Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3637: The Beacon Extinguishes the Black Rock Pass, Planning for the Ilo Deep

After losing their organizational leader, Cheng Yu's troops north of the Yellow River basically ended up fleeing in defeat.

If things go well, he can escape to Wen County and regroup. If things go badly, he might be chased and killed by the Hussars on the way.

Cao's army was defeated in the battle for the ferry.

Looking back at the battle of Black Stone Pass, it can be said that although Cao Zhang fought in a fairly methodical manner overall, he was unable to hold on after all.

On the one hand, even if the suicide squad destroyed Zhang Liao's catapult position and burned one, there were still two left. Compared with the expensive artillery, three or five catapults were not a big loss at all.

The only trouble was the stone bullets.

At the same time, the Black Stone Pass was indeed too small, and the catapults were lucky enough to hit the same position of the wall continuously, which easily caused damage to the wall and made it impossible for Cao's army to rely on the wall for defense.

Although there was still some time left for Cao's army to hold out as long as they had originally hoped, Cao Zhang really could no longer hold on.

If you insist any longer, you might die at Black Stone Pass.

So in this situation, when Fei Qian and Zhang Liao showed their intention to push forward the Black Stone Pass, Cao Zhang also withdrew.

The Cavalry Army entered Heishi Pass.

The first thing to do is to immediately clean up the war debris around Black Stone Pass.

That's right, even though the fight continues, it doesn't mean that the debris near Heishan Pass will disappear on its own, or that it will be directly degraded as Fei Qian leads the team forward.

Another thing is to investigate the deployment of Cao’s army in Gong County.

Gong County, Sishui Pass.

Once we break through Sishui Pass, the road ahead will be almost smooth. Except for some cities, there are basically no dangerous defensive points in Shandong.

In other words, the victory or defeat of Gongxian Sishui will determine the victory or defeat of Shandong Central Plains.

Just like the importance of Tongguan to Guanzhong.

The twentieth day of the third month in the tenth year of Taixing.

Some small-scale battles took place between the scouts of the two armies near Gong County.

According to the scouts' investigation, the number of Cao's troops in Gong County had apparently exceeded 10,000.

Even if auxiliary troops and laborers were deducted, the number would still be at least five or six thousand people.

Gong County, where the Yi and Luo rivers flow through two mountains, is located at the bend of the river. Backed by mountains and facing the river, it is not a very strategic location, but it is also a strategically important place before Sishui Pass.

Of course, the advantages of the Cavalry Army are also very obvious. Although Cao's army has made many preparations in Gong County, the quality of the Cavalry Army's soldiers, weapons and equipment, firepower technology, etc. are far superior to those of the other side.

Moreover, once the Hussars broke through Sishui Pass, the advantage of large-scale and organized cavalry would be too great in plain areas such as Yanzhou and Yuzhou.

In other words, this is the time for both sides to show their final trump cards.

According to some people's ideas, the Cavalry Army should now attack in one wave, directly and frantically capture Gong County, then attack Sishui Pass, and then use the cavalry advantage on a large scale, and even attack Xu County again, making Cao's army exhausted and difficult to defend in the plains.

However, at this time, Fei Qian adopted Pang Tong's suggestion and had no intention of taking the initiative to advance for a fight. Instead, he stationed his troops at Heishi Pass and kept them on standby.

There are two reasons.

First, although Cao Zhang did not last long enough at Black Stone Pass, it gave Cao Hong in Gong County a chance to prepare. During his stay in Gong County, Cao Hong built a platform on the Yiluo Plain without any slopes, cut down trees to build fences, dug deep trenches, and arranged deer horns to form his main formation...

Relying on Gong County, a huge group of fortifications was formed, and in view of the previous advantages of the cavalry artillery, a number of trenches were specially dug!

If these fortifications were to be attacked directly, it would likely require the lives of tens of thousands of people. It would not be worthwhile to simply fill them with blood and flesh.

Secondly, as the battle line extends, Fei Qian's current supply line will have to cross the entire Hongnong Heluo area after leaving the border. In the Heluo area, there are many remote villages and abandoned forts that the Cavalry Corps has not yet fully identified. It is very likely that there are remnants of Cao's scattered soldiers, or special operations forces that have infiltrated.

Fei is making progress, but is it possible that Cao Cao will never be able to learn new tactics in his entire life?
So Fei Qian didn't believe that Cao Cao didn't prepare some means of sneak attacking the grain route.

March 23rd.

After three days of cleaning, some areas were still not cleaned up, but the interior of the pass and the area around the wall had been basically cleaned up.

It is not the right way to command troops to remain motionless, so when the basic cleanup work was almost completed, Fei Qian led the cavalry army to the outside of Gong County to conduct exploratory battlefield reconnaissance.

It can also be called fire reconnaissance.

Before the war, an on-site investigation is needed.

This is a compulsory course for generals.

As the vanguard out of Black Stone Pass, Zhang Liao encountered many scouts of Cao's army along the way. Although the large group of soldiers suffered no actual damage, it was completely different from the so-called outing. Walking, stopping, being on guard for a while, and then continuing to move forward could easily cause mental fatigue.

"Remember this..." Fei Qian said, "Send more soldiers during this period to clean up the surrounding area..."

Pang Tong nodded in agreement.

This time they came for firepower reconnaissance, not really to capture Gong County in one go, but even so, being harassed from time to time still made people feel unsmooth and uncomfortable.

If it were an ordinary army, it would easily cause problems if it kept moving and stopping like this.

However, many of the non-commissioned officers in the military academy of the Cavalry Corps led by Fei Qian were promoted from veteran soldiers who came out of Pingyang in Hedong.

Most of these people previously belonged to Bingzhou soldiers or Xiliang soldiers.

These people were experienced and not only did they solve the problem of stopping and starting, they could even take time to let the soldiers take a break, loosen the belts on the horses' bellies, and feed them a few mouthfuls of fried beans or something...

The Bingliang region borders the Xiongnu and Xianbei in the north and the Qiang people in the west. It has always been an important source of troops for the Han Empire. The troops, with Bingliang as the main cavalry, have been feared and envied by the people of Shandong since the founding of the Han Dynasty. However, they were ultimately incompatible in their inclinations, so they were suppressed for a long time during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Even so, during the Three Kingdoms period, this place was still full of brilliant generals. It is not without reason that Guan Yu and Xu Huang both rose from here. It is also not without reason that Jia Kui, whose family was so poor, still had family heirlooms to learn the art of war.

Even the White Wave Bandits and the Black Mountain Bandits, if it weren't for Fei Qian's sudden appearance and intervention, would have helped during Emperor Xian of Han's escape to the east, or what we call his return to the east, and wrestled with the Xiliang rebels such as Li Guo...

As Fei Qian's troops approached Gong County, Cao's army in Gong County did not defend the trenches to the death, but relied on fortifications to deploy their formation.

First, the heavy armored troops of Cao Hong’s headquarters in Cao’s army raised their flags and faced Fei Qian’s center formation from east to west.

The terrain of Gong County is a slightly inclined tube, extending from the southwest to the northeast.

The Yi and Luo rivers meander through the middle, so the first problem Fei Qian's army had to face was crossing the river.

Of course, the Yiluo River is much shallower and weaker than the big rivers.

But a river is still a river, and if you are not careful, you will suffer.

The two armies faced each other across the river.

After Cao Hong's main force was deployed, two more Cao troops soon began to assemble.

The flag of one group was named "Liu", and the flag of the other group was named "Shi".

"Liu... I'm not sure who he is, but this Shi, it is said that he was a general from a humble family recruited by Cao Cao when he was in Yecheng..." Pang Tong said, pointing.

As for the Liu family, there were too many people with this surname in the Han Dynasty, so Pang Tong was not sure either. However, the Shi family was relatively rare, and Pang Tong had some impression of it from the intelligence he had handled.

"Han Men Jiang? Hmm..." Fei Qian nodded and raised the telescope in his hand to look over. Under the banner of General Shi, a force of about 3,000 people, armed with spears, large shields, and bows and crossbows, came to the east side of Cao Hong's army and set up camp...

Obviously, this is a multifunctional unit that can be used for both attack and support. In conjunction with Cao Hong's central formation, between the Gongxian fortifications and the Yiluo River, it is a practical hammer-and-anvil tactic.

"Cao Zilian is quite fond of this Shi clan general?" Fei Qian pointed in the direction of Shi clan general, "He has spears, big shields, and powerful crossbows..."

Pikemen aren't a big deal, but large shields and crossbows are expensive.

Pang Tong nodded and wrote it down.

Behind the three formations, some flags were also waving in Gong County, and it was obvious that Cao's soldiers were also making preparations.

The troops of each division were well-organized, attacking and defending, and they were prepared for the follow-up...

The quality of the soldiers displayed by Cao's army at the moment is obviously very good.

Of course, it is also possible that Cao Hong deliberately showed it to Fei Qian.

So when Zhang Liao asked for orders, Fei Qian agreed almost immediately, allowing Zhang Liao to launch a tentative attack, and then he and Pang Tong found a high place and watched the battle from afar.

Under the midday sunlight, the armor, swords and spears of the soldiers on both sides seemed to be competing for the light of the Yiluo River.

Zhang Liao led his troops and tried to approach the Yiluo River.

Cao's troops also began to move along with Zhang Liao's actions.

One part came towards Zhang Liao's flag, while the other part began to bypass Zhang Liao's upstream.

"Hehe, Cao Jun has a good idea."

Pang Tong on the side sneered twice, "Although the Cao army has sent out two formations, they are in front and behind, front and side... If we just want to cross the river and get too entangled with the Cao army in the front, the flanks will more or less leak some gaps, and the Cao army will definitely cross the river in turn and attack our flanks... My lord, there are many archers in the Cao army formation upstream..."

"Are they planning to launch a surprise attack when our soldiers are ready to go up to cover their flanks?" Fei Qian said, "They have done a good job of studying the terrain of the Yiluo River."

Pang Tong also nodded and said, "That's true. If we send troops to protect our flanks, then Cao's army will shoot us with crossbows across the river... If we don't send troops, they will go all the way down and attack our flanks after we cross the river..."

"There is another question..." Fei Qian pointed at the battlefield, "We are here now, the terrain is a little higher, we can see clearly what kind of soldiers are behind the shields of the Cao army array, but when we really reach the bank of the Yiluo River, the field of vision is flat, and all we can see are the front-line soldiers of the enemy army... Don't think that the Cao army has only some sword and shield soldiers, and hidden strong bows and crossbows..."

"My lord, this is indeed a problem." Pang Tong said, "It seems necessary to find a place near the river bank and build a high platform for reconnaissance."

Just as Fei Qian and Pang Tong were talking, a huge wave of noise suddenly erupted from the Cao army position on the front line by the Yiluo River, and then spread to the entire Gong County, as if all the Cao army soldiers were clamoring together!
"Let's fight!"

"Come and fight! !"

Thousands of people shouting together were earth-shaking and magnificent!
Fei Qian was stunned for a moment, then he laughed and scolded, "This... Cao's army really did everything they could... Seeing that we didn't bring any artillery... Haha, this is really interesting..."

Pang Tong frowned, "Wenyuan, don't fall for my trick!"

"Don't worry, Wenyuan will know how to handle this." Fei Qian was quite confident in Zhang Liao.

That’s right, provocation.

Cao Hong probably guessed that Fei Qian was conducting fire reconnaissance this time. Moreover, he saw that Fei Qian did not bring many infantrymen with him, nor did he drag heavy siege equipment such as artillery, so he did this deliberately.

After all, those ordinary Cao army soldiers and Shandong civilians don’t know that the current actions of both sides are just testing each other, so once Fei Qian withdraws, they may think that he scared away the Hussars with just a few shouts...

This will undoubtedly boost the morale of Cao's army.

Of course, if Fei Qian or Zhang Liao couldn't help but launch a large-scale attack, it would be exactly what Cao Hong wanted.

Fei Qian, Zhang Liao and others came from afar and were delayed and harassed on the way for some time. They did not set up a forward camp, so they only had half a day at most. If they wanted to conquer the fortifications on the ground and then enter Gong County within this half day without the support of heavy firepower, it would undoubtedly be harder than climbing to the sky.

If we fail to defeat them by then, and fail to wipe out the surrounding Cao troops by night, the consequences may be even worse if we do not withdraw our troops voluntarily.

Of course, Fei Qian and Pang Tong were not too surprised by this little trick of Cao's army. After all, it was not surprising to use any means on the battlefield. They were just worried that Zhang Liao or Zhang Liao's men would not be able to withstand the stimulation and be taken advantage of by Cao's army.

But Zhang Liao was Zhang Liao after all. Although some middle and low-level military cadets could not help wanting to attack Cao's army amid the clamor of Cao's army, they were all controlled by Zhang Liao. In the end, they just led the troops to run around this side of the Yiluo River, and then went back without crossing the river.

Cao's army saw that Zhang Liao's troops did not cross the river, so they stood there for a while. When they saw Zhang Liao leading his troops back, they also retreated...

The two sides did not fight directly, but it seemed like they had a fight.

"My Lord!" Zhang Liao came back, and the first thing he did was to meet Fei Qian and draw some new information that he had found when he led his team to the Yiluo River. "Cao's trenches are very deep!"

"The trench is very deep?" Fei Qian asked, "Wenyuan, how did you know that?"

Looking in the direction of Cao's army from the high point of Feiqian Station, perhaps because of the angle or perhaps because of the distance, there was nothing special about Cao's army trenches that could be seen.

Those trenches were about two hundred steps away from Cao's front-line camp in front of Gong County. There were dense deer horns and chevaux de frise between the trenches and Cao's front-line camp.

There were wooden planks laid across the trench as a temporary bridge.

After all, it is unrealistic for Cao's army to have so many people huddled in Gong County.

There is one part of the front-line camp outside the city, one part inside the city, and perhaps another part behind Gong County which is out of sight. Only in this way can we effectively exert the maximum advantage of manpower, instead of being surrounded by the cavalry and having to hide in the city and wait for death.

These fortifications, especially the deepening of the trenches mentioned by Zhang Liao, may be a new way for Cao's army to disperse and gather...

Zhang Liao gestured and explained. He initially thought that the trenches of Cao's army were ordinary fortifications to resist cavalry charges, in order to prevent the horses of the cavalry from moving quickly on the battlefield, but later he found that some Cao's soldiers had some abnormal phenomena when moving through the trenches.

"I noticed that when they were holding flags and passing through the trenches, the height difference suddenly became very large!" Zhang Liao pointed to the direction of Cao's trench on the other side of the Yiluo River and said, "At first I didn't pay much attention to it. After all, the soldiers climbing up and down the trenches will also cause changes in height... But that flag..."

Zhang Liao gestured, "Sometimes there is only a little bit of the flag left... If I hadn't kept an eye on it, I would have thought that the flag bearer had accidentally dropped the flag!"

Is it as high as a flag?
Fei Qian looked at the height of the flags around him.

The specifications used by the Cavalry Army and Cao's Army are actually not much different. After all, they are all the foundation of the Han Army.

As for trenches, a normal trench is about one person taller.

The flags must be visible, distinguishable, and used as a guide by soldiers and generals in the army, so they cannot be the same height as the soldiers, but should be at least two or three people high...

This means that the trenches, at least in the directions that Zhang Liao saw, were much deeper than normal.

For ordinary trenches, even if there are no wooden planks to build a bridge, you can usually jump over by stacking human ladders or simply digging a few pits on the earth wall to climb over. But if it is really a deepened trench like Zhang Liao mentioned...

Even if you don't get hurt if you fall, it would be extremely difficult to climb up relying solely on manpower!
But the problem is that there may be more than one such trench.

Because from Fei Qian's point of view, these trenches were staggered, of varying lengths, and densely packed, extending all the way to the deer horn formation a hundred steps away from Cao's front camp.

Fei Qian could imagine that if no special measures were taken, then after the cavalrymen had finally climbed over the trench, or found a winding path in the trench, avoiding traps and spikes, and then reached the dense array of antlers, they would be faced with the problem of breaking the antlers with their bare hands!
Deer antlers can be seen as barbed wire from the Han Dynasty.

At this time, the antler defense line was already within the effective killing range of the archers in Cao's front camp. At that time, the hussars would need to remove the antlers while guarding against the rain of arrows falling from their heads...

"Well, it seems that a lot of preparations have been made..." Fei Qian smiled, "But this is also expected, isn't it? After all, it would be strange if Cao Jun did nothing in these days..."

Pang Tong and Zhang Liao looked at each other and nodded.

"Let the soldiers and military school run again, write down all the terrain and fortifications of Cao's army, and go back to draw a rough map..."

Fei Qian waved his hands, "Fortifications are all static, but people are alive... Just turn around twice and withdraw the troops! Go back to Black Stone Pass to discuss countermeasures!"