Yuan Shao issued the order decisively, and Qu Yi, who received the order, moved faster. Before his staff could react, he had already started to assemble his troops with a loud roar.
"Lord, is this...?"
Guo Tu glanced at Ju Shou under the observation tower and saw that the latter had a solemn face. He was completely distracted and could not take on the responsibility of admonishing him, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go ahead on his own. Going into battle rashly was a very reckless move. Wang
Yu has always been scheming, who knows if he is faking defeat and just waiting to get back to him?
But seeing his lord's excitement, Guo Tu didn't dare to persuade him too much, lest he follow in the footsteps of Jushu. He thought too much, and the words kept spinning in his mouth. It took him a long time before he finally found the right words: "Yes.
Why don’t we discuss it first?”
"What's there to discuss?" Yuan Shao's face turned pale, and he shook his head with a sneer: "Does Gongze think that he is a reckless person?"
"Tu would never dare." This charge was a bit serious. Guo Tu bowed and bowed, denying it repeatedly.
Yuan Shao didn't even look at him, he raised his hand and pointed at the Taishan Army two hundred steps away, and said proudly: "Even if the little thief has all kinds of tricks, he can't go against the will of heaven. The Taishan cavalry has been fighting hard for half a day. Although they succeeded many times, their horse power
, The physical consumption is irreparable. I see that he is already exhausted. He came here to rush into the battle just because he was lucky. Even if he really has some tricks, hum..."
He didn't need to explain the rest clearly, as various signs already showed his thoughts.
Only Qu Yi and his subordinates attacked, and the remaining thousands of personal guards stayed put.
The personal guards around Yuan Shao were all recruited when he first arrived in Bohai. They were well paid and trained diligently. Their loyalty is similar to that of the dead soldiers raised by the Yuan family. In addition, they were equipped with sophisticated equipment after taking control of Jizhou. Even without
Qu Yi, with this team of soldiers and horses, Yuan Shao's safety will not be a big problem.
The enemy they are facing now is only a few hundred tired soldiers, and they are not very united internally. The temper of those Youzhou people is the same as that of their general, proud and stubborn. If they decide that there is an opportunity for revenge, Wang
Yu, an outsider, may not be able to suppress them.
After all, Yuan Shao is right in front of them. For the people of Youzhou, even if they risk the lives of hundreds of people, as long as they can kill Yuan Shao, it is worth it.
It doesn't matter even if the enemy really wants to run away. The infantry will definitely not be able to catch up with the cavalry, but being able to drive away Wang Yu, who has been arrogant for so long, like chasing a rabbit, is a bad breath.
The biggest risk of attacking is actually borne by those who ascend the camp first. If the Taishan cavalry is fighting and running, or has other tricks, it will definitely be very dangerous to ascend the camp first. However, since they are dead soldiers, this risk and benefit
The plan to coexist is to do our part.
Qu Yi was an outsider, and his bad temper almost offended all his colleagues. At this time, of course no one would think about him, let alone offer to persuade him to stay.
The celebrities exchanged knowing glances with each other and closed their mouths tightly. They watched Qu Yi assemble his troops at a speed nearly twice as fast as ordinary troops and horses, and rushed towards the surrounding smoke and dust with shouts.
among.
Because of the dispute between the generals, the two groups of soldiers who made up the Taishan Army were in a state of confusion.
The descendants of Taishan who were riding on variegated war horses all reined in their horses and gathered behind the black horse knight; the remaining white horse followers continued to run back and forth as if venting their anger. Although no one ventured close to the Jizhou army formation to shoot, but from time to time they would
Several feather arrows would fly out of the smoke and dust, cross a long distance, and finally land weakly on the wilderness between the two armies, throwing up a wisp of dust.
Internal strife in front of a strong enemy is a more serious mistake than underestimating the enemy. This was clearly demonstrated at the moment when Qu Yi led his army to pursue the enemy.
"Retreat, retreat quickly!" The young and familiar voice resounded across the battlefield again, but it no longer had the heroic and fearless tone of the past. It sounded full of panic and anxiety.
The officer riding a white horse and carrying a big flag seemed to be hesitant, but looking back at the first camper who maintained a strict formation even during the pursuit, he hesitated again and again, and finally chose to obey the order.
Tarzan's cavalry began to retreat.
At this moment, their formation was extremely scattered, and it was incomparable to the previous time when they came with great momentum. When they received the order to retreat, many people on white horses were still circling around the enemy formation. In a hurry, it was too late to join up with the main team.
.
Those who were close, rode their horses towards the flanks of the advance camp, trying to attract the attention of the pursuers and buy time for the hastily retreating group; others retreated further away, trying to take a roundabout way to join the main force; and still others
The man reined in his horse and looked around, seeming to be hesitating about where to go.
"Hahahaha, Wang Pengju, Wang Pengju, are you today too?"
The embarrassment shown by Taishan's army made Yuan Shao feel happy. He pointed at the back of the fleeing black knight and said with a smile: "I said before that you were stronger than Gongsun Bogui, and now it seems that you are too.
It's just a smooth journey along the way, but once it suffers a setback, it still looks the same, which is ridiculous and lamentable!"
"Just now, the Taishan thief came so fiercely that we were all frightened. If the lord hadn't commanded him with determination and seen through his true and false intentions, how could we have achieved victory in front of us? Therefore, it's not that the world is ignorant, or that Wang Peng has gained a false reputation because of his actions. It's actually because he has never encountered him before.
It’s nothing more than an opponent like a lord.”
"What Gong Ze said is very true. The king and the thief are in control of the world, and they have never been able to resist. Today, they have defeated the famous generals in Hebei. They regard the Xuan Xiang formation with Ju Gong as if it were nothing. They are arrogant and arrogant. There are only a thousand foot soldiers beside the lord.
But he could only return in vain, why? Firstly, the lord is so prosperous and blessed, and secondly, it is also due to the lord’s ingenious plan..."
"What kind of clever plan is Yuan Tu talking about?" Guo Tu and Feng Ji usually have a normal relationship, but when it comes to Yuan Shao's flattery, they maintain a high degree of tacit understanding.
"First of all, it is a strategy to attack the heart... There is a saying in the art of war: Don't rely on the enemy's strength to attack you, and rely on yourself to be unable to attack... Secondly, it is a strategy of alienation... Again..." Feng Ji kept talking, talking about everything he could think of.
As long as there were some words of praise, he said them all, which made Yuan Shao, who always liked such words, blush a little.
"Lord, everyone, please don't be careless. You must be on guard against fraud." When someone takes a photo, someone will spoil the scenery. Jushou rushed over at some point and ruined the harmonious atmosphere that Guo and Guo had so easily created with just one sentence.
"My father and brother have already achieved this, so what else can we do to cheat?"
Guo Tuda was unhappy. He first pointed to the two puffs of smoke chasing each other in the distance, "Even if they really want to fight back, they still have to get past General Qu first!" Then he pointed to the rear: "The reinforcements are also coming.
Came here all the way, what kind of trick do you think there is, could it be..." He waved his hand around and said disdainfully: "Do you think these stragglers can threaten the lord?"
"Exactly." What Guo Tu said was sarcastic. Unexpectedly, Jushou actually nodded, pointed in the direction of the rear formation, and warned in a hurried voice: "My lord, don't let General Qu chase him too far. These skirmishers,
I’m afraid it’s not that simple, they are gathering behind our army!”
"Assembly? What's the point of fear? It's just a hundred or so people." Feng Ji sneered, with a sarcastic look on his face. After thinking about it, he added: "If that desperado Wang Pengju was here, maybe there would be something more
Threatening, now Wang Pengju has... Huh?" Before he finished his sentence, his expression suddenly changed.
Guo Tudai wanted to ask, but when he saw the frightened look in his partner's eyes, his heart also moved.
That's right, everyone just saw a young man riding a black horse leading the team to come and go, but no one really saw the opponent's face. When the Taishan Army was closest to the Jizhou Army Formation, it was more than a hundred steps away, and there was another one on top of the opponent's head.
Wearing a helmet...
To lure away the most threatening person to enter the camp first, and then march into the formation with a hundred cavalry, this kind of thing may not be thought of by others, but that Wang Pengju is a very bold guy!
"Quick! Quickly raise the flag and order the troops..."
Yuan Shao woke up suddenly, and when he was about to make amends, he found that it was already too late. He had only shouted half of his order when he was interrupted by a loud roar from behind the formation.
"Step into the formation..."
The voice was young and majestic. When he followed the sound, he saw a black knight riding through the smoke and dust in the sky, passing through a flash of white light. The sword in his hand was sharp and the black armor on his body was black with red.
The long tree is raised and the roar is like thunder!
"No return!"
More than a hundred warriors responded in unison. Although there were only a few hundred people, the momentum that broke out at that moment was not inferior to that of tens of thousands of heroes.
"Boom!" The next moment, hundreds of horse hooves played the strongest note of this battle, roaring like thunder rolling from the sky.
In an instant, Yuan Shao felt cold from head to toe.
After all calculations, he still fell into the trap. It wasn't that he wasn't careful enough, it was just that the enemy's plan was so unreasonable! He didn't take him seriously!
Isn't it? The enemy's main force led Qu Yi away, leaving only a hundred cavalry behind! When the main force was gone, they did not dare to charge into the formation, but the remaining one hundred cavalry took a posture to take their own lives. This is not a mistake.
What do you think of yourself?
There was a fishy taste in his mouth, and Yuan Shao bit his lip unknowingly. However, he who always paid the most attention to his appearance seemed to be unaware, and no one among the staff who were attentive to the details noticed.
He gritted his teeth harder and harder.
Humph! If you want to come, just come. Do you think that you, a great celebrity like yourself, are really a soft persimmon?
No return? Come on, today I will let you have no return!
"Hold on, form a tight formation!" Yuan Shao shouted with all his strength.
"Stand still, form a dense formation!" The staff were at a loss when they heard the shouting and hurriedly repeated it in unison.
A moment ago, the soldiers were cheering for their comrades who were chasing the enemy and laughing at the fleeing enemy in various ways. No one expected that it would be their turn to face the threat soon.
This change was so sudden that they were completely unable to adapt. Even when they heard the lord's cry, most of them felt as if they were falling into a dream.
Under the urging of the officers, they picked up their weapons in a daze, stumbled into a huddle, and tremblingly placed their spears on the shoulders of their comrades in front of them, barely forming a formation before the cavalry arrived.
A defensive formation was set up.
The hastily formed formation looked good, but it was not enough to fulfill the general's wish.
The first thing to hit was not a galloping war horse, but more than a hundred feathered arrows, like lightning, carrying a chill, spreading death and terror deeper and wider.
The coverage of the feather arrows was extremely concentrated, directly smashing the front end of the Juma Formation.
"Shoot the arrow, shoot the arrow!"
"Array, array!"
The Chinese army issued two completely opposite orders. It was Yuan Shao who urged the soldiers to fire arrows, and it was Ju Shou who urged the soldiers to repair their formations. The soldiers subconsciously obeyed the orders of the more authoritative person.
The archers stood still to take their bows and prepare to return fire. They blocked a few comrades who rushed to the front of the formation and wanted to repair the formation. The latter tried to push the comrades in the way out of the way and faced the impact of the cavalry. Unless the elephants first
Fight like you are in camp, otherwise bows and arrows will be of little use. The key is to maintain formation.
The chaos in the rear array quickly spread to the front array. The soldiers in the front row were already in shock, and the chaos in the rear array shook their morale even more. They looked back and forth, the strength in their hands getting weaker and weaker, and the spear points getting weaker and weaker.
It dropped lower and lower, and then the second wave of arrow rain from the charging cavalry arrived again...
"Block them, block them!" Yuan Shao let out a desperate cry in his heart. He discovered his mistake, but unfortunately it seemed a little too late. It caused chaos in the demoralized team. How could he stop the desperate people?
cavalry?
"The front team changes into the back team, the two wings move forward to outflank, and the back team raises their spears to form a formation!"
Yuan Shao issued a stream of consciousness command, but Ju Shou felt relieved. He originally wanted to let the front formation resist for a while and give the rear formation some time. But now it seems that the front formation can only use their own lives instead of weapons.
Come and complete this mission.
He issued Yuan Shao's order in detail, and then shouted to the flag bearer: "Inform General Qu and ask him to try to return reinforcements! At the same time, let the reinforcements from all walks of life speed up!" This may shake morale, but other than that,
, what can we do? Just watch Wang Yu flatten the central army?
"Ah!" As soon as all this was done, a shrill scream came from the front line.
The first Jizhou soldier who came into contact with the enemy was miserable. The gash on his body extended from his shoulder to his lower abdomen. Red blood spurted out from the gash like water, endlessly. The executioner, who was swaying his horse, did not look back.
He rushed past him and beat his horse to kill the next target.
Another white horse passed by, and the silver light flickered for a moment. The screams of the injured suddenly stopped. The unconscious body staggered a few steps and jumped forward. The dust and smoke raised by the horse's hooves were stained with bright colors.
of red.
Led by the unstoppable general, the cavalrymen swarm the flock like tigers, hunting down their opponents wantonly.
The chaotic Jizhou Army was unable to stop this offensive at all, and could not even slow down the cavalry. Several huge cracks were cut out in the panicked crowd in an instant, and they were bright red and kept going deeper.
Extend until the entire array is cut into several segments.
Jushou's order was timely. He gave up the front line where chaos had occurred. Before the front line collapsed, he pulled Yuan Shao and a group of staff back into the abandoned house and laid out as thick a defense line as possible in front of the door.
"Kill them!" Wang Yu swept the long spear in his hand and swept a general holding a battle flag into the air. With his strong physical strength, the long spear with half a corpse was still whistling in the wind. He
It was clear that this was a surprise attack, and the only target was Yuan Shao's life.
Jizhou's reinforcements are not too far away and will be back soon. Quyi's first camp was also very cautious. After the first five hundred steps, they slowed down. Therefore, he had no time to fight with the soldiers.
No matter how much we struggle, we have no time to expand the results. All we have to do is to advance and keep advancing!
"Kill them!" Zhao Yun and the Yi followers shouted in unison, ignoring the comparison of the number of people on both sides, not doubting the feasibility of the order at all, but just chasing after the proud figure.
The cavalry's blades passed over the enemy's necks and bodies, bringing with them a shower of blood;
Horse hooves trampled over the enemy's corpse and the broken battle flag, trampling it to pieces.
"Boom!" The front formation was penetrated in an instant. The cavalry did not stop or hesitate, and then crashed into the second spear formation.
"Get out of the way if you don't want to die!" Wang Yu yelled, pressing the blade obliquely, throwing away the broken limbs on the blade, and then pushed forward with both hands to attract the grass and snakes, and pushed the jungle of spears in front of him.
aside.
Of course, this reckless move could not last long. The spearmen in the back row quickly thrust forward, trying to fill the gap. However, they failed. Thousands of silver lights followed Wang Yu like a continuous drizzle.
The flaw that was broken open by force was blown into the spear formation, extremely fast and omnipotent!
The first few soldiers howled miserably and dropped their weapons, turning over and falling. The thorny jungle once again revealed an irreparable gap.
The soldiers in the front line joined the battle in a hurry, and the orders they received were somewhat confusing. Therefore, their morale and fighting spirit were not as high as those in the rear line. Such a gap could have been easily filled. But how could Wang Yu leave any room for them?
Take such an opportunity?
The cooperation just now was not accidental, but a tacit understanding formed during the fierce battle. With his strong physical strength, he first broke open the gap, and then Zhao Yun relied on the speed of his gun to widen the gap. Then it was Taishi Ci's turn to launch a storm-like offensive and charge directly in.
.
They fought like this along the way. It was precisely because of the cooperation of the three of them that the formation was broken so quickly and easily.
Now, without Taishi Ci, his strength is somewhat lacking, but Wang Yu doesn't care. Without Taishi Ci, he still has Wu Zhui!
"Roar! Roar!" Like a bolt of black lightning, Wu Zhui jumped into the enemy's formation. Before he even landed, his front hooves hit the chests of two soldiers heavily, kicking them back with blood spurting out. He shook his head and swung his tail.
, the hind hooves were raised up, and another Jizhou soldier who was trying to make a sneak attack was kicked away.
Since following Wang Yu, the son of the horse king has been pampering himself most of the time, and finally got the opportunity to ride on the battlefield. The more he fights, the more excited he becomes.
Wang Yu has the goal of conquering the world, and Wu Zhui also has his goal. He wants to surpass his once powerful enemy, that charcoal-like horse. How can he do this just by raising fat in a stable?
The Jizhou Army, which was knocked into disarray by Wu Zhui, soon became a sacrifice. The helmet of the first officer who rushed up was smashed away, and his head was tilted to one side at a right angle to his body. Several others tried to attack him.
Before the soldier even raised his spear, half of his head was swept off by the saber that followed him.
"Kill Yuan Shao!"
The number of Baima Yicong was greatly reduced, but their momentum was no less than when they rushed into the battle at the beginning of the war. However, Yuan Shao's personal guards were far from having the courage and combat skills to attack the dead soldiers first. Under Baima Yicong's crazy actions
Under the offensive, casualties were heavy, they were cut down like crops, the neck armor and face armor with the weakest protection were scattered one after another, and large streams of blood spurted into the sky.
"Stop, stop, pull them down!" Yuan Shao's voice became weaker and weaker, revealing endless despair. Guo, Feng and other counselors no longer had the high spirits when they were flattering and flattering, and all of them looked ashen as if they were mourning for their heirs.
Who would have thought that the charge of more than a hundred cavalry would be so ferocious? After breaking through three formations in a row, the outflanking of the two wings had already lost its due effect before it even started. Is this the real power of the cavalry?
"Daoshan Dare to advance..." A thunderous shout overwhelmed the sound of horse hooves, overwhelmed the mourning crowd of Jizhou Army, and proudly announced the joining of another team!
"The sea of fire will not retreat!" There were not many people who responded, less than a hundred people, but the spirit was equally astonishing. To Yuan Shao's ears, it sounded like the sound of nature.
"Every war begins..." When the battle horn first sounded, he was still dozens of steps away. By the third call, he had already reached the edge of the battle group.
"Don't turn your heels!"
The pioneers who came back for reinforcements were all lightly armed, holding short soldiers in their hands, and their signature large oars and crossbows were thrown away. They did not join the battle group immediately, but shouted the battle cry in unison and quickly
Through the chaotic battle formation of their own side, they converged towards the ruins.
"Ziyi couldn't hold them back?" Wang Yu was a little surprised.
The reason why he did not bring Tai Shi Ci, a valuable combat force, with him to break into the formation was because he needed the main force to hold back the first camp while making a surprise attack. If Qin Feng was allowed to take command, the sniper attack would most likely turn into a life-or-death battle, and he could only
Tai Shici can be left to hold the battle.
In his busy schedule, he took the time to look back. The moment he saw the situation on the battlefield in the distance, he understood.
Qu Yi judged the situation quickly and very decisively. The moment he discovered that the rear army was attacked, he made a decision.
Divide his soldiers into several groups, leave one group in place to set up a crossbow formation and snipe, and the rest will return to support; if the cavalry relies on maneuverability to make a detour, he will leave another group to snipe; while the main force returning to support will be abandoned
More than a hundred light soldiers with all the equipment.
Taishi Ci did not dare to charge because he had been warned by Wang Yu. As a result, he circled again and again until he reached the enemy's first sniper position and began to retreat, but was unable to catch up with Qu Yi's reinforcements.
"Forget it, just rush in like this, hurry up, there's still time!" He stabbed an enemy soldier quickly with his spear, and then threw it out with all his strength. Wang Yu shouted for a fierce battle.
If you don't have a crossbow or a spear, it shouldn't be too difficult if you get to the camp first, and you still have a chance.
This time, Wang Yu thought wrongly. He went to the camp first to fight. The most powerful thing was not the equipment, but their fighting spirit!
From the moment he charged into the formation, Wu Zhui's speed never slowed down. Until he rushed to the last line of defense temporarily constructed by the First Deng camp, and after that seemingly extremely thin line of defense, his horse's speed suddenly slowed down.
The strength of the sniper attack from the first camper was indeed beyond Wang Yu's expectation. He used all his strength and rushed left and right, but he could not get rid of the opponent's entanglement.
A soldier wearing a blue armor, who had clearly lost his fighting ability, rolled over in the mud with a knife in his arms, trying to cut off Wu Zui's front hooves. Another soldier was slashed three times by the Yi followers, and then he
Before he died, he opened his arms and firmly grasped Zhao Yun's horse's tail.
Forced into a panic, Wang Yu had no choice but to kill him with a long sweep, cutting off half of an enemy who tried to jump on the saddle. Then he quickly raised the reins, and Wu Hao, who had a clear understanding of his mind, jumped forward neatly.
He dodged the horizontal knife that struck his front hooves, and used his hind hooves to kick the attacker into the air, complete with the knife.
An enemy soldier holding a spear still refused to give up and pounced forward with the spear. Wang Yu turned his body sideways to let the spear point pass and swung his long spear with the force, severing the spear holder's wrist, breastplate and lower abdomen.
And cut into two sections.
"Protect the lord!" Zhao Yun shouted loudly, not caring about the enemies behind him. A ball of gunfire shook out from his spear, and it penetrated the throats of several desperate besiegers like lightning.
"Hehe!" The desperate man covered his throat with one hand, while the other hand still reluctantly grabbed the void and probed, as if he was still fighting with the enemy. He just swayed for a few steps before he collapsed.
A sword struck with the sound of wind. Wang Yu flicked the sword violently and flew it into the air. He dropped his shoulders and elbows, and hit the opponent's chest with a violent whistling sound. The opponent screamed and retreated.
, but could not resist the sharpness of the spear. The leather armor was pierced, and the internal organs dripped all over the ground, but his hands tightly grasped the pole.
Another cold feeling came from the left side. With the intuition developed over many years on the battlefield, Wang Yu was sure that danger was coming. He quickly leaned back and used his back to find the saddle. A cold Chang Ge passed against his lower abdomen.
, a string of electric fire was wiped out on the black armor.
"He's a master!" Wang Yu's heart trembled slightly, and his movements were not slow at all. He didn't have time to pull out his spear. He held the opponent's spear shaft with one hand, and then clamped the horse's belly. Wu Hao turned around with a roar, and stretched out his spear to the person.
hoof.
"Ah!" The person who screamed and was kicked away was not the sneak attacker, but another soldier. When Wu Zhui turned around, he ducked in front of his general, trading one life for another.
"Qu Yi?" Wang Yu shouted loudly. The only one worthy of the protection of being a dead soldier is Qu Yi.
"It's a certain family!" A loyal subordinate died tragically. A trace of darkness flashed in Qu Yi's eyes, but his hand did not slow down at all. Before Wang Yu's stick was pulled out, he raised his hand and struck again: "Peng Ju's son
, not to die!"
"It's not even close!" Wang Yu roared loudly, using one hand to take back the long spear, and stroking the other hand in his arms. There was already an uncertain cold light in his hand, and he drew a stroke on the spear shaft like lightning, and the strong spear
The rod snapped in response.
"A good man, why bother helping thieves?" Wang Yu waved the long spear he had just recaptured and shouted loudly.
"Winning the king or losing the bandit, it's not certain who is the thief!" Although he was frightened, Qu Yi raised a sword with his tiptoe, held the fatal blow with the utmost skill, and answered loudly.
One sentence.
"You are quite interesting." Wang Yu was slightly startled, then shook his head.
Qu Yi's answer was interesting, but it was inappropriate. He had made a great contribution to the savior, but instead of taking the opportunity to express his loyalty, he came with such a nondescript sentence. This person's emotional intelligence is not generally low.
He glanced back at his own team and saw that more than half of the hundreds of elite cavalry who had rushed into battle with him had been killed or injured. The casualties of the first camp were greater than his own, but they were like a quagmire, clinging to the cavalry.
Horseshoe.
The cavalry that has lost its speed will no longer pose any threat. Rather than forcefully fight, it is better to stop when the situation is good. There is no need to waste the lives of the brothers here.
As for entering the camp first...since they have such a leader, they can make long-term plans in the future.
"Retreat, get out, rendezvous with Ziyi, and make another plan!" After understanding the situation, Wang Yu did not hesitate, swept his horse in front of his horse, forced the enemy back, and shouted loudly.
Having said that, the cavalrymen all knew what the general meant, and the raid still failed to achieve the intended effect. Although they were unwilling to do so, the cavalrymen still obeyed the order, turned their horses' heads, and charged out in the opposite direction.
After being fiercely attacked by the first camp, the Jizhou Army's fighting spirit has recovered a lot, and they are coming from all directions to help in the battle. However, they did not expect that the Taishan Army just left as soon as they said it. There was no time to stop them, and they could only watch the opponent march away. go.
They cheered when they saw the Taishan Army retreating earlier, but at this moment, the Jizhou General just felt a sense of relief, and his body became weak. He was just glad that it was finally over. (To be continued. Please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and more updated. quick!)