Chapter 280 The butcher kills the horse

The next day was the darkest time before dawn.

The closed north gate of Shouchun City suddenly opened. The soldiers of Chengjun who had been waiting in the city for a long time rushed out in an instant and launched a fierce attack on the Cao army camp outside the north gate. Although the Cao army camp was very prepared, facing the tide of Chengjun soldiers, they barely resisted for a while and then were defeated one after another.

Before Sun Jian and Lu Bu came to reinforce after hearing the news, the army successfully broke through the Cao army camp, and then rushed towards the dark wilderness in the north like a group of headless flies. Not far from the camp, under the dark sky, Cao Cao stood in a small slope in the wind, surrounded by Guo Jia, Xun You, Cheng Yu and others.

The cool breeze hits the face, and the golden swords and iron horses resound in the night sky. Cao Cao said quietly: "Yuan Shu has indeed broken through."

"Report~~" Suddenly, the school rushed up the small dirt slope, knelt down in front of Cao Cao, breathing, "After the rebels left the north gate, the troops were divided into two groups, one way north and one way to Runan, the other way turned south and headed towards Heifeng Valley."

"Haha." Cao Cao smiled and said, "It's true that it's not as expected by Fengxiao."

Guo Jia smiled slightly, his expression was natural, and he did not look proud because of Cao Cao's praise.

"Chang Yun." Cao Cao said and looked back at Guan Yu and said in a low voice, "It's your turn to attack the city. Remember, after breaking the city, you must first control the granaries and workshops in the city. This time, Yuan Shu fled in panic and did not have time to take away the supplies, food and fodder in the city. We must not let the rebels in the city destroy these military food, equipment and supplies."

"Don't worry, Prime Minister." Guan Yu said in a deep voice, "I will never let you down."

Almost at the same time, the East Gate of Shouchun.

Lu Bu was wearing a habitual belt and was standing outside the gate. Behind Lu Bu, three thousand elite soldiers of Pei had already formed a formation, and were standing in a dark and solemn under the night sky. Chen Gong rode his horse to Lu Bu and reminded earnestly: "Lord, after breaking the city, remember to control the granaries and workshops in the city first. We must not let the food and supplies in the city fall into Cao Cao and Sun Jian's hands, otherwise our army would not get any benefits in this battle."

"Don't worry, the Gongtai." Lu Bu said in a deep voice, "I will settle the food and supplies in Shouchun City. Who dares to rob me of me? Humph, I will take his life!"

South of Shouchun City, Sun Jian’s camp.

Five thousand elite soldiers from Jiangdong were also in line. Xu Shu said to Sun Jian: "Lord, Cao's army has more troops and less food. After breaking the city, they will definitely take the lead in controlling the granaries and workshops to seize the food, grass and supplies in the city. Lu Bu's army is also short of food, so I'm afraid we will do this, so our army does not have to steal it from them."

Sun Ce frowned and said, "Is it just so cheap that Cao Cao and Lu Bu?"

"Of course not." Zhou Yu smiled slightly and said, "Cao's army has more soldiers but less food, but our army has more food and less soldiers. The meaning of military advisors is that after the city is broken, the lord and Bo Fu should try to force the rebels in the city. These rebels are all elite troops in Yangzhou. If they can be used by the lord, they can become an elite army in a blink of an eye."

Sun Ce suddenly said, "So that's it!"

"Yes, these soldiers are all elites from Yangzhou." Xu Shu sighed, "What a pity. Yuan Shu is a crappy person, and the 100,000 elite soldiers are destroyed like this, alas."

In May of the seventh year of Jian'an (194), Shouchun City was captured.

Yuan Shu was ambushed by Cao's army on his way to Lujiang, defeated and killed. Chengguo quickly perished in just a few months after the founding of the country, and the entire Yangzhou was divided into pieces. Cao Cao was about to divide Yangzhou with Sun Jian and Lu Bu and share the results of the battle, what worried Cao Cao the most was inevitable.

Xun Yu, who was staying in Xuchang, sent someone to send an emergency report of 800 miles. The horse butcher personally brought up 10,000 Western Liang Iron Cavalry (actually ten thousand horses, which could easily confuse Cao's army's exploration of horses and create the illusion of a 10,000 army) to Xuchang!

On the official road of Guandu to Xuchang, Ma Yuezheng led 5,000 Western Liang Iron Cavalry to advance towards Xuchang.

When Ma Yue was riding his horse, a white-haired wild boar suddenly rushed out of the bushes on the left side of the official road. He arched fiercely at the abdomen of the horse mount with two sharp fangs. The mount was shocked and suddenly stood up and barely avoided the fatal arch of the white-haired wild boar. The horse throne, which was caught off guard, fell down from the horse's back.

"King, be careful!"

Dian Wei shouted loudly and pulled out two heavy iron halberds from his back and was about to bear the white-haired wild boar. A cold light flashed, and a wolf-toothed arrow as thick as a thumb had already penetrated the white-haired wild wolf's left eye and then emerged from his right eye. Dian Wei turned around, and stood in a stern horse not far behind him, and was nodding slightly at him.

"Ao~~"

The white-haired wild wolf raised its head and let out a shrill scream, and a madman was on the ground.

"Xilulu~~"

Ma Yue's mount was frightened again, and he turned his head and rushed into the wheat field on the right side of the official road. The wheat that was about to mature was trampled into a mess in an instant. The soldiers of Liangzhou on one side were stunned. According to the latest military rules of the Liangzhou Legion, those who trampled on the crops and fields were killed!

"Master!"

Dian Wei turned over and dismounted the horse and helped Ma Yue up from the ground. Ma Yue straightened the golden battle helmet on his head, his face became extremely embarrassed, and he suddenly looked up at Dian Wei and said, "Dian Wei."

Dian Wei bowed urgently and said, "The last one will be there."

Ma Yue said, "Go and bring back the bad horse that corrupted Liangzhou's military discipline to this general."

He is worthy of being a horse butcher, but he is cunning. In desperation, he actually put the account on the war horse!

"Abide by the order!"

Dian Wei agreed and walked along the field to chase the frightened and galloping war horse.

Ma Yue turned his gaze to Li Meng and Wang Fang beside him, and said in a deep voice: "I ordered the entire army to rest temporarily in the open space in front of him. I will kill the inferior horse in front of the soldiers of the three armies, according to the military rules of Liangzhou."

Before the meal, Dian Wei took back Ma Yue's mount, and the five thousand Liangzhou soldiers had already assembled in the open space. Ma Yue walked to the front of the formation with a gloomy face and said loudly: "Liangzhou military rules, those who trample on crops and fields will be killed! Now this general's mount violates military rules. What do you think should you do?"

The soldiers of Liangzhou looked at each other, and no one dared to say anything.

For a long time, the military rules of the army are only used to restrain small soldiers and low-level officers. As long as senior officers do not commit serious crimes such as escaping and contradicting their superiors, they will basically not be punished. As for lords like Ma Yue, they are not subject to any restrictions on military rules.

The soldiers in Liangzhou couldn't understand what the horse butcher was going to do?

Facing the confused eyes of the Liangzhou soldiers, Ma Yue said sternly: "Today, I have summoned everyone to tell you something: In the face of military rules, no matter whether people or animals or official ranks, they will be equal! Even if I violate the Liangzhou military rules today, I will still be severely punished!"

"Okay! Well said!" Jia Xu looked cold and responded with a rare look of arms, "Equal before military rules!"

There are only two ways to make an army strong combat power.

One is the wild beast motivation method used by horse butchers in the past, which is to stimulate the most primitive beastly nature in the hearts of soldiers through human desires, thus making humans as cruel, bloodthirsty, fighting, and not afraid of death like wild beasts! Such an army has unimaginable destructive power, which is also the reason why the eight hundred bandits are notoriously famous.

Another way is to rely on strict military disciplines and military rules to restrain soldiers, and use clear rewards and punishments to consolidate the morale of the army and inspire fighting spirit! Relying on clear rewards and punishments and strict military rules to create an iron-blooded army! The Qin army that swallowed the six Kanto countries is the best proof.

The military rules of the Liangzhou Legion have just changed. In order to convince the soldiers of the three armies, Ma Yuezhen, as the lord, needs to set an example at this time.

Ma Yue turned around and said to Dian Wei: "Dian Wei, bring this general's sweat-blooded BMW."

A hint of care flashed across Dian Wei's face, and he reluctantly led the sweaty and bloody BMW over. Ma Yue snatched the reins from Dian Wei's hand, raised his head and said sternly: "This is the mount of the general, it is also a BMW, but it is also a war horse of the Liangzhou Legion! Since it is the war horse of the Liangzhou Legion, it must abide by the military rules. Today, it tramples on the wheat field and must be beheaded!"

The soldiers of the three armies were in an uproar. They thought Ma Yue was just talking, but they didn't expect to kill his beloved horse.

"Dian Wei, execute!"

"But, lord, is it your mount?"

"I have said that even if I violate military rules today, I will be punished, let alone the general's mount, and I will be killed!"

Dian Wei had no choice but to lift the iron halberd high and swung it down fiercely. The head of the sweat-blooded BMW instantly broke the neck, and the red blood suddenly sprinkled all over the ground. The corpse that had lost the horse's head fell to the ground, and was still twitching constantly. Ma Yue turned his head with some heartache and continued to say: "As the owner of the sweat-blooded BMW, I failed to stop it from trampling on the wheat field in time, and I also bear joint responsibility. I hit the thirty military sticks with a public stick!"

Dian Wei said in a speechless voice: "Master?"

Ma Yue sternly said: "Execute!"

Dian Wei had no choice but to take the military stick from his personal soldiers and hit Ma Yue's back with a hard stick. The open space was silent. This muffled sound clearly reached the eardrums of the soldiers of the three armies. All the soldiers of Liangzhou held their breath. From this moment on, the new Liangzhou military rules had already left a deep mark in their hearts.

Xuchang, Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Xun Yu was thinking about countermeasures against the map on the case.

As early as half a month ago, Xun Yu received the news that Ma Butcher sent troops. At that time, Ma Butcher's huge fleet had just sailed out of Xinfeng Port and advanced eastward along the Yellow River waterway. Luoyang's garrison Xia Houdun and Xun Yu, who were placed on the south bank of the Yellow River, also discovered the movements of the Liangzhou army.

In fact, the butcher Ma did not intend to hide his traces at the beginning. The purpose of sending troops to Xuchang this time was to force Cao Cao to withdraw his troops from Huainan. That's all. Since it was to force Cao Cao to withdraw his troops from Huainan, it was naturally to create the bigger the momentum, so how could he hide his traces?

The rapid footsteps suddenly sounded, and Xun Yu suddenly looked up, and four young figures walked into the hall of the prime minister's mansion, but it was Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang and his subordinates Cao Xiu, Cao An, and Cao Min (Cao Anmin, who died in the Battle of Wancheng, was actually two people, Cao An and Cao Min, because the single name was noble and the two names were Guilty during the Three Kingdoms period. The Cao family was a family of officials, so it was impossible to use the double name). Cao Cao had just given Cao Ang a gift before going to Huainan, and was entrusted with the important task of staying behind to assist Xun Yu in guarding Xuchang.

"Mr. Xun Yu." Cao Xiu, who was strong-willed, walked quickly to the front of the case and said loudly, "Reward, the butcher's army has advanced fifty miles north of Zhongmu, and is only three hundred miles away from Xuchang! If the rebels in Liangzhou rushed to attack quickly, they will appear in Xuchang City in less than two days."

"Oh?" Xun Yu's face changed and he said in a deep voice, "The Liangzhou rebels came so fast!"

"Mr. Xun Yu, things are urgent!" Cao Ang said, "My father is far away in Huainan, and Yuan Rang's uncle is in Luoyang again. It can be said that the distance water cannot save nearby fires. There are only 5,000 soldiers in Xuchang City. I am afraid that I can't defend it. There may be a glimmer of chance of taking the initiative. Our army should take the initiative to block the rebels in Zhongmu and Changshe. The rebels do not know the facts of our army, so they may not dare to drive south. In this way, we can ensure that Xuchang is worry-free."

Xun Yu smiled bitterly on his face.

The Yingchuan Plain was flat, and there was no danger to defend from Guandu to Xuchang. The rebels of the Liangzhou of the Ma Butcher had no need to be entangled in Zhongmu, and Changshe and Cao's army. What's more, the butcher Ma was best at running long distances and avoiding the real attack. When Cao's army was in Zhongmu and Changshe took the initiative to fight the Liangzhou rebels, the butcher Ma had already reached the city of Xuchang.

"Major General." Xun Yu advised, "The horse butcher is as cunning as a fox. Even the lord has suffered a great loss. You and I should be cautious and not act rashly. From the following, as long as we can defend Xuchang for half a month, the lord and the general of the Yuan Dynasty will be able to lead the army from Huainan and Luoyang to return to Xuchang, and the rebels in Liangzhou will not be worried."

Cao Xiu was young and had never experienced the power of the horse butcher, and said disapprovingly: "Mr. Xun Yu is afraid of the horse butcher like a tiger, but the general is not afraid of him! So what about the iron cavalry of Xiliang? The general regards it as a native chicken and a tile dog! The gentleman only needs to give the general three thousand elite soldiers to defeat the rebels in Liangzhou in Zhongmu and Changshe!"

Cao Xiu is the best among the younger generation of the Cao clan. He has been skilled in archery and horses since he was a child and is good at reading military books. He can be said to be both civil and military. Even Cao Cao often praises him as the Qianlijiao of the Cao family. However, it is precisely because of this that Cao Xiu has developed arrogance and does not take the heroes of the world seriously.

"Yes, Zilie is right! Others are afraid of him butcher, but our Cao family's children are not afraid of him!"

As Cao Xiu finished speaking, Cao An and Cao Min agreed. Xun Yu was so anxious that he changed his qualities, but he didn't know how to persuade these four young men with strong energy. After holding back for a long time, Xun Yu had to sacrifice the sword that Cao Cao gave before he went to war and said solemnly: "The Prime Minister's sword is here, no one is allowed to send troops without authorization!"

Shouchun.

It was already late at night, but Cao Cao's central army tent was brightly lit. Before the war in Yangzhou was settled, the war in Xuchang started again, and the butcher Ma personally brought up 10,000 iron cavalry attacks. Cao Cao felt deeply uneasy and was summoning Xun You, Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Cao Chun and other civil and military confidants to urgently discuss solutions.

Cao Cao is facing a difficult choice.

Should we immediately raise the army and return to Xuchang?

Or should we keep our troops still and wait until the situation in Huainan is stable before returning?

Although Shouchun was captured and Yuan Shu was defeated, the entire Lujiang River was divided into three parts. The southern Liyang, Hefei, Jundao, Fuling, Quanjiao Zhucheng was controlled by Sun Jian, the northeast Xiquyang, Zhongli, Yinling, and Dongcheng were controlled by Lu Bu, and only Xiacai, Pinga, Dangtu, and Yicheng were controlled by Cao Cao.

Although Cao Cao was the prime minister of Han, it was not that simple to let Lu Bu and Sun Jian hand over the city. When attacking Shouchun, the reason why Cao Cao ordered Guan Yu to take the granaries first was to hold back the throats of Sun Jian and Lu Bu's armies and exchange the large amount of food and supplies in Shouchun City for the city occupied by Sun Jian and Lu Bu.

Following the tacit understanding reached before the attack on Yuan Shu, Sun Jian and Lu Bu have agreed to exchange.

But the problem comes again. If the exchange is carried out, it will take some time for the city to be accepted, the army will change defenses, clear away the remaining enemies, rectify public order, appoint and remove officials, etc. to carry out work such as Sun Jian and Lu Bu deliberately delayed, the time will be even more difficult to estimate. During this period, 20,000 troops will sink the mud and make it difficult to move forward.

If we return to Xuchang now, Lujiang will be completely divided by Sun Jian and Lu Bu. After repelling the butcher Ma, Sun Jian and Lu Bu have also gained a foothold in Lujiang. It will be difficult for Cao Cao to retake it again. In this way, the battle against Yuan, which was carried out by Cao's army to spend a lot of manpower and material resources, has become a wedding dress for others.

If the troops were not moved, Cao Cao would be really worried about Xuchang.

If someone else leads the army to fight, Xun Yu will be as safe as Mount Tai, but if the butcher Ma personally leads the army to attack, that would be a different matter! The butcher Ma is famous for his cruelty and cunning, and even Cao Cao will inevitably suffer losses under his command. Although Xun Yu is extremely wise, he still lacks some decision and courage in the battle. He will definitely suffer a great loss against the butcher Ma!

If Xuchang fails, the consequences will be unimaginable. Cao Cao dares not take this risk no matter what. He weighs the two sides and hesitates for a while, Cao Cao still decides to return to Xuchang.

"Oh, I didn't expect that the butcher Ma dared to take risks and personally raise the army to attack Xuchang!" Cao Cao sighed and said sadly, "There is no other solution now, so he can only return to Xuchang."

Guo Jia, Xun You, Cheng Yu and others all looked lonely. Even though the three of them were extremely wise, they could not change the situation of Cao's army at this time. The horse butcher entrenched in the northwest was like a sharp sword hanging on Cao Cao's neck. No matter what Cao Cao wanted to do, he had to be wary of the sword that would suddenly fall down at any time.
To be continued...