The Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Tan, intercepted Guo Jia's...

Chapter 135 An eye for an eye

Zang Ba and Wu Dun led 5,000 infantry and cavalry in hot pursuit along the route of Lü Bu's army's retreat.

They split up with Zhao Yun and were responsible for chasing the enemy's tail.

In the afternoon, they discovered the abandoned camp of Lü Bu's army.

The charred marks, the scattered debris, and the hundreds of wounded soldiers lying haphazardly on the low slope to the east.

Zang Ba dismounted and walked to a soldier of Lü Bu's army who was leaning against a tree trunk with a leg injury.

The soldier's lips were cracked and his eyes were filled with despair.

"Who attacked you?" Zang Ba asked.

"It's the Qingzhou Iron Cavalry... They kill anyone they see."

The wounded soldier spoke intermittently.

"Where are Wei Xu and Sun Ce?"

"They left... a day ago... when the food ran out... they took those who could walk and left... we were left behind..."

Tears welled up in the wounded soldier's eyes.

"General, give me some water... give me some food..."

Zang Ba stood up and shook his head at Wu Dun:

"It's the Qingzhou Iron Cavalry of Louban. Wei Xu and Sun Ce's main force have been fleeing east for a day. Their supplies have been burned, they won't last long."

Wu Dun looked at the wounded soldiers:

What should we do with these people?

Zang Ba mounted his horse.

"Leave some water and dry rations. Pursue them."

He paused, then added,

"Tell the auxiliary soldiers behind to take care of them if they have time."

The order was conveyed vaguely.

After leaving behind some coarse dry rations and a few bags of water, Zang Ba's troops quickly departed.

The wounded soldiers' faint pleas were drowned out by the sound of horses' hooves.

After chasing for thirty miles, a simple wooden sign was nailed to a crooked tree by the roadside.

The words were written on it in charcoal.

Zang Ba reined in his horse and squinted at it.

"There are no traps here. General Sun Ce, who is here to punish the rebels, has left."

Wu Dun leaned closer: "Sun Ce? Why would he keep this?"

Zang Ba stared at the wooden sign and snorted, "A feint. Search!"

Dozens of soldiers dismounted and searched carefully around the wooden sign, poking the ground with their spears and parting the grass. After nearly half an hour of searching, they found nothing.

"It seems there really isn't one," Wu Dun said.

Zang Ba's expression darkened: "Keep chasing!"

After chasing for another twenty li, they saw another wooden sign by the roadside, facing the direction of Xiaoguan, with the same handwriting: "No traps here. Left by General Sun Ce, the Defender of Rebellion."

"Has Sun Ce lost his mind while fleeing? Why did he specifically remind me?" Wu Dun wondered.

Zang Ba stared at the wooden sign, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Be careful, proceed slowly to investigate."

The group slowed their pace, and scouts advanced. However, nothing happened along the way. Zang Ba, furious, felt he had been tricked: "Speed ​​up! Don't delay any longer!"

The troops picked up speed again. They had traveled less than three miles when screams rang out ahead. Several vanguard soldiers and their horses had fallen into a cleverly disguised pit, the bottom of which was littered with bamboo spikes.

"Trap! Stop!"

The team was thrown into disarray and had to stop to treat the wounded and clear obstacles, which caused further delays.

After continuing for a while, a third wooden sign appeared, with more words on it:

"Inform the traveler: Three miles ahead, in the woods on the right side of the road, lies an old hunting trap set by a family. It is now abandoned, but to avoid accidental injury, I am giving this warning. Better safe than sorry. Sun Ce, General Who Subdues Rebels."

This time the sign points to the woods on the right side of the road.

Zang Ba and Wu Dun exchanged a glance.

"To believe or not to believe?" Wu Dun asked.

Zang Ba gritted his teeth:

"Split the forces. The main force will proceed slowly along the main road, while a team will be sent to scout the woods, watching out for traps!"

The scouting team carefully explored the forest, spending a considerable amount of time, but found no large-scale traps, only a few abandoned animal traps.

Zang Ba's face turned ashen.

They were delayed again.

Sun Ce's attempt to imitate Xi Shi was surprisingly effective.

I'm torn between believing it and not believing it.

hateful!

A fourth wooden sign soon appeared by the roadside, with illegible handwriting:

"A hunting pit was dug, but it was forgotten to be filled in. Gentlemen passing by, please watch your step. If you accidentally fall in, no compensation will be provided. Respectfully submitted by General Sun Ce, the Rebel Slayer."

"Sun! Bo! Fu!"

Zang Ba drew his knife and slammed it hard against the wooden sign, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

His chest heaved violently, and his eyes blazed with fury.

Before setting off, he solemnly promised Zhao Yun that he would definitely capture Sun Ce alive.

As it turned out, we didn't see a soul, and instead wasted a lot of time on these traps.

"He's playing us! He's using these lousy signs to buy time!"

Wu Dun was also furious.

"Faster! Faster! I'm going to catch this bastard and chop him to pieces to feed the dogs!"

Zang Ba roared, no longer looking at any road signs, and spurred his horse to gallop.

……

On the city wall of Xiaoguan, Lou Ban looked at the latest intelligence report with a furrowed brow.

"At the latest, the remnants of Lü Bu's army will arrive at the pass within two days."

He handed the strip of cloth to Sun Guan, who was standing next to him.

Sun Guan glanced at it and shook his head:

"We can't hold it. Xiaoguan Pass has no natural defenses, and we have too few troops. If Lü Bu's army attacks desperately, and Guan Yu or Zhang Liao's reinforcements arrive from Xiapi, we'll be trapped like turtles in a jar."

Lou Ban nodded:

"I know. My lord ordered me to seize the pass, cut off their supplies, and block their retreat. Now that the supply line is cut off, Wei Xu and Sun Ce's remaining troops are running out of food. The mission is accomplished. It's time to go."

"How do I get there?"

Sun Guanwen,

"Leading prisoners and rushing to seize the spoils, making a grand procession out of the city? We'll be discovered immediately. Although Lü Bu's army is exhausted, they'll still be enough to chase our few hundred men."

Lou Ban pondered for a moment: "What do you mean?"

"Travel light and travel under the cover of night."

Sun Guan pointed to the mountain road on the map.

"Take only the elite troops and take this small path over the mountains. The main force will have difficulty traversing and will not be able to catch up. We are outnumbered but skilled at concealment, so even if we encounter a small enemy force, we can fight and retreat."

"specific."

Loubandao.

"First, they would leave at night, men gagged and horses hoofless, silently departing the city. Second, they would plant many flags on the city walls, arrange scarecrows dressed in military uniforms, so that from a distance it would appear that there were still garrison troops. Third,"

Sun Guan paused for a moment, then lowered his voice.

"The prisoners cannot be kept. Especially the city garrison commander Wang Shi, and the captured officers. Get rid of them all, in case they organize a rebellion or sabotage our traps after we leave."

"trap?"

"Yes, fourth, set traps inside the city gates and on the main roads leading to Dancheng. If any civilians or defeated soldiers in the city try to report this, they will be in serious trouble."

Fifth, before leaving, set fire to the government granaries. We can't take it with us, and we can't leave it for Lü Bu's army. The people in the city should have enough grain to last two or three days without starving. When Lü Bu's army arrives, they will open the granaries themselves.”

After Sun Guan finished speaking, he looked at Lou Ban.

His solution was ruthless, but effective.

These are all conclusions he drew from his years as a thief.

It is highly practical.

Lou Ban was silent for a moment, then shook his head:

"Killing prisoners is inappropriate. Killing those who have already surrendered is inhumane. If there is another war in the future, who will dare to surrender? The people are eager to return home; if they accidentally step into a trap, they will needlessly lose their lives. As for burning the grain... the grain in the government granaries was originally taken from the people. If we burn it, what crime have the people committed?"

Sun Guan frowned:

"Then what do you suggest? If we keep the prisoners, they can organize themselves immediately after we leave, and might even open the city gates to meet the enemy. If we don't set traps, our whereabouts will be exposed quickly. If we don't burn the grain, we'll be supplying the enemy with it."

Lou Ban paced back and forth a couple of steps:

"The prisoners... can be drugged, with a higher dose, to ensure they don't wake up before we get far. The officer and that Wang Shi, take them away. Especially Wang Shi, he knows too much about the situation at Xiaoguan, he can't stay here."

The traps...were only set at key points, limiting the area, and conspicuous signs were hung on scarecrows with the words "Trap outside the city, keep away" written on them, so that the people could see them and avoid them. As for food...

He stopped and looked at Sun Guan:

"Burn the grain in the government granaries. It's necessary to delay the enemy. But before setting the fire, secretly spread the word in the city that Lü Bu's defeated army is coming and their discipline is bad, so they will definitely loot the grain. Let the people hide as much as they can."

Sun looked at Lou Ban and suddenly smiled, a smile that was somewhat cold:

"You're quite kind. Do you really think that when Lü Bu's army arrives, they'll open the granaries to relieve the people? Wei Xu and Sun Ce are barely able to protect themselves; if they have any grain, they'll prioritize their own army. Those common people will starve to death."

Lou Ban remained silent.

He knew that Sun Guan was telling the truth.

Sun Guan, who came from a bandit background in Mount Tai, was accustomed to the more direct survival rules in chaotic times.

"We'll do as you say."

The final route of the building,

"Drug the prisoners, take Wang Shi away, set up warning signs at the trap sites, and burn the government grain supplies. But you must do your best to minimize the number of civilians who are accidentally injured."

Sun Guan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir."

He turned to make the arrangements, but in his heart he thought, Lou Ban is still too kind.

Will ordinary people really avoid these warnings after seeing them?

Lu Bu's defeated soldiers were blinded by hunger; would they care about the lives of ordinary people?

However, he was too lazy to argue anymore.

Mission accomplished and safe evacuation is the top priority.