Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3204 Window

 After Li Dian led his soldiers to charge forward, he suddenly discovered something.

 Cao Jun…

 Seems to be less able to fight.

In Li Dian’s memory, the ordinary soldiers of Cao’s army are nothing to talk about, but the soldiers directly under Cao’s army, such as the central leading army and the central guard army, are still quite powerful.

 In addition to facing…

 Oh, that’s okay.

Li Dian watched as the Cao army soldier running at the rear was overtaken by the Diren mountain soldiers, and then slashed him with his sword. Cao Jun's soldiers limped a few steps and were caught up by two chasing Di Renshan soldiers. They pinned them to the ground and beheaded them with a knife...

 Suddenly, an indescribable emotion surged in Li Dian's heart, and then he sighed softly.

As soon as Cao Zhen retreated, these Cao soldiers fighting in the front quickly lost their will to fight. Originally, these soldiers of Cao's army were able to form a formation to fight against the Di people's mountain soldiers and supported them without collapse. As a result, Cao Zhen's retreat suddenly made everyone just want to escape.

The Cao army soldier just now was chased and killed until his head was chopped off. He did not turn around to fight the Diren mountain soldiers. It seemed as if the fierce and desperate fighting spirit before had suddenly disappeared.

From the beginning of the battle, Li Dian was looking for Cao Zhen, but the distance was too far and he could not find him. However, Li Dian knew that although Cao Zhen did not raise a flag, he was among the group of Cao soldiers.

Suddenly, soldiers from the front cheered loudly, "Hahaha!" This is a big fish! 』

Li Dian's brows jumped and he looked up, only to see a few Di mountain soldiers pulling a mostly intact corpse of Cao Jun. The armor of the corpse has fallen off, and I don’t know where it fell, or who took it away as a trophy, but there is still a pair of black light sleeve armor on the corpse, with a battle skirt, the paint surface is even, and the armor plates are intact. It is not an ordinary Cao. Soldiers can afford it.

Li Dian stepped forward, separated the soldiers who were watching, and went up to check. This Cao Jun military academy should have been shot dead. There was still half an arrow on his head. After identifying the face, it was not Cao Zhen, but it should also be a middle-level military academy of the Cao family. Perhaps it was the Cao army in front of him just now. frontline commander.

　　　　At least he is a military prince. Li Dian said, and then he glanced at the Di Renshan soldiers who were watching the excitement, and said angrily, "Don't let go yet!" Set it here! These will all be registered! You are indispensable! What are you all doing here? Clean up the battlefield! Also, for those who cut off their heads just after they were beaten halfway, half of their merit will be deducted! If you teach a cow three times, he will throw away the rope. How can you teach him that? ! 』

The Di people's mountain soldiers dispersed immediately.

  Despite the scolding, Li Dian was quite satisfied with the performance of the Diren Mountain Soldiers this time.

Li Dian rushed here from Mulansai. Although the journey was shorter than Cao Zhen's journey, he was in a hurry and was not fully prepared. Most of the Di people's mountain soldiers faced off against Cao's army for the first time. They were able to fight to such a level...

but…

Li Dian frowned.

　　　　General! Cao Jun is in trouble, why not catch up? 』

The guard Li Dian on the side asked.

Li Dian looked back at the guard.

The guard shrank his head slightly and whispered: "General, this is an opportunity..."

"what chance? Li Dian asked.

Just like most generals in the Han Dynasty are surrounded by close confidants, most of Li Dian's personal bodyguards are also members of the Li clan and his own relatives.

"This... this fish is too small..." The guard kicked the body of Cao Junjun and whispered, "It is enough for ordinary soldiers, but if it is given to the general..."

Li Dian smiled, then frowned slightly.

 He understood what guarding meant.

 Meritors are like experience points for upgrading. The higher the level, the more experience points are required. The merits of such a Cao Junjunhou were enough for an ordinary soldier to advance to three levels on the spot, but if placed on Li Dian, it would only increase the progress bar a little.

and…

 This is indeed a great opportunity.

　　A complete separation from the Cao family, a good opportunity to show loyalty.

 It’s not that Li Dian was half-hearted before, but that Li Dian had worked under Boss Cao before.

 This is a fact, whether Li Dian admits it or avoids it, it is an existing fact.

Therefore, if we can really cut off Cao Zhen's head now, regardless of his merits, it means that Li Dian is truly on Fei Qian's side, and no one else will dare to attack him from now on. There are no rumors about Li Dian's experience of working under classmate Lao Cao.

Of course, for Li Dian personally, there may be some behind-the-scenes discussions, but for Li Dian's entire family, it is indeed a great benefit.

Li Dian glanced at the guard.

Back then, when Li Dian surrendered to Fei Qian and then took back Li Dian's tribe from Cao Cao, Li Dian's tribe often scolded him behind his back...

 There were even many Li Dian people who cried all the way to Guanzhong.

Counting it all together, how long has it been?

Li Dian was silent for a while, then frowned and looked at the surrounding battlefield, shook his head and said: "It would be best to capture them, but now it seems... we can't pursue them." 』

 "General..." The guard was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but said with some worry, "This...what if..."

Li Dian raised his finger and pointed, and said: "Look, Cao's army is actually only scattered at the front, while the middle and rear formations are complete... The most casualties are here, and there are very few casualties from Cao's army from there... This What does it mean? Moreover, the mountain road is narrow and awkward. If we pursue in a hurry, the formation will naturally be out of shape. Then Cao Jun will counterattack at any time. Do you think we can withstand it? Even if you withstand it, will you make a profit or a loss? 』

　　　　　　lord, then what do you mean...』

Although the guards are eager for meritorious service, they are now on the battlefield. It is okay to make suggestions, but Li Dian is still the one who makes the decision.

 ‘Let me think about it…’

Li Dian looked at the direction of Cao's army's retreat and thought.

 …

 …

Cao Zhen squatted quietly in the grass, like a tiger and leopard waiting for the arrival of prey, adjusting his breathing as much as possible to calm down his breathing.

 He is ready to repeat his old tricks.

Who says you can't ambush someone if you're ambushed?

 Cao Zhen was not as panicked as he seemed on the surface.

After he was sure that there was an enemy ambush, he immediately realized that even if he rushed out of the valley, he might not be sure to defeat the ambush on the opposite side.

Even the elite soldiers of Cao's army who came from afar were exhausted. However, Cao Zhen didn't know the situation on the other side at all, and he didn't know what preparations the other side had. So if the whole army attacked, what chance would he have of winning?

  It’s better to come back and squat in the grass.

At least Cao Zhen has just led people through this road...

 That's right, it was the narrow road with stone walls that made Cao Zhen frightened.

When he got here, Cao Zhen was afraid of an ambush, so he asked his men to search again and again.

 It comes in handy now.

 Because of the careful investigation, Cao Zhen naturally knew where people could be hidden.

After a while, some of the defeated soldiers from the front stumbled back and fled along the mountain road...

Cao Zhen swallowed.

Will Li Dian come?

 He really didn’t know what he was doing.

If it had been before, Cao Zhen was 80% or 90% sure that Li Dian would pursue him. Because at that time, Li Dian was a partial general most of the time. Even if he led the troops alone, he was also a vanguard general. Most of the time, these generals had to "go through fire and water" for the main generals, even if they knew There are traps, or you feel there is danger, but under the command of the general, you still have to attack.

 But now, Cao Zhen is not so sure...

 Did Li Dian's change happen before or after the surrender?

Cao Zhen's mood spread randomly like weeds in front of him.

If Li Dian catches up and then counterattacks, Hanzhong can be taken smoothly, but if Li Dian doesn't come...

Cao Zhen looked through the grass at the mountain road in the distance, his eyes full of longing and expectation.

The last time this kind of longing and expectation appeared was... ahem, it was when Cao Zhen got married. But now, Cao Zhen swore that he had never looked forward to the arrival of someone so much in his life, and he was still a man. man.

The fleeing soldiers of Cao's army passed by in twos and threes, and became fewer and fewer.

 Cao Zhen's heart was slowly sinking.

 After a while, the mountain road fell silent.

The light in Cao Zhen's eyes slowly dimmed as the mountain road became silent.

 A cup of tea passed by.

 A quarter of an hour passed.

The mountain road was silent... "General, do you want me to..." The guard around Cao Zhen gritted his teeth and whispered, "If you want... let's go and lead..."

Yin Yi Yin is really not just waving a flag. It's not like Li Dian and others couldn't find a way out, so what the guards meant by "drawing a lead" must be to put on Cao Zhen's armor and pretend to be Cao Zhen himself to lure Li Dian to the bait.

 But such behavior means great risks.

To defend this statement, one would almost risk one's life.

Cao Zhen was silent and sat back on the ground.

　　　『No…pass the order and prepare to withdraw…』

　　　　　　　　　lord! 』

Cao Zhen looked up and looked at the narrow sky, "Give me the order...Li Mancheng, he won't be fooled..."

 Cao Zhen understood Li Dian’s choice.

 Today's Li Dian, who was able to prevent himself from attacking Xixian before, can also be prevented from pursuing him now.

For Cao Zhen, Li Dian, who was not greedy for merit, not aggressive, and worked steadily, was like a stone wall in front of him, unable to be shaken at all.

Seeing that Cao Zhen had made up his mind, the guards stood up and went to deliver the order.

 Facing such an extremely calm opponent, Cao Zhen really had a headache.

 The detour is obviously not possible.

 Although the Di guide said before that there is another road leading to the back of Mulansai, but...

 Cao Zhen glanced at his men who were preparing to retreat and sighed in his heart.

The march failed, the ambush failed, and the morale was extremely low. If Cao Zhen hadn't led the elite and his own troops, there would be no possibility of a mutiny in the middle of the night.

With such soldiers, if they go over the mountains and ridges, they have to go deep alone. At least Cao Zhen cannot do it.

 So the only option is to withdraw the troops, but if this continues, Cao Zhen will have to fight to the death at Mulan.

After such a battle, Cao Zhen also understood that there were definitely more than just the soldiers on the surface of the military stronghold at Mulan Sai. Li Dian must have hidden soldiers somewhere, so every time Cao Zhen attacked Mulan Sai, it meant Faced with the replenishing defenders, it was impossible to achieve the effect of wearing down the defenders with continuous attacks. Instead, Li Dian took advantage of Mulansai's geographical advantage to wear down Cao's army!

Hence, attacking Mulansai became the next best option.

 It is impossible to take a detour, and it is not cost-effective to attack by force.

Is it possible that the Battle of Hanzhong will stop here?

 Cao Zhen was unwilling to give in.

 He was thinking hard, and suddenly, an idea came to his mind...

 A ploy that might take advantage of this failure.

But soon, Cao Zhen felt a little uneasy again. What would happen if the plan still failed to succeed this time?

The sun gradually sets in the west, taking away the hustle and bustle of the day.

 Cao Zhen stood on the hillside, and suddenly felt some sadness in his heart.

All the fatigue, all the running, and all the struggle seemed to have turned into a smoke-like sigh at this moment and dissipated in the evening wind.

However, Cao Zhen also knew that he had no right to be depressed now.

 He must use his words and deeds to tell all Cao's soldiers that after every dusk, there is a dawn waiting.

 Cao Zhenqiang cheered up, raised his head, then laughed, and faced his men.

No matter what, he will look for the brilliance of tomorrow from the afterglow of the setting sun...

 …

 …

"kill! kill! 』

From Tongguan, Zhu Ling’s roars could be heard.

 At the lower city of Tongguan, there were piles of corpses.

Cao Jun's desperate attack turned the walls and battlements of Tongguan Lower City almost all red.

 The defenders suffered considerable losses.

 The armor on Zhu Ling's body was already stained with an unknown amount of blood, and there were still some areas where the armor plates were missing and there was no time to fill them.

With the support of artillery that was rebuilt to shelter shelters from the snow, Cao Jun's offensive was slightly controlled, but after getting used to the roar of artillery...

 Or rather, the continuous attacks by Cao's army, civilians and soldiers who were already numb also put heavy pressure on the Tongguan defenders.

　　『The hussar is victorious! 』

　　『Kill! 』

Zhu Ling's sword struck **** the chest of a Cao soldier who rushed up, immediately slashing his breastplate and cutting a wound deep enough to show the bone.

Cao's soldiers howled and tried to fight back, but Zhu Ling's guard stabbed him in the stomach with a spear and pushed him down the city wall.

Another soldier of Cao Army faced Zhu Ling and others who were attacking fiercely. He jumped onto the wall in a panic. Just as he was about to jump off, two spears quickly passed through his body and pinned him to the top of the wall. The soldier of Cao's army covered his punctured wound and spat blood at the soldiers of Cao's army outside the city. He let out bursts of screams and blood splattered like rain.

Seeing the tragic situation, Cao Jun's soldiers who were climbing up the city couldn't help but shrink back.

Zhu Ling laughed when he saw this, and became more and more crazy. He rushed from one section of the city wall to the other with his guards, and either chopped down or drove down all the Cao soldiers who had finally climbed up.

 Suddenly, Cao Jun's offensive momentum was interrupted.

 There was cheering on the city top.

Zhu Ling looked around, wiped the blood and scraps of flesh and bones on the sword casually twice on the corpse of a Cao soldier, and then pushed the corpse of Cao Jun to the bottom of the city, "Clean the battlefield!" Ready to rotate! 』

 The cheers gradually stopped, and then there were groans.

　　　　Doctor! here! 』

 The shouts rang out.

Teams of medical staff rushed to the top of the city, regardless of the blood and corpses on the city wall, to check on the wounded and treat them on the spot. Then, groups of groups carried the wounded down the city and moved them to the rear for treatment.

 The defenders have the advantage, but that does not mean they are completely immune to damage.

 There is still hope of treatment for the wounded, but some soldiers died immediately and could not be saved.

Either an inadvertent probe or a careless step on the ground can cause a life to disappear.

He was reckless, the blood rushed to his head, he lost his mind and died.

 Timid, his movements are deformed when fighting, his defense is not in place, and he dies.

 Those who are unlucky, even though everything is correct, they are still dead...

Tongguan is like a sieve and a millstone of flesh and blood.

The defenders who can survive today are like fine steel hammered out again and again, tough, brave, and indomitable.

Under such brutal fighting, the vast majority of Tongguan defenders knew how to obtain maximum results with minimum injuries. Those skills that were originally difficult to master on the training ground were gradually imprinted in their blood.

Zhu Ling was patrolling the city wall, and he picked out two swords that were relatively undamaged and inserted them into his back.

Not only him, but also Zhu Ling's guards and other city guards were doing the same thing.

 In the game, the warriors are unparalleled and can kill thousands of people. The blades of the swords and spears are not curled. But in fact, even if it is made of highly refined steel, after killing several people in a row, the blade will start to become dull...

At the moment, there is absolutely no time for Zhu Ling or other defenders to polish their weapons.

Sure enough, Cao Jun attacked again and soon surged forward under the pressure of Cao Jun's supervising team in the rear.

Not only Cao Jun's own supervising team, but also under the long-range threats such as artillery, catapults, and ballistae on top of Tongguan City, Cao Jun's soldiers could only pass through the dangerous area as quickly as possible and rush to the lower part of Tongguan City as soon as possible. .

On the **** road in front of Tongguan Lower City, there is no room to move in the narrow area. You can only be beaten passively like gambling on luck, so as long as you set foot on this section of the road, it is almost equivalent to a narrow escape.

 But as long as you survive the attack, you can retreat to rest...

 That’s right, if you want to survive, you must first go to hell.

　No one can escape.

In the large army brought by Cao Cao, except for the direct subordinates, the rest of the soldiers were constantly rotated. Those who came from the rear had to go through the flesh and blood millstone before they could retreat to rest for a few days, and maybe The second rotation, maybe you can wait until you survive...

No one knows how long the fight will last, and no one knows how many more people will need to die.