Lieutenant General Lu Qian was supervising his soldiers to train their archery skills in the military camp. Lu Qian was also considered one of the best archers among Cao Jun. If Zhang Chen's Xiliang cavalry arrived, Cao Jun could only follow the orders of Xi Zhicai, the strategist who stayed behind.

They built earthen walls and climbed towers to fight against the Xiliang army, which was mainly cavalry. At this time, due to the ban, craftsmen and sergeants were urged to speed up the construction of fortifications. At the same time, Lu Qian trained his soldiers to make up for the lack of shooters in Cao's army.

In Chenliucheng, Cao Cao left the selfless Man Chong as the prefect, which provided a strong backing for the main expedition of Cao's army. In Xuchang, Cao Ren, the general of Cao's army who was known for his good defense, personally guarded this place, the lifeline of Cao's army.

With the assistance of defensive strategist Xi Zhicai, it seemed that Cao Jun's defense was impregnable.

In June of the first year of Xiping in the Eastern Han Dynasty, at the suggestion of Zhang Chen's army counselor Xun You, Zhang Chen led a large number of elite cavalry to launch a blitzkrieg against Yongzhou while Cao Cao was leading the main force to attack Xuzhou. Finally, before Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's families started to negotiate,

Zhang Chen had already begun to take action, and Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, also sent his confidant Chen Deng to ask for help from Guanzhong to relieve the siege of Xuzhou.

"Brother, the Hulao Pass is ahead!" Zhang Liao said, pointing to the ruins ahead. Zhang Chen squinted and saw that several huts had been erected on the ruins there, which seemed to be the sentinels of Cao Cao's army.

The army marched rapidly in Luoyang for three days, but did not encounter any resistance from Cao's army. However, they found many bandit dens and some newly built villages as they passed by. These were built by refugees who were forced to flee here due to the war. Bandits

We saw Zhang Chen’s tens of thousands of troops passing by,

They have long since hid in the Mang Mountain. Now Luoyang is in a state of anarchy and there is no military service. It can be said to be a paradise for these people, but their good days will not last long. Zhang Chen has determined that if this crusade against Cao Cao can go smoothly

, then the large and fine plains of Luoyang will be recovered.

Now Luoyang has become a nightmare for merchants traveling between the rich Guanzhong and the Central Plains, but it has also become a natural barrier between the two major forces of Cao Cao and Zhang Chen. Cao Cao did not dare to take risks and just sent people to the abandoned Hulao.

As a sentinel in the pass, Hulao Pass is also a dangerous place for Zhang Chen's army to enter. It is perfect to monitor here.

"Wenyuan, take care, we'll see you at Chenliu City!" After passing Hulao Pass, the army was about to disperse into various units for fighting. Zhang Chen nodded to Zhang Liao, and Zhang Liao also said take care in return, and rode back to his headquarters.

In the dust raised by the galloping war horses, Zhang Liao's troops, Hua Xiong's troops, and Ma Chao's troops also stayed away from the main force. After passing Hulao Pass, they rushed to their respective destinations.

"No! It's an enemy attack! Quick, find the horses, let's go! Go back and report!" Before Zhang Chen's large army arrived at Hulao Pass, dozens of Cao soldiers who stayed behind at Hulao Pass were led by Xiaomao.

They hurriedly withdrew from Hulao Pass. They were the only Cao troops left behind in the entire Hulao Pass. Even if they stayed, they would only be shattered by Zhang Chenjun's cavalry, so there was no way they could resist.

Zhang Chen's army crossed Hulao Pass. Under the leadership of deputy general Wang Fang, the handymen and the retired horses returned to Guanzhong. These handymen were also elite soldiers in other armies, so there was no need to worry about bandits coming after seeing the precious horses.
Chapter completed!