Chapter 753: See Who Falls First

After only a moment's thought, Huangfu Chaobo ordered the central army to hold on. He also realized that the city had reached the most critical moment. He only needed his central army to hold on, or he could capture Puyang.

So, with Huangfu Chaobo's order, the 8,000-strong army quickly changed its formation and formed a circular formation. At the same time, a series of special horn sounds came from the central army.

At this time, both sides were desperately trying to buy time. Huang Zhong and Dian Wei, who were fighting fiercely on the city, also found the abnormality in the central army under the city. Although there was no new military order from the central army, the position of the central army changed from the initial ordinary square formation to a circular formation that was conducive to defense.

Huang Zhong, who had experienced many battles, saw the problem with just a glance and immediately realized that something was happening. However, the battle on the city was already fierce, and he could not afford to slack off. The current plan was to drive Cao Cao's army off the city as soon as possible. Only by occupying the city wall and opening the city gate could the war develop in a direction that was favorable to them.

Xiahou Dun in Puyang City also saw the abnormality of the Sizhou Army's Central Army. Seeing the sudden change of formation of the Sizhou Army's Central Army, Xiahou Dun was stunned at first, and then immediately reacted, knowing that his reinforcements had arrived. Now most of the Sizhou Army's troops were fighting with his army on the top of the city. It was the time when the Central Army was empty. If Meng De could lead the army to raid the Sizhou Central Army at this time, then his side would definitely win.

Maybe he could also severely damage the Sizhou Army, and then the army would march eastward and capture Chenliu, making Meng De's position as the governor of Yanzhou worthy of its name. With Xiahou Dun's roar, the resistance of Cao Cao's army on the top of the city also became more intense.

The communication method of Hu Yandu's cavalry was very similar to that of the northern nomadic cavalry. They all carried a small ox horn with them, which could be used to communicate between different teams. So after the central army sounded the gathering horn, the cavalry cruising everywhere all sounded the horn in response.

For a while, horns sounded everywhere in the dozens of miles around Puyang, but the thousands of cavalry were too far apart to gather together in a short time.

The five thousand Hu Ben cavalry were distributed in the east and north of Puyang, which was farther away. If they wanted to return to help, it would take longer.

Half an hour later, the smoke and dust finally rose in the south of Puyang. At this time, the soldiers of both sides on the battlefield had already discovered this abnormality. The soldiers of Cao Cao's army suddenly found the thunderous roar, while the offensive of the soldiers of Sizhou Army was obviously stagnant.

At this time, the thunderous trumpet and drum sounded from the central army of Sizhou Army. This was the order from the central army to attack. Suddenly, the soldiers of Sizhou Army also understood that only by eliminating the enemies on the city wall as soon as possible and occupying the city could they return to rescue the central army.

At this time, in the central army of Huangfu Chaobo, the soldiers of the five hundred Iron Wall Camp surrounded the central army as the last barrier of Huangfu Chaobo, as the first defense circle. In addition to the central army, there are also hundreds of craftsmen and other non-combatants.

Outside them are 1,500 Yuanrong crossbowmen and 2,000 ordinary archers, who form the second defense circle with dozens of wells and catapults.

The outermost is the 1,000 Xianzhen Camp and the 1,500 imperial guards transferred from Wang Ran's army and Zhang Miao's 1,000 personal guards, who form the third defense circle.

Outside the outermost defense circle, Huangfu Chaobo also ordered some damaged siege equipment carried by the central army to be surrounded by the soldiers. Although these things cannot resist the attack of the enemy's troops, they can disrupt their formation.

As the most powerful Xianzhen Camp, Huangfu Chaobo was facing the direction of Cao Cao's army, while the 2,500 imperial guards announced other directions.

A quarter of an hour later, 20,000 Qingzhou soldiers arrived at a position about 400 steps away from Huangfu Chaobo's central army. Following the order of Cao Cao's central army, the army stopped, and after a little arrangement, 2,000 soldiers were left to guard the central army, and the remaining 18,000 soldiers rushed towards Huangfu Chaobo's central army.

It was not that Cao Cao was unwilling to press the whole army, but at this time, Hu Yandu's cavalry had begun to appear on the periphery of the battlefield.

Although there were only a few dozen cavalry, Huangfu Chaobo's cavalry was strong, which was well known to the princes of the world. Cao Cao didn't want his retreat to be covered.

Of course, another reason was that Cao Cao once again underestimated the combat power of Huangfu Chaobo's personal army. After all, although Huangfu Chaobo's personal army was famous, it was only among the players, and no one among the princes had seen it. So in Cao Cao's view, although his army was a little tired from coming from afar, no one would think there would be a problem with two against one.

Eighteen thousand Qingzhou soldiers were divided into three parts, attacking the east, south and west of Huangfu Chaobo's central army respectively.

Huangfu Chaobo stood on the central army's watchtower, watching the Qingzhou soldiers approaching rapidly from three directions. Although he had never personally commanded a major battle, he had experienced dozens of battles along the way, so he was not unfamiliar with the command of the battle.

The effective attack distance of the Yuanrong crossbow soldiers was one hundred steps, but the Qingzhou soldiers were famous, so Huangfu Chaobo decided to set the attack distance at about eighty steps. However, the catapults began to launch stones after Cao Cao's army entered the attack range.

The Cao Cao army, which entered within three hundred steps, accelerated its speed and rushed towards Huangfu Chaobo's central army at the order of the general. At the same time, the catapults of Huangfu Chaobo's central army began to launch stones.

Dozens of hurled stones flew towards Cao Cao's army, but facing the soldiers in attack, the role that dozens of catapults could play was really limited. After several rounds of hurling stones, only more than a hundred people were killed and wounded, and at this time Cao Cao's army had left the attack range of the catapults and entered 150 steps.

Huangfu Chaobo ordered the catapults to stop throwing stones, and the two thousand archers and Yuanrong crossbowmen in the well began to prepare for the attack.

The equipment used by the Sizhou army this time was all advanced equipment. The attack of the advanced well was only a bonus of 30 steps, and the soldiers on the well were basically only 70 to 80 steps away. If the two were added together, the total was only about 100 steps, which was basically the same as the attack distance of the Yuanrong crossbowmen.

Huangfu Chaobo thought about it and decided that the archers and Yuanrong crossbowmen would attack at the same time.

Soon the Qingzhou soldiers entered within a hundred steps, and then quickly attacked the Sizhou army.

"80 steps!"

"Crossbowmen! Fire!"

With Huangfu Chaobo's order, arrows like locusts rushed straight towards Cao Cao's army. The crossbowmen used horizontal shooting, shooting directly at the Qingzhou soldiers in the front, while the archers attacked from top to bottom, shooting their arrows at the heads of the Qingzhou soldiers behind.

In this way, the entire Qingzhou soldiers between 80 and 100 steps were covered by thousands of arrows. For a moment, countless Cao Cao's soldiers were caught in the rain of arrows.