Chapter 412 Crisis
On the vast battlefield, on one side were the Yellow Turbans of more than 20,000 people, and on the other side were the Wei army of nearly 100,000. Although half of these 100,000 troops were civilians and auxiliary soldiers, the Yellow Turbans' regular soldiers were only more than 10,000 people. The gap in military strength between the two sides was still very large.

However, even so, the 20,000 Yellow Turbans controlled the key road here and blocked the Wei army.

On the vast battlefield between the two camps, the soldiers of Cao's army shouted in unison and rushed towards the Yellow Turbans' camp. Rain of arrows, kerosene, and crossbows put pressure on the Yellow Turbans' camp every moment, and smoke and fire could be seen everywhere in the Yellow Turbans' camp.

Inside the camp, Zhao Yun was watching the war situation with an expression as solemn as a stone statue. He was under a lot of pressure now.

The Yellow Turbans were good at fighting, but they were not omnipotent. It was very difficult for them to hold on under such a huge disparity in military strength.

Moreover, Cao's army came prepared for this battle, and the army's combat effectiveness was still acceptable, so it was not easy to defeat the Yellow Turbans.

"Zilong, we have been holding out here for five days, and the brothers are struggling. If we continue like this, we may not be able to survive. We need more troops. Haven't General Wuli's reinforcements arrived yet?"

After a long battle, both sides were exhausted and retreated to stop the fighting. Xiahou Lan, who had just retreated from the battlefield, did not even have time to wipe the blood off his body, and immediately came to Zhao Yun to ask about reinforcements.

Judging from his heavy breathing, it is obvious that this battle is not going to be easy.

Zhao Yun also sighed. This was not something to be surprised about. No matter how strong the Yellow Turbans were, they were not gods. With such a huge disparity in military strength, it was already good enough that they could fight like this.

He shook his head helplessly at the proposal for help, and then handed over a military report: "According to the report just now, it is not only Shangdang that was attacked this time. On the same day as the Wei army attacked, Ma Teng and Han Sui of Xiliang also launched attacks on Gaonu and Gao Shi of Bingzhou. Now General Wuli is dealing with them and has no spare energy to send troops to us."

Xiahou Lan's expression froze for a moment, then he wiped the blood off his hands and took the military report to read it. Sure enough, the content of the report was the same as Zhao Yun said.

Now that things have come to this, of course he understands what the situation is.

"I didn't expect that Wei State secretly formed an alliance with Xiliang. This is troublesome. I am afraid that Bingzhou alone cannot handle the war. I should ask for help from Wang Dang, the governor of Jizhou!"

"I have sent troops to Jizhou for help, but it will take a while for Wangzhou Mu to transfer troops. I am afraid we will have to rely on ourselves for a long time."

"That's it!"

Xiahou Lan spread his hands, shook his head and sat aside, his expression suddenly pessimistic: "We can hold out for a while with such a small force, but it is impossible for us to stop the Wei army completely. I don't think we can fight this battle."

Zhao Yun looked at him and just smiled. He knew that Xiahou Lan was just naturally casual and didn't really want to give up. "We have to fight even if we can't. We can retreat, but the people in the rear can't."

Xiahou Lan found an empty spot and lay down, resting his head on his hands. "Of course I know we have to defend, but we have to be realistic. Even if we die on the battlefield, there is nothing to say. But judging from the current situation, even if we die, Bingzhou will inevitably fall."

Zhao Yun's expression was calm. Although the situation was serious, he was not too worried. He sat on the ground and said, "We can't hold it, but we can hold it as long as possible. As long as we can buy some time, our army won't have to die here. We can withdraw our troops and lure him into a trap and then slowly deal with him."

Seeing that Zhao Yun had a plan, Xiahou Lan became alert and sat up immediately: "What do you think, Zilong?"

Zhao Yun said in a deep voice: "Our army is not defending the deadly area in the rear, but the people in the rear. As long as we buy time for the people to evacuate, we can let them in. The people's supplies in various places are gone, so what can they do with a deadly area?"

Xia Houlan pondered for a moment and nodded: "I'm afraid this is the only way."

Of course, he also understood that things were not as simple as Zhao Yun said. Even if the common people could be relocated, large tracts of farmland could not be relocated. Once Cao's army advanced deep into the country and found nothing to plunder, they would inevitably destroy the farmland and cut off all routes.

The joint defense mechanism can certainly prevent civilian casualties and protect property to a certain extent, but in reality the losses suffered are still very huge, and this is just something that can only be done out of helplessness.

Zhao Yun looked at the devastated battlefield in the distance and said, "We should defend this pass as long as we can. If the situation becomes unfavorable, we will retreat to the county town in the rear and continue to defend. I think the people in the rear should be ready by then."

Xiahou Lan also looked over and narrowed his eyes. "This near-death counterattack by the Wei State is quite powerful. If Zilong had not handled it properly before, I'm afraid Zhang Liao would have succeeded in his sneak attack. Fortunately, we have stabilized here, so there is still room for this battle."

Zhao Yun nodded in agreement: "It is inevitable that we will lose this battle in Bingzhou. I think it will be equally difficult to defeat General Wuli. The future situation will depend on whether the brothers from Jizhou can provide timely support. If we let the enemy reoccupy Bingzhou, it will take a lot more effort to fight back."

Xiahou Lan jumped over and stood firmly. Then he shook off the dust on his body and said with a confident smile: "It depends on whose fist is harder. I like to see the enemy struggle. Let's see what kind of blow they can make before they die!"

As they were talking, a horn blew in the distance. Both of them turned their heads to look. They knew that the enemy was about to launch a new round of attack.

Xiahou Lan adjusted his helmet which was a little crooked, and then looked at Zhao Yun: "I will leave now, Zilong will stay in the rear and command the troops!"

Zhao Yun nodded helplessly. In fact, he really wanted to go into the battlefield and kill the enemy. However, as the commander-in-chief of a region, he could not take the safety of the army as a joke. At this critical juncture, he did not need to kill a few more enemies. As the commander-in-chief, his job was to coordinate the war.

The battlefield, which had just calmed down, began a new round of attack and defense, with death and blood blooming in every corner.

Only at this time did Zhao Yun feel the weight of the country. Whether he could defend this place and how long he could defend it, one day earlier or one day later might be the difference between life and death of countless people, and now this heavy burden fell on his shoulders.

Even the fate of just one county, Shangdang, was enough to put Zhao Yun under tremendous pressure.

This is a cannibalistic world where the common people suffer the most. It is time for it to end. I hope that Xuan Xia's steps to unify China can begin with this war.

(End of this chapter)