novelAbuy Page 115
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Chapter 231 One Night City
The "frowning in the river" in Han Sui's mouth meant that after the opponent crossed the river, they lined up with their backs in the water, and the Kansai coalition army then cavalry rushed into the formation, and drove them into the Yellow River before Cao Jun had a firm foothold.
After all, not everyone is Han Xin, and not everyone can play the last stand.
Han Sui's idea is wonderful, but it is extremely difficult to implement. Ma Chao, Cheng Yi, and Liang Xing have their own selfish intentions, and they gradually miss the opportunity because of prevarication and attack. harassment.
After Cao Cao's entire army crossed the river, he ordered people to use chariot fences to make a movable protective wall, forming a marching corridor between the Yellow River and the protective wall.
Han Sui, Ma Chao and other coalition forces were lightly armed infantry, and as the defensive side, they had no equipment to attack. Therefore, facing Cao Cao's tortoise shell tactics that did not confront them head-on, they were as helpless as they were facing hedgehogs.
There was nothing the coalition forces could do to pursue them all the way, and they had to worry about Cao Jun taking advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack. They sent Cao Jun north of the Weishui River as if they were performing an escort mission.
Cao Cao camped safely in the Weishui River, but the Kansai Allied Forces were unable to fight, so they led their troops across the river and confronted Cao Jun across the river in Weinan.
The width of the Weishui River is much narrower than that of the Yellow River. It is difficult for the coalition forces to defend and the defense line is extended infinitely. Because Cao Cao has a history of smuggling, Han Sui, Ma Chao and other Kansai generals stationed troops in Weinan, and each sent cavalry to implement the semi-finals. The strategic thinking of crossing and attacking.
The Guanxi Allied Forces defended Cao Jun with three barriers: Tongguan, the Yellow River, and the Weishui River. Now Cao Cao has passed two passes at a very small cost, so everyone is working harder on the defense of the Weishui River.
Cao Cao divided his troops to attack everywhere to confuse the coalition forces, and sent powerful troops to erect pontoon bridges overnight. Although he succeeded in crossing the river, because there was only sandy soil in Weinan, it was impossible to build a solid fortification to resist the attack, and there were cavalry harassed by Ma Chao and others. Unable to build.
Cao Cao and the Kansai Allied Forces just came and went, and there were nearly a hundred small-scale attrition battles within 20 days. Seeing the weather gradually getting colder, it was a great test for the psychological quality of the generals of the two armies.
At this time, Cao Cao occupied the land of Hexi, and the grain road was transported to the front line through the Yellow River. The conditions were much better than those of the Kansai Allied Forces who had no food, but Cao Cao was not satisfied with the current situation.
Although I guessed that the Kansai coalition forces are now in danger of running out of food, this group of warlords is not a good person. For example, Han Sui, the governor of the coalition army, had been a giant bandit in Liangzhou before he surrendered to the court. When this group of people really had no food, You can also plunder the already desolate Guanzhong area.
Cao Cao was drinking hot porridge in the camp of the Chinese army, when suddenly the cool wind outside the tent blew in the gravel by the river, he hurriedly pulled on his robe to protect the bowl of porridge, but because he didn't cover it up in time, the porridge bowl was blown in Into a lot of sediment.
Cao Cao scooped up the mud and sand on the ground with a spoon, and when he finally sent it to his mouth, he always felt rusty.
It is necessary to establish a firm foothold in Weinan as soon as possible, otherwise the follow-up plan cannot be carried out smoothly.
Cao Cao then summoned Jia Xu and Xu Huang, who were familiar with the situation in Guanzhong, to ask for advice, and said: "Our army has crossed the river several times but was unable to set up camp. The Kansai coalition army has consumed thousands of my elite troops, especially the Xiliang cavalry of Ma Chao. Do you have a clever plan to help Gu get a foothold in Weinan?"
"My lord, these days we are using small groups of soldiers to smuggle across the river. Why don't we use Pubanjin's method of crossing the Yellow River to cover each other and cross the river in a roundabout way?" Xu Huang tasted the sweetness and made a suggestion.
The tactic of smacking east and west can work wonders, but the key is to pick a smart and suspicious opponent. If the opponent is a group of reckless people, it will not work at all.
This is like playing a game. There are all kinds of calculations between the king's game, but it is better to be reckless when you meet a silver player.
Cao Cao frowned and found Jia Xu standing aside indifferently, so he asked, "What do Wen He think of Gong Ming's plan?"
"General Xu's plan is feasible, but the Kansai coalition forces are too scattered now, and it is too difficult to attract the opponent's main force like Tongguan. If they make a big detour to march up the Weishui River, the difficulty of military supply and transportation must be considered..."
Jia Xu is not a nice guy, but he doesn't like to make enemies either. Although he doesn't agree with Xu Huang's strategy, he doesn't directly dismiss it in front of the opponent, but only points out the difficulty of implementation.
Cao Cao is well versed in the way of using troops, and Jia Xu knows that it is difficult to execute as soon as he mentions it.
"Wenhe has a clever plan to help me?"
Jia Xu nodded slightly, "The Kansai coalition forces have been spent in Tongguan for half a year. They are short of winter clothes to keep out the cold and food and grass. I suggest continuing to confront the rebels in Weishui. If they can't collect food in Guanzhong within half a year, then Han Sui , Ma Chao is self-defeating."
When Cao Cao heard it, he said good guy, this is to encourage the Kansai Allied Forces to plunder the people. The Li Jue Chang'an rebellion last time was also planned by you, and it really lives up to the name of "poisoner".
In ancient wars, productivity was the focus of population. If the Guanzhong area was robbed again, I am afraid that the people would all run away. Wouldn't the tens of thousands of soldiers I lost in the early stage be in vain?
Thinking of this, Cao Cao quickly shook his head, "Liu Bei and Sun Quan are still staring at the south, how can I delay the sun and the moon here? I have to take the initiative to attack Yongliang early, so that I can free my hands to deal with them."
"Liu Xuande led troops into Sichuan a few months ago. Jingzhou has not many troops. With General Zixiao guarding Xiangyang, it should not be a big problem. As for Huainan, there is no problem. After Zhou Yu's death, Jiangdong has no one to send. Sun Quan has missed several times. , my lord can take back Yongliang with peace of mind." Jia Xu analyzed.
"Jiangdong is strong outside the middle, and I want to attack Sun Quan first and then attack Liu Bei. Wenhe's exhaustion and confrontation plan took too long. If I can build a camp in Weinan, I can defeat Han Sui and Ma Chao within ten months..." Cao Cao sighed Take a breath.
The river beach on the south bank of the Wei River is full of sand, how could it be possible to build strong fortifications?Cao Cao crossed the river with a small force and lost a lot of troops.
Jia Xu and Xu Huang didn't leave in time after offering advice, and stayed with Cao Cao in the big tent to continue thinking.
"Prime Minister...Prime Minister is overjoyed..." A cheerful voice came from outside the tent.
"Is Zibo here? What's the happy event?" Cao Cao looked up and saw Lou Gui, the counselor, and asked casually because he was depressed.
"Isn't it a happy event for the sudden drop in temperature outside?" Lou Gui asked suspiciously.
"Oh? Please ask Zi Bo to clarify my doubts." Cao Cao immediately became interested. He knew that Lou Gui would not say that for no reason, so he crossed his legs on the Hu bed and turned around.
Lou Gui scratched his head and looked at the crowd, thinking that you don't understand the common sense of the weather?Then don’t blame me for showing off. He clasped his hands and explained: “The weather is cold now, and the night is even more icy cold. Why don’t the prime minister build a city with sand? Just pour water into the sand, and the water will freeze at night, and the sand will be as hard as iron. A city can be built overnight.”
Cao Cao jumped up when he heard this, "Uncle Zi's plan is really feasible?"
"Everything grows and restrains each other. At this time, the weather will continue to turn cold. The prime minister will build a sand city in Weinan." Lou Gui nodded.
"Very good, Gongming will act according to the plan, and you will lead your troops to cross the river and build a sand city at night." Cao Cao ordered.
"Wei." Xu Huang walked up to Cao Cao and stood in front of him. After accepting the order with fists folded, he walked out of the big tent to prepare.
Chapter 232 A cow is a cow, a horse is a horse
Xu Huang led the army to cross the river again with light vehicles and familiar roads. Thousands of people worked all night after arriving at the south bank of the Weishui River, building a wall with sand and soil irrigation according to Lou Gui's method.
In the early morning of the next day, a solid sandy-earth city rose from the ground, and now these simple earthen walls can completely withstand the impact of Xiliang cavalry.
After Cao Cao received the news, he summoned soldiers and horses, and successively assembled towards the position where Xu Huang crossed the river.
It was just dawn, and all the tribes in Kansai on the south bank of the Wei River were in commotion, and Cao Cao on the north bank made a big move.
It was freezing cold at night in winter, and the food in all parts of Kansai was about to run out. In Ma Chao's camp, cattle and horses were slaughtered to serve as meat to keep out the cold.
Last night Ma Chao drank wine and ate meat, and was sleeping soundly in the camp. Suddenly, the curtain of the main tent opened wide, and a gust of cold wind poured into the barracks.
"Bo Zhan, why are you in such a panic?" Ma Chao asked.
Ma Dai said anxiously: "Brother, Cao Jun crossed the river in Li Kan's defense area last night..."
Ma Chao didn't take it seriously, "Ask me about this kind of thing? If Li Kan can't hold it, we can go to help the battle as usual. We just need to take advantage of Cao's bandit's unsteady foothold and use the cavalry to attack the battle. If we can capture more War horse military supplies may survive this winter."
"Brother, Cao's army built an earthen city for no reason, and our cavalry can't rush in at all. The main force of Cao's army has already assembled to that position, and it is estimated that we will start crossing the river soon..."
Ma Chao stood up in shock with his upper body bare, and asked with a look of disbelief, "Where do you get an earthen city? You can build a city with sand alone?"
Ma Dai nodded and said with certainty: "It's true, and it was just last night..."
"Could it be that there are ghosts and gods helping each other?" Ma Chao said to himself.
"It's so strange, Dudu Han and several other generals have already passed..." Ma Dai reminded.
"Let's go see too."
After Ma Chao finished speaking, he jumped up from the couch, and then put on his inner shirt, winter clothes, and outer armor layer by layer. The less he wore at night when the weather was too cold, the warmer he slept under the quilt.
Ma Chao and Ma Dai led their troops to Cao Cao's Weinan camp, and they found a long earthen wall surrounded by a river, and there were guards every two feet above the earthen wall.
At this time, the warm sun was shining on the earthen wall in the east, reflecting the dazzling white light. Han Sui, Cheng Yi and others had already rushed to Ma Chao one step ahead.
"General Li, when did this happen? Why did this Tucheng appear all of a sudden?"
Han Sui frowned and asked, Cheng Yi, Yang Qiu, Ma Wan and others looked suspicious.
Li Kan quickly explained: "It was still a sandy place at dusk yesterday, and I don't know why the Cao thief was able to build the city overnight..."
"General Li also used sand to build a big camp overnight?" Cheng Yin didn't believe it at all.
"This matter is absolutely true, how could I deceive you generals..." Li Kan felt that his mouth was full of words and he couldn't speak clearly, but suddenly his eyes lit up, and he pointed to the back and said excitedly: "General Ma can testify for me , His soldiers and horses often come to my defense area to help defend, and they came here yesterday..."
"Meng Qi is so enthusiastic, he often comes to my defense zone." Yang Qiu nodded in agreement.
Ten generals in Kansai, Zhang Heng, were beheaded at the Hexi ferry, and now the remaining nine soldiers and horses are scattered on the south bank of the Weishui River for defense, among which Han Sui and Ma Chao are the strongest.
In troubled times, there are very few enthusiastic actions, all of which are driven by interests. Ma Chao helped Li Kan and Yang Qiu in the left and right defense areas to assist in the defense because the Cao army who crossed the river carried military supplies, and most of them were infantry. With the help of strong fortifications, the Xiliang cavalry charged like a rape.
Ma Chao's troops have recently not only not run out of food, but also often slaughtered cattle and horses because of their frequent defense assistance. The enthusiasm of the soldiers is quite high.
"Nephew, did you hear what General Li said? Is it really so bizarre?" Han Sui asked with a frown.
Ma Chao nodded, "General Li is right. I asked Bo Zhan just now. He came here to inspect yesterday. I don't know what kind of tricks Cao Cao used..."
After hearing this, Han Sui nodded slightly to Li Kan, and Ma Chao's testimony was enough to clear away the suspicion.
"If all Cao's troops cross the river, the Weishui barrier will be gone..." Cheng Yin said worriedly.
"Let's organize elite forces and attack Cao's army before it has a firm foothold. I don't know if Cao's bandits are stable." Han Sui said.
Li Kan hastily waved his hand to stop it: "This earthen wall is as hard as iron. I sent troops to attack it this morning, but it turned out..."
"Could it be possible that this traitor knows demon skills? I heard that he once hosted the demon Zuo Ci at a banquet. Could it be that he has acquired some demon skills?" Ma Chao asked suspiciously.
Han Sui shook his head and said, "My nephew's words are half-truth and half-false. In the early years, Mr. Wujiao fooled Cao thief with immortal methods, and then escaped from the world after being captured by Cao Cao. How could he come here to help the thief..."
"This...then let's join forces to attack again. If Cao's thieves are all crossed, it will be the same as Pubanjin's situation..." Ma Chao suggested.
After Ma Chao finished speaking, Liang Xing and Cheng Yi turned green when they saw Han Sui. Before Xu Huang crossed from Pubanjin to the west, Ma Chao proposed to attack immediately, but Han Sui abruptly dragged him into a stalemate.
Seeing Ma Chao's old story being brought up again, Han Sui said awkwardly: "That's fine, our coalition forces will also fight a 'siege battle'."
The Nine Divisions of Kansai gathered 3 elite soldiers and launched an attack on the Weinan camp guarded by Xu Huang. Without siege equipment, the cavalry was not as good as the infantry in attacking the city. The first round of attack lost [-] cavalry and fell on the warship. The dead and wounded horses became Cao Jun's trophies.
It's really a good reincarnation. The generals in Kansai, especially Ma Chao's troops, returned a lot of the horses they plundered before.
With such high battle losses, the Kansai Allied Forces gave up storming the Weinan camp, and they each sent troops to invite battle in front of the camp, but Xu Huang ignored Cao Cao's instructions.
Later, after all the main forces of Cao's army crossed the river, the Kansai coalition forces thought they could usher in a decisive battle. As a result, Cao Cao still adopted the strategy of not being able to hold on.
The generals in Kansai were as anxious as ants on a hot pot. Everyone gathered in Han Sui's main camp. Cao Cao's move was clearly to consume them to death.
"Captain, please think of a way, my camp will soon be out of cooking..." Cheng Yi said.
"Immediately? My military rations are still enough for one day. This is all the result of reducing rations, otherwise I would have mutinied..." Ma Wan said with a wry smile.
Liang Xing took over Zhang Heng's army, and he asked with a look of surprise: "You still have food in stock?"
Everyone is complaining, they actually have a little food, but they can't hold on for a few days. If you want to say that you have enough food and grass at this time, the result is quite dangerous.
"Is my nephew's military rations enough?" Han Sui asked meaningfully.
"Meng Qi has recently defeated many Cao troops crossing the river, and also captured a lot of military supplies..."
Li Kan suddenly felt his back go cold while he was speaking, and turned his head to find that Ma Chao was looking at him coldly, so he immediately shut his mouth and didn't speak, as if he hadn't spoken just now.
Ma Chao frowned instantly, thinking that if you complain, you can complain, but you must seek truth from facts.
A cow is a cow, a horse is a horse, so you can't use your brain?
How can anyone take cattle across the river in a march?
At this time, Ma Chao burped from the cold in the morning, and a smell of meat came out of his mouth.
Chapter 233 The Ambush
Ma Chao's emotional management is still in place. Facing the strange expressions from the generals, he patted his chest and said, "I'm sorry, when Bo Zhan came to call me just now, I swallowed some cold wind and got cold in my stomach. The food is long..."
"My nephew has seized supplies, so is the food supply so tight?" Han Sui frowned, thinking that you are outside Tongguan, and you have harvested a lot of cattle and horses.
"How can you not be nervous? Uncle must have a lot of people and consume a lot. I haven't eaten a grain of rice for two days. Bo Zhan, do you think so?" Ma Chao turned to Ma Dai and asked.
"What brother said is true." Ma Dai replied with clasped fists, he thought that his brother had only eaten meat for the past two days, and indeed he did not eat any staple food.
The soldiers of the Kansai Union had mixed eyes, and Ma Chao's troops seized the military supplies of cattle and horses, which were all the military rations that everyone needed now, which had already aroused the jealousy of the people around them.
Because Ma Chao's strength is too strong, the other small warlords dare not stroke his beard at all, and Han Sui, whose strength is almost the same, can't speak because of the "father-son" relationship, so the other family is really suffering from cold and starvation. Everyone is eating meat and drinking wine.
After a few days of stalemate between the Kansai Allied Army and the Cao Army, various ministries began to sell out food and sell miserably. Han Sui still secretly went to Ma Chao to borrow food. He thought Ma Chao would express it, but Ma Chao finally refused with various excuses.
The daily consumption of Ma Chao's 2 people is very high, and the cattle and horses seized outside Tongguan alone cannot last long.When Han Sui was in trouble, food shortages gradually began to occur in his camp.
Under such a difficult situation, Han Sui and others wanted to cede territory to Cao Cao for peace.
Cao Cao received Han Sui's peace letter, so he summoned the "poison man" Jia Xu and asked: "We have only crossed the river for seven or eight days. Han Wenyue wants to use the land in the west of the river to seek peace. What does Wenhe think?"
Jia Xu stroked his beard and replied: "The Prime Minister risked being attacked by Liu Bei and Sun Quan, and gathered Han Sui, Ma Chao and others here. How could he give up because of the mere land in Hexi? We can pretend to agree to seek peace and let them relax. After being vigilant, use the strategy of alienation to weaken their hearts and disintegrate their ambitions, and then send troops to attack them, and a battle can be settled."
Cao Cao laughed and praised: "Wenhezhen is poison...the unique Gao Shi also..."
"The prime minister praised..." Jia Xu knew what he was doing, although he was ruthless and disliked by his colleagues, but Cao Cao only needed trust.
According to Jia Xu's plan, Cao Cao wrote back and agreed to Han Sui's peace proposal. The Kansai Allied Forces were relieved when they heard the news, but they dared not give up their guard even though they only made a verbal promise.
Soon Cao Cao asked Han Sui to meet in front of the battle, and the two met under the warm winter sun in Weinan.
Cao Cao and Han Sui's father were promoted to Xiaolian in the same year, and Cao Cao and Han Sui were of the same generation, so the two can be regarded as old friends.
Han Sui thought that Cao Cao was going to talk about ceding land for peace, but he didn't expect that he was just talking about his past and friends in the capital.
Han Sui wanted to change the subject. He pointed to Cao Cao's beard and said, "I heard that Meng De has a beautiful beard. Why is your beard so short? And it's a bit messy..."
The matter of cutting beards and abandoning robes was propagated by Ma Chao's Xiliang soldiers, and it was no secret among the Kansai coalition forces. Han Sui deliberately mentioned this to remind Cao Cao of the Tongguan war.