Three Kingdoms

Beacon fire.

Blood.

Even the clear sky seemed to be rendered into a cruel picture by these black and red colors.

The sound of war drums was deafening.

Iron armor and swords and spears reflected each other.

Cold light and flesh sang alternately.

Horse hooves crushed the boundary between life and death, and dust buried unfulfilled wishes.

The roars and screams of the soldiers intertwined into a tragic battlefield movement.

Guanzhong and Heluo have witnessed too many life and death victories and defeats from ancient times to the present, and have left countless wronged souls whispering.

Zhang Liao raised his head slightly and looked at the Cao army flag on Yanxiang.

Yanxiang is a small county town at the exit of Tongguan Slope Road. Some people also call it the old city of Tongguan, or the Little Tongguan.

From the early morning to now, the soldiers are somewhat tired.

"Let the soldiers retreat! Rest on the spot!"

Zhang Liao gave the order.

Even if Zhang Liao did not have any system, he could pay attention to the soldiers' physical strength bar based on experience.

Once the physical strength is cleared, it will be very slow to recover.

The flags waved, the orders were conveyed, the military school shouted and repeated, the whole army was like a tight war machine, the gears were meshing with each other, rotating, twisting, and erupting flames and blood.

Like the ebb tide, the hussars retreated in an orderly manner behind the offensive line.

There were still troops on guard at the front line, and even if Cao's army was unlikely to attack, there were still soldiers holding bows and arrows to guard the front line.

The soldiers who retreated from the front line sat on the ground one after another, regardless of the dirt and blood on their hands and bodies, and took the dry food and ate it on the spot.

The dry food was very simple, coarse grain biscuits with bacon.

Meat, it was real meat.

After being pickled and air-dried, the meat can be preserved for a long time.

It is a bit hard to eat dry, so if conditions permit, it will be steamed, and it will be softer.

It is just softer.

The grain pancakes were not finely ground, and even had some rough particles, which mixed with the sand and blood on the soldiers' hands, forming a bloody meal that was difficult to describe in words.

Fortunately, there were no hygiene monsters these days.

These soldiers passed the water bags to each other, and then wolfed down the pancakes with meat, tore them, and swallowed them.

Looking at the corpses lying in the pool of blood, if you can still eat a bite, it proves that you are still alive.

On the battlefield, isn't this the happiest thing?

Zhang Liao stared at Yanxiang, and after confirming that Cao's army was unlikely to attack, he turned to the guards around him and said, "Tell Pang Lingjun that I will take Xijinggou next! '

The guards answered loudly and rode away immediately.

Unlike the narrow terrain at Tongguan Slope, Yanxiang is relatively open now, and the key is that Zhang Liao and others' troops are not enough to surround Yanxiang ten times, so naturally they will clear the outer defense of Yanxiang bit by bit, and then attack the main city of Yanxiang.

However, this is not a difficult task for Zhang Liao, and the most powerful thing about Zhang Liao in fighting is not his personal bravery, nor his ability to fight on the front line, but his knowledge and willingness to cooperate with others.

Just like now, Zhang Liao not only broke the outer gap of Yanxiang himself, but also was willing to share the news with the rear and Ma Yue in another attack direction, so as to maximize the effectiveness of coordinated operations, forcing Cao's army to respond to attacks in two directions at the same time.

During the short rest time, Zhang Liao did not forget to walk among the soldiers in the battle, let the guards distribute dry food together, and encourage the soldiers.

"Today, you and I are fortunate to be under the command of the cavalry, and exchange our bravery for fame! '

'To build a career, everyone depends on their own ability! Whether you can accumulate meritorious fields for your family depends on yourself! '

'Do you see that small town? '

Zhang Liao shouted, raising his hand and pointing at Yanxiang, 'As long as we take this town, we will open the way to attack Heluo! Next, we will march into Shandong and take over the Central Plains! Unify the world! And you will all be the heroes who unify the world, and then you will be given titles and children, and enjoy wealth and honor! '

'Oh oh oh oh! '

'Wansheng! '

'Wansheng, the cavalry! '

The soldiers cheered.

After resting for about half an hour, Zhang Liao gave another order, asking the soldiers to start charging into Yanxiang City on the earth plateau.

Many people think that cities are square, but in fact, most cities in China are irregular.

The same is true for Yanxiang.

Yanxiang City on the earth plateau is not so steep and majestic.

Of course, this is related to the fact that Yanxiang's position in Heluo is not important.

To the west of Yanxiang, there is Tongguan, and to the east, there is Hangu Pass. Naturally, there is no need to build another pass here. Yanxiang was originally used as a transit station and a county town for rest and transportation between the east and the west. After all, it is difficult to turn around after entering the Tongguan Slope, so many vendors who are unwilling to climb Niutouyuan and Linzhiyuan will transfer the goods to others here, and then turn back to Heluo directly.

Cao Jun may have wanted to build here, but now there is no time.

Zhang Liao is responsible for attacking the west gate of Yanxiang from the front, while Ma Yue is going around the earthen plateau on the mountain from the gully and attacking the flank of Yanxiang.

The tower ship on the water is responsible for bombarding the water gate in the direction of the river north of Yanxiang and controlling the surface mudflats.

Attacks were launched simultaneously in three directions, and they coordinated with each other. Even if Cao Jun had built fortifications and defense systems in Yanxiang, it would be difficult to hold on. In just one day, the defense system outside Yanxiang was almost knocked down, leaving only the main body of Yanxiang and some fortifications very close to Yanxiang still resisting.

Just like the stone fort that Zhang Liao is going to attack now.

Or it would be more appropriate to say that it is a stone fortress.

The person who built this stone fortification had some vision. He used a stone body more than ten feet high on the mountain to build a small fortress, arranged archers to shoot arrows inside, and set up a crossbow cart, which could pose a certain threat to the surrounding area within two hundred steps.

Not far from one side of this stone fortress is a corner of the Yanxiang city wall. So if you want to capture this small stone fortress outside the Yanxiang city wall, climbing the stone is obviously impossible, and walking on the earthen slope will be shot by the Yanxiang city wall on the other side...

After trying to attack a wave, Zhang Liao discovered this problem. Attacking with arrows from two directions will definitely result in heavy casualties.

"The ladder can't be put up!" The front-line military school came to report, "The stone body is a little convex, and the ladder is stuck! The ladder's plank is not long enough, and it can't be put up! !"

Zhang Liao asked the soldiers to stop temporarily, and then he climbed up a hillside, strode around a small circle, constantly observing the terrain, and called the guide to ask carefully, and finally made some new discoveries.

Although the earthen slope on the north side of this stone fortress is higher, the terrain is much flatter, and only the top is a stone cliff, so in fact, as long as you attack a small section, you can attack the stone fortress.

Zhang Liao simply sent his own personal soldiers to raid the earthen slope on the north side of the stone fortress under the cover of other soldiers.

The battle started again, and the two sides fought again.

Zhang Liao stared at the direction of the stone fortress. When he saw a black shadow climbing up from the northern slope of the cliff, he couldn't help but wave his fist and took it down!

...

...

"Report! The outer stone fortress was lost!"

A Cao army member reported the information to Cao Zhang in a hurry.

Cao Zhang sighed, and a surge of anger rose up, "Lost again! Didn't these guys have any food? ! Bastards! Incompetent! Waste! Waste!"

Liu Fu on the side coughed and waved his hand to signal the messenger to retreat.

Liu Fu could understand why Cao Zhang was so angry, but the reality was so cold and cruel.

Although Cao Zhang brought food and supplies, it seemed to inspire the morale of Cao's army in a short period of time, but after all, the defeat was already decided, and the cavalry army cooperated well with each other, which made Cao's army lose sight of one thing.

In just one day, the outer defenses were almost flattened by the cavalry, which really shocked Liu Fu.

It was as if he was back to the Tongguan camp again...

He wanted to stop, but couldn't; he wanted to delay, but couldn't.

Looking at the somewhat incompetent and furious Cao Zhang, Liu Fu didn't know why he suddenly became distracted.

When he was in Shandong before, he was extremely looking forward to becoming a general who could make plans and lead thousands of troops to attack cities and achieve great achievements. Now these wishes seem to have come true, but they also seem to be different from his original expectations.

In any case, he made plans and made plans, but the more he made plans, the more he lost.

He led troops to attack cities and plunder, but after the attack, he was beaten back by the opponent.

As for whether he achieved a great cause, it was even harder to say. I don't know whether he achieved it for himself or for others...

Cao Zhang still hasn't recovered from his incompetent rage, and Liu Fu has no interest in dissuading him.

Because they don't have time to care about anyone's emotions now.

Liu Fu even wanted to shout loudly, after all, the pressure from the cavalry was too great.

They had expected the bravery and eliteness of the cavalry soldiers, but they did not expect that it was still beyond their imagination, especially the mutual cooperation between the cavalry soldiers, which surprised Liu Fu.

In the Tongguan camp, because the Niutouyuan and Tongguan Slope were relatively narrow, the cavalry soldiers could not deploy their front lines, so they could not perceive the degree of tacit cooperation between the various parts of the cavalry. Now in Yanxiang, it is relatively spacious. This kind of cooperation between the various parts of the cavalry made Cao Zhang and Liu Fu inevitably a little flustered.

Once it is chaotic, there will be problems.

Once there is a problem, it will inevitably lead to failure.

And once it fails...

Liu Fu dared not think about it any further.

He has become accustomed to the current life. If he is asked to choose another routine and start from scratch, he no longer has the energy and courage of his youth.

Seeing Cao Zhang venting his emotions, Liu Fu also wanted to yell and let out his frustration, but he held back and didn't indulge his emotions.

'General!' Liu Fu shouted, 'It's time to send out the Tiger Camp...'

Cao Zhang turned his head and stared at Liu Fu, 'Are you sure?'

Liu Fu nodded, 'If you can't even hold on for a day... then tomorrow will collapse faster! The arrangement of the lord's place will take at least three days... so now is the most critical time... It's time to send it out!'

Cao Zhang took a deep breath, was silent for a moment, nodded, 'Okay.'

...

...

The sun set from the west.

Fei Qian stood on the mound with his hands behind his back, looking at the sunset in the sky.

The sunset dyed his figure golden.

When Sima Yi looked up and saw Fei Qian's back, he couldn't help but feel dazed.

Fei Qian stood on the hill.

Sima Yi is at the foot of the hillside.

The setting sun shrouded Fei Qian's body, making Fei Qian's armor and jersey seem to be emitting light.

Majesty is like a mountain, like a river, or like an abyss.

For some reason, Sima Yi suddenly felt that the words or excuses he had prepared should not be spoken...

He lowered his head.

Gods cannot be looked directly at.

Sima Yi stepped forward and asked the hussar guards to see Fei Qian.

The sound was transmitted layer by layer, reaching the top of the hill, and then passed down layer by layer again.

"please! 』

The guard motioned towards Sima Yi.

Sima Yi took a breath, calmed down his mood, and walked up the hill step by step.

After climbing the hill, we were faced with the sunset glow in the sky.

Like blood.

Like the sea.

And Fei Qian seemed to be standing in the sunset like a sea of ​​blood.

"Zhongda..."

Fei Qian didn't look back.

"My subordinates are here. 』

Sima Yi's expression was solemn.

"How many of your subordinates are left?" Five hundred, eight hundred? 』

Fei Qian asked.

Sima Yi lowered his head and said, "Report to my lord... there are still five hundred left..."

He and Hao Zhao combined the forces that attacked the Tiaoshan camp before.

Now if we only count Sima Yi's own command, after deducting casualties, there will only be about 500 left.

The attack on the Zhongtiao Mountain camp failed. Sima Yi indeed made some mistakes in underestimating the enemy.

He thought that by strategizing, he could play tricks on everyone in the world. As a result, he broke into the outskirts of Cao Jun's camp, but it did not cause a large-scale collapse of Cao Jun. Instead, he was surrounded and intercepted by Cao Jun's soldiers, and he was almost trapped. Inside the Zhongtiao Mountain camp.

Fei Qian asked Sima Yi to tell the specific story again.

Sima Yi slowly recounted his judgment and preparation, execution and results after he discovered the movements of Xu Chu and Cao Jun.

No embellishments, no excuses, no excuses.

It's just an unvarnished narrative, without avoiding his own mistakes.

Fei Qian kept listening and did not interrupt Sima Yi in the middle. After Sima Yi finished speaking, he pondered for a moment and asked without comment, "Zhongda, where is the importance of dividing troops?" 』

After Sima Yi thought for a moment, he said: "The power of division and union is also the change of cardinals." The division of troops is like a lush tree, its branches are divided but its roots are solid; it is like the flow of a river, its branches are scattered but its source is deep. 』

"The purpose of dividing troops is to control the enemy." If the enemy is strong, divide them to weaken them; if the enemy is weak, unite them to annihilate them all. 』

"The change of dividing the troops can be responded to." Don't stay in one corner so that the enemy can't predict my strength and weakness, but I can defeat the enemy because of it. 』

"My humble opinion, please give me some advice from my lord." 』

Fei Qian nodded, "That's right." However, what I asked about was "Tao", not "Technology"! 』

Sima Yi was stunned for a moment, then bowed his hands and said, "Please give me some advice, my lord." 』

Fei Qian said slowly, "Divide the troops to secure the country." The country is so big that it cannot gather its troops, so it must be divided into groups to suppress it. Therefore, the way to divide troops is to fight, not to fight, to train soldiers and generals. The soldiers should not be numerous, but fine, and the generals should be strategic, not brave. Divide and seek unity, fight without fighting, this is the way to go. 』

"Therefore, Zhongda, if you divide your forces and advance, can you seek cooperation?" Can it be justified? 』

Sima Yi felt sweat on his forehead, "My subordinate... I feel ashamed..."

Fei Qian looked at Sima Yi. This guy is capable, but he also has problems. He will ask others to cooperate with him, but he doesn't know how to cooperate with others. To put it simply, he is a guy who likes to steal the spotlight. He wants to be the protagonist all the time and is unwilling to be a supporting role.

Fei Qian turned his head and watched the sunset on the horizon change.

The sunset is different every day, and everyone has a different personality.

Sima Yi obviously still needs to be polished, and he is not suitable for being released as a commander alone...

Just like what Fei Qian said, he did not divide the troops solely for the purpose of war. He also had the intention of testing the abilities of these people during the process of dividing the troops. Which ones were suitable for guarding one side, while others might only be suitable for staying in the central hub? The position is as an auxiliary and cannot serve as a local chief official.

Fei Qian had previously thought that Sima Yi could be said to have grown up in Shoushan Academy and was trained in Qinglong Temple, so it should be a little different from what happened in history. However, he did not expect that Sima Yi's knowledge and concepts might have changed a bit, but his personality...

"Let's not talk about this for now and focus on the present! 』

Fei Qian waved his hand and motioned for Sima Yi to follow him.

The two of them went down the hill and returned to the military tent in the camp with their guards.

Fei sneaked in front of the map, pointed at the map of Cao Jun's Zhongtiao Mountain camp and said, "Come on, Zhongda, how should we decide on a strategy if we want to attack this place?" 』

The location pointed by Fei Qian is at the intersection on the north side of Zhongtiao Mountain.

The North Pass of Zhongtiao Mountain is located at the northern end of Zhongtiao Mountain. Cao Jun deployed layers of defense systems here to guard the entrance and exit of the mountain road. Once the Hussars capture the North Pass, they can reach the south of Zhongtiao Mountain through soldiers relatively quickly. As for Cao Jun, as long as this passage is still in Cao Jun's hands, it will be easier to defend or fight.

"My lord, Cao Jun must have set a trap on this road!" ” Sima Yi pointed to the north entrance and said, “When my subordinates attacked before, Cao Jun tried to lure us into the road! 』

Fei Qian nodded, "This is Cao Jun's conspiracy." 』

"Conspiracy?" Sima Yi quickly reacted, nodded and said, "What the Lord said is true!" It is indeed a conspiracy! 』

This conspiracy is very simple and laid out in the open. Sima Yi just didn't think of it for a while, but after Fei Qian explained it, he understood it.

Along the Zhongtiao Mountain Road, Cao's army set up a wide defense line, which was distributed over more than ten miles. The troops of each camp occupied the entire road and the mountain passes, and used the terrain of the mountains to set traps for defense.

This is a method of defending points instead of lines, connecting points to form a line. It looks ordinary, but it is actually very difficult to break through.

In later generations, similar methods of defending important roads also appeared in Zhongtiao Mountain, which blocked the invaders for a long time. If it weren't for some incomprehensible changes that happened later...

"Zhongtiao Mountain is a question left by Cao Mengde..."