Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 126 Lü Bu and Zhang Miao break through the encirclement, Gao Shun and Zhang Liao cover the rear.

When Cao Cao's army appeared, cheers erupted throughout Juancheng.

And Cao Yan no longer needed to hide it.

The city gates of Juancheng burst open with a roar, and Cao Yan took the lead, riding his chestnut horse as he stepped out of the city gates first.

Behind him, half of Dian Wei's body was wrapped in bandages soaked in blood, an injury he sustained while fighting Lü Bu.

Luckily, he was as strong as an ox; an ordinary person would have been crippled or killed if they had taken two hits from Lü Bu.

Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan led four thousand Flying Dragon Cavalry, standing on either side, as Cao Yan walked out of the city.

Zhang Miao, mounted on his horse, spotted Cao Yan and his entourage leaving the city in the distance.

When he saw that Cao Yan still had cavalry under his command, he finally admitted that he had fallen into the Cao brothers' trap.

"Lord Wen, Cao Cao's army has at least 40,000 men! Enemy troops are also continuously appearing in Juancheng!" Zhang Liao rushed over from afar to report the grim situation to Lü Bu.

Lu Bu looked up and saw dust rising in the west, where two cavalry units of Cao Cao's army were slowly approaching the flank.

As an expert in cavalry charges, Lü Bu immediately saw through the intentions of the two cavalry units; they wanted to attack the flank of his own army.

Meanwhile, in Juancheng, located to their east, Cao Yan's Qingzhou army had formed a square formation and began to slowly advance.

"Where is the Trapped Camp?" Lü Bu demanded sternly.

The captain of the personal guards remained silent, head bowed. Chen Gong's voice came from behind: "My lord, the Trapped Camp is still protecting their families in the rear."

Lu Bu turned around abruptly, about to fly into a rage, but then suddenly remembered that it was he who had ordered Gao Shun to protect his family.

Suppressing his anger, Lü Bu said to Wei Xu, "Go and escort your family. Also, inform Gao Shun and Zhang Liao, and order them to lead their troops to cover the rear."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Wei Xu clasped his hands in acceptance and hurried away.

None of the other generals objected to Lü Bu's arrangement.

After all, in the past, the dirty and tiring work of covering the rear and sending people to their deaths had always been undertaken by Gao Shun and Zhang Liao.

Only Chen Gong couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Times have changed. Zhang Liao and Gao Shun will likely find it difficult to escape unscathed this time..."

Cao Cao stood on the hillside, gazing into the distance towards Juancheng.

Seeing that the garrison from the direction of Juancheng had all appeared,
Cao Cao's lips curled into a cold smile. He brandished his long sword and shouted hoarsely, "All troops, attack!"

In an instant, all of Cao Cao's troops surged towards Lü Bu and Zhang Miao's army like a tidal wave.

At the same time, Cao Yan also signaled to attack, and more than 20,000 troops roared and charged towards Zhang Miao and Lü Bu's allied forces from the east!

The battlefield was instantly engulfed by shouts of battle and the clang of weapons.

The morale of Lü Bu's army plummeted to rock bottom.

The soldiers looked at the enemy troops surging in from the east and west like a tide, their hearts filled with fear and despair.

But Lü Bu was Lü Bu after all. He took a deep breath, rallied his spirits, and shouted, "Soldiers, in a narrow encounter, the brave shall prevail! Follow me and fight!"

Having said that, he brandished his halberd and charged toward Cao Yan's army.

Seeing their commander-in-chief leading the charge, the soldiers shouted and followed Lü Bu into battle.

In an instant, the battlefield was filled with the glint of swords, the flying of flesh and blood, and the shouts of battle that made one's eardrums ache.

Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan led the Flying Dragon Cavalry, bypassing Lü Bu's central army and launching a surprise attack from the flank together with Xiahou Yuan.

The Flying Dragon Cavalry, both rider and horse, wore light armor and moved with incredible speed, weaving through enemy lines as if they were nothing.

Zhao Yun took the lead, his spear swirling like a dragon emerging from the sea. Blood splattered wherever the spear tip passed, and the enemies around him fell to the ground one by one, like harvested crops.

Xiahou Lan followed closely behind, his attacks ruthless, killing enemies one by one with each shot, his efficiency in eliminating enemies was not much slower than Zhao Yun's.

Xiahou Yuan was not to be outdone. After fighting his way through Zhang Miao's army, he charged straight at Lü Bu's central army.

At this moment, in Lü Bu's central army, Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun arrived first and were already engaged in battle with Lü Bu.

It can only be said that Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun greatly underestimated Lü Bu, actually going to challenge him on their own. Fortunately, Xiahou Yuan arrived in time, otherwise the two of them would probably have been killed there.

Afterwards, Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan also rushed to Lü Bu's side, and the five of them surrounded Lü Bu, which became known as the Five Heroes Fighting Lü Bu.

Lu Bu fought his way through the encirclement and took a moment to glance at the surrounding situation.

But then he saw Cao Yan and Xu Chu heading this way, and he secretly groaned inwardly.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Zhang Liao, Hou Cheng, Song Xian, Cao Xing and others arrived in time to relieve the pressure on Lü Bu.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lü Bu spurred his horse and fled. Red Hare seemed to sense the threat of death and, in a panic, charged forward like a madman.

Lu Bu rode for a full ten miles before slowing down his horse.

He had never suffered such an injustice in his entire life!
In the past, when fighting on the border, even if surrounded, they could still fight their way out with their bravery.

But today is different.

Within Cao Cao's camp, at least seven skilled fighters appeared who could match his abilities, fighting so fiercely that he didn't even have time to see their faces clearly, and could only barely dodge by relying on instinct and keen senses.

Lü Bu knew this well.

Cao Yan, Zhao Yun, and Dian Wei are the three who are certain to defeat me.

With the other four people joining the fight, and a few more rounds to go, he would probably be dead for sure!
"Phew..." After escaping, Lü Bu found a safe place to stop and rest.

Because Red Hare was too fast, the others hadn't caught up yet.

As he waited, he pondered the reasons for the defeat.

Why did such a favorable situation suddenly reverse?

"Didn't Chen Gong say that most of Yanzhou had fallen into our hands, and that we still had the support of countless powerful families and gentry? How could we have suddenly been defeated?"

"Guo Gong had 50,000 troops, yet he was defeated by Cao Cao so quickly? What a useless piece of trash!"

"Seven of you ganged up on me! You shameless scoundrels, you've gone too far in bullying me!"

The thought of almost being ganged up on by seven people and forced to flee in a sorry state filled Lü Bu with rage. He slammed his hand on the tree trunk, causing the leaves to fall in a flurry.

At this time,
Cao Ren, Yu Jin, and Cao Ang led Cao Cao's infantry and began to advance towards Zhang Miao's army.

Cao Ren continued to serve as the vanguard, leading from the front and bravely charging into battle to defeat the enemy.

Yu Jin and Cao Ang followed closely behind, protecting Cao Ren's flank while expanding their gains and continuously compressing Zhang Miao's army's defenses.

On Cao Yan's side, he personally led the Qingzhou army in a fierce battle against Lü Bu's army.

The hundred or so prisoners who had fought alongside the Qingzhou army were now bloodthirsty.

Armed with rudimentary weapons, they charged towards the enemy without regard for their own safety.

At this moment, they had only one thought in their minds: gather five heads and join the Qingzhou Army!

Already besieged from both sides, and with the cavalry constantly stabbing them in the back, Zhang Miao and Lü Bu's army quickly could not hold on and began to collapse and flee.

Zhang Liao and Gao Shun faithfully carried out their mission of covering the rear.

The other generals, along with Zhang Miao, Chen Gong, and Lü Bu's family, led several thousand elite troops in a breakout to the south.

Zhang Liao watched the departing carriage carrying Lü Bu's family and sighed inwardly.

Immediately, he turned to his three thousand soldiers and shouted, "Brothers, today is the day we serve Lord Wen to the death! Kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Zhang Liao's soldiers, though filled with grief, did not retreat an inch.

Not far from Zhang Liao's army was Gao Shun's 700-strong elite infantry battalion.

They stood silently in place, waiting for the final moment to arrive.

(End of this chapter)