Chapter 9 Chasing the Central Plains Section 17 The big silk on the west city gate fell down with a bang. Zhang Zhan's heart trembled violently with the loud sound of the big smash on the city tower and the screams of the enemy soldiers, and anger and shame rushed straight to his head, as if he wanted to tear his body apart alive.

The bloody war knife was raised high, and Zhang Zan looked back and shouted, like a bloodthirsty beast letting out a terrible howl,

"Brothers, kill it, recapture Xicheng, recapture Xicheng......" More than 300 soldiers fought bravely along the stone steps covered with corpses, blood dripping down the moss-covered stone wall like a spring, and life passed quietly in the bloody rain.

On the pontoon bridge of the Jishui River, Wen Chou ran with all his might. The sound of war drums from inside the city was majestic and tragic, as if a group of strong men were facing death.

"Quick, quick......" Wen Chou was the first to rush onto the suspension bridge, panting and shouting and shouting,

"Kill to the west city, kill to the west city...... The soldiers rushed into the east city gate and marched quickly along the long street in the direction of the west city gate.

The sound of neat footsteps and the impact of armor are intertwined, and the momentum is like a rainbow. Long arrows were like locusts, and the dense bows and crossbows on the city tower aimed at the northern Xinjiang reinforcements and launched a crazy shot.

"Raise the shield ......" Wen Chou raised the round shield above the top, his eyes widened angrily,

"Rush through the arrows...... Kill ......"

"Kill the ......" 800 soldiers shouted in unison, 800 shields were raised at the same time, and the resentment and hatred in the hearts of the soldiers in the northern Xinjiang were ignited in an instant, and the roar swept over the city like thunder.

Wen Chou took the lead and rushed into the enemy group like a tiger. The war knife flew up and down, bringing up pieces of blood, and the blockers were invincible.

Eight hundred soldiers followed, shouting for a fierce battle. On the long street, the sea of people was like a tide, the sound of killing was like thunder, and the soldiers on both sides fought bloodily and vowed not to give up.

For a while, blood was pouring out, and severed limbs and stumps flew in the sky in a dense stream of arrows. The West City Gate opened its bloody mouth in the stormy blood waves, wantonly devouring fragile lives.

Zhang Zan and nearly 100 soldiers were swept into the battle formation of the Northern Xinjiang Army. With the surging waves, it launched a stubborn impact on the city wall again and again.

The drums of war outside the city suddenly rose high, and groups of tough enemy soldiers raised their weapons and rushed madly onto the western city wall amid the deafening sound of killing.

The offensive momentum of the Northern Frontier Army was quickly contained. The enemy troops rushing down from the western city wall were like huge waves falling from the sky, crushing and tearing apart the unbreakable battle formation of the Northern Xinjiang Army little by little, and rows of Northern Xinjiang soldiers screamed, fell, and disappeared under the heavy blows of the huge waves.

Wen Chou was hit hard and covered in blood, and under the desperate protection of several personal guards, he withdrew from the battle formation in embarrassment.

"Sir, take a break, I'll go to the front." Zhang Zan endured the pain all over his body, and reluctantly stood up with the battle knife in his hand.

Wen Chou shook his head, wiped the blood on his face, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Have you seen Hao Meng?" Zhang Zhan's face was sad,

"The soldiers defending Xicheng have all been killed." Wen Chou spat a mouthful of blood foam on the ground, and scolded angrily,

"Order, burn the city, prepare to retreat." Zhang Zan was stunned for a moment,

"Burning the city? Right now? ”

"Burn it now, and I'll burn it wherever I can." Wen Chou pointed in the direction of the East City Gate and said,

"Except for the East City Gate, I burned it all."

"My lord, there are still people in the city......"

"I told you to burn the city." Wen Choujian's eyebrows were upside down, and his bloodstained face looked extremely hideous and terrifying.

"Light a fire for me immediately." Zhang Zan swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty, looked up at the battlefield of fierce fighting a hundred steps away, and shook his head painfully.

On the tower of Nancheng City, a beam of flame suddenly rose into the air, and a black pillar of smoke soared into the sky. Then, the northern city was also caught in flames.

The enemy saw the intention of the Northern Xinjiang Army, and the drums of the attack suddenly became fierce, and thousands of soldiers shouted all the way, roaring in the direction of the west city gate.

The houses in the city were also set on fire. The fire took advantage of the wind, and the entire city was instantly plunged into a sea of fire, black smoke obscured the sky, and miserable and helpless cries resounded in the sky.

The golden gong sounded, and the besiegers withdrew from the burning city like a tidal wave. The people in the city cried for their fathers and mothers, and the wolves rushed to flee in the direction of the east city gate, trampling on each other and killing countless people.

The soldiers of the Northern Frontier guarding the direction of the East City Gate could not control the situation, and were squeezed into the flow of people without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The fleeing people cried all the way and rushed to the pontoon bridge on the Jishui River. The soldiers guarding the bridge wanted to maintain order so that the fleeing people could reach the other side as quickly as possible, but the terrified people were so frightened by the fire in the city and the army outside the city that they forgot everything and rushed to the pontoon bridge in order to survive.

The bridge guards were caught off guard and pushed into the water by the frantic crowd. The pontoon bridge is overwhelmed and can fall apart at any moment if it is wobbly.

The long arrow roared in an instant. The soldiers of the northern Xinjiang did not hesitate to launch a bloody massacre against the people who rushed onto the pontoon bridge.

At this time, the Northern Frontier Army in the city was also blocked at the city gate and could not leave the city. The fire burned closer and closer, and the scorching fire city burned so much that the soldiers sweated like rain.

"Kill ......" A soldier of the Northern Xinjiang Army picked up his sword and raised his hand to cut off a head. Blood and fire stirred up the bestiality in the hearts of the soldiers, and in the face of the unarmed innocent people, they raised their weapons and slaughtered them with impunity.

Wen Chou stood under the city gate where the corpses were in disarray, took one last look at Li Cheng, who was burning in the fire, and waved his hand lightly,

"Burn this place down as well." At dusk, all the surviving soldiers and civilians crossed the pontoon bridge and rushed to the north bank of the Jishui River.

The soldiers then lit the pontoon bridge. Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the team dragged their tired bodies and slowly retreated towards Pinggao City.

In April, Henan Yin, Xingyang City. Yan Liang sat behind the desk, holding Wen Chou's letter asking for help and bowed his head in contemplation.

Zhou Shan took the candlestick to the side of the desk and looked at the map carefully.

"The attack of the Yuan army in the direction of Guancheng has stopped." Zhou Shan said,

"Lord Wei Xu came to the book and said that Han Heng and Ma Yan's army was about 10,000 people, and since they did not have the superior forces to conquer Guancheng, they had already given up the attack after several attempts and turned to garrison the city."

"It's not a big problem to manage the city." Yan Liang put Wen Chou's letter aside, sat up and leaned on the map,

"How's the direction of Chenggao?"

"Like the other day, not much progress." Zhou Shan said,

"Yuan Xi, this kid led 10,000 people to attack Chenggao, and he was very imposing. But the thunder was heavy and the rain was small, and so far only three attacks have been launched. The first battle was to fight Huxiaoling and beat Li Feng back to the city, and the other two were to fight Chenggao, but Chenggao was garrisoned by Xu Huang's 5,000 troops, and Yuan Xi couldn't move. In addition, today Zhang He came to the book and said that Yuan Shao's army still showed no signs of attacking Ao Cang. Yan Liang frowned,

"According to the calculation of time, Yuan Shao has received the news that the general has crossed the river to the south, and at this moment, in order to prevent us from capturing the Central Plains, he should launch a fierce attack on us, so as to drive us out of Henan, so as to transfer troops to support Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan in Yanzhou, and block us on the line of Dingtao and Changyi." Yan Liang looked at Zhou Shan,

"Why did he stand still? What was he thinking? Zhou Shan shook his head suspiciously,

"It's hard for me to understand. Although Luoyang increased his troops in Hanoi, Zhu Ling's attack was extremely sharp, but it was very difficult for him to conquer Pinggao in a short period of time and surround us in the Xingyang area. Xingyang currently has 5,000 men and horses of Xu Yan and Hou Cheng, and we can let them support Pinggao at any time, and Pinggao City can be said to be impregnable. Yan Liang groaned for a while, and said in a low voice: "You say, will Yuan Shao use the confrontation of the troops as a bait to secretly transfer troops to support Yanzhou?" ”

"It's a big possibility." Zhou Shan nodded, pointed to the map and said,

"After the general went south, our intention to attack Henan has been exposed. At this time, if Yuan Shao eats us, he can make our strategy of attacking the Central Plains fail, but Yuan Shao may not be willing to forcibly implement the strategy of encirclement and annihilation at the risk of losing his troops and losing his generals. Once the encirclement is not successful, Dingtao and Changyi are lost again, and Luoyang will be in danger. After all, Yuan Shao's troops are limited, and he can't control Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and if he is not careful, he will lose everything. Relatively speaking, while maintaining their own strength, it is indeed the best policy to help Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan block the footsteps of the generals to capture Dingtao and Changyi, and wait for Cao Cao and Liu Bei to come back for help. Yan Liang stared at the map for a long time,

"If Pinggao is in danger, we are bound to withdraw from Henan, and Yuan Shaofen will not be harmed. At the same time, the armies of Cao Cao and Liu Bei fought to the death with the generals on the front line of Dingtao and Changyi, and their losses were quite amazing. After we withdrew from Henan, Yuan Shao would immediately lead his army to support Cao Cao. At this time, if we have no success in fighting for a long time, or have to withdraw from the Central Plains for other reasons, Yuan Shao can take advantage of the situation and occupy the Central Plains. Yan Liang vigorously nodded at Ao Cang on the map,

"Only by maintaining his own strength can Yuan Shao always have an advantage in the future war. In other words, I would also stand still at this moment, consume each other with the other party, and wait and see the development of the situation in the Central Plains. Zhou Shan's expression was solemn, his eyes looked at Aocang City on the map, and he whispered: "It seems that we have to take the initiative." ”

"Hit him." Yan Liang said coldly,

"Immediately write to Zhang He, Wang Dang, and Zhang Xiu, immediately attack Yuan Shao, and fight him to the death."

"The book told Wen Chou and Zhang Liao, reinforcements will arrive soon, let them defend Pingao at all costs."

"At all costs?" Zhou Shan said in surprise,

"If you don't give reinforcements, it's okay to deceive them, why do you want them to defend Pingao at all costs? If the casualties are too great, Pingao City will be in danger. ”

"The losses of defending the city are great, and the losses of the siege are even greater." Yan Liang sneered,

"When Zhu Ling can't move, I will want his life." In April, Yanzhou Chenliu County, Xiancheng. Xiancheng is located on the north bank of the Lizi River one hundred miles southeast of Puyang.

After receiving Yuan Shao's order, Gao Gan left a part of his men and horses to garrison Baima and Puyang, and quietly left Baima with an army of 5,000 and hurried to Juancheng to support Xiahou Yuan.

Originally, the nearest route to Juancheng was to cross the Guzi River in the direction of Puyang, but because Gao Lan's army was under Puyang City, Gao Gan could only cross the river by detouring to Xiancheng.

However, when he arrived in Xiancheng, he found that the city had been occupied by the Northern Frontier Army at some point.

Gao Gan immediately decided to follow the south bank of the Guzi River, and then travel more than 100 miles to the southeast to cross the river in Chuiting.

At this moment, Xia Zhao, who was stationed in White Horse City, sent an urgent report, and Lei Chong, the general of the Northern Frontier Army, suddenly attacked Pingyang Pavilion and burned the grain and grass accumulated in Pingyang Pavilion.

Gao Gan was shocked and angry, and he was at a loss. When Yuan Shao led the army to attack Jizhou, the large camp was set up in Baima, and the grain and grass were piled up in Pingyang Pavilion, which was sixty miles away from Baima.

How could the Lei Chong of the Northern Xinjiang Army know that Pingyang Pavilion has accumulated grain and grass? The grain and grass were burned, and the defenders of Baima and Puyang immediately faced the danger of running out of food, and Gao Ran and Lei Chong would immediately take advantage of the opportunity to go to Juancheng to support Xiahou Yuan to attack these two cities.

Once Baima and Puyang were lost, not only Yuan Shao's army would be exposed to the attack of the Northern Xinjiang Army, but even the important Yanzhou towns of Chenliu and Dingtao would be directly threatened by the Northern Xinjiang Army.

Gao Gan thought twice and categorically decided to give up rescuing Xiahou Yuan and withdraw his troops back to defend the city. The castle is located between Puyang and Hakuba, and can be supported left and right.

Gao Gan wrote to Yuan Shao on the one hand, and led the army to retreat in a hurry. On the end of April, ten miles away from the city, Xiaoliang Pavilion. As soon as a trace of fish belly white appeared in the sky, the officers and soldiers of the Northern Xinjiang Army, who were covered in morning mist, quietly rushed to the hillside near Xiaoliang Pavilion and quickly entered the ambush position.

Gao Lan, Lei Chong, and Xiao En stood on the hillside, looking quite nervous. From the direction of Puyang and Jiaocheng, many scouts came back one after another.

The scouts stared at Puyang and Jicheng all night, and did not find anything unusual in the city, and several teams of patrol cavalry patrolling outside the city at night also returned to the city early, and did not find the whereabouts of the Northern Frontier Army.

The scouts' return made the three of them relax.

"This place is too close to Puyang and Jiaocheng, and if we are a little negligent, we will be surrounded." Sean wiped the sweat from his forehead and said worriedly,

"Now it's up to Gao Gan to arrive at Xiaoliang Pavilion on time. If he delays, we will be exposed. ”

"The scouts kept an eye on him, and they couldn't make a mistake." Looking up at the sky,

"In another hour he'll be there."

"Gao Gan was so anxious that he had to rush back to Puyang overnight." Lei Zhong laughed,

"However, if he is not in such a hurry, we will not have a chance to kill him."

"You burned his grain and grass again, can he not be in a hurry?" Sean reached out and patted him on the shoulder,

"Gao Gan is too careless. After Yuan Shao left Baima, he should transport the grain and grass back to Baima, so that you have no chance. ”

"I have few troops, and after crossing the river, I don't dare to stay under the White Horse City, so I wander around with the army and beat him in a few small ambushes." Lei Zhong smiled proudly,

"Gao Gan is very strict with me, and at this time, it is safer for him to put the grain and grass in Pingyang Pavilion."

"If it weren't for your luck, you wouldn't be able to burn the dry grain and grass." Gao Ran waved his hand and motioned for the two of them to follow him to the hidden place behind the slope.

"It's up to your luck this time. With a bit of luck, we will be able to defeat Gao Gan and occupy Puyang. "Jump to