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

Ma Chao took a deep breath and then exhaled sharply, as if releasing all the pent-up resentment that had been building up in his heart.

He suddenly thrust his spear upwards, lifting Yang Ren high onto the spear tip.

Immediately afterwards, Ma Chaosheng shouted in a booming voice:
"Yang Ren has been beheaded. Anyone who kneels down and surrenders to the Emperor of Han at this moment will be spared death!"

The sound was like rolling thunder, exploding in the sky above Nanzheng.

Then, he roared again:

"Those who stubbornly resist are no different from this thief!"

The domineering shout sent shivers down the spines of all the Hanzhong soldiers, filling them with endless fear.

As they slowly raised their heads, they were horrified to find that the head of their commander, Yang Ren, was already hanging high above Ma Chao's spear.

In an instant, the morale of the army completely collapsed.

The last vestige of fighting spirit of the Hanzhong army crumbled and ceased to exist.

Chaos ensued.

Some soldiers were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they knelt down with a thud, begging to surrender and beg for their lives.

Some, like startled birds, fled at the first sign of trouble, wishing their parents had given them two more legs.

Not far away, Zhang Lu could clearly see the tragic scene before him by the light of the raging fire.

He watched helplessly as his most trusted general was instantly killed by that traitor Ma Chao with a single spear thrust!

The last great general of the Yang family thus perished.

"Yang Ren!"

"That traitor actually killed Yang Ren!"

Zhang Lu roared, his face turning red, his eyes almost popping out.

Endless grief and despair surged like a raging tide.

Just then, Ma Chao pointed his spear at Zhang Lu and shouted:
"Zhang Lu, you have reached the end of your road, why don't you surrender to the Emperor of Han!"

"The Emperor is benevolent and righteous; he will surely spare your life!"

Zhang Lu was instantly stunned.

He never imagined that he, the king of a nation, would fall into such a desperate and hopeless situation.

What he found even more unbearable was that the one who openly recruited him was actually a traitor who had betrayed him.

shame!

What a shame!

Zhang Lu's eyes blazed with fury; he was enraged to the extreme and roared:
"Kill that disloyal and unjust traitor for me. Kill him, and I will reward you handsomely!"

He was so infatuated that he completely lost his mind and even wanted to kill Ma Chao.

But the soldiers in Hanzhong were already terrified by the situation before them and would not heed his crazy orders.

They abandoned their armor and weapons, fleeing like headless flies, only concerned with saving their own lives.

"Your Majesty, the situation is hopeless, let's go."

Yan Pu sighed bitterly, his eyes filled with helplessness, and tried to persuade Zhang Lu to give up Nanzheng.

Zhang Lu, however, seemed to have gone mad, losing all reason, and roared:
"I will not leave! I will never leave!"

Seeing this, Yan Pu was extremely anxious. He knew that if things continued like this, everyone would die here.

Therefore, he had no choice but to order his personal guards to forcibly take Zhang Lu away.

Seeing that things were not going well, the guards, regardless of Zhang Lu's wishes, rushed forward and forcibly escorted him away.

"Get out of my way! I'm going to fight this Han dog to the death!"

"I will kill that traitor!"

"Let me go!"

Zhang Lu struggled desperately, trying to break free from the restraints of his guards.

However, his body betrayed him. Despite his fierce shouts, he was dragged away from the battlefield by his guards.

Ma Chao would not allow him to escape so easily. He spurred his horse, spear in hand, and pursued him like a black lightning bolt.

The Xiliang soldiers led the way, followed by the Han infantry and cavalry. Their battle cries shook the heavens and the earth, sweeping across the entire city of Nanzheng, leaving devastation in their wake.

South of the city, the Mian River water camp.

The pier was in complete chaos.

Upon hearing the news of the fall of Nanzheng, the high-ranking officials and nobles in the city were terrified and turned pale. They fled the city to the water camp, scrambling to board ships and escape.

At this moment, Yang Song had already boarded the warship.

"Prime Minister Yang, His Majesty is still leading his troops to fight for the East Gate and resist the Han army's attack."

The young general Wang Ping had reservations; he turned to look at Nanzheng City:
"Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to abandon the king and escape by ship alone?"

Yang Song rolled his eyes at him, but sighed:

“Ma Chao has rebelled and the East Gate has fallen. Even if Your Majesty goes to seize the gate in person, you may not succeed.”

"I boarded the ship first as a precaution, to pave the way for Your Majesty's escape route."

He explained in a serious tone, without a trace of remorse on his face.

Wang Ping stiffened, immediately understanding the implication of Yang Song's words.

Yang Song had already concluded that Zhang Lu had little chance of seizing power.

They claimed to have come to pave the way for Zhang Lu's retreat, but in reality, fearing for their own safety, they took the buckets and ran away first.

"Ah~~"

Wang Ping dared not speak further, and could only shake his head and sigh.
Yang Song stood on the side of the ship, looking solemnly into the city for a long time.

Inside the city, more and more Hanzhong soldiers rushed out like startled birds.

This scene struck Yang Song's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

This means that Zhang Lu's attempt to seize the city gate had failed, and the fall of Nanzheng was an irreversible outcome.

A wave of regret washed over Yang Song.

He regretted that he had advised Zhang Lu to seize the gate.

Now, not only has Nanzheng fallen, but Zhang Lu has also suffered heavy losses, sacrificing many valuable soldiers in vain.

How should I respond if Zhang Luruo questions me?
After weighing the options for a while, Yang Song gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He wanted to give the order immediately to prepare to set sail and escape.

The only priority was to save my own life. Just then, an accident occurred.

A group of people rushed out of the water camp like a whirlwind, galloping towards the pier.

"Boqing, Boqing~~"

A familiar call rang out.

Yang Song and Wang Ping looked closely and realized that it was Zhang Lu who had escaped in time.

Yang Song's expression changed slightly, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Zhang Lu is still alive!
He had escaped Nanzheng City alive, which was truly beyond his expectations.

"The King is still alive..."

A look of surprise flashed across Wang Ping's face, and he exclaimed:
"Quickly, welcome the King aboard the ship."

When Yang Song came to his senses, he could only pretend to be pleasantly surprised and ordered his soldiers to help Zhang Lu board the ship.

There's nothing we can do; so many eyes are watching us.

If they dared to abandon Zhang Lu and forcibly escape by boat, the news would spread like wildfire.

At that time, I will become the target of everyone's criticism.

If a subject abandons the king, wouldn't I become a traitor just like Ma Chao?
Even if he escaped to Yangping Pass, who among the remnants of the Hanzhong army would still submit to him?

Left with no other choice, Yang Song had to pinch his nose and feign surprise as he welcomed Zhang Lu aboard the ship.

"Set sail! Set sail immediately!"

Zhang Lu screamed hoarsely, his voice filled with fear.

At that moment, he was only thinking about escaping and didn't bother to ask Yang Song why he had appeared on the water camp boat ahead of time.

The soldiers on either side did not obey orders; their eyes were all fixed on Zhang Lu.

These soldiers were all private troops of the Yang family. They usually only obeyed Yang Song's orders, so naturally they only had eyes for Yang Song and no eyes for Zhang Lu, the King of Hanzhong.

After a moment of stunned silence, Yang Song hurriedly ordered the boat to set sail.

The mooring lines were released, the sails were hoisted, and the warship, propelled by the crowd, slowly sailed away from the pier.

Zhang Lu finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing a little.

Before he could even catch his breath, a troop of men roared in, like a black whirlwind, and stormed into the water camp.

Ma Chao took the lead, like a war god descending to earth.

The spear in his hand moved like a serpent spitting its tongue, reaping heads along the way, leaving a trail of blood wherever it went.

Unfortunately, it's still a step too late.

Looking at Ma Chao, who was gazing at the river with longing, Zhang Lu's face showed a mocking expression, and a strange sense of pleasure welled up in his heart.

"Ma Chao, you traitor!"

"Heaven hasn't forsaken me, Zhang Lu. Do you think you can kill me?"

"When I return, I will tear you, this traitor, to pieces to avenge this day!"

Although Zhang Lu suffered a crushing defeat and fled, he still had to vent his anger by making some verbal attacks before he left.

On the pier.

Ma Chao, who was originally preparing to turn back, was once again enraged by Zhang Lu's provocative words.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he hung his spear and held his great bow in his hand.

He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming it at Zhang Lu, who was already dozens of paces away.

Given the distance and the darkness of night, an ordinary archer would have had no chance of hitting the target.

Ma Chao, however, was unusual.

In addition to his unparalleled bravery, he also possessed superb archery skills.

"Zhang Lu, if you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"

Ma Chao gave a low shout, and his fingertips suddenly loosened.

With a loud "bang!", the string rang out, and a cold light pierced through the night, swept across the river, and headed straight for Zhang Lu's face.

The cold light, like the scythe of death, shot forth with boundless killing intent.

Zhang Lu's vision was blurred by the darkness, and he was completely unprepared.

He was basking in the relief of his escape and his verbal sparring with Ma Chao, completely unaware that danger was lurking beneath the surface.

By the time they realized what was happening, the cold light was already upon them.

"puff!"

The arrow struck Zhang Lu squarely in the right eye.

The intense pain caused Zhang Lu to let out a terrible wail and fall backward to the ground.

Both Yan Pu and Yang Song were completely dumbfounded.

It wasn't until Zhang Lu rolled around and let out a pig-like scream that they were finally jolted out of their shock.

"Your Majesty!"

Yan Pu was the first to rush forward.

Yang Song realized what was happening and rushed over as well.

Chaos immediately erupted on the ship.

Ma Chao heard the screams and knew that the arrow had hit Zhang Lu. Whether he could kill him or not was no longer important.

The resentment that had been building up in his heart for years was finally released at this moment.

With a swift motion, Ma Chao threw down his bow and brandished his spear, letting out a fierce shout:
"Nanzheng has fallen, and Zhang Lu is dead!"

"Why don't you lay down your weapons and surrender to the Emperor of Han? What are you waiting for?!"

The thunderous shout sent chills down the spines of the Hanzhong soldiers in the camp, making their scalps tingle and their livers and gallbladders tremble.

Escape, resistance, observation... all their remaining thoughts were shattered by Ma Chao's drink.

As a result, thousands of soldiers from Hanzhong knelt down in droves, accepting their fate of being captured.

The naval camp was captured.

Ma Chao looked back towards Nanzheng and saw the Han Dynasty's battle flag slowly rising atop the city wall.

Nanzheng, the capital of Han China, thus changed hands. (End of Chapter)