In the early morning, white fog rose from the river.
Yuan Shao slowly woke up. It was Yuan Tan who was leading him on a horse. Unknowingly, they had already escaped into a mountain range that led into Ye City. There were no ambushes here, no pursuers from Cao Cao.
It was barely safe.
Yuan Shao sacrificed a few thousand soldiers to bring up the rear for him, and those soldiers were all scattered as they were chased by Cao Cao's Tiger Leopard Cavalry and Tiger Troop.
Now, there were only 180 riders following behind.
Yuan Shao turned his head to take a look at the lonely soldiers. He was so angry that he almost fell down again. Fortunately, Yuan Tan had managed to steady his shoulders, allowing Yuan Shao to slowly dismount.
At this moment, Yuan Shao slowly walked to the lakeside. He squatted down and scooped up some pure lake water to wash his face.
His heart was beating very fast, and his face was burning.
He knew what he would face when he returned to Jizhou.
It was a crushing defeat, and rumors spread everywhere.
Furthermore, he had led hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the south, but only brought back a hundred and eighty. How could he face the local elders?
Their sons had followed him to battle, but they were scattered on the battlefield.
Out of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, only the tens of thousands of deserters who were defeated managed to escape. The rest should be Cao Cao's captives.
The army was defeated like a landslide…
Thinking of what he had to face, Yuan Shao did not even want to go back. He wished he could draw his sword and end it right now.
"Sigh, my lord."
Xu You walked behind him, her face full of guilt. After bowing deeply, she said seriously,"Don't think too much about it. After we return, we still have Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou. Jizhou is a vast and fertile land.”
"We can still have a harvest. At that time, we will still have the opportunity to make a comeback.”
Xu You stared at Yuan Shao's face and grabbed his hand tightly." My lord, we still have a chance!"”
"There, there's still…"
Yuan Shao took a deep breath and sighed," It's just that I really don't have the face to face the people of Jizhou…"
"So many soldiers, but all of them…sigh!!! All of them…"
At this moment, Yuan Shao's heart was still thinking about this matter. It was as if he was stuck in a dead end. His face was ashen, and he only felt frustrated. A breath of air was still lingering in his heart, and he couldn't express it at all.
However, Xu You, Yuan Tan, Gao Lan, Zhang He, and the other generals were all looking at him with eager eyes. He could not just leave like that.
"Let's go back to Ye City!" Yuan Shao sighed.”
"Let's go!"
……
At this point, Cao Cao had won the Battle of Guandu. With just 100,000 men, he had repelled hundreds of thousands of Yuan Shao's soldiers.
As soon as the battle report came, Xu Zhen, who was still in Qingzhou, knew that he had succeeded.
Thus, the Snow Dragon Cavalry took advantage of the news of Yuan Shao's defeat to enter the territory of the Ji Prefecture from the Qing Prefecture.
Cao Cao rested for less than three days and waited for Xun Yu to transport the rations to the camp. He then marched into Liyang and spent seven days attacking the city day and night.
He had broken through the southern barrier of Jizhou.
At this moment, the Battle of Guandu had come to an end, and Cao Cao was no longer in a hurry to advance.
Thus, he first placed his troops in Liyang and waited for Xu Zhen to march into Hejian.
If the two of them split up, they would be unstoppable.
At this moment.
Yuan Shao's original top ten generals on the Brave Generals Heaven Roll had all been removed, and Wen Chou had also lost his name.
Only Lu Bu, who was in third place, was still holding on.
However, a powerful light appeared again in the sky. The silver dragon came over with a golden light in its mouth and imprinted its name on the Heaven List Scroll.
Brave General, tenth on the Golden Roll, Zhang Liao.
It was still his name, but it had already jumped to tenth place.
Everyone knew what had happened. He had changed his course and changed his lord.
Previously, he had followed Lu Bu, but now, he was following another lord.
Perhaps it was Cao Cao, or perhaps it was Xu Zhen.
Of course, Lu Bu was well aware of this.
At this moment, Lu Bu had nowhere to go, so he could only stay in Jizhou and become Yuan Shao's subordinate.
However, Jizhou was not peaceful.
At this moment, Xu Zhen came out of Qingzhou and led his troops down the river to meet up with Cao Cao at Liyang.
"Hahaha! Bowen, come, come!"
Cao Cao led his civil and military officials out of the city and held Xu Zhen's hand as they entered the Li Yang.
At this moment, there were tens of thousands of soldiers guarding outside the city, and they had sufficient rations. They were not afraid of Yuan Shao's attack at all.
What Cao Cao needed to do now was to stabilize his gains and expand the battle.
No war could be ended in one battle.
In fact, this was only a small part of the process. After victory, they would attack the city and seize the enemy's city.
They also had to gather the people and gain the hope of the people. Then, they would recruit the local aristocrats to settle the officials. Then, they would use the threat of hoarding soldiers and horses to continuously invade the enemy's land.
Only by forcing them to retreat and make them invincible could they win the final victory.
He had to persist until Yuan Shao did not have the slightest strength to retaliate and either surrender or die.
Only then did it truly end.
"Bowen, you're really my lucky star, lucky star! Now that you're here, just tell me what you want!”
When Cao Cao returned to the government office, he immediately pulled Xu Zhen into the hall. The other strategists all looked at him with envy, but they had no choice.
Sad as they were, they had been planning for so long, but they were not as good as the map that Xu Zhen had used to secure victory.
Although these strategists did not know where the map came from, it was indeed because of this map and Xu Zhen's strategy that Cao Cao decided to attack Wuchao at night.
He really succeeded.
It was because of this that they were able to cross the river and come to the government office to reward people according to their merits.
"Yes, I do have a request. My lord, please fulfill it.”
Xu Zhen said straightforwardly.
These words were honest.
This would make Cao Cao even happier. If he could reward his subordinates to their satisfaction, it would make him seem even more wise.
Xu Zhen took a deep breath and said indifferently,"" Actually, in Ji Province…Wuji County, I have a woman I've been longing for for a long time. I'm..."
" Aiyo," Cao Cao immediately had a headache and quickly raised his hand to stop him." Alright, alright, stop talking…Which family's girl is it? I'll just betroth you."”
Here it comes again…
Damn, it's always this. Kid, don't you have any other hobbies after leaving these?
You're even better than Tian Zi!
Moreover, it was all just a little girl who had the intention of having a hammer. She didn't know any fun at all!
Only when one was old would one…
Forget it.
Xu Zhen sighed." She's the daughter of Zhen Yi, the Limitless Order. I met her once in my early years. Although I was still young at that time, she left an indelible impression on my young heart. However, I was just a nobody at that time."”
"She doesn't have any achievements, and she can't be elected as filial and honest. Her family is poor, and she's not from the aristocratic family.”
" Now that I've made a great contribution, perhaps I can…"
Cao Cao pursed his lips. This story was made up.
You're still unknown.
Twenty-six or twenty-seven. He was already a noble Marquis and was famous throughout the world, although the gentry clans might still look down on him.
Those aristocrats were very arrogant.
Cao Cao was extremely clear about this. Even though he was the current Prime Minister and had millions of people, he was still regarded as an eunuch by the aristocrats.
The aristocrats only looked up to the aristocrats. The others felt that they were not on the same level as them.
Sometimes, he thought highly of himself, and sometimes, he was arrogant.
"Go. Wuji County is right here. I'll use the emperor's edict to ask for your hand in marriage. If you can get it, perhaps the entire country will have a chance…"
The corners of Cao Cao's mouth curled up, revealing a " all men understand " expression as he patted Xu Zhen's shoulder.
"I'll have to trouble you to go and sleep with him."”
"Sleeping clothes?"
Xu Zhen leaned back tactically. This pronunciation…wasn't it convincing?
Boss Cao was talking about sleeping. Was it serious?
……
That night, after the banquet.
Xu Zhen was about to go to the mansion he had been assigned to in Liyang City to rest. Just as he reached the door, he saw a tall and long-armed man with an extraordinary bearing waiting at the door.
Dian Wei, who had come along, was stunned." Chief Yun?”
"General Dian Wei."
Guan Yu spread his arms and cupped his fists. His actions were extremely forceful. In fact, he was more approving of Dian Wei.
After all, he was ranked fourth.
Then, he bowed slightly to Xu Zhen.”
Xu Zhen was stunned. Why are you waiting for me at this time?
You didn't stay in the school's camp, but came to meet me?
"Second brother, you're being too serious."
Xu Zhen was speechless. He then brought Guan Yu into the main hall of the house and sat opposite him.
"Why are you looking for me? Now that we're officials of the same dynasty, you can't come to me to spar and claim the title of the number one brave general, right?”
Guan Yu smiled." This is something that will happen sooner or later, but it's not for this reason.”
"I, Guan, received a letter from my big brother, Liu Bei, the day before yesterday. The letter clearly stated that he had been tricked by me, and that I had killed Yan Liang, causing big brother to bear the infamy of being chased out of Jizhou.”
"Fifty gold? Even if you have money, you can't spend it like this. Why did I only have 50 yuan at that time?”
Xu Zhen blinked and muttered.
"Uh, let's not talk about this for now, but I want to ask the lord, do you remember that you promised me three conditions?”
Xu Zhen nodded and said,"I remember."”
Guan Yu stroked his beard and sighed." Over the years, I've received many answers in Xudu, which cleared my doubts. I've also seen through all kinds of people. I've seen through this man who is neither black nor white. It seems that I can only hope for a country that is neither black nor white.”
" Of course, it's an extravagant hope." Xu Zhen smiled matter-of-factly." Because the world is just a dash of gorgeous ash." Where is the black and white? What are you trying to explain by telling me this?”
" Hehehe…" Guan Yu's face was still filled with arrogance. He placed his long beard on his arms and placed his hands on his thighs. Then, he slowly knelt down and prostrated himself on the ground.
When he raised his head again, his face was full of seriousness and sincerity. He said in a deep voice,"I, Guan, am not weaker than anyone in my entire life. Such a great gift is to repay my kindness.”
"Although I can see clearly, I can't see myself clearly.”
"Although I want to stay in Xudu and accompany all the generals, I want to see how strong the Great Han Dynasty will be in the future and see what color the brilliant ash you speak of is.”
"I want to see, wherever the sun and moon reach, it's all Han soil.”
"However, I have no choice but to leave. Even if I have to die, I have to leave.”
Xu Zhen was stunned.
Or should he leave?
But now, he couldn't bear to let Xu Zhen kidnap and kill Guan Yu.
Why couldn't he bear to? Because this was the Saint Guan Emperor that generations of future generations worshipped. People worshipped him.
Could it be that his martial arts were superb? Worship him for his outstanding military achievements?
That was not the case.
People worshipped him for his loyalty.
Guan Yu, cut off the knife, cut off the pride, cut off the righteousness.
He is a man of three unique talents.
Xu Zhen did not feel any pity. He just asked," Even if you die in defeat in the future and become enemies with me and Cao Gong, you still want to go?”
Guan Yu narrowed his eyes and looked at the ground. He raised his chin slightly and said," That's right. This is the oath of brotherhood. I have to go."”
"If I die in Bowen's hands in the future, I will die a worthy death. You are not a rat, but a hero of the world.”
"I came today to say a word to Bowen. I want to stay but I have to go. In my place, even if I have no other choice and the Prime Minister is so good to me, Bowen and I can't see the truth of this world beyond righteousness.
I beg Bowen to grant my wish."
This was the first time Xu Zhen had mixed feelings.
"You have made an extremely wrong choice. However, I believe that you will not regret it in the future. You…"
Xu Zhen smiled bitterly and shook his head.""You are a real hero, a real man. You just followed the wrong master.”
At this point, Xu Zhen put away his usual playful heart and for the first time revealed his sincere admiration for the ancients.
This Guan Yu, let's not talk about anything else.
However, loyalty was admirable.
I can't bear to kill him.
" But then again," Xu Zhen revealed a gratified smile." If you really don't go, I won't like you anymore."”
"This is truly wondrous."
" Hahaha!" Guan Yu laughed when he heard this.
At this moment, Xu Zhen suddenly thought of something and immediately called out to the door," Brother Wei!”
"Hey!" Dian Wei poked his head in and was instantly speechless." Aiya, why are you calling me that again?!"”
"Go, go get my bag!" Xu Zhen waved his hand.
"Hey!"
Dian Wei's interest was piqued. He immediately went to his luggage and took Xu Zhen's bag.
He took the bag, unzipped the inner layer, and took out two bottles of Niulanshan Erguotou.
He placed it on the table.
The moment he opened it, Guan Yu was instantly intoxicated.
"What…what is inside this glass cup?”
"Haha, this is the wine of the Immortals. I've drunk half of it before! It was fierce! But it's definitely good wine!" Dian Wei happily came over and sat down. He directly moved a futon, not treating himself as an outsider at all.
"Come on, since that's the case, let's get drunk.”
Guan Yu was deeply moved. He had come to bid farewell today because he was already prepared to be captured by Xu Zhen and brought to see Cao Cao.
He didn't expect Bo Wen to be so generous.
He had the boldness to swallow and swallow the world.
The smile when she took the wine was as pure as a pure white person.
I really don't want to leave, but righteousness is the word...
Guan Yu took a deep breath and sighed heavily." Come! Ha!"
That night, the three of them drank hard liquor and home-brewed wine until the next morning.
This so-called Niulanshan Erguotou was the strongest wine Guan Yu had ever drunk in his life.
He had never tasted this taste again.
Even if he had to kill the Five Hu Thief Generals in the future and show off his strength for the Great Han Dynasty, he would still be able to make a great contribution.
His Majesty did not give him another drink.
However, that was a story for the future.
After that night, the Golden Roll in the sky changed again. Guan Yu, who was ranked fifth, was dyed with a golden luster overnight.
In front of his name, there were two more golden words.
"Yijue."
……
Half a month later, the autumn harvest came again. Xu Zhen brought his troops to the borders of the Zhongshan Kingdom, while Zhao Yun returned to his hometown to conquer Changshan County.
Yuan Shao had no more soldiers in these two places. As soon as Cao Cao's army reached Ye City, he retreated to Youzhou.
Yuan Shao's Jizhou basically existed in name only.
This was because he only had 200,000 soldiers, but Cao Cao had been carrying out a benevolent policy in Jizhou.
The local officials and gentry did not dare to delay. After all, Yuan Shao could not control them, and Cao Cao was coming at them menacingly.
Moreover, Xu Zhen and Zhao Yun were both on the Brave General Heaven Roll.
Therefore, he directly surrendered.
As soon as Xu Zhen entered Wuji County, he sealed off all the courtyards in the city and immediately brought the betrothal gifts and imperial edict to the Zhen family's ancestral home.
It was a war, after all. If they won, they would definitely gain something! There were already countless gold, silver, and jade items. How could he not go and see the beautiful Zhen Mi with his own eyes?
Lady Zhen had not married Yuan Xi yet!
P.S. The next one will be " Er 'Lai." Let me think about what Zhao Yun is.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。