Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

The sun was setting in the west, and Cao Cao and his entourage had just entered the territory of Yingchuan.

"Father, we will reach Yangdi in two days' journey northwest. It's getting late today. Should we set up camp outside first or go to Linying to rest?" Cao Ang drove his horse to Cao Cao and asked for instructions.

Cao Cao, riding on a yellow-maned horse, looked at the road ahead and said wearily, "Let's go into the city!"

When he just left Yanzhou, he was harassed all the way by the cavalry sent by Lu Bu. When he arrived in Chen State, Zhang Miao even sent troops to stop him. Only in the past two days has the journey been a little smoother, but he still felt a little uneasy in his heart. He always felt that the couple would not let him go so easily. Although entering the city requires a longer detour, it is safer and at least he can sleep well at night.

Cao Ang ordered the team to continue their journey, but before they had gone far, the scouts who were exploring the way reported that a cavalry of 3,000 men was rushing towards them from the direction of Yingshui River.

"Tang Army?"

Cao Cao laughed at himself as soon as he asked the question. Xiahou Yuan only had a thousand cavalrymen, and the other side had a force of three thousand people, which must be the Tang army without a doubt.

"The Tang army has penetrated deep into the heart of Yingchuan. Why didn't Miaocai send someone to report it in advance?" Cao Cao asked.

The scout shook his head in confusion. How would he know the answer to this question?

Xun You, standing nearby, speculated, "It seems the Tang cavalry have been making frequent incursions lately. Miao Cai couldn't pursue them, so he could only watch helplessly. Judging by the speed of the scouts the lord sent to deliver the message, Miao Cai might have just received the news of the lord's arrival in Yingchuan yesterday. The cavalry must have passed through Yangdi yesterday. If my guess is correct, the messenger Miao Cai sent should be arriving soon."

Judging by the time, it was indeed the case. Cao Cao hurriedly shouted, "Quickly form the battle line!"

At this time, Cao Cao only thought that this was a team sent by the Tang State to harass Yingchuan, and he happened to run into them. He did not think that they were sent specifically to kill him.

The soldiers hurriedly lined up in the front. At this time, two more riders came galloping in front. They were the ones sent by Xiahou Yuan to report the news.

Before the person even got close, he shouted, "My lord, retreat quickly! The Tang Kingdom is sending a large army..."

When the vanguard Cao Ang heard this, his face suddenly changed. After the person reported the details, he hurried to the back of the team to report to Cao Cao.

"Father, these 3,000 cavalrymen are just the vanguard. There's another 20,000-man force behind them, and they'll arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest. Uncle Miaocai has already led 5,000 Yangdi soldiers out in pursuit..."

Before Cao Ang could finish his words, Cao Cao suddenly roared, "Who let him out? Who the hell let him leave the city without permission? Quick, tell him to get out!"

"Father, why is this happening?" Cao Ang was puzzled. "If Uncle Miaocai led his troops to attack us from both sides, wouldn't our chances of victory be greater?"

"You know shit!" Cao Cao roared again, "Quick, send the fastest horse and tell him to go back and defend the city. I don't want him meddling in my business here!"

Seeing Cao Cao so angry, although Cao Ang didn't understand the reason, he hurriedly sent someone to deliver a message. After a while, the vanguard cavalry led by Ma Chao arrived. Seeing that the other side had already formed a battle formation, he did not launch an attack rashly. He just left two thousand men to rest the horses, and he led a thousand men to ride and shoot on the periphery.

Cao Cao tried to have his troops retreat to Linying City, but Ma Chao was well prepared and would definitely not let him retreat into the city. As soon as the troops moved, Ma Chao would pretend to charge. Cao Cao was afraid that it would be difficult to maintain the formation during the action. If he allowed the enemy to rush in, his soldiers with low morale might flee in just two rounds.

Of the one thousand cavalrymen sent by Sun Ce, more than three hundred were killed along the way. He was reluctant to use the remaining few to fight to the death, so he could only let them set up camp on the spot to resist the Tang army.

By this time, it was almost completely dark, and Ma Chao had his men set up camp not far away to keep an eye on the movements of Cao's army.

…………

"Xiahou Yuan actually led 5,000 troops out of the city?"

Two hours ago, Shen Pei, the military advisor of the Sizhou Military Region, who was stationed in Xinzheng City and coordinating the military affairs of Yingchuan, was looking at the news that Feiying had just sent back with an incredible look on his face. He blinked, reaffirming that he was not seeing things, and hurriedly said, "Hurry and send a message to Cao Xing, telling him to leave Cao Mengde alone and quickly go to Yangdi. If we can capture Yangdi, it will be a great achievement!"

Hearing how anxious he was, the messenger did not dare to delay and ran out in a hurry without even paying his respects.

"Cao Mengde is really dead this time, dead!" Shen Pei put away the information in his hand and laughed happily.

"How can he be doomed? What does seizing Yang Di have to do with killing Cao Gong?" the clerk beside him asked in confusion.

Shen Pei laughed and said, "Even if our army continues to recklessly invade, it's still someone else's territory, and logistics will be difficult to supply. Cao Mengde just needs to form a defensive formation. If he can't capture him within three to five days, he'll have to retreat. But if Yang Di is in our hands, our retreat will be secure. We can surround it with a large army and slowly wear him down. Do you think it matters? I suspect Cao Mengde will be furious when he learns Xiahou Yuan has left the city. Now it all depends on whether Cao Xing can successfully capture Yang Di."

The clerk said, "There shouldn't be many defenders left in Yangdi. It shouldn't be difficult for General Cao to attack the city at night!"

"If he makes a lot of noise, maybe he can scare the city gates open." Shen Pei said, "To be on the safe side, send another message to Cao Xing!"

Xinzheng City was right next to Yingchuan County, and Cao Xing was in Jia County south of Yangdi at that time, only about twenty miles away from Xinzheng. With a flying eagle delivering the message, it was just like making a phone call. Cao Xing received the message shortly after it was sent.

With Gao Shun away, Shen Pei was in full charge of the military affairs in Yingchuan. Although Cao Xing didn't understand why the military advisor suddenly asked him to attack the city, seeing that his letter sounded urgent, he didn't dare to delay and hurriedly led his troops to attack Yangdi. On the way, he received a second letter from Shen Pei, which taught him how to break the city.

When Cao Xing arrived in Yangdi, it was already completely dark. Following Shen Pei's instructions, he first sent all 3,000 auxiliary soldiers to the west and south of the city. Each soldier held two torches and lit countless braziers. He asked the soldiers to shout loudly to boost morale. The other 10,000 soldiers were divided into two groups and went to the east and north gates. They only lit a few fires that were barely enough to provide lighting to confuse the enemy.

After Xiahou Yuan left, the defenders in the city were already insufficient, and they could not see the enemy clearly at night. They could only hear that they were surrounded on all sides, with fire and shouts everywhere. The defenders in the city were already scared silly, and in their panic they had no idea which side of the city wall to focus on defending. The generals defending the city could only hurriedly send soldiers to the two sides with the brightest fire, and shoot arrows outside the city, trying to prevent the enemy from approaching the city wall.

Cao Xing knew that this tactic could only work temporarily, so after building up momentum, he ordered an attack on the city. Since he did not bring any siege equipment and had no time to build ladders, he only had people cut down a few logs to serve as battering rams. Under the protection of shield soldiers, hundreds of people carried two battering rams as thick as men's waists across the trench and directly hit the city gate.

It was not until the sound of banging on the city gates was heard that the defenders realized which gate the enemy was mainly attacking. They ran to the west gate to find the commander and called for people to hold the gate open. However, it was too late. In a short while, both the east and north gates were broken. The Tang army broke into Yangdi like robbers, killing anyone they saw. It was a pity that this Yingchuan seat had been attacked three times in more than ten years since the Yellow Turban Rebellion.