Lü Qian was panicked and fought for a few rounds, then retreated with his personal soldiers. Chen Dao followed closely behind, wielding his spear and knocking down dozens of riders. He was like a tiger among a flock of sheep, invincible.
Most of Cao's army was killed and they fled in a panic. The Han army attacked from three directions at the same time, chasing and killing Cao's army. The ground was in a mess, with corpses lying all over the place and blood flowing like a river.
Lu Qian rode his horse at full speed and saw Chen Dao chasing him relentlessly. He turned around and shot several arrows at him, but Chen Dao dodged them all. Just as he was panicking, his deputy general arrived with his troops, formed a battle formation to rescue the defeated army, and shot the pursuers back with arrows.
Chen Dao stopped his men far away and shouted, "Lü Qian, you have no way back, why don't you surrender quickly?"
When Lu Qian saw that the ambush troops had not moved and Gan Ning was not there, his heart sank. If this man went to attack the main camp, he wondered whether Xin Pi and Mao Hui could stop him.
At this time, he had no time to argue with Chen Dao, so he divided his troops into three teams and retreated alternately. Before they reached the bank of the Wei River, Xin Pi sent someone to report that the camp had been lost, and told him to retreat to Songshan Stronghold as soon as possible.
Lü Qian was so frightened that he no longer cared about forming a battle formation. He led his troops to retreat into the mountains. Chen Dao followed and attacked them. Cao's army fled all over the mountains and plains, crying for their parents.
Lu Qian hurried back to the big camp on the mountain and saw that more than half of the troops had been killed, most of them were defeated soldiers, and only Mao Hui's troops were relatively intact. He hurriedly inquired about the military situation.
Xin Pi sighed, "Zhuge Liang's strategy was to lure the tiger away from the mountain. When the general was chasing the enemy, he had already mobilized Huo Jun's troops downstream to attack Xu Xi's camp. When I sent troops to rescue them, Gan Ning turned back and attacked us. Both camps were lost."
"What a cunning Zhuge Liang!" Lü Qian was so angry that he gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, but he could do nothing about it. He said, "For now, we have no choice but to retreat to Xingyang."
Mao Hui said: "If the troops of Jingzhou march straight ahead and surround the city like Guan Yu did, but divide their troops to plunder other places, the Central Plains will be in danger. Now we have no choice but to fight to the death."
Lü Qian was a little flustered after a series of setbacks. He looked at Xin Pi and asked, "What do you think, sir?"
Xin Pi said: "Returning to the city is just waiting to be killed. It is better to defend against the mountain. Xingyang still has 5,000 soldiers. We only need someone to calm people down and they will be able to defend themselves. If Zhuge Liang divides his troops to attack the city, he can cut off their way back. This is putting themselves in a desperate situation and then surviving!"
Lu Qian thought for a moment and said resolutely: "Sir, what you said makes sense. Xingyang is related to the safety of the Central Plains. Only the governor can handle it. You should return to the city as soon as possible to take charge of the important affairs."
Xin Pi was still a little worried and said, "The troops here cannot be lost. General, you must not go out lightly unless you are absolutely sure."
Lü Qian stroked his beard and smiled, "Now our army is in a commanding position, enjoying the best of the terrain. What can Zhuge Liang do to us? When his soldiers become lazy and disperse their forces elsewhere, my army will march out together and we will be unstoppable. Even if Gan Ning and Chen Dao join forces, they will be powerless."
While they were discussing, they suddenly heard a loud drumbeat outside the camp. It was indeed Gan Ning leading his troops to attack. The mountain road was covered in dust. The Jinfan Army, all wearing bright armor, were shouting outside the camp gate.
"Don't worry about him. All camps should rest and defend carefully."
At this time, Lu Qian had lost all his fighting spirit. He took a look from a distance and ordered Mao Hui to patrol and Xin Pi to return to Xingyang to guard and wait for the opportunity to fight.
Gan Ning cursed for a while, but seeing that Lu Qian still refused to fight, he had to retreat to the foot of the mountain. Zhuge Liang had already arrived with a large army.
This battle destroyed most of Cao's main forces, captured their camp, and obtained countless food and supplies. The generals also learned that the previous robbery of Wu Ju's food was also a plan of Kong Ming, and they were all delighted, and the morale of the whole army was high.
Yang Ling asked for orders, saying, "Lü Qian feared General Gan's reputation and refused to come out. I am willing to fight and give him his head as a gift."
Yang Ling had been training his troops in Changsha in preparation for sending troops to Jiangdong. However, because Guan Yu broke through the Central Plains defense line, he transferred a large number of troops from Jingzhou to the north to provide support.
He thought he would be able to show his strength in the Central Plains, but he only took Mobei and had to defend himself without really fighting the enemy. Seeing Gan Ning and others killing people everywhere, he was already itching to do something.
Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "Lü Qian is already a frightened bird, he may not be willing to fight easily. Cao's army built a city on the Songshan Mountain, which is very high and easy to defend but difficult to attack. A strong attack will only cause loss of troops."
Gan Ning said, "Lü Qian refused to retreat from Xingyang and instead defended Songshan to the death. He must have expected that we would not dare to send troops deep into enemy territory. I will attack Xingyang to see how he responds."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "General Gan, the time has not come yet. Do not act rashly. I have my own plan. Taking Xingyang will be as easy as taking something out of a bag!"
Gan Ning asked, "Cao's army has the best terrain, but they are holding on tightly and not taking advantage of the opportunity to capture Xingyang. If reinforcements arrive, won't they miss the opportunity?"
Zhuge Liang said, "I have seen Cao's camp before. Although the mountain is a good location, I think it must be short of water. If we cut off the water source, Cao's army will be defeated without a fight."
"Great, really great!" Gan Ning laughed and said, "Everyone says that Lü Qian is a man of both civil and military talents, and Xin Pi is a man of wisdom and strategy. I think they are both idiots."
Seeing that the fight was unsuccessful, Yang Ling asked again, "I am willing to go upstream to dig the soil and stop the flow of the river."
Now that the war in the Central Plains had begun, Zhuge Liang knew that Yang Ling and others were eager to make achievements, so he ordered them to observe the movements of Cao's army first. If they went down the mountain to fetch water, they should go upstream and cut off the water source.
In the next few days, Gan Ning, Chen Dao, and Huo Jun took turns to challenge the enemy in front of the camp. Lü Qian suffered a great loss and held his ground. Looking at the formation of the Jingzhou soldiers, he muttered, "Isn't this bullying?"
Not to mention that he was no match for Gan Ning and his men, he was also very wary of Zhuge Liang. He had no chance of winning as a civil or military officer, so how could he dare to send troops out easily
The decent people were sent to inquire about the news from Xuchang. In the evening, when the rear camp was cooking, there was no movement. Soon, they heard noise in the camp and discussions everywhere.
Mao Hui came in a hurry to report: "General, something terrible has happened. Zhuge Liang has sent troops to block the flow of water upstream, cutting off the water source."
"What?" Lu Qian was shocked, and then he realized that the soldiers from Jingzhou had not attacked the camp for several days, and that they had other plans.
Mao Hui said worriedly: "There are too many soldiers on the mountain, and the spring water has been drained long ago. We can only transport water from the river every day. The army cannot be without water for a day!"
Lu Qian frowned. The water source for more than 20,000 people could not be solved by just finding a spring in the mountains. They could barely hold on without food, but without water, the soldiers would lose their combat effectiveness in half a day, let alone a day.
"First try to get some mountain spring water, eat a full meal tonight, and then follow me down the mountain at dawn. We will return to Xingyang first and then make plans."
Mao Hui even felt that the stronghold could no longer be defended, so he took the order and left, sending soldiers to various valleys to fetch water, distributing all the food and grass in the stronghold to the lower levels, preparing two meals, and conserving strength for the battle tomorrow.
At four o'clock in the morning, Lu Qian dressed neatly in his tent, divided his men into three groups, and rushed down the mountain. Mao Hui led his troops to attack the camp, attracting the attention of the Jingzhou army, and crossed the river to provide support.
Mao Hui said worriedly: "Gan Ning, Chen Dao and others in the enemy camp are so brave that I am afraid I will not be able to handle the task."
Lü Qian sneered, "We are facing a powerful enemy. We have received great favor from the Prime Minister. We can only repay him with our lives. General, are you afraid of fighting?"
Mao Hui saw the cold light flashing in Lu Qian's eyes, and hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "I am just reminding you not to be careless. Gan Ning came and went freely in our camp, which is a great shame. I am not talented, but I am willing to break into the enemy camp and win back a city."