Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 154: Fire on Eagle Sorrow Gorge

According to Wei Xiaobao's plan, Ma Teng selected the two thousand most elite cavalrymen and handed them over to Wei Xiaobao, then left a thousand soldiers in Tianshui City to guard the city, and let Ma Chao lead the army out of Chencang and march towards Chang'an.

When Cao Cao received the battle report, he hurriedly sent envoys to Wuwei to ask for help.

After arriving in Chencang, Wei Xiaobao and Ma Yunlu led two thousand elite soldiers and three thousand female soldiers north to Anding.

Wei Xiaobao was halfway through his march when a scout arrived to report: "Han Sui has led an army of over 15,000 men out of Wuwei and is now marching towards Anding."

When Ma Yunlu heard that the enemy had three times as many troops as his own, he began to worry: "Can our small force stop Han Sui? If Han Sui passes Anding, my brother will be in danger."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Although I haven't fought Han Sui, judging by the outcome of his attack on Wuwei, he's not a proficient military strategist. Furthermore, our attack is a surprise attack, so a successful strike will give us the upper hand. The map shows that outside Anding City there's a spot called Yingchoujian, which is perfect for ambushing the enemy. We must get there before Han Sui does."

The five thousand men led by Wei Xiaobao were all good riders and were lightly equipped, so they arrived at Yingchoujian in less than two days.

Yingchoujian is sandwiched between two mountains and there is only one road accessible.

The road hangs between the mountains, with a steep cliff on one side and a deep abyss on the other, just wide enough for a baggage cart to pass. The two mountains soar into the sky that even a hawk would find it difficult to fly over, hence the name Eagle Sorrow Stream.

Wei Xiaobao ordered the cavalry to be converted into infantry, leaving a hundred men to guard the horses, and the rest to enter Yingchoujian on foot.

Walking on the steep mountain road, the team of 5,000 people was stretched out in a long line, like a giant snake winding between two mountains. Wei Xiaobao and Ma Yunlu at the front had already left the valley, and the soldiers at the back had not yet set foot on the steep mountain road.

It took half a day for the team to gather on the flat ground in front of Yingchoujian.

The scouts Wei Xiaobao sent out returned with a report: "Han Sui's army is less than thirty miles away."

Wei Xiaobao stood on a huge rock and looked at the soldiers below. Some of them had pretty faces, some looked a little immature, but each of them was in high spirits.

"Among you are both battle-hardened elites and female soldiers new to the battlefield. No matter what, this battle is a matter of life and death for Tianshui. You all saw the Eagle Sorrow Gorge behind us when you came here. If you try to escape, you'll either be caught by the cavalry or fall to your death off the cliff."

Only then did Ma Yunlu realize that Wei Xiaobao's intention of giving up riding was to cut off his own retreat.

Wei Xiaobao continued, "Just as the Overlord Xiang Yu was able to burn his boats and break his cauldrons, so we can retreat today. But don't be afraid. I have already thought of a way to defeat the enemy. As long as everyone fights bravely, even if it's one against ten, we still have a chance of victory."

After these words were spoken, the soldiers were extremely excited, especially the female soldiers who were going to the battlefield for the first time. They were eager to compete with the male soldiers.

Only Ma Yunlu was filled with worry: "What on earth can you do? Don't let everyone's lives be wasted."

Wei Xiaobao smiled and said, "My trick is called luring the enemy into a trap!"

Wei Xiaobao had already arranged for two thousand elite soldiers to bury kerosene on the way to cross Yingchou Gorge. At this time, he and Ma Yunlu led the elite cavalry and female soldiers to ambush in the valleys on both sides, waiting for Han Sui to arrive.

After a while, Han Sui led his troops to the flat land in front of Yingchoujian. Seeing that the road ahead was steep, he ordered the entire army to march slowly in a long snake formation.

Wei Xiaobao was observing and calculating the time in the valley.

Seeing that a quarter of Han Sui's army had entered the mountain stream, Wei Xiaobao immediately ordered a surprise attack.

Han Sui was organizing his soldiers to march when he suddenly heard shouts and cries coming from the valleys on both sides. He hurriedly ordered the entire army to retreat.

One side was in high spirits and well-prepared, while the other side was suddenly attacked. The clash between the two sides immediately determined the winner. Han Sui's army was cut off in an instant, and the front and rear could not take care of each other.

The soldiers who had already entered Yingchoujian had no time to turn around, and were forced to close the gate and beat the dog by Wei Xiaobao and Ma Yunlu's men. After Wei Xiaobao cut off Han Sui's army, he immediately ordered to set fire.

Suddenly, flames shot up into the sky from Yingchou Gorge.

Han Sui's army outside the mountain stream was already fighting with the enemy. Suddenly, they saw the fire and heard the tragic screams coming from the mountain stream. The army was immediately in chaos and only wanted to escape.

Han Sui's army in the mountain stream was already in a panic when they heard the order to retreat. Suddenly, they saw the soil under their feet on fire and tried to avoid it. Some of them were burned by the flames, some fell off the cliff and died, and some were even killed by their companions' horses. Only a few escaped.

The first battle was a victory, but in just one encounter, Han Sui lost two to three thousand men.

However, the hiding place has been exposed and the fire in the mountain stream has not yet been extinguished, so a real life-and-death battle is about to begin.

Ma Yunlu looked at the excited cheers of his female soldiers, but his face was filled with worry.

Wei Xiaobao saw what Ma Yunlu was thinking and stepped forward, saying, "Han Sui is in a state of panic right now, and his army's morale is low. It will take him half a day to launch another attack. We just need to seize this opportunity to burn his military rations, and we'll definitely force him to retreat."

Ma Yunlu nodded when he heard this, and suddenly asked, "How can we sneak attack his food and supplies in the rear without horses?"

Wei Xiaobao said, "I will lead a group of people to bypass it. You have people use huge rocks and rolling logs to block the valley. Once the fire at the back is out, we can retreat quickly."

"No, it's too dangerous. Let me take the troops there, and you stay behind to lead the retreat."

"If I can't succeed, wouldn't you be going there to die in vain? Listen to me, prepare to withdraw the troops. Your elder brother is still waiting for your good news in Chang'an!"

Ma Yunlu knew that this was a fight to the death, and there was probably no return. He was so anxious that tears welled up in his eyes and he said, "You must come back."

Wei Xiaobao had just taken a step when he heard Ma Yunlu's words. He turned around to look at her and nodded solemnly.

The assassins were already on standby. After Wei Xiaobao counted the kerosene and flint on everyone, he sneaked out from a valley on the side.

Ma Yunlu had ordered people to find stones and wood from all around to block the intersection.

These stones and wood can only temporarily slow down the enemy's marching speed. Once they are cleared, Han Sui's army will charge into the valley.

Although Ma Yunlu was worried about Wei Xiaobao, he did not dare to gamble with the lives of the entire army, so he had to order the soldiers to put out the fire while retreating back to the mountain road on the cliff.

Taking advantage of the terrain, Wei Xiaobao had already reached the outside of Han Sui's camp.

After all, Han Sui was a veteran of many battles. Although he fell into an ambush, he quickly stabilized his position. He set up camp to stabilize the morale of the troops and sent spies to investigate the enemy situation.

The military camp was also strictly guarded, and military supplies and equipment were concentrated in the rear.

Wei Xiaobao knew that if he relied on the dozen or so men under his command to rush on foot to get Han Sui's military supplies, they would probably all die on the road before they even got halfway.

If you want to sneak into the camp, you can only wait until late at night.

All Wei Xiaobao could do now was pray that Ma Yunlu would lead his men to retreat before dark.

(End of this chapter)