Zhang Lu didn't have much of an idea, so after hearing Zhang Wei's words, he nodded in agreement.
Zhang Wei brought Yang Ang, Yang Ren, and a bunch of Hanzhong generals to Yangping Pass. Zhang Lu was at the back to take care of the provisions.
Yang Ren was very familiar with the terrain of Yangping Pass, so he suggested, "There's a mountain pass in front of Yangping Pass that is extremely dangerous. Why don't we set up a camp at the mountain pass? Not a single Yuan soldier can enter. "
Zhang Wei agreed and said, "I'll guard Yangping Pass. You two go to the mountain pass to prepare for battle."
Yang Ang and Yang Ren accepted the order and left.
Ma Chao was eager to take revenge, so he led ten thousand men and horses and traveled through the night into Hanzhong territory, heading toward the capital of Hanzhong, Nanzheng.
The scouts ahead reported that they were forty miles away from Yangping Pass.
Ma Dai advised, "Brother, don't be too hasty. We're already in Zhang Lu's territory, and the soldiers have already traveled for a day and two nights, so their bodies are tired. Why don't we set up camp and rest? When we have enough strength, it won't be too late to attack the pass. "
Ma Chao said, "I see Hanzhong as the top of my palm; Zhang Lu and the others are like chickens and dogs. During the Battle of Chang 'an, Zhang Lu had a strong city and still couldn't beat us. Today, how can a mere pass stop me? "
Ma Chao ordered the vanguard to dig a moat and set up camp fifteen miles away from Yangping Pass.
Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, the camp suddenly caught fire. Ma Chao hurriedly got on his horse and led Ma Dai and the others to meet the enemy. It was Yang Ang and Yang Ren who had split up to attack the camp.
With the camp on fire and the surprise attack, Ma Chao's morale was greatly reduced. Furthermore, Ma Chao's army had traveled through the night and was tired; the terrain in front of Yangping Pass was dangerous and not enough for the cavalry to show off their strengths.
When the two sides clashed, even though Ma Chao was brave and killed two Hanzhong generals, he couldn't stop the collapse of the soldiers. Seeing that they were about to be surrounded by Zhang Lu's soldiers, Ma Chao didn't dare to fight and could only retreat with Ma Dai and Ma Yunlu.
At daybreak, Zhang Lu's army finally retreated back to the mountain pass.
Ma Chao inspected the soldiers. This time, their camp was raided and they lost more than three thousand men. It could be said that they were at a disadvantage.
And this was the result of Ma Chao fighting bravely, making Zhang Lu's army fearful. If it had been a commander with a lower martial strength, the situation would have been even worse. It would have been hard to say if they could even survive with three thousand men.
The loss of three thousand men was secondary. However, the fact that their camp had been raided the moment they arrived caused the morale of the vanguard army to drop to zero. Pessimism pervaded the air.
These vanguard troops originally belonged to the Yuan family. Although they weren't the most elite troops, they had fought all over the country and won many battles. When had they ever suffered such a loss under Bai Xiaowen?
Ma Chao had always had his own unique method of boosting morale. He gave the order to rebuild the camp, and then led five hundred cavalry to challenge Yang Ang and Yang Ren's camp at the mountain pass.
However, Yang Ang and Yang Ren had experienced the battle of Chang 'an and last night's battle. They knew Ma Chao's bravery, so they avoided the battle. Every time Ma Chao led his troops to get close, they would be shot back by a rain of arrows.
If he couldn't kill the general in front of the two armies, Ma Chao wouldn't be able to restore the morale of his troops. It would be even more impossible to get these seven thousand soldiers to attack the mountain pass.
Ma Chao was worried, but there was nothing he could do.
Ma Yunlu tried to persuade him, "Brother, don't worry. When the Duke Of Yan's army arrives, there will be a good plan to break the pass."
It would have been better if Ma Chao didn't hear this. After hearing it, he felt even more annoyed and stared at his hands in a daze.
Ma Dai saw through Ma Chao's emotions and said, "Although our camp was raided, due to brother's bravery, we didn't suffer too much. Zhang Lu's losses that night weren't any less than ours. Since the enemy is avoiding the battle, we can send more spies to scout the area around Yangping Pass. After we draw a map, we can come up with a plan to break the enemy. "
Ma Chao nodded and accepted Ma Dai's suggestion.
However, after a few days of drawing the map and studying it, Ma Chao realized that Yangping Pass was a dangerous place. It really had the feeling of "one man holding the pass, ten thousand cannot break through."
There was a small path, but it was hard to traverse. Even horses couldn't pass through it. Yang Ang and Yang Ren were Hanzhong generals and were more familiar with the terrain. They had already sent people to cut off the small path, so there was no way to sneak through.
Ma Chao was at his wit's end. Three days later, Bai Xiaowen's army arrived at Yangping Pass.
Ma Chao went to meet Duke Yan Bai Xiaowen. When he was asked about the battle, his face was filled with shame.
Ma Yunlu and Ma Dai both tried to find excuses for their brother.
Bai Xiaowen nodded and said, "The enemy army is defending, and it's hard to attack. This matter can't be blamed on Meng Qi. "
In truth, Bai Xiaowen had expected that Ma Chao would not be able to break through.
Not to mention breaking through, it would already be good if he didn't lose.
After all, the enemy was waiting for an exhausted enemy to break through. Ma Chao was eager for revenge and traveled day and night. The terrain in front of the pass was dangerous and not suitable for Ma Chao's "Iron Cavalry Commander" style of fighting.
Military Advisor Xun You said, "General Chenglie (referring to Ma Chao), did you check out the geography of the mountains and rivers around here a few days ago?"
Ma Chao ordered people to present the map. Xun You opened it and looked at it.
After a while, Xun You raised his head and said, "Duke Yan, I have observed the terrain of Yangping Pass. It's not something that can be broken through with numbers. Duke Yan needs to be prepared for a long stalemate. "
Ma Chao felt better after hearing this. It turned out that Duke Yan's army also had no way.
Bai Xiaowen said, "I have a plan to break through the camp. Once we break through the camp, Yangping Pass can be taken down. If we can kill Zhang Wei, Zhang Lu will definitely surrender and Hanzhong will be settled. "
Ma Chao was stunned, but the Yuan Army's generals were all in high spirits. The haze of the vanguard's defeat was swept away.
Ma Yunlu looked at Bai Xiaowen with eyes full of worship, but Bai Xiaowen acted as if he didn't see it.
On the same day, Bai Xiaowen led a personal army to the pass to check the terrain.
Unexpectedly, a drum sounded and an ambush was set up. Yang Ang and Yang Ren split into two groups to kill.
Although they were suddenly ambushed, Bai Xiaowen's personal guards didn't panic at all.
Cao Hongfei took the lead to resist Yang Ang, while Zhang Xiu resisted Yang Ren.
Under Bai Xiaowen's command, Camille, Li Shuyi, and other friendly hunters worked together to attack Yang Ren and tried to kill him.
However, the hundreds of personal soldiers around Yang Ren were not to be trifled with. Each of them was a master and protected Yang Ren. In addition, Yang Ren's ability was not weak. After fighting for a while, they both retreated.
However, in this battle, they did not lose soldiers like Ma Chao. Instead, they killed a lot of Zhang Lu's soldiers.
Yang Ang and Yang Ren tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it. They returned to their turtle-like tactics and defended the pass.
"These two Hanzhong Great Generals are very brave when they need to fight, but they are also very calm when they shouldn't be fighting. They can be considered talented generals." Bai Xiaowen gave his evaluation.
The next day, Bai Xiaowen took people to check the terrain in front of the camp. This time, Er Yang learned his lesson. He only sent his men to curse in front of the camp and did not fight.
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