Xiahou Shang advised: "Repairing the fortifications is the responsibility of a small general and a soldier. The general is the commander of the three armies. How can he come in person?"
Xiahou Yuan said: "From now on, the roads are cut off, the soldiers are exhausted, and the food and grass are insufficient. The army is sluggish. If I don't lead the troops, how can I boost their morale?"
"That's absolutely right. I will go with my uncle." Xiahou Shang suddenly realized and prepared to dismount and go with him.
"An army cannot be without a commander. My dear nephew, please stay in the camp. I will be back soon!"
Xiahou Yuan left him to guard the camp and took 500 elite soldiers to the front line to put out the fire. Seeing this, Cao's army was all moved and rushed to repair the deer antlers.
Liu Qi was on the cliff, with a panoramic view of it all. He saw Xiahou Yuan coming forward holding a wooden stake, and immediately gave the order to beat the drum.
Boom boom boom—
The muffled sound of war drums came from overhead, like thunder. Cao's army was shocked, and Xiahou Yuan also looked up.
An army rushed out from the hillside and headed straight for the trench in front of the camp. The leading general had fluttering white beard, held a golden sword upside down, and galloped down on his horse. In a blink of an eye, he was in front.
"Huang Zhong?" Xiahou Yuan was shocked. He stood up and roared, then smashed the wooden stake in his hand out.
"Xiahou Yuan, those who surrender will not be killed!" Huang Zhong raised his sword and cut off the wooden stick. He rode his horse over the gap between the deer horns and slashed at Xiahou Yuan in mid-air with his sword.
Xiahou Yuan hastily drew his sword, but seeing that the sword was very sharp, he did not dare to block it, so he rolled on the ground and dodged to the side.
Huang Zhong took the lead and swung his sword, causing several Cao soldiers to fall. He then turned his horse and chased forward, slashing at the back of Xiahou Yuan's head.
Xiahou Yuan got up in a panic, but he couldn't outrun the horse. He heard the wind behind his head and knew something was wrong, so he jumped into the trench to avoid it.
In the rear, Yan Yan led two generals, Ju Fu and Zhang Yi, and they broke through the enemy's defense line. The three of them each took a route and headed straight for Cao's main camp in front.
Xiahou Shang had just returned to the camp and was worrying about food and fodder when he suddenly heard drums beating outside. He hurried out of the tent and saw Xiahou Yuan being ambushed. He quickly ordered the soldiers to rescue him.
When he rode out of the camp, he met Yan Yan who was charging at him. He blocked Cao's army in the camp and prevented them from leaving. The two armies fought in a melee, and the sound of killing shook the sky.
Huang Zhong had already led his personal soldiers to shoot and kill the surrounding Cao troops. He urged his horse to the front of the trench, pointed at Xiahou Yuan and laughed: "Do you know that I pretended to be injured and retreated before? I am a great talent but I am actually a fool!"
Xiahou Yuan stared at him and cursed: "You bastards, you are full of tricks. I will never coexist with you."
Huang Zhong stroked his beard and said, "Guan Yu and I are already relatives, and you and I are also family, why do you have to do this?"
"Who is your family?" Xiahou Yuan raised his sword and roared, "A real man would rather die than surrender. How can I accept the humiliation of being captured?"
Just as he was about to draw his sword to commit suicide, a soldier nearby rushed forward and threw Xiahou Yuan into the trench. Before he could react, he had snatched away his sword. The rest of the soldiers rushed forward and tied Xiahou Yuan up.
Huang Zhong advised, "Xiahou Yuan, do you know how much trouble General Liu put into capturing you alive? He waited for ten days just to avoid damaging the relationship between the two families. I advise you not to be ungrateful."
Xiahou Yuan struggled and roared, and even tried his best to crash into the wooden stakes of the deer antlers. Huang Zhong shouted solemnly: "Xiahou Yuan, even if you want to die, you should still think about your nephews and these tens of thousands of soldiers."
Xiahou Yuan's whole body stiffened, his face turned pale, and he gasped like a cow. He stared at Huang Zhong on the horse, wishing he could eat him alive.
"We are all Han officials. Why should we fight and kill each other?" Huang Zhong sighed and ordered his men to take him back to the main camp and go to the front camp to persuade Cao's army to surrender.
Xiahou Shang had been knocked off his horse by Yan Yan, and Guo Huai was still struggling, but he was no match for the joint attack of Zhang Yi and Ju Fu, and was forced to the edge of a cliff, in danger.
At this time, the entire Han army was mobilized. The morale of Cao's army was already low. Seeing that Xiahou Yuan was captured, they had no way to retreat and surrendered one after another.
In the evening, Xun You arrived with his troops. Later, Zhang Yi, who was sent by Fa Zheng, led his troops to catch up with them. Seeing that his entire army was wiped out, he had no choice but to surrender. At this point, there was no need to struggle any longer.
Liu Qi personally persuaded Xiahou Yuan that he had abandoned his own son in order to save his niece Xiahou Juan. Now his niece was so close to him, wouldn't it be a regret in his life if he didn't see her
Xiahou Yuan finally calmed down a little and stopped trying to commit suicide. He just waited to see his niece in Xiangyang before committing suicide to show his determination.
The delaying tactic worked, and Liu Qi met with Xun You alone again, saying, "I'm sure you've received Mr. Wenruo's letter. The Xuns are loyal to the Han Dynasty, and I know you two want to help the world. Now that the Han Dynasty is about to be revived, I hope you can lend me a helping hand."
Xun You said with emotion: "In the past, Cao Mengde raised an army in Chenliu and was determined to serve the king. We followed him with the intention of correcting the chaos. However, human desires are endless. When one is in a high position, one's ambitions are insatiable. When one has great power, one becomes complacent. Cao Cao was promoted to Duke of Wei, but he lost the hope of the world and suffered defeats in succession. How is this different from Yuan Shao back then? Isn't this God's will?"
Liu Qi thought that if he knew that Cao's life's work was finally taken advantage of by Sima family, he would realize that retribution was inevitable.
"Sir, you don't have to worry about not having a place to use your skills. Wen Ruo is now stationed in Jingzhou to coordinate the rear, but the war situation in the south is still uncertain: Although Shi Xie has the intention to submit, he never pays tribute or obeys orders, and is the leader of his own side. Jiaozhou Governor Lai Gong is unable to govern. I would like to ask you to go and help in the war, completely recover Jiaozhou, stabilize Nanyue, and explore the southern territory. What do you think?"
Xun You can be regarded as a witness to the decline of the imperial court. From being the Yellow Gate Minister to assisting He Jin, and later participating in the murder of Dong Zhuo, he still regarded himself as a Han minister in his heart, unlike Xiahou Ba who was resolute.
Seeing that Liu Qi had such a thorough consideration, he gladly accepted the order and said, "In the past, Qin conquered the Baiyue, and Ma Yuan expanded the border to the South China Sea. I dare not talk about expanding the border rashly, and I am willing to help the general recover the territory."
That night, the whole camp celebrated the victory. Generals Huang Zhong and Yan Yan were highly praised by the younger generations. They were said to be strong despite their age and comparable to Lian Po, and became role models for the entire army.
It was a rare battle in which Yan Yan enjoyed so much that he boasted that he had no regrets in his life. Zhang Yi and other Shu generals took turns urging him to drink, and he got drunk without realizing it.
The generals in Cao's camp set up a separate table. Liu Qi and Huang Zhong toasted everyone, but Xiahou Yuan turned a cold face and ignored them. However, Xiahou Shang accepted the reality and resolved the embarrassment.
To be honest, among this group of people, it is unlikely that Xiahou Yuan will contribute for the time being, and the one he likes the most is Guo Huai.
At this time, Guo Huai had just begun to emerge. Although he was favored by Xiahou Yuan, he was not yet given an important position. Liu Qi called him out of the tent alone to encourage him and toasted him with three glasses of wine. The young man was so excited that he bowed down.
Liu Qi was overjoyed and said, "In this battle, I am not happy to have Xiahou Yuan and his son, but I am happy to have Guo Boji!"
This young man is similar to Zhang Liao. He grew up on the border and fought against the Hu people all year round. He is smart and capable, and has the ability to lead troops. When he grows up, he will become a talented general and much more valuable than Xiahou Yuan.
At this point, the battle of the central route of the Northern Expedition was completely over. The plank road ahead was burned down and it was impossible to advance. They had no choice but to order Zhao Yun and Pang Tong to fully mobilize the troops to advance into Guanzhong.
Only two generals, Zhang Yi and Chen Shi, were sent to Chencang via Taibai Road to support Zhao Yun. The main army, led by two veteran generals, Huang Zhong and Yan Yan, first withdrew to Hanzhong, and after resting, entered Guanzhong via Chencang Road.
Liu Qi and Fa Zheng returned to Hanzhong first. One reason was to prepare for the battle in Luoyang as soon as possible. Once Luoyang was captured, they would connect the two armies in the east and west and take the initiative in the battle.
Secondly, he was worried that Fa Zheng would take revenge on Xun You. At the celebration banquet, Fa Zheng was still talking about Meng Da's death and poured three cups of wine. Liu Qi was worried that Xun You would suddenly die of a sudden illness, which would be a disaster.