Three Kingdoms: My father-in-law is Lu Bu

Chapter 57 Zhang Liao's Conquest of Pengcheng

The Sishui River is high in the west and low in the east, and its terrain is the most unique among the many rivers in the north of the Yangtze River.

It was mid-afternoon, and Zeng Hu was holding a long bamboo pole on the Sishui River, flexibly controlling the raft to slip across the hidden reefs of the river.

The rafts were moving down the river very fast, with packages of goods covered with tarps piled on them.

The draft of the wooden raft is extremely deep, and it seems that the weight of the materials on it is not light.

This is the section of the Sishui River from Xiapi to Pengcheng. Zeng Hu has traveled countless times and already knows it well.

At this moment, Zeng Hu was standing barefoot on the raft, wiping the sweat off his face.

It was late autumn, and he was dressed in a short coat, revealing his strong muscles, and saw that it was getting late.

Zeng Hu uttered a low horn sound towards the dozens of bamboo rafts behind him.

"Woooo~"

Then he used both arms to skillfully control the raft close to the shore with a bamboo pole in hand.

There happened to be a curve here that served as a buffer zone, and the water flow was smooth. Zeng Hu would rest here every time he passed by.

Zeng Hu approached the shore, carefully stopped the raft, and dozens of rafts behind him also slowly approached.

"Be careful, don't get the cargo wet!"

This batch of goods was military rations sent from Xiapi City, so Zeng Hu couldn't help but be careless.

Moreover, this is also the first time that the rafts from Zong Village have joined Ye Xiaojun's military operations.

The money, food and supplies sponsored by the Mi family gave the five thousand Chinese troops trained by Zhang Liao the capital to go out.

Every few days, he chased Ye Xiao into battle, with the goal of taking Pengcheng down.

Pengcheng is now under the control of Tao Ying, the son of Tao Qian, but the army has less than 3000 people, and it is composed of young and old soldiers.

Pengcheng is located to the west of Xiapi and is the gateway to the west of Xuzhou.

If Ye Xiao wanted to ride the whole Xuzhou, Pengcheng had to be the first to take it down.

Zhang Liao's reason for calling for the battle was that Tao Ying was cowardly and incompetent. Taking advantage of winter's approaching forceful march and surprise attack, he could make the opponent unable to react in time, and took Pengcheng into his pocket in one go.

After discussing with Chen Gong, Ye Xiao decided to send troops.

If Pengcheng doesn't take it, if Cao Cao takes it, it will be difficult in the future.

Therefore, the soldiers are very expensive, and it happened that all the winter wheat was planted, and Ye Xiao sent Zhang Liao as the main general, with [-] infantry as the main force.

Lu Bu led [-] Xiliang iron cavalry to support them, and the two teams marched lightly to attack Taoying in Pengcheng.

As the saying goes, soldiers and horses go first before using food and grass.

Ye Xiao and Chen Gong made a plan to transport the main grain and grass in the village, and the small amount of consumable supplies for the rear army.

As a result, Zeng Hu personally led the team. The materials used by 4000 people for half a month were filled with dozens of rafts, and they set off quietly overnight.

They had to arrive at the designated location within three days, because Zhang Liao and Lu Bu were in a state of forced march and only had enough dry food for a single day.

Ye Xiao and Zeng Hu repeatedly emphasized that this batch of supplies is related to the success or failure of the entire raid on Pengcheng, and the supplies must be kept secret while being delivered smoothly.

"Quick! Check everything, this time the goods must be safe and sound."

Zeng Hu commanded dozens of Zang village children under his voice, parked the raft skillfully, and checked all the supplies one by one.

"Grandpa, this shipment is so urgent and in such a large quantity, how can we send it to Pengcheng in winter."

Zeng Hu couldn't help but slap the young man on the head.

"Forget the rules I said, we don't have to interfere with the coming and going of the goods! We just pick up and deliver the goods, and make sure nothing goes wrong along the way."

The young man had just become an independent punter, so he was inevitably curious and scratched his head.

"Grandpa, I know this rule, but the weather is going to get cold soon, if we accidentally delay it, it will be difficult for us to go back in winter."

Young people just feel that it is not worthwhile to take this order before winter, because the Sishui River is windy after winter, and the water flow is unpredictable, which increases the risk a lot.

If it snows and the river freezes, even rafts cannot pass. This is also a rare time of year for men in Zengcun to rest.

"You know how to shout, when you came here, you, A Li, had already told the importance of the goods, and we will arrive at the place tomorrow, give me some energy to know!"

Zeng Hu tied the bamboo raft tightly and went ashore to direct his men to start making rice.

The young man also carefully checked the supplies on his boat, and went ashore after confirming that they were not soaked or damaged.

On the other side, tens of miles away from Zeng Hu, Zhang Liao led 3000 people and marched in a long line.

The [-] cavalry supported by Lu Bu took other horse paths according to Ye Xiao's arrangement.

Mi Fang's [-] elite soldiers were also organized into this operation by Zhang Liao, and they were located in the rear.

Marching all the way, Mi Fang's legs felt as if they were filled with lead, her throat was on fire, and every time she took a breath, she felt a dull pain.

"Sir, we have walked thirty miles, when can we stop?"

Mi Fang wiped the sweat off her neck, glanced at the soldiers angrily, and said, "General Zhang said that we must arrive at the designated place today, and it is estimated that there are still about ten miles left. Let's persevere."

The sky is gray at the moment, and there is a strong wind blowing in the air, which is slightly cool before winter.

The soldier couldn't help but rolled his eyes, and thought to himself: "What are you holding on to, your weapons and armor are all on my shoulders, it's easy to say."

The soldier wanted to go back, but he didn't dare to say it, he held Mi Fang's armor, nodded silently and walked on.

Zhang Liao had 5000 soldiers in the central army, this time he and Ye Xiao had made a guarantee that they would only bring 3000 soldiers with [-] horses.

Fifteen horses were handed over to the scouts. Zhang Liao marched very cautiously. The scouts spread out around the position to the front of the marching route. Any disturbance within five miles of the marching route could not escape his eyes.

The remaining five war horses were used by Zhang Liao's personal soldiers for orders and emergencies.

Even Zhang Liao ran on his own feet most of the time during the forced march, and only rode on his horse when surveying the terrain and inspecting the situation of the troops.

So along the way, Mi Fang didn't dare to be special, but as he walked, he really couldn't bear the weight of a suit of armor.

So Mi Fang took it off secretly and asked the soldiers to help carry him on the way. Anyway, he was arranged in the rear army, and the people below were all brought out by the Mi family, so no one dared to say anything about him.

Following the team in front, everyone continued to walk for several miles in silence.

Suddenly, Mi Fang heard the sound of horseshoes in front of her, and hurriedly took the armor and put it on her body indiscriminately.

"Lieutenant Mi! General Zhang has ordered that the entire army be stationed one mile ahead to rest. After the captain arranges his troops, he will immediately go to the camp of the Chinese army to discuss the military situation."

Seeing Mi Fang's disheveled clothes and sweaty face, the messenger secretly despised him, and issued Zhang Liao's order in a loud voice.

"Thank you for your hard work. Please tell the general. I will arrange the manpower in my headquarters and report immediately."

Mi Fang saluted the messenger.

The messenger nodded in return, turned his horse's head and walked back quickly.

Mi Fang breathed a sigh of relief, and the forced march finally arrived at the location. If he continued walking, he might not even have the strength to fight.

"Quick! We'll be there soon, don't let the general see you in distress, cheer me up!"

Mi Fang seemed to have regained all her strength, took her big knife from the hands of the soldiers, and rushed towards Zhang Liao with great strides.

(End of this chapter)