Thousands of troops retreated, but a general came back against the current. He was Jiangdong Menghu, Sun Wentai.
At this time, Sun Jian had reached the end of his strength.
When Li Hu's entire army was attacking, Sun Jian was still fighting with Yan Gang. One of them was a hero from the North, and the other was a warrior from Jianghuai, and each was a leader at the time.
Yan Gang was proficient in bow and horse, and Sun Jian was superb in skills. But after all, the former was not as good at fighting as the latter. If Sun Jian had not already had the intention to leave, Yan Gang might have been killed by him several times.
Later, when Sun Jian's troops were exhausted and retreated, Sun Jian knew that he could not delay it any longer.
He used the iron armor on his chest to give Yan Gang a hard blow, and then chopped off Yan Gang's horse with one blow of his sword. Then he raised the sword directly and struck Yan Gang's body with a blow.
If Yan Gang hadn't been wearing an iron mask with this blow, his cheek would have been cut in half. But now, even though he was protected by an iron mask, Yan Gang's face was still covered in blood.
This blow failed to kill Yan Gang, and Sun Jian ignored him. Instead, he returned directly to his red horse and began to ride towards Cheng Pu and Han Dang, who were still fighting bravely.
But after just one glance, Sun Jian's eyes widened. It turned out that Generals Cheng Pu and Han Dang were gone, and even the flags representing their establishment were slowly falling.
On the battlefield, the last two organized units of Sun Jian were also collapsing.
For a moment, Sun Jian was in a daze. He looked at the soldiers and horses he had accumulated falling apart by the Zhang River. Seeing the people he knew well being slaughtered, he screamed in pain:
"Is it because God wants to destroy me, Sun Jian, and bury me and all my brothers here?"
After saying that, he immediately spurted out blood.
This vomit also made Sun Jian slump on his horse, no longer as high-spirited as before.
Just when Sun Jian was sullen and ready to be buried together with Pao Ze as ghosts by the Zhang River, the red horse he was sitting on suddenly started running wildly.
The red horse carried Sun Jian all the way and ran directly towards the glacier to the north of the battlefield.
"Kachacha..."
As soon as Chi Su hit the ice, there was a sound like a cracking glacier.
At this time, Sun Jian was already in despair. He recalled the origin of his red horse and felt a trace of regret in his heart.
It was bought from the horse market in Xiapi when Sun Jian was still serving as the commander of Xiapi, when he was recruiting Jianghuai children to join the army.
At that time, he saw that the horse was strong and strong, so he spent a thousand gold to buy the horse. After buying the horse, he returned to the military camp. At that time, his colleague Jin Cao from Xiapi, Changpi, came to visit him to support him.
Pi Shi was a well-known horse physiognomist in Xiapi. When he heard that Sun Jian spent a thousand catties on a good horse, he naturally wanted to see more. So Sun Jian asked Pi Shi to come up and take a closer look.
But who knew that Pi Si only stepped forward to take a look and remained silent. Sun Jian knew something was wrong, so he had Chi Su pulled out of the hall, and then he and Pi Si sat down again.
As soon as the two sat down, Sun Jian couldn't wait to ask:
"Why is Pi Jun silent?"
Pi'er twisted his long beard hanging down his chest, hesitated for a moment, and then said truthfully:
"This horse is a thousand-mile horse and a rare war horse embryo. With a little training, it will definitely be a weapon for the generals to fight on the battlefield."
The more Pi Shi said this, the more Sun Jian knew that the person behind him had a problem.
Sure enough, after a little preparation, Pi Shi said:
"Sun Jun, have you noticed that the area between his lips and nose is black? And there is also a natural "fire" character between his nose and lips?"
Sun Jian hurried out of the hall and took a look at the red horse tied to the horse stake. After careful inspection, he immediately discovered that there was a pattern between the nose and lips of the horse, which was shaped like the word "fire".
This place was too hidden. If Pier hadn't pointed it out, he might not have noticed it even after riding for several years.
At this time, Pi Shi had also left the court, and Sun Jian hurriedly asked:
"Pi Jun, what does this fire pattern mean?"
This time, Pi'er no longer hesitated, but said straightforwardly:
"A horse with this pattern will be a hindrance to its owner."
"Hindering the Lord?"
Sun Jian was startled and asked again.
Pi Xie twirled his long beard and explained:
"I advise Sun Jun to get rid of this horse. Soon you will be in a fierce battle. This ominous matter should be avoided if possible."
After hearing this, Sun Jian was speechless for a moment.
After a long while, he forced a smile:
"Since this horse is in the way of the master, if I retreat, won't it be a disaster for others? If I don't kill them, they will die because of me. Although I, Sun Jian, cannot be said to be benevolent or righteous, I can be righteous.
Words, Sun thinks he can still get them."
What he said made Pi Si a little unhappy.
He was persuading with good intentions, but who knew that Sun Jian would actually pretend to be with him? Didn't his words make him the kind of villain who puts blame on others?
With this thought in his mind, Pi'er's enthusiasm waned. In the end, he just said one sentence and thought it was all about his colleague.
He said calmly:
"I am not lying, but this horse is not a pack horse, let alone a war horse. In fact, this horse is destined to be a draft horse. It is not suitable for the battlefield, only suitable for farmland. This is its purpose
Fate.”
Sun Jian felt uncomfortable after listening to Pi's words.
What does it mean to be born to be a draft horse but not a war horse? Could this person be pointing to Sun Jian? It means that Sun Jian is a melon farmer by fate and should not expect to be crowned a prince or prime minister?
When Sun Jian thought about this and looked at the red horse, he fell in love with it. He didn't believe in fate with horses like this.
So Sun Jian laughed loudly, stroked the red horse, and said boldly:
"That tiger has a king's pattern, and this horse has a fire pattern. They all have good intentions. You said that this horse is destined to die in the fields, but I, Sun Jian, just don't believe it. Mr. Pi, we're here today. I
I still have military duties, so I don’t dare to stay any longer.”
After saying that, Sun Jian got on his horse and rode away.
Watching Sun Jian go away, Pi Shi sighed:
"Only the people who are under the supervision of Heaven will be sent to you for eternity or eternity. If they are not the people of Heaven, they will be doomed. Sun Jian, your fate has long been doomed."
…
At this time, Chi Sou was running wildly on the ice, and the ice around him was breaking. Sun Jian's life was hanging by a thread.
The ice on the Zhangshui River was actually very thick, but when Yu Jin stayed in Yecheng, considering the defense of the Zhangshui River, he ordered troops to be dug on both sides so that the Zhangshui River could still serve as Yecheng's external defense line.
Chi Sou carried Sun Jian and ran wildly on the ice. The ice surface was slippery, but Chi Sou was able to carry Sun Jian steadily all the way.
The winter rain is pouring down, getting heavier and heavier.
Sun Jian took off his outer armor, bare his arms, and hugged Chi Su's neck tightly. He had already pinned his fate on this horse, and he had guessed something.
"Hulonglong..."
There was another explosion of thunder.
Also from this thunder, a red lightning also jumped out.
That was Chi Sou carrying Sun Jian in a leap. It was obvious that it wanted to escape from this place with its master.
Chi Sou leaped in the air, raised his head to the sky and roared, as if he could roar away the low clouds.
It jumped to the north bank of Zhangshui.
But unfortunately, I don’t know if it was due to physical exhaustion or if the distance was indeed a bit far. Chi Su only landed on the bank with his front hooves and his rear half landed on the water.
Chi Sou pulled on the shore with all his strength and kept neighing at Sun Jian, as if urging him to get ashore quickly.
Finally, with tears in his eyes, Sun Jian climbed from the red horse's head to the north bank.
As soon as he rested on the ground, Chi Su slid feebly into the water and disappeared into the ice waves.
When Sun Jian saw his beloved horse like this, he cried at the top of his lungs.
It was also at this time that suddenly the heaven and earth began to shake.
An earthquake actually occurred in this battlefield.
Everyone lay prone on the ground and stopped fighting. Under the power of heaven and earth, humans are still the same ants.
…
The earthquake passed quickly, and the Taishan Army and others quickly put away their fear and cleaned up the battlefield.
But after the earthquake, Sun Jian disappeared.
In this battle, Taishan's army captured most of Sun Jian's officers. Except for Lu Fan, who died in the battle, the rest either surrendered after fighting hard or abandoned their troops in despair.
But when Li Hu and Zhang Zhen learned that Sun Jian had disappeared, and Yu Jin, who came from behind, could not find Sun Jian on the north bank, the great victory of this battle was still cast in a haze.
The battle at the Zhangshui River ended on November 12, but on this day, Zhang Chong's troops who were repairing in Chaoge were also having a heated discussion. The outcome of this military discussion also determined the final outcome of the Hebei battlefield.
evolution.
November 12, Chaoge.
This is already the third day after the Taishan Army captured the city. Thanks to the Taishan Army's excellent military discipline, everyone in the city has remained as secure as before.
On a snowy night of nine days, when Taishan's army broke through the city, news of a military coup in Qishui camp was also sent to Zhang Chong the day before.
The messengers came from the guards of Ding Sheng, the commander-in-chief of the Taishan Army's Western Expeditionary Army.
The letter stated that since the 10th, there had been unusual movements in the Han army camp on the south bank of Qishui River. Troops stationed nearby were constantly recalled to the camp, and then they never left again.
The action of the Han army to gather its forces surprised Ding Sheng on the other side, and he then kept a close eye on the actions on the other side.
Then on the 11th, the opponent suddenly began to retreat. Ding Sheng immediately led his troops to pursue him, but because the opponent had cut through the ice of Qishui, he was stopped in the north of the water.
Ding Sheng did not dare to reveal it, so he could only give the information to Zhang Chong at Chaoge first.
The unusual behavior of the Han army on the south bank of Qishui River caught Zhang Chong by surprise and disrupted Zhang Chong's original plan.
Just when he was holding a military meeting to discuss the matter with the generals.
In the wind and rain, an ox cart slowly drove into Chaoge from the northwest.
He is Xun You, the envoy sent by the Han army.
The purpose of Xun You's visit to Chaoge is very simple. He is to negotiate peace with Zhang Chong of Chaoge on behalf of the Han army in Henan. He wants the Taishan army to open up the southward passage. They are willing to return to Henan and live in peace with the Taishan army across the river.
That's right, the Henan Haoshi group is bold enough to negotiate peace with the rebels in private.
In fact, on the night of the 9th night, they planned to return to Chaoge on the next day to capture the Han army's arsenal and provisions in the city.
But soon the news of Chaoge City's destruction spread with the arrival of Liu Bei.
After Liu Bei conveyed his general's message to Chaoge City in a snowstorm for nine days and nights, he was unable to prevent Chaoge City from being destroyed.
Later, Liu Bei knew that the city was irreversibly destroyed, so he led Zhang Fei and others to the Han army camp in Qishui, preparing to invite reinforcements from the camp to help Chaoge.
But as soon as Liu Bei and others entered the camp, they were controlled, and finally Cao Cao and others took Qing Jun to his side.
In fact, Liu Bei and others were initially dragged out and beheaded simply because they were all from Hebei and were destined to be at odds with their Henan counterparts.
But they were rescued by Cao Cao. He regarded Liu Bei and Zhang Fei as good men, especially after knowing Liu Bei's righteous deed of supporting Chao Ge, he respected them even more.
So Cao Cao bailed and rescued Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and others. But the condition was that Zhang Wen's letters must be burned in front of everyone, including the letter to Zhang Rang.
Title.
Afterwards, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and others were taken to the barracks at the back and put under guard.
As soon as Liu Bei's side was pulled away, Cao Cao, Xun You and Huangfu Song began to discuss the future situation.
Now, the plan to fight back against Chaoge went bankrupt because the Taishan Army attacked Chaoge on a snowy night.
Not only are grain, fodder and armor unable to be replenished, but now even the passage south to the river is subject to flank attacks from the east. The situation is not uncritical.
It's not like they haven't thought of attacking Chaoge directly.
For example, Zhao Rong suggested that before the Taishan bandits had entered the city and were unable to suppress the whole city, they should immediately select light troops to go south.
Zhao Rong even hinted that he could choose Sun Jian's remaining soldiers as his dead soldiers, since he wouldn't feel bad if he died anyway.
However, Zhao Rong's suggestion was rejected by all the captains, including Huangfu Song.
Huangfu Song felt that the Taishan Army's series of military operations had been quite successful.
Just take the example of the attack on Chaoge on a snowy night. The attack was interspersed for hundreds of miles, and then went straight to the enemy's vital points.
This tactic can go down in history.
Facing such a powerful enemy, anyone who still thinks that they can annihilate the Taishan Army with one or two small strategies and cleverness is just talking nonsense.
As for the reasons for the opposition of many other captains, it is very simple. They all regard the strength of their own troops as their top priority.
Especially after experiencing what happened to Sun Jian and Feng Fang, they understand better the guarantee of survival in troubled times.
And how could they not understand Zhao Rong's thoughts?
For example, when he said that Sun Jian's remaining troops would be used as a forward for a light attack, it was not because when Sun Jian's remaining troops were divided this time, Zhao Rong was excluded due to identity issues.
Moreover, they also annexed many soldiers and horses in Hanoi this time. Do they have to give up these?
Thinking of using this method to damage their strength? Zhao Rong is thinking too easily.
In this way, the plan to lightly attack Chaoge was shelved. How to withdraw the troops later?
At that time, the school captain Chunyu Qiong suggested that Xun You should be sent as an envoy to Chaoge to discuss peace.
What he meant was, how could the Taishan Army gain anything from the fierce fighting for a long time? Especially when faced with the flanking attacks by the main Han armies in Hebei and Henan, the pressure was bound to be huge.
Now we are confessing to the Taishan Army and asking them to open up the southward passage. They promise not to interfere with the Taishan Army after returning to Henan.
Otherwise, as the saying goes, don't stop after returning to the army. If their retreat is disturbed, they may really have to fight their Taishan Army desperately.
Chunyu Qiong's suggestion is undoubtedly quite feasible.
Because the current situation on the battlefield in Hebei is a stalemate. The Taishan Army cannot attack Henan and Hebei. If the Henan soldiers are determined to leave, they can focus all their energy on Lu Zhi's Hebei Army.
To put it bluntly, Chunyu Qiong wanted to betray the Han army in Hebei, and he did it even more nakedly.
Everyone present knows these things.
They tacitly understood that there was no burden in their hearts for betraying people from Hebei. But Cao Cao frowned tightly.
Because he gave this product a different flavor.
Among the many captains present, they all actually represent a faction behind them.
For example, behind Chunyu Qiong who is speaking this is the Yuan family of Runan. He is a close friend of Yuan Shao, and his words and deeds all make people think deeply.
Among the six counties in Yuzhou, the most important ones are actually Runan and Yingchuan.
Among them, the representative family in Runan is the Yuan family, and the representative family in Yingchuan is the Xun family.
Now, due to the hatred of the party and the great loss of the strength of the Han Dynasty, the aristocratic families in Yuzhou have stood together under the influence of two internal and external factors, but this does not mean that there are no conflicts.
Let me just talk about the most important thing, that is, who will represent and who will unify the aristocratic families in Yuzhou?
Originally, this must belong to the Yuan family, but the Xun family also contributed a lot in this process, which caused some powerful people who were not easy to deal with the Yuan family to come to the Xun family, preparing to fight against the Yuan family.
This matter directly violated Yuan's taboo.
In fact, in the past few years, the Yuan family has made countless efforts and plans behind the scenes, just to soar into the sky amidst the chaos in the world.
But now there are many things that the Xun family has to do first. Isn't this a wedding dress for them?
no!
Then the blow came.
No, Chunyu Qiong suggested that Xun You should be sent as an envoy. This matter was very dangerous, because if you entered the enemy's cave alone, you would be cooked and killed if you were not satisfied.
So Cao Cao had to object if he wanted to. After all, Xun You was now his ally in the army. After all, he was a eunuch. Without Xun You as a bridge, he felt a little self-conscious.
But the strange thing is that everyone present seems to have acquiesced in this matter, meaning that Xun You was sent as an envoy.
This had to make Cao Cao wary, so he looked at Xun You, meaning that if he didn't want to, Cao Cao would definitely protect him to the death.
But Xun You didn't have any embarrassment and accepted the mission directly. Even when Cao Cao asked Xu Chu to take fifty tiger soldiers to escort Xun You to Chaoge, Xun You refused.
Finally, Xun You saw an ox cart staggering into Chaoge in the wind and snow to see what kind of commotion it would cause.
…
Before Xun You arrived, there was indeed intense discussion in Chaoge's military mansion about the upcoming war.
If the plan of the Han army in the Qishui camp was to attack Chaoge, then the Taishan army's plan after taking Chaoge before the war was to join forces with Ding Sheng's troops on the north bank to attack the Henan camp.
This is Zhang Chong's strategy. It seems to be to attack in the north and defend in the south, but in fact it is to show the Han army on the south bank of Qishui River. In fact, Zhang Chong made a test attack in the north from the beginning and launched a full blow in the south.
All this went smoothly after breaking into Chaoge.
But not long after entering the city, the plan changed.
That is, after learning from the prisoners in the city that a group of Han knights were actually outside the city before the battle, they alerted the guards in the north city, and then they led the team towards Qishui.
At this time, Zhang Chong knew that the plan to attack Qishui Camp could no longer be concealed, and there was no longer any surprise in attacking the camp.
In addition, the Taishan Army attacked in the snow and suffered frostbite on many troops, so Zhang Chong decided to repair it in Chaoge City.
The original plan was cancelled.
But on the third day, they received military information from Ding Sheng, and then they learned that something had happened to the Han army on the south bank of Qishui River.