Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1013: Advancing step by step

In the mountains to the west of Shouchun, Xu Huang led his soldiers to desperately block the advancing Cao army, shouting: "Hold on, never take a step back!"

The soldiers under his command all shouted and put their shields on the ground. Cao Jun's arrows kept clanging on the shields, making everyone unable to lift their heads.

Seeing that many of the soldiers under his command were trembling with fear, Xu Huang couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The training period for these Jianghuai soldiers was still short. They had been able to fight with favorable winds some time ago, but when they encountered this critical moment when they needed to fight to the death, they began to show their timidity.

If it weren't for the fact that the several rows of heavily armored soldiers in the former were all veterans of Youzhou, we might have encountered a sudden encounter with the enemy, and our own army would have been broken open by the opponent as soon as they came up!
Xu Huang was originally responsible for the passage between Yunmengze and the Dabie Mountains, because Cao Hong and others led troops to launch attacks from the mountains several times before, hoping to capture the walled city that Xu Huang had built in advance at the pass. Xu Huang discovered that he relied on the terrain for defense. They blocked Cao's army for more than half a month.

During this period, Jiangdong's army marched north to Chaohu, and Yuan Xi left Shouchun. Before leaving, he sent a letter to Xu Huang, asking him to explore the movements of Cao's army and be cautious.

Xu Huang defended well in the first few days, but after that he always felt something was wrong, because although Cao Jun's offensive was very fierce, Xu Huang felt that Cao Jun's formation was different from before.

He thought about it for two days, suddenly secured something, broke out in a cold sweat, and decisively led his troops to attack, easily defeating Cao's army in the front line.

Xu Huang knew it was broken as soon as he saw it. Cao Hong never showed up, so he must have taken a detour!
He immediately led his troops northward, heading directly to the upper reaches of the Huai River. After marching for three days and three nights, he finally encountered a large number of Cao's troops, who had already marched out of the dense forests in the north of the Dabie Mountains and captured the important town of Lei to the west of Shouchun. mound!

This is already a very urgent situation, because Leiqiu is less than 300 miles away from Shouchun and is the most important western gateway. Now it is captured by Cao Cao's army. Xu Huang can only be forced to fight in the field to stop Cao's army and at the same time attack An. Zhang He, who was near the wind, asked for help.

Now Xu Huang didn't know whether Zhang He received the letter, but it was quite hard for him to face Cao Cao's army with thousands of troops. However, Xu Huang guessed that these people were probably just the vanguard, and Cao Cao's army behind him would catch up at any time. arrive!
Xu Huang's best choice at the moment is to retreat to Lujiang City, the last gate to the west of Shouchun, because if this city is lost, Cao's army will have an unimpeded path all the way to Shouchun City!

While commanding his soldiers to block Cao's army, he slowly retreated. At the same time, he thought it had been two days. Where was Zhang He?
At this time, Xu Huangyu didn't know that Zhang He also encountered Cao Jun.

The Cao Hong army that Xu Huang met came from the Huai River, and the Xiahou Yuan army that Zhang He met came from the Han River in Xiakou.

Xia Houyuan's group was riding Cao's warships. After landing at Xiakou, they quickly headed north. Their infantry and cavalry were mixed and they moved very quickly. They broke in from the southwest and cooperated with Cao Hong's army in the west, catching Yuan Xi's army off guard.

But it was difficult to hide the whereabouts of more than 10,000 people, so Zhang He, who was guarding the direction of Yunmengze, learned about it and quickly led his troops to stop Cao's army. At the same time, he sent someone to report the news to Xu Huang.

Now Zhang He's army and Xia Houyuan's army are fighting together. The two sides have the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and the Youzhou Iron Cavalry as the main forces respectively, but they are not used to fighting now.

Because the place they encountered was close to Yunmengze, there were swamps and rivers everywhere, and the cavalry could not move. The horses often got stuck in the mud and could not get out, so they were forced to dismount and fight on foot.

As a result, the fight between the two sides became a mess, but it was undoubtedly beneficial to Zhang He's side. After all, he was waiting for Xu Huang to send reinforcements.

Then more than a day later, the two of them received each other's urgent letters. After reading the contents, they cursed secretly.

Now it seems that we can no longer count on the opponent and can only rely on ourselves to withstand it. Fortunately, we can still retreat to several cities around Shouchun. As long as we defend until the battle of Chaohu determines the winner, Yuan Xi's side will be able to withstand it. Reinforcements can be sent!

Little did they know that Cao Hong and Xia Houyuan had the same idea, because their two groups were only used to open up the road and compress the vanguard of Yuan Xijun's defense line as much as possible.

Coming immediately behind was an army of 40,000 led by Cao Cao. When the three armies joined forces to attack Shouchun, the fierce tiger would not be able to come back no matter whether he won or lost in Chaohu!

What's more important is that when Yuan Xi returns to Shouchun, he still has to face Sun Quan's tens of thousands of troops attacking Hefei. Now the Jianghuai, land and water armies, and the Cao-Sun coalition have invested nearly 200,000 troops. How can the fierce tiger win?

A few days later, as soon as Xu Huang retreated into Lujiang City, Cao Cao's army approached. Xu Huang asked spies to check the report and found that the approaching Cao Cao army was not Cao Hong's 10,000 people, but a full 50,000!
This is the main force of Cao's army coming!

Xu Huang had no choice but to organize the common people and soldiers in the city to defend the city, and at the same time sent a letter to Shouchun asking for help. He thought that the only one who could help him now was Zhang He. I was afraid that he also had too much time to take care of himself. In this situation, the two of them alone could not defend the city. I can’t take it anymore!
Does the Lord have a secret hand, or has he left other reinforcements?

At the Black Mountain Pass, Yang Feng stood on the walled city, looking at the Xiliang cavalry galloping outside, and couldn't help but shake his head.

At present, the exit of Heishan is blocked by the Xiliang army. Zhang Xun, who is left behind, can defend well, but it is unrealistic to expect him to go out and repel the enemy.

As for Yang Feng, it was even more impossible. Her Montenegrin army was all infantry, and they would not have an advantage at all when facing the harassment of cavalry. This made Montenegro's idea of ​​taking the opportunity to harass and attack in vain.

Of course, it was difficult for the Xiliang cavalry to penetrate into the mountainous area, and the two sides began to confront each other.

Yang Feng thought to Shouchun that Yuan Xi was probably very worried now. Cao Cao had obviously tried his best this time. He wouldn't be careless and make a mistake, right?

A few years ago, Yang Feng would have felt a bit gloating about misfortune, but now she and Yuan Xi were at loggerheads. If Yuan Xi was destroyed, Montenegro would be destroyed as well.

Thinking of this, Yang Feng couldn't help but feel resentful. Yuan Xi had made a big mistake this time. After conquering Bingzhou, he kept Tian Yu and Gao Shun. Now he was short of personnel, right?

She got off the walled city and rode eastward.

After traveling for dozens of miles, she arrived at the village where she lived, and found a small courtyard that was kept quite clean.

She turned over and dismounted, and the people inside heard the sound and came out to greet her. It was Yang Wan who had recently married Zhang Liao and was brought out by Yang Feng from the Hongnong Yang family. When Yang Wan saw Yang Feng, she smiled and said, "Why is sister here?"

Yang Feng said: "Since you sent your husband away, don't stay here. The Xiliang army at the Black Mountain Pass is attacking every day. It's so close to here. What should we do if someone leaks in?"

Originally, Yang Wan was going to be sent to Jicheng after marrying Zhang Liao, but something happened and delayed her trip. Zhang Liao was able to make the trip a few days ago, so Yang Wan has not left yet.

Yang Wan heard this and said, "Isn't my sister here too?"

"With my sister here, it will definitely be safe here."

Yang Feng replied: "I'm going to leave Montenegro tomorrow."

"Please pack up. Today I will send someone to take you north from Heishan Pass to Youzhou, first to Beixin City, and then to Jicheng."

"Then stay away from the war. This should be your husband's wish. If you don't go, many things will not go well."

Yang Wan was shocked. He knew that Yang Feng had always told the truth and must have something urgent to do. He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go pack things now."

She hesitated and asked, "Sister, are you going to do something dangerous again?"

Yang Feng smiled and said: "Get used to it. Take care of yourself. There won't be much time for us sisters to see each other in the future."

After Yang Wan heard this, she couldn't help but feel extremely sentimental and shed tears in her eyes.

Early the next morning, Yang Wan's carriage headed north. After Yang Feng saw her off, he rode one by one, looking south, and entered Sili through a hidden exit from Heishan.

Her destination is very clear, which is Xudu. At this time, she can't do much on the battlefield. She can only disrupt Cao Cao's base camp!
In Xudu, Xun Yu is visiting Cheng Yu who is ill in bed. Now Xun You and others have gone to fight with Cao Cao's army. In Xudu, there are only a few marginalized counselors such as Xun Yu.

Cheng Yu was seriously ill and lying on the bed dying. Although Xun Yu despised Cheng Yu's character, he was still a colleague. Seeing Cheng Yu's miserable condition, he felt sad and could only say a few words of comfort.

Cheng Yu reluctantly stood up and said with a sad smile: "It makes Wen Ruo laugh at how embarrassed he is."

"I can't see the day when Duke Ming will dominate the world, so I can only ask Wen Ruo to help me see."

After hearing this, Xun Yu said calmly: "Zhongde, don't think too much, it's best to rest in peace and recuperate."

"Besides, I may not be able to wait until that day, and I may not be able to live longer than Zhongde."

After hearing this, Cheng Yu couldn't help but shook his head and said, "Wen Ruo, you are just too rigid."

"When a gentleman changes his mind, he can take advantage of the situation and take advantage of the situation. This is the only way to protect himself."

Xun Yu heard the hidden meaning in Cheng Yu's words and replied, "Zhong De's good intentions are appreciated by Xun Yu."

"Yu has been wasted for decades. There are many things that he can't understand and he doesn't want to understand, so he just gets by in confusion."

Cheng Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Wen Ruo understands too much and is in such pain."

He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly stood up and opened his mouth. Xun Yu saw this and hesitated for a moment before putting his ear closer.

Cheng Yu whispered something in Xun Yu's ear. Xun Yu's expression changed and he almost stood up. He couldn't help but ask, "Why are you telling me this?"

Cheng Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Maybe it's because people are about to die and their words are good?"

"I know that what I do will be infamy for eternity, but there is always someone who is going to do this kind of thing."

"I have been deeply favored by Duke Ming, and I have no way to repay it, so I repay it with a false name. I can understand if Wen cherishes his reputation."

"Everyone has something they value. In my eyes, Duke Ming takes over the world. What does Wen Ruo value most?"

His breathing became rapid, and he waved his hands and said: "I have said what needs to be said, so I won't see you off."

Xun Yu's face was gloomy, and he stood up to say goodbye. He thought about what Cheng Yu told him. Since Cheng Yu knew it, Cao Cao must also know it!
I'm afraid that after Cao Cao returns to Xudu, there will definitely be a bloody storm. At that time, everyone will have to make a clear choice between Cao Cao and the emperor. What should they do?

(End of this chapter)