Chapter 693 Jia Xu: Let’s See Who Has a Tougher Life Between You and Him?

The flames of war burned, and countless people roared heartbreakingly.

Looking down from the sky, you can see the blend of black and red.

Six hundred Han soldiers wearing clothes symbolizing the fire virtue of the Han Dynasty were like a sharp long sword, piercing straight into the fleeing Wei army formation.

Countless cracks were torn open in the 40,000-man army in an instant, and these cracks were still deepening and expanding, just like a dam eaten by ants and insects, which instantly became riddled with holes.

Under the blessing of the "heavenly punishment", under Zhao Yun's generosity and bravery.

Six hundred ragged and bloody Han soldiers, each holding a knife, gun, stick, and club, like a hungry tiger pouncing on a sheep, chopping and killing with a knife, destroying the ancient and the rotten -

Here, there is no cry of the weak, only the roar of the strong.

Just this small Han army, like a warship riding the wind and waves, freely moved among the 40,000 Wei troops, and Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong... was the mast on the warship, leading them.

Although the Wei army was large in number, they were already scared!

They were afraid of Zhao Zilong, they were afraid of the Han army, but they were more afraid of the sudden divine punishment-

At this moment, the Han army suddenly seemed invincible.

In just two incense sticks, this "unfair" battle ended with the defeat of the Wei army.

On the other hand, Zhao Yun and Ma Yunlu at this time seemed to be wearing the same color armor, which was dyed red and became dazzling under the reflection of the fire.

…

"Trample!"

At dawn, the final battlefield cleanup was being done here. Just beside the Han River, Zhao Yun was covered in blood and walked over with heavy steps.

Here, there were a group of captured Wei soldiers, including Li Dian, Xiahou Wei, and Xiahou Rong.

Several soldiers pointed their spears at them.

Zhao Yun stood still, stared at them with cold eyes, and then asked the officers over there: "Where is Xu Huang?"

One of the officers said: "We only captured the three generals of the Wei army, but did not find Xu Huang. Instead, Xu Huang was stabbed by the generals, and many of his wounds were vital. It is expected that... even if he escapes, he will not be able to recover in a short time."

Zhao Yun nodded slightly.

He walked towards Xiahou Wei and Xiahou Rong step by step. These two young generals had never seen such a battle.

In the past, it was their brothers who charged into battle. This time, they realized for the first time the cruelty of this battlefield, the ever-changing and unpredictable battlefield.

Yes, a battle, ambushes, surprise attacks, outnumbered, unparalleled bravery... even... even the mysterious punishment of heaven came out.

They really learned a lot--

In the end, when they were captured by Zhao Yun, they felt relieved.

It was as if they were saying that the adult world was too scary, and they just wanted to go home to find their mother!

Of course, they could forget about finding their mother, but they would be satisfied if they could find their sister and brother.

"Xiahou Yuan's sons, Xiahou Wei and Xiahou Rong? Right?"

As Zhao Yun asked, the two nodded tremblingly.

In fact, it didn't matter whether they admitted it or not.

What mattered was that Zhao Yun smiled and said to them, "Get up, go to Chengdu, your eldest sister and your brothers are all there..."

It turned out that Zhao Yun was thinking that the Xiahou family...except Xiahou Yuan, would soon be reunited in Chengdu.

After talking about the Xiahou family, Zhao Yun walked to Li Dian's side. At this time, Li Dian's ribs were still bleeding, but they had been wrapped with a bandage to simply stop the heavy bleeding.

"Li Mancheng, long time no see——"

Zhao Yun greeted Li Dian, he knew Li Dian.

That was after Xu Shu surrendered to Liu Bei, Cao Cao sent Cao Ren, Li Dian, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang to attack him. During the period, the two Lüs and Li Dian fought with Zhao Yun, but only Li Dian survived.

In that battle, Li Dian also fought with Zhao Yun for ten rounds before he was defeated and fled.

Who would have thought that after more than ten years of not seeing each other... Zhao Yun's spearmanship is now far better than before, and Li Dian is not Zhao Yun's opponent!

Indeed, at that time, Zhao Yun still used the 108-way Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spearmanship, which pays attention to the reality and false, and uses many false moves to hide the final "pointing gun" killer move.

But now, Zhao Yun's Seven-probe Panshe Spearmanship has almost abandoned all the false moves in the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spearmanship, leaving only the twelve most practical killer moves!

This move is more than a hundred times more powerful than the one he used against Li Dian.

"I admit defeat..." Li Dian sighed, "Zhao Zilong, don't bother trying to persuade me to surrender. My entire clan of 3,000 households are in Yecheng. I can't surrender!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yun nodded slightly.

Zhao Yun knew the story of Li Dian moving his clan to Yecheng.

That was in the 11th year of Jian'an, two years before the Battle of Chibi. Li Dian's family was extremely large... which made Cao Cao wary, so Cao Cao tried to test Li Dian.

——『Mancheng, do you want to emulate Geng Chun? 』

Geng Chun was a famous general of the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty and one of the 28 generals of the Yuntai of Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu.

Similar to Li Dian's family, Geng's family was also a powerful family. However, in order to reassure Liu Xiu, Geng Chun led more than 2,000 clan members to burn down the houses of the clan members to show that the whole clan had surrendered and had no second thoughts.

Li Dian knew what Cao Cao meant. He immediately expressed his loyalty and moved 3,000 households and more than 13,000 people into Yecheng in exchange for Cao Cao's absolute trust.

It was also based on this that everyone could surrender, but in the Wei Dynasty, Li Dian... was the one who would never surrender.

Behind him were the lives of 13,000 clan members.

"Alas..."

Following Li Dian's words, Zhao Yun sighed, but finally smiled as if he was relieved.

Li Dian asked: "Serving the country and killing the enemy is an honor even if you die? This is the fate of a warrior, what are you laughing at?"

"I wanted to say it's a pity..." Zhao Yun's faint smile continued, "But Yunqi told me that whether it's the royal family of Cao Wei or loyal servants like you, Li Dian, sooner or later, the situation against Wei will be turbulent. Even if we don't want you to surrender, you will rush and compete to surrender, and you will take the initiative to volunteer to be the vanguard of the Han Dynasty to launch a general attack on the rebel Wei!"

Hmm...

When Zhao Yun's words were chanted, Li Dian was a little dazed. He pretended to be shocked. He was really shocked. He felt that what Zhao Yun said was not... What this so-called Guan Lin Guan Yunqi mentioned was a paradox, a situation that could never be realized.

"Are you bluffing me?"

"Why should I bluff you?" In sharp contrast to Li Dian's doubt, Zhao Yun was very determined. He smiled and said to Li Dian, "You don't know yet, even if your surprise attack in this battle was already anticipated by Yunqi, this is destined to be a battle where the few win over the many, and the Han army will win this battle in Hanzhong--"

Zhao Yun's firm tone made Li Dian a little confused...

He didn't know where Zhao Yun got such confidence from? What was he confident about?

But at this time...

"Zilong, Zilong..."

From a distance, Zhang Fei's loud voice was heard, "You fought so well in this battle! It was you who went in and out seven times, and you were so brave--"

Behind Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, Zhuge Ke, and a group of soldiers were rushing towards this side.

Zhao Yun hurriedly greeted him and said modestly, "Yide Miao is great, this is not my credit, this is clearly..."

Speaking of this, Zhao Yun looked at Huang Zhong.

Although he didn't know how the explosion in the air happened, he clearly saw that the arrows that caused the explosion were shot by General Huang Zhong.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yun was a little scared. If there was no "divine punishment", then... the battlefield would be a different scene now.

However, Zhao Yun wanted to attribute the credit to Huang Zhong, but Huang Zhong stroked his long beard and laughed, "Zilong? Why are you being modest? Yide said it well, you Zhao Zilong are brave--"

...

On the other side, three of the future Five Tigers have gathered.

On this side, Ma Chao, who finally waited for this great victory, could no longer bear the tearing of the wound and the fatigue of his body, and sat down. Even so, he was still a little shaky.

Ma Yunlu walked to his side, squatted down, supported him, and called softly: "Brother..."

In fact, at this time, Ma Yunlu's body and armor were also covered with blood, and those dried blood clots looked a little scary.

But it was not known whether it was luck or Zhao Yun's thorough escort of him. The blood on her body was all from the enemy, but she herself was not injured, and even at this moment, she was still smiling.

It seemed that she was enjoying the mood after this great victory.

"Still smiling?" Ma Chao showed a little anger and scolded: "Zhao Zilong didn't want his life, and you don't want your life either? Tens of thousands of Wei soldiers, only two of you... dare... dare?"

Ma Chao was really worried about his sister. Originally, in addition to his sister Ma Yunlu, he had four brothers, but in May of the 17th year of Jian'an, Ma Xiu and Ma Tie were both captured and killed by Cao Cao! The other two brothers were killed by Han Sui and captured by Cao Cao, and their lives were not determined.

And because, no matter what the reason or what the experience, it was ultimately because of his choice that his father and these brothers died in a foreign land.

This name of "unfilial piety" that he carried always tortured him, until... until Guan Lin asked someone to bring him some words, and then he was relieved! Cleared him of the long-lasting injustice.

It was for this reason that Ma Chao valued his sister Ma Yunlu so much and didn't want her to make any mistakes.

"Brother, don't worry about me. I'm fine... Master Zilong's spear skills are so powerful, how can I let those rats hurt me?"

This was in sharp contrast to Ma Chao's slight anger and nervousness.

Ma Yunlu seemed very happy, as if she was showing off to her brother, no... she was showing off to her brother Master Zilong who protected her well, showing off the throbbing and ecstasy in her heart.

How could Ma Chao not see what Ma Yunlu was thinking.

He could only sigh, "You... Don't do this again in the future!"

Ma Yunlu shook her head, "No! Brother... How do you know that my sister and Master Zilong are fighting side by side, there is nothing more refreshing than this."

This...

Ma Chao was speechless with Ma Yunlu's words.

The elder brother is like a father. At this time, what else can he sigh about besides "Girls cannot stay at home when they grow up"?

Just when Ma Chao was pondering.

"Mengqi..."

Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, Zhuge Ke and others have arrived.

"Let's arrange for the evacuation of the wounded today?"

"What about you?" Ma Chao raised his eyes, "You are also injured, right?"

"It's just a minor injury..." Zhao Yun answered, while looking back and exchanging glances with Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong and Zhuge Ke. He smiled and said, "Yuan Xun brought some weapons that can cut iron like mud. I heard that there is a steel gun made specially for me. My hands are itching so much——"

It seems that Zhao Yun still wants to fight again!

He has not completed his mission. He has not helped his lord Liu Bei to capture the city of Hanzhong according to the development in "Yun Biechuan".

But when Ma Yunlu heard that Zhao Yun was going to stay and continue the battle, she also became interested.

"What kind of gun?"

"Do you have one for me?"

…

…

"Wow, wow, wow, wow——"

An angry roar came from the government office in Yangping Pass, followed by the sound of teacups breaking, tables being overturned, and all the decorations being smashed to the ground.

Even at night, the sound was extremely loud and deafening.

This sound was made by Cao Cao.

Just now, he had already gone to bed, but the latest information came from the foot of Bashan Mountain and the banks of the Han River.

And... for Cao Cao, that damn information was really damn——

Cao Cao's blood immediately surged, and he was so angry that he drew his sword, wishing he could split the scout who reported the news in half.

What a fight!

What a shame!

Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Ma Chao who was already injured and unable to fight again!

The enemy only had a few thousand people! More than 70% of them were wounded!

Just like this... just this battle, they defeated the 30,000 soldiers sent by Xiahou Yuan, including the 10,000 soldiers sent by Cao Cao.

Even Li Dian, Xiahou Wei, and Xiahou Rong were all captured.

Xu Huang did return, but he had six bullet holes all over his body. Although they were not fatal, he was still in a coma. According to the doctor, with such injuries... it is estimated that he will never go to the battlefield again in his lifetime.

Defeat!

It was a complete defeat!

A complete defeat-

"How did you fight this damn battle?" With a "clang", Cao Cao slammed the sword in his hand heavily on the ground. His face was distorted to the extreme. He didn't care about the pain on his forehead, because... the anger in his heart was already overflowing, and every breath was like a roar from the depths of his chest, as if to burst out all the dissatisfaction and anger.

"Bang..."

Another punch, Cao Cao's fist hit the window paper heavily, the whole window was shaky, and a big hole was smashed.

And with this punch, the office seemed to tremble, and the trembling sound echoed in the air, which was frightening.

"Good-for-nothings, are all the good-for-nothings raised in my Wei Dynasty?"

"Zhao Zilong of Changshan was deeply humiliated by his seven ins and outs at Changbanpo, but this time, he slapped me in the face again. I don't feel sad, I just feel ashamed, ashamed for you brave warriors of Wei Dynasty!"

The low and hoarse voices were heavy one after another.

Every word of Cao Cao was like a cold threat squeezed out from his teeth, which made the civil and military officials present... who came one after another shudder and feel ashamed!

And in this extreme anger, Cao Cao seemed to have turned into a ferocious and terrifying lion, his whole body full of dangerous aura.

"Your Majesty..."

After a long silence, Jia Xu could not help but speak: "Recently, there has been something strange going on in the Shu army in Bashan. First, the 60,000 soldiers at Yangping Pass were annihilated, and then the 40,000 brave cavalry... returned in defeat. The soldiers have been talking about it, and even talked about some kind of divine punishment..."

Jia Xu should not have said these words.

This is completely contrary to his character of keeping himself safe, but at this time, someone must tell the truth, otherwise... Wei will be completely finished.

"Heavenly punishment?" Sure enough, Jia Xu's words attracted Cao Cao's special attention. He narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then asked: "Tell me, what is the heavenly punishment?"

Jia Xu continued: "Both times, the sudden explosion from the sky caused the soldiers to panic, so they lost their will to fight and were defeated immediately... So, the soldiers were talking about it, saying that the emperor was no longer in Wei, and the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty was rebuilt... Wei was going against the will of heaven, so it was punished by heaven! And they said... and they said..."

Jia Xu was obviously hesitant.

Cao Cao stared at him directly, "Whether it is true or false, tell me everything."

"It is rumored that... Your Majesty's throne of the King of Wei and the seal of the King of Wei are no longer tenable-"

With Jia Xu's last sentence

In anger, Cao Cao actually raised his "Wei Wang Yuxi" high up and wanted to smash it down heavily. His eyes were wide open, "I never believe in these gods and ghosts!"

He was even so angry that he wanted to smash the Yuxi, but in the end, he took it back.

He calmed down a bit, and said in a deep voice: "I am the King of Wei, and I am the King of Wei. When did I go against the will of heaven? Even if there is a divine punishment, it is not my turn. But this explosion, haha... is probably the ingenious skill developed by the Guan family! He is trying to scare me, does he really think that I and the warriors of Wei are three-year-old children?"

At this point, Cao Cao forced himself to stand up, and he stood straight, "Pass on my military order, in Bashan, all armies will form groups of three and rush to help each other. If they encounter the ingenious explosion in the air in the Shu army, the rest will be the same... Kill these traitors without mercy——"

"Yes..."

With Cao Cao's final order, a group of civil and military officials bowed and retreated.

In the end, Cao Cao took it all on his own. He could not lose his composure, he could not show his cowardice, he had to show the majesty of the King of Wei as always, the majesty of the king!

After everyone left, only Jia Xu and Zhang Wei were left in the office.

Cao Cao sighed and fell down as if he was deflated. Jia Xu and Zhang Wei hurried to help him.

Cao Cao asked in a faint voice, "Wenhe, how many soldiers are still stationed in Hanzhong?"

"Let's calculate, there should be 50,000..." Jia Xu said roughly.

"Let Zhong Yao leave 3,000 people to guard the city, and send all the others." Cao Cao ordered directly...

Ah...

Jia Xu was stunned.

Cao Cao continued, "It doesn't matter. North of Hanzhong across the Qinling Mountains is Guanzhong, which is my territory. East of Hanzhong are Shangyong and Fangling counties, where Wen Lie is stationed. Recently, most of the news is that everything is peaceful... But this Bashan, if I can't swallow this big-eared thief this time, I'm afraid I will never have a chance to swallow him again!"

Cao Cao seemed to have felt a sense of exhaustion. This was the last gamble at this age, and it was a deep sense of powerlessness.

How could Jia Xu not understand Cao Cao's thoughts? He immediately bowed.

"Well, I will ask Zhong Yao to transfer 45,000 Wei troops--"

Speaking of this, Cao Cao turned his eyes to Zhang Wei again, "Grand Priest, I am afraid I will have to borrow people from you this time..."

Zhang Wei hurriedly bowed. "It is the honor of me and the Five Pecks of Rice Sect to serve the king!"

Cao Cao's eyes were dim, "I know that the Five Pecks of Rice Sect still has tens of thousands of believers in Hanzhong. I want you to take them out. I will not fight this stalemate. I will destroy Liu Bei's old camp in one fell swoop and make all the Shu thieves in Bashan homeless!"

When saying this, Cao Cao's pupils showed a cold light...

The war in the Central Plains is not going well. He... He can only give it a try now. If both sides lose, then the Great Wei... The Great Wei will be gone!

"Your Majesty..." Zhang Wei hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "Your Majesty, rest assured. Within ten days, I can gather 75,000 followers of the Rice Sect in Hanzhong and arrive at the front line to serve your Majesty——"

"Okay... okay..."

Hearing Zhang Wei's words, Cao Cao finally felt relieved.

Zhang Wei seemed to have suddenly thought of something, "I dare to advise your Majesty that at this time, the Nanman should exert its strength... If Chengdu is attacked before the decisive battle, then the Shu army..."

Before Zhang Wei finished speaking, Cao Cao sighed, "I know that too. But Zhongde sent a message saying that the Nanman girl arrived in Chengdu, but the Nanman army has not moved..."

"Your Majesty..." At this time, Jia Xu's eyes were fixed, and he rarely interrupted: "This Nanman invasion, this old minister has a plan!"

"What?" Cao Cao and Zhang Wei looked at Jia Xu at the same time.

Jia Xu said slowly. "What if the daughter of the Nanman King died in Chengdu? Would the Nanman King still keep his troops in place? Why not see which one is more important, the life of this barbarian girl or Liu Bei?"

As soon as these words came out...

Cao Cao's eyes suddenly widened, and he subconsciously turned his head to Zhang Wei's forehead.

The implication is self-evident.

"Killing the barbarian girl and attracting trouble from the south is a very good plan--"

"Zhang Dajiu, there are people from the Five Pecks of Rice Sect lurking in Chengdu! Is that right?"

...

...(End of this chapter)