Han Xiang

Chapter 57
The Langtang Canal in Chen State runs through the north and south, and the Langtang Canal goes south to Xiangxian County to flow into the Yingshui River, and the Yingshui River goes south to flow into the Huai River.

Most of the money and food of the Chen Kingdom are concentrated in Chen County, the governing place, so it is most convenient to return to Huainan by water.

It's a pity that Chen Guozhou's boats are scarce, and only a dozen small boats were found in a hurry.

More than a dozen small boats had limited loads, and they couldn't even hold the gold and silver belongings in the treasury, let alone transport Chen Guo's grain.

So the [-] army turned into civilian husbands, pushing the grain carts and heading southeast slowly.

At this time, there is no need to take a long detour like when he came here, Zhang Xun planned to return to Shouchun along the direction of the water flow.

The Huainan army brought food and had just arrived at Xiangcheng at the junction of Chen Guo and Runan, when news of Cao's army came from the rear when they were exploring horses.

Yan said: Cao Jun did not stop when he arrived in Chen County, but he was following behind and continued to chase.

Zhang Xun didn't intend to pay attention to it, but Qiao Rui suddenly rushed over.

"General Zhang, I heard that Cao Cao is coming very fast. He marched too slowly with the grain carts. We will definitely be caught up. We must make up our minds." Qiao Rui's face was serious.

Zhang Xun didn't take it seriously, shook his head and said: "According to several intelligence analysis, Cao Cao has been in a hurry for three days, and continuing to pursue is just a pretentious act. In fact, it is the end of his strength, so there is nothing to worry about."

After hearing this, Qiao Rui reminded: "General Zhang, don't underestimate the enemy, don't forget Kuang Ting four years ago."

Zhang Xun snorted: "I'm just speaking from the facts. No matter how strong Cao Bing is, he is still a human being, and he will get tired if he is a human being."

Qiao Rui said again: "Of our [-] soldiers, more than [-] are transporting food. Even though we take turns to rest every day, everyone feels tired. If Cao Jun really comes after us, what is the purpose of fighting?"

"Does General Qiao have any insight?" Zhang Xun stared at Qiao Rui meaningfully.

Qiao Rui hesitated for a moment, then replied: "It's better to give up half of the grain carts. Firstly, it will hinder Cao Cao's pursuit of troops, and secondly, it will make the soldiers more relaxed."

"You forgot your Majesty's order before leaving? He didn't let us abandon food to serve the enemy. The general broke into the palace recklessly not long ago. If this incident is reported back to Shouchun, wouldn't you be criticized by the villain?" Zhang Xun shook his head.

"Can"

"Abandoning food is definitely not enough. At most, two groups will be arranged in rotation, and the remaining 3 people will be responsible for vigilance. This will also maintain combat effectiveness. It is important for us to hurry. It is not certain whether Cao Cao will chase or not."

Zhang Xun offered a compromise, and Qiao Rui, the deputy general, had no choice but to walk away.

At this time, the afterglow of the setting sun fell on Qiao Rui, and the shadow of the unity of man and horse was stretched very long.

Looking at his receding figure, Zhang Xun stroked his beard and said to himself: "General Qiao has been very insightful recently, is it true that he is secretly studying the art of war as His Majesty said? Does he have the idea of ​​replacing this general?"

Li Feng, the lieutenant general beside him, grabbed the rein and smiled slightly, and said, "He didn't secretly read the art of war, but often asked his subordinate Quhou for advice."

"Qu Hou?" Zhang Xun was startled when he heard that.

Li Feng nodded and added: "Well, it's Long Xiang who was punished with [-] army sticks because of his ineffective food protection. It is said that this person has no ability to kill the enemy in battle, but he is very smart when talking about war on paper."

Zhang Xun frowned after hearing this, and murmured: "I have been with General Qiao for many years, I have to talk to him someday, don't be delayed by that boy."

Not long after, night fell.

Zhang Xun placed the grain carts on the outside as fortifications, and simply camped and rested by the Yingshui.

The soldiers buried their pots and cooked food, looking happy and happy. All battalions and departments did not feel any danger at all, with the exception of Longxiang's Qubu.

During the break, Long Xiang called Tang Xi and Cao Xing aside.

"It's too slow to march with a grain cart. Today, General Qiao suggested to abandon some grain, but unfortunately, General Zhang did not accept it. We may encounter Cao Jun soon. The road ahead is worrying."

"Cao's soldiers are well-trained and disciplined. Most of our [-] soldiers are recruits. The outcome of a fight is unpredictable." Cao Xing was also not confident.

Seeing that the two were frowning, Tang Xi patted his chest and said: "Our brothers in Qubu insist on running and practicing every day. If we are no match in a fight, we still have the confidence to escape from the battlefield."

"There are some things that must be considered first. Even if you escape back to Huainan, there will be food consumption. We have a total of 160 people in Qubu. Officer Cao, your cavalry has to take on some heavy responsibilities." Long Xiang stared at Cao Xing and nodded.

"How to bear it?" Cao Xing looked puzzled.

Long Xiang explained: "The 160 people and the five-day rations are all tied to your thirty horses, so that the brothers who don't have horses can travel lightly."

"But now someone is pushing the grain truck, so it's impossible to distribute the rations to individuals, right?" Tang Yu also asked curiously.

Long Xiang said seriously: "I'll go to General Qiao in a while, and I'll ask him to tell General Zhang to let all the soldiers bring some food. This will also reduce the burden on the food transport team."

"Oh, we listen to you." Tang Xi nodded in response.

In the early morning of the next day, the army ate breakfast and continued on their way.

After walking less than five miles, the sentry found a group of cavalry blocking the way in the south, the number of which was about 2000.

Qiao Rui was shocked when he heard the words, and quickly reminded Zhang Xun, "It must be Cao Cao's cavalry. Last night, while our army was resting in camp, they went around to the front. If this continues for [-] miles a day, the main force of Cao's army will come."

"There are only [-] cavalry, General Qiao need not panic, just drive him away?"

Zhang Xun pretended to be calm, he guessed that the cavalry on the way was trying to harass him, so he waved his hand to recruit Li Feng.

"I'll give you [-] steps to clear the way. I will immediately lead the rear army to encircle. Cao Cao knows that we have had a hard time traveling, so he took the initiative to send the horses."

"The last general takes orders." Li Feng clasped his fists and turned around to leave.

Seeing Qiao Rui's serious expression, Zhang Xun smiled and comforted him: "I'll order another five thousand horses to meet him, and General Laoqiao will lead the rear army to follow."

"Okay, Cao Cao has a lot of talented people under his command, the general must be careful."

Zhang Xun ordered his men and horses to go forward for two miles, and saw that Li Feng's men and horses had dispersed and returned.

He caught a defeated soldier and questioned him, only to find out that Li Feng had been beheaded, and the beheaded general was Cao Ren, the opponent's chief general.

Horses were scarce in the separatist regimes, and the cost of training cavalry was far higher than that of infantry. Ordinary people could not afford to raise a large-scale cavalry unit, and Cao Ren was able to support a cavalry of thousands of people because of his powerful family.

Cao Ren is the eldest son of Cao Chi, the school lieutenant of Changshui. The Cao family is well-off in Qiao County, Peiguo.

After Cao Chi's death, his son Cao Chun inherited the family business, and he used the financial resources of the Cao family to form the famous "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry".

And Cao Ren, the eldest son of the concubine who separated from the family, also used the property he got to form his own cavalry trilogy.

Cao Ren's cavalry followed him to fight in the north and south, and gradually became a sharp cavalry, whose combat effectiveness was second only to the tiger and leopard cavalry.

Hearing that Cao Ren was in the front, Zhang Xun hurriedly suppressed his position and stopped moving forward. At this time, he was very self-aware. While sending out sentries to monitor the front, he waited for Qiao Rui's rear army to arrive, thinking that no matter how strong Cao Ren was, two thousand cavalry It can't stop 5 people.

Not long after, Qiao Rui led the army to rush over. Zhang Xun glanced at the grain carts behind, and suddenly found that the number was much smaller. He suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.

"General Bridge, our grain truck"

"I told someone to lose half of it."

(End of this chapter)