Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3753 Anxious
It is said that night raids were "an old tradition" of the Flying Cavalry.

In the early and middle periods, the Flying Cavalry Army indeed achieved many outstanding results and good victories by employing night raid tactics.

But the problem is...

A child's whip kick is not a panacea.

Just like during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Sun Tzu beat others into a pulp. Those moves are considered child's play by some keyboard warriors in later generations, but most generals during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods had never seen them.

Sima Yi also launched several night raids, and the results were generally quite good.

However, after pondering for a moment, Sima Yi slowly shook his head. "No."

The military officer was taken aback, then exclaimed urgently, "This is a golden opportunity! The morale of Cao Cao's army is collapsing..."

Sima Yi raised his hand to interrupt him, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic night and the complex terrain of the valley outside the city. "Today's retreat, with its formation intact and its slow advance... clearly still has reserves... I suspect that elite troops are lying in ambush in that valley tonight, waiting for our army to make a surprise move... If we launch a night attack, not only will we fail to achieve anything, but we might also fall into their ambush, suffering unnecessary losses..."

Sima Yi's judgment was not made out of thin air.

He had already fought Xun Yu and knew Xun Yu's strength and abilities.

How could it be so easy for the military officer to rush up and stab Xun Yu's chrysanthemum?

Moreover, Sima Yi also recalled the lesson he learned at the Ghost Cry Pass.

Because of their eagerness for quick success, they underestimated the decisiveness and ruthlessness of Cao Cao's army, resulting in the loss of all their precious artillery.

That pain was etched into my memory.

Although Sima Yi is no longer a frightened bird, he has become more cautious in every step he takes, weighing his options repeatedly as if walking on thin ice.

"Ha! Could it be that Sima Yi was frightened by Cao Cao's army?" Perhaps the military officer was eager to make a name for himself, or perhaps he felt that he had saved Sima Yi's life by rescuing him. Now, he had proposed such a powerful tactic as a night raid, but it was rejected by Sima Yi?

Can your uncle tolerate this?
Auntie can endure it, oh, Sima Yi can endure it.

He would rather be ridiculed as a coward than pay an unbearable price for his recklessness.

Upon hearing the military officer's mockery, Sima Yi not only did not get angry, but instead gave a detailed explanation, briefly recounting the events of his and Xun Yu's days, from the battle at Guiku Pass to the present at Taigu Pass.

After listening, Wang Chang pondered for a moment, then nodded in deep agreement, praising, "Brother Zhongda is thoughtful and mature beyond my reach. Cao Cao's army is cunning and must be guarded against."

Seeing that Wang Chang also agreed not to launch a night raid, the military commander naturally had nothing more to say.

After all, the military commander was brought by Wang Chang, so he naturally had to obey Wang Chang's orders. If Wang Chang had agreed to the night raid, it would have been fine, but now that both Wang Chang and Sima Yi had rejected the night raid tactic, the military commander naturally could not disobey the order and could only retreat in a huff.

Wang Chang bowed and apologized to Sima Yi on behalf of the military commander.

Sima Yi naturally waved his hand and said there was no need for such talk.

Wang Chang then said a few more polite words, saying that Sima Yi, having experienced war, now showed even more of the demeanor of a great general.

Sima Yi also praised Wang Chang.

The two exchanged a few compliments, thus smoothing over the minor conflict.

Despite the seemingly cumbersome process, it is actually necessary.

If Sima Yi's army is now strong and well-trained, and has experienced many battles, then even if Wang Chang brings more officers, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble in front of Sima Yi...

However, Sima Yi's army was now a remnant of his forces, and he was only able to hold on thanks to Wang Chang's reinforcements arriving at this location...

A barely perceptible bitter smile flashed across Sima Yi's face.

discreet?

Mature?

This is not some innate strategy, but clearly experience forged from failure, a lesson learned at the cost of blood.

He wished he had never learned those lessons.

……

……

Silent all night.

Taigu Pass was under heavy guard and no raiding forces were dispatched.

The next morning, as dawn broke and the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Sima Yi slept fully clothed all night, and before he could even wash up, he received a report from the soldiers on duty on the city wall that smoke and dust were rising in Luoyan Valley in the southwest, which seemed to indicate the movement of Cao Cao's troops.

Sima Yi quickly climbed over the wall.

Wang Chang also received the news.

Another scout went to investigate and soon reported that there were traces of Cao Cao's army ambushes in Luoyan Valley. They had obviously waited all night and only left at dawn.

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in surprise and looked at Sima Yi with eyes full of relief and admiration.

The military commander, in particular, felt as if he had just escaped death. If Sima Yi hadn't carefully explained things yesterday and dissuaded him from launching a night attack, he might already be trapped in Cao Cao's ambush, facing a near-death experience.

Wang Chang once again sincerely praised, "Brother Zhongda, you are truly a divine strategist! Anticipating the enemy's moves and protecting our army, this is no small feat!"

Sima Yi simply waved his hand, showing no joy on his face; instead, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Besides Cao Cao's ambush, Sima Yi had thought of many other things.

Somewhat strange.

Cao Cao's army failed to ambush them and retreated.

This……

Taigu Pass...

Cao Cao's main force is attacking...

The offensive was fierce, but it seemed...

It seems they weren't going all out; it was more like a restraining, forceful attack?

So what was the purpose of attacking Taigu Pass?
Was it merely to capture this pass?

In an instant, a cold flash of lightning streaked through Sima Yi's mind!

His whole body stiffened suddenly, and his pupils contracted sharply!

There's only one explanation!
"not good!"

Sima Yi gasped softly, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

Wang Chang sensed something was amiss and quickly asked, "Brother Zhongda, what's wrong?"

Sima Yi whirled around, his expression grave. "Wen Shu! We've all been misled by Cao Cao's army! This isn't Cao Cao's main force! Their main attack is likely not directed at Taigu Pass!"

Sima Yi continued his rapid analysis: "Cao Cao's army has launched a massive offensive, seemingly aiming to capture Taigu in one fell swoop... However, this forceful attack is merely a diversionary tactic! Their true objective is most likely..."

Sima Yi turned his head and pointed west, "Yique Pass!"

Sima Yi's voice was filled with urgency and worry: "If Cao Cao's army feigns an attack on Taigu with a detachment, while secretly advancing westward with its true elite main force to launch a fierce assault on Yique! If the defending general is not careful and thinks Cao Cao's main force is here, and relaxes his guard even slightly, then Yique will be in danger! If Yique falls, the southwest gateway to Luoyang will be wide open, and our army's flank in the Heluo region will be in grave danger!!"

"We must report to our lord immediately!" Sima Yi said decisively. He was now acutely aware that Cao Cao's chessboard was far larger than he had seen at Taigu Pass.

Any mistake in any link could trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.

Yique Pass has now become the biggest hidden worry.

……

……

Yique Pass.

The Yi River murmured as it flowed between the two mountains. Its sound, which should have been clear and melodious, seemed to sense the impending bloodshed and became low and oppressive.

The stone wall was still bare at this moment, without any sandstone carvings of flowers in bloom.

The fortified city, perched majestically at the Yique Pass, controls the southwestern gateway to Luoyang.

The large banner with the character "Han" and the tricolor cavalry battle flags on the gate fluttered in the rising wind, conveying a sense of tension as if a storm was brewing.

Inside the closed city gate tower, Huang Zhong, with his white hair and beard and upright posture like a pine tree, was intently examining the sand table with Zhang Lie, the garrison commander of Yique Pass.

Zhang Lie and Huang Zhong were old acquaintances. They had both bled and been wounded in Wancheng before. Unexpectedly, this time they were cooperating with Huang Zhong again to defend the pass together.

"Report—!" The scout rushed in, his voice urgent. "General! Cao Cao's main force is already twenty li from the pass! Their vanguard has begun clearing the area and dispersing our outer scouts!"

Huang Zhong frowned, and said in a deep voice, "They've arrived so quickly! Cao Mengde's military tactics are always methodical; why does this seem like a full-scale attack, disregarding the soldiers' exhaustion?" Zhang Lie laughed twice, "Good! That Cao traitor must have underestimated us, intending to break through the pass in one fell swoop! I've already ordered all units to hold their positions firmly; boulders, rolling logs, kerosene, and molten metal are all ready! Let them come, and they'll all die!"

Huang Zhong nodded slightly, but showed no sign of relief. "We must not underestimate the enemy. This time, Cao Cao... is likely no ordinary foe."

Before long, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, like a yellow dragon taking flight, as Cao Cao's army of infantry and cavalry surged forward, their disciplined ranks and murderous aura palpable.

Huang Zhong squinted, suddenly sensing something was amiss. He pointed into the distance and said to Zhang Lie, "Look! Over there!"

Zhang Lie's eyesight was clearly not as sharp as Huang Zhong's; he stared wide-eyed for a long time before exclaiming, "Huh? Where?"

It's just like when you're playing PUBG and your teammates call out enemy positions, but you're completely lost and can't find any kills.

"There's a boat on the Yi River!" Huang Zhong said.

"A ship?" Zhang Lie still couldn't see it, nor could he figure it out.

Advancing by both land and water is not unusual; most troops choose to do so, not for the sake of momentum, but for the convenience of water collection and transportation.

However, Cao Cao's current "land and water advance" is clearly different from usual...

It's so fast!
The boats were drafted very deep and covered with thick tarpaulins, so it was unclear what they were carrying.

Before Huang Zhong and Zhang Lie could figure it out, Cao Cao's vanguard had already set up camp five miles from the pass. The main force followed in droves, but unlike usual, they didn't first establish a stronghold. Instead, they immediately dispatched a large contingent of auxiliary troops and artisans to head straight for the ships that had docked!
The shouts, commands, and the clanging of hammers instantly shattered the brief silence of the battlefield.

The tarpaulin was lifted, revealing huge logs, a massive winch, heavy iron plates, and many complex components whose purpose was difficult to discern at a glance!

"Siege engines! They're assembling siege engines!" Zhang Lie exclaimed in shock, his face filled with disbelief. "What are Cao Cao's army doing?!"

In ordinary sieges, crafting weapons often takes several days or even months, and materials are mostly obtained by logging nearby, which is time-consuming and laborious.

Cao Cao actually transported the finished parts directly by waterway, which clearly showed that he had been planning this for a long time and was determined to succeed!

Huang Zhong's face was ashen as he stared at the ships and craftsmen, pondering whether he should send a troop to first raid the ships, kill the Cao army's craftsmen, and prevent them from assembling the ships easily...

However, Cao Cao's army was prepared for this.

A large number of shield bearers stepped forward, forming an impenetrable shield wall to protect the craftsmen as they worked.

At the same time, the archers began to form ranks...

Huang Zhong clicked his tongue.

Cao Cao's troops had come from afar and, in principle, should have been exhausted. They should have set up camp first before attacking the pass. However, Cao Cao did the opposite. As soon as they arrived, they began to build and assemble siege equipment and set up such a formation, which put Huang Zhong and Zhang Lie in a dilemma.

They considered going out to fight and destroy the siege equipment, but then worried it might actually be a "lure" tactic by Cao Cao's army. After all, they would be risking Cao Cao's army's formations, arrows, and crossbows to destroy the siege equipment on the banks of the Yi River and kill the artisans. Leaving aside the potential losses during the raid, what if they finally reached the destination only to find the artisans had boarded a ship and escaped...?

However, if we ignore it and let the craftsmen assemble it like this, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble.

"A catapult?" Huang Zhong said.

Zhang Lie responded, "I can't reach it... and even if I could, I might not hit it."

"Hmm..." Huang Zhong nodded, this was the truth, "I've heard that the General of the Cavalry possesses thunderbolt cannons..."

Zhang Lie said, "They're not here... Those cannons were difficult to make; even the original cannons at Tongguan were dismantled and transported to the front lines..."

"Then we'll have to prepare more kerosene..." Huang Zhong said.

Zhang Lie laughed and said, "Not only do we have kerosene, but we also have golden juice!"

Huang Zhong laughed heartily, "Then let's wait for them to arrive!"

……

……

With Cao Cao personally in command, the efficiency was naturally astonishing.

In less than two hours, more than a dozen enormous structures had been erected on the open ground in front of the pass!
The towering ladder trucks resembled mobile giant towers, their height almost reaching the level of the fortified walls!
The massive catapult was being pulled by the winch, making a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

The massive battering ram exuded a chilling aura of death.

Cao Cao stood under the central army's banner, gazing at the fortress in the distance, his face expressionless, neither sad nor happy.

Xiahou Wei sighed from the side, "Our lord's strategy has truly caught the garrison of the Flying Cavalry off guard. Transporting weapons via the Yi River saves ten times the effort."

Cao Cao said calmly, "Fei Ziyuan is skilled in using both conventional and unconventional methods; I cannot be bound by ordinary rules either. Yique Pass is treacherous; a direct assault would only deplete our forces. Only a thunderous attack can crush their courage! Issue the order: Attack the city!"

Now, Cao Cao is personally leading his troops to attack Taigu and Yique. This is a backup plan that is a last resort after the original plan of Cao Cao's army. It can be said to be plan D after plan C...

If Man Chong had been able to hold Luoyang for a few more days, Cao Hong wouldn't have been in such a sorry state. And if Cao Hong hadn't been in such a sorry state, Cao Cao wouldn't have needed to throw Liu Xie into Sishui Pass...

Cao Cao's army originally planned to hold Yique Pass and Taigu Pass as a trump card...

Unexpectedly, Zhang Liao captured Yique Pass and Taigu Pass first, and then Man Chong turned out to be so incompetent...

And Cheng Yu...

Cao Cao couldn't help but sigh deeply in his heart.

It's like constantly seeing other people's kids get into top universities like 985, while your own kid can't even score 85 out of 150 on tests every day...

Man Chong and Cheng Yu, don't they usually seem quite smart and quick-witted?
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

The earth-shaking war drums resounded, like the heartbeat of a giant beast, striking the hearts of soldiers on both sides of the battlefield.

"put!"

Cao Jun's military academy flag was lowered.

A dozen or so huge stone projectiles soared into the air, whistling mournfully as they ripped through the sky and crashed down on Yique Pass!

Almost simultaneously, stone projectiles whistled up from the walls and rained down on Cao Cao's catapult positions.

It's unclear when it started, but the combat distance between the attacking and defending sides has been steadily increasing. What was originally just the range of bows and crossbows has now been stretched to the range of catapults...

Stones fell.

Cao Cao's stone projectiles, with their relatively large targets, appeared quite imposing. Some struck the wall, causing the rammed earth structure to tremble violently and a shower of fragments to fall; others flew over the wall and landed inside the pass, collapsing barracks and eliciting gasps of alarm; and of course, some were lucky enough to hit the crenellations directly, smashing the defenders behind them, shields and all, into a bloody pulp!

As for the stones fired at Yique Pass, since they were aimed at Cao Cao's catapults, the targets were relatively small, so most of them missed. Furthermore, the kinetic energy of the missing stones was absorbed by the ground, so their impact was relatively small. However, when a stone occasionally hit its target, or bounced twice and struck one of Cao Cao's catapults, it inevitably resulted in a bloody storm, with wood chips and gravel scattering everywhere!

Almost simultaneously, the siege ladders, propelled by countless Cao army infantrymen, began to approach the fortress wall like slow but determined behemoths!

Arrows rained down from the chariots like locusts, desperately trying to suppress the enemy on the city walls.

The ram, escorted by heavily armored infantry, slowly moved towards the gate.

Counterattack! Archers! Suppress!

Huang Zhong roared, his beard and hair flying wildly with excitement.

He personally picked up a strong bow, the bow was full, and the arrow was like a shooting star. A Cao army commander who had just taken the lead fell to the ground.

Then they shot down the second and third place...

However, when Huang Zhong went to find the next Cao army officer, he discovered that all the Cao army officers and sergeants had hidden themselves. Even those who showed themselves were just like ordinary Cao soldiers, wearing the same helmets, and there was not much difference between them.

Of course, keyboard warriors will inevitably say that even if there are no job titles above someone's head, isn't it enough to just see someone waving their arms and giving orders?
But on the actual battlefield, almost everyone was waving their arms and shouting...

After firing a few more arrows, Huang Zhong stopped and handed the bow and arrows to his personal guard. His arrows were specially made; each shot reduced the supply.

Zhang Lie, long sword in hand, ran around the city walls, shouting and organizing the defense: "Rolling logs! Smash them! Oil! Deal with the siege ladders first! Archers! Aim at one point!"

The battle became intense from the very beginning.

The siege equipment brought immense pressure, especially the catapults. The continuous bombardment caused damage to many parts of the fortress walls, and the casualties of the defenders continued to rise. However, several catapults were also destroyed by the defenders' counterattacks. As Cao Cao's soldiers swarmed to attack the city, the defenders hurriedly began to shift their positions...

The rolling logs and boulders poured down, crushing Cao army soldiers who tried to climb the ladders, breaking their bones and tendons.

Boiling oil and molten gold were poured down, and the siege ladders instantly burst into flames. The viscous liquid caused immediate burns upon contact, and inhuman screams echoed from below the city.

Arrows rained down, and men from both sides fell one after another, struck by arrows. Cao Cao's army's offensive was like a raging storm, wave after wave, showing no regard for casualties.

Huang Zhong and Zhang Lie always took the lead and rushed to wherever there was danger.

Huang Zhong and Zhang Lie were both fierce generals who led their personal guards to cut down Cao Cao's daredevils who had climbed onto the city walls on several occasions.

Cao Cao's army was also fierce. If it weren't for the two generals' unparalleled bravery and repeated efforts to stabilize the situation, those with slightly lower combat strength would probably be in a state of chaos and on the verge of collapse.

The bloody battle raged until the sun began to set, when Cao Cao's army retreated like a receding tide, leaving behind a scene of carnage and burning remains in front of the pass.

The walls were also littered with the remains of the dead, stained with blood.

Zhang Lie, leaning against the battlements, couldn't help but show signs of exhaustion. He wiped the sticky blood and flesh stains on his hands on the stone bricks, panting as he said, "Old General, should we... send some men tonight... to deal with this Cao traitor?"