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

Chapter 234 The Thought of Surrendering to the Han Arises
A few days ago, in Yingyang County.

Shi Tao is supervising the laborers as they repair the city wall.

A mounted messenger galloped from afar, and upon reaching the city gate, he impatiently shouted:
"The General of the Flying Cavalry has given the order!"

"Shi Tao, the Agricultural Commissioner of Yingchuan, is hereby ordered to immediately transport 100,000 bushels of grain, 1,000 bolts of silk, and 500 pigs and 500 sheep to Xiangcheng. There must be no delay!"

Shi Tao frowned upon hearing this:
"Last year, the Mobei dike breached, flooding Xiangcheng. The city walls are now rotten and have not yet been properly repaired. How can such a large amount of military supplies be transported there?"

However, the soldier didn't waste any words with him, left Cao Hong's warrant behind, and rode away.

Shi Tao carefully examined the inkpad and confirmed that it was indeed the seal of the General of the Cavalry.

Upon opening it, it was indeed found that he was required to transfer grain and meat to Xiangcheng.

Thinking of the constant stream of good news that had been coming in lately, it was probably Cao Hong's way of rewarding the soldiers.

There was nothing to say for a moment.

He handed over the repair work to his subordinates and carefully instructed the rice field guards to keep a close eye on the spring plowing. Then he immediately went to dispatch laborers and supply wagons.

After a busy day, with everything prepared, nearly a thousand laborers marched out of the city, crossed the Ying River, and headed straight for Xiangcheng.

The main river between Xiangcheng and Yingyang is the Ying River, and the two sides are not far apart.

The supply convoy moved slowly, and it would take at most two days to reach its destination.

But ever since receiving the military order, Shi Tao has been on edge, fearing that he might make the slightest mistake.

Since Jia Kui took command, this "Lord Jia," who always emphasized both kindness and severity, has been a key figure in the military.

He suddenly turned on us and became a cruel official.

Regardless of whether it was a civilian settlement or a military settlement, anyone who tried to escape was executed, along with their wife and children.

If too many people flee, even the officials in charge will lose their heads.

After Shi Tao returned to the Central Plains from the north, he was mostly assigned to administrative duties and had long been out of the military.

He was unsure whether he could control his troops during the march.

We can only try to keep a close eye on it.

Fortunately, as a scholar from Yingchuan, he did have some reputation in his hometown.

No one fled along the way.

The convoy arrived safely on the outskirts of Xiangcheng at dusk the following day.

In the distance, you can still see the reservoir called "Mobei".

But by this time the lake water had dried up, and the lakebed was covered with lush green grass.

It looked like a place full of life.

Surrounded by lush greenery, Shi Tao hurriedly swallowed a bowl of rice.

They were just about to send someone into the city to make arrangements.

Suddenly, billowing dust rose up on the road ahead.

Before long, a group of knights arrived in a disheveled state, abandoning their armor and dragging their weapons.

Upon seeing the herds of pigs and sheep, their eyes lit up with greed.

Shi Tao was startled and immediately showed his seal as the General of Agriculture and went forward to negotiate.

Only then did the Cavaliers tone down their tactics.

But they remained around the convoy, unwilling to leave.

Left with no other option, Shi Tao could only inquire about the other party's origins.

However, they learned that it was actually a Wei army that had retreated from Yancheng.

Moreover, it is said that Cao Hong and Cao Tai's troops have been locked down by the Han army south of the Zhi and Ru rivers, making it difficult for them to return north.

Yingchuan County is likely to undergo a major change.

Shi Tao was stunned and speechless for a moment, but he also vaguely felt that something was not right.

Not to mention that Yanxian is just one node on the Ru River, and by no means the only one.

Even if the Han army really locks down all the Ershui ferry crossings and occupies all the key points.

But Cao Hong still has several thousand elite knights under his command.

But how big is the appetite of the Han army at Fangcheng? Can they possibly take in so many men and horses?

Not to mention that there are still infantry troops who have just retreated north along the Xiangcheng line, enough to go and meet the knights on their return.

It is clear that these deserters are deliberately trying to shirk their responsibilities and confuse the public!
However, Shi Tao's ability to remain rational does not mean that the laborers under his command can do the same.

In fact, the caravan had already become restless after seeing the defeated knights.

After hearing their recounting of their defeats, some even considered fleeing to the city.

Shi Tao had no choice but to turn back and order his officers to arrest the man.

So much so that he didn't even bother to scold the knights who had taken more than a dozen pigs and sheep.

But soon, as more and more soldiers who had been defeated and returned from Yanxian arrived, the convoy of laborers completely lost control.

Some headed straight for the nearest city, Xiangcheng, while others turned back and headed towards Yingyang.

But more often, they joined the defeated soldiers in looting grain and then headed north towards Jia County.

The area from there all the way to Liang County, upstream of the Ru River, is a mountainous region, making it easy to hide.

Shi Tao was too late to stop it and could only watch helplessly as the grain, meat, carts, and horses were completely divided up by the mutinous soldiers and civilians.

Unfortunately, the crowd became chaotic, with people bumping and shoving each other, and he was caught in the middle, unable to escape.

I was pushed to the ground several times and almost trampled to death.

The chaos continued until nightfall. The garrison of Xiangcheng, probably finally realizing something was wrong, rushed towards the scene with torches. Shi Tao looked at the empty space behind him, then at the broken blue ribbon in his hand.

Instead of being pleased, I was startled.

Let's go back like this.

According to the military law established by Jia Kui.

He'd be beheaded too!
However, Xu Shu is looking after the family in Luoyang, so they might be able to preserve their home.

He had wasted half his life and barely managed to reach the position of two thousand shi, which is now called the fifth rank.

How could I willingly accept being slaughtered?
If one doesn't want to die here, where can one go?

As the fire dragon drew ever closer, Shi Tao felt as if he were seeing a noose about to strangle his neck.

Just then, a sheep, probably missed by the soldiers, came bleating from behind a tree.

The sheep approached him, paused warily, and then continued forward.

It's heading west.

Shi Tao's gaze then turned westward.

A thought that had once surfaced in my mind but was then suppressed has now resurfaced uncontrollably.

And this time.

The firelight reflected in the pupils grew brighter and brighter.

The thought could no longer be suppressed.

……

Beneath the walls of Kunyang.

With Wang Ping's troops launching a fierce attack, the Han army, ahead of the Wei army, formed a pincer movement against the trapped Xiahou Ba.

If we shift our perspective to the skies above the battlefield...

This local pincer attack, amidst the overwhelming tide of Wei cavalry, was not particularly remarkable.

However, the torrent was blocked outside the encirclement at this time.

Meanwhile, Xiahou Ba's troops, caught in the middle, could only see powerful crossbows in front and pursuing soldiers behind.

Beside him, his comrades fell one after another.

But there was no sign of reinforcements.

What do these so-called cavalry torrents have to do with them?
Thus, Wang Ping's troops completely routed Xiahou Ba's rear army after just one charge.

After that, it becomes a basic operation that any general with even a little military knowledge would know.

They did their best to hold back the fleeing troops and turn the tide against the enemy lines.

At this time, Wang Ping's forces were insufficient to completely contain the enemy army, which outnumbered him.

However, the enemy was already trapped within the encirclement.

After losing morale and order, where else can they flee if not towards their own central army?
Two quarters of an hour later, Xiahou Ba's central army was scattered by the fleeing soldiers and turned into chaos.

Seeing this, Wang Ping and Deng Ai simultaneously chose to charge towards the direction of their general's flag.

They either led from the front or went out of the camp to meet the enemy.

Xiahou Ba's banner held out for only a moment before collapsing amidst billowing dust.

No more sound.

The morale of the Han army was greatly boosted.

Even the lines on the east side, which were on the verge of collapse, were stabilized again.

Cao Hong stared at this scene from afar, dumbfounded.

At this moment, he still had a numerical advantage.

They even launched a fierce attack regardless of casualties, and were quite confident of taking Kunyang City.

But what's the point?

His cavalry were used to carry out Jia Kui's harassment tactics.

It's not meant to be used to fight tooth and nail over a small, insignificant town.

If we can't rescue Xiahou Ba, there's no point in continuing this entanglement.

Just then, a scout reported that Yanxian, downstream, had been attacked by Jiang Wei's troops and had fallen again.

It turned out that this happened while the Wei cavalry were rushing downstream of the Zhi River.

Jiang Wei and Kou Feng rushed ahead to the Ru River channel further downstream.

They waited until the Wei army crossed the river at Yanxian and turned west to Kunyang before turning back to attack Yanxian.

One hit.

In short, during the day, there were no Han soldiers guarding the various ferry crossings along the Zhi River.

They were all a bunch of county auxiliary soldiers hiding behind the wooden fence, putting on airs!

It turns out from the very beginning.

Cao Hong's troops thus fell into the trap set by the Han army generals.

This time, Cao Hong didn't hesitate. Instead, he quickly sent someone to inform Cao Tai to withdraw his troops.

If they don't leave now, even his men will be surrounded and killed within the encirclement around Kunyang!

(End of this chapter)