A battle without any close combat between the two sides suddenly started and then came to an abrupt end. The remaining soldiers of Yuan Shao's alliance quickly retreated from the icy surface of the Yellow River.
As the snow fell faster and faster, the traces left on the surface of the ice were gradually being buried. If it wasn't for the smoke still burning on the Yellow River, it would be difficult to find the traces of the battle.
The soldiers of Yuan Shao's alliance had a limited amount of firewood. Although the fire seemed to be quite big, it only burned a shallow layer. As long as they weren't in the center of the fire, more soldiers would be burned than burned to death.
However, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Cai Mao, Han Sui, Zhang Xiu, Chen Gong, and Liu Bei had reached a consensus before the battle started. They had invested a large number of soldiers, intending to use the fire to break through the Great Wall of Ice and Sand.
Under such circumstances, even if the fire wasn't that fierce, due to the large number of soldiers participating in the attack, there were many obstructions, pushing, and trampling. As a result, there were many situations where there was no way to escape. This caused the casualty rate of the alliance army to rise sharply.
In less than an hour, Yuan Shao's alliance army had lost over 10000 soldiers. The number of burned soldiers numbered in the tens of thousands. Among them, there were more than 10000 who had temporarily lost the ability to fight.
"Brother Benchu, the loss of the first battle will definitely affect our morale. The few of us need to first calm down our troops and allow the injured to rest. We also need to compensate the families of the injured so that they won't panic.
At the same time, we should attack again as soon as possible and use victory to sweep away the haze of the previous battle. I believe that Blazing Sun will relax after victory. Our alliance army will be able to rest during the day and attack at night. What do you all think? "
After the defeat, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Cai Mao, Han Sui, Zhang Xiu, Chen Gong, and Liu Bei gathered together. The atmosphere was initially rather gloomy. It was only when Cao Cao spoke that the atmosphere changed.
"Meng De is right. We can't destroy our own morale. Although Blazing Sun has a lot of food and soldiers, he is still one man. Besides, if we combine our forces, we may not lose to Blazing Sun in terms of the number of troops and generals …"
After hearing Cao Cao's words, Yuan Shao's expression became slightly better. He followed Cao Cao's tone and said.
"Sirs, you are right. Although Blazing Sun has built the Great Ice Sand Wall in just a few days, it can be said to be a miracle. However, the longer the wall is, the more soldiers it will require. We only need to choose one or a few weak points and attack them head-on. Just by fighting head-on, it will be difficult for Blazing Sun to deal with them."
Chen Gong nodded slightly before he opened his mouth and spoke. He had managed to analyze the crux of the matter.
However, Chen Gong's words carried little weight. There were two or three valiant generals sitting behind him. When he spoke, they even revealed looks of disdain.
None of the people present were ordinary people. Naturally, most of them could see Chen Gong's current situation. Thus, although many people felt that his words were reasonable, they subconsciously ignored them.
"If the Yellow River didn't obstruct us, our Xiliang troops would be able to run amok. I hope that everyone can break through Blazing Sun's Great Ice Sand Wall soon. My troops will definitely make Blazing Sun's troops suffer some hardships …"
Han Sui from Liangzhou also spoke in a somewhat distorted regional dialect. This caused Zhang Xiu, who rarely spoke, to twitch his mouth in disdain. As the successor of Dong Zhuo's old troops, Zhang Xiu had some deep entanglements with Han Sui from Liangzhou.
After all, Dong Zhuo's troops had participated in many operations against Xiliang's troops. There were victories and defeats, and many people had died. Even later on, the situation did not ease up.
"If not for the obstruction of the Great Ice Sand Wall, our Jing Province's troops would also be valiant …"
When Han Sui spoke of his troops, Cai Mao also began to boast. This caused Liu Bei, who was the most taciturn among them, to roll his eyes and pay attention to the reactions of the people in the next circle.
"Everyone's troops are naturally elite soldiers and strong generals. I am very comforted. However, at this time, we have to work together and break the Great Wall of Ice Sand of the Scorching Sun. After that, there will be a place for everyone to display their talents …"
As the Alliance Master, Yuan Shao interrupted the two's boasting. Then, he discussed with everyone and made some arrangements.
For the entire day, Yuan Shao's troops on the northern bank of the Yellow River did not move. They seemed to be busy with the wounded troops and did not make any movements.
Every movement of the Alliance Master's troops was clearly monitored by the Ethereal Ninja and his flying pet. The news was sent to Yang Rui without any delay. Yang Rui also felt that Yuan Shao's troops seemed to be too quiet after the previous battle.
However, Yang Rui did not judge Yuan Shao's troops based on their performance. After obtaining the relevant books, Yang Rui had been using his free time to study all kinds of military strategies. He knew that the art of war was very particular about the principles of truth and falsehood. He could not directly judge from the surface.
At the same time, Yang Rui was even more familiar with the principle of knowing oneself and knowing one's enemy, one would not be defeated in a hundred battles. He maintained a high level of surveillance of Yuan Shao's Alliance Master's troops, grasping their every move clearly.
For the entire day, Yuan Shao's troops did not make any movements. Yang Rui also ordered his troops to rest and reorganize in order to deal with any possible situations. If something was out of the ordinary, there must be something wrong. This was the principle of the art of war. Yang Rui did not believe that Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and the others would be so mediocre when gathered together.
Sure enough, when night fell and it was difficult for the flying pet to detect them from the sky, Yuan Shao's troops began to move.
The troops of Yuan Shao's Alliance Master's troops split into two groups at the same time from Huojia County. They headed in the east and west directions respectively. As if to avoid being discovered, the two groups of troops took a roundabout route and were quite a distance away from the banks of the Yellow River.
Through the information sent back by the Ethereal Ninja, Yang Rui could roughly guess the intentions of Yuan Shao's troops. They wanted to make use of the long defensive line of the Great Wall of Ice and Sand to create an opportunity for a sneak attack.
The Great Wall of Ice and Sand stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Yang Rui had long recognized the weakness of his own defense. It was indeed troublesome to deal with it.
Fortunately, most of Yang Rui's Northern Mechanized Corps had already gathered opposite Huojia County during the day. The various generals that Yang Rui had mobilized were already in position. At the same time, Yang Rui's doppelganger had also entered the Great Wall of Ice and Sand.
Most importantly, Yang Rui had keen detection methods. He could immediately grasp the movements of Yuan Shao's troops. After capturing the tactical intentions of Yuan Shao's troops, Yang Rui also mobilized two groups of troops to move in the east and west directions simultaneously.
"Kill!"
"Kill …"
"…"
Almost one after another, Yuan Shao's troops began to cross the river about two hundred miles to the east and west of Huojia County. They launched an attack on Yang Rui's Great Wall of Ice and Sand defense line.
"I am King of Donghai, Blazing Sun. You rascals are here to die!"
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