Chapter 158: Immediate Confrontation
Ma Chao was confident that he grew up in Liang Province and was skilled in archery and horse riding, so it should not be difficult for him to intercept Qiao Yan halfway.
If they could win, they would still have room to turn around in Longxi County. Even if they couldn't win, he would fight for the treatment of a loser.
Han Sui in the north is really not trustworthy.
Just as he told Ma Teng, Han Sui had a criminal record.
Bian Zhang joined the Liangzhou rebels together with Han Sui, and changed his name together with Han Sui, but became a victim in the struggle for power.
Because of this, if their strength is similar to Han Sui's and they have a common enemy, they can indeed cooperate. However, when they are in a desperate situation, they must not pin their hopes on Han Sui.
Since the governor of Bingzhou is determined to attack Liangzhou to eliminate future troubles, and has also taken out such a terrifying heavy crossbow weapon, once the enemy really arrives at the gates of the city, it will be in danger at any time. Instead of surrendering to Han Sui, it is better to turn to the opposite side.
However, although Ma Chaoren is young, he is very ambitious.
Marquis Qiao was made a marquis at the age of eleven and a governor at the age of fourteen. Since the expedition to Liang Province, she was the only one who beat the Qiang people and made them flee all over the mountains, but she was never blocked by anyone.
She killed Pang De without mercy. Even if he and his father had time to surrender before she took action, how much status could they gain from the other side?
At least he had to fight for the position of a former general under the governor of Bingzhou, to be worthy of his father... no, his own ability!
Ma Teng was well aware of his son's martial arts ability. After hesitating for a while, he decided to agree to his suggestion.
There's no harm in letting Ma Chao give it a try.
Even if he really failed, it could be explained as Ma Chao himself being dissatisfied with Qiao Yan and acting on his own initiative.
If someone could read the true thoughts of these two people, they would sigh that this is the kind of fake father-son relationship they can have!
Of course, in public, what Ma Teng's soldiers saw was that he personally dressed Ma Chao and sent him off, and specifically reminded him: "If things are impossible, stop as soon as possible, and save your own life."
Ma Chao took the order, mounted his horse and led the troops away.
After ordering the scouts to report Qiao Yan's movements, he led his men into the mountains.
The terrain in Liangzhou and Bingzhou is mostly similar, and the places where rivers flow are mostly where the river is sandwiched between two mountains. The same is true for Taoshui.
But the difference between Liangzhou and Bingzhou is that even at the beginning of summer, the temperature in Liangzhou is only about half of that in Bingzhou. According to modern calculations, the temperature will not exceed 10 degrees, and it will be even lower during this period of time when the overall temperature is low.
It is not surprising to think about it. The mountain range where Ma Chao led his men to ambush is the Gannan mountain area. It is a place with an altitude of one thousand meters. If you look back and look up, you can still see the snow in the clouds.
That is also the source of Taoshui River.
However, even the Han government in its heyday was unable to incorporate that high place into its territory.
These places, which theoretically no longer belong to Liangzhou, are inhabited by Qiang tribes such as the Canlang Qiang and the Baima Qiang, who are warlike and strong and can adapt to the plateau environment. If the grazing conditions were not good, they would invade Wudu through the Qiang Road, or follow the Tao River into Longxi County to plunder.
Ever since Ma Teng stationed his troops in Longxi County, Ma Chao had fought with them many times.
It was precisely because of this victory in the battle with the Qiang people that he was able to determine the level of his riding and archery skills.
The Bingzhou Army is indeed fierce and fierce, but have they really fought in such an environment for a long time?
As he thought about it, he rode his horse forward for a while on the mountain path.
The mountain grassland horses of Liangzhou are world-famous, and the ones used by Ma Teng and his son Ma Chao are naturally the best of them. They can travel through the mountains and forests effortlessly.
Hearing the noise coming from the front, Ma Chao quickly reined in his horse and stopped. Seeing the scouts ahead rushing out from the bushes, he asked, "What's going on ahead?"
The scout replied, "They have passed Longsang City."
Ma Chao estimated in his mind the distance between him and the opponent, and confirmed that it was not too far, so he immediately perked up.
Because of the bitter cold in the border areas and the fact that the poorer ones plundered the already poor, there were more soldiers than civilians in Longxi County.
There is little point in dispersing the troops, so there are no troops stationed in Longsang City, and it is almost an empty city.
With this signal sent to the enemy, the Bingzhou army might think that they had given up defending and fled directly to the territory of Jincheng County.
This also gave him more opportunities to take action.
He waved to the team behind him, indicating that they should follow him and climb higher up the mountain to avoid being discovered by the Bingzhou army.
The coldness in the mountains made it seem as if he was stepping on a thin layer of frost wherever he rode his horse, but because he was wearing armor, he did not feel cold.
Ma Chao's heart was boiling with fighting spirit, as he was about to fight against the Bingzhou army instead of the Qiang people who usually used shields and bamboo swords as weapons.
After he stopped near the chosen ambush site, he jumped off his horse and walked a distance downward to make sure that they would not be discovered hiding up there, and then he returned to the ambush position.
After making sure that he could rely on the strength of the Liangzhou war horses to complete a quick sprint downwards on this hillside, he finally stood still.
However, after doing all this, two full hours passed before the Bingzhou army finally arrived.
Hearing the sound of marching troops coming from afar, Ma Chao complained in his heart, "How slow!"
But think about it, the enemy's team does not only have cavalry, so it would be biased to say that they are slow, and Ma Chao did not really say this out loud.
His eyes had already looked through the gaps in the trees ahead, quickly searching for the target of this attack.
Because the position was a little higher, he could only see a long black team approaching from afar, but he could not clearly see the faces of the people below.
Fortunately, the sky was clear and bright today, which did not affect his ability to quickly capture a special color in his sight.
It was a striking scarlet horse!
It's not easy to recognize people, but he is familiar with horses!
Even though he could only see the head, it did not prevent him from seeing that the horse stood out from the crowd of surrounding horses.
This horse is unique in handsomeness even among the fine horses in Liangzhou.
He murmured, "It has a rabbit head, is tall, and is strong. This is a first-rate horse. The one riding this horse must be the governor of Bingzhou."
According to Ma Chao's idea, if he wanted to show his ability, he naturally had to fight in front of the most powerful person!
If the goal is to reverse the situation, the leader should be captured first!
Regardless of which of the above considerations he had, he should go find the governor of Bingzhou.
How to find someone——
He felt that there was nothing wrong with his logic.
Just as the horses he and his father rode were the highest quality war horses they had collected, it was also logical that the horse ridden by Qiao Yan, the governor of Bingzhou, was the best.
Looking around him, he saw that the soldiers had retreated some distance to allow him to move more freely, and Ma Chao became more certain that the opponent was the commander-in-chief.
Seeing that Ma Chao had already tightened his grip on the spear, the soldier beside him reminded him, "Young General, don't you think that this guy's figure is a little... a little too majestic?"
Although it might be difficult to distinguish between men and women because of armor, the target that Ma Chao was targeting did not seem to be a head taller than others just because the horse he was riding was more sturdy, but he must be a person of extremely tall stature.
"Is there any problem with this?" Ma Chao turned his head and asked, "Qiao Bingzhou was able to suppress the Yellow Turbans in two states at the age of ten, which shows that she was tall and strong at a young age. She can get along well in Bingzhou and conquer the frontiers, so she must be no less powerful than those Hu people. I heard that she recently burned the Qiang people in Liangzhou and used them as ashes to make fertilizer, so it is understandable that she is a bit vicious."
The more he spoke, the more he felt that his inference made sense.
What's wrong with being more eye-catching?
Think about it again, the Governor of Bingzhou was able to break through the city of Luoyang and shoot Dong Zhuo with arrows. In the scene in Ma Chao's imagination, there were two Dong Zhuos fighting in the arena.
Seeing that the "Qiao Bingzhou" in his knowledge was about to arrive at the ambush site, he quickly gestured to the soldiers around him to keep quiet.
"Okay, you don't need to say more. In a moment, except for the cavalry that will follow me, the rest of you should use arrows to kill people over there first, so as to create an opportunity for us to charge."
When it came to action, the fighting spirit rising in Ma Chao's heart made him more careful in observing the opponent's every move.
In his opinion, the Bingzhou Army was able to capture Gaoping City not just by relying on a sudden attack.
At this moment, the summer sunlight shone on the chain mail worn by the man opposite, forming a dazzling light. It also shone on the rare horse in the world, like a blazing red cloud.
It was hard for Ma Chao not to feel that he had already lost a point in terms of the decency of his equipment.
Fortunately, now the situation is that the enemy is in the open and we are in the dark, and he is the one who has the advantage of being in a dominant position, so he can't be considered to have lost too much!
Relying on his combat instincts, he decisively gave the order to attack at the most appropriate moment.
His experience in fighting in the mountains enabled these soldiers to quickly carry out his orders.
Some of these Liangzhou soldiers drew their bows and shot arrows downwards, while others skillfully rushed down the mountain path from the other side, showing a tacit coordination.
But how could he know that in the marching team below, the dozen or so soldiers in the front row were hiding in a special military vehicle that looked like a truck, strictly carrying out the task of patrolling the mountain road with binoculars.
The movement was subtle to him, but to these people, it was an extremely distinct action, and he had already reported it to Qiao Yan.
Following Qiao Yan's instructions, the soldiers in the team passed on orders one by one and entered a state of alert and defense.
It was not the defenseless state that Ma Chao thought it was!
Therefore, he did not notice that soldiers in sturdy armor had already appeared alternately in the entire queue with shield-bearing soldiers to ensure that a line of defense could be formed as soon as possible.
Of course, with today’s productivity, shields are not enough to cover the entire army throughout the process.
Therefore, the heavy armored soldiers led by Dian Wei and the cavalry led by Lu Bu were ready to rush straight to the enemy's ambush on the mountain at any time.
But Qiao Yan also encountered something unexpected.
Lu Bu was ready to launch an attack at Qiao Yan's command, but the enemy on the opposite side actually rushed down the mountain first.
The target chosen was Lu Bu!
The leading young general with silver armor and silver spear looked outstanding. When arrows were falling from above, he looked even more vigorous as he rode his horse forward.
Even though the first wave of arrows failed to achieve the effect he had hoped for, and a considerable portion of them were blocked by shields and armor, there was not much disorder in the opposing formation. His hand holding the spear was still surprisingly steady, and he and the cavalry following behind him formed a sharp line of arrows that could break through the enemy's formation.
But this does not change the fact that he seriously chose the wrong opponent.
"What is he thinking?" Qiao Yan couldn't help but hold his forehead and asked Xun You who was standing beside him.
According to the information they got from Ma Teng's subordinates who surrendered in Zhan County, Xun You agreed with Qiao Yan's judgment of these two people -
It is unlikely that they will defend the city.
Even if Ma Chao had not recently plundered a batch of war horses in the battle against the Canlang Qiang, which gave them confidence, with Ma Teng's style of rising from the Liangzhou rebels, he would not have sat idly by.
And along the way, the closer you are to Lintao, the greater the possibility of being attacked by the enemy!
So this long team stretched across the valley seemed easy to be defeated and dispersed, but in fact it was not.
She was not only on guard against arrows in the mountains and forests, but also against the cavalry, which was the most powerful weapon of the Liangzhou people.
Duan Xing had given an answer to how to deal with the Liangzhou cavalry, especially the Qiang cavalry.
With shields and spears in front and crossbows in the back, using spears to block horses and high-altitude projectiles to kill cavalry, this is the most suitable defense line.
This is the current situation of the team marching along the bank of Taoshui River.
Qiao Yan even considered his own safety.
The lengthening of the marching team would inevitably lead to the weakening of the protective team around her. Therefore, if her own martial arts skills were not high enough, she would not dare to rush so recklessly into Longxi County in the heart of Liangzhou.
If Ma Chao really planned to ambush her along the way, she would have to be a little more careful.
For this purpose, she even covered her own Zhutan horse with armor and armed herself from head to toe.
Xun You was also kept under her strict protection to prevent him from getting into any trouble.
But Ma Chao is quite interesting...
As soon as he came up, he went straight to Lu Bu, the most skilled martial artist here!
Xun You calmly replied, "He might be afraid that he might cause casualties to the Lord's troops and offend the Lord."
"..." It was hard for Qiao Yan not to suspect that Xun You's teasing was infected by the trend in Leping.
But anyway, it is their opponents who are being ridiculed, so there is nothing to sympathize with.
This is Lu Bu in his prime!
When it comes to fighting spirit, Lu Bu is definitely not lacking.
In the siege of Gaoping City, even though he had led the charge in the front, he did not feel that he had fought enough. He was also quite depressed because the battle of Ayang was handed over to the Qiang people by Qiao Yan, and the battle of Zhan County ended in a bloodless victory.
He could only wait and make some contribution when Ma Teng and Han Sui were captured.
Fortunately, once the rear of Liangzhou is pacified, they can then attack Chang'an.
Lu Bu was already upset at having let Dong Zhuo go in the last battle of Luoyang, and he was still holding back a lot of anger.
Not to mention the equipment.
The full set of chain mail that Lu Bu was wearing, including the helmet to protect against stray arrows, was all remade before this expedition to Liang Province.
Even his Fang Tian Hua Ji was re-polished.
At this moment, because he had killed the leader of the Zhong Qiang in Gaoping City, Qiao Yan specially allowed him to ride Red Hare first.
As for the latter, Lu Bu was very proud.
So when Qiao Yan's Zhutan horse was protected with armor to guard against sneak arrows from the mountains, he looked as if he was afraid that others would not see him.
According to him, even if there was an arrow shot from behind, he would first deflect it with his own weapon.
At this moment, Ma Chao chose him as his target, and it was like he had hit the hardest wall.
Ma Chao was not too stupid. When he rushed towards where Lu Bu was and met the Fang Tian Hua Ji that was coming towards him from the gap in the rain of arrows, he quickly realized that he had recognized the wrong person.
The arguments he had previously used to convince his subordinates were obviously full of mistakes in this most direct confrontation.
But it was obviously a little late for him to realize this at this time.
Lu Bu riding Red Hare is worthy of the title of the best military general of the time.
Ma Chao's attack with a spear was blocked by Lu Bu's raised halberd, and the tip of the spear was cleverly stuck on the branch of the halberd.
The Bingzhou tiger general's brute arm strength nearly caused the spear in Ma Chao's hand to slip out of his hand when he turned his painted halberd to receive the attack.
Ma Chao quickly stabilized his body, tightly grasped the spear, and changed from stabbing to stabbing, intending to regain some initiative.
However, although Lu Bu was not good at military tactics, he had some talents in cold weapon confrontations that ordinary people could hardly match.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Qiao Yan giving him an order to capture the enemy instead of killing him, so the Fang Tian Hua Ji, which was supposed to be full of offensive power, immediately used a sticking force.
This change of tactics with the long spear is completely based on the fact that his ability is indeed superior to Ma Chao's.
If the opponent wanted to attack, he would chop and press down.
When the opponent wanted to retreat, he would use the method of grappling to restrain him!
In the clash of weapons, where the horses of both sides kept changing positions and the movements were dazzling, his face always maintained a calm expression of having the upper hand.
However, as his opponent, Ma Chao had sweat already breaking out on his forehead.
Fortunately, he was not slow in responding to battle situations.
If an ordinary person wanted to withstand Lu Bu's fierce attack, his weapon would have been knocked away countless times. However, this young man was able to rely on his perseverance, tightly grasping the spear in his hand, trying to find an opportunity to counterattack. Qiao Yan had to praise his performance.
A general's strength depends heavily on his talent and condition.
Ma Chao has no lack of talent, the only thing he lacks is time.
He could see the gap between himself and his opponent, and secretly hated why there was no idle painter in the world who would paint a clear portrait of Qiao Yan and her subordinates and send it to Liangzhou.
He also saw another fact—
With a powerful general like Lu Bu blocking his way and the Bingzhou army quickly surrounding him, this was not a situation in which he could return the same way!
If he wanted to escape back to Lintao City safely instead of being killed on the spot or being captured in the most embarrassing way, there was only one way for him to go.
There was a flash of determination in his eyes.
Qiao Yan himself also uses a gun, and he can see the potential that Ma Chao unleashes when faced with a crisis.
During the difficult exchange of moves between him and Lu Bu, the silver spear almost left an afterimage in the impact of the spear tip, and taking advantage of this breathing opportunity gained by the rapid attack, he suddenly rode his horse at full speed in the diagonal direction and fled towards the Tao River.
This was the only place where there was still some hope for him.
Get in the water!
Fortunately, thanks to the spear and halberd battle between him and Lu Bu, and the order to capture him alive issued by Qiao Yan, he did not have to deal with the flying arrows while dealing with the fierce general.
He raised his spear and stabbed at Lu Bu who was chasing him.
But it would be much more appropriate to say that it is a flick rather than a stab.
The shot that swept across was almost launched out of the hand, just to accomplish the purpose of stopping Lu Bu for a moment.
Almost at the same time, Ma Chao pulled out the dagger from his waist with his left hand and stabbed it directly into the horse's buttocks, causing the horse to run directly into the deep water in fright.
But Lu Bu had such a keen fighting talent that he saw through Ma Chao's little plan clearly.
The Red Hare was a fierce horse and would not allow any other horse to outrun it.
Ma Chao's spear suddenly missed, and before he could take the opportunity to jump into the water in front of him, a sudden heavy blow landed on him, knocking him directly towards the shore.
He did enter the water, but was directly held down by someone.
At the same time as the Fang Tian Hua Ji was placed on his neck, the soldiers on the shore quickly came up with ropes and tied him up tightly.
Finished.
Ma Chao sighed in his heart.
Lu Bu riding Red Hare was in front, and Ma Chao, who had just been fished out of the water, was behind. They walked towards Qiao Yan until they stopped in front of her.
Although Lu Bu was unruly during the fight, he did not dare to be presumptuous towards Qiao Yan. He dismounted and saluted Qiao Yan to show that he had completed his mission.
"Fengxian and Chitu really complement each other." Qiao Yan praised, "Don't let anyone kill the old villain Dong Zhuo before you."
The implication of these words delighted Lu Bu, who replied loudly, "Don't worry, my lord. I will never give others this opportunity."
"..." Ma Chao looked at the conversation in front of him that had nothing to do with him and began to doubt his own existence.
The tiger general who had just shown off his might behaved like a hunting dog in front of the Bingzhou governor, which made him not mistake the other party's identity this time.
But there is no such thing as insulting people in this world!
After capturing Ma Chao, they were discussing Dong Zhuo. What's going on?
Fortunately, Qiao Yan's gaze quickly moved away from Lu Bu and fell on him.
But I don’t know if it was his illusion, maybe it would be more appropriate to describe it as falling on his face.
In Qiao Yan's opinion, that was a face that was indeed worthy of the word "Jin" in Ma Chao's name.
The face of this young boy, who has not yet fully grown up, has the characteristics of both the Han and Qiang ethnic groups, with a hint of beauty between the distinct contours of his eyebrows and eyes.
Unfortunately, he was fished out of the Tao River at this moment, with his wet hair sticking to the sides of his face. Coupled with his stubborn expression as if he had been beaten up, it looked funny no matter how you looked at him.
Qiao Yan also laughed without giving him any face. "The way the former general's son greeted me was truly original."
Ma Chao's face froze.
The calm tone of the Bingzhou governor, combined with the solemn words he had said to his followers earlier, made him feel as if his eyes were darkening.
Qiao Yan was not interested in taking care of Ma Chao's feelings at this time. She immediately smiled and said, "I felt that Liangzhou was poor and remote, and I was unable to bring a gift to the Liangzhou rebel. Now it's good--"
"This gift was delivered to me personally!"
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