In the middle of summer in Jianghan, there is a lot of rain in Xiangfan, and the weather is changeable.

It is often in the morning and afternoon when the scorching sun is in the sky, which makes people sultry and irritable; In the afternoon, it was overcast and the summer rain poured down, dissipating the heat with rain.

At this time, Pang De led his cavalry to gallop outside Fancheng, and was fighting with the Wei cavalry under the command of Yan Xing.

But I saw Pound riding a white horse, standing in front of people, holding a bow and arrows, and the arrows fell out, and the archery skills were very superb.

Under the encouragement of Pang De, hundreds of horsemen on the left and right were full of courage and extraordinary performance, using bows and arrows to have a relationship with Wei cavalry.

The skirmish between the two sides is the situation on the battlefield of Xiangfan today. Guan Yu blockaded Xiangyang and stationed the soldiers and horses on Yuliang Continent, although it could not be said that he had the initiative, but he also said that he had an advantage on the battlefield.

Guan Yu, who had the advantage, faced Yu Ban and Yan Xing, who came to help, and under the certainty of no victory, he refused to send troops to fight.

Yu Ban wanted to give full play to the advantages of his northern pawns, defeat Guan Yu head-on, and open up contact with Xiangyang City. But Guan Yu never confronted him head-on, but let Pang De lead the cavalry to attack and harass Wei's pawns, so the two sides fell into a confrontation.

Between the two horsemen, the gloomy weather suddenly thundered, the sound was deafening, several lightning bolts crossed the sky, with the thunder, as if to split the heads of everyone, frightened the cavalry on both sides couldn't help but shrink their heads, and the movements in their hands stopped.

"Boom!"

"Boom"

After a few thunders, the rain fell and crackled down on everyone. The sound was so similar to the sound of a stray arrow hitting a shield that the cavalry, immersed in battle, subconsciously raised his shield. Halfway through the lift, they realized that it was not each other's arrows, but that it was raining heavily.

In an instant, the pouring rain came!

At the beginning, large drops of rain fell intensively, hitting the ground, and crushing the dust raised by the galloping horses; Falling on Han Qi's face, it made people feel faintly painful.

In a few breaths, the raindrops are connected to form a line, and many rain lines form a rain curtain. In an instant, a curtain of rain covered the battlefield, and along with the rain, thunder and lightning flashed in the sky from time to time.

"General, it's raining!"

He came over from the horse, hid the bow and arrow in his hand under his robe, and said, "The rain is too heavy, I am afraid that the bow and arrow will be damaged." Today's attack has been completed, why not bring the troops back to the camp and fight again on another day. ”

When the cavalry fights in rainy weather, most of the bows and arrows in their hands cannot be used, and their bowstrings are easy to degum and loosen when they are wet by rain, and the arrow feathers will fall off when they are wet with water, and the range of their bows and arrows will be greatly shortened. Therefore, most of the battles in rainy days are intersected with cold weapons.

Pang De looked at Wei Cai, who was gradually retreating, spit on the rain, and said: "Cut off the right ear of the enemy on the ground, and withdraw the army back to the camp." ”

"No!"

The rain poured incessantly, wetting the low-lying mud into mud. At this time, both Han and Wei soldiers choose to return to the camp to avoid the rain.

North of Fancheng, Dazhai of the Wei army.

Yu Ban wore a robe, ran in the rain, and inspected the storage of grain and ordnance in the camp with his cronies.

Although Yu Ban is not famous for his martial arts, he strictly obeys military orders and governs the army strictly. Whenever there is rain, he often personally inspects to prevent grain and grass from entering the water and ordnance in the rain.

Whenever there is a mistake, the relevant responsible person will be immediately called, and it will be dealt with according to the military order, or executed, or punished, and never bend the law for personal gain. Therefore, under the rule of the forbidden army, there were few cases of military rations being stolen and water stolen.

The habit of thirty years of conquest has long been deeply rooted in the forbidden bone marrow, and now even though you are a former general, you still act like this.

Yu Ban pointed to the knife covered by the oilcloth and said: "Although the axe knife is not afraid of rain, it is to prevent it from rusting and dullness, and move it to a high place as much as possible." ”

Lu Jian, the logistics officer, touched the rain on his face and said, "Fancheng is low-lying, and the rain has gradually disappeared into the camp for several days. Grain, grass and arrows are placed in a high place, and there is nowhere to place the swords and axes, but here. ”

Hao Zhou, who was on the side, said: "General, this rainy season is coming, the Han water is rising, and you should choose a high place to move the village." And His Majesty also has a letter, saying that the Han water is rising, and the Dali water thieves use troops to let our army retreat to a high place without a fight. ”

Yu Ban looked up and saw that the rain curtain was dense, and there were many ponds and pits around him. The rain for several days made it difficult to discharge the stagnant water in the camp in time.

Seeing that the stagnant water was difficult to drain, Yu Ban had a plan to move the village in his heart, and said: "Let's arrange it like this first, let me see the general of the chariot cavalry, and then talk about the relocation of the camp and the withdrawal of the village." ”

"No!"

In Cao Cao's edict, the main general on the battlefield of Xiangfan was Cao Ren, and Yu Ban was the deputy general. Yu Ban wants to move the village at this time, it is not up to him to decide, and it is necessary to consult with Cao Ren to determine the feasibility of moving the village.

The general's duty to obey military orders is a true portrayal of the ban.

After inspecting the heavy village, he went to the gate of the village and met Yan Xing, who had led the troops back, and asked: "Can you make progress in fighting with the thief cavalry today?" ”

Yan Xing stood at the gate of the rainless camp, and said helplessly: "Pang De, this guy is skillful in bow and horse, brave and good at fighting, and he is brave and brave. Today, the water thieves come to the aid of the cavalry, often according to their own strength, leading hundreds of cavalry to assault our army, advancing with cavalry to break through, retreating with bows and crossbows. ”

In terms of the arrangement and use of cavalry, Pound is proficient as a cavalry general in the northwest, especially in small-scale cavalry conflicts, which can bring his own bravery to the extreme.

"That's it!"

Yu Ban sighed slightly and said, "It was difficult to break Guan Yu in the past spring, let alone the summer rain? Water thieves are accustomed to riding boats, and the summer rain is the time when the thieves are in full swing. His Majesty has sent a letter now, ordering our army to fight cautiously and choose a high place to camp for the autumn and winter. ”

"Autumn and winter soldiers?"

Yan Xing handed over the war horse to the left and right, and asked, "Your Majesty wants to go south in autumn and winter?" ”

"Last year, Your Majesty was called the emperor, and thought that Guan Yu was just a small trouble, so he ordered you and me to lead the army south and open up the Xiangyang channel. However, the war lasted for a long time, and it was difficult to break Guan Yu, so His Majesty was worried about the change, and wanted to wait for the Han River to fall in the autumn and winter, and then levy troops in the south. ”

Yu Ban pointed in the direction of Fancheng and said, "If General Yan wishes, you can enter Fancheng with a certain person, meet General Cao, and discuss the matter of choosing a camp and moving the village." ”

"Good!"

The Wei Zhai that was set up in the forbidden place was only two or three miles away from Fancheng, almost next to Fancheng, and the two sides camped at the corner. Guan Yu gave up besieging Fancheng because of the ban on coming for help, and only camped outside.

Yu Ban and Yan Xing rode in a car, entered Fancheng under the notification, and met Cao Ren, the general of the chariot cavalry.

Cao Ren, who was guarding the city, did not lose weight because of the anxiety of the war, but gradually widened his body because he defended the city and had nothing to do every day.

Seeing Yu Ban and Yan Xing, Cao Ren was in a very happy mood, invited the two into the hall, and the maid served wine.

Compared with Yu Ban and Wei of the Seventh Army, who fought hard in the rain outside the city, Cao Ren, who was guarding Fancheng, was not only fine, but also accompanied by a maid and a beautiful concubine, and his life was not nourishing.

"I don't know why Wen Zhi and Yan Ming entered the city?" Cao Ren asked with a smile.

Yu Ban handed the towel to the maid and said, "General Qiqi, the rain rises in summer, and the terrain around Fancheng is low-lying, and there is a lot of water in the camp. Now His Majesty sent an edict, saying that the Han water rose in the summer, which was beneficial to the water thieves, but not to our army, and ordered our army to retreat to a high position and camp. ”

"Today's general is the main general, who has been in Xiangfan for a long time, and is well versed in the geographical advantages. It is forbidden to be a deputy general, so he entered the city to seek business and move the camp to the village. ”

Cao Ren pondered for a while and asked, "I don't know where Wen Ze wants to move the camp?" ”

Yu Ban put down the cup in his hand and said: "Yuncheng is on high ground, and it is difficult for rain to invade, so camping in Yuncheng can ensure that the army is unhindered." And Yuncheng is about thirty or forty miles away from Fancheng, and the horsemen can gallop to it. Abstinence from garrisoning Yuncheng, I don't know what the general thinks? ”

"Yuncheng?"

Cao Ren showed hesitation and said: "Yuncheng is too far away from Fancheng, if Guan Yu surrounds Fancheng and sets up an ambush in the middle of the road, I am afraid that the soldiers and horses will be lost!" ”

Saying that, Cao Ren thought for a little and said: "Why don't you camp on the high ground ten miles away from Fancheng, there are ponds around it, close to Qingshui, which is conducive to the drinking water of the sergeants and the rescue of Fancheng." ”

"Ten miles away on the shore of clear water?"

Yan Xing frowned and said, "There are many ponds of clear water, and there are many small streams. It camped ten miles away, although it was higher than Fancheng, but if the rain rose sharply and the surrounding ponds overflowed, I am afraid that the high ground would be covered by stagnant water. ”

"General, in the opinion of practice, it is better for our army to withdraw to Yuncheng and camp. Although it is far away from Fancheng, it can be reached in half a day by the cavalry, and the water thieves will not dare to take the opportunity to attack the city. ”

Seeing Yan Xing refute him, Cao Ren was secretly angry and said, "Do you know that Yuncheng is far away from Fancheng?" The general came to the aid of the cavalry, and dared to ask Guan Yu and Pang De the two thieves to lead the cavalry to attack them, dare to say victory? ”

Saying that, Cao Ren's face was serious, and he said, "The weight of Fancheng is beyond your knowledge. If there is no Fancheng, there will be no Xiangyang, and the water thieves are trapped in Xiangyang and plotting against Fancheng. Fancheng is short, perennial waterlogging, and it is difficult to recruit soldiers. Guan Yu took advantage of the rising tide to raise troops to besiege the city, and did not send soldiers to block it, then Fancheng was in danger! ”

Due to the short size of the city, Fancheng can only garrison thousands of soldiers. Cao Ren was really worried that after Yu Ban and Yan Xing stayed away from Fancheng, his troops would be due to the lack of soldiers, and Guan Yu was besieged by him at that time.

Guan Yu saw that he had few soldiers, abandoned himself, took advantage of the situation to go north to Yuncheng, and besieged the Seventh Army, but he was afraid that he would not be able to get out of the city. Once the Seventh Army is defeated, can Fan Cheng'an hold it?

Out of such concerns, Cao Ren decided that he could not let Yu Ban and Yan Xing retreat to Yuncheng.

Yan Xing patiently explained, and said in a deep voice: "General Qiyu, ten miles away on the bank of Qingshui, a certain rate has arrived. Although it is higher than the surroundings, it is close to clear water, and there are many ponds, and whenever it rains heavily, it may overflow. ”

"Smack!"

Seeing that Yan Xing was still there to refute his opinion, Cao Ren slapped his hand on the case, and then got up and said: "I have been raising troops with His Majesty for thirty years, breaking Yuan Shu in the south and Yuan Shao in the north, I don't know when there will be a general?" ”

With a sneer, Cao Ren said: "The general is from the northwest and doesn't know about Jianghan water conservancy; I have been in Xiangfan for a long time, how can I not know the topography of mountains and rivers? ”

"Ten miles north of Fancheng, although it is located on the bank of the Qing River, it is a rare hill slope in Fancheng. In the past, when the Han River rose, Qiu Po was safe and sound. Does the general want to use his own shortcomings, and a certain long? ”

As he spoke, Cao Ren flicked his sleeves and snorted coldly: "Yu Ban manages your people!" ”

Yu Ban waved his hand, motioned for Yan Xing to go out first, and said, "Yan Ming led Han Sui's old troops to surrender, and His Majesty is very important. Now he is worried about the military and collides with the general, and he hopes that the general will forgive him. ”

Yan Xing held back the fire, but due to Cao Ren's power, he arched his hand and came out without a word.

"Nothing!"

Cao Ren thought he was an open-minded person, and said: "If Yan Xing is not a person valued by His Majesty, I have investigated his crimes today!" ”

As he spoke, Cao Ren changed his words and asked, "I don't know where Wen Ze is located?" ”

Yu Ban's expression was slightly correct, and he said: "The general of the Che Cavalry is familiar with the geographical advantages of Jianghan, and he does not dare to disobey. Today, it is forbidden to lead the troops to camp ten miles north of Fancheng, and if there is a situation at that time, I will inform the general again! ”

"Good!"

(End of chapter)