Chapter 602 Cao Mengde laughs at Luo Ziling again
When tens of thousands of young and strong men from the Taiping Dao were heading westward.
When Huangfu Song's face was full of tension and he began to fortify his city and clear the countryside.
When the Western Region army located in Hebei began to prepare to cross the river under the leadership of Luochuan.
When Luochuan led the marquisates and heroes from various counties to meet Luo Kong.
When Yuan Shao learned that Luo Xiao was not going to fight against him but wanted to defend the city, he laughed wildly.
When Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan looked at each other, they prepared their weapons and started to attack the city.
When Duke Zhao was pondering in Zhaocheng, thinking about how to deal with Luo Xiao's identity.
Luo Xiao, who had been constantly calculating and deducing in Xingyang, made a move.
He carefully selected from the elite of the Taiping Army a group of soldiers who were capable of enduring hard battles, had abundant physical strength, had high skills and tactics, and most importantly, had stable wills and were not panicked.
Among the millions of Taiping Dao followers, there were only a few thousand soldiers who met his requirements. He also carefully selected some slightly inferior ones, making a total of ten thousand.
Leave Xingyang and head east!
…
Luo Xiao's marching was quite methodical. He had the mountains, rivers and streams all in his mind. It was easy for him to set up camp, organize troops and maintain discipline. His biggest requirement was quietness during the march.
There were twelve generals traveling with him. Although there were no leaders with a long-term vision among these generals, many of them were qualified to be fierce generals. Luo Xiao also felt that some of them were of good qualifications.
For example, Commander Guan Hai is the most powerful general in the Taiping Dao. He is born with supernatural powers and is the only one in the Taiping Dao who can withstand more than ten moves of Luo Xiao's full strength. Luo Xiao concludes that he can also be regarded as a brave general in this turbulent world.
Another example is Chu Feiyan, who was born in Qingzhou and later changed his name to Zhang Yan. He is a rare general in the Taiping Army with a good talent for commanding troops. Now he is a general under Luo Xiao.
There are also several well-qualified generals fighting in Jingzhou.
Luo Xiao only brought 10,000 troops on this expedition, which is a very small number.
Whether the number of soldiers or their level of eliteness is important has always been a point of debate. Luo Xiao thinks it is unnecessary. Naturally, the number of elite soldiers is important.
This is a question that has no fixed answer. When the two armies confront each other in the Central Plains, it is a war at the level of a meat grinder, which naturally requires a sufficient number of troops, otherwise the fighting will end in vain.
If Luo Xiao is preparing for a surprise attack like he is doing now, he will naturally have to reduce the size of his army. Otherwise, the risk of being discovered will be greatly increased, which will be detrimental to combat.
Luo Xiao looked up at the surrounding hills and highlands, constantly comparing them with the memories in his mind. When he reached a key point, he stopped.
“It’s right here.”
Luo Xiao turned around and looked at all the channel leaders, his eyes scanning each one. He wanted to select the most patient person to complete this task. Based on his understanding of everyone, Luo Xiao selected a channel leader, who was Guan Hai, who had extremely high martial arts skills.
Guan Hai was very excited to be chosen by Luo Xiao, and he patted his chest and promised: "Master, Hai promises to carry out your plan perfectly."
Guan Hai led two thousand soldiers, which was the limit of Luo Xiao's calculations, and set up an ambush here.
According to Luo Xiao's request, the mud and green leaves fell directly on them, covering up the human breath. This is considered a kind of Yin and Yang in the army, and is called Qimen Dunfa by the people.
From a distance, it is not easy to find even if you look carefully.
Luo Xiao checked it several times again and confirmed that everything was perfect. He then led the remaining 8,000 troops to slowly remove the traces of the way they came. He turned around the valley and left two ambushes, each with one or two thousand people. He took the remaining 5,000 people to rest, quietly waiting for the prey to appear.
The generals were excited and puzzled as they asked Luo Xiao, who was standing with his eyes looking up at the sky, "Master, are the Han army so stupid?
In such a place, you can pass it without inspection?"
Luo Xiao retracted his gaze that was looking up at the sky, turned around and chuckled softly: "Sometimes you shouldn't think your enemies are too smart.
The most effective tactics are often the simplest and most brutal.
Before we get here, the sky will gradually become cloudy, and they are worried about rain. The best place to camp is five miles out of the valley, so we must pass through as soon as possible. If we don’t have enough time, no one will come to check.”
So that’s it. Is this the legendary Yin and Yang of soldiers?
He truly is worthy of being called the almighty Taoist master.
…
Time flies, and it slips away bit by bit.
With the obvious sounds of human voices and horse hooves, this not-so-high valley, or rather the bottom of the hill, suddenly became noisy.
If you stand on the top of the mountain and look into the distance, you can see countless flags fluttering in the breeze. On the flags are the sun, the moon, mountains and rivers, auspicious beasts and holy spirits. The standards are extremely high. The leading army has the word "Cao" printed on it, and there is another flag with the word "Han" printed on it.
It was Cao Cao's vanguard.
Gongsun Zan, who was also a vanguard, was worried that Yuan Shao would use his status as the leader of the alliance to trap him, and was unwilling to march with Yuan Shao's army. So he led the cavalry to advance from the right and flatter area, and separated from the main army.
Cao Cao fulfilled his duties as a vanguard without fail, building bridges over rivers and clearing roads over mountains, thus clearing obstacles for the army's advance.
However, Cao Cao felt somewhat helpless. He rode on his horse and said to his clan brothers, "My army is approaching, and the Taiping Army, whose main force has gone west, will definitely not hold out. I don't know how many people will be killed or injured in the siege. It's really infuriating."
As the army marched, they saw a hilltop full of lush greenery and rocks on the road they had to pass through. Cao Cao went forward to take a look. He had excellent military skills and when he saw this place he felt it was a good place for an ambush.
If he were leading the troops, even if he was short of manpower, he would definitely ambush an army here, after all, the benefits would be huge.
Suddenly a bird took off from the tree, and then several other birds flew up from it. After circling a few times, they landed on branches or rocks.
There are birds in the woods!
Based on his experience, Cao Cao felt relieved, thinking that the main force of the Taiping Army was heading west. Facing the pressure from our army, it would be difficult for them to defend the city. How could ordinary generals be bold and careful enough to divide their troops to set up an ambush?
Thinking of this, Cao Cao immediately prepared to show off. As a leader, he must show his wisdom and strategic planning from time to time, so that his subordinates will never dare to test him.
Cao Cao suddenly burst into laughter and looked at the small valley with disdain. Everyone was a little surprised and asked directly, "Brother, why are you laughing?"
Cao Cao pointed to the valley and said, "I laugh at Taiping's lack of strategy and Zhang Jue's lack of wisdom. This is one of the necessary roads to Xingyang.
If I were Zhang Jue, I would order the Taiping Army to ambush here and wait for our army to enter, and then launch a sudden attack. Our army would surely be in chaos, with heavy casualties.
Unfortunately, how can a person without wisdom and strategy understand the secrets?"
After saying this, Cao Cao looked up at the sky, knowing that he could not delay any longer, and said to a general beside him, "Captain, you go back and report the situation to Lord Benchu. I will go in first to clear the way for Lord Benchu, and the army will follow."
After saying this, he ordered the army to pass. Although there were many rocky forests along the way, it was just as Cao Cao had expected. The journey was safe and sound, and they got out of the valley without any accidents.
Cao Cao could not help laughing again. It was not just that there was no ambush, but he confirmed that the military capabilities of the Taiping generals who stayed behind were indeed mediocre.
Among the Taiping Army, only the bandit leader Zhang Jue had some magical skills, the rest were of no use.
In Yuan Shao's army, when they received the news sent by Cao Cao, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He said to the other princes: "I have known Meng De since we were young. At that time, he was interested in military affairs and liked to comment on famous generals of all dynasties. He would always say that if he were a general, he would do such and such.
I didn't expect that after not seeing you for so many years, you are still the same.
It's getting late, withdraw the scouts in the rear and send them to the front. Pass this place as soon as possible. A few miles ahead is a suitable place to set up camp."
Everyone agreed and led their troops through.
It is said to be as quickly as possible, but the difficulty of the army's movement is not comparable to that of Cao Cao's people. Given the number of Yuan Shao's coalition forces, it would take a long time just to pass the order from Yuan Shao to the lower levels. Fortunately, the formation is still neat, and when they heard that they could rest a few miles ahead, the speed of the army was significantly increased.
Who could not hear Cao Cao's wild laughter in the valley?
Especially Guan Hai, who was lying in ambush in the first section, thought he was going to be discovered. It was not until Cao Cao walked straight into the ambush circle that he realized that Cao Cao was just fooling around.
Thinking of the Taoist master's order, Guan Hai did not take any action and let Cao Cao leave.
The news of Cao Cao's passage soon reached Yuan Shao's coalition forces which had already begun to pass. Hearing that the vanguard troops had begun to rush towards the camp, Yuan Shao once again ordered to speed up.
When there are more than ten thousand people, the sky and the earth are connected.
When there are more than a hundred thousand people, the sky and the earth become the same color.
The coalition forces of Yuan Shao far exceeded 100,000 troops, and various princes led their own elite troops to command the march, and the fatal flaw was revealed in this process.
When Yuan Shao's central army flag entered the valley, Guan Hai realized that the big fish he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
He decisively raised the bow, fully pulling the huge bow that was built to match his natural supernatural power. The thick arrow pierced through it, and then, like a meteorite, it flew heavily towards the coalition's banner.
“Kill the enemy!”
The moment the arrow was shot, a roar like a tiger's roar instantly resounded throughout the valley.
A huge, sharp arrow hit the side of the banner, nailing a soldier to the ground. The tail of the arrow kept vibrating, making a loud buzzing sound.
Yuan Shao was stunned for a moment by this sudden enemy attack. His brain was still in a favorable situation and had not switched.
Cao Cao just passed by here. I saw him pass by with my own eyes. How could there be an ambush?
This is the first thought in everyone’s mind!
The enemy army’s target is Yuan Shao!
This was the second thought in everyone's mind. It was the only explanation. The Taiping Army's target was Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance, so they let Cao Cao go.
Yuan Shao also thought of this, and when he came to his senses, he cursed inwardly, "Cao Mengde, you are such a bad mouth."
Then he looked up and saw that the army had begun to fall into chaos due to the sudden attack.
Especially the baggage soldiers and auxiliary troops composed of farmers, who were like headless flies, avoiding non-existent enemies and always feeling that they would be killed at the next moment.
From the moment Yuan Shao's central army began to enter the valley, Luo Xiao knew that the time had come.
He was wearing extremely sophisticated armor that protected his entire body, even his visor was worn neatly. His martial arts strength of 97 gave him extremely abundant physical strength, allowing him to fight for a long time with armor on and wear thicker and more armor. The warhorse under his crotch was also a carefully selected horse king level.
There are not many armors of this level in the entire Taiping Army, especially face shields with strong protective power, which are rare.
Following behind him were 5,000 of the most elite Taiping troops, all of whom were cavalry and wore armor. Naturally, the Taiping Dao did not have these with its background, but Xingyang did. Once the Han court's county seat was breached, the rebel army would grow rapidly. This was the reason.
"Cut them off in half, blow up the camps on both sides, and trample on each other in front and behind!"
These fifteen words are Luo Xiao’s goal.
Yuan Shao has 200,000 men and Luo Xiao has 10,000 men, but is it difficult?
It's just like taking something out of a bag!
Five thousand armored cavalrymen were like a steel torrent, they went around the corner, with their horses' hooves wrapped in cloth and gags in their mouths, they galloped all the way and suddenly appeared on the side of the army. The army that was on the march had felt some vibrations before, but there were too many troops and they all thought it was the noise caused by their own march.
Among 200,000 people, who would pay attention to the noise made by a few thousand people?
There is no formation!
No armor piercing!
Facing the sudden arrival of the armored cavalry, which was almost like cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered, Luo Xiao shouted loudly: "Thousands of people charge into the battle, behead them and seize the flag!"
The generals roared, and then the five thousand armored cavalry separated instantly. In this situation, the impact caused by one thousand armored cavalry and five thousand armored cavalry was the same.
Two hundred thousand pigs cannot be caught or killed, but two hundred thousand people can be caught or killed, because people are smarter than pigs!
boom!
Almost in an instant, a group of princes who came hastily to meet them, including the Prime Minister of Liang, were rushed over. Both the Prime Minister of Liang and his elite soldiers fell off their horses like falling dumplings, bleeding profusely, turning into meat paste and dying on the spot.
This was a real explosion. These princes were not subordinate to each other and only obeyed the orders of the alliance leader Yuan Shao. Now that Liang Guoxiang was dead, there was no one to command the soldiers under his command. They were just a group of farmers, so how could they dare to confront the armored cavalry who were like murderous demons? They immediately fled in all directions.
There was chaos in the field, and the clouds in the sky were a little thicker. Although they were not dark clouds, they had no problem blocking the sun's dazzling light.
Zhang Yan took two armored cavalrymen to drive away the chaotic soldiers outside the valley to expand the results of the battle. The Taiping Army rushed out of the valley mouth and the central army had been cut off. Now it was the stage of blowing up the camps on both sides.
Luo Xiao turned his gaze to the valley, and Yuan Shao was inside!
He wanted to meet this most handsome man in the world who ranked below Luo Zichuan to see if he was qualified to use this title.
Two teams of thousands of armored cavalry rushed all the way over to meet Luo Xiao, with blood dripping from their bodies. There had never been such a refreshing killing spree, and the morale of all of them was high.
Three thousand armored cavalry marched in unison, and under the leadership of Luo Xiao, they rushed straight towards Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao looked at this scene and could never have imagined that this would be a peasant army. They were even more elite than the Han army!
————
At the Battle of Xingyang, Jiao met a group of heroes, including Shao, Cao, Zan, and Bei. When Jiao saw Cao, he said to his attendants, "Cao has military skills, and he also has Taoist skills."
Everyone was surprised and asked, "What skills does Cao have?"
Jiao then laughed and said, "Whenever Cao Cao laughs, he will hit the mark when he says he can't, and he can do it when he says he can't. Isn't this the magic of Taoism?"
After years of quiet contemplation, all of them are correct. This Cao has no skills, but Jiao has skills. ——"Shishuo Xinyu·Houhan"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
