Xu Huang tricked the defenders into leaving the pass and intended to take advantage of the chaos to charge into the pass. However, Wei Yan and Fu Rong fought hard and his plan was in vain.
After suffering a loss, Wei Yan refused to come out and had no choice but to attack by force. However, Wuguan was tall and strong, and was restricted by the terrain, so the results were minimal and he was very depressed.
It has been snowing heavily these past few days, and the snow is already above the feet. The sky is gloomy and there is no sign of clearing up. The soldiers are shivering in their tents, and many of them have swollen hands and feet and are in great pain.
Xu Huang withdrew his troops early to let the soldiers have a good rest. He sent someone to report to Chang'an and asked them to send more wine and meat to reward the soldiers in order to maintain morale.
In the dead of night, the northwest wind howled through the canyon like the roar of a wild beast.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound of drums coming from the direction of Wuguan, which could be heard from far away in the wind.
The Cao army who were hiding in the corner to avoid the wind were suddenly awakened and came to the camp gate to watch. The soldiers in the camp were also awakened and stood up to be on guard.
Xu Huang jumped up in shock in his tent and shouted, "Put on your armor and serve!"
The personal soldier entered the tent, lit the lamp, hurriedly put on his armor, and went out of the tent carrying the cold axe. The commanders of each camp were already waiting at the camp gate.
The torches were crackling, snowflakes were still falling, and a cold wind was blowing through the valley, cutting faces like a knife, chilling them to the bone.
Xu Huang's nose was aching from the cold. He stood in the wind for a long time. The drum sounds had long since disappeared, but there was no movement at all.
Xu Shangyan said: "Wei Yan suffered a defeat, so he may not dare to come again. Is he just bluffing?"
Xu Huang stood for a moment, ordered Generals Xu Shang and Lu Jian to patrol the camp in turns, and told them to be careful and alert.
When he returned to the tent, he did not dare to sleep anymore and lay on his side beside him to take a nap. Just as he was falling asleep, suddenly the sound of drums rang out hundreds of steps away, torches were lit, and shouts of killing were getting closer.
Cao's army was shocked. Xu Shang ordered the front camp to defend against the enemy and beat drums to give a warning. But when Xu Huang arrived in the wind, there was no movement. The torches disappeared into the darkness in an instant, leaving only the biting cold wind.
Xu Shang was furious and asked for orders, "Wei Yan has gone too far. His men must not have gone far. I will go and deal with them."
"No!" Xu Huang frowned, staring at the dark night sky, and said slowly: "It's dark at night, and we don't know the enemy's strength. We must not act rashly. I think they are bluffing. If they are not tiring themselves out, they will come to raid the camp tonight. We can set up more ambushes at the camp gate. When the enemy arrives, the defenders will retreat into the main camp and ambush them from two directions."
"If Wei Yan dares to come again, I will make sure he leaves no trace." Xu Shang clasped his fists and accepted the order, and then dispatched two thousand soldiers to ambush on both sides of the camp gate.
Xu Huang returned to his tent and sat for a while. He was no longer sleepy and heard no movement outside the camp, so he inspected the camp himself. He saw that most of the soldiers were frozen stiff and there were sounds of air conditioners everywhere.
It was almost five o'clock in the morning. Cao's soldiers were covered with a thin layer of snow and their hands and feet were numb. Then they heard the sound of drums and the thud of horses' hooves. They stood up hastily, stumbling one by one, and the ranks were in chaos.
Xu Shang was so anxious that he stamped his feet and shouted angrily: "Form a battle array!"
Cao's army was in a state of confusion for a while, but they still did not see any enemy troops approaching. The night was as dark as ink, and they had no idea what was happening outside the camp.
There was no sign of the enemy raiding the camp for the third time, but Xu Huang became more alert in the tent. He thought that the enemy's repeated attacks would make them let down their guard, and after a few attempts, they would launch a thundering attack.
The cold wind howled all night long, and Cao's army was on full alert. When the sky dawned in the east, the heavy snow stopped at some point, and the wind grew stronger. The armor was frozen by the ice and snow, and all the soldiers were like ice sculptures, unable to move.
Apart from the sound of the wind, there was no other movement. After tossing and turning for most of the night, it turned out to be a false alarm.
Xu Shang came to the tent with a dejected look on his face and reported: "The soldiers have not rested all night, their hands and feet are numb, I am afraid we can't attack the city today."
It was freezing cold, and camping outdoors was already very painful. We had to go in and out several times during the coldest part of the night. Everyone was exhausted and the morale in the camp was low.
Xu Huang, with two black circles on his head, sighed, "This is Wei Yan's plan to tire out his troops. He will come to steal the camp tonight. Order all camps to rest. Today, Lu Jian will lead the rear army to attack the city. I will kill Wei Yan tonight."
On this day, Cao's army attacked the city again, but the offensive was obviously not as strong as before, and Xu Huang was not seen coming to supervise the army.
Wei Yan made an inspection and ordered the soldiers to patrol and defend in an orderly manner. However, Pang Tong hid in the attic drinking. This was Liu Qi's special permission, and he could do nothing about it.
As night fell and the night wind grew stronger, the atmosphere in Cao's camp became solemn. Xu Huang, Xu Shang and other generals were fully armed, and all their men and horses hid in the tents. They turned off the lights and waited for the enemy to raid the camp.
There was no movement that night, and the morale of Cao's army became increasingly low. There were no rotation troops for the next day, so they had to suspend the siege and prepare to rest for a day before attacking again.
Unexpectedly, that night, there were drum sounds again, and outside the camp there might be approaching flames, or people shouting and horses neighing, but there was no sign of anyone coming to attack the camp. The Cao army was anxious and their morale was getting lower.
Xu Huang also became a little annoyed. He was afraid that Wei Yan would come, but also afraid that he would not come!
With such a mixed feeling, maybe next time he will really kill them, he will catch them off guard.
Before they knew it, another night had passed and the sky was bright. Cao's army was on the verge of collapse. Xu Shang and Lu Jian cursed Wei Yan for being despicable.
Xu Huang had a solemn expression, always feeling that a crisis was imminent. He couldn't just sweat and lie in ambush every night. If this continued, even if Wei Yan came in broad daylight, he would be powerless to defeat the enemy.
Xu Shangyan said: "The soldiers are tired and the army has no fighting spirit. It is better to retreat to Shangxian temporarily, rest for a few days and then come back. Prepare more weapons and food, attack day and night, and don't give the defenders a chance to breathe. Wei Yan will be helpless."
Xu Huang was also at a loss at this time, so he ordered his troops to temporarily withdraw to Shang County and advance again after food and supplies arrived.
Seeing Cao's army leaving, Wei Yan was overjoyed and immediately went to Pang Tong and said, "The military advisor's plan was really brilliant. In just three days, Cao's army retreated without a fight."
Pang Tong poured a glass of wine and said, "General, you have been guarding the city alone these days. It must be very hard. Why not have some wine to relieve your fatigue first?"
"I have military orders and dare not drink!" Wei Yan clasped his fists and said, "Cao's army has retreated. What should we do next?"
Pang Tong drank a cup by himself and said with a smile: "I disrupted the plans of Cao's army. Their morale is low and Xu Huang has to retreat temporarily. Three days later, General Wu Bao will be able to rest easy and drink for fun inside the pass!"
Wei Yan asked in confusion: "The military advisor said that we can build a three-meter-high wall in three days. Is it really possible?"
"General, please follow me!" Pang Tong laughed, took Wei Yan out, pointed to the courtyard and said, "This is my masterpiece of several days, what do you think?"
I saw that on the open space behind the building, an ice wall was built with sand, gravel and soil at some point, and it was as high as a person.
"This..." Wei Yan couldn't believe that Pang Tong, who was so thin, could build a wall by himself. Then he suddenly realized something and slapped his forehead, shouting, "Ice wall?!"
"That's right!" Pang Tong nodded and smiled, "In fact, the general has already used this method, pouring water to close the door, but he has never been so bold."
Wei Yan rubbed his hands excitedly and nodded, saying: "Military Advisor has a brilliant idea, he is truly a genius!"
Pang Tong shook his head and said, "This is the eldest son's plan!"
"The eldest master really has a plan within the tent and can win the battle thousands of miles away!"
Wei Yan was greatly impressed. He bid farewell to Pang Tong, ran excitedly to the military camp, and ordered the entire army to take tools and go out to the cliff mouth to build a wall overnight.