Chapter 685 Cao Jun Crosses the River

Liu Ye frowned and sighed: "Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."

Qinghe County, ten miles east of Zhangjia River.

Tap tap tap!

The sound of dense footsteps sounded, and nearly ten thousand Cao troops formed a strict military formation in the wilderness, approaching Zhangjia River. These Cao troops had been marching for fifty miles continuously. Some of them were elite veterans. It can be said that some recruits have never experienced this kind of hardship. At this moment, he was sweating profusely and even walked with a slight limp.

There is a flag with the word "Cao" standing in the middle of Cao's army. Under the flag, General Cao is riding a war horse, wearing armor and carrying a long sword. His face is like stone, his eyebrows are short and thick, and his lips are pursed. At first glance, Then they found out that he was a man with a bad temper. He was Cao Hong, the commander-in-chief of Cao's army and Cao Cao's younger brother.

Cao Hong took off the iron helmet on his head, raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and cursed the weather in a low voice.

"How far is it from Zhangjia River?" Cao Hong asked impatiently.

The deputy general next to him said respectfully: "General, there is about ten miles ahead, and we will reach Zhangjia River."

The heat was unbearable for the lieutenant general, and the liquid flowed into his eyes. He wiped it with his hand and said, "General, our brothers have already traveled fifty miles. Why don't we take a rest and then cross the river again?"

"Um?"

Cao Hong raised his eyebrows and shouted: "No! After crossing the Zhangjia River, make a fire to cook and continue marching."

Cao Hong was the commander-in-chief and a younger brother of Cao Cao's clan. Naturally, the deputy general did not dare to refute, so he had to ride his horse out to announce the order.

"brothers!"

The lieutenant galloped forward and shouted: "We will reach Zhangjia River in ten miles. Please hold on. As long as we cross Zhangjia River, we can take off our armor and make a fire to cook."

Hearing that they could rest ten miles away, although Cao Cao's nearly ten thousand troops were a little tired, they gritted their teeth and marched faster.

Cao Hong touched the short beard under his chin with satisfaction and said with a smile: "My lord, look at the plum blossoms to quench my thirst. I, Cao Zilian, will look at the river to quench my thirst today, hahaha."

Nearly ten thousand Cao troops marched faster. As the distance got closer and closer, they seemed to be able to hear the sound of water waves in Zhangjia River. Many Cao soldiers swallowed their saliva excitedly, imagining the clear and sweet water in the river, and accelerated their pace.

Cao Hong sat on the horse and looked around. He saw the mighty Zhangjia River crossing the earth from north to south, like a jade belt inlaid in the wilderness, and like a piece of silk falling from the Tianhe River to the world. Cao Jun in the front row The soldiers even cheered uncontrollably.

"These bastards!"

Cao Hong laughed and scolded, and then ordered: "Order the whole army to cross the river and make a fire to cook after crossing the Zhangjia River."

"After you've had enough wine and food, lead your troops north and take Liao County first!"

The deputy general on the side reminded: "General, do you want to send sentries to detect the movements of the enemy troops around us? It would be bad if the enemy troops take advantage of our troops to cross the river and attack them halfway across the river."

"Yes." Cao Hong nodded and said in approval, "That's good. Order the soldiers to rest where they are, and the sentries will go out to explore the surroundings."

"The entire army rests where it is, and must not disrupt the formation!"

The nearly 10,000 soldiers of Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief. They stood still with their legs and their bodies relaxed. Although they still maintained their posture, they had lost much energy. After a long journey, the army was often very physically exhausted. , Generally speaking, it is impossible to defeat an army that is waiting for work.

But there are exceptions, and that is when the enemy is unprepared: for example, when Deng Ai destroyed Shu, he unexpectedly crossed the Yinping Trail, scaring Liu Chan to surrender directly; the same was true for Cao Cao's expedition to Wuhuan, and Tian Chou, who was familiar with the local geography, led Cao's army. , Cao Jun came out of Lulong fortress and appeared in Liucheng like a divine soldier descending from heaven. Tadun was caught off guard and was defeated, and was beheaded by Zhang Liao on the battlefield.

Many soldiers pulled at their armors, and steam came out of their armors. Wearing armors on such a hot day felt like being in a steamer.

Cao Hong is even hotter. The average soldier wears a layer of armor and a layer of cowhide. As a general in the army, Cao Hong wears sleeve armor, which weighs more than 20 kilograms. The top and bottom were enveloped in it.

However, Cao Hong took into account the general's demeanor and endured the intense heat. He sat on the horse motionless, raising his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead from time to time.

It seemed that even the air had become dry. Cao Hong's face turned from red to black, his eyebrows were furrowed, and he was becoming more and more impatient.

"Report!"

Tap tap tap!

A Cao Jun sentry rider galloped back, dripping with sweat, and even the horse under his crotch was covered in sweat.

"No trace of the enemy has been found. There seems to be no trace of large groups of enemy troops nearby." The sentry rider happily reported back.

"Great, hurry up and cross the river!"

"Yeah, hurry up and set up camp across the river, and then wash yourself off, but it's so hot."

Many of Cao's troops were impatient and started shouting.

But Cao Hong shook his head.

"Wait a minute, the rest of the Sentinels haven't come back yet."

Cao Hong insisted on waiting, but Cao's nearly ten thousand soldiers did not dare to object, so they had no choice but to wait with Cao Hong, and they could not help but feel resentful. However, some Cao soldiers felt that Cao Hong did the right thing. If the enemy really planned to attack him halfway across the river, it would be too late to regret it.

"Zi Lian, as a general, you cannot make a decision alone. You need to think twice before acting. Remember this."

Recalling Cao Cao's instructions, Cao Hong nodded slightly.

Soon after, the remaining sentry riders rushed back one after another, but no trace of the large enemy troops was found.

"Um."

Cao Hong nodded, waved his hand and ordered: "The army crosses the river!"

"oh!"

Nearly ten thousand soldiers of Cao Cao smiled happily, rolled up their trousers one after another, pulled each other to prevent being washed away by the current, and then walked into the river one by one.

Row after row, Cao Jun walked into the Zhangjia River like ducks down the river and trudged towards the other side of the river. The originally clear Zhangjia River suddenly became a little turbid. You must know that in ancient times, ordinary people rarely took a few baths throughout the year, especially those in the army. It was difficult for tens of thousands of troops to drink water, let alone bathe in river water.

Moreover, the army marched all day long, sweating profusely every day, and everyone was extremely dirty. Now when they walked in the water, a lot of the mud on their bodies was naturally washed away by the current.

However, Sergeant Cao didn't take it seriously. The dirty water would naturally be washed away, and the clear water from upstream would naturally flow down. The river's self-purification ability is still very strong.

Sergeant Cao's soldiers in the first row held hands and placed their wet feet on the ground on the other side, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

After the first row of Cao's soldiers came ashore, Cao's soldiers who followed also came ashore. After a while, nearly one-fifth of Cao's soldiers had boarded the other side, and one-fifth of Cao's soldiers were crossing the river. The remaining five Three-thirds remained on the east bank of the Zhangjia River, including Cao Hong himself.