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

West Gate of Chang'an.

Inside and outside the city gates, the densely packed Wei soldiers, like a pack of lost and bewildered dogs, rushed out of Chang'an City in a panic.

They galloped recklessly along the west-bound avenue, the sounds of horses' hooves, shouts, and footsteps creating a chaotic cacophony.

After running seventy paces, Cao Cao reined in his horse and slowly stopped.

He turned around, his gaze filled with sorrow as he stared at the magnificent city of Chang'an.

An indescribable sorrow welled up in his heart like a tide, quickly spreading throughout his body.

"After today's parting, I know not when I will be able to return to Chang'an. Alas..."

Cao Cao murmured to himself, his voice filled with sorrow, as if this parting was forever.

He had a bad feeling that today's parting from Chang'an meant he would never return.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, with your army and people of Liangzhou following you and fighting to the death, Your Majesty will surely return to the capital sooner or later!"

Seeing Cao Cao's despairing expression, Jia Xu, who was standing nearby, couldn't bear it and promptly offered words of comfort and encouragement.

Although his voice was firm, his eyes revealed a hint of barely concealed guilt.

Despite offering these words of comfort, Jia Xu himself felt quite guilty, as if he were deceiving himself.

But he understood that he had to give Cao Cao some hope at this time.

If Cao Cao loses his will to live, the morale of his army will completely collapse.

Cao Cao was well aware that retreating to Liangzhou was nothing more than waiting to die.

How could Liangzhou, a mere corner of the land, possibly stand against the Han Dynasty, which occupied eleven provinces?

Knowing this, Cao Cao could only feign satisfaction and gently pat Jia Xu on the shoulder, saying:
"Wenhe, only now do I realize that you are the only loyal minister of the Great Wei whom I can rely on!"

"Whether our Great Wei can rise again, and whether I can recover Guanzhong, depends entirely on your support."

Cao Cao placed all his last hopes on Jia Xu.

Jia Xu felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart, as if he had swallowed a bitter fruit.

Knowing full well that what Cao Cao said was nothing but self-deception, he knew he couldn't do it at this time and could only follow suit.

Therefore, Jia Xu could only suppress his despair and bow with a sigh:
"Your Majesty has shown me great favor, and I will certainly go through fire and water for Your Majesty to repay your kindness!"

He took it very seriously and made a vow to Cao Cao.

Just as the two were putting on an act to try and stabilize morale, a large number of defeated soldiers fled like a tide behind them.

They brought shocking news:

With the fall of the East Gate, over 100,000 Han troops have swarmed into Chang'an!

Cao Cao and Jia Xu were greatly surprised when they heard this.

The two men, master and minister, could no longer put on an act. They hurriedly whipped their horses and urged them to flee.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the two Wei state officials were as terrified as two lambs being chased by a hunter.

Behind them, Chang'an City receded further and further away, gradually disappearing from sight.

Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he might have shaken off the Han army. He then decided to slow down his horse and let it rest for a while.

at this time.

From the south, a cloud of dust swept in like a raging sandstorm.

Dust and fog churned, obscuring the sky and the sun.

Amidst the dust and shadows, countless cavalry figures appeared and disappeared, like a group of ghost riders from hell, rolling towards the Wei army.

The earth is shaking.

The character "马" (horse) on the flag is faintly visible.

"Ma Chao! It's Ma Chao's Han cavalry corps that's intercepting us!"

Jia Xu immediately recognized the identity of the approaching troops.

"Is it a remnant of the Ma family?"

Cao Cao's expression suddenly changed drastically. A feeling of terror instantly enveloped his entire body, as if he were in an ice cellar.

You should know that Ma Chao's entire clan was killed by him.

Now that Ma Chao has appeared here, it's clear that Xiao He had anticipated his abandonment of the city and westward retreat to Longxi, and had prepared this army specifically to intercept and kill him. Cao Cao was stunned and completely flustered.

If they fall into Ma Chao's hands, they'll be torn to pieces and die without a burial place!
The tens of thousands of Wei soldiers, fleeing in panic, were also in complete chaos.

Their feelings shifted instantly from relief at escaping death to panic, and they began pushing and shoving each other, scrambling to escape.

To the side, Ma Chao was galloping wildly on his horse, his eagle eyes fixed on the front, filled with hatred.

At this moment, all he wanted was to tear Cao Cao to pieces to appease the spirits of his dozens of Ma family members.

When Cao Cao's imperial banner came into view, Ma Chao's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, his blood surged, and his body seemed to be ignited by an invisible force.

"You traitor Cao, let's see where you run to!"

"Today I will use your head to appease my entire Ma clan!"

With a thunderous roar, Ma Chao spurred his horse forward.

Behind them, the Han army's iron cavalry surged forward with the force of thunder, charging into the Wei army like a raging tide.

The Han cavalry arrived too suddenly, and the Wei army had no time to react. How could the Han cavalry charge so easily?
Moreover, the Wei army was in a state of panic at this time, and was only thinking about escaping, so they had no fighting power whatsoever.

With such high morale, how could they possibly be a match for the Han army in a direct confrontation?

In an instant, the Wei army was thrown into chaos by the Han cavalry's charge. They scattered like headless flies, only to be mercilessly crushed by the Han cavalry.

The killing began.

Countless Wei soldiers, like stalks of wheat, were mercilessly slaughtered by the Han cavalry.

Blood splattered, staining the fields red.

The sounds of ghosts crying and wolves howling are endless!
Ma Chao, amidst the chaos of battle, was consumed by a bloodthirsty rage.

He aimed at Cao Cao and charged forward, his spear rising and falling, cutting down any Wei soldiers who stood in his way.

Ma Chao, like the sharpest blade in the world, carrying endless hatred, charged straight at Cao Cao.

"You traitor Cao, I'll kill you—"

Ma Chao's eyes turned bloodshot, and he let out a furious roar.

Just a few dozen paces away, Cao Cao, who was fleeing in panic, suddenly swayed and nearly fell off his horse.

When he turned around sharply, he saw Ma Chao, like the Grim Reaper, bursting through the blood mist and charging towards him.

"Ma Chao?"

Cao Cao cried out in alarm, nearly dropping his horsewhip.

Who else could it be but Ma Chao, the man with whom he had a blood feud?

"Could it be that I, who did not die at the hands of the treacherous Big Ears, am destined to die at the hands of a mere commoner from Xiliang?"

Cao Cao's eyes filled with tears as he cried out in sorrow.

The ministers, including Jia Xu, were all filled with despair and fear.

That's Ma Chao! He's as brave as Lü Bu. Who can stop him?
If they were to charge forward, not only would Cao Cao die, but all of them would be wiped out.

Jia Xu's eyes darted around like shuttles, then suddenly shot towards Xu Chu, and he shouted:

"Xu Zhongkang, His Majesty has nurtured you for decades, and now is the time to use you. What are you waiting for!"

Xu Chu's body trembled.

Jia Xu was forcing him to sacrifice himself, to risk his life, to stop Ma Chao and buy time for Cao Cao to escape.

He was not afraid of fighting Ma Chao.

But behind him were thousands of Han troops. If he turned back to fight Ma Chao, even if he didn't die by Ma Chao's spear, he would surely die in the encirclement of the Han army.

"Zhongkang——"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Cao Cao's desperate eyes, but he didn't speak.

What could he say?
Xu Chu, go and sacrifice yourself to hold back that horse for me!
Cao Cao couldn't bring himself to ask.

At this moment, Xu Chu gritted his teeth and shouted:

"Your Majesty, please go first. I will hold off this traitor!"

Having said that, Xu Chu abruptly turned his horse around, charging against the tide of defeated soldiers towards Ma Chao. (End of Chapter)