Chapter 758: The hegemony ends in the fierce wind!
Cao Cao, King of Wei, and Liu Bei, King of Chu, gathered in Jizhou.
Cao Cao used the slogan "Restore the Han Dynasty and eliminate the kings" to accuse Liu Bei and others of declaring themselves kings without the court's permission, and were actually rebels.
Liu Bei used the slogan "Restore the Han Dynasty and eliminate traitors" and accused Cao Cao of being a treacherous minister who disrupted the court order and intended to usurp the throne. He was nominally a Han minister but in reality a Han traitor.
Neither side would give in, which made Yan Lin, the emperor of Yan, feel very embarrassed. It seemed like an internal dispute within the Han Dynasty. Would it be inappropriate for the Yan State to get involved?
In the Central Plains, there are not many lands that can deploy hundreds of thousands of troops, and the North China Plain happens to be one of them.
The Wei army was so huge that the Chu and Yan armies could only hold their camps and wait for an opportunity.
Guan Yu and others each led thousands of troops to fight.
Ma Chao, who surrendered to Cao Cao, had never fought against so many masters of the same level, nor had he ever experienced a situation where he commanded thousands of soldiers but could only influence a part of the battlefield.
This was an unprecedented war since the end of the Han Dynasty.
The sky was shaking, the earth was trembling, flags were scattered all over the battlefield, smoke was everywhere, and endless corpses were lying everywhere, it was extremely tragic.
Almost everyone was covered in blood. Generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei never took off their armor and slept in it, ready to get up and continue fighting at any time.
In Liu Bei's camp, Fa Zheng finally proposed the last way to win, which was to incite Ma Chao to rebel!
"Ma Chao is highly valued in Cao's camp. Why would he give up his strength for the weak and join our army?"
Fa Zhengze said with sharp eyes: "Ma Mengqi killed Cao Cao's son Cao Pi, how could he not be worried? Cao Cao was tolerant, but did Cao Ang have the same?
Cao Ang has a good relationship with his brothers. Wouldn't he avenge Cao Pi?
To be honest with you, my king, it was Zheng who persuaded Ma Chao to surrender to Cao Cao, because he knew that there would be a battle between you and Cao Cao.
Ma Chao must have been prepared for this. He is just waiting for a letter from the king and then he will rebel against Cao and help Han!
Ma Chao rebelled, and King of Jin, Lu Fengxian, joined in.
At that time, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, and Youyan Iron Cavalry moved in unison, the sound of their hooves was like thunder, and Cao Cao would die without a burial place."
Luo Qi's eyes fixed and he said, "Your Majesty, what Xiaozhi said makes sense. I will go to where the King of Jin is and discuss the plan with him. Within half a month, the King of Jin will send out troops!"
Now, whether it is where Lu Shen is or the front battlefield, they are all struggling, and King Lu Bu of Jin can't find a suitable opportunity to attack.
Liu Bei did not hesitate, and drew his sword directly, facing the crowd and said: "A few days ago, I had a long talk with Ziqi, and I was very confused. Ziqi said this, and now I will give it to you.
'Your Majesty, the doctor said that I should have died long ago.
But now I'm still alive, do you want to know why?
For the vast majority of people in this world, only after going through enough hardships in life can they achieve something.
In every year and every day of the past, I have been suffering for the decline of the Han Dynasty. That god-like figure stood before me, and I used to hesitate and feel pain.
So now I can still stand here.
How tormented were you when you saw Cao Cao become king?
When you saw that the Han Dynasty was about to end, how much pain did your heart feel?
These are all things that will become your nourishment. These things are burning in your heart. Use them to illuminate the way forward for the entire Chu State and the entire Han Dynasty.'
My gentlemen, we have come a very long way, and we always fail when facing Cao Cao, but one day, we will climb over the highest mountain and cross the longest river, and the mountains and rivers will meet and converge.
There we will raise the crown of Han Dynasty again.
We will celebrate the new life in Luoyang, we will celebrate the new life in Chang'an, we will celebrate the new life on every mountain and every river. May God bless us and we will forge ahead! "
…
The wind blew through the grass, the setting sun was as red as blood, and night gradually approached. The Wei army set up camp on the land of Jizhou. The camp stretched for dozens of miles. They were determined to achieve their goal in one battle.
Although it was already night, there were still a lot of soldiers patrolling the Wei military camp. They marched in rows and teams, taking turns to prevent Liu Bei from attacking the camp.
Liu Bei gathered all his generals except Guan Yu, and then mobilized almost the entire elite cavalry of the Chu army. He also notified the State of Yan and marched forward to attack the camp in a mighty force.
This can't even be called a raid on the camp because it is too blatant.
But night fighting is completely different from daytime fighting because you can't see clearly.
Even if you hold up a torch, you still can't see the people or the situation in the distance, and you will feel a genuine fear of the darkness.
Facing the attack from Liu Bei and the State of Yan, Cao Cao and others were very calm. They had prepared for everything and just needed to take precautions step by step.
After a brief period of confusion, a large number of soldiers suddenly shouted, "The fire has broken out! The fire has broken out!"
Along with these roars, blazing flames shot up into the sky, almost burning the entire sky red, which was the brightest color in the night sky.
But for the Wei army, it was the source of fear and the most horrifying thing.
Because the fire started in the granary!
It is a granary under heavy protection!
How did the enemy get there?
The food and fodder were burned, and the hundreds of thousands of troops had to eat and graze every day, which was an astronomical number.
Will we have food tomorrow?
Now Cao Cao was no longer calm. The idea of "a cunning rabbit has three burrows" was not suitable for granaries, because there were requirements for storing grain and it could not be stored everywhere.
The place where the fire started had almost 60% of the army's rations. Not to mention 60%, even 30% would be enough to cause a mutiny, because no one wanted to starve. The soldiers of the Han Dynasty were not serfs, and in this martial age, if they were not paid enough, they would rebel against you.
Cao Cao knew there must be a traitor.
After some calculation, the counselors immediately knew that it was Ma Chao.
Looking at the blazing granary, the firelight illuminated Ma Chao's handsome face. He led the loyal Xiliang cavalry, facing the Wei soldiers who were surrounding him, and rode his horse and raised his spear, looking down and shouting loudly: "I am Xiliang Jin Ma Chao!"
Cao Ren rode up to him and shouted, "Ma Chao, the king spared your life and allowed you to retain your power and influence. Isn't that enough?
Why should we oppose it? "
Ma Chao's face flashed with shame, and then he raised his spear and said loudly: "General Cao, please thank the King of Wei on my behalf. It was really the Crown Prince who forced me to do so. Since I entered the Han Dynasty, the Crown Prince has never spoken to me. I have no choice but to rebel."
Ma Chao was so honest that Cao Ren was speechless for a moment.
Cao Cao and others who received the news were also speechless. Cao Ang felt very aggrieved. Was it wrong for him not to cooperate with Ma Chao?
But in Ma Chao's view, this was Cao Ang's move to settle accounts with him in the future.
Cao Cao was getting old and probably didn't have many years left to live, but he was still young and didn't know how long he would have to live under Cao Ang's command.
He couldn't stand that kind of fearful life after just a year or two, let alone living like that forever.
Just rebel against him!
Anyway, I nominally surrendered to the emperor of the Han Dynasty, not Cao Cao, the King of Wei. I was not a subject of the King of Wei, so there was no question of my loyalty or not.
Besides, there is no reason in this world for a ruler to kill his subjects and not allow them to resist.
Seeing that Ma Chao was determined to rebel, the Wei army immediately attacked him. The Wei generals were well aware of how strong Ma Chao was, so they immediately surrounded him. However, Ma Chao's goal was not to kill, but to create chaos. Those who followed him in the rebellion included not only the Western Liang Cavalry, but also the Qiang people who served as auxiliary troops.
As a mighty general of heaven and a mixed Han and Qiang descent, Ma Chao's prestige among the Qiang people is unparalleled.
The entire camp was immediately thrown into chaos by him. Torches thrown by Ma Chao were everywhere, and the tents were burning. The damage from the inside out was too great.
Ma Chao did the opposite. He did not rush towards Cao Cao's heavily guarded camp, but rushed towards the periphery. The closer to the periphery, the worse the soldiers were, some were even farmers in the logistics department. He was completely trying to mess up the situation.
Cao Cao really felt that things were not going well. "Ma Chao and Liu Bei are working together from inside and outside the State of Yan. We must be very careful and cautious."
"Your Majesty, at present, most of the military camps are following the previous design and keeping their troops on standby to observe the situation. However, the army is in chaos too quickly and we can't even issue orders now."
The camp stretched for dozens of miles.
It was impossible for messengers to convey orders, and in such an attack on a camp, the commander of the camp had to rely entirely on his own judgment.
This is why, since ancient times, it only takes a few hundred people to raid a camp and make an army of thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands dare not act rashly. They can even break into the camp, kill the general, and return.
Cao Cao somewhat underestimated Liu Bei and the State of Yan's determination to attack the camp this time.
Liu Bei personally led almost all the generals of the Chu State into battle, but did not bring Guan Yu!
This was not because of disregard for the importance attached to it, but because it allowed Guan Yu to lead the entire army to attack together.
In this era of widespread night blindness, fighting at night relying solely on the light of torches was a huge risk, and Guan Yu was the only one in the Chu State who had the ability to lead.
A decisive battle took place at night, a decisive battle in which the two sides could hardly see each other. It began at night.
It is not known whether the arrow shot will kill one's own people or the enemy.
The galloping horse's hooves don't know what they will encounter when they land, flat ground or a deep pit.
This is the war.
Where is Lozi?
He is with Lu Bu!
All the Bingzhou cavalry went out and marched under the guidance of Luo Qi. Luo Qi used all his energy to guide the Bingzhou cavalry to walk on the right path. His mind fully recorded every road and every place that was not suitable to pass through.
The North China Plain could only passively take the beating in front of Bingzhou.
Bingzhou is located in a high position and there are many roads that can be passed through the Taihang Mountains, so the Jizhou Plain is impossible to defend.
When Luo Qi and Lu Bu stood on a high place, looking at the dotted flames in the camp, stretching for dozens of miles, noisy sounds came from there.
Luo Qi clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "King Jin, please lend a helping hand."
Lu Bu held the helmet in his hand, mounted his horse again, looked at Luo Qi and said loudly: "Master Qi, I came from a border county. Decades ago, people like me would be ridiculed by the wealthy families as border county warriors, who believed that people like us were unfaithful and fickle.
This is how Dong Zhuo was defeated.
In fact, I don’t care about things like trust and loyalty, because we are facing the Hu people. As long as we can survive, we don’t care about those things.
But who could have thought?
Over the past few decades, it is because of my integrity and commitment that I have been able to reach where I am today.
Yuan Shao, the Prince of Zhao, a great hero known all over the world, and his three generations of officials are marrying me.
King Liu Bei of Chu, a relative of the Han royal family known for his benevolence and righteousness, did not regard me as despicable, but invited me, a king, to defeat Cao Cao together.
In this case, I will continue along this road. The Hu people have seen me, and now I will let Cao Cao see the Flying General.
I have been defeated by Cao Cao before, and now I want to win once, so please follow me, sir."
After saying that, Lu Bu led the cavalry at a jog towards Cao's camp, which was gradually becoming chaotic. Luo Qi also rode down on his horse.
Because Liu Bei's troops were setting fires everywhere, Lu Bu's cavalry would not attract any attention at all.
When they were only a few hundred steps away from the military camp, the blazing flames were so bright that it was no longer just a torch, but an entire camp burning, and the night sky became as bright as day.
The cavalry's vision suddenly brightened, and Lu Bu immediately accelerated. He rode his horse over the fence in front of the military camp and knocked the fence open with just one hit.
In the past, Xiang Yu could defeat soldiers holding shields with one blow. Although Lu Bu is not as strong as Xiang Yu now, it is easy for him to defeat the chevaux de frise. This is the power of the best in the world.
Lu Bu's image is too easy to recognize. The Fang Tian Huaji in his hand, the Red Hare under his crotch, and the iconic armor on his body all reveal his identity. Lu Bu somewhat underestimated his reputation among ordinary soldiers.
He has fought against two or three people alone countless times, which is really an abnormal record.
Especially when he faced the generals under Cao Cao, he fought against six or seven of them alone and never retreated. Since then, his reputation has spread throughout the world.
As soon as he appeared, the morale of the soldiers in the battalion dropped by half.
His personal guards followed him into the military camp. These were elite soldiers who ate both meat and vegetables and had no night blindness. With a quick glance, Lu Bu immediately raised his bow and drew his arrow. With the sound of arrows breaking through the air, the generals of this camp did not even have the chance to fight back before they were shot dead by Lu Bu.
If they had met on the battlefield, the general would not have died so quickly, but as the camp was attacked at night, he had no time to organize himself and was killed by Lu Bu in a one-on-one fight. The entire camp immediately scattered like quicksand.
Lu Bu did not stop. He drove these soldiers to other camps. The collapsed soldiers spread all kinds of rumors to other camps.
It only takes five or six people for a rumor to be generated and mutated. In such a dark environment, a rumor can quickly turn from a camp being breached to the army being defeated or even the King of Wei being dead.
In fact, in a certain remote local area, there were already rumors that the King of Wei was dead. The first person started to spread the rumor out of imagination, and the people who followed would only believe it without questioning it.
The number of collapsed camps suddenly increased, which caught Cao Cao and others off guard. News came from the collapsed soldiers that it was Lu Bu who appeared on the battlefield.
This made Cao Cao feel like he was struck by lightning.
The Wei State's group of advisers also became uneasy. Lu Bu's participation in the war was somewhat unexpected to them, and Ma Chao's betrayal was somewhat unexpected to them. These accidents led to the current situation.
After a brief judgment, Xun You immediately said in a deep voice: "My king, Lu Bu has joined Liu Bei, and the enemy army has the strength to fight against our army.
But even so, as long as we guard the eight camps carefully and let the generals defend them well, our army will still be unmoved. As long as we wait for dawn, our army will still be able to fight! "
The Wei army had already made various preparations. How could they not be prepared for a camp bombing when hundreds of thousands of troops gathered?
Cao Cao wiped the sweat off his forehead and said immediately, "Gongda is right. Immediately order all troops to guard the camps carefully until dawn. The enemy will retreat without a fight."
In the northwest direction of the battlefield, Luo Qi led about hundreds of people and stood on the high cliffs. In front of him was a pool of black grease and around him was dry firewood.
He calculated the weather. He was well versed in astronomy and figured out that today there would be a northwest wind howling from the far north.
When a slight breeze blew by, a look of ecstasy appeared on his face, but in a short time, the wind became stronger and stronger, coming from the northwest and blowing to the southeast. The pool of oil was ignited, and thick black smoke suddenly rose, running wildly through the valley along with the strong wind, then rushing out of the Taihang Valley and dissipating in the equally dark night sky.
"Ahem."
When the black smoke passed by, any soldier who inhaled the smoke began to cough violently. The farther away they were, the milder the symptoms were, but no one knew how many people were affected.
It wasn't just the smoke, the blazing flames became even more intense with the help of the wind, blowing everywhere. The thick smoke and flames easily crossed the defense line set up by Cao Cao and attacked the inner circle of the military camp.
Water and fire are the most affectionate. Without them, there would be no human life.
Fire and water are also merciless. Nothing in war can claim lives faster than fire and water.
Hundreds of thousands of people could not be killed even if it took ten days and ten nights, but in the face of water and fire, they would just be swept away. Perhaps it would only take a few breaths for countless lives to be lost.
…
The world situation changes in an instant, and the outcome of a war is like a scale. Both sides continue to add weights to it to ultimately determine who is the final winner.
This is called planning, and this is what counselors do.
The reason why Cao Wei's advisers believed that they had a sure victory was that the bargaining chip of Cao Wei was too heavy, so Cao Cao became arrogant.
He deployed his army in such a swaggering manner, intending to defeat the coalition forces of Chu and Yan in a dignified manner, so that everyone in the world could see that he had defeated the last rebels entirely by relying on his hard power.
But the anti-Cao camp took out everything they had. The Wu Kingdom tied down a lot of Cao Wei's troops in the south, and also tied down the defenders of Nanyang in Jingzhou.
The Chu and Yan states briefly held off Cao Wei's attack, giving Ma Chao and Lu Bu a chance to take advantage.
The burning of Cao Cao's food supplies caused a large number of Cao Wei's army camps to be destroyed, and countless defeated soldiers fled in all directions, leading to this world-destroying fire.
The continuous camps and the blazing flames completely destroyed Cao Cao's desire to fight again.
All attacks were prepared, but once the fire started, any resistance was meaningless.
The granary burned by Ma Chao could be extinguished and the food and grass could be saved, but this raging fire could burn the entire battlefield to the ground.
As the wind grew stronger, the fighting between the soldiers became meaningless.
In Cao's camp.
Cao Cao looked at the raging fire and vomited blood. His body was about to fall. Cao Ang held him up and said sadly, "Father, let's withdraw our troops!"
Withdraw!
Only Cao Ang dared to say this. Cao Cao's eyes widened with anger. He wanted to say something else, but was suddenly choked by a puff of black smoke. He spat out another mouthful of blood and waved his hand weakly, saying, "Withdraw."
His words were full of helplessness, reluctance, and endless frustration. He was only one step away from reaching the pinnacle of his life, but before he could take this step, a fire burned everything to nothing.
He has seen his future. At his age, he will probably never be able to unify the world.
We can only place our hopes on Cao Ang, but can Cao Ang fulfill his wish?
"Don't run away, Cao thief!"
After hearing a loud shout, everyone looked closely and saw that it was Lu Bu who was coming to kill them. Then they looked again and saw that Zhang Fei was also coming with him, and behind him was a large group of cavalry.
Dian Wei and Xu Chu went forward to meet them, while the rest of the people hurriedly protected Cao Cao and Cao Ang and left. It only took a short time for them to go from being in high spirits to being in disgrace.
In Liu Bei's camp.
Looking at the blazing fire, Liu Bei laughed happily, raised his sword high, and shouted: "The thief Cao is defeated!
Cao thief is defeated! "
His words were full of lofty ambitions and high spirits. All the resentment and anger in his heart were completely dissipated at this moment and disappeared in this hearty victory.
He looked around and asked loudly, "Where is Ziqi? Has Ziqi come back?
I want to tell him that I have grasped that glimmer of hope and light. I have grasped the last hope of the Han Dynasty!"
He was so happy in his heart that he wanted to share it with Luo Qi. Fa Zheng felt a little envious of Liu Bei's trust in Luo Qi.
"Mr. Ziqi is back!"
Even though it was a noisy battlefield, the sound still reached Liu Bei's ears. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Luo Qi lying on a stretcher, being carried in. His entire chest was covered in blood, and the corners of his mouth were also full of red blood.
He immediately ran to Luo Qi and was about to ask anxiously, but Luo Qi grabbed his hand first and said word by word with difficulty: "Your Majesty, Qi has fulfilled his mission and will return to the Ninth Heaven this time.
Now that Cao Cao has been defeated, the five states will soon have new masters, and the prosperity of the Han Dynasty is just around the corner.
There is no destiny in this world, but we have finally found a glimmer of hope. It's a pity that I can't watch you wear the emperor's crown.
What a pity.
Before I die, I have a few words to say: Kong Ming can be used, and all internal affairs should be consulted. What I want to say most is that Kong Ming has the ability of Duke Wen and Guan Zhong, and the loyalty of King Wen of Luo and Wushuang Zhongwu Hou. If one day, Kong Ming can be used to assist in the administration, the country will not be lost. "
Luo Qi's recommendation was so shocking that he actually used Duke Wen, Guan Zhong, King Wen of Luo, and Peerless Loyal and Martial Marquis to describe Zhuge Liang, which even surprised Liu Bei.
Luo Qi added: "Fa Xiaozhi can plan for the world. All military strategies are asked of Fa Xiaozhi. The world can be conquered. With Kong Ming and Fa Zheng, one civil and one military, the Chu State has no..."
Fa Zheng didn't expect that Luo Qi would actually recommend him to Liu Bei. He was quite surprised and inexplicably moved.
But Luo Qi didn't even finish his words, and vomited large mouthfuls of blood again. His hand loosened, and Liu Bei died before he could even say a word.
Who wouldn't know that Luo Qi just held on to come back to see Liu Bei?
Liu Bei stood there in a daze, saying nothing, but his eyes were red. He tilted his head back to prevent the tears from falling, and wept, "On the day we defeat Cao Cao and return to the old capital, I will hold a memorial ceremony for Ziqi's coffin in Luoyang!"
Everyone in the State of Chu shed tears. The present status of the State of Chu had a lot to do with the previous Marquis Ying and Luo Qi. Who could have thought that this father and son would die one after the other just a few years later.
It was such a pity that the Han Dynasty, which had just shown signs of prosperity, collapsed on the eve of victory.
The wind grew stronger and stronger, and the shouting and killing on the battlefield never stopped.
But where the fire was raging, there were only screams, and no shouts of killing at all. Countless people died in the billowing black smoke and dust raised by the flames.
Leaving behind a corpse silently.
The flames roasted the human flesh, but there was no fragrance at all, only a burnt stench.
The entire battlefield was gradually shrouded in black smoke. As the wind gradually died down, the smoke began to spread in all directions. Liu Bei and others had to lead their troops to avoid it.
The shouting and killing on the battlefield gradually stopped, but the fire and thick smoke would not be extinguished so quickly. They were still burning fiercely, and would not end until everything was burned to ashes.
Lu Bu and Zhang Fei failed to catch up with Cao Cao, and faced with the raging flames, they could only lead their troops to retreat and watch Cao Cao flee all the way to Hanoi. He must have wanted to escape back to Luoyang and hold the Hulao Line of Defense in Xingyang.
The flames burned almost the entire night, and it is conservatively estimated that more than 200,000 troops were reduced to ashes, without even leaving any corpses. Adding the troops that died for various reasons last night, there are even more than 300,000 troops buried here.
When dawn broke, Liu Bei trembled all over as he looked at the empty land. What came into view was scorched earth. The ashes had already solidified together with the soil, and the bodies that had not been burnt completely were lying on the ground in all directions.
His face was dark, with burn marks all over his face and body, and even his nostrils were pitch black, caused by inhaling huge amounts of smoke and dust.
Looking at all this, Liu Bei said slowly: "After this battle, Wei will not be able to move eastward for another ten years."
Not to mention going east, maybe it's because Guandong is now divided into Yan, Chu and Wu. Wei will suffer such heavy losses in one battle that it is even in danger of being destroyed.
In the Battle of Handan that year, the Qin army was defeated by the princes of Guandong, and the Qin Dynasty perished.
Back then, Emperor Guangwu also surrounded and annihilated the main force, and finally seized the crown of the Han Dynasty.
After defeating Cao Wei, Liu Bei didn't even have time to rejoice before he was plunged into a war with the State of Yan.
Luo Qi had told him long ago to be on guard against the State of Yan. Once Cao Cao was defeated, these Yan people would definitely take care of the State of Chu as well.
Coincidentally, Liu Bei also thought so, and Cao Cao's withdrawal from the five states had become a foregone conclusion.
This great Jizhou should naturally fall into the hands of Liu Bei.
Yan State, die!
————
Luo Qi was calm and prudent, and had the demeanor of a gentleman. When Xuanlie was defeated by Cao, Qi offered Xuzhou to him, and Xuanlie was able to rise again. Qi assisted Xuanlie, pacified the people when he was out, and took important positions when he was in. Xuanlie's ministers were not as good as him. Xuanlie often said to his ministers: "Yunchang Yide is my arm, and Ziqi is my heart and brain. They are indispensable."
Jizhou attacked Cao, Qi obeyed orders and died, Xuanlie was deeply saddened, and when he proclaimed himself emperor, he posthumously conferred the title of Duke of Donghai County on him, and gave him the posthumous title of "Zhongwen". His son succeeded him as Marquis of Ying. - "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: The Biography of Marquis of Luoying"
(End of this chapter)
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