Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3267 Spear and Shield

Xiahou Dun was not without preparations for retreat. When he was still in control of Jinyang, he secretly dispatched some soldiers to transport supplies to the Taihang Mountain Trail in case of emergency.

But he never expected that when he really needed these supplies, all the supplies that were transported to the mountain trail with great difficulty were gone!

Only some empty or destroyed camp ruins were left.

Xiahou Dun was almost going crazy.

He knew that he was marching a hundred miles and was alone in deep, so once he became an exhausted army, he would not be able to fight for a long time. Therefore, he made a plan before the battle of Jinyang. As long as he held on for three to six months, he would look for opportunities to break through. With these camps on the mountain trail, he was confident that he would not let the cavalry find any good opportunities, thereby involving a large number of troops under Fei Qian and creating better offensive opportunities for Cao Cao.

But Xiahou Dun really didn't expect that he not only suffered a devastating blow in Jinyang, but also encountered such a strange thing on the Taihang Mountain Trail!

"General, I have seen it all..." The guard whispered to Xiahou Dun, "There are no signs of fighting, not at all... This is abnormal, very abnormal..." Even if they were really attacked by the cavalry, there would be some fighting and resistance, so there would be traces left in the camp. Even if there were wild dogs, vultures and other scavengers coming later, it would not be so clean without any traces. Xiahou Dun was worried that his head would hurt. Even if they left a little food and grass, they could support them for a longer time... Why was it gone? However, there was not much time for Xiahou Dun to think about why there was such a change. He had to solve the problem of food, otherwise, not to mention the remaining more than 100 guards, even his own life would be in danger. "Has the person sent to She County not replied yet?" Xiahou Dun asked. The guard shook his head. Xiahou Dun's face darkened a little more. "General... we are now..." The guard did not finish his words, but everyone knew what he meant. The horse meat has been eaten.

Including Xiahou Dun's own warhorse.

All of them are infantrymen.

But the road is still long, and Shexian is still far away.

"... Go to the back," Xiahou Dun said in a low voice with a gloomy face, "find some more horse meat... take the injured ones..."

The guards were a little confused at first, but soon understood and their eyes widened.

Now these people are Xiahou Dun's troops!

It is precisely because they are troops that when Cao's soldiers mutinied before, these people stood on Xiahou Dun's side.

But now...

What does the troops mean to the generals?

It means everything.

Just like the feudal dynasties in later generations often said that the people are the cornerstone of the dynasty, the troops of the Eastern Han Dynasty are also the cornerstone of the generals. Not only does it provide military support, but it is also a symbol of their power and status.

The number of troops determines the power of the generals in the court of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and sometimes even influences the political situation, especially when the centralization of power is weak. Because these troops are often interrelated with the land owned by the general, the general also indirectly controls the land and labor by controlling the troops, maintains the internal stability of his territory, and is used to suppress rebellion and maintain order.

Therefore, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, when recruiting troops, the general always liked to pat his chest and said that he only gave birth to...

Ahem, as long as he performs well, the general will take care of him in his old age.

Now Xiahou Dun said that he has never lied or broken his promise, because from the beginning, Xiahou Dun did not say who would take care of whom in the old age.

As for the troops mistakenly thinking that they were the main body of the old-age care, can Xiahou Dun be blamed for this?

There was no contract signed.

Even if we take a step back, what if we signed a contract?

No matter what is written in black and white, if he says he doesn't recognize it, what can he do?

Just like the constitution of capitalist countries also stipulates in black and white that private property is inviolable, but whose private property is it to protect? And who will enforce it?

The guards looked at Xiahou Dun, who was almost spitting fire and looked like he wanted to eat people. They said nothing more, answered in a low voice, and called some people to carry or take the injured soldiers to the rear.

After a while, these guards came back with some fresh meat.

It was said to be horse meat.

It was horse meat that passed the professional inspection of the guards.

Add some wild vegetables picked from the surrounding area and boiled a big pot.

There was a pot but no bowl, so they put it in a helmet and brought it to Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun was silent for a while, then raised his helmet and ate it all.

When Xiahou Dun finished eating, everyone ate silently.

Ate.

Anyway, it was not the first time to eat horse meat.

But this time the horse meat was indeed a little different.

The taste was in everyone's heart.

… … … The sudden change broke the silence of Xiahou Dun and his group.

After eating horse meat, although they had the energy to move forward, it was as if they had lost something. Xiahou Dun and other soldiers stopped talking, and even the slight complaints they had before were gone.

If nothing changed, the silence might continue forever.

But now, the silence was broken.

Broken by a sudden external force!

People shouted and wailed!

The mountain road was noisy for a while.

However, Xiahou Dun, who was in it, still seemed to find it difficult to understand why the situation had become what it was now.

They were attacked.

Yan Rou attacked with a small number of troops.

Yan Rou's capture of Shexian County was basically not difficult.

Because Cui Jun had done everything that needed to be done.

In order to escape from Jinyang, Cui Jun did not bring much baggage along the way, so all his supplements were under the guise of Xiahou's banner...

The strict class system in the Shandong military system made it difficult and unlikely for subordinates to question their superiors. Even if they felt that the order was problematic, they would still execute it more often.

After all, Shandong was constantly demanding, executing, executing, and executing in many cases.

Those who could not execute were dismissed on the spot.

This one-size-fits-all phenomenon has profoundly affected every corner of Shandong.

In fact, all the officials in the upper court knew what the specific reasons were that made the policies or instructions difficult to implement. But why should we spend more thoughts, more energy, and more sweat when we can execute them with just one order or one sentence?

When the superiors cut it off with one knife and asked the subordinates not to follow suit, is it useful?

Therefore, when Cui Jun raised the flag and issued various orders that were obviously problematic, they were still executed. If they did not execute, they would be convicted on the spot. If they executed, even if they knew it was wrong, they could just say "simple and rough" afterwards, "Smith Marseille" and "pay attention next time" and it would be over.

Naturally, everyone knew what to choose.

So when Xiahou Dun fled, there were only empty supply camps along the way with no people and nothing left.

Then the soldiers Xiahou Dun sent to Shexian to report the news naturally became Yan Rou's "beacon", well, perhaps also Xiahou Dun's "dark lamp"...

When Yan Rou led his troops to rush towards Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Dun's troops, who were supposed to intercept him desperately, scattered for some reason and had little fighting spirit!

You have to know that these were the troops Xiahou Dun personally recruited and trained!

Among the many Cao army soldiers, those who can become the troops of a general of Xiahou Dun's level are at least capable, but now...

At this moment, Xiahou Dun had no time to think too much. The enemy rushed to him, so he could only fight hard!

Shouting, screaming, spreading yellow dust.

Splashing blood, staggering figures.

Xiahou Dun's personal guards stood in front and were pierced in the neck by arrows flying out of the smoke. The blood spurted out and splattered everywhere, staining Xiahou Dun's head, face and body.

Blood is hot, but it cools easily.

'Ahhhhhhhh...'

'Capture the bandit chief! That's the first merit! '

'Catch him! Don't let him run away! '

This voice came from several different people, but the target was the same.

In a blink of an eye, Yan Rou led people to crash into Xiahou Dun's last line of defense in the smoke.

Almost from the first moment, it was the most direct and brutal collision.

Such a fight on the battlefield cannot be called the beauty of martial arts. There are only two words, life and death.

Those who lie down die, and those who stand live.

Yan Rou swept away a few messy swords and guns, and then suddenly hit the shield formation of Xiahou Dun's personal guards in front with a gun.

'Boom! 』

Spear and shield fighting!

Wood chips flying!

The wood chips came from the handle of the spear in Yan Rou's hand and the shield in the hands of Xiahou Dun's personal guards...

The horse lance that Yan Rou originally used had been damaged in the early battles, and later he used the standard spear of the cavalry army. Although this kind of spear has also strictly passed the production standards of craftsmen, it is still a mass-produced product. Under such a huge impact, the tough handle can't resist and burst.

The shield in the opponent's hand can't stand it either. The broken corner of the shield flew up and almost hit Xiahou Dun's helmet.

Martial artists generally have better physical fitness than ordinary people, so this kind of burst of force is also amazing. Otherwise, the standard spear would not be broken under such a violent impact, but this kind of force is not normal. It is not reliable to rely solely on spears to hit shields.

『Let me do it!』 A strong man behind Yan Rou rushed forward, swung the war hammer in his hand and smashed it hard!

"Crack!"

Strike weapons are obviously more destructive to shields than spears.

After a sudden blow, a shield was smashed into pieces by the strong man.

The war hammer is made of cast iron and is extremely heavy. Although it has no sharp edge, if it is hit, it will inevitably break flesh and bones.

Seeing one shield being smashed, the strong man exhaled and shouted that he would smash the second shield.

How could Xiahou Dun's guards dare to respond? They quickly retracted their shields. There was only a humming sound, and the war hammer smashed into the air with the sound of wind. Xiahou Dun's guards did not dare to wait for the opponent to swing for the third time. They exerted their strength with their feet and rushed forward, using their greatest strength to chop the opponent's neck with the sword in their hands.

Yan Rou changed a long spear and filled the position again. He shook the spear flower and picked up the sword that was slashing at the strong man.

The strong man was no longer in danger, so he shouted again and swung the war hammer up and smashed it down.

Xiahou Dun's personal guard's knife was picked up, and he dared not take the hammer head-on, so he could only try to relieve the force diagonally, but he could not relieve the huge force of the hammer at all, and was knocked out with a thud, and fell to the ground with an unstable center of gravity.

After several people crossed each other, the fight was in a moment.

The mountain pass was filled with smoke and dust, and it seemed that there were fights everywhere.

The shield array was smashed open by the strong man, and Xiahou Dun was helplessly exposed.

Yan Rou laughed strangely, shook his spear and stabbed Xiahou Dun directly.

Xiahou Dun could only raise his shield to block, and then pressed a knife on Yan Rou's spear and cut it back.

Yan Rou made a sound of "Hey", kicked Xiahou Dun's shield, kicked Xiahou Dun and made him stagger, and he also took a small step back to pull a certain distance.

Xiahou Dun naturally could not cut Yan Rou's fingers along the handle of the spear.

Yan Rou turned around and thrust out his spear, which fluttered out and stabbed at Xiahou Dun's neck.

Xiahou Dun lowered his body, raised his shield, and then suddenly took a big step forward, swinging his sword to cut Yan Rou's lower three roads.

The moves between the two of them were all standard battlefield fighting methods between spears and swords and shields.

The single spear is to use the length of the spear to suppress the opponent, while the sword and shield are to do everything possible to get into the inner circle of the spear and play the advantages of short weapons.

If they were in the training ground, or when both sides were full of energy and strength, the two of them might be able to fight each other to death.

Although Xiahou Dun was not a top-notch general in martial arts, Yan Rou was not either. In fact, to some extent, Xiahou Dun's martial arts skills were even higher than Yan Rou's. After all, Yan Rou grew up in the grasslands and deserts, and his strength was slightly stronger, but it was natural that he lacked skills.

After all, a stick is used for a month, a knife is used for a year, and a spear is used for a lifetime. The ancient apes could already swing a big stick to hit people, but it is not so easy to have some accomplishments in the spear.

So Xiahou Dun should have had certain advantages.

Unfortunately, Xiahou Dun was hungry and tired at the moment, and both his energy and physical strength were greatly reduced.

After fighting for several rounds, Xiahou Dun was obviously short of breath and his arms began to tremble. Knowing that the situation was not good, he made a feint and pretended to fight with Yan Rou to his death. He would turn around and run away when he got a chance!

For Yan Rou, it was obvious that Xiahou Dun, who was captured alive, was far more valuable than Xiahou who was dead, so he held back a little. And it was precisely because Yan Rou held back that the experienced Xiahou Dun saw that he was unwilling to be captured like this!

Xiahou Dun would rather die in the mountains than become a meritorious hero in Yan Rou's hands!

Run away!

Run away, run away...

The sky was dark and the trees were wailing.

The afterglow sprinkled on the rugged mountain road, and even the wind seemed to be against Xiahou Dun, causing him to feel pain in his chest.

He once commanded thousands of troops, but now only a few people were left around him.

He once shone brightly, but now he was covered in blood and dirt.

Behind him were the shouts of the pursuers, and in front of him was an unknown future.

Xiahou Dun's armor was stained with blood, which was once his glory on the battlefield, but now it has become his sorrow at this moment.

His original golden helmet, which cost thousands of dollars to cast and carve, was a disaster for him. But now the ordinary helmet is already tilted and may fall off at any time.

His shield had been discarded during the escape, and only a sword was left.

But he still held it tightly in his hand, as if it was his only support, and his last bit of persistence for himself, Shandong, and Cao Cao.

The bushes in the mountains whipped him.

The vines and tree roots that grew horizontally were tripping him.

Xiahou Dun fell to the ground with a grunt, and his only sword flew out of his hand, jumping and disappearing in the bushes.

The shouts of the pursuers echoed in the woods, as if there were pursuers from all directions.

Xiahou Dun then realized that there were only three or two people following him.

"Where are the others...?" Xiahou Dun asked, panting heavily.

Silence.

It was also a panting silence.

Why?

Xiahou Dun wanted to roar, but he didn't have much strength.

He couldn't figure it out, and he was very angry.

These troops, these men, hadn't they sworn to be loyal to him, voluntarily joined his troops, supported everything he did, obeyed his orders, from birth to death, from themselves to their families, shouldn't they dedicate everything for the Xiahou family, for the prime minister's great cause, and never betray?

Why did these guys escape now? Didn't they follow me closely, didn't they protect me with due diligence?

Why? !

Xiahou Dun stood up, "I have a way..."

"..." The eyes of the remaining guards seemed to light up.

"This way..." Xiahou Dun began to take off his armor, and said, "One of you put on this armor... Then just cut off the head, and they will naturally have no way to tell... Then they will retreat..."

Xiahou Dun untied the armor ribbon, and then stared at the remaining guards, "Who... will come?"

Xiahou Dun said it very naturally.

It seemed like the sun in the sky rises from the east and sets in the west.

Because these troops, in Xiahou Dun's heart, are his spear and shield.

Spears are used to attack the enemy, and shields are used to defend and protect oneself. But whether it is a spear or a shield, they are just weapons, objects, things...

Not people.

『...』 The remaining guards were silent.

『Hmm?』 Xiahou Dun frowned slightly.

A guard took off his helmet, held it in his hand, and walked forward, 『I... I'll do it...』 Xiahou Dun exhaled, and showed what he thought was the most friendly smile, 『Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of you...』

Before Xiahou Dun finished speaking, he saw the guard smash the helmet in his hand directly on Xiahou Dun's head!

『Bang!』

A dull sound sounded, and Xiahou Dun suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the ground with a plop!

『What are you doing? !』 The other guards screamed.

The guard who took action laughed miserably, 『I just want to ask one question! General Xiahou! Do you remember the names of those "horse meat"? ! I ask you, can't you remember their names? ! If you remember, I will die for you! Say it! Just one name! Say it! ! '

'...' Xiahou Dun was silent.

If it was normal, Xiahou Dun might really say someone's name, of course, under the reminder of the clerk beside him.

But now he has no secretary, oh, without the reminder of the clerk...

After all, who in Shandong would remember the name of the tool?

No matter whether the tool is alive or dead.

Especially when eating horse meat, Xiahou Dun was constantly hinting to himself that this was real horse meat, so it was even more impossible to remember the name of these horse meats...

The personal guard who took action laughed miserably, and then looked up to the sky and shouted: 'Big man! Loyalty and filial piety! Hahahaha! This is the loyal, filial and benevolent General Xiahou! '

The personal guard raised the sword.

The remaining personal guards subconsciously protected Xiahou Dun.

Even though they saw and heard it all, they still instinctively defended Xiahou Dun's dignity and stood on his side.

With a miserable laugh, the guard stabbed himself with his sword.

Blood splattered, staining the land in the forest red...

Suddenly, light and shadows flickered in the woods, "We found them! Here! Here! ! !"