Scout Wu Yang galloped to the south of the camp. After an hour of emergency repair and rectification, the Yellow Turban military camp outside the northeast city of Pinggang County has recovered five or six points from the war, Wen Chou, Zu Zhao and others carried most of the damaged baggage equipment, as well as the stumps, stones and other sundries collected from the vicinity to the top of the plain south of the camp and piled up a temporary defensive position. In the barracks, the officers and soldiers and volunteers who came and went did not stop at all, and everyone knew that they were about to face a real big war next, facing an enemy several times their own and extremely vicious.

Jumping off the horse, a handyman stepped forward to hold the reins, Wu Yang urgently asked Zu Zhao's whereabouts, and immediately searched for it without stopping. Zu Zhao was discussing with Wen Chou about the matter of engaging the enemy in battle, and when he saw Wu Yang coming, he immediately knew that the scout team must have found out the movement of the Yellow Turban Army, and it was not difficult to guess that the Yellow Turban Army had arrived within nearly ten miles.

Wu Yang hurriedly saluted Zu Zhao and Wen Chou, and said with a stern face: "The eldest prince, Wen Duwei, I will wait for the south to find out the thief's situation, the army of the Yellow Turban thieves has arrived in Yunhe, and it will be here in half an hour." ”

Yunhe is a small market outside the southeast of Pinggang County, less than seven miles away from here.

Zu Zhao didn't have too many worries, since he chose to stay here, the purpose was to confront the Yellow Turban Army head-on. Then, he asked very calmly, "How many thieves have come?" ”

Wu Yang said: "The people in the back are not clear, there are two thousand people at the head, there are horses and crossbows. ”

Wen Chou on the side lowered his head and pondered for a while, he naturally knew better about the distribution of the Yellow Turban Army besieging the city than Zu Zhao, Wu Yang and others, and immediately said speculatively: "The thieves who fled here and there, and now more than an hour has passed, and the thieves must have gathered most of the people in the left and near after receiving the news, at least more than four thousand." ”

Zu Zhao bowed slightly, his face was contemplative, and he didn't rush to speak for a while.

Wen Chou quickly said: "I'm afraid that there will be more thieves in the future." We must defeat the thief's vanguard with one blow and completely destroy its sharpness, otherwise the great enemy will come one after another, and I am afraid it will be difficult to continue. ”

Wu Yang on the side listened to Wen Chou's words, and nodded again and again.

Zu Zhao said solemnly: "In my opinion, we must make good use of the terrain advantages at the moment. Hold your ground with courage, pin down the thieves from the front, gather all the knights, and charge back to the bandits' flanks. Cut off the thieves as much as possible, and then take advantage of the chaos to annihilate their vitality. ”

Wen Chou thought about it, and was a little worried about Zu Zhao's proposal, but he was not a person who did not dare to take risks, and what he had to gamble on now was to be able to crush the morale of the Yellow Turban Thieves at the beginning of the battle, and make the Yellow Turban Thieves fall into chaos. Even if there are many Yellow Turban thieves, it is now the end of the crossbow. He finally nodded and said, "In this case, do as you want." You and I each lead a detachment of men and horses, and act separately, and I have more experience than you in the charge, so I will lead the knights, and you and the Kui County Lieutenant will hold the camp and drag the thieves. ”

Zu Zhao originally hoped to lead the cavalry to attack in a roundabout way, as Wen Chou said, this was actually a very dangerous thing, they were only facing the vanguard of the Yellow Turban Thieves first, if they could not defeat the thieves with one blow as agreed, it would be easy to fall into it. When the follow-up thief army arrives, it will inevitably fall into a heavy encirclement, and it will inevitably backfire at that time. However, it is precisely with this layer in mind that he thinks that he should personally lead the riders, not that his command ability is stronger than Wen Chou, but among the current officers and soldiers and the brave knights, the knights of Xu Wuzujiazhuang are the most elite equipment, and he, as the eldest son of Zujiazhuang, has the most tacit understanding with the children of his own sect.

As soon as he thought of this, he immediately said: "Wen Duwei, don't look at the young people in the next year, I often ride horses in and out of my hometown, even if I am not outstanding in bow and horse, I am also proficient, not to mention that I am not righteous and brave and interact with Zai Xia a lot ......on weekdays, so I have no familiarity and tacit understanding."

However, before he finished his words, Wen Chou interrupted loudly: "This matter is not trivial, but it can't be brave for a while." His ancestors are indispensable on the battlefield, but they are by no means today. Needless to say, since I am the captain, you should obey the command. ”

Zu Zhao sighed slightly, and didn't argue any more, after all, it was impossible for him to fight against Zhou Zhi and Wen Chou at the same time, so he could only bow his head and say: "In this way, then I will obey the arrangement of Wen Duwei." ”

Afterwards, the two went their separate ways to prepare.

Zu Zhao found Han Dang, Zu Ling, Zu Cheng, Zhang Yuan, Zhang Yu and others, and told Wen Chou of the decision he made, and told them to be careful in the process of roundabout combat, and to inflict as much damage as possible on the thieves, even if they lost the battle in the end, they must judge the situation as soon as possible, find ways to get out, and never let the team fall into a heavy encirclement. He asked Gulnar to stay by his side, even if a girl has a powerful figure, she can't easily go into battle to kill the enemy, not to mention that there are many taboos against the two armies.

Wen Chou gathered his subordinates, and transferred Zhou Zhi's subordinates, and soon gathered all the cavalry in the southeast of the camp, with a total of nearly 800 people. When everything was almost ready, the scouts who had been inquiring about the news in the southern moment rushed back again to report that the Yellow Turbans were already three miles away. It didn't take long for a slight glance from the side of the camp to see a black shadow coming from the south to the north on the horizon in the distance.

At this time, Zhou Zhi had already returned to the city, arranged for the troops in the city to be transferred to the northeast city, and also ordered the city gates to closely monitor the movements outside the city, and once they found any movement of the Yellow Turban Army outside the city, they should report it in time. He also gave certain privileges to the guards of the city gates, but if they were sure of nine out of ten, they could take the initiative to fight in order to deal with the situation on the battlefield in the northeast.

Zu Zhao asked all the foot archers to line up behind the listed obstacles, and Gao Huan and Kuian were responsible for commanding the sword and shield hands.

As the Yellow Turbans approached, the atmosphere in the darkness became more and more cold and tense.

On the side of the barracks, although the officers and soldiers and volunteers still maintained their morale after the great victory, they still felt a little worried in the face of the enemy shadow gradually looming under the dark curtain.

The Yellow Turban Army gradually slowed down its march about two hundred feet from the barracks, and began to move its formation unhurriedly.

Wen Chou's cavalry had long been lost in the darkness, and with the detour route planned before departure, it would only take another two quarters of an hour to reach the position of the raid.

Several junior colonels among the officers and men could not bear it anymore and thought that they should rush to attack while the Yellow Turban Army was not firmly established.

Zu Zhao didn't agree, since he said from the beginning that he wanted to take advantage of the geographical advantages, and spent more than an hour to arrange the fortifications, how could he give it up in vain.

It didn't take long for the Yellow Turbans in the south to line up, with the riders lined up in two columns in front. There was a roar in the silence of the night, and the riders began to move, slowly speeding up across the wide plains. At the same time as the riders of the Yellow Turban Army charged, a large group of thieves in the rear also ran after them. Obviously, the Yellow Turban Army did not understand the use of cavalry tactics at all, and simply thought that the cavalry was rushing forward, and the others were rushing behind, and that's it.

The land of the plains gradually felt a tremor, and the looming killing surprise attack became more and more exciting.

Zu Zhao rode on horseback and shouted to the left and right: "Step archers, prepare." ”

Behind the obstacles, hundreds of foot archers took out their feather arrows and opened their bows, half aiming at the sky.

When the riders of the Yellow Turban Army rushed into the forty zhang, Zu Zhao decisively ordered the arrows to be released. Although the range of the feather arrow is limited, it is necessary to estimate the speed of the rider's running, after all, it still takes some time for the feather arrow to draw a parabola in mid-air. Round after round of arrows rained down, but despite the frontal shots, they still mismatched the high-speed moving target. In this era, there are no such accurate estimates, and they are entirely based on experience and skill, and even then they are not enough.

The riders of the Yellow Turban Army were scattered and some fell from their horses, screaming. But more are still rushing. When the enemy approached to twenty zhang, Zu Zhao ordered the sword and shield men to immediately replace them, while the foot archers retreated to the rear and continued to shoot in the rain of arrows. Even if you don't hit the rider, you have to find a way to suppress the more numerous thieves behind the rider.

The obstacle on the south side of the camp had a very good effect at this time. The Yellow Turban Army riders had no way to directly rush into the positions of the officers and soldiers and the volunteers, so they could only divide into two groups to bypass the obstacles and kill the generals from both sides of the camp. This gave the officers and soldiers more room to attack, weakening the momentum of the cavalry charge while taking the opportunity to attack the infantry behind the cavalry.

"Pick up the enemy, the whole army will pick up the enemy!"

"Lieutenant Kui, go and stop the thieves in the west, and you must not let anyone go. Come with me to the east to meet the enemy! ”

"Kill, kill."

"Shoot the arrows, keep the arrows, quick!"

There was a restless call in the camp, and people were changing and moving in response to orders.

The sword and shield men in front were ready to engage the Yellow Turban thieves, and the archers were still shooting the remaining feathered arrows from their quivers. A small group of riders, led by Zu Zhao, and some volunteers, rushed to the east and fought with the thieves who bypassed the obstacles in front of them. In the process of bypassing obstacles, the thief rider has been maximized in speed, and the thief rider who has lost the ability to charge has also lost its maximum lethality.

The battle near the camp soon became fierce, although the riders of the Yellow Turban Army were not serious cavalry, but they still occupied a certain advantage, especially the officers and soldiers in the camp, the volunteers had just experienced a battle, and their strength was naturally weak, and the number of enemies who gradually surrounded them was really a lot, so they had to feel difficult.

"Quick, come here from the west again, what are those foot archers still shooting, hurry up and come to support."

As the Yellow Turban Army's brigade arrived, the defense on the west side of the camp was the first to crack. Many of the riders of the Yellow Turbans took the opportunity to enter the camp and seemed deeper in desperation. Quian, who was in charge of defending the west, had multiple scars on his body and was covered in blood, but he still fought on the front line as if he were risking his life.

Soon, the south side was followed by the frenzied onslaught of the Yellow Turban Bandits, and the only thing that was fortunate was that there was a barrier here, no matter how fragile the barrier was, at least it could play a role in diversion. To this end, the sword and shield men behind the ramparts used wooden shields to contain the surging charge of the thieves, and won some space for the gunners and archers in the rear. However, the call for help from the west had to divide a part of the foot archers from the east, put down their bows and arrows, and replace them with long knives and swords to fight the thieves who entered the camp.

The hand-to-hand combat lasted less than half an hour, and Zu Zhao was galloping and fighting in the east, when suddenly a righteous brave man covered in blood ran from behind him, crying and shouting to Zu Zhao: "Zu Gongzi, don't ...... Oh no...... Our ...... I can't hold it. ”

Zu Zhao's horse halberd overturned a Yellow Turban Thief rider who was about to rush forward, glanced back at Na Yiyong, and asked with a cold face, "What's the matter?" ”

Na Yiyong choked up, gasped and said, "Lieutenant Kui...... Lieutenant Kui was killed...... The west side is no longer good. ”

Hearing this, Zu Zhao's heart was shocked, although he and Kuian were not very familiar with each other, but after all, they worked together to successfully attack the sunset, and when the Wuzhong County was brave enough to fear the enemy's retreat, only Kuian also led the county volunteers to persist in wandering around the county government, waiting for an opportunity to respond. But I didn't expect to die in a battle today!

Of course, the most important thing for him was much more than that, the death of Kuian heralded the collapse of the volunteer defenders in the west, and the direction to the county town of Pinggang in the west, once it collapsed, it would be very difficult for the officers and soldiers and volunteers who remained here to retreat to the city, and you can imagine how great the psychological impact would be.

He turned around and looked to the west, only to see that there were more and more figures wrapped in yellow scarves on their heads, and they were almost swallowed up to the center of the camp. The volunteers and officers and soldiers who were originally holding on to the west suffered extremely serious losses, and even the infantry archers who were still dealing with the south were wounded in the abdomen and back, and the entire defensive formation was on the verge of collapse.

Damn, why haven't they killed Wen Chou yet!

Zu Zhao cursed secretly, and then turned his head in the direction where Wen Chou led the cavalry to leave, and the southeast of the entire plain was quiet, and there was no movement or shadow at all. According to the agreed Jihua, within two quarters of an hour, Wen Chou should lead the roundabout cavalry to attack from the rear of the thieves, completely plunging the Yellow Turban Army into chaos and taking the opportunity to counterattack successfully. But until now, the agreed time has long passed, and the surprise attack has not yet happened!

The previous Yiyong couldn't help but urge and asked, "Ancestor Gongzi, now...... What now? ”

Zu Zhao said decisively: "I will immediately take someone to kill him." In any case, it is necessary to hold out until Captain Wen arrives. ”

After he finished speaking, he ignored this brave man, turned around and beckoned a few knights to the left and right, and only took these knights with him and headed to the west to kill the generals. Although the current situation in the east is not too bad, it is not easy to send personnel to help other places. The whole camp was not a big place in the first place, but now more and more people are crowded in, and the slightest movement will cause a series of reactions.

For Zu Zhao, what he can do now is still to ensure the defense line in the east as much as possible, and he and several other knights gallop to the west, which is only a symbolic trip, as for how much effect it can cause in the end, it has to be left to fate. He still has some confidence in the plate armor he is wearing now, under the protection of the plate armor, even if he can't defeat one against ten, it is still possible to have two or three enemies.

The key to the immediate task is to stabilize the hearts and minds of the defenders on the collapsed defensive line, and Quin'an's death is a fuse that must not be allowed to ignite the barrel of explosives.

While running to the west, Zu Zhao shouted to the volunteers and officers and soldiers along the way: "Captain Wen has been killed, everyone works together, as long as you persevere, it will be victory." ”

His remarks are naturally lies, and the purpose is precisely to stabilize people's hearts.

Now, even if the battalion is not under siege, it is already being attacked in three directions, southeast, west, and west. In this case, the soldiers in the battalion had no way of knowing the specific situation in the rear of the Yellow Turban Army. only heard Zu Zhao shouting like this, many people really believed it, especially in the current situation, the more they were seriously oppressed by the thieves, it could also indicate that the rear of the thieves was being hit, forcing the crowd to press forward.

Passing through the center of the barracks, Zu Zhao raised the halberd in his hand, increased the speed of his horse, and rushed towards a rider who was slashing and slashing the yellow turban left and right.

As if feeling a gust of cold wind rushing towards him, the rider looked up, and in the darkness, he was first startled by Zu Zhao's strange armor, and then saw the sharp halberd like a fire, and hurriedly raised his blade in his hand to meet it in panic. How did you know that Zu Zhao's speed was very fast, and the angle of the halberd was very tricky, and he actually stabbed it from the direction of the waist at an angle, and he didn't intend to take people's lives at all.

The yellow turban thief reacted inconveniently, and was stabbed in the abdomen by a halberd, thinking that it would only be a flesh injury, and it would definitely not be fatal. How do you know that the horse halberd that has not entered the abdomen has no intention of stopping at all, and under the momentum of Zu Zhao's continued impact, even the vertical halberd blade has cut into the abdominal cavity.

"Traitor, die!"

Zu Zhao roared, his arms used his strength to provoke violently, and under the force, he actually lifted the body of the yellow turban thief stiffly. The yellow turban thief howled violently, and then his body quickly lost its vitality, and finally stopped completely. He spun the corpse in the air for half a circle, exerted his strength again, and threw three or five thieves forward fiercely. The corpse hit those thieves, and the thieves looked at the corpses that had been "disemboweled" and turned blue with fright.

"I am Xu Wuzu Zhao, who dares to fight with me!"

The blood on the horse halberd dripped on the plate armor, and Zu Zhao threw the reins and rode his horse forward, and at the same time roared defiantly-

[I recommend a short film "Zaijian Jinhua Station" shot by students of Communication University, which is really tasteful!] 】