The next day was the darkest time before dawn.

The closed north gate of Shouchun City suddenly opened, and the soldiers of the Cheng army, who had been waiting in the city for a long time, rushed out in an instant, and launched a fierce attack on the Cao army camp outside the north gate.

Before Sun Jian and Lü Bu heard the news and came to reinforce them, the Cheng army successfully broke through the Cao army camp, and then rushed like a swarm of headless flies towards the gloomy wilderness in the north. Not far from the camp, under the dark sky, Cao Ying stood solemnly on a small dirt slope surrounded by Guo Jia, Xun You, Cheng Yu and others.

The cool breeze hit the face, the Jin Ge Iron Horse resounded in the night sky, and Cao Ying said faintly: "Yuan Shu really broke through." ”

"Report~~" Suddenly, a small colonel rushed up the small dirt slope, knelt down in front of Cao Ying, and gasped, "After the rebels left the north gate, they divided into two roads, one to the north and drove straight into Runan, and the other turned south and ran south to the Black Wind Valley. ”

"Huh." Cao Ying stroked his beard and smiled, "Sure enough, it's not as expected by Fengxiao." ”

Guo Jia smiled slightly, his expression was natural, and he was not proud because of Cao Ying's praise.

"Cloud Chief." After Cao Ying finished speaking, he looked back at Guan Yu, and said in a condensed voice, "Now it's your turn to attack the city, remember, after breaking the city, you must take control of the warehouses and workshops in the city first. ”

"Prime minister, don't worry." Guan Yu said in a deep voice, "I will never let you down." ”

Almost at the same time, the east gate of Shouchun.

Behind Lu Bu, three thousand elite soldiers had already been arrayed, and they stood in the dark under the night sky, Chen Gong rode his horse to Lu Bu, and earnestly advised: "Lord, after breaking the city, remember to take control of the warehouses and workshops in the city first, and must not let the grain and grass in the city fall into the hands of Cao Ying and Sun Jian, otherwise, our army will not be able to reap any benefits in this battle." ”

"Don't worry." Lu Bu said in a deep voice, "The grain and grass in Shouchun City are about to be decided, whoever dares to rob General Ben, hum, General Ben will take his life!" ”

South of Shouchun City, Sun Jian's camp.

Five thousand Jiangdong elite soldiers have also been lined up, Xu Shu said to Sun Jian: "Lord, the Cao army has many soldiers and little food, after breaking the city, it is bound to take control of the warehouse and the workshop first, in order to rob the grain and grass in the city, and the Lu Bu army is also short of food, I am afraid that it will do the same, so my army does not have to rob them." ”

Sun Ce frowned and said, "Is it so cheap Cao Ying and Lu Bu?" ”

"Of course not." Zhou Yu smiled slightly, and said, "Cao Jun has more soldiers and less food, but our army has more food and less soldiers, the meaning of the military division, after the city is broken, the lord and Bo Fu should try their best to force the rebels in the city, these rebels are the elite of Yangzhou, if they can be used by the lord, they can become an elite division in a blink of an eye." ”

Sun Ce suddenly said: "I see! ”

"Yes, these soldiers are the elite of Yangzhou." Xu Shu muttered, "It's a pity, Yuan Shu is a waste, and the 100,000 elites are wiped out like this, alas." ”

……

In May of the seventh year of Emperor Jian'an of the Han Dynasty (194), Shouchun City was breached.

Yuan Shu was ambushed by Cao's army on the way to escape to Lujiang, and was defeated and killed, and Chengguo, which was only a few months after the founding of the country, quickly perished, and the entire Yangzhou was torn apart.

Xun Yu, who stayed in Xuchang, sent someone to send an urgent report of 800 miles, and the horse butcher personally brought 10,000 Xiliang iron horsemen (in fact, 10,000 horses, it is easy to confuse Cao Jun's exploration of horses, creating the illusion of 10,000 troops) to force Xuchang!

……

On the official road from Guandu to Xuchang, Ma Yuezheng led 5,000 Xiliang Iron Cavalry to Xuchang in a hurry.

When Ma Yue was riding his horse forward, a white-haired wild boar suddenly sprang out of the bushes on the left side of the official road, holding two sharp fangs and arching viciously into the belly of Ma Yue's mount, the mount was taken aback, and suddenly stood up to avoid the fatal arch of the white-haired wild boar, but Ma Yue, who was caught off guard, fell off the horse's back.

"Be careful, lord!"

Dian Wei shouted, pulled out two bulky iron halberds from his back and was about to bear the white-haired boar, when the cold light flashed, and a thumb-thick wolf tooth arrow had already penetrated through the white-haired wolf's left eye, and then from the right eye.

"Wow~~"

The white-haired wolf let out a terrible howl and went crazy on the ground.

"Sigh Rhythm ~~"

Ma Yue's mount was frightened again, and with a long neigh, he turned the horse's head and rushed into the wheat field on the right side of the official road, and the wheat that was about to ripen was trampled into a mess in an instant, and the Liangzhou soldiers on the side were dumbfounded, according to the latest military regulations of the Liangzhou Legion, the horse trampled on the crops and fields~~ Chop!

"Lord!"

Dian Wei turned over and dismounted, helped Ma Yue up from the ground, Ma Yue straightened the golden helmet on his head, his face had become extremely embarrassed, Huo Ran raised his head and said to Dian Wei: "Dian Wei." ”

Dian Wei hurriedly arched his hand and said: "The end will be." ”

Ma Yue said: "Go, bring back the bad horse that corrupted the military discipline of Liangzhou to General Ben." ”

is worthy of being a horse butcher, but he is cunning, and in a hurry, he actually put the account on the head of the war horse!

"Yes!"

Dian Wei agreed, and walked along the field to chase the frightened war horse.

Ma Yue turned his gaze to Li Meng and Wang Fang beside him, and said in a deep voice: "Order the whole army to rest temporarily in the open space in front, this general will behead the inferior horse in front of the soldiers of the three armies, and correct the military regulations of Liangzhou." ”

In less than a meal, Dian Wei took back Ma Yue's mount, and the five thousand Liangzhou soldiers had also been assembled in the open space, Ma Yue walked to the front of the formation with a gloomy face, and said loudly: "Liangzhou military regulations, trample on the crops and fields, behead!" Now that General Ben's mount has violated military regulations, what do you say should be done? ”

The soldiers of Liangzhou looked at each other, and no one dared to say anything.

For a long time, the military regulations of the army were only used to restrain small soldiers and low-level officers, and as long as senior officers did not commit such big crimes as escaping from the battlefield and confronting their superiors, they would basically not be punished, and as for a lord like Ma Yue, it was not subject to any military regulations.

The soldiers of Liangzhou don't understand, what is the horse butcher going to do?

Catching up with the blank eyes of the Liangzhou soldiers, Ma Yue said sharply: "Today, General Ben gathered everyone together to tell you one sentence: in front of military regulations, regardless of people and animals, regardless of official rank, all are equal!" Even if he violates the military regulations of Liangzhou today, he will be severely punished! ”

"Good! You can say that again! Jia Xu's expression was cold, and he rarely raised his arms in response, "All are equal in front of military regulations!" ”

There are only two ways to make an army have strong combat effectiveness.

One is the beast incentive method used by the horse butcher in the past, which is to stimulate the most primitive beast surname in the hearts of soldiers through human **, so that human beings become as cruel, bloodthirsty, aggressive, and not afraid of death as wild beasts! Such an army has unimaginable destructive power, which is why the 800 rogues are notorious.

Another way is to rely on strict military discipline and military regulations to restrain soldiers and soldiers, and to unite the army's morale and inspire fighting spirit through clear rewards and punishments! Relying on clear rewards and punishments and strict military regulations, you can also create an iron-blooded army! The Qin army, which swallowed the six countries of the Kwantung region, is the best proof of this.

The military regulations of the Liangzhou Legion have just changed, and in order to convince the officers and soldiers of the three armies, Ma Yue, as the monarch, especially needs to lead by example at this time.

Ma Yue Huoran turned around and said to Dian Wei: "Dian Wei, bring the general's sweat and blood horse over." ”

A trace of pity flashed across Dian Wei's face, and he reluctantly led the sweaty BMW over, Ma Yue snatched the reins from Dian Wei's hand, raised his head and said sharply: "This is the general's mount, and it is also a BMW, but it is also the war horse of the Liangzhou Legion!" Since it is the war horse of the Liangzhou Legion, it must abide by military regulations, and today, if it tramples on the wheat field, it must be beheaded! ”

The soldiers of the three armies were in an uproar, thinking that Ma Yue was just talking, but he didn't expect to kill his beloved horse.

"Dian Wei, execution!"

"But, my lord, is it your mount?"

"General Ben said that even if he violates military regulations today, he will be punished, not to mention that General Ben's mount will be beheaded!"

Dian Wei was helpless, he raised the big iron halberd and swung it down, the head of the sweaty BMW was broken to his neck in an instant, the red blood suddenly spilled to the ground, and the corpse of the horse that lost the horse's head fell to the ground, still convulsing, Ma Yue turned his head with some heartache, and then said: "As the owner of the sweaty BMW, General Ben failed to stop its trampling on the wheat field in time, and he is also jointly and severally responsible, and he hit thirty military sticks with a staff in public!" ”

Dian Wei lost his voice and said: "Lord? ”

Ma Yue said sharply: "Execution!" ”

Dian Wei had no choice but to take the military stick from the hands of his own soldiers, and according to Ma Yue's back, there was a dead silence in the open space, this muffled sound clearly entered the eardrums of the soldiers of the three armies, and all the Liangzhou soldiers held their breath, from this moment on, the new Liangzhou military regulations have been deeply imprinted in their hearts.

……

Xuchang, Xiangfu.

Xun Yu was looking at the map on the case and pondering countermeasures.

As early as half a month ago, Xun Yu received the news that the horse butcher sent troops. At that time, the huge fleet of horse butchers had just sailed out of Xinfeng Port and advanced eastward along the waterway of the Yellow River.

In fact, at the beginning of the fight, the horse butcher did not intend to hide his traces, and the purpose of this time to send troops to Xuchang was to force Cao Ying to withdraw from Huainan, that's all, since it was to force Cao Ying to withdraw from Huainan, it was natural to make the momentum as big as possible, how could it be possible to hide the traces?

The sound of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded, Xun Yu Huoran raised his head, and four young figures walked into the hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion, but it was Cao Ying's eldest son Cao Ang and his subordinate sons Cao Xiu, Cao An, and Cao Min (Cao Anmin, who died in the battle of Wancheng, was actually two people, Cao An and Cao Min, because the single name was noble and the double name was cheap during the Three Kingdoms period, and the Cao family was the home of the eunuch, so it was impossible to use the double name), Cao Ying had just given Cao Ang a crown salute before going to Huainan, and was entrusted with the important task of staying behind to assist Xun Yu in guarding Xuchang.

"Mr. Xun Yu." Cao Xiu, who was surnamed Qiang, hurriedly walked to the front of the case and said loudly, "The spies have reported that the army of the horse butchers has advanced to the north of Zhongmu fifty miles, and it is only three hundred miles away from Xuchang!" If the Liangzhou rebels attack quickly, they will appear under Xuchang City in two days. ”

"Oh?" Xun Yu's face changed, and he said in a deep voice, "The Liangzhou rebels are coming so fast!" ”

"Mr. Xun Yu, it's urgent!" Cao Ang said, "My father is far away in Huainan, and my uncle is in Luoyang, so it can be said that it is difficult to save the fire from far away, and there are only 5,000 soldiers in Xuchang City. Our army should take the initiative to attack and block the rebels in the vicinity of Zhongmu and Changshe, and the rebels do not know the reality of our army, so they may not dare to drive south, so as to ensure that Xuchang is worry-free. ”

Xun Yu's face smiled bitterly.

The Yingchuan Plain is a flat river, and there is no danger to defend from Guandu to Xuchang, and there is no need for the Liangzhou rebels of the horse butcher to be entangled with the Cao army in Zhongmu and Changshe. What's more, what the horse butcher is best at is long-distance running and avoiding real attacks, and when the Cao army set up a posture in Zhongmu and Changshe to fight a decisive battle with the Liangzhou rebels, the horse butcher has already killed Xuchang City.

"Major General." Xun Yu persuaded, "The horse butcher is as cunning as a fox, even the lord has suffered his big losses, you and I should be cautious, and don't act rashly." Looking at it from below, as long as we can hold Xuchang for half a month, the lord and general Yuan Rang can lead the army from Huainan and Luoyang back to Xuchang, and the Liangzhou rebels will not be worried. ”

Cao Xiu was young and had never learned the power of a horse butcher, so he said disapprerovitically: "Mr. Xun Yu is afraid of the horse butcher like a tiger, but the last general is not afraid of him!" What about the Xiliang Iron Ride, the last general will regard it like a local chicken and tile dog! Mr. only needs to give the last general 3,000 elite soldiers, and swear to break the Liangzhou rebels in Zhongmu and Changshe! ”

Cao Xiu is the leader of the younger generation of the Cao family, he has been skilled in bows and horses since he was a child, and he is good at reading military books, which can be described as both civil and military, and even Cao Ying often praises him as the Cao family's thousand-mile horse, but it is precisely because of this that Cao Xiu has developed the arrogance of Cao Xiu's empty eyes, and he does not take the heroes of the world in his eyes.

"Yes, Zilie is right! Others are afraid of him as a horse butcher, but our Cao family is not afraid of him! ”

Cao Xiu's voice fell, Cao An and Cao Min echoed one after another, Xun Yu was so anxious that he changed color again and again, but he didn't know how to persuade these four young men with strong blood, and after holding back for a long time, Xun Yu had to sacrifice the sword that Cao Ying gave before he set out for the battle, and said solemnly: "The prime minister's sword is here, and no one is allowed to send troops without authorization!" ”

……

Shou Chun.

It was already late at night, but Cao Ying's Chinese army tent was brightly lit, the war in Yangzhou was not settled, the smoke of Xuchang rose again, and the horse butcher personally brought 10,000 iron horsemen to attack, Cao Ying was deeply uneasy, and was convening Xun You, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Cao Chun and other civil and military henchmen to urgently discuss countermeasures.

Cao Ying is facing a difficult choice.

Is it to immediately raise the army to return to Xuchang?

Or do you stand still and wait for the situation in Huainan to stabilize before returning to the division?

Although Shouchun was broken and Yuan Shu had been defeated and died, the entire Lujiang River had been divided into three parts, the southern cities of Liyang, Heqi, Jundao, Fuling, and Quanjiao were controlled by Sun Jian, and the northeast of Xiquyang, Zhongli, Yinling, and Dongcheng were controlled by Lu Bu, and only Xia Cai, Ping'a, Dangtu, and Yicheng in the north of the Lujiang River were controlled by Cao Ying.

When attacking Shouchun, the reason why Cao Ying strictly ordered Guan Yu to occupy the warehouse and the workshop first was to choke the throats of Sun Jian and Lu Bu's two armies, and exchange a large amount of grain and grass in Shouchun City for the city occupied by Sun Jian and Lu Bu.

In accordance with the tacit agreement reached before the crusade against Yuan, Sun Jian and Lu Bu had agreed to exchange.

But the problem comes again, if the exchange is carried out, then it will take a while to carry out the work of receiving the city, changing the army, eliminating the remnants of the enemy, rectifying public order, appointing and dismissing officials, etc., if Sun Jian and Lu Bu deliberately delay, the time will be even more difficult to estimate, and during this time, the 20,000 army will be mired in the mud and unable to move an inch.

If you return to Xuchang now, Lujiang will be completely divided by Sun Jian and Lu Bu, and when the horse butcher is repulsed, Sun Jian and Lu Bu also gain a firm foothold in Lujiang, and it will be difficult for Cao Ying to recapture it again.

If the troops do not move, Cao Ying is really relieved that he will not be able to go to Xuchang.

If someone else leads the army to beg, Xun Yu can be said to be as safe as Mount Tai with Xun Yu sitting in the battle, but if the horse butcher personally leads the army to attack, then it is another matter! The horse butcher is famous for his ferocity and cunning, even Cao Ying will inevitably suffer under his hands, although Xun Yu is wise, but after all, he lacks some determination and courage in battle, and he will definitely suffer a big loss to the horse butcher!

In case Xuchang has a mistake, the consequences will be unimaginable, no matter what, Cao Ying does not dare to take this risk, the two sides weigh the lesser of the two, hesitate again and again, Cao Ying still decided to return to Xuchang.

"Alas, I didn't expect the horse butcher to dare to risk his life and personally raise the army to attack Xuchang!" Cao Ying sighed and said gloomily, "There is no other way to do it now, but to return to Xuchang." ”

Guo Jia, Xun You, Cheng Yu and others all looked lonely, even if the three of them were peerless, they could not change the situation of Cao Jun's dilemma at this time, the horse butcher entrenched in the northwest was like a sharp sword hanging on Cao Ying's neck, no matter what Cao Ying wanted to do, he had to beware that this sharp sword would suddenly fall down at any time.

Now, the battle against Yuan has just ended, and it is time to digest the results of the battle, and this sword will be cut down. The horse butcher chose to send troops to Xuchang at this time, and his intentions were clear, that is, to make Cao Ying's bamboo basket empty. It took a lot of manpower and material resources in vain, but in the end it didn't get anything.

"Just quit the army?" Cao Hong muttered unwillingly, "What about Shouchun and Huainan?" Just let it to Sun Jian and Lu Bu? What about the more than 30,000 Yangzhou prisoners? Those are all veterans, if they can be recruited, they don't need much training to be an elite soldier. ”

Cao Ying pondered for a moment, his eyes fell on Cao Ren, and he said in a deep voice: "Zixiao." ”

Cao Ren hurriedly stepped forward and responded, "Lord." ”

Cao Ying said: "The prime minister left you two thousand~~ Oh no, three thousand troops!" It is necessary to hold the five cities of Shouchun and Xia Cai, Ping'a, Dangtu, and Yicheng, and the 30,000 Yangzhou prisoners of war cannot be released, and they must be divided into separate camps, with a maximum of 3,000 prisoners of war in each camp, otherwise there may be a fear of riots. ”

Cao Ren said solemnly: "Please rest assured, the last general will take care of it." ”

"Hmm." Cao Ying nodded solemnly, and Huo Ran said, "The rest of the generals will lead their own elite troops, and they will pull out the camp early in the morning and return to Xuchang." ”

……

Fifty miles north of Zhongmu City, Liangzhou Daying.

When Li Su hurriedly walked into Ma Yue's Chinese army tent, he saw that Ma Yue was discussing with Jia Xu, so he hurriedly bowed his hand and said, "See the lord, see the military advisor." ”

"Ziyan doesn't have to be polite." Ma Yue said with his hand, "Is there any news from Xuchang?" ”

"Back to the lord's words." Li Su said respectfully, "According to the news from the Xizuo lurking in Xuchang City, Cao Ying and Xiahou Dun are leading their troops back to Xuchang at the same time, and Xiahou Dan's army will be able to reach Xuchang within ten days, and Cao Ying's army will not be able to return to Xuchang in twenty days at the earliest. ”

"Oh? Xiahoudun is also ready to return to Xuchang? Ma Yue smiled slightly, a strange smile suddenly bloomed at the corner of his mouth, and asked Li Sudao, "Have you ever found out how many troops Xiahoudun brought back to Xuchang?" ”

Li Su said: "It has not been found out. ”

Ma Yue said: "Send more probes to find out how many troops Xiahoudun brought back to Xuchang within three days." ”

"Yes."

Li Su clenched his fists and took the order, turned and left.

"Hey, hey." Ma Tufusen smiled coldly and said to Jia Xu, "Wenhe, it seems that this trip to Yingchuan doesn't have to go back empty-handed?"

(To be continued)