Chapter 3462 Before and After
Wilderness, cold wind.
Loess, black sky.
Almost all the leaves on the branches of the few miscellaneous trees were pulled down by the cold wind, seeming to announce the approach of severe winter.
The four seasons of the year, the turn of autumn and winter, are like going from life to death.
But these Cao soldiers tried to escape from the dead.
Human beings'' instinctive desire to survive caused these Cao soldiers to burst out with seemingly endless motivation.
Running, howling, and fleeing, the defeated soldiers scattered in all directions.
But there are still many Cao soldiers who cannot avoid the sickle of death.
Like most cold weapon wars, real killings often occur in large numbers after one party is defeated.
After Lu Chang ordered the retreat, the entire Cao army''s line immediately collapsed.
Even if the military formation collapses, the casualties will only be the soldiers near the breakthrough. But once the entire army is defeated, death will immediately affect all Cao''s soldiers.
The God of Death laughed wildly and pounced down, enjoying the feast of blood and flesh.
"Abandon your weapon and kneel down to avoid death!" Those who resist will be killed without mercy! 』
The hussars shouted skillfully and killed those Cao soldiers who tried to resist or rush to escape.
It''s just that in the dark night, Cao''s army crashed, like a sand tower collapsing, and Huang Xu and others couldn''t stop it at all!
However, the number of casualties among Cao''s troops surged sharply in such a short period of time.
In less than a cup of tea, Cao''s army suffered almost the same number of casualties as the long-lasting battle with the Hussars.
"Where is the enemy general?" 』
Huang Xu shouted and waved his sword.
But under the flickering firelight, he didn''t see Lu Chang.
"Here is the general''s flag!" 』
Some hussars rushed to where Lu Chang was originally, but saw no one, only the general''s flag lying on the ground.
"Ahhh!" A cowardly fellow! 』
Huang Xu was extremely angry.
There were fleeing soldiers of Cao''s army everywhere, and the light was insufficient. Huang Xu didn''t know which direction Lu Chang had fled to.
After all, this is not Bailang Mountain, and Fei Qian is not a barbarian king with hundreds of thousands of string-controlling soldiers. Huang Xu and the others cannot surround the mountain and make it impenetrable.
At the same time, Lu Chang was obviously experienced. He did not carry anything with obvious markings, and even the **** asked to disperse and escape. This made during the initial chaos, whether it was Huang Xu or the surrounding rangers. Unable to identify Lu Chang''s location as quickly as possible under the intertwining darkness and firelight, he intercepted...
After all, not everyone can carry a small radar and see who has a small logo on their head.
Huang Xu searched angrily and rushed around the mountain for a while, but could not find any trace of Lu Chang.
In desperation, Huang Xu could only go back and recover.
Fei Qian originally did not intend to pursue Lu Chang.
It''s not that Fei Qian suddenly had a kind heart, but because Fei Qian''s original plan was just to fill the gap. After all, the logistics and artillery baggage hadn''t arrived yet. His original plan was just to eliminate some potential dangers during the gap period when Xu Chu had not returned from Suoyang Pass.
Moreover, the distance between the former army camp and Cao Jun''s Zhongtiao Mountain camp is not too far. With a distance of fifty or sixty miles, it is not too difficult for Cao Jun to escape back.
If we really wanted to hunt down and search for the escaped enemy generals on a large scale in the wilderness, it would undoubtedly consume a lot of manpower and horsepower. Fei Qian originally thought it was not worthwhile. But when he heard the report from his subordinates that the results of interrogating the prisoners and surrendering the troops were not led by ordinary Cao Jun military academy, but led by Lu Chang, the commander of the Zhongtiao Mountain Camp, Fei Qian quickly He changed his mind and asked Huang Xu to lead the cavalry team and immediately go to the direction of the Zhongtiao Mountain camp to hunt down Lu Chang.
Yes, a hunt.
The dead Lu Chang has no value other than providing merit bonuses to the military academy.
What Fei Qian needed was the specific layout of the Zhongtiao Mountain camp and the detailed distribution of soldiers, and no one knew these things better than Lu Chang, the former Zhongtiao Mountain garrison general.
That''s why Fei Qian specifically asked Huang Xu to continue fighting to avoid the situation where some soldiers would stop and chop Lu Chang with a sword.
Huang Xu also knew the key to this matter, so he immediately led his men and horses towards the Zhongtiao Mountain camp, followed the traces of Lu Chang and others, and arrested them.
Fei Qian called out the soldiers stationed in the former army camp and asked them to clean up the battlefield and take care of the prisoners.
Although he won, Fei Qian had some doubts in his heart.
What is Cao Jun here for?
Will the folks open the door and deliver food?
To say that Xu Chu left the former army camp was indeed a bit imprudent.
But if Cao Jun wanted to raid the former army camp, shouldn''t he be "quick, accurate and ruthless"?
As a result, Cao''s army came, but they were hesitant and acted abnormally. The attack did not look like an attack, and the lure did not look like a lure. What on earth did they come for?
Do you think the weather is nice and you are here for an autumn outing?
Feiqian is difficult to understand.
Fei Qian''s doubts are indeed justified.
However, the current situation of Cao''s army''s defeat is another reality facing Fei Qian.
So Fei Qian could only put aside this doubt for the time being...
…
…
Tongguan.
War brings not only death, but also geographical changes.
For example, Tongguan Ban Road, under the fire of this war, was widened by at least one parking space!
This change is surprising, but also seems to be expected.
Cao Jun seemed to have been prepared to resist step by step very early, just like a gecko with its tail cut off, one section after another.
Of course, the terrain restrictions cannot be used, which is also an important reason why Cao Jun''s strategy works.
When Cao Jun attacked Guanzhong, it was difficult to fight because of the terrain restrictions. Now when they attack Guanzhong, the cavalry troops cannot deploy due to the terrain restrictions.
These battlefield limitations of nature affect both sides at the same time.
When Zhang Liao defeated the camp in front of Niutou Plateau in Tongguan, he led only more than 2,000 troops and less than 3,000 men.
There are not many people, but on such a road, it is already saturated.
It also extremely tests the general''s ability to control battlefield troops. Otherwise, if he is not careful, his troops will block his route and suffer losses that should not have been incurred.
Therefore, Zhang Liao played very steadily.
Occasionally, a team of Cao Jun would like to block the attack, and some teams would like to bypass the Niutou Plain, similar to what Zhu Ling did before, and sneak around to attack Zhang Liao''s logistics. However, these people are not Zhu Ling''s opponents at all, and even They were discovered before they could get through the plateau, and suffered heavy casualties under the powerful crossbows.
The step-by-step advance, the coordinated combat mode of multiple arms, and Zhang Liao''s tactical attack were really like bulldozers on this road. Cao Jun clearly saw Zhang Liao coming, and Cao Jun tried to find a way to deal with it, but he couldn''t stop him!
The speed of advancement is not very fast, but it is stable enough.
On Zhang Liao''s flank, there were large ships cruising back and forth on the water, while Zhu Ling controlled the position on the plateau.
This allows Zhang Liao to concentrate on dealing with Cao''s army head on.
Cao''s army at Tongguan was helpless against the advance of Zhang Liao and others.
Face to face, you can''t fight at all!
There are brave generals, elite soldiers, and high technology...
Cao Jun retreated all the way.
Zhang Liao continued to clean up the remaining troops, and then sent the prisoners and surrendered troops to the rear line, taking his time and relaxation.
This made Cao Zhang and others extremely painful. Perhaps they would rather face a vicious opponent and either defeat them in one go or fall into their trap, rather than accept Zhang Liao''s slow knife carving, especially when they knew clearly that Zhang Liao was going to kill them. I want to fight somewhere and when I want to fight, but I just can’t bear it!
This is like having an operation in a hospital in later generations. The anesthesia is not fully penetrated. In the confusion, you can feel the doctor cutting open your skin, and then crunching across the bones. You can''t struggle or get rid of it!
Cao''s army was retreating steadily, and Zhang Liao pressed forward step by step.
When news of the war at Tongguan reached Chang''an, central Guanzhong, even those who had been the most pessimistic and had been pessimistic now couldn''t help but stand up and say, "Cao''s army is now in a strong position!" Shandong is not worth mentioning! 』
"Does this need to be said by you? ! 』
"That''s not what you said before!" 』
Just to make others laugh, and ask that person if he was the one who said the bad words before, and why he doesn’t continue to bad-mouth him now?
Those people would express their feelings and say with categorical words that if they had not been sounding the alarm to General Hussar and asking General General Hussar to treat it with caution, how could we have achieved today''s results? His expression was arrogant, as if the soldiers on the front line had fought hard and their deeds were not worth a few words from them.
Everyone laughed, thinking they were just watching a show. However, within Guanzhong, an extremely optimistic atmosphere has indeed begun to arise.
"Cao Jun...is finished!" 』
"Then Shandong...hehehehe!" 』
"Shandong is a nice place!" 』
"That''s, that''s..."
The war has not completely stopped, and some people are already planning to gain some benefits.
When they need to fight hard, these people will hide, or they will say that they are sick, and the family has to take care of them, so they cannot afford such a heavy responsibility. However, when they find that the benefits are right in front of them, these people will be very angry. Stand up without hesitation and show that they are ready and ready!
Indeed, everyone carries the sedan chair.
But who can know whether these sedan bearers are real people or ghosts in human skin?
Even if Zhang Liao knew about these things, he didn''t care too much. All his attention now is on the front line and how to fight.
Cao Jun laid many traps on the Tongguan Slope Road, which forced Zhang Liao to be particularly careful when advancing, otherwise he would be damaged if he fell into the trap.
In the dark night, even if the fighting stopped, people would still occasionally scream loudly.
Some were injured and disabled, others suffered from war syndrome.
Fortunately for the sick and wounded, there are special logistics camps for the wounded and sick, with doctors treating them and taking care of them, and then they will be transferred to Guanzhong after they stabilize. However, it is not easy to deal with soldiers suffering from war syndrome in general military camps.
Maybe everything seems normal during the day, talking and laughing, but at night they will suddenly cry and howl, with a shrill and terrifying sound.
This battle resulted in countless casualties.
All kinds of corpses, even if they are cleaned up, will still leave various marks on the air and the ground, including but not limited to the smell of blood and decay. They will even sit on them when they inadvertently sit down to rest. On something left behind by someone.
Even soldiers who are used to seeing life and death will be affected to some extent, not to mention those recruits who have not experienced many wars before and have only seen blood during training.
As some people grow up, some people naturally cannot adapt.
Therefore, almost every time Zhang Liao stopped to rest, he would patrol the camp with his men every hour at night. According to the military code, as a general, you only need to patrol the camp once a night, but Zhang Liao did not slack off at all.
Therefore, Zhang Liao encountered a "letter" from Cao Jun''s scouts.
A letter from an "old friend".
Because Zhang Liao was in the training camp, the Soldier Military Academy who received the letter immediately found Zhang Liao.
"Old friend?" ” Zhang Liao frowned.
Looking at the words that read "Farewell to Zhang Wenyuan", Zhang Liao suddenly felt that these words were a bit dazzling.
"Tai Qi"?
I, Zhang Liao, among Cao Jun, who else can I call "Tai Qi"?
Zhang Liao did not open the letter immediately, but looked up at the sky.
He was born in Yanmen, a poor family. It could even be said to be a very poor family.
So he didn''t have many friends in his hometown.
When I was working under Ding Yuan, I only had a few friends. Then...
"Haha..." Zhang Liao suddenly smiled, "Come here, seal it and send it directly to Pang Lingjun!" 』
Zhang Liao suddenly remembered that at some point, someone had encountered a similar situation, and suddenly an old friend came to visit...
Although it is said to be just a letter now, but...
Who knows?
Guard Zhang Liao asked: "General, don''t you look at it?" 』
Zhang Liao shook his head and said, "Don''t look at it." 』
…
…
Not only was Zhang Liao making a choice, but the people inside the Zhongtiao Mountain camp were also making choices.
After Dong Zhao received the letter asking for help, he said it was a "false report"!
Naturally, these military academies, which already lacked trust in Dong Zhao, were skeptical.
In the military, Lu Chang is their superior general. When the superior general is in trouble, they stand idly by. Even if they later say that it was Dong Zhao who was blocking it, they will be regarded as disloyal and want to be promoted if there are sufficient reasons. Something like that, I''m afraid there is no hope in this life.
After all, leaders may not remember who came during the New Year and holidays, but they will definitely remember who didn’t come.
No matter what, you still have to show off how you should look.
The leader of the military academy said that since Lu Chang asked for help, he would naturally rescue him, but Dong Zhao said that this was a fake request for help, saying that the false report said that he was a general of the Cao family, and General Lu Chang''s surname was Lu, not Cao...
The military academy thought it might be Cao Jun, not the Cao family. After all, the person who came to report the news was dying, so it was normal for him to say something wrong. Besides, it was only fifty or sixty miles away from the Hussars'' former military camp. Even if there were any problems, people should be sent out immediately to investigate. How could a "false report" be enough to get rid of the problem?
After arguing for a while, Dong Zhao finally compromised and made arrangements.
The military academy was then satisfied and took the order and left.
Dong Zhao watched the military schools leave with cold eyes.
"Lang Jun, why do you accommodate these Qiu Ba?" "Dong Zhao''s confidants said dissatisfiedly, "A bunch of lowly idiots who don''t know how high the sky is! 』
"Shut up!" Dong Zhao said in a deep voice.
"Only..." The confidant lowered his head in response, but his expression was obviously still angry.
"These are all dying people, why bother..." Dong Zhao said slowly, "The dead... are the most important..."
The confidant''s expression softened a little, but after a moment, he said nervously, "In that case, why...why..."
"Why are you still here? Dong Zhao said.
The confidant nodded.
Dong Zhao smiled and waved his hand, "You don''t need to know... I have my own arrangements." Go and do things, the key now is the craftsmen, not these military schools... Do you understand? The craftsmen must be prepared and protected! Don’t miss anything! 』
Dong Zhao spoke seriously, and his confidants responded with serious expressions, and then retreated.
Dong Zhao was sitting alone in the big tent, looking at the position that originally belonged to Lu Chang. He was silent for a long time and suddenly smiled, "Don''t blame me...it all depends on your own luck..."
…
…
Lu Chang wore the armor of an ordinary soldier and hid in a ravine with a dozen of his closest guards.
He was disheveled and completely lost the so-called general''s demeanor.
The dozen or so guards also looked nervous. From time to time they looked up at the sky above their heads, and immediately tensed up at the slightest movement.
The distance of fifty or sixty miles is now like a natural chasm.
Lu Chang knew that if the Hussar knew that he was leading the army, they would definitely hunt him down, so he did not dare to go straight in the direction of Zhongtiao Mountain. Instead, he ran diagonally far away and found this unknown ravine to hide.
"It''s all hussars outside!" ” After reaching the top of the ditch, the guard who hurriedly climbed down said in a low voice, “It’s everywhere! what to do? There''s no going back! 』
In order not to attract the attention of the hussars scouts, Lu Chang and others abandoned their few horses and pretended to be ordinary soldiers and fled on foot. This method undoubtedly saved Lu Chang''s life.
Because the hussars pay special attention to those who ride war horses...
However, as those on war horses were overtaken by the hussars, the matter of Lu Chang abandoning his horse and walking was very likely to be exposed.
Do you expect those guys to refuse to obey even to the death?
And walking also has a big problem, that is, it is slow.
Because we were walking in a detour and had to avoid the hussars, the original one-day journey might take two or even three days!
And during this process, they may be discovered at any time and intercepted and surrounded by hussars.
Lu Chang sent out guards and tried to scout in different directions to see if there was a weak spot that could be passed through, but in the end he found that there were hussar scouts wandering everywhere!
Huddled in the ravine, Lu Chang and the others could not be seen unless they were close, but who knew when these Husbands and Rangers would come to their faces?
And it''s not a big deal to stay huddled in the ravine. It''s enough to kill someone without food or water!
One day, two days, save a little and you can still survive, but you can''t even run in three or four days!
"General, what should we do?" 』
The guard asked Lu Chang, but found that Lu Chang seemed to be wandering in the sky, wondering what he was thinking about. He was immediately startled and looked at each other, "General?" General? ! 』
Lu Chang turned around and said, "I understand!" 』