Chapter 332 Yishui Attack Camp
This instruction shouldn't have been dispatched so quickly!
Xin Pi's boasting about Lu Bu was not done casually.
When he himself was in the military camp, it was not difficult to see some subtleties in the army's deployment.
While the training of new recruits occupied most of the camp, the offensive aspect was actually far weaker than the defensive aspect.
In other words, the possibility that Qiao Yan's side will attack Jizhou within this year is very low.
However, out of a rigorous attitude, Xin Pi did not tell Gao Lan, Ju Shou and others in Hejian County about this speculation. He only took the opportunity to mix the information of a few new recruits in the publicity for Lu Bu and revealed it to the outside world, leaving it to Ju Shou to make a second judgment.
In Xin Pi's opinion, even if the matter of building up momentum for Lu Bu failed, it would at most be a waste of manpower. It was an unexpected gain for him to gain the favor of the wealthy families in Zhuo County. However, given Lu Bu's character and temper, the troubles hidden behind it were obviously much greater than his gains.
However, how could he have imagined that the time required to send the news from Youzhou to Bingzhou was much shorter than he imagined, because it was transmitted by a carrier pigeon post, and the return of Qiao Yan's approval took only three days with the rapid transportation from Taiyuan County.
This combat order not only made Sima Yi clench his fists suddenly and get excited, but it was also a good signal for Lu Bu to let the beast out of the cage.
"You are quite capable, kid." Sima Yi had just handed the letter back to Xun You when Lu Bu patted him on the shoulder.
"General Lu, now is not the time for you to be complacent. The one opposite you is Ju Gongyu. He has been involved in almost every incident in Jizhou and Bingzhou, from wiping out the remnants of the Yellow Turbans to quelling unrest in various places. He is also good at strategy besides commanding troops in battles. He is not on the same level as the Xianbei you fought before." Sima Yi sighed helplessly, fearing that Lu Bu would really fall for the enemy's trick of flattering him.
Lu Bu shook his head and replied: "You underestimate me. I praised you because I was asked to initiate the first battle in the invasion of Jizhou, not because the military achievement was already achieved."
He raised his chin and said, "If I make a mistake in this battle because of my carelessness, I will not only be unworthy of the Tiger Fang General title that you gave me, but also make Ling Ju laugh at me."
He's not that stupid yet.
What he has seen and heard over the years has made him weigh certain things while maintaining his true character.
Sima Yi had nothing to say.
Although it sounds a bit unrealistic that Lu Bu knows how to analyze the situation, it is much better than him just rushing forward with his weapon in hand.
The only problem is...wait! Your title of Tiger Tooth General was clearly conferred by the imperial court, so how come it became given to you by the Grand Marshal?
Sima Yi had just thought of this when Tian Feng spoke beside him, forcing him to shift his attention back.
"Duke Ju and others stationed troops in Gaoyang. The closest area to Gaoyang is actually the Baiyangdian Lake. This was chosen because they were not aware of General Gan's ability and because of his record in the Liaodong War when he crossed the sea."
"Since it was General Lu who agreed to send the troops, and we can use the reputation we have gained here to fight a powerful battle, then it would be best to go directly to Fanyu Pavilion and make a detour to attack Gaoyang."
Tian Feng paused, and then said, "I know Ju Gongyu's character. For a man like him, sending out a false attack signal in Baiyangdian to confuse him may only arouse his vigilance. It is better to attack directly. And since the cavalry will attack quickly to take advantage of the east wind, there is no need to consider the possibility of attacking the city. We can directly attack another military camp north of Gaoyang and return when we succeed."
"In addition, order the new soldiers to run at night in the rear, and wait for General Lu to return from the attack on the camp and meet up with Zhongdao, and see if there are any people with unusual expressions among them."
Sima Yi glanced at Tian Feng. Although he already knew the other party's identity, he was still very quick in changing his position after his identity was exposed. One cannot help but admire his psychological quality.
Especially the last sentence, which was intended to make the new recruits from Zhuo County more convinced that Lu Bu really had the ability to kill the enemy in an instant, and also to catch the spies among them.
But it was also true that once one of the spies reported to Yecheng that Tian Feng was here and even began to make plans, his family would be in danger.
After deciding on his position, instead of passively waiting for Qiao Yan to rescue him, it would be better for him to occupy an advantageous position first!
Seeing that Xun You also approved the order, Lu Bu immediately took action.
"This General Lu is really..." Tian Feng looked at his back and shook his head and smiled.
Xun You said, "I saw he said a few words to you before he left. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"It's not inappropriate," Tian Feng replied, "He asked me if the Grand Herald Chen Yuanfang's ability was really that great, that he could teach a man who was just working in Bingzhou to become my military advisor. If so, I would pay him a visit when he returned to Chang'an, and ask if he could take in another apprentice."
How should Tian Feng respond to this?
His true identity was only known to Zhang Liao and the two people who wanted to discuss garrison and attack strategies with him. People like Lu Bu who liked to talk nonsense would definitely not be told. As a result, Lu Bu still thought that Yuan Feng changed his career from an envoy with an official title to a military advisor. From this perspective, he should think that Chen Ji is capable.
"Just now I thought that although General Lu was a bit reckless, he was also a man of great skill. Now I think that the Grand Marshal is really capable of controlling such a general."
What would happen to such a person under Yuan Shao's command?
It was difficult for Tian Feng to come to a conclusion at once.
But probably, whether it is because he was not provided with an environment to fully develop his martial arts, or because he was suspected and held accountable after he had made great achievements because of his superiority, Lu Bu would not be in his current state.
He did not say anything more, but said to Sima Yi: "Gongda and I are not suitable to wait and see where the spies are among the new recruits, so please trouble Zhongda to go."
Tian Feng was chosen because of his different status, and Xun You was chosen because as the strategist along the way, it was not suitable for them to participate in the training of new recruits. From this point of view, Sima Yi was the most suitable person.
"...Run with me at night?" Sima Yi asked subconsciously.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xun You and Tian Feng looking at each other and smiling, and he immediately realized that he had raised a very stupid topic.
He went there to be a supervisor, not to share the hardships with those spies.
He quickly cupped his hands again and said, "I will go and prepare the men and we will go out as cavalry."
Find a few more people with sharp eyes!
He had to dig out a few more guys with abnormal performance from these new recruits so that he could cover up his previous performance!
Xin Pi, who had no idea of Sima Yi's plan, suddenly felt a chill on his back and sneezed.
Suddenly, someone broke into the tent and said, "Everyone, prepare your outer clothes and water. We will be doing a night run tonight."
Before Xin Pi could open his mouth to ask, the soldier who was responsible for the announcement had already run towards the next military tent.
Xin Pi couldn't help but frown.
For some reason, when the news came out, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
Night running training? Why do I suddenly want to do night running training?
Most of those who come to sign up for the army do surpass ordinary people in physical fitness, and most of them probably do not have symptoms of night blindness, but ordinary training does not need to cause such trouble.
Considering that at this time when Lu Bu's reputation has been raised to this level, it seems a bit subtle no matter how you look at it.
"Send someone to ask... No, we can't ask first." Xin Pi interrupted himself halfway through his words.
When everyone thought that General Lu was a mighty general sent from heaven, he asked people to inquire about the order. It sounded like he was questioning the other party's decision, and there was no guarantee that his identity would not be discovered.
Perhaps the other party just wants to use this method to catch the spies hiding in it.
Being at the center of the storm, he needs to be more restrained first.
So Xin Pi packed his bags like other recruits and lined up in front of the camp gate before nightfall.
But when the camp gate opened and they were about to set off, Xin Pi regretted why he did not inquire in advance.
As the new recruits trotted out one after another, it was Lu Bu's cavalry that left the camp first.
This impressive cavalry team once chased Gongsun Zan's defeated fleeing troops on the plains of Youzhou, and now it was sweeping towards the south with the same fierce formation.
Jizhou in the south!
Xin Pi's face darkened.
If it weren't for the fact that his face was partially covered by the soldier's helmet, if it weren't for the fact that the night was not falling and it was a little dark, and if the sound of the rapid horses' hooves had not focused most people's eyes on Lu Bu and the others, his sudden change in expression would have probably already made people realize that something was wrong!
But he really couldn't restrain himself from making such changes.
Lu Bu led his army to attack with great momentum. It was impossible that he was just patrolling in Zhuo County or on the border like new recruits running at night. It was obvious that he was going to attack Jizhou!
Even if the number of troops sent out this time is not enough to capture the city, as long as he wins a battle, he can confirm the promise that the soldiers from Bingzhou can defend Youzhou, and will make Jizhou, which has already arranged its defense line well, fall into a situation where every tree and grass is surrounded by enemies in an instant.
Damn it, how could his act of flattery or alienation result in such a consequence?
However, it was too late for Xin Pi to learn about this arrangement.
In fact, near the military camp where they were stationed, there were people from Yuan Shao's side who were used to support and cooperate with his actions. If he could reveal the news earlier, even if the cavalry's identity might be discovered, there would always be a possibility that the news would be successfully delivered to the south of the Juma River.
It's too late now! It's too late!
The elite soldiers of Lu Bu's army were equipped with the Ferghana horses or the hybrid breeds of Ferghana horses and the good horses of Bingzhou. They had a great advantage in speed over the good horses of Jizhou.
In this sudden attack that was launched like thunder and lightning, the only thing Xin Pi could hope for was that Ju Shou would realize that Qiao Yan might launch a quick attack to establish his own advantage in momentum and make an effective interception of Lu Bu.
Can Ju Su do it? And can Gao Lan, who cooperates with Ju Shou, do it?
Xin Pi was thinking in a daze as he ran out of the camp with the new recruits.
"Watch your step." Someone reminded him, "Didn't you take a nap after the night run order was issued?"
Xin Pi couldn't say that he was too busy analyzing the deep meaning of this action and didn't have time to prepare for it. He could only reply: "I was just wondering when we can gallop on the battlefield and attack on horseback like General Lu."
Hearing Xin Pi's words, everyone around nodded as if they agreed.
Yes, Lu Bu's previous arrow that hit the target made people sigh at his amazing archery skills. He might be able to achieve the goal of taking someone's head at will from 200 steps away. It was enough to imagine how majestic he would be on the battlefield. But this cavalry trip made people truly feel the strength and heroism of the generals commanding their soldiers!
When will those of them who have just joined General Huya's army have such an opportunity?
Even if we just follow behind with the war horses used by the Youzhou cavalry, it is still much better than just running, right?
But those who were targeted by Lu Bu for attack probably would not have such envy for the war horses.
Ju Shou and Gao Lan stationed troops in two places inside and outside the city, looking after each other and supporting each other. They also supervised the enemy's troop dispatches in every place along the river. This was indeed different from the Xianbei whose lair was raided silently by Qiao Yan.
However, when the cavalry led by Lu Bu startled the sentries near Fan Yuting with the sound of horse hooves, before the other side could send a signal and pass the message to the ears of the nearby cavalry, his slight movement was discovered by the cavalry with excellent dynamic vision.
Regardless of whether it was prey or a person, one of the cavalrymen beside Lu Bu drew his arrow and shot it without hesitation.
Of the crisscrossing waterways near Fanyu Pavilion, only the main branch of the Juma River remained due to this year's drought, so that on this autumn night, the horses' hooves that should have been crossing the river instead crossed dry ditches, and only the sound of the iron hooves colliding with the "water surface" was heard when the autumn frost condensed on the ground was shattered.
This little episode did not delay Lu Bu's marching speed at all.
His target was still on the other side of the second barrier, so it was not time for them to stop.
That barrier is called Yishui!
The noise made by the horseshoe-wearing cavalry when they arrived here was loud enough for Gao Lan's camp across the Yishui River to hear.
Ju Shou had already assisted him in establishing a complete camp defense system here. The moment he suddenly noticed the change at night, he immediately had people light a fire at a high point in the camp, sent an alarm to the distant Gaoyang City, and quickly gathered the soldiers in the camp to form a team to stop the enemy's offensive.
But they were already a step behind.
In order to push the front line completely to the Juma River and even deep into the territory of Youzhou to ensure the safety of Jizhou, they built a bridge over the Yishui River several days ago.
Yishui is not a river like the Yellow River and Huaihe River, and this bridge is not a floating bridge!
Gao Lan's first mistake was that he failed to destroy the bridge in time.
As Lu Bu took the lead in charging across the river, he thought that the defenders at the bridgehead would not be able to block the attack by themselves. Instead, Lu Bu rushed to the bridgehead under the flying arrows. He saw the Fang Tian painted halberd draw a cold arc under the moonlight and killed the leading crossbowman.
With the stubborn belief of raiding the enemy camp, Lu Bu did not even pay attention to his subordinates who were hit by the crossbow and fell into the river in the rear. Instead, he briefly looked at the top of Gaoyang City in the distance, and then led the soldiers behind him to attack the distant military camp.
The rear cavalry had received instructions from Xun You long before the departure, and at this time they spontaneously completed the dismantling of the bridgehead fort and the guarding of this retreat route.
Lu Bu, along with the rest of his subordinates, rushed directly into Gao Lan's camp with their fighting spirit growing stronger as they rushed along.
He has only one goal...
Kill through the camp in front of you!
Then he returned to the camp north of the Juma River with the other party's fear of him!
Lu Bu could clearly feel that during this midnight charge, Red Hare was more excited and agitated than usual, as if even the mount knew that this was a military achievement that belonged to him alone.
"Good fellow, let's go!"
Let the Lord see that the permission she gave to go to war was another correct decision she made.
Let these kids from Jizhou see that even if they imitated Sima and made some improvements on long-range weapons like the Jue Zhang Crossbow and used them in these camp defense equipment, they have never truly witnessed their strength!
And this is the ability of the Bingzhou Army!
Before Gao Lan, who was ready for battle, could feel dissatisfied with the failure of the blockade at the bridgehead, Lu Bu and his followers had already rushed into his camp like a sharp blade.
The signal fire lit high up seemed to have become a sign for him to identify the direction at this moment. Amid the chaos of people and horses on all sides, the sound that seemed to crush the ground was rushing towards him.
The ditch traps dug in the camp in advance and the tripwires crisscrossing the ground seemed to be useless in front of this team that was ready to ride on horseback at any time.
No, it can't be said to be in vain.
More than a dozen cavalrymen were still pulled off their horses by the tripwires, but the moment they landed, they pounced on the enemy like hungry wolves.
This ferocious murderous nature made people feel frightened even when they pulled out the spare sharp blades from their bodies, even though they were only one step away from the halberd and the sharp knife in front of them.
Lu Bu's Red Hare never stopped.
The fighting in the rear and the inevitable losses in the attack on the camp would only make him and the elite troops around him more desperate.
While squeezing their horses' bellies and killing people with their halberds, each of them also held their hands on the crossbows placed on the horses.
The crossbow is rarely equipped in the team, because no one can guarantee that the loss of this item will not allow the enemy to crack the secret sooner.
This is only used to give them a chance to break the situation when they are unable to break through the encirclement or are very close to the opponent's coach.
Lu Bu strictly followed this sentence.
So, at the moment when the advancing shield soldiers appeared in front of him and the fully armed figure of Gao Lan vaguely appeared behind him, in Gao Lan's sight, this extremely ferocious Bingzhou Tiger General made a move to raise his halberd.
Gao Lan thought that this was Lu Bu's way of marking the direction for the scattered cavalrymen in the rear, but he never imagined that this was the signal for him to officially open fire after rushing into this place!
Before the elite soldiers and their horses collided with the shields in front, these black-armored cavalrymen suddenly raised their crossbows, as if they had practiced it countless times. The cavalry in the front row separated to both sides like flowing water, and the next moment, the sound of the crossbows firing, along with the aiming action, flew out towards the gaps in the shields.
The archers behind the shields were already in an awkward situation where their arrows could not hit the target because of the chain mail that connected them to the cavalry, but they were suddenly hit by such a sudden storm.
It's not just a crossbow arrow!
After killing the spearmen behind the shield soldiers, each chain of crossbow arrows continued to fire continuously, launching fatal attacks on the archers in the back row.
The chaos of killing in the rear, especially the archers' cessation of their attack, gave the cavalry in Lu Bu's rear, which had been suppressed by the rain of arrows, a sudden relief. The Bingzhou army, which had long been accustomed to taking advantage of any opportunity to charge forward, did not give the other side a chance to reorganize their formation.
At the same time, Lu Bu had taken the lead and split the gap in the shield in front of him with his superb riding skills.
Such a tiger general may not be suitable to be the main general, because he is too likely to get carried away during the attack, but he is definitely suitable to be the well-deserved vanguard in such an operation to kill through the enemy camp.
An arrow flew past him and knocked his guard to the ground. There was no evasion in his eyes. Only his sudden clenching of teeth showed that he was not as calm as he appeared.
A red shadow like Red Hare flashed in the moonlight and rushed out quickly, pouncing directly in the direction where Gao Lan was.
By the time Ju Shou arrived with his troops at a very fast speed, Lu Bu had already crossed the Yishui River and left.
A fire was burning on the bridge over the Yishui River.
Looking at the ferocity of the fire, it was clearly caused by pouring oil on the bridge!
The blazing fire completely blocked the departing figures of the group from the sight of everyone on the south bank of the Yishui River.
Ju Su looked towards his own camp and saw that it was still in chaos due to the storming. His astonishment was immediately replaced by a cold expression. He shouted, "Where is General Gao?"
If Gao Lan was still here, even if there were many wounded in the camp, he should never have allowed the place to be in this state!
How disgraceful!
"General Gao... General Gao he..." The soldier who was named by Ju Su stammered.
"Is he dead?" asked Ju Su.
"No, the Lu Bu who attacked the camp had rushed to General Gao to kill him, but for some reason he suddenly stopped and used his halberd to knock General Gao unconscious, and then captured him!"
Capture?
Ju Su's brows twitched.
In the face of such a shocking attack, it was beyond comprehension that they just took the enemy away when they could have killed the enemy general.
Unless this general who fell into the hands of the enemy has some other use to them.
But Lu Bu didn't know its purpose.
When he thought that it was because of this man's good garrisoning skills that there were many casualties in his attack on the camp, which should have been a direct attack, he wished he could smash the man's head into pieces.
But just before he was about to set off, Xun You repeatedly warned him that if he had the chance, he must bring back the enemy general. At that time, the prince would definitely reward them all handsomely, and their military exploits would be recorded at a higher level. Sima Yi also said the same thing when he asked him. Lu Bu decided to trust them again.
At the moment when the Fang Tian Hua Ji was about to cut Gao Lan in half, he suddenly turned the halberd and smashed it towards his armored head.
Under the protection of the armor, he was not killed directly, but was knocked unconscious. Then he was thrown on the back of Lu Bu's horse and robbed.
At daybreak, the team that had returned from the raid met the night runners who had not yet stopped halfway.
These people had already exhausted their physical strength by this time, but when they heard the sound of horse hooves, they still held themselves up in order to leave a good impression in front of their superiors.
Xin Pi, who also showed an expectant look, took a deep breath. Without caring whether he had suffered a great sin again, he focused all his attention on Lu Bu's battle results this time.
But the hope that had kept him going until this moment seemed to be dashed.
In fact, when he heard the sound of Lu Bu's horses' hooves, which was hurried but not chaotic, he had already prepared for the worst.
But when he saw with his own eyes that the troops led by Lu Bu suffered little losses and were even in high spirits after killing the enemies, Xin Pi felt that all his fatigue from the middle of the night burst out at this moment.
What made him feel even worse was that he saw Lu Bu throwing Gao Lan off his horse. He shouted in the early morning light, "Everyone, look at this armor. That's a general under Yuan Benchu's command that we captured. I wonder who of you is willing to go with me in the next battle!"
What a spirited scene this is.
Both Qiao Yan and Zhang Liao provided Lu Bu with a stage for development, and used various armaments on this elite cavalry, which led to the victory at this moment.
However, there is no need for these new recruits from Zhuo County to consider so much.
All they need to know is that this kind of glorious battle is their future!
Then what is there to hesitate about?
This was clearly not the military camp, but the outskirts of Youzhou after a long journey. Suddenly, these people burst into a sound that startled the birds in the forest, "We are willing to go!"
This explosive and penetrating sound even woke up Gao Lan who was still in a coma.
He rubbed his aching head and sat up, as if he had not yet realized what kind of misfortune had befallen him.
In the blurred consciousness caused by the dull pain in his head, Gao Lan subconsciously began to search for familiar faces in his sight, and immediately fixed his gaze on Xin Pi who was looking at him across the crowd.
The other party's somewhat embarrassed appearance at the moment suddenly woke him up and made him realize that he was not in his own military camp at all.
He was not faced with the good fortune of escaping death from Lu Bu's Fang Tian Hua Ji, but the terrible situation of being kidnapped and become a prisoner!
That's why he saw Xin Pi at this time!
Receiving the signal from the other party to look away, Gao Lan quickly looked away as if he didn't know the other party, acting as if he was in a state of confusion and had not yet realized his situation.
However, even though this exchange was fleeting, it did not escape the attention of Sima Yi, who was waiting and watching.
Not to mention those guys who failed to keep up with the shouting and were stunned after Lu Bu's victory, seeing this scene, a hint of deep thought and joy flashed in Sima Yi's eyes.
He seemed to have seen a big fish!
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