"Look at your great idea, hum!"
Xiahou Dun was so angry that he didn't save any face for Cheng Yu and killed him without any courtesy in front of everyone.
"Yuan Rang must not be impatient. Since the rebel army has planted many suspicious troops along the way, they must have back-up tactics. At present, the main force of Gongsun Xiaoer has not been seen. Our army has been defeated in a row and has exhausted its strength. We really cannot move Wuming lightly anymore. We should put stability first.”
Cheng Yu had never been teased like this since he came out of the mountain. He was inevitably ashamed and angry. However, he was angry. He did not lose his mind and did not try to explain. Instead, he reminded Xiahou Dun sincerely. .
"snort!"
After hearing what Cheng Yu said, Xiahou Dun was still very angry, but he still resisted the urge to send troops out of the city. However, Xiahou Dun's heart ached fiercely when he thought that his brother Xia Houyuan and his nephew Xia Hou Shang were both alive and dead. , extremely irritated, he circled wildly on the top of the city.
"Brother!"
Just when Xiahou Dun was so anxious that he didn't know what to do, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps and Xiahou Yuan jumped up from the stairway next to the city gate tower.
"Second brother, are you okay?"
Seeing Xia Houyuan suddenly appear, Xiahou Dun suspected that he was in a dream, so he couldn't help but stretched out his hand to wipe his one eye. Only when he was sure that the person in front of him was indeed Xia Houyuan, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"My little brother is fine, but Shang'er died in the battle. Niushan is under siege, and I'm afraid I won't be able to survive. Big brother, send troops quickly, it's too late!"
Xia Houyuan was in a state of anxiety and couldn't bear to talk nonsense, so he immediately made a request to rescue Niushan.
"Wait a minute, Miaocai, can you tell me what the fighting situation is like outside the city?"
Before Xiahou Dun could say anything, Cheng Yu interrupted him.
"You... hmph, when a certain person was rushing to Niushan, he was ambushed by the enemy. He had no choice but to retreat to Xiaowangzhuang. Unexpectedly, the bandit army actually sent someone pretending to be a personal follower of a certain person and sneaked into the Niushan Dazhai, tricking Shang'er into leading the main force down the mountain for rescue. , on the way, the rebel army of 5,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry launched an attack. Shang'er was defeated and died in a fierce battle. His defeated troops were driven by the rebel cavalry all the way to Xiaowangzhuang. They were attacked by the enemy from both front and rear. They either died or surrendered. Only then did a certain person surrender. I was able to find an opportunity to escape back, but encountered more than a hundred defeats on the way, and only then did I know the whole story. That's what happened. Did Zhongde think that someone was the one who surrendered to the bandits, huh?"
Although Cheng Yu didn't say it clearly, he was actually questioning that there must be something fishy about Xia Houyuan's smooth escape back to the city. How could Xia Houyuan not hear this? The anger in his heart suddenly became even more violent. However, since Cheng Yu held Cao Cao's secret order, Xia Houyuan could only swallow his breath and briefly describe the progress of the war.
"How's the situation in Niushan?"
Xiahou Dun knew Xiahou Yuan's loyalty, so he would not doubt that what he said was false. He was only concerned about whether Niushan could be saved. There was nothing else. Niushan camp was the pillar outside Linzi's city defense. As long as Niushan camp was not lost, Even if the troops are insufficient, they can still contain the large number of effective forces of the Youzhou Army, forcing the Youzhou Army not to rest assured and attack the city with all their strength. However, if Niushan is also lost, Cao's army, which has lost nearly half of its troops, may not be able to stop it. Due to the continuous strong attacks by the Youzhou Army, once Linzi City fails, there will be no hope of saving the entire Qingzhou.
"According to what the defeated soldiers said, Shang'er left Zhang Xi's 5,000 troops to guard the stronghold before going down the mountain. Now the traitor general Xu Shuzheng is leading more than 10,000 troops to attack the stronghold. Logically speaking, it should be possible to ensure that there is no danger in a short time. , However, if it is delayed for too long, I am afraid that Zhang Xi will not be able to support it."
Xia Houyuan obviously didn't think too highly of Zhang Xi's ability as a general under his command. Although he didn't say it clearly in his words, he undoubtedly meant that.
"Did Miaocai encounter any enemy troops on his way back to the city?"
Hearing what Xia Houyuan said, Xiahou Dun obviously agreed. He raised his hand and was about to make a decision, but unexpectedly Cheng Yu interrupted again.
"Never before, the journey back to the city was extremely smooth, and there was no sign of the enemy along the way."
Seeing Cheng Yu's interruptions one after another, Xia Houyuan's face immediately turned a bit unpleasant. Although his brows were furrowed into a large "Chuan" character, he still patiently said: An absolutely certain answer.
"oh?"
As soon as Xia Houyuan said this, Cheng Yu was obviously a little confused. Without him, there were no Youzhou troops in Xiaoli Village, Zhaozhuang and other places close to Linzi City where troops could be hidden, and no troops were seen along the way. , In other words, at least within five miles, there should be no place for the main force of the Youzhou Army to hide. In this case, where should the main force of the Youzhou Army be? Regarding this, even Cheng Yu racked his brains, but still couldn't come up with a reason.
"Without further delay, Zhongde will lead 10,000 troops to sit in the city. I and Miaocai will lead 20,000 troops to attack Niushan immediately. Let's go!"
Xia Houdun was so anxious that he had no time to wait for Cheng Yu to come up with the reason. He just left an explanation and hurriedly went down to the city with Xia Houyuan. Although Cheng Yu wanted to dissuade him, he opened his mouth. , after all, he still didn’t say anything, so he could only look worriedly at Zhao Yun’s troops outside the city...
The Xiahou brothers were anxious to rescue Niushan, and they mobilized their troops very quickly. In a short time, they led an army of 20,000 people to rush out from the west city, rushing towards Niushan like thunder, but they were unable to do so. I didn't notice that two red kites were dangling up into the sky in Linzi City and Zhaozhuang, which was supposed to be an empty village.
"Lord, look, the kite is rising!"
The detail that the Xiahou brothers had not noticed was actually a signal. No, on a small soil slope seven and a half miles away from Linzi City, a sentry lying on the top of the slope saw the kite rising and immediately He jumped up, rushed down the slope quickly, and rushed to the military headquarters among the tens of thousands of troops lined up neatly. He knelt on the ground towards Gongsun Ming and said something in a hurry.
"Haha... Okay, pass on the order, and all ministries will start as planned immediately!"
Gongsun Ming had been ambushing here for a long time, waiting for such a signal. Now that the Xiahou Dun brothers had fallen into the trap, he would not hesitate. While laughing, he immediately issued the order. After receiving the general's order to start the operation, immediately after hearing the command, a large number of Youzhou Army infantry and cavalry turned out from behind the slope and divided into two groups. One group was all cavalry, led by Gongsun Ming himself, and rushed to the southwest at high speed. The other group Then Zhang He was the general, with 1,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry, heading towards Linzi City...
"General, look, the kite is rising!"
Outside the north gate of Linzi City, all Zhao Yun's troops had dismounted and were resting leisurely more than a hundred steps away from the west of the city. Of course, the seemingly messy rest was just an appearance, as dozens of soldiers were always alert. He looked at the sky, and as soon as the kite rose, a sharp-eyed soldier shouted excitedly.
"Time it, after one stick of incense, the whole army mounts up!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun immediately raised his head and glanced at the sky. He didn't have many words to say and gave the general's order with a solemn expression.
