Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 200 Liu Bei Seeks Aid
During his encounters with Guan Yu, Ji Ling gradually realized one of Guan Yu's weaknesses: his warhorse was of very poor quality.

The horse was so thin and weak that it not only ran slowly but also could not withstand Guan Yu's immense strength.

Having gained confidence, Ji Ling rallied his spirits once more, drew his sword, and charged forward to engage Guan Yu in battle again.

The two exchanged blows with their swords, and in the blink of an eye, they had fought more than a dozen rounds.

As the fight went on, Ji Ling gradually realized that...
Aside from Guan Yu's powerful first strike, which was like thunder at the start, his subsequent attacks were not difficult to withstand, which made me underestimate Guan Yu.

However, at that moment, Guan Yu suddenly abandoned his warhorse and leaped into the air!

He raised the Green Dragon Crescent Blade above his head with both hands and, with the force of splitting Mount Hua, brought it down on Ji Ling's head, who had no way to avoid it!
Upon seeing this, Ji Ling was greatly alarmed, knowing that the power of this strike was absolutely extraordinary.

But he couldn't dodge it either. He could only do his best, let out a roar, and use all his strength to raise the three-pointed sword in his hand high to block Guan Yu's fatal blow.

"Boom!" A loud bang, like a thunderclap in dry land, made people's eardrums hurt.

Ji Ling's warhorse could not withstand the powerful impact, let out a painful wail, staggered back more than ten steps before collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and gradually fell silent.

Ji Ling tumbled off his horse and rolled several times on the ground before finally getting up.

He looked down at his hands and saw that the web between his thumb and forefinger was completely torn, and blood had stained both palms red.

Ji Ling's arms were trembling uncontrollably. He was horrified and thought, "I have fought on the battlefield for twenty years, and this is the first time... the second time I have encountered such a strong opponent!"

Such terrifying power, such formidable combat strength...

Even Dian Wei, who killed without hesitation at the Battle of Puyang, wasn't this bad!

Ji Ling's warhorse had died suddenly, and his hands were almost useless. He knew he could no longer fight.

Fortunately, Guan Yu did not have a warhorse at this time.
Ji Ling endured the excruciating pain, bent down to pick up the three-pointed dagger that had fallen to the side, and then sprinted towards his own army formation.

When Guan Yu saw that Ji Ling was about to escape, he immediately rushed forward to give chase.

However, several riders charged out from the enemy ranks to meet Ji Ling.

The man charging at the very front was Ji Ling's deputy general, named Xun Zheng.

At this moment, seeing that Guan Yu had no warhorse and had just gone through a major battle, he thought that he was an easy target.

So he bypassed Ji Ling, thrust his spear at Guan Yu, and shouted, "How dare you, an unknown nobody, be disrespectful to my great general!"

"An unknown nobody?" Guan Yu was furious when he heard this.

For Guan Yu, who was extremely concerned about his reputation, this was undoubtedly a violation of his principles.

Guan Yu brandished his swords with both hands and faced Xun Zheng head-on without hesitation.

Xun Zheng was equally impressive, wielding his spear with great skill and flair, making him appear extremely formidable.

However, how could he be a match for Guan Yu?
With a scream of pain, Guan Yu swung his sword and, with a single stroke, sliced ​​Xun Zheng and his horse in two as easily as cutting a watermelon.

Guan Yu glanced at Xun Zheng, who lay dead with his eyes wide open, and couldn't help but spit out: "All that fancy talk..."

But when he looked up, Ji Ling had already escaped back into the formation.

Seeing that the enemy was trying to outnumber them, Zhang Fei also rode out to provide support.

When Xun Zheng was killed by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei also killed two other of Ji Ling's deputy generals.

Ji Ling was no match for Guan Yu and lost three generals, so he quickly retreated to his camp.

After returning to camp, Ji Ling kept the gates tightly shut and refused to come out.

No matter how much Guan Yu and Zhang Fei cursed and provoked them, they ignored them.

Liu Bei led his army to join Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Seeing that Ji Ling was holding firm in his camp and not coming out, Liu Bei did not dare to launch a strong attack, and so the two armies remained locked in a stalemate.

However, Liu Bei dared not retreat rashly, since Ji Ling had 50,000 men, more than twice as many as he did.

He feared that Ji Ling would relentlessly pursue and kill him during the retreat, which might lead to another rout.

Liu Bei's army was held back by Ji Ling, unable to advance or retreat, putting them in a very difficult situation.

He was worried, so he decided to ask Cao Cao for help and use Cao Cao's power to get out of his predicament.

Liu Bei sent his top strategist, Jian Yong, to Xuchang to request Cao Cao to send troops to help him attack Yuan Shu.

If possible, it would be even better if we could also help him reclaim Xuzhou.

Jian Yong accepted the order and, accompanied by two attendants, rode at full speed towards Xuchang.

Upon entering Fenggao City, the seat of government in Taishan, Yanzhou, Jian Yong was shocked by the scene before him.

Shops lined both sides of the road, bustling with people, creating a vibrant and prosperous scene.

When he arrived in Chenliu County and Yingchuan County, he even more wondered if he had entered another world, a new world that was completely free of war, peaceful and prosperous.

Zuixianju in Xuchang.

It was midday, and Jian Yong, feeling hungry, led his servants to the famous Zuixianju Restaurant in the city. The three of them found a corner to sit down, drinking wine and eating food while discreetly listening to the conversations of those around them.

"Have you heard? Zhao Zilong, one of Cao Situ's generals, fought his way in and out of Wancheng seven times and captured Zhang Xiu, the leader of the Xiliang army!" a diner at the next table exclaimed.

"That can't be right. I heard it was General Cao Yan who single-handedly defeated 10,000 men and captured Zhang Xiu alive?" another diner retorted.

"You're all wrong!" the third man said disdainfully. "It was Cao Yan, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, and Xu Chu who together wiped out Zhang Xiu's 100,000-strong army!"

"Pfft!" Upon hearing this person's words, Jian Yong immediately spat out the mouthful of wine he had just taken a sip of!
He quickly wiped the wine stains off the table with his sleeve, and couldn't help but exclaim, "These guys are really something! They actually believed such rumors?"

Just then, the servant who had gone out to gather information hurried in from outside the restaurant, leaned down beside Jian Yong, and whispered in his ear, "Master, Cao Cao has returned to Xuchang!"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yong nodded slightly and replied softly, "Very good! Make preparations, we'll go pay a visit immediately!"

After paying the bill, Jian Yong immediately headed towards the Situ residence.

Cao Cao went to the court early in the morning to handle some affairs before returning from the palace.

Just as they arrived at the door, Jian Yong, accompanied by two servants, presented his visiting card, preparing to pay a formal visit.

Although Cao Cao still remembered the famous scholars in his household,
But the arrival of Jian Yong, one of Liu Bei's subordinates, made him sense something unusual.

After a moment's thought, he decided to meet with Jian Yong first to see what was going on with Liu Bei.

Following Cao Cao's instructions, the servants of the Situ Mansion brought Jian Yong to his study.

At this moment, Xun Yu, Xun You, and Dong Zhao were still warmly entertaining Zhong Yao and other famous scholars in the main hall.

Upon seeing Cao Cao, Jian Yong immediately cupped his hands and bowed deeply at almost a 90-degree angle, respectfully saying, "This humble official, Jian Yong, greets Minister Cao!"

Jian Yong deliberately used the self-reference "this humble official," implying, "We are all court officials, serving the emperor together; we are one of us, brother!"

"Xianhe, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down," Cao Cao said with a touch of authority after accepting Jian Yong's bow.

"Thank you, Minister!" Jian Yong respectfully took his seat below Cao Cao.

After a moment, seeing that Cao Cao did not intend to ask any further questions, Jian Yong had no choice but to cup his hands and say, "Minister, you must already know about the predicament my lord Liu Bei is facing, right?"

Cao Cao, however, wanted to test him, so he pretended not to know: "Oh? Hasn't your lord Liu Bei been governing Xu Province with great success and growing stronger day by day?"

Jian Yong's lips twitched slightly, thinking to himself that he was cunning. He then replied with a wry smile, "That's how it should be. But Cao Bao, a former subordinate of Tao Qian, secretly colluded with Lü Bu and seized Xiapi while my lord was fighting Yuan Shu."

Now, most of Xuzhou has pledged allegiance to Lü Bu, and my lord Liu Bei has temporarily stationed his troops in Xiaopei.

Even so, my lord still responded to the emperor's edict and sent troops to attack the false emperor Yuan Shu.

Currently, they are locked in a stalemate near the Huai River with Yuan Shu's top general.

However, our army is small and our generals few, and we fear we cannot sustain this campaign. I implore you, Minister Situ, to consider my lord's unwavering loyalty and send troops to assist us!

"That stray dog ​​Lü Bu can become the ruler of Xu Province?" Cao Cao couldn't help but sneer upon hearing this.

"Of course, Lü Bu alone cannot accomplish anything. Behind this is a deal between Yuan Shu and Lü Bu!" Jian Yong said through gritted teeth.

"I said long ago that Lü Bu and Tao Qian's former subordinates were not trustworthy."

Why did Liu Bei turn a blind eye and dare to harbor Lü Bu and indulge Cao Bao? Cao Cao wanted to trick Jian Yong again.

“My lord is kind-hearted. Tao Gong entrusted Xuzhou to my lord, and my lord could not bear to harm his former subordinates, and even treated them with great favor.” At this point, Jian Yong was truly heartbroken. “But what I never expected was that the former subordinates of Xuzhou, led by Cao Bao, harbored evil intentions and, taking advantage of my lord’s mission to suppress the rebels, joined forces with Lü Bu to seize Xuzhou!”

Ugh!
My Lord is now filled with remorse.
I regret not taking Situ's words to heart and constantly reminding myself of them!

Then, Jian Yong went on to recount in detail some of Liu Bei's past events and his current situation.

Cao Cao listened quietly to the sound.

He suddenly discovered that this person was eloquent and articulate, speaking clearly and logically, and was very pleasant to listen to.

He even felt somewhat pleased by Jian Yong's words, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

Perhaps realizing his mistake, Cao Cao coughed deliberately to cover up his embarrassment.

After a moment of contemplation, Cao Cao spoke to Jian Yong, saying, "Liu Xuande was ordered to attack the false emperor Yuan Shu, which shows that he is a truly loyal minister who is loyal to the Han Dynasty and to His Majesty!"

Back when the warlords were campaigning against Dong Zhuo, I drank wine with Xuande and discussed important matters of the world.

Xianhe, you should go back and inform Liu Xuande.

The Emperor and I, Cao Mengde, would certainly not stand idly by and watch a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty be humiliated!

I, Cao Mengde, will certainly do my utmost to mediate for Xuande!

Old fox!
Jian Yong couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Then, steeling his resolve, he mustered his courage and said, “My lord must not only defend against Yuan Shu’s pursuing troops, but also guard against Lü Bu’s sneak attack. Now the army’s food supplies are almost exhausted, and we are in dire straits.”

Before departing, my lord solemnly entrusted me with the task, earnestly requesting that Minister Cao send troops to assist in annihilating Yuan Shu in one fell swoop.

If we could also take down Lü Bu, that would be even better!

Ha! Liu Bei's abacus beads are almost flying into my face!
(End of this chapter)