Chapter 3431 Mutual Trust


    Xu Chu was shocked when he received the news that the two wings were ambushed, and immediately ordered his soldiers to stop.


    Xu Chu deliberately slowed down the central headquarters at first. The original purpose was actually more that he wanted to outflank Cao Jun and completely capture the wave of Cao Jun troops that had left the Zhongtiao Mountain camp. However, he did not expect that Cao Jun would actually He was expected to come, and an ambush was arranged in advance!


    Cao Jun''s ambush also caused Xu and Chu''s troops on both wings to suffer certain losses.


    According to reports from the soldiers on both wings, Cao Jun occupied the top of the ravine first, and then launched an attack when the hussars arrived at the ambush site...


    Xu Chu took out the map and read it under the firelight.


    Although the destination of Xu Chu and others this time was very clear and easy to judge, Cao Jun was still able to accurately ambush on the road ditch where the Hussars chose to pass, which shows that Cao Jun was either very familiar with the terrain in this area. Or before attacking Suoyang Pass, soldiers had been sent out and sneaked to the ambush location.


    There are both possibilities, or even both possibilities exist at the same time.


    This made Xu Chu inevitably re-examine his original battle plan.


    Cao Jun predicted Xu Chu''s and his group''s actions at Suoyang Pass, so could they also make advance preparations for other aspects?


    If this is true, then Xu Chu''s original plan involving the Zhongtiao Mountain Camp had a big omission.


    The opponent is not rigid and responds passively, but also actively seeks opportunities.


    "General!" "The guard saw Xu Chu looking at the map and was silent for a long time. He couldn''t help but ask, "What should we do now? 』


    Cao Jun had already discovered the arrival of Xu Chu and others, and the effect of the invisible blow was gone.


    Xu Chu''s eyes stayed on the map, thinking.


    Although one group suffered greater damage and retreated in defeat, the other flanking group suffered less losses and also killed off Cao Jun''s ambush soldiers.


    what does that mean?


    Xu Chu raised his head and looked in the direction of the wings.


    One direction is heavily guarded, while the other direction is relatively weak?


    There are ambushes on both sides of Cao''s army, so why are there no preparations for most of Cao''s army at Suoyang Pass?


    This is obviously impossible.


    So…


    Is the direction of the flank with greater damage the focus of Cao Jun''s defense?


    The losses on the other side were smaller, perhaps because Cao Jun did not invest many soldiers there?


    Everyone wants a God''s perspective, which will save a lot of trouble, but most of the time, we can only rely on limited information to make inferences, and it is absolutely impossible to open the full map to defeat the opponent.


    Xu Chu had to consider whether Cao Jun would ambush him a second time.


    There are clouds in the art of war, which are false and true.


    Everyone knows this sentence, but when it comes to practical issues, which side is virtual and which side is real?


    There is no doubt that Xu Chuzhi must rescue Xu Chuzhi at Suoyang Pass, but now there are three directions.


    One is to follow a straight line and go straight to Suoyang Pass. However, Xu Chu concluded that there is an ambush on this road, and it is not far in front of Suoyang Pass. Although the terrain may not be as good as the two wings, but In the dark night, even simply digging some small holes for horse legs would be enough for Xu Chu to drink a pot.


    The other direction is the direction where Cao Jun defeated his flank. Cao Jun defeated his flanking troops in this direction, which means that there are things in this direction that Cao Jun must defend, or people, or Cao Jun does not want Xu Chu to choose this direction, so if Xu Chu does the opposite And if you do it, you might get some good results.


    Of course, it is also possible that he kicked directly onto the iron plate.


    The third direction is the direction where the flank has achieved a certain breakthrough. In this direction, Cao Jun''s ambush troops were repelled by his own flanking soldiers. According to general inferences, it should be the most appropriate direction of march, but what if Cao Jun consciously lured troops in this direction?


    Xu Chu pondered.


    "Keep marching!" 』


    Xu Chu didn''t hesitate for long.


    Although he had no friendship or much relationship with Zeng before, but now that they are in the same camp, it is impossible to ignore him!


    Of course, this is actually another special effect of the Martial Arts Hall.


    In the martial arts hall, even the hussar generals will publicly display some of their own strengths and weaknesses during battles. So as subordinate generals, what reason do they have to keep their battle plans and on-the-spot decisions secret?


    These secrets in combat, once time passes, will become examples for others to learn from, or lessons learned.


    If Xu Chu chose to shrink back and abandon his previous work at the moment, unless Xu Chu had sufficient reasons to say that the situation at the time necessitated such a decision, he would inevitably face more troublesome accountability in the post-war records.


    "General, in which direction are we marching?" 』


    the messenger asked.


    Xu Chu raised his hand and pointed in the direction where his flank had broken through.


    If he had to choose who to trust, Xu Chu would rather choose to trust his subordinates!


    Believe in the Qiusi, believe in the soldiers and horses of the Qiusi, because I am one of them!


    No exaggeration, no false reporting.


    No lies, no lies.


    Trust is mutual. Since your soldiers believe in your own judgment, you must also trust the intelligence sent back by your soldiers!


    If you believe that it was a real defeat, rather than a fake escape or fake defeat by Cao Jun!


    Then, the choice is simple.


    Xu Chu ordered the soldiers to turn to the flanks and march from the flank direction where Cao Jun''s ambush was broken.


    …


    …


    The flank was attacked by the hussars, and one side was successfully intercepted. The other side was counter-attacked by the hussars. The news was also sent to Cao Hong in a hurry.


    Cao Hong couldn''t help but jump to his feet and cursed the military academy that was flanked by the Hussars. He was a waste, idiot, and idiot. He scolded whatever came to mind. He completely forgot that the military academy was also like Zhang Tiansheng before. At one point, Cao Hong patted his shoulder and said, "Well done." Dry! I trust you! 』


    If the interception and ambush on both wings is successful, the Hussars'' reinforcements will inevitably stall for a while, and may wait until dawn before making subsequent arrangements. This is equivalent to giving Cao Hong time to occupy Suoyang Pass and make subsequent arrangements. .


    Although it was a bit rushed, it was still in time. But now that the ambush on the flanks has not been completely successful, the hussars may not wait until dawn before taking action. They may very well march along the defeated flanks!


    This makes Cao Jun''s original plan likely to fail!


    what to do?


    Cao Hong suddenly fell into a dilemma.


    The tenacity of the hussar soldiers at Suoyang Pass surprised Cao Hong. If you assume that you are in the Suoyang Pass, facing attacks from two sides and being breached in many places, you will most likely evacuate and escape. How can you fight to the death and retreat to the inner city?


    If the outer city of Suoyang Pass is not very strong and majestic, how can the inner city be so dangerous?


    But the Hussars at Suoyang Pass did just that!


    On the one hand, the flank ambush he had worked so hard to arrange failed to achieve a perfect interception effect. On the other hand, the hussar soldiers were more tenacious than expected at Suoyang Pass. This made Cao Hong very embarrassed and in a dilemma.


    As a general, every move he makes affects the lives of countless soldiers.


    A decision may bring glory and victory, or it may just lead to the death of thousands of bones.


    "Assemble the bodyguards!" ” Cao Hong gritted his teeth and said, “Bring me some armor! I want to personally take the head of a thief general! 』


    Let’s settle old and new grudges together today!


    "General, your injury..." Cao Hong''s guard hesitated.


    Cao Hong was furious, "Do you think I''m a weakling who cries and cowers when I''m hurt?" ! 』


    The guard had no choice but to get the armor and wear it for Cao Hong.


    Cao Hong felt that he finally had the opportunity to destroy this hussar army, so how could he give up so easily?


    The soldiers of the Hussars are so persistent, tenacious and tenacious. If Cao''s army cannot confront each other **** for tat, they may forever lose the qualification to stand on the same level as the Hussars!


    A general fights hundreds of battles, but in the end he dies!


    But if you are too timid to escape, you may still be the laughingstock of others a hundred years later!


    …


    …"when! 』


    There was a roar, and Cao Hong slashed his sword at the original shield.


    Jieng groaned, unable to withstand Cao Hong''s strength, and involuntarily took two steps back. The sword in his hand also lost its accuracy and failed to hit Cao Hong.


    Even though he was injured, Cao Hong''s martial arts skills were still unparalleled.


    Cao Hong succeeded with one blow, and was even more unforgiving, slashing three times in one breath.


    Cold sweat broke out down my spine, and I couldn''t think of a counterattack, so I could only resist with a shield.


    "when! Dang Dang! 』


    The almost continuous sound of hammering made people''s teeth feel a little sore.


    He could never withstand Cao Hong''s fierce attack, and the shield in his hand was cut crookedly. He stumbled backwards and almost fell to the ground.


    Cao Hong subconsciously wanted to rush forward. He wanted to take advantage of Liang''s unbalanced center of gravity and take Liang''s head with one strike. However, Cao Hong took a big step forward, but he forgot that the wound on his leg had not healed yet. He just let out a muffled groan and paused, unable to rush forward. His face twitched in pain.


    In terms of force, Cao Hong crushed Wei Li, but Cao Hong was injured. If he killed Li Cheng on the spot, Cao Hong couldn''t resist it. However, if Cao Hong wanted to kill Wei Li quickly, his injured leg would become an obstacle for Cao Hong.


    Even so, the injured Cao Hong was still extremely ferocious. Even if ordinary hussar soldiers came forward to attack, Cao Hong was still unafraid. With a sword and a shield, he suppressed the others and kept retreating.


    But the good times didn''t last long. After most of the hussars retreated into the stone fort under the cover of Yilian, and Yilian rolled into the stone fort, it was not so easy for Cao Hong to attack again.


    Just as he nodded his head towards the doorway, seven or eight spears pierced him and hit Cao Hong''s shield. Even if Cao Hong had extraordinary strength, he couldn''t compete with seven or eight people at the same time. He couldn''t stand at all. Even my feet can’t rush in!


    The few soldiers of Cao''s army who rushed in at the risk of their lives were soon skewered into candied haws of flesh and blood.


    The corpses blocked the doorway, so even if Cao Jun wanted to rush in, he had to pull out the corpses first in order to have a better foothold.


    After a back and forth, the tug-of-war began.


    "General, the stone in the stone fort is too big to be pried open at the moment!" 』


    shouted the soldiers of Cao''s army who were trying to pull down the stone wall of the stone fort.


    After all, the soldiers of Cao''s army did not know any Western magic, and they did not know how to use stones to knock stones to knock out magnificent buildings. Therefore, it was not an easy task to simply rely on swords and guns to pry the stones on the stone walls of the stone castle. .


    "It''s going to crash!" Crash! 』


    "Where the **** are you going to find a crash car now?" ! 』


    "Take out the ladder!" 』


    "Not strong enough..."


    "Don''t worry about it, go get it and try it!" 』


    Cao Jun''s soldiers shouted in confusion, but it also reflected the embarrassment of being unable to break through the stone fortress in a short period of time.


    "Disarm and don''t kill!" ” Cao Hong stood up and shouted towards the stone castle, “You are surrounded and have nowhere to escape!” If you don''t surrender, you will be killed without mercy! 』


    "Disarm and don''t kill!" Those who resist will be killed without mercy! 』


    Cao Hong''s direct bodyguard also shouted together.


    The small stone castle in the inner city of Suoyang Pass is almost the last position of the Hussars.


    This kind of small stone fort is very common among various military fortresses.


    Round or square, or depending on the terrain, there are rhombus polygons and so on.


    The shape is not the point, the point is that this kind of stone fortress often exists as the last resistance, so narrow stone windows, curved and narrow stone stairs, and even various anti-human designs are all for better defense.


    Although nearly half of the hussars stationed in Suoyang were lost, after retreating to this stone fortress, due to the narrow corridors and stone stairs, it seemed that the manpower was relatively abundant, and they could take turns to go into battle. Therefore, even if Cao Hong led his direct guards A fierce charge cannot take down the small stone castle in a short time.


    In most cases, narrow passages and terrain like this are not captured by fierce attacks. Sometimes, fire attacks or other means can be used to capture them at a relatively small cost of casualties. .


    But what Cao Hong lacks most now is time!


    That''s why Cao Hong asked people to shout inside the stone fort. Even though he hated Yi Yi to the core, he had to declare that as long as he surrendered his weapons, he promised not to kill Yi Yi and others.


    As for whether this commitment would be effective in the long term, or what it would be like in the future, Cao Hong did not say, and everyone knew that it would be useless to say it. Cao Hong was speaking more to the ordinary hussar soldiers. If these hussar soldiers were willing to surrender, then even if they were never willing, they would not be able to resist for long.


    However, the people who had never been intimidated by Cao Hong''s momentum instead started laughing in the stone castle.


    This reaction made Cao Hong''s soldiers look at each other in shock.


    Suoyang Pass itself was not big enough. After Cao Hong came in, he and others did not choose to escape, but continued to retreat to the small stone castle, which was almost equivalent to trapping themselves in death, with no possibility of escape.


    Under such circumstances, Cao Hong was willing to give them a way out, but these hussars were so fearless!


    Cao Hong''s face was ashen.


    If it were normal times, Cao Hong would not only say nothing about disarming but not killing, he would even ask people to collect wood. Even if he couldn''t get in, he would burn these hussars alive, roast them, smoke them to death!


    But now...


    Suoyang Pass is not big enough. This was originally a disadvantage for the others, but now it has become a disadvantage for Cao Hong.


    If the Hussars reinforcements really come to kill him, then Cao Hong will not only be unable to chew this last bite of meat, but he will also spit out what he originally ate with profits!


    "General!" "The guard whispered to the side, "Even if we kill them, the losses will be heavy. If the hussars attack our army from the flank, we will not regret dying, but the safety of the general..."


    Cao Hong''s face became increasingly ugly. He wanted to roar angrily, why should I be afraid, but the pain on his leg told him that you are so **** brave...


    Standing on the stone fort, half of his body was exposed in the firelight, pointing at Cao Hong and laughing: "Old man!" Do you dare to come up and fight? ! 』


    The veins on Cao Hong''s forehead jumped.


    If his legs and feet weren''t inconvenient just now, he would have killed this guy with a knife. How could he allow this guy to be so arrogant!


    When Cao Hong''s guards showed up, they immediately drew their bows and fired furiously.


    He was always on guard, and immediately hid behind the pile of dirt after shouting.


    Cao Hong''s guard arrow struck the pile of earth beside him with a pop, but it made him laugh even harder.


    The pump of adrenaline, a chemical substance, can make people breathe faster, heartbeat and blood flow accelerate, and pupils dilate, providing more energy for physical activities and making reactions faster, but it also makes people''s spirits somewhat distorted and excited. At this moment, he even had the pleasure of jumping back and forth on death.


    However, it felt good, but Cao Hong felt uncomfortable.


    Cao Hong''s face was livid, and he raised his hand and ordered, "Arrowmen, shoot inside the doors and windows!" 』


    The crossbowmen immediately stepped forward and fired fiercely at the door openings and windows of the stone castle.


    The effect is good, at least no one dares to show up and taunt anymore...


    But that''s about it.


    Jieng shouted arrogantly, but he didn''t dare to let Jieng come out and fight Cao Hong. Anyway, now he and the hussars soldiers in the stone castle have the same idea, which is to delay!


    This kind of behavior of twisting and struggling on the line of death was absolutely impossible for Cao Jun to do before, but now I don’t know why, but I always feel very calm and adaptable, as if it is how it should be. , as it should be.


    Cao Hong was about to order people to climb the stone wall regardless of the situation, just like climbing the outer wall of Suoyang Pass to climb the stone wall of the small stone castle, but he heard the harsh warning sound of golden gongs outside Suoyang Pass!


    Cao Hong stared at the small stone castle, extremely angry. He howled loudly towards the location of the stone castle, and immediately led his people to retreat hurriedly out.


    Cao''s army retreated in despair.


    But the people in the stone castle were cheering.


    The Cao army outside the stone fortress clearly occupied almost the entire Suoyang Pass, but it seemed that they had lost everything.


    Although the hussars inside the stone castle were scarred and seriously injured, they were as happy as if they had won the final crown.


    This is the first moment of Yin hour, the darkest time before dawn.


    Yin, fierce tigers roam the wild.


    Hu Chi, Xu Chu, is here!