Chapter 140 All reactionaries are paper tigers
The successive defeats and heavy casualties eventually caused many people within the coalition to lose confidence.

If the troops under their command were wiped out, what good would it be for them even if the coalition forces were to win in the end?

I'm afraid that when that time really comes, not to mention the benefits, the territory will probably be swallowed up by others.

There were many people within the coalition who had this idea, and Liu Dai was by no means the only one. He was just the first one to jump out and make a fuss.

Cao Cao knew that if he didn't appease them properly, there would probably be more people who wanted to break up.

So he had to persuade Liu Dai to stay: "Brother Gongshan, Chenliu and Hulaoguan are just a Suanzao County, and there is no strategic location to defend. In the current situation, Wang Jing dominates Guanzhong alone. Everyone in the coalition can withdraw, but you, the governor of Yanzhou, cannot withdraw."

"Well... well, I'll just do it for your sake, Meng De."

Liu Dai thought about it and felt a little panicked. What if the coalition forces really disbanded and Wang Jing wanted to expand his territory, wouldn’t he be the first to attack him?
He thought about it carefully and decided that it would be better to kill with a borrowed knife.

Cao Cao resolved the coalition's crisis of disbanding again. He then gathered the main forces of the coalition with Yuan Shao, intending to use their military advantage to force through Hulao Pass at all costs to avoid any further complications.

On the east bank of Sishui River, a large army gathered.

Wang Jing climbed up the city wall, looked far to the east, and used the art of observing qi to observe the fortune of the coalition forces.

As soon as the Heavenly Eye opened, every where he looked was a sea of ​​people. The flags that covered the sky became the nodes where the soldiers gathered, connecting with each other to form a huge military formation covering an area of ​​a hundred miles in radius.

The five elements flow in the formation, and the three talents are complete. It is connected to the earth below and responds to the time above, making the coalition forces' luck connected as one, and they prosper together and suffer together.

But when Wang Jing took a closer look, he found that although the coalition forces seemed grand, they were actually forcibly gathered together. Once they were hit by a strong external force, they would inevitably fall apart and disintegrate.

"It really is a paper tiger."

"What paper tiger?"

At this time, Xun You also climbed up the watchtower, looked far away and observed the enemy situation.

He stood beside Wang Jing, silently exercising his mind and observing the enemy's formation, then he said to Wang Jing in a solemn voice: "My lord, although the coalition army is large in number, its combat strength is uneven. Among the eighteen princes, Yuan Shu and Sun Jian have been repelled by our army. Xiliang Ma Teng, Liaodong Gongsun Zan and others are just here to make up the numbers. Among the remaining fourteen princes, only Yuan Shao and Cao Cao have experience in commanding battles, and the rest are not worth worrying about."

Wang Jing also realized that except for the soldiers under Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, whose formations were relatively strict and their momentum was relatively strong, the soldiers of other princes were basically militiamen and local militiamen. More than half of the soldiers were not worthy of being called "soldiers" at all and could only be regarded as miscellaneous soldiers.

When it comes to luck, morale is low, the army is not united, and it is difficult to form the momentum of a tiger.

For example, the soldiers under the command of Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, not only did not have complete weapons and armor, they did not even have basic military training. They were in a mess when they stood in line. They were far inferior to the Yellow Turban Army that Wang Jing had seen in Yuzhou. After all, the fighting effectiveness of the Yellow Turbans in Runan at that time was still quite strong.

The soldiers under Liu Dai's command gave people a soft feeling.

"My lord, Yuan Shao's army is on the left wing, and should be the main force of the attack, supporting Cao Cao's army on the right wing. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao also understand the disadvantages of the coalition army, so they respectively command the troops of several princes to form a pincer attack on our army, so as to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses and give full play to their own military advantages."

Xun You took out the map and started to gesture.

The troops led by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao turned into two huge red arrows on the map, attacking Hulao Pass from the south and the north.

Wang Jing only took a look and immediately understood the benefits of arranging the troops in this way: "Use the formation to blend the morale and military spirit of the coalition forces into a whole, and then use strong soldiers as the vanguard. In this way, you can use the soldiers' evil spirits to launch battle tactics without limit."

The magical power of the military strategist, the strong energy strengthens oneself, and the evil energy kills the enemy.

Therefore, most tactics require the consumption of Bingsha before they can be launched, and the power of Bingsha is essentially the power of thought obtained by gathering people, so the more people there are, the more Bingsha there are.

The deployment of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's troops was obviously to use the weak forces of Liu Dai and others as power banks for their own main forces, so as to maximize the military advantage of the coalition forces.

Xun You suggested: "In this battle, our army only needs to destroy the troops of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and the troops of the other princes will collapse without a fight."

Xun You in the history of the Three Kingdoms was Cao Cao's strategist, who single-handedly led to the victory of the Battle of Guandu.

During the siege of Bai Ma, Guan Erye was able to kill Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and it was Xun You who gave him advice and schemes behind the scenes.

"I guess Gongda has already formulated a battle plan?"

Wang Jing looked at Xun You with a smile.

Xun You also smiled complacently, and began to point at the map and describe his layout ideas: "The key to this battle is to attract the main force of the coalition forces to attack. The main force of our army will defend the gate, and then send a light cavalry unit to bypass the front, outflanking the enemy's flank, launching a surprise attack and creating chaos."

The strategy was not complicated, but it targeted the weaknesses of the coalition forces.

Wang Jing nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "The key to military strategy is to unite the army's morale. Once the army's morale is in chaos, the army will be like a tree without roots and water without a source. Gongda's move is really like cutting off the firewood from under the cauldron."

Xun You's move was intended to directly cut off the connection between the coalition's rear and front formations, preventing the weak forces in the rear from being transmitted to the front, thereby weakening the combat effectiveness of the main forces of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

The strategy was naturally excellent, but Li Ru questioned it: "Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are both knowledgeable about military affairs. They divided their troops into two groups. As long as one group fails to come together, this strategy will not succeed. If we want to lure you into a trap, we still lack a bait of sufficient weight."

Wang Jing smiled when he heard this: "Besides me, what other bait can catch these two big fish, Yuan Benchu ​​and Cao Mengde?"

Li Ru was horrified when he heard this, and he quickly spoke up to persuade him: "My lord, you must not take risks! If something goes wrong, the Northern Army will be leaderless and unable to recover."

"No need to say more, I will personally lead the main force to attract the coalition forces to attack."

Wang Jing naturally knew the risks involved, but the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish.

The Northern Army does not have as much wealth as the Allied Forces, and it will be a dead end if it continues to fight with the Allied Forces. It is true that the Wang family of Taiyuan is a noble family, but its strength is far inferior to that of top-notch families such as the Yuan family of Runan and the Yang family of Hongnong.

If your opponent keeps draining your blood, you will be the first to die.

That's why Wang Jing needs to fight quickly and decide the outcome in one battle.

After deciding to go as bait himself, Wang Jing called Lu Bu and instructed him, "Fengxian, I will give you the command of the 1,000 armored heavy cavalry in the Cavalry Battalion. You will take a boat to bypass the waterway, land at Xianjin Port, and intercept the coalition forces from behind. The key to victory in this battle will depend on you alone. Are you willing to take on this important task?"

Lü Bu knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "I will use all my loyalty and wisdom to wipe out the enemy for my lord!"

"very good."

Wang Jing gathered a thousand heavily armored cavalrymen from the Tunqiying Camp and put them all under the command of Lu Bu. Together with the thousand Hu cavalrymen led by him and the original thousand cavalrymen, there were a total of more than four thousand cavalrymen. If this key force could be used properly, it would be enough to decide the outcome of the battle.

…………

Yingchuan, Shuijing Villa.

The battle of Hulao Pass was about to begin, but this place was still calm, except for occasional arguments about the current situation in the world coming from the direction of the study.

Sima Zheng was the water sign of Emperor Xuanzong. In addition to being proficient in Taoist teachings, he was also well versed in the Six Classics, military strategies, and the art of escaping into strange places. Therefore, many people came to him to become his disciple and learn from him.

Glancing at Xu Shu who was arguing fiercely with his classmates not far away about whether the Northern Army could defeat the coalition forces of the princes, Sima Zheng stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.

Suddenly, a breeze blew by, and Tian Si's figure suddenly appeared, and he asked, "Is there any unusual movement in the Heavenly Star Fate Book again?"

"Yes, not long ago, the Pojun star among the Big Dipper appeared in the world."

"who is it?"

"Just as we expected, the fate of Yaoguang Pojun falls on Sun Jian. The tiger of Jiangdong has the destiny to swallow the world."

"Did the kingly aura of the Eastern Wu really fall on Sun Jian?"

Tian Si was not surprised by this. After all, destiny always has its traces. Sun Jian was extremely talented and had the blood of the military saint Sun Wu. Naturally, he received secret support from some military forces. Someone even secretly offered him the long-lost "Military Power of Fire".

Even the Suzaku, one of the four sacred birds, had placed its bets on Sun Jian early on, granting him the magical power of the Nanming Lihuo.

"Where is Sun Wentai now?"

"died."

"???"

Tian Si looked at Sima Zheng in astonishment: "Dead? How is that possible? Sun Wentai has just started to gain momentum, his luck is at its peak, and he is blessed by heaven. Who can kill him?" "Wang Jing."

"Wang Jing?"

After receiving such an answer, Tian Si fell silent. He had been traveling in Shu before, busy searching for Xuanlu, so he was not clear about the war in Liang County: "Tell me in detail."

Afterwards, Sima Zheng informed Tian Si of the causes and consequences of Sun Jian's death, and also said: "The fate of Yaoguang Pojun has now been transferred to Sun Ce. This boy has some signs of being a tyrant. It seems that the person that Jiufeng has chosen is Sun Ce. The tyrant's last move before Hulao Pass was also prepared for him."

Since the matter involved gods, Tian Si's expression instantly became serious: "So, the gods from all sides are planning to start placing bets?"

Sima Zheng sighed, "Although there is the will of heaven to suppress us, it is inevitable that ghosts and gods will interfere in human affairs since ancient times. If it weren't for the Black Emperor's extraordinary communication with the sky, the fate of the human dynasty would still be manipulated by ghosts and gods. People like us who practice cultivation are nothing more than food for ghosts and gods."

"Humph, now that the times have changed, you still want to treat us humans as food. Do they have the ability to do so?"

Tiansi does not have much awe for the ghosts and gods that have survived from ancient times to this day.

During the Xian Qin Dynasty, the Five Emperors’ Dragon Fists dominated the world and their power was felt throughout the four seas. Were there not many ghosts and gods that they killed or maimed?
Those who are still able to survive now either ran fast enough or knelt down fast enough. If it weren't for the fact that the imperial dynasty is in decline and there are not a bunch of monsters and demons, who would dare to show up?

Therefore, what Tiansi is more concerned about is the change of dynasties in the human world.

"Are there any other astrological signs in the Heavenly Star Fate Book?"

"Kaiyang Wuqu and Tianji Lucun are both moving. I believe they will soon rise to the occasion and be favored by heaven."

Tian Si heard this and looked towards the direction of Hulao Pass: "It seems that these two stars are gathered outside Hulao Pass. I don't know who the will of heaven belongs to."

…………

In the early morning, the sky is bright and the warm light of the rising sun shines all over the earth.

However, on the vast plain east of Sishui River, the sky was covered with war clouds at this moment. The murderous aura rushed straight into the sky, causing the sound of thunder to shake the heavens and the earth.

The main force of the coalition forces arrived at the battlefield, and the huge crowd seemed boundless and endless.

Yuan Shao was wearing a phoenix-shaped golden-winged armor, bathing in the scorching sun. His whole body was shining. He was riding on a horse, and it seemed as if a sun was rising slowly behind him, shining on him with golden light, dazzling.

"keep going!"

Yuan Shao held the hilt of the famous sword Tai'a with his left hand and waved the horsewhip with his right hand. His eyes were bright under his thick eyebrows. He slowly walked into the battlefield with a proud attitude overlooking the earth.

At this moment, he is the leader of the coalition forces and the commander-in-chief of the three armies. He holds in his hands a powerful force that is enough to move mountains and seas. It seems that with just a slight push, he can overthrow the rotten foundation of the Yanhan Dynasty and rebuild the world.

"In this battle, there is no other way but to win!"

Yuan Shao kept encouraging himself in his heart. As long as he won this battle, he could lead his troops westward, occupy Luoyang, realize his long-cherished wish, and strive for the supreme throne.

He wants to prove that he is far better than Yuan Ji!

The only way for the Yuan family of Runan to get the greatest benefit is to support him!

From now on, the Yuan family will replace the Han Dynasty and become the common ruler of the world!
Yuan Shao looked up at the sky, his heroic spirit soaring into the sky. With his clenched hands, he seemed to have already taken control of the Central Plains: "This world will eventually belong to me, Yuan Shao!"

"Prepare to attack!"

Before the army arrived at Hulao Pass, Yuan Shao's order was spread throughout the army across the Sishui River.

When the coalition forces were about to move, a strange noise came from the city gate of Hulao Pass, and the gate, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened.

As the mechanism slowly turned, the noose loosened, and the suspension bridge fell to the ground with a loud bang, raising a large amount of dust.

"The city gate is actually open? Could it be that the Northern Army is going to surrender without a fight?"

Yuan Shao showed an expression of surprise and doubt on his face. The defender's action was really too unexpected.

However, after the gate was opened, Yuan Shao did not see the envoys holding the letter of surrender, but saw team after team of armored soldiers filing out. They marched in an orderly manner, crossed the moat with thunderous steps, faced east, and lined up with their backs to the water.

A battle flag with a red background and black edges stood facing the wind. On the fluttering flag, there was only one word "王" written in vigorous strokes.

"It's Wang Jing's battle flag!"

"The Brilliant Feather Blade is coming towards us!"

From the coalition positions, there were constant sounds of people gasping in surprise.

Who in the world doesn't know about Wang Jing's reputation now?
Just by seeing Wang Jing's flaming battle flag, many generals in the coalition army were almost scared to death, and their hearts were trembling with fear.

Yuan Shao saw it all and remembered it in his heart. To boost morale, he had no choice but to ride his horse around the front of the army, waving the Tai'a sword in his hand and shouting, "Don't panic! We are using the righteous to defeat the unrighteous, and we are following the will of heaven. Why should we be afraid of a traitor? You can see clearly that Wang Jing is also a human being, he does not have three heads and six arms!"

"Whoever can kill Wang Jing will be rewarded with ten thousand gold coins and be made a county marquis. I, Yuan Benchu, will never break my promise!"

Yuan Shao went through a lot of trouble, making promises and writing blank checks before he was able to completely stabilize the morale of his side.

Dong~dong~dong~
Wang Jing led his army into battle to the beat of drums, his tiger eyes sweeping across the battlefield with a look of disdain, showing his boundless arrogance, "The sea ends and the sky becomes the shore, the mountain reaches the top and I am the peak."

From a distance, Wang Jing saw Yuan Shao struggling, and a sneer appeared on his face: "Pre-war mobilization? A man must die under a huge reward? Haha, are these fancy things useful?"

In Wang Jing's view, if an army wants to be combat-effective, the first thing is the ideological construction of the army. The soldiers under his command must understand why they are fighting, rather than throwing money in front of the battlefield.

But no matter how disdainful he was, Wang Jing would not underestimate any opponent tactically, so he also began to deploy his troops.

First, the 3,000 Danyang soldiers were divided into two, and assigned to the command of Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin respectively. Two thousand halberd soldiers and five hundred archers were also added to each of them, making a total of 4,000 people.

"Youping, Gongyi, you will lead the troops to form battle array on both wings. Just defend the left and right flanks of our army. Without my order, you are not allowed to launch an offensive without authorization."

This was the first time Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin led an army to fight independently. They were quite nervous and excited, but they also expressed their absolute obedience to Wang Jing's orders: "I obey your orders!"

Wang Jing then ordered Xun You and Li Ru: "Gongda, Wenyou, each of you will lead half of the strong crossbowmen, and select 3,000 archers from the infantry, and sit in the center of the army with me."

"My lord, rest assured. We will provide cover for the army and undermine the enemy's morale."

Xun You smiled confidently, his eyes calm and deep, obviously he had everything planned out for himself.

It was also Li Ru's first time leading a troop and he wanted to perform well.

When everything was arranged properly, Wang Jing drew his sword and led the troops in front of the battle array, holding up the Hongming sword and shouting: "Yuan Shao is ambitious and the princes are incompetent. The reason why the world is in chaos is that these villains are the root of the trouble! I, Wang Jing, want to create an unprecedented prosperous era, where everyone has clothes to wear and every household has surplus food. Officials can be appointed regardless of their family background and nobility can be conferred regardless of family background!"

"Today, we are not fighting for glory and wealth! We are fighting for our descendants!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The 20,000-strong army shouted in unison, creating a huge wave of sound that swept across the earth like a landslide or tsunami.

Most of them came from the bottom of society, suffered from the bullying of the wealthy families, and experienced all the sufferings in the world.

They have too much anger and too much resentment.

Why!
Children of prominent families are born into a life of luxury and have no worries about food and clothing.

And these poor people ended up with no place to live.

The wealthy and powerful families in various places used all means to exploit the local areas, seize the people's land and property, and engage in large-scale land annexation.

People from aristocratic families have long monopolized official positions and resources through the system of recommendation. They have continuously annexed land, turning the common people into refugees, and now they even want to change the dynasty and monopolize the mandate of heaven!
Why!
Countless roars of unwillingness and angry shouts gathered in front of the two armies, forming a raging wave that was enough to overturn the world's wealthy families.

Just as Wang Jing said, they have awakened their consciousness and are no longer confused, but understand that they have to fight for themselves.

Because of the sacrifices we make, we have great ambitions and dare to exchange the sun and the moon for the blue sky!
(End of this chapter)