nucmednet Chapter 459: Ambush in Wucheng Town
Chapter 459: Ambush in Wucheng Town
Zhang Xuegeng's son Zhang Xiaofeng did not come with him. After receiving the letter, he could only send his general Xiahou Geri to lead 30,000 troops to assist.
When Ren Chaohui learned that there were 70,000 people coming towards him from the east and west, he secretly groaned in his heart.
He frowned and quickly thought of a countermeasure in his mind. After thinking for a moment, he felt that he had to change his strategy.
When the enemy gradually approached, Ren Chaohui decisively gave the order to retreat.
His army retreated rapidly like a tide, running more than ten miles in one breath.
But after retreating here, they hesitated again, as if they didn't want to go far, as if they were deliberately luring the enemy.
Sure enough, when the enemy continued to chase them, they suddenly increased their speed, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace.
"What the hell, there were 20,000 people there, and they just disappeared like that?"
Xiahou Geri rode a fast horse, chasing in the front all the way, but he didn't see a single person.
When Hu Shanzhong's team arrived, he complained bitterly.
"We can't chase them anymore. There's a big town ahead called Zhongyang Town. I'm afraid there might be an ambush."
Hu Shanzhong said to the fussy Xiahou Geri with a serious expression. He knew that Ren Zhaohui's army's strange behavior was likely a trick.
"How far is it? If it doesn't work, we'll take it down and spend the night there."
Xiahou Geri looked disdainful. In his opinion, even if 20,000 people escaped to a small town, what kind of resistance could they possibly offer? Couldn't they take it with 70,000 people?
"I'm worried about the enemy's tactics of confusing us. If we rush in like this, we'll definitely suffer losses."
Hu Shanzhong patiently persuaded Xiahou Geri, hoping that he could calm down and not act impulsively.
"How about this, send out scouts to see what's going on?"
Xiahou Ge Ri did not give up and still wanted to continue chasing.
Hu Shanzhong thought for a moment and felt that they were only ten miles away from Zhongyang Town, so he agreed to Xiahou Ge'ri and sent out scouts to gather intelligence.
About an hour later, the sun gradually moved westward, and the orange-red afterglow sprinkled on the earth, giving everything a hazy glow.
In the distance, scouts were galloping towards us on horseback, their hooves raising clouds of dust.
"What do you mean, is there an ambush ahead?"
Xiahou Geri walked forward anxiously, his eyes full of anticipation and nervousness, and he couldn't wait to know the situation ahead.
"General Xiahou, there is indeed a town ahead, but Qin Ming has been looking around and found that the town is empty."
The scout reported breathlessly, with a hint of doubt in his voice.
"What, empty? Aren't these people there?"
Xiahou Geri widened his eyes and felt an inexplicable anger in his heart. He thought he could find Ren Chaohui's army here, but he didn't expect it to be an empty city.
Seeing Xiahou Ge'ri about to lose his temper again, the scout felt nervous and said cautiously, "Yes, General, we are also suspicious. We searched the hilltops carefully on the way here and there, but found no signs of an ambush."
Seeing this, Hu Shanzhong hurried forward, patted Xiahou Geri on the shoulder and said comfortingly: "Forget it, the enemy is deliberately delaying us, let's go back."
He knew that Ren Chaohui's army was elusive, and if he continued to fight here, he would probably fall into the enemy's trap.
Hearing Hu Shanzhong's words, Xiahou Ge'ri's eyes turned and he suddenly had an idea in his mind.
He looked at Hu Shanzhong and said, "Let's not go back. Let's occupy this town. There must be houses inside. We will guard it here and will definitely not let those bandits come."
Xiahou Geri thought that since the enemy was not there, occupying this town could not only serve as a stronghold, but also prevent Ren Chaohui's army from appearing again.
Hu Shanzhong couldn't persuade Xiahou Geri. After all, the other party came to support him, so he couldn't be too tough.
Moreover, seeing that he was so persistent, Hu Shanzhong felt that it was not a big problem, so he agreed to the idea.
After he ordered someone to go back and report the news, he reluctantly followed Xiahou Ge Ri to Zhongyang Town.
In fact, when Ren Chaohui was approaching the town, he thought to himself that it was not advisable to stay here for long. Once surrounded by the enemy, it would be dangerous.
So, he made a quick decision and turned to head east. There was a hidden path there that led to Jinyang. He planned to evacuate there first and then look for an opportunity.
Then Pharmacist Guo led his team and marched to a place.
There is also a town here called Wucheng. Nestled between two mountains, Wucheng was once a crucial military thoroughfare, having witnessed countless battles.
However, later on, when Bingzhou came under the rule of the Zhou Dynasty, the situation gradually stabilized and this place was slowly abandoned. Now it has a population of less than a thousand.
When they learned that Shizhou was attacked by the Huns, most people chose to leave this dangerous place. Even if there were still people who stayed, they were all poor or had difficulty moving.
When Pharmacist Guo arrived here, he immediately fell in love with the terrain of this place.
He was secretly delighted, thinking that this was a perfect place for an ambush.
So, with a cruel smile on his face, he ordered the massacre of the town, and then had people disguise themselves as residents and merchants in an attempt to create the illusion of peace and tranquility.
People who don’t know the situation from afar might think it’s peaceful here.
He carefully dispersed his troops between the two mountains, dividing them into four teams in total. He left two thousand people in the town, waiting for the Jinyang army to pass by and perhaps rest here, so that he could catch them off guard.
The sky began to darken, and the night slowly unfolded like a piece of black silk.
Wang Biqing's vanguard approached Wucheng Town.
The scout observed from a distance and found that there were people here, all dressed like people from the Great Zhou and speaking the familiar Great Zhou language, so he subconsciously relaxed his vigilance.
The vanguard was small, numbering only about 10,000. They were exhausted after a long march, and upon seeing this seemingly ordinary town, they decided to take a short rest.
After resting, they left the town, followed by Wang Biqing's team, which was slowly heading towards the town.
"What's ahead?" Wang Biqing asked weakly while riding on his horse before entering the town.
The long march made him a little tired, but as a general, he still remained alert.
The deputy general beside him quickly replied: "General, the town ahead is called Wucheng. The vanguard has already passed it and found no problems."
There was a hint of relief in the deputy general's voice, as if he didn't notice anything unusual.
Wang Biqing rode his horse, shaking his head slightly. He wanted to drive directly into the town, but for some reason, the closer he got to the town, the more he felt something was wrong.
An inexplicable uneasiness surged in his heart, and his face gradually became tense.