Zhang Fei's shout frightened Lu Jian, who was commanding the rear guard, so much that he shuddered all over.
The Cao army also turned around and huddled together unconsciously like a flock of sheep that were suddenly frightened.
After fighting hard for half a month and suffering a devastating blow, Cao's army's morale was low.
Xu Huang ordered a retreat, and let out his last breath. Who could have thought that the defenders would dare to leave the city at this time
What shocked them even more was Zhang Fei's reputation. Liu Bei and Cao Cao had fought dozens of times, so who didn't know the names of Guan and Zhang
"Retreat—(broken sound)" Lu Jian turned his head and saw the big man in the black tower holding a snake spear. Who else could it be but Zhang Fei
At this moment, all the soldiers were as weak as if they had just climaxed. They couldn't stand up again unless they took drugs!
The key point is that even if they took drugs, they couldn't beat Zhang Fei. With a loud bang, Cao's army rushed forward like a school of fish whose nest was blown up, scrambling to escape.
Boom boom boom—
At the same time, drums sounded above Wuguan, and Wei Yan also led his troops out of the pass.
Xu Huang was retreating when he heard the commotion and drumbeats behind him. His face suddenly changed and he shouted with wide eyes, "How dare you sneak attack..."
"General, don't fight any longer, hurry up!" Seeing the deserters rushing towards him from behind, Xu Shang hurriedly urged Xu Huang, who was about to turn around and fight, to move forward.
Although this official road is spacious, compared with the winding mountain road outside Wuguan, only two cars can run side by side.
The defeat was like a landslide. The soldiers had no fighting spirit and morale was low. They were simply unable to resist the Jingzhou army that had been accumulating strength for a long time.
Zhang Fei drove the troops and horses, and thousands of people were crowded on the road. Once there was a traffic jam, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Despicable!" Xu Huang had fought in battles for half his life, but had never been subjected to such a plot. He was so angry that his face turned blue, but he had to ride his horse forward.
Zhang Fei led a thousand Yanyun cavalry and quickly caught up with the chaotic Cao army. He was like a tiger among a flock of sheep and was invincible.
Amidst the loud shouts, snake spears were waving, and human figures were seen flying. Several people were lifted into the air and tumbled into the ravine like straws.
Cao's army was crowded and trampled, with countless casualties. Many people were pushed directly off the cliff, and their shrill screams were horrifying.
Liu Qi stood at the critical juncture, his hands on the city wall, watching the ruthless massacre with a deep gaze.
This land of China and the mountains and rivers of the nine provinces have been soaked with countless blood and buried with countless corpses over thousands of years.
It really fits the saying: One general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers; a country washed in blood, and a throne piled with bones!
Pang Tong glanced at the twenty crossbows at the critical point and said with emotion: "The crossbows played an indispensable role in defeating Cao's army this time. Although Kong Ming was not in the front line, he also played an indispensable role."
This repeating crossbow is simply a powerful weapon for defending the city. It uses a machine spring to fire, and its power is doubled when it is high up on the city wall. The enemy can avoid the rain of arrows, but they will definitely not be able to block these dense arrows.
"By the way, order Fu Zhun to collect as many crossbow arrows as possible!" When Liu Qi mentioned the crossbow, he couldn't help but inhale, "Although the thing is good, the price is a bit expensive!"
The cost of building a crossbow cart is at least 300,000 coins, and the crossbow arrows are also specially made. If they were the same as ordinary arrows, they would not have the ability to penetrate armor.
Pang Tong smiled and said, "If we use the crossbow arrows to save the lives of the soldiers, why not? One day, the general will restore the Han Dynasty, unify the country, win the hearts of the people, and own the wealth of the nine provinces. This small profit is not worth mentioning."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "The purpose of developing weapons is to reduce casualties among soldiers. Now that Madam Huang is in charge of the Xiangyang Tiangong Workshop and hundreds of craftsmen are involved, there will surely be more surprises in the future."
Liu Qi's support for craftsmen and mechanical engineering was no less than Liu Biao's support for education. Huang Chengyan was deeply moved. Seeing that Mohism had a future, he took the initiative to invite Liu Qi for a drink.
This time, with Zhuge Liang accompanying him, Liu Qi spoke another wise saying when talking about the current chaotic world: War is for peace, and the pain of ending war is inevitable.
Huang Chengyan was originally worried that these weapons were too lethal and was reluctant to use them to avoid causing more killings. However, Liu Qi's words woke Huang Chengyan up and he agreed with the idea.
After getting drunk again, he not only handed over all his treasures, but also asked his second son Huang Huan to help Huang Yueying develop weapons.
Liu Qi was overjoyed and set up a new engineering department and established Tiangong Workshop, which was specifically responsible for the research and development of military machinery. He also made an unprecedented move by appointing Huang Yueying as the worker, which caused a great sensation in Jingzhou.
In order to speed up the work, Liu Qi had to reluctantly act as the boss, forcing the craftsmen to work overtime and become 996 employees.
After swapping roles, I realized that being a leader is not easy. I just hate those craftsmen for being incompetent, procrastinating and making slow progress.
However, in this era, craftsmen had a low status. Liu Qi not only paid them wages, but also directly appointed those with good skills to official positions. All of them were grateful and worked hard.
Then they were given the sacred mission of restoring the Han Dynasty, and they jumped from being craftsmen to becoming patriotic people with faith, mission and goals. Everyone of them was as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
“It is not shameful to be patriotic. Those who laugh at others’ ambitions are often lowly people who have fallen into depravity. Living in darkness, they cannot bear to see others basking in the sun!”
In the workshop, Liu Qi said this at a banquet. His words were simple and friendly, which touched everyone and brought tears to their eyes.
Under the dual motivation of spiritual and material, the craftsmen worked day and night and finally built 20 crossbows and 30,000 crossbow arrows. They were first used in Wuguan and their power was astonishing.
Moreover, these crossbows are only the first batch of prototypes. In the future, they will be lighter and easier to carry. They can be used not only for defense but also for offense. If equipped on cavalry and navy, their combat effectiveness will be doubled.
At this time, the battle outside the pass had basically ended. Cao's army fled in a panic, and two powerful generals, Zhang Fei and Wei Yan, were chasing them. The situation was one-sided. Fu Rong only went forward to guard the prisoners and collect supplies.
In the evening, Zhang Fei sent someone to report and led his troops all the way to Shang County. They took advantage of the situation to occupy the post station. Xu Huang led the remaining troops to escape and obtained countless supplies and food.
Liu Qi was overjoyed. He left Fu Rong to guard Wuguan and rushed to Shang County with Pang Tong. Sure enough, there were mountains of food and grass. It seemed that Cao's army had prepared for at least three months of hard fighting in order to attack Wuguan, but they were caught off guard.
Wei Yan praised the power of the crossbow and said, "Xu Huang was defeated, but Cao's army will surely come again. Why not bring the crossbow here?"
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Does Wenzhang really think that Xu Huang's army is worth my personal trip to Wuguan?"
Wei Yan was startled: "What is the purpose of your visit, young master?"
Liu Qi pointed in the direction of Chang'an and said, "If I hadn't come, how could Cao Hong send out his troops? If Cao Hong hadn't come out, how could Ma Teng take Chang'an?"
"So that's how it is!" Wei Yan suddenly realized and said with emotion: "Young Master is really unfathomable."
"We're just getting started." Liu Qi looked towards the northwest with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "I came to Wuguan with Yide this time because of another confidential matter that only Wenchang can handle."
Wei Yan was extremely surprised and said, "General, just give me your orders. I will go through fire and water and die without hesitation."
"The secret cannot be leaked!" Liu Qi shook his head and said, "Xu Huang was badly defeated. It will take several days for Chang'an to send troops. I have three days to celebrate the victory. Just ask for what you want to eat!"
Wei Yan licked his lips and said, "Master, I want to eat fish!"
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Me too!"