The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 229 Luring the Enemy and Counter-Luring the Enemy
Just as the soldiers and civilians of Jihan relaxed their nerves that had been tense all winter.

The Wei army also breathed a sigh of relief because of this successful operation behind enemy lines.

This is a very subtle mindset.

Although Nanyang had completely fallen into Guan Yu's hands, even a general of Xiahou Shang's caliber had become a prisoner.

However, as long as the Wei cavalry can still break through the Han army's blockade and reach the vicinity of Wancheng.

That gives them a sense of superiority that they take for granted.

It was as if they could take back that city at any moment.

Both Jia Kui and Cao Hong were extremely sensitive to changes in the morale of the army.

Therefore, even though it was known that the actual results of this invasion were limited.

However, they still touted it as a major victory and planned to return to reward the troops on a large scale.

This undoubtedly boosted the confidence of some young generals.

For example, Cao Tai, on his way back, always complained that he had not been able to fight Guan Yu and his son head-on in this battle and could not enjoy himself to the fullest.

He planned to go to Ye County to challenge that young Han general named Mi Wei and thoroughly humiliate him.

However, Cao Hong promptly sent men to stop them.

However, not all young generals obeyed Cao Hong's orders.

For example, Xiahou Ba, who is still stationed under the walls of Kunyang City.

Cao Hong's original intention was for him to retreat to the north of the Ru River together.

To avoid losing the support of the main cavalry force after the spring and summer when the waters are plentiful.

However, Xiahou Ba insisted that since the siege of Kunyang City began in winter, the defending troops had long been exhausted and the city would soon fall.

Not only did he not withdraw, he also advised Cao Hong not to lift the blockade of Ye County, so as to protect his rear.

Cao Hong was naturally furious.

However, he has already relinquished his position as commander, while Xiahou Ba had indeed won several battles and performed brilliantly.

For a time, they couldn't do anything about him.

Cao Tai, unable to control Xiahou Ba, was eager to try again.

Heading straight to Cao Hong's camp, he said:

"The general forbade me to challenge Ye County, yet he allowed Xiahou Quanzhong to attack the city. This is unjust!"

Cao Hong glanced at him and said indifferently:
"As the eldest son, you inherit your father's title and have a bright future ahead of you. Why compare yourself to him, a second son who cannot inherit the title?"

Cao Tai said proudly:
"It's not about comparing myself to others, but about avenging my father!"

"Although the late father did not die directly under the sword of the Shu bandits like Marquis Min (Xiahou Yuan's posthumous title), he was still deeply resentful of the humiliation of Xiangfan before his death, and thus fell ill and never recovered."

"Tai believes that a subject should die for the humiliation of his ruler, and a son should die for the humiliation of his father. If this grudge is not avenged, he would be unworthy to be a son!"

Cao Hong's expression darkened as he heard his grandiloquent words.

But remembering Cao Pi's dislike for him, he couldn't bring himself to lash out.

His face darkened for a moment, then a plan suddenly came to him, and he said;
"Are you truly seeking revenge for your father, rather than competing for credit with others?"

Cao Tai: "Of course!"

Cao Hong: "Very well. I have a plan that may be able to kill a large number of enemy troops. If you have the ambition, you must obey my orders and you will be able to achieve your goal."

Cao Tai was overjoyed: "What's your plan?"

Cao Hong: "You should first join forces with me to cross the river to the north and retreat to Xiangcheng."

Cao Tai's expression changed several times, and he asked suspiciously, "Are we going to ignore Xiahou Quanzhong?"

If both of their troops retreat north, Xiahou Ba, left alone under the walls of Kunyang, will be left with an isolated army.

However, considering that Cao Hong would not openly abandon a member of the imperial clan to his death.

That leaves only one possibility:
This was a plan to use Xiahou Ba as bait to lure the Han troops from various cities of Fangcheng out to level the ground, and then gather the superior cavalry in hand for a decisive battle!

This strategy may seem simple, but it actually involves understanding the mindset of both sides in the war.

This may also be a subtle way of punishing Xiahou Ba, to prevent him from becoming arrogant and ignorant.

In any case, as long as there are subsequent gains, it will be attributed to Cao Hong's meritorious command, and it will not be considered personal revenge.

Cao Tai was surprised for a moment, then realized he had no reason to object.

All I could do was agree while secretly praising the old fox for being so shrewd.

……

Not long after Mi Wei left Ye County, Ma Zhong also led the troops from Ye County to the city of Kunyang.

After more than half a year of training and practical experience, coupled with the continuous advancement of land granting.

Some of the rebels have already reached the standard of regular soldiers.

It possesses the ability to conduct field marches and battles.

Mi Wei carefully selected and reorganized the troops along with the original regular infantry, bringing the total strength to over ten thousand men. When Ma Zhong was ordered to bring these ten thousand elite soldiers to Kunyang, Wang Ping's troops were still defending the city.

After a winter of siege, the garrison has dwindled to less than a thousand men.

Xiahou Ba, who was stationed outside the city, still had a force of four to five thousand infantrymen due to reinforcements.

Although they had been stationed at the foot of the city for a long time, they were not particularly tired because they had only been responsible for locking down the city and had not launched a strong attack.

This is probably why Xiahou Ba was unwilling to leave.

Ma Zhong did not rush to relieve the siege, but instead went to join Jiang Wei's cavalry outside the city.

Jiang Wei was delighted by Ma Zhong's arrival, and half complained, half encouraged him:
“When the Wei cavalry invaded westward with impunity, I wanted to stop them, but I was too few soldiers. It was truly distressing.”

"Now that most of the Wei cavalry has marched east, and our army has joined forces with yours, we are more than capable of overwhelming Xiahou Ba and wiping away our previous humiliation!"

Ma Zhong laughed and said:

"Boyue, please calm down!"

"Although Xiahou Ba is no longer a threat, we must be wary of the enemy cavalry returning."

“I sent scouts eastward to search along the way, and there was a lot of fresh horse manure on the road, which shows that Cao Hong and his men have not gone far.”

Jiang Wei's eyes flickered:
"Does Dexin mean... that Cao Hong used Xiahou Ba as bait?"

Ma Zhong: "We must be on guard."

"In my spare time, I listened to Lord Mi recount old battles. He said that in the past, Cao Cao marched south to Wancheng and defeated the allied forces of Liu Biao and Zhang Xiu, but he hastily withdrew his troops because he was worried that Yuan Shao would launch a surprise attack on Xuchang."

"Zhang Xiu thought he had an opportunity and went to pursue them, but Cao Cao personally covered his retreat and defeated him."

"It is evident that Cao Cao's military tactics were always meticulous despite their urgency."

"Cao Hong had followed Cao Cao in his campaigns for a long time and naturally grasped the essence of his military strategies. He might be able to emulate them."

Jiang Wei thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That makes sense."

"But is there any reinforcement coming?"

Ma Zhong: "Deputy Commander Kou is clearing roads in the direction of Chou County and assisting Xiang Juwei and Deng Shizai in repairing walls."

"There are fewer enemy troops in that direction, but more cavalry from his unit. They can join forces tomorrow."

Jiang Wei: "Then let's wait for him to arrive before sending troops."

Afterwards, under Jiang Wei's cover, Ma Zhong set up camp, which stretched all the way to the Zhi River, subtly blocking the road between Kunyang and Dingling.

If Xiahou Ba wanted to withdraw his troops again, he could only cross the river west of Kunyang.

The area is close to the foothills, and the roads there are mostly rugged, making it less convenient than the east side.

Even so, Xiahou Ba remained unmoved and even sent troops to persuade Kunyang to surrender on several occasions.

Ma Zhong and Jiang Wei couldn't tell whether he was arrogant or had something to rely on, so they didn't dare to act rashly.

It wasn't until the next day, when Kou Feng's troops had gathered, that the issue of driving Xiahou Ba was formally discussed.

Kou Feng's cavalry numbered over 1,300, and when combined with Jiang Wei's forces, the total number of cavalry reached 2,000.

This number of cavalry is not too bad even against Cao Hong's elite Wei cavalry.

To everyone's surprise, Kou Feng arrived with a dark expression and said:
"That Deng Shizai is no human being!"

"No sooner had Lord Mi left than he arbitrarily changed the military plan!"

Jiang Wei and Ma Zhong exchanged a glance and asked urgently:
What is Deng Shizai planning to do?

This time, Mi Wei was selecting officials in the prefecture. Jiang Wei served as the commander under him, and his military status was above that of Deng Ai, who was a clerk.

However, the latter actually assumed the authority of the state government.

In terms of the status of the officials in the prefecture, Deng Ai actually had a slight advantage over Jiang Wei.

I couldn't help but feel a little resentful.

Then Kou Feng said in an annoyed tone:

"According to the original plan, while I am here to reinforce Kunyang, I am also to transport wooden planks here by supply wagon to facilitate the construction of the tunnel later."

"But Deng Shizai said that the method of rammed earth construction was too slow and insisted on replacing it with military equipment such as deer antlers and chevaux-de-frise!"

"But I am neither an assistant to Governor Mi nor am I responsible for state affairs, so I cannot argue with him!"

He then pointed to the supply wagons that were continuously driving into the military camp.

Jiang Wei looked closely and saw that the cart was indeed loaded with ready-made deer antlers and other items.

It's obvious that it was moved here from Ye County.

After all, enemy cavalry had previously launched a large-scale attack, and these weapons had been laid out in several layers around the city.

His face then turned gloomy:
“It would be fast to lay a passageway using the existing fortifications, which could be completed in two or three days. However, it would also be easily damaged by the enemy and would not be able to hold out for long.”

"Is Deng Shizai being so lazy because he secretly accepted bribes from Cao Hong?"

(End of this chapter)