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

South of Liyang City, Chu Camp.

Xiao He yawned and, with sleepy eyes, stepped into the royal tent.

Lu Xun, Guan Xing, Zhao Yun, and other strategists and generals have all been summoned to the royal tent.

This situation clearly indicates that something has happened.

“Bowen, an urgent report has come from the east gate. The beacon fires on the city walls are soaring into the sky, and it seems that tens of thousands of Wei troops have left the city with the intention of attacking our eastern camp.”

"I believe your plan has worked; Cao Ren is about to break out under cover of night!"

Xiao He still had one foot outside the tent when Liu Bei rushed over and pulled him to look outside.

Xiao He rubbed his eyes and looked closely. Sure enough, he saw flames shooting into the sky above the East Gate.

Faintly, one could hear noisy shouts coming from the direction of the east gate.

Xiao He's eyes lit up, and he was instantly wide awake.

Three days ago, I suggested to Lao Liu that we demolish the wall around the north gate, leaving an opening for Liyang, so that Cao Cao's messengers could come and go as they pleased.

Two days ago, a patrol reported that a single Wei soldier had crossed the gap and entered Liyang City.

Xiao He deduced from this that Cao Cao must have sent a messenger to Liyang to issue an edict to Cao Ren to abandon the city and break out of the siege.

Liu Bei thus prepared to intercept the fleeing Wei army.

The sudden beacon fires and commotion at the east gate were undoubtedly a signal for the Wei army to break out.

Xiao He hesitated for a moment, then gave a cold laugh:
"Your Majesty, it is true that Cao Ren broke through the siege, but it was not through the east gate, it must have been through the north gate."

"The so-called Wei troops at the East Gate must be people that Cao Ren forced to impersonate in the city and forcibly drove out of the city to attract our attention."

"I am certain that Cao Ren will then lead his main force to break through the gap at the north gate!"

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone suddenly realized what had happened.

Lu Xun quickly cupped his hands in greeting and echoed:

"Your Majesty, I also agree with the Grand Commandant's judgment."

"The east, west, and south gates are all surrounded by walls and camps, so the Wei army has no chance of breaking out successfully. Cao Ren must have known this."

"Only the north gate appears to be unobstructed. Even if our army has an ambush, the Wei army still has a chance to break through successfully."

"I am also certain that Cao Ren will break out through the north gate!"

The doubts in Liu Bei's eyes vanished, and a murderous intent suddenly arose within him. He then shouted:

"Immediately order the ambush troops in the north to intercept and kill any fleeing enemy soldiers, and not allow a single Wei soldier to escape!"

"Issue another edict ordering all troops to converge on the north as soon as possible to intercept the Wei army!"

"I will capture that beast Cao Ren alive!"

The generals accepted the order with great enthusiasm.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, the garrison at the East Gate opened its gates to provide relief to the people of Liyang who were disguised as Wei soldiers.

The remaining troops from all other camps headed north in all directions.

Three hundred thousand Chu troops, like countless torrents, swept towards the north of Liyang…

North of the city, on the main road.

More than 20,000 Wei soldiers were rushing along the main road by the faint moonlight.

After a six-month siege, all the warhorses had been eaten, and even generals and strategists of the caliber of Yue Jin and Cheng Wu had to march on foot.

Only Cao Ren, the commander-in-chief of the three armies, retained his own warhorse and was able to ride it at full speed.

Thus, Cao Ren stood out like a crane among chickens, leading 20,000 Wei soldiers on horseback, heading north with nervous anticipation.

They ran through the wall and covered more than three miles without encountering a single Chu soldier to intercept them.

The tense nerves of the Wei soldiers gradually relaxed, and they all began to feel fortunate that they had finally escaped the hell on earth that was Liyang City.

"Big-eared thief, could it be that you were truly so careless as to let me lure you to the east gate, completely unaware that I would break out from the north gate?"

"If that's truly the case, then Heaven has not forsaken me, Cao Ren, and Heaven has blessed my Great Wei..."

Cao Ren looked back towards Liyang, a slight smile playing on his lips, a mixture of relief and sarcasm flashing in his eyes.

woohoo~~
A chilling bugle call suddenly rang out, piercing the silence of the night.

Followed by.

Countless flames rose from all directions, illuminating the entire night sky.

In the firelight, countless Chu soldiers, like ghostly warriors emerging from hell, attacked from both flanks.

ambush!

The Chu army's ambush was launched.

The scale and number of participants were immense, numbering at least seventy or eighty thousand!

Cao Ren's expression changed drastically, and the sliver of hope that had just welled up in his heart crumbled in an instant.

He thinks too much.

How could Liu Bei not have laid an ambush in the north, allowing him to escape so easily?

Liu Bei not only set up defenses, but also stationed 60,000 to 70,000 heavy troops.

More Chu troops are converging on this place from all directions.

Liu Bei has laid a trap to wipe him out and his 20,000 Wei troops in one fell swoop.

"General of the Flying Cavalry, the Chu army did indeed have an ambush. What should we do?"

Le Jin, on foot, charged forward with his sword drawn, shouting hoarsely at Cao Ren.

Cao Ren's face was contorted with grief and despair. He could only grit his teeth and shout sharply:

"What else can we do but fight our way out, risk our lives—"

Le Jin then gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and shouted:

"Soldiers of Wei, those who wish to live, follow me and fight!"

He carried a long sword and charged forward on foot.

The 20,000 Wei soldiers had no choice but to muster their courage and, driven by their will to survive, roared like trapped beasts as they charged toward the encircling Chu army.

Cao Ren took a deep breath, mounted the only horse in the entire army, and charged towards the Chu army blocking his path, dragging his long sword. A bloody battle had begun.

The Wei army's fighting spirit and troop numbers were far inferior to those of the Chu army, so this battle should have been a one-sided siege.

However, driven by their will to survive, the Wei army at this moment unleashed an unprecedented fighting force.

Like mad beasts, they charged forward recklessly, hacking and slashing at the Chu soldiers blocking their path with their swords and spears.

Despite suffering heavy casualties of over four thousand men, Cao Ren and his remaining troops managed to carve out a bloody path through the enemy lines.

The Chu army pursuing them was getting further and further away, and the number of Chu soldiers blocking their way was decreasing. It seemed that they had broken through the encirclement.

Like a dragon emerging from its abyss, Cao Ren brandished his blood-stained blade and roared with wild laughter:

"Heaven has not forsaken me, Cao Ren! Heaven has not forsaken me, Cao Ren!"

"You big-eared scoundrel, so what if you have an army of 300,000? Do you think you can stop me?"

"Hahaha--"

Wild laughter echoed through the night.

The Wei soldiers who had escaped this calamity were all excited and relieved, and couldn't help but burst into loud laughter along with Cao Ren.

Sudden.

Countless flames suddenly ignited in front of them.

In an instant, the entire night seemed to turn into day.

The firelight blinded Cao Ren, his wild laughter abruptly ceasing. He instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes.

The Wei soldiers on either side also raised their arms to shield their eyes from the blinding flames.

After a while.

They finally adjusted to the bright light and shakily lowered their arms.

When they could see clearly what was ahead, everyone gasped, their faces instantly freezing in fear and despair.

On the main road ahead.

Dozens of military formations, large and small, blocked their path like impregnable walls.

A royal banner bearing the character "Chu" fluttered brilliantly in the firelight.

Beneath the royal banner, the king who held a double-edged sword, wore golden armor, and was surrounded by generals, could it be none other than Liu Bei?

Liu Bei personally led the central army of Chu to block their path.

"Big... Big-eared thief?"

Cao Ren gritted his teeth and called out that name.

His voice was hoarse and trembling, but the fear in it outweighed his resentment.

The remaining 10,000-plus Wei soldiers, seeing the King of Chu personally leading his army to block their way, instantly lost their sense of relief at escaping and were plunged into a state of panic.

"Just as Bowen predicted, that treacherous Cao Ren indeed chose to break out through the north gate..."

Looking at the panicked Wei army before him, Liu Bei sighed in dismay.

When the fire broke out at the East Gate earlier, Xiao He judged that this was Cao Ren's feint attack.

So when he ordered the troops at the north gate to prepare to intercept the enemy, he personally led the main force of the central army to form a battle line north of the ambush area to block the enemy.

Just as Xiao He had predicted, the Wei army, driven by their will to survive, unleashed an unprecedented fighting force as they attempted to break through the encirclement.

Cao Ren and his 20,000 Wei troops, after paying a heavy price, actually managed to break through the ambush of 70,000 soldiers.

When Liu Bei saw the Wei army appear, he couldn't help but feel grateful that Xiao He had been so prescient, otherwise Cao Ren would have really gotten away.

After a moment of reflection, a murderous glint appeared on Liu Bei's face. He spurred his horse forward, pointing his whip at Cao Ren's location:
"Cao Ren, I have been waiting for you here for a long time. Do you think you can escape from my grasp?"

"Give up resistance, surrender your remaining troops, and I will give you a dignified corpse."

"Otherwise, I will make sure you, this inhuman beast, die without a burial place!"

Liu Bei's death ultimatum and his demand for surrender echoed like thunder throughout the heavens and earth.

The remaining Wei soldiers were all so shocked that they trembled and panicked.

Cao Ren, however, clenched his fists, his lips twitched, veins bulged on his forehead, and his face was twisted into a ferocious shape.

Looking back, Liu Bei was like a stray dog, repeatedly defeated by his brothers, and fled all the way from the north to the south.

In his eyes, Liu Bei was nothing more than an ant, waiting for the day he would lead his army south so he could easily crush him with a snap of his fingers.

Cao Ren never dreamed that one day he would be driven to such a desperate situation by that insignificant wretch.

Surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops, there was no way to escape.

Liu Bei treated him like an ant, forcing him to dismount and surrender, arrogant and conceited, regarding him as nothing!
Cao Ren's pride was deeply wounded at this moment.

"Le Jin, we are trapped in a desperate situation with no way out."

"That big-eared scoundrel wants us to surrender. What do you suggest we do?"

Cao Ren, his eyes bloodshot and ferocious, roared and demanded an answer from Yue Jin.

Le Jin's face was filled with grief and indignation. He immediately grabbed his knife and shouted:

"I, Yue Jin, was born a subject of the Cao family, and I will die a ghost of the Cao family. I would rather die than surrender to the big-eared traitor."

"Cao Zixiao, I'm going first. We'll meet again on the road to the Yellow Springs!"

Having said that, Yue Jin brandished his blood-stained blade, roaring and howling, charging towards Liu Bei like a trapped beast.

Cao Ren pointed his blade at Liu Bei and shouted sharply:

"Did you all hear that? You were born soldiers of the Cao family, and you will die ghosts of the Cao family. There is absolutely no reason for you to surrender to Chu!"

"Follow me, charge forward, and kill that big-eared thief!"

"kill--"

Cao Ren roared like thunder, spurred his horse, and charged forward, dragging his sword.

The remaining Wei soldiers had no choice but to muster their last bit of courage and charge towards Liu Bei, who was blocking their path with the Chu army.

Faced with the enemy fighting like cornered beasts, Liu Bei remained unmoved, merely flicking his whip and coldly uttering:
"Slaughter Cao Ren and his beastly soldiers!" (End of Chapter)