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

The moon has already set in the west.

Zhang Liao halted his horse, sword in hand, and, by the faint moonlight, surveyed the situation of the Wei camp in the distance.

Under the bright lights, one could vaguely see Wei soldiers yawning, their faces appearing calm and not at all on high alert.

"General Wenyuan, the Wei army seems to be unprepared. Cao Ren probably didn't expect our army to come out of the pass to pursue us."

"This is a golden opportunity; we are destined to achieve great success."

Xiang Chong, standing beside him, looked at Zhang Liao with a face full of excitement.

A glint of light flashed in Zhang Liao's eyes, and he slightly raised his long sword, ready to give the order to attack.

The knife remained suspended in mid-air, yet it did not fall.

Even as the battle approached, that lingering concern in his heart never truly disappeared.

"General Wen Yuan, don't hesitate any longer. Along the way we've been chasing them, there are military equipment and supplies left behind by the Wei army everywhere. It's clear that the Wei army is in complete disarray, with soldiers deserting."

"This is our God-given opportunity to break through in one fell swoop."

"If we miss tonight's night raid, the Wei army will retreat to Xingyang tomorrow, and we will have no chance."

On the other side, Feng Xi was equally impatient, urging them on.

Zhang Liao was startled; his remaining hesitation and concerns were shattered by the two men's impassioned encouragement.

Looking up at the night sky again, the night was ending and dawn was breaking, with the east faintly turning white.

It was about to dawn.

This is the perfect time to launch a night raid, as people are sleeping the most soundly and are least alert.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Liao's gaze hardened, and he slashed his long sword forward fiercely:

"Brothers of Chu, now is the time to kill the enemy and earn merit!"

"Follow me, charge into the Wei camp, and capture Cao Cao alive!"

The seven thousand Chu soldiers, who had been exposed to the wind for most of the night, had their long-suppressed fighting spirit ignited in an instant.

"Capture Cao Cao alive!"

"Capture Cao Cao alive!"

The soldiers' raised arms and roared wildly, shattering the darkness of the night.

Generals Feng Xi and Xiang Chong, ecstatic, spurred their horses and charged forward, swords in hand.

Seven thousand soldiers crashed through the enemy lines, like a tidal wave emerging from the darkness, rushing towards the Wei camp that was right before their eyes.

Zhang Liao spurred his horse and charged forward, dragging his sword along.

In the dim morning light.

Like a black lightning bolt, Zhang Liao, carrying an unwavering belief in victory, charged straight towards the gate of the Wei camp.

In an instant, the Chu army had rushed to the front of the camp wall.

As expected, the Wei soldiers on duty scattered like startled birds upon seeing the Chu army approaching.

"Smash the palisades and charge in!"

Zhang Liao brandished his long sword and shouted.

The Chu soldiers, surging forward and holding shields, crashed into the camp walls like madmen.

One after another, ring-pommel swords slashed down towards the camp gate, sending wood chips flying in the blink of an eye.

The Chu army broke through the camp and entered; they were right before their eyes.

Inside the Wei camp.

Cao Cao, who had been hiding in the darkness for a long time with a gloomy expression, finally let a slight smile appear on his lips.

"Although Zhang Liao is a traitor with military talent, he is ultimately just a scoundrel, and he was still lured out by your plan, Zhongde."

Cao Cao's eyes held a mocking sneer as he glanced at Cheng Yu:
"Zhongde, your plan to salvage the situation after all has failed, at least it has worked."

"If we can hold Yanzhou and protect the Henan region of our Great Wei, the greatest credit will undoubtedly go to you."

Cheng Yu's lips curled slightly upward, but he bowed respectfully and said:
"Your Majesty flatters me. This was merely my duty; how could I dare to claim credit for it?"

"The success of my plan is also due to Your Majesty's extraordinary courage in daring to use it."

Cao Cao laughed heartily and happily cracked his whip:
"Send the order: all troops, show yourselves and give that traitor Zhang Liao a surprise!"

Upon receiving the order, three beacon fires were suddenly lit atop the watchtower.

The chilling sound of bugles suddenly rang out within the camp.

Suddenly, the sounds of battle cries and drumbeats intensified.

Tens of thousands of Wei soldiers poured out from behind their tents, flooding the camp walls from all directions like a tidal wave.

The Chu army, which was pushing and rolling over the camp wall, was taken aback when they saw the Wei army suddenly arrive, and they instinctively retreated.

Zhang Liao's expression changed as he looked at the massive Wei army that had appeared, and he inwardly cried out in alarm.

at this time.

A familiar figure appeared before the soldiers, surrounded by Xu Chu and other Tiger Guards.

"Cao...Cao Cao?"

Zhang Liao exclaimed in surprise, his expression changing drastically.

The generals, including those on the left and right, Feng Xi, and others, were all terrified, as if they had seen a ghost.

Didn't Cao Cao faint from fright at Hulao Pass that day?

This is something that countless soldiers witnessed with their own eyes!
Xiang Chong was only separated by a moat, and he saw Cao Cao vomit blood and faint from close range.

Suddenly, Cao Cao appeared before them, seemingly unharmed.

With so many Wei troops, it seemed as if they had been prepared all along and were just waiting for him to attack the camp.
Everyone was stunned for a moment.

"Oh no! We've fallen into Cao Cao's trap!"

Zhang Liao suddenly realized what was happening and cursed under his breath.

Just as he raised his long sword, about to order a retreat.

Cao Cao had already slightly raised his whip and said in a loud, cold laugh:
"Zhang Liao, do you really think that I actually vomited blood and fainted that day?"

Zhang Liao, who was just turning around, suddenly jolted awake.

The scene of Cao Cao spitting blood in front of Hulao Pass immediately flashed before my eyes.

Zhang Liao understood.

Cao Cao must have known that Luoyang had fallen, but he sent a messenger to inform him at the pass so that he could stage a scene of vomiting blood and fainting in front of him.

Then they hurriedly returned to camp, and the main camp broke up and retreated eastward, pretending that the morale of the army was in turmoil and that they wanted to escape to Xingyang.

The purpose was to lure the snake out of its hole, to trick it into leaving the pass to pursue, and then to defeat it with an ambush.

Only after defeating his seven thousand troops could Cao Cao seize Hulao Pass and use it as a natural barrier to block their main army from entering Yanzhou.

"Damn it, I should have known Cao Cao was cunning and shouldn't have been swayed by Xiang and Feng..."

Zhang Liao secretly blamed himself and hurriedly shouted:

"The entire army must retreat! Retreat to Hulao Pass! Retreat—"

Zhang Liao turned his horse and rode away.

Feng Xixiang also woke up with a start and hurriedly turned around and left.

The seven thousand Chu soldiers turned around and attempted to retreat.

It's too late.

Cao Cao's smirk vanished, replaced by a fierce killing intent in his eyes. He cracked his whip.
"By my order, archers, fire a volley and kill the enemy!"

At a command, the sound of thousands of birds flapping their wings suddenly resounded.

Thousands of arrows soared into the air from behind, like shooting stars streaking across the night sky, heading straight for the Chu army.

They were too close together for the Chu army to dodge.

Just as they turned around, a hail of arrows rained down.

Zhang Liao couldn't turn his horse in time; he swiftly brandished his long sword, sealing off all the vital points on Zhang Liao's body.

The incoming arrows were all deflected.

The Chu soldiers on either side were not so lucky.

Screams echoed, and streams of blood shot into the air, staining the night sky crimson…

In an instant, hundreds of Chu soldiers were struck by arrows and fell into pools of blood.

The Chu army was thrown into chaos!

Even the most elite Chu soldiers could no longer maintain their composure in such an unfavorable situation.

More than 7,000 Chu soldiers pushed and shoved each other, fleeing like startled birds.

Cao Cao's eyes flashed with even more murderous intent, and he raised his whip again: "By my order, the entire army will launch an attack and pursue the enemy!"

"I will slaughter these seven thousand Chu bandits! I will kill that traitor Zhang Liao!"

The sound of war drums suddenly rang out, shattering the night sky.

All the gates of Wei's camp were wide open.

Generals Zhang He, Yue Jin, and others led tens of thousands of Wei soldiers, charging out of the camp like tigers and wolves.

Even Xu Chu was dispatched by Cao Cao at this moment, leading the Tiger Guard cavalry in a frenzied advance.

He suffered repeated defeats at the hands of Liu Bei, losing troops and generals, and losing cities and territory...

Cao Cao had lost count of how many times he had been defeated by Liu Bei and how many of his soldiers had perished at the hands of the Chu army.

In today's battle, he wanted nothing more than to vent all the resentment he had accumulated over the years.

He wanted to kill all seven thousand Chu soldiers and behead Zhang Liao, the traitor, to vent his anger.

In an instant, the Wei army had swept up the enemy.

The killing begins.

The Wei army outnumbered the Chu army several times over and had a significant advantage in morale. In the very first clash, the Wei army immediately gained the upper hand.

Screams echoed endlessly, blood stained the area outside the camp, and swathes of Chu soldiers, like fragile stalks of wheat, were reaped by the Wei army...

The Chu army's retreat quickly turned into a massive rout.

The Wei army, with its high morale, pursued the Chu soldiers like wolves chasing sheep, relentlessly reaping their heads.

The long trail of blood stretched westward from the direction of Wei Camp.

Zhang Liao dared not fight to the death, and could only lead his remaining troops to flee towards Hulao Pass.

As dawn breaks and the sun rises in the east, the first rays of sunlight appear.

Zhang Liao looked back and saw that the Wei army pursuing them was getting further and further away.

After suffering nearly half of their casualties, they seemed to have finally shaken off the Wei army's pursuit.

"I underestimated Cao Cao. I was blinded by the news of the Grand Commandant's victory in capturing Luoyang and thought Cao Cao was no match for me. I was careless..."

Zhang Liao let out a soft breath, and couldn't help but feel secretly guilty.

"General Wen Yuan, it was our fault. We shouldn't have encouraged you to lead the army to pursue Cao Cao. Otherwise, how could we have fallen into Cao Cao's trap?"

"We bear the responsibility for the heavy losses in this battle. Rest assured, we will submit a memorial to the King explaining the whole story. This defeat has nothing to do with you, General Wen Yuan!"

Xiang Chong, filled with remorse, took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility.

Zhang Liao shook his head and said seriously:
"As the commander-in-chief, I am the one who makes the final decision. I should take responsibility for this defeat. You two don't need to take the blame."

Changing the subject, Zhang Liao looked towards Hulao Pass:
"Whether Your Majesty surrenders or not is not important. What I am worried about is that if Hulao Pass is lost, we will ruin Your Majesty's grand plan to take advantage of the victory and conquer Yanzhou!"

Xiang Chong stiffened.

Feng Xi rolled his eyes a few times, but then comforted her:
"Although we lost nearly half our troops in this battle, we still have over three thousand soldiers. We should be able to hold Hulao Pass for several days without any problem. By then, the King and Grand Commandant Xiao's army should have arrived—"

The words remained unspoken.

Suddenly, a deafening drumbeat resounded from the woods on both sides of the road.

Tens of thousands of Wei soldiers, who had been lying in ambush in the forest, emerged from the dense woods as if divine soldiers had descended from the sky.

A flag bearing the character "Cao" fluttered brightly in the morning light.

It was Cao Ren.

Cao Ren led tens of thousands of Wei troops, taking advantage of the night to bypass the area via a side road, and laid an ambush on their way back to Hulao Pass.

"General Wen Yuan, this—"

Xiang and Feng's expressions changed again, and they looked at Zhang Liao with astonishment.

Zhang Liao frowned and gritted his teeth, saying:
"I knew it. Cao Cao had set up such a big trap, so how could he easily let us retreat back to Hulao Pass? Sure enough, there was a second ambush."

Xiang Chong suddenly realized what was happening, and his composure was thrown into disarray. He hurriedly asked:
"General Wen Yuan, what should we do?"

Zhang Liao took a deep breath and said sternly:

"What else can we do? We have nowhere to retreat. The only way out is to fight our way out and fight our way out, so that we may have a chance to survive."

"Follow me and kill!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Liao spurred his horse, sword in hand, and charged forward at full speed.

Xiang Chong, Feng Xi, and others had no choice but to grit their teeth and lead three thousand Chu soldiers to charge forward.

In the blink of an eye, the Wei army ambushed troops on both flanks attacked.

Again, men and horses were thrown into chaos, and blood mist flew everywhere...

The Wei army, like a series of sharp pincers, cut the Chu army into several pieces in an instant.

The three thousand Chu soldiers were quickly reduced to fighting their own battles.

Zhang Liao, however, was fearless. He wielded his long sword wildly, cutting down Wei soldiers and charging forward at the cost of his life.

"Zhang Liao, you traitor, where do you think you're going?!"

An angry roar rang out.

Amidst the blood mist, Cao Ren, wielding his long sword, tore through the chaotic army and charged forward, fueled by rage.

In an instant, Cao Ren stood before them like an iron tower.

With his long sword swirling up clouds of dust, he slashed down from the sky, carrying with him anger at Zhang Liao, the traitor, and grief over the death of his eldest son, Cao Tai.

Zhang Liao frowned, took a deep breath, and bravely raised his sword to parry.

"boom!"

There was a loud bang as if the sky was collapsing.

Several soldiers on either side were knocked to the ground by the splashing airflow.

Zhang Liao's arms sank down, the veins on his arms bulged as if about to burst, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face instantly turned red.

Cao Renzhi was the strongest martial artist among the Cao clan members.

Even Zhang Liao, whose martial arts skills were evenly matched, would find it difficult to withstand this slash.

Cao Ren sheathed his longsword, and then unleashed a barrage of slashes that swept across the land.

Before Zhang Liao could catch his breath, he wielded his longsword swiftly, barely managing to parry the incoming blade strikes.

In terms of pure martial arts, Zhang Liao was not afraid of Cao Ren at all.

However, Cao Ren is now eager to avenge his son, and every strike he makes is a desperate act.

In addition, Zhang Liao suffered a defeat and was surrounded by ambushes, which severely dampened his confidence and fighting spirit.

With the tides turning and the tides rising, he gradually found it difficult to defend himself against Cao Ren's relentless barrage of attacks.

Zhang Liao was at a disadvantage in terms of tactics. Glancing around, he saw that the Wei army was growing stronger and stronger, and it seemed that the three thousand soldiers had no hope of breaking through.

Behind them, a cloud of dust rose and approached, obscuring the sky, as the main force of the Wei army drew near.

Three thousand soldiers, I'm afraid they'll all be wiped out here!
"Am I, Zhang Liao, really going to die here today?"

Zhang Liao gritted his teeth secretly, a deep sorrow welling up in his heart.

"Those who betray my Great Wei, those who betray my Cao family, shall all die!"

"Zhang Liao, I will use your dog's head to pay homage to my son's spirit in heaven—"

Cao Ren, believing victory was assured, let out a wild laugh.

Sudden.

The sound of bugles rang out outside the battle.

The two men were slightly startled and glanced westward simultaneously.

Outside the encirclement, a cloud of dust, rising with the morning sun, swept towards the battlefield.

In the morning light, a flag bearing the character "Xiao" caught everyone's eye.

Wherever the "Xiao" banner went, the Wei soldiers who were besieging the Chu army scattered like startled birds, fleeing in all directions.

"Grand Commandant Xiao?"

"Our Grand Commandant Xiao has arrived!"

"Cao Cao's scheme must have been seen through by Grand Commandant Xiao, and he personally led the army to rescue me!"

"Cao Ren, the one who will die today is you!"

"Hahaha--"

Zhang Liao was overjoyed and burst into wild laughter.

Cao Ren stared blankly at the banner bearing the character "Xiao," and at his own army scattering and collapsing. (End of Chapter)