dognovel Chapter 461 Ma Chao Offers Sacrifice to Heaven Again? Luring People with Profits Ultimately Backfire
Chapter 461 Ma Chao Offers Sacrifice to Heaven Again? Luring People with Profits Ultimately Backfire
Ma Chao's marching movements were exactly as Xiahou Yuan had predicted.
Often, the outcome of a war does not depend on the size of the forces on either side.
Like some incompetent fools who lead an army of 100,000 but can't even defeat 800.
Ma Chao wasn't that invincible, but he believed his total forces were three times that of Xiahou Yuan's, and that Xiahou Yuan's army was exhausted, so the advantage was in his hands!
But it was precisely this arrogance of his that heralded his impending defeat!
When they were thirty miles away from Xiahou Yuan.
Ma Chao's side discovered that Xiahou Yuan's troops were resting.
In response, several Qiang, Di, and Jie leaders beside Ma Chao suggested that they rest for a while before engaging in a decisive battle.
But Ma Chao defied all opposition and declared:
"Xiahou Yuan could not have anticipated that our army would engage in a decisive battle with him so soon."
"With only thirty li left, if our army rests on the spot, wouldn't we be missing a golden opportunity and giving Xiahou Yuan time to recover his strength?"
"Why not defeat it first and then regroup?"
"By then, Jicheng will be captured soon, and I, the general, have decided to let you celebrate for five days!"
Upon hearing the words "five days of revelry," the Qiang, Di, and Jie soldiers all showed longing.
The so-called five-day carnival refers to five consecutive days during which any creature in the city can be allowed to run wild.
For five days, no rules or regulations were observed.
What they steal is theirs.
The bad things they did went unpunished.
Seeing that the morale was good, Ma Chao was also full of confidence.
But morale is only one aspect that determines victory or defeat.
These Qiang, Di, and Jie soldiers have never had any military discipline or rules.
Under Ma Chao's influence, they all believed that Xiahou Yuan's 10,000 Cao troops would collapse at the first touch!
Therefore, to varying degrees, there was a sense of underestimating the opponent and a tendency to give up.
It doesn't matter how much you do or how little you do, it's all the same.
Defeating Xiahou Yuan is not like attacking Ji City, where there are huge profits waiting for them to divide up.
Just do a sloppy job, and make sure you don't die in battle.
Otherwise, the "five-day carnival" would be out of reach for them.
The self-righteous Ma Chao never expected that his proposed five-day celebration would actually tie his own hands.
The Qiang-Di-Jie soldiers blinded by self-interest and the Qiang-Di-Jie soldiers who give up are two completely different versions in terms of combat strength.
……
When Ma Chao was only a dozen miles away from Xiahou Yuan, he noticed that Xiahou Yuan had deployed his troops on a high slope.
Ma Chao frowned slightly at this, but didn't immediately realize the seriousness of the matter.
Having a high vantage point provides a significant advantage for cavalry.
But the number of soldiers behind him was twice that of Xiahou Yuan, and Xiahou Yuan's army was exhausted. How could they fight him?
"Charge the entire army!"
Without any hesitation, Ma Chao personally sounded the horn for the decisive battle.
As if receiving some kind of signal, the Qiang, Di, and Jie soldiers behind them immediately began their performance.
They all looked very busy, putting on an air of eagerness to help Ma Chao kill Xiahou Yuan.
But in reality, they were all secretly slowing down to avoid being killed by Cao Cao's army.
On the high slope, Xiahou Yuan was overjoyed.
Foreign armies, just as they always are.
A war that offers no profit is, in their eyes, utterly unnecessary.
However, not every war yields a large amount of money and benefits.
In terms of defending their homeland, the fighting power of the Han Chinese army far surpasses that of foreign tribes; the difference between the two is like heaven and earth.
"kill!"
At Xiahou Yuan's command, the Cao army, which had been resting for a long time, immediately rushed down the high slope!
Like a sharp blade, it pierced straight at Ma Chao!
The 20,000 Qiang, Di, and Jie soldiers instantly cleared a path for Cao Cao's army.
There's no other way; everyone's afraid of dying, so this is the only option.
Ma Chao stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at Xiahou Yuan, who was charging towards him from not far away!
"boom!"
The Tiger-Headed Golden Spear blocked Xiahou Yuan's fierce attack. While fighting Xiahou Yuan, Ma Chao shouted and cursed at Baihu Wen and the others:
How could you be so foolish?
"If we don't surround Cao Cao's army now, we'll all die at their hands!"
The Qiang, Di, and Jie leaders, led by Baihu Wen, suddenly realized what was happening and signaled to their soldiers to stop acting.
However, Xiahou Yuan and Cao Jun, positioned on higher ground and poised to attack, had already broken through the ranks of the Qiang, Di, and Jie armies.
To try to surround Cao Cao's army again is nothing short of wishful thinking.
As more and more Qiang, Di, and Jie soldiers died at the hands of Cao Cao's army, the remaining Qiang, Di, and Jie soldiers finally realized that if they continued to fight, they would most likely die here!
Thinking of the five-day celebration and Ma Chao's promise, the Qiang, Di, and Jie soldiers abandoned their will to resist and fled the battlefield.
Lured by profit, Ma Chao was betrayed.
Seeing that the number of troops around him was dwindling, Ma Chao flew into a rage.
He quickly feinted with his spear, repelling Xiahou Yuan, and then fled into the distance.
In fact, Ma Chao was more afraid of death than anyone else.
Don't be fooled by his cold-blooded and cruel demeanor; it's all a manifestation of his double standards.
If he were the weaker party, he would probably adopt a different approach.
"court death!"
Xiahou Yuan drew his bow and shot an arrow at Ma Chao's back.
Ma Chao sensed a flash of cold light behind him and quickly turned around to hide behind Baihu Wen.
"what!"
Baihu Wen cried out as he was struck in the forehead by Xiahou Yuan's arrow and died instantly.
Ma Chao has activated his innate skill once again, sacrificing his teammates!
Strange tales about rules in the late Han Dynasty: Don't take a position in the office of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat!
Strange Tales of Late Han Dynasty Rules, Part 2: Don't be teammates with Ma Chao! (Others are to be added, and readers are welcome to add their own interpretations.)
Shalifei, like Ma Chao, was afraid of death, so he mustered all his strength and fled far away with Ma Chao.
But the numerous Qiang, Di, and Jie soldiers behind Ma Chao became abandoned lambs.
Every single one of them, whether they tried to resist or surrendered on the spot, was killed by Xiahou Yuan and Cao Cao's soldiers.
This was not just to vent anger, but also to pay tribute to the soldiers and civilians of Tianshui who died tragically at the hands of Ma Chao.
In this battle, Cao Cao's army beheaded nearly 17,000 people, and Xiahou Yuan's reputation as a tiger in Guanzhong became known throughout Liangzhou.
But next, there is the most important step: rescuing Jicheng!
After Xiahou Yuan ordered a short rest, he once again led Cao Cao's troops toward Jicheng.
……
Jichengwai
Ma Dai announced the end of the campaign.
The defenders of Jicheng today are extremely tenacious and their morale is extremely high.
When Jiang Xu, Yang Fu, and others saw that nearly two-thirds of Ma Chao's army had left, they realized that Xiahou Yuan's reinforcements must be arriving soon. Only then did Ma Chao impatiently lead his troops to fight Xiahou Yuan to the death.
The soldiers and civilians on the city wall embraced each other and cheered, celebrating that Jicheng had hope.
However, the head of the Li family, who was in charge of defending the north gate, received a letter that Ma Dai had shot with an arrow during his retreat.
Upon opening it, the Li family patriarch revealed a guilty yet ruthless smile:
"Fellow colleagues, don't blame me for being ruthless, it's just that you are all too foolish!"
……