As if in the blink of an eye, Cheng Yun began to encounter Cao Jun''s forward.


    Cheng Yun stood in the first row.


    This is a tradition of the Hussars.


    Officers at the middle and lower levels are all required to stand on the front line.


    The armor and weapons on Cheng Yun''s body are no different from those of ordinary soldiers from the front, but if you look at them from behind, you will find that there are obvious military marquis marks on Cheng Yun''s pocket and back. .


    On the one hand, this allows all surrounding soldiers to know the location of middle and low-level non-commissioned officers. On the other hand, it also vaguely reminds these non-commissioned officers to face the enemy and stand among their comrades to get the greatest protection. If they turn around and run away, then The exposed logo will become the most obvious target for the enemy.


    ??Cheng Yun held a shield in front of him, covering most of his body tightly, and only exposed a little bit of his head to observe the situation opposite Cao Jun.


    The solid shield provided Cheng Yun with a good sense of security.


    The Cao army on the opposite side also has shield soldiers in the first row. The shields or other equipment of Cao''s army are actually very similar to those of the hussars. The system for making weapons in Shandong is also very similar. Each weapon has the identification of the craftsman and place of production, and quality problems can be traced. In addition, there is also a military number. If a weapon is lost, the responsibility of the user must be traced.


    ??It’s just that there are a lot of old people in Shandong. When the superiors inspected them, of course everything was fine...


    Even if it’s a “private visit via microservice”.


    Cheng Yun heard about a story about a county magistrate in Shandong who wanted to pay a private visit incognito. The county magistrate did not travel with a complete guard of honor, but he did bring guards and wore brocade robes. As soon as he arrived at the field, he met the squire who "happened" to come. Then the county magistrate asked gesticulatingly, and the squire answered with a low eyebrow, The two people clearly knew each other''s identity, but they didn''t tell them.


    If you don’t say anything, you can just pretend you don’t know, and it can be a “private visit in private”. Then there happen to be some students around with pens and papers, and in the blink of an eye, a “Prince Private Visit Picture” is released...


    When there is no inspection by superiors, some Shandong workshops will deliberately use some older templates, and then the weapons and equipment they create will of course have ambiguous numbers, even in order to avoid discarding or "damaging" them when they are in the hands of soldiers. After receiving the weapon, many soldiers will deliberately polish it.


    So overall the quality of weapons and equipment in Shandong is relatively average.


    ?It''s a little worse here, a little worse that way, and if you add it all up...


    Cheng Yun held his sword and waited for Cao Jun to approach.


    Under the wind and snow, bows and arrows lost most of their effectiveness.


    At the same time, gunpowder also lost most of its effects.


    Jiguan is only a main pass, but there are many mountain trails at the junction of Wangwu Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain. Wangwu Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain are both long and narrow mountains, but relatively small in width. Like Zhongtiao Mountain, it stretches for hundreds of miles, and its smallest width is only more than ten miles.


    So Cheng Yun’s task is to block the mountain road in front of him.


    He is only responsible for this mountain trail.


    There were no special defensive equipment, and there was no time to set up any kerosene traps. By the time Cheng Yun arrived with Ran Ren, Cao Jun''s forward also arrived...


    ??There was a loud shout from Cao Jun''s formation, and the shield line advanced forward.


    Cheng Yun''s location was close to the ridge, so what he saw was the round ducks swaying behind the two layers of shields.


    『Hold on! 』


    Cheng Yun shouted and asked the pikemen to put the handles of their spears on the hooks on their shields.


    The shield wall turned into a hedgehog in an instant.


    ??The bright tip of the spear exuded a biting chill in the snow, and the red tassel in the gray, white and black seemed to indicate something...


    Everyone, hold on! 』


    Cheng Yun shouted loudly, and then the surrounding soldiers also followed suit.


    At this time, the soldiers on both sides often forget what they are shouting, perhaps just to embolden themselves.


    The shield walls of both sides collided.


    ??The shield squeezed the shield, and the sword and the spear collided with the sword and the spear.


    ?Various sounds sounded one after another.


    ??Both sides were looking for loopholes in each other while colliding, waving swords and guns to stab each other.


    The sound of blades and spear points scratching against shields and armor is like teeth slipping, and the scratching sound seems to penetrate from the surface of shields and armor into the bones.


    ? And this sound is not the most frightening thing...


    The narrow crossing was crowded with people.


    ?Flesh and blood flying everywhere.


    ?From time to time someone falls down.


    ??The sound of those swords and guns hitting the flesh was like standing in the middle of a dozen butcher shops with a thriving business.


    Cheng Yun was strong and had a slight advantage in the first round of impact. Although he was pushed back a small step by the opponent, his feet were not scattered and his shield position was well maintained. Instead, Cao Jun''s shield on the opposite side tilted, revealing a small figure wearing two armors.


    Cheng Yun didn''t even look at what the opponent looked like, or maybe he deliberately didn''t look at the opponent''s face. He just pressed his shield against the opponent''s square shield, then stretched out his right hand, pointed at Cao Jun''s exposed arm and swung his sword. prick.


    ??The blade of the knife pierced the upper part of the left arm of the Cao Jun soldier. Blood spurted out, but it did not penetrate deep into the flesh.


    ?The Cao Jun soldier roared angrily and slashed Cheng Yun''s right hand with his sword regardless of the pain.


    ?Behind the injured Cao Jun soldier, there was also a Cao Jun soldier trying to stab him with a spear.


    Cheng Yun quickly withdrew his hand, drew his sword, and used his shield to block in front of him, causing the opponent''s attacks to fall on the shield, making a dull collision sound.


    The soldiers of Cao''s army exploded with ferocity, slashing and hitting Cheng Yun''s shield, forcing Cheng Yun to take another step back. Just when he was about to lose his center of gravity, a loud shout suddenly came from Cheng Yun''s ear. , the spear soldiers behind Cheng Yun took up their positions, and the spear stabbed through the edge of the shield, and then a scream sounded from the shield.


    ??The spearmen didn''t care where they stabbed, and instead used their shields as a scaffold to stab through the gaps.


    ?Blood spattered out, and white smoke rose among the snowflakes.


    ?His vision suddenly became blurred.


    White, red, mixed together.


    Cheng Yun howled and continued to stab forward with the knife. He felt that he had hit something. The hard thing should be a shield, the soft thing should be flesh, and the neither hard nor soft thing should be armor.


    From time to time, there would be impacts on the shield, and Cheng Yun''s aura was a little confused.


    Screams and angry shouts from the opposite side were heard through the shield.


    ??A strong force hit the shield, and the shield was pushed back hard. Then Cheng Yun felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder.


    Cheng Yun glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a spear head retracting from the edge of the shield.


    『Go to hell! Go to hell, you thieves! 』


    Cheng Yun was also aroused. He raised his shield with all his strength and swung the spear upward. Cheng Yun''s vision suddenly opened up due to the lift of the shield, revealing the spearman of Cao Army. Half of his face was covered in blood, and his face was ferocious and he was about to stab him with his spear again.


    Cheng Yun slashed at the hand of Cao Jun''s spearman with a sword. Cao Jun''s soldier had no time to retract his spear to block, but subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to grab Cheng Yun''s sword. The blade of the sword rolled up the white smoke in the air and drew an arc. The sword cut off the upper arm of Cao Jun''s soldier, cutting off the hand of Cao Jun''s soldier. Amid the splash of blood, yellow and white bones could be faintly seen.


    ??Cao Jun raised his broken arm and screamed, and was killed immediately...


    The two sides fought desperately at the crossing, and corpses were piled all over the place.


    ??Both sides are stepping on each other''s corpses and fighting each other, constantly filling this **** battlefield.


    Finally, the soldiers of Cao''s army found that they could not repel the opponent and their own losses were too great. Their morale began to collapse, and they fled back screaming.


    Cheng Yun shouted loudly and chased the Cao soldiers to kill them, killing many Cao soldiers and fleeing.


    After taking inventory after the war, Cheng Yun discovered that in addition to the wound on his left shoulder, there were three other wounds on his body and legs. It was only because he was protected by armor and had skirts on his legs that he The injury was not serious.


    Cheng Yun cast his eyes towards the **** battlefield.


    Most of them have two armors.


    ??For some reason, Cheng Yun couldn''t help but touch the armor on his body. Even though the armor was covered with blood and mud, it still felt very reassuring to Cheng Yun.


    Um?


    Something is wrong. Cheng Yun endured the numbness of his muscles after the strenuous exercise, stood up and took a few steps forward, then frowned and looked at the battlefield.


    After reading it again, Cheng Yun remained silent for a long time.


    Marquis...what are you looking at? 』


    Cheng Yun asked, "These...these armors of Cao Jun..."


    "Um? armor? They are all average, and much worse than ours. 』


    Cheng Yun nodded, "I think... these Cao Jun''s troops are not elite... So... where did those Cao Jun''s elite go?" 』


    …


    …


    Cheng Yun’s guess was correct.


    What Cheng Yun and others encountered were not the elite of Cao''s army.


    The elite of Cao''s army were with Cao Xiu.


    Cheng Yun was lucky, but naturally there were some people who were not so lucky and met the elite Cao army led by Cao Xiu.


    In another muddy mountain road, the two sides were fighting fiercely.


    The shields collided together fiercely, and the spears and swords stretched and retracted in the gaps between the shields, each time bringing out some bright red.


    ???More than a dozen corpses were trampled under the feet of both sides and fell into the mud.


    The hot blood melted the frozen ground, and then mixed the snow and blood into filthy muddy water, splashing on the feet and bodies of everyone around him.


    ??The sound of croaking and croaking, accompanied by screams and roars.


    ??The defenders stationed on this mountain road have urgently requested reinforcements from the rear.


    Cao Xiu also saw this, so he could only shout and ask his men to strengthen the offensive. They must break through here before the defenders'' reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, he would advance in separate directions, and the strategy of multiple breakthroughs would be in vain, and might even lead to Morale collapsed and the entire army retreated.


    ??After defeating the defenders here, Cao Xiu and the others can break through the entrance to Wangwu Mountain, and the entire Hedong land will be opened to them!


    The two sides have been fighting each other for their lives for some time.


    ??The number of Cao Xiu''s troops exceeded the defenders, so even if the defenders occupied a certain geographical advantage, the soldiers of Cao''s army who died were quickly replenished and continued to put pressure on the defenders.


    ??These people led by Cao Xiu were all elites wearing at least sleeved armor. In addition, Cao Xiu, as the commander-in-chief, was already red-eyed and desperate to move forward, so naturally they had no room to retreat.


    Either die in battle, or break a **** path!


    ??The combat effectiveness of Cao''s elite army is actually better than the defenders mobilized from Hedong.


    ??Coupled with the fact that Cao Xiu''s elite troops were also equipped with better armors, if it weren''t for the fact that the defenders were physically better than Cao''s soldiers, the battle would have been out of balance.


    The shield array collided again, with spears and knives on both sides desperately looking for gaps in the other side''s shield.


    From time to time, someone screamed and fell to the ground, becoming one with the corpses in the mud.


    Under the protection of his own bodyguards, Cao Xiu carefully observed the fierce fighting ahead and suddenly ordered: "Change columns!" 』


    ??The guards around Cao Xiu also shouted at the top of their lungs: "Change the queue, change the queue!" 』


    When the order was passed to the front of the formation, Cao Jun''s soldiers holding shields in the rear shouted and moved forward in unison.


    ?The soldiers of Cao''s army who were originally killing on the front line retreated from the gaps between the shields as if they were exhausted.


    Some injured soldiers could rely on the bodies of their comrades for support before. Now that their comrades withdrew, these wounded soldiers could no longer stand and fell into the mud. However, the soldiers on both sides did not take a second look at these people. Just step on it directly. The lucky ones can crawl back to their side''s position, but the miserable ones will be trampled to death directly.


    The defenders had obviously fewer manpower to replace, so when Cao''s army changed battle lines, the defenders had to continue to support them.


    The shield arrays on both sides collided again, with spears and knives spitting out randomly.


    ??A soldier of Cao''s army was stabbed in the eye by the defender''s blade. Blood splattered everywhere and the bridge of his nose was cut off. This unlucky soldier of Cao''s army howled, and suddenly lost his vision and fell into darkness, which made him terrified, and even affected the position of other comrades...


    ?Other Cao soldiers tried their best to pull the unlucky guy off, but the unlucky guy pulled the people around him tightly in fear, like a drowning man grabbing the last straw.


    ?Cao Xiu frowned and gestured slightly towards the guard.


    The guard was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily.


    ??The guard stepped forward, pried off the hand of the blind Cao Jun, and then signaled the rescuer Cao Jun to return to the front line.


    ?The Cao Jun soldier who was rescuing people had just taken two steps when he heard a familiar and frightening cackle behind him...


    ?He looked back and saw that Cao Xiu''s guard had cut the blind and unlucky man''s neck with a knife, and blood spurted out.


    "You...you you..." The Cao Jun soldier who was rescuing people wanted to say something, but couldn''t.


    Cao Xiu looked at it coldly, and suddenly shouted loudly: "You and I are here, there is no way to retreat!" If we can''t get through the passage and have no place to stay, you and I will both die here! Rush over to survive! If you stay here, you will die! 』


    At the end of the shout, Cao Xiu grabbed the spear and moved forward.


    ??As soon as Cao Xiu moved, Cao Xiu''s guards naturally followed suit. The guard who killed the blind Cao Jun soldier also followed Cao Xiu forward with his sword in hand.


    ??Cao Xiu swung his spear, deflecting the oncoming swords and spears, and pierced the shield of the defender on the opposite side with one shot.


    Before the opponent''s defenders could react and exert force to stabilize the shield, Cao Xiu suddenly used his lunged leg as a fulcrum to pry upward!


    The defenders were just trying to move forward and resisted, unable to react to resist the force coming from the bottom up. When Cao Xiu pried them open, they suddenly raised their shields and fell back, as if they were opening a can, revealing a slightly awkward situation. Small gap.


    Before the defenders could repair the gap in the shield, Cao Xiu''s spear arrived.


    One of the defenders was stabbed in the neck. When he was about to die, he tried to grab Cao Xiu''s spear, but how could he catch it?


    ??The spear stained with blood was as slippery as a long snake. Just as he was about to be pulled away by Cao Xiu, another defender on the side slashed at the handle of Cao Xiu''s spear in an attempt to cut off the handle of Cao Xiu''s spear.


    ?Cao Xiu didn''t have time to pull out in time, so he let go immediately when he saw this.


    ??The defender slashed the handle of Cao Xiu''s spear with his sword, but due to the lack of force, not only was he unable to cut off Cao Xiu''s spear, but the spear was cut off from the dying defender''s hand.


    ??Cao Xiu hooked his foot, but he picked up a sword. He immediately grabbed it and swung the knife. The head of the defender who was trying to cut off the handle of the gun flew high into the sky with a **** light!


    ?Cao Xiu was so fierce, which naturally inspired the morale of Cao''s soldiers to surge forward, regardless of casualties.


    If the sword and gun are lost during the fight, then pick one up from the ground.


    ??If you can''t even pick it up, or if you don''t have time to pick it up, you just hit the opponent with your fists, take off your bag and smash it into the opponent''s face.


    ??The sounds of shouting, cursing and screaming were intertwined together. In the battlefield, it was completely unclear what the other party was shouting or saying. I just knew that only one of myself and the other party would be able to stand in the end!


    ??Although Cao Xiu said that he was open and closed, and almost no defenders could resist him, there was not much joy and joy in his heart.


    ?These defenders are not elite, not elite hussars!


    ??Cao Xiu knew this, but what he didn''t know was why these defenders, who were not elite hussars, refused to retreat.


    Why? !


    Logically speaking, if 20% to 30% of the soldiers are lost, their morale should be low and they may be defeated at any time. And now the defenders have almost suffered more than half casualties, so why are they still fighting?


    Why not retreat and seek reinforcements from the rear?


    What supports them?


    Cao Xiu couldn''t understand. In his opinion, these defenders had completed their duties, and no one would blame them even if they were defeated. What''s more, Cao Xiu didn''t find any particularly outstanding generals in command among the defenders, but Why?


    They should have been defeated long ago, but why didn’t these defenders retreat? !


    ??As the defenders died one by one, several Cao Xiu soldiers were so dizzy with the killing that they buried their heads and just waved their weapons and rushed forward. Suddenly, their eyes were empty!


    Snow was falling from the sky, but there was no figure of the defenders standing in front of them.


    ?A few people stood in a daze, and then looked back. Not far behind them, the fierce battle group was still going on. It''s just that the defenders who were originally in the mountain roads have basically been wrapped up in the chaotic battlefield, and are becoming fewer and fewer.


    Have they already rushed over?


    Have they rushed through the mountain road and broken away from the shackles blocking them?


    Several Cao soldiers looked at each other blankly, as if they had just reacted at this moment. One of them could not help but raised his blood-stained sword and shouted, "Come here!" We''re coming! 』


    ?Cao Xiu took out a long breath.


    Yes, rushed over.


    Logically speaking, he should be happy, but he doesn’t know why, but he doesn’t feel happy...