Chapter 222 Falling into camp The offensive means displayed by the Xianzhen Camp at this time seemed very simple, but Cao Chun, who had been on the battlefield for a long time, deeply felt the horror of it. It was just one defense, one stab, and one attack, but every soldier showed an incredibly terrifying reaction speed and organization and coordination. And the most terrifying thing is that no matter how the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry resisted, how they fought, or how they exchanged their lives for lives, the other side was able to deal with it calmly. Although the shield's tilt angle was narrowed a little and the spear's thrust angle changed slightly, the terror was revealed in the subtle details. It was this almost imperceptible change that dissolved all the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry's counterattacks. "This is the trap camp!" Tian Ze couldn't help but sigh as he watched the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, which was also part of the Military Soul Corps, being slaughtered almost without any pressure by the Xianzhen Camp. Even without his natural talent, the near-extreme defense, extreme reaction speed, and extreme combat skills meant that the Xianzhen Camp was destined to be nearly unsolvable. The terrifying fighting ability that they usually display to the outside world is actually not the strong point of the Xianzhen Camp. It's just that because they haven't encountered an opponent that is worthy of a fight, the Xianzhen Camp doesn't need to pay too much attention to defense. And when Tian Ze added his own talent to it, the attribute of the Xianzhen Camp was increased by one more thing: extreme organization and coordination.
Soldiers have different basic qualities, so the effects will naturally be different under the same talent bonus. Tian Ze has always felt that Gao Shun's Xianzhen Camp has actually taken half a step further than ordinary military soul corps, because its terrifying basic qualities have far exceeded the scope of ordinary military soul corps. Even the pioneers, who were known as the sharpest, could not break through the defense of the Xianzhen Camp. They were trampled upon like children. Even Tian Ze couldn't think of any good way to defeat such an army head-on. Apart from the attrition war, it seemed that only catapults, crossbows, chariots, etc. could be effective. Ordinary troops, even heavily armored cavalry, would probably not be able to break through the defense. The moment they truly witnessed the strength of the Xianzhen Camp, both sides understood. The battle is over. By this time, Zhang Liao had also reacted and without hesitation redeployed his troops around the Xianzhen Camp, intending to encircle and annihilate Yan Liang and Wen Chou's troops as well as the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Knowing that the situation was hopeless, Cao Chun led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to change direction without hesitation and evacuated with Yan Liang, Wen Chou and the remaining thousands of cavalry. Shen Pei stood on the high platform, staring blankly at the scene, the sword in his hand falling weakly to the ground. "Lost!" There was no resentment in Shen Pei's eyes, only helplessness and despair. He thought he had done everything to the best of his ability, but he never expected that it would end like this. The gain from this battle may just be revealing a few of Tian Ze's cards. But at the same time, they have basically revealed all their cards. And Tian Ze is still unfathomable. They haven't even forced Dian Wei and his personal guards out! "Zhong Jian, take the lord and retreat!" Shen Pei roared hysterically. Upon hearing this, Chunyu Qiong turned around without hesitation and rode away with Yuan Shao. The black flag was flying high. All the troops of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Lu Bu retreated.
"In the end, we are still defeated?" Li Ru said with a puzzled expression as he looked at the situation on the battlefield. Cao Cao's expression at this moment was also extremely complicated. Although he did not fight as hard as Yuan Shao in this battle, he basically tried his best. He understood Cao Chun's character. Although he didn't know the reason why the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry retreated, he knew very well that they must have encountered an invincible enemy and saw no hope, otherwise he would not have done so. Before this battle, the only person he reminded was Cao Chun. Xiahou Yuan, Cao Hong and others didn't have to fight desperately, because they had Yuan Shao's army to back them up. But the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had to fight desperately at the critical moment, because that was the only chance to kill Tian Ze. On this point, Cao Cao did not compromise at all. He even gave Cao Chun an order that as long as Tian Ze could be killed, it would be acceptable even if the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were completely wiped out. However, it still failed. This defeat not only meant that Tian Ze could no longer be controlled, but also meant that Yuan Shao's next strategic direction would inevitably turn to the Central Plains. There will inevitably be conflicts of interest between him and Yuan Shao, and it won't be long before they go from allies to rivals. However, Cao Cao didn't have the heart to think so much at this moment. The first thing he had to consider now was evacuation. Shen Pei's plan failed and the army retreated. Tian Zefang naturally could not just give up like that, so he led his army forward without hesitation. The advantage of Tian Ze's army's large number of cavalry was fully demonstrated at this moment, and they chased and killed the enemy all the way. Fortunately, Lu Bu and Xiahou Yuan's troops were still alive. After Yan Liang and Wen Chou's troops abandoned nearly half of the besieged cavalry, they also tied up the cavalry led by Ma Teng. At the same time, the 10,000 Yuan troops stationed in Guangwu County in the rear also came out in full force. They received Shen Pei's order at some point and appeared in the rear of the battlefield, distracting some of Tian Ze's army's attention. The three factions of Yuan, Cao and Lu fled the battlefield in a hurry at the cost of a large number of cavalry sacrificed to cover their retreat. "Won." Tian Ze looked at the fleeing figures of Yuan Shao's army and spoke calmly, his tone full of matter-of-factness. There was no way he could lose this battle from the very beginning. Even if Yuan Shao planned everything, it would not make much difference to him. It would just be more troublesome and unexpected, but the result would not change. In this battle, it seemed that he was being led by Yuan Shao and fell into his calculations. In fact, everything was under his control. When you have a grasp of the general situation, no matter how many strategies the enemy uses, the best way to deal with it is to use stillness to overcome movement. Because any surprising strategy will inevitably reveal flaws and there is a risk of being seen through. The most typical example is Sima Yi, who exhausted Zhuge Liang to death. Both sides are geniuses of the time. If Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang take risky tactics, they may still win, but they may eventually be defeated. The best strategy is to win directly by relying on hard power. In order to win this victory, Yuan Shao was willing to cut off his own arm, but the gap in strength made everything go to waste. Moreover, most of the soldiers he brought were killed or captured by Tian Ze. Even though he managed to tie down Tian Ze's pursuit, less than 30% of the soldiers managed to escape. The outcome of this battle was enough to severely damage Yuan Shao. For at least two years, he would not dare to look north again, and even Jizhou might be difficult to defend.
After spending several days cleaning up the fruits of battle and sorting out the retreat route, Tian Ze took advantage of the situation and continued to attack Shiling Pass. However, Li Ru had already made preparations. The defenses of Shiling Pass were extremely tall and solid, and the city defense equipment and logistical supplies inside were also quite complete. In order to hold the position, Lu Bu withdrew all the infantrymen who were attacking the Taihang Mountains. With nearly 20,000 infantrymen stationed there, Tian Ze could not be taken down for a while. At this time, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao only had more than 50,000 defeated soldiers left, and they had already begun to think about how to withdraw to Jizhou and Yanzhou. After all, it is better for me to die than for my fellow Taoist to die. It is only a matter of time before the remaining two counties of Lu Bu are taken. It should be no problem to hold out for a while at Shiling Pass. They should find a way to escape first. If you don’t go back, your hometown will be robbed. (End of this chapter)