Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 308: The Bravery of the Generals, the Yellow Bird Has Arrived
The days in March rise very early, and when the morning light shines on the mountains and fields, the atmosphere is peaceful and beautiful.

However, Liu Xie had no mood to appreciate the sunrise. He was awakened by Liu Bei. He rubbed his sore eyes and prepared to continue his journey.

"Your Majesty, Envoy, the road down the mountain has been blocked by Yan Liang and Chun Yuqiong."

Jian Yong looked worried. He reported the current situation to Liu Bei and Liu Xie, saying, "If we want to go west to Hongnong, we may have to send troops to break out of the encirclement."

Liu Xie sighed and said, "It is really my fault. If I had not rested from exhaustion last night and had not listened to my uncle's advice, I would not have been trapped by the thieves today."

Last night, Liu Xie was walking in the mountains and fields. Although he sprained his ankle, he was lucky to have Zhang Fei to carry him. Liu Xie had someone to take care of him because he was the emperor, but the ministers and concubines who were with him had no one to take care of them. After traveling for a day and a night, everyone was exhausted. Liu Xie couldn't bear to see everyone tired, so he asked Liu Bei to find a place to rest.

Liu Bei knew that the situation was unfavorable and he needed to leave the mountains as soon as possible, so he tried to persuade Liu Xie. However, Liu Xie, considering the situation of the people, could not accept Liu Bei's proposal. Liu Bei knew that Liu Xie could not leave them alone, so he finally chose to cooperate with Liu Xie and found a strategic place to rest.

How could Liu Bei dare to ask Liu Xie to confess his guilt? He cupped his hands and said, "We ran all day and all night yesterday, and we are all exhausted. We had to rest. Now we have two hours of rest, and we have some energy left. It won't be difficult to leave for Hongnong."

Liu Xie reached out and shook Liu Bei's hand, looking at the exhausted soldiers around him, and said, "We only have a thousand soldiers now. I am afraid that the lives of me and you will have to be entrusted to the emperor's uncle and generals Guan and Zhang."

Guan Yu was sitting on a rock to rest. When he heard what Liu Xie said, he stood up with his sword in hand and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Your Majesty and I will protect you and the others and help you break out of the encirclement."

"Thank you for your help!"

Liu Xie said solemnly: "When the Han Dynasty is restored, I will not let down my uncle and the ministers."

While Liu Bei and Generals Guan and Zhang were working out a plan to break out, a cavalry unit suddenly arrived with the "Huang" and "Yuan" flags flying in the wind, and their spearhead was directed towards the armies of Yan Liang and Chunyu Qiong.

The massive cavalry march was soon noticed by Liu Bei and Yan Liang. Liu Bei looked up at the newly arrived troops and his brows furrowed.

"Brother, who is coming?" Guan Yu asked with narrowed eyes.

Liu Bei looked gloomy and said, "I wonder if they are Yuan Shao's troops or Yuan Shu's cavalry. If they are Yuan Shao's reinforcements, I'm afraid you and I will not be able to protect Your Majesty. If they are Yuan Shu's troops, I'm afraid Yuan Shu's army is not far away."

Liu Bei had been under Zhang Yu's command for some time, and knew that Zhang Yu had no generals with the surnames of Huang or Yuan, so he simply did not think of Zhang Yu. But now Liu Bei was really puzzled. From yesterday to today, didn't Zhang Yang know about the fighting? Why didn't Zhang Yang and Xu Huang show up?

"What should we do now?" Guan Yu asked.

Liu Bei gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and said in a deep voice: "Let's observe the situation first. If the two armies clash and fight, you and I can take the opportunity to protect the emperor and break out."

"Ok!"

Faced with the sudden onset of troops, Liu Bei chose to sit back and watch, while Yan Liang and Chunyu Qiong treated them as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Yan Liang led several hundred cavalrymen out to the battle, stood in front of the battle array with his spear in his hand and reins in his hand, and asked, "Who are you? Tell me your name quickly."

"Bah!"

But a fierce general wearing heavy armor rode out, pointed his spear at Yan Liang, and said in a deep voice: "Huang Zhong, the Tiger Guard General under the Grand Marshal and Governor of Jingzhou, is Huang Hansheng from Nanyang!"

"How dare you lead your troops to rob the emperor's carriage and besiege him on the mountain? Why don't you withdraw your troops immediately?"

Yan Liang sneered and said, "Who do you think I am? I am just a common man from Jingchu. I am here to welcome the emperor. If you know what's good for you and withdraw your troops, I can still spare your life. If you insist on not changing your ways, don't blame me for being merciless!"

"Ha ha!"

Huang Zhong raised his head and smiled, saying, "I have been in Jingchu for more than ten years, and no one can match me on horseback. How dare you look down on the people of Nanyang today?"

"My name is Yan Liang from Anping. Do you dare to fight me?"

Yan Liang narrowed his eyes and looked at Huang Zhong, saying: "If I lose, I will withdraw my troops. If you lose, you should withdraw your troops. If you and I fight, I am afraid that Liu Bei and the emperor will escape. Once we escape to Hongnong and Guanzhong and are protected by Zhang Yu, we will both lose!"

Huang Zhong thought about it and asked someone to report back to the army. Seeing that the army had given their permission with a red flag, Huang Zhong felt relieved and agreed to Yan Liang's request to fight.

Although ancient battles between generals were not like those in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in reality, battles between generals occasionally occurred, such as the battles between Lü Bu and Guo Si, the battles between Sun Ce and Taishi Ci, and the fights between Ma Chao and Yan Xing.

In the Sui and Tang dynasties, there were battles between Wang Ba and Yang Sien, Yuchi Gong and Shan Xiongxin, and Wang Nande, a Tang general, and Lang Zhidu, a Tubo general. The custom of fighting continued into the Ming Dynasty, when Fu Youde, a Ming general, fought Han Yi, a Yuan general, and Qi Jiguang often fought against the Japanese.

In order to prevent Liu Xie from escaping, Yan Liang asked Huang Zhong to fight him. Huang Zhong got the permission from the commander in chief, and out of confidence in his own bravery, Huang Zhong agreed.

After a while, the cavalry retreated a little, leaving space for Generals Yan Liang and Huang Zhong.

"drive!"

Huang Zhong watched Yan Liang for a long time, then suddenly rode out on his horse, wielding the spear in his hand and stabbing Yan Liang.

Seeing that Huang Zhong was coming at him aggressively, Yan Liang did not hesitate, but blocked with his spear and secretly planned to fight back.

"Teng!" As the two spears crossed, even though Yan Liang was trying to cope with them, the huge force coming from the spears almost made him unable to resist. Turning his horse around, Yan Liang secretly said that it was not good. The strength of Huang Zhong in front of him was surprisingly great, which was not something that ordinary people could have.

Huang Zhong saw Yan Liang was able to block his spear, so he grinned and said: "People say that you and Wen Chou are the bravest of the three armies. Now that I have fought with you for the first time, I know that you are worthy of the reputation."

As a fierce man who could kill generals in battle even in his old age, Huang Zhong had a sturdy physique and amazing strength. It needs no introduction. But who was stronger, Huang Zhong or Xu Chu, who could walk pulling a cow's tail backwards?
Feeling the contempt in Huang Zhong's words, Yan Liang became furious and rushed forward with his spear to fight with Huang Zhong.

"Den!"

"Qiang!"

Yan Liang was known as the bravest of the three armies and the one who could defeat ten thousand enemies. His strength should not be underestimated. He was able to fight with Huang Zhong for several rounds and even created a killing opportunity for Huang Zhong with his superb spear skills.

Unfortunately, Huang Zhong was born with supernatural strength and suppressed Yan Liang in momentum. Then he found an opportunity, made a fake stab with his spear, then reached out and grabbed Yan Liang's long spear and pulled it towards him.

Yan Liang lost his strength and could only watch the lance in his hand being snatched away by Huang Zhong. He was terrified and did not care about his face. For the sake of his own life, he hurriedly fled back to the formation.

Seeing Yan Liang fleeing and being escorted back to the battle array by his cavalry, Huang Zhong symbolically chased him a few steps, threw Yan Liang's long spear to the ground, and laughed: "General Yan, since you have been defeated by me, why don't you withdraw the siege quickly and hand over the emperor to our army?"

After returning to the battlefield, Chunyu Qiong went forward to meet Yan Liang and said in dissatisfaction: "Today you lost the battle and gave the emperor to Huang Zhong. If you know about this, you and I will be punished."

Yan Liang said ashamedly, "I am worried that Liu Bei will gain the upper hand in the fight between the two armies. Besides, our troops are exhausted from the pursuit and I am afraid that they are no match for Huang Zhong's cavalry. If we cannot succeed now, why not send troops to fight and see if we can defeat Huang Zhong, and then find a chance to bring the emperor to our army."

While Yan Liang and Chunyu Qiong were discussing, they saw a gap in Huang Zhong's formation. A general wearing golden armor, riding a white horse, with an arrogant look on his face, came out to the front of the formation and stopped his horse, surrounded by armored cavalry.

"Where is Chunyu Qiong?"

"I am leading the army here now, how dare you not come and respond?"

This general was none other than Yuan Shu, who was feared in the south. In order to prevent the emperor from escaping, Yuan Shu learned that Yuan Shao had sent troops south, so he led 3,000 cavalry with Huang Zhong, and let Ji Ling lead 10,000 infantry and cavalry behind.

Upon hearing that Yuan Shu was coming in person, Chunyu Qiong was frightened. At Yuan Shu's shouting, Chunyu Qiong obediently went out to fight.

"Meet Da Sima!"

Yuan Shu squinted at Chunyu Qiong and said, "Now that you have lost the fight, will you keep your promise?"

"The 20,000 troops under my command have reached Mangshan, which is only more than ten miles away from here. If you keep your promise, I will let your troops cross the river for the sake of our friendship in Luoyang. If you don't keep your promise, don't blame me for defeating your troops first and then welcoming the emperor." Yuan Shu said arrogantly.

Chunyu Qiong hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Yuan Shu coming in person, he believed what Yuan Shu said.

After thinking for a while, Chunyu Qiong came up with an idea for the safety of his troops and his own life. He cupped his hands and said, "I was ordered to welcome the emperor, but now I have given it to Grand Marshal Yu. I am afraid I will be punished by you after I return. I beg you to reward you with a high position and a great honor after you welcome the emperor."

Yuan Shu's expression eased slightly, and he said, "I have taken note of what you said. Go back and tell Yuan Shao that the Yuan family has now gained three-quarters of the world. If he can understand and agree, the Yuan family will surely prosper."

"promise!"

Knowing Yuan Shu's temperament well, Chunyu Qiong did not dare to talk back and just responded continuously.

Soon, smoke and dust rolled up in the east. Chunyu Qiong thought that Yuan Shu's army had arrived, so he did not dare to stay any longer and hurriedly retreated with Yan Liang's troops.

After Chunyu Qiong led his troops to withdraw, Yuan Shu laughed loudly and said to Kuai Yue beside him: "Ji Ling is 50 miles away from here. If it weren't for your bluffing strategy, Chunyu Qiong and Yan Liang would not be scared."

Kuai Yue said, "If you come to the battlefield in person, Chunyu Qiong will doubt where your army is. The small plan now is not worth mentioning. The key thing is for you to drive Chunyu Qiong away and for General Huang to seize Yan Liang's spear."

"Give Kuai Jun a hundred pieces of Shu brocade, and Han Sheng a set of precious armor, five fine horses, and ten beauties."

"Thank you Ming Gong!"

Yuan Shu laughed a few times, looked up at the "Liu" flag, and asked, "Where is Dong Cheng?"

"exist!"

Under the escort of several Yuan soldiers, Dong Cheng rode up to Yuan Shu and expressed his respectful attitude to him.

Yuan Shu pointed his whip at the top of the mountain and said, "Now you persuade the emperor to come down the mountain for me. When I welcome him back to Wancheng, I will present you with a high position and a generous title. If you don't persuade the emperor to come down the mountain, I will capture the top of the mountain..."

Although he didn't finish the rest of the words, Dong Cheng knew Yuan Shu's threat. For the sake of his own life, Dong Cheng could only obey and choose to endure the grievance for the time being.

After being chased and defeated by Yan Liang's cavalry, Dong Cheng led more than a hundred remnants to Henei to seek Zhang Yu's help to rescue the emperor. However, he was defeated by Huang Zhong on the way and was captured on the spot. Yuan Shu thought that Dong Cheng was the father-in-law of the emperor and was of great significance to the emperor, so he ordered his people to treat him well, which came in handy now.

ps: There will be another chapter tonight

(End of this chapter)