Three Kingdoms

In the cavalry Tongguan troops, some discordant voices appeared in the military meeting.

The phenomenon of Cao's army reducing the number of stoves was discovered by the cavalry scouts.

The strategy of reducing stoves was not Cao Cao's first creation, but it was also a tactic demonstrated by Cao Cao.

Pang Juan fell into the trap because he was eager to kill Sun Bin.

Pang Tong also had the surname Pang, but he felt that no matter how anxious he was, he could only defeat Cao's army earlier. One day or two days in advance would not have a big impact on the overall situation. Pang Tong would rather use this one or two days to rest the troops, and then meet up with Fei Qian, steadily advance, and in a posture of Mount Tai pressing down on the top, until Shandong, let the Shandong people know what the real "Mount Tai" form is.

The calmness of the strong is that the heavy sword has no edge, and the great skill is clumsy.

With strong strength in hand, there is no need to care about the slightest gains and losses.

This is a psychological advantage and a contest of military strength.

Just as Pang Tong did before, he can let go, he can take back, he can use swords and guns, and he can also play a psychological strategy.

Small troops, that is, between dozens and hundreds, can march very fast, but once the number of troops exceeds 3,000 or even tens of thousands, the movement speed will suddenly slow down.

This is an inevitable problem. Unless the entire army has been fully institutionalized, regulated, and informationized, it is possible to march quickly and intensively. In the current Han Dynasty, even if the two parts of the cavalry troops in Tongguan and Hedong want to join forces urgently, they must comply with the laws of nature and cannot be achieved as soon as they are said.

Therefore, Pang Tong used the strategy of attacking the heart, which was also a delaying tactic, but he did not expect Cao Cao to be so decisive and withdraw his troops all at once.

Reduce the number of stoves and troops.

The Cao army under Cao Cao seemed to be very honest.

But this situation is also a battlefield for psychological games.

Really reduce the army and retreat, or pretend to retreat?

Is it that the Cao army can no longer hold on, or has something happened in Shandong?

The best way is to wait and see.

Pang Tong was a native of the Han Dynasty. He was different from the later generations who would take advantage of every opportunity and get angry if they had to wait in line for a traffic light to save a parking space. Moreover, his position determined that Pang Tong would consider the battle situation and countermeasures more comprehensively.

But Ma Yue was different.

Zhang Liao listened to Pang Tong's advice and could calmly look at the matter of Cao's army reducing the number of stoves.

After all, Zhang Liao had already made many military achievements. The merit of capturing and killing Cao Cao was certainly great, but it was obviously impossible for Zhang Liao to covet this merit and go against Pang Tong's opinion.

Zhu Ling's confidence was not as strong as Zhang Liao's. He also had a desire for merit, and even this desire was higher than Ma Yue, but Zhu Ling held back. On the one hand, Zhu Ling was a surrendered general and was not as experienced as Ma Yue. On the other hand, he had been stationed at Hangu Pass for many years, and the losses in the battles during this period made him have few cavalry and did not have the conditions to pursue...

Ma Yue was not old, but he had a lot of experience. He was one of the earliest generals who followed Fei Qian. He also led and trained cavalry in the Yinshan area. Many cavalry cadets in the army were trained by him...

Ma Yue insisted on pursuing.

The scout reported that he saw Cao Cao, which was an important reason why Ma Yue insisted on pursuing at the last moment.

No matter whether Cao's army retreated or not, as long as it retreated, Cao's army would inevitably be in some chaos. Seizing the opportunity to launch a surprise attack would directly cause Cao's army to collapse, and capture and kill Cao Cao who stayed behind, laying the foundation for the victory of the entire battle!

If Cao's army retreated back to Heluo, then the reinforcements and supplies from Shandong might be replenished to Cao's army, so that Cao's army would be restored to a certain extent, and the chance of capturing and killing Cao Cao again would be getting smaller and smaller.

What Ma Yue said is partly true, but it is obvious that these reasons are one-sided...

This one-sided reason is difficult to correct in a short time.

For example, many people in later generations like to say that I spent money, so I should enjoy something. For example, they paid the fare but not the highway fee, and then asked the driver to go on the highway, because I spent money, so I should enjoy it! There are also people who block the door at the high-speed rail station and don’t let it open. After all, how can you pull people down after you have paid for the ticket? How can you miss the stop if you grab the driver’s steering wheel after you have passed the stop?

Pang Tong frowned.

He is not Ma Yue’s parent, so he doesn’t need to explain the truth to Ma Yue.

Cao Cao is not a dead thing, but a living person. Moreover, after Cao Cao took over the command after the defeat at Tongguan, the resistance and combat endurance of Cao's army were significantly enhanced. Moreover, the key point is that Cao Cao is a veteran general who has survived the bloody battles in the Central Plains. He is like a veteran soldier who has fought hundreds of battles. Even the newly appointed military school has to show some respect for him...

Pang Tong persuaded Ma Yue to be cautious and wait for Fei Qian to join forces. It won't take a few days.

But Ma Yue refused to listen and even expressed his willingness to sign a military order!

There is no way.

Pang Tong gave Ma Yue 1,200 soldiers and horses, plus Ma Yue's own 300 soldiers and horses, forming a pursuit force of 1,500, and chased Cao Cao in the direction of retreat...

Who will win?

Pang Tong certainly hopes that Ma Yue can win, but wishes cannot replace reality.

"General Wenyuan," Pang Tong stopped Zhang Liao who was about to leave, "If the situation changes and General Ma is ambushed, then do this and that..."

"Sir, since you have determined that the enemy army has an ambush, why don't you stop it..."

Zhang Liao was a little confused.

Pang Tong just shook his head slightly and sighed.

…

…

Cao Cao was standing by the river.

Last winter, he also stood here, but at that time, his mind was in Guanzhong and he didn't pay attention to this river at all.

And now when he looked at this river again, he suddenly had some inexplicable feelings in his heart.

This river flows out of Guanzhong, passes through Heluo, goes straight to the Central Plains, and then rushes into the sea...

So is this river considered to be in the east or in the west?

If it is in the west, the river flows eastward, and if it is in the east, the source of the river is in the west.

Just like Guanzhong and Shandong now.

Cao Cao exhaled and watched the white smoke dissipate in the air.

He stayed behind to cover the rear, which played a very big role in the emotions of Cao's army.

Cao Cao, to Cao's army, is like Fei Qian to the cavalry army. He is not only a commander, but also a leader.

It is a mixture of faith and hope, expectation and sustenance.

If Cao Cao left first, the remaining Cao army soldiers would definitely not have much fighting spirit, and would flee like frightened birds at the slightest disturbance.

Now, although the morale is still low, seeing Cao Cao is still there, the Cao army soldiers will not be too chaotic, and some orders can be executed...

For example, Cao Cao is now taking some soldiers to the riverside to investigate.

He has been here before, but at that time he was more concerned about attacking, but now it has become defense.

He remembered some things Le Jin said.

In autumn and winter, the water level of the river drops.

Because of the accumulation of silt and erosion of the river, the river on the side of Hangu Pass will reveal a river beach after the water level drops, which can be walked and naturally marched.

This is a flaw in Hangu Pass!

And this flaw cannot be repaired by manpower...

The pass walls of Hangu Pass are all on the earth plateau, and it is impossible to build any walls here on the riverside beach of the river.

The river water erodes and rushes day and night. Who can stop the river water?

Even if Fei Qian developed earth cement, it could not resist the subsidence of the foundation and the erosion of the river, not to mention the rammed earth masonry structure of the mainstream of the Han Dynasty.

Even if it was built in winter, the river would surge in summer and it would be gone.

This led to the strategic position of Hangu Pass declining again and again after the Han Dynasty.

The heroic posture of Hangu Pass in the Qin Dynasty was like a river that never came back.

Cao Cao stared at the exposed river beach, thinking.

When he arrived here and saw the exposed beach, Cao Cao suddenly remembered something, that is, he asked his soldiers to disperse and explore along the river bank...

Not long after, the results of the investigation came out.

『Report! 』 A soldier ran over in a hurry, 『Report to the Prime Minister! Found it! 』

Cao Cao's eyebrows moved, and then waved his hand, 『Lead the way! 』

Soon, Cao Cao arrived at the place the soldier said.

After checking it out, Cao Cao couldn't help but take a breath of cold air, and at the same time felt lucky for himself...

...

...

On the other side, the cavalry was preparing to attack.

Ma Yue was eager to make merit.

Crisis.

It was an opportunity in danger.

Others thought he was reckless, but Ma Yue knew that this was the result of his deep thinking.

When others saw danger, he saw the opportunities hidden in these dangers.

Cao Cao was the last hope of Cao's army, and the confidence that they could still resist stubbornly. As long as Cao Cao was defeated, the will of Cao's army could be crushed, and the most brilliant merit of this battle could be obtained.

So, is it dangerous?

It was definitely dangerous.

But Ma Yue had analyzed it carefully.

Cao's army seemed to be in order now, but in fact it was already at the end of its strength.

Ma Yue concluded that Cao's army's reduction of stoves was definitely not a false attack, but a real retreat!

That's why Ma Yue dared to issue a military order!

Attacking with 1,500 troops could only be a surprise attack.

If the raid fails or suffers a heavy blow, not only will Ma Yue's head be in danger, but the morale of the cavalry will inevitably be dampened.

In the correct version!

Ma Yue is naturally clear about the terrain of Hangu Pass.

In addition to understanding it from the map, Ma Yue has also been here before. Even when he was in Tongguan, he had an understanding with Zhu Ling who was stationed in Hangu Pass before.

So, he felt that he was sure.

"What? Raid from the river beach?"

When Ma Yue explained the plan to his military academy, the cavalry military academy began to discuss it.

"That's right!" Ma Yue said in a deep voice, "River beach! It's winter now, and the water level of the river has dropped a lot! There is a river beach on the side of Hangu Pass. You can't walk in spring and summer, but you can walk in autumn and winter! '

"Won't the river beach be soft and rotten and sink the horse's hooves?" A military academy asked.

Ma Yue smiled, "Have you forgotten what season it is now? Even though it was soft before, the soil is now frozen! And we don’t walk on the side close to the river, but try to walk on the side close to the river bank. 』

In order to determine the feasibility of his strategy, Ma Yue also went to the big river and inspected other exposed small river beaches. He did find that the places near the river were relatively soft before freezing, but the places near the river bank It is already relatively hard, and some even have dry and cracked lines, so the horse can pass through it without any problems.

"Cao Jun's ambush must be at Hangu Pass!" ” Ma Yue’s voice was loud and clear, “In that case, let’s just go around it! Hit its side directly! The retreating soldiers of Cao's army must not have expected that we could pass through the ambush at Hangu Pass silently. They would be caught off guard by then, and Cao's army would be in chaos! 』

Ma Yue had selfish motives, so he revealed this plan to his subordinates at the military academy after he left. He did not tell Pang Tong, Zhang Liao, Zhu Ling and others...

Ma Yue was worried that once he said it out, if Pang Tong thought it was reasonable, Ma Yue would only have the merit of offering advice, but not the merit of defeating the enemy and winning a victory!

"As long as we avoid Cao Jun's ambush, we will go straight to Heluo!" Ma Yue became excited as he spoke. He stood up and waved his fists, "With the swords in our hands and the dismounting of our horses, what else can keep us and stop us in the land of Heluo?" ! We fight first if we want to, and if we want to leave, we leave! If Cao's army retreats, we will attack and harass them in batches. If they stay to block them, we will go around and attack their flanks! In the land of Heluo, we scouts are very familiar with the investigation. Where can we move horses and where can we communicate with people? Do you need me to say this? ! 』

"When the time comes, we can go east if we want to, and if we want to go west, we can go west!" Most of Cao's army retreated, which is the flesh of our sword! How you want to cut it and when you want to cut it is all up to us! 』

"This incredible achievement is right in front of you! 』

"In a word, do you want to do it or not?" ! 』

Several military schools looked at each other and shouted in unison.

"Dry! 』

"Fuck him!" 』

"I am willing to listen to the general's orders!" 』

…

…

"Is there anything unusual in the Hussars?" See clearly? ! 』

Cao Cao asked the scout.

The scout lowered his head and reported, "Return to the Prime Minister!" I did see the smoke! But……"

"But what?" ”Cao Cao asked.

The scout lowered his head, "But when the scouts in front sent out the message and went to check again later, the smoke and dust disappeared again..."

The roads in the Han Dynasty are all dirt roads, and this area is covered with loess soil. Even if you walk in a vegetation area during the day, smoke and dust will rise into the sky, which is completely unavoidable. Unless you are marching in bad weather, strong winds or rain and snowfall will cover up these traces, but this bad weather will in turn restrict the marching speed of the troops and increase the difficulty of marching...

Cao Cao did not get angry at the contradiction in the scout's words. Instead, he nodded and waved for the scout to investigate further.

"Coming. 』

Cao Cao looked down at the map and muttered to himself.

Although the scout said that the smoke disappeared later, Cao Cao concluded that the hussars were coming.

The reason why the smoke disappeared, Cao Cao judged, was that the hussars had stopped.

"They are all cavalry..."

Cao Cao looked at the map and clicked on the location reported by the scout.

The high mobility of cavalry allows soldiers to attack at longer distances. So the Hussars stayed outside the detection of Cao Jun's scouts, waiting for nightfall.

At night, the smoke and dust are naturally covered by the night.

The sound of horse hooves can also be weakened by means...

Cao Cao looked at the map for a long time, then raised his head and said, "Here comes someone!" Send the order! Making rice for the first time today! The whole army is on alert! 』

It's not that Cao Cao was kind enough to give his soldiers extra meals, but it was the custom of the Han Dynasty to have two meals a day.

Fu means food during the Shen period.

Normally, a meal in the evening is cooked after the sun goes down, followed by the afterglow of sunset, and then it is time to rest. However, Cao Cao ordered that the actual cooking be delayed until the first watch, in order to prepare these Cao soldiers in the middle of the night. There are still some food residues in the stomach, and it was all melted in the middle of the night instead of Shen Shi eating...

…

…

Ma Yue's face and body were covered with dust. He sat on a stone and looked up to see that the sky was gradually getting darker, but his eyes were shining, even a little excited.

"The rebel scouts have returned?" 』

Ma Yue asked.

"Report to the general!" Back! 』

The hussar scout responded.

"good! 』

Ma Yue nodded and smiled.

In the past two days, when it gets dark, Cao Jun's scouts will retreat.

There were no changes today, which means everything is normal...

Ma Yue felt that his possibility of success had increased again!

All plans are just guesses and estimates before they are implemented.

The idea of ​​using the river beach to bypass Hangu Pass does not mean that Cao Cao will be able to catch Cao Cao's flaw. However, before the actual action, the constant returns from the scouts made Ma Yue feel that the possibility of this plan was getting higher and higher. .

Night attack.

It is a traditional event of the Hussars. There is almost no need for Ma Yueduo to give any instructions, and the military academies have already made preparations.

Now, as long as he seizes this opportunity in front of him, no matter how tight the ambush Cao Cao sets at Hangu Pass, what's the use? Once Ma Yue and the others pass through Hangu Pass, Cao Cao will inevitably have only two choices left. One is to watch Ma Yue cut off his return path and become a turtle in the urn, the other is to immediately turn around and rescue the attacked rear. , and this will give Ma Yue an opportunity to attack!

When the hussars encounter battle in the wild, they have never been afraid of anyone!

What's more, you can also set up an ambush in reverse!

By then...

Ma Yue laughed.

Cao Cao's defeat is doomed, and Ma Yue will once again prove his ability and achieve supreme feats!

As long as Cao Cao is really captured, all the risks taken will be worth it!

"General!" Do we attack as planned? 』

someone asked.

"certainly! ” Ma Yue answered loudly, “Do you have the courage to kill generals and seize flags? ! Are you willing to accompany a certain person to capture and kill the old thief? ! 』

The soldiers from the military academy shouted, "Yes!" have! 』

"I would like to follow the general!" 』

Ma Yue couldn't help but laugh, "Good!" Check the equipment again, and feed the horses well! All ministries are not allowed to light fires to avoid being discovered by Cao Jun! When Cao Jun is defeated, we will drink and eat meat together! 』

After hearing this, the soldiers in the military academy were excited and agreed in unison.