The Iron Cavalry of the Wind and Cloud galloped across the empty plain, and the huge roar of the galloping horses was deafening.

Li Hong and his attendants stopped on the side of the road, talking and laughing. In the distance, the soldiers of the various tribes came like flying horses.

"Uncle, I'm very tired." Li Hong saw Tian Zhong and asked with concern.

"As long as you win the battle, you can go without sleeping every day." Tian Zhong said happily and loudly: "However, we don't have much supplies, and we must find a way." ”

Seeing the excited faces of his subordinates, Li Hong said with a smile: "We won a complete victory in this night attack, and it can be regarded as a miracle that we did not lose a single soldier." ”

"My lord, who are we going to fight in the next battle?" Fist shouted, "It's been too much fun. ”

"Zhang Niujiao was seriously damaged this time, and the siege of the city will probably be delayed." Jade said with a smile: "My lord, are we going to fight grandchildren again?" ”

Li Hong shook his head.

"Why? Now that the Yellow Turbans have suffered heavy losses, it is time for us to launch a counteroffensive. Yan Wuxing looked strange.

"The Yellow Turbans have suffered heavy losses, the defense will be tighter, and they will not give us another chance at all. Let's go back to the Governor Pavilion for a while. ”

"My lord, will you go back in just a few days?" Xian Yuyin asked in surprise.

"Yes. We've basically achieved our goal, and there's no better opportunity now. The troops are constantly marching and fighting, and the soldiers have a lot of physical exertion and need to rest, and supplies are now also difficult and need to be replenished. ”

"The Yellow Turban Army suffered a series of blows in just a few days, and suffered serious losses. Although Zhang Niujiao's troops now have a great advantage, they no longer have the ability to decide in a war. In order to take Zhuojun as soon as possible, they had to increase their forces. So I guess their reinforcements are coming soon. ”

Li Hong lightly patted the horsewhip on his hand a few times, and said worriedly: "If Sun Qin stays at Dingxing Ferry and does not leave, it is estimated that it is related to this batch of reinforcements." If the reinforcements arrived, and the convoy of Sun Qin rushed to Zhuocheng, we would not have a chance to attack on the way. ”

"We've been at a disadvantage, even if we've won two games. On the battlefield of Zhuojun, there is still a big gap between the forces of the two sides. As you can all see, the Yellow Turbans are not easy to fight, last year and this year. Once their reinforcements arrived in Zhuocheng, the situation was quite unfavorable for us. ”

"Let's go back to the Governor Pavilion to wait and see what happens. Ordered Leizi to watch carefully near the ferry, and to cross the river as much as possible to probe for news of enemy reinforcements. ”

"My lord, you said that the development of the war situation is not good for us, does it mean that no matter how hard we try, Zhuojun will lose?" After listening to Li Hong's explanation, Yushi's joy after winning the battle disappeared. He immediately followed Li Hong's words and asked.

"Yes." Li Hong nodded helplessly.

"No way?" Yan Wuxing asked.

Li Hong didn't answer, he looked at the gray sky, feeling that he was too small and powerless.

Zhang Niujiao's troops were only more than 60,000 men.

They concentrated in the western camp and stopped the siege. Because of the repeated setbacks, the morale of the troops suffered a fatal blow and collapsed.

Zhang Niujiao wrote three books a day, urging Chu Feiyan's army to rush north.

Sun Qin received the news from Zhuocheng and was dumbfounded.

Ninety thousand people, in order to attack a small Zhuocheng, the Yellow Turban Army lost 90,000 people in a few days, and they are all the main force, which is incredible.

The news of Zhang Niujiao's defeat in Zhuocheng spread as quickly as possible.

Youzhou Thorn Shi Yang Huang was very excited. In his opinion, the official army can eliminate 90,000 Yellow Turban Army within a few days, then the strength of the Yellow Turban Army must be very poor, and it is estimated that it will be fast to eliminate Zhang Niujiao or drive Zhang Niujiao out of Zhuo County. As soon as he arrived in Youzhou to take office, he encountered the resurgence of the Yellow Turban Army to make trouble, and he thought that he was unlucky, but he didn't expect things to suddenly change dramatically. The Yellow Turban Army has been defeated in successive battles, and it seems that the situation is difficult to support. If the Yellow Turban Army is driven out of Youzhou, his own credit will be great, and promotion will definitely not be a problem.

But he also saw very clearly that the strength of the Youzhou family alone could not defeat the Yellow Turban Army. Youzhou has done its best to achieve what it is now. Therefore, he once again ordered the fast cavalry to rush to Jizhou and inform Jizhou Mu Guodian of the good news, hoping that he would send troops as soon as possible to attack the rear of the Yellow Turban Army.

Chu Feiyan and Zuo Yan were shocked when they received the news of Zhang Niujiao.

The troops attacking Youzhou lost more than half, and it was difficult to continue this battle. The two immediately had a fierce dispute over whether to increase their troops in Youzhou.

Of course, Zuo Yan asked Chu Feiyan to lead the army to continue advancing. But Chu Feiyan was unwilling.

In Changshan this summer, he was opposed to Zhang Niujiao's attack on Youzhou this autumn. He thought that Zhang Niujiao was too anxious, and there was no need to risk attacking Youzhou when the foundation was not stable. Chu Feiyan, Yang Feng and other generals thought that Zhang Niujiao despised the government and army of the counties in Youzhou, and mistakenly believed that the counties in Youzhou were vulnerable and could be easily defeated. Overestimating their own strength, they did not correctly recognize the real strength of the current Yellow Turban Army and the problems that need to be solved.

They believe that this year, when the Yellow Turban Army is still laying the foundation, its strength is fragile, and it is not appropriate to expend strength on the expedition. Although the number of troops is large, there are few elite soldiers who can really fight; Many of the counties conquered did not have a government office, there was no one to govern, and it was a chaos; Because the war has created millions of displaced people, these people need to be arranged, they need food. This year's grain is all grabbed, what will happen next year? Next year's grain must be solved by itself, and if we rob it again, the people in the territory will have to rebel against the Yellow Turban Army. Especially the millions of displaced people, they believe that the Yellow Turban Army is their own army, an army that can bring them food and clothing, if this problem cannot be solved for a long time, the displaced people will make trouble, they will go crazy to plunder, the people rob the people, and finally the Yellow Turban Army does not want the official army to fight, and they will fail.

Therefore, Chu Feiyan and other leaders insisted that in the next few years, the Yellow Turban Army would still strategically rely on Taihang Mountain, firmly control Zhongshan, Changshan, Zhaoguo, Taiyuan, Shangdang and other large counties near Taihang Mountain, appease the people in the territory, restore agricultural and manual production, improve the combat effectiveness of the army, accumulate sufficient strength, lay a solid foundation, and then do other things.

With the current strength of the Yellow Turban Army, even if it can't defeat the Jizhou army, it can still retreat to Taihang Mountain and preserve its strength. On the expedition to Youzhou, once the troops are trapped on the battlefield in Youzhou and cannot achieve victory for a long time, a large number of troops must be continuously invested. In this way, Zhao, Changshan, and Zhongshan, who were in the rear, did not have enough defensive strength. If the Jizhou army takes the opportunity to attack, the troops will fall into the dilemma of fighting on both sides, and defeat is inevitable. But the consequence is that not only will Youzhou not be able to be defeated, but several counties in the rear will also be lost, and with the sharp reduction in the number of troops, the Yellow Turban Army may fail again.

If everything is as Zhang Niujiao thought, the troops will be invincible all the way, from Zhongshan in Jizhou to Yuyang in Youzhou, the problem that will arise is that because of the long distance, it is difficult to keep up with the supply of grain and grass; The cities that have been conquered along the way will also be garrisoned by troops, and the number of troops attacking will become smaller and smaller, and the resistance will be greater and greater. Winter in northern Xinjiang came early, and once the heavy snow fell, the supply of hundreds of thousands of troops immediately became a top priority, and just solving the problem of warm clothing would become a problem. It is probably an even more difficult thing for more than 100,000 troops to rely on the barren and mostly deserted Youzhou to grab things for the winter.

The Yellow Turban Army has arrived in Youzhou, which is completely unfamiliar, can it stand still? How to stand on your feet? If these questions are not considered clearly, is it appropriate to blindly go to Youzhou?

Zhang Niujiao and a group of generals who strongly advocated attacking Youzhou disagreed, believing that the Yellow Turban Army should learn the lessons of last year.

One of the reasons why the Yellow Turban Army failed one after another after the onset of winter last year was that everyone was in the hinterland of the Central Plains and was vulnerable to encirclement and attack. If the same problem is encountered this year, the troops may have to flee to Taihang Mountain if they can't hold it. With thousands of loyal followers of the Yellow Turban Army, the homeless people hid in the mountains, either starving to death or dying of poverty, what future is there there?

If the main force opens up the Youzhou battlefield this year, captures Youzhou, and the Yellow Turban Army gains a foothold in northern Xinjiang, then the Yellow Turban Army can develop and expand in at least half a year. In winter, the army of the imperial court and the powerful private armies in various places may have no choice but to give up killing the Yellow Turban Army whip commander who is far away in Youzhou. In the spring of next year, the Yellow Turban Army has taken a firm foundation in Youzhou, and there is no need to be afraid of encirclement and suppression by the official army. Lay down Youzhou, and first divide one side. He believed that with the strength of the Yellow Turban Army, this goal could be achieved. Moreover, once this goal is achieved, it will be of decisive significance for the development and future of the Yellow Turban Army.

Zhang Niujiao's prestige in the Yellow Turban Army is too great, and there are too many people who obey orders, and his words are like last year's Tiangong general Zhang Jiao, which is not much different from the emperor's holy decree, and basically no one objected. His opinion was embraced by the majority.

If you can really conquer Youzhou and solve the turf problem first, it will indeed be an opportunity for the Yellow Turban Army to develop steadily. Youzhou is very far away from the Central Plains, and it is also very difficult for the imperial court to send troops to attack, and the Yellow Turban Army can temporarily avoid the edge and get respite. With the territory, it is much easier to solve the problem of eating. Youzhou has a small population and a large amount of unclaimed land available for reclamation, so that the problem of feeding millions of displaced people can be solved at one time. And several counties in Jizhou do not have the conditions of Youzhou. These counties themselves have large populations, little land, and displaced people from other places, so it is very difficult to solve the problem of food. There is no land to cultivate, and it is in vain to say anything.

Chu Feiyan and Yang Feng couldn't convince Zhang Niujiao, so they had to hold the idea that Dashuai would definitely succeed and actively assist him in the preparations for the expedition to Youzhou.

At the beginning of Zhang Niujiao's attack on Youzhou, Chu Feiyan secretly led his troops to leave Zhao State and rushed to Zhongshan State, preparing to support Zhang Niujiao. But he has always been very concerned about the movements of the Jizhou army, and he has been in contact with Yang Feng who stayed in Zhao almost every day.

Now Zhao State only has Yang Feng, Bai Huan's 100,000 troops, Changshan only has Wang Dang, Wulu's 100,000 troops, and they are not the main force, most of the soldiers are homeless people recruited in the spring and summer of this year. It would be a miracle if this kind of army fought against the main force of the official army in the plains, and did not lose. It is not enough to have the spirit of seeing death as home.

What he and Yang Feng were most worried about was that Jizhou Mu Guodian would recruit reinforcements and launch an attack on Zhao and Changshan. When the main force of the Yellow Turban Army accompanied Zhang Niujiao on the expedition to Youzhou, Guo Dian led the army to attack, which was a fatal blow to the Yellow Turban Army. With the strength of the Yellow Turban Army, it is impossible to cope with two battlefields at the same time, it is purely self-defeating.

Since the Yellow Turban Army took the initiative to fight in Gaoyi, the main forces of the official army in Gaoyi, Gatao and Jizhou, the main force of the official army suffered heavy losses. Zhang Niujiao is to do this, so he dares to go north with confidence. But Chu Feiyan and Yang Feng were not at ease. If the official army in Jizhou suffered heavy losses, Guo Dian would ask the imperial court for help, and if the official troops in neighboring Qingzhou and Yanzhou came to support in time, the Yellow Turban Army would also be attacked fiercely.

But Zhang Niujiao was very confident, and he believed that the imperial court would not issue an order to transfer troops to the Jizhou battlefield in time. Because now on the Xiliang battlefield, the situation of the official army is extremely bad, Beigong Boyu, Bian Zhang, Han Sui and other rebel troops have won successive battles, and the army directly threatens Sanfu and Chang'an, and the imperial court attaches much more importance to them than the Yellow Turban Army near Taihang Mountain in Jizhou.

Just when Zhang Niujiao ordered Chu Feiyan to lead his troops north to support, Yang Feng sent a terrifying news.

Liu Yu, the prime minister of Ganling, with the help of Liu Ding, the Taishou of Qingzhou Plain County, had already wiped out the 50,000 troops of Liu Panzi of the local Yellow Turban Army. At present, about 5,000 officers and troops from Ganling Kingdom and Pingyuan County are heading north to Julu County. In addition, news came from the Jizhou Mufu Ya that the imperial court had issued an order to requisition the troops of the three counties of Dongjun, Jibei, and Dongping in Yanzhou to go north, and the three counties together also had about 5,000 troops. This month, Jizhou Mu Guodian and Hejian County, Bohai County, Anping State, Wei County and other places urgently recruited 10,000 soldiers, and were temporarily training in Xindu City, ready to open the battlefield at any time. If nothing else, next month, Guo Dian will definitely gather about 30,000 troops to attack the Yellow Turban Army.

Chu Feiyan thought about it for a long time, suppressed the news, and did not pass it on to Zhang Niujiao. With Zhang Niujiao's character, even when he sees this news, he will ignore it, and now the arrow is off the string, and there is no turning back. Chu Feiyan decided to lead 50,000 troops to Zhuojun to support Zhang Niujiao, leaving the remaining 50,000 troops to stay in Nulu in case of accidents. He's going to support Zhang Niujiao no matter what. Not only because Zhang Niujiao is the leader of the Yellow Turban Army, but more importantly, Zhang Niujiao, just like his father, has always taken care of him and raised him to adulthood.

Chu Feiyan's father used to sell smuggled salt with Zhang Niujiao, and they were like brothers. His father was killed by the army during a flight, and soon his mother died of illness, leaving Chu Feiyan an orphan. Zhang Niujiao took the young Chu Feiyan to wander the rivers and lakes until he grew up. They are as close as father and son, and their relationship is deep, which is something that everyone in the Yellow Turban Army knows. The leaders of the Yellow Turban Army all regarded Chu Feiyan as Zhang Niujiao's son, and Zhang Niujiao himself thought so. Although Chu Feiyan does not call him father, he has always regarded Zhang Niujiao as his second father in his heart, a father who raised himself to grow up.

When he led his troops to Puyin City in Zhongshan Kingdom, Sima Zuoyan hurried from the front line. When he heard that Colonel Zuo's entire army was annihilated, Chu Feiyan's heart was suddenly filled with ominous thoughts.

The leopard Li Hong's Fengyun Iron Cavalry arrived at Zhuojun, which became a turning point on the battlefield in Youzhou. His arrival gave the Yellow Turban Army a head-on blow. Chu Feiyan felt the resistance from the battlefield in Youzhou, and attacking Youzhou was not as simple as Zhang Niujiao imagined. Now the attack of the Yellow Turban Army on the Zhuojun battlefield has been blocked, and the official army in the direction of Julu County in Jizhou is gathering. A battle could start at any moment at two places more than a thousand miles apart. If this is the case, it will be a disaster for the Yellow Turbans.

When they arrived at Fan Xingting, they received the news that the Yellow Turban Army was attacked by the Leopard Army outside Zhuocheng City at night and suffered heavy casualties.

Chu Feiyan immediately ordered the troops to stop advancing.

Zuo Yan's meaning is very clear, and there is no definite news that Guo Dian has the intention of attacking the Yellow Turban Army, but Zhuojun has the last blow left, and defeating Zhuocheng is equivalent to taking the entire Zhuojun.

Chu Feiyan's meaning is simpler, what is Zhuojun doing? If you can't take the entire Youzhou or at least the three big counties of Youzhou, you won't be able to solve any problems at all. Once Zhao State and Changshan were attacked, the Yellow Turban Army suffered from the enemy, how to deal with it? Is it a repeat of the mistakes of the past and the same path as last year?

What should I do if I put my troops scarred in Zhuojun and attack Guangyang? What to do if you attack Yuyang? The Yellow Turban Army currently does not have the strength to capture Youzhou, so it is better to face up to the reality and withdraw from Zhuojun and retain its strength. If the Yellow Turban Army has no troops, it is either the Yellow Turban Army or a dead end.

Zuo Yan saw that Chu Feiyan was so resolute, so he retreated to the next best.

He decided to disobey the military order and not return to Lucheng in Zhongshan for the time being to raise food and grass for the army. He decided to rush back to the Zhuocheng camp in person, tell Zhang Niujiao what Chu Feiyan meant, and let the marshal decide whether to withdraw the army from Zhuojun, and only the marshal can decide.

He hoped that Chu Feiyan would still follow the military orders of the commander and lead the army to the north quickly. Blatantly disobeying military orders is a capital offense, and there is no need to turn against the marshal because of this matter. This matter is related to the future of the Yellow Turban Army, and the marshal is also a brave and resourceful person, and will not ignore the future of the Yellow Turban Army and insist on going his own way.

In addition, Sun Qin mentioned in the last letter that he hoped that the reinforcements would secretly rush to the Dingxing ferry to see if there was a chance to lure the leopard army to come and rob the grain, and take the opportunity to beat them fiercely. Li Hong's troops have recently won a series of battles, and the soldiers are arrogant and underestimate the enemy, and they will definitely fall for the scheme.

Chu Feiyan said with a wry smile: "If this plan is implemented before the big camp is attacked, there is still a possibility of success. Now......" he shook his head again and again, "it's not easy to do it, it's self-defeating, and even the food and grass are dangerous." ”

Zuo Yan looked at Chu Feiyan strangely, a little disbelieving.

Chu Feiyan is twenty-four or five years old, of medium height, handsome and handsome, and slightly weak. Don't be fooled by his appearance, his martial arts are outstanding in the Yellow Turban Army, and his swordsmanship and archery skills are very superb. His real name is Chu Yan. Feiyan is his nickname, which means that he has good martial arts and is as light as a swallow. Those who don't know think that Feiyan is his real name.

"When the main force of the Yellow Turban Army is damaged, reinforcements must be requested. Sun Qin was unable to move forward for a long time at the Dingxing Ferry, and suddenly marched boldly, there was only one possibility, that is, the follow-up reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, even if he gave his grandson a hundred guts, he would not dare to leave the ferry one step. Of course, a person like Li Hong, who is good at using soldiers, will not be fooled. Only the people who came up with this idiotic idea were fooled. ”

Zuo Yan was stunned, and then his face turned red, and he secretly admired it in his heart, and sighed to himself.

Zhang Yan's subordinate Fan Lifei rushed in, holding a roll of bamboo slips tied with five red silk in his hand. In the Yellow Turban Army, five red silk threads were added to the paperwork to represent the most urgent military situation.

"Chu Shuai, Yang Shuai is in a hurry."

Chu Feiyan and Zuo Yan's expressions changed drastically.