My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 623 Two Sides Echoing Each Other
Before long, large contingents of the Zong people poured into the pass from outside. All the Zong soldiers cheered, while the morale of Cao's army plummeted and they began to retreat towards the north city.

The Zong soldiers, of course, showed no mercy, pursuing and chasing after them. They even lit bonfires in their camp to notify their allies in Jiameng Pass at the foot of Niutou Mountain to coordinate their actions.

Zhou Tai and Huo Du's forces had been waiting at Jiameng Pass for quite some time.

Since March, Zhou Tai and Huo Du have had no idea when Wang Ping's troops would arrive, let alone when they would launch their attack.

Therefore, after discussion, the two decided to have a thousand armored soldiers stand guard each night, hidden in the barracks south of the pass. They also placed weapons, armor, bows and crossbows, as well as some simple siege ladders and grappling hooks on large carts. Once they spotted Wang Ping's signal, they could immediately send out the horses and mules, attach them to the carts, and set off to provide immediate support. The remaining soldiers would also have enough time to put on their armor and follow from behind.

The two were somewhat worried because Wang Ping was late in arriving, but the military's handling of the situation remained unchanged.

Tonight, news suddenly came from the South Gate that the bonfire that was supposed to be lit on Niutou Mountain had finally been lit.

Zhou Tai and Huo Du were overjoyed. After a brief discussion, they proceeded with the original plan. Huo Du led his personal guards and a thousand armored soldiers to set off first, leaving the city through the South Gate and heading straight for Tianxiong Pass along the Golden Ox Road.

Jiameng Pass is quite close to Tianxiong Pass, less than five li away. Starting from the south gate, it only takes half an hour to reach the city of Tianxiong Pass, and one will still have good stamina. Then, after putting on armor, one can immediately engage in battle.

**
Wang Ping led a large group of men into the South Gate. He Kui came forward carrying Cao Xian's head, while five or six Ba people warriors behind him each carried several heads, including Lu Kun's head. The others were Cao Xian and Lu Kun's personal guards.

Wang Ping glanced at Cao Xian's mangled head and asked directly, "Is the campfire lit?"

"It's already lit."

He Kui chuckled and offered his head, saying, "General, this is the head of the garrison commander Cao Xian."

Wang Ping glared at the other man and said irritably, "Hurry up and throw it away. The regulations of the Left Army are different from those of the Shu Army in the past. Your head will be credited to you, but capturing the pass is the important thing. Taking Tianxiong Pass is better than a hundred Cao Xians."

He Kui reluctantly shut up. Although he was still a little reluctant, he obediently threw Cao Xian's collection at his feet.

"Open the South Gate Treasury, move all the weapons out, and distribute them."

Wang Ping continued walking towards the pass without stopping, issuing orders as he went: "Improve the rear guard to send the siege ladders and battering rams as quickly as possible."

While Wang Ping and his companions were resting at Jianmen Pass, they made a lot of siege ladders and battering rams, which were tied to mules and horses and transported with the caravan to this place. They are now entering the pass one by one from outside the pass.

"Here!"

He Kui immediately accepted the order and left.

Wang Ping then inquired about the situation inside the pass from the others and learned that Cao's army had launched a counterattack after the city gates fell, but they were no match for the Cong soldiers. The two sides fought fiercely for the time it takes to eat a meal, and more and more Cong soldiers entered the city. Cao's army not only failed to close the city gates, but was also pushed back out.

When the Zong soldiers, under He Kui's command, began to maneuver around the flanks and rear of Cao Cao's army, Cao Cao's army could no longer hold on and began to retreat in disarray. The Zong soldiers pursued them and suffered heavy losses.

When Wang Ping entered the pass, He Kui and others had already made a rough count: more than two hundred Cao army soldiers had been killed or captured, and the remaining Cao army had fled south to the pass. As for the Hanzhong troops, they were even more vulnerable, collapsing after just one pursuit by the Zong soldiers.

There is a distance of about one mile between the South Gate and the North Gate, with various barracks, warehouses, granaries and other buildings scattered in between.

After the battle at Nanguan broke out, Cao Ding's troops at Beiguan received the news and sent troops to provide support. When the Zong soldiers saw that Cao's army had sent reinforcements, and in considerable numbers, they temporarily abandoned their pursuit and retreated.

At this moment, Cao Ding had just woken up and was putting on his clothes as he walked out of the house at the foot of Beiguan City.

"What happened? Why is it so noisy?"

Cao Ding's personal guards chased after him from inside the house and draped a cloak over his shoulders.

Another officer replied, "Reporting to the general, it seems that the South Pass has been attacked. Commandant Han has already led men to its rescue."

"what?"

Cao Ding's face darkened: "How could there be enemies at the South Pass?"

The weather in March was gloomy and cold, especially since it was already night, but the soldier was covered in sweat, partly from anxiety and partly from fear.

"No, I don't know."

The military advisor shook his head with difficulty and replied, "Commander Han will surely have a report later. Please wait a moment, General."

Cao Ding glared angrily at the military advisor, then turned and went back to his room: "Put on your armor!"

After a short while, Cao Ding, having donned his armor, stepped out again.

Cao Ding had a total of four captains. Cao Xian was responsible for guarding the South Pass, while Han Qin was responsible for night watch. After discovering the unusual activity at the South Pass, Han Qin set off first to provide assistance.

The remaining two captains have now arrived and are waiting outside the gate along with the military advisor.

Just as Cao Ding was about to ask about the situation, he saw an officer in iron armor walking hurriedly towards them, escorted by a dozen personal guards.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Han Qin, the captain who had previously gone to rescue Nanguan.

"General, the South Pass has fallen."

The first thing Han Qin said when she arrived was bad news.

After his initial shock, Cao Ding quickly asked, "What about Ah Xian?"

Commandant Han replied with a pained expression, "Commander Cao was ambushed by bandits and has already sacrificed his life for the country."

"What!?"

Cao Ding was heartbroken. Cao Xian was his cousin and his most trusted subordinate. Otherwise, he wouldn't have assigned Cao Xian to the relatively safe Guannan region. But now Cao Xian had died in battle. How could he face his uncle when he returned?

Seeing that Cao Ding still didn't quite believe it, Commandant Han had to add, "General, Commandant Cao has indeed been killed. I saw the bandits hang Commandant Cao's head at the south gate."

"Damn it! How dare this scoundrel insult my brothers! I swear to kill him!"

Cao Ding flew into a rage, and after cursing for a while, he asked with a grim expression, "Where did this gang of thieves come from?"

"Golden Bull Road".

Han Qin immediately replied, "They don't look like Han people, but more like Ba soldiers. I asked the soldiers who came back earlier, and they all said they were Ba people."

"The Ba people?" Cao Ding was greatly surprised. He had considered that Jiange had been lost, and he had also considered that the Hanzhong army had rebelled, but he never thought of the Ba soldiers.

Han Qin hesitated for a moment, but still spoke his mind: "General, this band of Ba soldiers came from the Jinniu Road, I'm afraid they'll reach Jianmen Pass..."

Cao Ding's face turned even uglier; he hadn't expected the news to be even worse than he had anticipated.

"How many people are there on the other side?"

Han Qin replied with a slight hesitation, "There are at least a thousand people. Looking from afar, the city gate is crowded with people, so there must be more people entering the city."

hiss……

Cao Ding and the other two captains and military advisors all gasped in shock.

The military advisor couldn't help but urge, "General, there are still several thousand bandits in Jiameng Pass. If they join forces with the Ba bandits, our troops will be in grave danger. We must deal with them quickly."

Upon being reminded by the military advisor, Cao Ding was startled.

Although we are currently facing enemies on two fronts, the other side is separated from us and we cannot form a cooperative relationship.

But if this drags on, the two bandit armies will naturally be able to make contact, and then I will be in danger.

The area north of the pass is narrow and cannot accommodate many troops. A large portion of the troops are stationed in barracks on the flat ground between the two passes.

Now that the South Pass has fallen, these barracks are no longer safe. When all the soldiers are crammed into the small North Pass, without water or food, how many days can they hold out?
Having thought of this, Cao Ding immediately made a decision.

"Commander Wei!"

A burly man with a full beard immediately responded, "Your humble servant is here!"

"Leave your troops to defend the North Pass. I will give your troops a full thousand men. If any bandits attack Jiameng, you must hold out until I return with my army."

Cao Ding stared at Wei Duwei and said, "The life and death of our army are in your hands, General."

The Wei-surname captain was only a rank of 1,000 shi (a unit of grain), far from deserving the title of general.

Firstly, since the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the title of general had become indiscriminate; not to mention a commandant, even a military officer could be honored as a general. Secondly, at this moment, the commandant surnamed Wei indeed bore a heavy responsibility. It was precisely because he was the most capable warrior under Cao Ding that Cao Ding entrusted him with the important task of guarding the northern pass.

The reason for replenishing the force to a thousand men is that Cao Ding's troops were not at full strength. When Cao Ang attacked Jiameng Pass, Cao Ding's troops suffered the most damage. Now there are only three thousand six hundred men left. On average, each captain has only seven or eight hundred men under his command.

Cao Xian brought a full repertoire of music to the pass, leaving behind only a fragment with a little over two hundred men. Now, Cao Ding directly assigned this music to the Wei commander, replenishing his troops to a thousand men, who were left to guard the northern pass.

The captain surnamed Wei immediately knelt down, raised his head, and declared, "This humble officer will certainly not fail the general's trust."

"it is good!"

Cao Ding was overjoyed and quickly helped the Wei-surnamed captain up. He patted the man's arm and promised, "If we win this battle, you will be the one to make the greatest contribution. I will definitely reward you with a reward of one or two thousand shi of grain."

Upon hearing this, not only Wei, the Commandant, but also Han and the others standing nearby all looked on with envy.

Unlike the Han Dynasty court and minor warlords, the captains of the Yuan, Cao, and Liu families were quite valuable. In particular, the captains of the Cao family were the most valuable.

The reason is quite simple. Firstly, Cao Cao controlled the imperial court, and the captaincy granted by Cao Cao was equivalent to a captaincy personally appointed by the imperial court, so its value was naturally higher.

Secondly, Cao Cao's army had the fewest troops and fewer battles, so opportunities to make merits were fewer, making promotions even more precious. In comparison, Liu Feng now had a large number of lieutenant generals, as well as many deputy generals and detached generals, and even generals with miscellaneous titles. Even though the rank of colonel had not been degraded, he still commanded a force of two thousand men, but his status and honor were indeed inferior to that of Cao Cao's colonel.

The last reason, of course, is that Cao Cao practiced nepotism.

While Cao Cao might have been able to appoint people based on merit in politics, he resolutely practiced nepotism in military affairs. As long as there was one general from the Cao clan in command of the army, military power would not fall into the hands of others.

Currently, even the most trusted and capable generals in Cao Cao's army, such as Yu Jin and Yue Jin, only hold the rank of Lieutenant General, which shows how valuable the Colonel position is in Cao Cao's army.

Commander Wei was overjoyed and immediately declared excitedly, "General, rest assured, as long as we are here, the pass will stand; if the pass falls, we will perish!"

Next, Cao Ding left behind a thousand men under the command of the Wei commander and five hundred instructors to guard the pass, while he led the two other commanders and their assembled two thousand four hundred men to form a battle formation and head towards the South Pass. He wanted to take advantage of Zhou Tai and Huo Du's lack of reaction time to repel the Zong people, recapture the South Pass, and then return to reinforce the North Pass in time.

At this time, Wang Ping was also planning to continue heading towards the North Pass. After waiting for half an hour, the ladders, battering rams and other weapons that followed behind had also entered the South Pass, and the Zong soldiers replenished their drinking water and food on the spot.

Just as Wang Ping was considering whether to let his soldiers rest a little longer or hurry to Beiguan, news came back from the front that Cao Cao's army was gathering.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping burst into laughter.

He had previously hesitated because attacking Beiguan would inevitably cause a lot of casualties, but he never expected that Cao's army would be so sensible as to take the initiative to come out of the pass to cause him trouble. This was truly a great thing.

Wang Ping wasn't simply heartbroken over the deaths and injuries of the Ba soldiers; he was also worried that the heavy casualties would prevent them from completing the mission. The campfires in the southern pass were now lit, and Wang Ping had dispatched over a dozen Ba soldiers to various high points along the route to send messages by waving torches.

Wang Ping knew that the best time for him to strike was when Cao Cao's army was tied down by allied forces such as Zhou Tai and Huo Du at Beiguan. Then he would launch a full-scale attack, targeting the enemy's rear and attacking from both sides with his allies to achieve great things.

The Zong soldiers numbered only about two thousand. If they were exhausted too early, Cao Cao's army could still rely on the defensive advantage of Tianxiong Pass to resist the Left Army of Jiameng Pass, and then send reinforcements from the northern foot of Niutou Mountain.

This was one of the main reasons why Cao Ding decided to take the initiative. In Cao Ding's view, as long as the Zong troops were defeated, the Cao army could focus on defending the north. Therefore, it was worth it even if half of the troops were lost.

Wang Ping immediately ordered the entire army to don their armor and prepare for battle.

Two thousand four against two thousand four, the two sides will fight to the death.

If Cao Jun wins, he can hold Tianxiong Pass. If he holds Tianxiong Pass, he can recapture Jianmen Pass at any time. If he can recapture Jianmen Pass, he can reopen the supply lines and retreat routes for the entire coalition.

The victory of the Zong army goes without saying. With the cooperation of Zhou Tai and Huo Du, Tianxiong Pass will inevitably fall, and Cao Cao's army and even the entire allied forces will be trapped in Shu.

**
From the moment Huo Du left the pass, he ostentatiously lit torches. More than a thousand Left Guard soldiers and two thousand auxiliary soldiers, young and strong, emerged like a fiery serpent from its lair, setting off from the south city of Jiameng Pass, winding their way up towards Tianxiong Pass on the mountainside of Niutou Mountain.

Within the ranks were numerous vehicles, driven by able-bodied soldiers and pulled by mules, horses, and oxen. These vehicles carried various simple siege weapons, armaments, armor, water, sugar, salt, and dry rations.

Huo Du took the lead, guiding his elite armored soldiers swiftly along the Golden Ox Road. In less than half an hour, the northern city wall of Tianxiong Pass was already in sight.

On the gate wall, Cao's soldiers, already clad in armor and armed with weapons, had already climbed the wall. Under the command of the Wei commander, they were drawing their bows and setting up their crossbows, ready for battle.

(End of this chapter)