Outside Shouchun, thousands of soldiers and horses galloped. Ten thousand Xiliang Cavalry surged toward Shouchun as if they had been injected with chicken blood. Xu Shu looked at these heavy cavalry and then at his own shivering garrison on the city wall. Fortunately, the city wall was still there. Otherwise, his subordinates would have been defeated long ago. Even if Sun Wu was alive, he would not be able to save them.
"Hu!" Xu Shu took a deep breath. He needed to raise the morale of the garrisons. Otherwise, not only would the moat be filled up, the soldiers would also be scared out of their wits by the Xiliang Cavalry. How would they defend the city then?
"Target the Xiliang Cavalry." Xu Shu could see that the Xiliang Cavalry was getting closer and closer. They had already entered the range of the ballistae. However, in order to increase the power of the ballistae, Xu Shu stopped himself from firing.
Only when Xu Shu could see the ferocious expression of the Xiliang Cavalry did Xu Shu suddenly put down his hands. "Fire!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" The first wave of ballistae was finally released. The might of the ballistae was immediately displayed. Even though the Xiliang Cavalry were wearing heavy armor, the heavy armor was able to withstand the ballistae's arrows. In the face of the ballistae's arrows, the heavy armor was like paper. The arrows directly tore through the heavy armor and penetrated the bodies of the Xiliang Cavalry.
"En!" Hu Che Er was furious. The penetrating power of the arrows was too strong. Not only did the first row of heavy-armored cavalry suffer, the second and third rows were also skewered. It was not until the seventh row that the arrows fell down.
"Brothers, charge! Charge! Fill up the moat for me! I want to personally attack the city and take revenge for my brothers!" Hu Che Er shouted. Such damage might be a blow to the morale of the ordinary troops, but to the Xiliang Cavalry, it aroused their ferocity.
"Come! Come!" Xu Shu was also angered. The Xiliang Cavalry did not put Xu Shu in their eyes. A wave of ballistae was not able to slow them down. Instead, they became even more hurried. "Fire! Quickly fire!" Under Xu Shu's command, the ballistae on the city walls were released. They no longer stopped firing arrows. Instead, they pulled the triggers and shot down the ballistae.
The Xiliang Cavalry below were delighted. "What?! Zhang Xiu slammed the table and stood up. His eyes were about to burst into flames. This was because his Xiliang Cavalry had fallen into a life and death situation. Xu Shu had pulled out twelve ballistae and each ballista released ten bolts. The result of this was a complete massacre of the Xiliang Cavalry.
No matter how good one's horse was, how good one's horse was, or how heavy one's armor was, one's life would be harvested under the rain of arrows. Zhang Xiu had said that the threat of the ballistae was greater than their fighting strength. But now, not only did the ballistae increase their fighting strength, the deterrence also made the Xiliang Cavalry cry for their fathers and mothers. They no longer threw the sandbags on their horses into the moat.
Some of the people in the front row had no choice but to follow. Some of the people in the back directly threw away the sandbags on their horses and pulled their horses away from the group. No one wanted to die, and no one wanted to die in such a way. Those who were pierced by the giant arrows and didn't die for a while was the most uncomfortable thing. They could only helplessly watch their internal organs spill out. Could it be that helplessly watching one's own death was the most uncomfortable thing to do?
Even the ruthless Xiliang Cavalry could not withstand the earth-shattering screams. Moreover, there were many Qiang tribesmen among the Xiliang Cavalry. These foreign tribesmen had a fear of ballistae since they were young. This was a legend that their ancestors had heard about the Great Han Dynasty.
"Retreat! Retreat! Disperse! Disperse!" No matter how stupid Hu Che Er was, he knew that he could not charge forward anymore. In just a short while, more than 200 giant arrows were shot out from the walls. These arrows caused more than a thousand casualties. Hu Che Er was not like the Qing Province Army or the Yu Province Army. He did not feel any heartache for the losses. These were the elite Xiliang Cavalry. It was fine if they died, but the heavy armor and the war horses could be used to form a team of 10. Even the price of the war horses could be used to form a team of 50 light infantry.
However, in just a short while, they had lost a thousand men. This caused Zhang Xiu's heart to ache. Liu Bei had ambushed his two thousand men and had to compensate him with five thousand gold, ten thousand shi of provisions, two thousand warhorses and two thousand sets of heavy armor. These were all lost here. No one could compensate him.
Compared to Zhang Xiu's shocked and regretful face, Liu Bei was much calmer. Although he was shocked by the ballistae, he was already prepared. This was all thanks to his military advisor, Pang Tong.
Pang Tong was no longer by Liu Bei's side. He stood at the side of the camp and looked at the ballistae on the walls. Pang Tong was also paying attention to the ballistae on the walls. He had already suffered a loss once, he couldn't suffer a second time. Pang Tong clearly remembered what had happened that day outside the Shouchun Water Stockade.
"Sir, what did you see? Pang Tong suddenly bowed to the other young man standing beside him. He was Pang Tong. Pang Tong had always been very confident in his intelligence. Even if it was his teacher, Mister Shui Jing, he would not be so respectful. But now, he was bowing to another young man and calling him Mister was really rare in the world.
"Jun, Jun, Military Advisor, Your Excellency, I am flattered! Jun, didn't, didn't see clearly! This young man was very shy, but when he looked at the ballistae on the city walls, his eyes emitted a fiery glow.
"You didn't see anything?!" Pang Tong was a little disappointed, and he couldn't help but feel a little depressed. The young man beside him also clearly saw that something was wrong with Pang Tong, and he smiled again. "Military, Military Advisor, don't be disappointed. Although Jun can't see through the mysteries of the ballistas on the city wall, Jun has already found the way to restrain them!" The young man couldn't bear to see Pang Tong disappointed and said with a smile.
"You have a way?!" Pang Tong's eyes lit up. He called this person 'Mister' because this person's knowledge of mechanisms was better than others, even better than his close friend Kong Ming. This was the reason why Pang Tong had such an attitude towards this person. Originally, he was dismissive of mechanisms, but after suffering a loss, he naturally remembered the benefits of mechanisms. But now, it was too late for him to learn more. Even if he asked his close friend Kong Ming for advice, Kong Ming would not pay attention to him. After all, they all served different masters. Fortunately, his uncle Pang Degong had recommended this youth to him.
"Jun, Military Advisor, do you still remember the blueprint from a while ago?!" The young man asked Pang Tong to recall his memory.
"You mean?!" Pang Tong's eyes lit up and said.
"Yes, use the catapult!" The young man nodded. In fact, the catapult was not developed by him alone. He had listened to the descriptions of Liu Mang's ballista from Guan Yu, Pang Tong, and the surviving soldiers in the captured cities of Yuzhou. The young man imitated and improved the catapult bit by bit. He originally thought that he wouldn't need it in this trip to Yangzhou, but now it seemed that it was a good time to use it.
"Isn't that thing not finished yet?!" Pang Tong was a little confused because after the blueprint was drawn, there were some areas that needed to be improved. Moreover, many areas were not as good as the ballista in Liu Mang's Army. Originally, Pang Tong planned to let Liu Bei order to snatch a ballista from Liu Mang's Army and let the young man develop it, but now it was too late.
"The range is not enough! But if we get closer, we can still hit the city wall! " The young man gestured. The city wall of Shouchun was more than eight feet high, and the moat was dozens of meters wide. The catapult could shoot at Shouchun from outside the moat.
"Good! Let's do it! "Pang Tong nodded and ran towards Liu Bei's camp.
"Damn it, damn it!" Zhang Xiu was very annoyed. His ten thousand Xiliang Cavalry were originally prepared to show off their muscles in front of Liu Bei and to shut the mouths of Liu Bei's Army. However, they did not manage to show off their muscles and did not shut their mouths. Instead, they became a big joke. Zhang Xiu had lost no less than a thousand heavy cavalry. Those were all shining silver.
"My Lord, let our White Eared Cavalry try!" Chen Dao cupped his fist and said to Liu Bei.
"White Eared Cavalry?!" Liu Bei was also frowning. The moat must be filled, or else Shouchun would not be easy to break through. However, the ballista had caused the Xiliang Cavalry to suffer a great loss. Would the White Eared Cavalry be able to withstand the ballista's arrows? He was not like Zhang Xiu who had 20,000 soldiers to squander. He only had 5,000 White Eared Cavalry. Losing any one of them would make Liu Bei's heart ache. However, if he did not send the White Eared Cavalry to try, he was afraid that there would be more than 10,000 casualties. Thinking about this, Liu Bei could not help but look at Zhang Fei and Liao Hua. Liao Hua was very straightforward. He had just become the general of the Yuzhou Army. You can't let him be a general without an army on his first day. Therefore, he lowered his head and pretended not to see Liu Bei's gaze. Although Zhang Fei was not interested in the Qingzhou Army, he knew that only with troops could he go on the battlefield. Therefore, he also laughed it off.
Just when Liu Bei was in a difficult position, Pang Tong walked over and said to Liu Bei, "My Lord, let's retreat! I already have a plan in mind! "
Liu Bei's eyes lit up. Then, he waved his hand and retreated.
… …
The flames of war were raging in Yangzhou and Yuzhou. Similarly, Guandu, which was at the border between Yanzhou and Jizhou, was also embroiled in the flames of war.
Cao Cao had been fighting in Guandu for the past few months. It felt like he had been fighting for decades. He suddenly aged. His originally black hair was now covered in white hair.
"Persevere, you must persevere!" Cao Cao drank a mouthful of wine to refresh himself. His eyes were beginning to turn red and swollen. He had wiped out Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu's 100,000 navy in the Yellow River. Yuan Shao had been suppressing a bellyful of anger and wanted to take revenge. Without the navy, the pressure on Guandu decreased. However, the land was no longer stable. Other than the Yellow River, there was also a delta between Jizhou and Yanzhou. It was originally called Jibei Country. This delta was located in the middle of the Yellow River. It was located at the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The estuary was at Jieshi and the fork was at Yanjin Wuchao.
Although Yuan Shao had lost his 100,000 navy, he still had 150,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of heavy cavalry. Yuan Shao's original Jizhou Cavalry consisted of 10,000 people. Unfortunately, he had also selected the men from Bingzhou to form the Bingzhou Cavalry, which also had 10,000 people. In addition to the two groups of Great Halberd Warriors, it could be said that Yuan Shao had 40,000 elite cavalry. He was the one with the most heavy cavalry in the entire Great Han Dynasty.
It was no wonder. Yuan Shao was currently in Jizhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou. With the three provinces under his control, he had countless warhorses. He wasn't like those nobles in the Central Plains who sold their warhorses for a hundred taels of gold in the black market. In order to defeat five thousand heavy-armored cavalrymen, they had to grit their teeth and sell everything they had to save as much as they could. Only then did they manage to create a heavy-armored cavalrymen. However, Yuan Shao didn't need them. He had as many warhorses as he wanted. There were seven or eight large horse farms in the three provinces. Not only did these horse farms have good horses, but they could also trade warhorses with foreign tribes.
With Yuan Shao's navy gone, Cao Cao also did not have a navy. Therefore, Yuan Shao's strategists came up with a plan. They would use the Northern Ji Kingdom to cut down wood and make rafts. They would cross the river and enter the land. They would enter Yan Province and fight with Cao Cao.
That's forty thousand heavy cavalry. If they really attack Yan Province, then Cao Cao will suffer. Cao Cao had a headache and wanted to intercept them. However, the heavy cavalry under his command was only the Ferocious Cavalry. In the battle of Xu Province, the Ferocious Cavalry's commander was killed by the Bing Province Wolf Cavalry. Although the commander was later replaced by Cao Cao and the Ferocious Cavalry was reorganized, they only have five thousand men. Five thousand heavy cavalry against forty thousand, not even the Bing Province Wolf Cavalry would dare to do such a thing. Moreover, there were also the famous Great Halberd Warriors and Xiandeng Battalion. If the Ferocious Cavalry were to go, they would be surrounded and beaten to death.
Cao Cao had a headache. His strategists did not have any plans. Even Guo Jia was pondering on the side. There were only two options. One was to surround and intercept Yuan Shao's army and prevent them from crossing the Yellow River. However, the Yellow River was so long. How many men and horses would it take to block the Yellow River? Didn't they see that Lü Bu of Lujiang did not dare to move because of Jiangdong Sun Ce's covetous gaze? If they were careless and allowed the heavy cavalry to charge into Yanzhou, it would be a disaster.
The other option was to cross the river and charge into Yuan Shao's Jizhou. However, this option was not feasible. At the very least, it was not feasible now. Even if Yuan Shao removed 40,000 elite cavalry, he still had 90,000 soldiers. Cao Cao only had less than 40,000 men and horses. He still had to defend Guandu. In other words, he only had 30,000 soldiers. Thirty thousand against 90,000? Did he really think that the Yuan Shao was weak? Yuan Shao was eager to cross the river and have a decisive battle with Yuan Shao! A decisive battle would decide the outcome. However, if he went now, he would die. If he did not go, he would also die. Cao Cao was helpless.
Cao Cao clenched his teeth. Forget it. Let's go all out. Cao Cao prepared to cross the river and fight. Suddenly, Guo Jia stood out. Milord, do you still remember that time?! " “
"That time? What time is that?! " Cao Cao was so anxious that he did not want to keep Guo Jia in suspense. "Fengxiao … Fengxiao … Fengxiao … Fengxiao's eyebrows are on fire. If you have a plan, quickly tell me!"
"Milord, it's not that I have a plan! It's just that Jia is not sure if this is true! " Guo Jia smiled bitterly and shook his head. He did not want to keep Cao Cao in suspense. However, he did not know if this information was accurate or not. "Milord, do you still remember the news sent by Lujiang's King Of Shu, Liu Mang?!"
"En?!" Cao Cao also remembered. "You mean?" Cao Cao could not help but look at the map on the coffee table.
"Yes, it's Wu's Nest!" Guo Jia nodded and said. This news was sent by Lujiang's King Of Shu, Liu Mang, when he failed to buy the ballistae from Lujiang. That was, Wu's Nest was the source of victory.
"This may just be Liu Mang's child's play!" Cao Cao touched his head and said.
"Child's play can sometimes be taken seriously!" Guo Jia smiled bitterly. "And Milord, do you think we have other options?"
"This?!" Cao Cao was a suspicious person. Not to mention that this was just a vague information sent by Lujiang's Liu Mang. Even if it was a real scout, Cao Cao would consider the gains and losses.
"Milord, think about it. If the Lvbu's Army lied to us, what kind of benefits would they get?!" Guo Jia tried to persuade Cao Cao to attack Wu's Nest because whether it was a decisive battle across the river or a passive defense, Cao Jun had no chance of winning. He could only use an unconventional method to open up the situation.
"Lü Bu and our army are enemies!" Cao Cao sighed. When Lu Bu first entered the Central Plains, he almost exterminated Old Cao. At that time, if there was no Lu Bu, Old Cao would have already conquered Xu Province. At that time, if there was no Lu Bu, Old Cao would have already conquered Xu Province. At that time, Xu Province was a prosperous Xu Province and not a barren Xu Province.
After that, Lao Cao drove Lü Bu out of Yanzhou. Lü Bu settled down in Xu Province. Lao Cao and Liu Bei worked together to drive Lü Bu out of Xu Province. If it wasn't for the King Of Shu, Liu Mang's intervention, Lü Bu's head might be on the White Gate Tower now! Now, Lü Bu's Fangtian Halberd was still in Lao Cao's Xudu!
"Milord, in this world, there are only eternal benefits and no eternal enemies. Milord, you can work together with Liu Bei for the sake of Xu Province. For the sake of Yanzhou, you can even give up your hatred for Zhang Xiu in Wancheng. Compared to them, do you hate Lü Bu less than them?! But even if you let go of all these, you still can't let go of your hatred for Lü Bu! "Guo Jia tried to persuade Cao Cao.
"But he is Lü Bu, a boorish man who is obstinate and opinionated!" Cao Cao retorted.
"Milord, the current Lü Bu is not the previous Lü Bu!" Guo Jia shook his head and said. If Guo Jia knew that a scholar who had been away for three days had to be looked at with new eyes, he would definitely use this phrase. The previous Lü Bu was not only greedy for small benefits, he was also very egotistical. He would listen to half of Chen Gong's words and forget half of them. He would even ignore Chen Gong's words. If Lü Bu had listened to Chen Gong, he would not have been alienated by Chen Gui and his son, and he would not have been schemed against by Liu Bei. However, the current Lü Bu was different. The current Lü Bu was more accustomed to the process of being a lord than before. Although he was still impulsive, he had begun to listen to Chen Gong's words.
"Milord, this information was not given to us by Lü Bu. It was given to us by the King Of Shu, Liu Mang! “
"It was him?! “
"Milord, there are experts in the Lü Bu's Army. They are not stupid. If we lose, then Hebei's Yuan Shao will occupy six provinces. With Jizhou and Xuzhou providing food, Bingzhou and Youzhou providing war horses and soldiers, and Yanzhou acting as the frontline, who in the world can be a match for Yuan Shao? Jiangdong's Sun Ce, Jingzhou's Liu Bei, Lujiang's Lü Bu, and Yuzhou's Liu Bei only add up to three provinces. What can they use to fight against Yuan Shao?! Therefore, they will not watch Yuan Shao win. If Milord wins, then it will be different. Even if Yuan Shao loses, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. With Jizhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Qingzhou in his hands, Yuan Shao will be able to fight again in the future as long as he goes back to recuperate. If we want to get rid of Yuan Shao and take over Hebei's land, it will take at least a few years. These few years will be enough time for the Central Plains to decide the victor. Moreover, if we win against Yuan Shao, both sides will suffer losses. Therefore, they will not watch our army be defeated! Therefore, Guo Jia believes that this information may be correct! "Guo Jia was no longer analyzing the situation from the perspective of strategy, but from the perspective of people's hearts.
"But this information is from a few months ago. Even if he has an expert in the Lvbu's Army, he will not be able to guess the situation of the battle a few months later!" Cao Cao still did not believe it. Fortunately, just as Guo Jia was wondering how to convince Cao Cao, the soldiers outside the barracks suddenly sent a message saying that a middle-aged scholar who claimed to be a close friend of the Prime Minister had come to visit.
"Close friend?!" Cao Cao was puzzled. He did not have any close friends. He was already the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty. How many people dared to claim to be his close friends? Even if there were, they would hide their feelings. After all, there was a difference between the ruler and his minister. Cao Cao was upset and did not want to see this person.
However, Guo Jia opened his eyes and asked the personal guard, "Where did this person come from?!"
"This person?" The personal guard thought for a while and said, "This person should have come from the other side of the Yellow River!" This middle-aged scholar's warhorse was covered in mud and the sound of his shoes running was like water. Only when crossing a river would it be like this.
"The other side of the Yellow River?!" Cao Cao's eyes suddenly lit up. The other side of the Yellow River was Yuan Benchu's main camp. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were close friends. Of course, this person was not Yuan Shao. Not only was he close to Yuan Shao, there was another person under Yuan Shao who was Cao Cao's close friend and also an old friend.
"Milord, the strategy to defeat Yuan is coming!" Guo Jia and Cao Cao suddenly looked at each other and laughed.
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