Three Kingdoms: I help Liu Bei grow thousands of miles

In fact, Cao Ren didn't feel guilty at all, because ordinary people were like cattle and sheep in his eyes, and he would rob them if he had to. Thinking of Cao Cao's winter clothes were not enough, would he plunder the people in Wancheng?

Absolutely not, Cao Ren denied this idea.

Because after suppressing Hou Yin's rebellion at the beginning of the year, he had slaughtered Wancheng completely. All valuable objects in the city had already been collected by his arrogant soldiers. Cao Cao had no sheep even if he wanted to gather wool.

In order to prevent them from being defeated individually, Cao Ren asked Niu Jin and Xu Huang to send a total of [-] troops to the north to Deng County to attract the attention of the other party. The soldiers selected were all elite soldiers with winter clothes.

In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the vegetation withered and the land was desolate.

The wilderness was muddy and difficult to move after the snow. Xu Huang and Niu Jin marched slowly northward. When they reached fifty miles north of Fancheng, they suddenly heard thunderous thunder and murderous aura from the northeast direction. Thousands of cavalry rushed down from the small hill.

Xu Huang and Niu Jin immediately held their ground. The cavalry on the opposite side had serious flags and neat ranks, like a tiger like black. They were secretly startled.

More than a hundred personal guards in the central army held out two generals in the formation. The general on the left had a square face, a handsome appearance, and a red robe and a golden helmet. He was the fierce general Gan Ning; With a tall white horse and a cold and beautiful sword upside down, he is Pound, the commander of this cavalry.

Xu Huang and Gan Ning once had a battle in Fancheng, but at that time there was no winner because of their own concerns.

"Isn't Gan Ning a boatman? Why do you always come to land to fight? Later, Lao Gongming will fight with him, and I will deal with the round-faced man surnamed Pang on the right." Niu Jin whispered under his throat. .

"Just General Yi Niu." Xu Huang was startled for a moment, then nodded in agreement, saying that it is up to you to choose, these two are stubborn.

Xu Huang followed Cao Cao to fight Ma Chao in Weishui. Although he didn't fight directly, he knew Pang De was brave. As Cao Ren's deputy, Niu Jin often moved back and forth between Xiangyang and Huainan, so he didn't know what opponent he picked.

Xu Huang and Niu Jin's [-] soldiers were a mixture of more than [-] light infantry and hundreds of light cavalry. They had no advantage in front of the opponent's pure cavalry with bright armor and strong horses.

"General Gan hasn't seen you for a long time. Why don't you stay on the boat? It's a good plan to attack Deng County before it's too late, but we know that King Wei's army will arrive in no time? When the time comes, we will attack back and forth with Fancheng's army, and you will all die without a place to die. I advise you." You should rush back to the warship to respond." Xu Huang reined in his horse and moved forward, cupping his fists to challenge Gan Ning.

Gan Ning responded with a sneer: "Aren't you all in cahoots with Sun Quan? Didn't he tell you about my general Baiqi's robbing the camp? Whether it was a flank attack or a front and rear death, you will know after the fight. As for the warships, there is no need to worry. Jingzhou has plenty of them." A good boatman, I will accompany Wenpin if he comes to die, and the Deng County you care about may be ruined."

Wenpin was transferred by Cao Cao to Wancheng to supervise the construction of warships a month ago. Xu Huang didn't know whether he would go south with the army. At this time, facing Gan Ning's teasing, he had to change the subject, "I didn't separate out in Fancheng last time. Win or lose, do you dare to try the big ax in my hand again?"

"My big knife has just been sharpened, and I just use you to test whether it is sharp."

Gan Ning said that he was going to fight with his horse, Xu Huang picked up his big ax and went towards him, the sword and ax collided back and forth and the fight was very fierce, the two fought more and more bravely in the cold wind, more than ten rounds were still tied.

Seeing that Gan Ning and Xu Huang were fighting fiercely, Pang De also lifted the rein and took two steps forward. He originally planned to challenge Niu Jin who was facing him, but Niu Jin mistook him for a sneak attack.

"Don't make a sneak attack, the thief will, let's see my Niu Jin's sword skills." Niu Jin said and galloped on his horse.

Pang De was stunned for a moment, and immediately stepped forward to meet the attack with a knife. As soon as he fought, he detected the opponent's depth. Niu Jin struggled to deal with it and secretly complained, wondering why there were so many monsters in Guan Yu's formation?

Four generals and four horses were divided into two places. The soldiers of both sides clamored and cheered for their own generals.

Xu Huang and Gan Ning fought until the [-]th and [-]th rounds, and obviously felt that the opponent's sword skills were more exquisite, and his own side had already tended to be on the defensive in these two rounds, and it was estimated that it would be difficult to sustain if there were more than ten rounds, so he returned to the formation to fight with soldiers idea.

Niu Jin next to him had only had three or five rounds, and he was already overwhelmed by Pound's strength and momentum. He didn't care about face and cut off the opponent's blade, and took advantage of the gap between the two sides returning to the horse to adjust, and immediately patted the horse and ran towards the main formation.

Pang De was stunned when he saw it, but Niu Jin was about to return to the battle, and now it was too late to chase, so he took out the bow and arrow from his waist, and immediately aimed at Niu Jin's back.

"Pang Dexiu made a cold shot." Xu Huang shouted to remind him.

"Your opponent is me." Gan Ning shouted angrily and dropped the heavy knife.

Xu Huang almost dropped his weapon because he was distracted just now. At this time, he was sweating profusely and his vest was cold. Because he was worried about Niu Jin's safety and had no intention of fighting again, he fought hard and sprinted back.

Just as Xu Huang was defeated on the front foot, there was a roar of mountains and tsunami from behind, like a whip hitting his back heavily. Pang De and Gan Ning commanded the cavalry to attack Cao Jun with the prestige of a fighting general.

Just as Niu Jin was reminded by Xu Huang, his body involuntarily tilted to the side. Pound's armor-piercing arrow just missed the vital point, but was also shot in the armpit of his right hand.

Because of Pound's great strength, the armor-piercing arrow pierced his flesh, and Niu Jin lost consciousness in pain while running. His eyes were black and he fell off the horse. Several guards rushed forward and snatched him back. .

Chapter 595 Zhang Liao Suspectedly Met an Old Man

Pound's cavalry lined up and rushed into the formation. Its power was like a landslide and the city was destroyed, and its momentum was like the Yellow River breaking its embankment.

Cao Jun's generals were both defeated. It was the time when morale was declining. In addition, without heavy armor protection, the formation was dispersed in an instant. Xu Huang didn't care about Niu Jin's life or death.

After all, the number of Pound's cavalry was relatively small. After the first charge, their power weakened, and they could only divide the weaker part of Cao's army. It was very difficult to wipe out the five thousand cavalry in front of them. Finally, they chased them five or six miles away. More than a thousand levels were beheaded and returned to Deng County.

The former general Guan Yu led the main force to besiege the east gate of Dengzhou, the right general Zhang Fei supervised Mengda's Shangyong soldiers to attack the west gate, and the later general Lantian supervised Hu Xiu and Fu Fang's troops attacked the south gate together with Gao Shun's trapped army. The cavalry patrolled north of Fancheng, and cooperated with Chu Qing's reconnaissance battalion to intercept and kill the messenger of Fancheng.

Gan Ning was originally in charge of support on the warship, but he wanted to join the battle on land. Finally, under the coordination of Lan Tian, ​​he temporarily joined Pound's cavalry to intercept the reinforcements sent by Fancheng.

At this time, Liu Bei's territory spanned the three prefectures of Jing, Yi, and Jiao. After acquiring Xiangyang, the Yangtze River and the Han River became one, forming a relatively complete strategic pattern for both Cao Cao and Sun Quan.

Because Liu Bei's heavy troops will inevitably be placed on the border, no matter if there is a major war in Hanzhong, Xiangyang or Jiangxia in the future, they can quickly provide support through the Hanshui River and the Yangtze River. Invading the Central Plains, and the unstable factors of Jiangdong Sun Quan have not been completely resolved, so the purpose of this operation is to take down Fancheng.

Fancheng is equivalent to the outer city of Xiangyang, and Hanshui is like the inner city wall of Xiangyang. Forming a corner can effectively resist the enemy in the north, and it will be easier for Guan Yu to take Xiangfan at the same time, because Cao Cao's Xuanwuchi water army is no match for the Jingzhou navy .

Lantian deliberately created tension in Deng County. First, he used the leaders of Lu Meng, Lu Chang, and Xu Shang to let Cao Ren know Guan Yu's determination to go north. Second, he used scouts, cavalry, and navy to form a blockade to isolate Fancheng in the south. In the end, use Deng County as a base to block, or repel Cao Cao's reinforcements, the psychological defense of the soldiers and civilians in Fancheng will inevitably collapse.

When Pang De and Gan Ning returned from victory to the north, Lu Jian, the defender of Dengzhou, had to abandon the city and flee after two days of guarding. He didn't know why he was so unlucky that he could be attacked by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei at the same time.

Xu Huang packed up the remnants and was defeated and returned to Fancheng. Cao Ren and others were shocked when they heard the words. They never thought that when Guan Yu attacked Deng County, he would still have the strength to stop Fancheng's reinforcements.

Cao Ren's subordinates had already taken out the arrows from Niu Jin's armpits. Fortunately, Pound's armor-piercing arrows were not poisonous. Still lying on the couch did not wake up.

"Guan Yu, this old man, is deceiving people too much. Quickly gather troops and horses to save Deng County. I want to avenge General Niu." Cao Ren and Niu Jin had a deep friendship, and when they saw their old friend seriously injured and unconscious, he was furious.

"No, Guan Yu came prepared this time. He may think that Fancheng is not easy to fight. He deliberately attacked Deng County to lure us to divide our troops. The general should not be angry and fall into the trap." Zhao Yan tried his best to dissuade him.

Xu Huang cupped his fists to remonstrate: "Zhao Yilang is right. Guan Yu sent Gan Ning and Pang De to intercept with cavalry, which means that there are still strong generals in charge of attacking Deng County. It is not known whether Deng County can be kept at this time. The main force stationed in Wancheng, Xinye and General Zhang Wenyuan have [-] soldiers, and I believe they will be able to rush to help Deng County as soon as possible, General Zixiao might as well stand by and wait for help like before."

Cao Ren nodded, "I also know that the current situation may not be that bad, but I feel that Guan Yu is aggressive. Just now he couldn't do anything because of his anger. Gongming has fought hard, so let's go back and rest..."

"Wei." Xu Huang cupped his fists and retreated.

As soon as Xu Huang left, Cao Ren's expression turned dark again. Seeing this, Zhao Yan comforted him: "Since the general knows what he knows, why bother with others? It's better to prepare for the battle and strengthen the city defense. Once the King of Wei's reinforcements arrive, the crisis will be resolved."

Cao Ren leaned down and complained to Zhao Yan in a low voice: "Bo Ranxiu wants to comfort me, how can the current situation be so simple? The news of Xu and Niu's defeat will soon spread to all battalions. Lack of clothing and food, I am afraid that Guan Yu will mutiny before he comes."

"Didn't a few messengers go out? I believe that the general's eagerness will be conveyed to the King of Wei. Guan Yu will be repelled as long as the army goes south. Don't forget that Zhang Wenyuan repelled Jiangdong with 2 troops. Sun Quan has an army of [-], now his [-] people should be able to make great achievements, the general only needs to restrain the soldiers, if not, he can ask the people to 'borrow'." Zhao Yan replied.

A look of sternness flashed in Cao Ren's eyes, and he said that he would borrow sooner or later, but he didn't know how long he could last. As for Zhang Liao, the general who conquered the east that Zhao Yan said, he might not be Guan Yu's opponent who could defeat the soldiers of Jiangdong.

Zhang Liao received Cao Cao's order to set off from Xinye. He crossed the river and waded across the river and marched quickly to Chaoyang to rest, and then sent scouts to Deng County in the south to inquire about news.

The scouts brought Lu Jian into Zhang Liao's camp, and when they met Lu Jian, he knelt on the ground and wept, as if he had suffered a particularly serious grievance.

"General Lu, hurry up. The King of Wei has dispatched troops from Wancheng. I believe he will arrive in a few days. Tell me about the military situation in Dengzhou. I want to lead my troops there for a while." Zhang Liao helped Lu Jian with both hands. rise.

Knowing that Zhang Liao had brought [-] soldiers, Lu Jian quickly shook his head to persuade him, "General, don't be careless. Guan Yu's strength may be [-] to [-]. Besides, his general is extremely fierce. Why don't you go after King Wei arrives..."

"Soldiers are not many but fine, generals are not courageous but strategic. This general once defeated Sun Quan by [-]. Besides, I haven't seen General Guan for many years. This time I just catch up with him. You will know the information Tell me, who are General Guan's subordinates?" Zhang Liao asked nonchalantly.

"There is Zhang Fei..." Lu Jian blurted out.

"What? Zhang Fei is in Jingzhou?" Zhang Liao had a look of incredulity on his face, wondering how could he be Guan Yu's general?That's clearly another "minion" of Liu Bei, okay?

Lu Jian nodded, "The black servant is really there. Guan Yu commanded the main force to attack the east gate of Deng County, and Zhang Fei commanded Meng Da to attack the west gate of Deng County. That Meng Da seems to have come from Shangyong..."

"Let's not talk about Meng Da, General Lu, who are the other chief generals of the northern and southern sects?" Zhang Liao frowned.

"They adopted the method of encircling three and missing one. Outside the north gate, there were only a few soldiers from Liao Hua in ambush. Except for the fierce attack at the east gate, the south gate was the most powerful in the rest of the way. The general's name seemed to be Lan Tian, ​​but this man None of them commanded in front of the formation." Lu Jian explained.

"Lan Tian...the name is a little familiar..." Zhang Liao said to himself first, and then continued to ask: "Lan Tian is not commanding in front of the formation, so who is commanding the siege?"

Lu Jian thought for a while and replied, "It's the rebel generals Hu Xiu and Fu Fang, and there is another person whose surname seems to be Gao."

Zhang Liao stroked his beard: "What's so tall? Don't you even have a name?"

"I just saw the word 'high' on the flag behind him, but he didn't declare his name like other generals, so the last general didn't find out his full name, but his soldiers were all wearing heavy armor at the front, I don't know how many bows and arrows our defenders have wasted..." Lu Jian replied helplessly.

The surname is Gao, the soldier is heavily armored, the answer in Zhang Liao's mind is ready to come out, but he still can't believe it, because he has not heard from him for so many years, how could he suddenly appear in Liu Bei's camp?Besides, this person's character is foolish and loyal, so it is impossible to switch to Liu Bei.

Zhang Liao was in a restless mood after hearing this, so he called his personal guards and told him, "Hurry up and gather your troops, I'm going to Deng County to meet that General Gao."

Chapter 596 Who Knows the Real Reason

Lu Jian and Xu Shangyuan had more than [-] troops stationed in Deng County. When they finally fled to Chaoyang County, there were less than [-] troops. The shortage of combat supplies and the gap between the commanders almost wiped out the entire Cao army.

Zhang Liao dispatched Qi soldiers and horses to go to Deng County. Lu Jian didn't want to suffer with him anymore, so he stayed in Chaoyang with the remnants and waited to plead guilty to Cao Cao.

The [-]-strong army slowly advanced towards the south, and found something was wrong when they were halfway through, because when they reached the scouts' warning area, the left and right wings of Zhang Liao's army and the front, they often encountered cavalry running and moving, and sent patrol troops to chase them, but they couldn't catch up. On the road, the scouts who were lost and alone never returned to the camp to report.

It was only then that Zhang Liao realized that Lu Jian was not lying, that Guan Yu did have a cavalry force that was good at raiding and spying, and his marching movements were clearly grasped by the opponent.

Such terrifying reconnaissance and flexible combat capabilities are not necessarily comparable to Cao Cao's tiger and leopard cavalry. He didn't know that Gao Shun's scouts were also selected from the best, and the number was only controlled at 500, because it was too difficult to train a scout. easy.

Under the surveillance of scouts, Zhang Liao ordered the entire army to be uniform and not scattered, and asked to stay on guard at all times day and night, so as not to give the opponent a chance to sneak attack or rob the camp.

After passing through the bleak and mottled wilderness, Zhang Liao's troops arrived in the northern part of Deng County smoothly, and saw a military camp blocking the way. He saw that the layout of the camp was very familiar, and his guess about Gao Shun deepened.

Because the city of Deng County is too small, it is impossible for tens of thousands of troops to be stationed in the city. Guan Yu ordered Gao Shun's troops to station outside the north gate. In the east of the city was the right wing, and the main force was stationed in the city to support the various ministries. Pound's cavalry was still monitoring Cao Ren's movements in the south, and set up a frontal formation with Deng County as the center.

Zhang Liao's army was slowly advancing southward. At this time, the flags in Gao Shun's camp were swimming with the soldiers. After a while, several army formations stood neatly outside the gate.

Because of the scouts delivering the news, the trapped army had been waiting for a long time, but Zhang Liao was very cautious during the march and did not reveal any flaws. Gao Shun had no choice but to set up a frontal attack.

The two armies lined up, the enemy and us stood in awe, and the north wind howled past, blowing the flags and fluttering in the sky.

Zhang Liao stopped the rear army. Regardless of the general's objection, he walked between the two armies alone, looked at the opposite side and shouted loudly: "Is it Bo Ping on the other side?"

Under Lan Tian's signal, Gao Shun stepped forward on his horse, cupped his fists in salute and said, "General Zhang is safe and sound. I have heard your name often these years. Although the general has a prosperous official career, he looks a lot older..."

Because of his personal good habit of being strict with himself, Gao Shun has not changed much from 20 years ago. Zhang Liao is good at human relations under Cao Cao's tent, and has spent a lot of energy on other things. Although he is younger than Gao Shun, he The appearance has changed a lot.

Zhang Liao didn't get angry because of Gao Shun's teasing, he replied very calmly: "So Boping is really alive, and in the middle of the night I dreamed that I often thought of the years when we were comrades, and I didn't expect to see each other like this."

"Why does General Zhang need to talk about his comrades? You surrendered to kill Cao Cao, your lord and enemy, and you feel guilty all the way up?" Gao Shun asked with a frown.

"General Lu's ambition is great, but he doesn't understand the master. Besides, he doesn't have a master-servant relationship with me. Do you want me to die for him when Xiapi is defeated? Wei Xu has a relationship with him and he voted for the king of Wei, let alone Zhang Liao, an outsider?"

Zhang Liao was sore when he thought of the past, many people secretly called him a man who betrayed the Lord and seek glory, but who knows the real reason?

Zhang Liao was from Mayi, Yanmen, and Lv Bu was from the same township as Bingzhou. In the early years, Lv Bu was the governor of Dingyuan, and Zhang Liao was expropriated as Dingyuan's secretary. Both were subordinate officials of Bingzhou governor.Later, Zhang Liao was sent by Ding Yuan to Luoyang to join the army and became a subordinate of General He Jin. Because of his outstanding performance, he was sent to Hebei to recruit soldiers.

When Zhang Liao went to Hebei to recruit soldiers, He Jin was killed in the "Ten Servant Rebellion". Later, the old boss Ding Yuan was killed by his old colleague Lu Bu during the power struggle with Dong Zhuo.Dong Zhuo supported and controlled Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and became the speaker of the Eastern Han court. He Jin's old department was all incorporated by him. in the army.

After Dong Zhuo's death, Zhang Liao followed Lu Bu to conquer everywhere. In fact, the two had always been colleagues, which was very different from Gao Shun's master-servant relationship.Zhang Liao had always followed the court of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and his submission to Cao Cao in the end may also have the meaning of submission to the emperor. After all, at that time Cao Cao "served the emperor to order him not to be a minister".

Gao Shun was taken aback after hearing Zhang Liao's rebuttal. It was indeed far-fetched to compare the other party with himself, so his expression softened. He drew out his sword and opened the corner of his clothes and said, "People have their own ambitions, so don't force them. General Zhang will follow you." The Ming Lord, Gao Shun disagrees in his heart, if we meet today, we should cut off our robes and judge justice."

"Come on slowly." Zhang Liao stretched out his hand to stop him, and then asked his own question: "Bo Ping has always been loyal, and what he said just now meant General Lu's death, but why did you switch to Liu Bei at this time? Don't you hear what you said?" Don't do to others what you don't want?

Boping should understand that Liu Bei is also related to General Lu's desperation, but why do you only hold so much hatred for King Wei?The king of Wei, who roams around the universe, swallows up the eight wastes, will soon be able to calm down the world and end this chaotic world. Can such a hero not be called the Lord of the Ming Dynasty? "

Gao Shun looked calm: "I don't know about great talents, but loyalty is the foundation of one's life. Gao Shun has never recognized others as masters. The main reason why he didn't die for General Lu is because his orphan is still alive."

Zhang Liao asked in surprise, "Could it be Miss Lingqi? Did she marry Liu Bei's general?"

"General Zhang's guess is correct. The young lady is married to the brother-in-law of the King of Hanzhong, and now she is Lantian and Lanziyu, the shepherds of Jiaozhou." Gao Shun explained.

"Lan Tian, ​​Lan Ziyu...the name is so familiar..." Zhang Liao said to himself, thinking non-stop, and suddenly grabbed the saddle and exclaimed: "Could it be the farmer who told you and the lady stories back then?"

"General Zhang really has a good memory. My husband has the talents of the world. He is not comparable to your so-called enlightened master. From my point of view, his talent is ten times better than that of the Cao thief. Thinking that we have been in the same robe once, it is better to surrender here. So as not to be lost forever." Gao Shun broke the record and began to persuade him to surrender.

Zhang Liao was astonished, he sneered and shook his head and waved his hands: "Impossible, absolutely impossible, Lan Ziyu has no name, how could he possibly stand shoulder to shoulder with King Wei..."

Gao Shun and Zhang Liao were talking about the past, Zhang Fei poked Lan Tian's waist after the battle, and when he heard in the city that Zhang Liao was leading his troops to attack, he took the initiative to come to the encirclement army to support Lan Tian.

"I can't see that Gao Boping can really talk. My old Zhang has never seen him talk so much."

"It's normal for old colleagues to talk a lot." Lan Tian smiled.

At this time, the soldiers behind the formation suddenly gave way, and saw a red-faced, long-bearded general, green scarf and green robe, holding a green dragon sword, and sitting on a red rabbit horse. It was Guan Yu who was sitting in the city.

"Second brother? Why are you here?" Zhang Fei scratched his head in confusion.

Chapter 597 You Move Your Mouth, I'll Break Your Leg

Guan Yu stroked his beard and replied: "In the end, they are old acquaintances. General Gao is helping to persuade them to surrender. I also want to try. When I was trapped in Xudu, Zhang Wenyuan took care of me..."

"I'm afraid that Zhang Liao doesn't know what's interesting." Zhang Fei muttered.

"Do your best and obey the destiny." Guan Yu shook his head and immediately stepped forward.

Zhang Fei pulled the rein, then waved his hands and shouted: "Second brother, wait for me..."

Seeing two big men suddenly rushing out from the opposite side, the troops in Zhang Liao's formation were restless, dozens of personal guards were afraid that the general would be lost, so they rushed to protect immediately.

Lan Tian mistook Zhang Liao for a surprise attack, and was about to remind Gao Shun and others to retreat, when Zhang Liao looked back and shouted: "Return immediately, don't disturb me to reminisce with old friends."

"But..." The guard who ran to the front hesitated to speak.

"There's nothing but, who are these people? They definitely won't sneak up on me." Zhang Liao scolded again with glaring eyes.

Zhang Liao recognized Guan Yu from afar because of his eye-catching attire. Unfortunately, he didn't expect that the gunman next to him was Zhang Fei, who was not even afraid of Lu Bu.

When Zhang Liao shouted back the guards, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei happened to stop beside Gao Shun.

"Yun Chang, General Zhang, are you safe?" Zhang Liao bowed to the two of them with fists cupped.