On November 29, Tian Yu and Gao Lan, who were retreating to the east, learned from the defeated troops that Luoyang had fallen. In addition, Tian and Gao had to think about the following actions again - Luoyang was lost and the road to retreat east was broken.

Most of the counties and counties in Yong and Sizhou in the west have been captured by the Xiliang army. It can be said that Tian and Gao have no way to advance and no way to retreat. What's even more terrible is that the Xiliang Iron Cavalry behind them will catch up at any time.

Under extreme fear and confusion, many soldiers were already in a state of "military shock". As long as they were slightly attacked, they would be inevitable to collapse.

After careful consideration, Tian Yu decided to lead a remnant army of less than 3,000 people to go south to Wushan to avoid the forefront of the Xiliang army.

On the first day of December, Cao Cao's army rushed to Xingyang, and after a little replenishing food and supplies, he immediately set off. In the evening of that day, he finally arrived at Hulao Pass.

After learning about the situation from Xiahou Yuan, Cao Cao realized that the situation was even more serious than expected--the Western Liang army had conquered Luoyang and even attacked Hulao Pass. If Xiahou Yuan had not provided timely reinforcements, Hulao Pass would have been very likely to be out of protection.

If Hulao is lost, the Western Liang Iron Cavalry will be even more unstoppable, and sweeping Xuchang will be an easy task.

Now, in terms of the degree of threat, Liu Bei and Liu Biao's attack on Runan is simply not worth mentioning compared to the Western Liang army. The most urgent task is to repel the Western Liang army first. Cao Cao confirmed this point without doubt.

Without any rest, Cao Cao immediately recruited all the counselors and generals to conduct military discussions.

Xun You first analyzed the situation.

Xun You believed that under the whirlwind sweep of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry, the two prefectures of Yong and Si may have fallen. Although Tian Yu and Gao Lan are both good generals, they may be reluctant to escape the powerful and absolute advantage of the Western Liang army.

After occupying the two prefectures of Yong and Si, the Western Liang army will definitely not stop the attack. Xun You analyzed the two possibilities of the Western Liang army's next attack - one of them. Continue to attack Hulao Pass in order to break through and sweep Yan and Yu states.

Although Hulao is as strong as iron, when building a pass, it focuses more on preventing the enemy in Guandong. If it attacks from west to east, the defense effect of Hulao Pass will be greatly reduced. Therefore, if the Western Liang army is properly treated and does not hesitate to suffer casualties, it may not be impossible to break through Hulao.

Second, the Xiliang army may also give up its strong attack. They will divert the route and advance west along the Luo River, without passing through Hulao Pass, and go south to attack Wancheng, or rush to the hinterland of Yuzhou.

Although this will lead to an additional 7,800 miles, it is not impossible to use the powerful power of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry. And in this way, the Western Liang army can avoid the real and the virtual.

Guo Jia agreed with Xun You's analysis. Guo Jia believes that in the actions of sweeping Yong and Sizhou, the Western Liang army should not be doubted, but the military strategist qualities shown behind the courage can only be described as amazing.

Guo Jia said with certainty that those who make plans for the Ma family and son must be extremely good at making strange plans. Therefore, the Western Liang Army is likely to choose the second plan mentioned by Xun You.

After careful consideration, Cao Cao agreed with Xun and Guo's analysis and immediately sent a quick horse to Wancheng, Yingchuan and Runan, and ordered the prefect of Wancheng Man Chong, Yingchuan Liu Fu, and Runan Yu Jin to pay close attention to the raid of the Xiliang army.

In particular, Liu Fu was instructed to send more troops to guard Yangrencheng to block the gateway of Yingchuan County.

Guo Jia also suggested that Cao Cao send more and more missions to infiltrate the two prefectures of the Xiliang army, spreading rumors of cruel and blood-killing death in the Xiliang army, in order to arouse the public's panic and disgust, so that the Xiliang army could not settle the situation in the two prefectures in a short period of time.

At the same time, contact the major clans of Guanzhong to lay the foundation for Cao Cao's counterattack.

On the second day of December, Cao Cao raised his military flag at Hulao Pass and set off a large-scale counterattack on Luoyang to restrain the main force of the Western Liang army.

Upon learning about Cao Cao's army's arrival, Ma Chao immediately took the cavalry from his headquarters to Hulao Pass and dealt with Cao Cao.

On the fourth day of the 12th month, Cao Cao and Ma Chao fought fiercely under Hulao Pass. Under the command of Ma Chao, the Western Liang Iron Cavalry galloped like the wind and crisscrossed like fire. Although Cao's soldiers were also elite in a hundred battles, they were still unable to withstand the sharpness of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry.

Wherever the iron cavalry arrived, the wind swelled the clouds and blood flowed into a river. Ma Chao even personally led hundreds of Qiang clans. He broke through the many obstacles and took Cao Cao's formation directly. At the most dangerous time, Cao Cao and Ma Chao were only less than a hundred steps apart.

Fortunately, Cao Chun led the "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" to fight to the death. He barely blocked Ma Chao's dangerous behavior.

After the battle, Cao's army lost nearly 10,000 people, while the Western Liang Iron Cavalry suffered less than 2,000 casualties.

After this battle, Cao Cao completely gave up his plan to fight hard and prepared to entangle with the Western Liang army through a long war of attrition.

But at this moment, the situation suddenly changed!

………………………………………

On the third day of the 12th month, Han Sui, the general of Zhenxi who was left in Xiliang, appointed Cao Cao as the general of the Western Expedition and the governor of Liangzhou, who was appointed as the governor of Xiliang, and was awarded the title of Marquis of Xiliang.

At the same time, Han Sui responded to the imperial edict of the "Son of Heaven" and suddenly raised an army to fight back against Ma Teng.

Although Han Sui had been with Ma Teng for many years and was even a sworn brother, the relationship between them was far from as harmonious as it seemed on the surface. Han Sui, who was ambitious and ambitious, can be said to be a figure with the strength and influence in Xiliang.

But in order to obtain these powers, Han Sui can also be said to have used any means. The former righteous brother, Bian Zhang, who also had great prestige in Xiliang, died at the hands of Han Sui due to a power struggle.

The reason why Han Sui appointed Ma Teng as the lord of Xiliang was just to borrow the reputation of the Ma clan and Ma Teng's prestige among the Qiang people.

Although Ma Teng is brave and good at fighting, he is not a rival to Han Sui in terms of political skills. The lord of Xiliang is named Ma Teng, but the real power is in the hands of Han Sui.

Fortunately, Ma Teng has a rough and straightforward personality and does not take the fight for power and profit too seriously, so Ma and Han have been able to maintain a harmonious relationship for a long time.

But all this changed with the growth of Ma Teng's eldest son Ma Chaodi. The people in Western Xinjiang are all brave and admire the real warriors very much.

Ma Chao has been extremely brave since childhood. When he became an adult, he even surpassed Ma Teng's reputation among the Xiliang and Qiang tribes. The young and energetic Ma Chao felt very dissatisfied with his father's status as the lord of Xiliang, and always wanted to seize the real power from Han Sui.

As a result, the conflict between the Ma and South Korea became increasingly sharp. Fortunately, Ma Teng mediated in the middle, which prevented the conflict from breaking out for the time being.

At the beginning of the year, Ma Teng and Han Sui led a total of 100,000 troops to attack Cao Cao. But under Cao Cao's plan, the young Ma Chao actually led his army to raid Han Sui's camp and killed several Han Sui's generals. Ma Chao even stabbed Han Sui himself.

Later, the relationship between the two sides was dissatisfied and was used by Cao Cao, and the Xiliang army was defeated. After returning to Xiliang, Ma Chao's relationship with Han Sui was always very tense. Ma Chao tried to find an opportunity to kill Han Sui again and again, but was blocked by Ma Teng.

Han Sui was frightened by Ma Chao's martial spirit and temporarily endured it, but the anger in his heart continued to accumulate.

Guo Jia learned about this situation through Jia Xu. So he advised Cao Cao to "cut off the firewood from the bottom of the pot" and instigated Han to rebel against Ma Teng for profit.

Under the temptation of the generals of the Western Expedition, the governor of Liangzhou and the Marquis of Xiliang, and his dissatisfaction with Ma Chao and even Ma Teng, Han Sui finally decided to raise an army.

It just so happened that when he sent troops to attack the Yongsi prefectures, Ma Teng and Ma Chao only used the Ma family troops and Qiang soldiers. Han Sui's troops basically did not move, which created the most favorable conditions for Han Sui's uprising.

After making up his mind, Han Sui immediately detained all the Ma clans in Wuwei, and then sent troops to control the counties and counties in Liangzhou.

At the same time, Han Sui ordered Liang Xing, the general stationed in Anding, to lead the cavalry to quickly occupy Fufeng, and ordered Yang Qiuchi, the general stationed in Tianshui, to occupy Dasan Pass. As a result, the road to retreat to Xiliang was completely cut off.

On the tenth day of December, Han Sui personally led the cavalry of his headquarters to occupy Chang'an and Tongguan, and incorporated all the Xiliang soldiers who Ma Teng stayed.

It was not until this time that Ma Teng, who was stationed in Hongnong, learned about Han Sui's rebellion. He was puzzled and Ma Teng hurriedly sent a quick horse to Chang'an. He wanted to ask Han Sui what was going on.

But Han Sui didn't even see the envoy, and said that unless Ma Teng came to Chang'an in person and apologized for Ma Chao's many humiliations, he would definitely stop the army and be harmonious.

After the envoy passed Han Sui's words back, Ma Teng led more than a hundred people to Chang'an without thinking. Ma Teng believed that with his many years of friendship with Han Sui, he would not be able to meet in the war. Ma Teng even planned to form a marriage with Han Sui.

Ma Chao married Han Sui's daughter to eliminate the dissonance between his brother and his eldest son.

…………………………………………………….

Hulao Guanxi, Ma Chao's army camp

On the middle of winter night, it was particularly bitter and cold. The strong northwest wind blew the flags in the camp rustling. Although it was late at night, most of the soldiers in the Western Liang Dynasty had not fallen asleep. All of them were more than a dozen people, or dozens of people gathered around the bonfire to eat and chat.

I can occasionally hear a few Qiang songs in the camp...

In the tent of the central army commander.

Around the burning brazier, Ma Chaozheng held a military discussion with deputy general Pang De, school captain Yang Pin, Zuo Zong and others. What was somewhat inconsistent was that in this military tent full of military aura, there was a common scholar in the thirty years old.

"Cao Cao, a brave bear, has never dared to go out of seclusion and fight since he was hit by the young master that day. It has been 6 or 7 days, and he has never fought a happy battle, and his bones all over his body have itched!" Zuo Zong, a rude-looking school captain, complained.

"But this Hulao Pass is indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack. If it is a strong attack, it will definitely be a bottomless pit. Cao Cao refused to leave the pass..." Xiliang brave general Pang De, who is tall, muscular and majestic and majestic, said in a deep voice, "It is not a solution to continue to waste like this!"

"Yeah!" Ma Chao responded lightly. Ma Chao's figure is similar to Pang De, and he is definitely a standout among ordinary people.

Ma Chao's nose bridge is high and straight, and his facial features, which are well matched, look extremely handsome, but also have the charm of a northern man with rough and boldness.

In the sharp eyes of the falcon, the eyes were as cold as ice, and there was a sense of pride and coldness between the eyebrows. Wearing a silver tiger-patterned iron helmet, the silver-gray neck was hanging softly on the shoulders.

"Mr. Fa, what do you think?" Ma Chao turned his head and asked Fa Zheng, a common scholar who had been sitting quietly beside him.

"Ba~!" After throwing a piece of charcoal into the brazier, Fa Zheng raised his head and said, "Military Master, I have said a few days ago that it is difficult to pass the Hulao Pass than climbing the sky. Continuing to waste here is only a waste of time.

"After spending a month together, Fa Zheng also knew that when talking to Ma Chao, it is best not to use the genre of genre. The more straightforward and rough you are, the more you like Ma Chao.

Fa Zheng was a native of Fengyun County, Fufeng County. He was the grandson of Fazhen, a great scholar in the previous dynasty, Situ Qian and the son of Fayan, the Zuojian of Tingwei. Because of his literary flavor from generation to generation, Fa Zheng has been well-read in poetry and books since childhood and has been well-educated in ancient and modern times.

But unfortunately, before Fa Zheng reached the crown, his father died in court struggles, and the "Fa" family quickly fell into decline. Therefore, Fa Zheng lost the opportunity to be conscripted and recommended.

He had no way to seek an official position, and Fufeng County encountered years of war and natural disasters. In desperation, Fa Zheng and his good friend Meng Da of the same county avoided entering Shu and defected to Liu Zhang, the governor of Yizhou.

However, Liu Zhang did not value Fa Zheng, and only appointed him as a county official, and the county chief was often rejected Fa Zheng. Unable to bear it, Fa Zheng angrily resigned and wanted to return to his hometown to Fufeng. On the way, he happened to be captured by the scout of Ma Tengjun, who attacked Chang'an.

Originally, Ma Chao was going to execute Fa Zheng directly, but Fa Zheng first reported his grandfather's name (Fa Zheng's grandfather Fa Zhen was not only knowledgeable but also had noble character and had extremely high reputation in Yong and Liang prefectures), and then said that he could help the Western Liang army seize Yong and govern the prefectures.

Ma Teng and Ma Chaozheng suffered from unscrupulous methods to break through Tongguan. After hearing Fa Zheng's words, he released him and asked him what he could do to win. Fa Zheng successfully planned a plan for Ma Teng and his son to secretly cross Chen Cang.

The Tongguan natural barrier, which had not been broken through the last time, was conquered without much effort or casualties, and Ma Teng and his son were able to look at Fa Zheng differently. Immediately, under the planning of Fa Zheng, Ma Chao led his army to sweep Yong and Sizhou.

But after winning hard, Ma Chao also developed a pride. He believed that his iron cavalry was invincible, so he did not follow the plan of "slow attack on Hulao and a surprise attack" mentioned in the previous episode.

After a pause, Fa Zheng continued: "I still think the military leader should lead the cavalry westward, bypass the Luoshui River, and take the hinterland of Yuzhou. Cao Cao must have been frightened and led the army back to the rescue. At that time, it would definitely be easy to attack Hulao Pass..."

"..." Ma Chao hesitated for a moment and said decisively, "Okay! Just follow the rules of Mr. Law. I led the army to attack Yuzhou and asked my father to station in Luoyang..."

"Tread..." After a burst of rapid footsteps, a young man who was five or sixty points similar to Ma Chao rushed into the tent.

"Brother..." The person who came was Ma Teng's second son Ma Xiu.

"What are you doing if you don't stay by your father's side?" Ma Chao frowned and asked unhappily.

"Brother, something is wrong..." Ma Xiu said in a very urgent breath, "Han Sui has rebelled, Dad has gone to Chang'an to find him!"

"What?" Ma Chao's eyebrows and eyes showed a sense of hostility, and he shouted suddenly, "Han Laogou, actually dares to betray our Ma family. If I, Ma Chao, don't chop your dog's head as a drowning weapon, I, don't deserve to be a descendant of the Ma family!"
Chapter completed!