Chapter 190 Decision 4/4

When all the princes of Xiliang left, Chen Cheng also got up and left the big tent, and began to inspect the camp with his guards.

He has done this kind of thing countless times, but every time he goes out to the army and fights, he still has to continue to do it. The purpose of patrolling the camp is not only to check whether there are any problems in the barracks, but also to show the attitude to the people around you and the officers and men in the army. The coach hasn't let up yet, he's been careful for me!

In the same way, he eats very simple every day, and he also leads by example, trying to make the territory under his rule not fall into the atmosphere of pursuing luxury so quickly. Of course, he himself is not a person who likes luxury, but prefers comfort, as long as things are easy to use.

Chen Cheng inspected the four gates along the road in the barracks, and the guards followed behind with torches. In the sound of "crackling", he also took the time to observe the enemy division in the north. The enemy army had left some of its men and horses near the valley, and the rest continued westward, now anchored in the open near Stone Bay and Flat Slope.

He could only see that there were enemies in both the Qianyang River Valley and Shiwan, but he couldn't know the number of soldiers and horses in each place. Further information can only be obtained if the distance is closer.

The open area in Stone Bay was the intersection of the four roads, and it was also the only way for the Xiliang army to withdraw to Longxian. The earth is round, and all avenues lead to Rome. If you don't go through there, you can of course go to Longxian, but you have to make a long detour, at least an extra hundred and fifty miles in the mountains.

But Chen Cheng was a little puzzled, even if the road to Longxian was blocked, what could it be? The Western Liang Army did not take the road of Longxian, and could retreat westward along Weishui. He pondered as he walked around the camp. Could it be that you want to block the supply of grain and grass from Longxian?

It is 200 miles from Longxian to the vicinity of Chencang, which is more than 150 miles shorter than coming from Shangqi. Although it could be transported through Weishui from Shangqi, Han Sui did not hoard much grain and grass in Hanyang County. Most of the grain transferred from Beidi County and purchased in Hanyang County and Anding County was piled up in Longxian County, so the supply of the army was more dependent on the roads in Longxian County. The officers and soldiers sent people to cut off this supply line, which was indeed hit on the soft underbelly of the Xiliang Army.

Thinking of this, Chen Cheng was determined in his heart. When you are in a war, the most fearful thing is not knowing the enemy's intentions, unless you are facing the kind of person who will not fight. For example, Mr. Chang often does things that surprise both the enemy and us. But Huangfu Song and Ding Yuan are not the kind of people who will only give orders to the map in the rear, and after today's hard-fought battle with the officers and soldiers, Chen Cheng is quite jealous of these two people.

No matter what kind of plans and schemes he has, they must be based on force. Although Han Sui is annoying, he is still a member of the Xiliang Army. If Han Wenyue was defeated by Huangfu Song and Ding Yuan, it would also be a loss for the Liangzhou army. If he wants to deal with Han Sui, he can only do it himself, and he can't let Han Wenyue fall in the hands of others.

Now that he understands the plan of Huangfu Song and Ding Yuan, Chen Cheng thinks again: Although the method of cutting off the grain route is good, it is only useful if it is based on a long-term confrontation. Our army will retreat tomorrow, and even if there are more enemies in the north who have cut off the grain routes, then what is the use?

He looked to the east and said in his heart: Let's retreat for the time being, wait for two or three years for us to develop, and then come back to reason with you.

The next day, the Xiliang army began to retreat. The last time the Liangzhou princes retreated from under the city of Chencang, they were completely out of order, so that they were pursued by Huangfu Song and lost more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. This time, because of the break between Chen Cheng and Han Sui, the retreat of the Xiliang army was orderly, and there was no rush to escape.

The location of the Xiliang army camp was only more than 20 miles away from Chen Cang, and as soon as the army on this side began to retreat, Chen Cang's side immediately received the news. Ding Yuan said happily: "The thieves have begun to retreat, General Zuo, let's attack now!" ”

Last year, after the retreat of the Xiliang army, Huangfu Song led his troops to attack alone and killed more than 10,000 people. That time, Dong Zhuo refused to send troops, and as a result, after Huangfu Song's victory, he became angry again, and there was a great discord between the two. The situation this time was very similar to last year's Battle of Chencang, so as soon as Ding Yuan heard that the Xiliang army had begun to retreat, he put forward a proposal to pursue it.

However, Huangfu Song did not agree immediately, but groaned.

Seeing this, Ding Yuan asked, "General Zuo thinks there is something wrong?" ”

Huangfu Song said slowly: "Yesterday's battle, General Ding also saw it. The enemy army is extremely brave and extremely difficult, how can it be that only a day has passed, and then suddenly withdraw its troops? ”

Ding Yuan laughed and said: "Although there are many Xiliang thief troops, they are mostly rabble. Seeing that our army is so big and afraid of the might of the imperial court, it is not surprising that there is such an act! This is the miracle of God and me, General Zuo must not hesitate! ”

Huangfu Song's eyebrows stretched and said, "It's a pity, if they stay for another two days, then we can attack again, and we will be able to complete the battle." ”

Ding Yuan said disappreciatively: "When we are fighting, how can everything be as we wish? As long as you can kill tens of thousands of Xiliang thieves this time, it will be a great achievement! ”

Huangfu Song smiled and said, "What the general said, then let's order the army to attack!" ”

The sound of drums sounded from the city, except for Duan Xuan's army left to defend the city, Ding Yuan and Huangfu Song's soldiers and horses were dispatched together, with cavalry in front and infantry behind, rushing towards the west. The sound of horses' hooves sounded sharply, and it didn't take long for five or six thousand elite cavalry to reach the vicinity of the Xiliang army camp.

Among the Western Liang army of this expedition, Han Sui had the most soldiers and horses. He remained behind now, and there were a quarter fewer troops to retreat. Rao is like this, when the Han army arrived, there were still many Xiliang troops scattered in the valley outside. Seeing that the enemy suddenly rushed over, these Xiliang troops were first stunned, and then frightened, and even the cattle and sheep on the side were gone, jumped on their horses and galloped towards the west.

Possessions are important, but lives are even more important. Most people are not stupid, and this is still clear.

Lu Bu is the strongest cavalry under Ding Yuan's command, and he has always been at the front. But in yesterday's battle, he was stabbed in the left shoulder by Chen Cheng, and even his shoulder armor was punctured. Although he was lucky not to hurt his bones, his muscles were torn, and according to Lang Zhong in the army, he could not exert force on his left arm for two or three months. Therefore, the leader of the cavalry this time was another general under Ding Yuan-Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao's character is far away, he is a native of Yanmen County, and he is not far from Jiuyuan, where Lu Bu was born. He is a strict commander in the army, brave and brave in battle, meticulous but brave, and is a rare good general in the world. His ancestor was Nie Yi, the initiator of the "Ma Yi Strategy" during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Judging from the boldness and bravery, it is in the same vein as his ancestors.

He rode west with 6,000 elite horsemen, easily routed the Xiliang army on the road, robbed thousands of cattle, sheep and horses, and killed hundreds of people. Zhang Liao sent a small number of men to send the prisoners and captures backwards, and he himself led a large group of men and horses all the way to the west, without any hesitation.

The main camp of the Xiliang army is near the intersection of the Liuchuan River and the Weishui, and the terrain here resembles a golden arch. Between the two open fields, there is a mountain beam separating them. On this side of the mountain beam are more than ten camps of the Xiliang Army, and on that side are the places where the Xiliang Army grazes. On the high place on the mountain beam, Chen Cheng also put a small number of soldiers and horses. When Zhang Liao rushed over with the cavalry, the soldiers on the mountain beam immediately blew the horn.

The sound of three long and two short trumpets echoed among the mountains, alarming the birds near and far. Hearing the sound of the horn, on the back of the yellow horse, Zhang Liao raised his head suddenly, his sharp eyes were like eagles, staring at the flag suddenly erected on the mountain beam. Beside him, the generals and soldiers showed a little surprise on their faces, and then they set their eyes on Zhang Liao's body together.

The mountain beams in front of them stick out, dividing the flat area. It's easy to keep going, but it's not so easy to retreat if someone blocks this narrow opening. Zhang Liao stared at the banner on the mountain beam for about two seconds, then took a deep breath and shouted: "It's just that the enemy army is in doubt, and the whole army will continue to move forward with me!" ”

Decision-making requires experience and talent. Although Zhang Liao was only in his early twenties at this time, he had already shown an amazing talent for combat. Seeing that the main general was so calm and decisive, the soldiers on the side were all demoralized and responded loudly: "No! ”

When he heard the sound of the horn on the mountain beam and erected a red flag, Han Sui's heart shook slightly, and he said, "Come so fast!" ”

After being left here, Han Sui was reluctant in his heart, but Chen Cheng stayed, could he say anything? In front of the princes of Liangzhou, he could only pinch his nose and admit it. Since he stayed, Han Sui also made some preparations, he gave up the six camps by the Liuchuan River and Weishui, and put all the soldiers and horses into several camps close to Chen Chengjun's camp.

These camps were where Song Jian and the others were stationed before, and now that they had led their troops to retreat westward, the camps were naturally vacant. After Han Suijun settled in, he strengthened it a little. The Xiliang army has always been dominated by cavalry, let them charge, let them defend, that must have a strong city, although these camps have been reinforced, but it is still not enough.

After hearing the sound of the horn, Han Wenyue ordered the cavalry to mount and prepare, he looked towards Chen Cheng's camp in the north, and hesitated in his heart, whether to step forward to meet the Han army, or to run away? Staying here to fight with the Han army, all you lose is your own strength. It is better to lead the troops to retreat west, and leave Chen Cheng's troops here to resist the imperial court's soldiers and horses, wouldn't it be wonderful?

Smart people always think a lot, and Han Sui is a smart person among smart people, so every time he encounters something, he will always think about it repeatedly and find the most beneficial solution for himself.

So, should you retreat now?

The expression on Han Sui's face kept changing, thinking about what Chen Cheng had done since he entered Liangzhou. defeated the Huns, subdued Chengyi Yang Qiu, and won over Ma Teng Zhang Heng, and in less than two years, he had grown into an existence that even he had to surrender to Han Wenyue.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, if Yan Zhong could assist him with all his might, he was confident that he would do better than Chen Cheng. Chen Cheng took great effort to capture the two counties of Shuofang and Wuyuan, and then used stratagem to annex Beidi County, which can be regarded as capable. But he Han Sui already has the land of the four counties, and his strength is even stronger!

Yan Zhong, Yan Zhong....... Han Sui was suddenly startled, thinking that Yan Zhong was now in Yinchuan, if Chen Cheng died here, wouldn't the three counties in the north be returned to Yan Bodao? Although Chen Cheng is martial and brave, Yan Zhong is a native of Liangzhou, and Yan Bodao is not as easy to talk as Chen Cheng!

Moreover, although Chen Cheng's troops have few soldiers and horses, they also have the advantage of being few, at least they will run faster. If he had left behind those infantry and the wounded in the large battalion, he might have run faster than Yang Qiuma, who had not yet begun to retreat!

But he is not the only one who has been cut off here. He and Li Xiangru had more troops, while Chen Cheng had fewer soldiers and horses, and it was very likely that the Han army would put the main force on Chen Cheng's side. In that case, Chen Cheng might die in the battle array?

Thinking of this, Han Sui decided to fight with the Han army first.