Chapter 14: Troops Lie in Wait in the Wilderness

  February 4th, noon.

  Thirty miles east of Lantian County town.

  I and Ma Dai lay in ambush at the foot of a small hill, with three thousand cavalrymen waiting to be dispatched behind each of us.

  These six thousand cavalrymen were all old soldiers brought from the northwest, and of the twenty thousand troops who surrendered in Chang'an, several thousand were dispersed, with the rest being assigned to Ma Teng and Pang De's command. Probably they were worried that we couldn't control them. As a result, both Ma Dai and I only had our troop numbers increased by a few hundred each.

  The banners were not raised, and three thousand horses and men hid behind the small hills. Outsiders looking from a distance would not discover anything.

  What place is this?

  I once asked Li Su before the war where the Tongguan Pass, which was famous in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, was located. Li Su thought for a moment and then asked me where I had heard this name from.

  Luoyang to the west, Chang'an to the east, this thousand-mile stretch along the Great River has only one pass: Hangu Pass.

  Tongguan does not exist and no one knows about it.

  I relied on the only memory left to search, Tongguan is approximately in Lingbao. Once before the Spring Festival, I took a train back home due to heavy snowfall and overshot, Lingbao should be at the south of the Yellow River bend, Tongguan is right at the bend and the intersection with Huashan.

  Li Su and the local soldiers brought by Zhang were all shaking their heads.

  To the east of Huayin County and to the west of Hu County, where is the narrow pass? There are only small valleys that can hold a few people passing through, which is an absolute natural barrier.

  The checkpoint I remembered had not been built yet.

  Was it built by Cao Cao after opening up the mountain?

  Lost face big time.

  I had no choice but to put aside my own meaningless memories and agree with their strategic plan to ambush in the east of Lantian County.

  The blue field produces beautiful jade, and there are naturally many mountains and rocks nearby. To the east is a valley path over 20 miles long, with only one simple earthen barrier at the entrance, which has been abandoned for many years and cannot be repaired in a hurry.

  Here, sixty miles northeast is Hangu Pass. This strategic pass is currently still under the control of Dong Zhuo. We naturally want it, but for now we don't have the time or military strength to attack it. The importance of Hangu Pass should be understood by those who know a bit about the Spring and Autumn Periods or Qin and Han history: Hangu Pass is situated on high ground in the west, overlooking a precipice in the east, connected to Qinling Mountains in the south, and bordering the Yellow River in the north. It is one of China's earliest and most important passes. Built during the Spring and Autumn Periods, it was the throat connecting Luoyang in the east and Chang'an in the west. There are sayings that "Hangu Pass opens to the sky, a majestic pass in the middle", "Two peaks towering beside the great river, Hangu has been a battlefield since ancient times". It has always been a place of contention for military strategists.

  The place where we are going to ambush is in the Blue Field Valley - this is a typical small basin on the Loess Plateau, with a flat bottom and slightly higher sides.

  Ma Teng led a total of 8,000 new and old soldiers, cavalry and infantry, to ambush on the westernmost side. Pang De and Ma Wen each led 5,000 elite horsemen and infantry archers to hide in a small forest on the eastern side, about three or four miles apart from east to west; while I and Ma Dai lay on both sides of the main road, about one mile apart.

  In the middle is a rare flat ground, easy to enter and difficult to exit. It is not enough to temporarily deploy troops for defense, but it is most suitable for cavalry short-distance charging.

  Although Lü Bu's own army was also cavalry, we had five troops ambushing and attacking the central route together. He couldn't take care of both ends at once, and even if he were extremely brave, he would definitely suffer heavy casualties.

  Unless he is extremely perceptive and has anticipated our ambush a step ahead of time.

  What's his IQ?

  I don't want to underestimate him too much, but I think there shouldn't be many people who think he is both brave and wise, with both literary and military talents.

  He is just a brave general after all, compared with wisdom, he still needs to cultivate.

  This may not be his final resting place, but it must make him remember forever.

  －

  Noon.

  A great war could break out at any moment.

  Lunch is simply not within our consideration range.

  Every soldier had a hearty meal of rice and liquor at dawn when they left their camp, although the food on the battlefield was not fit for human consumption.

  Everyone is quietly waiting.

  Each horse stood silently.

  －

  A large flag is floating high in the sky.

  Then more than ten large flags appeared one after another.

  At the very front was a cavalry unit, but surprisingly few in number.

  "Master, the vanguard is about a thousand men strong." A guard reported to me after assessing the situation.

  I nodded, what's the use of a thousand-man squad? At least it should be a ten-thousand-man squad to be worth deploying ambush troops.

  This thousand-strong team walked from east to west at a steady pace.

  A dozen large flags unfolded in the wind, and the big characters on the flag gradually became clear.

  "High?" I was slightly stunned, "The vanguard is Gao Shun?"

  "Who is Gao Shun?" The personal guard named Zu Lie also hesitated, "A very famous person?"

  "No, no great name," I shook my head and replied in a low voice, "Just a humble member of Lü Bu's army."

  Zulei looked puzzled, he clearly didn't understand why I suddenly felt a little sad.

  Yes, Gao Shun is a tragic hero, low-key and nameless, loyal but not reused.

  －

  Gao Shun's vanguard troops quickly passed by.

  Close behind them were about three thousand cavalrymen.

  On the first flag was a big "Zhang" character.

  "Could it be... Zhang Liao?" I still didn't move, and neither did Ma Dai on the other side.

  Zhang Liao is hard to chew on, let alone the big fish hasn't arrived yet.

  The fields were quiet, with only the continuous sound of horseshoes.

  －

  Endless red and black flags unfolded across the sky.

  This is the Chinese army, right?

  Flags of all colors stand like a forest.

  Wei, Song, Hou, Cheng, Hao, Cao...

  The number of Chinese soldiers is over 20,000, mostly infantrymen. There are seven or eight distinguishable formations, all wearing the same uniforms and armor, with only their flags being different, mixed together in a chaotic mass.

  I didn't see the big fish I was expecting.

  －

  More than half of the Chinese army passed in front of me.

  I raised myself up a little and gazed out towards the west with all my might, but at the farthest point that I could see there was no other special flag.

  One of his trusted soldiers reminded him: "Young master, if you don't launch an attack now, they will cross over!"

  An opportunity once lost cannot be regained, even if Lü Bu really had a hidden plan, I couldn't care less.

  I took a step back and stood up straight.

  "Mount up." The reins of a warhorse were already being handed to me by one of my personal guards, and I sprang onto its back.

  Behind him, three thousand soldiers mounted their horses simultaneously.

  "Raise the flag." Three large flags behind me rose into a triangular shape.

  The opposite valley also raised a large flag.

  "Draw your weapons," I slid the long gun into its holster on my back, drew out the longbow from the horse's back, and kicked the stirrup against the horse's belly, "Follow me in a charge!"

  Three thousand cavalrymen raised their bows, three thousand fierce horses galloped down, and straight into the center of the enemy's army.

  Ma Dai also led his troops out and made a slanting thrust into the rear of the central army.

  －

  The enemy's flustered face was clearly visible.

  No need for me to give orders, the soldiers within range had already shot out their first wave of arrows.

  Hundreds of enemy troops fell silently.

  Then an angry roar burst out from the crowd.

  But this angry roar was soon swallowed up by the arrows that followed in succession.

  The arrow rain only had four or five waves. The fastest shooting soldiers could only shoot out four arrows before charging into the enemy group.

  He reached out and stuffed the longbow into the pouch under the saddle, then drew out the long spear from behind his back.

  All soldiers took up their arms, drew swords, swung sabers, and raised long spears, riding horses into the enemy's formation.

  All they encountered were defeated, and the sudden impact of their uprising left their opponents unable to immediately form a counterattack.

  Our two cavalry units will divide these 20,000 infantrymen into three sections, and the 6,000 cavalrymen will pierce through them like a sharp sword.

  At the same time, at the western valley mouth where Pongde and Mawan were ambushing, a loud howling sound also burst out.

  I know they brought a lot of bows and arrows, otherwise it would be difficult to annihilate the thousands of cavalry charging in front just with infantry.

  The vanguard and the main force were in a state of utter confusion, with men and horses tumbling about, the sounds of chaos rising and falling.

  I have led three thousand cavalrymen to completely break through the enemy's formation, and behind me is a long road of flesh and blood.

  "Turn the horse's head, charge!" I led the team to turn around and plunged into the enemy army that had not yet recovered again, once again showing the iron hooves in front of the frightened infantry.

  These few thousand cavalrymen are going to completely break through the broken array formed by 20,000 infantrymen!

  －

  The sound of horseshoes came from the west, and several thousand cavalrymen retreated in a flurry.

  Zhang Liao and Gao Shun want to withdraw?

  I have no time to think, continue stabbing on horseback.

  "The enemy general has been captured alive!"

  "The enemy general has been captured alive!"

  Not far behind, faint shouts and cheers could be heard.

  So soon?! Impossible?!

  Perhaps... this is someone's clever strategy?

  －

  Zhang Liao's cavalry retreated faster, although their formation was much more orderly than the central army.

  They quickly approached the central army, with the result that the soldiers of the central army became increasingly confused.

  Did he really capture the enemy general? Whether it was Gao Shun or Zhang Liao, Pang Tong's performance was too surprising!

  －

  As expected, Pang De and Big Sister each led a horse in front of them, charging towards Zhang Liao's two thousand cavalry.

  They had more than 6,000 cavalrymen in the two wings, and the remaining 4,000 infantrymen were all used to ambush and shoot arrows from the front. However, they did not expect that there were only 3,000 or 4,000 vanguards, which was much less than expected. In the first sudden collective shooting, half of them were killed.

  －

  As I was about to make the fourth breakthrough, a sudden loud rumble shook the valley's entrance.

  Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses rushed in, competing with each other to rush into the valley.

  －

  Dozens of large flags fluttered open.

  Every large flag had the same pale and large characters written on it.

  Every single large character exudes a same chill killing intent.

  "Lev!"