Chapter 205: The Horse-Grieving Wasteland

The Central Army’s tent.

Ma Yue shook off his cloak, sat down and said to Dian Wei: "Dian Wei, come with the map."

Dian Weiwen responded, and hurriedly took out a map from his arms and spread it on the table. When the curtain was lifted, Jia Xu had already followed in quickly. Before he could see the greeting, he asked anxiously: "Lord, what emergency military information does Hetao have?"

"No, it's not Hetao." Ma Yue shook his head sternly, "It's Liangzhou!"

"Uh~~" Jia Xu uh and said, "Liangzhou?"

Ma Yue explained: "That's right, Diao Chan spurred a news that was extremely unfavorable to our army in Luoyang. In order to ensure that the news could be delivered to the army, he rushed to Longxian and Hetao at the same time! It seems that the fast horse sent to Longxian should have had an accident on the way. Fortunately, Gao Shun sent a fast horse from Hetao to deliver the letter. Although he had been delayed for a few days, it was not too late."

Jia Xu said: "Hmm?"

Ma Yue said: "If there is no such news, or if it is delayed for another ten days and half a month, I am afraid that the big thing will be over."

Jia Xu said in a singular voice: "What news?"

Ma Yue said: "Dong Zhuo forced the emperor to issue an order to the Western Regions, and ordered the chief of the Western Regions Wang Yuan to join forces with the troops of the 36 countries in the Western Regions to advance eastward to Liangzhou, and wanted to intercept our army's retreat! In addition, Dong Zhuo used Zhang Ji as the governor of Bingzhou and replaced Xu Rong to come to Liangzhou. The Si Li Zheng Zheng Zhong Yao, and Yang Qiu, who was stationed in Fufeng, may also come to Liangzhou with Xu Rong."

"Wang Yuan, the chief of the Western Regions?" Jia Xu's eyes suddenly froze and he said in a deep voice, "This must be Li Ru's poisonous plan! Isn't this guy afraid of leading a wolf into the house and the Hu cavalry in the Western Regions poisoning Liangzhou?"

"If you are afraid of attracting wolves into the house, you are not Dong Zhuo and Li Ru!" Ma Yue said in a deep voice, "Xu Rong's army will soon reach Liangzhou, but the Western Regions are not far from Liangzhou. Even if Wang Yuan's Western Regions coalition forces are all cavalry, it will take at least more than a month from the summoning to the expedition and then to the entry of Liangzhou (at that time, the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions were similar to nomadic peoples, so the preparation time for troops was relatively short)."

"Report!" As soon as Ma Yue finished speaking, a small school stepped into the tent quickly and knelt down, "Longxian urgently reported."

Ma Yue said in a deep voice: "Speak!"

Xiaoxiaodao: "Basic enemy troops were found at the same time in the south and north of Longxian."

"Hmm?" Ma Yue said, "How many people do each have?"

Xiaozhao said: "There are at least 30,000 people in the south, and about 10,000 people in the north."

"This is actually happening!" Ma Yue spread the map flat, punching it flat on the map, and said in a deep voice, "The 10,000 troops north of Long County cannot be the Western Regions coalition, so they can only be the county and state soldiers left behind in the counties! Ten thousand troops are almost the total strength of the remaining troops of the counties! A big move, a real big move, is worthy of Xu Rong, who can abandon the counties in Liangzhou and concentrate all their forces to fight to the death with our army, hum~~"

Jia Xu's eyes turned cold and he also said in a voice: "Xu thought that the 30,000 troops south of Long County must be Xu Rong's army. There were only eight thousand soldiers in the Sanfu area of ​​Chang'an and ten thousand cavalry and five cavalry of Yang Qiu's five cavalry. The rest were all county and state soldiers with no combat power. This time, Xu Rong mobilized 30,000 troops at once. Hum, that is to say, Xu Rong had already drawn all the regular troops of the Sanfu Chang'an!"

"It seems~~" Ma Yue said this, took a deep breath, and said coldly, "In order to protect the foundation of Liangzhou, Dong Zhuo is really willing to pay any expense!"

Ma Yue's eyes suddenly showed a burning cold flame and said sternly: "Where is Xu Rong going to fight our army?"

Jia Xu stroked the willow beard on his chin and said with a smile: "Lord, it seems that the 18th Kanto Alliance Army put a lot of pressure on Luoyang, which forced Xu Rong to fight our army head-on battle in order to resolve the danger in Liangzhou as soon as possible, so that he can concentrate his efforts to deal with the Kanto Alliance Army."

Ma Yue suddenly stood up and said in a low voice: "Xu Rong wants a decisive battle, but I am not able to ask for it!"

Jia Xu smiled treacherously and said, "Lord, now Xu Rong has come to Liangzhou. Zhang Ji, Bingzhou, is a mediocre person, not to worry about it. What's more, Xu Rong has already drawn all the regular troops of Chang'an and Sanfu. Why not let Gao Shun lead his troops out of Shangjun and threaten Zuo Fengyi! If Xu Rong leads his troops back to rescue, Liangzhou will be settled soon. If Xu Rong does not return to rescue, then take advantage of the situation to capture Zuo Fengyi. The troops head east can threaten Hedong and Luoyang, and go west can threaten You Fufeng and attack Chang'an. Then see how Xu Rong cleans up the mess."

"Yeah, OK!"

Ma Yue nodded repeatedly, paced back and forth in the tent, his eyes showing an unprecedented spirit. He suddenly stopped and said to Jia Xu: "Wenhe, the two armies of the north and south of Long County must not be combined into one, otherwise the situation will be extremely difficult. I personally led two thousand iron cavalry out of the north of Long County to attack instead of defending, and launched a fierce attack on the 10,000 troops in the north, and Xu Huang stayed in Long County, and ordered Fang Yue as the main general. You assisted him and led the army to fight Xu Rong. How about it?"

"Lord, this is too risky." Jia Xu's face changed and he persuaded anxiously, "Why not let General Fang Yue or General Xu Huang lead the army alone?"

"Not appropriate." Ma Yue said decisively, "Xu Huang, Fang Yue is brave and good at fighting and is well-organized. He is deeply trusted by the soldiers, but he is not a decisive person, and he is even more ruthless in his behavior. This time, he used two thousand cavalry to restrain 10,000 troops, which is of great importance and cannot be misunderstood. Wenhe, our army cannot afford to lose."

Jia Xu sighed and said, "Since that's the case, the lord needs to leave the big flag, so that General Fang Yue can lead the army by leading the flag. This can not only shock Xu Rong, but also confuse the enemy."

Ma Yue nodded and said in a low voice: "As far as Wenhe said, I want to raise an army overnight."

Jia Xu bowed with his fists and said, "Take care, lord."

Ma Yue also clasped his fists and said, "Wenhebao."

In front of Hulao Pass, Yuan Shao’s central army tent.

Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan, Han Fu, Liu Dai and other warlords gathered together. The scene that should have been talked about was very loud, but at this time it seemed extremely dull. Everyone looked worried and thoughtless. When the warlords were speechless, they suddenly heard the sound of urgent footsteps, and a small school was already rushing into the tent.

"Report~~Guangling Prefect Zhang Chao and Shanyang Prefect Yuan Yi are defeated again!"

"ah?"

"What!"

"Damn it~~"

"Lu Bu and Zhang Liao are really difficult to deal with."

The warlords in the tent lamented and said, "The incident started six days ago. On the night of six days ago, Lu Bu and Zhang Liao led one army out of Hulao Pass, and built camps on the left and right sides of the Guandong Allied Forces camp, and formed a slight restraint on the Guandong Army camp.

Then, the development of the situation became increasingly unfavorable to the Kanto Alliance.

Lu Bu and Zhang Liao actually began to dig soil in the camp to build soil mountains, build high oars on the soil mountains, and arrange good shooting people on the high oars. They kept firing arrows inside the Kwantung military camp day and night. The Kwantung Army could not shuttle back and forth between the camps, nor could they go out to gather and practice. In recent days, soldiers died under the bows and arrows of the bandits, which was really miserable.

Yuan Shao immediately dispatched troops to condemn the generals and launched an attack on Lu Bu and Zhang Liao camps!

However, this time, Yuan Shao did not let his soldiers go into battle again and again. Ju Yi repeatedly asked for battle but was rejected by Yuan Shao. Within six days, Yuan Shao successively summoned the thirteen princes including Zhang Chao, Zhang Chao, Taiyang Prefect Yuan Yi, Hanoi Prefect Wang Kuang, Shangdang Prefect Zhang Yang, etc., but they all returned.

When the princes from all walks of life looked at each other and did not dare to speak, Cao Cao, the prefect of Qiao County, suddenly sighed: "It's a pity that my tiger and leopard cavalry is not in the camp. If I get it here and step on Lu Bu, it will be easier for Zhang Liao's camp to turn around."

"Lu Bu, Zhang Liao and others have brave but unscheming men, what's the point?" As soon as Cao Cao finished speaking, Ju Yi, who stood behind Yuan Shao, could no longer hold back and shouted, "Lord, please take the lead in going to the camp to fight. If you can't break through Lu Bu, Zhang Liao's camp, you would rather commit suicide to thank you."

Yuan Shao was anxious and was about to stop him. Cao Cao, who was already smiling treacherously, said: "It is rare that General Ju Yi is well aware of justice and is not afraid of powerful enemies. Why not order him to fight and revive the style of the Hebei army? If you win this battle, you will definitely boost the morale of the Kwantung army, and then Hulao Pass can go down in one fell swoop."

The other warlords agreed, but Yuan Shao had no choice but to agree.

On the banks of the Weishui River.

Xu Rong's 30,000 troops were winding along the Wei River toward Hanyang County.

Zhong Yao rode his horse to Xu Rong and advised: "General, this trip to Longxian will have all kinds of harms but no benefits. The most secure strategy should be to drive the army westward, go to Longxi to join the army of Gongzi Huang, and then hold on to wait for the assistance of the Western Regions to come to support, and should not go north to Longxian to fight with the butcher of the horse."

Xu Rong frowned and said, "Sir, don't persuade me anymore. Since going north to Long County is the lord's military order, it is not allowed to be disobeyed."

Zhong Yao advised again: "The general is outside, and the king will not accept the order. The lord is far away in Luoyang and does not know the actual situation in Liangzhou. The general should not blindly follow him."

"Sir, this is a bad word." Xu Rong's face darkened and said, "Sir, he insisted on avoiding Longxi and waiting for the Western Regions coalition forces to come to aid, just starting from the situation in Liangzhou, while the lord's decision was based on the overall situation. How can the two be compared? Sir, if the lord is defeated and Luoyang falls, what's the point even if our army wins the battle in Liangzhou?"

Zhong Yao sighed and said silently.

Xu Rong's tone slowed down and said, "My lord has been under a lot of pressure in Luoyang. The war in Liangzhou cannot be delayed."

Zhong Yao nodded and responded: "I understand. Since the decisive battle is inevitable, I think we should join forces with Huangfu Jian's northern army as soon as possible to avoid being defeated by the butcher horses and losing their troops."

Xu Rong nodded and said, "Mr. I mean, it coincides with this general. I have sent someone to send a letter to Huangfu Jian and ordered him to lead his army south to join our army. If nothing unexpected happens, our army, Gongzi Huang's eight thousand elite soldiers, and Huangfu Jian's northern army, should meet under the city of Long County."

Three days later, the horses and wilderness.

The horse-grazing wasteland is located between Wuwei County and Hanyang County, with a radius of hundreds of miles, and there are many horse thieves.

Ma Yue bent down under the escort of Dian Wei, Jutu and more than ten personal soldiers, lurked in the weeds that were more than one person tall. Hundreds of steps ahead, the black army swept south like ants across the wasteland. The army's lineup was quite rigorous, with a force of about 10,000. It was divided into five armies with the left, middle, right, front and back in a regular marching array.

The left and right armies are both cavalry, each with more than a thousand cavalry.

The front army was a spearman, and the back army was a sword and shield soldier, each with more than a thousand people. The central army was composed of baggage soldiers, heavy infantry and archers, and the troops occupied nearly half of the entire army.

"puff!"

Ju Tu spit out a grass stem in his mouth, and turned to Ma Yue and said, "Lord, the enemy has at least two thousand cavalry, as well as archers and heavy armored infantry, which are not easy to deal with. If you attack from the front, even if you can destroy the enemy's formation, our army will probably suffer heavy casualties."

"That's not necessarily!" Ma Yue looked up at the sky that was gradually getting dark. A trace of inexplicable cold light suddenly flashed through his eyes and said in a calm voice, "The victory is not a reasoning, but a battle! Whether this battle can be won depends on the ability of the enemy's chief general to adapt, hehe."

In front, Dong Zhuo's army was centrally located.

Huangfu Jian raised his right arm with aloud and said: "The whole army stopped advancing and camped on the spot."

Longxian.

Xu Huang's temporary residence.

Jia Xu said to Xu Huang with a serious expression: "General Xu Huang, whether this battle is a victory or a defeat depends on whether Long County can be defended! If Long County is lost, everything will be settled, and all the plans of this military advisor will be lost. If the general can defend Long County for at least half a month, this military advisor will be able to defeat Xu Rong and lose a piece of armor."

Xu Huang said in a deep voice: "Please rest assured by the military advisor, Yue will never be humiliated."

"Yeah." Jia Xu was not relieved and reminded him earnestly again, "General, remember that five thousand soldiers are all the forces you have to defend Long County. No matter how critical the situation is, even if there is only one general left in Long County, my military advisor will never send a condemnation soldier to reinforce."

Xu Huang said with a sigh: "But there is a last general. Even if Xu Rong's army comes to attack, he will also teach him to return in a defeat."

Jia Xu said in a narrow voice: "Okay, then please general."

Xu Huang clasped his fists and said, "Please rest assured by the military advisor."

Jia Xu nodded and turned around and floated away.

Hetao, Ma Yue Laoying.

Gao Shun said to Ju Shu: "Sir, the lord sent a letter to 800 miles in a hurry, and ordered the Mo general to lead 8,000 cavalry south out of Shangjun to threaten Zuo Fengyi, and the old camp of Hetao please sir."

Ju Su said: "General, please go to the expedition with confidence. The wild bison ferry and Caisangjin are all under the control of our army. There are scouts and cavalry patrolling continuously along the river. In addition, our army has made detailed haunts in Bingzhou counties. However, if there are any changes in the Bingzhou army, you can't escape our army's eye! The Hetao is as stable as Mount Tai."

"Yes." Gao Shun nodded and said, "If the situation is critical, you can quickly send a letter to Mobei and ask Pei Yuanshao and Zhou Cang to lead the light cavalry to help."

Ju Shu said: "I'll pay attention to it."

Horse-herding wasteland.

Under the faint starry sky, bonfires were lit on the empty wasteland, and soldiers were lying everywhere beside the fire. Except for the soldiers guarding the night, Huangfu Jian's army of 10,000 had quietly fallen asleep. In this hot summer, no one wanted to stay in the sultry and hot tent.

In the middle of the camping site, Huangfu Jian was staring at the back of his head, staring up at the sky with stars in a daze.

It was a last resort to shrinking troops and concentrating defense against several major cities. Huangfu Jian had no different opinions. However, the troops heading south to Longxian to join Xu Rong's main army, which made Huangfu Jian a little confused. Huangfu Jian thought that the 10,000 troops under his command would stay in Anding or the North and threaten Ma Yue's retreat, which was far more threatening than to enter the decisive battle in Longxian.

Huangfu Jian's 10,000 troops were mostly made up of the garrisons of each county. Except for the two thousand cavalry led by the prefect of Zhangye Guo Hao, who was considered elite, the other eight thousand soldiers were county and state soldiers who had never been on the battlefield. Such an army was barely competent for defending the city. If it was used to attack the toughest, it would be a bit difficult to fight in the field.
To be continued...