With a thud, the huge head fell to the ground, blood foam splattered, and a few drops of blood fell on Xu Sheng's face.
"It's time to expand our territory!" Xu Sheng came to his senses and rushed straight to Cao's main camp.
"Beat the drum!" Ding Feng had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Xu Sheng succeed, he immediately ordered the drum to be beaten and charge forward.
Yang Yong was still watching the battle in front of the formation. He saw Cheng Xiong being killed in a face-to-face encounter and the enemy general coming to attack him. He was terrified and knew he could not resist the enemy, so he turned his horse around and fled.
The Cao army behind was in an uproar, the central army was in chaos, the soldiers and horses fled backwards and huddled together. Xu Sheng brandished his sword and charged into the chaotic army, invincible.
Yang Yong was blocked by the chaotic army. Seeing Xu Sheng catching up with him, he rode his horse to the right in a hurry. Just then, he met Ding Feng leading his troops to attack him. Yang Yong hastily responded, fired a feint and fled into the crowd.
Without anyone to command and coordinate, Cao's army became even more disorganized. Xu Sheng attacked the center, Ding Feng attacked the flank, and Xie Xiong also attacked from the right. In a short period of time, most of their troops were killed.
Hearing the screams behind him, Yang Yong was so frightened that his face turned pale. He just urged his horse to hurry up. Seeing Ding Feng chasing him, he shouted, "You bastard, don't push me too far."
At this time, the troops were defeated. Although they wanted to kill the enemy, they were afraid of being surrounded by the Wu army. They rode their horses hard and fled, and their own troops were scattered in the chaos.
Seeing Xu Sheng kill a general, Ding Feng was not willing to be outdone. He stared at Yang Yong in the chaos, charged left and right, rushed up from the side, and stabbed Yang Yong in the back.
"This is too much!" Yang Yong saw the general following him like a shadow and charging into the chaotic army alone. He couldn't help but get angry and turned his horse around to fight.
Ding Feng's spear was like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, unstoppable. In less than three rounds, he stabbed the enemy in the waist and ribs, knocking him off his horse.
The Wu army had no orders to surrender. They had traveled from the sea to the north for half a year, thousands of miles away from home, and were terrified. They had already made up their minds to die when they set out on the expedition. Now that they had successfully landed, they knew they had no way to retreat, so they all fought bravely.
The Wu army was like a pack of wolves hunting. Led by Generals Xu Sheng and Ding Feng, they chased Cao's army for more than ten miles like autumn wind sweeping away leaves. They killed almost all of Cao's army before they packed up their baggage and returned victoriously.
The next day, Zhou Yu's army arrived at Anqiu. Zhou Yu rewarded the two generals and all the soldiers and rewarded the front army. This was the first major victory of the Wu army after landing. Seeing that Cao's army was so vulnerable, everyone's confidence increased greatly.
Military officer Liu Zhengyan said, "Although Cheng Xi is the governor of Qingzhou, the troops of Qingzhou are commanded by Tian Yu, and the two have always been at odds. Tian Yu defended Beihai, but Cheng Xi took the initiative to go to war, which must be due to a disagreement."
Liu Zheng was originally from Qingzhou. He once fled to Liaodong with Bing Yuan, Taishi Ci and others to avoid the chaos. Later, because he offended Gongsun Du, he was rescued by Bing Yuan and escorted back to the Central Plains by Taishi Ci.
When the Wu army marched north this time, Taishi Ci secretly wrote a letter to ask Zhou Yu to visit this man and ask him to serve as a guide for the army. He was well aware of the situation of Cao's army in Qingzhou and Hebei.
Zhou Yu said with a smile: "Discord between generals and commanders is a big taboo in the army! I am now making a surprise attack on Qingzhou, aiming at the Central Plains. Even if Cao Cao himself comes, he will be powerless to save the situation, let alone such an unknown person."
Liu Zheng said: "Cheng Xi knows nothing about military affairs, but he is jealous of Tian Yu. He boasted about this method, and his cousin was killed. He will be angry and will mobilize the whole army to fight. The governor should prepare for it early."
Zhou Yu laughed and said, "If Cheng Xi defends the city like Tian Yu, I will be at a loss. If he takes the initiative to fight, it will be just what I want. I will let him know the power of the Jiangdong army."
Liu Zheng had been with Zhou Yu for more than a month and was impressed by his magnanimity. He nodded and said, "Liu Qi has already conquered Guanzhong. The Central Plains is in a hurry. Cao Wei's forces are all concentrated in the Central Plains. The eastern front is empty. I'm afraid no one can fight with the commander-in-chief."
"Liu Qi... is just my son-in-law from Jiangdong!" Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he didn't want to mention the matter of Jiangdong. He said to Liu Zhengyan: "In the past, Tian Yu was fearful of the north, and Liu Yi was afraid and didn't dare to take the initiative to send troops. I need you to go to the army in person to help me take Beihai."
Liu Zheng clasped his fists and said, "If the governor appoints me, I will not refuse even if I die. But do you want to use provocation?"
Zhou Yu nodded and smiled, "Great minds think alike. Liu Yi is the best general in Liaodong, a man of both civil and military talents, and has made great contributions to the Gongsun clan. I have left you a letter. Sir, you only need to stir up trouble and this plan will work!"
Liu Zheng accepted the order, and Zhou Yu immediately wrote a letter and ordered him to send it to Liu Yi, agreeing to take Beihai together.
In Beihai City, Tian Yu was urging his troops to train when suddenly the defeated soldiers returned to the city and reported to Cheng Xi that their troops had been badly defeated and almost wiped out. Cheng Xi was shocked and hurried to the government office to discuss the matter.
Cheng Xi was angrily recruiting his troops, preparing to go out for revenge, but Tian Yu advised him, "Zhou Yu is a great hero of the time, and the Prime Minister is still a little bit afraid of him. You should not act rashly. You should just hold your troops in place and defend the dangerous place. General Xiahou has already come to help from Xuzhou, and reinforcements will arrive soon. It will not be too late to fight a decisive battle with the Eastern Wu."
The front army had failed, and Cheng Xi was already in a difficult position. Tian Yu's words immediately made Cheng Xi furious: "Zhou Yu has just arrived in the north, and he must be unable to adapt to the climate and environment. I have received great favors from the Prime Minister. If I cannot fulfill my duties and share his worries, wouldn't I be just a figurehead?"
Tian Yu said angrily, "The Art of War says: 'Know thy enemy and know thyself, and thou shalt win every battle.' The two generals deceived the enemy and died. The lesson of the past is before us. As the ruler of a state, thou shalt put the greater good first. By acting so arbitrarily, thou shalt fail the trust of the Prime Minister."
Cheng Xi was scolded so much that his face turned ugly. He slammed the table and stood up, shouting, "Tian Guorang, do you know that times have changed? The prince is in power now, and he urgently needs people to help him solve problems. If you are afraid of the enemy and defend yourself, how can you ever defeat the enemy?"
Tian Yu held back his anger and advised: "I am not afraid of fighting, but because the matter is of great importance. Zhou Yu is well versed in military tactics. Your Excellency will definitely take his plan into account. Once Beihai is lost, Qingzhou will not be safe, and Hebei and Xuzhou will be in danger."
Cheng Xi was furious and shouted, "When our armies are fighting, you repeatedly show off your power to the enemy and lower our morale. What is your intention? You are only the governor of Beihai, how dare you stop me from sending troops?"
Seeing that Cheng Xi was determined to send troops, Tian Yu said helplessly: "Since the governor is determined to send troops, I am willing to guard Beihai by myself and welcome General Xiahou."
Cheng Xi said coldly, "I'm going to fight, but you're staying at the rear. Are you going to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor? I've heard that General Tian is brave and good at fighting, and the northern barbarians are terrified. I'm leaving 5,000 troops with you. You must repel the Liaodong troops when I return. There must be no mistakes."
Tian Yu sighed, "Liu Yi is a famous general in Liaodong, both civil and military. He is well prepared this time. How can he easily defeat the enemy?"
Cheng Xi laughed in anger: "You are a good Tian Guorang. Zhou Yu is a hero of Jiangdong, but you dare not fight him. Now you say Liu Yi is both civil and military. You are so cowardly, yet you are valued by the Prime Minister. Are you really a flatterer? If you don't go all out to defeat the enemy this time, I will have my reasons when General Xiahou arrives. Being passive and lazy is also a capital crime. I hope you will take care of yourself."
He then issued an order, ordering the three armies to prepare money, food, carriages and horses, and to send out all 30,000 elite troops to attack Anqiu early the next morning and destroy the Wu army.
Zhou Yu only brought 10,000 troops, and I will fight with three times the number of troops, so I will surely win. Not only will I be successful, but I can also humiliate Tian Yu and let Cao Pi and his son see who is the one who truly serves the Cao family.
There were only 8,000 defenders left in the city. Tian Yu sighed and said that Cheng Xi overestimated his own capabilities. He could only send someone to inform Xiahou Dun and ask him to send light cavalry support as soon as possible, otherwise Qingzhou would be occupied by Zhou Yu and the consequences would be disastrous.