Chapter 736 Sandwich
The way forward is blocked, the way back is cut off, and there is no food in hand.
No matter who it is, they will feel panicked when encountering this kind of situation.
However, Zhang Hua was also a figure who followed his brother Zhang Gongping through the Liangzhou rebellion.
He made a prompt decision, and while he could still stabilize the morale of the army, he secretly ordered the battalions to prepare for retreat.
At night, the Wei army made food at the third watch and set up camp at the fifth watch. The horses bound their hooves and the men wore titles. They quietly retreated toward Jincheng without lowering the flag or extinguishing the fire.
It is more than a hundred miles from Jincheng to Yuzhong. It usually takes three days to walk, and five days of rations is enough.
At dawn, Gao Xiang looked at the Wei army camp opposite and saw green smoke shrouding the opposite side and the sound of drums rumbling.
His eyes couldn't help but worry.
Today is the last day for General Wei to set a deadline.
After today, I have to get out of the way and let the Cao thieves in Yuzhong City join the reinforcements of the thieves from Jincheng.
Cao's thieves have many cavalry. Even if they can capture Yuzhong, most of Cao's thieves will escape.
Gao Xiang thought as he asked his soldiers to prepare for the battle.
Unexpectedly, the sun was about to reach the zenith. The gates of the camp opposite were closed, and there was no sign of troops being sent out.
This made Gao Xiang secretly relieved.
It seems that the continuous fighting in the past few days has forced Cao Thief to take a rest.
Although it was speculated that the Cao thief would not go out to fight today, Gao Xiang still did not dare to take it lightly.
Throughout the whole day, he kept paying attention to the opposite side.
As the sun sets and the heat begins to subside, birds take advantage of the last chance before dark to look for food in groups.
Gao Xiang then sent an order to all the battalions to prepare to join the Chinese army.
He glanced to the west with some worry: General Feng has not received any news until now, and I don’t know what is going on now?
It was just the camp to the west, where birds were constantly rising and falling, that blocked his view.
Gao Xiang turned around and took two steps. Suddenly he felt something in his heart and turned around suddenly, with a look of surprise in his eyes.
He suddenly took a step forward, rushed to the heights of the camp, set up an arbor, faced the setting sun, and stared across the way.
In that somewhat blurry golden yellow, there were many flying birds bathing in the afterglow, circling and falling into the camp opposite.
“Come here!” Gao Xiang suddenly shouted sharply, “Drum!”
The Han army's camp was soon opened wide, and groups of soldiers came out one after another and formed a formation.
At the same time, a small group of cavalry was sent out first, trying to wander around the gate of the Wei army camp.
Unexpectedly, at this time, the Wei army camp was suddenly opened wide, and even the wooden bridge of the trench was lowered.
A dozen old, weak and remnant soldiers walked out of the village gate holding white flags.
Seeing all this, Gao Xiang didn't understand what was going on?
At that moment, his expression changed.
He ordered people to take over the Wei army's camp. He took his men and rode back to the Chinese army like a storm.
“What? The thief Cao ran away?”
When Wei Yan heard the news, he couldn't help but have a look of surprise on his face.
"General Wei, the thief Cao escaped last night." Gao Xiang was happy and worried.
Happily, without the help of the Cao thieves from the west, Yuzhong City will definitely be able to be taken safely.
What is worrying is that the Cao thieves suddenly retreated, which was very strange.
“General Wei, the Cao thieves quietly withdrew their troops and did not dare to let us notice. I think General Feng must have contributed in the rear.”
“Should we send some troops to follow the thieves westward to see what the situation is like with General Feng?”
Hearing the rumbling noise outside, Wei Yan's expression quickly returned to calm.
"Chasing? Thief Cao escaped last night. It's almost dark now, how can we chase him?"
“Besides, wouldn’t it be better if the thief Cao ran away? We will capture Yuzhong City tomorrow!”
Gao Xiang felt anxious when he heard this, "But General Feng..."
"Feng Yong's purpose was to attract the attention of the Cao thieves in Jincheng. If he really did something and lured the Cao thieves away, wouldn't it be a good thing?"
Wei Yan interrupted him without explanation, opened the tent and looked at Yuzhong City not far away.
Just then a stone flew past and hit the city wall.
Dust was flying, soil was falling, and the dilapidated city wall was about to collapse.
The rumbling sound reached my ears at the same time.
“Come here, send an order to Huo Yi of the Engineering Battalion and tell him that the city must be breached tomorrow, otherwise military law will be dealt with!”
Wei Yan ordered loudly.
Then he turned to Gao Xiang and ordered, "General Gao, since Cao's reinforcements have retreated, you don't have to move back. You will stay in the west tomorrow and don't let Cao's escape to Jincheng."
Gao Xiang opened his mouth, but when he saw Wei Yan looking at him coldly, he couldn't help but clasped his fists: "No!"
Zhang Hua naturally didn’t know that if he had left a day later, he might have been able to catch up with the Wei army leaving Yuzhong City and retreat to Jincheng together.
Now he is leading people and heading west quickly.
After he led his army across the natural pass formed by the river and the remaining mountains in the south, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The reason why Jincheng is called impregnable is because on this only road, you have to pass through at least two dangerous places before you can reach the gate of Jincheng.
The first danger is this natural pass.
Now that he has entered the pass, he no longer needs to be afraid even if the Shu soldiers come after him.
“Let’s rest at the pass tonight and continue our journey tomorrow.”
Zhang Hua asked someone to pass on the order.
If you want to intercept the enemy who wants to come from the east, this pass is the best place.
Although no Shu people were found plundering grain and grass here, Zhang Hua did not feel relieved.
If this pass is a mountain pass formed by the remaining mountains, then the second dangerous point that we will pass tomorrow can be called a water pass.
At the boundary of Jincheng, a lot of water flows out from the mountains in the south and pours into the river.
Going west for more than twenty miles from Shanguan, there are still mountains extending to the river.
Although it is not as steep as the mountain pass, it has one more stream of water than the mountain pass.
If this current is used as a barrier and the remaining mountains are relied upon, the westward advancing army will have to stop moving forward.
The Han army that robbed the grain and grass was not at Shanguan. I just hope that they are not at Shuiguan either.
It’s just that Zhang Hua doesn’t know that there is a psychological effect in this world called Murphy’s Law.
When he led the Wei army to the east bank of Shuiguan in panic the next day, he saw a stronghold standing on the opposite side.
Looking at the Han army flag flying high, Zhang Hua's face suddenly turned extremely pale.
Not only him, but also the generals and commanders around him couldn't help but look panicked.
Zhang Hua reined up his horse by the water and shouted in person: "Zhang Hua, the governor of Jincheng in the Wei Dynasty, dare I ask who is leading the army on the other side?"
He must not be willing to end up in this situation for no apparent reason.
Even if he dies, he still needs to know who has tricked him.
I could only hear a distant voice from the other side: "Han, Marquis of Jiequanting, leading Qiang school captain Feng Yong."
Feng Yong?
Zhang Hua was stunned.
Thinking of the four words "Jiequantinghou" again, Zhang Hua's expression finally changed drastically.
I see!
Last year, he led the army to attack Longguan and cut off the passage between Longyou and Guanzhong.
Now I don’t know how to cut off my retreat back to Jincheng.
This Feng Yong is indeed Xiao Wenhe!
It is a vicious and vicious move that makes it difficult for people to guard against it.
At this time, another voice was heard from the opposite side: "Prefect Zhang, now you have troops chasing behind you, blocking in front of you, and deep ditches blocking the road. You are in a desperate situation!"
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if you turned your back, took off your armor, and surrendered with courtesy? You could not only save yourself, but also protect the lives of the soldiers."
Zhang Hua almost couldn't breathe.
He shouted loudly, "I'm afraid it's General Feng who is in dire straits, right? The people of Shu in Yuzhong are not chasing after me."
"Now General Feng seems to be based on the water, blocking me from the east, but he doesn't know that in Liangzhou behind Jincheng, there are tens of thousands of elite soldiers of the Wei Dynasty, which is only a few days' journey away."
“When the time comes, I will lead my army across the river to attack, and the elite troops from Jincheng will attack from behind. I wonder how General Feng will respond?”
When Feng Yong heard this, he frowned slightly: Did Wei Yan really not send troops to chase him?
On the contrary, Jiang Wei next to him said, "General Wei has been on the battlefield for a long time. How could he not know that this is a good opportunity to annihilate Cao's thieves?"
“If this group of Cao thieves is destroyed on the east bank and cannot return to Jincheng, then the courage of the Cao thieves in Jincheng will be broken, and entering the city will be as easy as turning the palm of your hand."
Feng Yong nodded: "It makes sense."
But he sighed in his heart.
Bo Yue, you don’t know the grudge between me and Wei Yan! I hope Old Man Wei can really capture this fighter plane without communicating with each other.
Zhang Hua waited for a long time, and then heard another voice coming from the other side: "In that case, why don't Governor Zhang stay with me across the river for a few days?"
Where did I get the food from across the river from you?
Zhang Hua turned his horse's head and came to the Wei army's formation. Looking at the pale-faced soldiers, he knew what they were afraid of.
At once, he asked people to gather the main generals in the army and said, "Your parents, wives and children are all in Liangzhou."
“If you surrender to a thief, your life or death will be unpredictable, and your parents, wife, and children will also be severely punished according to the law of the country.”
"I see that there are only a few thousand Shu captives opposite. If you can attack them together, you may not have a chance to defeat the thieves."
“It’s only a few dozen miles away from Jincheng. It can be reached in one day at the fastest.”
“This day’s journey is an evil and dangerous road that prevents you from being reunited with your parents, wives and children.”
"Why don't you, gentlemen, defeat the thieves and perform meritorious service, and return to Liangzhou together? This will save your parents, wives, and children from leaning against the door and looking up at you?"
Do not curb, and Wei Jun, who was anxious to return to Jincheng, heard Zhang Hua saying that someone had begun to become red.
Obviously, Feng Yong seemed to have violated the art of war this time.
“Break the thief! Break the thief!”
"Okay, please make it clear to all the soldiers after you go down: This battle is not only a battle of life and death for us, but also a battle for our parents, wives and children!"
Zhang Hua drew his sword and shouted.
This bridge over the river has been destroyed by Feng Yong's men, and all nearby ships have been towed back to the west bank.
Fortunately, there is a distance of more than ten miles between the big river and the remaining mountains. For such a long river, the Wei army can wade directly through the wide river and shallow water.
The main battlefields of the Han and Wei armies were also concentrated in this section of water.
The Han army was on the defensive and did not need to go into the water. They arrived a day and a half earlier than them and were well prepared.
The Wei army is attacking and must wade ashore.
But Zhang Hua felt that he had one of the biggest advantages, and that was the cavalry.
Moreover, they are returning to the army, and they must work hard to return to the army.
The sound of horns sounded, and the Wei army began to gather on the east bank.
Fortunately it is summer and the river water is not cold.
The captured Wei soldiers and civilians helped Feng Yong a lot.
They not only helped the Han army set up a camp, but also dug a trench on the west bank where they could directly wade through the water.
In other words, after the Wei army on the east bank crossed the river, they had to cross another ditch before they could fight hand-to-hand with the Han army.
So Feng Yong was not afraid.
Even if there is a superior force on the opposite side, this river and a trench can be enough to make up for it.
What's more, the superior strength of the Wei army may not necessarily be an advantage against its own elite troops.
The Wei army has formed a formation, with the front row holding large shields, followed by spears and halberds, and began to cross the river head-on.
At the same time, the wings of the Jingqi spread out, ready to find an opportunity to break out of the gap.
“Fight back to Jincheng!”
“Fight back to Jincheng!”
“Fight back to Jincheng!”
…
The Wei army began to shout angrily. They were ready to fight tooth and nail from the beginning, leaving no chance at all.
The infantry array slowly advanced and began to enter the water.
The sun was high in the sky, and the calves of the Wei soldiers were completely submerged in the water, which was quite comfortable.
It’s just that no one feels the coolness because the opposite side is crowded and crossbow arrows are about to be fired at any time.
Layer after layer of water patterns, constantly washing the river bank.
Feng Yong looked at the Wei army and suddenly said: "The Wei army in Jincheng is considered elite."
Think about it, Yuzhong and Jincheng are the two most important strongholds for Cao Wei to defend the Han from entering Liangzhou.
Especially Jincheng is a top priority.
Presumably many of Liangzhou’s elites guard the gateway of Jincheng.
“Peng”!
…
The heavy crossbow was the first to show its power, and the arrows specially made for the heavy crossbow were long and thick.
“Raise your shield!”
The captain of the Wei army shouted loudly.
Standing on the shore, the Han army had a certain height advantage. Coupled with the extremely powerful crossbows, several wooden shields were shot through on the spot because they were only covered with leather, almost injuring the soldiers behind the shields.
The most exaggerated thing is that a small wooden buckler was directly shot and exploded.
A large shield cannot protect everyone.
More than ten unlucky Wei soldiers were shot through their bodies on the spot and fell into the water. A stream of blood filled the air, spreading along the water and gradually fading.
Under the command of the Han army, Feng Yong put down his telescope and handed it to Jiang Wei who was standing next to him: "Boyue, take a look."
Zhang Yi and Jufu are not here, so they need to lead their respective battalions to fight.
The Tiger Infantry Army, as a mobile strategic force, was left behind by Feng Yong.
Jiang Wei naturally could only follow Feng Yong and make up for it at any time.
"Your Majesty, Cao Cao's elite cavalry have dispersed to both sides. I'm afraid they want to cross the water from both wings."
“Let’s cross.” Feng Yonghun said nonchalantly, “wait for them to come around and see how capable they are.”
At the same time, I feel a little regretful that Liu Hun's cavalry is not here, otherwise I would like to let you know what a real cavalry is.
“Your Majesty, the Tiger Infantry is at your disposal at any time, and we will definitely not let Cao Cao’s thieves cross the east bank..."
“I’ve never been worried about the Cao thief on the other side.”
Feng Yong shook his head, "What I'm worried about is, how many traitors are there in Jincheng, our rear area?"
The current situation is that the Jincheng reinforcements led by Zhang Hua are sandwiched between Feng Yong and Wei Yan.
Feng Yong himself was caught in the middle by Zhang Hua and Jincheng.
The main thing to watch now is that Wei Yan arrived first and cooperated with Feng Yong to eat up the Wei army on the east bank.
It was the Wei army from Jincheng who arrived first and cooperated with Zhang Hua to break through Feng Yong's interception.
The Wei army finally landed ashore, but their bows and crossbows were of no use, making tooth-aching sounds such as "boom" and "crash".
The hastily arranged antlers in front of the trench only acted as a slight hindrance, and were then pushed away by the Wei army.
"kill!"
With red eyes, Wei Jun raised his sword and started to charge.
The Han army's spears and halberds were all stabbed at them. The Wei army, who had finally crossed the trench, was stabbed directly into the trench, becoming a stepping stone for those who came after.
The Wei army following behind began to throw bows and arrows, which fell into the Han army's formation, causing the Han army to suffer casualties.
"Your Majesty, Cao Cao's cavalry has crossed the water from both wings!"
Jiang Wei held up the telescope and suddenly said, "Would you like me to lead the Tiger Infantry to stop us?"
Feng Yong shook his head, "It's not yet time for the Tiger Step Army to move."
Infantry charges head-on and fights, while the cavalry on both wings wait for opportunities to find openings, or try to tear holes from both wings, and finally swarm forward. This is the most common use of cavalry today.
On the battlefield, the strategic reserve in your hand is your trump card for victory, and it is also your trump card for saving your life.
This trump card cannot be revealed easily until the last minute.
(End of this chapter)