Chapter 87: The Snipe and the Clam Grapple, the Fisherman's Gain?

  Cao Cao felt somewhat uneasy in his heart, but at this time there was no other way, he could only do so, and didn't say anything as he followed the crowd into the valley.

  After all, Dong Zhuo's hundreds of thousands of troops are rushing over, and they themselves are exhausted, only relying on the advantageous terrain to withstand Dong Zhuo.

  When the Allied Forces slowly entered the valley, they did not pursue Akikawa to take advantage of their victory, but instead set up camp on the spot, buried pots and cooked rice. After all, after a big battle for a day, they were already starving, and Dong Zhuo was still thirty miles away, which was enough for the army to eat and rest.

  At this time, however, Qiū Shuǐ's face was gloomy. After all the effort they had put in and the heavy losses their army had suffered, they didn't expect Dǒng Zhuō to ruin everything.

  Originally, Qiū Shuǐ ordered Xú Róng and others to ambush in the mountain valley, but there were many able men and strategists in the coalition army, fearing discovery, so they ambushed in the latter half of the long mountain valley, with no ambushes in front. Now, however, it's all been for nothing.

  As for the old man and the clam fighting, the fisherman benefiting, at this time, Qiu Shui smiled bitterly, deeply knowing that he himself had no ability to be a fisherman.

  As soon as the two armies clashed, they would definitely eliminate this uncertain factor first. The Allied Forces were afraid that Dong Zhuo would unite with them and attack from both sides, while Dong Zhuo was afraid that they would surrender to the Allied Forces or prepare to do so. Therefore, before the two armies clashed, they would inevitably lead their troops to eliminate themselves first. At this time, Qiu Shui's face was filled with worry.

  Whoosh! The strong wind whooshed through the mountain valley, blowing on the autumn water-filled bloody face, with countless panting and blood-stained soldiers behind, showing a sorrowful gaze.

  Qiu Shui gazed at the red sunset in the sky, a lonely expression on her face. Was this really the last sunset?

  Whoosh! The wind grew stronger, the biting cold wind hung on everyone's face, a yellow withered leaf was blown onto Autumn Water's face by the wind. Suddenly, something seemed to flash through Autumn Water's mind, and the tragic look in her eyes instantly turned into wild joy, a glimmer of hope for survival flashed in her eyes.

  Lü Bu suddenly saw the flash of excitement in Qiu Shui's eyes and thought, "Could it be that our lord has come up with a plan?" He looked at Qiu Shui hopefully, his throat dry as he asked, "My lord, have you thought of something clever?" His eyes were full of hope.

  Qiu Shui nodded firmly and said, "All officers, bury the cauldron and cook!"

  Yes! The soldiers responded in unison, but their voices seemed somewhat subdued. Lü Bu was about to ask another question when Qiu Shui stretched out his hand and stopped him.

  At this time, Autumn Water knew that if he led the generals and soldiers to rush to Mengjin Port now, they could avoid the current danger, but his mission would fail. Autumn Water blamed himself in his heart, for the sake of his own mission, he had despicably let these lovely and loyal generals take risks again.

  After arranging for the soldiers to rest, Qiū Shuǐ stood alone, gazing at the sunset with a desolate expression. When did he become so cold and hard-hearted? These generals had fought alongside him, shedding blood together, and now Qiū Shuǐ considered them his own people. Yet, in order to survive, for his own selfish desires, he was about to make these generals shed their blood once again for him. A wave of self-reproach washed over Qiū Shuǐ's heart. Rumbling sounds echoed through the land as countless iron cavalry rushed by at high speed.

  At this time, Dong Zhuo had led his iron cavalry and merged with the infantry in the rear, and at this time he had arrived in this valley.

  At this time, Dong Zhuo had a fierce look on his face as he gazed at the valley. Li Ru walked to Dong Zhuo's side and cautiously said: "Your Excellency, now that the eighteen vassals and Lü Bu have been fighting for a day, the entire army is exhausted. Although attacking the valley has its advantages, the enemy has the geographical advantage, and I fear that our casualties will be too great. Why not trap them in the valley and cut off their food supplies? Let's take it slowly!"

  Dong Zhuo's face was filled with wild joy, the siege of the eighteen vassals was like a huge mountain weighing on his chest. Just at this time, Autumn Water and Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo's two most trusted generals, led tens of thousands of troops to rebel together, making Dong Zhuo grit his teeth in anger and shock in his heart. At this time, he had already blocked the enemy in the valley, and Dong Zhuo looked at the red valley with a sinister gaze.

  "My lord, why not wait for both sides to distinguish between victory and defeat before we launch an attack? Won't this lead to even greater losses for us?" At this time, Li Jue and Guo Si from Dong Zhuo's camp came out to ask.

  Haha! Dong Zhuo saw that he only had two brave generals under his account, and after asking, he laughed haha and looked at Li Ru with a slanted gaze.

  Li Ru saw Dong Zhuo's gaze and smiled slightly, nodding to the two generals. He said with a hint of cold smile: "You are all seasoned generals who have been through countless battles. If one side were to defeat the other now, they would gain momentum, but our army could not completely destroy them. At this time, both sides are wounded and morale is low. If we attack now, the enemy's morale will surely weaken. They must be running out of food and supplies; cut off their supply lines for a few days, and it remains to be seen whether they can fight again! Haha!"

  "Haha! The military advisor's plan is brilliant! We admire you! Admire!" The two of them, after understanding, stretched out their thumbs to praise Li Ru.

  Dong Zhuo immediately divided his army into two routes, blocking the other exit of the valley and launching an attack on the mouth of the valley where the allied forces were camping.

  Due to the narrow terrain, the advantage of having more troops was not utilized at all. This move by Dong Zhuo was not intended to win the battle in one go, but rather to strike a blow against the enemy's morale.

  However, Dong Zhuo's plan succeeded. The generals and soldiers under the 18 vassals had been fighting for a whole day and were already exhausted. When they encountered Dong Zhuo's attack again, only less than half of their strength could be exerted, which was far from enough to win. As a result, the allied army left a large number of corpses at the valley entrance.

  At night, the cold wind howled through the ancient land, and all that could be seen were countless fires in two places in the valley. One was the eighteen vassals, and the other was Lü Bu of Autumn Water who rebelled against Dong Zhuo. The two valleys outside were also filled with firelight, making it impossible to distinguish how Dong Zhuo's forces were distributed.

  This was Li Ru's plan under Dong Zhuo's command. Both sides lit countless torches, making it impossible for the enemy in the valley to distinguish between them.

  Kill! Countless killing sounds echoed in the valley, and the birds in the dense forest of the valley flew away in shock.

  At this time, Dong Zhuo's army had been blocked for two days, and the autumn water and the eighteen vassals' grain and grass were not many. The eighteen vassals also began to attack with their troops, hoping to break through a passage, but unfortunately, although there were many elite soldiers in the allied forces, once they broke out of the gap, they faced Dong Zhuo's most elite iron cavalry, and for a time, countless people died or were injured.

  Don't look at the coalition forces being numerous, but unfortunately, the mountain pass is too small, and the advantage of having more people cannot be brought into play. If it weren't for this, how could the coalition army of hundreds of thousands be blocked by Dong Zhuo in Shanggu? At this time, the coalition army was filled with worry and their morale was scattered.

  The sun sets in the west, casting a slanted gaze on the ground in the valley below, where only corpses are seen scattered all over the ground, like hell, forming a different kind of landscape under the sunset.

  PS: Everyone, tonight I have a night shift, if nothing unexpected happens, the update will be around 9:30 tomorrow morning, please forgive me!