Three Kingdoms

The sharp edge of the war knife whizzes down, seizing the soul.

Zhang Ji wanted to dodge, but twisted his body, which caused a wound. He couldn't help but feel a sharp pain, and his movements were a bit stiff.

After being at ease for a long time, it is inevitable that you will feel a little slack. I always think that the war will be just like what I imagined, or I feel that I can avoid all risks.

But what is the actual situation?

Risks are still everywhere.

"General, be careful!" 』

A spear struck from one side in time and pierced the lower abdomen of Cao Jun's soldier.

The soldiers of Cao's army grabbed the handle of the spear with all their strength. Before they died, they tried to kill Zhang Ji's guard, but Zhang Ji blocked it with a backhand knife. He could only breathe out his last breath unwillingly and fell down.

On the battlefield, only your comrades are the most reliable...

"General!" Reinforcements are coming! ” The guard on the side shouted loudly, “Reinforcements are coming! 』

Zhang Jixian killed the Cao soldiers in front of him, then raised his head and looked in the direction pointed by the guard.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, we could vaguely see the cavalry advancing.

There were more and more screams.

Suddenly, there was a louder noise in the direction of Huguan Pass.

Zhang Ji's expression changed.

In this battle, both sides had their own strategies, the focus of the battle was constantly changing, and their agility on the battlefield was fully demonstrated.

Now, this game of chess is finally coming to an end.

Everyone is the focus of this battlefield, but no one is the absolute core.

People who think they are awesome may not really be awesome, but it is often the ordinary soldiers who are the core elements that support the entire battle.

Zhang Ji thought he was very powerful, but he also fought against Le Jin, who also came with anger, and both of them suffered losses.

Zhang Ji injured his arm and Le Jin injured his leg.

The seemingly unrelated injuries now caused Le Jin to be invisibly slowed down when he charged towards the Huguan City Gate.

Under Huguan, the terrain is not flat. There are ditches and mounds. It is not just a city with a camp under the city.

Most passes and cities are not flat and regular like those in movies and TV shows. They often have some bumps and bumps due to the geographical environment, and they are even intentionally made bumpy.

The area around Huguan Pass is an extension of the Taihang Mountains, with many ravines and plateaus.

Naturally, it is impossible to say that all of Cao Jun's camps are concentrated together. Some camps are located at higher locations, and of course there are also some dens dug by laborers.

The battlefield has never been so beautiful, clean and unobstructed.

Observing the opponent's camp and counting the opponent's smoke every day are all basic common sense.

When Cao Jun appeared on the plateau platform, he would naturally be seen on the Huguan city wall. However, if Cao Jun followed the ditch on the plateau and entered the folds of the hills, his line of sight would be blocked. Isn't this common sense? Problem?

Le Jin made arrangements by taking advantage of this common sense and the uneven characteristics of his own camp and the beautiful Taihang Mountains.

But he also didn't expect that he would also be injured...

"quick! quick! Le Jin turned around the bottom of the folded slope, began to climb up the plateau, and limped towards the Huguan Pass.

On the other side, Zhao Yan was also shouting the same words: "Hurry!" quick! ! Seize the city! 』

Cao Jun's cavalry behind him also shouted in unison, becoming majestic for a moment.

The city gate of Huguan Pass is thick and strong. It is not only made of hard wood, but also has iron bars and copper nails. However, this also makes the city gate extremely heavy. It is not like the door of later generations, which can be closed by just swinging it. close.

Most of the time, the city gates at Huguan Pass are only half-open, which is enough, but when it is necessary to quickly move in and out of troops, naturally they must be fully opened.

It's hard to open the door, and it's also hard to close the door.

If you want to close it again after opening it, it cannot be done by just one or two people pulling it.

Moreover, Huguan also needs to leave a door open for Zhang Ji and others to enter...

A fierce offensive and defensive battle, for both sides, is actually almost exhausted. Many times they rely on their strength to support themselves. If the Huguan city gate is captured, then for the Huguan defenders For me, it was naturally a big blow, and it meant that Le Jin and Zhao Yan had a more active choice.

Everyone can understand this.

Even within the Huguan Pass, the total number of defenders is greater than the number of Le Jin and others, but the outcome of many wars does not just depend on a simple factor such as the number of people...

Sometimes, luck is also important.

Just like this ambush, if it were at night, the winning rate of Le Jin and Zhao Yan would increase by at least 30 to 40%.

But now, we can only compete for speed and the time difference between each other.

Lejin Zhao Yan just wanted to seize this time gap.

But the problem is that Le Jin has an injury on his foot, so his running speed is slower than before...

According to the original plan, Le Jin's speed was consistent with the cavalry dispatched by Zhao Yan.

Happy march, but closer.

Zhao Yan's cavalry rode, but their hiding position was farther away.

So both sides should have arrived at Hu Pass at about the same time, but now Le Jin has slowed down the entire infantry, causing Zhao Yan's cavalry to be out of touch with Le Jin...

Zhao Yan's cavalry team arrived at Huguan first!

In the Huguan City Gate, figures were shaking. It was unclear whether someone was rushing out or preparing to close the city gate.

But the brilliance that shines through the doorway seems to Zhao Yan to be seeing the light of hope!

Zhao Yan stared at the city gate closely. Just as the distance was getting closer, a soldier suddenly pointed to the side and shouted: "Enemy cavalry!" 』

Under Huguan, Cao Jun's cavalry was not many, and the number of horses in Huguan was also not many. It's not that the hussars are not equipped, but it is determined by the terrain of Huguan.

If Fei Qian hadn't expanded the Han's current demand for cavalry, in fact, until the late Three Kingdoms period, only Cao Cao had formed a cavalry formation of more than a thousand people. On most battlefields in the Three Kingdoms, there were not many cavalry...

Although Cao Jun was choked by Fei Qian, he still had some war horses sporadically. At least the generals, messengers, scouts, and sentries still needed war horses. Otherwise, they would have to rely on two legs to convey messages and orders back and forth?

And the key to the battlefield is never horses, but people...

"What? ! 』

Didn't the Huguan cavalry go to rescue Zhang Ji?

How would it appear here? !

Zhao Yan turned around in surprise and saw a group of thirty or so hussars appearing from the side. They were galloping on horseback and flanking Zhao Yan!

Although there are not many hussars in this group, they are running towards them with a momentum that seems like they are going to knock it down even if they are facing a mountain!

The cavalry that Zhao Yan and Le Jin managed to gather together only amounted to about fifty. To say that they had the numerical advantage, they did, but looking at the cavalry coming from the flanks, it seemed that they were the party with the numerical advantage!

"Where did these cavalry come from?" ! 』

Zhao Yan's eyes widened and he could hardly believe his eyes.

At the next moment, Zhao Yan shouted anxiously, "Shoot!" Shoot them! Don't let them run in! 』

At this moment, Zhao Yan's order is right, but it is also wrong...

That's right, because the best countermeasure at the moment is indeed long-range obstruction.

If it were on weekdays, then naturally he would adjust his direction slightly, and then hedge against the opponent after long-range shooting, or stay away from the opponent's side attack line. But now Zhao Yan's most important goal is to seize the city gate, and then wait for Laile To fill the position, see if there is a chance to advance the attack into the Huguan Pass. Naturally, it is impossible to change the original plan. I can only hope that the bow and arrow will block the opponent's impact and create more for myself. time and space to come.

The reason why the order was wrong is because Zhao Yan was not a real cavalry commander after all. He was only working part-time temporarily, so naturally he was not able to think things through.

The sudden appearance of this group of cavalry caused Zhao Yan's cavalry to panic, because the weapons they originally wielded were for melee combat, and they were preparing to directly collide with the defenders at Huguan City Gate in hand-to-hand combat. Another group of cavalry appeared on the ground. Under Zhao Yan's order, they were about to switch to long-range weapons...

Open the panel, select a weapon, then unload the weapon, then equip the weapon...

What?

No one-click outfit change?

Of course not, and if you are not skilled in changing equipment, you may drop the weapon halfway...

After such a delay, the opponent's cavalry was already approaching.

Seeing the opponent's cavalry holding up their spears and swords almost to the point of stabbing them in the nose, Zhao Yan's cavalry naturally and instinctively threw away the long-range weapons they had just replaced, and once again wanted to switch to melee equipment...

Such an extremely simple and seemingly error-free order resulted in chaos among Zhao Yan's cavalry formation.

Some cavalrymen hold bows and arrows, some hold swords and guns, some want to shoot but don’t have the shooting angle, some want to chop but have short hands but can’t reach...

On the other side, more than thirty cavalrymen led by Deng Li basically followed the code of conduct. At the moment before the collision, they threw out the throwing weapons they carried, either short axes, iron halberds, or throwing spears. Because the sources of Deng Li's cavalry are not uniform, their equipment is also inconsistent, but what is consistent is the training they have experienced before and the habits they have developed through extensive training.

This habit of the hussars has surpassed that of most ordinary soldiers on the battlefield. Even without Deng Li's orders, these cavalry almost instinctively knew what they should do, just like this when approaching the enemy. Sometimes, just like the short sword thrown out suddenly, it may not necessarily be able to say how many people are injured and killed immediately, but it can disrupt the enemy's array and provide better opportunities for friendly forces.

Not just ordinary soldiers, because of the existence of the martial arts hall under the Hussars, the flexibility and autonomy of the grassroots military schools also far exceed the Cao Jun series.

Deng Li discovered the abnormal movements on the battlefield. He did not report and wait, nor did he rigidly follow Jia Qu's original orders. Instead, he changed the goal of the battle and asked the front troops to continue charging forward to rescue Zhang Ji, while he himself It was the cavalry unit that led the second half of the group to intercept Zhao Yan.

In comparison, the movements of Cao Jun's cavalry were much stiffer. This rigidity is not the fault of Cao Jun's soldiers, but the problem of Cao Jun's entire system. The Cao army system was determined by the economic structure and superstructure of Shandong.

The Shandong political group, that is, the original Han system, likes and hopes that the people at the lower level are obedient, stupid, and do not know how to adapt, and they will only live, grow old, sick, and die in one place and one acre. This is in line with the interests and needs of the ruling class in Shandong, but this will naturally lead to other derived problems, such as the current dull combat response.

In comparison, the Hussar controlled a larger area, had a relatively thin population, and welcomed and even encouraged population migration. Therefore, in many cases, the people's initiative would be stronger. Coupled with the complete exchange system for military merit records, most of the soldiers under the Hussars, even veterans who have retired, are full of desire to obtain merits.

One positive and one negative, the difference is huge.

Zhao Yan made what he thought was the right order, but it led to the wrong result.

Deng Li's queue did not have any additional instructions, but it dealt extra damage.

As Deng Li led his men into Zhao Yan's queue, a gap was immediately created in Zhao Yan's queue.

The men and horses collided together, breaking bones and tendons, and blood spilled out.

Deng Li's cavalry in front fell off their horses, and the cavalry behind did not hesitate at all and rushed in through the gap.

Under the chaotic trampling of horse hooves, most of the soldiers who fell off their horses were greeted by death. Only a few lucky ones would escape from the trampling of horse hooves.

People get hurt and scared.

War horses will do the same.

After Deng Li opened the gap in Zhao Yan's queue, the cavalry following Zhao Yan stopped involuntarily. Even if the cavalry did not give an order, the war horses would instinctively give way.

The entire cavalry formation of Cao's army was broken into two parts.

So the cavalry led by Zhao Yan could continue to charge towards Huguan City, but suddenly there were only about ten cavalry left...

The situation is very simple now,

If Cao Jun can seize the city gate, then he still has a chance to stand up, which is more or less the strength of a battle. If he cannot seize it, Cao Jun will naturally be defeated. After all, the camp had been destroyed by Zhang Ji and the subsequent troops, and there was no backup material.

Zhao Yan was anxious. Now he also had only two choices left, one to advance and one to retreat. But no matter which option it is, it is always troublesome. If we continue to attack, there are only a dozen or so people who attack Huguan City Gate in the first wave. The number is too small. No one knows when the rest of the group will be able to get rid of Deng Li's entanglement. Besides, Le Jin on the other side is late! If he retreats, he will abandon Le Jin and run away on his own. In this way, coupled with my previous suggestion to retreat, I am afraid that I will never be able to take off the label of being a coward in running away from now on!

In desperation, Zhao Yan could only bite the bullet and charge forward!

After facing this situation, Zhao Yan was also unwilling to give in and wanted to make a final attempt and a final effort!

Cao Jun's cavalry wore two layers of mixed armor and carried some round shields. Normally, they were not very afraid of the defenders' arrows, but now Zhao Yan's number was too small. After all, it was impossible to shoot arrows from the top of the city. Like the game, you can frame the archers and focus fire on certain targets. In most cases, the shots are evenly distributed or even ineffective.

But now there were more than fifty people sharing the pressure of the archers at the top of the city, but now it is concentrated on more than ten people. The weight they bear has skyrocketed, and there are also two or three ballistas...

"Boom!" 』

The ballista on top of the city began to show off its power.

The crossbow gun whizzed down and shot a Cao Jun cavalryman in the blink of an eye. The man and the horse were nailed together, like a small animal that had been pierced through the handle of the gun before it was skinned, dripping with blood.

Zhao Yan shouted: "Come in!" 』

At the head of Huguan City, Jia Qu was also shouting: "Fire the arrow!" Stop them! 』

The next moment, Zhao Yan saw arrows whizzing down like locusts all over the sky...

On the other side, Le Jin led people from the ditch at this time and limped out. When he exposed his head, he saw that Zhao Yan and others were shot by the archers on the top of Huguan City. Life cannot take care of itself.

Cao Jun's horses were a scarce resource, so he gave them to Zhao Yan. On the one hand, Zhao Yan could only have greater attack power if he concentrated the vast majority of the cavalry. On the other hand, Le Jin led the infantry. Pawn, even if Le Jin personally has a horse, it does not mean that it can increase the speed of the entire army...

Of course, if Le Jin knew in advance that his legs and feet would be injured, he would definitely find a way to keep at least one horse...

But now, it's too late.

The balance of victory and defeat has been quietly tilting.

Le Jin saw Zhao Yan and others being shot like hedgehogs by arrows on the pass. Even Zhao Yan himself was hit by several arrows and had to flee. During the gap after Zhao Yan and others retreated, Huguan and others had calmed down. Moreover, Jia Qu not only arranged bows and arrows on the top of the city. Hands, and the city gate was also crowded with sword and shield bearers and spearmen...

A shield is like a wall.

Guns are like a forest.

This is seduction!

It's also a provocation!

Le Jin's eyes were filled with tears, and he reacted almost instantly!

If Lejin's army is complete and the formations are ready in the city, as long as Huguan dares to open the door, no matter what kind of array is put up, Lejin has the confidence to directly attack them!

Even if it is a pile of human flesh and corpses, they must be pushed into the city!

But now...

Zhao Yan was hit by an arrow and did not know whether he would live or die.

Flames were rising in the camp and smoke was billowing. It was not known whether Zhang Ji could be trapped to death without the general's supervision.

His legs and feet were injured, which delayed the opportunity to fight. More importantly, in the condition of being injured, could he still lead his soldiers to attack the Huguan garrison array waiting for work?

More importantly, the guard of Huguan had the courage not to close the city gate!

What does this mean?

This is showing sufficient confidence to everyone on the battlefield, including Cao Jun!

If the guard of Huguan closes the city gate, then although Huguan is safe, it also means that the guard of Huguan has made a move to abandon Zhang Ji and others!

This kind of cowardly response will greatly damage the morale of the soldiers leaving the city, and is likely to cause Zhang Ji and others to collapse in an instant and lose the motivation to defend. Therefore, under such circumstances, even if Le Jin cannot attack the city, he can still turn around and eat Zhang Ji and others. At least he can defeat and defeat most of them, which can more or less inspire people and return with victory. but now……

Huguan has not closed the city gate, which means that the soldiers stationed at the city gate may come out at any time. Regardless of whether Le Jin leads the troops to attack Huguan, or turns around to surround Zhang Ji, he may be attacked from both sides!

Le Jin looked up and seemed to see Jia Qu standing on the Hu Pass through the rising smoke and saw Jia Qu's eyes.

Those are a pair of calm and greedy eyes...

What you are greedy for is Le Jin’s life!

Le Jin's lips moved, as if he whispered something...

"General, what did you say?" ” The guard on the side obviously didn’t hear clearly and asked hurriedly.

"I said..." Le Jin took a deep breath, "Retreat...retreat!" 』

The guard was stunned, but saw that Le Jin had become old and decadent.

Le Jin waved his hand, "Give me the order, gather the troops, and let those people go back... Let's retreat... Just give the order..."

Although on the surface, both sides suffered losses and suffered casualties, and it looked like they were both victorious and a draw, Le Jin knew that a draw meant a loss.