Sima Yi's defeat in the battle frustrated the morale of the army, and he counterattacked Luoyang, but encountered disadvantages.

But immediately, Sima Yi received good news - Zhang Fei died in Luoyang City due to his injuries.

The reason for Zhang Fei's death happened to be the battle between Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang.

Although Sima Yi knew that Zhang Fei's death did not have much practical significance for the capture of Luoyang City, now Sima Yi just needed such news.

On the one hand, it can reinvigorate morale in the army. Although we were defeated on the frontal battlefield, we rounded up to kill the enemy's general, and we lost, but we didn't lose completely.

On the other hand, Sima Yi needs to use this news to regain enough trust and time for himself in the Great Wei Dynasty to counterattack Luoyang.

In this battle outside the east gate of Luoyang City, the battle losses of both sides are within an acceptable range, but the political influence of this battle is more important than the so-called battle losses.

Sima Yi lost this battle, and Hedong, Hebei, and even Yanzhou began to have a lot of turbulent voices. Sima Yi didn't have to think about what kind of impeachment he would face once the news came back to Yecheng.

Therefore, Sima Yi must come up with some plausible records to stand up for himself and prove that he can still control the situation of counterattacking Luoyang. Although it is a little shameless, Sima Yi can also take advantage of the news of Zhang Fei's death.

Therefore, in the battle report sent by Sima Yi to Yecheng, Zhang Fei's death became that he was besieged by the Wei army on the battlefield, and finally died of injuries.

If you want to say wrong, it's true, Zhang Fei did die of his injuries after a fierce battle on the battlefield.

But the problem is that Sima Yi didn't mention it at all, it was Zhang Fei who shot himself with an arrow, which caused the army in the army to be disheartened, and finally Zhuge Liang seized the opportunity to defeat the Wei army.

Therefore, when this report was sent to Cao Ei, it gave Cao Ei a feeling of "although we suffered a slight defeat, we killed the general of the Shu thief".

Well, if it weren't for the military report sent by Xiahouba, which described the process of this war in detail, Cao Rong might have really believed it.

And when Xiahouba's military report and Sima Yi's recital were put together, Cao Rong was angry and angry, but he was helpless.

What is angry is that Sima Yi actually started to play this kind of small action, lying about the military situation and fooling himself.

This kind of leading general, no matter how outstanding his talent is, Cao Rong, as the emperor, cannot tolerate it.

An emperor can tolerate your failure, but he definitely can't tolerate you deceiving Sima Yi and committing a big taboo.

But. Cao Rong is really helpless.

Because, at the same time that Sima Yi and Xiahouba sent the military report, Cao Zhen, who was in Hongnong County, also sent the report.

It is not so much a recital as a document for pleading guilty.

Sima Yi lost the battle, but compared with Cao Zhen, Sima Yi suffered more than 7,000 casualties in the first battle, which was really good Cao Zhen's side, but he was almost wiped out!!

As soon as he saw this battle report, really, Cao Rong wondered - since the uncle of the family beat everyone else, it was smooth and hearty, why did he pull his crotch so much when he met the Shu thief? !

I really don't blame Cao Rong for thinking so, it's really Cao Zhen who fought in Hongnong County this time, and it's not as good as the performance when he played against Shu thieves in Guanzhong a few times ago.

Originally, Cao Zhen fought okay at the beginning, whether it was forcibly crossing the Yellow River, attacking Hongnong County, or pushing all the way to break through Mianchi, forcing the Shu thieves to retreat to Xin'an. Behind Xin'an is Hangu Pass, and behind Hangu Pass is Luoyang.

In other words, as long as Cao Zhen continues to push all the way through Hangu Pass with 30,000 Bingzhou troops to form a siege of Luoyang, then the success rate of counterattacking Luoyang can reach more than sixty percent.

But at this time, Cao Zhen was stolen.

Zhao Yun, who was sitting in Guanzhong, suddenly led 20,000 Shu thieves to reinforce from Tongguan into Hongnong County, and directly attacked Cao Zhen's back road, which was also a grain and grass hoarding place in Shaanxi County.

In this, there is a very outrageous thing that Cao Ei can't understand.

Back then, you Cao Zhen also fought the Tongguan Guard, the importance of Tongguan to Hongnong, Cao Zhen shouldn't know why Cao Zhen didn't divide his troops to take Tongguan at the first time after entering Hongnong County, but chose to advance all the way to the east brainlessly? !

This is the first place where Cao Rong could not understand the use of soldiers by his uncle.

And the second one, this is Cao Zhen's next response, which also makes Cao Ei unable to understand.

After learning that his back road was lost, Cao Zhen did come back to help, but he did not return with the whole army, but divided his troops to help, and the number of troops was only 10,000.

Then these 10,000 people were ambushed by Zhao Yun, the thief of Shu, on the avenue between Shaanxi County and Mianchi.

What's even worse is that Zhao Yun not only mobilized 10,000 foot soldiers to besiege this Wei army reinforcements this time, but also sent 5,000 elite cavalry.

In the plain area, the role of 5,000 elite cavalry, it is conceivable that the 10,000 reinforcements sent by Cao Zhen were defeated, and the number of people who could run back to join Cao Zhen was not even 3,000.

In the first battle, more than 7,000 people were directly lost.

After that, Cao Zhen realized the seriousness of the problem and began to go back to the army to rescue Shaanxi County, but he fought three consecutive fierce battles with Zhao Yun on the way, but was always suppressed by the 5,000 cavalry corps led by Zhao Yun and was defeated three times. In the end, Cao Zhen, who suffered a lot of losses, could only lead more than 17,000 people to retreat to Shaanxi County, unable to carry out the plan of advancing east to besiege Luoyang.

And at this point, another question that Cao Ei couldn't understand arose that the dignified and state army, where did the wolf rider of the state, who used to be famous, go? !

Cao Rong really can't understand the soldiering routine of his uncle, but Cao Zhen, who is in Shaanxi County. In fact, Cao Zhen has nothing to argue with.

This attack on Hongnong County, even Cao Zhen himself felt that he was fighting like shit.

did not divide the troops to attack Tongguan, it was completely Cao Zhen himself, thinking that his troops had an absolute advantage, and the combat power of the soldiers was stronger than that of the group of Hongnong County recruits under Wang Chang, and he could easily push all the way to Luoyang.

As long as he can reach Luoyang City, then Cao Zhen doesn't have to think about any logistical supply problems at all, he can get grain and grass supplies through Sima Yi and Sima Shi's department besieging Luoyang, and whether Shaanxi County is still in his hands is not a big problem.

But Cao Zhen didn't expect that his original subordinate Wang Chang would be so difficult. Although Cao Zhenlian Keshan County and Mianchi County have already attacked Xin'an County, it took more than a month.

At this time, Cao Zhen's troops and horses were all gathered in Xin'an County, not to mention dividing his troops to attack Tongguan, he was already far away from Shaanxi County.

So much so that Zhao Yun's soldiers went out of Tongguan, and the distance from the Han army to Shaanxi County was closer than the distance he Cao Zhen returned to Shaanxi County.

And the second point that Cao Rong didn't understand was that Cao Zhen was too big, which led to his own misjudgment.

Cao Zhen received an urgent report from Qin Lang stationed in Shaanxi County, saying that the Shu thieves were besieging Shaanxi County and asked Cao Zhen to return to the army immediately to rescue him, and at this time, Xin'an County, which Wang Chang was guarding, was in a precarious situation.

Today, Wang Chang's command has gone from 14,000 people to less than 10,000 people left.

Under Wang Chang's command, most of them are recruits with insufficient combat experience and morale, which Cao Zhen can still judge, and Cao Zhen, who has been on the battlefield for a long time, is of course very clear about the continuous combat ability of the recruits.

As long as Cao Zhen can break through Xin'an this time, Wang Chang, who has lost two battles in a row and two cities in a row, will not have the confidence to continue to retreat to Hangu Pass.

Therefore, in front of Cao Zhen, strictly speaking, there is only one Xin'an City.

Therefore, Cao Zhen didn't want to give up the hope of finally breaking through Xin'an City, he only sent Dai Ling and led 10,000 soldiers back to help Shaanxi County, and the purpose was to help Qin Lang defend Shaanxi County and ensure that he would not lose his grain in a short time.

Originally, Cao Zhen thought that although Qin Lang's ability was not enough, with 10,000 reinforcements, coupled with Dai Ling's help, at least it should be no problem to defend the city, but Cao Zhen really didn't know, Qin Lang actually let Zhao Yun transfer 10,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 cavalry so easily to set up an ambush to encircle and suppress his own reinforcements.

If the information is true, Zhao Yun only brought 20,000 people into Hongnong County, then when Zhao Yun set up an ambush for his own reinforcements, there were only 5,000 Shu thieves besieging Shaanxi County, is Qin Lang a dead man? ! So many people can trap you, so that you can't even send a warning, and sit back and watch your own reinforcements being ambushed?!

And Dai Ling is also a fool, 10,000 army troops, even if you are ambushed, you shouldn't be completely trapped by people, and then ravaged back and forth by cavalry, right?!

Even if you can't do it, can't you do it in an orderly retreat?!

Really, sometimes, Cao Zhen really has a feeling. It's not that the thieves are cunning, it's not that Lao Tzu is incompetent, but the teammates are really in the sinkhole.

Well, in this matter, Cao Zhen may still have room to shake the pot, but then, Cao Zhen has to admit that in fact, he is not much better, and it is also a huge pit.

Cao Zhen gave up the siege of Xin'an County, and the whole army returned to Shaanxi County to protect his back road. The cautious march along the way inevitably followed Zhao Yun's subordinates and fought three times in a row.

Every time they lost in the same place - the infantry was entangled by the Shu thieves, but the own cavalry team sent to intercept the Shu thief cavalry was broken through by the Shu thief cavalry every time and suffered heavy damage.

Zhao Yun's 5,000 cavalry has really become a decisive weapon on the battlefield.

On Cao Zhen's side, there were also cavalry, but only the two thousand cavalry directly under Cao Zhen's headquarters could not stop Zhao Yun's cavalry impact at all.

As for Cao Rong's doubts, it is also what Cao Zhen regrets the most now.

This place in Bingzhou is out of cavalry, and Bingzhou wolf rides, once fought with Lu Bu everywhere, and his reputation is all over the world.

But so be it. Most of the cavalry of Bingzhou remained in Bingzhou, which was used to deal with the threat of foreign races such as Wuhuan from outside, as well as to balance the Southern Xiongnu tribes attached to it and prevent them from causing chaos.

Qin Lang's 30,000 Bingzhou troops transferred to Hedong County were actually mainly 20,000 Bingzhou infantry and 10,000 Bingzhou cavalry.

But in any case, Qin Lang still sent 10,000 cavalry to the south, but this 10,000 cavalry, Cao Zhen after crossing the Yellow River, ordered to retain only 2,000 cavalry, and the remaining 8,000 cavalry were transferred from cavalry to infantry.

After all, according to Cao Zhen's prediction, most of the next part of the march will be a siege battle, and in this case, the cavalry can only watch and can't help at all.

In addition, Cao Zhen crossed the river this time to attack Hongnong, which was also to pursue speed, and the cavalry crossing the river not only had to transport soldiers, but also need to transport war horses, as well as various logistical supplies needed by the cavalry. It's too time-consuming.

Therefore, Cao Zhen decided to keep only 2,000 cavalry, and the remaining 8,000 cavalry to infantry, which could not only improve the siege ability of the troops, but also reduce the time and logistical pressure of crossing the river.

Then, Cao Zhen was restrained by the five thousand Liangzhou iron cavalry led by Zhao Yun, and finally had to retreat to Shaanxi County and hold on to change.

(End of chapter)