Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

The straight-line distance between Pengyang County and Wangyuan County is not very far, but there is Liupan Mountain, the watershed between Weishui and Jingshui, in between, so people and horses can only take a detour through valleys and river valleys.

Lu Bu brought Li Sunatun with him on this trip, which consisted of only a hundred people in total. With such a small number of people, there was no need to hide their whereabouts. They simply disguised themselves as horse bandits and passed through the mountains openly.

Some Qiang people along the way noticed them, but didn't think much of it.

Liangzhou is located on the Silk Road, and there are many merchants traveling to and from the Western Regions, so there are naturally more bandits. In bad years, many Qiang and Han people will disguise themselves as bandits to rob passing merchant caravans. This time, more than 100,000 rebels attacked Sanfu, and many counties in Liangzhou were either conquered by the rebels. Those that were not conquered were afraid of being affected and closed their doors to avoid fighting, so the bandits became even more rampant.

Lu Bu's team did not advance all the way to the first Qiang outpost near Wangyuan County before someone came forward to stop them.

"There is a battle going on ahead. What are you waiting for here?" A small Qiang leader looked at Lu Bu and others and asked with suspicion.

"Still fighting?"

Lu Bu feigned surprise and said, "I heard that the imperial army was driven back, so I decided to come out and find some work. My family, young and old, are waiting for dinner!"

The little leader said, "Almost, this is the only one left, you guys should take a detour!"

Lu Bu looked at the mountains in the distance and said with a look of embarrassment, "This detour will cost us a lot of food. I don't know what the situation is like up ahead, and how long it will take for the battle to be over. If it's quick, we'll wait here."

As he spoke, he secretly observed the sentry post. There was a watchtower built on the open ground with three soldiers standing guard on it. There were also people watching on the hilltops and high places not far away. There were dozens of tents set up in front. It was dusk now. Judging from the smoke rising from the camp, there were at least seven or eight thousand enemy soldiers here. They should be guarding against the support of the officers and soldiers of Anding County.

The little leader said impatiently, "How would I know that? Leave now, or don't blame me for being rude."

"Let's go, let's go." Lu Bu bowed and turned to leave with his men.

After walking for several miles, it was already dark, so everyone found an open space to set up tents and rest.

At this time, several waves of people who were sent out to gather information also returned. The news they brought back was similar to what Lu Bu saw himself. The rebels set up heavy defenses on the side of the river between the two mountains, and it was difficult to get in from the flat ground.

"The mountain road is difficult to walk on. People can barely climb it, but horses can't. Moreover, this place is dozens of miles away from where the general is trapped. It will take two or three days to walk around the mountain road. The rebels have cut off the food supply. The general can't hold on for a few days. I guess he may break out in the next few days. By then, I'm afraid we will still be wandering around in the mountains." Li Su said.

"Taking the mountain road is of course not an option, and it's useless for us to go through with such a small number of people. Judging from the situation, the rebels have at least two heavy defenses inside, one to protect the general, and one to protect the rear. We need to break through the rear defense line so that the general will not be surrounded again when he breaks out."

But the problem was that Dong Zhuo had no intention of breaking out by force from the beginning. Based on Lu Bu's understanding of Dong Zhuo, if he wanted to get out, he would have broken out when he was trapped. The reason why he kept his troops inactive for so long was probably because he didn't want to lose too many men and was thinking of other countermeasures.

The Wei River runs through Wangyuan County. If they want to retreat safely, they can only cross the river and escape from the south. Relying on bamboo rafts to cross the river, and with the interference of the enemy, I am afraid that more people will die in the river than if they break out directly. Lu Bu pondered all night, but could not think of any other way Dong Zhuo would come up with.

At noon the next day, the person who had sneaked to the rear from the south bank of the Wei River to gather information came back.

The man took the water bag from Lü Bu, drank a few sips, and said, "I watched from the other side for a while but couldn't see anything special. I just saw people strengthening and expanding the dike on the Wei River from a distance. It seems the general is going to catch fish for military rations."

"Fishing to feed the army?"

Lu Bu shook his head. "That's impossible. If the general was so short of food, he would have already made a desperate attempt to break out. How could he have had the energy to block the water and build a dike? Didn't you cross the river to inquire about the situation?"

"I can't get through. The general has posted sentries on the riverbank. I'm afraid I'll be shot to death in the river before I can swim across. There are also rebel sentries not far from the camp. I can't shout for fear of being discovered by the enemy. I can only hide in the reeds and scout around."

"General, you set up camp by the river? Have you ever fought against the rebels?"

The scout nodded. "It's not far from the river. The ground in front of the village is covered with weeds and trees. They must have fought there before."

Li Su looked at the map and said, "The general's camp and Wangyuan County are mutually supportive. The rebels can't take them, so they cut off their food supply and hope to trap the rebels inside."

"How long is the dam? Where is it located?" Lu Bu asked again.

"We're almost on the other side, right next to the camp."

Lu Bu frowned and thought. If his guess was correct, Dong Zhuo should want the army to retreat from under the dam. This would be safe if the enemy did not notice his intention. However, if Dong Zhuo retreated safely, wouldn't he have no chance to make a contribution?

Considering the strength of Dong Zhuo's Xiliang army, a frontal breakout would only result in more casualties. After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Bu decided to create an opportunity for himself.

Three days later, Dong Zhuo’s military camp in Wangyuan County.

Dong Zhuo brought a total of 30,000 men to pursue the rebels this time. He asked Liu Jing to station 4,000 of them in Anding County, and he led 26,000 to pursue the enemy. Among these 26,000 men, there were only 6,000 cavalry, and the rest were infantry. The infantry was slow to break through, and the terrain in this area was narrow, so the casualties of a frontal breakout would inevitably be heavy. That was why he tried to withdraw from the embankment.

Inside the big tent, Dong Zhuo sat at the top, with Niu Fu, Dong Yue, Hu Zhen, Duan Wei, Hua Xiong and other generals lined up on his left and right.

"We have been trapped here for some time. The dike will be repaired around noon today. I have decided to begin the withdrawal tonight. However, the dike is narrow, and it will take about a day and a night for more than 20,000 people to walk. Nothing can happen during the withdrawal."

Dong Zhuo said this, looking at Hua Xiong and Duan Wei. "Yingwei, Zhongming, tomorrow you two will lead two thousand men to the enemy camp to challenge them. First, clear out the enemy outposts in this area. If they leave the camp to engage, don't engage in excessive fighting. Keep the battle stalemated and delay as much as possible. Then, withdraw at nightfall and cross the river at night."

"Yes!" Hua Xiong and Duan Wei clasped their fists and accepted the order.

"Dong Yue, tonight you will lead 18,000 infantrymen in advance, divided into teams of three garrisons each. Assign scouts to the first two teams. Once you reach the other side, split into three directions: east, west, and south to survey the enemy. Ensure there are no ambushes within a radius of at least 20 miles before the rest of you can cross the river. Once you cross, do not form a battle array near the shore. Instead, hide in the distant valleys."

"Yes!" Dong Yue clasped his fists.

Dong Zhuo looked at Niu Fu and Hu Zhen again. "After the infantry have passed, it will be Zi Zuo's cavalry. Wencai, you take a thousand men and stay behind to support Ying Wei and Zhong Ming, just in case."

"Yes!" The three of them clasped their fists together.

Niu Fu asked with some concern, "My lord, if I wait until halfway through and the enemy discovers me, won't the people behind me be in danger?"

Dong Zhuo had probably already considered this. He instructed Hua Xiong and Hu Zhen, who were following behind, "If we're discovered crossing the river, you two will break out from the front. Remember, your primary goal is to break through, not to kill the enemy. We will rush to the rear of the enemy as soon as possible to provide support."

Dong Zhuo stood up and looked at the generals. "The worst possible outcome of this retreat is that the enemy has already discovered our intentions. If they discover an ambush on the other side, the dike will be useless. Our rations are running low. You must prepare for a frontal assault, especially the infantry."

When retreating from the dike, the infantry can go first, but if they force a breakthrough from the front, they can only have cavalry to lead the way and infantry to follow behind. Then the 20,000 people will most likely be held back by the enemy and fall into a desperate situation.