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

Chapter 225 It turns out Liu Bei was the true chosen one, but it's too late for regrets! Xiapi has fallen, Xuzhou has changed hands, and the overall situation is settled!

Zang Ba staggered back a few steps, then leaned weakly against the city wall, his eyes filled with grief and despair.

Once upon a time, he commanded tens of thousands of soldiers and controlled the two prefectures of Qing and Xu, enjoying immense prestige.

He never dreamed that in just two months, his former glory would become a thing of the past.

Xuzhou fell to Liu Bei, and tens of thousands of his soldiers were annihilated…

Chang Xi, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li... his former brothers either died or betrayed him, leaving him one by one.

At this point, he had fallen into a state of utter despair, all alone and at the end of his rope.

The Taishan Army, which has dominated Xuzhou for more than a decade, is also coming to an end.

"Why?"

"Why did everything I painstakingly built up over more than ten years vanish overnight?"

"I'm not reconciled, I'm not reconciled at all~~"

Zang Ba gritted his teeth and slashed at the ground with his blade like a madman, tears of grief and indignation welling up in his eyes.

He rose from humble beginnings as a bandit from Mount Tai to raise a band of brothers amidst the chaos of war, outlasting Tao Qian, Liu Bei, and Lü Bu, who all became rulers of Xu Province.

After more than a decade of struggle, he finally rose from a bandit to the position of governor, becoming the uncrowned ruler of Xuzhou.

Are we just going to stand by and watch the fruits of a lifetime of hard work turn into nothing but a pipe dream?
Zang Ba grew increasingly unwilling to accept it. He abruptly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, raised his sword, and shouted:

"Leave half of the troops to guard the west gate and continue to block the main force of the Big-Eared Bandit's attack. The rest of the troops will come with me to drive the Chu army out and recapture the north gate!"

After saying this, Zang Ba dismounted and galloped towards the city walls.

He still held onto a sliver of hope.

The offensive of Ximen Chu's army was already at its last gasp, and the remaining four thousand men should be able to hold them off.

However, with the north gate having just fallen, the Chu army may not have already launched a full-scale invasion of the city.

If we lead three thousand elite guards to the city now, there might still be a glimmer of hope to drive the Chu army out of the city.

Clinging to this sliver of hope, Zang Ba sped away.

More than three thousand Taishan Army guards hurriedly rushed down from the city and followed Zang Ba toward the north gate.

As they passed through the heart of Xiapi and turned onto North Street, a large troop of Chu soldiers was already approaching from the front.

That Chu army, bearing the banner with the character "Guan" on it, was composed entirely of soldiers clad in heavy armor and wielding long swords.

From a distance, it looks like a wall of blades, rolling and pressing in.

The soldiers of Mount Tai along the way were easily crushed into dust, like paper.

"The Mo Dao Army?"

Zang Ba shuddered and blurted out the name of that legion.

In the Battle of Sishui, Zhang He's five thousand Youyan cavalry were defeated by this legion.

Zang Ba had naturally heard from Zhang He and the survivors about the terror of the Mo Dao wielded by the Chu army.

Advance like a wall, and both men and horses will be crushed!

"I refuse to believe that this so-called Mo Dao is truly that powerful!"

With nowhere to retreat, Zang Ba gritted his teeth and shouted:

"Men of Mount Tai, follow me and drive these Chu traitors out of the city! Whoever can recapture the North Gate will be rewarded with ten gold coins and allowed to plunder the city for three days!"

In a life-or-death situation, Zang Ba went all out.

The city of Xiapi was looted for three days.

In other words, if you win this battle, you can plunder the townspeople and commoners of the city at will, and take all their wealth and beauties as you please.

Zang Ba, the governor of Xuzhou, finally revealed his true nature as a bandit from years ago, and did not hesitate to let his soldiers plunder the people under his jurisdiction in order to inspire the soldiers to fight to the death.

This trick really works.

More than three thousand bandits from Mount Tai instantly turned red-eyed and charged towards the Mo Dao Army with roars, as if injected with chicken blood.

In front.

Looking at the surging Taishan army, Guan Xing's gaze was full of disdain, and he brandished his sword and shouted sharply:
"Mo Dao Army, advance!"

"Kill me!"

Two thousand Mo Dao soldiers roared "Kill!" and charged forward, raising their Mo Dao swords high.

In the blink of an eye, the two armies clashed.

The Chu army, relying on the length of their Mo Dao (陌刀), swung their swords down from a distance of ten feet.

The Wei soldiers from Mount Tai who rushed forward hurriedly raised their shields to defend themselves.

It's laughable that they didn't consider that with the Mo Dao (陌刀) sword, both men and horses were shattered, let alone the mere wooden shields in their hands.

"Kakaka!"

The sounds of breaking, cracking, and screams suddenly erupted.

Dozens of Taishan soldiers were cut down like paper in an instant, their shields and bodies falling to the ground.

The Taishan soldiers, who had been pumped up with adrenaline, were instantly drenched in cold water, their enthusiasm completely dampened, and they all stopped in their tracks in fear.

The Mo Dao army continued their advance like a wall.

Hand up, knife down, hand up, knife down...

The Taishan soldiers, crowded on the main street, were cut down in droves, like chopping vegetables and melons, and were forced to retreat step by step in the blink of an eye.

"What kind of divine weapon is this Mo Dao, that it possesses such power?"

"That country bumpkin was able to forge such a divine weapon. Just what kind of sorcerer is he?"

As Zang Ba watched his soldiers being ravaged, the ferocity on his face turned into horror, as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing that the enemy's morale had been shattered, Guan Xing suddenly raised his long sword:
"Mo Dao Army, charge!"

Two thousand Mo Dao soldiers suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the retreating Taishan soldiers.

He no longer had the patience to slowly kill his way through; he wanted to crush this Taishan army in one fell swoop.

In an instant, countless blades surged forth.

The Taishan soldiers, who had no time to retreat, were cut down in an instant, amidst cries of agony.

collapse.

More than three thousand soldiers from Mount Tai could no longer resist and collapsed completely.

Seeing the soldiers retreating in disarray, Zang Ba was extremely anxious. He brandished his long sword and shouted at the fleeing soldiers to stop them.

"Zang Ba, prepare to die!"

A thunderous roar resounded from ahead.

Guan Xing spurred his horse, dragging his sword, and cut down the fleeing soldiers of Mount Tai who blocked his way, charging straight at Zang Ba. When Zang Ba looked up sharply, he saw a general who looked remarkably like Guan Yu, standing before him like a god descending to earth.

For a moment, Zang Ba was in a daze and thought that Guan Yu had arrived. He was so frightened that his body froze.

It wasn't until Guan Xing's long sword, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, slashed down from the sky that he suddenly realized what was happening.

Zang Ba moved his arms and quickly raised his sword to block.

"boom!"

A deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, shook everyone's eardrums to the point of bursting.

Zang Ba felt an immense force, like Mount Tai crashing down on him, causing him to lose his grip on the long sword and nearly drop it from his hand.

The surging, ferocious force flowed into his body through the weapon, shaking him so badly that his internal organs felt like they were about to burst, and his blood rushed to his throat in an instant.

The winner was decided after one move.

Although Guan Xing's martial arts skills have not yet caught up with Guan Yu's, he has already learned the essence of the Guan family's swordsmanship. His first three moves are unstoppable, and even Lü Bu would have to give way to him.

Let alone a mere Zang Ba.

With a single strike, Zang Ba was so shocked that his internal organs were injured, making him unable to defend himself.

Guan Xing gave him no chance to catch his breath, and with a second strike, imbued with the power of thunder, he slammed down once more.

Ignoring the excruciating pain in his internal organs, Zang Ba gritted his teeth and fought back with all his might to defend himself.

Another earth-shattering roar.

Zang Ba's tiger's mouth was split open, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. The long sword in his hand was shaken and flipped backward.

The next instant, Guan Xing's third strike arrived like lightning.

Zang Ba's breath had already stalled, and it was too late for his longsword to parry.

"Crack!"

His arm was severed in half.

Zang Ba let out a scream and collapsed onto his horse, nearly fainting from the pain.

Guan Xing turned his longsword around, intending to take his life with the fourth strike.

Zang Ba, however, was jolted awake by the pain of losing his arm. He dared not fight any longer and turned his horse to flee with his remaining arm.

"puff--"

Guan Xing's fourth strike landed on his back, shattering his armor and instantly leaving a deep gash about an inch deep on his back.

Zang Ba let out another painful howl and collapsed onto his horse again. Driven by his will to survive, he endured the excruciating pain and desperately spurred his horse's belly, charging into the fleeing soldiers.

"Where to go!"

Guan Xing let out a sharp cry, spurred his horse, and charged after them, dragging his sword.

Severely wounded, Zang Ba, clinging to life, mingled with the chaotic army and fled towards the west gate.

Even now, he still held onto a sliver of hope, wishing he could escape to the west gate and reunite with the remaining four thousand soldiers.

Maybe…

There might still be a sliver of hope: to break out through another door and escape with my life!

When he groggily raised his head and saw Ximen Jingxiang, his pained expression froze in a moment of despair.

On the west gate tower, the "Chu" flag has already been raised.

Countless Chu infantry and cavalry surged into the city gates like a tidal wave, rolling towards the heart of Xiapi.

The west gate has been breached!

The fall of Xiapi is a foregone conclusion, and the Taishan Army has been completely annihilated!

There was no escape for him.

At this moment, Zang Ba was severely injured, bleeding profusely, his life was rapidly slipping away, and he no longer had the strength to escape.

"Zang Ba, Zang Ba, everything you've worked so hard for all your life has come to nothing in the end."

"So it turns out that Liu Bei was the true chosen one."

"If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Why did you do it in the first place..."

Zang Ba looked up at the "Chu" flag, cried out in grief, and tears of regret and despair streamed from his eyes.

Then, unable to continue, he collapsed from his horse, his body twitching a few times before becoming still.

This local tyrant, who had dominated Xuzhou for over a decade, met his end.

Above all four gates of Xiapi, flags bearing the character "Chu" have been raised, announcing the change of control of the Xuzhou prefecture.

...

Fifty li west of Xiapi lies Lüyou City.

The sounds of battle were deafening, and the drums thundered.

More than 50,000 Wei troops, like 50,000 mad beasts, launched a fierce attack on Lü You City.

Cao Cao's face was gloomy, his brows were furrowed, and he stared intently at the city before him.

With the entire Xuzhou province surrendering to Chu, Xiapi City became an isolated island. The morale of the Wei army in the city was low, and the unrest among the troops was predictable.

Cao Cao was well aware of just how dire the situation in Xiapi was.

Zang Ba and his Taishan army cannot hold out for more than a few days; Xiapi will surely fall within a month at most.

By then, the prefecture would have fallen, and the last nail he had left in the heart of Xuzhou would have been removed, and Xuzhou would truly be doomed.

Xiapi must not be lost; he must lead a large army to relieve the siege before the city falls.

However, the city of Lüyou before him was defended by the traitorous generals Huang Zhong and Zhang Yan so well that it was like an iron barrel, and he could not budge it even a little despite his strong attacks over the past few days.

Cao Cao was already anxious, so he promised a large reward and urged his soldiers to attack day and night.

Including today, the Wei army has attacked Lü You City no less than seven times.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that today's fierce attack will still end in failure.

Cao Cao was extremely anxious. He raised his whip and shouted sternly:
"By my decree, whoever is the first to reach the summit will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces, enfeoffed as a marquis, and granted a fief of a thousand households!"

"We will not retreat until we defeat Lü You today!"

Before the word "soldier" could be uttered, a rider galloped up and dismounted.

"Reporting to Lord Wei, an urgent report from Xiapi!"

"The Chu army captured Xiapi yesterday, and Governor Zang and his more than 10,000 troops were all wiped out!"

Cao Cao swayed, and the horsewhip slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)