Chapter 1007: Invite the Guest into the Trap
Chapter 1007: Invite the Guest into the Trap
The successive outbursts of Huang Zhong, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou had put Xu Rong on high alert, and Jia Xu's reasoning further deepened his concerns.
However, Xu Rong did not genuinely consider retreating as Jia Xu suggested. He had numerous reasons to stay, except for a reason to retreat.
Moreover, Xu Rong did not believe that he had no chance of victory. If he hadn't anticipated the possible offensive from Lu Hai Kong's forces, his situation might have been perilous. But now that he knew what Lu Hai Kong's army was up to, he felt he still had a chance.
It was common knowledge that the two cavalry units under Lu Hai Kong's command had the highest exposure rate among his legions.
Setting aside the Black Gale Legion for a moment, the strength of the Blood Bath Legion, now renamed the Iron Blood Legion, was evident to all. Their piercing formation and decapitation tactics in the midst of battle were exceptionally well-executed.
Over the years, their battle achievements had been astonishing, and they were now recognized as the top cavalry force in the land.
While this highly exposed cavalry force was indeed formidable, various powers inevitably considered them as a hypothetical enemy, devising strategies to counter them when facing off.
This was especially true for Dong Zhuo's military forces. Ever since Dong Zhuo and Lu Hai Kong's brief alliance during the Coalition Against Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo's forces had treated Lu Hai Kong as their primary hypothetical enemy. This mindset did not change even when Dong Zhuo contributed a Qin Tomb Copy Token and over a million refugees, leading to Lu Hai Kong releasing Hua Xiong and a temporary alliance.
As the hypothetical enemy, Dong Zhuo's legions had frequently practiced countering Lu Hai Kong's Iron Blood Legion.
To defeat Lu Hai Kong, they had to defeat his strongest army, or all efforts would be in vain.
Therefore, over the past six months, Dong Zhuo's army had thoroughly studied various methods to counter Lu Hai Kong's Iron Blood Legion, even testing some on Lu Bu's Flying Wolf Cavalry with great success.
This time, they came prepared, bringing along secret weapons specifically designed to counter the Iron Blood Legion. It was because of these preparations that Xu Rong felt confident in annihilating the Iron Blood Legion and capturing Dingyang City.
Despite Xu Rong's confidence, he did not immediately take action.
Xu Rong was one of the few competent commanders under Dong Zhuo, and his reputation was not undeserved. He possessed genuine talent and expertise.
After gaining a preliminary understanding of the situation, he did not act impulsively based solely on the intelligence he had. Having experienced the consequences of intelligence errors once before, Xu Rong was determined to avoid a repeat. Thus, he initiated a series of actions.
First, he ordered Lu Bu to be taken away for treatment using their secret methods. Then, he formally began his operations.
Xu Rong's current task was to gather accurate intelligence about Lu Hai Kong's forces.
He dispatched scouts to survey the surrounding areas while simultaneously preparing for the siege of Dingyang City as if nothing had happened. In fact, on the very next day after Lu Bu was injured, Xu Rong genuinely launched an attack on Dingyang City.
Of course, Xu Rong's offensive was merely a probing attack. He did not deploy his entire 200,000-strong army but only sent a small portion of his legions.
Xu Rong could gather intelligence about the area outside Dingyang City through scouts and other means, but he had no way of obtaining information from within the city.
Therefore, Xu Rong could only rely on this probing attack to gather information about Dingyang City.
Once the battle commenced, secrets that were usually well-hidden would be exposed.
As a capable commander, Xu Rong possessed the skills to uncover hidden messages behind the warfare.
Xu Rong commanded several small-scale siege battles, and although he lost each one, he gained valuable insights from these engagements.
First, the enemy commander was a novice, possessing remarkable command abilities but lacking experience.
Xu Rong also deduced that this novice was there to gain combat experience, and a seasoned commander likely supported him from the shadows, but it was not Zhang Man Cheng.
Xu Rong had fought against Zhang Man Cheng at Huolao Pass, and he was well aware of Zhang Man Cheng's command style. He was familiar with that particular style.
Even if Zhang Man Cheng wasn't personally leading these battles, Xu Rong knew that if he were present, he would be the one in overall control. In that case, Xu Rong would have recognized it immediately.
However, apart from the one he had fought against, there was indeed another commander controlling the overall situation. That guy was also very experienced, but he wasn't Zhang Man Cheng, and his command abilities were likely on par with Zhang's.
With this realization, Xu Rong was relieved.
As long as his opponent wasn't Zhang Man Cheng, he wouldn't fear anyone else.
The second piece of information Xu Rong gathered was that the legion before him was definitely not the type to sit idly and defend their city.
Despite their efforts to conceal it, Xu Rong could sense the aggressive battle spirit within them, which further confirmed his previous suspicions.
After understanding these two points and combining it with the scout's report that there were no ambushes nearby, Xu Rong began to make small moves.
The Dong Zhuo army's offensive desire gradually decreased, and their camp's defenses became more relaxed, revealing their vulnerabilities.
Xu Rong was an excellent commander and a skilled director. He knew exactly how to expose his army's weaknesses to entice Lu Hai Kong's legion to attack.
He was gradually setting up the perfect opportunity for Wang Ti, clearly intending to play out the 'Invite the Guest into the Trap' strategy.
This guy was indeed a skilled player, and everything seemed well-planned.
At the very least, the Dong Zhuo army camp, while exposing its weaknesses, still maintained a vigilant appearance. Ordinary people couldn't spot the flaws, and even the spiritual commander he had fought against might not have noticed them. However, Wang Ti was able to see through Xu Rong's deliberate ploy.
In the 169th chapter of the novel, it was clearly depicted!
With such a dedicated performance, a good reward was naturally expected.
On the fifth day after Lu Bu was defeated, the east gate of Dingyang City opened, and a cavalry unit, wrapped in cloth, cautiously approached the Dong Zhuo army's camp from the east gate.
This cavalry unit was clad in blood-red armor from head to toe, and the leading martial general even had red hair.
With his red armor, red hair, and red spear, who else could this general be but Zhao Er? And if not the Iron Blood Legion, what other force could he command?
It was evident that Wang Ti and his men were preparing to launch their counterattack that very night.
As the commander of the Iron Blood Legion, Zhao Er was adept at ambush tactics. Leading thousands of Iron Blood Cavalry, he skillfully bypassed the Dong Zhuo Legion's hidden lines and sentinels, gradually closing in on Dong Zhuo's main force.
It must be said that Xu Rong's performance was quite convincing. Although he eagerly wanted Zhao Er to charge in, his defensive measures were meticulous. At the very least, Zhao Er had to exert considerable effort to advance at this point.
Fortunately, Zhao Er's skills were up to par, and in less than an hour, he successfully led the Iron Blood Legion to the outskirts of Dong Zhuo's main camp.
This time, Zhao Er and his men targeted Dong Zhuo's supply lines. From their current position, they could reach the enemy's supplies in less than 500 meters.
For the Iron Blood Legion, 500 meters was not a significant distance. Therefore, unless something unexpected happened, Zhao Er's night raid could be considered a success.
With such a favorable situation, Zhao Er naturally led his troops directly into the enemy camp.
"Charge!"
Following Zhao Er's furious roar, the Iron Blood Legion sprang into action.
Led by Zhao Er, thousands of soldiers from the Iron Blood Legion broke through Dong Zhuo's main force and headed towards their supply lines.
With Zhao Er, a top-tier martial general, leading the charge, the Iron Blood Legion advanced rapidly. In less than a few minutes, they reached the location of Xu Rong's army's supplies.
However, upon arriving, Zhao Er and his men came to an abrupt halt. They had just realized they had fallen into a trap; their supplies were not there.
At that moment, a large number of soldiers surrounded them, and several Dong Zhuo's generals emerged from the shadows, trapping Zhao Er and his men in a heavy encirclement...
(End of Chapter)
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