Under the night, the sky was overcast and not a single star could be seen.
The cold wind blew, making people feel cool all over.
Cao Cao was wearing a big cloak, but he was a little cold. He wrapped his body tightly and stayed close to the burning bonfire to keep warm, so he felt more comfortable. However, Cao Cao was a little uneasy and couldn't calm down, thinking about Han Sui and Ma
Teng went to cover up the matter.
Under normal circumstances, if Han Sui and Ma Teng went to cover up the attack, they would definitely win, and nothing unexpected would happen.
However, Cao Cao still couldn't calm down.
Such emotions are relatively rare in Cao Cao.
He stared blankly at the red flames. A breeze blew and the flames whirred. Cao Cao suddenly looked at Guo Jia. At this time, Guo Jia began to take a nap. After all, Guo Jia was also very tired after running continuously.
Cao Cao smiled softly when he saw Guo Jia's appearance.
Guo Jia can rest.
Why can't he rest?
Even if he loses this battle, it will be beneficial to him. Without Ma Teng and Han Sui, Xiliang will inevitably fall into a leaderless situation. In the next step, he can mobilize his own people to take control of Xiliang.
Victory and defeat are both beneficial to him.
While Cao Cao was waiting, time passed little by little. When it was past midnight, all the soldiers, except for a few soldiers on night watch, had taken a rest. They had escaped in a hurry after this battle, and they had not returned to the camp outside the Ziwu Road exit.
Can rest outdoors.
Although Dian Wei was tired and even injured during the day, he still did not rest. He sat not far from Cao Cao and was responsible for protecting Cao Cao's safety.
Cao Cao saw Dian Wei's appearance and ordered: "Dian Wei, go and have a rest. Don't worry about me."
Just as Cao Cao was about to speak, he suddenly heard the sound of rapid footsteps coming back, and a group of cavalry of about a hundred people came back.
The leader is named Ma An.
He is a member of Ma Teng's tribe. He was released this time and luckily escaped with his life.
Ma An arrived at the camp area, quickly got off his horse and walked back. After Dian Wei saw it, he led someone to inquire, and then carefully searched him to make sure there were no weapons, and then brought Ma An back.
thump!
Ma An knelt on the ground and said loudly: "Little man Ma An, please pay your respects to the King of Qin."
Cao Cao's cheeks twitched and he glanced carefully, but he didn't see Han Sui or Ma Teng. The soldiers who escaped, including Ma An, all looked sad, and there was even panic in their eyes.
At a loss.
Cao Cao took a deep breath, calmed his mind and said, "What's going on?"
Ma An said: "Reporting to the King of Qin, the general and Han Sui took us to raid Lu Xuan's camp. At first, we did successfully enter Lu Xuan's camp. Unexpectedly, this was Lu Xuan's plan to lure the enemy."
"Lu Xuan let us in, and then the army came out and surrounded us."
"Han Sui and the general took us to evacuate, but during the evacuation, layers of horses and antlers were placed outside the camp. We were also shot by Lu Xuan's archers, and we suffered heavy losses."
"The general ordered a breakout. We broke through Lujiao and Juma, and were blocked by troops deployed by Lu Xuan outside."
Ma An sighed: "In the end, both the general and Han Sui were defeated and captured, and everyone became prisoners. The general refused to surrender, so Han Sui directly became Lu Xuan's lackey and killed the general in front of everyone.
I don’t know why, Lu Xuan let us come back, but only about a hundred of us were released."
Cao Cao was surprised when he heard this.
Lu Xuan asked Han Sui to kill Ma Teng, which was a very cunning method.
If Ma Teng and Han Sui were killed at the same time, Cao Cao would easily capture Liangzhou without encountering any problems.
Now, the situation is complicated.
Ma Teng was killed by Han Sui, and Han Sui had surrendered to Lu Xuan, which meant that Xiliang was out of Cao Cao's control.
Guo Jia suddenly opened his dozing eyes and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Lu Xuan generally has two thoughts on releasing the prisoners."
"First, Lu Xuan did it deliberately to let everyone know that Han Sui killed Ma Teng, which contributed to the break between the Ma family and Han Sui, and also made it impossible for the king and Han Sui to reconcile."
"Ma Teng would rather die than surrender and sacrifice himself for the country. This is a great act of justice."
"If the king ignores it and tries to win over Han Sui, what will the Ma family think and what will Ma Chao think?"
"Second, Lu Xuan wanted to restrain Han Sui and make Han Sui obey. Han Sui killed Ma Teng and broke off the relationship with the king. There is no possibility of easing. Han Sui wants to establish a foothold in Xiliang, so he can only rely on Lu Xuan's support.
, Otherwise, we will not be able to block the king’s attack.”
"This is Lu Xuan's conspiracy."
Guo Jia said in a deep voice: "The matter has come to this, and the situation has become clear."
After hearing this, Cao Cao nodded. He suddenly had an idea and asked, "Feng Xiao, do you think Lu Xuan will take the opportunity to make a sneak attack after he releases his men?"
"Probably not?"
Guo Jia shook his head.
He looked around and saw that except for the bonfire burning in the area where the soldiers rested, everything else was pitch black.
Guo Jia withdrew his gaze and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, it stands to reason that it won't happen. If there was an ambush, they would have followed the cavalry that escaped long ago to cover up the attack. There is no way they haven't attacked yet."
Cao Cao frowned. Even so, he felt uneasy and stood up and said: "Feng Xiao, once we are intercepted by Lu Xuan, our troops will not be able to stop him. We should retreat first and move some distance away before considering the follow-up."
Cao Cao did what he said and immediately ordered a retreat.
The main infantry forces of Ma Teng and Han Sui are still in the army. Now that Han Sui surrendered and Ma Teng was killed, Cao Cao took over the forces of Ma Teng and Han Sui and retreated with the army.
This retreat lasts for three hours.
It was getting brighter and they were further away from Lu Xuan, so Cao Cao ordered to stop advancing.
The army stopped to rest.
Cao Cao once again called Guo Jia, Xun You and Cheng Yu, and also notified Liu Bei to participate. He looked at a few people and said in a deep voice: "This time, you all already know the situation of Han Sui and Ma Teng. We will take over
Come down, what should I do?"
Liu Bei looked at it and said nothing.
He originally thought that if Han Sui and Ma Teng led their troops to fight back, he would have a chance to become the king of Hanzhong. However, Han Sui surrendered and killed Ma Teng. Hanzhong was definitely in Lu Xuan's hands, and he lost any chance.
Liu Bei's mood was very low.
Cheng Yu stroked his beard and said: "Your Majesty, I think Han Sui will surrender this time. If it were Lu Xuan, I would definitely let Han Sui leave Yangping Pass and rush back to Xiliang to stabilize the situation."
"The old minister suggested that we arrange for people to return to Luoyang as quickly as possible to inform Shangshu Xun and ask him to arrange matters in Xiliang."
"Next, the war in Xiliang will be crucial."
Cheng Yu said: "Xiliang is our barrier to the west. We must control it well and not let Xiliang become a trouble for our elbows and armpits."
Guo Jia quickly said: "Zhong Degong is right, Xiliang must make arrangements as soon as possible. In addition, the war in Hanzhong is over, and it is impossible for us to defeat Lu Xuan. We will return to Guanzhong immediately and blockade Ziwu Road and other passages to prevent
Lu Xuan's army enters the pass."
"Although Lu Xuan's weapons can fly across the city, it is impossible to fly across a narrow passage in a steep mountain like Ziwu Road. If we guard the checkpoint, everything will be fine."
Guo Jia suggested: "Seize the time to retreat and go back to stabilize the situation."
Cheng Yu nodded and said, "I second my opinion."
Xun You said: "Lu Xuan captured Yizhou, Zhou Yu led people to Yanzhou, Kuai Liang killed Yuan Tan and captured Qingzhou, and now he is further plotting against Liangzhou, which is very detrimental to us. I also suggested that we first defend in an all-round way and not do anything for the time being.
Attack and stabilize the situation."
Guo Jia said: "I agree with Military Advisor Xun's suggestion."
Liu Bei let out a sigh of relief and said: "I also agree with the comprehensive defense and avoid his sharp edges. After all, Lu Xuan is too powerful."
Cao Cao nodded and further said: "In that case, it's settled. The army will rest and regroup, and seize the time to go north and return via Ziwu Road."
Everyone agreed in unison.
Cao Cao and his men rested for half an hour, then set off with his army again, and hurried towards the direction of Ziwu Road.