Chapter 72: Bowang Slope
In the early morning, Wanluo rushed to the west.

The black bear in the tent woke up reluctantly from his deep sleep, feeling a sense of loss.

He was always worried about changes in the rear. For example, Liu Ye colluded with the big families in Jingzhou to annex their tribes, and also sent Zhen Mi to be brought before Liu Biao and his son.

Liu Ye is even more eccentric than himself. When he was captured, he kept talking about his wife, but now he seems to have forgotten about her.

When he fled from Hebei, he urged himself to take the Huai-Si Water Route. As a result, when he passed by Chengde, he ran off the boat to pay homage to his parents.

If it had been ten days later, and the water level in the canal between Feishui and Shishui had been lower, his nine large ships would have been completely trapped there.

As for giving advice, I feel more and more that I don't need this kind of advisers.

Watching the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it seems that it depicts too many strategies.

A good cook cannot cook without rice. The counselors in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms seem to have reached the level of ignoring facts and being able to create things out of thin air.

Luo Guanzhong has done a lot of harm to me!
Thinking about it, Black Bear got up and walked out of the tent, and saw Gan Ning and Wang Wei sitting in front of the campfire eating smoked horse meat.

In total, they obtained more than forty dead horses. The army did not have enough salt, so they could only preserve them by rough smoking.

Smoked horse meat contains a lot of water, so you need to eat it quickly as it cannot be kept for long.

Seeing him walk out of the tent, Gan Ning stepped aside to make room for him, took out a stack of silk books from his bosom and handed them over, saying, "Captain, at dawn, Zhao Zilong's troops headed west."

Zhao Yun did not want the captured scouts, and Black Bear did not want the captured horses.

Both of them got what they needed, and their first collaboration was quite pleasant.

"Why doesn't he go to Duyang?"

Black Bear asked back and picked up the silk book to read. It was Zhao Yun who invited him to retreat together, take the small road out of Zhi County, and wait for an opportunity to fight from the north of Bowang.

"The Cao army was chasing fiercely. Xiahou Yuanrang gathered nearly a thousand cavalrymen to chase Liu Xuande. Liu Xuande abandoned his baggage and escaped successfully. Duyang had fallen into the hands of Cao army before noon yesterday. Xiahou Yuanrang left a way to recruit people to defend Jackdaw Road."

Gan Ning pushed the roasted horse meat slices in front of the black bear, who took them and chewed them. Then he asked Wang Wei, "Sir Wang, we still have four days of food. Cao's troops have already penetrated deep into Wankou. Should we cooperate with Liu Yuzhou to attack their leaders, or cut off Cao's troops' route back?"

Wang Wei said without hesitation: "Our army has no more than 800 soldiers. If we want to cut off Xiahou Dun's retreat, we must first defeat the two battalions of soldiers under Jackdaw Road Recruitment, which are twice as many as ours. I heard from Zhao Zilong that Xiahou Dun left Li Dian with more than 3,000 men to guard Duyang. If we cannot defeat Duyang, it will be difficult to cut off Xiahou Dun's retreat."

He then looked at the area where his two hundred men were resting, narrowed his eyes and said, "These are all your subordinates. If I lose dozens of them, how can I face you? I hope the captain will understand."

Gan Ning smiled when he heard this and said, "Liu Jingsheng was tied up, so why is his eldest son also tied up? Cao's army has entered the country, but they have no determination to defend the land. If Cao's army is larger in the future, won't they surrender?"

Wang Wei's face flushed, but he still shook his head: "This concerns the foundation of your life."

Gan Ning snorted and laughed a few times, then turned his head to look at Black Bear. "General Qu, fighting with the two Lius is boring. We should accept Zhao Zilong's invitation and withdraw our troops to the north of Bowang. The terrain there is higher, and our army can wait and see the battlefield. If there is an opportunity, we can strike back and win."

His meaning was very clear. There was no need to risk going to Duyang to take on a tough challenge. It was better to withdraw the troops and wait and see the situation in the mountains north of Bowang. If they could fight, they would fight. If they couldn't fight, they would retreat directly to the west, passing through Wancheng and taking Wuguan Road, and joining the women and children's team in Xi County. The next step was to jump out of the cage.

"Yes, there is no need to let our people bleed for Liu Jingzhou and Liu Yuzhou. If I break Duyang, it will be worthy of the hospitality of Liu Jingzhou and his son."

Black Bear agreed immediately. The historical inertia of both sides in this battle was too great, and their presence was too weak to change any major trend.

Although he traveled a long way around Hebei, Central Plains, and Jianghuai, he did not have any essential impact on the material reserves and military deployments of all parties.

The Battle of Bowangpo was actually the same whether I was there or not. Liu Bei won a tragic victory and severely damaged the armies of Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin.

Liu Bei is the protagonist of this battle.

I always feel that the hardships of marching and fighting during this period were in vain, but there were also benefits, as it tempered the soldiers.

Now that they are resting, the troops have lost their initial impetuousness and have generally become calmer.

The coordination between superiors and subordinates was smooth, the military official team gained authority, and the obedience of the soldiers tended to be stable.

So after breakfast, the entire army of more than 800 people began to retreat in large strides.

The entire battle situation developed just as Liu Bei and Xu Shu had deduced, with no unexpected factors occurring.

The next morning at Qingming Festival, Liu Bei retreated to Bowang and burned his camp and withdrew his troops. Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin crossed the river together to pursue him.

The Battle of Bowangpo broke out.

Seven or eight miles north of Bowangpo, a black bear climbed up a hill to watch.

The vanguard of Cao's army, with eight battalions in rapid pursuit on Bowang Slope, was attacked from both sides by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Xiahou Dun's vanguard was disrupted almost instantly, and the retreating Liu Bei also turned around and joined the battle.

Xiahou Dun's vanguard troops did not hold out for long and soon collapsed and fled. Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei all attacked them, not giving Xiahou Dun's main force in the central army any chance to put on heavy armor and form a battle array!

Xiahou Dun had almost no power to fight back, and the elite troops in the central army were swept away by the defeated soldiers, and they fled, abandoning their weapons and armor.

Only the rear team had a longer reaction time, barely enough time to put on armor and prepare for battle.

But the fate of the two battalions in the rear team also showed no sign of improvement. They witnessed the retreat of the two battalions in the front team and the three battalions in the central army, and also saw Xiahou Dun fleeing.

The morale of the two battalions in the rear team plummeted, and their formation was in chaos under the attack of the fleeing soldiers.

Just as Liu Bei and his three brothers were taking advantage of the victory to attack, Zhao Yun and his four hundred men attacked from the flank and broke through Xiahou Dun's chaotic rear formation in one fell swoop.

After fighting for about half an hour, all seven battalions of Xiahou Dun's troops were defeated.

However, many military officers still took the lead in resistance, forming a battle group of dozens of people to try to stop Liu Bei's charge.

These fighting groups did not hold out for long before they were defeated and some died, some fled, and some were captured.

Black Bear watched the battle for a long time, and more than 800 people began to eat dry food on the spot. At this time, the sun really began to rise, and the sunlight was scorching.

The soldiers wearing iron armor on the battlefield gradually moved slower and slower, and they no longer had any explosive power.

But Liu Bei's side continued to pursue and kill, and when Xiahou Dun's defeated troops turned back, they saw that Yu Jin's three battalions had completed rearming and formation.

Perhaps due to the intimidation of Yu Jin's reputation, Xiahou Dun's defeated soldiers did not dare to attack Yu Jin's formation and could only turn around and fight again.

After another half hour of fierce fighting, Yu Jin's troops were also affected and involved in the battle.

Black Bear was watching from a high place and clearly saw Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin sending messengers to the northeast to seek help from Li Dian.

The situation was similar with Liu Bei. Three or four messengers sent requests for help towards Wancheng, attempting to gain support from Liu Qi.

Neither side could fight anymore, like ceramic dolls that would fall over at the slightest touch, and would break into pieces if they fell!

As the sun rose higher and became more intense, both sides gradually stopped fighting.

The black bear was not in a hurry at all at this moment.

I have been hiding in the Jackdaw Mountain Road for so many days, and I am eager for the decisive battle to break out every day.

Now that the decisive battle is happening right before our eyes, there is no rush to join in.

I really want to see how great the potential of Xiahou Dun and Liu Bei is.

"drive!"

Several knights covered in blood surrounded Sun Qian and came to Black Bear. Sun Qian bowed and said, "I heard that Captain Black and Cao Cao have a great grudge. Now I am afraid that it would be unworthy of our alliance if we just sit back and watch the outcome."

"Where are Liu Qi's troops?"

Black Bear raised his arm and pointed in the southwest direction of Wancheng: "If Liu Yuzhou is defeated, it will be Jingzhou's turn to face Cao's army. Where are the reinforcements of Liu Jingsheng and his son! Don't Liu Jingsheng and his son know this principle of losing the lips and the teeth?"

"Liu Jingsheng and his sons enjoy the wealth of Jingzhou in luxury. Don't they have the resolve to keep the enemy out of the country? I am deeply terrified to be allies with such people!"

Black Bear took a deep breath, as if only in this way could he suppress his anger: "The situation in the world has deteriorated to such an extent, and the prefectures and counties in the Central Plains were hijacked and kidnapped by Cao Cao, all because Liu Jingsheng deceived himself!"

"Even a kid like me knows that if Cao Cao conquers Hebei, Jingzhou will be his next move. But Liu Jingsheng only let his son lead 3,000 men to defend Wancheng! He asked me to fight with Liu Xuande! Is this what an alliance between famous scholars of the time means?"

Sun Qian was furious, and he bowed to the captain, "Captain Hei, calm down. Li Dian's elite troops will soon come to support us. As long as Captain Hei leads his troops to help, we can easily defeat Xiahou Dun's remaining troops!"

"It's easy to say, but it's almost noon and the weather is scorching hot. Our army has been running for seven or eight miles. How can we still fight?"

Black Bear refused directly, pointing to the vague Li Dian camp in the distance to the east: "I can assure Liu Yuzhou that Li Dian will not be able to pick up Xiahou Dun before dark!"

"Before dusk falls, if Liu Qi refuses to lead his troops to fight, I will cooperate with Liu Yuzhou to attack Xiahou Dun's remaining troops!"

"Please ask Mr. Sun to report back to Liu Yuzhou and let him recuperate and hold back Xiahou Dun. I will defeat the enemy together with him after nightfall!"

Sun Qian had no choice but to get on his horse and report the result to Liu Bei.

On Bowang Slope, the two fighting armies each occupied one end, enduring the scorching hot weather, and no one dared to withdraw easily.

Liu Bei took off his armor, and his back was soaked with sweat, forming a light layer of salt frost. When Sun Qian came, Liu Bei was holding a bamboo tube and drinking water.

Zhang Fei asked, "Mr. Gongyou, how is it?"

"That man accused Liu Jingsheng of being disloyal and refusing to fight. He said he was willing to help our army intercept Li Dian and prevent Li Dian from helping to rescue us. He also said that regardless of whether Liu Qi helped, he would lead his troops to join the battle at night and cooperate with the lord to attack Xiahou Yuanrang."

Sun Qian finished speaking with a dry mouth, reached out to take the bamboo tube handed to him by Liu Bei, drew water from the wooden barrel, tilted his head back and gulped down the water to quench his thirst.

Liu Bei grinned and said, "This kid is really a thief!"

Guan Yu, who was standing on the side, saw this and tried to comfort him: "Brother, his youthful spirit is not worth getting angry about. You and I do not like Liu Biao's inconsistent words and deeds, let alone this Bai Goose Commander. If he could tolerate this, he would not become Bai Goose Commander."

Zhang Fei said: "Why don't I take some people to kill this guy and seize his people!"

Guan Yu immediately glared at him and said, "Third brother, you are trying to put me in an unjust position! Besides, Gan Xingba is not someone you can easily deal with!"

Not to mention the majestic guard general who has no name and has never spoken.

He can no longer be described as a strong man or a fierce warrior. In Guan Yu's subconscious mind, someone so strong and self-disciplined is more than qualified to be a general.

Zhang Fei was furious when he heard this, and kicked over half a bucket of water. "This is not allowed, that is not allowed. Why can others just sit back and watch the outcome? We have to fight to the death!"

Seeing Liu Bei staring at him, Zhang Fei immediately bent over and reached out to grab the wooden bucket: "I'll go get some water."

Sun Qian drank all the water in the bamboo tube and wiped the water stains on his beard with his sleeves rolled up: "My lord, has Yuan Zhi replied?"

"No, please go to Wancheng and tell Liu Qi what the White Goose Thief said. If he doesn't come to help, I will follow the White Goose Thief and take the Wuguan Road after the battle!"

Liu Bei also got angry: "If he does this again, I don't want to be the second Zhang Xiu!"

Zhang Fei, who had only walked a few steps with the wooden barrel, turned around and said, "That's right! Big brother is not an eagle trained in his Eagle Tower! Without the food in Jingzhou, we don't have to starve to death!"

"Look at the White Goose Thief. He left Hebei Province just because he didn't like it. He also left Jingzhou because he didn't like it. But he still wanted to leave?"

Seeing that Guan Yu was also glaring at him, Zhang Fei turned around, quickened his pace and walked away.

Liu Bei also felt frustrated in this battle. Even if he had another thousand fresh troops, he would be able to defeat the enemy!
The opponent couldn't fight anymore, but he was holding on with gritted teeth because he didn't dare to escape.

Most of the people on the other side knew that turning around and running away was basically the same as seeking death.

(End of this chapter)