Mi Han

Chapter 760: Zhang He was captured by mistake and deceived
Compared to Xiahou Lian's excitement, Tian Yu, who had been in charge of the army for many years, still retained some rationality.

"The most important task now is to quickly deliver the military intelligence from the rear to the hands of the Grand Marshal."

When Xiahou Lian was extremely excited, Tian Yu's words were undoubtedly like a bucket of cold water poured on Xiahou Lian's head.

Xiahou Lian was very puzzled.

"Why?"

On a high mountain outside Xinye City, Xiahou Lian pointed at Xinye City far below and said to Tian Yu:

“That’s Shinno City!

It is the lifeline of Deng's bandit army and the retreat route for tens of thousands of bandit troops.

Xinye is unprepared now, which is a good opportunity for our army to launch a surprise attack on Xinye.

If our army can capture Xinye City in one fell swoop, the enemy army will be defeated.

By then, the land of Jingbei will be as easy to obtain as taking something from a bag.

Can't the General see that?"

While Xiahou Lian was puzzled, there was already a hint of doubt in his tone.

Xiahou Lian didn't think that Tian Yu didn't know what he was saying.

After all, they would make the arduous journey to the rear of the Han army, which was the brilliant plan that Tian Yu proposed to Cao Xiu.

It was precisely because he knew this that Xiahou Lian couldn't help but become suspicious of Tian Yu.

Or it could be said that because of Tian Yu's past, the Cao clan's suspicion of Tian Yu has never dissipated.

Tian Yu could naturally hear the doubt in Xiahou Lian's tone.

But he has his own reasons.

"I previously offered advice to the Grand Marshal, with the original intention of cutting off the enemy's food supply and disrupting their rear.

If I want my plan to be a great success, the full cooperation of the Grand Marshal is essential.

Although our army was able to march to the rear of the enemy army, it was ultimately an isolated army, and most of the land in northern Jing was under the control of the enemy army.

If I am not careful for a moment, and my army is surrounded by heavy troops, then my death is a small matter, but what should I do if I delay the important task of the Grand Marshal?"

Tian Yu expressed his concerns.

Tian Yu was not a man who was not afraid of taking risks, otherwise he would not have followed Cao Xiu's suggestion and personally led his troops to go behind the Han army.

But even though he has now successfully led his troops to the outskirts of Xinye City, the fact that he is an isolated force has not changed.

Tian Yu originally wanted to lead his troops to go around the rear in order to coordinate with Cao Xiu from the front and back and attack from the side.

He never thought that he could bring Deng Ai's tens of thousands of Han troops into an irretrievable situation by relying on his own isolated army.

Because Tian Yu knew that his isolated army had a fatal weakness.

That is, the communication between him and Cao Xiu could not be timely and smooth.

There was no Internet communication in the world at that time, and basically communication between two parties had to rely on manpower in most cases.

The dangerous terrain around Nieyang would further increase the difficulty of communication between Tian Yu and Cao Xiu.

This means that Cao Xiu had no idea at the moment that Tian Yu had successfully led his troops to the outskirts of Xinye City.

In this situation, if Tian Yu took the risk of using military force, Deng Ai, who was sandwiched between Tian Yu and Cao Xiu, would get the news before Cao Xiu.

Perhaps the time lag for such information will only be a few days.

But we are an isolated force, and without the support of a large frontal army, a few days are enough for us to face danger.

After Tian Yu finished explaining, he saw that Xiahou Lian's face was not very good, so he continued:

"Our army is a surprise force, and the most important thing about a surprise force is mobility.

As long as our army harasses the enemy's food supply outside the city, even if Deng Ai learns of our arrival before the Grand Marshal, our army can use the terrain to move left and right, leaving Deng Ai at a loss for what to do in a short period of time.

Once our army sends the news to the Grand Marshal, and takes advantage of the chaos in the enemy army's morale, the Grand Marshal will launch a fierce attack, and Deng Ai will eventually be defeated.

By then, Xinye City will be in our army's hands sooner or later, so why rush it now?"

Tian Yu explained the strategy very clearly, and he thought that Xiahou Lian would finally accept his opinion.

Unexpectedly, Xiahou Lian asked back sinisterly:

"Why didn't Zhang He act like the general during the Bowang Incident?"

Xiahou Lian cited an example that happened not long ago.

Although that example was a painful experience for the Wei army, in Xiahou Lian's view, Zhang He's surprise attack on Bowang was very similar to his current situation.

Since they are similar, why not learn from each other?

Tian Yu didn't expect Xiahou Lian to suddenly ask this question, and after quickly coming to his senses, Tian Yu almost cursed.

When Zhang He launched a surprise attack on Bowang, the situation seemed very similar to what his side was facing at the moment, but in fact it was completely different.

At that time, Cao Xiu was afraid of Mi Yang, so he placed all his troops in Wancheng.

The Wei army in Xuchang was mainly responsible for defending the city. How could Xiahou Shang abandon the safety of Xuchang and rashly lead his troops out of the city?

Zhang He seemed to be attacked from both sides at that time, but as long as he failed to strike, he could retreat quickly and there would be no major risk.

What about your own side?
If they wanted to retreat, they had to return from Nieyang. Tian Yu had just experienced how difficult the journey to Nieyang was.

Given the treacherous terrain of Nieyang, it was impossible for our side to retreat quickly.

Does Xiahou Lian think Deng Ai is a piece of wood?

Moreover, at that time Mi Yang sent Zhang He to launch a surprise attack on Bowang in order to capture Bowang, so Zhang He had no choice but to make a desperate attempt.

But we now clearly have a more reliable method, so there is no need to follow Zhang He's example and gamble everything on one throw.

Tian Yu was really angry about Xiahou Lian's idea of ​​"talking about war on paper".

Tian Yu wanted to point out the fallacy in Xiahou Lian's idea, but before Tian Yu could open his mouth, Xiahou Lian asked Tian Yu a heart-piercing question with a dangerous smile:
"General, are you considering showing some leniency to the rebels because of the kindness Liu Bei showed you?"

Xiahou Lian's question made Tian Yu's face turn red.

After seeing Tian Yu's angry look, Xiahou Lian thought that he had hit upon Tian Yu's concerns, and his hand had already been placed on the blade at his waist.

Xiahou Lian is not Cao Rui. Cao Rui was willing to make a promise to Tian Yu, but Xiahou Lian was not.

Since Xiahou Lian joined the army, most of the topics he heard about Tian Yu were related to his "longing for Liu Bei".

When Xiahou Dun was alive, he also told Xiahou Lian about Cao Cao's suspicion of Tian Yu, Yuan Huan and others.

In such an environment, how much trust can Xiahou Lian have in Tian Yu?

Of course, it was not only Xiahou Lian who had doubts about Tian Yu, but also Cao Xiu, who appeared to respect Tian Yu.

Otherwise, why did Cao Xiu specially arrange Xiahou Lian to serve as Tian Yu's deputy general?

Since he had doubts about Tian Yu in his heart, no matter how reasonable Tian Yu's words were, their value would be greatly reduced once they entered Xiahou Lian's ears.

What's more, Xiahou Lian's heart was already filled with the four words "eager to make a contribution".

Maybe as Tian Yu said, they could just harass, but how could the achievement of harassment compare to capturing Xinye?
After the Battle of Chang'an, Xiahou Mao's whereabouts were unknown, and Xiahou Dun's lineage suffered a heavy blow.

As Xiahou Dun's younger brother, Xiahou Lian would never sit idly by and watch Xiahou Dun's lineage fall into obscurity in the political arena of the Wei Dynasty.

If you want to restore the glory of your lineage, you have to make great achievements!
Tian Yu noticed Xiahou Lian's action of pressing the knife.

He also realized that the Wei troops around him seemed to be trying to surround him.

Tian Yu, who was not trusted by Cao, did not have any troops of his own.

The thousands of Wei troops he led this time were basically those who had followed Xiahou Lian for many years.

In the eyes of these thousands of Wei troops, Tian Yu was only their nominal commander.

After realizing that the situation was unfavorable to him, Tian Yu closed his eyes helplessly.

"Just do as General Xiahou says."

With a sigh, Tian Yu uttered these words.

These words made Xiahou Lian relax his grip on the knife handle.

The softening of Tian Yu's attitude suddenly reduced Xiahou Lian's hostility towards Tian Yu.

"General Tian, ​​rest assured. When I take over Xinye City, your contribution will not be missed."

In Xiahou Lian's opinion, Tian Yu played a great role in enabling him to arrive outside Xinye City safely.

After Tian Yu "agreed", Xiahou Lian quickly arranged the next combat mission.

As time goes by, the sunlight in the sky is slowly moving westward.

When dusk dyed the sky above Xinye, Xiahou Lian led thousands of Wei troops and suddenly rushed out from the mountains and forests outside the city, rushing towards the direction of Xinye City.

Xiahou Lian, who had served in the army for many years, understood military common sense.

Nowadays, all counties have the habit of having a curfew.

At dusk, every county town closes its gates.

Often at that time, people who wanted to leave or enter the city would worry about being blocked and cause panic at the city gate.

This was the best time for the Wei army to launch an attack on Xinye.

When Xiahou Lian led his troops towards Xinye City, he saw that the already anxious people of Xinye became even more at a loss after seeing the sudden appearance of the enemy.

The confusion of the people instantly disrupted the defense of Xinye city gate.

Under such circumstances, it was undoubtedly a delusion for the Han army, which always prided itself on loving its soldiers like its own sons, to want to close the city gates in time.

What made Xiahou Lian even happier was that the Han army defending Xinye seemed to realize that the loss of the city gate was inevitable.

Before the Wei army approached, they dropped their weapons and fled in all directions.

Once the soldiers guarding the city fled, let alone the people at the city gate.

When Xiahou Lian led thousands of Wei troops across the suspension bridge, there was only an empty gate in front of him.

Thinking that his chance to become famous was right in front of him, Xiahou Lian's breathing became rapid.

Without much hesitation, Xiahou Lian, who led the troops, rushed into the city gate of Xinye City.

Xinye City served as the seat of Yiyang County, and its city defenses were expanded under the leadership of Li Yan.

Under Li Yan's expansion, Xinye City had an inner city.

Xiahou Lian had seen this in previous intelligence gathering.

But in Xiahou Lian's opinion, if the soldiers defending the city were fleeing in all directions, what would be the use of the city wall, no matter how high it was?
Xiahou Lian entered the outer city of Xinye and ran towards the city gate dozens of steps away with rapid breathing.

Because the situation was too urgent, the gate of the city wall in Xiahou Lian's eyes had not been closed at this moment.

But what Xiahou Lian could not have imagined was that when he was only a few steps away from the gate of Wengcheng, a large number of Han troops suddenly appeared in his sight.

The large number of Han troops were like hunters waiting for their prey. They could no longer suppress their excitement and appeared in groups and stationed in front of Xiahou Lian.

The large number of Han troops stationed there undoubtedly blocked Xiahou Lian's possibility of continuing to advance.

While Xiahou Lian was still recovering from his shock, many Han archers suddenly appeared on the surrounding city walls.

Zhang He looked down at the Wei army that had become panicked by the sudden change in the situation, with no emotion in his eyes.

"put!"

As Zhang He's cold voice rang out, thousands of arrows fell into the dense crowd of Wei troops like meteors falling from the sky.

As there was nowhere to hide and no shields to protect them, these thousands of arrows caused heavy casualties to the thousands of Wei soldiers.

When many Wei soldiers fell to the ground screaming, the surviving Wei soldiers instantly broke into riot.

They were originally following Xiahou Lian and rushing forward, but now they were struggling to escape towards the city gate behind them.

Looking at the large number of Wei soldiers huddled together below, anxious to escape, a question suddenly emerged in Zhang He's mind:
"Since he was able to lead his army through so much difficulty and reach the outskirts of Xinye City, how could he fall into a trap so easily?"

"There are still many measures to lure the enemy, which have not yet been used."

After taking control of the Wei army, Zhang He's doubts were quickly answered.

Zhang He looked at the two people who were tied up in front of him, and he first fixed his eyes on Tian Yu.

Zhang He knew Tian Yu.

“Before, I was curious about who could lead the army to the outskirts of Xinye City without fear of hardship.

After meeting Guo Rang, I no longer had any doubts in my heart. "

Faced with Zhang He's praise, Tian Yu's face turned pale and he didn't want to respond to him.

Tian Yu just stared at Xiahou Lian who was standing beside him.

If Xiahou Lian had listened to him, how could he have been captured?

The situation that had been improving for the Wei army was ruined by the man next to him!

Seeing that Tian Yu didn't want to respond to him, Zhang He tactfully shifted his gaze to Xiahou Lian.

"Xiahou Dun was defeated in many battles during his lifetime. You really have the spirit of a brother."

When Zhang He said this, Xiahou Lian was immediately furious.

"You can kill me, but you can't humiliate me!"

As he spoke, Xiahou Lian was so excited that he tried to break free from his restraints, but after receiving a few punches from the Han soldiers behind him, he became obedient again.

After regaining control of Xiahou Lian, Zhang He walked up to Xiahou Lian and took out his seal directly from his arms.

Tian Yu, who was standing by, also became excited in an instant after seeing Zhang He's actions.

"Zhang Junyi, you are dreaming, I won't let you succeed!"

The clever Tian Yu guessed Zhang He's intention at once.

Previously, Tian Yu was unwilling to take the risk because of the poor communication between him and Cao Xiu.

And what he can think of, Zhang He can certainly think of as well.

In a world without facial verification, it is sometimes easy to commit fraud.

After obtaining Xiahou Lian's seal, Zhang He ordered someone to take Xiahou Lian away first.

When Tian Yu was the only one left, Zhang He's bewitching words reached Tian Yu's ears:

"Guorang, I have just learned from the surrendered soldiers why you suffered such a defeat today.

I really feel sorry for you.

Your talent compared with Cao Ren and Cao Chun is like the bright moon compared to candlelight.

But everyone knows that Cao Ren and Cao Chun are famous generals, but how many people know you?
Living your whole life without anyone knowing about it is definitely not what you want.

We can tolerate one year of injustice, but how can we tolerate decades of injustice?
You were intent on rebelling against Wei, but you almost ended up dead. If this doesn't wake you up, then I was wrong about you."

Zhang He's tone was full of regret.

These regretful words made Tian Yu become agitated.

Shameless Zhang He, why do every word you say stab you in the heart?

(End of this chapter)