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

Xu Zhi was completely flustered at this moment, his heart filled with panic and helplessness.

If Xu Zhi was in such a state, the Wei soldiers he led were even more thrown into utter chaos.

The soldiers were filled with anxiety and their morale was extremely low, like a lone boat adrift in a storm, which could be capsized at any moment by the surging waves.

"General Xu, now that half of our troops have been wiped out, what should we do next?"

Yin Feng's face was filled with helplessness and despair, and he cried out.

"What should I do? It's come to this, how am I supposed to know what to do?"

Xu Zhi sighed bitterly, his sigh filled with sorrow.

At this moment, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes revealed deep anxiety. His once resolute face now looked haggard.

Half of the troops were thus ruthlessly wiped out, and the Han army outside the city surged in like a tide, gradually forming a siege around the camp.

The current situation resembles a dead end:

Holding out in the city is tantamount to sitting and waiting for death; one can only watch helplessly as death approaches.

Breaking out is like a moth drawn to a flame, nothing more than a pointless death.

No matter which path you choose, it seems there's only one ending—death!

Worse still, the brilliant strategist Jiang Xu had also vanished, leaving no one to offer him advice or help him find a way to survive in his desperate situation.

He was like a blind man lost in the dark, unable to find a way out.

"I, Xu Zhi, have followed the Emperor through countless dangers. Am I really going to die in this desolate city this time?"

Thinking of this, Xu Zhi couldn't help but look up at the sky, his eyes filled with despair, and he uttered a series of sorrowful and indignant questions:
"Heavens, why are you so unjust? Why have you driven me into this desperate situation?"

...

Inside the Han camp, however, was a scene of jubilation. The camp gates were wide open, and the victorious Han cavalry, like an iron torrent, entered the camp with their heads held high and chests puffed out.

Each Han army knight had an enemy's head tied to his saddle; they returned laden with spoils, their faces beaming with laughter.

Inside the large tent, the atmosphere was cheerful.

Zhao Yun strode forward and respectfully presented Jiang Xu's head with both hands:
"General of the Cavalry, Grand Marshal, our army has annihilated half of the Wei forces in this battle, achieving a great victory!"

Zhang Fei burst into laughter upon hearing this, and his laughter echoed throughout the tent.

Then Teng stood up and praised:

"Good! You've annihilated half of the Wei army! Zilong has done a great job! Especially Zilong's killing of Jiang Xu, that's the greatest achievement! I'm going to throw you a victory banquet to reward Zilong properly!"

Zhao Yun dared not boast of his achievements, and quickly bowed to Xiao He, saying humbly:

"If it weren't for the Grand Marshal seeing through Jiang Xu's trick, how could Yun have made such a great contribution? If we're talking about merit, the Grand Marshal deserves the most credit."

Zhang Fei looked back at Xiao He and gave him a thumbs-up, praising him:

"That Jiang Xu is overestimating himself and dares to show off his skills in front of an expert. He dares to compete with you, Bowen, in wits. He's simply courting death!"

Everyone praised him highly, but Xiao He merely smiled slightly, raised his hand and pointed lightly at Ji City, coldly saying:
"Half of the garrison in Jicheng has been wiped out, and they are now like candles flickering in the wind. How can they possibly hold out any longer?"

"Yide, let's immediately close in and surround the camp, then raze Jicheng to the ground!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei's fighting spirit ignited instantly. He waved his hand and declared with boundless pride:
"As Bowen said, pass on my orders to close the encirclement and turn Ji City into a dead city. Tomorrow, the entire army will march out to attack the city!"

"I will raze Jicheng to the ground, and I will exterminate Xu Zhi and all the remnants of the false Wei regime!"

...

The next day at noon, the sky was covered with dark clouds, which blocked out the sun, and the whole world was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

It was as if even the heavens were trembling with fear at the impending carnage.

Inside the Han camp, bugle calls rang out, their stirring sound awakening the heroic spirit in the hearts of the Han soldiers.

The camp gates were wide open, and the Han soldiers poured out like a tide, quickly assembling and forming ranks north of Ji City.

Nearly a hundred divine thunder cannons were dragged out of the camp and neatly arranged in front of the battle line.

These divine thunder cannons were like silent behemoths, exuding a chilling aura.

Battle flags fluttered in the wind, obscuring the sky. Swords and spears stood like a forest, gleaming coldly, as if announcing to the enemy that their demise was imminent.

Zhang Fei, spear in hand, sat in the center of the army.

His gaze swept across the front, where a hundred divine thunder cannons were all aimed at the north gate of Ji City, ready to fire.

On the city wall, nearly three thousand Wei soldiers were driven up, each one looking panicked, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

Even their hands, gripping their weapons tightly, trembled incessantly, as if the slightest force would cause the weapons to fall.

Their bodies were trembling, like leaves in the cold wind, ready to be blown away at any moment.

The raid on the Han camp failed, the entire army was wiped out, Jiang Xu was beheaded, and the Han army surrounded the camp...

A series of blows, like heavy hammer blows, extinguished their fighting spirit.

They were like a flock of lambs without a leader, helplessly awaiting their fate.

Xu Zhi's face was ashen, and his breathing was heavy and rapid.

He glanced around, and the sight before him made him gasp.

Outside the city, the Han army stretched as far as the eye could see, densely packed.

However, his army numbered less than a few thousand.

The disparity in troop strength, several times greater than his own, filled him with despair.

Moreover, the Han flag fluttered, its momentum like a rainbow.

Meanwhile, the soldiers of his own army were demoralized, hanging their heads and showing no fighting spirit whatsoever.

With such a huge disparity in troop strength and morale, how can this battle be fought?
Xu Zhi felt completely uncertain, as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, where a slight misstep would plunge him into the abyss of death.

And when he saw the hundred divine thunder cannons being pushed to the front lines, his remaining will began to crumble.
He knew better than anyone the power of that thing.

Even though Jicheng had been reinforced and strengthened, Xu Zhi still lacked confidence in the face of the fierce attack from a hundred divine thunder cannons.

At this moment, he could only try his best to suppress his inner fear and pretend to be calm, but his slightly trembling hands and the large beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his inner terror.

The Wei soldiers on either side were already terrified.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with despair and helplessness.

"General Xu, how could we possibly stop so many Han soldiers?"

"Why don't we abandon the city and break out now?"

Yin Feng couldn't help but offer his advice.

"Breakout? The Han army has already closed in on our camp, how can we break out?"

Xu Zhi gritted his teeth, his voice filled with helplessness:
"There's no point in saying more now. Let's hold off this wave first. If we can't, today will be our day of reckoning!"

"Besides, at worst I'll surrender to the Han, and Zhang Fei and Xiao He might not kill me, but will you still be alive?"

At worst, I'll surrender to the Han.

This was Xu Zhi's last resort.

In his view, surrendering to the Han army might save his life.

But you, Yin Feng, are not good enough.

You have Ma Chao's blood on your hands, how can they forgive you?

Of course not.

Therefore, you, Yin Feng, have no choice but to fight to the death.

You have no choice but to stay with us and defend Ji City to the death. Don't even think about abandoning the city and fleeing!
If they try to escape, they will surely be captured by the Han army.

Being captured means certain death.

This is Xu Zhi's merciless verdict against Yin Feng.

Yin Feng's body stiffened. (End of Chapter)