A gust of mountain wind laden with water vapor blew by. Yan Liang patted the mount on his crotch and subconsciously held his breath.
For him, who is used to the dry climate of Hebei, although this unfamiliar climate feels very comfortable, his body still feels a little subtle.
There is no cloud in the blue sky, and the sun is very bright.
Behind Yan Liang were five hundred cavalry.
Although they experienced two battles and the soldiers were physically exhausted, the Hebei cavalry, which had been carefully trained by Yan Liang, still maintained high morale.
A scout on horseback galloped from behind and reported to Yan Lianghui: "General, Mr. Xu is here to report that the 20,000 Jingzhou Army led by Cai Mao has approached Xinye."
Yan Liang said "meet" with a satisfied smile on his lips.
Liu Biao's behavior was exactly what he expected. In the end, he couldn't control his nature and planned to reap the benefits.
Yan Liang glanced at the sun and said loudly: "At the current speed, we can reach Dengsai before sunset. Send the order and order the whole army to speed up the march."
Yan Liang's tone was full of confidence, as if everything was under his control. The tired knights cheered up and continued to speed on the rugged mountain road.
Before sunset, Yan Liang finally saw the Han River as clear as a jade belt.
The small walled city on the north bank of the Han River is none other than Dengsai.
Dengsai is located in the northeast of Xiangyang, built on the north bank of the Han River. Because it is close to the Miao River, Liu Biao used it as a place to store grain and supply grain and grass to the north of Jing. Most of them were loaded from here and transported northward into the Miao River to Xinye and other places.
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In other words, Cai Mao's 20,000-strong army relied entirely on Deng Sai's grain supplies for food and military supplies.
From Xinye to Dengsai, one can take the waterway or the dry road, but Yan Liang chose the difficult mountain road in order to elude the scouts of the Jingzhou Army and appear unexpectedly in Dengsai.
His purpose is simple - to burn Dunsai!
Historically, Cao Cao's fire in Wuchao could scare Yuan Shao's hundreds of thousands of troops to defeat. If a mere Cai Mao heard that the grain and grass in the rear were burned, he would be frightened out of his wits.
Yan Liang sneered, slowly raised his long knife, and drew vigorously towards the foot of the mountain.
Five hundred iron cavalry moved with great force, swooping down the slope and rushing towards Dunsai, which was several miles away.
Running from south to north, and then from north to south, running for hundreds of miles is already the limit of human and horse physical strength.
The faces of every soldier were still as firm as iron, without any flinching.
Because he knew and believed that the general they followed would surely lead them to victory.
Fight for Yan Liang, even if you die, you will not be shaken.
In an instant, a billowing stream of iron came fiercely, and Yan Liang brandished his sword, roaring like thunder.
"kill!"
"kill!"
The thundering sound of killing reappeared, and the rumbling iron hooves shook the earth. The fierce killing force made the world change color.
Dengsai was surrounded by Cai Mao's 20,000 troops in the north and the hinterland of Xiangyang in the south. It was originally in the safest area, so there was no large army stationed there. At this time, the only ones left behind were more than 2,000 infantry troops led by Zhang Yun.
Facing the sudden attack of the cavalry, which was like a divine force descending from the sky, the two thousand Jingzhou defenders who were taking off their armor and having dinner were instantly frightened out of their wits.
They couldn't figure out where the surging cavalry came from.
Confusion led to surprise, and surprise led to shock. When they saw clearly the enemy flag with the word "Yan" written on it, their will suddenly changed and was shattered, and the entire Dengsai Camp soon became chaotic.
Zhang Yun, who was sipping some wine, heard the noise outside the tent, and his good mood was disturbed, so he went out to see what was going on.
"General, something bad has happened. Yan Liang is here to kill you!" the subordinates who rushed over reported in fear.
Zhang Yun glared and cursed: "That's nonsense. Yan Liang is still entangled with Cao Jun in the north. How could he come to Dengsai and lie about the military situation? Be careful, I will punish you with military law."
"Young man, how dare you talk nonsense? Yan Liang is already coming to the camp."
The fearful words of his subordinates finally made Zhang Yun suspicious. He didn't care about wearing clothes and hurriedly looked at the camp gate.
As far as the eye can see, the vast dust mist is already a hundred steps away. In the flying dust, there are indeed dark cavalry running towards them.
"How is it possible? Didn't Mr. Kuai say that Yan Liang was entangled by Cao Hong? How could he appear here? Could it be that he has wings?"
Zhang Yun was so horrified that he couldn't believe his eyes. In panic, he hurriedly ordered the village gate to be closed and prepared to face the enemy.
It's too late.
Yan Liang's surprise attack was too sudden, and Zhang Yun's defense was so lax. When his order was just handed down, the cavalry led by Yan Liang had already rushed in.
With a loud shout, Yan Liang, who was in the lead, swept his blade and chopped down several enemy soldiers who were closing the gate of the village to the ground. One man and one horse rushed into the Dengsai camp like lightning.
The five hundred cavalry behind them surged in, shouting like tigers entering a sheepfold.
The officers and soldiers of the Yan army who rushed into the camp rampaged and killed the Jingzhou army in chaos.
The Jingzhou army that was attacked fell into a complete collapse after a brief resistance, and fled Wangshui Village on the boat without their helmets and armor.
"You are not allowed to escape. I will hold you back. Anyone who dares to escape will be punished by military law!"
Zhang Yun galloped his horse back and forth, trying to suppress the defeat, but the desperate soldiers ignored his warning and just ran away.
Yan Liang wielded his sword and chopped down an enemy. With a quick glance, he found an enemy rider shouting among the rebels. He expected it to be Zhang Yun, the commander of Dengsai Camp.
With his eyes bloodshot and filled with murderous intent, Yan Liang clamped his horse's belly fiercely and looked at Zhang Yun before he was shot with lightning.
Wherever the long sword passed, it cut through those who blocked the road like a piece of wood, and they rode straight towards Zhang Yun.
Zhang Yun saw an enemy general that looked like an iron tower coming towards him and couldn't avoid it. When he saw the blade of a knife coming towards his head, he had to raise his gun to block it.
Amidst the roar, the steel knife in Yan Liang's hand whizzed down with overwhelming force.
Clang!
"Ah~~"
There was a metallic roar and a scream.
Zhang Yun's seven-foot body fell from his horse like a kite with its string broken, flew several feet away, and fell heavily to the ground.
Zhang Yun was crawling on the ground and struggling, with blood spurting from his face and almost breaking his bones. He looked at Yan Liang with an incredulous look. He was horrified in his heart. He boasted that his martial arts was not weak. How could he lose to this opponent in just one fight?
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"General Ziyi, why should you show mercy to this man named Zhang?" Wenpin, who was riding his horse, gasped and said coldly.
Zhang Yun was the son of the late Lieutenant Zhang Wen. He was from a wealthy family in Nanyang. He was cousin to Cai Mao and was related by marriage to Liu Biao, so he was favored by Liu Biao just like Cai Mao.
When Wenpin succumbed to Zhang Yun in the first place, thinking about it, he looked at his face and harbored resentment towards him.
Only then did Zhang Yun realize that the enemy general who defeated him with one move was actually the rumored Yan Liang.
After learning Yan Liang's identity, Zhang Yun's expression became even more frightening.
Yan Liang glanced at Zhang Yun on the ground and said disdainfully: "It's just a straw bag. If I kill him, I'm afraid it will dirty my knife. Let's keep him alive. Maybe it will be useful."
Yan Liang's purpose was to intimidate Liu Biao, not to start a full-scale war. Instead of killing a mediocre Zhang Yun, it would be better to save him for later use.
Seeing that Yan Liang had his own opinions, Wenpin didn't dare to say more. He pointed at the granaries all over the camp and said, "What is the general going to do with the grain and grass that fills the camp?"
Yan Liang looked south of the Han River from afar and said with a sneer: "Bring me a fire and burn it clean. I will use the fire to send a message to Liu Biao so that he will never dare to look down on me, Yan Liang!"
There was hunting murderous intent in his tone.
After receiving the order, Wen Pin rode out and shouted: "General Yan has an order to set fire and burn food."
In an instant, fire broke out everywhere, and dozens of granaries were set alight one by one.
The raging fire spread in all directions, devouring the remaining military tents and camp fences. After a while, the entire Deng Sailiang Camp turned into a sea of fire.
The red flames soared into the sky, burning half of the sky red and even dyeing a strip of Han River.
The remnants of Jingzhou soldiers who fled into the Han River by boat looked at the fire all over the sky with lingering fear and were deeply frightened by Yan Liangjun.
Yan Liang stood on his horse and drew his sword, looking at the blazing flames in the distance, feeling an indescribable joy in his heart.
A burning smell gradually filled the air, the smell of burnt corpses.
Yan Liang frowned, turned his head, looked north, and said calmly: "Go north, it's time to say hello to General Cai."