Chapter 357: Swallowing Mountains and Rivers, the World is in My Hands [Subscription Request]

Ma Chao rushed to the front and killed his way to the city.

Xu Yi was the assistant minister of Yizhou and one of Cao Wei's internal supporters in Yizhou.

When Cao's army came to attack, it was Xu Yi who opened the city gate.

Ma Chao rushed over, and Xu Yi appeared to lead the way, saying, "Liu Xuande is in the courtyard in the center of the city. I will lead the troops there."

While talking to Ma Chao, he looked at Cao's army and was secretly amazed.

If the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry is the king of the 500,000 elite armored light cavalry under Cao's camp.

Cao Cao's personal army is the king of heavy cavalry.

The Xianzhen Camp is the king of infantry combat.

The total number of troops they brought this time was actually much larger than what appeared, reaching two thousand.

However, more than half of them are auxiliary troops, which are equivalent to the reserve troops of the Xianzhen Camp and do not need to participate in the battle directly.

Because they had to cross mountains and rivers, the Xianzhen Camp did not ride horses.

The auxiliary soldiers are responsible for carrying the heavy armor.

The main combat troops traveled lightly to save energy.

When they arrived at the battlefield, nearly a thousand main combatants, with the help of auxiliary troops, put on armor and changed equipment and entered combat status.

The auxiliary troops were still hiding in the mountains far away and did not catch up.

These main combat soldiers, like the heavy cavalry, also had their faces covered with armor.

They each wield three kinds of weapons, namely giant spears, heavy shields, and long-handled war hammers.

If it is a short-distance battle and they can ride a warhorse, each person will carry a shield in the left hand and a spear in the right hand.

If you are dismounting and fighting on foot, relying entirely on your own physical strength to bear the weight, you can separate the shield and spear into two parts.

That is the three-three formation.

Form a team of three, one holding a shield and responsible for protection.

One uses a sledgehammer and is responsible for melee armor-breaking.

One holds a huge spear and repel the enemy from a distance.

This formation has been through hundreds of battles and has conquered many cities and strongholds.

Gao Shun doesn't seem to be that powerful.

But if he and the Xianzhen Camp were to merge into one, their combat power would skyrocket. Only he could make the Xianzhen Camp, with eight hundred troops, work together as one.

When he was under Lu Bu's command, he led his troops to defeat Guan and Zhang, let alone now.

However, he could only withstand a force of a thousand men at most by gathering the troops to support himself.

This is also the reason why the Xianzhen Camp still had less than a thousand people after joining Cao Wei.

At this time, Gao Shun led the Xianzhen Camp and rushed into the city like a strong storm.

The Shu army quickly rushed up and engaged the Xianzhen Camp.

Clang!
When Shu troops approached, they used their weapons to deflect the large spears that the Xianzhen Camp used to repel the enemy.

The spearmen in the Xianzhen Camp did not move at all.

The Shu army felt as if they were shaking a mountain.

boom!
The Shu army that blocked the road was immediately hit by the heavy hammer, and even the light armor on their bodies was dented, killing them instantly.

The war hammer of the Xianzhen Camp is somewhat like a mace, but its weight is particularly astonishing.

No matter where the attack is, it can cause powerful damage.

As they advanced, there was basically no army that could stop them head-on.

Unless it is Cao’s own heavy cavalry.

Rumble!
Thousands of troops advanced, and armor fell to the ground.

The whole town seemed to be shaking.

In the center of the city, Liu Bei quickly received the news.

"My lord, Cao's army is attacking!"

Liu Bei was waiting for news from the front line and had not slept at all.

Fa Zheng and Zhang Fei were also there.

Upon hearing the news, Liu Bei exchanged glances with Fa Zheng.

They were both very calm.

Fa Zheng’s scheming was quite powerful. He had to consider himself before considering others.

Cao's camp was the most powerful, and all parties regarded Cao Cao as an imaginary enemy and studied his combat style.

Fa Zheng reminded Liu Bei that we could use internal support to capture Yangping Pass, and Cao Wei might also attack our center.

When Liu Bei came to Pingyuan County this time, he mobilized tens of thousands of troops.

When he heard that the Wei army was attacking, he was not afraid at all, because he was not completely unprepared.

When Zhang Fei heard that the Wei army was coming, he immediately said:
"Brother, since Cao's army is here, we should withdraw from this city first to ensure safety."

Liu Bei said in a deep voice: "How can I, your brother, ignore my people and retreat when there is a little danger, only caring about myself?"

Fa Zheng also said: "General Yide, don't worry. If we want to defeat the enemy, the enemy may attack us.

Cao Wei is powerful, and it is possible that some people in Yizhou may be employed by Cao's army.

We had made a judgment and arrangements before the battle. We used Cao Ying's hand to clean up the inside and outside, making Yizhou stronger."

"In this city, our elite troops number 6,000, and the surrounding towns will be able to provide support in two hours at most. In a short period of time, we can gather up to 30,000 troops.

On the other hand, the number of Cao Wei’s visitors must be small, otherwise there is no way they could hide it from us.

If this is the case, why should we be afraid? "

According to common sense, Fa Zheng's analysis is correct.

Including what he said before, in the Battle of Hanzhong, Cao Wei did not have the advantage of time and place, which was also correct.

Fa Zheng's predictions about the enemy and ourselves, and his considerations of others and himself, all came true, which shows his strategy.

But for some things, it is difficult to infer the results using objective conditions.

At this time, Liu Bei and Fa Zheng were in command and arranged troops to intercept the attacking Cao's army.

But soon they received reports one after another.

“…Report: The city guards attacked to stop the enemy, but were defeated by Cao’s army.

It has been found out that it was Xu Yi, the military advisor to Cao, who opened the city gate for Cao’s army.”

After the first soldier reported, Fa Zheng said calmly:

"As we expected, Cao's camp has a spy on our side. It will be beneficial to us to find out who it is."

Liu Bei nodded slightly.

Then, the soldiers came back to report:

"The thousand-man army of our army gathered in the west of the city and engaged the enemy, but was defeated. The enemy army advanced to the main street in the city..."

"Report - Eight hundred soldiers of our army lined up to stop the enemy, but were routed.

Cao's army is only two streets away from the lord's residence. Please retreat quickly..."

Liu Bei, Fa Zheng's heart skipped a beat.

Cao's army came so quickly.

In the past few years, Liu Bei and Cao Cao had several small-scale battles.

He boasted that he had a fairly clear understanding of Cao's army's combat effectiveness.

But the speed of the Cao army's advance was obviously beyond his judgment. The two Shu armies collapsed as soon as they engaged in battle.

"What are the casualties of Cao's army?" Fa Zheng asked with a frown.

"More than a thousand Cao soldiers entered the city...there were no obvious casualties!" the soldier replied.

"No casualties?"

Liu Bei and Fa Zheng had a bad feeling.

Zhang Fei urged for the second time: "Brother, I will protect you and leave."

Liu Bei was still a little hesitant, and the third wave of soldiers came to report:
"——Our Baifeng Battalion went forward to stop the enemy, and the leader, Hu You, surrendered to the enemy on the battlefield. His subordinates gave up their horses to the enemy."

what?
Liu Bei and Fa Zheng could no longer suppress the chill in their hearts.

The two men anticipated that Cao's army might attack, and also thought that Cao's army had some people stationed on their side.

But he never expected that a general would turn against his own side in the middle of a battle.

The soldiers who were allowed to be brought by Liu Bei as guards must be those he believed had no problems with their loyalty.

He actually turned against his own side at the critical moment!

Cao Cao gave Liu Bei a very vivid lesson.

Whether it is Cao Cao, Jia Xu, or Guo Jia.

When they do things, they never have only one trump card.

Cao Cao sent Ma Chao and Gao Shun to lead the Xianzhen Camp.

Although we know that they are powerful and can easily wipe out the Yizhou army.

But if you want to be absolutely sure and secure victory quickly, you have to make other arrangements.

Liu Bei was in charge of Yizhou for a short time, and many people surrendered to him, so it was impossible for him to check them one by one.

Among the first group of people to join him was the general Hu You.

When Liu Bei conquered Yizhou and fought against Liu Zhang's men, he used troops several times. Hu You made great contributions and killed Liu Zhang's men without mercy, gradually gaining Liu Bei's trust.

Unexpectedly, the problem lies with Hu You.

He is from Cao’s camp!

The shock that Hu You's defection brought to Liu Bei and the psychological shadow it left behind were so great that it is difficult to estimate.

The key is who can guarantee that Hu You will be the last one?
Liu Bei stood up suddenly and walked out under the protection of Zhang Fei, not daring to stay any longer.

Fa Zheng followed behind him.

As the three of them left the house, they heard the deafening sound of horse hooves.

At the other end of the long street, an army appeared.

Ma Chao held a spear in his hand and shouted like thunder, "Liu Bei, don't run!" He rode his horse to catch up.

The Xianzhen Camp, led by Gao Shun, then approached.

"Brother, you go first!"

Zhang Fei held a 10-foot-long snake spear and faced Ma Chao who was charging at him.

This scene seems familiar.

The two had a similar situation last time in Jingzhou and had a brief fight.

"Big-eyed thief, it's you again. Do you recognize the spear in my hand?" Ma Chao said.

The two men engaged in battle, and in a short while they exchanged more than ten rounds.

Boom!

Gao Shun was standing at one side, and suddenly he picked up a heavy hammer and hit the ground.

The ground cracked and the surrounding area felt like an earthquake.

Some soldiers of the Yizhou army were unstable and were defeated by the Xianzhen Camp.

Gao Shun strode forward and smashed Zhang Fei's horse with a hammer, and fought Zhang Fei together with Ma Chao.

Zhang Fei feinted his spear, turned his horse and rode away.

In front, Liu Bei rode his horse quickly, but no one knew the pain in his heart.

In just over a year, he gained control of Yizhou and half of Jingzhou, and his ambitions naturally arose.

I thought that at least in Yizhou, he had the strength to fight against Cao's army.

However, things did not go as expected.

Even in Yizhou, if they met Cao Cao, they would still be defeated.

At this time, Zhang Fei in the back shouted like thunder: "Brother, be careful."

Liu Bei's figure on the side of the horse.

He reacted very quickly and avoided danger, but he still felt a burning pain in his waist and ribs.

Ma Chao in the rear was blinded by rage and was determined to gain merit.

He is half Qiang and is very good at riding and archery.

Seeing Liu Bei going away, Ma Chao shot an arrow from the air, pouring all his military strength into it.

Liu Bei dodged in time but was still hit by the arrow, leaving a bloody mark on his waist and he almost fell off his horse.

……

In Hanzhong city.

Cao Cao, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Cheng Yu and others gathered together to analyze the current situation.

"Only if Liu Bei is beaten severely will he obey."

"He can't defeat us, so he must quickly attack the tribes surrounding Yizhou and the nobles within Yizhou to strengthen himself."

This Battle of Hanzhong was not only to defeat the Yizhou army, but also to speed up Liu Bei's integration of Yizhou.

Another point Cao Cao didn't mention is that there was actually a very long period of adjustment between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.

Liu Bei did not trust Zhuge Liang from the beginning.

After he took control of Yizhou, he trusted Fa Zheng more, and took him wherever he went and relied on him very much.

Later, he gradually came to trust Zhuge Liang and even entrusted his son to him, which became a story that will be passed down through the ages.

But Cao Cao wanted Liu Bei to quickly integrate Yizhou and integrate it well, and relying on Fa Zheng alone was far from enough.

If Liu Bei is severely damaged, he will realize that he is still far from enough to compete with Cao Cao and will have to rely more on Zhuge Liang.

He used Zhuge Liang to quickly integrate Yizhou, deal with the surrounding tribes, and annex the internal gentry.

Therefore, Cao Cao had multiple intentions in this battle, not only to defeat Liu Bei.

You also have to make him obedient and proceed according to the path you have envisioned.

The highest level of commanding a battle is not to command the troops to victory, but to command the opponent as well.

Liu Bei regarded Cao Cao as his biggest opponent.

But in Cao Cao's eyes today, he does not regard anyone as a real opponent.

He was just moving forward step by step according to his own plan.

His focus was to swallow up the fertile land in all directions, unify the world, and wipe out all enemies.

Liu Bei, including Zhuge Liang, are just components of the game and relatively important "chess pieces".

At this time, the imperial troops came in from outside.

Everyone knew immediately that the battle had come to an end, and they all looked at the imperial troops who came in to deliver the message.

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(End of this chapter)