Sun Qin stood on the top of a cart full of grain, looking at the Fengyun Iron Cavalry in the distance, his heart was heavy.

He was shocked to receive the news of the annihilation of Colonel Zuo's army. Fengyun Iron Cavalry crossed the Shengshui River, gave the Yellow Turban Army a blow in the first battle, and also killed a commander-level general, which was the worst defeat since the Yellow Turban Army attacked Youzhou in Jizhou this spring, and the first defeat this year. But for the Yellow Turban Army, the important thing in this defeat was not the death of Colonel Zuo and the loss of 30,000 soldiers, but the blow to the morale of the Yellow Turban Army, which cast an ominous shadow on the psychology of the leaders and soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army.

Last year, the leader of the Yellow Turban Army, Tiangong General Zhang Jiao, died suddenly in October, and then the Yellow Turban Army in various places lost a series of battles as if they had lost their souls, which finally led to the complete collapse of the Yellow Turban Army in November. It was a huge shadow, a painful and fearful mark engraved in the hearts of all the officers and men of the Yellow Turban Army.

Under the command of Zhang Niujiao, the redeveloped Yellow Turban Army fought one victory after another, and everyone almost forgot this terrifying imprint. However, in the first battle of Du Kangting, the sudden victory of the officers and soldiers was like an iron hammer, smashing heavily into everyone's hearts, and the shadow of defeat once again stood out.

A mile away on the plain, black-pressed cavalry was speeding out from behind the small hills to the north, quickly gathering several huge battle flags in the middle of the plain. With the increase of cavalry, the phalanx became larger and larger, the battle flags became more and more dense, the majestic and mighty momentum became more and more intense, and the fierce and terrifying murderous aura was mixed with the tense and suffocating atmosphere of war, and slowly, silently shrouded in the sky over the Dingxing Ferry.

The black one is naturally the banner of the Han Dynasty, and the fiery red one is probably the battle flag of the Fengyun Iron Cavalry. Sun Qin thought silently. There must be a leopard Li Hong's panther battle flag among those battle flags, but you can't see it from a distance, let alone the famous Li Hong. What kind of person is he?

About a mile in front of the ferry, Sun Qin used more than 2,000 carts full of baggage, criss-crossed into five arc obstacles, as deep as 100 paces. If the cavalry charged, they would be intercepted by five obstacles in a row, not only would their speed be completely limited, but the cavalry would also be trapped in the chariot formation, completely exposed to the long arrows of the 10,000 soldiers behind the chariot formation.

Could it be that the Wind and Cloud Iron Cavalry is going to attack? Sun Qin couldn't believe it. He was very confident in his blocking position. Since you are looking for death, then come.

Sun Qin turned around, facing the ten thousand yellow turban soldiers densely lined up behind him, suddenly spread his hands, and shouted loudly with all his strength:

"Beat the drums, prepare for the ......"

Li Hong was surrounded by the soldiers of the pro-guard, and Pegasus rushed to the huge battle flag.

Jade, beard, Yan Wudaunt, Heng Sacrifice, Shooting Yingtong, Xian Yuyin The five soldiers saw Li Hong and greeted them together.

"My lord, when is the attack begin? The soldiers were in a hurry. Yan Wudrenzi shouted loudly.

Li Hong smiled, waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, don't worry." ”

Then he looked at Xian Yuyin and said, "Boyu, you arrived the earliest, right?" ”

"I came with Lord Yu and Lord Yan, more than half an hour before you." Xian Yuyin said: "According to your request, each part will appear in turn and assemble one after another. ”

"The Yellow Turban soldiers on the opposite side saw that there were more and more of our cavalry, and their legs were shaking." Jade Shi said with a smile: "My lord, this method is interesting, the more we gather, the more the enemy looks at it, the more frightened they become, and their morale is low, and they lose three points before the battle is fought." ”

"Sun Qin's car formation is very large, and it is difficult for us to rush up. What do you propose for this battle? Li Hong pointed to the car formation of the Yellow Turban Army on the opposite side and asked loudly.

Several of the soldiers shook their heads. What's there to say about this, everyone opens up and rushes up to kill.

Li Hong looked at them one by one and saw that She Yingtong's face was worried, so he pointed at She Yingtong and said, "Yingtong, you can talk about it." ”

She hesitated.

"My lord, if you attack by force, the losses of the troops will be very large."

Li Hong laughed, and then asked, "Then how do you think we should fight?" ”

She Yingtong shook her head, "There is no way but to rush hard." ”

"In that case, we won't fight."

Everyone looked at Li Hong in amazement, not knowing what he meant, and they were puzzled one by one.

Li Hong explained unhurriedly: "I ordered you to rush to Dingxing Ferry to assemble, just to tell Sun Qin that we are nearby and can defeat him at any time." In this way, the grandparents have only two paths to choose from. or not to stay at Dingxing Ferry; Either the reinforcements of the United Kingdom will defeat us, and then rush to Zhuocheng with a swagger. ”

"My lord, even if Sun Qin joins the reinforcements of the country, there are only 20,000 people, and there is no possibility of defeating us." Hu Zi shouted: "Sun Qin can only stay here, and he has a stalemate with us when he gets out of the car formation." ”

"In this way, we will not achieve our goal." Li Hong waved his horsewhip and said lightly.

"But with such a drag, we can't annihilate them." Jade said helplessly.

"Take your time, there's a chance."

The soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army were relieved when they saw the sudden withdrawal of the Fengyun Iron Cavalry, and then thundered with joy.

Sun Qin was worried, looked at the cavalry that gradually disappeared on the horizon in the distance, and let out a long sigh.

He had long thought that Li Hong would not risk attacking. The cavalry attacked this deeply defended with a severe sluggish speed, and the casualties were staggering. A general who is good at surprise attacks and defeats the strong with the weak many times cannot be willing to win at a huge cost by the strong against the strong. Soldiers, especially cavalry, are too important for Youzhou now.

However, the fact that Li Hong did not attack today does not mean that he has given up. He was like a hungry leopard, wandering around him all day long, looking for the best opportunity to attack him. Once he is hit, I am afraid that it will be the same as Colonel Zuo, and it will be a catastrophe.

If Li Hong was stared at like this, how could this batch of grain and grass that Zhuocheng urgently needed be safely delivered?

Even if Fang Biao brought the 10,000 horses of the country safely, and the 20,000 horses escorted such a huge convoy, and the road had to be on guard against the surprise attack of the leopard cavalry, the troops were still slightly insufficient. Li Hong is scheming and unable to prevent it, once he succeeds in attacking, he will lose all the food and grass, and the capture of Youzhou will be delayed, and this responsibility will be great.

"Sun Shuai, Sun Shuai ......"

Sun Qin woke up from his contemplation.

"Sun Shuai, Fang Sima sent someone to deliver the news, his troops are hurrying along the west bank of the river, and they are still forty miles away from us."

Sun Qin was stunned, "Hexi? How did he get to the other side? ”

Fang Biao, who rushed to the country overnight, was apprehensive about the Leopard Army's elusiveness. On that day, the leopard army disappeared in a flash in Xiaofang Mountain, and then rushed more than 300 miles to Dukang Pavilion to attack Zuo Colonel, they were like ghosts, mysterious and terrifying. So he decided to avoid the Leopard Army. There were more than a hundred miles between the ferry port of Yiguo and Dingxing, and whether the Leopard Army would appear or not, he was very afraid in his heart. He thought about it for a long time, and finally decided to go far and wide, cross the river and go to the west bank of Juma Water to meet his grandson at the Dingxing ferry.

Fang Biao's fear inadvertently saved his life.

Fang Biao's troops arrived at the Dingxing ferry in the first half of the night, and then he crossed the river and rushed to the opposite bank. Sun Qin personally went to the river to pick him up.

Fang Biao is in his thirties, and he used to be a tun commander in the army of Julu County. He was tall and strong, with a large face, a thick beard under his chin, and a scar on his ear. Hearing that Li Hong's cavalry army was in front of the ferry, Fang Biao's scalp tingled.

"Sun Shuai, can we leave tomorrow?" Fang Biao asked nervously.

Sun Qin shook his head.

"The convoy marched in a long distance between the front and rear, and the forces were scattered, so that once the enemy attacked, we had no chance to fight back. Come to think of it, I really didn't know how to avoid the leopards, so we camped at the ferry for the time being, and waited for reinforcements. ”

"And reinforcements?" Fang Biao asked strangely.

"Chu Shuai's troops arrived in Nulu City a few days ago. This morning, Lord Zuo Sima crossed the river from here. The marshal ordered him to go to Zhongshan to urgently recruit Chu Shuai's troops and immediately rush to Zhuocheng. If nothing else, in five or six days, we will be able to meet Chu Shuai. ”

After Zhang Niujiao killed Huang Long, he immediately ordered Zhang Baiqi to take over his troops. At this time, there were 95,000 Yellow Turban troops under Zhuocheng, and there were still more than 9,000 defenders in the city.

Zhang Niujiao attacked for another three days.

Zhang Baiqi made a feint at the north gate, and Zhang Niujiao led the main force to attack at the west gate. Yan Rou and the army Sima Wang Dong led 2,000 men to guard the north gate, and Xian Yufu and Wu Chi did their best to hold the west gate.

After four days of fighting, the offensive and defensive sides suffered heavy casualties, and had to temporarily suspend the battle for a day.

Xian Yufu sent someone to contact Li Hong every day, hoping that he would immediately launch substantive actions to solve Zhuocheng's urgent needs. Now that the defenders in the city are seriously insufficient, if Zhang Niujiao attacks for a few more days, Zhuocheng may not be able to hold it. The Yellow Turbans were very strong in combat, and their ferocious attacks made up for the shortcomings in the quality of the soldiers, far surpassing the army that had been struggling to support them for months. Xian Yufu, like the officials in Youzhou, confidently believed that his troops were very strong, and looked down on the Yellow Turban Army, thinking that with more than 12,000 people in the city, he could defend it for more than a month, but he paid a heavy price for it. The officers and soldiers defending the city were beaten by the Yellow Turban Army, and Zhuocheng was in danger.

However, none of the people sent out could find Li Hong and his Fengyun Iron Horse, and they were like air, suddenly disappearing without a trace. Xian Yufu was anxious, and his heart was full of worries, and he was very worried about their safety.

Sun Qin and Fang Biao made up their minds, and after Chu Feiyan's troops arrived, they set off together, so they didn't even send out a scout except for being on guard day and night. Sun Qin sent someone to tell Zhang Niujiao about their plans, hoping to get Zhang Niujiao's approval. Zhang Niujiao thought that Sun Qin's consideration was very appropriate, and agreed that they should not leave the Dingxing ferry for the time being, in case they were attacked by the leopard army.

The scouts of the Leopard Army arrived at the Dingxing ferry on time every day, four times a day, with a dozen people at a time. They watched from afar for a while, then sped away. The Yellow Turban Army is also used to it, as if they didn't see it, they ignore it.

Zhang Baiqi hurriedly walked into Zhang Niujiao's big tent.

"Handsome ......"

Zhang Niujiao was reading some documents sent by his subordinates. He raised his head when he heard the sound and beckoned Zhang Baiqi to come diagonally opposite him.

Yang Feng and Wang Danglai said that the situation in Zhao and Changshan was better. Yanzi is coming to Zhuo County, and I plan to let Zuo Yan stay in Zhongshan Country and raise grain and grass for us. ”

"Dashuai, how is Sun Shuai at Dingxing Ferry?"

"They and the leopard Li Hong's troops have been in a stalemate, and no one moves? Now it depends on whether the Swallows' troops can arrive in time. With the character of the swallow, he will definitely not let go of this opportunity to annihilate the leopard. Zhang Niujiao said coldly.

Zhang Baiqi smiled and nodded repeatedly.

"It all depends on whether Chu Shuai's troops can secretly rush to the Dingxing ferry and then quietly cross the river. If he can do it without knowing it, Sun Shuai will use grain and grass as bait to lure the leopard to lead the army to attack, and the two armies will attack at the same time, which will definitely make the wind and cloud iron cavalry disappear. ”

"Yes. The key is to be secretive and not let the enemy find out, otherwise Zuo Shuai's revenge will be difficult to revenge. ”

Zhang Niujiao pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Ziyin, how about we quietly put the main force at the north gate tomorrow?" ”

"The big handsome is in a hurry." Zhang Baiqi said with a smile.

Zhang Niujiao smiled and said: "In four days, we lost more than 30,000 brothers, so that we could take Zhuocheng in one fell swoop on this day. ”

"Today, the officers and soldiers have been busy on the West City Gate for a busy day, and Xian Yufu has made every effort to prepare to defend the West Gate tomorrow. If he had known that we were attacking the north gate tomorrow, he would have jumped off the building. Zhang Baiqi said with a smile: "The news from the city also confirmed our conjecture, the north gate is now only defended by 1,000 people, and we dispatched 60,000 troops to attack, and it is estimated that we can take the north city in one hour." ”

Zhang Niujiao shook his head.

"I attacked a little more fiercely at the West Gate and held off Xian Yufu. You personally supervised the battle at the north gate, and took it in half an hour, at all costs. After a long time, Xian Yufu or Wu Chi brought people to support the past, and it would be troublesome. ”

Zhang Baiqi gently slapped the table and shouted excitedly, "Okay." ”

Late at night. There is no moon in the sky, only a few faint stars scattered in the sky.

The camp of the Yellow Turban Army was silent, except for a few cowhide lamps hanging on the high gate, there was not a single light in the entire camp.

Zhang Niujiao stood on a slightly higher slope and watched his troops walk out of the camp in batches.

It was still half an hour before dawn, and half of the 40,000 troops ready to move to the north gate had already gone.

Thinking about the scene of tomorrow's troops breaking through the north gate and the army entering Zhuocheng, Zhang Niujiao's mood is particularly good. Tomorrow when Zhuocheng is captured, Zhuojun will basically be in the bag, and the rest is to fight the lower city, prepare to cross the river to attack Jicheng, and occupy Guangyang County. If the Leopard Army can escape the trap set by Chu Feiyan and Sun Qin, there is another thing to chase and intercept the Leopard Army to avenge Zuo Shuai.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang in the direction of the north city gate, and the noise was so loud that it tore through the silence of the night in an instant.

Immediately afterward, the low and loud sound of the bull's horn rose into the sky, resounding through the dark night sky.