The neighing of the horses came and went, and the loud shouts were deafening.

On the plain twenty miles outside the Tiger Prison Pass, groups of soldiers were neatly arranged, either in a square formation or in a circle, and were advancing in an orderly manner.

If you look down at the earth from a high altitude, you can clearly see this distinct formation, like a wild goose flying high, majestic and magnificent.

Cao Cao and Yuan Shu both knew very well that the Central Plains cavalry under their command was not only far inferior to the Bingzhou army in terms of numbers, but also had a world of difference in combat power.

The cavalry's equipment only takes a year and a half to build, and the soldiers' cavalry and archery skills cannot be practiced overnight, so they do not plan to compete with the Bingzhou army.

So he put down the wild goose marching formation, this formation can be attacked and defended, and the most important thing is that it is easy to change the formation, if the iron cavalry of the state comes to attack in a big way, it can quickly change the formation to deal with it.

In the Central Military Department, Cao Cao and Yuan Shu stood side by side, surrounded by their advisors and generals.

Yuan Shu suddenly asked, "What does Meng De think Liu Bei will do?" ”

Sun Tzu once said that knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent will not be defeated in a hundred battles.

Therefore, it is normal to speculate on the thoughts of the enemy's commander-in-chief in wartime.

Cao Cao shook his head and sighed slightly: "The initiative is in Liu Bei's hands, if he attacks, we may not be able to hold it." If he guards, we will not be able to break through the tiger's prison. ”

Don't look at their strength, which is nearly twice as large as Liu Bei's, but they don't even have half of the chance of winning in a head-to-head battle.

Because Liu Bei's command is all elite in a hundred battles, whether it is the Bingzhou Iron Cavalry or the Han Yulin, they are all first-class powerhouses.

Most of the soldiers under their command are new troops, although they have experienced several battles, there is still a gap between them and Liu Beijun, who fought all the way to the south and the north.

Cao Cao is better, the Qingzhou Army under his command is composed of Yellow Turban soldiers, at least experienced the Great War. Yuan Shu's command is mostly a new army, although it has been trained, but after all, it has not experienced a real battlefield.

If they were to flee on the battlefield, the consequences would be devastating.

So Cao Cao had to put his soldiers and horses at the forefront and let Yuan Shu's soldiers and horses play an auxiliary role.

Sun Jian, who was on the side, suddenly said: "Is the Bingzhou Iron Cavalry really so strong?" ”

If this is said by someone else, it would be very arrogant. But this person is Sun Jian, a fierce tiger in Jiangdong, who once defeated the fierce general of the Western Liang Army.

Sun Jian was new to the city and did not know about the existence of Tiefutu. In his opinion, as long as the officers and men of the three armies use their lives, the Central Plains Iron Cavalry may not be worse than the border army.

And he did!

As for why Cao Cao and Yuan Shu didn't tell Tiefutu about it, that's a long story.

Cao Cao said with a smile: "With Brother Wentai here, there is no need to worry about the state army." ”

Sun Jian's Jiangdong soldiers are the strongest in their coalition army, although they don't want to admit it, but it is a fact.

But Cao Cao is confident that as long as he is given time, he can train no less elite than the Jiangdong Army, or even surpass him.

When Nai doesn't stay with me, he knows very well that Liu Bei is already ahead of him, and this battle has to be fought. If it is allowed to develop, Liu Bei will first clean up Dong Zhuo, and then Ma Teng Han Sui, occupying Guanzhong and Xiliang.

He would then continue southward, conquer Hanzhong and Bashu, and then follow the example of the former Qin State and look at the Central Plains.

When Sun Jian heard Cao Cao's words of praise, although he felt very comfortable in his heart, he always felt that something was not right.

The young general beside him smiled: "Gong Cao is right, my father was able to defeat the Xiliang army at the beginning, and now he can clean up the state army." ”

This young general is the future little overlord Sun Ce, the newborn calf is not afraid of tigers, the young man grew up listening to his father's story, and he has already decided in his heart that his father is an invincible person in the world, and it is not easy for anyone to come.

Sun Jian scolded: "Bo Fu, don't be arrogant, the state army can sweep across the desert, and its strength should not be underestimated." ”

Sun Cetian was not afraid, but he was afraid of his father, and he didn't dare to say anything more when he heard the words.

Cao Cao looked at the immature young man with interest and praised: "This is the eldest son of Brother Wentai, and he really has the style of a father." ”

Although he had not directly fought with Sun Ce in his previous life, this kid was a potential threat. While he was fighting Yuan Shao, Sun Ce was always thinking about attacking his Xuchang base camp.

In the end, it was Guo Jia who offered advice and united with the Jiangdong clan to assassinate him. It is difficult for the two brothers, Sun Ce and Sun Quan, to define who is better, they can only say that one is good at attacking and the other is good at defending.

Thinking of Guo Jia, Cao Cao's heart began to ache faintly again.

Sun Jian said with a smile: "The dog is young and frivolous, which makes Brother Meng De laugh." ”

Cao Cao dispelled the gloom in his heart and laughed: "If you are not frivolous when you are young, are you still a teenager?" After speaking, he looked at Yuan Shu with a playful face.

Yuan Shu saw his eyes, and immediately guessed what he meant, when they were young, they didn't do much bastard things.

So he also smiled and said: "Yes, a young man should have the spirit of a young man." ”

The world of great controversy has begun, and in fact, both of them know that today's friends are likely to be tomorrow's enemies. But now the two sides are still allies after all, and they can still get along like old friends.

As for the future, that's for later.

Seeing that the two elders supported him, Sun Ce was about to continue talking, but when the words came to his mouth, he was glared back by his father.

Just then, the soldier came to report.

"Report ...... Xiahou Yuan, the vanguard of our army, General Xiahoudun has already encountered the enemy army, and now he is in a bloody battle. ”

Yuan Shu looked at Cao Cao when he heard this: "Meng De has trained his troops well, and he can actually block the offensive of the Bingzhou army." ”

Cao Cao couldn't be happier, because he knew very well that there was still a gap between his army and the first-class elite.

The combat power of an army comes from the coordination of formations, the bravery of the soldiers, and the morale, which are all tempered from bloody battles.

The state army has already reached its peak in all aspects, especially the morale, and has developed the psychology of being invincible.

Such an army is a formidable enemy.

Sure enough, in just half an hour, the report of defeat came.

"Report ...... Xiahou Yuan, General Xiahou Yuan has been defeated and retreated. ”

Hearing this, Sun Jian arched his hand and said, "Duke Yuan, let me meet and join the state army in the next place." ”

Yuan Shu hesitated, and couldn't help but think of the plan he had reached with Cao Cao before.

Seeing this, Cao Cao said: "Brother Highway, now that the morale of the enemy army is strong, we might as well defend for the time being, wait for the enemy's offensive to weaken, and then wait for the opportunity to counterattack." ”

One blow of strength, then decline, three and exhaustion.

Yuan Shu obviously understood this truth, so he nodded and said, "Okay, give the order to the whole army and change the formation!" ”

They knew that the iron cavalry of Bingzhou was invincible, so they naturally thought of a countermeasure, combining shield soldiers with archers, which could effectively contain the offensive of the cavalry.

This is also the tactic used to deal with the Hu people when the Han army lacked cavalry.

……

"Report ...... The enemy's vanguard has been defeated and retreated, and General Lu Bu and Zhao Yun sent people to ask for instructions, whether to attack the enemy formation? ”

Liu Bei received his own military report and said in a deep voice: "Tell the two generals that there is no need to rush into battle, just use cavalry to suppress the enemy's two wings." ”

"Whoa."

Liu Bei was not surprised by the result of his own striker's small victory. He had led a lifetime of soldiers in his previous life, so he naturally knew how strong the army under his command was now.

At the beginning, Cao Cao's tiger and leopard riding was the elite cultivated after this invincibility.

Cultivating the belief that victory is the root of an army's invincibility.

Liu Bei looked at Liu Ye and Jia Xu on the side: "Ziyang, Wenhe, according to your opinion, what does Cao Cao want to do?" ”

He only mentioned Cao Cao, but he didn't say anything about Yuan Shu, obviously in his heart, Cao Cao was the real opponent in this battle.

The two couldn't help but be a little curious about Cao Cao.

Liu Ye saw that Jia Xu didn't speak, so he spoke: "Lord, Cao Cao knows that our army is powerful, and this is to avoid my edge." ”

"However, if they are bent on defense, it may not be easy for our army to force their way into battle, unless they ......"

Unless you let the Iron Float make a move.

How sharp the bows and crossbows of the Han army were, they would not be unclear. If the cavalry forced the battle, I am afraid that they will be shot on their backs and suffer heavy casualties.

Only a heavy cavalry like Tiefutu in armor can withstand the rain of arrows one after another.

However, they had already planned that they would not use the Iron Floating Slaughter lightly, and this sword was to be saved for the critical moment to decide the outcome of the battle.

Liu Bei laughed when he heard this: "It's really interesting, they took the initiative to write a war letter, but they shrank back." ”

This is quite appropriate, the enemy's formation at the moment is exactly like a turtle. All hid behind shields, like a turtle with its head and limbs tucked into its shell.

Jia Xu shook his head and said: "You can't let the Tiefu Tu rush into the formation, the enemy army is in a wild goose array, and as soon as the Tiefu Tu comes out, they will retreat immediately." ”

"The Iron Float can't fight for a long time, and if you can't achieve results at the beginning, you will likely fall into a heavy siege later."

The geese marching array can advance or retreat, and it is the only military formation that will not be chaotic when retreating. You only need to change the front army into the rear army, and the rear army into the front army, and you can retreat in an orderly manner, and you don't have to worry about being affected by the rout.

Liu Bei nodded and said with a smile: "Since they like to shrink, let them try Fengxiao's self-created projectile tactics." ”

Jia Xu was stunned: "Projectile? ”

Liu Ye smiled and explained: "This method was created by Brother Feng Xiao, and it is a tactic of cavalry against infantry. ”

After that, he explained the technique of projectile.

Pick a soldier who is proficient in mounted archery, fire arrows on his horse during the charge, and stop as soon as he comes within range of the enemy crossbowmen.

If the enemy is in pursuit, retreat while continuing to fire arrows on the way back.

"Brother Feng Xiao called it, kite tactics."

Jia Xu was still puzzled: "The cavalry has already risen, how can it stop?" ”

He has lived in Xiliang for a long time, and even the best soldiers in riding and archery kung fu can't stop immediately. If this is done forcibly, the person on the horse is likely to be thrown off the horse by inertia.

"If it was before, this method was indeed unusable, but now our army has the Three Treasures of Horses." After Liu Bei finished speaking, he stretched out his hand and pointed to the horse's back, the horse's hooves, and the sides of the horse's belly.

"Here's the saddle, here's the stirrup, here's the horseshoe."

Jia Xu took a closer look and soon found the mystery.

The saddle on the horse's back allows the rider to sit more steadily, and the stirrups on the horse's belly make it easier for the rider to make movements that would otherwise be impossible, as for the horseshoe...... It should be horses' shoes.

Guo Jia knows that any secret weapon is no longer a secret after it is used, so it will only be taken out in a key battle every time.

Even if it is to be exposed, it must exert the maximum effect, and after the opponent imitates it, the general trend of the world has already been formed, and there is no need for the so-called secret weapon.

After Jia Xu saw the mystery of the three treasures in this horse, he couldn't help but sigh: "Guo Feng's filial piety and wisdom are unparalleled, and I can't do it." ”

Different from the previous polite words, this time it was heartfelt. The more you understand what Guo Jia has created, the more you will understand that what this person has done has gone beyond the scope of a strategist.

If it is placed in the pre-Qin era, the three treasures of Mazhong should belong to the Mo family, and the winemaking belongs to the business way, plus Guo Jia himself learned Confucianism and soldiers, which is the essence of several families?

Liu Bei smiled and said nothing, although he also recognized Guo Jia's statement that he was an all-rounder, he would not really evaluate the level of his strategists.

Liu Ye said again: "The most powerful thing about Brother Feng Xiao is not that he created this kite tactic, he even thought of a way to crack it. ”

"Oh? I would like to hear about it. Jia Xu was immediately interested, at least he hadn't figured out a way to crack this tactic yet.

He had thought that after the advent of this tactic, the only restraint used by the infantry in the face of the cavalry had been nullified. Because the cavalry only needs to use the bow and crossbow to kill and wound the enemy's infantry after the enemy infantry enters the range of the bow and crossbow.

And at such a delicate distance, the crossbowmen outside the range can only be helpless, after all, they can't get out of the cover of the infantry and shoot directly at the enemy cavalry, right?

If this is the case, the enemy cavalry will not hesitate to rush up and kill the pigs, and the unprotected archers are lambs to the slaughter in front of the cavalry.

……

After Lü Bu and Zhao Yun received the order, they began to attack the enemy's flanks from the left and right directions respectively.

Cao Ren and Cao Hong, who were in charge of guarding the two wings, couldn't help but sneer when they saw this.

The enemy generals are so rampant, even if you are brave and brave with iron horses, it will not be made of iron, right?

"Prepare to release the arrows."

Almost simultaneously, the two men gave the order, ready to give the enemy a head-on blow. With the dust rising into the sky, the two sides are getting closer and closer.

Just as they were about to give the order to release their arrows, the enemy cavalry stopped beyond range.

Immediately afterwards, they saw the soldiers on their horses draw their bows and arrows, and shoot wave after wave of arrows at them.

The shield soldiers in the front row hurriedly raised their shields in their hands, but no matter how tight the shield array was, there would inevitably be gaps, just like a fishing net would inevitably have fish that slipped through the net.

At this time, a person's luck is very important.

The screams rang out one after another, and the soldiers of the Cao army, who were unlucky, would die.

Seeing this, Cao Ren and Cao Hong couldn't help but be furious, and this tactic of the state army seemed to them to be like ...... Walk your dog.

Too much deception.

"Twenty steps forward."

Not fighting back when beaten, this is not the style of their Cao children.

Although the casualties were not too great under the cover of the shield, the two of them felt the ultimate insult.

However, as soon as they had begun to advance, the cavalry retreated, not forgetting to kill them with arrows.

Cao Ren and Cao Hong were both shot, are the people of Bingzhou so good at riding and archery?

They hurriedly sent someone to report the matter to Cao Cao and ask how to deal with it.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

(End of chapter)