Chapter 159: Evil Ghost in the Mist
In the morning, fog filled the air around Chiyang.

At the Tiger Tooth Army camp in the east of the city, Black Bear found Li Feng during breakfast.

Breakfast consisted of millet porridge and wheat cakes, and the rice brought from Jingzhou was stored in the warehouse.

After defeating and taking over the three generals of Liang Xing and the counties of Weinan, the food rations of the Huya Army changed from white rice to millet, corn and wheat.

Nowadays, all the controllable manpower has its place to go, and it is not convenient to transport rice from Lantian, so millet and sorghum are mainly used nearby.

"It will probably take only three to five days to defeat the enemy. The military medical team has nothing to do, so they brew sweet wine from the rice in the camp."

Black Bear broke the wheat cake into pieces and put it into the millet porridge, stirring it with chopsticks. As a result, a piece of fried egg pancake appeared at the bottom of the bowl. He turned his head to look at Zhang Ding who was bringing him the bowl.

Zhang Ding squatted on the shaft of the cart five or six steps away, eating from the bowl with slurps.

After hearing this, Li Feng saw that there were old men from the fleet on both sides, and he breathed a sigh of relief: "General Qu, I think we should not brew in the army. There are enough equipment in Huangbai City, and Baiqu is transporting it, so the manpower in the camp can still be used."

"Alright, you can choose a few people for me, and I will take them to Huangbai City when I escort the fleet to Huangbai City later."

"Yes."

Li Feng agreed immediately and said, "Li Kan and Hou Xuan have many former Baibo troops under their command. If they are short of manpower, we can go and attack them. Even if they cannot be used in Chiyang, they can help to strengthen the defense of Huangbai City."

Now Huangbai City is the source of supply for the army, and we are afraid that Duan Wei will send troops to surround Huangbai City.

"Huangbai City is better to be quiet than to move."

Black Bear rejected it, and explained: "The reorganization of each unit has been basically completed, and the old members of the Baibo Army will be trained in the future."

The reorganization is very powerful. The newly reorganized soldiers are staying in closed camps for training in various cities. They are in the stage of getting to know each other and adapting to their new life.

If the troops are disbanded or changed hastily, they will be confused and their newly formed sense of belonging will be gone.

What is important is the newly promoted military officers. These military officers nominated by each team need to develop a sense of security.

If the military organization is disbanded and changed at will, it means that the status of these military officers can also be easily changed.

Therefore, unless there are major changes, large-scale reorganization should not be carried out.

At this moment, on the west bank of the Jing River, a dozen miles upstream from Changping Temple.

Zhang Heng reined his horse on the earthen plateau and looked into the distance through the thin mist. He could vaguely see the outlines of the canal mouths where the Baiqu and Zhengguoqu connected to the Jingshui River two or three miles away.

Any further away, you can't see clearly.

Hearing the sound of the Jing River, Zhang Heng simply jumped off his horse, took out his treasure and pushed his hips towards the plateau to splash water.

The accompanying knights were also infected and they dismounted and stood on both sides of Zhang Heng, each dealing with the problem on their own.

Zhang Heng shook his head repeatedly, and finally jumped, before asking a few scouts, "Is there fog in the mornings these days?"

"Yes, the fog is thick. It will take about five or six quarters of an hour to dissipate."

After one person answered, another person replied: "There is fog between the Jing River and the Wei River."

Zhang Heng listened and nodded. He just wanted to confirm it again.

After the autumn rain, morning fog is almost a common phenomenon in Guanzhong.

Even the sunny weather now will not last for a few days, and it will be rainy again in a few days.

Zhang Heng turned around and mounted his horse. The accompanying knights also returned to their horses, jumped on them, and followed Zhang Heng along the earthen plateau to the southeast.

After walking for more than ten miles, we could barely see the outline of Changping Temple.

Zhang Heng dismounted, and without his instructions, his followers dismounted and began to feed him fodder.

Zhang Heng looked at it for a moment, and he also knew that Yan Xing could not last long.

The Huya Army and Pang De were pressing too hard, and it was impossible for Ma Wan to ensure that Yan Xing had adequate supplies.

Yan Xing is now on the defensive. Even though he is very close to Chiyang City, transporting supplies is too dangerous.

As he looked out, he saw the reconnaissance knight teams on the other side colliding, entangled, and fighting.

Yan Xing's troops wore uniforms that were mainly red and yellow, but the knight team that was fighting with Yan Xing's scouts wore uniforms that were mainly blue, white and red.

He had never seen it before, but he knew that this should be the uniform of the Tiger Tooth Army. The uniform was also changed after Ma Teng changed his flag.

Seeing the desperate fight between the two sides, Zhang Heng ruled out the suspicion that Yan Xing had turned against his allies.

As long as it is Han Sui's army, Zhang Heng must maintain necessary vigilance even if Han Sui is not present.

The battle ended quickly. After both sides grabbed the heads, they retreated, guarding the wounded.

Zhang Heng also discovered that Pang De's knights were more concerned about covering the evacuation of the wounded, and lacked enthusiasm for taking heads or seizing horses.

The blue and white knights are more powerful, but the two sides have different tactical focuses.

So the stronger side took away all the wounded, while the other side saved the bodies and horses of their comrades.

As both sides gradually withdrew, they didn't expect a new substitute scout team to approach.

Pang De, who was camped near the village of Jingshui, sent out a small infantry team, moving north and east along the bank of Jingshui.

Zhang Heng watched helplessly as this elite infantry squad set up an ambush, and then several knights successfully lured Knight Yan Xing close to the river bank, where he was shot dead at close range by this squad with a powerful crossbow.

After succeeding, the infantry squad retreated quickly, while the knights gathered their horses, harvested the heads and then withdrew.

In the fog with visibility of three or four miles, Zhang Heng saw how fierce the confrontation between the two sides was and suddenly he didn't want to cross the river to join the battle.

Not only Zhang Heng, but his entourage also looked serious.

Zhang Heng was also puzzled about the fighting enthusiasm of Ma Teng's troops after they were incorporated, but then he thought of their mortal feud with Han Sui's troops and was immediately relieved.

They were so fierce in the battle with Yan Xing because of their blood feud, not because of the Tiger Tooth Army's military law.

Therefore, in future battles, when Ma Teng's troops treat him, they will most likely instinctively focus on preserving themselves and act perfunctorily.

After realizing this, Zhang Heng felt relieved and relaxed.

This battle can be fought.

The only tough part was the main camp of the Tiger Tooth Army. Yan Xing held Pang De back, while he and Yang Qiu were able to attack the main camp of the Tiger Tooth Army from both sides.

At the same time, Zhong Yao and Duan Wei were close to the battlefield, and even if they would not participate in the pincer attack, they would still support their side.

A siege with four or five times the military strength can weaken the enemy's morale by 30%.

After the main camp of the Tiger Tooth Army was destroyed, how could the other recruited generals and the Guanzhong soldiers who were extorted and defrauded from Zhong Yao continue to follow the Tiger Tooth Army?
So even though the Huya Army occupied Jingzhao and Fengyi, in fact, the core of the Huya Army has always been these.

Even the cavalry assigned to them did not have a strong fighting spirit.

On the top of Chiyang City, Ma Wan's eyes were obviously dark as he stared at the two cavalrymen chasing and fighting back and forth in the west of the city.

Since daybreak, the scouts outside the city had been chasing each other and engaging in dogfights. The intensity of the confrontation quickly escalated, and by now it was estimated that the cavalry of both sides had already been dispatched in advance and were chasing each other in the fields.

The vision from the city walls is limited, but judging by the intensity of the confrontation, it is estimated that the infantry of both sides should have intervened in the battle.

It's just that everyone's vision is limited and they don't know the fighting situation in other areas, so it's all a melee.

"General, the Tiger Fang Army has joined the battle!"

A messenger from the south of the city ran quickly and gasped when he reached the horses. "More than a thousand cavalrymen, at least a thousand cavalrymen!"

A lieutenant beside Ma Wan immediately said, "General, if we don't support him, Yan Xing will be defeated."

Someone else suggested: "Why not let the knights in the city gather their strength and wait until the Tiger Fang Army is exhausted before going out of the city to attack them."

I think what the two said makes sense. At the same time, someone else came forward and suggested: "Yan Xing is about to run out of food. Why not open the gate and let Yan Xing enter the city? In this way, we can hold the city together and when reinforcements arrive, we can force the Tiger Tooth Army to withdraw and negotiate peace."

This proposal was more prudent, and Ma Wan was willing to agree, but when he thought of Liang Xing's death, he suddenly felt that there were hidden dangers.

While he was worried about gains and losses, the morning breeze blew up the mist outside Chiyang City.

Looking down from a high place, the fog appears in pieces, clusters, and lines.

A team of thirty or forty Eagle Strike Knights were riding slowly. When they heard the sound of horse hooves trampling and fighting ahead, they sped up and approached, and without saying a word, they chased after Han Sui's Xiliang Knights who were retreating on their own initiative.

Seven or eight knights who were good at archery drew their horn bows and chased and shot at him from behind. An unlucky Xiliang knight was shot in the buttocks of his horse, and the horse panicked and threw him off.

He bounced off the ground and rolled over with inertia. His cheek touched the damp and cold ground. He saw countless horse hooves approaching him from the southwest.

Before he could think about it, an Eagle Strike Knight approached and reined in his horse, stabbing down with his lance in reverse, piercing the man's neck.

Outside Changping Temple, Pang De led more than a hundred elite cavalrymen from his own team and joined forces with more than a thousand infantrymen to form an attack formation.

Changping watched the camp and Yan Xing walked around the walls, alert for a strong attack from the main force of the Tiger Tooth Army.

Pang De's more than 3,000 men could not withstand the provocation. They endured it for a whole night, but could no longer bear it after dawn.

It wasn't that Pang De wanted to attack him, it was that Ma Teng's old subordinates had already lost control.

Yan Xing did not want to provoke Pang De, as his servants were difficult to control.

On the road south of Chiyang City, vehicles were traveling in a line.

This was the second batch of 200 urgently mobilized armored soldiers, sitting on vehicles and slowly moving towards Changping Temple.

They encountered the first group of vehicles on the road, on which lay the wounded soldiers of Pang De's troops.

Li Feng, who was accompanying the car, hurriedly called a halt, jumped off the car and shouted to the Taoist priests on both sides: "Set up the curtains and military tents on the spot!"

A Taoist priest reminded: "What about Changping Temple?"

"In two places!"

Li Feng walked quickly towards the opposite convoy, took a quick look at the wounded, and said to the Eagle Strike Hundred Guards who were guarding the wounded: "Escort the remaining wounded to the outside of Changping Temple, and don't transport them any more."

"Yes!"

The centurion immediately ordered the knights to dismount and help set up the curtains and tents.

The military medical team was divided into two, with a small part staying behind and the majority following the convoy and the soldiers to the outside of Changping Temple.

The black bear had already arrived outside Changping Temple, only to find that the fog and night environment were both beneficial for his combat.

After a night's confrontation, the defenders in Changping Temple were already exhausted, and now they were only supported by a sense of resentment.

To be honest, he didn't want to eat Yan Xing so soon, and wanted to use it to fish.

However, whether it is Zhong Yao, Duan Wei, Yang Qiu or Zhang Heng, they are all cats in the box.

After calming down, Black Bear drove his horse to Pang De's formation. Pang De dismounted to greet him, and the ground was covered with heavy autumn dew.

After walking twenty or thirty steps, Pound's legs and feet were wet, and the bottom edge of his hanging cloak was also wet.

"How's the battle going?"

"The enemy cavalry was scattered, and most of them headed for the northwest canal entrance."

Pang De pointed to the northwest and said, "Based on a rough estimate, there are about 500 cavalrymen, and the rest are all here."

He pointed to Changping Temple and said, "The circumference of Changping Temple is about 1,200 steps. Yan Xing currently has about 2,000 soldiers guarding it. It is difficult to cover everything."

Black Bear understood that the defenders could barely fill the front line.

Nodding: "Divide the troops to different places, disperse the defenders, and make false troops everywhere. I will launch a strong attack with you here."

He looked up at the sky, then looked around: "The fog will dissipate in half an hour, and will be gone by noon at the latest. Once the military medical team arrives, we will launch the offensive!"

"Yes!"

Pang De hurriedly asked again: "General, is Taishi Wengong involved?"

"Well, he'll lead the charge!"

Black Bear gave a clear reply, and then said: "This battle must be won in one go!"

"Yes, I will pass the order right away!"

Pang De was excited. He bowed and clasped his hands together. When he saw the black bear nod, he stepped back three or five steps, turned around and quickly returned to his camp.

Fifty or sixty steps apart, as Pang De conveyed the battle orders, the participating teams shouted and howled.

At this time, Lu Bu, wearing a white robe and golden armor, rode out on a Yin Gan horse and provoked the guards behind the wall with a halberd.

The guards shot with bows and crossbows, and Lu Bu walked around the wall, but his speed was not very fast.

Arrows from bows and crossbows would occasionally hit the target, but they all bounced off.

Seeing this, the defending archers could not help but feel discouraged.

When Pang De's troops saw this, they couldn't help but fantasize about Gan Ning's troops.

It is said that Gan Ning had a group of brave warriors wearing golden armor under his command, who treated bows and crossbows as nothing when attacking an enemy.

If Gan Ning's main force arrived, perhaps this group of golden-armored warriors would stand forward and let the defenders shoot a few rounds of arrows, and the defenders' morale would collapse, or they would give up shooting arrows.

Yan Xing did not dare to be careless and led his personal soldiers to follow Lu Bu behind the wall, fearing that the enemy would rush forward on horseback and jump into the wall.

The thin mist was blown by the morning breeze, and the figures of Lu Bu and his horse were sometimes blurry and sometimes clear.

This put a lot of mental pressure on the defenders.

Like an evil ghost that appears and disappears in the fog.

(End of this chapter)