Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3494 East or West?

Some discordant voices emerged during the military meeting of the Cavalry Tongguan troops.

The phenomenon of Cao's army reducing its cooking fires was discovered by the cavalry scouts.

The strategy of reducing the number of stoves was not first proposed by Cao Cao, but it was a tactic demonstrated by Cao Cao.

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

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

The calmness of a strong man is like a heavy sword without an edge, and great skill appears clumsy.

With great power in hand, there is no need to worry about minor gains and losses.

This is a psychological advantage as well as a contest of military strength.

Just as Pang Tong had done before, he could let go and hold back, he could use swords and guns, and he could also use psychological tactics.

Small troops, that is, between dozens and hundreds, can march very quickly, but once the number of troops exceeds three thousand 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 will be possible to march quickly and intensively. At the moment in the Han Dynasty, even if the two parts of the cavalry troops in Tongguan and Hedong wanted to join forces urgently, it would have to comply with the laws of nature and it would not be possible to do so as soon as they said it.

Therefore, Pang Tong's strategy of attacking Cao Cao's heart was also a delaying tactic, but he did not expect Cao Cao to be so decisive and withdraw his troops immediately.

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 competition.

Are they really reducing their troops and retreating, or are they just pretending to retreat?

Is it that Cao's army can no longer hold on, or is there some unexpected change in Shandong?

The best way is to wait and see.

Pang Tong was a native of the Han Dynasty, and his lifestyle was different from that of later generations, who would take advantage of every opportunity and get angry if they lost one parking space while waiting in line at a traffic light. Moreover, his position determined that Pang Tong would consider the battle situation and countermeasures more comprehensively.

But Ma Yue is different.

Zhang Liao followed Pang Tong's advice and was able to remain calm about the matter of Cao's army reducing its cooking fires.

After all, Zhang Liao had already made many military achievements, and capturing and killing Cao Cao was certainly a great achievement. However, it was obviously impossible to ask Zhang Liao to covet this achievement 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 a stronger desire than Ma Yue, but Zhu Ling held back. On the one hand, Zhu Ling was a surrendered general and did not have the seniority of Ma Yue. On the other hand, he had been stationed at Hangu Pass for many years, and had suffered losses in battles during this period, so he did not have many cavalry and was not in a position to pursue...

Ma Yue is not very old, but he has a lot of experience. He is one of the earliest generals who followed Fei Qian in the military academy. He also led and trained cavalry in the Yinshan area. Many cavalry academies in the army were trained by him...

Ma Yue insisted on giving chase.

The scout's report that he had seen Cao Cao was the important reason why Ma Yue insisted on chasing and killing him at the last moment.

Regardless of whether Cao's army retreated truly or falsely, as long as they retreated, there would inevitably be some chaos in Cao's army. If we seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, it would be possible to directly cause Cao's army to collapse, and capture and kill Cao Cao who stayed behind, thus laying the foundation for victory in the entire battle in one fell swoop!

If Cao's army were allowed to retreat back to Heluo, then reinforcements and supplies from Shandong might be added to their hands, and Cao's army would be able to recover to a certain extent. The chances of capturing and killing Cao Cao again would become smaller and smaller.

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

This one-sided truth is difficult to correct in a short period of 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 take the highway, because they said that I spent money, so I should enjoy it! There are also people who block the door of the high-speed rail station and refuse to let it open. After all, how can they pull people off after they have paid for the ticket? People who grab the driver's steering wheel after the stop, how can they miss the stop after paying the bus fare?

Pang Tong frowned.

He is not Ma Yue's parent, so there is no need for him to explain things 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 Cao army's resistance and combat endurance were significantly enhanced. Moreover, the key is that Cao Cao is a veteran who has survived the bloody battles in the Central Plains. He is like a veteran who has fought hundreds of battles. Even the newly appointed military academy has to show a certain respect for him...

Pang Tong advised Ma Yue to be cautious and wait for Fei Qian to join forces before making any decision, as a few days would not be too short.

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

There's nothing we can do about it.

Pang Tong gave Ma Yue 1,200 soldiers and horses, and together with Ma Yue's own 300 soldiers and horses, they formed a pursuit force of 1,500 soldiers, and chased Cao Cao in the direction of his retreat...

Who will win?

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

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

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

Zhang Liao was a little confused.

Pang Tong just shook his head slightly and sighed.

……

……

Cao Cao was standing by the river.

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

And now when I look at this river again, I suddenly have some inexplicable feelings in my heart.

This great 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 on the east side or the west side?

When we say it is west, the river actually flows to the east; when we say it is east, the source of the river actually is in the west.

Just like Guanzhong and Shandong today.

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

He stayed behind to cover the retreat, and played a very important role in the mood of Cao's army.

Cao Cao, to Cao's army, is like Fei Qian to the Cavalry Army. He is not only a commander-in-chief, but also a leader.

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

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

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

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

He had been here before, but at that time he was thinking more about offense, but now it has become defense.

He remembered some of the things Le Jin had said.

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

Due to silt accumulation and river erosion, the water level of the river on the side of Hangu Pass dropped, revealing a river beach that was suitable for pedestrians and marches.

This is a flaw in Hangu Pass!

Moreover, this flaw cannot be repaired by human power...

The walls of the Hangu Pass are all on the loess plateau, but it is impossible to build any walls here on the mudflats along the river.

The river water scours and erodes, rushing day and night. Who can stop the river?

Even if Fei Qian developed earth cement, it would not be able to resist foundation subsidence and river erosion, not to mention the rammed earth brick and stone structure walls that were the mainstream of the Han Dynasty.

Even if it is built in winter, it will be destroyed by the flooding of the river in summer.

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

The heroic figure of Hangu Pass in the Qin Dynasty resisting the six kingdoms is like a great river flowing eastward and never to return.

Cao Cao stared at the exposed river beach, thoughtfully.

When he arrived here and saw the exposed mudflats, Cao Cao suddenly remembered something, so he ordered his soldiers to spread out and investigate along the river bank...

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

"Report!" A soldier came running over, "Prime Minister! We found it!"

Cao Cao's eyebrows moved, and then he waved his hand, "Lead the way!"

Soon, Cao Cao arrived at the place the soldiers mentioned.

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

……

……

On the other side, the Hussars were preparing to attack.

Ma Yue was eager to make a contribution.

crisis.

It was an opportunity amidst danger. Others thought he was reckless, but Ma Yue knew that this was the result of his deep thinking.

Where others saw danger, he saw opportunities within those dangers.

Cao Cao is the last hope of Cao's army and the source of their confidence that they can still resist tenaciously. As long as Cao Cao is defeated, the will of Cao's army can be crushed and the most brilliant achievement of this battle can be obtained.

So, is it dangerous?

It's definitely dangerous.

But Ma Yue analyzed it carefully.

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

Ma Yue concluded that Cao's army's reduction of cooking fires was definitely not a deception, but a real retreat!

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

An attack with fifteen hundred men could only be a surprise attack.

If the raid fails or suffers a heavy loss, not only will the lives of the Ma Yue people be in danger, but the morale of the cavalry will also inevitably be dampened.

Ma Yue was naturally familiar with the terrain of Hangu Pass.

In addition to knowing it from the map, Ma Yue had also been here before. Even when he was in Tongguan, he had met Zhu Ling who was previously stationed at Hangu Pass.

So, he felt confident.

"What? A surprise attack from the riverbank?"

When Ma Yue explained the plan to his military academies, the cavalry academies 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 on it in spring and summer, but you can walk on it in autumn and winter!"

"Won't the riverbed be soft and rotten, and trap the horses' hooves?" asked a military school student.

Ma Yue smiled, "Have you forgotten what season it is now? Even if the soil was soft before, it 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 went to the riverside and inspected other exposed river beaches. He indeed found that the water near the river was relatively soft before it froze, but the water near the river bank was already hard, and some even had cracks, so the war horses had no problem passing through.

"The Cao army is ambushing, it must be at Hangu Pass!" Ma Yue said in a clear voice, "In that case, we should just go around it! We should attack them from the flank! The retreating soldiers of the Cao army certainly didn't expect that we could pass through the ambush at Hangu Pass quietly. We will definitely catch them off guard and the Cao army will be in chaos!"

Ma Yue had his own selfish motives, so he only revealed this plan to his military school after he left, and did not tell Pang Tong, Zhang Liao, Zhu Ling and others...

Ma Yue was worried that once he said it, Pang Tong might think it made sense, and then Ma Yue would at most be credited with offering advice, but would not have the merit of defeating the enemy!

"As long as we avoid Cao's ambush, we will go straight to Heluo!" Ma Yue said excitedly, standing up and waving his fists, "With swords in our hands and horses under our crotch, what else can stop us in Heluo? ! We can fight if we want to, and leave if we want to! If Cao's army retreats, we will invade and harass them in batches. If they stay to stop us, we will bypass them and attack their flanks! Our scouts have explored the Heluo area very well. We know where horses can pass and where people can pass. Do I need to tell you? ! "

"When the time comes, we can go east if we want to, or west if we want to! Most of Cao's army will retreat, and they will be our prey! We have the final say on how and when we want to cut them!"

"This tremendous feat is before you all!"

"In one word, will you do it?!"

Several military cadets looked at each other and shouted at the same time.

"Dry! 』

"Fuck him!"

"I am willing to obey the general's orders!"

……

……

"The Hussars are making unusual movements? Did you see it clearly?!"

Cao Cao asked the scout.

The scout bowed his head and reported, "Prime Minister! We did see the smoke and dust! But..."

"But what?" Cao Cao asked.

The scout lowered his head even more. "But when the scouts ahead sent the message and we went back to check, the smoke had disappeared again..."

The roads in the Han Dynasty were all dirt roads, and this area was all yellow soil. Even if you walked through the vegetation area during the day, there would be smoke and dust rising into the air, which was completely unavoidable. Unless you marched in bad weather, strong winds or rain and snow would cover these traces, but this bad weather would in turn restrict the marching speed of the troops and increase the difficulty of marching...

Cao Cao did not get angry about the contradiction in the scout's previous and subsequent statements. Instead, he nodded and waved his hand to let the scout go investigate again.

"Here I come."

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

Although the scouts said that the smoke and dust disappeared later, Cao Cao concluded that it was the arrival of the Cavalry Army.

Cao Cao judged that the reason the smoke and dust disappeared was that the Cavalry Army had stopped.

"They are all cavalry..."

Cao Cao looked at the map and pointed at the direction reported by the scout.

The high mobility of the cavalry allowed the soldiers to launch attacks at a greater distance, so the cavalry stayed outside the detection of Cao's scouts, waiting for the night to fall.

At night, the smoke and dust are naturally obscured by the darkness.

The sound of horse hooves and the like can also be reduced by some means...

Cao Cao looked at the map for a long time, then raised his head and said, "Come here! Pass the order! Cook at the first watch of today! All troops on alert!"

It was not out of kindness of Cao Cao to give the soldiers extra meals, but it was a custom in the Han Dynasty to have two meals a day.

馎 is food eaten at the time of Shen.

Normally, the evening meal was cooked after the sun went down in the afterglow of the sunset, and then it was time to rest. However, Cao Cao ordered that the actual cooking be delayed until the first watch. The purpose was to ensure that there would be some food left in the stomachs of the Cao army soldiers in the middle of the night, instead of eating at 3 p.m., which would have melted in the middle of the night...

……

……

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

"Have the enemy scouts returned?"

Ma Yue asked.

"Reporting to the General! We are going back!"

The cavalry scout responded.

"good! 』

Ma Yue nodded and smiled.

During these two days, when it gets dark, Cao's scouts will retreat.

There is no change today, which means everything is normal...

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

All plans are guesses and estimates until they are implemented.

The idea of ​​using the river beach to bypass Hangu Pass does not mean that Cao Cao's weakness can be discovered, but before the actual action, the continuous reports from the scouts made Ma Yue feel that the possibility of this plan was increasing.

Night attack.

It is a traditional event of the Cavalry Corps. The military academies have already made preparations without Ma Yue giving any instructions.

Now, as long as he seizes this opportunity, what use will Cao Cao's ambush at Hangu Pass be? When Ma Yue and his men pass through Hangu Pass, Cao Cao will have only two choices: one is to watch Ma Yue cut off his way back and become a turtle in a jar, and the other is to immediately turn back to rescue the attacked rear, which will give Ma Yue a chance to break the attack!

The Hussars have never been afraid of anyone when they encounter battle in the wild!

What's more, maybe they can set an ambush in reverse!

By the time……

Ma Yue laughed.

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

As long as Cao Cao is captured and killed, all the risks will be worth it!

"General! Are we attacking as planned?"

someone asked.

"Of course!" Ma Yue answered loudly, "Do you have the courage to kill the general and seize the flag? Are you willing to follow me to capture and kill the old thief?!"

The cadet soldiers followed up by shouting, "Yes! Yes!"

"I'd like to follow the general!"

Ma Yue couldn't help laughing, "Good! Check all the equipment again, and feed the horses! No one is allowed to light a fire, so as not to be discovered by Cao's army! When we defeat Cao's army, we will drink and eat meat together!"

When the soldiers from the military academy heard this, their blood boiled and they responded in unison.