Chapter 301: Shen...
There is no need for Yuan Huan's subordinates to respond to this.
Due to the speed of galloping horses, Qiao Yan's army had already moved some distance closer to the city wall of Linying when he asked this question.
He also suddenly realized that the appearance of the Qiao-character flag did not just mean that Qiao Yan's followers appeared here.
Although he could not clearly see the appearance of the person coming, Yuan Huan was still able to discern the figure of the moon surrounded by stars from the people opposite him. From the figure, it seemed that...
It seemed like Qiao Yan himself had arrived!
For some reason, the moment he realized this fact, Yuan Huan felt his fingertips go slightly numb, and even the root of his tongue was unable to move for a moment, and he couldn't say a word.
It was not until the sound of horse hooves became clearly audible in his ears that he finally recovered from the speechless shock and said, "Open the west gate and welcome the people in!"
Linying is sandwiched between the Yingshui River and the Lushui River, and the two rivers meet to the east of Linying. Therefore, although Cao's army intended to besiege the city at this time, for the convenience of garrisoning troops, they still stationed their troops to the east of the confluence of the rivers, avoiding this area with a crisscrossing network of rivers.
Qiao Yan came from the west of Linying, which was not only much more convenient than Cao's attack route, but also avoided Cao's eyes.
The series of actions of opening the city gate to welcome people were smooth and flowing, and because Qiao Yan's guards were in good order, they did not make any noise to alert the enemy.
But even though he had recognized the Grand Marshal who had arrived in person on the city wall, when Qiao Yan himself stood in front of Yuan Huan, he still had an indescribable sense of unreality.
Too fast!
It came too fast!
Although the famous BMW horses are described as being able to travel a thousand miles a day, the number of horses that can actually do so is pitifully small. Moreover, they cannot maintain this speed for a long time during marches and battles.
How did she manage to get here in such a short time?
Yuan Huan originally did not have high hopes for his ability to deal with Cao's army. After all, he knew very well that he was not good at commanding troops. At most, he could accurately judge the relationship between the enemy and us during the confrontation between forces. That was why he had formed an alliance with Sun to fight against Liu.
But now he has to take on a purely defensive battle, which is completely different.
Once Cao Cao's army approaches, he will have no chance to fight back.
That is to say, relying on the fact that Runan County was occupied by Cao Cao's main force first, which was five times the size of Yingchuan, and after Yuan Shu's death, there were still many small forces that caused trouble to Cao Cao, which gave Yuan Huan a chance to breathe.
Even so, Xiahou Dun, a relative of Cao Cao, had already arrived at Linying.
The area he was responsible for sweeping was originally the part of Runan County closest to the west, which was a good opportunity to attack Yingchuan.
"Xiahou Yuanrang?" Qiao Yan pondered the name for a while, took off his cloak and threw it to the servant beside him. He no longer looked tired as if he had come from a long distance.
After climbing up the other side of the city wall with Yuan Huan, Yuan Huan saw her take a cylindrical object, put it to her eyes and look towards the camp in the distance.
She frowned slightly, "More than that, why is Ji Ling also on the other side?"
Among the flags raised in the opposite camp, in addition to a large flag with the word "Cao" on it representing Cao Cao and a general flag with the word "Xiahou" on it representing Xiahou Yuan, there was actually another flag with the word "Ji" on it.
It was one thing that she did not expect that Cao Cao would mobilize his troops at this time, but she knew exactly who was under Cao Cao's command.
Among the generals who served under Cao Cao, there was not a single one with the surname Ji.
On the contrary, Yuan Shu had a general named Ji Ling under his command, who was considered the tallest among the short men under him.
Yuan Huan tried to move his eyes away from the novelty in Qiao Yan's hand and replied, "The mutiny in Pingyu City, coupled with the casualties caused by Cao's army during the siege, caused General Feng, General Huang, and General Zhang under the command of the Lord to die in battle one after another. General Ji was captured by Cao's army and then... surrendered to the enemy."
General Feng was referring to Feng Fang, who was included in the selection of the Eight Schools of Xiyuan in Luoyang City in the past. During the campaign against Dong Zhuo, he had already become a general under Yuan Shu.
General Huang was referring to Huang Yi, Yuan Shu's son-in-law.
General Zhang was Zhang Xun, who also participated in the battle against Wen Chou and Liu Bei.
Ji Ling did not die but chose to surrender to the enemy and survive. Since Yuan Shu was already dead, he could not be considered as a traitor. Therefore, when Yuan Huan talked about this matter, there was no accusation in his tone.
Qiao Yan nodded, indicating that he understood the situation.
Yuan Shu's generals either died or surrendered, which made her even more grateful that the decision she made at Huanyuan Pass to support Yingchuan was made quickly enough.
Perhaps if she had come a little later, Yingchuan would have been lost.
"Let's go back to the government office to rest first, and wait for Cao's army to attack the city."
Such passive defensive words coming out of Qiao Yan's mouth always made people feel as if there was something strange about them. But perhaps because of the steadiness of this Grand Marshal in governing Bing and Liang states and Guanzhong, Yuan Huan followed without raising any questions.
At most, when they were on their way back to the government office, Yuan Huan carefully looked at Qiao Yan's quiet profile and asked the question that had puzzled him ever since he saw the flag with the word Qiao on it.
How on earth did she get here at such a speed?
Qiao Yan asked back: "You don't think I started from Guanzhong, do you?"
Yuan Huan really thought so.
She shook her head. "They say speed is of the essence in war, but people are still people after all. They can't just appear wherever they want."
"At the turn of spring and summer, the situation in Guanzhong is still under control, but locust plagues are expected to occur in various places. If it is difficult to cope with the disaster in various places, Sili still has farmland to cultivate, which will be the place to receive relief."
"I was originally here to investigate the situation in Hongnong County and Henan Yin, but I didn't expect to receive such unexpected news."
Yuan Huan couldn't help but sigh: "The Grand Marshal has the people in his heart."
In comparison, Yuan Shu's ending really seemed to be his own fault.
But the dead are gone, and there is no point in dwelling on Yuan Shu's inappropriate behavior at this time.
It is more important to focus on the situation outside the city.
When they arrived at the government office, Qiao Yan gathered together Yuan Huan, Yuan Yao, Yan Xiang and others who were there, as well as Xun Yu, Xu Huang and Dian Wei who were traveling with her.
Because of the presence of Qiao Yan, an outsider, and Yuan Yao, as Yuan Shu's son, had to keep up appearances, he tried to appear calmer than before.
How could he remember at this moment that when he went to Chang'an City in the first year of Jian'an, he once found traces of Yuan Xi in the city and reported the matter to Qiao Yan. This led to Yuan Xi being plotted against by Qiao Yan. He didn't know what the outcome was at that time, but he was thinking that with the Grand Marshal who could take charge of the overall situation here, he might have a chance to take revenge.
With this thought in mind, there was a hint of hope in his eyes when he looked at Qiao Yan.
But he soon realized that although the appearance of Qiao Yan increased the number of defenders in Linying City by more than a thousand, they were still at a disadvantage when compared with the number of Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling.
Even though Cao Cao only brought 15,000 combat soldiers when he arrived in Runan, after several days of fighting, the number was definitely more than that.
Yuan Huan said to Qiao Yan, "Xiahou Yuanrang is in charge of seizing cities and plundering land in western Runan. According to the scouts' intelligence, his men include the 3,000 elite troops assigned to him by Cao Cao, the 4,000 garrison troops gathered from various places since he passed Pingyu and headed west, and Ji Ling and his men with 2,000 men."
"Nine thousand people... Based on the defense of Linying's city walls, it is enough to take this place." Qiao Yan tapped the table with his fingertips.
When she and Yuan Huan went up to the city wall to inspect just now, they had already discovered the problems of this city.
This is indeed the dividing line between Runan and Yingchuan counties, but most of the time, there is no need for additional garrison here. After all, it is not the boundary between states, nor is it a separately established fortress.
In peacetime, this situation is not a big deal, after all, it is just an ordinary town gathering place, but in wartime, it is completely unable to stop the enemy's attack.
Yan Xiang, another adviser under Yuan Shu who was also present, was delighted by Qiao Yan's arrival, but at the same time he felt that his own conditions were still unfavorable.
He wanted to ask Qiao Yan about his next move, but then he remembered that he had more or less contributed to the idea of welcoming the emperor during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, so he always felt a little short of breath in front of Qiao Yan.
Yuan Huan noticed Yan Xiang's hesitation and asked for him, "The cavalry arrived first, I wonder how many infantrymen are left."
Qiao Yan shook his head slightly. "You don't have to worry about the follow-up reinforcements for now. They won't be able to arrive in a short time."
She asked Guo Jia to return to Guanzhong and transfer Zhao Yun's garrison in Guanzhong. Not to mention the time it took to convey the news, it would be impossible for a large-scale troop transfer to be as fast as she could get to Yingchuan.
It would take at least seven days before we could get real reinforcements.
Until then, they have to rely on themselves.
"Don't look so worried," Qiao Yan said with a faint smile, "You didn't expect me to be here at this time, but could Xiahou Yuanrang on the other side have expected it?"
This is certainly a great opportunity to surprise them!
Xiahou Dun and Ji Ling had indeed not expected that while they were gearing up to attack Linying directly after the siege equipment arrived, Qiao Yan had actually entered the city from the other side under the cover of the city.
However, Xiahou Dun was still somewhat alert when looking at the city wall on the other side.
He had followed Cao Cao in his battles since the Yellow Turban Rebellion. As one of Cao Cao's subordinates, it would be a bit of an underestimation to regard him as just a reckless man.
You know, he never forgot to study and seek advice during his military service, he just looked a little rough.
"It is said that Yingchuan produces many scholars, but it is hard to say whether they are corrupt scholars or strategists. As you said, Yuan Yaoqing has won the support of the people in Yingchuan and has the talent for change. We should be careful of him." Xiahou Dun said with a little regret in his tone, "If Mr. Yuan Chang was not not good at fighting and did not follow us to Yuzhou this time, but stayed in Yanzhou, we should let him come to help."
The Mr. Yuan Chang mentioned by Xiahou Dun was Zhong Yao.
This person can be considered an old acquaintance of Qiao Yan during the Battle of Changsha.
In April of this year, he suddenly went north to join Cao Cao. The reason for his joining was simply that he felt Yuan Shu was unreliable.
It was precisely because of Zhong Yao's visit that Cao Cao became more determined to send troops.
Unfortunately, just as Xiahou Dun said, in addition to his attainments in calligraphy, Zhong Yao is better at governing and is suitable for being in charge of one side. Asking him to participate in such a lightning raid would be too much of a strain on his physique.
Fortunately, in Xiahou Dun's view, the pacification of Yuzhou was inevitable at this time. Even if Yuan Huan could cause him some trouble, such trouble would be very limited.
As long as they can succeed before the reinforcements from Guanzhong arrive, there will be no problem.
It was for this reason that Xiahou Dun made the preparations for the siege as thorough as possible, hoping to hit the target with one strike.
Thinking of this, he turned to Ji Ling and asked, "Are you sure that Yuan Yaoqing had no personal relationship with Sima Jiangong before?"
Xiahou Dun was not too worried that Yuan Huan would mobilize the people of Linying to defend the city, or even transfer personnel from other counties in Yingchuan to launch defense and counterattack.
The quality of Yuan Shu's soldiers was already evident when they invaded Runan County.
Quantity cannot make up for the gap in quality.
He was only worried that the Henan Yin garrison under Sima Fang would come to help and cause him more trouble.
Ji Ling quickly replied: "Sima Jiangong not only has no friendship with Yuan Yaoqing, but also has no friendship with my family... and Yuan Gonglu."
Having said that, Xiahou Dun felt relieved.
Because of this peace of mind, he also had some spare time to pay attention to other things.
For example...
Ji Ling's deliberate change of words just now made him reveal a sneer on his face.
If Ji Ling had not been one of the few people under Yuan Shu who survived and surrendered, Xiahou Dun would have actually looked down on him. After all, Ji Ling had clearly surrendered to Cao Cao for his own future, but he insisted on finding a "legitimate" reason for himself.
What he told Cao Cao was that Yuan Shu died while escaping at night, and his body could not be taken away in time by those who escaped. He used his loyalty to Cao Cao as a bargaining chip and asked Cao Cao to keep Yuan Shu's body intact and bury it.
This is quite a loyal statement.
If Xiahou Dun had not heard the instructions from Ji Ling and his subordinates that Yuan Yao must be killed after the capture of Linying City.
But they are still colleagues now, and Xiahou Dun is too lazy to argue with him about this issue.
Anyway, with Cao Cao's temperament and strategy, he has his own ways to deal with people like Ji Ling.
Xiahou Dun replied, "Well, we will prepare the siege equipment overnight and advance towards Linying. By tomorrow, the siege hammers and crossbow carts should arrive. Then, please ask General Ji to lead the troops and help me seize the gate of Yingchuan!"
Ji Ling did not notice Xiahou Dun's rejection of him. He only thought that Xiahou Dun asked him to line up in the front just to persuade the defenders in Linying City to surrender.
People like him, who used to hold a high position under Yuan Shu, can now participate in important battles. This shows that Cao Yanzhou has no intention of killing them. This is indeed a perfect positive example.
In order to gain great merit in front of his new lord, and also to ensure that there would no longer be any relatives of Yuan Shu in this world, and to prevent him from encountering subsequent troubles as a result of his pretentiousness, during the siege on the second day, Ji Ling rushed to the front without hesitation, holding his three-pointed, double-edged sword.
Compared with Pingyu City, which Yuan Shu had been continuously strengthening its defenses since two years ago, this Linying City was really shabby.
The powerful crossbows carried by the siege troops formed an extremely fierce fire suppression, which even made it impossible for the archers on the city walls to gain a foothold.
If the shield soldiers on the city walls were accustomed to such scenes and could cooperate tacitly with the archers, they might not have fallen into such a passive state of being beaten. But it was obvious that most of them were facing such a city defense battle for the first time, and the only thing they could rely on was the city wall and the city gate.
But how long can this desperate resistance last in the face of siege ladders pushed against the city walls?
When the ten ladders that led the way were placed on the top of the city wall and the battering ram hit the east gate with a loud bang, Ji Ling felt that he had almost seen the scene of the city being broken and the success being achieved, so he pushed the cavalry team he led forward a little further.
Whether it was the battering ram that first broke open the gate of the county town, or the soldiers on the ladders that first climbed up the city wall—
As long as the city gate in front of him opens, it will be time for him to rush into the city!
"There are quite a few people on this city wall who dare not show their heads." Ji Ling looked towards the top of the city wall and saw that the people who climbed up the ladders disappeared soon after, and he cursed in his heart.
But what’s the use even so!
Under the repeated impact of the battering ram, the city gate began to shake, as if it would reveal the defenseless city behind the gate in the next moment.
"It's just a dying struggle!"
Just the moment after Ji Ling uttered that complaint, the door that was pushed by human power in an attempt to counter the force of the battering ram was still knocked open.
Ji Ling's face lit up with joy, and he rode forward without hesitation, leading the cavalry to charge into the city.
During today's advance, the troops led by Xiahou Dun have gradually formed a three-sided encirclement of Linying City. According to the principle of surrounding three sides and leaving one, they gave up the western city gate.
Once the city gate on the east side is broken, this group of people will most likely withdraw directly from the west and go to the next city to hold their ground.
Although according to Xiahou Dun, as long as they captured three cities with such small losses, the whole Yingchuan would fall into their control, and no one would dare to have any objection, Ji Ling still felt that if they could directly capture Yuan Huan, Yuan Yao and others and end the battle once and for all, wouldn't it be much more appropriate than being blocked again and again!
Why waste so much time!
However, when his mount was only a hundred steps away from Linying City, a turning point occurred.
Hundreds or even thousands of arrows were suddenly released from the side of the city wall he was attacking, and fell from the sky above the city wall towards him.
Ji Ling quickly drew up the shield beside him to block the rain of arrows thrown from high above.
But before he could feel lucky for his ability to cope with the unexpected situation, he suddenly felt a pain in his throat.
At this moment, an arrow that was different from the previous rain of arrows passed through the gap between the soldier in front of him and the shield in his hand accurately and pierced his throat.
He could only vaguely see the white feather at the tail of the arrow tremble slightly, and then he fell off his horse.
He's not the only one.
From Xiahou Dun's position, he could clearly see that the originally somewhat panicked state of responding to the enemy on the top of the city wall, with the fall of Ji Ling's horse, no, it should be said that with the impact of this team crossing the safety line, the situation suddenly became orderly.
It's a world of difference from before.
The erection of the barrier on the city wall and the shooting of the bows and arrows were clearly well-trained movements.
"Damn it, they showed us our weakness!" Xiahou Dun couldn't help but blurt out.
But before he could finish his words, he saw another change taking place on the top of the city wall.
The flag on the top of the city wall that originally represented the identity of the Runan Yuan family suddenly fell down, and was replaced by flags with the word "Qiao" written on them.
This change caught people off guard, but based on the large number of flags, people were able to identify the words on the flags at the first moment.
Xiahou Dun's expression froze.
Joe?
How could it be a word called Qiao?
A general under Yuan Shu named Qiao had died at the hands of Zhang Fei when Liu Bei came to Yuzhou to attack Yuan Shu as the General of Bandit Suppression. At this time, the only one who could satisfy this surname was——
It was none other than the Grand Marshal Qiao Yan, who was in power in Chang'an!
But why was she there?
Even if all the messages were sent by Pegasus, even if she could decide to send troops on her own initiative without Liu Yu's approval, and even if she did not take any rest on the way here, she should not have been so fast.
But the facts before him were already telling him that the other party's appearance here was most likely not a feint made by Yuan Huan in order to force them to retreat.
It was because if Yuan Shu's generals had such a fierce momentum and elite military order, it would be impossible for them, the Yanzhou army, to penetrate into the heart of Runan so easily and turn the battle to capture Pingyu into such a ridiculous scene!
He also suddenly realized that the feather arrow that had just accurately killed Ji Ling was most likely shot by Qiao Yan himself!
I've heard that she's an unrivaled archer, and that's absolutely true.
However, even if the other party was really there, she was only located behind heavy defenses on the top of the city wall, and there was no chance for Xiahou Dun to have direct contact with her.
Just as he realized that Qiao Yan had appeared there in an unexpected way, suddenly, soldiers from the troops that were blocking the city of Linying from the north and south came quickly towards him and shouted, "General, there is a large amount of smoke and dust rising from the west. It seems that the enemy is attacking. Should we fight immediately?"
Xiahou Dun was shocked when he heard this.
He almost subconsciously looked towards the city opposite.
In this extremely short period of time, the city gate that was originally knocked open by the battering ram has been restored to its closed state, and the ladders on the top of the city have been ignited from high above. These facts are telling him in a very simple and clear way -
Everything that had just happened was just a trap designed to induce Ji Ling to be eager to achieve success.
After Ji Ling's death, the two thousand Runan soldiers who surrendered with him either died with him under the city walls or fell into a state of panic, as if they could not be easily deployed and commanded by Xiahou Dun.
The soldiers in the city still maintained a complete defensive posture.
Their reinforcements have arrived!
If Xiahou Dun had not received the news of Qiao Yan's appearance first, he might not have believed it so directly. These enemy troops heading this way at this time must be the reinforcements that Qiao Yan transferred from Sili.
But there are not so many ifs in this world.
Xiahou Dun glanced at the troops he led, and clearly saw a certain emotion in the eyes of these soldiers -
An instinctive fear of Qiao Yan taking charge of the army.
So he made a prompt decision, "Sound the retreat!"
I can’t continue fighting!
He knew very well that the team he led was able to defeat Yuan Shu's team, not because they had unrivaled strength, but because Yuan Shu's troops had rarely experienced real battles over the years.
When facing the powerful army under Qiao Yan, this advantage disappeared.
To prevent further casualties, it is better to withdraw first.
However, what he didn't know was that Qiao Yan, who was on the wall of Linying, gave his troops a particularly meaningful smile as they withdrew.
She soon met the leader of the team that was approaching the city.
This certainly couldn't be Zhao Yun's followers who came from Guanzhong.
Instead, they were the entourage that Xun Yu borrowed from the Xun clan's land in Yingyin and Yuan Huan's subordinates who had left the city early.
Following behind them were hundreds of cattle, sheep and horses, dragging branches behind them.
These heroes who created signs of the enemy's attack were successfully driven into the city and did not pursue Xiahou Dun.
But then a group of people left the city, led by Qiao Yan!
She was not satisfied with just letting Xiahou Dun retreat intimidated by the news of her arrival.
After killing Ji Ling and eliminating Xiahou Dun's reinforcements, she certainly had to teach Xiahou Dun a real lesson.
The cavalrymen accompanying her had had enough rest last night while the others were setting up the city defense and going out to seek help, so they were all in high spirits.
The two years of recuperation made them even more eager than Qiao Yan to establish their own reputation through a war and prove that they had not lost their sharp claws due to the construction in Guanzhong.
So under the leadership of Yuan Huan, they arrived at an ambush site between Linying and Pingyu faster than Xiahou Dun's team.
The name of this place is Heilujian.
When Xiahou Dun reorganized his troops and decided to meet up with Cao Cao before considering how to fight against Qiao Yan, he never thought that he would encounter such an ambush on his way back.
His scouts were keeping an eye out for the pursuers behind them, but he didn't know that in the territory of Runan County, Yuan Huan might not be able to defeat him in a head-on confrontation, but he knew much better than him how to take a shortcut.
The moment Qiao Yan's cavalry charged out, Xiahou Dun finally saw clearly this famous Grand Marshal.
But in this battle in the stream initiated and led by the opponent, before he could reach her, he was pinned to the ground by a pair of iron arms.
That was Dian Wei, the general under Qiao Yan!
When Cao Cao saw Xiahou Dun, he was silent for a long time at his new appearance.
When Xiahou Dun left, he was full of ambition to sweep Runan and Yingchuan, but now he was slapped in the face.
Not only that, he was wearing mourning clothes and had a white cloth tied on his head.
If the guards patrolling around Pingyu City had not discovered him, it is unknown how long he would have stayed there tied to the general's flag.
"Lost to Yuan Yaoqing?" When Cao Cao asked this question, he himself was a little bit unconvinced.
Cao Cao knew Xiahou Dun's strengths and weaknesses. It was possible that he would lose, but it was absolutely impossible that he would be beaten by Yuan Yaoqing and become a commander without troops!
But he watched Xiahou Dun hang his head for a long time, and the answer he finally spit out was far beyond his expectations, "He was beaten by Qiao Yeshu."
As he spoke, he slowly took off the white clothes that someone had put on him and spread them out in front of Cao Cao.
On the inside of the mourning clothes, there were five lines of characters written in a flamboyant handwriting:
It’s been a few years since we last met. How are you, Brother Meng De?
Unfortunately, they met again and faced each other on the battlefield, both of them acted rudely without asking for permission.
I recall the old days when we drank and talked, and I want to chat again.
Three days later, I would like to meet Brother Meng De at Chenting outside Pingyu City, with one person, one horse and one follower. I also ask you to come with three or two followers, and also to retrieve Yuan Yuzhou's body for his son.
Written by Grand Marshal Qiao Yan.
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