Chen Xu led his 3,000 cavalry to cross the water and came to the west bank of the Shijiu River.

China's topography is high in the west and low in the east, and most of the rivers flow from west to east. However, in the territory of Changshan country, there is a section of river that connects the north to the south, connecting the water with the Hutuo River.

Three great rivers are connected to form the word 'gong'. And the Shijiu River is a vertical in the word "work".

According to historical records, during the Yongping period, the imperial court ordered the Hutuo River and the Shijiu River to be dredged, from Dushu to the sheep intestine warehouse, hoping to make the transportation between the two places.

The officials and people of Taiyuan were suffering from hard labor and did not complete it for many years, and countless people fell into the water and drowned in the 389 dangerous places through which Caoyun passed.

The danger of the Shijiu River can be seen from this.

The guide was a bandit leader who defected to Chen Xu, who had already fallen into the grass in the Fangshan area and knew the local situation well.

The guide pointed to the Shijiu River in front of him and said, "Qu Shuai, after crossing this river, it is the territory of Lingshou." The officers and men were stationed in Lingshou and wanted to pursue our army, but there were only two ways to go. ”

"One is to go north first, cross the water, and then chase westward; The second is to go directly to the west, first crossing the Shijiu River and then crossing the Zishui. ”

"Although the former is detoured, the terrain is flat and the road is wide, which is suitable for the movement of large armies; Although the latter is a short distance, it has many small roads, and it has to cross two large rivers in succession. ”

When he finished speaking, the guide said no more.

Although he used to be a bandit leader on a small hill, but after coming to the Yellow Turban Army, he didn't dare to stand out again.

Because he knows that the current commander of the Yellow Turban Army is a ruthless man who can even be killed by Huangfu Song.

If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have abandoned his mountain and come to join the Yellow Turban Army. What he fancies is the future of the Yellow Turban Army.

When Chen Xu heard this, he was silent.

Although the guide did not say it explicitly, the implication was that he believed that the officers and men would take the first path.

Bai Rao led many people who came to join Chen Xu, and he took the first road. Chen Xu took a shortcut in order to intercept the officers and soldiers as soon as possible.

But after the march, Chen Xu realized how stupid his choice was.

Although the road was close, it was very difficult to walk, and it took a long time to cross two large rivers, and it was only today that he came to the banks of the Shijiu River.

Fortunately, there was a little problem in the ranks of officers and soldiers, and it was delayed for two days in Lingshou. Chen Xu didn't miss a big deal.

"The first road is surrounded by many plains, and if the officers and soldiers choose this road, I will lead my troops to attack, so that the advantage of the cavalry can be brought into play."

"If the officers and soldiers choose the second way, even if I want to lead my troops to intercept them, I am afraid that I will not be able to catch them."

"Fortunately, the officers and soldiers have been delayed here for two days, even if they start to pursue now, they will definitely not be able to catch up with Bai Rao them."

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Chen Xu's face. He didn't expect that his once unconscious actions would actually create such trouble for officers and soldiers.

It turned out that the officers and men were marching too fast some time ago, and the logistics personnel could not keep up with it.

Logically speaking, this does not have any effect on the officers and men. Because Lu Zhizhi put down the rebellion for the imperial court, he could collect grain and grass from the local area wherever he went.

However, Changshan Kingdom was first looted by Chu Yan's army, and later Chen Xu broke many county towns and took away all the grain, grass and baggage in the city.

As a result, it was impossible for officers and soldiers to collect food locally. Without food, after the officers and soldiers arrived at Lingshou, they naturally began to hesitate.

After two days, under the urging of Lu Zhi, the grain was transported to Lingshou, which was only enough for the army to consume for a few days.

If we do not continue to requisition grain and grass from distant county towns, the officers and men will certainly fall into a situation of lack of food.

Lingshou City, Lu Zhi looked at the information brought by the scout. Thinking that the officers and soldiers could no longer catch up with the Yellow Turban Army advancing westward, he couldn't help but feel depressed.

The imperial court asked him to lead troops to quell the rebellion, but after he came to Jizhou, he did not make an inch.

If you wait until all the Yellow Turban Army hides in the Taihang Mountains, it would be tantamount to a fool's dream for the officers and soldiers to send troops to encircle and suppress them.

Now, even Chu Yan's team, after entering the territory of Zhongshan Kingdom, began to flee eastward. In a few more days, I am afraid that these two groups of men and horses will be hidden in the mountains.

At that time, Lu Zhi's so-called suppression of the rebellion became a joke.

As the year approaches, the weather is getting colder and colder. Lu Zhi stood at the door in military uniform, the cold wind blew, and he couldn't help but shudder.

There was a burst of footsteps, and Lu Zhi raised his eyes and found that Liu Bei was coming with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Liu Bei stepped forward, saluted Lu Zhi, and said, "General, our army has been delayed for a few days, and the Yellow Turban Thief has been getting closer and closer to the Taihang Mountain Range. If they really wait for them to escape into the mountains, won't they have another chance to exterminate the thieves? ”

Lu Zhi also said: "I am also worried about this matter, but the thieves have broken through several county towns and plundered the materials in the city, making it difficult for our army to supply. ”

Coupled with the fact that Chen Thief defeated Yizhen, most of the officers and soldiers were afraid. Now that the year is approaching, the soldiers are homesick, and the sergeants have no fighting spirit. In this situation, how to pursue the thief? ”

After speaking, Lu Zhi sighed.

When Liu Bei and the others heard this, they also looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

"Report!"

At this moment, an officer and soldier Pegasus came to the county office, and shouted at Lu Zhi from afar: "Chen Xu, the commander of the Yellow Turban Canal, led three thousand cavalry to cross the Shijiu River and pounce on Lingshou County." ”

Lu Zhi, Liu Bei and others were stunned when they heard this.

They didn't expect that in the face of 20,000 elite officers and soldiers, since the Yellow Turban Army did not want to escape, they wanted to take the initiative to attack.

Zhang Fei was a little impatient, and immediately shouted loudly: "I, Zhang Yide, am worried that I can't make a contribution, but I don't want the thief to send it to the door by himself." ”

"If the general goes to war, if he wants to be a vanguard, he must cut off the head of the thief Chen and present it to the general."

Seeing this, Liu Bei pulled Zhang Fei's sleeve and reprimanded: "Since Chen Xu's incident, he has won many battles, how can he be an easy person?" Yidexiu wants to underestimate the enemy! ”

No, Lu Zhi was overjoyed when he heard Zhang Fei's words. He opened his mouth and said: "Yide bravely crowns the three armies and deserves the position of pioneer. ”

Then he said to the soldiers on the side: "Pass my military order, do your best, and prepare to go out of the city to meet the enemy!" ”

Lu Zhizheng was worried that he couldn't fight with the Yellow Turban Army, but he didn't want Chen Xu to automatically send him to the door. When he suddenly heard the news, how could he not like it?

As for the possible defeat, Lu Zhi never thought about it.

He was a great Confucian in the world, and his soldiers were often upright. In his opinion, even though the cavalry is powerful, it is not the main battle arm in the end.

The history of cavalry is very long, but in addition to the Hufu cavalry of King Wuling of Zhao, and the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, cavalry was established on a large scale in order to attack the Xiongnu in the north.

In other eras, most of the battles in the Central Plains were dominated by infantry.

Whether it was King Wuling of Zhao or Emperor Wu of Han, most of the reasons why they created cavalry were to deal with the nomads in the north.

The north is mostly a grassland desert, and the terrain is vast and flat, which is conducive to cavalry rushing and charging.

However, in the war for hegemony in the Central Plains, the role of cavalry will be greatly reduced in comparison.

The cost of cavalry is too expensive, and the consumption of grain and grass is also very large.

Moreover, there are many cities, fields, forests, rivers, and sometimes mountains in the Central Plains. And these geographical factors are the most important reason why the Chinese cavalry cannot develop.

If the two armies are facing each other, as long as the soldiers are elite and the generals are wise, even if they use infantry against cavalry, they can not be afraid at all.

Infantry generals can rely on favorable terrain to restrain the strong mobility and impact of cavalry.

For example, after the scouts have detected the enemy's cavalry, they can completely set up a formation in the woods between the ridges. In this kind of terrain, the advantage of cavalry is completely lost.

Even in the open plains, as long as you prepare in advance, build more horses, dig horse pits, and supplement them with infantry phalanxes. With foot soldiers, you can still not be afraid of the cavalry.

In addition, the cavalry can only raid, but cannot attack the city, which makes the role of the cavalry greatly reduced.

The real role of cavalry in the Central Plains is mostly only for reconnaissance, raiding, and chasing down the enemy.

Those generals who dared to use cavalry to storm the infantry phalanx were either ignorant and fearless, or completely ignorant of military affairs.

Even if the extremely famous Jin Guotie Futu in later generations still has no chance of winning against the truly elite Yue family army.

The real advantage of cavalry lies in its great mobility. Cavalry against foot soldiers, if there is a chance, you can also take the opportunity to sneak attack.

If you don't have a chance, you just shoot your horse and run away, and the foot soldiers will never be able to catch up with the cavalry.

This is also why, the nomads in the north go south every year to fight the grass valley, but the Han army has no choice.

If it is a real confrontation between the two armies, with the elite of the Han infantry soldiers, it can completely shake the foreign cavalry.

But because the foot soldiers couldn't catch up with the cavalry at all, they watched the aliens go south to burn and plunder.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! ”

The sound of war drums rumbled, and Lu Zhi led the officers and soldiers out of the city to form a formation, waiting for the arrival of the cavalry of the Yellow Turban Army.

The Han army was dominated by tall shields and spears, and marched into a neat phalanx. In front of the phalanx, there are also many small potholes hidden.

If Chen Xu dared to lead the cavalry to charge, not to mention that they would be hit by the infantry phalanx and their heads would be broken and bleeding. Even the hidden pits on the ground can be used as a talisman for the cavalry.

When a horse is running, if one hoof gets into a hole, the entire leg will be broken due to the huge inertia.

At that time, the so-called cavalry will become overturned.

The Han soldiers at this time were definitely not those corrupt and degenerate soldiers of the Song Dynasty. They would not be like those Song Dynasty soldiers, who would scatter in fear when they heard the sound of the hooves of the enemy's cavalry from afar.

The elite foot soldiers of the Great Han, the cavalry who are never afraid of the charge. All they feared was the never-ending harassment of the cavalry.

"Stomp, stomp!"

It didn't take long for a group of people to come from far to near. For a moment, the whole earth seemed to shake.

"Ho-ho!"

Officers and soldiers banged their shields with their weapons, making a dull sound. Their loud shouts completely drowned out the sound of the Yellow Turbans' horses' hooves.

Although they are reluctant to rush to war, it does not mean that they are afraid of war. Although the Han Dynasty is rotten, the world-famous army still has its own soul.