The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 778 What a big appetite!

As all twenty rockets, each as thick as a child's arm, were launched, the buildings and facilities in the Wei army camp were quickly set ablaze.

After setting the fire, Jiang Wei and Zhang Bao excitedly withdrew, while the Wei army inside the camp began to fight the fire in a miserable manner, but they were unable to put it out at all.

Fire is merciless, so the timing of firefighting is crucial. Only by acting promptly before the fire starts and while it is still under control can it be extinguished quickly. Otherwise, once the fire reaches a certain size, not only will it be impossible to put it out, but the heat waves emitted by the flames will also prevent you from getting close.

Previously, the Wei army was so frightened by the ballistae that they sought cover and missed the opportunity to put out the fire. By the time the ballistae finished firing and they could calmly put out the fire, the flames had spread completely and could not be put out. The Wei army could only rescue the granary first and try to salvage some food. As for the houses, they should not struggle, and wait for the fire to go out naturally after the burning was over.

After setting the fire, Jiang Wei and Zhang Bao withdrew without checking the results. Firstly, this was to prevent being blocked by the Wei army and to make a quick escape. Secondly, the results of the fire would not affect subsequent operations. Regardless of whether the grain and fodder were burned or not, they still needed to intercept the enemy, so there was no need to check.

But Jiang Wei didn't sit idle either. After returning to his own camp and ensuring its safety, he immediately dispatched more than a hundred Wudang Flying Army soldiers, sending them in groups of three to various camps to scout out the situation and observe whether the Wei troops in each camp would retreat as he had predicted.

The ambush and encirclement operation he discussed with Zhang Fei was based on the premise that the Wei army would retreat. If the Wei army did not retreat, their ambush would be meaningless.

Not only would it be pointless, but the blocking force might also be completely surrounded by the Wei army if it tried to slip through. Therefore, they could only launch their operation after the Wei army began to retreat.

The scouts sent out quickly returned and told Jiang Wei that the Wei army had begun to retreat, and that the retreat was orderly. The outermost camps were retreated first, followed by the second and third lines of defense, which retreated in turn to cover each other and prevent being surrounded and pursued by the Han army.

While this approach is prudent, it can backfire against unpredictable opponents like Jiang Wei and Zhang Bao. This seemingly safe arrangement results in a slow retreat, giving Jiang Wei ample time to launch a flanking maneuver.

Upon receiving the news, Jiang Wei dared not delay and made preparations immediately. As soon as it got dark, he divided the Wudang Flying Army into three parts, which he, Zhang Bao, and E Huan led respectively, and they quietly headed to the pre-arranged ambush locations under the cover of night.

The three armies set off simultaneously from three different directions, and because they had to avoid the Wei army, they had to climb over cliffs and precipices that the Wei army could not pass through, so their speed was naturally slow.

Fortunately, they had been traversing the mountains for so many days and had already thoroughly familiarized themselves with the terrain and the landscape along the way. Therefore, tonight's operation was no problem for them at all. The three teams of Wudang Flying Army, led by their respective generals, skillfully climbed up the high mountains, then climbed down from the other side to continue crossing another mountain, quickly heading to the designated location.

Although climbing mountains is strenuous, the straight-line distance is relatively short. The Wei army's route through the valley may seem flat, but it involves many detours. As a result, the Wudang Flying Army can climb mountains faster.

At dawn, the three teams of blocking troops arrived at the designated location one after another. Then, a team of scouts was sent to Jiang Wei's position to report the situation. At the same time, a troop of soldiers was sent back to carry food along the same route, while the rest of the troops felled trees and quarried stones to quickly build blocking positions.

It is worth mentioning that the Wudang Flying Army did not bring swords or other weapons during this ambush. Instead, they brought shovels, pickaxes, and other tools, which were normally used for building fortifications but were used as weapons in wartime.

With three ambush points, Jiang Wei was in the very center. The scouts sent by Zhang Bao and E Huan quickly met up with Jiang Wei. After exchanging information and confirming that they were in position, they dispersed.

Now that they have all arrived at the designated location, all that remains is to hold them off. As long as they can withstand the Wei army's pincer attack from the front and rear and hold out until Zhang Fei leads his troops to arrive and completely surround the retreating Wei army, this operation will be considered a complete success.

Faced with this situation, Zhang Fei dared not delay. He arrived at Sun Lang's camp last night to take charge, and at dawn he immediately divided the prepared army into dozens of teams and headed straight for the Wei army's camp, preparing to drive the Wei army to the blocking position in front as quickly as possible.

At the same time, Zhang Fei personally led his troops to attack, preparing to rush to the front line and join Jiang Wei and the others as soon as possible. He had no choice, as his son was one of the generals responsible for blocking the enemy, and now he was caught in a pincer attack by the Wei army. How could he not be anxious?

After all, no one wants to bury their child!

Thus, the Wudang Flying Army blocked the Wei army's retreat route, and Zhang Fei led his troops in full pursuit. It was believed that it would not be long before the retreating Wei army was completely surrounded.

The Wei general in charge of the overall defense of Dahong Mountain was Xu Huang's deputy general, Lü Jian. Lü Jian was originally stationed at the No. 72 transit camp. However, when Jiang Wei burned the transit camp, he was not at the transit camp. Instead, he went to inspect other camps and did not return until noon the next day. By the time he returned, the transit camp was almost burned to the ground.

Lu Jian was also an experienced veteran. Upon learning that the transit camp had been burned, he immediately realized what was going on. He didn't care about the loss of the camp's food and supplies and hurriedly sent out scouts to patrol the retreat route. They found out that something had happened: the retreat route had been blocked by the Han army.

Upon hearing the news, Lü Jian broke out in a cold sweat. Without thinking twice, he immediately summoned his generals to discuss and make arrangements. He ordered the Wei army near the Han army's blocking position to rush to and attack the Han army's blocking position. At the same time, he lit beacon fires to notify Xu Huang on the opposite side of the blocking position to come to the rescue. Lü Jian himself led his troops to guard the key mountain pass to prevent the main force of the Han army from pursuing them.

With their retreat route blocked, it was obvious that the main force of the Han army would definitely press in from behind and, together with the Han army that was blocking them, surround and annihilate them. Otherwise, why send troops to block them?

Thanks to Lü Jian's timely deployment, the Wei army quickly reached the Han army's blocking position, with Zhang Bao's position being the first to be attacked.

The position had 1,500 men, and there was a two or three-hour gap between their arrival at the position and the Wei army's attack. By the time the Wei army arrived, the outer defenses were basically completed, and they had made many spears by cutting bamboo nearby, establishing a preliminary defensive system. The Wei army had just arrived and had few troops, so they were easily stopped by Zhang Bao.

But Zhang Bao knew this was just the beginning, and a greater test was yet to come. So he did not dare to slack off and instead dug trenches while blocking the enemy, preparing to quickly build a defensive position that could withstand five days of fierce attacks from the Wei army.

At the same time, Zhang Bao was worried that the Wei army would attack from the mountaintop like they had, so he arranged a garrison of soldiers on each side of the mountaintop. During the blocking operation, these soldiers had to take care of their food, drink, and other needs on the mountaintop.

Jiang Wei and E Huan followed the same strategy, actively building defenses while determined to hold their camps and never leave, giving the Wei army no chance to break out.

Compared to the three blocking generals, Zhang Fei's situation was not so smooth. Thanks to Lü Jian's timely reaction, Zhang Fei only managed to pass through seven camps before being blocked by the No. 72 transit camp. The other armies were also blocked by the Wei army's blocking forces, and it seemed that only a direct assault was left.

Instead of launching an immediate attack, Zhang Fei went to the front of the transit camp and shouted loudly, "I am Zhang Yide, I know Lü Jian is inside, tell him to come out and see me."

The transit station was now completely blackened by fire, with some areas still emitting wisps of smoke. Lü Jian stepped through the ruins and ash to the front of the battle line, clasped his hands in greeting to Zhang Fei, and said, "Lü Jian greets General Zhang. General, you have quite the methods, but to think you can take down my tens of thousands of troops with just this? Isn't your appetite a bit too big?"