Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 267 I hold the bow and arrow, and you hold the spear
The Luoshui River flows quietly, and under the sunlight, it looks like a jade belt.

The Jade Belt extends southwest to Juyang, and then flows along the river in Yanshan Mountain. The official road built along Luoshui River has to turn northeast due to the rugged river in the mountains, and can only reach Yannan through Juyong County and Juyong Pass. This is the road to Junduxing.

After Zhang Yu and Liu He met up, they discussed and decided to station their troops in Juyang to see if they could break through Juyong Pass.

In the basin below the dam, hills and plains alternate, wild rabbits run around in the bushes, birds rest in the meadows, and the environment is leisurely and comfortable.

"嘘嘚~"

Suddenly, there was a loud sound of horse hooves, the hare was startled and ran into the grass, and the birds flew away.

Soon, more than a dozen riders were seen rushing past, with grass foam flying as their horses' hooves galloped.

"Shut up!"

As the cavalry galloped for several miles and reached the top of a hill, the leading general took the reins and slowly slowed down the speed of the horses.

"Is this the Juyong Pass?" asked the handsome young general, pointing his whip at the pass located at the pass of Jundu Mountain.

"Of course!"

Tian Chou rode his horse alongside Zhang Yu and said, "Juyong Pass is strategically located, connected to Lulong in the east and Taihang in the west. It is truly the most dangerous place in the world. This pass was originally the Juyong Pass of Yan State, and was repaired by the Qin Dynasty and this dynasty. The pass is divided into north and south. The north entrance is for blocking the enemy, the south entrance is for stationing troops, and there is a water gate on the east side."

Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes and looked at Juyongguan Pass, whipped his horse and said, "Come closer, so that I can see what's happening on the tower."

"Your Excellency is afraid that we are too close to the pass!" Tian Chou said.

Zhang Yu pointed at Zhao Yun and said, "I have Zilong as my guard, so why should I be afraid of the Youzhou troops?"

"drive!"

As he said this, Zhang Yu laughed and took the lead, observing the situation at Juyongguan from a close distance.

Seeing Zhang Yu's extraordinary courage, Tian Chou could not help but admire him, so he rode his horse and followed him.

In order to break through Juyong Pass, Zhang Yu personally led a team to investigate. Tian Chou, as an official under Liu He, was familiar with the terrain of Youzhou, so he guided Zhang Yu on the way.

When he was two hundred steps away from Juyong Pass, Zhang Yu saw the edge of the range of the bows and crossbows, so he finally stopped and rode his horse to observe the military situation at Juyong Pass.

However, Juyong Pass is located in a valley, with high mountains on both sides rising suddenly from the valley mouth, hundreds of meters high. The mountains and the pass complement each other, like an eagle spreading its wings.

Seeing this, Zhao Yun sighed: "Although Juyong is not as steep as Tongguan, it is more majestic than Tongguan!"

"Have you discovered any flaws in Juyong Pass?" Tian Chou asked.

After watching for a while, Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "Juyong Pass is built between mountains, and its surroundings are narrow, with a width of only a hundred steps. It may not be easy to lead troops to break through the pass!"

After a pause, Zhang Yu said, "Besides, I see a lot of flags on the city wall, so there must be a lot of soldiers guarding the pass!"

"What should we do then?" Zhao Yun asked.

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment, pointed to the Jundu Mountain on both sides of the valley, and said, "Let's look to the left to see if we can find a small path, or if we can set up camp on the mountain!"

"promise!"

While Zhang Yu was openly watching the situation at the pass, Shan Jing, the defender of Guanzhong, received military news and had already arrived at the pass to observe the movements of Zhang Yu and his entourage.

"What a courage!"

Seeing Zhang Yu's gesture that the guards at the pass were empty, Shan Jing could not help but pat the parapet again and said in a deep voice, "How dare you come to the pass wall to investigate with only a dozen cavalrymen? If people knew about this, wouldn't they be laughed at?"

"General, should we send cavalry out of the pass to capture and kill the enemy cavalry scouts?" asked the deputy general.

"Liu Yan, you lead a hundred cavalrymen to go out of the pass to capture and kill the enemy scouts. Remember to capture them alive if you can, otherwise kill them." Shan Jing said without hesitation, "Zhang Yu sent Li Jue's head to you, and you were very angry. If you can make meritorious deeds now, you will be happy!"

"promise!"

Liu Yan was a big, burly man with a face full of flesh, and he responded with murderous intent.

After a while, the gate of Juyongguan was seen opened, and Liu Yan led a hundred cavalrymen to attack Zhang Yu and his group who were observing the terrain of the mountain.

The horses are galloping, and the dust is rolling!
Liu Yan's whereabouts were soon discovered by his cavalry, who urgently reported to Zhang Yu, saying, "Sir, Guanzhong has sent cavalry to attack, and we must retreat quickly!"

Zhang Yu restrained his expression and asked, "How many people are there?"

"There are about a hundred riders!"

"Your Excellency is the commander-in-chief of the army, please retreat first." Tian Chou said.

"go!"

Zhang Yu gave a call and led his cavalry away from the Jundu Mountain, retreating in the direction away from Juyong Pass.

Zhang Yu led his cavalry to retreat quickly, which made Liu Yan think that Zhang Yu retreated out of fear, so he led his cavalry to pursue him relentlessly and even divided his troops to intercept and kill him.

Seeing the Youzhou cavalry outflanking, Tian Chou wanted to stay and fight, and shouted: "I am familiar with military affairs, and I am willing to cover your rear!"

Zhang Yu watched the situation and laughed, saying, "I have been through hundreds of battles, and my strength lies in archery. When I defeated Li Jue, I was not afraid. How can a mere hundred cavalrymen force me to retreat?"

"Zitai is well versed in geography, but he is not a military commander. He is very useful to the army. You can withdraw now!"

After saying this, Zhang Yu took out the longbow that he had already held in his hand and rushed towards the enemy cavalry chasing from the left.

However, Zhang Yu suddenly turned around with his bow in hand, gathered his strength and shot an arrow, which shot down the leading cavalryman. The soldier fell to the ground and rolled violently several times.

"Lord, the Archer!"

Zhang Yu stayed behind to fight, and Zhao Yun immediately turned his horse around, made a half-circle, praised Zhang Yu loudly, and charged straight at the enemy cavalry with his spear.

Zhao Yun dodged sideways, first avoiding the spear that was thrust at him, and then knocked the enemy rider off his horse with a slam of his spear.

"The enemy is numerous, you should leave!"

Zhao Yun stabbed another rider with his spear and shouted to Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu drew his arrow and shot again, killing another enemy cavalryman. He said with a smile, "Although the enemy cavalrymen are brave, they are no match for you and me. Why don't we counterattack and defeat them now?"

"I hold the bow and arrow, you hold the spear, and we can defeat the enemy!"

Zhao Yun saw Tian Chou leading his cavalry back after the retreat and shouted, "I am willing to follow you to defeat the enemy. I will charge with my spear and you can help me with your bow!"

"Twenty steps is the signal!"

Zhao Yun and Zhang Yu quickly divided the tasks. Zhao Yun was responsible for hand-to-hand combat with a spear, while Zhang Yu provided support with a bow.

For a moment, Zhao Yun was seen fighting back and forth with a spear, while Zhang Yu used his longbow to shoot and kill the enemy cavalry, throwing more than a hundred enemy cavalry into chaos.

Seeing that Zhao Yun dared to charge alone, Liu Yan led several riders to meet him, intending to surround and kill Zhao Yun first, and then kill Zhang Yu who was wandering.

Seeing this, Zhao Yun controlled his mount to run, and the long spear in his hand was manipulated by his wrist, like a swimming dragon, blocking and attacking, and stabbed a follower to death. However, more and more enemy cavalry surrounded him from all sides, making Zhao Yun feel overwhelmed, so he hurriedly called for a secret signal.

"Twenty steps!"

At this moment, Zhang Yu was fighting with several Wuhuan cavalrymen in a horse and archery match. He first shot and injured a Wuhuan cavalryman with an arrow. Then, he heard Zhao Yun's shout, changed his bow, took out the sharp arrow from the quiver, gathered strength and shot the arrow.

"Whoosh!"

The long arrow broke through the air, and the arrowhead hit the enemy rider directly in the eye. He screamed in pain and quickly fell to the ground.

"Whoosh!"

Zhang Yu fired another arrow and knocked down an enemy cavalryman who was about to launch a surprise attack on Zhao Yun.

With Zhang Yu's firepower support, Zhao Yun dared to concentrate on fighting Liu Yan. The long spears collided and fought for two rounds. Zhao Yun understood Liu Yan's level and deliberately exposed a flaw. Liu Yan was overjoyed and grinned as he raised his long spear and stabbed Zhao Yun diagonally.

Zhao Yun raised his spear to block, and Liu Yan took advantage of the situation to sweep across. Zhao Yun took the opportunity to abandon his spear, then suddenly grabbed Liu Yan's spear, with a stern face, and shouted at Liu Yan.

"come over!"

Liu Yan was caught off guard and the long spear in his hand was snatched away by Zhao Yun. Then Zhao Yun used the spear club to stab Liu Yan's jaw fiercely. The tail blade of the spear club was not long, but it was very sharp.

In a flash, under the action of gravity, the tail blade pierced the chin, injuring a large blood vessel, and hot blood flowed down the spear.

Zhao Yun drew his spear and ran away. Liu Yan's eyes turned black and he fell off his horse with a thud.

Liu Yan was a famous general in Gongsun Zan's army. Not only did he have his spear taken away by Zhao Yun, but he also died under the spear. It was extremely humiliating!

The death of Liu Yan frightened the Youzhou cavalry, and they no longer dared to chase and kill Zhang Yu and Zhao Yun.

At the same time, Tian Chou led more than ten cavalrymen to counterattack, which became the last straw that broke the camel's back. The Youzhou enemy cavalry left behind dozens of corpses and retreated in panic. Zhao Yun led his cavalry to take advantage of the situation and captured two enemy cavalrymen and returned.

"Ha ha!"

Seeing the Youzhou cavalry retreat, Zhang Yu put away his bow and laughed, saying to Zhao Yun: "Zilong's spear skills are superb, and he is on par with Wenyuan. You can have a competition with him in the future!"

Zhao Yun recalled the excitement of the fight and said with a smile, "If General Zhang is willing, I am willing to have a duel!"

While Zhang Yu was enjoying his victory, Tian Chou came angrily and said, "Your Excellency is worth a fortune, how can you put yourself in danger? If you lose your footing, who will be able to put an end to the chaos in Youzhou?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was immediately displeased and wanted to say something to refute. But then he thought, Tian Chou was an old official under Liu Yu, and he could persuade him regardless of his status. Isn't this a disguised recognition of him?

If he remembered correctly, after Tian Chou helped Cao Cao defeat the Wuhuan, he did not seem to accept Cao Cao's reward, but retired to the wild.

Now he had come into contact with Tian Chou and found that Tian Chou had two goals: first, to kill Gongsun Zan to avenge Liu Yu; second, to drive the Hu people out of the Great Wall. Therefore, if he could satisfy Tian Chou's ideals, he might be able to gain his loyalty.

Zhang Yu restrained his expression, and said modestly, "Thank you very much, Zitai, for your advice. I will take it as a warning!"

"Don't dare!"

Tian Chou first realized that his words might have offended Zhang Yu, and wanted to apologize to him. But now that he saw Zhang Yu humbly accepting his advice, he could not help but sigh. Compared with Liu Yu and his son, Zhang Yu in front of him was indeed a wise leader.

"I will never forget your love for your subordinates. It is only because you have a heavy responsibility that I dare to speak nonsense!" Tian Chou said.

"From now on, Lao Zitai will be in trouble!"

"promise!"

After chatting for a while, Tian Chou, worried that Shan Jing would send troops to pursue, advised Zhang Yu to return to the camp to discuss important matters.

On the way, Tian Chou and Zhang Yu drove side by side and asked, "Your Excellency, you have come to the pass to explore the geography of Juyong. I wonder if you have gained anything?"

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "There are many soldiers and horses inside Juyong Pass, and the towers are heavily guarded. It may not be easy to break through head-on!"

"If Juyong is difficult to break, the only way to enter southern Yan is through Puyin and Feihu. I wonder if you are willing to go?" Tian Chou asked thoughtfully.

Zhang Yu said: "Although Yuan Shao promised to send troops to Youzhou, his words cannot be trusted. Now we take the Puyin route. Although we can reach the south of Yan, we will show Yuan Shao the way to retreat, which is a big taboo in military strategy."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu seemed to have an idea, and said, "Let's go back to the camp and discuss strategies with you gentlemen!"

"promise!"

　I was on the chat room line for too long today, which delayed the update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)