Chapter 212 A desperate move Xu Huang was very steady in employing his troops. Even though he knew that Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang had fled westward, he did not take it lightly and marched very cautiously and strictly. When he arrived in Nanxing Tang, he found that the place was basically empty. He learned from the people in the city that Yuan Shao's army had all retreated westward towards Jingxing. At this point, Xu Huang finally put aside his doubts and left behind 3,000 infantrymen. At the same time, he transferred 2,000 of the 5,000 defenders in Shangquyang to garrison Nanxing Tang. He personally led more than 10,000 cavalry to rush to the rescue of Jingxing. However, on the way, he encountered Cao Cao who had been lying in ambush for a long time. Cao Cao led the infantry to block the front, Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren each led 5,000 elite cavalry, and Cao Chun led 3,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to besiege from the other three sides. Although Xu Huang discovered the situation in advance and turned around to retreat immediately, he was still caught up by the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry led by Cao Chun. Knowing that the situation was not right, Xu Huang wanted to kill off this cavalry of no more than 3,000 people and then withdraw. However, he did not expect that he encountered Cao Cao's trump card. This was the first time Xu Huang encountered cavalry that was even stronger than his own.
Three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, in the first battle, actually put him at a disadvantage. Such powerful fighting ability immediately reminded him of the Xianzhen Camp under Gao Shun and the Xiandeng Death Squad under Qu Yi. "This is the Military Soul Corps!" Xu Huang looked at the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, which were as sharp as swords, with a serious look in his eyes. Being held by the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and seeing that Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren were about to catch up, Xu Huang did not dare to delay any longer. He gritted his teeth and ordered the rear army to resist on their own and led his troops to withdraw. Compassion does not command troops! This was the first time that Tian Ze's army suffered a real defeat. However, the generals and soldiers under Tian Ze were always prepared. Without any delay, Xu Huang led the remaining cavalry to retreat directly, but his eyes were full of self-blame and anger. The abandoned rear army did not have much resentment, but joined the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry without hesitation, using their own death to cover the evacuation of their brothers. Falling into a desperate situation, they instead burst out with even more terrifying fighting power, and did not stop until most of them were killed or wounded. All the generals under Cao Cao's command were shocked when they saw this scene. "Tian Chengshou! What a formidable opponent!" At this moment, Cao Cao's murderous intent towards Tian Ze reached its peak, completely overshadowing Yuan Shao. Previously he thought Yuan Shao was taking too risky, but now it seems that this decision was absolutely correct. How can you win against this kind of enemy if you don't fight to the death! When Xu Huang retreated south to Tang, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he received a piece of news that shocked him. Shangquyang was lost. Cao Hong had already led an army of 30,000 to bypass the south side of Nanxing Tang County and captured Shangquyang. Now surrounded by enemies, Xu Huang quickly ordered the army to strengthen the city defenses and prepare to defend to the death.
"How is it? Is there still no news from Cao Cao's army and Yuan Shao's army?" Xu Huang asked in Nanxing Tang County. Tian Ning shook his head: "General, the scouts have been sent out, and they haven't returned yet." Xu Huang nodded nervously, looking at the map on the wall with a frown on his face. "General, we still have more than 10,000 soldiers in the city. Although the city defenses are somewhat damaged, we should be able to hold on for a while." "After Shangquyang is lost, General Xu and General Guan will definitely send troops to rescue us once they learn the news. We don't need to worry too much," Tian Ning comforted. "What I'm worried about is not this, but the appearance of Cao Cao's army." Xu Huang murmured. "It shouldn't be possible! It absolutely shouldn't be possible! Why would Cao Cao's army appear near Zhongshan County?" Xu Huang couldn't figure it out, stroking the long distance between Zhongshan County and Yanzhou on the map. "General, could it be that Yuan Shao is short of troops, so he asked Cao Cao for support? To make it easier for him to attack us or Tumen Pass?" Tian Ning asked. "Impossible. Yuan Shao has at least 100,000 soldiers attacking Huguan and Tumenguan on the west side of Jizhou. Even if he lacks manpower, he can ask Cao Cao to help attack Huguan and withdraw his troops to the north. Why would he have to go around in a big circle and ask Cao Cao to go north?" "Moreover, the Cao Cao army we encountered had at least 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers in total, which was obviously the main force. The appearance of such a main force in the northwest of Jizhou must have a purpose that is definitely not simple," said Xu Huang. "Could they be planning to attack General Guan?" Tian Ning guessed. "No way. Although Yun Chang is upright, he knows his limits and won't rush for quick success. And Yun Chang has General Bo Jin guarding behind him, so there will be no problem." Xu Huang said without hesitation. Guan Yu and Xu Rong were almost the strongest spear and shield under Tian Ze. Together they resisted the northern side of Jizhou and guarded Youzhou, which was enough to give face to Yuan Shao. The combination of these two people, coupled with the geographical advantages and human harmony of Youzhou, is so good that even if Yuan Shao and Cao Cao join forces, even other princes in the Central Plains would not be able to gain any advantage. Seeing Xu Huang pondering to no avail, Tian Ning looked at the map and muttered, "The target is not us, not Huguan and Tumenguan, nor the northern part of Jizhou and Youzhou. It must be Bingzhou, but..." The method of elimination is one of the things that orphans like Tian Ning have learned. On the battlefield, we must get rid of inertial thinking and rigid thinking, especially when the opponent makes some strange moves, it is very likely that loopholes have been found in places they have not noticed. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how unbelievable, is the truth. Although Tian Ning, who was educated through rote learning, did not realize the problem, his words awakened Xu Huang. The finger suddenly fell on Changshan Pass, and Xu Rong was instantly shocked: "Their target is Lingqiu Road!" At the same time Xu Huang woke up, Tian Ze and Guan Yu saw the red dot appearing near Changshan Pass through the small map, and also realized the real target of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. But, it's already too late. After three days of bloody fighting, Cao Hong captured Shangquyang County and without a moment's rest, he once again led 5,000 elite troops straight to Changshan Pass. Changshan Pass had just learned the news that Shangquyang had been recaptured, so it was inevitably a little lax. Moreover, there were only a few hundred defenders, and they were caught off guard and captured by Cao Hong after a surprise attack. At this point, Lingqiu Road was opened. After passing Changshan Pass on the Lingqiu Road, you can avoid Guangchang County across the river and go straight to Lingqiu County and arrive at Pingxing Pass. Lingqiu County and Guangchang County originally belonged to Zhongshan State in Jizhou. But unlike Guangchang County, which is located at a strategic throat, Lingqiu County is close to Bingzhou and surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only the west side close to Pingxingguan, so Tian Ze did not take it. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao integrated their entire army and without hesitation, they all marched along Lingqiu County and headed straight for Pingxingguan.
The two men acted very decisively and completely abandoned all important places such as Shangquyang and Changshan Pass, with a desperate attitude. Because they knew that Lingqiu Road had no way out. It was useless to defend these places. Once Xu Rong reacted, Guangchang County alone would cut off their retreat. They could only evacuate from Bingzhou. Since this is the case, it is better to concentrate our forces and go all out. Before this, Xu You's spies had crossed the small path in the northern part of Taihang Mountain and arrived in Bingzhou, and informed Li Ru of the plan. Li Ru had secretly withdrawn the defense of Yanmen Pass and led Tian Ze to lead his troops south to attack Shiling Pass. Yuan Shao was not wrong about Li Ru. Although Li Ru's moral character remains to be verified, his abilities have definitely been thoroughly tested by the Han Dynasty, aristocratic families, and princes across the world. Not only did he complete Yuan Shao's plan, but he also completed it extremely well. As soon as Tian Ze's army arrived at Shiling Pass, they noticed Yuan Shao's unusual movements. "Fengxiao, it seems that an enemy army has passed through Lingqiu Road and is coming towards us." Tian Ze looked at the red dot on the small map and frowned slightly. Guo Jia was stunned when he saw the red dot that Tian Ze had placed near Changshan Pass on the map. Then he immediately reacted and smiled slightly, saying, "Yuan Benchu and Cao Mengde are really courageous!" How could Guo Jia not know what the purpose of this large army that appeared behind him was? Guo Jia had never thought that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao would take the Lingqiu Road. Not only was it unreasonable to use troops in this way, but also because Guo Jia did not expect Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to dare to fight him head-on. "It's a good idea, but there's only one problem that I miscalculated, and that's the strength of our army," Guo Jia said quietly. Similarly, Jia Xu, who was in Youzhou at this time, looked at the information in his hands with a slightly strange expression. "Bo Jin, prepare to send troops to retake Lingqiu County and Changshan Pass to cut off Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's retreat." "What about the lord?" Xu Rong asked. "With Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Ma Teng, Le Jin, Gao Shun, Qu Yi and Dian Wei here, do you think there is any need to worry?" Jia Xu said speechlessly. "Let Yunchang prepare to take over Jizhou. If everything goes well this time, we can deal with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao together." (End of this chapter)