Chapter 182 I Touched Prime Minister Cao's Butt
Outside the city of Chenliu, Cao Cao's army found a place that was easy to defend but difficult to attack, set up camp, and prepared for battle.

Soon, a large amount of food, weapons and other war supplies were shipped out of the city, which made Cao Cao, who was living a tight life, breathe a sigh of relief.

He recruited a lot of local militiamen in his hometown of Xuchang and also conducted some military training. Together with the death squads and private soldiers of his own clan, his combat effectiveness was much stronger than that of the Yellow Turban Army.

However, the gap in weapons and equipment was still large, and it was impossible to fill the huge gap in military strength with the Yellow Turban Army. Therefore, Cao Cao had to seek funding from local families and wealthy families in Yanzhou.

However, Chenliu is the most important city in Yuzhou, where wealthy people and aristocratic families gather together, and the thing it has the most is rich people.

One of the two parties had money and the other had soldiers, so they hit it off immediately and have been working together and relying on each other today.

Chen Gong personally led people to deliver food and weapons, and then walked into Cao Cao's camp with vigorous steps. He laughed loudly and reported the good news to Cao Cao: "Meng De, congratulations, our great cause will be accomplished, and we are just one step away."

When Cao Cao saw Chen Gong, he was also delighted and asked anxiously, "Has Liu Gongshan left the city?"

Chen Gong nodded with a smile: "Yes, according to the time calculation, Liu Gongshan should have led his troops to the outskirts of Dongping City by now. I believe that in a few days, we will receive news that this relative of the Han Dynasty has gloriously died for his country."

After hearing this, Cao Cao squeezed out a few crocodile tears and said hypocritically: "Alas, the governor died for his country. Such loyalty is really a role model for our generation."

"Well, if Liu Gongshan knew what you said, he would be so angry that he would crawl out of the ground and come to you to settle the score."

Chen Gong waved his hand to interrupt Cao Cao's sarcastic remarks and instead started talking about business, discussing with Cao Cao the route of advance and the specific deployment of troops.

Although Liu Dai's death was secretly arranged by Chen Gong, the threat from the Yellow Turban Army was real. It was useless to rely on conspiracies and tricks to deal with the millions of Yellow Turbans. Only a real fight with them could finally decide the ownership of Yanzhou.

This destined battle was what Chen Gong called the "key step" and "final step" to replace Liu Dai.

If you can win, then you’re done.

If we can’t win, then all our efforts will be in vain.

Cao Cao also knew that this battle would not be easy, but if he did not want to make things difficult for others, the only way was to win.

Cao Cao's expression quickly turned serious, and he began to ask Chen Gong about the enemy's strength: "Gongtai, how strong is the Yellow Turban Army?"

Chen Gong did not hide anything and told him the intelligence he had gathered: "The Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou is a loose group. There is no particularly powerful leader. Most of them are unorganized refugees and bandits. Although they are numerous, they are not a cause for concern. The only one to worry about is the Yellow Turban Army in Black Mountain led by Yu Du, Bai Rao, and Sui Gu."

If the Yellow Turban Army of Qingzhou was a group of scattered soldiers lacking a leader, then the Yellow Turban Army of Black Mountain led by Yu Du and others was an iron fist with cohesion and a truly deadly threat.

Chen Gong said with emotion: "Liu Gongshan is a complete idiot. He is married to both Yuan Benchu ​​and Gongsun Bogui. He could have easily defended the city and waited for foreign aid. However, he had no self-awareness and went out of the city to fight to the death with the Yellow Turban Army, which was in full swing."

Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan are both Liu Dai's relatives, and they have a good relationship with Liu Dai. Therefore, if something really happens in Yanzhou, these two will definitely be willing to lend a hand and infiltrate their power into Yanzhou.

But no matter what, as long as Liu Dai holds on to the city, he can rest assured.

However, Liu Dai first ruled out all the correct options and then chose the stupidest one.

…………

Heavy troops were gathered inside Hulao Pass.

Twelve thousand Hedong soldiers, twenty thousand government soldiers, three thousand Bingzhou armored soldiers, three thousand Feiyu archers from the Sheshengying Camp, and two thousand heavily armored cavalry from the Tunqiying Camp, a total of 40,000 infantry and cavalry, headed straight for Chenliu.

The army is so sharp that no one in the world can match it!
In the Northern Army camp, Chen Ze looked up at the ancient pass in front of him, and was shocked: "Is this the world-famous Hulao Pass? It is indeed majestic, magnificent, towering and steep."

Thanks to his military merit in capturing Webin alive, he has been promoted to the position of garrison commander, commanding a 100-man team of palace soldiers.

"Hey, Lao Zhou."

Chen Ze turned his head and asked a strong man with a big beard and a dark face beside him, "Do you think we can win this battle?"

"Hmph, don't call me Old Zhou, I'm not old."

The sturdy man's face was dark to begin with, and after hearing what Chen Ze said, his face became even darker than a clay pot: "You can call me by my full name Zhou Cang, or my courtesy name Yuanfu, but not Lao Zhou. If you keep calling me that, I'll be angry with you!"

After saying this, Zhou Cang's eyes widened and he stared at Chen Ze ferociously.

However, Chen Ze was very perfunctory: "Okay, Lao Zhou, got it, Lao Zhou, no problem, Lao Zhou."

The repeated "Old Zhou" made Zhou Cang's eyebrows jump: "You didn't hear what I just said clearly, did you? I'm only twenty-seven this year, not old at all!"

"But you look like you're thirty-seven..."

Chen Ze looked at Zhou Cang in surprise: "Did you lie about your age?"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll twist your head off!"

Zhou Cang was so angry that his teeth were itching. The skinny young man in front of him was so hateful. Every word he said was heartbreaking, which made him so angry that he was fuming.

Chen Ze was quiet for a while, but didn't let Zhou Cang stay quiet for long, as he started asking questions again.

"Hey, Lao Zhou, I heard that you were a member of the Yellow Turban Army. I heard that you might have to fight against the Yellow Turban Army when you go to Chenliu this time. Can you do it?"

Chen Ze looked curious. As a hunter in the mountains, he had no discrimination against the Yellow Turban Army.

Zhou Cang replied with a stern face: "Why can't I do it? I joined the Yellow Turban Army because I couldn't get enough food. Later, General Di Gong died in battle. We didn't have much friendship to begin with, so we went our separate ways. When we meet again, we will serve different masters and fight to the death."

It is obvious that Zhou Cang, who was born in Hedong, was a down-to-earth man who knew very well that one had to work hard for whoever he fed.

In Zhou Cang's eyes, Wang Jing was obviously a wise leader with great potential. It was not shameful to follow him and there was hope for the future.

Zhou Cang's family was in Dayang County, Hedong. After Wang Jing wiped out the Baibo Army, he hid in the mountains. Later, he took the initiative to go to the Hedong camp to surrender and successfully joined the Northern Army.

He was of great stature and had natural strength, so he was quickly appreciated by Wang Ling, who wrote a letter to recommend him to Wang Jing.

Wang Jing was well-versed in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and was no stranger to Zhou Cang. After some consideration, he appointed him as the head of a garrison and arranged him under Zhou Tai to be responsible for commanding a hundred palace soldiers. As a result, Zhou Cang became familiar with Chen Ze.

The two of them got along well. The only thing that made Zhou Cang unhappy was that Chen Ze liked to call him Lao Zhou.

I, Zhou Cang, was given the courtesy name Yuanfu by Marquis Qi himself. I am only twenty-seven years old this year, not old at all!
As the two were chatting, suddenly the sound of powerful war drums rang out in the military camp.

"gather!"

"It's General Jianzhong!"

"You are gathering us now. Are we going to fight?"

The soldiers around Chen Ze and Zhou Cang all showed excited and nervous expressions.

I am excited because I can finally step onto the battlefield. As long as I make contributions, I can change my destiny.

The reason for their anxiety was that they were just farmers and untouchables at the bottom of society. They had never witnessed the cruelty of the battlefield and their hearts were still filled with fear of the unknown and death.

Soon, they gathered in the parade ground according to military orders, and 20,000 people were arranged into square formations.

Standing in front of them was Zhou Tai, who had just been promoted to General of Jianzhong.

Chen Ze and Zhou Cang had both received training from Zhou Tai, so they recognized Zhou Tai's identity.

Then they saw other friendly troops. In addition to the 20,000 palace soldiers, there were 12,000 regular troops from the Hedong camp, as well as the Bingzhou armored soldiers and heavy armored cavalry, the ace troops of the Northern Army, standing in the open and flat field.

Especially the Bingzhou soldiers, who were dressed in majestic cold iron armor, and had luxurious weapons and equipment such as halberds, swords, bows and crossbows. Chen Ze and Zhou Cang were so envious that they almost drooled.

Because of the military regulations, neither of them dared to whisper, but their eyes were blazing with fire, and they secretly made up their minds that they must become ace in the future!

For the soldiers of the government, accumulating military merits and becoming a member of the ace troops is the ultimate dream in life.

Although the soldiers could be allocated a quota of land for farming, these lands belonged to the military government and private transactions were not allowed, and they could only grow food.

Therefore, you can only maintain a basic standard of living at best, but if you really want to make money and live a better life, you will need a lot of money.

And the ace troops like the Bingzhou Armored Soldiers have very generous salaries and the right to priority distribution of spoils. As long as they win the battle, they can make a lot of money!
It’s much more promising than farming!

In order to prevent the Fubing system from deteriorating too quickly, Wang Jing opened up a promotion channel. It was also because of this that many Fubing soldiers like Chen Ze and Zhou Cang, who were unwilling to be mediocre, had hope in their hearts and became more motivated, eager to make military achievements and stand out. "General Wei is here!"

Another call of the name was made, and then Wang Jing, wearing golden-scaled fish armor, appeared on the stage.

He was accompanied by two counselors, Xun You and Guo Jia. Xi Zhicai was left in Luoyang to assist Jia Xu in stabilizing the rear and allocating food and other logistical matters.

Guo Jia stood behind Wang Jing, his eyes swept over the high-spirited soldiers below the stage, and was immediately shocked: "Twenty thousand soldiers, who have been assembled and trained for only half a year, have such high morale. It's incredible."

Xun You smiled and explained to Guo Jia: "Feng Xiao, don't be surprised. The lord combined the farming and warfare system of the pre-Qin Dynasty and established the military farming system and the military garrison system, giving people at the bottom the opportunity to climb up. With the advantage of the situation, why worry about the soldiers not being willing to fight for their lives?"

Guo Jia thought about it and realized that it was true. He said with emotion: "Only talents are promoted and military merits are rewarded. Why worry about the unrest in the world?"

On the stage, Wang Jing was in high spirits and majestic, mobilizing for war: "Zhang Miao, the governor of Chenliu, has disrespected the imperial power and disobeyed orders. A few months ago, he took advantage of our army's suppression of rebellion in the country and brazenly sent troops to attack Hulao Pass. This is a heinous crime that cannot be forgiven. Today, I, Wang Jing, will lead my troops to suppress him and swear to destroy him in one battle! Do you dare to fight?"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

First, the Bingzhou soldiers and heavily armored cavalry responded with angry shouts that shook the sky.

Afterwards, 12,000 Hedong soldiers and 20,000 palace soldiers were also inspired and aroused the fighting spirit in their hearts. With everyone united as one, their roars shook the sky!
"Under my command, we will recruit people based on their talent, regardless of their family background or origin! If you want to be a marquis or a general, you can just pick up a three-foot sword and perform unprecedented feats!"

The soldiers were inspired and looked excited.

The palace soldiers want to join the regular soldiers, and the regular soldiers want to become ace soldiers.

The elites of the ace troops also yearn to be granted titles and become generals, complete the class transition, and become the new nobles of the imperial dynasty.

Wang Jing's words gave them ambition and hope to change their destiny.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The soldiers' shouts, at the top of their lungs, were like wildfire, burning the clouds in the sky red and staining the sky with blood.

The famous general Qi Jiguang once said that in a cold weapon war, if ten out of a hundred people dare to fight, the army is qualified. If twenty people dare to fight, victory can be achieved. If fifty people dare to fight, the army will be invincible!
And under Wang Jing's encouragement and motivation, the army before them has become invincible.

Even though it was a competition among masters, among the people Wang Jing brought this time, there were also peerless warriors such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xu Huang, Yan Xing, and Zhou Tai.

Although the world is vast, who can compete with us?
After the mobilization was completed, the army set out immediately.

Wang Jing appointed Xun You as military advisor and had him and Xu Huang command the central army. He also asked Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to lead a separate army, with Yang Xiu and Guo Jia as their advisers respectively, to encircle the enemy's rear.

Finally, Wang Jing personally served as the vanguard, with Yan Xing as his deputy general, to lead the way.

Forty thousand troops rushed to the battlefield in a mighty force, heading eastward, and attacked in the direction of Yuzhou in a coordinated manner.

Using such a powerful lineup to attack Zhang Miao is like an overkill.

But when a lion fights a rabbit, it will do its best.

The war to capture northern Henan could not afford to fail, so Wang Jing spared no expense in spending countless money and military forces to attack Chenliu with such an overwhelming force.

There were only 5,000 garrison troops stationed in Suanzao County.

The general leading the troops was just Sima Zhao Chong under Zhang Miao.

"Report, a large group of cavalry was spotted three miles outside the city!"

Zhao Chong was shocked when he heard this, and then he became furious: "Why didn't you find out in advance?"

The scout who ran back to report the news was also helpless: "The enemy is all cavalry, and none of the scouts we sent out to investigate have returned yet."

"A bunch of trash!"

Zhao Chong was so angry that he cursed loudly, but now the enemy was at the gates of the city, and no matter how angry he was, it would be useless. He quickly gave orders, "Close the city gates, light the signal smoke, and quickly send people to Chenliu for help!"

"As ordered!"

Afterwards, Zhao Chong led hundreds of personal guards and personally climbed up the city wall to check the situation.

Three miles of land was just a matter of moments for the cavalry. Wang Jing's two thousand cavalrymen quickly arrived outside the city and faced the defenders on the city wall from a distance.

Originally, Zhao Chong still had a bit of unrealistic expectations in his heart, thinking that those who came to cause trouble for him might be a group of Huns wandering in the Central Plains, or the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans coming from the north.

However, when he saw the red and black battle flags fluttering outside the city, Zhao Chong's mood finally fell to the bottom in an instant.

It’s just because the enemy coming this time is a stronger enemy than ever before.

Heavy armored cavalry!

Qi Hou Wang Jing!

The heavily armored cavalry of the Tunqiying swept across the battlefield and established their reputation as early as the Battle of Hedong.

Qi Hou Wang Jing was a powerful figure who could take the heads of enemy generals in the midst of thousands of troops, and he had a horrifying record of killing Dong Zhuo head-on.

How could Zhao Chong not be shocked and terrified by such powerful fighting ability?
Therefore, Zhao Chong has already cursed all eight generations of ancestors of his immediate superior Zhang Miao in his heart. Why do you have to tease Wang Jing for no reason?
He also sent troops to attack Hulao Pass, but they didn't even touch the wall of Hulao Pass before their great general Bao Xin was killed on the way, which enabled Guan Yu to achieve the feat of defeating 30,000 troops with only 200 men.

It's such a shame that a great General Po Lu was killed like a chicken!
Now Wang Jing is here to settle the score under the banner of revenge. Who can stop him?
A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

Clearly, there were only two thousand enemy troops outside the city, but the defenders inside the city were huddled behind the city walls, trembling in fear. They had no intention of even fighting back and only hoped that reinforcements would arrive quickly so that they could force back the powerful enemy before them.

Just because the opponent is Wang Jing!

The imperial dynasty’s mighty general, Marquis Qi Wang Jing!
This reputation was not gained through boasting like those famous Confucian scholars, but was gained through the blood and corpses of countless enemies.

The enemies standing in front of Wang Jing, no matter they were the Huns, the fierce army under Dong Zhuo, or the so-called coalition of princes led by the two Yuans, all had grass three feet high on their graves.

Win every battle, never lose!
With such a record, who would dare to stand in front of Wang Jing?
Outside Suanzao City, Yan Xing saw at a glance that the morale of the defenders in the city had dropped to the point where they could not withstand a single blow. He immediately volunteered to Wang Jing: "My lord, the defenders have no fighting spirit and the generals have no desire to fight. Just let me lead 500 brave soldiers and we will surely be able to take the city gate in one battle."

Wang Jing smiled and shook his head, saying, "Yan Ming, please be patient. If you want to achieve military merit, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. There is no need to rush."

The combat power of heavily armored cavalry is naturally strong, but it is cavalry after all. The cost of training and maintenance is dozens of times that of ordinary infantry. Therefore, even with heavy armor protection, they will inevitably suffer heavy losses if they dismount and attack the city. There is no need for this at the moment.

He only needs to lead his men to circle the city and shoot arrows, constantly undermining the morale of the defenders and crushing their spirit and fighting spirit. When the subsequent main force arrives, Suanzao County will inevitably not be able to withstand the pressure, and it is even likely to open the city and surrender.

Why rush to attack the city and sacrifice the ace troops like the armored heavy cavalry?
In Wang Jing's opinion, it is enough to keep exerting pressure on the enemy defenders for now. Even if Cao Cao knows that someone is attacking him, it will be too late for him to rescue him. Otherwise, once he retreats, he will be hunted down by the Yellow Turban Army and die without a burial place.

Having made up his mind, Wang Jing immediately ordered Yan Xing: "Yan Ming, I order you to lead 500 cavalrymen to go around the city and keep shooting arrows to create panic."

"Yes!"

Although his suggestion was not adopted, Yan Xing still carried out Wang Jing's order immediately without any compromise.

"Bring me my Overlord Bow!"

Five hundred steps outside the city, Wang Jing found a high slope, dismounted from his horse, stood on it, and looked out into the wind.

Wang Jing half-squinted his eyes, aimed at the direction of the city gate, casually took out a heavy black iron arrow, and pulled the string with his fingers, and the bow was like a full moon.

Boom~
The moment he let go, the air vibrated, a sharp sound was heard, and the arrow turned into a stream of light and shot away.

Three hundred feet away, the Yamen flag behind the defending general Zhao Chong fell down, and the flagpole as thick as a bowl exploded into wood chips and scattered all over the ground.

"The flag has fallen!"

"Protect Sima!"

The flagpole weighing thousands of pounds was falling towards Zhao Chong, and was about to crush him to death on the spot. At this moment, a burly and fierce warrior stood up.

He was able to hold the flagpole, which no one could lift, firmly with one hand, and even lifted it up and put it upright again.

(End of this chapter)