Chapter 9 Chasing the Central Plains 26th Festival in the middle of April, Hanoi, Binh Gao City. Zhang Zan looked up to the sky and roared, the sword was like a rainbow, the thunder slashed, a puddle of blood burst out, and the screaming head hovered in the air, spilling pieces of blood, and fell outside the city.

"Kill, kill the enemy, kill the wall......"

"Kill, ......" The soldiers in northern Xinjiang roared like thunder, bloody weapons flew up and down, and a crowd of people set off layers of blood waves, roaring towards the enemy.

The spear cut through the air like lightning,

A "flutter" sound pierced the soldier's body. The soldier roared in rage, took two more steps, and stabbed his enemy in the chest with all his strength before dying.

The two corpses collided violently, and then they were planted down the city wall in unison. The crossbow arrows roared, and the two enemy soldiers who rushed up the city wall howled loudly and retreated one after another, and at the moment when they fell down the wall, one of the enemy soldiers threw a spear in his hand at the northern frontier soldier who killed them.

The Northern Frontier pawn was caught off guard, pierced by a spear, and fell on his back with a long and terrible scream.

There were mountains of corpses up and down the walls, and blood flowed like gurgling streams all over every heavy dark wall.

"Boom...... The roar of the ballistae ...... reverberated in a deafening sound of killing, and after each roar, the attacking enemy troops outside the city fell one by one.

But the frenzied enemy army ignored life and death, and still stepped on the thick corpses and blood-stained ground to attack stubbornly.

The sky was full of arrows, shuttling back and forth, wantonly devouring the lives of soldiers on both sides. The large stones emitted by the stone cannons in the city rolled all the way in the dense array of arrows, like a roaring divine beast, opening its bloody mouth and viciously pounced on the bloody prey.

Below the arrow array, the trees flew in the air, the oil burned in the air, and the rows of ladders let out a terrible scream under the ravages of the trees and the oil.

On the moat, blood flowed, floating corpses were dense, and a strong fishy smell enveloped the city. Zhang Zan fell to the ground with a bang.

On his scarred corpse, three spears trembled violently, and seven long arrows shook their bloody tails as if they were smirking.

More than a dozen guards fell around him, and they used their flesh and blood to block the enemy who tried to rush up and cut off Zhang Zhan's head.

The soldiers of Northern Xinjiang were like hungry and red-eyed beasts, roaring, howling, and desperately killing them, protecting Zhang Zhan's body to the death.

"Drag it off. Drag the adults down......"

"Block them, block them with your body......"

"Ballista, ballista, shooting...... Shoot ......"

"Boom......" There was a loud bang, and the ballista roared at close range. The soldiers on both sides were like fallen leaves in the autumn wind, falling in a blink of an eye, and several enemy soldiers standing on the battlements of the city wall floated up in the air, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

Zhang Liao was covered in blood, staggered to Zhang Zhan's corpse, speechless. A fishy smell came to his face, and the bloodstained Wen Chou limped over with his sword.

In the distance, the city was embraced, the drums were like thunder, and the sound of killing soared into the sky. Peng Lie was cloaked in a cloak, with a team of thugs, and was struggling to kill, a hoarse and angry roar echoing in the bloody air for a long time.

"It's been seven days." Wen Chou said in a low voice,

"We have suffered too many casualties, and it will be difficult for Pingao to hold on like this. You should urgently tell Lord Yan Liang and ask him to send troops to support. Zhang Liao didn't speak, the muscles on his face kept twitching, and his eyes were murderous.

"Zhu Ling went crazy, relying on the strength of the crowd, attacking day and night, regardless of losses." Wen Chou gritted his teeth, filled with grief and indignation,

"Wen Yuan, if we continue to fight like this, our casualties will be bigger and bigger, and we must find a way to contain the enemy's offensive as soon as possible."

"Lord Xu Huang fought against Yuan Xi in Chenggao, and there were too many enemy troops in the direction of Guancheng, and it was difficult for Wei Xu to protect himself. There are more enemies in the direction of Aocang, and Lord Zhang He is powerless, if he could support us, he would have sent troops to cross the river a long time ago. Zhang Liao shook his head,

"Lord Yan Liang has come to the book again and again, and at present, he has no troops to adjust, so he can only count on the Kansai battlefield to fight more fiercely, forcing Luoyang to transfer troops from the Hanoi battlefield back to Shouhan Guguan."

"It's too unrealistic to expect the nine-headed bird to hit Hangu Pass in such a short time." Wen Chou smiled bitterly,

"If Pinggao is lost, the army will be besieged in Henan, and we will not be able to escape the blame. is still anxious to write Zishan (Yan Liang), and ask him to send troops to support him quickly. ”

"Lord Yan Liang's army is surrounded by Yuan Shao's army in the Xingyang area, and the slightest carelessness may wipe out the entire army." Zhang Liao thought about it, looked at Wen Chou and said,

"Urgently inform Handan, and suggest that Lord Zhang Yan immediately order the withdrawal of troops from Henan." Wen Chou was stunned for a moment,

"Wenyuan, Lord Zhang Yan said that the army cannot withdraw from Henan until the main force takes Dingtao and Changyi."

"But the facts are here......" Zhang Liao pointed to Zhang Zhan's corpse and said excitedly,

"Now there are several times as many enemy soldiers under the city, two generals have died, more than half of the soldiers have been lost, and how long Pinggao City can hold on, you and I have a plan in our hearts. For the sake of the safety of the army, it is better to withdraw from Henan as soon as possible. "In mid-April, Handan.

Zhang Yan put her hands behind her back and slowly paced in the big tent. Jia Xu leaned over and looked at the map on the desk, contemplating.

Sima Fu Gan held a volume of documents in his hand, looked at Zhang Yan's back, and stopped talking. The battle in Pingao City was very fierce.

Although Yang Feng made a fierce attack in Guanxi, Yuan Shao was determined not to transfer troops from Hanoi back to Luoyang, and was bent on defeating Pinggao and cutting off the retreat of the Northern Xinjiang Army.

After Zhu Ling received reinforcements, he attacked Pinggao at all costs, forcing Wen Chou and Zhang Liao to be in a hurry.

"The three adults of Shucang, Zhang He, Wang Dang, and Zhang Xiu have heavy troops, why can't Lord Yan Liang send troops back to help?" Fu Gan saw Zhang Yan turn his eyes to look at him, and hurriedly said,

"Can't you even transfer five thousand men and horses in the direction of Aocang?"

"The tide of battle has changed." Zhang Yan frowned and said,

After Gao Ran unexpectedly defeated Puyang, Gao Gan immediately launched a counterattack. The forces of the two sides are close, and Gao Gan cannot conquer Puyang, so he must ask Yuan Shao in the direction of Aocang for help. ”

"The loss of Puyang has a great impact on the situation in the Central Plains. We can transport troops and grain and grass in the direction of Dingtao nearby, and the speed of Dingtao's fall will be faster. Once we can occupy Dingtao and Changyi before Cao Cao and Liu Bei's armies return to help, then Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei can only retreat to Yanxian, Fengqiu, Chenliu, and Xiangyi to block our attack. ”

"Retreating to Fengqiu and Chen Liu's line so quickly, there is too little time for Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others to join forces to counterattack. And Yan Liang's army is now fighting a series of bloody battles on the battlefield in Henan, and the rebels are sandwiched between our two armies, and it is very likely that they will collapse quickly. Therefore, Yuan Shao had to recapture Puyang as soon as possible no matter what, and stabilize the battle line in the area of Dingtao and Changyi, so as to buy himself time to counterattack. ”

"But we have heavy troops stationed in the direction of Aocang. If Yuan Shao divides his troops to aid Gao Gan, our army will immediately take the opportunity to attack him again. Yuan Shao didn't dare to fight with us when he had the advantage in troops, let alone when his troops were at a disadvantage, so he had not yet divided his troops to support the Puyang battlefield. Zhang Yan looked at Fu Gan, shook his hand and said,

"Yan Liang's approach is right. Now maintaining the strength in the direction of Aocang can drag all Yuan Shao's main forces, forcing Yuan Shao not to dare to divide his troops to support Puyang. In this way, Gao Ran was able to hold Puyang, protect the grain and grass and baggage from the direction of Changshoujin and quickly transport it to the Dingtao battlefield, and win time for the army to quickly occupy Dingtao and Changyi. Fu Gan disagreed,

"My lord, if I were Yuan Shao, when it came to this kind of life and death, I would no longer consider preserving my strength, but resolutely divide my troops to support the Puyang battlefield. After receiving the news that I had divided our troops to support Puyang, the Northern Xinjiang Army would definitely take the initiative to attack, so I would steadily move forward step by step, drag the Northern Xinjiang Army, and buy time for Zhu Ling to occupy Pingao on the battlefield in Hanoi. Once Pinggao was taken, the rear route of the Northern Xinjiang Army was cut off, and it immediately faced the danger of annihilation. At this moment, even if Yan Liang breaks through, his losses will be very amazing. The crushing defeat of the Northern Xinjiang Army in the Henan Battlefield will seriously hit the morale of the Northern Xinjiang Army in capturing the Central Plains, and the Northern Xinjiang Army may also have to choose to withdraw to Jizhou in the end because of the lack of troops. Fu Gan's words made Zhang Yan fall into deep thought.

Jia Xu looked up at Zhang Yan,

"The advance of the left and right armies is very smooth, according to the time calculation, the general should have arrived at the city of Changyi, and General Koyi should also be approaching Dingtao, at this time it is very important to ensure the safety of Puyang. In the past, we didn't expect Gao Ran to take Puyang so quickly, so we should make a slight adjustment in our attack strategy in order to help the Great General and General Koyi take Dingtao and Changyi as soon as possible. ”

"What is Lord Jia's countermeasure?"

"Urgently tell Lord Yan Liang, let him gather his troops, take the initiative to attack, and make a posture of attacking Zhongmu and Chen Liu, and marching east to join the main force of our army."

"Take the initiative?" Zhang Yan was slightly surprised,

"After Yuan Shao and Cao Cao learned that our army was attacking the Central Plains, they must have asked Liu Biao in Jingzhou for help. If nothing else, the Jingzhou army will rush to the Yingchuan area in the near future. Judging from the current battle situation, the fastest way to defeat us is to encircle and annihilate the Northern Xinjiang Army on the Henan battlefield, so Liu Biao will definitely command the Jingzhou Army to enter Henan. ”

"Yan Liang took the initiative to attack, and the lone army went deep into the area of Zhongmu and Chenliu, and it is very likely that he will encounter the Jingzhou army." Zhang Yan said worriedly,

"Once the Jingzhou army enters the Henan battlefield, there is a huge disparity in the strength of the two sides, and it will be difficult for Yan Liang to withdraw to Hanoi safely."

"At this moment, if Lord Yan Liang can take the initiative to attack, it will definitely affect the development of the entire battle situation." Jia Xu explained,

"At present, the main force of our army has been killed under the cities of Dingtao and Changyi, and Lord Yan Liang has taken the initiative to attack, which will undoubtedly form a trend of two armies attacking from the east and west. After Yuan Shao saw Yan Liang's intention to attack, he would immediately reinforce Zhongmu and Chenliu to prevent the two armies from meeting and help Cao Cao hold Dingtao and Changyi. Even if the Jingzhou army rushed to Yingchuan, the preferred target was Zhongmu and Chen Liu, rather than directly killing Xingyang. ”

"Dingtao and Changyi are more important than Baima and Puyang, so Yuan Shao had no choice but to give up Puyang and instead divide his troops to support Zhongmu and Chen Liu, so that Gao Gan can continue to stick to Baima."

"After Yuan Shao divides his troops, one part of our army in the direction of Aocang can return to Pinggao, and the other can go south to Xingyang to meet Lord Yan Liang, leaving only a few men and horses to garrison Aocang."

"When the general and General Liyi took Dingtao and Changyi, and Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Biao, Liu Bei and others were in a hurry to counterattack, we ordered Yan Liang to avoid the enemy's edge, immediately withdraw from Henan, rush to Liyang, and cross the river from the direction of Liyang to attack Baima."

"At this time, the armies of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others are all gathered in front of the main force of our army, and the areas around Baima and Yanxian must be negligent in defense. We let Lord Yan Liang lead the army to attack Baima and Yanxian, threatening Zhongmu and Chenliu, just enough to threaten the rebels from the flank of the battlefield, and force Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others to retreat to Fengqiu and Chenliu to hold on. ”

"In this way, the main force of our army can quickly advance to Fengqiu and Chenliu to attack the rebels, so as to gain more advantages for the decisive battle." Zhang Yan and Fu Ganwei went to the map, discussed the details carefully with Jia Xu, and felt that this plan was feasible.

"If this strategy is to succeed, the key is to look at Lord Yan Liang's attack speed and retreat speed." Fu Gan said worriedly,

"If Lord Yan Liang's attack speed is too slow, he may not be able to threaten Yuan Shao, and if the timing of the retreat is not well grasped, or the retreat speed is too slow, the army is very likely to suffer heavy losses, which will affect the next strategy of attacking Baima and Yanxian." Zhang Yan thought about it for a long time and waved her hand resolutely,

"Hurry up to Yan Liang with an eight-hundred-mile fast horse, immediately attack, and attack Zhongmu."

"Urgently inform Wen Chou and Zhang Liao, hold Pinggao at any cost, and the reinforcements will arrive in Pinggao City in a few days." In mid-April, Jiyin County, Yanzhou, Dingtao City.

Koji Yi led a large army to the foot of Dingtao City. Due to the extremely fast advance of the Northern Xinjiang Army, Cao Ren's strategy of preparing to dig trenches outside the eastern, western, and northern cities was unsuccessful.

With the exception of the north gate, the moats outside the eastern and western cities were unfinished. Koji then divided the army into two, one besieging the east gate and the other besieging the west gate, and the momentum was huge.

Cao Ren stood on the city tower and looked at the overwhelming Northern Xinjiang Army, his heart was like heavy lead. Mao Jue and Xin Bi, who were standing on his left and right sides, were also frightened, and their vests were cold.

At this moment, there was an even more damning news that Xiahou Yuan had defeated Chengshi City and was leading the remnants of the army to hurry along the south bank of the Jishui River.

Because he was worried that the iron cavalry of the Northern Xinjiang Army had crossed the river and outflanked the south of Dingtao City, Xiahou Yuan sent people to the city first and asked Cao Ren to send troops to respond.

When Cao Ren suddenly heard that Chengshi City was lost, he suddenly felt cold, felt dizzy, and couldn't stand steadily. Chengshi City was lost, and the Northern Xinjiang Army no longer had any fetters, let alone worries, and could rest assured that they could boldly storm Dingtao and Changyi.

The loss of Chengshi City was a complete accident. Chengshi City is located on the south bank of the Jishui River, when Jade led the army to build a bridge on the river, ready to attack, the county commander in the city and a group of government officials were heartbroken, secretly opened the city gate and fled, the people in the city roared out, and for a time the city and outside the city were in chaos.

Jade took the opportunity to attack, and Xiahou Yuan saw that the army's morale had been lost, so he simply ordered the city to be abandoned and ran away after the fleeing crowd.

Cao Ren smiled bitterly and was speechless, waved his hand and ordered,

"Command the ministries to prepare for war." Jump to