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

Cao Pi, his face flushed with excitement, grabbed Hu Zun's arm and exclaimed:

"Hu Zun! Your plan is truly a stroke of genius! Zhang Fei is arrogant and conceited, always believing himself to be brave and invincible. I never expected him to fall for your trick!"

"If I can kill Zhang Fei, you will be the greatest hero of Wei, and I will reward you handsomely in the future!"

Hu Zun's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smug smile:
"Your Majesty is too kind. I was merely giving him a taste of his own medicine. Xiao He has always been skilled in using schemes, so I thought I would use his strategies to deal with Zhang Fei."

It turns out that all of this was Hu Zun's conspiracy.

He deliberately left flammable materials in Luan Bird City, which were hidden in granaries and on rooftops.

The granary, originally a place to store grain, has now become the roof of a gunpowder depot used to bury Han soldiers.

Before the army withdrew, Hu Zun ordered his men to dig a tunnel that secretly led to the outside of the city.

This tunnel silently paved the way for the Wei army's conspiracy.

Cao Pi pretended that his entire army had abandoned the city and fled, putting on a disheveled appearance in order to lure Zhang Fei into the city.

As expected, Zhang Fei fell into the trap. He thought that the Wei army was intimidated by his reputation, so he led the Han army to occupy Luan Bird City without hesitation.

After the Han army occupied Luanniao City, Cao Pi turned around and launched a surprise attack at the opportune moment.

Cao Pi sent assassins to infiltrate the city through tunnels and set fire to flammable materials. The fire raged like angry fire dragons, wreaking havoc within Luan Bird City.

Meanwhile, the Wei army was making a ruckus outside the city, disturbing the morale of the Han army.

The Han army was already in a panic due to the sudden fire attack, and when they heard the shouts of the Wei army outside the city, they were even more terrified.

The Han army was thrown into chaos; they had only one thought in their minds:
Evacuate from the south gate where the fire was less intense.

So they surged toward the west gate like a tide, completely abandoning their usual order.

At this moment, Cao Pi and the Wei army seized the opportunity to break out and charge into the chaotic Han army.

Looking at the scene before us, the Han army rushed out of the south gate, causing chaos.

They were like a swarm of headless flies, bumping around aimlessly, completely incapable of resisting.

Hu Zun's plan succeeded!

Next, the Wei army unleashed its full force of ambush troops, launching a ruthless sweep against the Han army.

"The whole army obeys the order!"

Cao Pi stood on high ground, raised his gleaming longsword, and roared:

"The ambush troops will all be unleashed and slaughter the Han army!"
Today is the day for our Wei Kingdom to avenge our past humiliations.
Let those Han soldiers know that our Wei army is not a rabble either!

"Whoever slays Zhang Fei will be granted a noble title!"

This command instantly ignited the greed and fighting spirit in the hearts of the Wei soldiers.

The order was swiftly issued, spreading rapidly through the Wei army camp like an invisible force.

Immediately afterwards, a rousing bugle call suddenly rang out over the battlefield, its high-pitched and resounding sound urging the Wei soldiers to advance bravely.

The Wei soldiers, like beasts awakening from their slumber, surged forth from every corner of the dense forest.

Xu Huang took the lead, carrying a long axe, and charged towards the Han army like a black lightning bolt.

Xu Huang, like a sharp blade, was the first to charge into the Han army's camp.

With each swing of his long axe, a scream and the fall of a Han soldier were accompanied by a painful blow.

At this moment, Xu Huang seemed tireless, rampaging through the Han army. Wherever he went, blood splattered everywhere, and the Han soldiers scattered in disarray.

"That felt great!"

Xu Huang brandished his long axe and burst into wild laughter.

The laughter was filled with arrogance and triumph, as if it were an outlet for all the repression and humiliation that had been suppressed over the years.

For more than a decade, the State of Wei fought against the State of Han, suffering repeated defeats.

As a famous general of the Wei Kingdom, he suffered repeated defeats and his reputation was ruined.

Today, he finally has a chance to turn the tide and wash away his past shame. How could he not go crazy?
Immediately afterwards, the Wei army surged into the Han army like a raging tide.

In an instant, blood mist flew everywhere on the battlefield, and screams of agony filled the air.

Although the Han army was already more elite than the Wei army and had a numerical advantage, it would have been able to win in a head-on confrontation.

However, the situation at this moment was extremely unfavorable for the Han army.

The morale of the Han army had already been severely damaged and their fighting spirit was low. They were caught off guard by the sudden attack from the Wei army and were unable to fight back.
Under the city gate.

Zhang Fei spurred his horse forward, spear in hand, just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking he could temporarily stabilize the situation.

When he looked up, he saw a scene that broke his heart:
His own soldiers were being mercilessly slaughtered by the Wei army, their blood staining the earth red, and their screams echoing across the battlefield.

"ambush?"

Zhang Fei's eyes widened, his face showing shock and anger.

"Ziyue is right, Cao Pi really did set up an ambush outside! I've been tricked—"

At this moment, his heart was filled with regret and self-blame.

He hadn't expected Cao Pi to be so cunning, setting up an ambush outside the city gate.

The flames of anger burned fiercely in Zhang Fei's heart. He could no longer suppress his rage, and with a roar, he charged into the chaotic army like an enraged lion.

The spear in his hand flew up and down, and with each strike, it knocked a Wei soldier to the ground.

Wherever it went, the Wei army gave way, and no one dared to stand in its way.

How could the Wei army withstand Zhang Fei's attack?

In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred Wei soldiers fell to Zhang Fei's spear.

It's a pity that although Zhang Fei was incredibly brave, he ultimately couldn't turn the tide on his own.

The Han soldiers around him fell one after another under the attack of the Wei army, their blood flowing like a river.

Zhang Fei surveyed the battlefield and his brows furrowed deeply.

Today's battle has already sealed our fate.

If we force another battle, it will inevitably lead to the annihilation of the entire army, and the Han army will suffer a devastating disaster.

At this moment, retreating eastward might reduce some losses and preserve some strength.

Zhang Fei gritted his teeth and made a difficult decision in his heart:
"The entire army shall retreat south—"

Before he could finish speaking, a whooshing sound suddenly came from behind him.

Looking back, I saw a man and a horse galloping towards me like lightning:

"Zhang Fei, prepare to die!"

Zhang Fei glanced over and saw a general arrogantly charging towards him.

This man was none other than Xu Huang, the only remaining general of the Wei Kingdom!

"Remnants of Cao Wei, I'll slaughter you!"

Zhang Fei glared angrily and shouted.

He spurred his horse around and charged towards Xu Huang.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze, and the two warhorses charged towards each other like arrows released from a bow.

In an instant, the two riders collided.

A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield, like a furious cry from heaven and earth.

At the same time, a powerful gust of air erupted from where the two riders collided, and the soldiers on both sides were thrown to the ground by this gust of air, like fallen leaves swept up by a gale.

After the horses passed by, Zhang Fei stood as imposing as a mountain, firmly seated on his warhorse, his spear still tightly gripped in his hand, his eyes revealing disdain.

Xu Huang, however, was jolted and nearly fell off his horse.

His face turned extremely pale, a flicker of surprise and resentment flashing in his eyes. "Xu Huang, I'll take your life—"

Zhang Fei roared again, dragging his spear as he charged forward once more. The spear, like a black lightning bolt, aimed straight for Xu Huang's vitals.

After just one exchange, the difference in skill was already clear.

Xu Huang's pride was deeply wounded, and he roared ferociously, like a wounded wild beast.

He raised his great axe and charged towards Zhang Fei's spear.

The axe and spear clashed, producing a crisp and loud metallic clang, sparks flying everywhere.

The two then engaged in a fierce battle.
Zhang Fei, wielding his serpent spear, was like a war god descending to earth, suppressing Xu Huang completely.

Every move was exquisite and powerful, seemingly capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

Under this fierce offensive, Xu Huang quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.

Although he wielded his long axe with great force, he seemed somewhat powerless against Zhang Fei's storm-like attacks and could only passively defend.

"Damn it, it was my carelessness..." Xu
Huang felt a surge of regret, a wave of remorse washing over him.

He regretted his impulsive challenge to Zhang Fei. He thought he could compete with Zhang Fei with his martial arts skills and experience, but he never expected Zhang Fei to be so powerful.

After a dozen or so moves, Xu Huang felt increasingly strained. He clearly realized that if the fight continued like this, he would surely be defeated.

There is even a risk to their lives.

He began to consider whether it would be wise to leave the battle immediately.

But he was also worried that if he fled, it would seriously affect the morale of the troops and thus the entire battle situation.

After all, he was a general in the Wei army.

But if he didn't escape and continued fighting like this, he would die at Zhang Fei's hands, and then everything would be over.

Xu Huang was caught in a dilemma.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from the battlefield.

One man on horseback charged in like lightning.

The man was dragging a large spear in his hand when he shouted:
"General, do not panic! I will help you slay this villain!"

It turns out Yan Xing has arrived!

Xu Huang caught sight of Yan Xing's arrival and was instantly overjoyed, as if he had seen a glimmer of light in the darkness.

Yan Xing was a general who was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and his martial arts skills were also quite good.

If the two of them joined forces, dealing with Zhang Fei would be a piece of cake!
Hearing the shout, Zhang Fei's heart skipped a beat, and when he turned around, he saw Yan Xing charging towards him.

A large spear thrust at him from behind, carrying a sharp killing intent, as if it wanted to pierce him through.

Zhang Fei gritted his teeth, swung his spear fiercely, forcing Xu Huang, who was entangled in combat, back down. Then, he swung his spear diagonally, heading straight for Yan Xing's spear.

"clang!"

A clear, ringing sound rang out, as if two divine weapons were colliding.

Sparks flew from where the spears clashed, like fireworks blooming in the night sky.

Yan Xing felt his spear being thrown away by a tremendous force, his blood and qi rippled slightly, and he was secretly surprised by Zhang Fei's strength.

However, compared to Xu Huang, he easily withstood Zhang Fei's full-force attack, demonstrating his exceptional martial arts skills.

Upon seeing Yan Xing arrive, Xu Huang felt a sudden relief from the pressure and his spirits lifted. He then swung his long axe at Zhang Fei.

Yan Xing's spear was deflected, but he launched another swift attack, lunging straight at Zhang Fei like a dragon.

Zhang Fei wielded his spears with both hands, nimbly maneuvering them to block Xu Huang's long axe and deflect Yan Xing's spear, engaging the two in a fierce battle.

In the blink of an eye, the three had already exchanged more than thirty blows.

Although Zhang Fei was incredibly brave, in a one-on-one fight, neither Xu Huang nor Yan Xing could defeat him.

But now, the two of them joined forces and firmly suppressed Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei was starting to feel the strain, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he still gritted his teeth and stubbornly resisted.

After forty moves, Zhang Fei was already under pressure and struggling to breathe, his defeat becoming increasingly apparent.

The swinging of the spear was also somewhat sluggish.

At this time, the Han army's battle situation was also very unfavorable.

Under the ambush of the Wei army, the Han army gradually showed signs of collapse.

"Damn it, if this keeps going, we're finished..."

Zhang Fei was extremely anxious, yet he was at a loss.

Looking at his two formidable opponents, he knew that if the fight continued like this, he would eventually be defeated.

"Zhang Fei, today is your death day!"

Seeing Zhang Fei gradually showing signs of defeat, Xu Huang was overjoyed and couldn't help but laugh wildly.

Yan Xing laughed wildly, swinging his spear even more vigorously.

The two men unleashed their full power, launching a fierce attack on Zhang Fei.

Their attacks came in waves, one after another, leaving Zhang Fei somewhat overwhelmed.

After fifty moves, Zhang Fei's defense began to show weaknesses, and he struggled to block each move.

At that moment, a distant and resounding bugle call rang out.

Zhang Fei, Xu Huang, Yan Xing, and the soldiers of the two armies who were fiercely fighting all glanced in the direction of the bugle call.

South of Luan Bird City, billowing dust, like a raging beast, swept in from the south, blotting out the sky and the sun, as if it would devour the entire world.

In the dust and mist, the silhouettes of countless warhorses could be vaguely seen, surging like a black tide, their hooves shaking the earth.

The next instant, a striking "Han" flag, like a lightning bolt piercing the darkness, burst out of the billowing dust and caught everyone's eye.

"Han cavalry! It's Han cavalry!"

"They really are our cavalry!"

On the battlefield, someone shouted these two sentences first, and then the entire Han army erupted in cheers.

"It's reinforcements!"

Zhang Fei's eyes widened, gleaming with excitement, and he sneered:
"What are you two scoundrels so smug about? Today is your doom!"

Xu Huang and Yan Xing's expressions changed drastically in an instant.

Their faces were filled with shock and disbelief, as if they had witnessed the most incredible thing in the world.

Neither of them expected that Xiao He's reinforcements would arrive at this crucial moment.

"Impossible, how could Xiao and the reinforcements arrive so quickly?"

Xu Huang's eyes widened, and his mouth slightly opened:

"Could that country bumpkin have anticipated our ambush? How could that be? Absolutely impossible!"

Seeing this, Yan Xing was greatly alarmed and hurriedly shouted:
"General, the Han reinforcements have arrived! We must retreat quickly! If we continue fighting like this, we're all going to perish here!"

Upon hearing Yan Xing's words, Xu Huang was immediately conflicted.

Retreat would mean the ambush had completely failed.

If we don't retreat, we risk turning victory into defeat and the annihilation of the entire army.

Moreover, Emperor Cao Pi did not issue an order to retreat.

For a moment, Xu Huang was caught in a dilemma. (End of Chapter)