Chapter 350 Jieting Grand Stage

"The Cao general named Zhang He on the opposite side seems to be trying to cheat.

When Ma Chao said this in an unquestionable tone, Ma Dai's hand paused, and his expression was a little happy.

He has followed Ma Chao since he was a child, so he is very familiar with his brother's fighting style, which is very much in the style of Qiang cavalry:

There is no problem that cannot be solved by the cavalry charge.

If there is, the cavalry will turn around and charge again.

It is with this tactic that his brother can issue an order and thousands of Qiang will follow.

But Ma Dai knows better that this tactic is not always successful.

After all, not all places can be as successful as Yongliang. , which can allow cavalry to charge recklessly.

Not to mention those Han generals who are familiar with military strategies.

The defeat at Tongguan is still before our eyes, but such a powerful Cao army was defeated in Jingxiang, which shows that there are many factors that can affect and determine the outcome.

Now seeing his brother begin to change, Ma Dai is sincerely happy.

Ma Chao did not notice how excited Ma Dai was when he left.

Moving his butt closer to the charcoal stove, Ma Chao stretched his body comfortably to dry the sweat on his body faster.

At the same time, he carefully recalled what Mr. Jian had said before.

"General, you will most likely meet two Cao generals on this trip."

"One is Xu Huang, Xu Gongming. This general governs the army with punishment, is feared by the soldiers, can enforce discipline, defend like a mountain, and attack like wildfire."

"One is Zhang He, Zhang Junyi. This general is smart and flexible, can make decisions on the spot, can make strategies to win, is good at setting up camps, and can make changes when facing the enemy. "

Ma Chao remembered very clearly that when Mr. Jian talked about the two of them, his face was full of wisdom and radiant.

After arriving at Jieting, it was just as Mr. Jian said that it was Zhang He who intended to break through Jieting.

Ma Chao could not say that he was familiar with Zhang He, after all, if you count carefully, Zhang He seemed to be there when he fought with Cao Cao in Tongguan.

But at that time, the Yongliang coalition and the Cao army added up to more than 100,000 people, and Zhang He was not an unparalleled general, so it was difficult to stand out on such a battlefield.

But now, after two days of fighting in Jieting, watching Zhang He retreat at every turn, Ma Chao became more convinced of Mr. Jian's judgment.

Although the Cao army under Zhang He's command could not be called elite, it was definitely not a mediocre army.

Zhang He himself was more He followed Yuan Shao to defeat Gongsun Zan, and was no stranger to fighting cavalry.

Later, he changed sides in the Battle of Guandu. If he was a mediocre general, then most of the generals could be called stupid and foolish.

Thinking of what Mr. Jian said, Ma Chao understood more and more.

Zhang He was now trying to "see the opportunity and change cleverly" and "change in the face of the enemy" to win.

After sorting out his thoughts, Ma Chao did not hesitate to let Ma Dai lead the scouts to investigate.

He was not a mediocre general. Since Mr. Jian had explained the two's military habits to him, it was equivalent to telling him the method of defeating the enemy.

As Ma Chao expected, Ma Dai reported at dusk:

"Brother, the Cao army has set up camp on the South Mountain.

Ma Chao touched his chin, went out of the tent and climbed the low watchtower to look.

Jieting itself was a small county town, but it had been destroyed because of the war, and the people had fled to nearby Lueyang to live.

The terrain is a river between two mountains, and the river is close to the foot of the South Mountain, so the wide part is located at the foot of the North Mountain. Ma Chao and Zhang He both camped here, occupying the east and west respectively.

These two mountains are called mountains, but in fact they are not much different from hills.

"How big is the military camp on the mountain? Can it accommodate the entire army at the foot of the mountain?" Ma Chao asked.

Ma Dai thought about it and shook his head:

"The military camp is not big, it seems that it can accommodate more than 2,000 people at most."

Ma Chao lowered his head and pondered for a while, and ordered:

"Just be careful to scout at dusk, and don't alarm Cao's army."

Ma Dai nodded and asked:

"Brother, do you have a way to defeat the enemy?"

Ma Chao laughed and scolded:

"Just do it."

Then Jieting seemed to fall into a strange calm.

Ma Chao went out of the camp every day to invite battles, and Zhang He also accepted the battles every time, but they all collapsed at the first touch.

The Qiang cavalry was restless and wanted to pursue, but they were stopped by Ma Chao, and there were complaints in the army.

With small victories every day, Ma Chao's camp line unconsciously moved forward a little bit every day.

But now it was cold and hard, and the newly built camp lines were not as solid as before. The crooked wooden stakes could be seen from the appearance.

Ma Chao seemed to be unaware of all this, but occasionally looked up at the hills, thinking.

Zhang He in the Cao army camp did not look depressed, and his eyes were hot as he watched the slowly advancing front of Ma Chao's camp.

After another day of fighting, Ma Chao's camp line moved forward a little bit.

Looking at the enemy camp that was already in a rush, Zhang He made up his mind:

"We can't delay any longer, we will decide the outcome tomorrow!"

But after a while, a soldier came to report:

"General, there is smoke rising from the enemy camp."

The deputy general next to him was about to scold him, what's there to say about just smoke?

But Zhang He had already stood up in fear:

"Not good! Send an order quickly, and be on guard in the southern camp!"

But Ma Chao was more decisive. After playing with Zhang He today, as the sun gradually set, Ma Chao took the initiative to order people to cook.

After the confused Qiang cavalry had eaten, Ma Chao personally beat the drum to gather the troops. After the Qiang cavalry had mounted their horses, Ma Chao rushed to the front:

"Yongliang men, follow me to attack!"

Zhang Hexiu's military camp is very capable. The many defense lines are designed to resist the cavalry, which seems to be a headache. This shows that this general really knows how to deal with the cavalry after he accompanied Yuan Shao to conquer Gongsun Zan.

But unfortunately, Ma Chao had no intention of attacking this military camp.

With the boss taking the lead, the Qiang cavalry turned into a torrent. Under Zhang He's disbelieving eyes, they easily stepped onto the hill and headed towards the ambush camp hidden behind the hill.

This was an unexpected surprise attack. Ma Chao could even clearly see the shocked look on the face of Cao Bing who was closest to him.

So Ma Chao finally smiled, but this time his smile was very reserved. So what if Mr. Jian praised Zhang He for his cleverness and his ability to devise strategies to win? Didn't he still stumble upon him?

If Ma Chao's guess is correct, Zhang He must have planned to send out two battalions to support each other in the early morning tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to defeat the Qiang cavalry.

Because the street pavilion where he is currently stationed runs east-west, and Ma Chao is in the west, Zhang He is in the east. It is extremely disadvantageous for him to face Cao Jun in the early morning while looking directly at the sun.

This is also the reason why Ma Chao told Ma Dai to conduct reconnaissance at dusk and choose to send troops at dusk. At this time, the sun was behind them, and Cao Jun would have to look directly at the sun to fight the Qiang cavalry if they were to attack.

As for Zhang He, does he have any more solid plans? Ma Chao had no way of knowing.

He no longer planned to wait any longer. It was enough to approach the foot of the mountain as Zhang He wanted.

Because these so-called hills are nothing to the Qiang cavalry!

The mounts of the Qiang cavalry are not Liangzhou horses. These Yongliang horses, which are one head shorter than the Liangzhou horses, are slower and shorter, and therefore lighter in weight. They can run more nimbly and cross mountains and ridges as if they were walking on flat ground.

Every time the Qiang and Hu invade the land of Sanfu, the ability to come and go freely depends on the advantages of horses, and this is the time when the strengths of Qiang cavalry are brought into play!

Logically speaking, Ma Chao's upward attack is at a disadvantage, while Cao's army is at an advantage if they base their camp on the hill.

But these advantages and disadvantages were not enough to make up for the numerical difference between the eight thousand Qiang cavalry and the three thousand Cao army.

Before the sun had completely set, Cao's camp on the hill had been breached.

Faced with the huge disparity in strength, Cao's army had no choice but to surrender, and then was robbed of everything by the Qiang cavalry who were prone to robbery.

Looking at the cheerful Qiang cavalry and Cao Jun's barely clothed soldiers, Ma Chao was speechless.

He ordered the leader of the Qiang cavalry to return Cao Jun's warm clothes. Before Ma Chao could order the army to assemble, he received news from Ma Dai:

"Zhang He escaped?"

Ma Dai said with a pity look on his face:

"Not long after my brother sent out troops, Cao's army broke camp and retreated. When I came up, they had already withdrawn from the street pavilion."

Ma Chao was stunned and speechless, and finally shook his head and laughed:

"The meaning of clever change, so that's how it is... Is it good to save your life?"

In fact, after Mr. Jian provided the information, Ma Chao did not feel that he would lose this battle.

He arrived at Jieting earlier and was more familiar with Jieting. Moreover, his Qiang cavalry were more familiar with Yongliang. He even had more troops than his opponent. How could he lose?

The only pity is that Zhang He didn't have the determination to fight.

When Ma Dai heard for the first time that Cao's army was building a camp on the mountain, Ma Chao thought that Zhang He wanted to move the entire army to higher ground and then lure him to attack.

If this is the case, we only need to encircle but not attack, and then we can completely annihilate the enemy when they are defeated.

It's a pity that Zhang He is obviously not that stupid. At this moment, knowing that the camp will be lost, he simply retreats without saving it, which is extremely decisive.

"Brother, what should we do next?" Ma Dai asked.

Ma Chao had no hesitation about this and laughed out loud:

"Chase!"

"Now Pocao, of course we will pursue him!"

"Just as Cao Jun chased me last year, I will chase him back this year!"

The Qiang cavalry agreed with a bang, and the atmosphere was extremely heated for a while.

For the Qiang and Hu people, it has nothing to do with them.

The Qiang riders now know only two things:

They want to exact equal revenge on Cao Jun and then plunder them all!

At the same time, in the Cao army camp on the Linwei battlefield.

Du Xi opened the tent door and came in, bringing in a gust of cold wind that made the flames of the charcoal stove sway. Zhang Ji was so frightened that he hurriedly got up and stretched out his hands to protect him.

But looking at Du Xi's heavy expression, Zhang Jiejian also guessed:

"General Xiahou is still unwilling to retreat?"

Du Xi was still very graceful, but at this time the smile on his face had turned into a bitter smile.

Choosing to sit on the side away from the tent, Du Xi breathed twice to get rid of the cold air in his lungs, and then reached out to the charcoal stove to get some heat.

Then he said a little irritably:

"After Zhang Fei succeeded in the sneak attack that day, General Xiahou's mood became a bit wrong..."

As he said this, Du Xiye calculated in a low voice:

"It is now late February. Judging from the time, the lord's army has already set off. At this time, even if Zhang Fei returns to help Wancheng, it is already too late."

"In this case, we can retreat. Although we cannot attack Linwei, if we retreat and have a strength advantage, the bandit army will not be able to stop it."

"Why did General Xiahou..."

Sighing, Du Xi and Zhang Ji looked at each other with sad faces.

It is common knowledge that we can no longer fight anymore.

Linwei was only a small city, and it took more than ten days to capture it, but the commander almost died.

And Du Xi still remembers Zhang Fei's thunderous "Zilong" sound.

He clearly remembered the cavalry that charged like lightning in the river valley.

But after General Xiahou came here, the cavalry never showed up, which made Du Xi feel as if there was a heavy weight on his heart.

Du Xi was not stupid. He felt that the roles of Cao and Liu had been reversed outside Linwei City.

If he didn't leave now, it would be too late.

So after hesitating for a while, Du Xi stood up again:

"De Rong, why don't you go with me to see General Xiahou."

"That's right!" Zhang Ji also stood up without hesitation.

Although the two had conflicts before, it seemed unimportant now.

It was related to the life and death of the army, and now General Xiahou had to be persuaded to treat it with caution.

The two went out of the tent together, and the cold air that hit them made them wrap their clothes tightly.

It was almost March now. The temperature was still acceptable at noon, but it was still very cold at night.

It was the same in the military camp now. Except for the necessary guards, everyone else tried to hide in the tent and huddled together beside the charcoal basin.

Du Xi was no longer surprised, but Zhang Ji frowned a little:

"If you are so lazy, if the enemy army attacks..."

"Ha... De Jong is joking."

Du Xi wanted to laugh, but a mouthful of cold wind filled his mouth. He could only wrap up his fur coat and whispered:

"I'm afraid I can't hold my weapons in such weather, so how can I attack at night?"

"Can't everyone in the enemy army wear fur coats?"

But before Du Xi finished speaking, he heard a commotion coming from the main gate.

This made the two of them nervous.

After just two breaths, a familiar thunderclap sounded:

"Xiahou Yuan escaped! Cao's army was defeated!"

This familiar shout made Du Xi's face pale in an instant, as if he had been powdered in the night.

Along with this loud shout came the soldiers' voices, which were smaller, and they shouted together:

"Xiahou Yuan has escaped! Cao's army has been defeated!"

Zhang Ji was the first to react, and he dragged Du Xi away without saying anything:

"General Du, where is General Xiahou's tent?"

Du Xi already felt a chill spreading from his heart, and he raised one hand to point the direction:

"Go straight... one hundred steps."

"Excuse me." Zhang Ji did not hesitate, and dragged Du Xi and ran.

Du Xi saw that the soldiers in the tents along the way kept sticking their heads out with confused faces to see what happened, and they were obviously sleepy on their faces:

After all, it was so cold today, and if they wanted to have a better night, they would just sleep around the charcoal stove.

That was why Du Xi was particularly confused: how could the enemy army take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack?

At the same time, he also saw Zhang Ji dragging him while shouting loudly, asking the soldiers not to panic, and to quickly get ready and move towards the central army flag. General Xiahou will meet the enemy with them!

Du Xi even had the leisure to admire in his heart:

Zhang Derong was born in poverty, but he remained calm in the face of danger and had the style of a general!

Following Du Xi's guidance, Zhang Ji rushed into the central army tent without saying anything, but it seemed like he hit his head against a wall.

When he looked up, he saw Xiahou Yuan, who was already wearing simple armor, with his hair and beard standing up and looking at the main gate with an angry face.

Seeing Zhang Ji sitting on the ground, Xiahou Yuan pointed casually:

"Beat the drum! Follow me to kill the enemy!"