Xia Houlan knew in her heart that except for Zhao Yun, this eldest lady would not buy anyone else's account. This was the eldest lady in Liu Xin's house. She could not be beaten or scolded. If she wanted to avoid causing trouble, she could only try her best.
It made her happy. Xia Houlan could only say with a smile: "It's not useless. As long as it doesn't violate General Zhao's military orders, you have the final say on other matters."
As expected, Liu Rui's face broke out into a smile and she said, "Oh, this is what you said! Pass on this lady's order..."
Xia Houlan complained secretly in her heart and had no choice but to prick up her ears and listen carefully, not knowing what tricks she would play.
After listening for a long time, I didn't hear anything else. Just when I was about to ask, I saw Liu Rui turning around and walking towards the village. As she walked, she muttered: "I haven't thought about this order yet. I will tell you when I have."
.”
Xia Houlan couldn't help but shook his head and smiled bitterly. This job was not easy to do. It was far easier than going into battle to kill the enemy. When he looked up, he saw several soldiers covering their mouths and snickering. Xia Houlan unconsciously sank his face and said: "How come you guys
You are a young lady who is responsible for taking good care of you. If anything happens, I will twist your heads off first!"
Zhao Yun went south all the way to Wancheng, but he didn't hear any news, but he couldn't feel relieved, so he also transferred 10,000 infantry troops from the 20,000 infantry troops left behind in Wancheng to accompany him. When he was still twenty miles away from Xiangyang
, a cry of killing suddenly came from the front, and a scout had come to report: "Report to the general, a group of people is attacking Xiangyang City, under the banner of the Qingzhou Army, please make a decision, general!"
On the tower of the east gate of Xiangyang, Ma Yun looked nervously at the other side of the moat, where the Han army recruits were fighting fiercely with Cao Cao's Qingzhou army. She wanted to order the city gate to be closed several times, but finally held back. Liu Xin
He once announced that as long as he serves as the shepherd of Jingzhou for one day, the gates of Xiangyang City will never be closed. It is this confidence that tells the world that the safety of Xiangyang City can be absolutely assured. The imperial examination that has been planned for three years will be official tomorrow
At the beginning, many candidates came to Xiangyang City for the sense of security. As long as they could get good grades, they would have the hope of settling down in Xiangyang City. If Xiangyang City keeps closing its gates now, then there are still other cities like it.
What's the difference? Will the people still be so assured about the safety of Xiangyang City?
However, Cao Cao's men came too unexpectedly and caught Xiangyang City off guard. If this recruit had not just experienced a test of blood and fire and had already completed a transformation from the inside out, otherwise it would have been a long time ago.
This army rushed into the city.
Cao Cao grasped the timing very accurately, and his ability was far beyond that of Lu Bu. As soon as Cao Cao learned about Yuan Shu's dispatch of troops, he immediately ordered the action and sent Cao Ren's troops stationed in Luoyang to attack Yique Pass. Of course, Cao Cao did not expect Cao Ren to capture it.
At Yique Pass, he did this just to contain Liu Xin's army as much as possible. Cao Cao himself, with Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Yu Jin, and Le Jin, led the main force of 100,000 Qingzhou troops to march day and night to attack Xiangyang City.
Historically, until after defeating Yuan Shao, Cao Cao did not mobilize many troops each time. Even when he confronted Yuan Shao in Guandu, facing Yuan Shao's 700,000 army, Cao Cao only dispatched 70,000 elite troops. Cao Cao did not do this.
It was not because he did not have enough troops, but because he did not have enough food and grass. Before he occupied the entire Hebei Province, the food and grass problem had always been the top priority that troubled Cao Cao.
The predicament Cao Cao faces now is not much different from that in history. He has more than 200,000 troops in total, and they are all quite elite, but he suffers from a lack of food and grass. However, this time Cao Cao dispatched 100,000 troops, almost destroying the entire army.
The Qingzhou Army was mobilized.
The reason why Cao Cao dared to do this is also after careful consideration. Jingzhou is rich and has sufficient money and food. As long as he can capture Xiangyang, all his difficulties will be solved. This is worth taking the risk. And it is not long after the summer harvest.
, the people in Jingzhou must have a lot of surplus food at home,
If that doesn't work, you can still collect food on the spot to meet military needs. And for a guy like Cao Cao, who can even rob tombs, there's nothing else he can't do. If food collection doesn't work, he doesn't mind robbing food.
.Therefore, Cao Cao ignored the advice of Xun Yu and others, insisted on going his own way, and personally led his army to kill Xiangyang.
With such a large army, it was almost impossible to conceal their traces, so Cao Cao did not hide anything. As soon as Cao Cao's army entered the boundaries of Nanxiang, they followed the main road and did not attack the counties and counties they passed along the way.
Rushing to Xiangyang. After hearing the news, many county officials rushed to
They sent messengers to Xiangyang to report the emergency, but most of them were ambushed by Cao Jun's leading cavalry on the road. Such a blatant march had a much better effect than Lu Bu's sneaky deception. Therefore, until Cao Jun had arrived thirty miles east of Xiangyang City,
Ma Yun just got the news.
Nanxiang was originally the defense area of Zhang He's third army, but now Yique Pass is undergoing a fierce attack from Cao Ren. Zhang Ren cannot escape at all, and Zhang He himself is tightly entangled by Yuan Shu's general Ji Ling. Cao Cao is
Taking advantage of this gap, they escaped Zhang He and Zhang Ren's sight. When they learned about Cao Cao's army's sneak attack on Xiangyang, they were unable to rescue them. If they rashly returned to the army, they would most likely be in a situation where they would be attacked from both sides.
Cao Cao advanced all the way without encountering any obstacles. He was sure that the troops in Xiangyang City must be very empty. When they arrived at Xiangyang City, they realized that things were far from as simple as he imagined.
The moat of Xiangyang City is very wide. Cao Cao has heard about it a long time ago, but he never thought it could be so wide. Without ships, it is impossible to pass through this moat. Although there are three long towers on the river
Although the soldiers guarding the city did not demolish the bridge, the crowds on both sides of the bridge and on the bridge clearly told Cao Cao that it was not easy to get close to Xiangyang City.
As the horn of the general attack sounded, the Qingzhou Army rushed forward in large strides. The two sides started a desperate struggle at the bridge. Some people kept falling and others kept rising. Many people fell directly into the moat, and circles appeared on the river.
blood
Mo. The new recruits of the Han Army had just experienced the bloody battle with Dong Zhuo's Flying Bear Army and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Facing the equally elite Qingzhou Army, they no longer had the slightest fear. When a comrade fell, the soldiers behind him would do it without even thinking about it.
Take his place.
Cao Cao frowned. Although these defenders were far smaller in number than his army, their combat effectiveness was not inferior at all. If they really wanted to rush to the city via these three bridges, it would probably be impossible within a few days.
Xiahou Dun couldn't hold himself back, raised his gun and said: "Lord, let me go!"
The defenders of Xiangyang did not follow the routine at all. There were no generals coming out to challenge them one-on-one, nor did they form battle formations. They just relied on the bridgehead to hold on, which made Xiahou Dun feel that he was unable to use his strength. It was strange that he was not in a hurry.
Cao Cao shook his head and said: "The bridge is so crowded that the horses can't gallop away. It's useless even if you rush up. Wait and see. If it doesn't work, just go around and attack other city gates."
Yu Jin and Le Jin raised their hands together and said: "My lord, I will go there eventually!"
Cao Cao took another look at the battle ahead, but there was no progress. He nodded and said: "Yu Jin, you lead your troops to attack the south gate. Le Jin, you lead your troops to attack the north gate."
Seeing these two men leaving with their men and horses, Xia Houyuan became more energetic, raised his hands and said, "My lord, let me take some men and horses to attack Ximen."
Cao Cao glared at him and said: "Miaocai, you have been following me for so long, don't you still understand the key to attacking a city? Look at this Xiangyang City, with its deep pools and high walls. If you defend it behind closed doors, how many days will it take? How can we capture it? Only by encircling three and missing one and letting the people in the city escape will they not be so desperate and our casualties can be reduced."
On the city tower, Ma Yun saw the Qingzhou Army under the city dividing into two wings, and knew that she could not hold on any longer. After all, the main force of the new recruits was concentrated at the east gate, and the only ones guarding the other three gates were the Xiangyang local army, which was not strong in combat effectiveness. They wanted to block the elite Qingzhou Army by guarding the bridge, but it was too difficult for them to do so. They quickly ordered: "Quickly, send the order and close the south gate, north gate and west gate."
Dian Wei hit the big iron halberd with a wave of his hand and said with emotion: "Sister-in-law, isn't it in vain that we have persisted for so long? I will lead the Feihu guards to attack!"
Ma Yun said flatly: "The city gate is used to protect the city from attack. How can you ignore the safety of the people in the city for a vague promise! Needless to say, send the order!"
As Ma Yun issued this order, the three city gates that had never been closed since the new Xiangyang City was built slowly closed, and the officials and people in the city also breathed a sigh of relief. Although the bridge on the moat was not demolished , the enemy will soon come to Xiangyang City, but the people are not worried that they can attack Xiangyang City. The city wall of Xiangyang City is not only tall, but also very strong. Different from the rammed earth city walls in other places, the city wall of Xiangyang is made of It is built of bluestone and city bricks, using glutinous rice juice as an adhesive. The four gates are also equipped with urns and iron gates.
However, no matter how strong the city wall is, it still needs people to defend it. The Xiangyang local army under Cai Mao only has 5,000 people, and the number of people guarding three city gates is somewhat limited. Xiangyang City still has many police officers and policemen, but the city is mixed with fish and dragons. If these people are transferred from their posts, there will be no guarantee that chaos will not occur in the city.
Jushou hurriedly walked up to the city. Seeing Ma Yun's frowning expression, he quickly raised his hands and said, "Madam Qi, the subordinates in the east city have made arrangements, and the Feihu guards can be transferred out."
What he said was a proper arrangement, he just transferred most of the phantom secret agents in Xiangyang City and concentrated them in Dongcheng District to guard the streets and official residences. The reason why these people are secret agents lies in the word "secret". Once exposed, If they were exposed to light, they would lose their value. Jushu had no choice but to do this. Even so, he could only arrange them in Dongcheng District to minimize their chances of showing their faces in front of the people.
Ma Yun nodded and said solemnly: "The Flying Tiger Guards are the last mobile force and cannot be mobilized to the top of the city. But where do the people guarding the city walls come from?"
(Recommend a friend’s new book "Struggle for the Song Dynasty" on the shelves)