Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3471 This is a conspiracy
war.

blood.

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

The sound of war drums was deafening.

Iron armor and swords and spears complement each other.

Cold light and flesh sing alternately.

Horse hooves crush the boundary between life and death, and the dust buries the unfulfilled wishes.

The soldiers' roars and screams intertwined into a tragic battlefield melody.

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

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. Some people also call it the Old Town of Tongguan, or Little Tongguan.

The soldiers were somewhat tired after fighting since early morning until now.

"Let the soldiers retreat! Rest where they are!"

Zhang Liao gave the order.

Even if Zhang Liao doesn't have any system, he can pay attention to the soldiers' physical strength bars based on experience.

Once the physical strength value is reduced to zero, it will be very slow to recover.

Flags waved, orders were issued, and military academies shouted and repeated. The entire army was like a tight war machine, with gears meshing with each other, rotating, twisting, and spewing flames and blood.

Like a receding tide, the Hussars retreated in an orderly manner behind the attack line.

There are still troops on guard at the front line. Even though Cao's army is unlikely to attack, there are still soldiers guarding the front line with bows and arrows.

The soldiers who retreated from the front line sat on the ground, ignoring the dirt and blood on their hands and bodies, and began to eat the dry food on the spot.

The dry food is simple, whole grain biscuits sandwiched with bacon.

Meat, real meat.

The meat can be preserved for a long time after being cured and air-dried.

It is a bit difficult to eat dry, so if conditions permit, it is usually steamed to make it softer.

It's just a little softer.

The multi-grain cakes were not ground very finely and even contained some rough particles, which mixed with the sand and blood on the soldiers' hands, forming a meal with a bloody battlefield flavor that was difficult to describe in words.

Fortunately, there are no hygiene monsters these days.

The soldiers passed the water bags to each other, and then wolfed down the bread and meat, tearing them apart and swallowing them.

Looking at those corpses lying in a pool of blood, the fact that I can still eat a bite proves that I am still alive.

Isn’t this the happiest thing on the battlefield?
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 my next step will be to take Xijinggou!"

The guard responded loudly and rode away immediately.

Unlike the narrow terrain at the Tongguan Slope, the current Yanxiang is relatively open. What’s more, the key is that the troops of Zhang Liao and others are not enough to besiege 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. What’s more, Zhang Liao’s most powerful ability in fighting is not his personal bravery, nor his ability to fight on the front line, but that he knows how to and is willing to cooperate with others.

Just like now, Zhang Liao not only broke through the outer gap of Yanxiang by himself, but was also 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 period, Zhang Liao did not forget to walk among the fighting soldiers, and asked the guards to distribute dry food and encourage the soldiers.

"Now you and I are fortunate to serve under the command of the Cavalry, and to gain fame and honor with our bravery!"

"To achieve success, everyone has to rely on their own abilities! Whether you can accumulate meritorious deeds for your family depends on yourself!"

"Do you see that small town?"

Zhang Liao shouted, pointing at Yanxiang, "As long as we take this city, we will open the way to attack Heluo! Next we have to march into Shandong and take over the Central Plains! Unify the world! And you will all be the heroes who unify the world, and you will be given titles for your wives and children, and enjoy wealth and honor!"

"Ohhhhhhhh!"

"Wan Sheng!" 』

"The hussars are victorious!" 』

The soldiers cheered.

After resting for about half an hour, Zhang Liao gave orders again, asking his soldiers to advance head-on towards Yanxiang City on the plateau.

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

The same is true in Yanxiang.

Yanxiang City, located on the loess plateau, is not particularly steep and majestic.

Of course, this has to do with 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 a transit station, a county town for people traveling east and 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 directly to Heluo.

Cao Jun might have originally wanted to build something here, but now there is no time.

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

The tower ships on the water were responsible for bombarding the sluice gates in the river channel north of Yanxiang and controlling the water surface mudflats.

The attacks were launched simultaneously in three directions with mutual coordination. Even if Cao's army had built fortifications and defense systems in Yanxiang, it would be difficult to hold on. In just one day, the fortifications and defense systems outside Yanxiang were almost knocked down. Only Yanxiang itself and some fortifications very close to Yanxiang were still resisting.

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

Or it would be more appropriate to call it a stone fortress.

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

Not far from the 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, it is obviously impossible to climb the stone body, and walking on the earth slope will be shot by the Yanxiang city wall on the other side...

After attempting a wave of attacks, Zhang Liao discovered this problem. Attacking under arrows from two directions would surely result in heavy casualties.

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

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

Although the earth slope on the north side of this stone fortress is higher, the terrain is much flatter, with only a stone cliff at the top. In fact, you only need to attack a small section to reach the stone fortress.

Zhang Liao simply sent out his own personal guard team, and under the cover of other soldiers, they raided the northern slope of the stone fort.

The battle started again and both sides fought again.

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

……

"Report! The outer stone fortress has been lost!"

A Cao army general quickly reported the information to Cao Zhang.

Cao Zhang let out a sigh, and a surge of anger rose up in his heart. "We lost again! Have these guys not eaten?! Bastards! Incompetent! Useless! Trash!"

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, which seemed to boost the morale of Cao's army in the short term, the defeat was already decided. In addition, the cavalry troops cooperated well with each other, which made Cao's army lose sight of the big picture.

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

It was as if I was back at the Tongguan camp again...

I want to stop it, but I can’t. I want to delay it, but I can’t.

Looking at the helpless and furious Cao Zhang, Liu Fu suddenly became distracted for some reason.

When he was in Shandong before, he was looking forward to becoming a general who could plan strategies and lead thousands of troops to capture cities and accomplish great things. Now these wishes seem to have come true, but they also seem to be different from his original expectations.

After all, you have made plans, but the more you try, the more you lose.

He led his troops to capture cities and plunder, but was beaten back by his opponents after the attack.

As for whether or not I have accomplished something great, that is even harder to say. I don’t know whether I have accomplished something for myself or for others…

Cao Zhang still hadn't recovered from his impotent rage, and Liu Fu had no interest in trying to dissuade him.

Because they no longer have time to care about anyone's emotions.

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 even more.

At the Tongguan camp, because Niutouyuan and Tongguan Slope were relatively narrow, the Hussars could not deploy their lines, so they could not perceive the degree of cooperation and tacit understanding among the various parts of the Hussars. Now in Yanxiang, it is relatively spacious, and the cooperation and coordination among the various parts of the Hussars made it inevitable that Cao Zhang and Liu Fu were a little flustered.

Once there is chaos, problems will arise.

If something goes wrong, it will inevitably lead to failure.

And if it fails...

Liu Fu didn't dare to think about it any further.

He has become accustomed to his current life. If he is asked to choose another path and start all over again, he no longer has the energy or courage of his youth.

Seeing Cao Zhang venting his emotions, Liu Fu also wanted to yell and let out the depression in his heart, but he held back and did not indulge his emotions.

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

Cao Zhang turned around and stared at Liu Fu, "Are you sure?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Liu Fu nodded, "If we can't even hold out for one day... then tomorrow we will collapse even faster! The arrangements for the lord's place will take at least three days... so now is the most critical time... it's time to send them out!"

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

……

……

The sun sets in the west.

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

The setting sun dyed his figure golden.

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

Fei Qian stood on the hill.

Sima Yi was at the foot of the hill.

The setting sun enveloped Fei Qian, making his armor and battle robe seem to be emitting light.

Majestic as a mountain, as a river, as a deep abyss.

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

He lowered his head.

Gods cannot be looked at directly.

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

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

"please!"

The guard gestured towards Sima Yi.

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

After climbing the hill, you will be greeted by the sunset sky.

Like blood.

Like the sea.

Fei Qian seemed to be standing in this sunset that looked like a sea of ​​blood.

"Zhongda..."

Fei Qian didn't look back.

"I am here."

Sima Yi's expression was solemn.

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

Fei Qian asked.

Sima Yi bowed his head and said, "My Lord, I still have five hundred left..."

The troops that attacked the Zhongtiaoshan camp before were combined with those of him and Hao Zhao.

Now if we only count those under Sima Yi's command, after deducting the casualties, there are only about five hundred left.

The attack on the Zhongtiao Mountain camp failed, and Sima Yi did make the mistake of underestimating the enemy.

He thought that he was in control of the situation and could manipulate everyone in the world at his will. As a result, he broke into the outskirts of Cao's camp, but did not cause a large-scale collapse of Cao's army. Instead, he was surrounded and blocked by Cao's soldiers and was almost trapped in the Zhongtiao Mountain camp.

Fei Qian asked Sima Yi to tell him the details again.

Sima Yi slowly recounted his judgment and preparation, execution and results after he learned of Xu Chu and Cao's army's movements.

No embellishments, no excuses, no shirking.

It is just a factual account, without avoiding his own mistakes.

Fei Qian listened without interrupting Sima Yi. After Sima Yi finished speaking, he paused for a moment and asked without comment: "Zhongda, what is the most important thing about dividing the troops?"

Sima Yi thought for a moment and said, "The trend of division and combination is the key to change. The division of troops is like a lush tree, with branches and roots; it is like a river, although scattered, the source is deep."

"The purpose of dividing the troops is to defeat the enemy. If the enemy is strong, divide them to weaken their power; if the enemy is weak, unite them to annihilate them."

"The change of dividing the troops can be responded to. Don't stay in one corner and make the enemy unable to predict our strengths and weaknesses, so that we can take advantage of the enemy to win the victory."

"This is just my humble opinion, please give me some advice, lord."

Fei Qian nodded, "Well said. But I'm asking about the 'Tao', not the 'technique'!"

Sima Yi was stunned for a moment, then he bowed and said, "My lord, please enlighten me."

Fei Qian said slowly, "Divide the troops to stabilize the country. The country is so big that the troops cannot be gathered together. Divide the troops to suppress it. Therefore, the way to divide the troops is to fight but not to fight, to train the soldiers and generals. The number of soldiers is not important, but the quality is. The general is not brave, but the strategy is. Divide and seek unity, fight but not fight, this is the way."

"So, Zhongda, if you divide your forces and advance, can you seek to unite? Can you unite the troops?"

Sima Yi's forehead was covered with sweat. "I... am 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. In short, he is a guy who likes to steal the spotlight. He always wants to be the protagonist and is unwilling to be a supporting role.

Fei Qian turned his head and watched the changing sunset in the sky.

Every sunset is different every day, and every person has a different personality.

Sima Yi obviously needs some polishing, and is not suitable to be released as a commander alone...

Just as Fei Qian said, he divided the troops not just for the purpose of war, but also intended to examine the abilities of these people in the process of division. Some people were suitable to guard one side, while others might only be suitable to stay in the central hub position as an assistant and could not serve as local chief officers.

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

"Let's not talk about this for now, let's focus on the present!"

Fei Qian waved his hand, signaling Sima Yi to follow.

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

Fei Qian arrived in front of the map, pointed to the map of Cao's Zhongtiaoshan camp and said, "Come on, Zhongda, if we want to attack this place, what should we do?"

The location Fei Qian pointed to was at the intersection north of Zhongtiao Mountain.

The North Passage of Zhongtiao Mountain is located at the northern end of Zhongtiao Mountain. Cao's army has set up layers of defense systems here to guard the entrance and exit of the mountain road. Once the Cavalry Army seizes this North Passage, they can quickly reach the south of Zhongtiao Mountain through soldiers. For Cao's army, as long as this passage is still in the hands of Cao's army, it will be easier to defend or fight.

"My lord, Cao's army must have set a trap here!" Sima Yi pointed at the north entrance and said, "When I attacked before, Cao's army tried to lure us into the road!"

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

"Overt conspiracy?" Sima Yi quickly reacted and nodded, "My Lord, you are right! It is indeed an open conspiracy!"

This conspiracy was very simple and laid out in the open. Sima Yi just didn't think of it at the moment, but after Fei Qian pointed it out, he understood it.

Along the Zhongtiao Mountain Road, Cao's army set up a wide defense line, spreading out over ten miles. They used the troops from various camps to occupy the entire road and mountain passes, and used the terrain of the mountains to set traps for defense.

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

In later times, a similar method of defending the key roads 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..."