My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 642 Zihe breaks the siege
Cao Chun shouted loudly, and all of Cao's elite cavalry responded in unison.

The main force of Cao Cao's army, which had been lying in wait, began to rush forward.

However, this main force of elite cavalry, which had the largest number of troops and the strongest combat power, was not deployed to any battlefield on the front line, but instead sped towards the Fushui River beach.

Zhou Bin was initially surprised, then delighted, but also filled with deep doubt and confusion. He looked around and asked, "Has Cao Zihe gone mad? Why would he throw himself into such a deadly situation?"

In Zhou Bin's view, the riverbed was covered with silt, and once the warhorses entered, their hooves would sink deep into it, losing speed and immediately becoming easy targets for Zhou Bin's troops.

Isn't that just throwing yourself into a deadly situation?
But Zhou Bin also felt puzzled. Cao Chun was a famous general in Cao's army and had always been favored and relied upon by the general. How could he be such a fool?
With the situation so critical, Zhou Bin couldn't afford to worry about much else. Besides, he had exhausted all his reserves. Cao Zheng had already taken a thousand of his men with him when he split his forces to bypass the enemy lines. Now that Fang Hong was in danger, Wan Han's reinforcements of several hundred men were Zhou Bin's last remaining mobile force. At the moment, the only men he could mobilize were the hundred personal guards protecting him.

However, despite the tense situation, it does not mean that Zhou Bin's troops are about to collapse.

Fang Hong is in danger, but Wan Han has already gone to reinforce him, so Cao's army will definitely not be able to break through.

As for the main force behind Cao Cao's army, it seems to be a fresh and elite force. However, once they are engaged in battle, it would mean that Zhou Bin's other troops would be freed up. At that time, Zhou Bin would be able to freely transfer troops from the stable front to reinforce the dangerous front.

Therefore, if Cao Chun truly threw himself into a death trap, then he would have done Zhou Bin a great favor.

At that time, not only would Cao Jun not be able to break through his lines, but Zhou Bin even had the idea of ​​turning the tables and inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.

Soon after receiving reinforcements from Wan Han, Fang Hong immediately stabilized his position and then concentrated his archers to launch a counterattack, preventing Cao Cao's elite cavalry from advancing and attacking freely.

Shi Bao didn't insist. After seeing Wan Han arrive to reinforce, he began to slowly retreat. However, he did so very discreetly, and with the mobility advantage of his cavalry, he successfully deceived the Zhou army officers.

"not good!"

Zhou Bin's expression suddenly changed drastically. His face, which had just been relieved that the battle lines had been stabilized again, was now filled with shock. He exclaimed, "How could this be?!"

It turned out that after Cao Chun rushed into the riverbank area, there was no sign of his horse stumbling. His cavalry followed closely behind him, heading south along the riverbank. They successfully bypassed Zhou Bin's battle line and appeared to the northwest of Li Zheng and the Yue army besieging Li Zheng's troops at He Qishan.

Zhou Bin felt a sudden, buzzing sensation in his head.

He had previously assured He Qi that he could stop Cao Cao's reinforcements, but now, in just half an hour, he had allowed more than a thousand of Cao Cao's soldiers to march south.

But now there are no soldiers left to deploy, and even if he were to risk his life, he could not stop Cao Cao's elite cavalry from advancing south.

Zhou Bin was overwhelmed with shame and indignation, and wished he could commit suicide on the spot.

Although the situation was dire, if he were to commit suicide, the Zhou army's formation might collapse on the spot. At that time, if Cao's elite cavalry were to drive them from behind, the fleeing soldiers would likely cause further damage to the troops under General He Qi's command.

Zhou Bin bit his tongue, forcing himself to calm down. Instead of acting rashly, he moved his general's flag forward into the battle formation to prevent Cao's elite cavalry from beheading him.

At the same time, Zhou Bin also ordered a messenger to rush south to inform He Qi of this dire situation, and then left himself to He Qi's judgment.

**
Meanwhile, the bloody battle in the northern suburbs of Fucheng had reached a fever pitch.

He Qi stood atop the chariot, watching the Yue army surge towards Li Zheng's army formation like a tidal wave.

Hong Jin's elite armored soldiers, their bodies riddled with enemy arrows, still roared and charged forward.

Some of Li Zheng's officers had their intestines spilling out, but he simply stuffed them back in, tied them up haphazardly with cloth, and continued fighting.

The battle has reached a stalemate, with both sides going all out. One side is holding out for reinforcements, while the other is determined to wipe out the enemy.

Li Zheng's command flag was already tilting and about to fall, but it was still firmly nailed to the center of the formation.

Li Zheng himself was covered in blood, his left arm hanging limply, with a deep wound on his arm that reached the bone, clearly caused by a strongman striking him with a sharp axe.

However, he couldn't care less about that at the moment and kept issuing orders and directing the troops.

The elite cavalry in the formation had already engaged in repeated clashes and averted several crises, but the cost had been extremely heavy, leaving only seventy or eighty men, almost all of whom were wounded. Moreover, while men could grit their teeth and persevere, their warhorses could not. Many horses were nearly exhausted and would likely collapse during the next charge.

Li Zheng's face was ashen. The circular formation of his troops had shrunk by more than half from its initial size, and the number of dead and wounded soldiers had exceeded two thousand. Not to mention those with minor injuries who did not leave the front line, many seriously wounded soldiers gritted their teeth and fought on. Only those who were truly unable to move were placed in the formation.

Li Zheng knew that his troops had done their best, but unfortunately they were outnumbered.

The enemy launched repeated attacks with more than twice the number of troops, disregarding human lives. Moreover, there were no natural defenses on this plain, and both sides were practically exchanging lives.

Even though Li Zheng's troops were on the defensive, they suffered heavy losses. Li Zheng estimated that if reinforcements did not arrive within fifteen minutes, his own battle formation would likely not be able to hold out any longer.

While Li Zheng was on the verge of despair, He Qi saw the dawn of victory.

He Qi's strategy was quite successful: a three-pronged attack with fresh troops positioned in the safest locations, allowing for a full-scale assault.

In just half an hour, Cao's army under Li Zheng had been driven into a desperate situation.

Although He Qishan's Vietnamese troops also suffered heavy casualties, with more than 3,000 killed or wounded, it was all worthwhile.

If Li Zheng can be annihilated at the gates of Fucheng, it will be a crucial victory. Not only will it cripple the Fucheng defenders, but it will also reduce their defensive strength by more than half. With Li Zheng's forces wiped out, even if Cao Chun and Cao Xiu's reinforcements don't withdraw, they will lose the opportunity to rescue Fucheng. At that point, the Left Guard Army could even easily capture Fucheng right under the noses of Cao Chun's reinforcements.

Just as He Qi was enjoying his victory, a piece of bad news came.

"Report! Urgent message from General Zhou!"

The messenger stumbled in, his face pale and filled with fear, and reported: "Cao Chun has bypassed General Zhou's defenses by navigating the mudflats. He is now three miles northwest of our army and is flanking our flank."

"What!?"

He Qi was deeply shocked.

Three li is a considerable distance for infantry, but for cavalry, it would probably be covered in less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

A promising situation can vanish in an instant.

Now, He Qi's Yue army has become the one in a passive position.

Cao Chun's location was far too dangerous, directly threatening the rear of Han Yan, Yuan Yu, and Hong Jin's forces. He Qi couldn't even imagine the scene if Cao's elite cavalry suddenly appeared behind them and charged into the three forces that were launching a fierce attack on Li Zheng's position. "Quickly inform Generals Han Yan, Yuan Yu, and Hong Jin of this matter, and tell them to gather their troops, hold their positions, and not move rashly."

He Qi drew his sword with a clang: "Tell my commanders to order Hong Ming's troops to retreat and break away from the battle line. Then tell the central army to turn northwest and head to General Hong Jin's location to rendezvous with him."

He Qi had considered ignoring Cao Chun and focusing all his efforts on defeating the enemy.

Seeing the Li army fighting desperately and valiantly, He Qi knew that he couldn't defeat them before Cao Chun came to their rescue, so he could only focus on self-preservation.

As long as he leads the central army and Hong Ming's troops to join Hong Jin, Cao Chun will be unable to use his cavalry advantage to launch tactical attacks and defeat his forces piecemeal.

At this time, Han Yan's troops in the west had already attacked the location of Li Zheng's central army, forcing Li Zheng to release his poorly rested cavalry to flank the enemy from the south in order to contain their offensive.

Li Zheng himself, along with his personal guards, fought a bloody battle under the banner. Li Zheng alone had already killed more than ten people, and there were seven or eight broken arrows stuck in his iron armor. He had already changed to his third long sword.

Seeing that a brave Yue warrior at the front was extremely fierce, his giant axe flew left and right, smashing down two Li soldiers and then smashing the head of a squad leader with another axe, the Li army's already crumbling defense line was dealt another heavy blow.

Li Zheng swallowed hard, shouted "Follow me!" and led his few remaining personal guards to meet the enemy. This was Li Jun's last line of defense; if it broke, even defending the banner to the death would be impossible.

Li Zheng charged forward, and the valiant mountain warriors also noticed the officer clad in iron armor. They immediately realized that this was a big fish and rushed forward to meet him.

Three steps —

Li Zheng's blade pointed diagonally at the ground, his steps steady. The mountain warriors, like wild beasts, crouched low and suddenly pounced!
Two steps —

The axe blade cleaved through the air, but Li Zheng neither dodged nor evaded; instead, he swiftly raised his blade!
"clang--!"

The clang of metal rang out, sparks flew. The axe blade grazed Li Zheng's armor, emitting a piercing whistle, while his sword precisely cleaved into his opponent's shoulder blade!

step--

The mountain warrior roared in pain, but his ferocity only intensified. Ignoring the deep, bone-revealing wound on his shoulder, he swung his axe horizontally with a backhand!
Li Zheng's pupils constricted suddenly. He didn't have time to retract his knife, so he simply lowered his shoulder to take the hit!
"puff!"

The back of the axe slammed heavily onto the iron armor, producing a piercing screech.

But at the same moment, Li Zheng's knife pierced the other person's throat!

"Ho...ho..."

The mountain warrior's eyes widened, the axe slipped from his hand, he staggered back two steps, and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Li Zheng gritted his teeth and pressed down on his left hand. Luckily, his opponent didn't have time to adjust the axe blade, otherwise it would probably have been a mutual destruction. Even so, the mountain warrior's final axe blow almost broke Li Zheng's arm, leaving his left hand completely powerless.

Blood dripped from under his nails as Li Zheng, panting heavily, surveyed the battlefield.

Few of the guards remained, but after killing the Yue warrior, the Yue army's momentum was immediately dampened, and the defensive line was once again held with great difficulty.

When he saw the Yue army retreating like a tide, and then a new wave of Yue troops launching a new offensive, Li Zheng smiled bitterly, realizing that he was going to die here.

Just as Li Zheng was in despair and awaiting death, a familiar bugle call suddenly sounded in the distance, accompanied by the urgent gong-sounding of the Yue army.

Although the mountain Yue army, which had just begun its operation and was about to launch its attack, was puzzled, they obeyed orders and retreated after undergoing rigorous training.

Li Zheng watched the Shanyue army retreat in surprise, feeling as if he were in a dream.

Then, he suddenly realized what was happening.

Reinforcements have arrived!

Ignoring his injuries, Li Zheng quickly seized the opportunity to adjust his deployment and reinforce the battle lines. Soon, after a short while, Cao Chun's cavalry appeared in Li Zheng's line of sight.

Li Zheng's eyes immediately reddened, and he was deeply moved.

After Cao Chun appeared, the various units of the Shanyue army had already formed two groups and began to retreat alternately, moving closer to Zhou Bin's forces. Now that the opportunity had been lost, with Cao Chun's support, He Qi would have no chance to wipe out Li Zheng's forces.

The real danger now lies with the Left Guard Army. Although the Left Guard Army still holds an absolute advantage in troop strength, Cao Chun's troops are elite cavalry, while the Left Guard Army is a weary force after a major battle.

Although Cao Chun's forces were at a significant disadvantage, if the Left Army revealed any weaknesses during their retreat, he would certainly not hesitate to pounce and take a bite out of them.

Under the "escort" of Cao Chun's troops, He Qi's various units withdrew in turn and eventually successfully joined forces with Zhou Bin's troops.

It was at this moment that Cao Xiu arrived at the battlefield with 5,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry.

He Qi immediately deployed his troops and joined forces with Zhou Bin to form a large formation.

Unable to find an opportunity to attack and worried about the safety of Fucheng, coupled with the approaching dusk, Cao's army had no choice but to turn its forces around and head south towards Fucheng.

Zhou Yu's offensive in the south was also quite swift. However, Li Zheng left two thousand troops to assist Yan Pu. In addition, although Yan Pu himself had only average military talent, he was highly respected in the Hanzhong army and was a well-known virtuous man in Hanzhong.

Therefore, the soldiers of Hanzhong County fought valiantly and persevered until nightfall.

Ultimately, the two sides shook hands and made peace, each withdrawing their troops.

After the two sides ceased hostilities, Cao Xiu escorted Li Zheng's troops south, while Cao Chun continued to monitor the withdrawal of the Left Army until the two sides were completely separated.

This battle resulted in thousands of casualties on both sides, all of whom were elite veterans and brave fighters; it was undoubtedly a bloody battle.

Whether looking at the casualty figures or the post-battle results, Cao Cao's army undoubtedly won a victory.

Cao Jun suffered more than 4,000 casualties here, of which 3,000 were from Li Zheng's troops, including several hundred who were killed or wounded while defending the city.

Li Zheng's 6,000 troops in Fucheng suffered nearly half their losses. Fortunately, thanks to Cao Chun's timely rescue, the entire army was not wiped out, and the wounded were also brought back to the city. Given time, they will be able to recover a considerable amount of strength.

In addition, Cao Chun's cavalry also suffered over two hundred casualties, most of whom were under Shi Bao's command who were responsible for charging into battle. Adding to this the nearly one thousand casualties suffered by Yan Pu during the defense of the city, the total number of casualties exceeded four thousand.

(End of this chapter)