Chapter 68: Joining forces with Zhao Yun
Between Luyang and Yexian, on the Chi Road.

The night sky is clear, the stars are shining, and the Milky Way is gorgeous.

Zhao Yun led more than ten knights to lie in ambush and guard. The horses found a place by the Lishui River, ate some bean feed, and then lay down to take a rest.

A knight trotted quickly: "Captain, there are faint signs of people and horses coming from Luyang Mountain!"

"Get on your horses, and follow me to investigate."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun stood up and led the knights who were resting nearby to the riverside where they could find horses, and mounted their horses one after another.

Without torches, he followed Zhao Yun and crossed the shallow Lishui River on horseback.

Gradually approaching, Zhao Yun held his spear in alert.

Then I saw two knights riding their horses towards me in the dim night, their white robes were very conspicuous at night.

Black Bear saw Zhao Yun and his dozen riders from two or three miles away.

The troops under the command of Liu Bei, the governor of Yuzhou and the left general, were Han troops, and the troops under the command of Cao Cao, the prime minister, were also Han troops.

Therefore, the main color of the clothes is red, and no one is willing or dares to take the initiative to change to other colors.

This is related to the greater good, but there is also an urgent need to identify friend and foe during combat.

Therefore, there are subtle changes in the shape of armor, and only when fighting close together can we identify the enemy and friend.

This is not obvious enough, and there are shawls and uniforms as identification.

It is a scarf in winter and a sweat towel in other seasons, like an oversized scarf.

The uniforms are loose-fitting, short-sleeved and side-opening; the base color of the uniforms is different, and the colors of the collar and cuffs are also different, which creates a clear distinction between friend and foe.

Inside, uniforms with different background colors mean different affiliations; the different colors of the collars and cuffs also have basic anti-counterfeiting and marking functions.

The existence of uniforms and shawls makes it possible to use captured enemy armor immediately; the military affiliation can be identified simply by sewing uniforms.

At this moment, the dozen or so cavalrymen commanded by Zhao Yun were wearing white uniforms over their armor, with words and symbols embroidered on the back of the uniforms.

The knights here with Black Bear are wearing double-breasted vests sewn by Zhen Mi and her men in addition to their armor. Compared with the short-sleeved uniforms, these are waistcoats and sleeveless styles.

There was no time for rendering, so these hastily made vests were all coarse silk color, a mottled white.

The two sides gradually approached each other, and Black Bear wanted to test them. He raised his right hand and pointed his index and middle fingers like swords at the great general Lu Bu, and also at Zhao Yun who was stationed a hundred steps away.

Lu Bu immediately became one with his horse and slowly accelerated. As he galloped, the three forked goose feathers on the top of his helmet fluttered gently as he broke through the wind.

"You guys stand back!"

Zhao Yun had already recognized the other party, and he was also curious about Lu Bu's strength.

Lu Bu followed the black bear all day long, without speaking or eating or drinking. The existence of this ultimate warrior was widely spread.

A strong man with such strong self-control is actually very scary.

If you want to kill the black bear, you have to kill this guard as well.

Otherwise you never know when this guy will give you a fatal blow.

Zhao Yun also controlled his horse to accelerate, but Lu Bu accelerated earlier and had the speed advantage in the first round of confrontation.

Therefore, Zhao Yun did not fight for the lead, and just focused on defense while riding his horse lightly.

The Fang Tian Ji chopped down hard, but Zhao Yun blocked it with both hands holding the spear.

Almost at the moment of the fight, their bodies shook.

After they crossed paths, Zhao Yun gradually reined in his horse and came close to the black bear. He pinned his spear to the ground with his backhand, swung his right hand and asked, "Captain Black, how much does this warrior's double-edged halberd weigh?"

"The halberd is used as the pole, and the halberd blade weighs thirty-six pounds. I call this double-edged halberd the Fang Tian Halberd."

The halberd blade weighs nearly nine kilograms. In order to facilitate use, a counterweight copper ring is specially added to the end of the handle.

So this thing cannot be used normally at all. It is used as a heavy double-edged long-handled axe.

As he was speaking, Lu Bu, the Iron Horseman, turned around and approached the black bear. He held the Fang Tian Ji in his hand and handed it directly to Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun reached out to catch it and found that the total weight was no less than 60 kilograms, and the counterweight was tilted too far forward.

Unlike his spear, which was balanced in weight, he did not need to expend extra strength to balance the spear blade when holding it horizontally in his hand and charging.

After all, the Fang Tian Ji was made in a hurry, and Black Bear didn't know how much the quality of the Fang Tian Ji would be improved after being refined with white mana.

In order to make it strong and reliable, it is intentionally made thicker during forging.

It really has the shape of a double-edged crescent halberd, but it is actually a double-edged concave axe.

"Thank you."

Zhao Yun observed for a moment before handing the halberd back. He watched the other party retreat behind the black bear and asked, "Where are you going, Captain?"

"I want to meet Liu Yuzhou to discuss military affairs, and it is the same to meet Sima Zhao today. In the afternoon, more than 3,000 people of Xiahou Dun entered Luyang. I no longer have the opportunity to capture Luyang. For now, I will cooperate with Liu Yuzhou to lure the enemy deep into our territory."

"I will retreat thirty miles tonight, and another thirty miles tomorrow night. In four days, I will retreat to the vicinity of Zhi County and give up Jackdaw Road. So I ask Liu Yuzhou not to linger in the battle and retreat to the south of Duyang within five days."

"Our army will wait for an opportunity to join the battle. Please Liu Yuzhou act according to the plan."

After saying this, Black Bear fished out the seal of the lieutenant of Henghai from his bosom and handed it to Zhao Yun: "This is my token. Please pass it on to Sima Zhao."

Zhao Yun nodded and stretched out his hand to receive it, but said, "If there was no Captain Black, initially Military Advisor Yuan Zhi wanted me to lead my troops to guard Jackdaw Road as a decoy. I will report this to my lord and military advisor, and perhaps I will lead my troops to fight with Captain Black."

"That's fine."

Black Bear did not refuse, but bowed and left. As he turned his horse around, he added, "If Zhao Sima wants to lead his troops into Jackdaw Road, please lead the yellow and white flags first. Otherwise, accidental injuries are inevitable."

"Okay, Zhao will personally hold the flag and go first."

After saying goodbye, Zhao Yun watched Black Bear and Lu Bu return.

He immediately pulled out the spear from the ground and led his cavalry towards Ye County.

Southeast of Ye County, at the Chidao Road.

When Zhao Yun returned, Liu Bei had not yet rested. The camp was rudimentary and so simple that it only had a simple fence and not even a trench.

Inside the tent, Zhao Yun reported what he had seen and heard.

Liu Bei leaned over the map and rubbed the jackdaw with his fingers, squinting his eyes, "Since he is so aware of the situation, Zilong, you will lead your troops into the Luyang Mountains immediately. Raise many flags to confuse the enemy. After three days, retreat to Duyang." "I will obey your orders."

Zhao Yun bowed and listened to Liu Bei's instructions: "I can't retreat easily. About three days later, Xiahou Dun, Yu Jin and Li Dian will join forces, and I will retreat to Duyang. If Zilong encounters a strong attack, he should not defend hard, but fight and retreat. If Black Bear does not come to support, you can choose an opportunity to retreat to Duyang before me."

As long as Duyang is there, Liu Bei will be much safer when retreating and he only needs to deal with the pursuers.

Both sides are old rivals, and Xiahou Dun may not dare to chase after them.

Zhao Yun immediately went to lead his own troops, which numbered only about 400 men, but most of them were veterans.

Liu Bei sent someone to call Guan Yu, who was resting, and asked Guan Yu to be responsible for the night patrol work outside the city.

He really didn't want to retreat easily. If he stayed in Wankou for one more day, the scattered Yuan forces in Ruying area would become more agitated.

As time goes on, the Yuan family's forces, who have been instigated, will not only rise up in resistance, but will also continue to join him.

Unfortunately, Xiahou Dun would never give him time to gather the previously exiled and scattered forces.

When Zhao Yun led his troops out of the camp and headed for the Luyang Mountains, the fields and houses on both sides of the road were all deserted.

When Yuan Shu was stationed in Luyang during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, he appointed Sun Jian as the governor of Yuzhou. Sun Jian led his troops along the Wanluo Road towards Luoyang, and fought repeatedly with Dong Zhuo's troops.

As a result, the area near the highway was emptied out, and the people could only hide in the mountains and survive.

So when more than 400 people marched along the highway at night, Zhao Yun saw that the villages and towns on both sides of the highway, which should have been prosperous and densely populated, were all deserted.

The fields are overgrown with weeds, and large areas of dry, uncut grass can be seen.

This shows that there are really few people living nearby, otherwise the hay near the road would have been cut down long ago for heating in winter.

Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for even a dozen households to gain a foothold.

It is not difficult to resume production, but the difficult part is that order is completely destroyed and any passing team may turn into beasts.

After marching for more than three hours, the team passed a river, which was a tributary of the Lishui River east of Ye County.

Like the rivers we encountered before, the riverbed is wide but the water flow is small.

At this time, Zhao Yun's troops were close to the foot of Luyang Mountain. Without stopping, they continued on their journey along the country roads.

There are dense new and old grasses on both sides of the road, and the mountain breeze blows, with occasional bird calls or animal sounds.

Soon we walked out of this country road and arrived at the wide Wanluo Road.

There were no Cao army patrolling here, so Zhao Yun's troops marched westward smoothly.

After walking seven or eight miles, we saw a dozen knights waiting with lanterns in their hands.

The mountain breeze blows and the lanterns sway.

Gan Ning narrowed his eyes and stared at Zhao Yun's troops who were gradually approaching, and shouted from afar: "Is it Sima Zhao under Liu Yuzhou?"

"It is a certain family, with yellow and white flags as proof!"

Zhao Yun responded, and two knights on the left and right went ahead holding yellow and white flags.

Gan Ning then took the initiative to drive his horse closer, and Zhao Yun also stepped out of the line beside the road to greet him: "Why is Sima Gan waiting here?"

"The captain was worried that the troops in Luyang City might be ambushed, so he ordered me to patrol here to support Sima Zhao's troops."

At this moment, outside Yingyin City, there is a small stronghold next to Yingshui Bridge.

Outside the stronghold, tents were set up along the road, and Li Dian's troops, who were marching through here, had already started cooking.

It was still dark, but the air was thick with smoke from cooking fires.

It was so hot at noon that it was difficult to march, so Li Dian marched between morning and evening, and the entire army rested when the heat was strong at noon.

The lights in the tent were bright. Li Dian was looking at the cowhide map and calculating the marching plan.

Several clan elders around him joined in the planning. Li Jin pointed at Xiangcheng and said in a serious tone: "Yu Jin should hurry up. His Taishan and Dongping troops have already arrived in Xiangcheng. They will probably reach Kunyang by tomorrow evening to form a pincer attack with Xiahou Yuanrang."

They were all marching in the hinterland. Xiahou Dun dared to abandon his baggage and march quickly because he could stay in the city on the front line to rest and obtain supplies and daily necessities.

Yu Jin did the same, taking a boat from Chenliu down the Langdang Canal, and then speeding along the road.

However, Li Dian's troops, who also received the transfer order, did not get on the boat, and their relationship was not as strong as Yu Jin's. Although they also traveled light and fast, they were still two days slower than Yu Jin.

Li Jin pointed at the two roads around Wankou and said, "The armies of Xiahou Yuanrang and Yu Jin are enough to compete with Liu Xuande and make him dare not act rashly. Our army must not be impatient. Once the baggage and equipment arrive safely, it will be time for a counterattack."

Li Dian looked at the map and nodded: "Just listen to uncle, our army should move slowly and ensure the safety of the equipment is the most important thing."

Even if Liu Bei built a strong camp on the front line, he could not stay around Wankou for too long.

Must be broken quickly.

The sooner they are expelled and defeated, the better it will be for the stability of the Ruying region and the Xudu court.

Therefore, Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin traveled light and quickly, while Yu Jin transported large equipment such as crossbows in the rear.

It would be enough to transport twenty units to the front line.

As for Man Chong's Runan troops, Xiahou Yuan's Yingchuan troops, and Lu Cui's Chenliu troops stationed in Luyang... it would be better for them to continue to stay on the second line.

They stationed close to the front line, blocking Liu Bei's way out from three directions. They were also able to effectively encourage the defenders of Ye County and Kunyang to hold on and wait for help.

At the same time, they stayed away from the Wankou front line so that if there was any riot in the rear, they could quickly turn around and put out the suppression.

After all, the three armies stationed on the second line are only responsible for boosting momentum.

Next to Li Dian’s temporary camp is Yingyin City, which is close to Yingshui Wooden Bridge.

On the city wall, Xiahou Yuan, the governor of Yingchuan County, looked down at Li Dian's defenseless camp with a serious expression. He also understood Li Dian.

The Yingshui River has a considerable amount of water. As long as you are careful about the other end of the wooden bridge, it is okay to camp in a simple environment.

As for allowing Li Dian's troops to enter Yingyin City and spend the night... this is impossible, not only for Li Dian, but also for Yu Jin before him.

Yingyin is too important. Unless it is the army of Cao Cao, Cao Ren, Cao Hong or Xiahou Dun, no other army can enter the city.

Xiahou Yuan didn't want to take the risk, and Cao Cao wouldn't let him take the risk.

Yingyin is the cross hub of Yuzhou Chidao, connecting to Xingyang, Henan in the north, Xudu and Chen State in the east, and Runan County in the south.

And Yingyin is the southwest gate of Xudu!
　it has started
　　
　
(End of this chapter)