Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 82 Reminder
Outside Wuyin City, the tinkling and clanging sounds of gold from the Xiliang army resounded throughout the wilderness.

The soldiers panicked and fled for their lives, throwing away their helmets and armor.

Obviously Zhang Xiu had a serious miscalculation of his own strength and Cao Jun's strength, which led to the defeat.

The deserted Xiliang Army was everywhere in the wilderness, covering the mountains and plains. If you look down from a high altitude, you can see densely packed countless black spots, galloping towards the rear.

Cao Jun strangled and outflanked the Xiliang Army from three directions. Zhang Xiu rode on horseback and fled quickly to the rear, while Cao Hong was still chasing after him.

"Zhang Xiu, why are you running? Come and fight me again."

Cao Hong shouted.

Zhang Xiu turned a deaf ear and fled quickly on his horse. There were dozens of knights beside him to cover his retreat.

The two sides chased and fled. After running for more than ten minutes, Cao Hong's deputy general shouted: "General, stop chasing. There is a sound of Ming Jin coming from behind. It is Sikong who ordered the withdrawal of troops."

"hateful."

Cao Hong also heard this voice and retreated immediately.

When he returned to the outside of Wuyin City, he saw that Cao Cao was already rectifying his troops, and the three armies outside the city were quickly forming formations, as if they were about to fight a big battle.

"Zi Lian."

Seeing Cao Hong coming back, Cao Cao beckoned him to come over.

Cao Hong asked: "Brother, why did you call for gold? I was almost able to catch up with that embroidery."

Cao Cao frowned and said, "There has been no news about Zixiao and Wen Qian. I am very worried about them. Zhang Xiu is already a defeated army. It is a waste of time to pursue the defeated army. It is better to rectify the three armies and attack Wancheng."

"Are we going to fight back to Wancheng?"

Cao Hong asked.

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Well, one is to take care of Zixiao and Wen Qian, and the other is to recover the bodies of Dianwei and Zixiu Anmin after taking Wancheng."

"I understand."

Cao Hong nodded, and immediately came to the phalanx of his generals, organized the team and prepared to go.

The deployment of the three armies is naturally not that simple. If the large army was allowed to chase Zhang Xiu wantonly just now, it would easily cause the troops to disperse, and it may take a long time to regroup.

Therefore, it is necessary to withdraw the troops at Mingjin, and after rectification, go to Wancheng in a marching posture.

Cao Cao also stayed in Wuyin for a few days, and Dianwei Cao Ang and Cao Anmin had already died in battle, needless to say, there was no other way.

But Cao Ren and Le Jin had no news, which made Cao Cao very worried, so he decided to regroup his team and fight back to Wancheng.

This battle was Zhang Xiu's help. Originally, because of the battle of Wancheng, the morale of Cao's army was severely weakened. All the soldiers in the army were downcast and their morale was unstable.

As a result, after this battle, seeing that Zhang Xiu's Xiliang army was nothing more than that, the morale was like a rainbow for a while.

After rectifying the troops, Cao Cao immediately sent his troops westward, and the main force went to Wancheng. At the same time, he sent another 2000-man team to Jiyang to meet Le Jin's troops.

In the afternoon, Zhang Xiu gathered some scattered soldiers, and there were more than 8000 soldiers left out of more than [-]. The loss was very heavy, and they retreated towards Wancheng overnight.

The distance between Wuyin and Wancheng is still very far. It is equivalent to more than 20 kilometers from Nanyang City to Sheqi County in later generations.

So Cao Jun set off that day and camped in the wild at night, probably in the area of ​​Sheqi County in later generations.

But Zhang Xiu was chased urgently, so he could only choose to escape overnight.

When the sky was about to dawn, he was already less than [-] kilometers away from Wancheng, and he was expected to return to Wancheng before noon.

As a result, an army suddenly appeared in the distant wilderness, which startled Zhang Xiu.

But soon the scouts reported that it was Gan Ning's troops.

This made Zhang Xiu breathe a sigh of relief.

After about half an hour, Gan Ning came in a hurry. At this time, only the generals Lou Fa, Shen Mi and Shen Chen were beside him.

Deng Hong went back to Xiangyang and hadn't returned yet. After defeating Le Jin, Gan Ning followed Shen Chen's wishes and went north to meet Zhang Xiu.

At this moment, they met at the Xiangting less than [-] kilometers away from Wancheng, and the two sides quickly moved closer.

"General Zhang."

"General Gan."

Zhang Xiu ordered the army to rest on the spot for a while, and brought some cavalry to join them.

The place where they are now is called Hongniwan Town in later generations. It is a vast plain area, with farmland and villages densely covered in the wilderness. Only in the west is a tributary river bank flowing from the Feishui River, and a hill is raised.

Everyone met at the foot of the hill, and Gan Ning saw that the Xiliang army in the distance had discarded their helmets and armor, exhausted, so he asked, "The general attacked Wuyin, why are you in such a mess?"

Zhang Xiu said embarrassingly: "I wanted to take advantage of the victory to pursue Cao Cao, but unexpectedly I was defeated in the ambush."

Shen Chen said solemnly at the side: "General, I have reminded you before that although Cao Cao has just been defeated, his strength should not be underestimated. The attack on Wuyin should be done with caution. How could he not listen to good advice?"

Zhang Xiu remained silent, these words were actually very uncomfortable, but Shen Chen was not his general, he was still attached to Liu Biao, so he couldn't say anything.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Shen Chen said again: "Now Cao Jun is probably going to turn around and attack us."

Zhang Xiu then complained: "At first you were asked to attack Wuyin with me, but you didn't listen, why are you still blaming me now. If you were here, you wouldn't have made such a mistake."

Seeing that he was not happy, Gan Ning was not happy anymore, and said, "Does General Zhang think we are watching? You don't know that Le Jin and Cao Ren are in the rear? If we hadn't defeated Cao Ren first, and then went to Jinan to eliminate Le Jin, I'm afraid We were about to be flanked by Cao Cao Lejin, and the whole army was wiped out."

"You eliminated Le Jin?"

Zhang Xiu was very surprised.

"Naturally, half of his troops crossed the water and arrived at Jiyang. Jiyang is only two days away from Wuyin. We defeated him the day before yesterday. Without us, today's general would not just be defeated. "

Gan Ning told the whole story.

"Well"

Zhang Xiu fell silent again. In fact, he also knew about Le Jin and Cao Ren. After all, it was An Zhong and Hu Yang who came under his nose.

But at that time, Cao Jun was newly defeated, and he was eager to pursue, so he forgot about it.

Thinking about it now, the hairs stand on end in a cold sweat. If Gan Ning hadn't defeated Le Jin, Le Jin would have blocked his rear. When Cao Cao pinched him, he might have lost half his life.

Shen Chen thought for a while and said: "But this is not the general's fault. I heard that there is a wise man in the general's army. Logically speaking, even I can see it. Why didn't he persuade the general?"

Zhang Xiu scratched his head and said, "Uncle really didn't persuade me, he even said that he could pursue and urged me to move forward."

"Mr. Wen He said you can pursue him?"

Shen Chen's face changed slightly, and he thought quickly in his mind, then looked around, and said to Zhang Xiu: "General, take a step to speak."

He turned over and got off the horse, although Zhang Xiu didn't understand why, he also got off the horse, and the two walked to the side of the nearby cliff.

"what happened?"

Zhang Xiu asked.

Shen Chen said: "General, if my expectations are correct, Mr. Wen He probably told the general to beware of Liu Shijun."

Zhang Xiu was surprised: "How do you know?"

Shen Chen said: "Because I know that Mr. Wen He has always wanted to surrender to Cao Cao, and he should be the one who pushed for the general's surrender to Cao Cao before."

Zhang Xiu remained silent, he and Shen Chen had only met each other a few times, so he didn't know his ability yet.

But now I see it.

It can be counted that Jia Xu said bad things about Liu Biao to him.

Shen Chen then continued: "Mr. Wen He only wants to attach himself to the strong. Cao Cao's coercion of the emperor to command the princes is bound to become a great weapon in the future, so he must make the general feel that Liu Shijun is unreliable, so that he can persuade the general to surrender to Cao Cao. "

"I'm at odds with Cao Cao. Does he think he can persuade me? Besides, I killed Cao Cao's favorite general and nephew, and he won't accept me."

Zhang Xiu laughed at himself.

It wasn't that he didn't want to surrender, it was that Cao Cao didn't do anything about personnel, and he was forced to do nothing.

Shen Chen said: "What if Cao Cao is in a critical moment? Yuan Shao's annexation of the north is imminent, and he will definitely fight Cao Cao in the future. At that time, the general will have the best chance to surrender to Cao Cao."

"is it?"

Zhang Xiu asked suspiciously, "Will he accept me then?"

Shen Chen smiled and said: "Of course I will accept you, but between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, if Yuan Shao wins, the general will still have a chance to live, and then he can surrender to Yuan Shao. But if Cao Cao wins, the general will not be able to live when the time comes .”

Zhang Xiu was puzzled and said, "How do you say that?"

Shen Chen pointed to the north, and said with a smile: "Cao Cao got rid of Yuan Shao, the biggest opponent, and dominated the entire north. Can't we avenge the enmity between Dian Wei and his nephew? At that time, the three clans of the generals will be wiped out. It's a one-sentence thing."

Zhang Xiu suddenly felt his hair stand on end, and a chill rose from the soles of his feet.

Yes.

If Cao Cao surrendered to Yuan Shao when he was fighting with Yuan Shao, he would definitely accept it happily.

Because of that, his strength would be increased by one point, and his chances of winning would also increase by one point.

But what about after the fight?

When seeing him again, will you think of the hatred between Dian Wei and his son and nephew?
Isn't it just a sentence to wipe out the three clans of the Zhang family?
"Unless the general wants to gamble with his life."

Shen Chen said again: "Betting that Cao Cao won't kill the general afterwards, then the general can follow Mr. Wen He's words and surrender to Cao Cao. But don't forget that Mr. Wen He will not be implicated when the general's family destroys the three clans. It wasn't Dianwei Cao Ang Cao Anmin who killed him."

Zhang Xiu only felt his scalp go numb, and couldn't help but said, "Why do you think that uncle will definitely let me surrender to Cao Cao?"

"If the general doesn't believe it, Mr. Wenhe will definitely continue to persuade the general to stay away from Liu Gong and get close to Cao Cao in the future. It will be the time when Mr. Wenhe persuades the general to surrender to Cao Cao on the eve of the war between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao."

Shen Chen said: "I just told the general out of good intentions. The general doesn't have to believe it, but you will know when the time comes. You can also pay attention in your daily life to see if Mr. Wen He is belittling Liu Shijun and praising Cao Mengde. If one day in the future he When you really persuade the general to surrender to Cao Cao, the general only needs to remember what I said today."

"Is that so?"

Zhang Xiu said silently: "I know."

In fact, he knew in his heart that Shen Chen was sowing discord between him and Jia Xu.

But what can he do if he understands it?

Because Shen Chen was telling the truth.

After Jia Xu told him about Liu Biao, he secretly guessed that Jia Xu still wanted to surrender to Cao Cao.

It's just that Zhang Xiu was also very disturbed deep in his heart, so he pretended not to know.

Now that Shen Chen told him what might happen in the future, it would make him feel more relaxed, and he wanted to understand many things.

But he couldn't fully believe what Shen Chen said, so he could only let it go.

See you later.

Let's see if Jia Xu will keep persuading him to surrender to Cao Cao as Shen Chen said.

Zhang Xiu thought to herself.

In the afternoon, the Xiliang army returned to Wancheng.

On the second day, Zhang Xiu learned that Cao Cao's army was attacking again, so Zhang Xiu withdrew in the direction of Anzhong Rangcheng.

After Cao Jun occupied Wancheng again, he continued to pursue southward.

At this moment, Cao Cao didn't know that the partial division he sent had encountered the remnants of Le Jin's retreat to the north, and had already learned the news of Le Jin's death, and was now quickly approaching him to report the incident.

But he still doesn't know the news, he himself has led the main force to Nieyang.

Nieyang is located on the right bank of the Tuan River. Like the Fei River, this river originates from Mount Funiu and meets the River River in Xinye. It is a small and medium-sized river.

And Anzhong is located on the left bank of the Turbulent River, very close to Nieyang, with only about [-] kilometers between the upstream and downstream.

Cao Cao rode on horseback, raised his eyes and looked into the distance, and saw countless wheat fields on both sides of the turbulent water. It was the end of February, when the wheat was about to ripen, the green ears of wheat were swaying in the wind, and smoke was rising from the villages in the distance.

"Report!"

At this moment, the scouts came to report: "Sikong, Zhang Xiu is gathering troops and horses at the bridge on the left bank of Tuanshui, and seems to want to fight us to the death."

"Humph."

Cao Cao snorted coldly: "Yesterday he left a letter to me, saying that Dianwei Zixiu Anmin and his corpses had been taken away by him, and he asked me to fetch them in person. It turned out that he wanted to set up an ambush on the Tuanshui River and attack us halfway across the river. .”

Cao Hong stood up and said, "Brother, I am the vanguard, and I will destroy his army."

Cao Cao waved his hands and asked left and right: "Is there any other way to cross this river?"

Yu Jin said: "When I came here, I asked the local people that there is a bridge more than ten miles north of Nieyang that can be crossed."

"Ah."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Wen Ze, you lead 3000 troops and go around from the upper reaches, and we will attack from left to right."

"only."

Yu Jin took the order and left.

The army continued to go downstream along the turbulent water. After walking for about seven or eight miles, they saw a bridge on the river.

On the opposite side of the bridge, there are several high and rolling hills, but they are hills rather than small hills. The highest is more than ten feet, that is, a height of more than 20 meters, which is not very steep.

At the foot of the hills, about thousands of Xiliang troops were gathering and arraying. From a distance, it seemed that the number was not as large as expected, only three to four thousand.

"Zhang Xiu must set up an ambush in the mountains."

Cao Cao pointed to the hills in the distance and said, "I'm not going to cross the river yet, it's like crossing the river is forbidden, and then attack from two directions."

Cao Hong glanced at Yu Jin who had just left, and said, "Brother, it may take an hour or two for Yu Jin to go around the long way. If they don't pass for so long, will they get suspicious and just leave?"

The Yujin detour is more than ten miles north of Nieyang, and this is seven or eight miles south of Nieyang.In this way, there are more than 20 Hanli roads in total, which is ten kilometers in conversion.

But it was a one-way trip, [-] kilometers round trip, and it would indeed take two to four hours if the march was accelerated.

If they didn't do anything during this period of time, and Zhang Xiu on the other side of the bridge chose to leave directly, or simply destroy the bridge, then it seemed that they could only watch.

Cao Cao thought about it, and thought: "Zi Lian is right, then send 2000 people across the river first to seize the bridge, and I will pretend to cross the river slowly to delay time."

"clear."

Cao Hong took the order and left.

(End of this chapter)