When the two armies were fighting in Jigu, Zhang Yi led his troops into Taibai Road. To be on the safe side, Liu Qi sent Chen Shi as his deputy general to follow him.
The two entered the valley and walked along the way, only to see steep cliffs and blocked roads. In some places, they could only cross the river valley, which would have been difficult to pass if it had not been frozen in winter.
After walking more than ten miles into the valley, he found traces of many people's footprints, and the footprints were getting newer and newer. Zhang Yi saw a winding river valley ahead with dense pine and cypress trees.
He discussed with Chen Shi: "The terrain ahead is dangerous and there are many trees. The ambush may be here. We need to be careful. I will explore the way ahead and the general will follow."
Chen Shi nodded and said, "If we encounter an ambush, General, charge and kill for a while and then leave. Follow the plan."
The two men discussed and decided to divide the troops into two teams. They moved forward carefully, turned around two valleys, and were about to cross the river on the ice when suddenly drums sounded from the cliff and a volley of arrows was fired.
Cao's ambush troops appeared, and one of the generals laughed and said, "You wanted to take advantage of the situation, but you didn't know my military advisor's clever plan. You can't escape today even if you have wings."
Chen Shi hurriedly ordered his soldiers to retreat, and Zhang Yi led his troops to rescue in the front, but Cao's army was well deployed and fired arrows from high places. The Han army could not resist and was isolated on both sides of the valley, unable to rescue each other.
Xiahou Wei had been marching in the valley for a long time and chose this place to set an ambush based on the advice of several veteran generals. It was a great success and it was his first victory, so he couldn't help but be happy.
Zhang Yi shouted, "You rats only know how to attack by surprise. Do you dare to fight me?"
Xiahou Wei was furious and was about to go down the mountain to fight, but was persuaded by his personal soldiers. He only shot arrows and threw rocks from a high place until the enemy army was defeated and fled, and then he rushed down the hillside to fight.
At this time, Chen Shi, who was in the rear, saw that the situation was not good, and had already led the remaining troops back along the same route. Zhang Yi fought for a while and escaped to the depths of the valley with only a few hundred people.
Xiahou Wei wanted to chase them, but his personal soldiers advised him, "There are hundreds of people fleeing, and there are wild beasts along the way. Even if we reach Chencang, it will be useless. We should not take the risk to chase them."
On the way into the mountains, several scouting soldiers were killed. Xiahou Wei knew that the road was dangerous and was anxious to return to report his achievements, so he ordered a retreat.
The battle was a complete victory and all the Cao army was delighted, talking and laughing all the way. Xiahou Wei was also full of fighting spirit, thinking that he would be able to lead the troops alone when he returned and share the worries for his father.
When we were about to leave the valley, we saw countless large trees felled on the cliff path ahead, along with huge rocks and mud blocking the way.
Xiahou Wei sneered, "This must be because the troops entered the valley just now and blocked the road to prevent the pursuit. Little did they know that we arrived first and cut off their own retreat."
As they were sending people forward to clear the obstacles, an old soldier suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! If the road is blocked, why can't we see those deserters?"
Xiahou Wei was stunned. Before he could react, suddenly wood and rocks fell from the cliff, and arrows were fired. Countless people were shot and fell. It turned out that there was an ambush hidden here.
Cao's army hid in a corner of the cliff. Xiahou Wei drew his sword and shouted, "Who are you, you rats?"
"Hahaha, that's not what you said when you ambushed me before!" A burst of laughter came from behind.
When Xiahou Wei hurriedly turned back, he saw that the person who had just stolen away was following him. His way was cut off, so he gritted his teeth and yelled, "Kill them back!"
Seeing that there was no way forward, Cao's army tried to break out the way they had come. Xiahou Wei took the lead and fought desperately. They intercepted only about 300 pursuers. They could break out by killing them.
When the two sides were fighting to the death, Chen Shi led the ambush troops to attack from behind. Cao's army was attacked from both sides and was in complete chaos.
Zhang Yi was agile in the mountains. He leaped and moved among the rocks. He got close to Xiahou Wei and slashed him with his sword several times in a row, causing the opponent to panic and retreat backwards, accidentally stepping on a crevice and falling.
"Don't move!" Zhang Yi put the knife on Xiahou Wei's neck and shouted.
Cao's army was shocked when they saw this and stopped in the valley. Chen Shi led his troops to surround them.
Zhang Yi sneered, "You set up an ambush here first, thinking you had a good plan, but you didn't expect that my lord had already heard the news and deliberately sent us here to pretend to be defeated in order to capture Xiahou Wei."
Xiahou Wei was so angry that he shouted, "Who leaked the news?"
Zhang Yi laughed and said, "The Yanfeng Camp is omnipresent and omnipresent. Your every move is under the control of Master Liu."
Xiahou Wei was shocked and said, "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"
Zhang Yi smiled coldly, glanced at Cao's army and said, "My lord has always been kind and merciful. He did not kill the surrendered prisoners because you are also Han people. Let them go back to the camp today and send a letter to Xiahou Yuan, telling him to recognize the current situation. You should not help the tyrant anymore. Take care of yourselves!"
The Cao army looked at each other, not knowing whether to be happy or sad. Thanking them was obviously inappropriate, and they wanted to save people but were powerless to do anything. They all stood there in a daze.
Xiahou Wei shouted angrily: "A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated. I, Xiahou, am not afraid of death. Kill me if you have the guts."
"Young man, don't be so angry!" Zhang Yi waved his hand, and the soldiers came forward, tied him up, covered his mouth and took him aside.
Chen Shi ordered Cao's army to lay down their weapons and remove obstacles on the road. Zhang Yi first took Xiahou Wei away and stayed there until dusk before quickly retreating.
Cao's army was still in shock, and they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the enemy did not kill them. At this time, all their weapons and armor had been taken away, and they were helpless. They had to return to the camp to report the news overnight.
The defeated army fled back to Jigu and reported the incident on Taibai Road. Xun You was shocked, realizing that Liu Qi had already made a plan to use hostages as a threat. He rushed to the front camp overnight to discuss with Xiahou Yuan.
Xiahou Yuan has been worried about attacking the mountain stronghold these days. Liu Qi did not come to rob the camp, but the defense on the mountain was impregnable and he could do nothing about it.
He had just gone to bed after inspecting the camp at night when he heard that Xun You was coming to see him. He hurriedly put on his clothes and went to the big tent. When he heard the news, he was shocked as if struck by lightning and stood there motionless.
Xun You sighed, "It's my fault that I was careless for a moment. I didn't expect Liu Qi to take advantage of my trick and made a big mistake. Fortunately, Liu Qi has always treated prisoners well, but he just loves money. I will definitely do my best to redeem you."
With the lessons learned from Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun, Xun You was nervous but not too worried. As long as the problem could be solved with money, it was not a big problem.
Xiahou Yuan stood there for a while, then suddenly laughed out loud towards the sky, and all the generals were surprised.
Xiahou Shang thought he had gone mad and asked with concern, "Uncle, why are you laughing?"
Xiahou Yuan said in a deep voice: "Wei'er was captured because I used the wrong people. It has nothing to do with you. But from this, it can be seen that Liu Qi's strategy is just this. I have nothing to worry about!"
Xun You's doubts disappeared, but he sighed, "I'm afraid Liu Qi will use you as a hostage, and it will be difficult for the general to make a decision."
Xiahou Yuan snorted coldly and said loudly: "I have served my country and know the difference between public and private matters. If Liu Qi wants to use this clumsy plan, then he is making a wrong calculation."
Xun You had been thinking about countermeasures along the way, and said: "I think Liu Qi will use you as a threat, why not take advantage of your trick and lure the snake out of its hole?"
Xiahou Yuan took a deep breath to calm his mind, clasped his fists and said, "What do you think, military advisor?"
Xun You said, "Liu Qi also knows that the general is stubborn and it is unrealistic to threaten us to surrender. He will definitely ask the general to withdraw. We can deploy an ambush in the remote mountains overnight and pretend to retreat. After rescuing the third son, we can counterattack with the whole army and win a complete victory."
"This is a brilliant plan!" Xiahou Yuan's eyes sparkled, and he clapped his hands in applause. He laughed without even noticing his battle robe slipping off, and said, "The military advisor's plan is even more brilliant than my 'Miaocai' plan!"