When the news reached Cao Cao, the troubled hero was surprised, but fell into contemplation. He couldn't think that Zhuge Liang's 20,000 horses had won the South County, which was defended by an army of 60,000, so quickly. Thinking of this, Cao Cao suddenly raised his head and said: "Go and ask the military strategist Feng Xiao to come and discuss the matter!"
"I can't believe that everything will go so badly! Now Nanjun has been occupied by Zhuge Liang. Zaoyang's defense is also so tenacious, and our army has been unable to attack for a long time. The present form is bad, I don't know how Feng Xiao can deal with it."
Cao Cao frowned and asked his favorite counselor.
"This time the enemy defended and attacked us. Our army was divided. The advantage of our troops was eliminated and our strength was balanced. Victory or defeat was reasonable. Yuan Shao was behind us and we were unable to attack the Han army with all our strength. This greatly distracted me. The strength of the army. Please also ask the lord to attack Zaoyang. Now Zhuge Liang has just occupied the southern county and has an unsteady foothold. As long as we take Zaoyang as soon as possible, we still have the hope of occupying the southern county."
Guo Jia analyzed the current situation.
Cao Cao sighed softly when he heard it, and said: "I didn't expect the Han army to be so tenacious. Because of temporary greed, I actually committed such a serious consequence. I divided the troops into two directions and weakened the advantage of our army. I looked down on the enemy too much. , I even sent troops to fight deep into the enemy's belly. I made a mistake. I could lose a thousand games in a row, let alone two wrong games. This battle cost me a lot of troops and financial resources, but I couldn't make a step forward. I looked down on Liu Bei too much."
This is the advantage of Cao Cao, whether it is defeated or won. The first thing he thinks about is his fault. Never impose charges on others for the sake of face.
Guo Jiazheng said: "During the Warring States Period, there was a minister in Chu State named Zhuang Xin. He had a saying,'It is not too late to see a dog and a dog; it is not too late to make up for the death of a sheep. It is not too late!' Now Zao! Yang has been heavily surrounded by our army. As long as we do not underestimate the enemy and attach importance to the Han army, it is only a matter of time before the attack. We can show a state of slack in front of the Han army and lure Liu Xun to lead the army out of the city for a decisive battle!"
Cao Cao said with a smile: "With Feng Xiao, I am relieved! This strategy is very good!"
After that, Cao Jun set up a fence in the western highlands of Hongnong and nailed them into the ground with thick wooden stakes, forming a dense defense. It was neither war nor retreat. The boring Sergeant Cao also passed the boring time in the village. Later, I don’t know who thought of some gadgets, such as wrestling, fighting and other entertainment projects. Soldiers joined in one after another. I don’t know why. Cao Cao didn't stop him much, instead he rewarded the winners with some money.
Naturally, these things in Cao's camp cannot be concealed from Liu Xun and others who have been following the movements of Cao Cao's camp.
"The guard of the Cao Jun Daying is so lax, and our army's morale is very high at this moment due to the repeated defeat of Cao Jun's siege. This is a god-given opportunity, son, let us go out of the city and destroy them!"
Wei Yan said loudly.
Liu Xunruo said profoundly: "I smell a scent of'tempting the enemy'."
In fact, Cao Jun Daying and Liu Xun said almost the same.
Externally loose and internally tight, these four characters are exactly the current situation of Cao Jun's Dazhai. The outside is frolicking, but the inside is hidden everywhere, with tight cards and secret whistles.
Cao Cao was very anxious because Liu Xun was not in the middle.
After more than ten days of calm, Cao Cao couldn't hold back anymore.
In the big tent of Cao Cao's camp, Cao Cao had just received a letter from Xiahou Dun, and he invited a group of advisers to discuss the current situation.
When Cao Cao saw his advisers gathered, he suddenly looked worried and sighed: "I just received Yuan Rang's battle report, and the progress is not as easy as I imagined. When Yuan Rang was attacking Fancheng, he met Fancheng prefect Xiang Chong and Liu Bei. His brother Zhang Fei, as well as those who joined the army, Ma Liang and others, fought to the death. The fifty thousand army was rejected outside the city of Fancheng, and several sieges were declared defeated."
Cheng Yu stepped forward and replied: "Zhang Fei, we all know that he is a general under Liu Bei, the governor of Jingzhou. He is a loyal and righteous man. He is known as an enemy of ten thousand people and cannot be resisted by ordinary people. Ma Liang, the word Jichang, because there is white in his eyebrows. Mao, also known as Baimei Maliang, is a native of Yicheng, Xiangyang, and has a majestic appearance. The five brothers of Ma Liang are talented and famous, and Ma Liang is the best among the five, so he has the praise of "Ma's five permanents, Baimei is the best". Ma Liang I heard from Zhuge Liang that he is very talented, and Zhang Fei has his assistant, that's even more powerful!"
Cao Cao nodded, wondering what was thinking in his mind.
At this time, Guo Jialang said: "Don't worry about the lord, the current battle situation is very beneficial to our army."
Cao Cao was surprised, and said with a smile: "Feng Xiao has any tricks to teach me?"
Guo Jiagong laughed and said: "Lord, the true elite of our army are all guarding Yuan Shao on the northern line of defense. Now the soldiers attacking Jingzhou are mostly recruits who have only trained for a few months. Compared with Liu Beijun's elite soldiers, the defeat is not enough. Odd. However, Zhang Fei’s army does not need to worry. Let’s not say that Gongda's (Xunyou) ingenuity is not under Ma Liang. Sooner or later, he will be able to break through Fancheng and approach Xiangyang. Then, as long as our army takes Zaoyang again, open it up. At the gate of Jingzhou, Liu Bei will not be able to look at each other from the beginning to the end, and all unfavorable factors will turn into favorable factors at that time."
"Feng Xiao said that Zaoyang is not Yecheng. As long as we attack continuously and with the assistance of five Thunderbolt cars, Zaoyang can conquer within a few days."
Liu Ye said confidently. Obviously he is very confident in his Thunderbolt.
Cao Cao nodded firmly. For Cao Cao, the Zaoyang battle was a decisive battle that could only be won but not lost. If Cao Cao wins, not only will he gain more room for development, but he will also be able to spread his fame to the entire Dahan, but if he loses, most of Jingzhou will be firmly controlled by Liu Bei, and he will want to destroy Liu Bei in the future. That can be even more difficult.
After repeated considerations, Cao Cao made a clear decision, which was to follow Guo Jia's strategy and put the total battlefield in Zaoyang, regardless of the situation of Xiahou Dun, and wholeheartedly fight Zaoyang.
Cao Cao's army finally changed again, ten days later. More than one hundred thousand Cao Jun lined up in a neat formation in the north of Zaoyang City, ready to go. Five thunderbolt cars were quietly placed on the battlefield, and there were tens of thousands of sword and shield soldiers nearby as guards.
On the wall of Zaoyang City, Liu Xun saw this formation and immediately understood that Cao Cao was going to be true this time, and he was not hesitating now. Yi Zaoyang's secret weapon'Wolong Qiangbow' is finally going to come in handy.
With the sword and shield soldiers taking the lead, five Thunderbolt cars slowly followed the army.
On the wall of Wancheng, Liu Xun saw the Thunderbolt that had entered the range of Wolong Qiangnu, his delicate face showed a gentle smile.
Zhao Yun said excitedly: "Great, great, sergeant, the Thunderbolt car is already in range, it's time to launch."
It turned out that after Zhuge Liang captured Nanjun, he heard that Cao Jun had a very powerful Thunderbolt, so he made ten crossbows, named "Wolong Qiangbow", and sent them to Liu Xun to guard against Thunderbolt. Come in handy.
Liu Xun shook his head and said, "When it's one hundred and ten steps apart, it's launching."
This remark fully reflects the benefits of Liu Xun's calmness. He accurately analyzed the performance of the Thunderbolt and Wolong Qiangbow. Although the Thunderbolt can shoot a hundred steps, facing the tall city walls of Zaoyang, it must take another twenty steps to exert its true power. The Wolong Qiangbow is the most powerful crossbow in Chinese history.
When defending the city, the Wolong Qiangbow is a weapon to destroy the opponent's siege. It is unique in terms of accuracy and flexibility. It can shoot 80 steps near the city wall of Zaoyang, and can shoot from a long distance. At about two hundred steps, Liu Xun made careful calculations during this period of shooting. In order to shoot the most powerful crossbow arrows, the distance between one hundred and ten steps is the most ideal distance.
At this time, the Thunderbolt had entered a distance of one hundred and ten steps from the Zaoyang city wall.
"Ignite, launch..."
At the moment when Liu Xun gave the order, a canister full of kerosene hung in front of the huge crossbow arrow. After it was ignited, it rushed into Cao Jun's thunderbolt car group like a fire dragon.
Because Cao Cao was extremely wise and knew the key to siege, he naturally gathered the five Thunderbolt cars together, planning to combine the power of all the cars to bomb a city wall together, with the intention of being able to be on the city wall of Zaoyang in the shortest possible time. , Open a gap.
Originally, Cao Cao's decision was not wrong at all, but the catapults gathered now almost lost their ability to move, and they happened to be the target of the giant crossbow arrow.
The ruthless giant crossbow rocket flew towards Cao Jun. The roar of the giant crossbow arrow resounded across the sky, which completely covered the screams of the soldiers. The fire oil was spilled on the Cao Jun soldiers. After the fire, they were suddenly caught in flames. Enveloping, a scorching smell began to fill the air. It didn't take long for the Thunderbolt car to be burned to the wreckage.
Even the most powerful soldiers in Qingzhou who were accustomed to life and death scenes looked at the ground, and their eyes were involuntarily showing the fear of death. The pressure on Cao Jun caused by dozens of giant crossbow rockets is beyond doubt, countless stones. The pieces were evenly distributed, and the battlefield exuded a weird aura everywhere.
Cao Cao opened his mouth wide, looking at the battlefield in surprise, his face pale.
Cao Cao loves to read, especially the military books and books about war. There are thousands of books about this type in his library, but none of them record such a powerful crossbow. In his mind, his thunderbolt is the crown of the big man. It is precisely because of the thunderbolt that he was able to break many strong cities with minimal casualties in several subsequent siege battles. He did not expect this time But somersault.
After all, Cao Cao was extraordinary, but he was surprised for a while, then immediately calmed down, analyzed the situation, and immediately ordered Xia Houyuan, Xu Huang, Cao Zhang, and Li Dian to lead an army to the left and right sides respectively, and launch a fierce attack on Zaoyang.
Cao Cao's method was extremely correct, and Liu Xun, who was far away on the wall, had to clap his hands and applaud.
"What a good Cao Cao, he does have some ability." Liu Xun secretly praised, he smiled slightly, his face showed a rare solemn color, and said solemnly: "General Zhao Yun, General Wei Yan, General Samoke."
"What is the son's order?" the three asked.
"The Cao army is in chaos, and you will be able to win by sending troops at this moment. General Zhao, you will lead five thousand cavalry to attack Xiahouyuan’s troops from the left, General Wei Yan, you will lead five thousand cavalry troops to attack Xu Huang’s troops from the right, and General Samok will lead ten thousand soldiers to attack Li. Dian, I lead the Xuanjia army to break Cao Zhang."
"Yes" the three of them led away.
The city gate of Zaoyang opened wide, and tens of thousands of elite soldiers swarmed out. Xiahouyuan and Xu Huang were siege infantry. How could the fighting power be better than the cavalry of Zhao Yun and Wei Yan. The two armies fought for a while before being dispersed by the cavalry. Showing defeat. Liu Xun also smashed Cao Zhang's army, and Samoke's ten thousand Wuxi soldiers were quite brave and defeated Li Dian.
Seeing that the morale of the army had fallen, Cao Cao decisively ordered the retreat. Cao Jun was defeated without chaos, Liu Xun could not find his weakness, and admiring him, he had no choice but to retreat.
In this battle, Liu Xun won a huge victory.