Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

Chapter 174 Ma Su escapes and Zhuge Qiao takes over the battlefield (Pursuit)
Guo Huai fled all the way to the outside of Shanggui City.

Before Guo Huai could call Wang Yun to open the door, the Han flag was erected on the top of the city.

Feng Xi threw down the first level to Guo Huai, shouted and laughed: "I, Feng Xi, have captured the city of Shanggui!"

The head rolled toward Guo Huai. Guo Huai took a closer look and saw that it was Wang Yun, the prefect of Guangwei County!
Guo Huai's expression changed drastically, and he quickly turned his horse's head and headed towards the ferry.

When we arrived at the ferry, we found that it had been burned down.

"Is God going to kill me, Guo Huai?"

Seeing Zhao Yun's pursuers approaching and the turbulent Wei River ahead, Guo Huai lost all hope and pulled out the short blade from his waist to kill himself!
"You can't do it!"

Zhao Cheng, the commander of Su Wei, snatched the short blade from Guo Huai's hand and said, "How can you die first before we die?"

Guo Huai looked sad: "With the Wei River in front and the pursuing troops behind, how can we escape with our lives? If I die, you can surrender to the Han soldiers."

Zhao Cheng shouted angrily: "How can we abandon your envoy after receiving your great kindness? Brothers, if your envoy is in trouble, how can we not fight to the death!"

Zhao Yun reined in his horse and walked away, giving an order: "Search along the Weishui River and be sure to find Guo Huai. Don't let him escape!"

Looking at Zhao Cheng who fell to the ground, Zhao Yun felt even heavier.

All the knights also saluted Guo Huai: "Your Majesty, take care!"

Even if there are only a dozen riders on the opposite side, Zhao Yun has no intention of looking down upon him.

The cavalrymen took off the water bag and threw it to Zhao Cheng while removing Guo Huai's armor.

"The generals of Cao Wei are as brave as ever!"

Zhao Cheng struggled to get up and laughed: "I am just a soldier under the command of Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou. I died for the envoy today. Although I died without regrets! Why do you, a man like you, need to remember my name in the future?"

All the riders shouted: "I am willing to fight to the death!"

All the riders were determined to die and shouted in unison: "Fight to the death! Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

Zhao Cheng yelled and got on his horse: "Brothers, whether you can survive depends on God's will; but we will definitely not survive, so we will fight for the last battle on your behalf!"

Zhang He not only wants to cut off the water today, but also wants to surround the mountain!

Facing the Wei cavalry who were willing to fight to the death, Zhao Yun did not dare to be careless. He hung his spear on the saddle hook and ordered the cavalry to shoot at the enemy.

Zhao Cheng didn't answer, but quickly poured out the water from more than a dozen water bags, blew air into them, plugged them, tied them together, then put them on Guo Huai, and held his hands to Guo Huai: "Your Majesty, take care of yourself. !”

When he saw the Wei cavalry shouting "fight to the death" again by the Wei River, Zhao Yun couldn't help but feel his heart sink.

Su Ze divided two troops and horses to defend the camp in the north. The remaining troops also pressed down to the water source and set up the camp in front of Ma Di.

If these cavalrymen were not interested in being generals alone, the one with the least merit could be a hundred-man general!
During the Battle of Hanshui, faced with the pursuit of Cao Wei's 5,000 cavalry, Zhao Yun led more than 50 cavalry to forcefully tear open the siege of Wei soldiers and walk away.

Zhang He personally controlled the formation and commanded the Wei soldiers to fight with the Han soldiers.

Guo Huai's words were stuck in his throat. He only saw the last salutes of the horsemen on the shore, and then they were washed away by the turbulent Wei River.

Some of the cavalry have been following Zhao Yun since Changshan surrendered to Gongsun Zan. They are not only proficient in cavalry and archery, but also have extremely rich battlefield experience.

Although the Han soldiers were brave, there was a huge disparity in strength. They did not get enough rest last night and their energy was not as good as yesterday.

Guo Huai didn't know why and asked: "Zhao Cheng, what are you going to do?"

Suddenly.

Zhao Yun rode his horse and approached Zhao Cheng: "Who are you under Guo Huai?"

"Surprisingly, not a single rider died!"

Now that we are fighting more and less, and we are going all out, how can we fulfill Zhao Cheng's wish?

"Guo Huai is so popular with the soldiers!"

"Liu Bei actually has such brave and capable cavalry under his command!"

Although Zhao Cheng had a good idea, he didn't know that Zhao Yun's fifty or so cavalry were all elites who had fought for the rest of their lives.

"Let him escape today, and it will be a disaster tomorrow!"

Zhao Yun led more than fifty riders from afar, just in time to see Guo Huai being thrown into the Wei River.

Street pavilion, Nanshan water source.

A cold light flashed in Zhao Cheng's eyes, and he actually grabbed an arrow and threw it towards Zhao Yun.

Guo Huai had already understood Zhao Cheng's intention and was furious: "I am the governor of Yongzhou, how can I escape alone?"

Zhao Guoguo shouted: "Take off the water bag and give it to me! Remove the armor of the envoy!"

The lion fights the rabbit with all his strength!

Zhao Yun tilted his head, and firmly caught the thrown arrow with his right hand. Then he flipped and threw it back, and the arrow hit Zhao Cheng's neck.

After a fierce exchange of fire, Wei Qi was left with only Zhao Cheng.

However, Zhao Cheng did not listen to Guo Huai's angry shouts and asked four soldiers to pick up Guo Huai and drag him to the Weishui River.

"you--"

Looking at the undamaged Han cavalry, Zhao Cheng stared at Zhao Yun unwillingly.

No matter how much he roared, Guo Huai struggled to escape. He was lifted up by four powerful soldiers and thrown into the turbulent Wei River.

Seeing that the Han soldiers could not disperse the Wei soldiers, Ma Su's bloodshot eyes on the top of the mountain were like a gambler's red eyes, and he became even more crazy!

"Send my order!"

"Behead the one who retreats!"

Ma Su drew his sword, his fierce eyes seeming to bite people.

Unfortunately.

The battlefield is not one where you can be invincible by shouting a few harsh words.

Xiang Yu dared to break the pot and sink the boat, that's because "Xiang Yu's power is unparalleled" and "Yu's bravery is unparalleled throughout the ages." Looking at the kings at that time, no one could stand up to Xiang Yu head-on.

The reason why Han Xin dared to fight against the odds was because of Han Xin's unparalleled commanding ability, he calculated battlefield factors such as terrain, psychology, and surprise troops to the extreme, instead of just forcing his own soldiers to a desperate situation.

Ma Di only knew that Han Xin had won a last-ditch battle, so he thought that he could easily put him to death and survive. However, he didn't know how many details went into Han Xin's last-ditch battle.

Even if one detail is missing, Han Xin will be killed by his own soldiers.

Just like when Guan Yu made an emergency landing in Yu Jin, all the officers and soldiers of Yu Jin's seven armies just wanted to kidnap Yu Jin.

Fight to the death?

If you want to survive, you don’t necessarily have to fight to the death!

Who is working for whom is not selling one's life?

By evening.

Su Ze completed the erection of the stronghold at the water source. Zhang He's troops no longer need to retreat and set up camp, but can be stationed directly at the water source.

Seeing that the situation was irreversible, Zhuge Qiao ordered the troops to retreat to the mountain camp.

When Ma Di saw Zhuge Qiao withdrawing his troops without permission, he shouted with red eyes: "General Fu Han, who told you to withdraw your troops?"

Zhuge Qiao looked at Ma Su who had completely lost his sense of control, stopped Jiang Wei who was about to refute, and responded calmly: "Ma joins the army, the enemy army is strong, and the water source cannot be defended."

"The drinking water in the camp can sustain the soldiers for one day at most. You should think about how to break the situation instead of asking me why I want to withdraw my troops."

Ma Su was stunned in place, feeling a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat. He wanted to vomit but couldn't, and wanted to swallow but couldn't.

Zhuge Qiao told the generals: "Zijun, eldest brother, go to the general. The soldiers are tired. Quickly lead the soldiers to rest and recharge their batteries before facing the next fierce battle."

All the generals dispersed.

Ma Su was left alone on the top of the mountain blowing the hot summer wind in the evening.

"Failed?"

"Am I defeated?"

"I actually lost?"

"I actually lost?"

Ma Su said to himself in a daze.

Three days!

In just three days, Zhang He surrounded the mountains and cut off the water!
The village only has enough drinking water for one day!
In three days at most, this mountain will be conquered by Zhang He!
Ma Su sat down slumped, feeling confused and at a loss.

In this short period of time, Ma Su thought of the high spirits of the past and the bleak future.

I don’t know how long it took.

In his heart, Ma Su began to constantly find reasons for his defeat.

"No, the street pavilion cannot be defended in the first place. This is a crime other than war!"

"If Wei Yan hadn't divided his troops without permission, I wouldn't have been short of troops!"

"This is not my fault!"

"I have failed in my ambition and cannot die here!"

Ma Su clenched the sword in his hand, and Liao Li subconsciously sounded in his mind.

"I am a famous official in Jingchu, and my brother is the governor of Jingzhou. The prime minister treats me like a brother. Even if I escape, I will not be punished too much."

"But if I die, then everything is for nothing."

"Liao Li abandoned the city in Changsha and fled. Not only did His Majesty not blame Liao Li, he also made Liao Li the governor of Ba County and appointed Liao Li as a minister!"

"Compared to Liao Li, I defended it for at least three days!"

"No, no, I'm not running away, I'm going to ask the Prime Minister for reinforcements!"

"Zhuge Qiao is still in the street pavilion. There is no way the Prime Minister will not send troops to rescue him!"

"Right, that is it!"

Ma Su made up his mind and asked his bodyguard to prepare food and have a hearty meal, then asked his bodyguard to wake him up at the fourth watch, and then fell asleep.

Since you want to escape, you must first recharge your batteries!

Compared with Ma Su's panic, fear and shame, the Wei army camp at the foot of the mountain was full of joy.

"General Zuo was so powerful that he successfully surrounded the Han soldiers in Nanshan and cut off the water in just three days."

"In three days at most, the Han soldiers will be demoralized due to lack of water. If we then attack the mountain with all our strength, the Han soldiers will be defeated!"

Xia Houru took a gulp of water and congratulated Zhang He.

Zhang He stroked his beard slightly and said with a chuckle: "The commander-in-chief of the Han army cannot be said to be useless. It's a pity that he has too little battle experience."

Su Ze thought of Wang Tong who was shot dead, and said solemnly: "Although the chief general of the Han army is not capable enough, the Han generals on the top of the mountain are brave."

"Although I don't know if the group of Han generals who call themselves 'General Zhennan', 'General Zhenxi' and 'General Champion' are bluffing, but the shooting of Wang Tong, my heroic general, makes me quite suspicious."

Su Ze told Zhang He in detail the specific process of the counter-robbery camp last night.

Zhang He couldn't help but frown: "General Su, what do you mean, is there anyone on this mountain who knows more soldiers than Ma Su?"

Su Ze nodded: "I guess that person should be the deputy general assigned to Ma Su by Zhuge Liang because he was worried about Ma Di's lack of experience in battle. We must be cautious."

"What's even more strange is that the Han soldiers near the top of the mountain and Nanshan were at odds with each other. They turned a blind eye to the fighting at Nanshan for the past three days and did not send out a single soldier."

Xia Houru scratched his head: "It's really strange for General Su to say this. Since it's a dire situation, the Han soldiers near the top of the mountain should send troops to respond."

Zhang He put down the water bowl and said attentively: "To prevent accidents, let all the soldiers recharge their batteries tonight, and tomorrow we will divide the troops into two groups to explore the situation of the Han soldiers on the hilltop."

It’s time for the fourth update.

Ma Su was awakened from his sleep by his guards. After hiding some dry food and water, Ma Su lied and said he wanted to get some air and drove away the guards.

As the commander-in-chief of the army, Ma Su could go wherever he wanted, and there would be no soldiers on night watch to question him.

en route.

Ma Di also pretended to be serious and scolded a few sleeping soldiers, and went to a secluded place on the top of the mountain with his sword in hand.

After taking a look at the Wei military camp below, Ma Di looked back at the Han military camp, and then slid down the steep slope. Not long after, it had disappeared into the darkness.

It's dawn.

Jiang Wei hurriedly came to see Zhuge Qiao: "Bosong, Ma Di has escaped!"

Zhuge Qiao stood up suddenly, his tone suddenly turned cold: "Escaped? When?"

Jiang Wei said bitterly: "I asked Ma Su's personal bodyguard. This guy had a big meal last night and asked the bodyguard to wake him up at midnight. Then he sent the bodyguard away with some excuse and never returned."

"The sergeant on patrol last night said that Ma Di was patrolling the camp during the fourth watch and scolded a few sergeants who were napping, and then disappeared."

"I asked the sergeant who last saw Ma Su, and then I found footprints and traces of someone slipping on the steep west side of Nanshan Mountain."

Zhuge Qiao took a long breath and looked in the direction of Ji County, his eyes becoming cold at this moment.

A country is easy to change, but a person's temperament is hard to change.

Zhuge Liang had a good relationship with brothers Ma Liang and Ma Di when he was in Jingzhou. In addition, when he was in Nanzheng, Ma Di provided a lot of assistance to Zhuge Liang in his Northern Expedition.

Therefore, even though he knew that Ma Su had shortcomings, Zhuge Liang still hoped to cultivate Ma Su.

As the eldest son, Zhuge Qiao could only use advice and could not forcefully veto Zhuge Liang's decision.

Facts have proved that Ma Su is not worthy of expectations!
Now that Ma Su has fled before the battle, Zhuge Qiao no longer has to worry about Zhuge Liang's thoughts.

When Ma Su chose to flee before the battle, Zhuge Liang would no longer be able to use Ma Su.

Although there have been some changes, the war in Jieting is still under Zhuge Qiao's control.

There was no time to delve into Ma Su's escape before the battle. The next person to take over the battlefield was Zhuge Qiao, who had been preparing for many days.

"Beat the drum and gather the generals!"

Zhuge Qiao's momentum changed at this moment.

Ma Di escaped, and Zhuge Qiao had to take over the Jieting battlefield.

Not long after.

The generals will arrive.

When they heard that Ma Su had left the army and ran away, the generals changed their colors.

Xiang Chong’s expression is also not very good-looking!
Zhuge Liang asked Xiang Chong to help out, not only because Xiang Chong himself has a peaceful temperament, but also because Xiang Chong's uncle Xiang Lang admires brothers Ma Liang and Ma Su very much, and he worships them like crazy!
Xiang Lang regards the two brothers as saints!

For Xiang Lang's sake, Xiang Chong would not treat Ma Su lightly like Wei Yan did.

And now.

Ma Di, who was regarded as a saint by Xiang Lang, fled the battle!

Just like Liao Li, when faced with a dilemma, he immediately ran away!

"Uncle, is this what you often tell me, Ma Youchang, who is comparable to a saint?"

"Fleeing in the face of battle is a more serious crime than defeat."

Xiang Chong sighed secretly, took out a secret order from his pocket and presented it to the generals: "The Prime Minister has a secret order."

When the generals took a look, they found the secret order to the effect that if Ma Su could not stop the Wei soldiers, Zhuge Qiao would replace Ma Su as the general.

Xiang Chong was originally planning to take out the secret order in front of Ma Su this morning and let Zhuge Qiao take command, but he never thought that Ma Su escaped last night.

"General Xiang, you should have taken it out earlier!" Jiang Wei glanced at the order and frowned.

Although he had guessed that Xiang Chong had a secret order, Xiang Chong never came up with the secret order, and Jiang Wei could not ask directly.

Xiang Chong sighed: "The Prime Minister has ordered that unless Ma joins the army and is helpless, I cannot take it out in advance."

Zhuge Qiao waved his hand to stop Jiang Wei and said, "Brother, don't worry about these details. I have already figured out what the Prime Minister wants. The most urgent thing is to buy time for the Prime Minister."

Although Ma Su escaped, the Nanshan generals did not panic.

With Zhuge Qiao here, morale will not collapse because of Ma Su's desertion, but will gain more confidence because Zhuge Qiao takes over the battlefield!

"Yao Wei, Gong Lu, listen to the order!"

"The two of you are responsible for distributing the military rations in the camp to the sergeants. Each of you is responsible for ten days of rations. Remember, you only have two hours."

"The remaining military rations can be gathered in one place."

"Liu Yin, Du Zhen, obey orders."

"The two of you are responsible for distributing the dry grass and dry firewood in the camp to the sergeants. Each person carries a load. Be careful not to be too heavy. It is enough to light a fire and have a meal."

"Liu Shen, Mi Zhao, listen to your orders."

"You two are responsible for distributing the drinking water in the camp to the sergeants. The drinking water currently stored in the camp is enough for each soldier to fill a water bag."

Zhuge Qiao quietly issued the order.

Yao Min, Gong Lu, Liu Yin, Du Zhen, Liu Shen and Mi Zhao were not suspicious and immediately took the order and left.

Xiang Chong asked suspiciously: "General Fu Han, are you planning to abandon Nanshan?"

Zhuge Qiao nodded calmly: "Nanshan has become a desperate situation, and it is useless to defend it for a long time."

Xiang Chong frowned slightly: "But if we give up Nanshan, how can we resist the Wei soldiers?"

Zhuge Qiao's eyes were stern: "Don't be suspicious, I have my own arrangements. The generals will go back to the camp to restrain the soldiers. Those who incite the morale of the army will be killed! Those who make noise and cause chaos, beheaded! Those who do not obey military orders, beheaded!"

Several beheading orders were issued in succession, and all the generals became awe-inspiring.

Zhuge Qiao, who had been smiling and warm in the past few days, now became extremely cold!
Discussion room.

The scout came to report: "General, a group of Wei soldiers crossed Nanshan and headed towards Jieting City."

"how many people?"

"About two thousand people."

"Ignore it, let's explore again!"

"promise!"

While the Han soldiers were actively preparing, Zhang He's general Hu Hu also arrived at the top of the mountain near Nanshan.

Looking at the empty camp on the top of the mountain, Hu Hu was alert: "How could it be the empty camp?"

Hu Hu did not dare to be careless, so he ordered the sergeant to investigate carefully.

After a while, the spy reported back: "General, there is no one in the camp, and there is no sign of a fire."

How could this be?

After a while, another spy reported back: "General, there are Han flags on the top of the mountain opposite!"

Hu Hu quickly went to take a look, and sure enough he saw the Han army's flag flying on the hilltop opposite.

"The Han generals must have noticed that Nanshan was being surrounded and fled in fear."

"Quickly report the situation here to the general."

Hu Hu glanced at the top of the mountain and ordered his sergeants to station themselves in the Han soldiers' camp. He also sent people to dig stoves, chop wood and fetch water.

The scout quickly returned to Nanshan and reported to Zhang He the situation on the nearby hills.

"It seems that I think highly of this Ma Su. This is not a pushover at all!"

"I'm afraid that Ma Su had a conflict with the generals in the army, so he divided his troops and established a stronghold. He was worried that I would send generals to surround the mountain, so he set up another stronghold on the top of the mountain."

"Ignore the partial army. Let the soldiers rest in the camp today and attack the mountain tomorrow!"

Zhang He laughed, his eyes gleaming.

Su Ze asked: "General, why didn't you wait a few more days? Attacking the mountain tomorrow might arouse the Han soldiers' desire to fight to the death."

Zhang He said disdainfully: "Does General Su want to risk his life and survive? With Ma Su's command level, how can he make the Han soldiers want to fight to the death?"

"If we break the mountain one day earlier, we can reach Longyou one day earlier! Although Ma Di is incompetent, Zhuge Liang is an opponent that cannot be ignored."

"If our army delays attacking the mountain for one day, and Zhuge Liang happens to send reinforcements, wouldn't it be a waste of time to encircle the mountain and cut off the water?"

"Don't be suspicious, I will personally command the attack on the mountain tomorrow and I will definitely capture that Ma Su alive!"

"There will be heavy troops guarding the water source tomorrow, beware of that Ma Su coming to grab water again!"

Su Ze thought for a while and agreed with Zhang He's judgment.

What the Wei soldiers need is to reach Longyou in the shortest time, while what the Han soldiers need is to delay.

The battlefield situation is changing rapidly. If reinforcements from the Han army arrive, the surrounding mountains and water will become a joke.

Zhang He's judgment is very sharp.

After Huang Zhong defeated Guo Huai in Liliucheng, he was already inquiring about Jieting's military situation.

Just because there were few soldiers, they did not dare to go straight up the water to Jieting, but took a detour directly to Lueyang.

however.

What Zhang He didn't expect was that Ma Di fled before the battle, and the commander of Nanshan was replaced by Zhuge Qiao!
This does not mean that Zhang He was not cautious enough, but that it would be difficult for a normal person to imagine that Ma Su, the leader, would run away from the battlefield.

Even after being defeated, it is normal to assemble and defeat them and then go to Lueyang to set up an ambush and intercept them.

It's approaching noon.

The cool sun in midsummer shone on Nanshan Mountain and also on Zhang He's camp.

Due to the terrain, the sunlight made it difficult for Zhang He's soldiers to see the movement on the hilltop, but the movement of Zhang He's camp could be easily seen on the top of the hill.

Zhuge Qiao did not object to Ma Su going up the mountain on the water, and he also took this into consideration.

From a high position, one can overlook the movement below the mountain; but due to the scorching sun, it was difficult for the Wei soldiers at the foot of the mountain to see clearly the movement on the mountain.

Especially at noon, when the sun is at its strongest.

If you look a few more times, your eyes will be dazzled!
"God help me succeed!"

Zhuge Qiao raised his right hand in front of his eyebrows and looked down at Zhang He's camp below.

If it rains today, Zhuge Qiao's plan will be ruined.

Not to mention being unstoppable from a high position, it's pretty good even if you don't slip when you walk.

"Generals, listen to my orders and follow me to break the stronghold!"

Zhuge Qiao pointed his sword at the camp on the north side of the mountain and gave the order coldly.

Wang Ping's ten generals led Wudang Fei's five troops in the lead, Jiang Wei led the powerful soldiers of Hebei County in the middle, and Xiang Chong led his troops behind.

Thousands of powerful soldiers descended from the mountain like fierce tigers, following the tooth flag and general flag and rushed down.

This sudden attack made the Wei soldiers at the foot of the mountain a little confused.

Zhang He's order was to guard the water source with heavy troops, while the rest of the soldiers stayed at the camp and recuperated their strength. He never thought that the Han soldiers would directly attack the camp to the north.

The Wei soldiers guarding the stronghold bore the brunt and were directly killed by flying arrows.

"General Su, Han soldiers are attacking the stronghold!"

A Wei army commander hurriedly came to the commander's tent, his tone anxious and panicked.

"Why are you panicking?" Su Ze suddenly stood up and asked: "How many people are attacking the stronghold?"

The principal said anxiously: "The sun is shining brightly and the line of sight is blocked. I can't see how many people there are. Just listen to the shouts. There are definitely no less than 3,000 people!"

Su Ze was horrified: "Oops, we've fallen into a trap! The Han soldiers saw that the water source was heavily guarded and wanted to forcefully break our army's siege on the mountain. Quickly notify General Zuo to send reinforcements!"

Before Su Ze's troops arrived, Zhang He also discovered what had happened to the north.

That thunderous cry of killing did not require Zhang He to send people to investigate!
"Ma Su is so courageous today?"

Zhang He stood up suddenly, and his eyes became sharp at this moment:

"Xia Houru!"

"Quickly lead three thousand troops to support Su Ze!"

(End of this chapter)