My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 107: You know I'm just an old soldier? For the man I've always dreamed of, the tigers of Changsha will definitely turn against me and surrender!

Huang Zhong immediately drew his bow, turned back suddenly, and looked at Zhao Yun in disbelief.

This general of Liu Bei who came from the north actually saw through his tricks?
Although Huang Zhong was proud of his martial arts, he also knew that he was hiding in a corner of southern Jing. Although he was known as the Tiger of Changsha, his reputation did not extend beyond the Yangtze River and he was unknown to the heroes of the north.

This archery skill of hitting the target through a hundred paces away was rarely shown, and only a few people including the prefect Han Xuan knew about it.

How did Zhao Yun, a native of Hebei, know this?

Huang Zhong put away his longbow, held his sword horizontally, and shouted:
"Zhao Zilong, you're from the north, how could you know I could shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces away?"

Zhao Yun put away his Dragon Gallbladder Spear and said calmly:
"General Huang, didn't Yun just explain it clearly? This is what my military advisor Bo Wen said."

Huang Zhong's heart was shocked, his eyes rolled rapidly, and he asked curiously:
"The military advisor Bo Wen you're referring to is not your lord Liu Xuande's newly appointed right military advisor, Xiao He. He's said to be incredibly resourceful and full of brilliant strategies. Liu Xuande's ability to defeat Cao Cao and Sun Quan was all due to his brilliant plans."

After the Battle of Fancheng, Xiao He's reputation gradually spread. Cao Ying and Jiangdong both knew his name. Although the counties in southern Jing were remote, there were many rumors about him.

As a general of Changsha, Huang Zhong naturally had heard of Xiao He's name.

"It turns out the rumors weren't groundless. My Jingzhou truly does have such a remarkable person hidden within it..."

Huang Zhong's eyes were filled with surprise, but he asked in shock:

"But I live in Jingnan. How does Xiao He know me? And how does he know that I am a good archer?"

Zhao Yun's face showed a look of pride, and he smiled and said:

"General Huang also said that our military advisor Xiao is a master of strategy. Naturally, everything in the world is under his control."

"If that's the case, my military advisor Xiao naturally knows that General Huang, not only are you an unrivaled martial artist, with the demeanor of Lian Po, but you also possess the uncanny ability to shoot an arrow through a target from a hundred paces away!"

Huang Zhong took a breath of cold air.

He looked past Zhao Yun and involuntarily glanced towards Bachuse.

"No wonder Liu Xuande, with only a small territory like Xiangyang, was able to defeat the strong with the weak, and even defeat Cao Cao and Sun Quan. It turns out he had such a remarkable person!"

"It seems that Cai Mao may not be his opponent. Our hastily assembled coalition forces in Jingnan have even less chance of winning..."

Huang Zhong remained silent, his thoughts in turmoil.

At this time.

Zhao Yun showed respect and said with a folded hand:
"To be honest, my Lord also has great respect for you, General Huang..."

What Zhao Yun said next was mostly words of praise and flattery, showing Liu Bei's admiration for Huang Zhong and Xiao He's approval of him.

As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun had no deep hatred, and the other party flattered and admired him in various ways. How could he have the nerve to fight with Zhao Yun again?

Besides, who doesn’t like to hear nice words?

Hearing that Liu Bei, such a great hero of the time, actually admired an old soldier like him from southern Jing so much, Huang Zhong was naturally no exception and felt a little flattered.

So the two men put away their weapons, stood seven steps apart, and started chatting in front of the two armies.

The 20,000 Jingnan coalition forces saw this scene and were all confused and talking about it.

"Han Taishou, what does Huang Hansheng mean?"

"Didn't you say he had a superb archery skill, capable of shooting Zhao Yun to death?"

"Why is it that he and Zhao Yun are chatting up each other, as if they've turned enemies into friends?"

Liu Du glanced at Han Xuan with a sarcastic tone.

Han Xuan was slapped in the face and naturally felt ashamed.

Looking at the scene of Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun laughing and talking, his brows couldn't help but frown deeply, and suspicion welled up in his eyes.

"Han Taishou, is Huang Hansheng planning to surrender to the enemy on the battlefield?"

Liu Du saw that Han Xuan was suspicious, so he immediately added fuel to the fire.

Han Xuan's heart tightened, his face darkened, and he shouted anxiously:
"Beat the drums quickly to cheer for Huang Hansheng!"

The order was passed down and the war drums sounded in the Changsha army.

Huang Zhong was suddenly awakened by the sound of drums and remembered what he was here for.

Then he held his sword horizontally and said in a deep voice:
"I am truly honored that Liu Yuzhou thinks so highly of me. However, he is an enemy of my governor, so I can only confront him with swords."

"Zhao Zilong, let's fight again, to the death!"

Zhao Yun had completed what Xiao He had instructed, and then he bowed:

"The old general's martial arts are unparalleled, and Yun is willing to admit defeat. This battle is considered a victory for the old general, and we will say goodbye now."

After saying this, Zhao Yun didn't wait for Huang Zhong to reply, turned his horse around and rode away.

Huang Zhong couldn't chase him, nor could he not chase him. He could only watch Zhao Yun rush into the Baqiu Pass.

After a moment of daze, he could only shake his head, turn his horse and drag his sword, and return to the main camp.

"Han Sheng, why didn't you use your Hundred Steps Through the Willows skill just now to shoot that Zhao Yun to death?"

As soon as he returned to the battle, Han Xuan started to question him.

Huang Zhong did not hide anything and told Zhao Yun the whole story of how he had seen through his intentions.

All the governors in southern Jing were immediately surprised.

"We have long heard of Xiao He's reputation for foresight, but how could he, no matter how foresighted he is, have known that your Changsha Tiger has the ability to shoot an arrow through a target from a hundred paces away?"

Liu Du was the first to jump out and question.

After these words were spoken, Han Xuan's brows furrowed even deeper, and a layer of gloom appeared in his eyes.

Huang Zhong glared at Liu Du and asked coldly:
"It was Xiao He who made the ingenious plan, not me, Huang Zhong. How would I know how he knew I was a good archer?"

Liu Du was speechless after being confronted.

Jin Xuan, the governor of Wuling, also asked:
"Even so, General Huang, you could just turn around and continue fighting with him, but why did you start chatting with him and laughing?" This question touched Han Xuan's sensitive nerves.

So he immediately asked:
"Han Sheng, what did Zhao Yun say to you?"

Huang Zhong was open-minded and naturally did not bother to hide anything, so he told Zhao Yun all the words of appreciation Liu Bei had said truthfully.

Han Xuan remained silent, but his face became darker and darker.

"There are countless heroes in Southern Jing, but Liu Bei admires you, General Huang, the only one he cares about. If you had gone straight to Baqiu and surrendered to Liu Bei, you would have been highly valued. I'm afraid your position would have rivaled Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!"

Liu Du continued to be sarcastic and fan the flames.

Han Xuan felt as if his heart was stabbed and he suddenly shuddered.

Huang Zhong was annoyed and glared at Liu Du:
"I was ordered by my ancestor Jingsheng to guard Changsha for over ten years, working diligently and without a single complaint."

"If I were someone who coveted official positions, I would have already surrendered to Sun Quan when he invaded Changsha County and offered me the position of prefect. Why would I have waited until today?"

"Liu Du, don't judge others by your own standards!"

Huang Zhong was hot-tempered and, regardless of Liu Du's status as a county governor, he launched a tirade in public.

"Huang Zhong, you—"

Liu Du was completely frustrated and felt angry and annoyed, but he didn't know how to refute.

Zhao Fan, the governor of Guiyang, saw that the atmosphere was not right and said with a smile:

"Don't forget, everyone. Today we are only testing Liu Bei's strength, not attacking Baqiu."

"Although Governor Liu lost a key general, General Huang defeated Zhao Yun, so at least it's a draw."

"We have achieved our goal. I think we should withdraw our troops and return to the camp immediately. We can discuss anything later."

Liu Du snorted coldly, turned his horse and left.

The Lingling Army withdrew back to the camp first, followed by Jin Xuan's Wuling Army and Zhao Fan's Guiyang Army.

Although Han Xuan was suspicious of Huang Zhong, he could not question him in public, so he had to order a withdrawal.

The 20,000-strong Jingnan coalition army retreated back to their camp.

On the wall, Zhao Yun has returned on horseback.

"My lord, what Military Advisor Bowen said is indeed correct. Huang Hansheng is indeed like the reincarnation of Lian Po. His martial arts skills are unparalleled and on par with Yun."

"Also, Huang Hansheng himself admitted that he truly possesses the skill of shooting an arrow through a target from a hundred paces away. Fortunately, Military Advisor Bowen warned him in advance, otherwise Yun would be in great danger now!"

Zhao Yun climbed up the wall to report back and reported every detail of the fight.

A burst of praise arose, and Liu Bei and everyone else looked at Xiao He with admiration.

Xiao He just smiled and asked hurriedly:
"Zilong, did you tell Huang Zhong what I told you?"

"Military Advisor Yunzhao instructed us to tell Huang Hansheng everything the military advisor had said."

Zhao Yun nodded, but said puzzledly:

"Just military advisor, can you tell Yun now what is the purpose of Yun doing this?"

Liu Bei's expression of admiration immediately turned into curiosity.

Xiao He looked at the retreating Jingnan Army and said:
"I've said before that the core strength of the Jingnan Army lies in the Changsha Army, and the backbone of the Changsha Army lies in Huang Zhong and his 4,000 soldiers."

"My lord, if you can win over Huang Zhong and his troops, the Jingnan coalition will immediately become a mob and be easily defeated!"

"And Han Xuan has always been a suspicious person. Seeing Zilong and Huang Zhong chatting and laughing in front of the battle line, how could he not be suspicious of Huang Zhong?"

"If he's suspicious for the rest of his life, won't the rest of the matter be easier..."

Xiao He stopped talking and smiled without saying anything.

Liu Bei and Zhao Yun suddenly understood.

Xiao He used a strategy of sowing discord without making any noise.

Han Xuan was suspicious of Huang Zhong, and Huang Zhong must have felt aggrieved and uneasy. A loss of trust between superiors and subordinates would inevitably lead to resentment.

This gave Liu Bei a breakthrough opportunity to recruit Huang Zhong!

Once Huang Zhong is willing to defect and surrender, the 20,000 Jingnan troops will be vulnerable and easy to defeat!

"So this is what the military advisor intended!"

Liu Bei suddenly realized and showed a happy expression:
"Huang Hansheng is a brave warrior who can defeat ten thousand enemies. He is truly a formidable general. If we can obtain such a powerful general, it would be a blessing from heaven!"

At this time.

Yi Ji coughed lightly and said:

"From what I've heard, Han Xuan is indeed suspicious by nature. Military Advisor Bo Wen's plan is absolutely perfect."

"But I also heard that Sun Quan once offered Huang Zhong the position of governor of Changsha to defect, but he refused."

"Ji is a little worried. Can Han Xuan's suspicion alone persuade Huang Zhong to join the lord?"

The joy on Liu Bei's face faded slightly, and he looked at Xiao He.

Xiao He smiled and said disapprovingly:
"Back then, Liu Jingsheng was the legitimate governor of Jingzhou. Huang Zhong was loyal to his duty and refused to abandon it. This was his loyalty."

"Now Liu Cong has betrayed Liu Jingsheng's will and surrendered to Cao Cao. He is truly a disloyal and unfilial son. And everyone in Jingzhou knows that he is nothing more than a puppet of Cai Mao and Kuai Yue."

"Under this situation, I'm afraid it's not certain whether Huang Zhong will still be loyal to Liu Cong."

"What's more..."

Changing the subject, Xiao He smiled meaningfully:
"If my speculation is correct, there is another person under my lord's command who is the person Huang Zhong has always dreamed of meeting. For this person, I believe he will definitely defect and join us!"

(End of this chapter)