Pang Tong felt his life slipping away; his body began to feel heavy, and his vision began to blur, but he could still hear the shouts of the soldiers around him, their voices filled with deep sorrow.
Pang Tong closed his eyes and slowly fell to the ground.
"military adviser!"
Pang Tong's soldiers screamed in despair as they rushed towards him, desperate to save him.
Deng Ai seized this opportunity and ordered his soldiers to launch a counterattack.
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle, resulting in heavy casualties among the soldiers.
Finally, the last soldiers under Pang Tong's command could not hold out any longer. After seizing Pang Tong's body, they quickly retreated.
"Pursue them! We must eliminate them completely!" Deng Ai roared angrily.
The soldiers rushed forward frantically, but the canyon was too narrow, and the long battle between the two sides had slowed them down considerably.
The Wei army, led by Deng Ai, pursued relentlessly, with both sides chasing and killing each other until they were cornered.
Upon seeing this, Deng Ai ordered his soldiers to stop the pursuit, as their supplies were running low and continuing the chase would likely be dangerous.
His mission was to launch a surprise attack on Chengdu!
But Deng Ai never expected that Pang Tong had a backup plan, which was to set the mountain on fire!
The fire started at the foot of the mountain and quickly spread to the mountainside.
As the fire at the foot of the mountain intensified, the entire valley was engulfed in thick smoke, severely obstructing visibility and making pursuit impossible.
Moreover, the fire grew larger and larger, and the canyon quickly turned into a sea of fire.
The fire spread too quickly, burning down half the canyon in no time, and turning the rolling hills crimson!
"Damn it!" Deng Ai cursed.
He never expected that Pang Tong would choose to set the mountain on fire!
They were trapped on the mountain, lacking food and water, and this time they really suffered a setback.
Most importantly, Deng Ai's mission was to launch a surprise attack on Chengdu, but before even reaching Chengdu, he has already lost a large number of troops.
He was unwilling to accept this! But there was no other way now. The fire in Xiegu was too big, and they couldn't go down there at all. By the time they could get out, Chengdu would definitely be on guard.
In his first battle as commander, he acted too cleverly and killed Pang Tong, the strategist of the Shu army, but in the end, he lost the big picture for a small gain.
Deng Ai sighed and had no choice but to lead the remaining soldiers to set up camp on the mountaintop.
In this battle, the Wei state lost more than two thousand soldiers, the vast majority of whom were burned to death because they did not have time to escape.
Deng Ai was deeply pained by such a loss, and he even felt that the battle was meaningless even if they had won.
...
As night fell, the people of Chengdu went to sleep.
The city walls were heavily guarded, with patrolling soldiers moving back and forth.
Suddenly, the city gates of Chengdu quietly opened, and a group of remnants of the army returned to Chengdu.
"Quickly report to Mr. Zhuge, the strategist... the strategist has been killed in action!" the leading general said hastily.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers guarding the city gate panicked and hurriedly sent someone to inform Zhuge Liang, while also quickly closing the city gate.
"Quickly, get everyone settled!" the leading general ordered.
Soon, Zhuge Liang received the news and immediately summoned the civil and military officials of Yizhou to the council hall for a meeting.
Zhuge Liang's face was grim and unsightly: "Pang Shiyuan has really sacrificed himself?"
The leading general knelt down: "The strategist was ambushed by Cao Cao's army, struck by several arrows, and died on the spot!"
"Buzz!"
Zhuge Liang felt a buzzing in his head, and his body swayed a few times, almost falling over, but the attendant next to him caught him.
Zhuge Liang smiled wryly and said, "I'm fine..."
Everyone looked at Zhuge Liang with concern, and no one dared to disturb him.
After a long while, Zhuge Liang slowly sat down, his expression dejected, and murmured, "Where is Cao Cao's army?"
"Before his death, the strategist devised a plan, ordering his soldiers to set the mountain on fire, which should have resulted in their mutual destruction!"
Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Send men to keep a close eye on the movements in Xiegu, and have Ma Chao return to Chengdu as soon as possible!"
Ma Chao still has 30,000 Xiliang cavalry under his command. As long as he is there, Zhuge Liang can ensure that Yizhou is safe!
Zhuge Liang continued, "You need not be discouraged. Although Pang Tong died in battle, Cao Cao's army also suffered heavy losses."
Zhuge Liang surveyed the crowd with piercing eyes, which seemed to possess a magical power that calmed everyone down and restored their fighting spirit.
"What we need to do now is to strengthen Chengdu's defenses!"
Everyone nodded in agreement. If Cao Cao hadn't sent reinforcements, they would have been able to hold Chengdu.
Upon receiving the order, Ma Chao immediately mobilized 30,000 cavalry and rushed back to Chengdu day and night. He then joined forces with some of Liu Bei's troops to build a defensive line with the Shu army in order to prevent Cao Cao's army from launching another surprise attack.
"Meng Qi, you're finally back!"
Seeing Ma Chao return, Zhuge Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief, because Ma Chao was his only hope of defending Chengdu.
"Sir, how are you?" Ma Chao asked with concern.
Zhuge Liang smiled slightly, indicating that there was nothing seriously wrong.
Fortunately, Liu Bei did not take Ma Chao with him when he attacked Jiangdong this time, because the battles in Jiangdong were mostly naval battles, and cavalry could not exert much power, so he left Ma Chao in Yizhou.
Ma Chao was also shocked when he heard Zhuge Liang say that Pang Tong had died in battle.
He knew Pang Tong was formidable, but he never expected Pang Tong to be dead!
"How did the strategist die in battle?" Ma Chao asked.
"Pang Shiyuan was too aggressive and fell into an ambush, alas..." Zhuge Liang sighed.
Ma Chao remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Don't worry, sir, with me here, we will surely be able to defend Chengdu!"
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly and said, "With Mengqi guarding Chengdu, I am at ease!"
"However, Hanzhong has now been occupied by Cao Cao's army, and I have already sent someone to inform the lord to return and provide reinforcements."
"You lead 10,000 iron cavalry to ambush them in Xiegu. Once Cao Cao's army comes out, do not attack. Let them come to Chengdu, and then we will attack them from both sides and wipe them out!"
"Sir, didn't you say that the strategist perished along with them? Why then is this humble general still ordered to set up an ambush?"
Zhuge Liang guessed that not all of Cao Cao's troops in Xiegu had been burned to death. He was always cautious in his military campaigns, so he decided to lure Cao Cao's troops out and annihilate them.
"This person is no ordinary person; it's better to be cautious than to let Pang Shiyuan fall into an ambush."
"Your humble servant obeys!" Ma Chao clasped his hands in response.
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, looked up at the sky, and murmured, "I wonder how the lord and the others are doing?"
Battle reports kept coming back from Jiangdong. Liu Bei's army was not doing well. They only managed to capture Yuzhang County, but lost Huang Zhong.
If the fighting continues, there could be even greater casualties.
"Regardless of whether our lord wins or loses, we must bring him back as soon as possible, otherwise Yizhou will be in danger!" Zhuge Liang sighed.
Since the Battle of Guanzhong, Zhuge Liang has been looking worried almost every day. He has become quite haggard, and his once jet-black hair has turned gray. He looks much older.
Zhuge Liang gave Ma Chao some more instructions and then sent him to prepare.
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