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

Chapter 350 Retreating to Advance
Cao Hong did not expect Mi Wei to send out his cavalry so early.

First and foremost, it was a pleasant surprise.

This means that the "riding against riding" battle he has been looking forward to will arrive sooner than expected.

The sooner this battle comes, the more physically and mentally prepared the knights under his command will be.

This would be more conducive to the Wei army leveraging its accumulated advantages in cavalry warfare.

Therefore, upon seeing Xiang Chong's two thousand cavalry rushing south from a gap in the western passage, seemingly intending to launch a counterattack on the Wei army's infantry formation, he once again adjusted his deployment.

The infantry on that side retreated, giving their own knights room to maneuver and fight.

This new military order was quickly relayed.

Soon, two noticeable changes appeared on the battlefield.

The first change is...

As the Wei infantry on the west side slowly retreated, the Han infantry pressed forward, causing the line of troops, which was originally roughly parallel to the passageway, to tilt.

The Han army will inevitably press forward.

Because in regular infantry combat, a large group of people line up and push each other.

You retreat, I advance; you advance, I retreat.

Since Mi Wei did not order a retreat, and the front-line infantry were already bloodthirsty.

There's no reason not to press forward when you see the enemy retreating.

Both coaches anticipated this.

Cao Hong's planned cavalry engagement area was not in the middle of the infantry formations on both sides of the Han and Wei armies.

Instead, it tilted southwestward along the "line" of the infantry formation.

In the northwest of the battlefield, there will inevitably be a temporarily vacated area.

If the Wei cavalry can gain the upper hand there.

Before that, they could directly outflank the Han army from behind, and perhaps even charge straight to the location of Miwei General's Platform and achieve a great feat.

Even when retreating, they can still attack the Han army's infantry formation from behind, coordinating with their own infantry to achieve a pincer attack.

The second change followed immediately.

Because the Han infantry pressed forward, Xiang Chong's cavalry did not immediately gain a suitable angle to attack the Wei infantry formation.

We can't just break through our own infantry in order to attack the Wei infantry, can we?
We can only move westward first and look for another opportunity.

This kind of high-angle maneuver inevitably slows down the speed at which the warhorse originally charged in a straight line.

Thus, the Wei army's Niu Jin's cavalry, which had been patrolling and observing on the west side for quite some time, were then...

Seizing the opportunity presented by this dynamic change, they launched a new assault on Xiang Chong's banner.

It must be said that when it comes to the use of cavalry, especially in large-scale battles with more than a thousand cavalry, it is a significant advantage.

The mid-level generals of the Wei army who came from the northern frontier were generally of a higher caliber.

Xiang Chong was known for his skill in military administration.

However, cavalry battles of this scale are ultimately lacking in experience.

In this round of hedging, Xiang Chong suffered a slight loss because he accelerated a little later, resulting in a rather unfavorable exchange ratio.

Fortunately, I survived and continued to lead the surviving Han cavalry in fighting the enemy.

This attack further solidified the confidence of the Wei generals, led by Cao Hong, in winning the cavalry battle.

The Han army soon made new moves.

On the eastern side of the battlefield, they used the same tactic again, sending out a force of over two thousand cavalry to charge against the Wei infantry.

This time, Cao Hong hesitated slightly.

Because he couldn't understand it.

Given that Miwei had already suffered a defeat on the western flank once.

What gives them the confidence to repeat the same operations in the East Wing?
Is it just a gamble?
Is the cavalry general on this flank comparable to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in their youth, capable of taking the head of a general in a battle of ten thousand?
After a few breaths of hesitation, Cao Hong couldn't figure out Mi Wei's thoughts.

However, this did not prevent him from immediately ordering the infantry on that flank to retreat as well.

It's the same old trick again.

For a seasoned general like him, many of his reactions are instinctive and intuitive.

And these are often proven to be reasonable in hindsight.

Therefore, they can always gain the upper hand.

This is the veteran.

Soon, Cao Hong clearly saw the banner of the Han general in the eastern wing.

It turned out to be Ju Fu, who was in charge of commanding infantry operations last time.

Cao Hong almost burst out laughing.

Although I had previously looked down on this person.

However, a general who is skilled in both mounted and foot combat is rare.

Most people only know a little about foot combat and a little about mounted combat, but none of them are particularly skilled.

If Fu Ruo is skilled in mounted combat, why didn't Mi Wei send him south to lure the enemy earlier?
However, as it turned out, Cao Hong had once again misjudged this Brazilian general. That Ju Fu was not only a skilled horseman...

His methods of commanding cavalry were surprisingly sophisticated.

Although he was not as capable as his subordinate Niu Jin, he was more successful than Xiang Chong in the western wing and was comparable to Wang Ling, the governor of Yuzhou in his wing.

In this exchange, his lethality was indeed comparable to Wang Ling's, and he was not at a disadvantage.

But that's about it.

Cao Hong's expression gradually relaxed.

In this battle, the key to his victory lay neither with the cavalry on the western wing nor on the cavalry on the eastern wing.

On the battlefield, nearly six thousand knights were at his command, their superior skills, seamless teamwork, and rich experience allowing them to defeat the slightly larger Han army knights, then press their advantage and secure victory.

However, just as Cao Hong was preparing to send out the remaining knights as well.

The strategist Xin Pi, who had remained silent until now, suddenly pointed to the infantry lines on both flanks that had already "collapsed" and reminded them:

"General, judging from this trend, the Han army's infantry on both flanks will form a three-sided encirclement of our infantry... Was this also within your strategic planning?"

As the Wei infantry on both flanks retreated, the Han infantry pressed forward.

At this point, the troop line stretching for nearly two miles on the battlefield had taken on a shape resembling the Chinese character "品" (pin).

The Wei infantry, who had not yet retreated, were gradually being surrounded by the Han army pressing forward from the front and flanks.

Like a giant pocket formation.

Upon hearing this, Cao Hong remained expressionless and said:

"Xin Gong has sharp eyes! But this was indeed something I did on purpose."

Xinpi looked on, puzzled.

Cao Hong did not explain directly, but instead pointed his whip northward at the undulating earthen hill and tunnel complex behind the Han infantry.

Xinpi stared for a moment, then suddenly realized something.

It turned out that the Han infantry had advanced in large numbers.

At this moment, it was neither the Han army nor the Wei army.

They were all located far away from that tunnel fortification.

Especially on the east and west wings.

The extensive maneuvering and clashes between the two sides' knights forced the infantry to accelerate their southward march.

At this point, they were at least a mile away from the tunnel fortifications to the north.

And it continues to move further away.

Once this trend takes hold, it cannot be stopped in a short period of time.

The infantrymen on both sides, who were pushing and shoving each other, their eyes bloodshot, and their voices hoarse from shouting, could not do it.

The knights on both sides, who were riding their warhorses, their blood gushing, dust billowing, and howling in the wind, could not do the same.

They couldn't care less about anything else.

In other words.

That earthen fortification was originally intended to prevent the Wei cavalry from maneuvering and flanking from the north and south.

At this point in the war.

It has completely lost its original tactical function and has become a decoration on the edge of the battlefield.

But once this "gap" expands to the minimum size sufficient to accommodate a stampede of horses...

That will be the moment when the Wei cavalry launch their general offensive.

"What a brilliant move—a strategic retreat!"

"This applies not only to the two wings, but also to the whole body."

"How could such exquisite command and control of battle formations be achieved so naturally and smoothly without decades of battlefield experience?"

On the platform, Mi Wei once again praised the opposing coach.

leisurely.

Influenced by him, Zhuge Qiao also possessed a rather composed demeanor, and jokingly asked:
"Cao Hong retreated only a few miles."

"The general's retreat from Yingru earlier covered several hundred li."

"If Cao Hong's command can be described as exquisite, then wouldn't the general's command be divine?"

Miwei laughed and was about to explain.

Suddenly, a loud drumbeat arose from the south, sounding like muffled thunder.

In an instant, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves, driven by the powerful drumbeats, came from the southeast, momentarily drowning out all other sounds on the battlefield.

A huge banner bearing the character "Cao" appeared prominently in the front and middle section of the cavalry formation.

Countless Wei cavalrymen rode after the flag with effortless skill.

Murderous.

It turned out that Cao Hong, seeing an opportunity, personally led the remaining knights in a general offensive.

(End of this chapter)