Xinye City is located between Xiangyang City and Nanyang County’s capital Wancheng. If you attack Jingzhou from the Central Plains, Xinye is a must-pass place. A few years ago, Yuan Shu occupied Wancheng, and Xinye became the defense line in the northern part of Jingzhou.

When Gao Cheng did not attack Jingzhou, Xinye was personally guarded by general Wen Pin, but now all the generals in Jingzhou fell into the hands of the Yangzhou army. After Lu Dai led the army northward, there were no reinforcements outside Xinye. After the Yangzhou army approached the city, they decisively chose to open the city and surrender.

At this time, Lu Dai was on the wall of Xinye. He held the battlements and looked down with his eyes. He saw a large army of black under the city. The flag was waving and the evil spirit was everywhere. There were about 20,000 people wearing armor and riding war horses. They were the most elite cavalry among all the troops.

"I have heard that the general Xiahou Yuan under Cao Cao has the title of General Shenxing. It is indeed well-known. The marching speed is so fast. Fortunately, Xinye surrenders without fighting. Otherwise, when our army attacks the city wall, Xiahou Yuan suddenly appears and threatens our army's retreat, and then our army will be in danger!"

Lu Dai looked at the army below for a long time and couldn't help but make a praise. His praise was sincere. When he saw the 20,000 cavalry under Xiahou Yuan's command, he was still a little scared.

On the plain, even if he had an army of 100,000, he could not stop the charge of 20,000 cavalry. Since Gao Cheng raised his army in Lujiang, he has basically not encountered any defeat. He does not want to be the first general under the Yangzhou army to defeat the war.

"General, we still have more than 100,000 troops in our city, and the troops are still above the Cao army. Why not open the city gate and destroy Xiahou Yuan first? If we defend the city to the death, it will be unfavorable to the morale of the army!" Zhou Tai said from the side.

Since the Yangzhou army won consecutive battles and annexed the counties of Jingzhou, the soldiers of Yangzhou have become more arrogant and confident in their hearts. This momentum is good and bad, and if they want to become elite, this momentum is indispensable. But the military strategy is full of military tactics, arrogance will be defeated! Zhou Tai couldn't help but make this mistake at this time. The 100,000 Cao troops outside the city can be destroyed by his fingers.

Lu Dai has been a general in command for a long time, and he is calm by nature and does not have the arrogance and confidence in Zhou Tai's heart. He looked at the 20,000 cavalry again.

"Youping, the Cao army outside the city should not be underestimated. Some time ago in Shouchun, I heard that Cao Cao got a batch of war horses through his relationship with Jizhou, and selected elite cavalry in the army, known as the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry! The 20,000 cavalry outside the city should be the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!"

"Although we have more than 100,000 troops in our city, half of them are sailors who fight on warships all year round. If we leave the city to fight, there will be a lot of danger. After I report the battle to the lord, the lord ordered General Zhou Yu to lead a large army to support him. Before General Zhou arrives, we only need to guard this city!"

Lu Dai led the navy for many years and was proficient in siege and camping and commanding infantry, but his confidence was not enough. Now he did not seek to be incompetent, but only seek to be incompetent. After all, leading the army to win one after another and successfully take down Xinye was already great enough. There was no need to take risks for military achievements.

Zhou Tai looked at Lu Dai's firm expression and knew that he could not persuade him. The other party was the commander. He could only sigh and stare at the Cao army soldiers under the city with unwillingness.

...

"General Xiahou, Xinye has been occupied by Gao Cheng's army. What should we do now? Should we forcefully attack the city?" Under the city, a deputy cavalry general covered in armor asked Xiahou Yuan.

After so many years of training, Xiahou Yuan is no longer a soldier who only knew to follow Cao Cao to fight, but a general who can command a army.

He was called the General of God and had a somewhat impatient personality, but after seeing the Xinye City Wall and the Yangzhou soldiers who appeared vaguely on the city wall, he exhaled and said, "You can't attack the city. The army I brought this time is 20,000 elite cavalry, and how can I use cavalry to attack the city in the world? Apart from these 20,000 elite soldiers, other infantrymen cannot break through the Xinye City guarded by Lu Dai!"

"Thank you the news to your lord first and ask him to make a decision!"

Neither Xiahou Yuan nor Lu Dai acted rashly and passed on the news. Soon Cao Cao sent an order to ask Xiahou Yuan to stand on time, and the main army he led would arrive soon. He would never sit idly by and watch Gao Cheng annex Jingzhou so easily.

Yuan Shao, Hebei, Gao Cheng, Jiangnan. If both of them could fully control their territory, Cao Cao would be able to be sandwiched among the two princes, one south and one north, except for developing eastward, and there would be no possibility of rising.

Yuan Shao occupied Hebei, and the terrain of Hebei and the Central Plains was flat, which was conducive to cavalry assault. Cao Cao had no confidence at this time to compete with Yuan Shao's army with the newly trained Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

Yangzhou is located in Jiangdong and is good at boats and boats. He is definitely not very good at infantry combat and siege cities and villages. Therefore, Cao Cao wanted to take a try and use his tiger and leopard cavalry to assault and drive the Yangzhou army out of Xiangyang.

A few days later, the 250,000 army led by Cao Cao slowly arrived, but before Xiahou Yuan was excited, Zhou Yu also led more than 500,000 army north. He was very arrogant along the way, claiming to be a million-dollar army.

The army on both sides combined more than one million people, all gathered around Xinye.

After the two armies repaired each other for a day, Zhou Yu and Lu Dai led the army to leave the city and set up military formations on the fields outside the city. More than 600,000 troops covered the sky and the sun. On the vast plain, war horses neighed and crowded. The evil aura of so many soldiers condensed, scattering the clouds above the battlefield.

Opposite the Yangzhou army, Cao Cao's 350,000 troops also formed a formation. In the central army, Cao Cao, Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan and Cao Hong were in the middle, and there were generals Li Dian and Yu Jin, as well as a heavy-sized man holding a halberd.

"Lord, the Yangzhou army has too many troops! And it seems that they are experienced veterans. If the war starts, it will be very unfavorable to our army!" Cao Ren said with a solemn expression.

As soon as he said this, Xiahou Yuan and Cao Hong nodded repeatedly. No, the opponent's troops were twice as powerful as theirs. If they were new recruits, they would have the power to fight, but the opponent's army was so powerful that they could see that they were elites in a hundred battles at first sight. They could not fight hard against such a large army.

Yu Jin and Li Dian had never experienced so many soldiers and horses fighting. They were unsure and agreed with Cao Ren's statement.

Cao Cao was also a little solemn, but he had no worries on his face, but he raised his head and laughed. Then he said to the people around him as usual: "Zixiao said it well, but you have ignored the other party's biggest weakness!"

"Ah, what's the weakness?" Cao Ren asked hurriedly.

Cao Cao held a horse whip in his right hand, pointed to the tiger and leopard cavalry in armor beside him, and smiled and said, "The opponent's weakness is the cavalry! The tens of thousands of cavalry we have worked hard to train can break through ten thousand troops! Moreover, General Dian is the bravest of the three armies, and is a peerless military general. With him as the blade to take the lead in the attack, the power of tens of thousands of cavalry can be exerted ten times!"
Chapter completed!