Chapter 7: Wind and Thunder, Section 24: The Red Sun Rises. The sound of war drums and trumpets accompanied by a faint morning breeze spread throughout the heavens.

Yan Liang drove his horse up the high slope and looked ahead. On the battlefield within a radius of several miles, the flow of people is surging, the flags are dense, and the murderous atmosphere is awe-inspiring.

To the south of the battlefield, Lu Bu commanded Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Mustafa, and the 30,000-foot cavalry army of Sai Feng had been lined up.

After yesterday's bloody battle, the dead soldiers on both sides had been buried, and the front of the battlefield was full of scarlet blood and broken weapons, and the air was filled with a foul smell of blood.

Lu Bu lightly planned his war horse and made one last patrol along the front line of the battle array. Mustafa bowed slightly on his horse,

"My lord, the Changshui camp is ready." Lu Bu nodded,

"The iron cavalry on both wings should cover the middle lane with long arrows to tear apart the rebel chariot formation, and don't rush to attack." Mustafa agreed, waving his hand behind him.

Several heralds rushed into the battle formation on horseback, and urgently informed the officers and men of the Changshui battalion of Lu Bu's latest orders. Zhang Liao saw Lu Bu riding his horse and hurriedly caught up.

The two looked at each other, sighed in their hearts, and their eyes invariably turned to the battlefield.

"Brother Fengxian, after we were driven out of Chang'an by Li Dao, we should go directly to northern Xinjiang." Lu Bu sighed slightly,

"It's time, we're still in time, and we haven't lost too much time." Then he pointed in front of him,

"Wen Yuan, tear apart the rebel car formation faster. As soon as the car formation broke, the iron cavalry of Zhao Yun and Li Su roared from the east and west wings of the battlefield, and the battle would soon be over. Zhang Liao roared excitedly,

"After this battle is over, we will go south to fight Cao Cao and take revenge." On the east side of the battlefield, the fifteen thousand iron cavalry commanded by Li Su and Lou Lu, Lu Huanyang and Gongsun Xu were slowly pressing, and the huge smoke and dust raised by the movement of the army almost obscured the rising sun.

Li Hu's expression was cold and solemn, and he kept giving orders.

"It's been years since the Battle of Sunset Plains that we haven't participated in a major war of this magnitude." Lou Lu drove his horse to Li Su's side and shouted loudly.

"I haven't fought for so many years, is your war knife rusty?" Lou Lu roared, pulled out the war knife behind his back, and slashed into the air.

"My sword is still sharp, waiting to drink the blood of my enemies." To the north of the battlefield, Wu Xiong and Guo Hua led 5,000 cavalry to prepare for the attack.

Guo Hua pointed to the smoke and dust rising from the east and shook his head in frustration.

"Today we don't have a chance to kill the enemy."

"What? Do you want to be trampled to death by your own iron horseman? Wu Xiong smiled and pointed to the ground under his feet,

"In this battle, the difference in strength between the two sides is too great, let's stand here and watch the excitement." Guo Hua hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice: "We have the least number of people here, will Tian Kai and Ma Teng choose our direction to break through?" ”

"Possibly." Wu Xiong nodded,

"But in the face of a siege of 70,000 people, it is a dead end for them to flee wherever they go." To the west of the battlefield, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, Wei Jun, and Liu Ming led 20,000 iron cavalry to wait for them.

Jiang Wu looked up at the southern sky and said to Zhao Yun worriedly, "I wonder if Gao Ran can hold back the Jingzhou army?" If we can drag the Jingzhou army south of Xinhe, we will be able to rush to the north of Xinhe tonight and eat Xiahoudun. ”

"Yesterday afternoon, the first section of the Xuzhou Army has crossed the river to support the Jingzhou Army, whether or not it can eat Xiahoudun depends on whether Gao Ran's attack today can be successful." Zhao Yun said lightly,

"If we can completely annihilate Tian Kai and Ma Teng in half a day, even if Gao Ran doesn't drag the Jingzhou army south of the Xinhe River, we can still besiege Xiahoudun."

"There should be no problem in annihilating 15,000 people in half a day." Jiang Wu said with a smile,

"Zilong, after we kill Tian Kai, do you think the general will order us to directly enter Qingzhou?" Zhao Yun smiled slightly,

"What? Don't want to encircle Cao Cao? ”

"Of course Cao Cao wants to kill, but I think that after killing Tian Kai, Qingzhou has no strength, and we can take the opportunity to occupy Qingzhou." Zhao Yun nodded and smiled: "If we can occupy Qingzhou this year, it will indeed be of great benefit to quell the rebellion in Liaodong." Maybe the general will take it into account, but the premise is ......" Zhao Yun pointed to the battlefield,

"We want to win the battle of Dongguang." In the middle of the battlefield, the rebels surrounded by regiments looked lonely and weak, like a lamb to the slaughter, terrified.

Tian Kai and Ma Teng were completely desperate, they never thought that there would be so many people in the Northern Frontier Army that surrounded them, they even suspected that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had retreated, and the Northern Frontier Army on the other two battlefields had rushed here.

"We can't break through." Tian Kai smiled bitterly,

"If Xiahoudun retreats now, they may still have a glimmer of hope." Ma Teng looked up to the sky and sighed, without saying a word.

"The Northern Frontier Army in the north of the battlefield has the smallest number of troops, and if we want to break through, we can only choose the north." Guan Jing said very calmly,

"After the two sides fought, due to the small number of people on the north side of the battlefield, and the iron cavalry on the east side rushed into the center of the battlefield, there will be a brief undefended state in the northeast direction of the battlefield. We gathered hundreds of elite iron horsemen and rushed out from here. At the beginning of the war, the Northern Frontier Army did not have time to catch up with us. Tian Kai and Ma Teng seemed to see a life-saving straw, and their hearts suddenly ignited the ** of survival.

"Let's go back to Qingzhou directly." Tian Kai waved his fists and shouted through gritted teeth,

"We still have a chance to beat the leopards." Zhou Shan hurried to Yan Liang's side,

"My lord, Xiahoudun has not yet launched an attack."

"Are there any signs of retreat?" Yan Liang hurriedly asked.

"Not at the moment." Yan Liang looked at the sky,

"Lord Gao Lan has already started to attack, let's start it too, and fight quickly, so as not to let Xiahoudun retreat to the south of Xinhe and delay the opportunity for total annihilation." Yan Liang raised the horsewhip in his hand and waved it down fiercely,

"Drumming...... Attack ......" The drum beat was earth-shattering, cracking stones pierced the clouds, and Xiaoliang Pavilion shook at this moment.

The Iron Cavalry army on the east side of the battlefield suddenly accelerated, and a huge roar suddenly exploded, and flying smoke and dust rushed up.

The iron cavalry army on the west side of the battlefield rushed to the battlefield like a tide bursting the embankment, carrying a violent wind and thunder.

Under the cover of the iron cavalry on both wings, the army of foot soldiers on the south side of the battle struck all the way and swept towards the center of the battlefield like a raging hurricane.

The rebels are like a flat boat in a flood, like a reef in a stormy sea, helplessly watching the catastrophe roar in.

Ma Teng gathered all the iron cavalry and killed him to the east of the battlefield, completely ignoring the northern iron cavalry that he killed from behind.

In the absence of any chance of winning, there is only a sworn fight to the death, fighting with life, and killing one is counted as one.

Tian Kai commanded the Qingzhou Army to rely on a thin vehicle formation to block the Northern Xinjiang Army from the front, and he also completely abandoned his right flank and back.

Behind him is Wu Xiong's army. Wu Xiong did not enter the battlefield because of the small number of troops, and was only responsible for preventing the rebels from breaking through.

And his right flank is Zhao Yun's iron horse, he is unstoppable, so he can only let him kill and poke.

"......Boom" There was a loud bang, and the Youzhou Iron Cavalry and the Guanzhong Iron Cavalry collided head-on on the battlefield, and the fierce fighting sound resounded in the sky in an instant.

Li Su roared loudly, and the spear in his hand was like lightning in the air, stabbing three people in a row. A bloody spear suddenly fell from the sky and stabbed straight at the door.

Li Su instinctively lowered his head and flashed, the spear piercing his battle helmet and roaring over his head, a few drops of flying blood crashing into his face.

Before Li Su could raise his head, a terrifying howl had already sounded in his ears, and his guard horse pierced through the enemy horse just now at the fastest speed, and sent his body flying high.

"Kill, kill......" Li Su was furious, and the spear in his hand was like a crazy beast devouring the enemy's life.

"Kill me ......" Zhao Yun's 20,000 iron cavalry entered the battlefield without hindrance. Zhao Yun and Jiang Wu led their troops to run wildly, chasing after the Guanzhong Iron Cavalry and shooting wantonly.

Wei Jun and Liu Ming rushed towards the Qingzhou army and slashed at will. Mustafa and Sacrificial Feng controlled the speed of the iron cavalry's advance, and suppressed the Qingzhou army's arrow array with long arrows flying all over the sky.

Zhang He and Zhang Liao's army of foot soldiers raised their shields and quickly entered the car formation, and started a bloody battle with the Qingzhou army.

The large army of infantry in the northern frontier was too numerous and had a clear advantage, and in a short time it tore through the enemy's vehicle formation and opened up two passages.

The horn sounded, and the soldiers of the Changshui Battalion and the Hu Cavalry Battalion suddenly accelerated, and pierced into the hinterland of the Qingzhou Army like two long arrows off the string.

Xiahoudun decided to retreat. It has been a day since the fierce battle with the Northern Xinjiang Army began yesterday afternoon, and there has been no news of Tian Kai and Ma Teng.

All the scouts sent out were intercepted and killed, and it was difficult for the scouts to move beyond ten miles. Xiahoudun felt that the situation was not good, he suspected that Tian Kai and Ma Teng had been surrounded by the Northern Frontier Army, otherwise there would be no news at all.

Since Tian Kai and Ma Teng were surrounded, and they were unable to break through the blockade of the Northern Frontier Army to rescue them, their fate can be imagined.

Once the Northern Xinjiang Army solves Tian Kai and Ma Teng, he will be in danger. In this kind of place with dense rivers, if this northern Xinjiang army is trapped, it will be too difficult for the army to break through.

In order to preserve strength, there is only the option of retreat. At this time, the Northern Xinjiang Army was attacked in Xindu City, and the number of troops that could rush to the Dongguang battlefield must be limited, with the strength of Tian Kai and Ma Teng, it would not be a problem to hold on for two to three days, and he could use these few days to quickly withdraw to Ganling State.

Although the eldest brother wanted to hold out on the battlefield on the East Road until the end of August, he did not say that he would hold out until the end of August before retreating.

As long as he returns to Ganling Country in early September, he will not be considered as violating his eldest brother's military order. Xiahoudun's opinion was supported by Li Dian, and at this time, he also thought that continuing to go north was purely looking for death.

Since the Northern Frontier Army has discovered our intentions, it will certainly not give us any chance. Xiahoudun ordered Zang Ba and Wen Ping not to fight with the northern Xinjiang army that was holding them back, immediately withdraw their troops, and take grain and grass to occupy the Dagu River twenty miles away from Xinhe.

At the same time, Sun Guan of the Xuzhou Army was ordered to lead the army to hold several crossings on the Xinhe River and respond to his retreat at any time.

Zang Ba and Wen Ping are fighting fiercely with Gao Ran while transporting grain and grass to the north bank of the Xinhe River. After receiving Xiahoudun's order to retreat, the two were secretly happy in their hearts.

They had long thought that they could not fight this battle. The whereabouts of the army were completely exposed, and its strength was not superior, so it would be difficult to cross the Zhangshui River and complete the predetermined combat objectives even if it reached Nanpi.

Wen Ping ordered Huang Zhong and Wei Yan to lead 3,000 men and horses to take the lead in retreating to the Dagu River. At noon, Li Dian led the main force to begin to retreat.

Xiahoudun led 2,000 men and horses on the south bank of the river and pretended to withdraw in the evening.

At the same time, the fierce battle on the battlefield of Xiaoliangting continued. Seeing that the battle was about to end, Yan Liang immediately ordered Zhang Zhen, Qin Yi, and Gao Shun to take the initiative to attack Xiahoudun and contain the Yanzhou army on the south bank of the river.

He was worried that Xiahoudun would be scared away after discovering that the main force of the Northern Frontier Army was encircling and annihilating Tian Kai and Ma Teng. Zhang Zhen and the three of them were very unhappy because they did not participate in the Battle of Xiaoliangting, and when they received the order to attack the Yanzhou army, they were immediately overjoyed.

With his own 15,000 men and horses, he can completely defeat 10,000 Yanzhou troops. Since Yan Liang now ordered himself to take the initiative to attack, of course the credit for this total annihilation of the Yanzhou Army cannot be given to others.

Fifteen thousand men from three armies slaughtered the other side with the thunderous drums of war. Xiahoudun thought that his intention to withdraw his troops had been exposed, so without saying a word, he turned around and ran wildly with 2,000 people.

Zhang Zhen, Qin Yi, and Gao Shun discovered that the Yanzhou army had begun to retreat. The three of them hurriedly reported to Yan Liang on the one hand, and then pursued on the other.

What Yan Liang was worried about still happened. If Xiahoudun withdrew to the south bank of the Xinhe River and joined the Xuzhou Army and the Jingzhou Army, then these 30,000 horses were crowded between the narrow rivers and had enough grain and grass, and they could hold on for a while.

On the contrary, at this time, many advantages of the Northern Xinjiang Army were limited due to the terrain, and it was difficult to eat these 30,000 people in a short time.

Once the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army is dragged here, then the strategy of encircling and annihilating Cao Cao in the south will inevitably be affected, or even directly fail.

"Order Zhao Yun and Jiang Wu to withdraw from the battlefield immediately, lead the army across the river, and outflank the rebels from the right side."

"Order Li Su and Gongsun Xu to immediately rush to the north bank of the Xinhe River and outflank the rebels from the left side."

"Urgently tell Lord Gao Lan to delay the rebel army crossing the river at all costs." Yan Liang looked at the battlefield with a murderous sound, waved his hand vigorously, and shouted loudly: "Order, don't take prisoners, kill them all for me, and leave no one behind." Zhou Shan was startled and hurriedly stopped,

"My lord, the general has an order, surrender as much as possible."

"I don't have time." Yan Liang shouted murderously,

"Kill them all for me." As soon as the killing order was given, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed, and a group of iron horsemen stepped on the corpses of the rebels and pursued them at full speed in the direction of the Great River.

In the afternoon, the sun was shining, and the scorching air and thick blood shrouded the entire Dongguang battlefield. Within a radius of about fifty miles from Xiaoliangting to the Dagu River, more than 100,000 troops were moving at high speed.

On the battlefield of Xiaoliangting, the armies of Zhang He and Wu Xiong were sweeping away the last few rebels who were stubbornly resisting.

Within a dozen miles from Xiaoliangting to Dahe, several armies were rushing in a southwesterly direction.

On the right are the iron horses of Wei Jun and Liu Ming, on the left are the iron horses of Lou Lu and Lu Huanyang, and in the middle are the iron horses of Lu Bu, Mustafa and Sai Feng.

In the rear of Lü Bu's army, Yan Liang and Zhang Liao followed with an army of foot soldiers. Within fifteen miles of the Great River and the New River, several armies were also running southwestward.

On the right is the iron cavalry of Zhao Yun and Jiang Wu, and on the left is the iron cavalry of Li Su and Gongsun Xu. There were three armies in the middle.

Running at the front, the closest to Xinhe was Li Dian's army, and behind Li Dian was Xiahoudun.

Xiahoudun was followed by the Northern Frontier Army of Zhang Zhen, Qin Yi and Gao Shun. Within 20 miles from Xinhe to Dagu River, except for Gao Lan's army, which was still attacking and advancing in the direction of Xinhe according to the original plan, several other armies were retreating in the southwest direction.

Huang Zhong and Wei Yan's army was almost to the Dagu River, and Wen Ping's army was following behind with grain, grass and baggage and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

Zang Ba's army had been fighting fiercely with Gao Ran, but now he was gradually disengaging from the battlefield, waiting for Sun Guan to come and join him, while Sun Guan's army was still holding on to the south bank of the Xinhe River.

Scouts came to report. Li Dian's army was still three miles away from the ferry, and Gao Lan's army was only three miles away from the ferry.

Sun Guan showed a smug sneer on his face,

"Order, the army withdraws from the ferry, and quickly rendezvous with Lord Zang Ba to retreat south." Yin Li, who was standing behind him, was taken aback,

"My lord, the armies of Xiahoudun and Li Dian have not yet arrived at the ferry, and we can't withdraw." Sun Guan turned around abruptly and roared loudly: "How did Sima Ju Dashuai die?" Who killed hundreds of thousands of brothers? I will take revenge, and whoever dares to stop me, I will kill him. Yin Li was shocked and took two steps back,

"Your ......, my lord"

"If you don't want to die, shut up." Sun Guan rushed up and grabbed his neck,

"Did you hear me, get me out of the ferry."

"Zang Ba will kill us." Yin Li shouted in fear,

"Even if Zang Ba doesn't kill us, Lord Liu Bei won't spare us in the future."

"Liu Bei? I'm going to kill him." Back then, it was he who teamed up with Cao Cao and Tian Kai to defeat us, have you forgotten? Yin Li's face darkened and he didn't speak.

Sun Guan pushed him to the ground fiercely, waving his hand and shouting,

"Evacuate, immediately withdraw from the ferry for me." Huang Tong looked at the Xuzhou army that disappeared in the distance, and said in disbelief: "Da Hei, we occupy Xinhe?" ”

"The defeat was like a mountain. It was the same when we were in the Yellow Turban Army in the past. Da Hei laughed,

"At this time, whoever runs fast will be able to live, and where can he take care of other people." The war drums sounded hurriedly, and the soldiers of the northern frontier, under the leadership of their respective superiors, quickly set up a blocking position along the south bank of the Xinhe River.

"Give the order to go down and guard the embankment, and not let go of an enemy." Gao Ran was relieved and let out a long breath.

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