. Even if a few horses started to run, they seemed very reluctant and could not reach the expected speed. This made the cavalry unable to reach the expected speed. Immunity against arrows decreased...

Shooting fast-moving targets has always been one of the most difficult subjects for archers.

The decrease in the speed of Cao's cavalry undoubtedly increased the hit rate of Xu Zhi's archers.

Xia Houyuan shouted anxiously, "Speed ​​up!" accelerate! 』

Xia Houyuan stared at the Sima clan's flag in the distance, his eyes like fire. This is an insidious opponent, and this is also a despicable and shameless enemy. They were both Sima before and after, but now they feel like two completely different people...

Maybe there really was a replacement?

Xia Houyuan was a little hesitant. He thought of his successful night attack before, the most glorious moment, but now it turned into such a mess in the blink of an eye, which made him feel a little mixed.

He originally wanted to chase Sima, but now he seemed to be led into a trap.

Cao Cao was close to Tongguan, but separated by Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain, it was like a world between heaven and man.

Why has Cao Cao still not been able to take advantage of the situation and attack Hedong after I have been fighting here for so many days?

Could it be that there is another problem with Cao Cao?

Or...

Xia Houyuan's heart was on fire and he couldn't calm down.

While Xia Houyuan was entangled, the two sides had already started fighting.

The arrow left the string, flew into the air, drew an arc, and rushed towards Cao Jun.

Compared with Sima Yi's cavalry who could only shoot one less arrow and carry less arrows, Xu Zhi's infantry with baggage carts on their side were much more arrogant. After Cao's cavalry entered the shooting range, they immediately The arrows began to rain down.

"Raise your shield——"

With the loud shouting, Cao Jun's cavalry raised their shields to avoid harm as much as possible.

The cavalry led by Sima Yi ran out of arrows, and the arrows of Cao's cavalry were also exhausted, so they had to press forward against the rain of arrows.

The shields carried by cavalry are usually small shields, only half the size of the large shields of infantry, or even smaller. This kind of cavalry shield is not for cavalry to specifically defend against arrow rain, but to reduce the chance of damage to their own vital points during the attack.

As a result, during the forward charge, many Cao Jun cavalry were shot off their horses.

The charging cavalry meets death.

Xia Houyuan was so distressed that even the corners of his mouth were twitching.

In the end, the cavalry rushed into the simple and rudimentary horses, and the kerosene splashed on the surrounding tree trunks and branches.

Rockets roared in and fire burst into flames.

Xu Ju had a headache, this was really what Sima Yi said.

Xia Houyuan seized on the flaw of these simple and crude horses.

Xu Zhi was a simple horse formation built directly from a large number of branches and trunks to form a line to block the charge of Cao's cavalry. In order to reduce the time and enhance the effect, he did not remove the scattered branches and branches. It's winter right now, and these branches are actually somewhat dry, and they're just starting to burn.

As soon as the fire started, the advantage in the horse-rejecting array immediately turned into a disadvantage.

Xia Houyuan fought hard to kill more than twenty cavalrymen of Cao's army, successfully poured kerosene on the resisting horses, and then lit them on fire.

Xu Zhi's infantry among these resisting horses immediately became timid and found themselves in a dilemma. It is obvious that if you continue to stay, you won't be able to stay long, and there is a risk of being burned by the flames. If you withdraw, it will be equivalent to giving up this front, and you will be forced to duel with Cao's cavalry in the open space outside the horse.

"This thief general... has a few tricks up his sleeve..."

Xu Ju smiled bitterly. Although I was somewhat prepared after Sima Yi's reminder, I was still somewhat unhappy when I saw the worst outcome unfolding before my eyes.

Xu Zhi's soldiers tried to slow down the spread of the flames by fighting the flames and disconnecting the interconnected horses, but in the end it had little effect. They may have controlled some fires in one place, but they did not take into account other places. The more it burns, the bigger it gets...

"Xu Xiaowei," Sima Yi began to mount his horse with the help of his soldiers, "Get out!" 』

Although Sima Yi was still tired, his eyes showed a kind of coldness, "The fire is burning, we can't stay, but there is no need to worry that Cao Jun will pass these resisting horses... The only direction they can go is that way..."

Xu Ju turned his eyes in the direction indicated by Sima Yi and saw only the beach exposed when the river was dry.

Xu Ju suddenly understood, nodded repeatedly, and immediately ordered the soldiers to withdraw from behind the horse.

Seeing Xu Ju's infantry retreating, Cao Jun's momentum suddenly increased.

But just like what Sima Yi said, after Cao Jun burned the horses, it was still impossible to pass. However, it would take a day or two for each of the horses to be burned completely, and black smoke was rising from here. , as long as you are not blind, you will know that there is a problem here, and it may attract other Hedong troops.

So when Xia Houyuan saw that Xu Ju's infantry were forced out of Juma by the flames, he immediately ordered his soldiers to pass through the shallow river beach and attack Xu Ju and Sima Yi!

In Xia Houyuan's view, Xu Ju's infantry, who had just been burned and smoked by the fire, would definitely not be able to line up immediately. Sima Yi, on the other hand, was exhausted and could not have much fighting power, so he only needed to If you grit your teeth and survive this period, you will gain a comprehensive victory!

The raging fire ignited the tree array, and the fire grew bigger and stronger, and finally turned into a giant flame dragon, even extending to the car array on the mound.

Sima Yi watched the flames rise, his eyes flickering.

Water and fire are merciless. The most powerful weapons on the battlefield are not crossbows or cavalry, but water and fire.

Those who are good at using water and fire will be famous generals.

You don't even need to set the fire yourself, but let the other party set the fire...

In order to escape the trap and eliminate the threat of Sima Yi's trail, Xia Houyuan must completely defeat Sima Yi, and if he can obtain additional war horses from Sima Yi, he can truly take the initiative. Sima Yi didn't believe that Xia Houyuan couldn't see this, so Sima Yi believed that Xia Houyuan would fight him to the death here instead of escaping between the flames.

Of course, if Xia Houyuan is willing to escape, he is also welcome.

Because Xia Houyuan couldn't afford to delay his logistics supplies.

The flames obscured their vision, so when Cao Jun's cavalry rushed out from the river beach, Xu Ju's infantry had not yet fully reacted.

Some infantry were knocked to the ground by Cao's cavalry. They had just touched the river beach when they saw Cao Jun's cavalry rushing out of the black smoke, like evil ghosts jumping out of the flames.

"Form up!" ” Xu Ju shouted at the infantry.

This prompt is correct, but it is slow.

The two sides have hastily fought together.

"Don't let Cao Jun go to Chi Road!" Hold that gentle slope! Sima Yi shouted loudly, "Victory or defeat depends on this!" 』

The reason why we don't preset a position on a gentle slope in advance is because this gentle slope can also be seen by the opponent.

If the intention is exposed in advance, the plan cannot be implemented smoothly.

Xu Ju knew that the moment was very critical, so he gritted his teeth and led the elite around him to the end of the Juma Fire Dragon and rushed up the black smoke on the river beach.

This is a gentle slope. It is also at the corner of a river bend, and if you don’t go up the gentle slope of this river, you can only continue to look for other gentle slopes along the river.

The originally inconspicuous gentle slope has now become the main point of contention between the two sides.

When Xu Ju arrived at the gentle slope, the battle situation was already very bad.

The black smoke produced by the burning horse was pulled eastward and westward by the wind, making the surrounding gentle slope covered with flying sparks and smoke, making it uncomfortable to breathe. Under such circumstances, the two sides competed for this piece of land. Area!

The vision is unclear, the sound is noisy, and almost all sensory organs are compressed into a small range.

A war horse jumped out, and the cavalry of Cao's army on the horse waved their sabers and slashed at the approaching infantry.

The infantry on the ground heard the sound of horse hooves beside them, knowing that something bad was going on. In the middle of life and death, they advanced instead of retreating, swung their swords and slashed at Cao Jun's cavalry who rushed out of the black smoke.

There was a "clang" sound. Although the swords of the infantry and the swords of Cao's cavalry collided, neither side hit the other. However, the horse that rushed out the next moment hit the infantry!

The infantry was knocked upside down by the huge momentum, and then hit other infantry. He spurted out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. It's like a child bumping into an adult. The adult doesn't think anything is wrong. The child flies far away, and the advantage of the cavalry is fully demonstrated.

"kill! ” Xu Ju raised his sword and rushed forward with a loud shout. He cut off the leg of a war horse that passed by him with one strike.

The horse fell to the ground with a crash, throwing the cavalryman far away.

Xu Ju didn't even look at the Cao Jun cavalry who fell to the ground, but stared closely at the black smoke in front of him. The sword lifted up with blood, and then struck hard on the thigh of another Cao Jun cavalryman. The Cao Jun cavalryman screamed, fell off his horse, and was hacked to death by another infantryman.

A spear, like a poisonous dragon, poked out from the black smoke and struck Xu Ju's chest.

Xu Ju shouted loudly, so he swung his knife diagonally in an attempt to swing the spear away. However, he did not expect that the spear was not strong at all. With a clang, Xu Ju flew far away, and Xu Ju also used it incorrectly. The door opens wide with force!

A Cao Jun military officer rushed out, smiled cruelly, and slashed Xu Zhi's neck with his backhand knife.

Xu Ju made a mistake in his steps, swayed his body, and dodged Cao Jun's knife, but was slashed on the arm by another Cao Jun. Xu Ju groaned, rolled on the spot, avoided the collision of a war horse, raised his sword and cut open the belly of the war horse.

Blood spurted out from the wound on the horse's belly, and then yellow-white intestines also slipped from the huge wound. They were soon trampled by other horses, and they immediately ran away for a few steps with a scream and fell to the ground. Throwing the knight to the ground.

After being blocked by Xu Zhi and his men, precious time was gained. The infantry gradually began to gather into an array, the large shield was erected, and the spears began to be placed on the shield one by one.

Sima Yi exhaled a long breath, "It's done..."

If Xu Zheng and his infantry cannot withstand the attack, it will be his turn.

Although Sima Yi can also kill people with a knife and shoot with a bow and arrow, but...

The gentle slope was blocked, and Cao Jun wanted to go up the Chi Road but could not. Cao's cavalry continued to pour out from behind, and it was impossible to slow down on the spot, so Cao's cavalry involuntarily began to run down the river.

The disadvantages of not being familiar with the terrain finally broke out.

It is true that during the dry season, when the river water level drops, tidal flats will emerge, but the problem is that not all tidal flats are suitable for horse racing.

As Cao Jun's cavalry ran, something started to feel wrong.

The river beach seems to be extremely flat with dry ground, but in fact it is just a shell with mud underneath!

There may be no problem if people walk on it, but the weight of the war horse plus the people...

As a result, the war horse gradually became unable to run, and all four hooves were stained with mud, as if four huge mud boots had been put on the horse's hooves.

Cao Jun's cavalry urged the war horses as much as possible, but the war horses themselves were already very tired. Now four mud boots were added on them, and it was suddenly difficult to even run. They could only move forward with difficulty, breathing hard. Under such circumstances, These Cao Jun cavalry on the river beach became the best targets for Sima Yi and others.

Sima Yi led the cavalry, and slowly and slowly on the galloping road on the river bank, he called out the cavalry of Cao's army one by one, who were almost unable to move.

Arrows whizzed down, and Cao Jun's cavalry were shot one by one on the river tidal flats.

Xia Houyuan and his guards tried to jump out of the river tidal flat and back to the galloping road. However, the horse was exhausted and weighed down by the weight, so it could not jump up at all. Instead, it hit a stone on the river bank and suffered a bloody head.

"Cowardless rats!" Xia Houyuan roared angrily, waving his horse, "How dare you fight a certain person!" 』

His horse had been wounded and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely, so Xia Houyuan had to become a foot soldier and led his men to try to climb the stone wall on the river bank.

Sima Yi neither responded to Xia Houyuan's call nor taunted him. He just silently took the bow, attached the arrow, aimed at Xia Houyuan who was roaring angrily, and then loosened the bow string...

Arrows roared out.

It sank into Xia Houyuan's chest.

Sima Yi's eyes widened in surprise.

Actually shot?

"I still want to fight...I can still fight..."

Xia Houyuan angrily pulled out the arrow, and blood spurted out with flesh and blood. Immediately, he threw his horse in the direction of Sima Yi, then staggered and fell into the shallow water, "I...I I’m not willing to give in…』

Ma Hao twisted in the air, and then plunged into a place about twenty steps in front of Sima Yi.

The horse's long handle trembled unwillingly, finally stopped and fell down.

The corpses of men and horses were scattered along the river.

The flames still rose.

Black smoke snarled in the air.

The color of blood spreads in the river...