My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 641 Zhou Bin Stops Cao Chun

"We will live up to General Zuo's expectations!"

Han Yan and the others roared in unison, then turned and left to return to their respective camps to coordinate their operations.

After returning to his headquarters, Zhou Bin immediately led his troops north and established a defensive line on the east bank of the Fu River.

"Archers in the rear, spearmen in the front!"

Zhou Bin rode his horse along the battle line, his iron armor gleaming coldly in the morning light: "Set up a repeating crossbow every three hundred paces. I want Cao Zihe's cavalry to suffer 30% casualties before they even get close to the front!"

The repeating crossbow Zhou Bin mentioned here is not the later Zhuge repeating crossbow, but a medium-to-large crossbow machine similar to a crossbow cart. The arrows used are similar in size to those of a bow and crossbow, but the power is greater, and it can load more than ten arrows at a time to achieve a rapid-fire effect.

The soldiers in the formation cheered loudly in response to Zhou Bin's shouts, while they were busy burying sharpened wooden stakes into the soil that had become soft and damp after the start of spring.

These wooden stakes, pointing diagonally north, were sharpened at the top and two to three meters long, specifically designed to pierce the bellies of horses. Even more insidious, Zhou Bin ordered precious iron caltrops to be scattered in front of the barricades, then covered with loose soil to conceal the existence of these deadly weapons as much as possible.

There were only two hundred of these iron caltrops, which Zhou Bin placed near the main road, since the road conditions there were the best and most suitable for cavalry charges.

The military advisor pointed to the map and said, "General, if Cao Chun comes by the official road, he will surely pass through Laoyapo first. There are hills on both sides of the road there. If we can ambush him with crossbowmen on the hills on both sides, we can take advantage of the high ground when his troops arrive..."

"No need."

Zhou Bin broke off the withered branch in his hand and threw it on the ground: "Cao Zihe is highly praised by the General. He is the most steady and astute in his use of troops. If he sees that the birds on the slope are not flying, he will be alerted. At that time, he will use his cavalry to bypass the slope, which will trap our crossbowmen on the top of the hill and prevent them from going down."

He pointed to the main road at the bend of the Fu River: "Right here, I was going to let him see it clearly, but there's nothing I can do, even if he had wings he couldn't fly over there."

As dust began to rise in the distance, their scouts frantically turned their horses around, issuing various warnings and urging reinforcements. Zhou Bin's defensive line was already as menacing as a beast's fangs.

The first rank consisted of three rows of spearmen, their spears driven deep into the ground at a 45-degree angle; behind them stood two rows of shield bearers, each with three javelins at their waists; at the very back, on the high ground, four hundred large crossbows were poised to fire, with specially made armor-piercing arrows piled up beside the crossbowmen—these arrows were triangular in shape and specifically cast to penetrate iron armor.

**
On the north bank of the Fu River, Zhou Bin's triple defense line stood like an iron wall in front of Cao Chun.

Long spears stood like a forest, their cold light reflecting the sun. Six thousand elite troops deployed along the riverbank, with archers and crossbowmen hidden behind the lines, perfectly illustrating why cavalry should maintain formation and not attack when encountering infantry.

Cao Chun reined in his horse on the high slope, his black armor gleaming coldly in the warm afternoon sun. He squinted, observing the Wu army's formation on the opposite bank, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

"General, what should we do?"

Deputy General Cao Zheng stepped forward and asked.

Cao Chun did not answer, but instead carefully observed Zhou Bin's battle formation.

The distance between here and Li Zheng's troops to the south was less than five li, and the sounds from both sides were so close that they could be heard from each other.

The increasingly intense shouts of battle from the south naturally reached Cao Chun's side without reservation, which explains why the adjutant was so anxious.

This is not only because Li Zheng is their comrade-in-arms, but also because Li Zheng is their support.

If they were to watch Li Zheng perish, they would become an isolated force, while the Left Army would be able to mobilize the forces that had been surrounding and annihilating Li Zheng. At that point, Cao Chun would not only be unable to break through the enemy lines and continue south to rescue Fucheng, but he would also have trouble even protecting himself.

However, the formation set up by Zhou Bin is indeed a headache. If one insists on charging, it is not impossible to break through, but the casualties would probably be so high that it would be despairing.

Under Cao Zheng's anxious gaze, Cao Chun finally spoke.

"Zifu".

Cao Zheng quickly replied, "This humble servant is here!"

Cao Chun ordered, "I will give you two thousand men to go around to the west. Don't worry about the battle here. Just head south and rescue General Li. I will give you a great reward."

"General?"

Cao Zheng was puzzled. Dividing the troops and taking a detour would add ten miles to the journey, and this place was already difficult to break through. If the troops were to be divided again, wouldn't it be even more difficult?

In Cao Zheng's view, the only option was for the entire army to detour and use their mobility advantage to shake off Zhou Bin.

Alternatively, the entire army could participate in the battle to increase the probability of breaking through the enemy's battle formation.

Seeing that Cao Zheng didn't respond, Cao Chun's face darkened.

However, Cao Chun, though outwardly cold, was inwardly warm and had a calm and tolerant nature. He did not blame Cao Zheng for this, but instead explained to him, "Zifu, a general should have a broad perspective and not be confined to one place. If our entire army were to detour, Zhou Bin's troops would also be freed. They could either join the siege of General Li or calmly head south to set up a new defensive line in the east."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zheng suddenly realized what was going on.

Cao Chun continued to advise, "Dividing half of the troops to go south of Runan is a two-pronged approach. Although Zhou Bin is cautious, he has made a mistake in the geography."

“Look at that riverbank.”

Cao Chun pointed to Zhou Binjun's left flank, where there was a blank area of ​​over a hundred meters, which was a river beach.

“Zhou Bin is a southerner and does not know the geography of the north. The riverbed here may seem to be covered with silt, but the silt is only on the surface, while the soil underneath is solid. Although it is more difficult for cavalry to travel through it, it is not impossible.”

It turns out that Cao Chun had already discovered this when he crossed the Fu River earlier.

The mudflats along the Fu River are all silted up on top and firm underneath. When cavalrymen stepped on them, their hooves would sink a centimeter into the silt, but below that was hard soil and rock, enough for warhorses to gallop.

Running on such terrain, although it consumes more physical strength, is a world of difference compared to the south where one often gets stuck in the mud and cannot extricate oneself.

“This mudflat is not large. Our army has four thousand elite cavalry. If we all pass through here, we will inevitably encounter a counterattack from Zhou Bin. Therefore, I will divide your forces into half and go south to bypass the mudflat. This will kill two birds with one stone.”

After Cao Chun finished explaining, Cao Zheng and the generals and officers beside him, including Yang Zhen, were all shocked and impressed, and couldn't help but want to say a few words of praise.

Cao Chun raised his hand to stop him, and then lightly tapped a few places with his whip: "Look, the left army's crossbow fortifications are all set up on high ground, covering the middle of the road, but there are blind spots where the reeds grow on both sides. They obviously think that our army cannot pass through here."

Cao Zheng and the other generals were all full of admiration.

Then, Cao Zheng accepted the order and sent half of his elite cavalry to follow him eastward, clearly intending to take a detour.

Zhou Bin stood on high ground in the formation and saw Cao Zheng leading his troops away, his brows furrowing slightly.

This situation of Cao Cao's army splitting up was the last thing he wanted to see.

However, since the enemy had already divided their forces, he could only respond by reacting to their moves.

"Let Jiao Lei's troops move south and deploy in the east."

Zhou Bin said coldly, "Quickly send a message to General He, informing him that Cao Cao's army has divided its forces and is heading south, numbering about two thousand. I have already dispatched Jiao Lei's troops of a thousand men to the south to ambush the enemy. This is to inform him that you should make preparations as soon as possible."

**
After Cao Chun assigned half of his elite cavalry to Cao Zheng to lead south, he also began to assign tasks.

Cao Chun divided his two thousand cavalrymen into four teams.

The first team consisted of six hundred men, who lined up in formation at the very front.

The second unit also consisted of over a thousand men, the most elite cavalry, including two hundred heavily armored cavalry and one hundred of Cao Chun's personal guards. They were positioned in a marching formation behind the center of the first cavalry unit.

The third group consisted of four hundred men, who lined up separately on the main road.

"Shi Bao, I want you to launch an attack from the low ground on the right side of the main road. I don't care how many casualties you suffer, you must disrupt the enemy's formation. If you force Zhou Bin to call for reinforcements, he will be rewarded. If you fail, you will be executed without mercy."

Cao Chun finally gave the order, and the person he appointed was Shi Bao, who was Qu Junhou, the commander of the third team.

Shi Bao immediately responded: "General, rest assured, if we fail to break through the enemy lines, I will slit my own throat and bring you my head!"

"it is good!"

Cao Chun gave a word of praise and nodded, "Go!" Shi Bao was delighted to receive Cao Chun's praise and immediately turned and rode away.

Reinforcements arrived as quickly as possible, and Cao Cao's army did not delay for long before taking action.

"Cao Zihe, hehe..."

Zhou Bin saw that Shi Bao's cavalry had begun their operation, their target clearly being an attack on their own defensive line. He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. In such a short time, they had identified the weakness in his own lines; truly worthy of being a renowned general of the Cao clan.

However, the so-called weaknesses are relative to other aspects, and are not truly insurmountable.

**
On the east bank of the Fu River, a great earthquake trembled.

Shi Bao led four hundred elite cavalrymen, rolling across the plains like black liquid.

Opposite them, Zhou Bin's infantry formation was already in full battle array—the first three ranks of spears stood like a forest, their butts touching the ground and their tips pointing diagonally forward, forming a formidable wall of thorns; behind them, archers drew their bows, ready to fire, the cold arrowheads gleaming with a deathly luster in the sunlight.

"Raise your shield—"

Fang Hong, a military officer under Zhou Bin, shouted loudly.

The shield bearers of the Left Guard suddenly crouched down, their large shields plunging diagonally into the ground to form an iron wall. Spears thrust out from between the shields, and the soldiers in the rear rows braced their spears on the shoulders of the front ranks, layer upon layer, like steel hedgehogs.

The archers were hidden in the formation, waiting for the enemy to enter their range before unleashing a hail of arrows.

Shi Bao's eyes were ferocious, and his horse's speed increased instead of decreasing.

"Disperse!"

At a command, the Cao family's elite cavalry, which had been charging in close formation, suddenly dispersed, transforming into several arrows that cut towards the left-wing army's lines from different angles.

"Fire arrows!"

Fang Hong brandished his sword and gave the order.

Om-!
Hundreds of crossbow bolts pierced the air like dark clouds pressing down. However, Cao Cao's cavalry had already changed formation. The vanguard light cavalry suddenly reined in their horses to slow down, while the rearguard accelerated forward. Most of the arrows missed their mark, and only a few warhorses neighed and fell.

"Second round, release!"

The archers fired rapidly, arrows flying like locusts, but Shi Bao's cavalry moved erratically like ghosts, never giving the Zuo Mu army a stable opportunity to aim.

Fifty steps —

"Prepare the gun formation!" Zhou Bin roared.

The spearmen held their breath, slightly raising their spear tips, ready to pierce through the cavalry as they charged into the forest of spears.

However, Shi Bao's lips curled up slightly.

"Throw!"

Suddenly, Cao's cavalry vanguard drew short spears from the side pockets of their saddles and threw them with all their might, taking advantage of the momentum of their horses.

The Cao family's elite cavalry in the rear drew their bows and fired indiscriminately into the sky, hurling a rain of arrows into the left flank of the army and splashing them onto the heads of the archers who were firing.

Amidst screams of agony, dozens of archers fell to the ground, some with one or two arrows, others with five or six, embedded in their bodies.

Whoosh whoosh!
At the same time, dozens of short spears from the vanguard rained down on the left-wing spear formation. These spears were not fired in a straight line, but rather in a high arc, soaring over the shields of the front ranks and embedding themselves firmly in the long spearmen of the rear ranks.

"what--!"

Screams erupted as the archers and spearmen of the Left Guard Army suffered wounds, causing their formation to falter.

Thirty steps —

Shi Bao pointed his long spear forward: "Charge!"

Cao's elite cavalry suddenly accelerated and turned, their warhorses neighing and their iron hooves thundering.

The cavalry at the front did not charge straight into the spear formation, but instead suddenly turned their horses around and cut diagonally towards it.

"what?!"

Fang Hong's pupils suddenly contracted.

Long spear formations are most vulnerable to flanking attacks, and just now, this particular spear formation was severely damaged by Cao Cao's javelins, resulting in a hail of spears.
"Raise your guns! Raise them now!"

But just as Fang Hong gave the order, Shi Bao's real killing move was about to be unleashed—

"Break the formation!"

Shi Bao's cavalry suddenly formed two groups: one group charged with shields, directly confronting the scattered spear formation; the other group cut in from the flank, sweeping with long spears to cut through the disorganized square formation of spears.

"boom--!"

Warhorses charged into the spear formation, shield bearers were sent flying by the force, and the crisp sound of shattering spears echoed everywhere. Cao's elite cavalry cut through the spear formation like hot knives slicing through oil!
"Crossbowmen, retreat! Armored soldiers, advance!"

Fang Hong gave stern commands, but the formation was already in disarray.

Shi Bao took the lead, his long spear flashing, and killed three soldiers of the Left Guard in succession before heading straight for Commander Qu Junhou Fang Hong.

"Stop him!"

Fang Hong's personal guards rushed forward desperately, but Cao's elite cavalry had already poured into the gap like a flood, their iron hooves trampling and their long spears sweeping across. Fang Hong's line of troops was retreating step by step. Although they still managed to hold on and not collapse, it was clear that defeat was inevitable.

Zhou Bin observed from afar, his face grim. After hesitating for a moment, he finally ordered, "Where is Wan Han?"

"The humble position is here!"

A burly man from Jingchu stepped forward and clasped his hands in response.

Zhou Bin ordered, "Quickly lead your troops to reinforce Fang Hong and drive Cao's elite cavalry out of the formation."

Wan Han immediately obeyed the order, turned around, picked up his broadsword, gave a shout, and led his hundreds of elite soldiers to rush towards Fang Hong's position.

On the opposite side of Cao's army lines, Cao Chun saw the movements of Wan Han's troops. Although he couldn't see the specifics clearly, he could clearly see the movement of his troops.

Cao Chun's lips curled into a smile; Zhou Bin had fallen into his trap.

Next, Cao Chun ordered a squad to advance and provide cavalry cover to support Shi Bao's main force.

The next moment, the drums and gongs of Cao's army resounded, and the first troop of more than 600 cavalrymen charged forward.

Seeing Cao's army swarming forward, Zhou Bin's army, from Zhou Bin himself down to his soldiers, all thought that Cao's army was about to launch a general attack and that they should take the opportunity to break through the enemy's lines.

Cao Jun charged forward and backward, unleashing a barrage of arrows as they charged back and forth, raining down arrows upon Zhou Bin's army.

Although Zhou Binjun tried his best to resist, he could only parry and had no power to fight back for the time being.

Seeing Zhou Binjun being suppressed and the reserve forces being mobilized repeatedly, Cao Chun realized that the time had come.

He immediately reined in his horse and shouted, "Gentlemen, the enemy's formation is in disarray. This is the perfect opportunity for my troops to rush to Li Zhenwei's aid. Follow me!"

(End of this chapter)