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

"Protect the King—"

Xu Chu roared and brandished his blood-red blade, blocking Cao Cao's path.

The Tiger Guards, disregarding the need to stabilize the boat, drew their swords to block the arrows.

Cao Cao lay prone on the bamboo raft, too afraid to move.

After all, he had fought his way through half his life and faced several close calls. In this critical moment, he was able to barely maintain his composure.

Dong Zhao had never experienced such a scene before. He was so frightened that he closed his eyes tightly, covered his head with his hands, and huddled next to Cao Cao, trembling.

The next instant, a rain of arrows descended.

Screams rang out, and immediately a Tiger Guard was shot and fell into the river.

The bamboo rafts were too small, and the Tiger Guards didn't carry shields, so they were like sitting ducks, at the mercy of the Chu army's arrows.

In an instant, all seven or eight Tiger Guards were shot dead and fell into the river.

With no one rafting it, the bamboo raft, which had already drifted away from the shore, was swept back towards the ferry by the current.

Seeing this, Xu Chu was extremely anxious.

All the Tiger Guards were dead, and with only him by his own strength and without a shield, it was impossible for him to block all the arrows for Cao Cao.

Perhaps at any moment, Cao Cao would be shot and killed by an arrow that slipped through the net.

Even if Cao Cao was lucky enough to escape being shot by arrows, the bamboo raft would be swept back to the south bank in no time without anyone to propel it.

At that time, their lord and his subjects will fall into Guan Yu's hands.

If Cao Cao is finished, then the Wei Kingdom is finished...

Xu Chu's eyes darted around, scanning the surroundings as he racked his brains for a solution.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Dong Zhao, who was kneeling on the ground, trembling.

"To protect the Great Wei, Dong Gongren, I'm so sorry!"

Xu Chu gritted his teeth, stretched out his tiger arm, grabbed Dong Zhao, and held him in the air like a shield.

Dong Zhao was terrified and cried out in alarm:
"General Xu, are you crazy? Put me down, put me down—"

Dong Zhao screamed and struggled desperately.

Xu Chu ignored him and turned to shout at Cao Cao:

"Your Majesty, stand up and hide behind him!"

Cao Cao was completely bewildered.

Xu Chu actually disregarded Dong Zhao's life and death, using this one of Wei's Nine Ministers as a shield?

Even though Cao Cao was ruthless, he never expected that Xu Chu would have this trick up his sleeve.

For a moment, Cao Cao stood there, stunned, and did not move.

"puff!"

A sharp arrow whistled through the air and struck Cao Cao squarely in the left ear.

With a tearing thud, Cao Cao's ear was ripped apart, and blood splattered out.

"Ah~~"

A scream sounded.

The excruciating pain jolted Cao Cao awake. He could no longer care about anything else, and hurriedly covered his ears, enduring the pain, and hid under Dong Zhao as a human shield.

"Puff puff!"

Dong Zhao, who was in mid-air, was hit by three arrows and cried out in pain.

"Your Majesty, save me! Save me!"

With a face full of terror and despair, Dong Zhao clung to his last breath and pleaded desperately with Cao Cao.

Cao Cao felt guilty and dared not face Dong Zhao's grief-stricken and desperate gaze. He could only sigh and lower his head.

"Puff puff puff~~"

Several more arrows struck, one of which hit him squarely in the back.

Dong Zhao's body twitched and then stopped moving. His eyes were wide open and about to burst open when he died, and his expression was frozen in a moment of grief and hatred as he died with his eyes wide open.

Xu Chu used Dong Zhao as a shield to protect Cao Cao, threw away his long sword, grabbed a bamboo pole, and propelled the raft back towards the north bank.

After an unknown amount of time, they finally drove out of the range of an arrow's flight.

Xu Chu then threw Dong Zhao's body off the raft, and collapsed onto the bamboo raft as if he had lost all his strength.

Cao Cao then dared to raise his head, and upon seeing Dong Zhao, he couldn't help but gasp.

By this time, Dong Zhao had been riddled with arrows, his death a gruesome sight.

"Back then, I was able to serve the Emperor and punish the disloyal, and Dong Gongren's contributions were indispensable. But Zhongkang, you..."

Cao Cao turned his gaze to Xu Chu, his words filled with regret.

Xu Chu looked helpless and knelt down to apologize:
"I only relied on Dong Gongren to protect Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Cao Cao sighed and waved his hand, saying:
"Fine, you were just trying to protect your master and had no choice but to do this to save me. How could I blame you?"

Xu Chu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly picked up the bamboo pole again to steer the raft toward the north bank.

Cao Cao swayed as he got up, his gaze fixed on the south bank.

Having suffered such a devastating defeat, with one of his ears even shot off, Cao Cao was filled with hatred and pain, his anger surging within him.

After taking several deep breaths, he suppressed his anger, covered his severed ear, and coldly snorted:

"Guan Yu, at worst I'll just give you these 30,000 troops."

"I still have 20,000 troops on the north bank. As long as we successfully retreat to Chenliu, I will have 70,000 troops with all my forces. We can still hold Chenliu."

"You won't be able to drive me north of the Ji River, hmph~~"

South bank.

Guan Yu stood with his sword drawn, coldly watching Cao Cao depart into the distance.

"Using Dong Zhao as a shield, Xu Chu, you truly are like your lord—equally ruthless..."

A hint of sarcasm appeared on Guan Yu's lips, but his gaze then turned to the north bank, and he gave a cold smile:
"Cao Cao, do you think that by luck you can escape across the north bank, you can bring those 20,000 troops back to Chenliu?"

"Today, not a single one of your soldiers will escape from this place!"

At the edge of the field of vision, to the northwest, a cloud of dust had already come into view…

North Shore direction.

The bamboo raft finally reached the shore, and the generals who had not yet crossed the river, including Zhang He and Yue Jin, rushed forward to help Cao Cao.

"Your Majesty, what exactly is going on?"

Le Jin helped Cao Cao up and asked with a blank expression.

Cao Cao's face darkened with anger, and he sneered, "What else could it be? It's all because of those idiots, Chen Qun and his gang, who fell for Xiao He's treacherous scheme, causing me to fall into Guan Yu's ambush and lose 30,000 soldiers for nothing."

Le Jin, Zhang He, and the others were all completely bewildered and unable to comprehend it.

Cao Cao didn't have time to explain further, and waved his hand, saying:

"A mere 30,000 troops are nothing to worry about. Let's return north first and talk about it after we get back to Chenliu."

Le Jin and the others dared not ask any further questions and could only help Cao Cao mount his horse.

Just as Cao Cao raised his whip, preparing to order a retreat to the north, Xu Chu keenly noticed something unusual in the northwest.

A cloud of dust billowed and swept along the north bank of the Wei River.

A flag bearing the character "Zhao" is faintly visible.

"The cavalry, the Chu army cavalry, Zhao Yun's White Horse Cavalry!"

Xu Chu suddenly woke up and pointed to the west, shouting.

Cao Cao glanced back and indeed saw countless white torrents, carrying clouds of dust, flowing along the river.

The earth shook and the mountains trembled; the sound was deafening.

White warhorses, knights with white horses and silver spears... who else could it be but Zhao Yun's White Horse Cavalry!
The White Horse Cavalry, the strongest cavalry in the land.

Although Zhao Zilong of Changshan was not as famous as Guan Yu, his unparalleled bravery had long been renowned throughout Cao Wei.

The simultaneous appearance of both was enough to shatter the morale of the 20,000 Wei troops on the north bank.

In an instant, the Wei army was thrown into chaos, with screams of terror rising and falling.

"Could it be that the ambush by those country bumpkins wasn't just led by Guan Yu?"

"He ordered Guan Yu to lead the infantry to set up an ambush on the south bank, and then ordered Zhao Yun to lead the White Horse Cavalry to set up an ambush on the north bank?"

"That sorcerer actually intends to wipe out my entire army of 50,000 here?"

Cao Cao was suddenly jolted awake; the truth resounded in his mind like a thunderclap.

What a cunning and meticulously planned scheme, what a ruthless tactic...

Cao Cao had just gotten his hands on the horsewhip when it slipped from his grasp again. He couldn't hold onto the horse's belly once more and was so startled that he almost fell off.

"Your Majesty!"

Xu Chu caught him just in time and called out urgently:
"The enemy cavalry came too fast. Our army didn't even have a chance to hastily form a battle formation. Your Majesty, we should abandon the entire army and retreat north immediately!"

Xu Chu was completely flustered and had lost all will to fight.

Cao Cao gritted his teeth, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart.

He brought an army of 50,000 with him.

The south bank reimbursed 30,000, leaving only 20,000 people on the north bank.

If these 20,000 men are brought back, Chenliu can barely hold on, since there are still 70,000 troops available.

But if we lose these 20,000 men, how will we defend Chenliu?

When Guan Yu's 70,000 infantry and cavalry march north, Liu Bei's 100,000 main force returns with renewed force, and the 170,000 Chu troops surround Chenliu from two directions, how can the remaining 50,000 troops possibly hold it?

Cao Cao was truly unwilling to accept this.

"Your Majesty, I urge you to stop hesitating. On the south bank, we could escape to the Wei River, but this time we have nowhere to run!"

Xu Chu grabbed Cao Cao's arm, pleading almost in tears.

Cao Cao shuddered, the harrowing experience on the Wei River immediately flashing through his mind.

"Quickly, quickly escort Gu Bei to safety, hurry!"

Cao Cao panicked and no longer cared about whether he could defend Chenliu. He grabbed Xu Chu and shouted in a trembling voice.

Xu Chu felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly mounted his horse and ordered his men to escort Cao Cao to flee north.

This time, Cao Cao did not order his 20,000 Wei troops to form a battle formation to meet the enemy. Instead, he decisively abandoned his soldiers and fled north like stray dogs.

The 20,000 panicked and bewildered Wei soldiers were completely unaware that their king had abandoned them and fled north ahead of them.

They remained helplessly gathered on the shore, watching as the Chu army's iron cavalry swept in.

They were only jolted awake when Zhao Yun charged forward like a white streak of lightning, his Dragon Gallant Spear reaping heads with unstoppable force.

The crash has begun.

The 20,000 Wei soldiers, like ants fleeing from their nest, scrambled to escape northward in disarray.

It's too late.

More than five thousand White Horse Cavalry, like five thousand death gods, swept in like a tidal wave.

The killing begins.

The wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves, corpses strewn across the fields, rivers of blood flowing...

Blood flowed into the river, staining the Wei River crimson.

South bank.

Guan Yu, with his sword drawn, could clearly appreciate the spectacular performance of Zhao Yun and his White Horse Cavalry by the glow of the setting sun.

"Father, my brother-in-law's plan was truly miraculous, effortlessly defeating Cao Cao's 50,000-strong army!"

"Having suffered such a heavy blow, even if Cao Cao manages to escape back to Chenliu alive, he won't be able to hold it!"

Guan Ping pointed his sword at the battle situation on the north bank, his eyes filled with excitement and admiration.

Guan Yu stroked his magnificent beard and smiled slightly.

He understood what his son was saying.

After this battle, the balance of power between the Wei and Chu states will undergo a fundamental change.

The national strength and military power of the State of Chu will completely overwhelm that of the State of Wei.

The most direct manifestation of this change is that Liu Bei was able to concentrate 170,000 troops to besiege Chenliu City.

Cao Cao only had 50,000 troops left to defend Chenliu.

Cao Cao would have defended it with his head down, wouldn't he?

Thinking of this, Guan Yu couldn't help but sigh:

"Bo Wen's military strategy is so great that even if Han Xin were to be resurrected, he would not be any better. He can be called a military genius."

"It is truly a blessing for us brothers to have such a fine son-in-law as our father and such a wise and capable advisor as our elder brother."

After expressing his feelings, Guan Yu turned his horse around, cracked his whip, and shouted:

"Send someone back to Xuchang immediately to report the victory to Bowen."

"Send another envoy to Suiyang, requesting Your Majesty to mobilize an army of 100,000 and attack Chenliu again!" (End of Chapter)