Chapter 494 Mine formation! The invisible horror formation that kills people!
Squeak—!
Handan East Gate opens.
Yuan Shao and others galloped out, looking at the endless plains. Yuan Shao couldn't help but feel a little disturbed in his heart: "The Art of War says: surround three towers. Zhang Liao didn't do this now, but I always feel that he will definitely set up an ambush.
Where should we go?"
On the side, Shen Pei stared at the deserted wilderness, feeling like the calm before the storm in his heart, as if every road ahead was full of danger.
After all, he knew very well that his lord's head was worth thousands of gold to both Zhang Liao and Xu Rong, and could not even be measured in money.
Because once Yuan Shao is killed, it means that Nanyang has pacified the northern border and completely unified the north. This is a milestone for His Majesty the Nanyang Emperor.
so!
Whether it is Zhang Liao or Xu Rong, they all want Yuan Shao's head. They will definitely send troops to intercept and even kill Yuan Shao at all costs.
This is also the reason why Zhang Liao's main troops are all outside Handan City, while the generals in the direction of Zhongshan and Changshan are all miscellaneous troops like the Black Mountain Army.
Because Zhang Liao had to assemble elite soldiers and horses to kill Yuan Shao, he had no reason not to send people to set up an ambush on Yuan Shao's route.
And Yuan Shao was aware of the danger at the first moment, and that's why he asked such a question. Once he chose the wrong road, it would most likely lead to the annihilation of his entire army, let alone reaching Qinghe and looking for Cao Cao.
"Lord, as far as Zhang Liao is concerned, we can only go north and south, but it is absolutely impossible to go east. Therefore, I think we should go east first and then change our route to the south. This is the safest way."
After combining Yuan Shao's ideas, Guo Tu carefully analyzed the current situation and finally came up with an escape route that he thought was the safest.
certainly!
Have to admit it.
Guo Tu's analysis is somewhat reasonable.
After all, Gongsun Zan has the smallest number of troops to the north. He only has the ability to defend but not to attack. Moreover, most of his troops are scattered at the pass. The main combat force is only Baima Yili.
Based on the current total strength of Yuan Shao's troops, it is still very possible to break through Gongsun Zan in the north. Therefore, Zhang Liao will definitely set up an ambush along the way to attack Yuan Shao and prevent him from breaking out to the north.
As for heading south?
Naturally, this is because Cao Cao has been deposed from military power by His Majesty the Nanyang Emperor and has become a minor official raising horses. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao have an old relationship. If the two collide, there may not be any sparks.
Therefore, for Zhang Liao, this is also a must-defend point. It is naturally possible for him to set up an ambush in the south and attack Yuan Shao.
As for heading east?
Xu Rong, who is stationed in the plain, must have the Bohai Sea as his first goal, and Anping as his second goal. If he goes east first and then south, he can avoid Xu Rong and Zhang Liao's troops and successfully reach Cao Cao.
.
Xu You rarely interrupted. After all, the destination was Qinghe, where Cao Cao was. As long as there were no accidents along the way, Yuan Shao's head would definitely belong to Cao Cao in the end.
And this is exactly Xu You's purpose. Since things are developing in the direction he expected, there is no need to correct them to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"The public principles make sense."
Yuan Shao agreed very much with Guo Tu's suggestion, nodded quickly, and made a decisive decision: "Okay, let's go east first, wait until we pass Julu, and then go south, trying to get to Qinghe as quickly as possible."
All the civil and military officials shouted in unison: "Here."
Immediately.
drive-!
The cavalry went first to clear the way, and Yuan Shao and others followed closely to prevent any unexpected events.
But in fact, Zhang Liao was ready to fight Yuan Shao to the death. After all, Yuan Shao still had tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in Handan City. Even if the city gate was broken, he would not lose his fighting power.
Therefore, a large part of Zhang Liao's troops were concentrated on attacking Handan City, and only a small part of his cavalry was prepared to besiege Yuan Shao.
only......
Even Zhang Liao himself did not think of it.
The dignified Yuan Shao was not even prepared to resist, so he was ready to abandon the city and flee.
For Xu Huang, who was ambushing outside, this was really an unprecedented pressure. After all, the previous attack was equivalent to hitting the cotton with a fist. He spent a lot of effort, but it did not have the desired effect.
Outside Handan City.
Thorny forest.
This is the junction of Julu County, Zhao State and Wei County.
Xu Huang placed his soldiers and horses here so that he could better grasp Yuan Shao's movements and pursue them at any time.
At this moment, Xu Huang was holding a simple map, observing carefully, analyzing and judging where Yuan Shao would go and how to intercept him to ensure the best effect.
The general Cheng Yin beside him frowned and stepped forward: "Gongming, how long do you think Yuan Shao can last? Will he fight with Wenyuan to the end and just stay in Handan?"
"It's possible."
Xu Huang naturally did not deny this possibility, but at the same time, he also gave his own opinion: "However, this possibility is relatively small. I think Yuan Shao will definitely escape."
"only......"
At this point, Xu Huang raised his eyes and looked at Cheng Yin: "It's just a matter of how many troops and horses he can bring out. If he persists for a long time, he may be defeated. But if the time is short, we will have to make great efforts."
Already."
Cheng Yin naturally understood this truth. He nodded and kept thinking in his mind: "I feel that he will definitely be defeated by the remaining soldiers. After all, Yuan Shao also has tens of thousands of people, how can he not fight to the death with Wen Yuan."
"You must know that a large part of the Fire and Thunder bombs are all in our hands. This is good news for Yuan Shao. The longer he persists, the more advantageous he will be."
Xu Huang smiled calmly: "What you said does make sense, but how does Yuan Shao know that most of the Fire and Thunder bombs are here? If he escaped earlier, it must be because of fear of the Fire and Thunder bombs."
"This is also the reason why Wen Yuan ordered the trapped camp to lead the battle. If we don't use the Fire Thunder Bomb to force the fight, Yuan Shao might still have some hope, but if we use the Fire Thunder Bomb to open the way from the beginning, Yuan Shao will not dare to stay for a long time."
For Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, they also hope to capture Yuan Shao's head in their own hands. Only by successfully keeping him in Handan City can they kill him.
Yes.
Except for Zhang Liao's tough approach to scoring goals, his attack in other aspects has actually been downgraded to a higher level. The purpose is not to scare Yuan Shao, but to make the opponent fight with him, thereby weakening his strength to the maximum extent.
but......
Zhang Liao and Xu Huang never thought of it.
The presence of a traitor like Xu You in Yuan Shao's account immediately dispelled Yuan Shao's determination to fight to the death, which was completely beyond their expectations.
"Oh right."
Xu Huang suddenly heard something, turned around and asked: "Have the mines been installed?"
Cheng Yin nodded affirmatively: "Don't worry, it has been rolled out over a large area. I guarantee there won't be any problems."
Only then did Xu Huang feel relieved and said: "We have relatively few troops. It is not that easy to kill Yuan Shao. Remember, when chasing Yuan Shao, you must find a way to trap him in Handan."
"Even if they are trapped in Handan, they must not be allowed to enter Wei County. This is the territory of Lu Bu, Huang Zhong, and Xu Chu. Once they discover Yuan Shao's traces, there will be nothing wrong with us."
Although Xu Huang is a new member, he is relatively familiar with the military structure of Nanyang Hanting. The teams directly under the imperial court are selected from among the grassroots teams, and are naturally the strongest in combat effectiveness.
Although he also has cavalry under his command, neither the quality of the cavalry nor the quality of the horses can be compared with the wolf cavalry, tiger cavalry, and leopard cavalry directly under the imperial court. If he forces Yuan Shao into Wei County, the credit will be given away to him.
Lu Bu.
Cheng Yin raised his head, patted his chest and promised: "Don't worry, Gongming, Li Kan is personally guarding the south. If Yuan Shao really wants to enter Qinghe from here, he will definitely hit Li Kan first."
"With him here, no problem."
Cheng Yin is still somewhat confident in Li Kan's abilities.
After all, the two had been partners before and had fought against the Yellow Turbans together. Now they were working together for Nanyang Hanting, and they knew each other very well.
"kindness."
Xu Huang nodded: "As long as the arrangements are made."
Cheng Yin said with great certainty: "Don't worry, everything has been arranged."
"Report—!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a long announcement sounded not far away.
Xu Huang turned around and looked.
But when he saw his own scout coming on Pegasus, with a look of surprise on his face, he leaned forward and said, "General, good news, Yuan Shao is coming to our side."
"ah?"
Suddenly, Xu Huang was stunned.
Cheng Yin was even more stunned.
You two seem to be completely unable to believe that Yuan Shao would actually come here.
Xu Huang tried his best to stay calm, but at this moment he still had an expression of disbelief on his face: "You mean, Yuan Shao has already led his troops and is coming towards us?"
The scout looked surprised, but he nodded after all: "Yes, I have seen with my own eyes that Yuan Shao's vanguard troops are almost approaching the minefield we have laid."
"Damn."
Unfortunately, there was no surprise on Xu Huang's face. Instead, he looked extremely melancholy: "Why are you coming here at this time? Yuan Shao is more cowardly than I thought!"
Cheng Yin frowned and asked curiously: "Gongming, Yuan Shao led his troops to retreat here, shouldn't we be happy? Why do you have such an expression? Do you not want Yuan Shao to come over?"
"Old Cheng."
Xu Huang sighed helplessly and explained: "If you think about it carefully, General Wen Yuan launched an attack yesterday, and Yuan Shao appeared here today. This is enough to prove that he did not resist at all."
"ah?"
Cheng Yin still didn't understand: "You...what do you mean by that?"
Xu Huang was furious: "This proves that there must be many troops around Yuan Shao. With just our few people, we may not be able to stop Yuan Shao."
hiss-!
Cheng Yin suddenly realized this and took a deep breath.
indeed.
The fact that Yuan Shao came here so quickly, regardless of the time spent on the road, proves that the opponent had no resistance at all, and may even have been preparing to abandon the city and leave the moment Zhang Liao broke the city.
This proves that Yuan Shao's troops did not suffer too much loss, and although they were setting up an ambush, they did not have many troops around them, just thousands of cavalry.
With such a huge disparity in military strength, it is completely impossible to stop Yuan Shao, let alone kill Yuan Shao and achieve great feats.
Cheng Yin suddenly panicked and asked hurriedly: "Gongming, what should we do now?"
Xu Huang took a deep breath and tried to think of countermeasures: "Since the man is here, we have reasons to let him pass. No matter what, this battle must be fought."
"But......"
Cheng Yin felt unwilling to give in: "If we do this, wouldn't it make others easier?"
Xu Huang said softly: "Delay as much time as possible and entangle the opponent. I believe Wen Yuan does not want to give up such an opportunity. He will definitely send troops to chase us. As long as we can persist until Wen Yuan arrives, Yuan Shao will still be unable to escape."
"That's right."
Cheng Yin nodded affirmatively: "That's true."
Xu Huang sighed: "The only uncertain factor now is how far away the opponent's vanguard force is from Yuan Shao, and what judgment they will make once a battle breaks out here."
"If he suddenly changes his route to the south, or to the north, or if there are soldiers and horses in both places, how can we pursue him? He did not go north or south this time, but went straight to the east. It may really be a deception.
"
Xu Huang is indeed one of the five great generals in history, and his judgment of the situation is relatively accurate. However, the troops he has in hand cannot cover everything, otherwise Yuan Shao will be unable to escape.
Cheng Yin said ferociously: "But you can't control that much now. Gongming, you give the order. Everyone will obey your order. Just tell us how to fight this battle. We will have nothing to say."
call-
After taking a long breath, Xu Huang finally nodded and said loudly: "No matter what, we still have to see the reaction of Yuan Shao's vanguard troops. If they encounter a minefield, turn around immediately. Maybe we can wait a little longer."
"Here comes someone." Xu Huang greeted.
"exist."
"Quickly inquire about the movement in the direction of the minefield. Once there is any news, report it immediately without any mistakes."
"Here."
After the scouts left, Cheng Yin asked tentatively: "Gongming, what should we do now?"
Xu Huang took a deep breath and said solemnly: "As long as the leader of the thief comes out, my troops will not move."
Cheng Yin nodded: "Understood."
*****
On the way to Julu County.
A cavalryman was galloping, stirring up smoke and dust in the sky.
General Han Meng took the lead, riding his horse and whipping his whip, shouting loudly: "How long is it until Quliang?"
Lieutenant General Lu Weihuang rode up to catch up: "General, according to our foot power, I'm afraid it will take another two hours to arrive."
Han Meng took a deep breath: "Two hours? It's too slow. Let the brothers speed up."
"ah?"
Lu Weihuang was stunned for a moment and said in disbelief: "General, is it too risky for us to do this? We should slow down and keep a certain distance from the rear army, otherwise it will be difficult to respond."
"In case we encounter any danger, let's..."
Before Lu Weihuang could finish what he said, Han Meng interrupted: "Humph! So what if we are in danger? This is a plain. With the cavalry as the first priority, their fire and thunder may not be able to catch our horses."
"If we really encounter them, we will kill them, which can be regarded as revenge for General Chunyu Qiong. I really don't believe it. Can an ordinary cavalryman from Nanyang Hanting compare to me, Han Meng?"
In Han Meng's eyes, the cavalry of Hanting in Nanyang were basically three types: tiger cavalry, leopard cavalry, and wolf cavalry. As for the dragon cavalry guarding Nanyang, they were out of reach at all, and the cavalry under the other generals' tents were just miscellaneous.
He was the leader of Yuan Shao's tent, and although the elite cavalry he led was no match for the White Horse Yi Cong, it was not too difficult to deal with two miscellaneous cavalry troops.
certainly!
The most important thing is.
The cavalry is fast and highly maneuverable. Even if they really can't be defeated, they can still escape.
Even if the situation is worse and he fights to the death, he can still send someone to send an order to Yuan Shao, asking him to change lanes in time to seek self-protection.
Therefore, no matter what the reason is, it is necessary and must be done for Han Meng to distance himself from Yuan Shao.
"But......"
After all, Lu Weihuang was just a partial general.
Over the years, Yuan Shao has been defeated in many battles, and even failed to capture Youzhou. Now when he encounters Nanyang, who has won every battle, he has no confidence in winning, even if the opponent is just a miscellaneous cavalry.
In Lu Weihuang's eyes, the combat effectiveness of Nanyang's army is high. Even if the opponent is a miscellaneous cavalry, its combat effectiveness cannot be underestimated.
Lu Weihuang thought for a moment, and finally admonished: "General, I always have a feeling that there will be an ambush from Nanyang soldiers and horses in front of us. If we just rush through like this, we are afraid of being ambushed."
"Hahaha!"
Han Meng looked up to the sky and laughed wildly, saying disdainfully: "Ambush? This is a plain. If there is an ambush, how can it escape our eyes? Even if there is an ambush, it should be near a dense forest."
"And the dense forest closest to here is the Thorny Forest. Even if we get there, it's never too late to be careful. Don't be too timid. You need to be more courageous when marching and fighting."
"Follow closely."
drive-!
After saying this, Han Mengmeng whipped his riding whip, and like a bolt of lightning, it rushed out.
Lu Weihuang was so anxious that he also ran as fast as he could to catch up: "General, wait for me!"
Xiyuxu—!
Thousands of horses are galloping and smoke and dust are stirring.
Just as the cavalry under Han Meng were running wildly.
Suddenly, an explosion that was almost like thunder rang in everyone's ears.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
...
Seeing the flying rocks flying in all directions, and the war horse raising its head and neighing incessantly, Han Meng's face suddenly changed with fright, his heart suddenly rose to his throat, and his eyes kept looking at the empty plain around him.
Not to mention a swarm of enemies, not even a wild cat or dog. It was as if the explosion came out of thin air without any warning.
Such an explosion method is completely different from Han Meng's understanding of fire and thunder. It can explode without anyone controlling it. Can there be a safe place in the future?
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Beware of enemy attacks!"
Lu Weihuang, who came after him, reined up his horse in a hurry, holding an iron gun, and kept looking around. The sweat on his body was like rain, dripping all over his body, directly soaking his front and back.
Xiyuxu—!
The war horses kept neighing, and all the soldiers reined in their horses and looked around, holding weapons in their hands, dumbfounded because they still could not find half of the enemy.
"Where are the enemies? Why is there no one there?"
"Damn it! It couldn't have been a ghost, could it?"
"It's not yet night, where are the ghosts coming from?"
"But, this fire and thunder is real!"
"Damn it! Could there be help from the gods in Nanyang Hanting?"
"..."
At this moment, all the soldiers reined in their horses and were always vigilant around them. No one dared to move at all.
Even Han Meng, who had always been brave and brave, couldn't help but become nervous at this moment.
Next to him, Lu Weihuang glanced at the soldiers and horses who were killed by the explosion, and became even more frightened: "General, what should we do now? This must be Nanyang's handiwork, but now we can't even find the enemy."
"whispering sound!"
Han Meng chewed it into pieces and subconsciously tightened his grip on the weapon. His eyes flashed left and right, always on alert.
Immediately.
He waved his hand and said softly: "Everyone, slow down and follow me closely! Always be alert to the surroundings. If you find traces of Nanyang soldiers and horses, report them immediately. There must be no mistakes."
All the soldiers shouted in unison: "Here."
drive-!
Han Meng lightly kicked the war horse, sat down and moved forward slowly.
But before he had taken two steps, a boom sounded again without warning.
Not far behind him, three cavalrymen fell off their horses in an instant, and the horses fell to the ground with a crash, dying in an extremely tragic manner.
Xiyuxu—!
The horses around him immediately went crazy. If the cavalry hadn't held him down and made the horses too crazy, they might have caused another accident by now.
"What's going on? Where did the Fire and Thunder come from?"
"Where is the thief? Where is the thief?"
"Damn! Damn it!"
"Fuck you! Don't pretend to be a ghost if you have the guts."
"come out-!
!”
"..."
The soldiers of Yuan's cavalry have begun to go crazy.
Although they were carrying knives in their hands, they could not see the enemy troops around them. This helpless feeling of not being able to find anyone even with bayonets was like thousands of needles piercing their hearts.
They are terrified!
They are afraid!
They were shaking!
At this moment, their mentality is on the verge of collapse.
A cold wind swept across the wilderness, biting the bones, but Yuan Jun's cavalry were sweating coldly and terrified.
Even Han Meng himself could not help but feel his throat rolling and began to feel a little scared.
He has fought in battles all his life, and this is the first time he has encountered such a strange battlefield. From the beginning to the end, he can't see an enemy, but the opponent's attacks always happen when you least expect them.
Gudong!
Gudong!
Han Meng's heartbeat accelerated and he didn't know why.
Lu Weihuang on the side was even more horrified and said softly: "General, this place is really weird. How about we go back and report this situation to the lord first?"
If it were Han Meng before, he would definitely despise Lu Weihuang for being a coward, but at this moment, he kept nodding his head: "Okay, I'll do as you say, let's go back first."
"Brothers, withdraw your troops slowly!"
Han Meng raised his hand and gave an order loudly.
"Here."
All the soldiers immediately reined in their horses and turned around without any hesitation.
They really didn't want to stay in such a weird battlefield for a moment.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
...
Even during the retreat, there were still sporadic fire and thunder explosions. Dozens of capable cavalry lost their lives like this. It was not even clear who died in the hands of them.