Cao Xiu had been paying attention to the defense of the east gate, but Ma Chao's two thousand soldiers came out from the south gate, catching Cao's army off guard.

The number of reinforcements from Ma Chao exceeds that of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Although there is a big gap in equipment, they can make up for it in terms of numbers. In addition, Jin Ma Chao's prestige is far and wide, which also puts a lot of pressure on the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry psychologically.

, the situation changed from a breakout battle to a counterattack.

"It's a horse...why did he appear there..."

Cao Hong was stunned when he saw it, and Yang Fu, the governor of Wudu, even led his horse to retreat. Facing this enemy, he was under greater pressure than anyone else.

Seeing Zhang Fei and Ma Chao massacre the tiger and leopard cavalry, Cao Xiu immediately ordered the retreat, and the more than two hundred cavalry responsible for the retreat had to give up.

"Go back to the city, Cao Hong's rear army is coming." Ma Chao pointed to the distance and said.

Zhang Fei looked at the flags covering the sky a mile away, and said with some emotion: "Why is this Cao so sinister? If Meng Qi hadn't come to the rescue today, I might not have been able to escape."

"General Wu has opened the city gate, let's enter the city quickly."

Although Ma Chao was urging him with his mouth, he felt in his heart that Zhang Fei had become cunning. He had clearly arranged troops and horses inside the east gate, but at this time he was still pretending to be innocent in front of him.

"Let's go."

Zhang Fei turned around and looked again. At this time, his face was very solemn, because Cao Hong's troops were really strong.

The two quickly retreated through the East Gate of Xiaben. The streets of the inner city were filled with soldiers who were fully armed and ready to go.

Zhang Fei scratched his head and explained: "They seem to be my soldiers. When did they come here? Meng Qi, let's go up to the tower..."

When Ma Chao saw this, he did not question, but responded with a smile. The two immediately climbed up the city wall to join Wu Yi. At this time, the sound of killing outside the east gate was loud, and it turned out that Cao Hong had already launched an attack.

Arrows rained down like locusts on Xiabian City. Since he did not bring any siege equipment, Cao Hong attacked the city for less than half an hour before withdrawing his troops and returning to camp at Cao Xiu's suggestion.

Neither of the two armies gained an advantage in the first confrontation. As for He Su, who was stabbed to death by Zhang Fei, he was not worth mentioning to Cao Hong.

"General Zhang, these tens of thousands of troops were brought by Cao Hong from Guanzhong. It seems that they have not achieved the intention of the lord and the military advisor to divide the Hanzhong troops. Isn't our trip in vain?" Wu Yi asked doubtfully.

Zhang Fei looked at Wu Yi and said with a naive smile: "Zi Yuan, you are really sincere. No matter he is a Hanzhong soldier or a Guanzhong soldier, he is still Cao Hao's soldier. If my brother attacks Hanzhong, Cao Cao will definitely reinforce him. Let's attract some of them here."

It waxes and wanes.”

Wu Yi was startled when he heard this, and he looked at Zhang Fei with admiration. He thought to himself, is this guy still the reckless man that others call him?

"General Yide is still thinking long-term, I can't do it..." Wu Yi sincerely complimented him.

"Haha, this is called looking at the overall situation."

Zhang Fei did not move out of the martial arts hall this time, because Wu Yi's words of "I am not as good as me" were really superior. In the past, only Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Lan Tian could get such praise. Zhang Fei silently wondered if he was one of the military generals.

First person?

"Looking at the overall situation? General Zhang is indeed extraordinary. Cao Hong has brought tiger and leopard cavalry this time. The number is twice as many as ours. Passive defense should not last long. We must find a way to defeat the enemy." Ma Chao frowned.

Zhang Fei looked around, then faced Wu Yi and Ma Chao and said mysteriously: "This is not the place to talk. Let's go back to the city and discuss it later."

Wu Yi left Ren Kui to patrol the city, and he and Zhang Fei returned to the prefect's mansion in Xia Bian. Since the army personnel did not know how to set up a sand table, they could only use maps to lay out tactics.

Zhang Fei pointed to the location of Cao Hong's camp and said: "Cao Hong's footing is not stable. We were fighting outside the city just now. He must not have thought that we would rob the camp."

"Hit the camp?" Wu Yi looked confused.

Zhang Fei nodded and affirmed: "It will be dusk soon. Cao Hong was delayed in his attack on the city just now. The camp setup should not be completed yet. I plan to select three thousand elite warriors for a sneak attack. If I can cut off the commander's flag, I will definitely defeat him."

Spirited."

"General Yide should not be underestimated. If the general fails, the consequences will be disastrous." Wu Yi admonished.

Zhang Fei frowned and shook his head, muttering to himself: "If I don't go, the shock will not be enough..."

"General, I'd better sit down and debate. I have fought with Cao Jun many times and I am familiar with their tactics. Why don't you wait for an opportunity to rob the camp?" Ma Chao cupped his fists and asked for help.

"Very good. These people named Cao are all cunning. Meng Qi must remember to act with caution." Zhang Fei instructed.

"Don't worry, General." Ma Chao nodded.

At that time, Ma Chao fought with Cao Cao at Tongguan and Wei River, and later he was pursued by Cao Cao's generals in Longyou. Ma Chao suffered the second most losses at the hands of Cao's army. I am afraid that no one in the world dares to say that he is the first.

It was cloudy in the Chenghui Basin at this time, and the afterglow of the sun could hardly be seen before it darkened. Ma Chao led his army secretly out of the south gate of Xiabian, and used the cover of night to reach Cao's camp.

Less than two miles away, the sentinel from the front came back to report that there were many patrols in the southwest of Cao Ying. Ma Chao thought that these areas were adjacent to Xia Bian, and based on the experience of Cao Ying's generals, they would naturally arrange for defenses, so he led the team around.

In the southern part of the Chenghui Basin, close to the bottom of the mountain, we plan to make a detour to the rear of Cao Ying.

After two hours of detouring, Ma Chao's army was discovered by scouts outside Cao's camp. At this time, the sky had completely dropped. With the sound of early warning, countless torches were raised.

"Bitterness."

They didn't expect that Cao's camp was so tightly fortified. After Ma Chao scolded them, they decisively fled due west. They didn't dare light torches to reveal their whereabouts in the dark night, but Cao Jun could hold up torches and pursue them.

The panic in the darkness, the shouts from behind, and the star-like firelight gave people endless pressure, and the three thousand Yizhou soldiers collapsed like animals.

The Chenghui Basin was undulating, and the fleeing soldiers panicked. Some were overtaken and killed, some lost their horses and fell to death, and some fell into deep pits...

The tiger and leopard cavalry were well-trained and adept at pursuit, killing countless terrified and defeated soldiers along the way.

The smell of killing spread wantonly under the night, and screams were heard one after another in the wilderness. The wild beasts in the mountains were so frightened that they did not dare to come out of their caves when they heard the sorrow. Ma Chao fled back to Xiaben with less than three hundred soldiers.

The embarrassed Ma Chao dragged his exhausted body into the Wudu Governor's Mansion. Zhang Fei had already known the news in advance and rushed out to welcome him. Surprisingly, he did not drink alcohol tonight, but paid close attention to the news about the robbery of the camp.

"General Zhang, I..." Ma Chao lowered his head in shame.

Zhang Fei held Ma Chao's hand and consoled him: "I've already told you how cunning Cao is. This failure is due to my misdirection. It's not just that Meng Qi didn't try his best."

Ma Chao explained: "Cao's army's tiger and leopard cavalry are extremely elite. So Cao Hong has been fighting with Cao Cao for many years and must have learned a lot of skills in setting up camps. It is really not advisable to rob the camp..."

Seeing Ma Chao's haggard face, Zhang Fei immediately called his attendants to remove Ma Chao's armor, and then he put his hands on Ma Chao's shoulders carelessly: "Winning or losing is a common thing for a military strategist. I will drink some wine with you to calm down the shock. After you have eaten and drank, you can think about it later."

Defeat Cao Cao's strategy."

"Uh...Okay..." Ma Chao was embarrassed to refuse Zhang Fei's enthusiasm.
Chapter completed!