Cao's army at Qinglongtan was engulfed by the flood and only a few were left. By dawn, the water receded, leaving only a mess on the ground.
Yan Yan ordered Ju Fu to disguise himself as Cao's army transporting grain and go to Qibu Cliff first. After passing the narrow place, although Cao's army was alert, it was too late to react. The defending general was panicked and was killed by Ju Fu with a single sword. Cao's army was in chaos and fled back to Baxiantai.
Ju Fu took advantage of the situation to chase and kill, and Zhang Yi followed closely behind. The two of them fought hard forward, rushed up the slope, and killed their way into the camp.
There were only 3,000 defenders left in Batiantai. The main general Xiahou Shang was out on a expedition, and the military discipline was loose. In the battle at the front, they did not expect that the Han army would arrive so quickly. When the defeated army fled and reported the news, many people were still asleep.
The two generals charged left and right, and Yan Yan also led his troops to support them. The army rushed forward, and Cao's army could not resist at all. They were defeated and fled from the back mountain to Jigu.
Ju Fu came back from checking the supplies and said with a smile, "There is a lot of food and fodder stored in the rear camp, as well as countless weapons. Together with the supplies we obtained earlier, it will last for more than three months, enough to wait for the arrival of the army."
Yan Yan warned, "Baxiantai is a strategic location at the throat of Xiegu. Xiahou Yuan will definitely attack after hearing the news. We need to be prepared early and not be careless."
He then ordered Zhang Yi to lead the troops to guard the camp, and Ju Fu sent scouts to the front to gather information and be prepared for battle at any time.
At noon, Ma Liang arrived at the camp. Yan Yan came out to greet him and thanked him, saying, "It was all thanks to your brilliant plan that we were able to capture Baxiantai so easily."
Ma Liang said with a smile: "General Yan is old but still strong, and he uses his troops properly. Xiahou Shang is young and energetic, and is no match for you. I am just the icing on the cake."
When everyone arrived at the camp, although they did not dare to celebrate in a big way, Yan Yan ordered an extra meal today. A very sumptuous lunch was prepared to reward the soldiers.
Yan Yan said with emotion: "I have heard for a long time that the lord is good at identifying and employing people. Now that I have followed him to the battle, I know that what he said is true. Not to mention that my old bones will never see the day of battle. Sir, you are so young, but you have such a plan. Our army is full of talents, so why worry about the prosperity of the Han Dynasty?"
Ma Liang said: "To be honest, this plan was also guided by Wolong, and I benefited a lot from it."
Ju Fu was surprised and asked, "What ability does Wolong have to predict the war here?"
Ma Liang shook his head and smiled, "Kong Ming once said: There is no constant situation in the army, and there is no constant shape of water. When deploying troops, you should focus on the terrain. If you don't have the advantage of terrain, you can use water and fire to create the right time. This is human strategy!"
Yan Yan stroked his beard and said, "Sir, did you come up with this plan because you saw the Qinglong Pond?"
"Really!" Ma Liang nodded and said, "When I came to the army, I saw that the water in Qinglongtan was very deep and there was water upstream, so I came up with this plan. First, lure Xiahou Shang out and capture him in one fell swoop. Then it will be easy to capture the camp."
Yan Yan was impressed and clasped his fists, saying, "If I had used a trick, I would have ambushed Cao's army when they came to raid the camp. But you have a better trick and used the trick of making the enemy arrogant to lure them out of their hole. That is really a better trick."
Ju Fu and the others also agreed with this. Seeing Ma Liang so humble, they admired him even more. Among the five Ma family members, the white-browed one was the best, and his reputation was well-deserved.
Ma Liang said, "We have already taken Baxiantai. The Jigu camp is ahead. We cannot go any further. We should defend the pass and wait for the lord's army to arrive so that we can have a decisive battle with Xiahou Yuan."
Yan Yan laughed and said, "I am very happy to have defeated the enemy in this battle. Now the offense and defense have switched. It is Huang Hansheng's turn to show his skills next."
…
In the Cao army camp in Jigu, Xiahou Yuan learned that Xiahou Shang counterattacked the Han army and captured two camps in a row. He was praising his successor, but the situation changed drastically overnight.
The defenders reported that the front camp had been lost and Xiahou Shang's whereabouts were unknown. Xiahou Yuan was shocked and angry, and hurriedly asked Xun You to discuss the matter.
They originally planned to set up two camps on the main road of Xiegu, and deploy defenses in layers at Qingsongyuan and Baxiantai to tire out the enemy. When winter came and snow fell, the roads would be blocked and the Han army would be trapped in the mountains, and defeated without a fight.
When Liu Qi's army was dispatched from Hanzhong to Xiegu, he would definitely repair the plank road and drive carts to transport food. By the time the army counterattacked Hanzhong, the road would be unobstructed and they could enter Hanzhong in one fell swoop.
Xun You also didn't expect that these two were so unworthy of their duties. Xiahou Yuan praised the Xiahou Shang brothers for their familiarity with the art of war and their high martial arts skills. However, one of them underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, while the other divided his troops to defend, resulting in successive defeats.
Xun You thought for a moment and said, "The enemy has just captured Xiantai. We should send a general to recapture it immediately while they are still unstable. Otherwise, when Liu Qi's army arrives, all our efforts will be wasted."
"My second nephew was killed, how can I not avenge him?" Xiahou Yuan immediately ordered the troops to be mobilized, leaving Xun You to guard the camp while he went into battle himself.
Xun You reminded: "Yan Yan is quite capable of commanding troops, so we should not be careless."
Xiahou Yuan laughed and said, "Why should I be afraid of old Yan Yan? I will hang his head on the Baxian Terrace so that Liu Qi will not dare to come again."
The 20,000 Cao troops arrived at the mountain in a menacing manner and were all dumbfounded to see a ten-foot-high stone wall built on the flat ground along the steepest part of the mountain.
This was originally the rear camp of Cao's army, with only wooden stakes used as fences for defense. However, a high platform was built overnight, and soldiers in the distance were carrying wood and stones, constantly raising the platform, completely blocking the road.
Xiahou Yuan urged his horse forward and shouted at him, but Yan Yan kept his troops in place and ordered all camps not to pay any attention to him but to raise the stone walls.
Cao's army sent people to challenge the Han army again and again, but no one from the Han army responded, and Cao's army was stuck in a dilemma on the hillside.
Xiahou Yuan was furious. He rode his horse closer to the stone wall and shouted, "Yan Yan, you old bastard, you shameless old thief, you cowardly old turtle, do you dare to fight me to the death?"
Yan Yan stroked his beard and laughed, "Xiahou Yuan, someone also scolded me like this back then, and it was exactly the same as yours!"
Xiahou Yuan was surprised and asked, "Who else?"
Yan Yan smiled and said, "It's your son-in-law Zhang Fei, but your eloquence is much worse."
"Bah! Don't mention this round-eyed thief in front of me!" Xiahou Yuan became even more furious when he mentioned Zhang Fei.
Not only was his most beloved niece kidnapped, but Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren were also captured alive, forcing him to agree to the marriage between the two families and send Cao Tai to Xiangyang to get married. However, he was tricked again and became a laughing stock.
Yan Yan stroked his beard and smiled, "Zhang Yide is currently hosting a banquet in Hanzhong to welcome his father-in-law and make amends. General, are you so impatient to meet your son-in-law?"
"How can this be possible!" Xiahou Yuan was angered by Yan Yan. He took out his bow and arrow on horseback and shot arrows.
Xiahou Yuan was also an excellent archer. He took advantage of the momentum of his horse and shot an arrow towards Yan Yan's face. It was as fast as a meteor and extremely accurate.
Yan Yan dodged to the side and laughed, "You are good at shooting. Let me show you my archery skills!"
Yan Yan was also good at using bows and arrows, so he took out a bow and arrow and shot at Xiahou Yuan left and right. He shot several arrows from the pass and surrounded him from front and back.
Xiahou Yuan tried to deflect the arrow in front of him, but unexpectedly an arrow shot from the side hit his shoulder blade. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and dodged to the side. The arrow passed through his shawl and brushed past his helmet, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
Yan Yan drew his bow and laughed, "Xiahou Yuan, do you dare to shoot against me?"
Xiahou Yuan turned his horse and retreated to a distance, holding his longbow with a livid face. Yan Yan's archery skills were also very sophisticated, and he had the advantage of being in a commanding position. Wouldn't it be courting death to compete with him in archery skills
Ma Liang, standing by, saw that Yan Yan was neither arrogant nor impatient, and turned a deaf ear to the curses of Cao's army, which instead angered Xiahou Yuan. He could not help but nod secretly, thinking that Liu Qi really knew how to use people.