Chapter 408: The unyielding view inside Sishui Pass
'Whoa!' The spear in Zhang Liao's hand narrowly missed Cao Ren's ear, missing the Cao family general's head by just a hair. When the spear passed through, the gray shadow under Zhang Liao's crotch also soared into the air. Cao Ren flew over his head
Failure to kill Cao Ren was just a slight regret for Zhang Liao. He returned to the mountain road just to rescue his soldiers, and that was all. He jumped over Cao Ren. Zhang Liao shouted coldly and continued to move forward, while he was a hundred steps in front of him. Far away, already enveloped by the fire
If "Herod" were any other horse, seeing the fire, he would definitely carry the orders of the owner and run away on his own. This is the nature of the animal, but Gray Shadow is different. As a rare heterogeneous horse , after feeling Zhang Liao's determination, he neighed more happily.
He stepped on all four hooves and kicked hard with his two hind legs, rising high over the fire that was half a man's height, and landed inside the fire. "Don't panic, you guys, just follow me and rush out." Zhang Liao's shouts spread instantly, and the remaining people around him The soldiers all looked forward in surprise.
"The general is here"
"General Zhang is here to save us"
Many soldiers who were originally desperate shouted for a while. The wolf cavalry in the fire quickly returned behind Zhang Liao and reorganized their troops. Many infantry followed him, fearing that they would miss this only chance to escape.
The gray shadow stepped forward with all four hooves, and it was extremely maneuverable and finally found a way out of the fire that could allow people to pass. Even if Cao Ren wanted to catch up, he would not rush into the fire like Zhang Liao, so in Half an hour later, Zhang Liao had rescued most of the soldiers from the fire and returned along the same route.
"Cao Ren, after today's battle, I, Zhang Liao, will definitely ask you for repayment in the future." He rushed out of the mountain road, Zhang Liao wiped his face that was blackened by the fire, turned his head and looked at San Wei Mountain, where the fire was still unabated, and said coldly in his heart.
Compared with Zhang Liao's reluctance, most of the soldiers behind him were happy to survive the disaster, and many of the wolf riders looked at Zhang Liao with different eyes. Before, they obeyed Zhang Liao because of the lord's order, but now they are under the command of Zhang Liao. , but I think it might be a good idea to follow Zhang Liao.
No matter what thoughts the general or the remaining soldiers under his command have, the first thing Zhang Liao needs to do now is to retreat temporarily. Although he rescued nearly 7,000 soldiers and horses under his command, all the grain, grass and baggage were destroyed. Now there is no food and few soldiers, and he is no longer able to advance eastward.
Although the ambush was a small victory, Cao Ren's face was not pretty. He walked back to the top of the mountain with a gloomy face. All that came to his mind was the image of Zhang Liao approaching with a spear and jumping into the fire from his head.
"Cleaning the battlefield and preparing to evacuate" failed to do its best, but at least it gave Zhang Liao a warning. There is no point in staying on the top of the mountain anymore. If you have suffered a loss once, you will definitely not be fooled a second time.
After clearing the battlefield, the Wei soldiers did not suffer many casualties, just over a hundred. However, Zhang Liao's soldiers suffered nearly two thousand deaths, and many were left gasping and moaning in pain. Cao Ren did not take back the prisoners who were already maimed and seriously injured to waste. The idea of ????food and letting the soldiers under his command give them a good time may also be a good thing for them.
In addition to the casualties of the soldiers, Cao Ren also captured the equipment carried by Zhang Liao's soldiers and horses. Many of the weapons were much better than those in Yanzhou. This put a smile on Cao Ren's face. As for the food and grass, almost all of them were turned into charcoal ash. It's completely inedible
With his soldiers and horses evacuating from the top of the mountain, Cao Ren no longer thought about the ambush. He only thought about today's war. Liu Ye's sneak attack to the west of Sishui Pass. I wonder if it will succeed?
Cao Ren was murmuring in his heart. That night, Liu Ye was leading his troops and horses to leave the camp secretly. Liu Ye, as a rare Han man who was proficient in Mohist craftsmanship, left the camp this time and did not bring many troops, only six thousand. But these six thousand soldiers were equipped with a lot of weapons.
Trebuchets, folding ladders, and siege racks that can accommodate dozens of soldiers to attack at the same time. A series of siege devices are all used to capture the city gate in a short time. Although Sishui Pass is not a city, the pass is not as good as the city. The door is short, which is naturally very suitable for wielding these siege equipment.
There were too many weapons at his disposal, so Liu Ye could not march quickly. Luoyang was only half a day's walk from Hulao, so he had to walk for a full day and a half until late at night on the second day. Arrive at the west side of Sishui
At this moment, there was silence in Sishui Pass. During the day, there was another fierce battle with the Cao family's troops. The soldiers under his command were in dire straits. There were only more than a hundred night patrol soldiers walking around and at the pass to protect the safety of the pass.
This was a suitable opportunity for a sneak attack. Liu Ye also considered a night attack, but when he turned around, he saw that his soldiers were tired because they had to march and carry equipment. He shook his head and suppressed the night attack plan in his heart. , we still have to wait for the opportunity
Gao Lan inside the pass was sleeping soundly. Although Xia Houyuan was seriously injured by him and would not be able to fight again in a short time, Cao Chun was not in good shape either.The character who was fighting concentrated his troops to attack the gate of the pass every day, or insulted and provoked the soldiers inside the pass and even the lord Zhen Yao, which made Gao Lan very angry. For this reason, Gao Lan also went out of the city to fight with him twice.
Of course, outside the city, Cao Chun held the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in his hand with such murderous intent. No matter how angry Gao Lan was, he could not gain any advantage in the battle. After suffering two losses, Gao Lan no longer left the city and just focused on Stand at the top of the city and block Cao Chun's offensive
Nowadays, both the soldiers and horses in the city and outside the city have been greatly exhausted, and the physical strength of the soldiers is something that the generals of both sides must take into consideration. According to Gao Lan's estimation, after this night, tomorrow should be the last battle. As long as we can hold on, Cao Chun must withdraw his troops like this, so that Gao Lan can sleep peacefully with peace of mind
The sky was getting bright, and there was still not much life in Sishui Pass. Most of the soldiers were tired from the days of fighting. Apart from taking their weapons to the battlefield, they didn't even have the energy to say a word and sat quietly in the pass. He was just waiting for his general's order to watch, and he was also waiting for the sentry who had left the border to explore the enemy's situation to come back.
Gao Lanneng predicted that today's battle would be the last day of the attack and defense of Sishui Pass. Cao Chun, who was in a disadvantageous situation, carefully planned to remove the tiger and leopard cavalry under his command, and there were only two thousand soldiers left who could fight again. Numbers, many of whom are wounded
However, what should be fought must be fought. Even if there was only one man left, Cao Chun had no idea of ??withdrawing his troops. Thinking of Xia Houyuan who was still sleeping in the barracks, Cao Chun hoped more than anyone else that a miracle would happen to him.
Before Mao hour came, the siege soldiers outside the city had already appeared. Gao Lan gave a grim smile and led the few soldiers and horses who had taken a rest last night to take the lead on the top of the city. There was no need to waste any more words, leaving all his strength for the last battle. Cao Lan Chun waved his big hand, and more than a thousand soldiers beside him began to charge at the critical moment.
After many days of consumption, there are not many arrows in the pass, and there is no way to waste it as extravagantly as on the first day. It was not until the siege soldiers approached fifty steps that Gao Lan ordered to release arrows and the arrows flew. The soldiers below the city also acted like Don't be slow, raise your shield or find cover, these actions are like instinct. It is obvious that the Cao family's soldiers have fully understood the crossbows under Zhen Yao's tent in the past few days.
Since the beginning of the Guan Civil War, Liu Ye, who had not been exposed until now, couldn't help but laugh out loud. It seemed that although Xia Houyuan failed to conquer Sishui in time, he never gave up. "This is so good, today is the beginning of breaking through the Guan and taking the city." came to his mind With these thoughts in mind, Liu Ye immediately ordered the soldiers who had rested for the night to push the assembled siege equipment towards Sishui Pass.
"Then, what is that?" The siege equipment built by Liu Ye were all large objects. As soon as a group of Cao soldiers pushed the weapons to the surface, they were still nearly a mile away from the pass, and they were seen by the sharp-eyed soldiers.
"Hurry and report to the general, the enemy is attacking." Some soldiers who reacted quickly shouted in surprise after seeing the siege equipment: "The enemy is attacking, prepare to fight, go and report to the general"
In this way, there was also a brief chaos at the west juncture. Fortunately, a lieutenant was here to hold down the formation. When the enemy soldiers came to the pass, they were already ready to defend the city, with bows, arrows, and spears pointed downwards.
"Whoosh!" The trebuchet took the lead, and was pulled by the wooden pole a hundred steps away from the critical moment. The trebuchet, which had not yet been adjusted, was completely inaccurate, smashing pieces to the east and west. Although it did not cause any damage to the soldiers at the head of the city, However, the momentum completely overwhelmed the soldiers at the top of the city. For a while, the roar of the soldiers below the city was endless.
"Report to the general, there are enemy troops attacking from the west." Gao Lan was concentrating on directing the battle at the east end of Sishui River, but a soldier suddenly approached and whispered, which made him suddenly forget that the war was urgent.
The war was urgent and Gao Lan could not allow Gao Lan to think too much. He summoned the deputy general at the head of the city to his side, whispered to him and handed over the military power. He hurried down the city head and headed straight to the west pass to the barracks just passed through the pass. He raised his eyes and looked up. When I went there, I saw a flying stone falling not far away, throwing up a piece of stone debris with a terrifying momentum.
"Catapult?" Gao Lan was no stranger to this thing. At least his lord had this siege weapon, but it was used by the enemy on himself. This was the first time Gao Lan knew the power of this thing, and his brows were furrowed.
Climbing the western pass, if the catapult only brought trouble to Gao Lan, he would be extremely afraid of such a large thing that could allow dozens of soldiers to rush into the city side by side. The advantages of passes and city walls have been weakened to the limit. Within a certain range, the city head can hardly take any advantage and can only fight hard.
"How could there be soldiers and horses coming from the west?" Such a question flashed through Gao Lan's mind for just a moment. Now was not the time to consider such a question. He picked up the long knife in his hand and ran to the front of the pass. He raised the knife and dropped it. Kill an enemy soldier who climbed to the top of the city
The arrival of the general has boosted the morale of the people at the top of the city, but many soldiers are still frightened in their hearts. They are afraid that the big rocks outside the city will fall on their heads at the next moment. Their fear affects the display of combat power, and also leading to the juncture being completely suppressed
On the pass,While Gao Lan was beheading the enemy soldiers, he shouted: "Commanders, don't panic, these stone-throwing objects will never be connected, so why don't we wait?" As a general, what he does is not only lead the troops to kill the enemy. , to eliminate the panic in the hearts of soldiers, improve morale and take control of the overall situation, this is the way to be a general.
The war on the east and west sides was urgent, but there was only one general guarding the pass, Gao Lan. He could not divide it into two parts to guard the pass. It was a foregone conclusion to focus on one and lose the other. Gao Lan suddenly disappeared from the pass. Cao Chun also had doubts, thinking that Gao Lan was preparing something. Back-up move
But in the past half an hour, there was no movement from Gao Lan. Cao Chun thought for a moment that if he didn't fight hard, he would have no chance. He might as well take advantage of the opportunity to kill him now, otherwise he would miss the opportunity when Gao Lan showed up again.
No longer holding back, Cao Chun personally led the remaining soldiers towards the city. The fighting in the east escalated again, and even the city gates shook much more. Compared with the first day, the pass gate was not so unbreakable now.
Attacked from two sides, even if there are nearly ten thousand soldiers left in the pass, they are dwarfed. The only general who can intimidate the enemy soldiers is Gao Lan. The other lieutenants are unable to command the soldiers and horses at the top of the city to violently counterattack the enemy soldiers outside the city.
The trebuchet is very powerful, but its shortcoming is, as Gao Lan said, the interval between movements is very long. After an hour, under Gao Lan's deliberate words, the soldiers at the critical moment realized that the trebuchet was nothing more than that, and slowly recovered its due combat power.
In the east, after Cao Chun led his troops to fight to the critical moment, he realized that the other side was also fighting. His eyes suddenly lit up with joy. He had originally planned to attack for another day with all his strength, but now it seemed that God was going to break the city by himself. Killed the enemy
"Bang bang" A few days later, cracks finally appeared in the battered east gate, and it was also partially separated from the wall. This change made the battle at Sishui Pass critical, but the tiger and leopard cavalry standing quietly at the rear of the battlefield, looked at With such a change, his eyes are shining with excitement
"Kill" the city gate burst, and the two lieutenants commanding the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could no longer hold back. They gave a low shout, patted their horses and rushed out.
A group of tiger and leopard cavalry were dispatched. When dozens of war horses at the forefront collided violently with the city gate students, there was a loud bang, bang, bang, and the city gate, which weighed several tons, fell to the ground.
"You guys, follow me to kill" Although it was closed, this did not prevent Cao Chun from learning that the gate below was breached. Seeing that the war had turned to his side, he roared like a vent.
The city gate collapsed, and even though Gao Lan was far away, he could still hear the sound. His face changed, and he looked back. Sure enough, the Cao family's tiger and leopard cavalry had already rushed into the pass and started wreaking havoc in the barracks.
"You must hold on to the critical moment and leave the fighting in the rear to me." Suffering from his incompetence, Gao Lan finally mobilized the strength of the soldiers on the west side. Seeing that he was able to defeat the troops at Kouguan, another large force appeared on the other side. question
Hurrying away from the moment, they quickly surrounded the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry pass with the only 4,000 soldiers they could mobilize. Although the cavalry was still full of lethality, compared with the field battle outside the city, its mobility had been greatly reduced. Gao Lan also saw this. , dared to lead troops to encircle them. With more than a thousand tigers and leopards, if they could be trapped in the pass, there might be a turning point in this battle.
In the Sishui Pass, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry saw Gao Lan. It could be said that enemies were extremely jealous when they met each other. Almost all the cavalry who wanted to avenge Xia Houyuan came towards him. With their ferocious black armor all over their bodies, if they were timid, A little bit, I'm afraid he will run away without any intention of fighting.
"Come on, come on, I'm afraid of you." Seeing the tiger and leopard knights aiming at him, Gao Lan couldn't help but snorted angrily, stepped heavily on the ground with his right foot, held up his sword, and headed towards the tiger and leopard knight.
The war horse leapt forward, and several black sabers approached Gao Lan's face, blocking almost all the directions in which he could dodge. According to what the two tiger and leopard knights thought in their hearts, even if Gao Lan's life could not be killed by this move, he would still be unable to stand. Get up
But Gao Lan's actions were beyond the expectations of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry at the forefront. He did not dodge or dodge, but straightened his body forward, held the two Tiger and Leopard swords with the long knife in his hand, bumped his shoulder, and crashed directly to the left. tiger leopard ride
The "click" sound almost overshadowed the collision between Gao Lan's armor and Zhan Heijia. It was the sound of Gao Lan's left shoulder bone cracking. The next moment, the tiger and leopard rider who was hit by Gao Lan's shoulder made a "bang" sound. touch
"Looking for Death" The injury on his left shoulder was completely unable to stop Gao Lan from doing anything. Holding the sword in one hand, he lay on his side on the horse and wiped the neck of one of the two deputy commanders of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.
"Fight to the death, fight to the death, fight to the death." Gao Lan's charge aroused the bloodshed of the surrounding soldiers. The soldiers who were originally shocked by the power of the tiger cavalry and had to avoid it began to encircle the heavy cavalry.
Although they couldn¡¯t knock down their horses like Gao Lan did, and they couldn¡¯t escape death even if they got close, many soldiers chose to charge. This was the honor of being a soldier of Sishui Pass, for Gao Lan and for themselves.
Although there were more than 4,000 garrison soldiers, after Cao Chun led the critical soldiers into the barracks, the garrison soldiers were no longer enough to handle.The leopard cavalry was surrounded by the Cao family's soldiers and horses. Half an hour later, all Gao Lan could do was rely on the remaining soldiers to defend the west gate. Most of the land in Sishui had changed hands.
Gao Lan's decisiveness and final fighting power also shocked Cao Chun, his opponent. The pass had been lost and he was attacked from both sides. However, the current Sishui soldiers were still able to delay the war. This is not a miracle. You may not be able to do this yourself
I admire you, but taking Sishui Pass is my lord's plan for hegemony, and there is no room for failure. Cao Chun made a move to increase his advantage. In just half an hour, the number of defenders who fell in front of him was already in the triple digits.
The flying rocks at the pass are still there, and from time to time, gravel flies into the barracks. The west pass is once again suppressed by Liu Ye. It is only a matter of time before the enemy can be defeated. Now in the minds of Liu Ye and Cao Chun, it is only a matter of time to capture Sishui Pass. Just a problem
His body was seriously injured and his energy was severely depleted. The helmet on his head had already flown away. Gao Lan was scattered. At this moment, he was not as bold and handsome as usual. He looked like a man about to die.
"Even if I can't hold on, I won't let you wait." Gao Lan secretly accumulated the last bit of strength and looked at Cao Chun with determination. Although Li Li and Tian Feng had given instructions before the war, he still remained Gao Lan's brain was filled with self-blame and anger for failing to guard this important place. What he wanted to do was to go crazy in the end.
"Lord, Lan is useless and can no longer serve the tent." Gao Lan muttered silently in his heart. He raised his legs and moved forward. The sword in his hand danced. The strong wind was enough to change the color of the soldiers blocking the road. His target was Cao Cao. General Cao Chun
"Desperately? I am not afraid, either." The soldiers under his command will be forced by Gao Lan's momentum, but Cao Chun will not hold the sword tightly in his hand and stare at the general in front of him.
"Ding" The sword edge and saber light missed each other. Gao Lan fought with all his strength, but in the end he could not take Cao Chun's life. One blow, then weakened, and three times exhausted. This is Gao Lan's current situation.
"Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry General Cao Xing is here, anyone who blocks the road will die." At this moment, a thunderous shout suddenly sounded from the east of Sishui Pass.