Madi never expected that at this moment, he himself was the most attention-grabbing person on the battlefield.
From a distance, he saw the cavalry led by Cheng Xi charging towards him, so Ma Dai quickly ordered his subordinates to halt and form two square formations to the east and west for self-protection.
Ma Dai's unit was originally marching from the east to the west, and dividing into two defensive sections according to the formation was also reasonable.
But by this stage in the battle, ordinary means of estimation could no longer be used.
Yesterday, Qian Zhao, in order to urge his soldiers into action, was able to have the entire army take turns attacking the camp of the Shu army, enduring a nearly 7-to-8 exchange ratio. At the cost of nearly 3,500 lives, he destroyed the majority of the camp defenses outside Wei Yan and Wu Yi's camps.
The casualty rate for Wei Yan's forces yesterday was even less than 500.
In the late afternoon of yesterday, the battle spirit of the military officers was so low that it required the emperor himself to personally meet with all the commanders and imply a promotion in his words.
Had it not been for the emperor's personal arrival to boost the morale from the top down, it is likely that by this morning, Qian Zhao's entire army would have been on the brink of collapse.
The Wei army fought so hard in order to break through the Shu camp today.
And then, they would advance straight ahead.
Wei Yan was forced to retreat towards the southeast by Cheng Xi, while Ju Fu was instantly defeated and fled.
However, Ma Dai now wants to join up with Zhao Yun's unit? The Wei army has sent all of its elite cavalry out in an attempt to prevent this from happening!
First, Cheng Xi's troops moved from east to west, passing by the north side of Ma Dai's unit, then rushing forward and forming a double-encircling formation with Ma Dai on the west and south sides, separated by half a li.
Meanwhile, Sun Li, too, was on the same wavelength as Cheng Xi. Along with his two senior commanders, he divided his troops into three teams and cut through the outside of half of Ma Dai's formation from the east, like a sharp saw blade, repeatedly slicing down flesh and blood from the ranks.
Almost immediately, Ma Dai's army formation became unsteady.
Ma Dai had no choice but to merge the two slightly separated formations into a single unit. He could neither move west towards Zhao Yun's location nor southward towards the mountain, so he could only clump together to protect himself for a moment.
If there were only reinforcements on the outside, that would be one thing. But where are Ma Dai's reinforcements? Neither Zhao Yun, nor Wang Ping, nor Wei Yan, nor Wu Ban, nor Ju Fu have even a single soldier to send in support at this moment!
Sun Li, too, was familiar with military tactics and knew that Ma Dai's army's actions were futile. Nevertheless, he issued orders to the two senior commanders of his own troops, along with himself, to lead a total of three generals and three thousand mounted soldiers. They rode around Ma Dai's army formation, separated by an arrow's distance, starting to show off their martial might!
"Long live the emperor!"
Sun Li yanked off his helmet, steam rising from his scalp, and with his right hand holding up a spear, he shouted with an air of pride.
"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"
First, the personal guards followed Sun Li in cheering. Then, the three thousand horsemen of Sun Li's department joined in. After that, Cheng Xi's troops also shouted in unison.
Xiahou He's department was trailing behind Wu Ban's remnant army, hacking and slashing as they approached the foot of the mountain. They also shouted in unison with Sun and Chen departments at this moment.
The roaring cheers of over ten thousand Wei cavalry were as if they shook the heavens and the earth. These soldiers from Chang'an and Luoyang, who had traveled a long way to come to the shores of Lintai and fought hard, were able to release the pent-up emotions in their hearts in an instant.
Having merged forces with Dian Man and heading west, Cao Rui, upon hearing the shouts of "long live the emperor" from the south over the mountains, couldn't help but curve a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
Jiang Wei rode next to the emperor, a short distance in front of him on his horse. Upon touching his stirrups and looking out in the distance for just a moment, he raised the sword on his body and shouted "Long live the emperor" with all his might.
For a moment, the four thousand horsemen of the emperor's department, as well as the over ten thousand men of Dian Man and Qian Zhao, echoed with the shout of "Long live the emperor" across this plain in Lintai during the winter.
The sound was like a mountain's roar or the ocean's surge. How could the Shu army not hear it? Wei Yan and Ju Fu exchanged a glance; one a seasoned general and the other a young officer, both looking shocked on each other's faces.
Being pushed to the foot of the mountain, Wu Ban was unable to stop the pursuit of his soldiers by Xiahou He's cavalry. In the end, he gave up on regrouping his remaining troops and allowed them to flee up the mountain, while he headed southwest to search for Wei Yan.
On the battlefield on the eastern side of Lueyang, Wei army cavalry were marching across the plain, while Wei Yan, Wu Ban, Ju Fu, and Ma Dai, four generals of the Shu army, were all in a desperate situation at this moment.
Such a victory was not an accident.
As a strategist, the principle is to rely on the masses to achieve victory. The Wei army has more troops, is not afraid of death, and has mounted horse units to suppress them.
If such cavalry cannot divide and conquer Wei Yan's and Wu Ban's troops, which originally had only eleven thousand soldiers, then the central army of Wei could go to Yanmen for farming.
The howling sounds on the battlefield could be heard four miles away, at the scene of the confrontation between Wei and Shu below Lueyang. To Ma Su and Zhao Yun, it was like distant, indistinct thunder during the day.
Since it's on the eastern side, with such a howling sound, and by watching the army formations moving and changing from the observation deck, it must be that Wei Yan's department has been defeated!
Ma Su's face was pale, and his lips trembled uncontrollably: "General Zhao, General Zhao, why is the Chancellor not yet here?"
"I had thought that by holding out until tonight and waiting for Wu Yi to lead his troops here, the forces would be replenished and the defenses could hold. Perhaps we could even destroy the enemy's Wei army."
"But, but......"
The tone here is almost as if Ma Su is on the verge of tears.
Zhao Yun had by now largely guessed that the situation was indeed as Wei Yan had said last night. With the outer defenses of the camp, including the stakes and ditches, already removed, with only eleven thousand men at their disposal, how long could they hold out?
Moreover, the Wei army's cavalry is numerous. One can only pray for the protection of the late Emperor, so that Wei Yan and Wu Ban can be saved as much as possible.
And Ju Fu...
At this moment, Zhao Yun's heart had already sentenced Ju Fu to death.
Having served in the army for nearly forty years, Zhao Yun has experienced both great victories and great defeats.
With the inherent resilience of a strong-minded warrior, or perhaps the calmness gained from long experience in the military, Zhao Yun suddenly stood up and locked eyes with Ma Su.
"Young Ma," Zhao Yun said to Ma Su in a serious voice, addressing him by his personal name for the first time since the Northern Expedition.
Ma Su, eager yet confused, raised his head in a hurry and locked eyes with Zhao Yun's gaze.
Zhao Yun looked towards the east again and then turned to say: "Based on the current situation, the Wei army under General Cao Rui at Lueyang City to the west has been holding back. It's clear that Wei Yan's department to the east has been defeated. We may face an attack from our eastern side within half an hour."
"Young Ma, do you have a strategy to counter the enemy?"
Upon hearing the howling sounds of the Wei army from the east, Ma Su's spirits were already stretched to the limit, as if he had lost all his strength. He smiled bitterly and said slowly: "The Chancellor did not allow us to retreat, so what can we do now, General Zhao?"
Zhao Yun looked at Ma Su with a sense of frustration and said with a firm and calm expression: "The Chancellor's intention was not to allow us to retreat, but to block the Wei army from moving south along Lueyang!"
"If you cannot, I am willing to take charge of this battle myself!"
Ma Su seemed to grasp at straws, swallowing hard and said quickly: "I will fully listen to your orders, General Zhao! Please issue orders!"
Zhao Yun, having received Ma Su's confirmation, extended his right hand in front of him.
Ma Su hesitated for a moment and then took out the military seal given to him by Zhuge Liang from his bosom and placed it into Zhao Yun's hand.
"I will not give you any orders," Zhao Yun said with a flat expression: "I will handle this matter myself! Quickly go to General Wang Ping's camp!"
Ma Su did not hesitate, bowing lightly to Zhao Yun and then quickly walked out.
Zhao Yun sighed softly and gave the order to move all the camp's supplies and vehicles out, to quickly form a formation at the south foot of the mountain.
Outside the Lueyang city, the camps of Zhao Yun and Wang Ping are actually quite strange in shape.
Wang Ping's four thousand men camped across the gap in the southeast of Lueyang City, two li away, blocking the Wei army's path south through this route. Zhao Yun's eleven thousand infantry soldiers camped below the hill to the east of the gap and stretched north along the small river.
The camp was over two li long.
At this time, Zhao Yun's allocation of forces was to construct a simple defense work as quickly as possible on the southern end of the long and narrow camp, facing north.
This was done to allow his remaining ten thousand troops to calmly follow the southern section of the camp and climb up to the hilltop in order to preserve their lives.
For the Wei army to attack up to the hilltop, they would have to abandon the advantage of their cavalry and attack from below upwards, which would undoubtedly be more laborious.
Moreover, the surrounding geography and water sources, Zhao Yun had already investigated thoroughly. If the army could be withdrawn to the hilltop, they could connect with Wang Ping's camp in the west, and form a mutual watchful relationship between the hillside and the mountain slope.
The most important thing is that Wang Ping's camp has a small river as a water source!
After all, Zhao Yun is a seasoned general, and the military orders he issued at this moment are indeed the only correct choice. When the decision was made to encircle Lueyang City's eastern side here, Zhao Yun had also provided key advice when Ma Su presented this plan to Zhuge Liang.
Zhao Yun has considered all three factors: having an elevated ground as a retreat route, controlling the passes with the camp, and having a water source at the foot of the mountain.
And nearby, a mountain range without water sources or support, surrounded on all sides, was located directly south of Lueyang City and west of Zhao Yun's camp by two li. This was the cut-off mountain where Cai Jing had suffered a complete defeat.
The difference of just two li could mean the difference between night and day in their current situation if they had chosen the wrong camp location.
From the perspective of Cao Zhen, the general from the Wei army, since the emperor had already won, it would be better to wait for him to lead his troops to the east side of Shu's army, and then attack them from both sides to encircle Shu's camp.
Therefore, Cao Zhen remained still and faced off against Shu's camp.
Due to the limited perspective and the obstruction of the camp, Cao Zhen on this side couldn't actually see the internal gathering of Zhao Yun's camp towards the south.
In the battlefield to the east, Cao Ren, who was stationed among the four thousand mounted troops of Huan Fan, came to the outer side of Sun Li's army and heard from Sun Li that it was Ma Dai who led this department of Shu's army.
Cao Ren looked at the surrounding officials: "Chang Wei, Yang Zhongshu, both of you are wise men. Ma Dai is surrounded in the cavalry formation and there is no way for him to escape. What should Wei do to him?"
