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

Chapter 205: Surrender to Liu Bei and the world will be wide open; surrender to Cao Cao and you will be reborn soon! Liu Bei: Is the Han Dynasty doomed? I will defy fate and change it!

The next day, late at night.

Shouchun City, West Gate.

More than 20,000 Cao's soldiers have gathered at the west gate with uneasy looks.

The water level had dropped below their knees and they could barely stand in the mud.

On the top of the city wall, Cao Ren stared at the west, as if he was still making the final decision in his mind.

"General Zhendong, it's almost time, let's break out."

Liu Ye's reminder sounded behind him.

Cao Ren swallowed and turned his gaze to Zhang Zhao and Zhou Tai.

"Zhang Zibu, Zhou Youping, the Jiangdong soldiers under your command are the best swimmers and are all brave and valiant. The important task of leading the way should fall squarely on you."

"I order you to be the vanguard and break out first, and I will lead the main force to follow closely behind."

"Remember, no matter how fierce the enemy's resistance is, you must not retreat. Charge forward at all costs."

"Only by fighting to the death can we have a chance of survival!"

Cao Ren patted Zhang Zhao and Zhou Tai, as if entrusting a heavy burden to them.

Zhang Zhao felt a chill in his heart, thinking, Cao Ren, you have bad intentions.

The water level outside is only up to the knees. It doesn't matter whether you are a good swimmer or not. You are just looking for a high-sounding reason to make us, the old subordinates of Sun Quan, rush to the front and serve as cannon fodder for you.

You are discriminating between relatives and strangers, and you don't treat us, Sun Quan's old subordinates and Jiangdong soldiers, as your own people.

"We...we will fight to the death for General Zhendong!"

Zhang Zhao knew how disgusting Cao Ren was, but he could only hold his nose and express his determination.

There is no way out. Once I get on the Cao family’s pirate ship, there is no chance to get off now.

It is impossible for them to surrender to Liu Bang in this lifetime. That great general will never let these remnants of Sun Quan go.

If you want to survive, you have no choice but to bite the bullet and fight, becoming cannon fodder.

Zhou Tai was still in the dark, thinking that Cao Ren really wanted to rely on his bravery and pinned his hopes of breaking through on him.

Then, as if he had been given a shot of chicken blood, he patted his chest and said proudly:
"Don't worry, General Zhendong. I've been holding my breath for a long time and want to have a great fight."

"I, Zhou Tai, will lead the way. Even if there are gods standing in my way, I will kill them. I will carve a bloody path for you, General!"

Zhang Zhao glanced at Zhou Tai and shook his head secretly.

Cao Ren nodded with satisfaction, took off his sword, and gave it to Zhou Tai:

"Youping, this sword has been with me for decades. Today I give it to you. It will help you to be invincible and carve a bloody path for me!"

Zhou Tai was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He immediately took the sword as if it were a treasure, tied it carefully around his waist, and then expressed his determination to fight to the death.

"It's getting late, Zibu, Youping, you should go first!"

Cao Ren saw that they had almost finished fooling the two men, so he urged them to set off.

The two men bid farewell to Cao Ren, left the city and mounted their horses.

The city gate opened and the drawbridge slowly descended.

Zhou Tai swung his sword and shouted:

"Men of Jiangdong, follow me out of the city and carve out a bloody path for our army. Don't let the northerners underestimate us!"

Zhou Tai rode his horse and walked out first with sword in hand.

Zhang Zhao sighed, forced himself to cheer up, and followed out.

More than 3,000 soldiers from Jiangdong, as if injected with chicken blood, followed the two men and waded out of the west gate.

Cao Ren stood on the top of the city wall, watching the three thousand cannon fodder go away, muttering:

"You all keep saying you want to avenge your former master, Sun Quan. Well, today I will grant your wish and kill you to your heart's content..."

After feeling emotional.

Cao Ren took a deep breath, turned around and shouted:
"Order the entire army to the north gate immediately and break out from the north!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Dian, Liu Ye, and Yang Xiu set off immediately.

Zhang Liao's expression changed.

Wasn't it agreed that we would break out from the west gate? Zhang Zhao and Zhou Tai's 3,000 vanguard troops had already left the city, so why were they planning to break out from the north gate?

"General Zhendong, I don't quite understand. Did I hear it wrong?"

Zhang Liao immediately stepped forward and questioned him.

Cao Ren did not explain and glanced at Liu Ye.

Liu Ye coughed dryly a few times and explained on his behalf:
"General Wenyuan, General Zhendong didn't summon you to the meeting yesterday to avoid arousing the suspicion of Zhang Zhou and the others."

"Our true direction of breakout is the north gate. Breaking out through the west gate is just a feint, designed to draw Liu Bei's heavy troops to block the west, allowing us to take advantage of the opportunity and break out from the north."

Zhang Liao's thoughts raced, and he suddenly woke up with a start.

Cao Ren is going to sacrifice Zhou Tai and three thousand other Jiangdong soldiers, and use these former subordinates of Sun Quan as cannon fodder to tie down Liu Bei's main force!
The generous and encouraging words just now were just an act by Cao Ren to deceive Zhou Tai and Zhang Zhao.

After understanding this, Zhang Liao couldn't help but frown:
"General Zhendong, Zhang Zhao, Zhou Tai, and the others, although they are from the south, have surrendered to the Prime Minister and are therefore my comrades."

"If General Zhendong were to abandon them like this, I would think that this would be inappropriate."

Cao Ren, however, remained calm and said indifferently:
"It's not that I, Cao Ren, have a relationship with him, but Sun Quan is a fickle villain. His former subordinates have followed suit, so naturally, they are not worthy of our trust."

"If they turn against us and attack us when we're trying to break out, and the situation turns against us, wouldn't our 20,000-strong army be in danger of collapse?"

Zhang Liao was speechless.

Cao Ren's reasons were obviously far-fetched, yet they seemed impeccable, leaving him unable to find any reason to refute them.

Liu Ye patted Zhang Liao and said:
"General Wenyuan, in order for my main force to break through, someone has to sacrifice."

"General Zhendong has made his decision. Why should we dwell on it? We should quickly break out."

Zhang Liao was speechless.

So Cao Ren ordered the west gate to be closed and hurried to the north gate with more than 20,000 troops.

Soon, 20,000 troops arrived at the north gate.

Cao Ren stood on the top of the city wall, his eyes fixed on the west.

About half an hour later, bursts of killing sounds and drum beats were faintly heard from the west of Shouchun.

There is no need to guess, Zhou Tai and his men must have run into an ambush by Liu Jun.

"Zi Yang, your plan worked. The main force of the Big Ear Bandits has indeed been transferred to the west."

"If I can escape this battle, I will report you to the Prime Minister for your contribution!"

Cao Ren looked back at Liu Ye with joy.

Liu Ye's face showed no joy, but rather a look of shame. He said solemnly:
"Ye is incompetent and unable to assist the General Zhendong in defending Huainan. He has failed the country and the Prime Minister."

"Today, I have been able to help the general save these 20,000 soldiers for the country. This is just a meritorious service to make up for my mistakes. How dare I hope for any credit!"

Cao Ren couldn't help but feel awe after hearing these righteous words.

The city gates opened and the drawbridge dropped.

Cao Ren did not dare to delay even a moment, and immediately led more than 20,000 northern Cao troops, waded out of the city, and hurried north.

When the entire army left the city, Yang Xiu deliberately fell behind and hid in the city wall.

Yang Xiu came out only when the last Cao soldier left the city.

Looking at the army marching away, a trace of self-blame appeared on his face, and he sighed helplessly:

"Young Master Zijian possesses both talent and virtue. Only he, as the heir to the Cao family, can safeguard the legacy that Prime Minister Bai Zhan has built."

"General Zixiao, I, Yang Xiu, am also working for the long-term benefit of your Cao family. To rescue Master Zijian, I have no choice but to do this..."

...

About a mile west of Shouchun City.

A one-sided siege is now underway.

Huang Zhong was leading 10,000 Liu troops and inflicting heavy damage on 3,000 Jiangdong soldiers who had fallen into his trap.

Although Liu Bei had already deployed a large force north of Shouchun, this did not mean he would let go of the 3,000 Sun Quan remnants who were being used as cannon fodder. Therefore, while his heavy troops were setting up an ambush in the north, Liu Bei, at Xiao He's suggestion, also assigned Huang Zhong to lead 10,000 troops to block the enemy in the west.

For a warrior like Huang Zhong who is one of the Five Tigers, fighting 3,000 men with 10,000 men is as easy as cutting vegetables or melons.

What’s more, these three thousand people are three thousand Jiangdong soldiers.

In less than a quarter of an hour of fighting, the Jiangdong army was slaughtered and fell into a situation of being divided and surrounded.

"Where is General Zhendong's army? Why haven't they attacked us yet? We are about to be wiped out by the enemy!"

Zhou Tai, covered in blood, wildly danced with his sword and screamed hoarsely at Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao looked back and saw that in the direction of Shouchun City, apart from the massive Liu army surrounding the city, there was no trace of the main force of Cao's army.

Sudden.

Zhang Zhao's heart tightened and he suddenly woke up.

"Youping, we were deceived by Cao Ren!"

"That Cao Ren guy had no intention of breaking out from the west. He was using us as bait to distract Liu Bei while he broke out from the north gate."

"We were treated as abandoned pawns by him—"

Zhang Zhao finally came to his senses at this moment and told the truth in grief and anger.

Zhou Tai was shocked and froze on his horse for a moment, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"We must return to Shouchun as soon as possible, otherwise we will all die here, I——"

A cold light broke through the air and hit Zhang Zhao.

With a scream, he was hit by an arrow in the back and fell off his horse with a bang.

"Zhang Zhao, ah Zhang Zhao, you are truly blind and incredibly stupid!"

"If I had known that surrendering to Cao Cao would lead to this outcome, why didn't I surrender to Liu Bei?"

"You brought this upon yourself, you deserve to die~~"

Zhang Zhao was filled with regret and howled in despair towards the sky.

Liu's soldiers pushed and rolled over him, and countless feet trampled on him mercilessly, turning him into a pile of mud in a blink of an eye.

Zhou Tai witnessed Zhang Zhao's tragic death before his eyes and knew that he was abandoned by Cao Ren. Under the double blow, his mental will finally collapsed.

"Liu Bei, where are you? I want to kill you. I want to avenge my lord—"

Zhou Tai was like a mad beast, howling and shouting, riding his horse and brandishing his sword like a madman and charging towards Liu Jun.

At this time, his spirit was broken and he had completely lost all his thoughts. He was just hacking around instinctively.

Liu's army rushed forward, with countless spears stabbing from all directions and countless long swords slashing at him.

In an instant, Zhou Tai was submerged in the flash of swords and guns.

...

North of Shouchun City.

Cao Ren was leading more than 20,000 Cao troops marching through the mud.

The sounds of killing drums from the west had died down at this time, indicating that most of Zhou Tai and Zhang Zhao's 3,000 Jiangdong soldiers had been wiped out.

It also means that Liu Bei must have noticed Liu Ye's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and at this moment he must be leading his main force to the north in a hurry to chase.

He had to lead his troops to break out before Liu Bei's army caught up.

The east was getting light and the sky was gradually getting brighter.

Behind him, only the vague outline of Shouchun remained, but there was still no sign of Liu Jun blocking it.

"It seems that the big-eared thief has transferred all his troops to the west, and has not deployed a single troop to the north."

"God bless Cao Ren, God bless our Cao family..."

Cao Ren breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of relief appearing on the corner of his mouth.

The water level ahead was becoming shallower and shallower. As soon as they stepped onto dry land, they could run as fast as they could and leave Liu Bei's pursuers behind in one breath.

Then they headed straight for the Huai River, quickly gathered a boat and raft to cross the river, and thus escaped...

Cao Ren had even begun to think about how to apologize to Cao Cao and explain his disastrous defeat in Huainan.

The sun rises in the east, and the morning light illuminates the way ahead.

Suddenly, the soldiers who were marching stopped abruptly, followed by screams and noises.

Cao Ren withdrew his thoughts, looked up, and took a breath.

At the end of the muddy field ahead, a solid wall stood before us.

The army was a sea of ​​black soldiers, swords and spears spread out like a dense forest, and countless flags with the Chinese character "Liu" fluttered in the morning light...

Nearly 30,000 Liu troops blocked their way.

Under the big banner with the word "Liu" on it, a general wearing golden armor stood on his horse, holding a sword, and staring at them coldly.

"Liu...Liu Bei?"

Cao Ren let out a trembling cry, his eyes widening as if he had seen a ghost.

Liu Ye, Zhang Liao, Li Dian...

Thousands of Cao's soldiers were shocked and terrified and fell into panic.

"Bo Wen was right. Yang Xiu really wasn't lying. Liu Ye was really feigning surrender!"

Liu Bei sighed and raised the whip in his hand slightly.

The central army’s command flag waved.

In an instant, countless soldiers of Liu's army rushed over from the left and right wings like divine troops descending from the sky.

ambush!

It’s Liu Bei’s ambush!

Judging from the situation, there are as many as 50,000 to 60,000 people.

In other words, Liu Bei's main force was not west of Shouchun at all, but was deployed north of Shouchun.

This means that Liu Bei had seen through Liu Ye's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain from the very beginning, and deployed his main forces here, waiting for him to come and fall into the trap.

"Liu Ziyang!"

"What's going on? Shouldn't the main force of the Big Eared Bandits be in the west? Why are they all here?"

After the shock, Cao Ren turned around and shouted at Liu Ye.

Liu Ye's forehead was covered in sweat, his eyes were filled with confusion and astonishment, and he didn't know how to explain.

At this time.

In the front, Liu Bei had already advanced on his horse, pointed his whip at Cao's army, and said loudly:
"My brother Ziyang, thank you for leading Cao Ren into my trap!"

"I recaptured Shouchun, and the credit for this lies squarely with you. I will submit a memorial to the Emperor to commend you generously."

"Why don't you quickly behead Cao Ren? From now on, you and I will fight side by side to destroy all the Han traitors in the world and support our great Han country together!"

When these words were spoken, Liu Ye's face turned pale with horror.

Cao Ren was furious. He drew his sword and pointed it at Liu Ye, cursing:
"You are such a good person, Liu Ye! You keep saying that you want to repay the Prime Minister's kindness, that the Han Dynasty is doomed, and that you must obey the will of heaven and be loyal to my Cao family!"

"I never thought you could be so despicable and shameless. You actually surrendered to that big-eared thief in secret and wanted to kill me and 20,000 soldiers!"

"I'm going to kill you, you shameless villain—"

Cao Ren was so enraged by Liu Bei's words that he didn't even think twice. He just cursed and picked up his knife to chop at Liu Ye.

Liu Ye was horrified and shouted:
"General Zhendong, this is Liu Bei's plan to sow discord. I, Liu Ye, will never betray—"

Cao Ren didn't listen to his explanation and continued to chop down with his sword.

In a hurry, Liu Ye had to dodge.

How could he, a mere scholar, dodge Cao Ren's sword attack that was so close to him?

"Crack!"

Half of Liu Ye's shoulder was cut off and he fell off his horse with a scream.

(End of this chapter)