Chapter 216 Li Jue is stunned! The way out was blocked by King Hongnong?
"Here comes someone."
"exist."
"Call Sun Jian to come here quickly. I have something important to say."
"promise."
The guard responded and promised.
Immediately.
Bow and leave.
Not long after.
Sun Jian came to the Chinese army's tent, bowed and raised his hands and said, "I wonder what your highness is calling the general to come here for?"
Liu Bian was too lazy to talk nonsense and said straight to the point: "I want you to lead troops to kill the Sishui Pass and rush to the aid of the allies in the direction of Yanjin. No matter what, they are all loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty."
"But......"
Sun Jian looked slightly troubled and said softly: "The general just took over the defense of Ximen this morning. Now he has dug a trap and is now leading his troops to leave?"
The task was arranged by Liu Bian himself. How could he not be clear about it: "Let's do this. You will temporarily hand over all the military affairs of Ximen to Cheng Pu, and you will lead your troops to rush to Sishui Pass."
"this......"
Sun Jian took a deep breath, and although he looked a little reluctant, he still nodded: "Okay, I will obey the king's order."
Liu Biandan smiled: "Now the main thing is to hold on to Luoyang, and there won't be a big war. I sent you to Sishui Pass to help the Allied forces in the direction of Yanjin. This is a military achievement in vain."
"Wen Tai."
Speaking of this, Liu Bian said with great interest: "I didn't let others go, but I ordered your general. You should be able to experience all the tastes."
If you think about it carefully, it is indeed true.
Sun Jian suddenly understood and hurriedly handed over his hand: "Your Highness, don't worry, the general will live up to his high expectations."
Liu Bian nodded: "In that case, quickly return to the camp and prepare to rush to Sishui Pass before noon."
Sun Jian handed over his hand again: "No."
"Report—!"
At this moment, a hurried announcement sounded outside the tent.
Liu Bian raised his eyes and looked.
When the curtain was raised, a soldier hurriedly entered the tent, leaned forward and said, "Your Highness, there is a war in the direction of the east gate. The Xiliang cavalry took advantage of us to dig a horse pit and tried to break out."
"East Gate?"
Liu Bian frowned: "But Deng Zhi is in charge?"
The soldier raised his hand and said, "Yes, it is Captain Deng."
In view of Deng Zhi's performance in the army, Liu Bian has officially promoted Deng Zhi to the rank of captain and handed over the entire Yuanyang Army to him to lead.
In this battle, although the Yuanyang Army suffered some damage at Goat'ao, the casualty rate was less than 10%. The current total strength of the Yuanyang Army is still more than 1,600 people.
"Walk!"
Liu Bian waved his hand: "Let's go and have a look."
The soldier nodded: "No."
Immediately.
Liu Bian Teng got up, bypassed the handsome man, and went straight to the outside of the tent.
Zhu Tong had already prepared his war horse and handed the reins to Liu Bian with both hands.
Liu Bian got on his horse, clamped the horse's belly with a force, and headed towards the east gate of Luoyang.
Behind him, the guards from the camp followed closely.
now.
Direction to the east gate of Luoyang.
The smoke and dust stirred, and the horses roared.
only......
The whistling sound of the horse sounds slightly sad.
Xiliang Xiaoqi crossed the bridge and broke into the iron pear array. Suddenly, a group of people fell on their backs.
Deng Zhi seized the opportunity and ordered the rattan soldiers to guard with shields. The spearmen, boring and palladium men, and wolves behind him immediately put on long bows and turned their horses towards the people. They were attacked and killed by a dense rain of arrows.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Thousands of arrows flew in the sky, and the dense arrows were like locusts. After drawing a perfect arc in the air, they were all covered in the turbulent smoke and dust.
In an instant, the wailing and the honking of horses were like thunder, exploding on the ground. The Xiliang knights who were about to rush forward to prevent the Yuanyang army from digging the horse pit reined in their horses and turned around, not daring to take half a step forward.
"Damn it! The thief actually threw iron pears before he fell into the horse pit."
"Is it possible that they expected that we would raid from the east gate?"
"The east gate is like this, and the west gate is probably the same."
"These damn guys!"
"..."
However......
Deng Zhi did not relax at all.
He waved his hand and gave a sonorous order: "Move forward."
All the soldiers responded in unison: "Promise."
But see...
The rattan soldiers stood up in unison, forming a rattan defense line, covering the soldiers and horses behind them, and slowly advanced.
When the smoke and dust gradually dispersed, dozens of surviving Xiliang knights galloped towards the Yuanyang army:
"kill-!"
The loud shouts of killing rang out.
Xiliang Xiaoqi walked on the corpse, holding the spear in his hand high into the sky.
They seemed to have put life and death aside, even though they knew they would die, they still wanted to fight to the death with the Yuanyang Army.
Xiyuxu!
The war horse raised its head and neighed.
Just when it jumped out of the iron pear formation and the horse's hooves stepped on the solid ground, its front hooves hit the wall of the pit, immediately breaking the balance of the horse's galloping.
I saw that under the action of inertia, the horse's buttocks rose to a terrifying height. It crossed the balance point, turned seven or eight somersaults on the spot, and then slid a certain distance. The man and the horse slid to the Yuanyang Army. before.
Phew! Phew! Phew!
The sound of piercing flesh was heard one after another, and the Yuanyang Army did not hesitate at all. More than ten spears and Huanshou knives were thrust into the Xiliang Xiaoqiu and war horses.
In an instant.
The neighing of the war horses was like thunder on the ground, exploding in the ears.
A plump war horse weighing hundreds of kilograms only flapping three or five times before dying. There was no movement, and only a pool of bright red juice was left, filling one small pit after another.
The horse pit is relatively shallow and less than one foot deep. It cannot stop the infantry from moving forward, but it can effectively prevent the cavalry.
More than 1,600 Yuanyang troops were dispatched. Taking advantage of the early morning light, they built thousands of horse traps in a short period of time, blocking all four bridges outside the east gate.
If you look down at the battlefield from a high altitude, you will see that the horse traps are as dense as stars and are five or six feet wide, far beyond the maximum distance that a war horse can reach in one leap.
Coupled with the iron pear formation that was about two feet wide before falling into the horse trap, the defense depth outside Luoyang's east gate actually reached an outrageous seven or eight feet!
With such a terrifying depth of defense, not to mention just a small cavalry team, even if thousands of elite cavalry are dispatched, it is impossible to get through easily. Coupled with Deng Zhi's strict defense, it can almost be called a death place for cavalry.
Looking at the defeated Xiliang Xiaoqi on the other side of the bridge, Deng Zhi raised the corners of her lips and broke into a faint smile:
"Deng Yi is in charge of guarding, and Deng Peng cleans the battlefield and pulls back all the dead horses. At noon today, our Yuanyang Army improved the food and the whole camp ate horse meat."
"Ho! Ho! Ho!"
The whole battalion soldiers cheered immediately.
Just as the generals were cleaning up the battlefield, people reported that King Hongnong went to the battlefield in person.
Deng Zhi turned around and looked.
As expected.
Not far away, King Hongnong reined in his horse and stood, staring at the battlefield.
How could Deng Zhi dare to hesitate? He rushed forward quickly and said, "I didn't know that Your Highness was coming. I missed you at a distance. I hope you will forgive me for my sin."
Liu Bian waved his hand and interrupted Deng Zhi: "Ignorance is not guilty. Besides, you are directing the battle. How can you ignore all the soldiers just because you are here alone? Get up."
Deng Zhi sighed secretly: "Thank you, Your Highness."
Liu Bidan smiled: "Bo Miao, you commanded very well. You repelled the Xiliang Xiaoqi's surprise attack with zero casualties. I am afraid that after this battle, they will not dare to come again easily."
"pity......"
Deng Zhi frowned slightly and joked: "Xiliang Xiaoqi is just a small team, and the damage does not exceed 200 cavalry. If a large group of cavalry comes, it will really be a complete victory."
Liu Bian looked at Deng Zhi with great interest: "I didn't expect you to be quite greedy."
Deng Zhi chuckled: "The general set up the formation according to the order, but it was based on the standard of thousands of cavalry. In the end, he only came with less than 200 cavalry. It was indeed overqualified and underused."
"You!"
Liu Bian took a long breath and shook his head: "The human heart is not as good as a snake swallowing an elephant. Remember to always remain in awe and never be complacent."
Deng Zhi held up his hand and said, "I will always remember His Highness's teachings."
"alright."
Although the trip was in vain, it reassured Liu Bian: "I'm going back. Remember to pick up a fat war horse and send it to the Chinese army. When you eat meat, you have to let me drink some soup, right?"
Deng Zhidan smiled: "Your Highness, don't worry, the general will personally select them and send them to the Chinese army."
Liu Bian hummed, then got on his horse and said, "You're so good at giving orders, so you're gone alone."
Deng Zhi cupped his hands and said, "Best farewell to Your Highness."
*****
now.
Xiliang Camp.
Central army, big tent.
Snap!
Li Jue clapped his arms and stood up, his eyes as wide as bells: "What? Didn't you go out?"
The soldiers below all bowed their heads, not daring to face Li Jue's sharp eyes.
"What, are they all mute?"
Li Jue was furious and opened his mouth to curse: "No wonder our Xiliang Knights have been defeated in battles. With such bloodless people like you here, how can the Xiliang Knights win?"
a long time.
The leader, Dub, held up his hands and explained: "General, it's just that our brothers are bloodless."
"only......"
The man sighed and said softly: "The thieves have set up an iron pear formation and a horse pit formation on the other side of the bridge. They are at least five or six feet wide and span four bridges. Our way out has been completely blocked.
.”
"ah?"
Li Jue was even more shocked, with a look of disbelief on his face: "The Iron Pear Formation, which is five or six feet wide, is trapped in the Horse Trap Formation?"
Dub nodded: "That's right! If General Mo hadn't ordered the stop in time, the losses would have been even greater."
"This...how is this possible?"
Li Jue is very familiar with the battlefield.
The four roads outside the east gate are at least several hundred feet wide in total.
If you want to block such a road, how many soldiers and horses will be needed and how many traps will be dug?
Is it possible...
Last night, King Hongnong ordered the digging of a horse pit?
If you start digging a hole in the early morning, thousands of soldiers and horses will line up and start working collectively.
It is indeed possible to dig out a five or six foot wide horse trap formation.
"It's true."
Uncle Dub below said with great certainty: "The general guesses that maybe not only our east gate, west gate, south gate, and north gate, but also horse trap formations have been arranged at all."
"General, if you want to break through the five or six foot wide horse trap formation, you have to dismount and fight on foot, with the shield soldiers at the head, advancing slowly, and the soldiers behind holding the horses little by little."
"But......"
Uncle Dub's throat rolled and he swallowed hard: "In today's Luoyang City, let alone a shield, I am afraid that even a complete door panel cannot be found. The general cannot order his brothers to fight out with their flesh and blood."
A road, right?”
"With the two hundred elite cavalry under my command alone, I am afraid that before they have even crossed the halfway point, they will be shot into hedgehogs by the opponent's crossbowmen. The general will not dare, let alone give such an order."
Li Jue knew that it was not his subordinate's fault: "You are right, and you did the right thing. Since the other party has been on guard for a long time, our troops should evacuate immediately. How can we die in vain?"
Uncle Dub cupped his hands and breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, General, for your understanding."
Li Jue waved his hand and ordered: "Please step back, and send someone to Guo Xiaowei's army to inquire about the situation. How is the situation there?"
Dub accepted the promise and immediately bowed and left.
After the soldiers leave.
Li Jue frowned and fell into deep thought.
Yesterday during the day.
He personally inspected the battlefield and found that although there were defenders outside the east gate, no horse traps were set up.
Moreover, before nightfall, they took back all the iron pear trees on the other side of the bridge to the army, and finally used horse guns to prevent the Xiliang Xiaoqi from attacking at night.
But this morning...
The situation outside the east gate has changed dramatically, completely different from yesterday's battlefield.
This can only prove that the opponent improvised and made targeted arrangements last night.
Li Jue suddenly thought of the scene in Lu Bu's army last night, and then thought of Lu Bu ordering Xiliang Xiao to ride out of the camp and disturb the safety of the enemy's food routes. A feeling of conspiracy suddenly came to his mind.
Is it collaboration with the enemy?
Li Jue was the first to have such an idea in his mind.
But in an instant, he rejected it again.
If Lu Bu has rebelled, then why bother? They only need to agree on a time, and then cooperate internally and externally to eliminate the Xiliang Xiaoqi.
After all, in terms of military strength, both Lu Bu and King Hongnong had an absolute advantage. If they really wanted to attack Xiliang Xiaoqi, they could launch a general attack early this morning, so there was no need to go on the defensive.
but......
Although the possibility of Lu Bu's rebellion has been ruled out, the news must have been leaked from him.
If not, how could King Hongnong accurately judge that they were going to send a small group of cavalry out of Luoyang this morning to harass its grain road.
"Report—!"
At this moment, a long announcement sounded outside the tent.
Li Jue raised his eyes and looked.
But seeing a guard entering the tent, he leaned over and said, "General, news came back from the west gate. This morning, General Guo sent troops to attack, but they were routed by Cheng's soldiers and horses, and more than half of them were injured."
"As expected."
Li Jue nodded with interest.
If it was just the east gate's tight defense that led to the failure of the raid, it might only prove that the judgment of the defender outside the city was astonishing.
But now even the west gate is like this, which proves that it is not a problem with the command of the general outside the city, but that King Hongnong has already anticipated their plan to raid the grain road, so he blocked all the exits of the gates.
Once it comes to the level of King Hongnong, it is not possible to be cautious and prevent it in advance. After all, such a large-scale trap requires a lot of military power and time.
Is King Hongnong crazy?
Concentrate on such things?
At this moment, Li Jue was certain and certain that there was definitely something wrong with Lu Bu.
Although he did not rebel, he still had the idea and action of using the hands of King Hongnong to eliminate the Xiliang Xiaoqi.
"Damn it!"
Li Jue was dissatisfied.
As a direct descendant of Xiliang Xiaoqi, how could he have been insulted by Lu Bu like this?
At that moment, Li Jue stood up and shouted sternly: "Go to General Guo's camp quickly and tell him that we will go to the Wolf Cavalry camp together to discuss an explanation with Lu Bu."