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

"boom!"

With a dull thud, Xu Chu, like a collapsing mountain, crashed off his horse and slammed heavily onto the ground.

The Han soldiers on both sides turned bloodshot the moment they heard the loud noise.

They all knew perfectly well that the general who had fallen from his horse was none other than Xu Chu, the commander of the Imperial Guards under Cao Cao of Wei.

Xu Chu was the last general whom Cao Cao of Wei could absolutely trust and entrust with his life!
At this moment, for these fierce soldiers who were already bloodthirsty and eager for fame, Xu Chu's head was undoubtedly equivalent to a mountain of gold and silver, a perfect opportunity for them to become rich overnight and rise to prominence.

"kill him!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted at the top of their lungs, like a flash of lightning piercing the night sky.

This shout instantly ignited the greed deep within the hearts of the surrounding Han soldiers.

In an instant, the Han soldiers around them rushed forward as if they had gone mad.

Countless gleaming ring-pommel swords and countless incredibly sharp blood spears rained down on Xu Chu, who lay on the ground, from all directions.

"Your Majesty, I have done my best. I will take my leave now—"

Xu Chu, lying on the ground, mustered his last bit of strength, slowly raised his head, and looked towards Liangzhou with all his might.

This desperate cry of grief and indignation was also his last words.

As soon as he finished speaking, countless knives and spears, like frenzied beasts, engulfed him.

Under the frenzied hacking and slashing of the Han soldiers, Xu Chu was quickly chopped into pieces, and his blood splattered all over the surrounding land.

"Get out of my way!"

Just then, Ma Chao's loud and authoritative voice rang out.

He mounted his horse, brandishing his silver spear, his eyes revealing an undeniable authority.

The Han soldiers, who had been bloodthirsty, calmed down slightly after hearing Ma Chao's fierce shout. They retreated like a tide, making way for Ma Chao.

A mangled, gruesome corpse lay starkly on the blood-soaked field.

The corpse was almost unrecognizable, except for the blood droplet that burst open, frozen in the final moment on the head filled with grief and despair, which still vaguely resembled Xu Chu.

"This thief is indeed loyal to Cao Cao."

Ma Chao frowned slightly as he looked at Xu Chu's corpse, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

Although Xu Chu was an enemy general, his loyalty still earned Ma Chao's respect.

“Collect his body.”

After a moment of silence, Ma Chao slightly flicked his silver spear, as if bidding farewell to Xu Chu.

Then he raised his head and looked west.

Cao Cao's figure ahead had already fled with the fleeing Wei soldiers, like a frightened bird, and no one knew where he had gone.

"Damn it, Cao Cao, how could I let you escape!"

Ma Chao's eyes flashed with murderous intent again. He spurred his horse, spear in hand, and continued the pursuit westward.

Meanwhile, five miles away...

Cao Cao had already joined forces with Xu Huang, Xiahou Ba and other generals, and led more than 20,000 defeated troops, fleeing like stray dogs.

They ran wildly, not daring to stop for a moment, as if countless evil spirits were chasing them.

The nearly 30,000 troops that had originally withdrawn from Chang'an were decimated and suffered heavy casualties after being ambushed by Ma Chao's army.

Now, these 20,000-plus Wei troops were the Northern Camp soldiers commanded by Xu Huang and Xiahou Ba. With these 20,000 fresh troops protecting him, Cao Cao was somewhat relieved, but a hint of relief was revealed in his eyes.

"The horse didn't chase after us. I wonder if Zhongkang is alive or dead. Alas..."

Cao Cao glanced back at what was behind him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He felt both relieved that he had temporarily escaped Ma Chao's pursuit and helpless and worried, not knowing whether his trusted general Xu Chu was alive or dead.

Jia Xu stood aside, looking at Cao Cao's worried expression, and couldn't help but sigh.

After thinking for a moment, I could only offer words of comfort:
"General Xu's martial arts are unparalleled. If he were to fight alone, he might be able to break through the encirclement. Your Majesty need not worry about General Xu. The most important thing now is to lead us day and night to cross the Longshan Mountains and retreat to Liangzhou."

"The Crown Prince has been recruiting soldiers in Liangzhou for several months, and I believe he has already recruited tens of thousands of elite troops. With our more than 20,000 troops, as long as we hold the pass of Longshan Road, we still have a chance to block the Han army and protect a corner of Liangzhou."

Jia Xu spoke eloquently, as if he were painting a beautiful picture of the future for Cao Cao.

However, the more he drew the pie, the more uneasy he felt.

Even if what he said is true, and Cao Pi did recruit tens of thousands of soldiers, it would only amount to thirty or forty thousand men in total.

While the Longshan Mountains can be considered a natural barrier, their ruggedness is far less than that of towering mountains like the Qinling and Taihang Mountains.

A mountain range that can't even be considered a natural barrier, trying to stop hundreds of thousands of Han troops in pursuit? Isn't that just wishful thinking?
Cao Cao knew, of course, that Jia Xu was trying to motivate him, and that it was a form of self-deception.

However, at this critical moment of life and death, even though he knew it was chicken blood, he could only pinch his nose and force himself to drink it.

There's no other way. If I don't try to survive by deceiving myself, should I just die?

Although he understood all of this in his heart, he still pretended to be calm.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Suddenly, Cao Cao reined in his horse and burst into laughter.

The laughter seemed particularly abrupt and jarring in the current atmosphere.

Jia Xu, Xu Huang, and the others stopped, their surprised gazes fixed on Cao Cao, who had suddenly burst into laughter.

Over the years, they had witnessed Cao Cao's enigmatic laughter more than once.

Every great laugh is followed by a great defeat.

Seeing Cao Cao's "old illness relapse" again, everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition gripped their hearts.

Cao Cao stopped laughing, forced a confident expression, and sneered:

"The fact that I was able to escape Chang'an alive proves that Heaven has not forsaken my Great Wei, nor has Heaven destroyed me, Cao Cao. Even if Xiao He is a brilliant strategist, what can he do to me?"

“Wenhe is right. I still have the Crown Prince in Liangzhou, the elite troops of Xiliang he recruited, and 20,000 of my soldiers who escaped.”

"As long as my father and I reunite, with a mighty army at our disposal, and all of you give your lives, we can use the natural barrier of Longshan to block the big-eared bandit, and defending Liangzhou will be a piece of cake."

"I've heard that Liu Bei's health is deteriorating rapidly, and he will inevitably pass away before me sooner or later. Once that traitor with the big ears is dead, the pseudo-Han dynasty will surely fall into chaos, and then I will be able to..."

Cao Cao became more and more excited as he spoke.

Just as Cao Cao was making grand promises to his ministers, suddenly, a horn sounded from the reeds on the south bank of the Wei River.

Immediately afterwards, countless Han cavalrymen emerged from the reeds like divine soldiers descending from the heavens, charging towards them with earth-shattering force.

The first general, riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, charged forward without hesitation.

It was Zhao Yun! (End of Chapter)