Great Han Empire

Chapter 118
Li Hong was woken up from his sleep by Yan Liang.

He received two messages at the same time.The news came back from the scouts of the Fengyun Iron Cavalry that Zhang Baiqi of the Yellow Turban Army led [-] soldiers to leave the camp of the Yellow Turban Army suddenly and quickly moved towards Jumashui.Xian Yufu heard the news from the city that the Yellow Turban Army outside the city was packing up and there were signs of withdrawal.But no news from Jizhou reached Youzhou.

"Where is Shouyan?" Li Hong sat by the bonfire and spread out the map, asking Yan Liang, "Is it the news from him?"

"Zheng Junhou left in a hurry, saying he would go and see for himself."

"Is there any news from Lei Zi?"

"No."

"Immediately send someone to find Lei Zi, and make sure he finds out if Chu Feiyan's troops have crossed the river."

Yan Liang turned around and ran away.

Tian Zhong sat up from the fire, pointed at Yan Liang's back and said, "Zishan has heavy steps, he runs like a cow, it's so noisy."

Li Hong smiled and said, "Old man, the Yellow Turban Army is about to run away."

"Run? Where are you going?" Tian Zhong asked suspiciously, then reacted and said excitedly, "Zhang Niujiao wants to withdraw?"

"Yes. There must be a fight in Jizhou. Chu Feiyan only brought [-] troops, apparently to support Zhang Niujiao's evacuation of Jumashui."

"Shall we fight?" Tian Zhong asked immediately.

"Fight, we must fight, and we must wipe out Zhang Niujiao's troops east of Jumashui at all costs." Li Hong laughed, "Zhang Niujiao still has more than 5 people left. There will be 10 people when the Qin Chu Feiyan troops meet. These 10 people are the main force of the Yellow Turban Army. We have no ability to fight. We can only let them go. Therefore, we must kill Zhang Niujiao before they join up. .”

"After eating Zhang Niujiao, the strength of the Yellow Turban Army will be greatly reduced, and we will be able to take back Fanyang and Beixincheng without bloodshed. Otherwise, we will not be able to take back these two counties this winter. Without tens of thousands of troops, we will not be able to fight at all."

Tian Zhong looked at Li Hong's face flushed red from the fire, and asked worriedly: "But Zhang Niujiao still has more than 5 people, so it's hard to beat. Could it be that Zhang Niujiao is playing tricks?"

Li Hong laughed.He gave Tian Zhong a thumbs up, "Good idea, old man. Zhang Niujiao really has tricks. He wants to eat us. He plays this trick well."

"Oh." Tian Zhong asked strangely, "Why?"

"If his troops are huddled together and are always on guard against us cavalry raids, we really can't do anything about it. It's like a pack of wild wolves surrounding a herd of bison, and the bison surrounds a group of wild wolves, and they all point their horns at the wild wolves, and the wild wolves have no choice but to resent. Then adjust your buttocks and walk."

"But now that Zhang Niujiao wants to take revenge and dig a trap to eat us, the opportunity has come."

"Zimin, are you sure?" Although Tian Zhong admired Li Hong's talent, he couldn't help being suspicious when he saw him sitting by the fire and casually chatting with him, as if joking.

Li Hongda laughed, very happily.

The current position of Fengyun Iron Cavalry is Jiuli Pavilion between Jumashui and Zhuocheng.

Jiuliting is a gentle hilly area with small mountains and few trees. It is suitable for both infantry to block and cavalry to charge.

Li Hong decided to put the battlefield here.

Li Hong believes that Zhang Niujiao sent Zhang Baiqi to lead [-] people ahead, the purpose is very simple, that is to lure Fengyun cavalry to attack.Once the two sides got entangled, his follow-up troops quickly caught up and surrounded and wiped out.The main force of the [-] Yellow Turban Army was well prepared, and it was more than enough to withstand the charge of the cavalry army for more than an hour.

The news from the scouts also confirmed Li Hong's conjecture.The distance between Zhang Baiqi's army and Zhang Niujiao's army was forty li, and the two armies marched very fast.

"Where are Hu Zi and Yan Wuwei's troops now?" Li Hong turned around and asked.

Zheng Xin immediately rode up to him and said, "Huzi's troops are in Jiping, and Yan Wuwei's troops are in Duntun. According to your lord's request, one of them will follow Zhang Baiqi, and the other will follow Zhang Niujiao. The speed of the two armies."

"Is there any news from Zhuocheng?"

"No. However, Mr. Xianyu, Mr. Yan has a good friendship with us. They will definitely agree to your request and lead the army to follow Zhang Niujiao out of the city. This is a rare opportunity, and the two adults should be able to see it." Zheng Xin is very confident said.

Li Hong smiled and nodded, "Brother Yu Xing and Brother Zi Yu will definitely arrive as scheduled. Is Lei Zi back?"

"Not yet. But the good news is that Chu Feiyan's army is still on the other side of the Juma River."

"Shouyan, have you sent someone to check repeatedly?" Li Hong asked.The [-] Yellow Turban Army at Dingxing Ferry has always been a heart problem for Li Hong.It would be a very unfortunate thing if some of their troops quietly left the ferry, went east to meet Zhang Niujiao, and attacked Fengyun cavalry from behind.

Zheng Xin nodded affirmatively.

"Chu Feiyan and Sun Qin's armies are stationed on both sides of the Juma River. Compared with the concealment of the two armies' actions, Chu Feiyan's army is better. So you must send your best scouts to cross the river quietly and pay close attention to their movements." Li Hong was always vaguely uneasy, so he asked again.

"Don't worry, I will send someone to watch."
"Boyu... Pingshan (the word for Tie Yue)..." Li Hong raised his hand and shouted when he saw Xian Yuyin and Tie Yue galloping towards them.

"My lord, is this the battlefield of our Yan Zhaoqu?" Tie Yue asked.Xian Yuyin stood on his horse and looked around.

"Yes. This place is good. We are at the entrance of Jiuli Pavilion, a small hill. Three hundred steps ahead is the Jiuli River. It is the dry season and there is no water in the river. The overall terrain here is sloped. Suitable for blocking."

"Our infantry stopped Zhang Niujiao's 3 people, isn't that too little?" Xian Yuyin asked.

"Lord Xianyu and Lord Yan's troops will arrive soon. You have the advantage of the terrain and entangled Zhang Niujiao here. The main force of our cavalry will surprise Zhang Baiqi at the exit of Jiuliting, ten miles away, and once we completely annihilate him , we outflanked from both sides of the Jiuli River, surrounded Zhang Niujiao, and made it difficult for him to fly."

Tie Yue happily punched Xian Yuyin, and shouted loudly: "Boyu, now you can get enough of killing people."

Xian Yuyin smiled angrily and said, "Except for you horse bandits, who would kill for pleasure."

Li Hong still told Xian Yuyin about Macheng.He felt that Xian Yuyin was a brother, and it was better to clarify these things that are prone to misunderstanding.If these trivial matters affect the unity of the soldiers and delay the fighting, that would be bad.

Xian Yuyin had a deep impression on Tie Yue, and the two of them fought against each other when Xian Yu Yin led troops to suppress bandits in the past.Because of Li Hong's relationship and the fact that he had made a lot of military exploits, Xian Yuyin reluctantly accepted.For the fist of the Huns, Xian Yuyin has quite a few words.Fist has been a horse thief for a long time, and has committed many cases on the ground in Dai County, committing heinous crimes.Li Hong was very troubled and explained for a long time.Although Fist is a sinner, he is strong and brave. If he has been killing enemies and making meritorious service in the army, it can be regarded as atonement.Where can such soldiers be found now?How to defeat the Yellow Turban Army without soldiers?Xian Yuyin just wasn't happy, thinking that after Li Hong lost his memory, his mind was a little abnormal, and he was crazy to dare to do anything to expand the army.

Zhang Baiqi's troops quickly crossed the Jiuli River and entered the Jiuli Pavilion.

The soldiers lined up in a long queue, marching neatly and quickly on the road.Everyone looked relaxed and happy because they were about to leave the colder and colder north.Dozens of heavy trucks walking in the middle were dragged down by the soldiers and turned up the hill with difficulty.

"Zhang Shuai, the cavalry of Fengyun Iron Cavalry is eight miles away." A scout flying horse came and stopped beside Zhang Baiqi to report.

"Did they ever set up roadblocks?" Zhang Baiqi asked.

"No."

Zhang Baiqi frowned, and waved his hand to signal the scouts to investigate again.

Yesterday, the outpost cavalry of the Leopard Army dug holes everywhere and dropped huge stones on the road, which seriously hindered the marching speed of the troops.At night, in order to guard against the sudden attack of the Fengyun Iron Cavalry, the Yellow Turban Army divided [-] people into two armies, and they took turns guarding the upper and lower nights and taking turns sleeping and resting.

Today, the outpost cavalry of the Leopard Army suddenly changed their temper, not only did not set up obstacles, but also stayed away from them.

Zhang Baiqi was a little bit guilty in his heart, but he still ordered the troops to speed up quietly, widening the distance from the main force behind.

To be a bait, you have to do something similar.

Zhang Baiqi and Zuo Yan firmly supported Zhang Niujiao's plan to eliminate Fengyun Iron Cavalry.Not only because of revenge, but also directly related to the survival of the Yellow Turban Army.

If you can wipe out the most powerful Fengyun Cavalry in Youzhou or severely damage it before withdrawing from Zhuojun, Youzhou will have no troops that can threaten the Yellow Turban Army.

In this way, not only can Fan Yang and Beixincheng continue to be guarded, but also the mouths of his subordinates can be blocked. After returning to Changshan Zhongshan, they will not be ridiculed by many people, and they will retain a little handsome face.Secondly, because Youzhou does not have enough troops to mobilize or capture Fanyang and Beixincheng, the Yellow Turban Army only needs to leave a small number of troops to defend Fanyang and Beixincheng. Zhongshan Kingdom does not need to send heavy troops to guard, and the main force of the army can support other battlefields , You can concentrate on dealing with the enemies of Jizhou wholeheartedly, and have a decisive battle.

If you don't fight the Fengyun Iron Cavalry, just withdraw in such a disgruntled manner, the commander's face is a trivial matter, tens of thousands of troops are stranded in Fanyang, and Beixin City is a major matter.Because once the Yellow Turban Army withdrew through Jumashui, Li Hong's iron cavalry and the national soldiers from other counties in Youzhou would chase after them.Not only did they want to take back Fanyang and Beixincheng, but they also wanted to go south to attack Zhongshan to support the Jizhou government army.Therefore, the Yellow Turban Army can only defend Fanyang, Beixincheng, and Zhongshan with heavy troops, and endure the suffering of the enemy.Without heavy troops to support the Jizhou battlefield, I am afraid that Zhao Guo and the Yellow Turban Army in Changshan will also suffer heavy losses. In this way, the situation of the Yellow Turban Army will be very, very bad.

Therefore, a decisive battle with Li Hong's cavalry army is necessary, even if the losses are heavy.

Because there were no obstacles and no harassment from enemy cavalry, the soldiers wanted to go to Dingxing Ferry early to meet up with the friendly army, and feared that the leopard army would appear to attack them at any time, so they walked faster and faster, farther away from the main force behind them.

The soldiers did not rest at noon. They took some dry food from their pockets and ate them as they walked.

Zhang Baiqi estimated the distance between the army and the rear army, and couldn't help feeling very anxious.

Now looking forward to the appearance of Fengyun Iron Cavalry, it is like a ghost, unable to see the shadow.

"Order the troops to stop advancing and rest in line." Zhang Baiqi shouted.

If you don't come out, why don't I leave?
At this moment, from the rear of the army, several scouts from the Yellow Turban Army came galloping on horseback, yelling non-stop along the way.

Zhang Baiqi's heart suddenly beat violently, the feeling of suffocation filled his whole body, and the sound of heavy breathing could be heard clearly.

He stared wide-eyed at the approaching scouts.

"The commander-in-chief was besieged at the Jiuli River."

Zhang Niujiao stood on the embankment of the Jiuli River, a gleam of joy flashed across his stern face.

Leopard Li Hong's Fengyun cavalry finally appeared.

On the opposite hill, thousands of officers and soldiers lined up to form a long and deep defensive formation according to the terrain.The heavily armed soldiers each hold their weapons and stand in formation, densely packed, all the way to the back of the hill.

Among the colorful battle flags fluttering in the wind, Zhang Niujiao saw several familiar battle flags, some of which were rare, some of which were Yan Rou's, and he even saw Yan Rou.Yan Rou was riding on a fiery red horse and wearing a fiery red dress, making her very recognizable.

On the embankments on both sides of the Jiuli River, on the river bed, in the valley, and two miles away, under the shadow of countless battle flags that can be seen faintly, under the command of the continuous howls one after another, countless The soldiers of the Fengyun Cavalry Army formed eight charging phalanxes, ready to attack the Yellow Turban Army.

The messengers of the Yellow Turban Army rode war horses and shuttled between the embankment, the river bed and the river valley.

"Marshal, the formation of vehicles has been completed."

"Marshal, the dense defensive formation has been lined up."

"Marshal, the assault detachment is complete."

……

Zhang Niujiao turned his eyes around.

The 300 soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army in sackcloth and yellow turbans formed a huge rectangular defensive formation in more than [-] small phalanxes with different status quo on the valleys on both sides of the Jiuli River and on the riverbed of the Jiuli River, relying on the cart formation.In this narrow area of ​​less than a thousand paces in length and width, soldiers of various arms lined up and arranged in different positions, which appeared to be crowded and well-organized, without any disorder.

Although the soldiers were besieged, apart from being a little nervous, they were full of energy and their morale was like a rainbow.If a person has the will to die, he is indeed fearless.

Zuo Yan drove his horse ashore from the river bed, ran to Zhang Niujiao, and said with a smile:

"Master, everything is ready."

Zhang Niujiao pointed around, shook his head with emotion, looked at Zuo Yan and said:

"We all said that if this battle is fought in Jiulihe, it will be perfect. Today we got our wish."

After a pause, Zhang Niujiao said again:

"I don't know what kind of character Li Hong is. We wanted to beat him, and he wanted to beat us, even the battlefield was chosen in the same place."

"He's amazing."

Zuo Yan smiled knowingly.

"Does the commander-in-chief want to see him?"

Zhang Niujiao raised his head, looked at the opposite hill, looked at the fiery red black panther banner on the hill, and shook his head.

He raised his hands high and roared loudly:

"Beating the drum..."

Dozens of large and small war drums sounded at the same time, low, violent, thick, and the passionate drums soared into the sky, shaking the sky like a stormy sea.

Zuo Yan, who had been looking at the opposite hill, suddenly changed his face. He opened his eyes wide and let out a wild cry:
"Master..."

(End of this chapter)