After Xia Houyuan scolded him here, he spurred his horse to move higher. He took a closer look at the flag corner at the mouth of the mountain in front, laughed, and cursed again: "Zhou Cang, you two hundred and fifty, you don't set up a flag to show off, I really don't do it."

I don’t dare to rush over and catch up. The moment you plant the flag, you are telling me that you are timid. Haha! Look at me.”

After Xia Houyuan cursed here, he looked up at the sky and saw that it was not yet noon. He sneered a few times, then raised his head and shouted an order: "The cavalry obey the order! Immediately launch a pursuit in the direction of Xinye. There is no need to catch up with the Jingzhou soldiers in front."

Lian Zhan, advance to station thirty miles away from Xinye City, and wait for the follow-up infantry to arrive. At the same time, block the road and prevent a Jingzhou deserter from returning to the city to report the news."

After hearing the order, six hundred Cao Cao's cavalry, led by the cavalry general Xia Houhui, whistled, waved their sabers, and rushed forward with strange screams. The horses' hooves stepped on the stone road and rolled away like a thunder formation.

Xia Houyuan then ordered: "The soldiers are very fast and no rest is allowed. Give up the baggage and leave it to the transportation team. All officers and soldiers will go into battle lightly and march to Xinye immediately. Try to capture Xinye County before dark."

It was already afternoon. Each of the tens of thousands of Cao soldiers only ate a few mouthfuls of dry food and drank some water to replenish their strength. Then they went into battle lightly armed with swords, guns, swords and halberds, and one after another they boarded the road to Xinye.

, and ran towards Xinye City.

Besides, Zhou Cang led thousands of Jingzhou soldiers and looked back while marching, watching the movements of Cao's soldiers.

It was late afternoon when Zhou Cang could only hear the sound of horse hooves coming from behind like rolling thunder. When Zhou Cang climbed up to take a look, he saw that Cao's cavalry was less than ten miles away from him. Zhou Cang estimated that he knew that he

The team can't outrun the cavalry, and it won't take half an hour for Cao's soldiers to catch up.

Zhou Cang immediately ordered his lieutenant: "Take two hundred men and immediately cut down the trees and pull the branches onto the road to form deer firewood to block the road so that Cao Cao's cavalry cannot pass."

He also ordered a deputy general: "Lead 200 men to ambush behind Luchai and in the dense forests on both sides. When Cao Cao's cavalry comes, shoot them with hidden arrows."

As soon as the two lieutenants heard this, they immediately led their troops into action. They cut down trees and carried them. In a short time, they built several lines of deer wood on the road in the middle of the forest.

Another lieutenant has already led 200 soldiers to lurk in the woods.

At this time, Xing Daorong had already led the blocking troops over. When Zhou Cang saw it, he immediately issued the third order: "Xing Daorong, listen to the order! I order you to lead the rest of the troops on a rapid march for five miles, and then cut down wood and pile up deer firewood in the forest.

At the same time, arrange two hundred soldiers to lurk deep in the dense forest. When the ambush here retreats to you, you will be responsible for blocking Cao's soldiers and covering the first group of ambush troops to set up an ambush behind."

Xing Daorong was ordered to lead his troops away.

Zhou Cang looked at the more than 100 people around him and said: "As a reserve team, you will be with me and act according to orders at any time."

At this moment, the sound of Cao's soldiers' hoofbeats became more and more urgent. When Zhou Cang turned to look, he saw that the cavalry had already arrived. He immediately ordered: "The ambush is ready, follow my command! Don't act casually."

After that, he took his guards and hid behind Luchai, waiting for Cao's soldiers to come and die.

Besides, Xia Houhui, the general of Cao's army, came up in pursuit with a force of 600 cavalry. Seeing that there was a forest in front of him and the road disappeared in the middle of the forest, Xia Houhui became more thoughtful and ordered the cavalry to stop and climbed up to the left by himself.

On the slope of the earth, put on the blindfold and look far and near.

I saw this forest with lush trees, extending into the distance along a small river, and actually connected to the sky.

Xia Houhui was worried that there would be an ambush in the forest and wanted to find another way to march.

But all I can see are vast forests far and near. Where can I find the road?

While hesitating, several lieutenants came over and asked for instructions: "General, hurry up and pursue us. Didn't the general order us to station thirty miles outside Xinye City? He also ordered us to chase Zhou Cang's deserters and block them to prevent them from returning.

Send a message to Xinye and wait for our main force to arrive and capture Xinye City in one go. Waiting any longer will be against the order."

After hearing this, Xia Houhui glared at them and scolded: "You guys know nothing! I can't see what's the terrain in front of me? What if Jingzhou soldiers are ambushing me inside?"

After hearing this, most of the lieutenants stuck out their tongues and stopped talking. Only his confidant, Lieutenant General Ma Yong, stepped forward to speak. Ma Yong came over and looked sideways at Xia Houhui and said: "General, this matter cannot wait any longer. We must act decisively when the opportunity arises.

Why did the general order us to pursue the Jingzhou soldiers quickly? It was because the general had seen through the battlefield situation. He knew that the Jingzhou soldiers were frightened at this time. They fled under our strong military pressure and had absolutely no ability to stop them.

But when you get here, general, you hesitate, you will be punished if you lose your fighter plane like this."

When Xia Houhui heard this, he glared at him and said, "Who said I won't pursue him? I was thinking of a foolproof strategy.

The way to win in combat is to first ensure your own safety.

The situation of the enemy at the front is unknown now. If we are ambushed, wouldn’t we miss a major event?"

"This is easy to handle, General. Let's do this. First send out a vanguard to reconnoiter and advance, and the main force will follow behind. What do you think?"

Xia Houhui was at his wits' end when he heard his deputy Ma Yong come up with this idea. His mind immediately became cool and he quickly said: "I was about to do this, but who is willing to be the vanguard?"

Ma Yong knew what Xia Houhui was thinking. They were absolutely unwilling to show their incompetence in front of their subordinates, so he quickly said: "General, I know that you always love your soldiers like your own son, and you have no plans left, so I will give you a reminder."

This is just a reminder, I am afraid that you will disdain and adopt it.

What's the matter, general? My lord has been raising troops for a thousand days and using them for a while. At this juncture, who dares to disobey orders?

If you can trust me, general, I will be willing to be the vanguard and lead the troops to defeat the enemy."

At this time, Xia Houhui became determined and immediately ordered: "Ma Yong listens to the order!"

"Here!"

"I order you to lead a hundred men and horses to chase down the fleeing Jingzhou soldiers. Be careful not to be ambushed by the enemy along the way. You must open roads through mountains and build bridges when encountering water, so as to open up roads for the main force to follow, so as to reach the destination on time.

land."

Ma Yong took the order and whistled, leading one hundred of his cavalrymen into the woods.

Behind him, Xia Houhui commanded the remaining five hundred cavalry to keep a distance of one mile from the forwards, and followed closely into the woods. However, not far after Ma Yong led the team into the woods, a dozen horses in front stopped.

.

When Ma Yong rode forward to ask, the forward turned his horse's head and reported: "General, there are deer and firewood blocking the road ahead. The horse team cannot pass."

Mayong rode forward and took a look, only to see some newly cut branches and trunks blocking the intersection.

This deer wood is as tall as a man's head, and extends into the woods on both sides, forming a strong fence. Not to mention the horse team, even a single person walking through it is not too easy to cross.

Ma Yong looked at it and felt that he was in trouble, so he looked at both sides of the fence.

I saw that the fences on both sides were not too short. They were piled with branches of trees, and the ends could not be seen.

Ma Yong thought: "This is the bear trick that the Jingzhou soldiers came up with to stop our army from advancing. Alas, this bear trick really made things difficult for me. The cavalry can't get through. Let's take a detour from the left and right sides. No, the trees are dense and deep.

, the roads are unfamiliar, and you cannot go through the jungle by detours unless you have no choice.”

As I was thinking about this, I looked carefully behind Lu Chai, and found that it was so quiet that there was no sound at all.

Ma Yong had always been bold and cautious, so he wanted to go ahead and see what was going on. He thought, if there were no Jingzhou soldiers ambushing him ahead, it would be very simple, just order the soldiers to dismount and tear down the roadblocks and move them away.

It seems that Ma Yong did not realize that there were Jingzhou soldiers ambushing behind the roadblock. Just when he was about to order the soldiers to dismount and start tearing down the roadblock, he heard the sound of hooves coming from behind. When he looked back hurriedly, he saw Xia Houhui leading the main cavalry.

.

Ma Yong hurriedly turned his horse around and reported: "General, the Jingzhou soldiers have set up roadblocks ahead, and there may be an ambush. What should we do?"

Xia Houhui scolded: "Not to mention setting up roadblocks, even if there are thunderbolts hanging there, we will rush forward! What does the general say? How can a person who is timid in battle win victory?"

As a pioneer, you should build roads and bridges across mountains and rivers. Why are you dawdling here? Why don't you quickly tear down the roadblocks and charge forward!"

Ma Yong was speechless as soon as he heard this. He turned around and ordered: "All forwards dismount and start removing the roadblocks to clear the way for the main force behind!"

After shouting, he rode on his horse and leaned next to Xiahou Hui. From a distance, he commanded his one hundred cavalrymen to dismount and start dismantling the roadblock.

Besides, Zhou Cang saw more than a hundred people in the vanguard of Cao's troops dismounting from his hiding place to dismantle the roadblocks, so he whispered an order: "Send the order one by one, and wait until Cao's soldiers get close before firing arrows."

The soldiers spotted the figure of Cao Bing from the gap between deer and firewood. Each of them aimed at one. When they looked in front of them, they were only a dozen steps away, with only a roadblock in between.

Just as Cao Bingmen was about to pull the tree branch, Zhou Cang gave the order: "Shoot!"

Two hundred sharp arrows were already prepared and were shot at one hundred Cao soldiers. They heard a cry, and the Cao soldiers who were hit by the arrows fell to the ground and struggled. 090

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Chapter completed!