Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3462 Before and After
Wilderness, cold wind.

Yellow earth, black sky.

The leaves on the few remaining branches of the trees were almost all pulled down by the cold wind, as if announcing the approach of a severe winter.

The four seasons of the year, the turn from autumn to winter, is like the transition from life to death.

However, these Cao troops tried to escape from the death situation.

The human instinctive desire to survive made these Cao army soldiers burst out with seemingly infinite power.

The defeated soldiers were running, howling, and fleeing in all directions.

However, there are still many Cao soldiers who cannot escape the scythe of the god of death.

Like most cold weapon wars, the real killing often occurs in large numbers only after one side is defeated.

After Lu Chang ordered a retreat, the entire Cao army line collapsed immediately.

Even if the formation collapsed, the casualties would be those near the breakthrough point, but once the entire army was routed, death would immediately affect all of Cao's soldiers.

The Grim Reaper laughed wildly and pounced down, enjoying the feast of blood and flesh.

"Drop your weapons and kneel down to avoid death! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

The cavalry shouted skillfully and killed those Cao army soldiers who tried to resist or rush to escape.

However, in the darkness, Cao's army collapsed like a tower of sand, and Huang Xu and others could not stop them at all!

However, the number of casualties among Cao's troops soared in such a short period of time.

In less than a cup of tea, Cao's army suffered almost the same number of casualties as when they fought with the Hussars for such a long time.

"Where is the enemy general?"

Huang Xu shouted and waved his sword.

But in the flickering firelight, he didn't see Lu Chang.

"Here is the general's flag!"

Some cavalrymen rushed to the place where Lu Chang was originally, but they did not see anyone, only the general's flag lying on the ground.

"Aaaah! You cowardly rat!"

Huang Xu was extremely angry.

Cao's soldiers were fleeing everywhere, and the light was insufficient, so Huang Xu didn't know which direction Lu Chang had fled to.

After all, this is not Bailang Mountain, and Fei Qian is not the king of the Hu people with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Huang Xu and his men cannot surround the mountain and prevent any escape.

At the same time, Lü Chang was obviously experienced. He did not carry anything with obvious markings, and even asked his guards to flee in different directions. This made it impossible for Huang Xu and the surrounding rangers to quickly identify Lü Chang's location and intercept him in the darkness and firelight during the initial chaos...

After all, not everyone can carry a small radar. Look, everyone has a small logo on their head.

Huang Xu searched angrily and rushed around the mountain for a while, but he couldn't find any trace of Lu Chang.

With no other choice, Huang Xu could only go back to report.

Fei Qian originally had no intention of hunting down Lu Chang.

It was not that Fei Qian suddenly showed kindness, but because Fei Qian's original plan was just to fill in the gap. After all, the logistics, artillery and supplies had not arrived yet, and his original plan was just to eliminate some potential dangers during the period when Xu Chu had not yet returned from Suoyang Pass.

Moreover, the distance between the front army camp and Cao’s Zhongtiao Mountain camp was not far, only about fifty or sixty miles, so it would not be too difficult for Cao’s army to escape back.

If they really wanted to hunt down and search for the escaped enemy generals on a large scale in the wilderness, it would undoubtedly consume a lot of manpower and horsepower, and Fei Qian originally thought it was not worth it. However, when he heard the report from his subordinates that the result of the interrogation of the captives and surrendered soldiers was that it was not the ordinary Cao army school who led the team, but the main general of the Zhongtiao Mountain Camp, Lü Chang, who led the team, Fei Qian quickly changed his mind and asked Huang Xu to lead the cavalry team to immediately go to the Zhongtiao Mountain Camp to hunt down Lü Chang.

That's right, a hunt.

The dead Lu Chang has no value other than providing merit bonus to the soldiers in the military academy.

What Fei Qian needed was the specific layout of the Zhongtiao Mountain camp and the detailed distribution of soldiers, and no one knew these things better than Lu Chang, the former commander of the Zhongtiao Mountain garrison.

That's why Fei Qian specifically asked Huang Xu to continue fighting to avoid the situation where some soldiers failed to stop and killed Lu Chang with one knife.

Huang Xu also knew the key to the matter, so he immediately led his men to the Zhongtiao Mountain camp to track down Lu Chang and others and capture them.

Fei Qian called out the garrison soldiers in the front army camp and asked them to clean up the battlefield and guard the prisoners.

Although he won, some doubts arose in Fei Qian's heart.

What are Cao’s troops here for?
Do fellow villagers open their doors to deliver food?
It was indeed a bit imprudent for Xu Chu to leave the front army camp.

But if Cao's army wants to raid the front army camp, shouldn't they be quick, accurate and ruthless?

As a result, when Cao's army arrived, they were slow and their actions were abnormal. It didn't seem like an attack, and it didn't seem like a lure. What on earth were they coming for?
Do you think the weather is nice and want to come for an autumn outing?
Fei Qian found it hard to understand.

Fei Qian's doubts are indeed justified.

However, the current situation of Cao's army's defeat is the reality facing Fei Qian.

So Fei Qian could only put this doubt aside for the time being...

……

……

The place of Tongguan.

War brings not only death, but also geographical changes.

For example, the Tongguan Slope Road was widened to at least one parking space during this battle!

This change is surprising, but also seems to be expected.

It seemed that Cao's army had prepared for resistance at a very early stage, just like a gecko breaking off its tail, one section after another.

Of course, terrain restrictions are also an important reason why Cao's army's strategy can work.

It was difficult for Cao's army to attack Guanzhong due to the terrain restrictions. Now they are trying to attack outward from Guanzhong, but the cavalry units cannot be deployed due to the terrain restrictions.

These battlefield limitations of nature act on both sides at the same time.

When Zhang Liao broke through the camp in front of Niutouyuan in Tongguan, he led only more than 2,000 soldiers and horses, less than 3,000 people.

There are not many people, but on this road, it is already saturated.

It also tests the general's ability to control battlefield troops. Otherwise, if he is not careful, his troops will block his own route and suffer losses that he should not have suffered.

Therefore, Zhang Liao fought very steadily.

Occasionally, there would be a squad of Cao's army trying to block the attack, and some squads wanted to bypass Niutouyuan, similar to what Zhu Ling had done before, and go around to attack Zhang Liao's logistics from behind. However, these people were no match for Zhu Ling at all, and were discovered before they could even get across the plateau, suffering heavy casualties under the strong crossbows and hard bows.

Advancing step by step, in a multi-arms coordinated combat mode, Zhang Liao's tactical offensive was really like a bulldozer on such a road. Cao's army clearly saw Zhang Liao coming and tried to find a way to deal with it, but they couldn't stop him!
The advancement speed is not fast, but it is stable enough.

On Zhang Liao's flank, there were tower ships patrolling back and forth on the water, while Zhu Ling was in control of the plateau.

This will allow Zhang Liao to concentrate on dealing with Cao's army head-on.

As for the Cao army at Tongguan, they were helpless against the advance of Zhang Liao and his men.

In a head-on fight, there is no way I can win!

There are brave generals, elite soldiers, and high technology...

Cao's army retreated all the way.

Zhang Liao continued to clear out the remaining troops, and then sent the prisoners and surrendered soldiers to the rear line, neither hurried nor slow, with a proper rhythm.

This made Cao Zhang and others extremely painful. Perhaps they would rather face a vicious opponent who would either defeat them in one breath or fall into their trap, rather than accept Zhang Liao's slow and ruthless approach, especially when they knew clearly where and when Zhang Liao was going to attack, but they just couldn't stand it!
This is like having surgery in a hospital in the future. The anesthetic has not been fully penetrated, and in a daze, you can feel the doctor cutting your skin, and then scratching your bones with a crunching sound. You can't struggle, and you can't get rid of it!
Cao's army was defeated and Zhang Liao pressed forward.

When the battle in Tongguan spread to Chang'an in Guanzhong, even the most pessimistic people who had been predicting the decline could not help but stand up and say, "Cao's army is now the dominant force! Shandong is not worth mentioning!"

"Do you even need to tell me that?!"

"That's not what you said before!"

It would cause others to laugh and ask whether he was the one who said the bad-mouthing words before and why he didn't continue to do so now?

Those people would sigh and say that if they hadn't been warning the General of the Cavalry all along, asking him to take it seriously, how could there be today's results? Their expressions were arrogant, as if the merits of the soldiers fighting on the front line were not worth a few words from them.

Everyone laughed, treating it as a show. However, within Guanzhong, an extremely optimistic atmosphere did begin to rise.

"Cao's army...is finished!"

"Then Shandong... hehehehe!"

"Shandong is a nice place!"

"That's, that's...."

The war has not yet completely ceased, but some people are already planning to gain some benefits.

When they need to fight hard, these people will hide, or say that they are ill, have elderly and young people at home to take care of, and cannot afford such a heavy responsibility. But when they find that the benefits are right in front of them, these people will stand up without hesitation and say that they are ready!

Indeed, everyone carries the flowery sedan.

But who can tell whether those carrying the sedan chairs are real people or ghosts in human skin?

Even if Zhang Liao knew about these things, he didn't care too much. His attention was now entirely on the front line and how to fight.

Cao's army set up many traps on the Tongguan Slope, which forced Zhang Liao to be extremely careful when advancing, otherwise he would be injured if he fell into a trap.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

In the darkness of the night, even when the fighting stopped, someone would still occasionally scream loudly.

Some were injured and disabled, while others suffered from war syndrome.

The wounded and sick are easier to deal with, as there are special logistics camps for the wounded and sick, with doctors to treat and care for them, and they will be transferred to Guanzhong when their conditions stabilize. However, it is not easy to deal with the soldiers suffering from war syndrome in the general military camp.

Maybe everything seems normal during the day, with people talking and laughing, but at night they will suddenly start crying and howling, with a voice that is shrill and terrifying.

This battle resulted in countless casualties.

Even after being cleaned up, all kinds of corpses will still leave various marks in the air and on the ground, including but not limited to the smell of blood and decay. You may even sit on something left behind by someone when you sit down to rest inadvertently.

Even soldiers who are used to seeing life and death will be affected to some extent, not to mention those new recruits who have not experienced many wars before and have only seen blood during training.

As some people grow up, naturally some people cannot adapt.

Therefore, Zhang Liao would patrol the camp every hour at night almost every time he stopped to rest. According to the military code, the commander only needed to patrol the camp once a night, but Zhang Liao did not slack off at all.

So, Zhang Liao encountered the "letter" from Cao's scouts.

A letter from an old friend.

Because Zhang Liao was in the training camp, the soldiers who received the letter immediately found Zhang Liao.

"Old friend?" Zhang Liao frowned.

Looking at the words "Respectfully sent to Zhang Wenyuan", Zhang Liao suddenly felt that these words were a bit glaring.

"Taiwan News"?
I, Zhang Liao, am in Cao's army. Is there anyone else I can call "Tai Qi"?

Zhang Liao did not open the letter immediately, but looked up at the sky.

He was born in Yanmen, a poor family, one could even say a very impoverished one.

So he doesn't have many friends in his hometown.

When I was working under Ding Yuan, I only had a few friends, but later on...

"Hehe..." Zhang Liao suddenly laughed, "Come here, seal it and send it directly to Pang Lingjun!"

Zhang Liao suddenly remembered that at some point in time, someone else had encountered a similar situation, and suddenly an old friend came to visit...

Now, although it is just a letter, but...

Who knows?

Zhang Liao's guard asked, "General, don't you want to see it?"

Zhang Liao shook his head, "I won't watch it."

……

……

Not only Zhang Liao was making a choice, but people in the Zhongtiao Mountain camp were also making a choice.

After Dong Zhao received the letter asking for help, he said it was a "false report"!
As for these military academies, which Dong Zhao already lacked trust in, he was naturally skeptical.

In the military, Lu Chang was their superior commander, but they stood by and watched when their superior commander was in trouble. Even if they later said that it was Dong Zhao who stopped them and had sufficient reasons, they would still be regarded as disloyal people. If they wanted to be promoted, they would probably have no hope in this lifetime.

After all, leaders may not remember who came during the New Year or other holidays, but they will definitely remember who didn’t come.

No matter what, you still have to put on the right look.

The head of the military academy said that since Lü Chang asked for help, they should save him. However, Dong Zhao said that this was a false request for help, saying that the false report said that it was a general of the Cao family, but General Lü Chang's surname was Lü, not Cao...

The military school thought it was probably Cao's army, not Cao's family. After all, the person who reported the news was dying, so it was normal for him to say something wrong. Moreover, the distance to the front camp of the cavalry was only fifty or sixty miles. Even if there was any problem, they should have sent people out to investigate immediately. How could they just let it go with a "false report"?

After a while of debate, Dong Zhao finally compromised and made arrangements.

The military academy was satisfied and left after receiving the order.

Dong Zhao watched the military academies leave with a cold look in his eyes.

"My dear, why do you give in to these soldiers?" Dong Zhao's confidant said dissatisfiedly, "A bunch of lowly bastards who don't know their place!"

"Shut up!" Dong Zhao said in a deep voice.

"Yes..." The confidant lowered his head and replied, but his expression was still obviously resentful.

"These are all dying people, why bother about it..." Dong Zhao said slowly, "The dead... are the greatest..."

The confidant's expression finally eased a little, but after a moment, he said nervously, "If that's the case, why...why..."

"Why are you still here?" Dong Zhao asked.

The confidant nodded.

Dong Zhao smiled and waved his hand, "You don't need to know this... I have my own arrangements. Go and do your work. The key now is the craftsmen, not the military academy... Do you understand? The craftsmen must be well prepared and well protected! No mistakes can be made!"

Dong Zhao spoke seriously, and his confidant naturally responded with a serious expression, then retreated.

Dong Zhao sat alone in the big tent, looking at the seat that originally belonged to Lu Chang. He was silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled, "Don't blame me... Everything depends on your own luck..."

……

……

Lu Chang, wearing the armor of an ordinary soldier, hid in a ravine with a dozen of his closest guards.

He was unkempt and looked completely devoid of the demeanor of a great general.

The dozen or so guards also looked nervous, looking up at the sky above their heads from time to time, and their bodies would immediately tense up at the slightest movement.

The distance of fifty or sixty miles now seems like an insurmountable chasm.

Lu Chang knew that if the cavalry knew he was leading the army, they would certainly launch a large-scale search for him, so he did not dare to go straight towards Zhongtiao Mountain. Instead, he ran diagonally for a long distance before finding this unknown ravine to hide.

"There are cavalrymen everywhere outside!" The guard who climbed to the top of the ditch but then climbed down hurriedly whispered, "They are everywhere! What should we do? We can't go back!"

In order not to attract the attention of the cavalry scouts and rangers, Lu Chang and his men abandoned their few war horses and disguised themselves as ordinary soldiers and fled on foot. This method undoubtedly saved Lu Chang's life.

Because the Hussars pay special attention to those who ride war horses...

However, as those riding war horses were caught up by the Hussars, there was a great possibility that Lu Chang's fact that he abandoned his horse and walked would be exposed.

Do you expect those guys to refuse to obey and never say anything even if you kill them?
And walking also has a big problem, which is that it is slow.

Because they had to take a detour and avoid the cavalry, a journey that would normally take one day might take two or even three days!
During this process, they could be discovered at any time and blocked and outflanked by the Hussars.

Lu Chang sent out guards to try to scout in different directions to see if there were any weak points they could pass through, but in the end they found that there were cavalry scouts wandering everywhere!

Hiding in the ravine, they would not be able to see Lu Chang and his men unless the Hussars and Rangers came too close. But who knew when these Hussars and Rangers would come to them?
Besides, it’s not a good thing to stay huddled in the ravine all the time. Going without food and water would be enough to kill you!
One day, two days, you can still endure if you save a little, but three or four days you can't even run!
"General, what should we do?"

The guards asked Lu Chang, but found that Lu Chang seemed to be in a trance, and they didn't know what he was thinking about. They were immediately shocked and looked at each other in confusion, "General? General?!"

Lu Chang turned around and said, "I figured it out!"