Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3832 Unbridled Violence
The darkness is deepest before dawn.

Xun Yu made a reluctant decision: "Dismantle the tents, destroy the cooking fires, and prepare the entire army. We will withdraw in half an hour."

The last word seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, carrying a sense of helpless pain.

The order was quickly relayed, and the exhausted Cao army soldiers were instantly revitalized, driven by their survival instincts to act.

Everyone was busy, even the wounded soldiers were struggling to help, trying to prove they still had value...

As for the wounded soldiers who were unable to move, they were gathered together. Their eyes were vacant, and they numbly submitted to their fate, as if they had already foreseen their destiny and had no thought of resisting...

"Get the wounded soldiers onto the vehicles! Make room for them!"

Xun Yu gave the order, which restored some of the spirit to the eyes of the wounded soldiers.

"But taking them with us... will slow us down..." the lieutenant said.

Xun Yu stared at his deputy general. "Take them with you!"

"only……"

After seeing the seriously wounded soldiers being helped onto the supply wagons one by one, the anxiety and chaos among the remaining Cao army soldiers noticeably lessened...

The situation has stabilized somewhat.

"My lord," the lieutenant leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Should we... burn the camp?"

Xun Yu's gaze swept over the defensive line that he had poured his heart and soul into, but which he now had to abandon.

"No need..." Xun Yu slowly shook his head.

Several soldiers came over, intending to take down Xun Yu's battle flag near the left side of the central command tent.

That was the clan flag of the Xun clan of Yingchuan, with a blue background and silver patterns. In the flickering torchlight, the ancient character "Xun" was clear and powerful.

"This flag... we don't need to take it down..." Xun Yu waved his hand, "It's used to confuse the enemy... you all go and attend to other matters..."

The lieutenant and the soldiers were taken aback, not understanding what was going on, but they still did as instructed and quickly left.

Xun Yu looked up at the Xun clan's banner and remained silent for a long time.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the eastern clouds, the Shaanxi-Jin Cao army camp had been largely emptied, leaving only devastation and deathly silence.

On the opposite bank of the river, Xun Chen, the commander of the Hedong Cavalry, received a report from his scouts that something unusual had happened in Cao Cao's camp.

"Has Cao Cao's army... retreated?"

Xun Chen frowned, his mind filled with doubts.

Is this a genuine retreat, or a tactic to lure them in?
Such a vital location, just like that, has been withdrawn?
Has something changed in the Heluo region, or has a battle broken out at Tongguan Pass?
"Send a scout team across the river by boat to ascertain the situation," Xun Chen ordered calmly. "Caution is paramount. Make sure to thoroughly investigate the surrounding area! If we encounter an enemy ambush, do not linger; retreat immediately!"

The mission of the Hedong Cavalry was to launch a feint attack, so Xun Chen did not rush to advance and pursue them.

A troop of elite cavalry scouts received the order, navigated a light boat around the wreckage in the water, and landed on the south bank. They quickly spread out in a fan shape and cautiously made their way towards Cao Cao's camp.

Just as these scouts were about to enter Cao Cao's camp, a sudden burst of war drums sounded on the flank of the camp, revealing Cao Cao's army!
"Ambush! Retreat!!"

The scout leader roared and immediately led his men to retreat.

The cavalry scouts reacted swiftly, raising their shields to parry while desperately retreating towards the riverbank.

Arrows struck shields and the ground with a clattering sound. Soldiers were hit by arrows and fell to the ground, then were lifted up by their comrades, dragged onto small boats, and rowed away from the south bank of the river.

Cao Cao's ambush troops did not pursue with full force, but instead leisurely drove the cavalry scouts away with bows and crossbows, as if their only purpose was to expel the scouts from the camp area...

"As expected, there was an ambush!"

"Cao Cao's army is treacherous!"

"They haven't withdrawn their troops!"

"No, this actually proves that Cao Cao's army has withdrawn!"

After receiving the report from the scouts, the students at the Hedong Military Academy were all talking about it.

Xun Chen remained silent.

During this period of combat, he also noticed some problems with Cao Cao's army on the other side of the river.

It's like a chess player sensing the opponent's strength level from their moves.

However, Xun Yu's unusual behavior this time puzzled Xun Chen.

If the purpose was to lure them in, why reveal the ambush after the scouts had crossed the river?

If the purpose was merely to block the enemy's retreat and slow down the advance of the Hedong Army, then why not burn the camp?

They called it an ambush, but it was more like...

Or perhaps...

Images flashed through Xun Chen's mind...

The sound of reading echoed from the old house in Yingchuan, recalling the times we spent studying classics and history together...

The choices made by the family elders in times of chaos to ensure the continuation of the clan...

Xun Chen, now under the command of General Huo Qubing, may not be considered to be enjoying boundless glory, but at least his future is bright. Xun Yu, on the other hand, is currently in Cao Cao's army, and it seems that his career is gradually declining.

Therefore, Xun Yu's true meaning was...

The unspoken understanding between them cannot be expressed verbally; it can only be felt intuitively.

"Issue the order," Xun Chen finally spoke, "that all units construct pontoon bridges according to the original plan and prepare to cross the river!"

"My lord! Should we send scouts downstream again to check the situation?" a military academy officer suggested.

Xun Chen pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No need. If Cao Cao's army retreats here, there will be no defensible terrain! Our army only needs to build a pontoon bridge to ensure unimpeded passage, and that will be a great achievement! There's no need to be greedy and reckless, lest we lose sight of the bigger picture!"

The military officers inside the tent looked at each other and finally agreed with Xun Chen's words.

By not seeking personal gain or acting rashly, and by responding with an upright and honorable army, the enemy will find no opportunity to exploit.

At the same time, this was also the 'meaning' that Xun Chen wanted to convey to Xun Yu...

Soon, the military academy students went off to carry out their orders.

Inside the main tent, only Xun Chen remained.

He stood up, walked out of the main tent, and stood on the high platform in the camp, gazing towards the south bank of the river and beyond.

Historically, during the Three Kingdoms period, and the long and chaotic period that continued into the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and even the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, there was a very typical family survival strategy of "diversified investment".

In this specific historical context, there was an unspoken, even incomprehensible, "multi-party betting" strategy among feudal lords, families, and individuals.

Because during this period, it was a time when the family ruled the world!
Family matters above all else, and family interests come first!
During the mid-to-late Eastern Han Dynasty, powerful local aristocratic families had already formed strong local influence. Their primary goal was the continuation and prosperity of their families, rather than absolute loyalty to a particular monarch or regime.

With the world in chaos, the ultimate victor is uncertain. Distributing family members' investments can ensure that, regardless of who unifies the country, the family line will be preserved and they will maintain their political standing in the new dynasty.

This is essentially a form of political risk hedging.

For the local warlords, there was a severe shortage of talented individuals!

For example, if Fei Qian hadn't insisted on promoting literacy and literacy education in the army, would he have been able to leave the local gentry and powerful families and the children of scholars?
Historically, none of the rulers of the Three Kingdoms created their empires out of thin air; they relied on powerful local gentry to provide talent, troops, provisions, and public opinion support. Cao Cao needed the gentry of Yingchuan, Sun Quan needed the gentry of Jiangdong, and Liu Bei needed the allegiance of the gentry of Jingzhou and Yizhou. They knew that the gentry were diversifying their investments, but it was difficult for any single ruler to unilaterally issue policies to strictly prohibit this, otherwise they would be at a disadvantage in the competition for talent.

Of course, another reason is that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, the transmission of information was still slow, the value of intelligence was limited, and the risks were extremely high...

Fei Qian knew how to use carrier pigeons, but in history, this "secret method" was almost a "miracle" in its early stages. For example, carrier pigeons actually appeared in the early Han Dynasty, but they were associated with the "Queen Mother of the West" and were called "bluebirds" instead of carrier pigeons...

Aside from using carrier pigeons, other means of communication are simply too slow. Even if the message travels thousands of miles and goes through great hardships, its timeliness and practicality are greatly reduced.

Now, Xun Chen has received the message from Xun Yu, and he has responded accordingly.

This mutual understanding existed within the rules of the Three Kingdoms period and within the limitations of history.

When Xun Yu learned that the Hedong Cavalry had not sent a large army to force a crossing of the Shaanxi Ferry, but was instead methodically constructing a pontoon bridge, he sighed deeply, "Let the ambush troops retreat..."

Xun Yu prepared two ambushes.

The lieutenant asked, "My lord, should we... wait a little longer?" Xun Yu was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "They won't fall for our trap... let's retreat. Send someone to inform General Xiahou, and tell him... tell him to retreat as well..."

……

……

Tongguan Slope, Cao Cao's army camp.

Xun Yu, stationed in Shanjin, was having a hard time, and Xiahou Wei, stationed at Tongguan as a defender, was also having a terrible time.

As the cold air gradually moved south, the chill seemed to seep into the very marrow of every Cao army soldier, making every day in the field camp unbearably painful.

Xiahou Wei wrapped his battle robe tighter, but he still felt a cold wind seeping in through the gaps in his armor, making him shiver involuntarily. He had just finished inspecting the camp's defenses, and facing the silent yet menacing cavalry guards atop Tongguan Pass, his sense of powerlessness grew stronger with each passing day.

"Those damned bastards!" Xiahou Wei cursed. "If the weather gets any colder, these guys won't need to do anything; they can just stay inside the city walls and wait for us to freeze to death!"

Just as Xiahou Wei was about to return to the slightly warmer central command tent and drink a few more sips of cheap wine to ward off the cold, a rider on horseback charged into the camp like a madman. The rider almost tumbled off, stumbling and crawling to Xiahou Wei, panting heavily as he reported, "General! No, it's terrible! Shan... Shanjin has fallen! Lord Xun... Lord Xun has led his army south!"

"What?!" Xiahou Wei was struck dumb upon hearing this. He grabbed the messenger by the collar, his eyes wide with fury. "Explain yourself! Xun Wenruo withdrew? When did that happen?!"

"I don't know!" the messenger blurted out, then, seeing Xiahou Wei's ferocious expression, hurriedly added, "Probably, probably yesterday..."

"Yesterday?!" Xiahou Wei shoved the messenger to the ground. "Why are you only reporting this now!"

The messenger's lips trembled as he knelt down and kowtowed again, not daring to say another word.

In that instant, Xiahou Wei felt his blood run cold.

Xun Yu withdrew?
Xun Yu, who was highly regarded by the Prime Minister and always seemed to have everything under control, actually gave up on Shaanxi and Tianjin.

What about him here?
Tongguan Slope, which originally formed a strategic triangle with Shanjin, is now wide open on its flanks. The cavalry can cross the river at Shanjin at any time, then move eastward along the riverbank to cut off the enemy's retreat and launch a pincer attack on the Tongguan defenders!
At that time, he will be trapped like a turtle in a jar, unable to escape!

That woman is a maid!

Why didn't Xun Yu send someone to inform him beforehand?
Damn, damn!
Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around his heart.

He could almost hear the roar of the cavalry sweeping in, and see himself trapped on this narrow, winding road, ultimately suffering a devastating defeat.

"We can't wait! We absolutely can't wait!" Xiahou Wei jumped up as if his backside was on fire, his voice shrill and hoarse. "Send the order! The entire army assembles! Discard all unnecessary baggage, take only three days' rations, travel light, and retreat immediately! Hurry! Hurry!!"

"General!" Du Xi, the adjutant beside him, was alarmed upon hearing this and quickly tried to dissuade him, "A hasty retreat might destabilize the morale of the troops! Should we first stabilize the situation and send scouts to investigate further..."

"What are you spying for!" Xiahou Wei interrupted him rudely, his eyes bloodshot. "Shanjin has escaped! If we're even a step slower, we'll be trapped here by the Flying Cavalry! If you want to stay, then stay! You stay at the very back! The gunpowder is yours too! You take your men, and if the Flying Cavalry comes out, blow them up!"

"Huh? This..." Du Xi was stunned. "General..."

"This is a military order!"

Once the order was given, Cao Cao's army camp along the Tongguan Pass was thrown into even greater chaos.

If the retreat at Shanjin could maintain a certain order under Xun Yu's strenuous efforts, then Xiahou Wei's retreat was a complete disaster and a rout.

Panic spread among the soldiers like a plague.

The officers shouted themselves hoarse, but they could not stop the situation from spiraling out of control.

The soldiers scrambled to grab the meager rations.

To lighten their load, Cao Cao's soldiers carelessly discarded their heavy armor, spare weapons, tents, cooking pots, and other utensils. Large carts laden with supplies were overturned by the roadside, their grain sacks torn open, and wheat and millet mixed with mud were trampled underfoot by countless panicked footsteps.

The wounded soldiers were ruthlessly abandoned in the camp, uttering desperate cries, but no one paid them any heed.

Xiahou Wei couldn't even wait for his troops to fully assemble. He led his personal guards and charged out of the camp, fleeing eastward along the slope for his life.

He had only one thought in his mind!
run!
Run as fast as you can!

We absolutely cannot fall behind!
He could almost see the pursuing cavalry behind him and feel the chill of their icy blades touching his back.

With such a commander, the morale of the army completely collapsed.

The troops behind, seeing Xiahou Wei's command flag flying wildly, lost all will to fight. Their organization was completely disrupted; officers couldn't find their soldiers, and soldiers couldn't find their officers. Driven only by their survival instincts, they fled along the road like a herd of startled cattle and sheep, desperately trying to escape this land that was about to be swallowed by war.

The road was littered with flags, weapons, armor and all sorts of debris. The wounded and the weak were pushed down and trampled, and screams of agony filled the air.

Du Xi, with only a small number of soldiers, stared blankly as Xiahou Wei led the main force away, speechless for a long time...

When the scouts of the Flying Cavalry at Tongguan reported back the findings, Ma Yue and Hao Zhao were both stunned.

Ma Yue's pent-up frustration from days of holding out transformed into burning fighting spirit at this moment. "General Hao, this is an opportunity not to be missed! We must seize the momentum and pursue them relentlessly, annihilating the enemy in one fell swoop!"

Hao Zhao immediately agreed and mobilized his troops for the attack.

The gates of Tongguan were wide open, and the cavalry poured out like an iron torrent.

Just as the vanguard of the cavalry was about to charge out of the Tongguan Slope, a loud explosion was heard!
"boom--!"

A sudden explosion occurred more than ten feet away on the left side of the road, sending mud and gravel flying, but only overturning a few clumps of withered grass.

Immediately afterwards, two more muffled thuds came from the right, and gunpowder exploded in mid-air, sending up ash and smoke that filled the surrounding area with dust and sand.

"gunpowder!"

"careful!"

"There are Cao Cao's troops!"

"Scatter! Scatter!"

Knowing the power of gunpowder, the soldiers of the Flying Cavalry reacted immediately, even before Ma Yue and Hao Zhao, who were in the central command position, could give orders.

The vanguard cavalry scattered in all directions, like flowers blooming amidst the dust and smoke.

Run...

The Cao army soldiers who were hiding on the earthen slope suddenly shouted, dropped their torches, and ran away.

The ambush, which should have been meticulously planned, now resembled a child's clumsy magic trick.

Du Xi staggered out of his hiding place and shouted for Cao's soldiers to ignite the buried gunpowder, but the emaciated Cao soldiers just stared blankly at him.

Suddenly, someone dropped their weapon and turned to flee behind the slope.

This escape was like a dam bursting, and the soldiers around Du Xi began to scatter.

Ma Yue, arriving from the central army, burst into laughter upon seeing the ambush, exclaiming, "What a brilliant ambush!"

The cavalry cut into Cao Cao's chaotic army like a wedge, spreading the confusion, driving away, killing, and capturing.

Ma Yue personally led an elite team to attack Du Xi. As his warhorse swept past, the back of his sword struck Du Xi heavily in the back, knocking Du Xi off his horse.

Two cavalrymen dismounted and rushed forward, binding Du Xi, who was covered in blood from the fall, tightly.

Hao Zhao ordered his cavalry to inspect the surrounding area, and soon found gunpowder and discarded weapons scattered all over the ground where the smoke had cleared.

Hao Zhao jumped off his horse, picked up the half-burnt medicine wick from the ground, and gently rubbed it until it turned to ash. He chuckled, but his expression turned somewhat ugly as he laughed halfway through.

Ma Yue, having captured Du Xi, was clearly in high spirits. He rode over to the scene and, seeing the mess, burst into laughter. "Such an ambush! It's utter nonsense! Even a three-year-old could have done it better!"

Hao Zhao turned to look at the surrounding earthen mounds. "I didn't expect... Cao Cao's army had gunpowder... General Ma, if your soldiers were to deploy it, would this gunpowder... be enough to collapse that mound?"

Ma Yue dismounted, turned around to look around, and his smile faded. "The gunpowder is buried in the wrong place... It should be... No, General Hao, you mean..."

Hao Zhao nodded. "We should still be careful... The Military Academy says, 'Sun Tzu said: Those skilled in warfare first make themselves invincible, then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable. Invincibility lies in oneself, vulnerability lies in the enemy... Now that the enemy's vulnerability is in sight, invincibility should especially lie with us...'"

Ma Yue gradually became serious. He looked at the gunpowder, then at the earthen mound. Although the Flying Cavalry would certainly send their vanguard as the advance force in pursuit, rather than launching a full-scale attack from the center, what if…

If Cao Cao's army had actually used gunpowder to collapse the earthen plateau, the resulting dust and sand would have either buried the cavalry on the slopes or pushed them into the river...

Ma Yue cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Hao Zhao, "I've learned a lot... In that case, why not send a small team to pursue them for thirty li, and then contact Hedong?"

Hao Zhao nodded, "Good!"

It is certainly pleasing to see the enemy act foolishly, but we must never place all our hopes on the enemy's foolishness.

Unfortunately, studying is always a painful experience, while laziness is always easy to enjoy. Those without strong determination and willpower can control themselves for a short time, but it becomes difficult to persist in the long run...