In the third year of Kaiyuan, on April 27th, the general Cao Cao led his troops to besiege Xiaoxiu Wu, and he was forced to fight with the main cavalry army of the hussar general in the field, resulting in a huge rout. Starting from this, the world was completely stirred up.
On the same day, generals Guan Ping and Li Bin led by Jia Xu arrived at Jixian County. The guard general Li Dian did not dare to neglect and wanted to defend Jixian County to the death, delaying Jia Xu's troops' schedule and buying time for the main force.
The fierce battle continued until dusk. Li Dian relied on his superb command and the service of his soldiers to hold on to the day. Who would have thought that just as he breathed a sigh of relief, the bad news of the main force's defeat had already arrived.
Although Li Dian could try to block the news, it was obviously meaningless. Now the Qingzhou Army's attention is still focused on Cao Cao, who still has some hope of escaping. When Wang Yu's eyes turn around, he may only be trapped to death in Ji County.
Li Dian knew that the situation was over, so he abandoned the city and left. Jia Xu got the news earlier than Li Dian and was well prepared. He marched up with his army and chased them all the way.
By the time they fled to the bank of the Yellow River, Li Dian's five thousand elite troops had been completely lost, leaving only more than a thousand remnants. Although there is a ferry to cross the river, under night, a huge fire dragon suddenly appears on the other side! You don't need to ask Li Dian to know that Yu Jin has also arrived.
With no way forward and pursuers behind him, the morale of Li Dian's remaining troops plummeted and hit rock bottom. Li Dian was self-aware and did not intend to go against the will of heaven. He dismissed his troops directly and took his own soldiers with him to escape by throwing himself into the river and disappeared without a trace.
Li Dian¡¯s family is a powerful one who has lived in Ohnozawa for a long time. They are very good at water. Considering the situation at that time, what he made should be the most appropriate choice.
With Li Dian eliminated, the Qingzhou Army had no other threats behind them and was able to advance westward with all its strength. The next day. Wang Yu, Jia Xu, and Yu Jin met at Hucheng Pavilion, held a large-scale military meeting, and decided on the Luoyang strategy.
On April 29, Yu Jin led the Yulin army to enter Hulao Pass, but refused to surrender. Immediately launched a fierce attack.
Hulao Pass is the most important gateway to the east of Luoyang and can be called the most powerful pass in the world. It was originally guarded by Xiahou Dun, but Wang Yu personally led the main force to besiege it and failed to defeat it. However, time has passed and Xiahou Dun has died in Xiaoxiuwu, and his elite troops no longer exist. Although the brothers Xia Houen and Xia Houjie who stayed behind are commendable for their loyalty. But his ability and military strength were far inferior to those of Xiahou Dun before him.
Because they did not dare to attack, the two could only watch the Yulin army calmly deploying it. Yu Jin was not polite and set up nearly a hundred heavy catapults in one go!
Except for the burning company, the catapult volley is probably the most magnificent and spectacular sight that can be seen in the cold weapon era. Thousands of stone projectiles flew into the sky. The sky and the earth are overwhelming, and the clouds block out the sun, as if the battlefield is directly brought into the Nine Netherworld! The stone bullets collided with each other in the air, making a loud crackling sound, like thunderbolts volleying down in the sky!
In addition to stone bullets, there are also fire bombs! I don't know whether Yu Jin got the opportunity from Wang Yu's face-to-face instruction, or whether he got the inspiration from Bai Xing's verbal battle. The fire bombs thrown by the Yulin Army are not only very easy to burn and will explode after landing, but also have smoke that is so thick that it can kill people if they get close.
Although the Xiahou brothers cannot be said to be useless, they are still far away from famous generals and cannot come up with correct countermeasures at all.
Not only did he have no countermeasures, Xia Houen was hit by a fire bomb during the third round of fire bombs, was involved in the explosion, and died on the spot. Xia Houjie was not very courageous to begin with. When I saw my cousin dying beside me in such a tragic manner, I was so frightened that I fainted.
After learning the news that the main force was defeated, the defenders were not very motivated to fight. Thanks to the kindness and power of the Xiahou brothers, they reluctantly fought. When they saw that the enemy had used such terrifying methods, the two generals were dead and fainted again. The defenders lost all fighting spirit and opened the city gate directly, lying on the ground and asking to surrender.
The moment the city gate opened, it was only an hour before the forbidden soldiers arrived at the city gate, which almost set a record for siege warfare.
Hulao Pass has changed hands, and the gateway to the east of Luoyang has been opened. How can the surrounding cities dare to resist? On the same day, Xingyang, Guangwu, Jingxian and other cities around Hulao Pass had changed their banners. The defenders and generals knelt along the way to welcome the arrival of the Yulin army. The scene was a unique one.
As the news spread, Cao Jun began to waver further. The first to take decisive action was Chenggao general Lu Tong. Later, Xuanmenguan general Zhang Pu and Yanshi general Huo Xing came to surrender one after another.
From the time he dispatched his troops to the time he arrived at Luoyang City, it only took Yu Jin three and a half days, and the only battle he fought was the first battle at Hulao Pass, which was truly a long march.
If it was just like this, Cao Cao might still be able to find a way to resist, but he couldn't get away at all. Also marching with Yu Jin were the Taishan Army of Guan Ping and Li Bin and the navy of Zhou Cang.
Originally, there were still Hanoi rebels who were good at poisoning in Hanoi. As long as they resisted with all their strength, they could still defeat the enemy.To create a lot of trouble for Guan Ping. But Yu Du is not stupid. He turned to Cao Cao before, mainly because of his old grudge with Zhang Yan. At that time, Cao Cao and Wang Yu were evenly matched. But now even a fool can see the ebb and flow of the situation. How could a guy like Yu Du be willing to be buried with Cao Cao?
As soon as he received the news of the Xiuwu Battle, he knelt down and surrendered unconditionally.
With the help of Yu Du, a local snake, Guan Ping does not need to disperse his troops to stabilize the area and ensure food routes, he can just move forward at the fastest speed.
As a result, the Taishan Army was one day ahead of the Yulin Army, and it took only two and a half days to reach Mengjin Ferry. They deployed their troops along the river and were ready to cross the river at any time.
With such a sharp sword hanging over his head, how could Cao Cao dare to make any unnecessary moves? Let alone saving Hulaoguan, Chenggao, and Yanshi, it would be fine if he didn't ask for help there.
Cao Cao originally hoped that Wang Yu would divide his troops and return to Gaotang to help Gaotang, so that he could defend Luoyang for a while and wait for Jingzhou soldiers and horses to come to the rescue and Xu Tu to recover. Unexpectedly, Wang Yu didn't even look at Gao Tang, but just chased after him.
In desperation, he had no choice but to abandon Luoyang and go south, using Jingzhou as his base instead.
Going to Guanzhong is also a way. There, he can rely on the assistance of Yizhou and follow the example of Qin. However, Guanzhong was too dilapidated to be operated as a long-term foundation. Ma Chao and others from Xiliang had defected to Wang Yu, and it was easy to be attacked from both sides. Strategically speaking, Guanzhong and Jingzhou are too far away and can easily be cut off from them. At that time, it will become trapped in the pass.
After weighing it, he still felt that retreating to Jingzhou was the safest option.
Although Jingzhou also has Liu Biao causing trouble in the rear, Jingzhou can contact Yizhou to the west and Jiangdong Army to the east to respond. If managed properly. Maybe I can't fight Wang Yu on this basis.
Cao Cao left Liu Fu and Lu Chang to guard Luoyang to cut off his own power. He also sent orders to Cao Hong and Zhong Yao, telling them that they did not need to defend Chang'an and did not need to expend troops to maintain the passage with Jingzhou. They could abandon Luoyang if necessary. Retreat to Fufeng or even Hanzhong.
In short, it is to put a nail in the enemy's back so that the opponent cannot relax his vigilance at all times. This will also help drag Yizhou into the battlefield as soon as possible and share the pressure from Jingzhou and Jiangdong.
Of course, Cao Cao¡¯s greatest hope lies on the Eastern Front. Since Wang Yu does not return reinforcements, our side still has the upper hand on the eastern front. Once a breakthrough is achieved, Luoyang's gains and losses will not be so fatal.
In addition to the strategic situation, there is another important reason that forced Cao Cao to abandon Luoyang and take a big step back, and that was the news released by Qingzhou that he wanted to surrender.
Cao Cao is not someone who gives up easily unless he can use this as a bargaining chip. Use a delaying strategy to stabilize Wang Yu, otherwise he would not start negotiations with Wang Yu at all. But the problem is, if he doesn't want to, others may not think so.
It is said that when a tree falls and a building is about to collapse, people's hearts are easily scattered. When hearing such rumors again, the morale of the military will be greatly shaken.
¡° Take those who surrendered as an example, Huo Xing and Lu Tong were both from well-known families, so they would not have surrendered so easily. But Wang Yu surrendered to Cao Cao. Once the news of forgetting the past spread, these people immediately lost their scruples and did not worry about being liquidated afterwards.
Jingzhou was originally a newly-attached place, and Wang Yu could also use the Huang and Pang families to appease and communicate with him. If Cao Cao continued to hold on in Luoyang. It's easy for a fire to break out in the back garden, and he would really be homeless by then.
More than half a year ago, Cao Cao conquered Guanzhong and Jingzhou successively, and his power expanded several times. With an army of 100,000, he marched north to Luoyang in high spirits, hoping to compete with Wang Yu and dominate the world.
Who would have thought that after such a short period of time, he would be forced to escape from Luoyang. Less than 30% of the civil servants and generals accompanying him were left, and there were only 3,000 disabled soldiers and horses. How could it be described as desolate.
After taking one last look at Luoyang City, he turned his head resolutely and prayed wholeheartedly for Sun Ce and Xia Houyuan.
In the end, the only thing that may become a turning point in the war is the Eastern Front battlefield. If we win, we can still play this game. If the reasons are not harmonious No matter how we arrange it, I am afraid that it will only be a mantis arm blocking the cart. When the time comes, will it really be possible? can only
Thinking of Wang Yu¡¯s original words when he released the prisoners and conveyed them back, Cao Cao suddenly found that he was inexplicably shaken. If he surrenders, his life-long ambitions will certainly become a dream, but he will be able to preserve his family and still have the opportunity to display his talents. Maybe he can
No, no matter who I am, how can I be inferior to others? He shook his head vigorously, as if to get rid of these weird thoughts from his mind, which made the staff around him surprised, and then they all lamented: It's just that the situation is unfavorable, now even the lord is not normal, this The future is really dark.
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"My father-in-law, do you really not care?" In mobilizing public opinionBefore, Wang Yu was making final confirmations with Lu Bu.
"Who do you think she is? A woman with a small belly? If you want to recruit Cao Mengde, just do it. What does it have to do with me? Why do you ask me?" Lu Bu waved his hand and the boss said impatiently.
"My father-in-law is a great example. He is indeed a role model for our descendants."
"Don't do this." Lu Bu looked up at his son-in-law and asked suddenly: "But the promise you made seems a bit excessive, right? Cao Cao is a cunning fellow. I'm afraid you can't deceive him by just saying nice words. of."
"Where did you start talking about this? My son-in-law is also the leader of the party, so how can he lie to others?" Wang Yu spread his hands, looking innocent.
"Hmph, how many people have you deceived?" Lu Bu snorted coldly and said, "I'm just surprised that you actually granted him the position of prime minister Then where are you going to put Tian Yuanhao?"
"Is this what you are talking about?" Wang Yu suddenly smiled and said: "Of course Yuan Hao has another appointment. My father-in-law doesn't know. Although Yuan Hao is highly talented, he is too square. The main contradiction in Qingzhou in the past External affairs must be managed internally with the most efficient means of thunder, but in the peaceful years, internal affairs cannot remain tense and must be relaxed and relaxed. My son-in-law plans"
"You don't have to tell me these things." Lu Bu got a headache when he heard these complicated matters. He waved his hand to stop Wang Yu from talking: "Anyway, I understand what you mean. You just want to bring Cao Cao over to be a cow and a horse. Wait. After you finish using it, just make room for those little guys like Kong Ming and Shi Yuan, right?"
"You can't say that. The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and a wave of new people replaces the old ones. This is a normal natural law, and it is not something deliberately done by my son-in-law."
"If you talk too much, it's all in vain if that guy is so determined to ignore you?" Lu Bu's tone contained a hint of schadenfreude. It wasn't that he wanted to tear Wang Yu down, he was just unhappy when he saw Wang Yu's look of having everything under control.
"That's not necessarily true. He still has the Eastern Front to count on, but if the Eastern Front loses, what will happen?"
"Are you so confident? Are you still expecting to turn defeat into victory?" Lu Bu looked at Wang Yu with doubt on his face.
"Who can say for certain about the danger of war? But now, we can only trust Wen Yuan and the others, right?" Wang Yu raised his head and looked east leisurely, his voice without any fluctuation.