The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 256 Xiahou Yuan: Men Love Repairing Deer Antlers
Meanwhile, Liu Bei personally came to the front line to supervise the army and take unified command.

He asked the generals, "Who dares to fight Xiahou Yuan?"

All the generals volunteered for battle, their fighting spirit high.

Just then, the veteran general Huang Zhong stepped forward without hesitation.

"The veteran is willing to go to Guantao to face Xiahou Yuan!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes fell on Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong was originally a general in Jingzhou, but he switched allegiance to Liu Bei in Xuzhou for the sake of his only son, Huang Xu.

He followed Liu Bei in his campaigns, often enduring hardships on horseback.

Even so, Huang Zhong's military achievements and status in the State of Qi were far inferior to those of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun.

Let alone these three,
Even later generals who surrendered, such as Zhang Liao, Tian Yu, Xu Huang, and even Zhang He, could not match him.

Because Zhang He and Gao Lan joined the group with their own investment and had their own followers.

Even if it were merely out of a need to appease them, Liu Bei would not treat these surrendered generals from Hebei unfairly.

This was also standard practice among the warlords at the end of the Han Dynasty.

no way,
Although Huang Zhong was highly capable, he came alone after all.

Thanks to his meritorious service in battles across the north and south, he has only managed to obtain the rank of a lieutenant general.

Although this position was not low-ranking, Huang Zhong was clearly not satisfied with it.

As the saying goes,
Dogs bark, ducks quack.

What can chickens do?
Opportunity favors the prepared mind.

Huang Zhong stayed in the north with Li Yi, and finally got the opportunity for Liu Bei to come to Hebei to supervise the battle.

If he doesn't seize this opportunity, he may never have another chance to rise in his life.

After all, Huang Zhong is already fifty-six years old this year.

Fifty-six years old is considered old, not only in ancient times but even in modern times.

Liu Bei himself greatly admired Huang Zhong and always wanted to give him a chance.

Seeing that he had volunteered, he immediately said with delight:
“Very well, since General Huang has such lofty aspirations, then you may proceed—”

"slow!"

Li Yi's quick recourse:

"Although the old general is brave, Xiahou Yuan is no ordinary general."

"He was deeply knowledgeable in strategy and tactics, and was skilled in military tactics. Cao Cao relied on him as the second member of the imperial clan."

"During the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao appointed Xiahou Yuan as the military supervisor and put him in charge of transporting grain from Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Guanzhong."

"At that time, Cao Cao's army had very little food, but thanks to Yuan's continuous supply of provisions, Cao Cao's army was able to recover."

"Guantao was the gateway to the State of Wei and an important town on the eastern front."

"Cao Cao entrusted Yuan with the task but not others, because Yuan had the talent of a general."

"Although the old general has many illustrious military achievements, it is uncertain whether he will be able to defeat Xiahou Yuan."

"I intend to choose another person to fight against him."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zhong angrily replied:
"Why does the Prime Minister underestimate loyalty so much?"

"...When Lian Po was eighty years old, he still ate a peck of rice and ten pounds of meat."

"The feudal lords feared his bravery, so they dared not invade the borders of Zhao."

"Besides, Huang Zhong is not even sixty years old yet."

“Since the Prime Minister says I am old, I will not use the deputy general and will only take my own three thousand soldiers.”

“Immediately behead Xiahou Yuan, take his head and place it under my command, and present it to the King.”

Huang Zhong repeatedly volunteered for battle, but Li Yi still advised Liu Bei to reconsider.

The war has just begun; if there is any setback, it will dampen our morale.

This is disadvantageous to the army.

Liu Bei then said to Li Yi:

"In my opinion, Han Sheng is brave and resolute, surpassing all others in the army, and is comparable to Xiahou Yuan."

"Prime Minister, why don't you let the old general give it a try? If anything changes, our army can come to your aid."

Li Yi pondered for a long time before saying:
"...Very well, since the old general is going, I will send Yuanzhi to assist you."

"In all matters, plan carefully before acting, do what you are capable of, and do not act rashly."

“I followed the King of Qi, and later sent troops to meet me.”

Huang Zhong agreed and immediately led his troops away with Xu Shu.

After the two men left, Liu Bei privately asked Li Yi:
"...The gentleman often said that Hansheng was brave and strong and could be entrusted with great responsibilities."

Why didn't you let him fight just now?

Li Yi then said:

"Just now I used a provocation tactic to provoke him. In this way, the old general will surely succeed."

Now that he has left, we must mobilize men to meet him and ensure that nothing goes wrong.

He then summoned Zhang He and gave him a command arrow.

“Junyi can lead a force to take a shortcut and launch a surprise attack to support Huang Zhong.”

"If Huang Zhong wins, there is no need to go into battle."

"If Huang Zhong is in danger, go to his rescue."

Zhang He accepted the order and left.

Li Yi then summoned Gao Lan and Xu Huang and gave them instructions:
"You two will each lead two thousand men to Qinghe in Guantao and set up many flags and stoves."

"This will allow Xiahou Yuan to know that my vanguard is large, thus boosting the morale of my army."

"This will make the thieves suspicious and hesitant to act rashly."

The two generals accepted the order and left.

Li Yi then said to Liu Bei:

"Currently, Cao Cao has sent Xiahou Yuan to oversee the eastern front, while he himself remains in Wei and does not act rashly."

"This is because the Battle of Runan was still undecided."

Great minds think alike.

At this time, Cao Cao, like Liu Bei before him, was leading his troops to observe the situation.

If the war in the North goes badly, go and support the North.

When the war in the south went badly, they went to support the south.

However, seeing that Guan Yu had already gained the upper hand in Runan, Liu Bei transferred all his troops to the north.

Cao Cao, however, did not dare to make a move and remained in the rear to continue observing.

Li Yi continued speaking.

“Ma Mengqi is still in Jinyang. I suggest Your Majesty issue an order to him.”

"Let them send troops to Changshan to raid the borders of Wei and flank us."

Although Li Yi generously ceded Changshan Commandery to Cao Cao during the negotiations to divide Ji Province.

However, Li Yi was also cautious.

After all, western Changshan is Heishan, which is Zhang Yan's territory.

This place is adjacent to Bingzhou, where Ma Chao is located.

Ma Chao could easily cross Changshan and enter Wei territory by taking Zhang Yan's route.

“…Good. I have long recognized Ma Mengqi’s victory in Bingzhou.”

"If the war in Hebei goes smoothly, I should meet with him."

Despite the fact that Ma Chao's character in history wasn't great, I personally still like him a lot.

He immediately adopted Li Yi's suggestion and sent someone to Bingzhou to have Ma Chao lead troops to assist the Pingbei Army.

They launched an attack from Changshan, threatening the flank of the Wei state.

At that time, Ma Chao was in Jinyang when he received a letter from Liu Bei and urgently summoned Pang Tong to his side.

When asked how he would respond, he did not answer.

Pang Tong then advised Ma Chao:
"Previously, the general abandoned his father and established himself as emperor, leading troops in Bingzhou."

"Isn't it to achieve great things and live up to the name of our ancestors?"

"Now that the King of Qi has personally come to Hebei, this is the perfect time for the general to display his martial prowess!"

"If we help the King of Qi defeat Cao, we can take the land north of the Yellow River."

"Then the general should be credited with the greatest merit. King Qi's benevolence and righteousness are renowned throughout the world. He will surely be very grateful to the general and will never betray him."

"If one hesitates and wavers, both Cao Cao and Liu Bei will resent him."

"But Your Excellency was trapped in Ye City and was ultimately killed by Cao Cao!"

"Only the general should consider this carefully."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao immediately understood, bowed, and thanked him, saying:
"Without your words, sir, I would have almost made a grave mistake!"

He then mustered his troops and, taking advantage of the passage through Zhang Yan of Heishan, planned to strike directly into Wei territory.

Pang Tong said, "I will go with you, General."

Ma Chao was pleased and led a total of 5,000 soldiers.

Three thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry.

When they passed through Zhang Yan's territory, Zhang Yan knew that the outcome of the battle between Cao Cao and Liu Bei was imminent, so he did not stop them.

Instead, they gifted Ma Chao grain, rice, wine, and meat to help him defeat Cao Cao.

Ma Chao thanked him and led his troops to garrison in Julu, north of Wei.

When the news reached Yedu, Cao Cao was horrified.

He subconsciously reached out and touched his short beard.

Previously, he had been so badly defeated by Ma Chao that he had to cut off his beard and abandon his robe. Before his beard had even grown back, this Ma Chao had unexpectedly raised an army and returned.

"With Ma Chao in Julu, there may be some oversights in the northern part of Wei's borders."

"Issue my order: Lu Qian shall lead his troops to Julu to defend against the enemy."

"Do not allow Ma Chao and Liu Bei to join forces, otherwise it will surely become a great threat."

Cao Cao immediately responded.

On the one hand, Lü Qian was ordered to lead troops to defend against Ma Chao's attack.

On the one hand, they also gave Xiahou Yuan an additional 5,000 troops to strengthen the defenses of the eastern front.

It was now July of the tenth year of Jian'an, the height of summer.

Guo Jia, however, came to see Cao Cao wrapped in a thick blanket.

"...Fengxiao is ill, so there's no need for formalities. Please take a seat."

Cao Cao helped Guo Jia up with some concern and made him sit down.

Because last winter was unusually cold, Guo Jia somehow contracted typhoid fever.

Then it never fully healed, and despite taking medicine every day, there was no improvement.

Guo Jia has developed antibodies from taking too much medicine.

The effects of the medicine are gradually fading.

In the meantime, Cao Cao sent people to invite many famous doctors who could treat typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever was an incurable disease, and all the doctors said they were helpless.

It is said that there was a famous doctor named Zhang Zhongjing in the State of Qi who was able to cure typhoid fever.

Cao Cao then sent people to poach his men, using whatever means necessary—whether it was offering large sums of money, enticing them, or threatening them.

Zhang Zhongjing remained unmoved throughout.

On the contrary, he held a high position in the State of Qi and was protected by the Qi Imperial Guard.

Cao Cao's attempt to use kidnapping tactics also failed.

At this time, someone suggested to Cao Cao that the State of Qi should establish a large-scale medical institution and teach medical skills.

Since Zhang Zhongjing is so unyielding, why not bribe the students of the Qi State Medical College?
Cao Cao followed his advice and sent someone with a large sum of money to handle the matter.

Sure enough, they found quite a few medical students from the Qi State Medical Academy.

But after examining Guo Jia's condition, these medical students all said:
"Guo Jijiu was physically weak and often suffered from the effects of wine and women."

"Medicine is no longer of any use; only careful recuperation may offer a chance for recovery."

Cao Cao recalled that winter when he personally saw Xi Zhicai off.

Now that Guo Jia is seriously ill, Cao Cao is afraid that he will also leave him.

Therefore, Guo Jia is rarely allowed to participate in political affairs anymore.

"...cough...cough cough..."

Guo Jia coughed and advised Cao Cao:
"My lord, Xiahou Yuan is stubborn and lacks strategy; I fear he may not be a match for Li Yi."

“I intend to go to Guantao in person to help General Xiahou defend this place.”

Cao Cao then reassured Guo Jia, putting his mind at ease:

“I have already sent Lu Zhao and Zhu Ling to Guantao to assist Miao Cai in the defense.”

“Kuang Miaocai has followed me for many years, how could he not know about soldiers?”

"Even if we are outmatched, our army is not far from Guantao in Yedu, so we can still come to their aid."

"Fengxiao, please stay here to recuperate. Once you recover, there will be a time when I need you."

Xiahou Yuan was the second most important member of Cao Cao's clan among his generals and a key figure in Cao Cao's cultivation.

It is worth mentioning that,
Xiahou Yuan was Xiahou Dun's cousin, neither a younger cousin nor a biological brother.

Therefore, Xiahou Dun's wealth has nothing to do with Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Dun came from a wealthy and powerful family. He killed someone when he was fourteen, and the government dared not interfere.

Xiahou Yuan, on the other hand, was so poor in his hometown that he couldn't even afford to eat, and his niece even had to go out to collect firewood to make a living.

Xiahou Yuan's fate was changed because of Cao Cao.

When Cao Cao was still a young master, he committed a crime in Qiao County.

But the young master of the Cao family is to be recommended for the civil service examination, so how can he have a criminal record?
So they sent Xiahou Yuan to take the blame.

Xiahou Yuan was arrested, but Cao Cao later used his connections to get him released.

Because Xiahou Yuan took the blame for Cao Cao, Cao Cao decided to help his brother out.

He helped him arrange a marriage, allowing Xiahou Yuan to marry his wife's younger sister, Miss Ding.

The Ding family was a prominent clan, and Cao Cao's decision to have Xiahou Yuan marry his sister-in-law was definitely out of kindness.

We often say that if Cao Ang hadn't died, the position of the heir apparent of Wei would have been as secure as it could possibly be.

Because he had the backing of three powerful families: the Cao family, the Xiahou family, and the Ding family.

People often ask this question, and it's understandable that the Cao and Xiahou families are involved.

What the hell is the Ding family?

Let's put it this way: in ancient times, husbands would divorce their wives.

Lady Ding directly made Cao Cao crawl.

After the love story in Wancheng, Lady Ding pointed directly at Cao Cao's nose and cursed him:
"Kill my son, and I won't care anymore!"

It means you killed my son, and there's nothing left for us to cherish.

Then Madam Ding went straight back to her parents' home.

So what was Cao Cao's reaction to this?

Cao Cao personally went back to his hometown, intending to visit and apologize to Lady Ding and invite her back.

At that time, Madam Ding was weaving cloth at home when someone called out from outside the door:

"Your husband has arrived, Cao Cao has arrived."

As a result, Madam Ding did not react at all.

After Cao Cao entered the room, he patted Lady Ding's back and said:
"Let us return together!"

Madam, please stop arguing. Let's go home together.

Madam Ding remained unresponsive to this.

Cao Cao asked several times, but Lady Ding ignored him completely.

As Cao Cao was leaving, he turned back one last time and asked her to come back with him.

Cao Cao was known for his pride, so when had we ever seen him with such a good temper?

In contrast, Lady Bian had already given birth to Cao Pi and Cao Zhi at that time.

She once approached Cao Cao, hoping to get an official position for her younger brother.

As a result, Cao Cao showed no respect and directly cursed:
"It is already a great honor for him to be my brother-in-law, Cao Cao."

"Don't you give him a lot of money in private on a regular basis?"

"Get out of here!"

What does it mean to say that there is no harm without comparison?

This is a classic example of how contrast creates beauty.

First love is the eternal white moonlight.

This demonstrates the influence of the Ding family within Cao Cao's camp.

Xiahou Yuan's status as Cao Cao's brother-in-law signified more than just his high position.

He was also the second most important military general from the imperial clan that Cao Cao wanted to cultivate.

In response, Cao Cao ordered Li Dian and Yue Jin to each lead 3,000 troops.

They were stationed in Nangong and Tangyang respectively, ready to support Xiahou Yuan at any time. Investing resources to create stars—this was Cao Cao's standard operating procedure.

Historically, Cao Cao assigned Zhang He and Xu Huang to Xiahou Yuan to help him achieve victory.

Since Zhang He and Xu Huang were not available in this dimension, Cao Cao gave him Li Dian and Yue Jin instead.

Then he wrote another letter in his own hand to Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Yuan obtained a letter from Cao Cao in Guantao, which read in brief:
"A general must have moments of weakness; he cannot rely solely on courage."

"The general should be courageous and act with wisdom and strategy."

"All I know is Ren Yong, a mere man's enemy."

The meaning is to advise Xiahou Yuan to be careful and not rely solely on martial prowess, but to use his wisdom and strategy.

After all, Guo Jia had just said that Xiahou Yuan was brainless and reckless.

Such a person is only suitable to be a general, not a commander-in-chief.

But with the arrow already on the bowstring, Cao Cao had no choice but to release it, and he couldn't afford to worry about anything else at the moment.

The only thing that could be done was to repeatedly warn Xiahou Yuan to be careful.

Xiahou Yuan was overjoyed after reading it. He sent the messenger back and then discussed it with Lu Zhao and Zhu Ling:

"Now the Duke of Wei has led a large army to Yedu to attack Liu Bei."

"We have been guarding this place with you for so long, how can we possibly achieve anything?"

"Tomorrow I will lead my troops into battle and make sure to capture Huang Zhong alive, so that I may achieve the greatest merit for Duke Wei."

Zhu Ling advised:
"Just now, Lord Wei wrote in his letter, advising the general to be more careful."

"Moreover, Huang Zhong is the vanguard general of the Qi army, and must be brave and strong."

"With Liu Bei's strategic acumen and Li Yi's cunning, they dare to send these men to fight the general."

"This shows that he is quite capable. General, you must be careful and not underestimate him."

At this time, Huang Zhong's reputation was certainly not as high as that of other generals of the State of Qi.

After all, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others were originally members of the army, holding high positions and having joined the ranks early.

Naturally, they will have more opportunities to showcase their talents.

With more opportunities come more achievements, and one's status rises accordingly.

This is a virtuous circle.

After Zhu Ling finished her persuasion, Lu Zhao also tried to persuade her.

Xiahou Yuan replied:
Why are you all so afraid of the enemy?

"This kind of behavior boosts the morale of others while diminishing one's own prestige."

"If others achieve merit, how can we and you face Lord Wei?"

"Huang Zhong is just an old soldier who is nearly sixty years old. Why should we be afraid of such people?"

"You will surely be ridiculed!"

He then disregarded the advice of the two generals and ordered them to guard Guantao.

He personally led an army to attack Huang Zhong.

Before the great battle, Xiahou Yuan addressed his generals and soldiers, urging them to give a pep talk:

"The Qi general has bullied our Wei general for many years, and Yuan has long harbored resentment towards him."

"Today, my wish has finally come true, and I can now face off against the Qi army in Hebei with honor and dignity."

"I must shatter the myth of the invincibility of the Qi army today."

"Do you gentlemen dare to come with me?"

How could the soldiers dare to shout "No!"?
They all cried out, "We are willing to follow the general!"

Xiahou Yuan was overjoyed and asked:

"Who dares to go out on a scout to lure the enemy?"

One of the generals stepped forward and said, "This humble general is willing to go!"

Upon closer inspection, it was Xiahou Heng, the eldest son of Xiahou Yuan.

He was fifteen years old at the time.

As the saying goes, "like father, like son," and with the nation in peril, Xiahou Heng naturally followed his father to the front lines to fight.

Xiahou Yuan then said:
"You shall lead an army to meet Huang Zhong in battle."

"There is no need to fight to the death; it is better to lose than to win."

"Just lure him here, and I will have a plan to defeat him."

Xiahou Heng immediately received the military order and led three thousand men to Qingyuan to set up camp and resist the enemy.

Meanwhile, Huang Zhong and Xu Shu led their troops to Guantao to challenge Xiahou Yuan to battle, but Xiahou Yuan held firm and refused to come out.

Huang Zhong then discussed the matter with Xu Shu:

"Since Xiahou Yuan refuses to fight, how about we use the Divine Arm Battalion to launch a strong attack?"

The Divine Arm Battalion was a unit under Huang Zhong, renowned for its archery skills.

After joining Liu Bei, Li Yi ordered him to train commanders.

Today,

The archers in the camp are all very skilled men, many of them, and they shoot very fast.

Just as they were discussing the matter, a report came that a troop of Cao Cao's army had come to challenge them from Qingyuan in the north.

Huang Zhong was overjoyed. He was worried that the enemy wouldn't come out, so he asked his generals who dared to go out and fight.

A young soldier stepped forward and volunteered.

Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be Huang Xu, the only son of Huang Zhong.

After Huang Xubing recovered, at Zhang Zhongjing's suggestion, he followed the camp's generals to practice martial arts and exercise.

Now he is strong and healthy, no longer the sickly person he once was.

Huang Zhong loved his youngest son and did not want Huang Xu to go into battle.

But then I thought, I'm almost sixty years old, and I can't protect Huang Xu for the rest of my life.

Children eventually need to grow up and stand on their own.

"...Good, you must be careful on your journey."

Huang Zhong repeatedly urged him, even from a selfish perspective.

With so many generals under his command, why send his own son into battle?

After making a contribution and receiving a reward, he no longer had to worry about food and clothing.

Huang Xu received Huang Zhong's order and led an army to meet the Wei troops.

They ran head-on into Xiahou Heng's troops.

Xiahou Heng cursed with his spear:
“I am Xiahou Heng, son of the General Who Conquers the East.”

"You little brat, how dare you stop me?"

Huang Xu immediately retorted:

“I am Huang Xu, the son of the vanguard general.”

“You, Wei traitor, have committed many immoral acts. King Qi is acting in accordance with the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people.”

Why don't you surrender sooner?

Xiahou Heng was furious upon hearing this, and immediately spurred his horse forward, brandishing his spear, to fight Huang Xu.

Huang Xu also stepped forward with his spear.

The two horses clashed and fought for twenty rounds without a clear victor.

The two armies clashed fiercely.

When the battle was going well, Xiahou Heng, following his father's advice, feigned defeat and fled.

Huang Xu was unwilling to give up and urged his troops to hurry on.

When they were halfway there, they suddenly saw two streams of logs and stones rolling out at the same time.

They attacked and blocked their path, preventing them from advancing.

Just as Huang Xu was about to withdraw his troops, Xiahou Yuan led his troops out from behind.

"...Hmph, I originally intended to lure that old scoundrel over and capture him."

"If you don't want to grow old in the future, grab a little one."

Huang Xu raised his gun and cursed:

Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

"If you wish to fight my father, you must first get past me."

Xiahou Yuan laughed loudly:
"I have fought in many years and have never seen a young man dare to speak to me like this."

"...Don't even mention a mere child like you, even if it were your father."

"And what then?"

After saying this, Xiahou Yuan urged his troops to launch a surprise attack.

Huang Xu tried his best to resist, but could not stop it.

Just as they were about to be captured, they suddenly heard a horn sound behind them.

An old general with a gleaming white sword charged straight at them, his roar like thunder:

"You scoundrel Xiahou, stop harming my son!"

"Huang Zhong is here!"

It turned out that Huang Zhong was still worried about his son, so he led a troop of light cavalry to provide support.

As expected, Huang Xu was careless and fell into Xiahou Yuan's ambush.

"You old fool, you've come at the perfect time! I was just about to arrest you here!"

When Xiahou Yuan saw Huang Zhong, he personally led his spear to kill him.

After only a few exchanges, Huang Zhong lost his will to fight and rescued Huang Xu from the chaos of battle.

Xiahou Yuan won the battle and returned to camp in triumph.

Huang Zhong returned to the camp and reported the day's battle situation to Xu Shu.

Xu Shu gently comforted Huang Zhong:

"General, do not be discouraged. Xiahou Yuan is impetuous, brave but lacks strategy."

"Now that he has defeated the old general, he will become even more arrogant and complacent."

"Tomorrow we will encourage our soldiers to break through the camp and advance, proceeding cautiously step by step."

"We will lure Xiahou Yuan out to fight, and once he fights, we can capture him."

"This is a method of turning the tables and taking the initiative."

Previously, Huang Zhong had taken the initiative to challenge Xiahou Yuan, but Xiahou Yuan held firm and refused to engage.

Now that Xiahou Yuan had won a battle, Xu Shu suggested that the main camp be pushed forward gradually.

This forced Xiahou Yuan to fight.

Xiahou Yuan had already fought Huang Zhong and knew what to expect.

They certainly won't hide in the camp like before.

Huang Zhong then accepted Xu Shu's advice and distributed all the gold, silver, brocade, and other gifts bestowed upon him by the King of Qi to the three armies.

He then ordered people to cook sheep and slaughter cattle to provide a large reward for the soldiers.

The entire army was shaken, cheers filled the camp, and everyone was willing to die for their cause.

The next day, Huang Zhong ordered the camp to be broken up and advanced, proceeding step by step with caution.

Each battalion would remain stationary for several days before slowly advancing.

Someone had already informed Xiahou Yuan, and Xiahou Yuan angrily said:

"This old scoundrel was defeated by me the other day, and now he dares to use a tactic of turning the tables on me?"

So, he took Xiahou Heng and led several thousand soldiers to fight Huang Zhong.

Upon arriving at Huangzhong Village, Huang Zhong drew his sword and rode out.

The two armies fought a fierce battle, and both sides suffered losses.

By evening, they all sounded the retreat and returned to their camps to rest.

Xu Shu found Huang Zhong alone and said to him:
"Today's direct confrontation proves that what the Prime Minister said is true."

"Xiahou Yuan's troops are all fierce soldiers, and our army will find it difficult to gain an advantage."

Huang Zhong snorted:

Why be afraid of him?

"One day, I will surely kill this scoundrel!"

slow!
Xu Shu stopped the spirited Huang Zhong and pulled him aside to look at the map.

"...General Huang, please take a look."

"There is a shell mound near Qinghe."

"Although the terrain here is not high, it can serve as a military observation point."

"If our army occupies this hill, we can have a commanding view and observe the strengths and weaknesses of Xiahou Yuan's army."

Huang Zhong was overjoyed and immediately accepted Xu Shu's plan.

At the second watch of the night, Huang Zhong led his soldiers, sounding gongs and beating drums, and charged straight up to the mountaintop.

On the other hand, he ordered his men to burn all the deer antlers used for defense at the foot of the hill.

Beiqiu was guarded by Wei general Du Xi, who had fewer than a thousand soldiers.

Under Huang Zhong's fierce attack, they could only defend desperately, while sending a fast cavalryman to seek help from Xiahou Yuan.

Upon receiving Du Xi's plea for help, Xiahou Yuan immediately led his 800 elite troops to provide support.

That's right, it's eight hundred people.

Although they were all elite troops, why did the commander of the eastern region of Wei only bring eight hundred men?
As the commander of the eastern forces, Xiahou Yuan naturally had the authority to command other troops.

For example, Lu Zhao, Zhu Ling, Du Xi, and other troop leaders.

However, these troops were all led by their own generals and were not directly under Xiahou Yuan's command.

Therefore, it would be very troublesome to transfer them.

We say military matters are urgent, and Xiahou Yuan was also an impatient person.

What are his military tactics?
Three days to travel 500 li, six days to travel 1,000 li!

Xiahou Yuan's greatest skill was rapid marching.

Right now, Du Xi has been ambushed, and Xiahou Yuan is thinking of going to provide support first, and then waiting for the main force to arrive.

After all, Xiahou Yuan's 800 men were the elite of the elite.

Comes and goes like the wind.

Having been used to rapid advances, I wasn't worried at all about being surrounded by a small group.

Xiahou Yuan immediately mustered 800 men from his own forces and headed towards Beiqiu.

Suddenly, beneath the shell mound, the deer antlers used to defend against the Qi army were found to have been completely burned.

Xiahou Yuan couldn't help but sigh:

"Liu Bei's men are truly adept at wasting things."

"How could the deer antlers have been burned?"

In Xiahou Yuan's view, since your Qi troops have occupied Beiqiu, you can simply take these deer antlers for your own use.

Why burn it?
Therefore, Xiahou Yuan gave the order:
"Issue my order: all knights, dismount!"

"Everyone go and repair the deer antlers."

"After the antlers were repaired, the Qi reinforcements could not easily go up the mountain."

"Our army can kill Huang Zhong on the mountain."

The knights received the order, dismounted, and went to repair the antlers.

This is actually because Xiahou Yuan was used to being poor and couldn't bear to waste things.

As mentioned earlier, Xiahou Yuan's niece was the one Zhang Fei abducted to be his wife.

He was fourteen years old and still had to go up the mountain to chop firewood.

At that time, Xiahou Yuan had already served as the Prefect of Yingchuan and concurrently as the Military Supervisor.

You're saying that if someone becomes the top official in a city, would they still be short of money?

Certainly not.

Ultimately, Xiahou Yuan was simply terrified of poverty and maintained a poor man's mindset.

Repairing the deer antlers was less a sign that Xiahou Yuan was brainless, and more a sign that he simply couldn't bear to waste things.

In his view, his cavalry was fast.

In case of any unforeseen circumstances, there's still plenty of time to remount and run.

Just as Xiahou Yuan ordered people to repair the deer antlers.

Unable to receive reinforcements, Du Xi had no choice but to abandon the beetle mound and run down the opposite mountain.

Huang Zhong successfully occupied the high ground, and by dawn he saw Xiahou Yuan leading his troops to repair deer antlers at the foot of the mountain.

Upon seeing this, Xu Shu was overjoyed and said:

"It's time to attack! It's time to attack!"

Huang Zhong's eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed in the precious sword in his hand.

……

(End of this chapter)