Cao's army carefully turned around the mountain pass, and the scouts went forward to investigate, only to find flags tied in the woods, but no one there.
Xiahou Dun was furious and said, "This is a trick to confuse the enemy. They are deliberately telling us not to pursue them. Move forward immediately."
Li Tong and others were alarmed for nothing and cursed Liu Qi for being cunning. They continued to lead their troops in pursuit. After walking for another ten miles, they suddenly saw dust flying in front of them, so they hurriedly formed a battle array to wait for him.
Xiahou Dun drew his sword and mounted his horse, looking at the enemy army coming from afar, but he saw that there were only about a thousand people, and the soldiers were in disarray and in no formation.
He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Such soldiers and horses dare to fight against me. How can dogs and sheep fight against tigers and leopards?"
Xiahou Lan was in Ye County and stepped forward and said, "This man is the pirate Gan Ning. It was he who killed Xiahou Jie and seized Ye County."
Xiahou Dun said in a deep voice: "If you dare to kill my nephew, I will avenge you!"
Gan Ning rode forward and shouted, "One-eyed dragon, I spared your life last time in Bowang, how dare you come again?"
Xiahou Dun was furious and rode his horse to fight. The two horses met, and after more than ten rounds, Gan Ning was defeated and fled.
"Don't run, bandits!" Xiahou Dun was eager to take revenge and led his troops to chase after them.
After running for several miles, Gan Ning turned his horse around and fought again, holding out for a few rounds before running away.
Xiahou Lan stepped forward and advised: "When Gan Ning raided the camp and captured Xiahou Jie before, he was very skilled in martial arts. This time he pretended to be defeated. Be careful of his tricks to lure the enemy."
Xiahou Dun sneered, "These bandits only know how to bully the weak. When they meet strong men like us, they will naturally flee in panic. Liu Qi has already retreated to Wancheng and sent some miscellaneous soldiers to delay time. What is there to fear from such a force?"
He was determined to take revenge and led his troops to continue chasing. Gan Ning retreated to a fork in the road and fought with Xiahou Dun again. During the battle, ambushes emerged from the valley.
One of them raised his gun and shouted, "Zhao Yun of Changshan is here, who dares to act recklessly?"
The Cao army was immediately shocked. Zhao Yun had fought with Xu Chu a few days ago, and his name had already spread throughout the army. It was said that his martial arts were not inferior to Guan and Zhang. Who would dare to confront him
Xiahou Lan heard the voice in the rear army and stretched his neck to look. Seeing the man in white armor and robe, he exclaimed in surprise, "It's Zilong!"
Xiahou Dun shouted, "We only have 3,000 men. What can these ambushes do to me?"
He then ordered the entire army to charge, ordered Li Tong to fight Gan Ning, and personally led the troops to charge towards Zhao Yun.
The 20,000 Cao troops charged together again. Zhao Yun and Gan Ning could not resist and fought hard to force Xiahou Dun to retreat, leading the remaining troops to retreat.
It was noon now, the sun was blazing high in the sky, and the soldiers and horses were exhausted as they had not rested the night before. However, Xiahou Dun was tireless and urged the troops to continue the pursuit.
Before I knew it, I came to the narrowest part of the mountain road. I saw dense forests on both sides of the mountains. Dry grass and rotten leaves left over from the winter were everywhere, and new leaves had not yet grown on the grass and trees.
Li Tong said: "The road ahead is dangerous and the troops are exhausted. It is better to rest here and wait for the rear troops to catch up. It will not be too late to pursue them later."
"Haven't you heard that speed is the essence of war?" Xiahou Dun said, "Our troops are exhausted, and the Jingzhou army has fled all the way here, and they are at the end of their strength. The ambush troops have been killed and dispersed by me. It is best to take advantage of their high spirits and rush to Wancheng in one go, not giving Liu Qi a chance to catch his breath."
Xiahou Lan also said: "General, what you said is very true. Although the terrain ahead is complicated, if Liu Qi reorganizes his troops and defends the strategic points, all our previous efforts will be wasted."
Li Tong thought about it and it made sense. He clasped his fists and said, "I am willing to go forward as the vanguard, and the general will follow to support me."
Xiahou Dun immediately urged his troops to march out and ordered Xiahou Lan to follow, so that if there was another ambush ahead, he could respond calmly.
Cao's army continued to pursue the enemy, and when they reached the mouth of a canyon, they suddenly saw an army blocking their way. Leading them was an old general with white hair and beard, standing on his horse with a sword drawn, and archers guarding the intersection.
Li Tong was on guard, and seeing this, he laughed and said, "Liu Qi really has no one to use, so he actually uses this old soldier to guard. It's time for us to make a contribution."
Without waiting for Xiahou Dun's troops to arrive, he urged his horse forward and shouted, "You old fellow, you are not content to retire at home, but are working for Liu Qi. Considering your old age, withdraw your troops immediately and I will let you live."
But the old general urged his horse forward and said in a deep voice: "Nanyang Huang Hansheng, do you dare to fight?"
"Hahaha, you really don't know how to live or die!" Li Tong laughed up to the sky: "Since I don't want to live long, I will give you a ride."
Li Tong was also born into a heroic family, famous as a knight-errant in the Jiangru area. He gathered people to start a rebellion and killed people without mercy. He urged his horse to kill Huang Zhong.
When the two horses met, Li Tong raised his spear and stabbed, confident that he could stab Huang Zhong off his horse with one move. However, the opponent slashed with his sword and knocked his weapon out of his hand.
Li Tong underestimated the enemy and did not use his full strength. How could he withstand Huang Zhong's full-strength attack? He screamed and tried to escape, but it was too late. Huang Zhong counterattacked and killed him.
The Cao army behind was shocked when they saw this and fled backwards. At this time, Xiahou Dun led a large army to the scene. When he heard that Li Tong had been beheaded, he reorganized his troops and came forward.
Seeing that it was an old general, Xiahou Dun snorted coldly: "To be killed by an old soldier is such a shame!"
Just as he was about to step forward to challenge, he suddenly heard the sound of drums behind him, followed by thick smoke rising from the hillside. Countless huge fireballs rolled down the hillside, and flames flew through the dense forest, spreading over with the mountain wind.
"Not good, retreat quickly!" Xiahou Dun's one eye widened, knowing that something was wrong. He did not bother to fight with Huang Zhong, and turned back to order his men to retreat.
Facing the mountain breeze, he smelled the pungent smell of sulfur and kerosene, and he knew that there had been preparations on the hillside. The terrain here was narrow, and if a fire broke out, the consequences would be disastrous.
But at this time, more than 10,000 Cao troops had entered the valley, and the men and horses were in chaos. It was not easy to retreat. The front and rear armies were crowded together, and the men and horses trampled on each other and could not move at all.
Xiahou Dun was blocked by the chaotic army in the valley, unable to move. Looking up, he saw thick smoke and fire everywhere, spreading towards this side. In a blink of an eye, he could no longer see the situation in the valley clearly.
Xiahou Dun saw that the road ahead was blocked and the thick smoke choked the soldiers to scream. Many of them covered their mouths and noses, suffocated and fell down. Knowing that the road ahead was blocked, he gritted his teeth and turned around to fight Huang Zhong.
The retreat was cut off. As long as the old general was killed and the troops rushed out of the valley ahead, there would be a way to survive.
Xiahou Dun led his army back to fight to the death. Cao's army chased him in the smoke and fire, but Huang Zhong did not fight him to the death. He retreated to the mouth of the valley and fired arrows at him.
Cao's army suffered countless casualties, but the fire behind them grew more intense. They were now trapped in a desperate situation and each of them fought hard.
Huang Zhong saw that Cao's army was about to charge over and thick smoke had already filled the valley entrance, so he led his troops to retreat. Xiahou Dun held his breath and led the remaining troops out of the valley.
Suddenly, the view in front of me opened up. I had already passed Bowangpo. In front of me, a large river flowed out of the mountain and meandered southward. It was the Baihe River.
Huang Zhong led his troops to retreat to the riverside and ordered the soldiers to guard the bridgehead. Many soldiers in the valley followed him in a panic, sitting on the ground and gasping for breath.
Xiahou Dun, however, did not take Huang Zhong seriously. He looked up to the sky and laughed, "It's done! This is what we call risking one's life in order to survive!"
Before the laughter died down, someone behind him suddenly laughed loudly, "Xiahou Dun, if you get away again this time, I will write my name Zhang upside down!"
Xiahou Dun was shocked and turned back hurriedly, only to see an army appearing behind the hillside, with Zhang Fei leading the way.