Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 376 Bad News

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun followed Cao Ang to Cao Song's residence.

This house is very large, with high and wide walls, and it is like a small town. Originally, it was the villa of the King of Qi, located south of Linzi City.

After the expansion of Linzi, it expanded several miles in each direction. The old city within the old city wall is now the area where officials work, various academies and the imperial guards are located.

The East Pavilion where Liu Bei lived was actually outside the original old city wall.

The same goes for this villa. Originally a villa outside the city, it was enclosed in the middle of the new city after Linzi was expanded, and became a luxury mansion within the city.

Linzi no longer has an outer city wall. The construction of the new city has created many job opportunities and attracted many people to live here. There are many pedestrians and shops on the main street around the villa.

“Cao Ang… go and arrest him. Yun doesn’t want to bring troops into the house and embarrass Grand Commandant Cao.”

Zhao Yun told Cao Ang to go and capture Ying Shao himself.

Cao Ang lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Zhao Yun: "Commander Zhao, I know nothing about the forged edict, nor does my ancestor... This matter is of no benefit to my family."

Zhao Yun coldly looked at Cao Ang: "I am only following orders to arrest Ying Shao... Whether it has anything to do with your family, I do not know and do not want to know. If you do not go, then I will lead my troops inside."

Cao Ang lowered his head, sighed, and led a few guards into the room.

Zhao Yun led his troops to surround Cao Ang's residence, waiting for Cao Ang to come out.

After waiting a while, Cao Ang rushed out in a panic: "Commander Zhao, my grandfather has been taken hostage by Ying Shao..."

Zhao Yun immediately led his troops inside, where Ying Shao and his entourage were just leaving with knives to Cao Song's neck.

"Is this how you arrest people?"

Zhao Yun glanced at Cao Ang.

"Commander Zhao, it was already like this when I entered..."

Seeing Zhao Yun's actions, Cao Ang became even more flustered.

"What crime has Ying committed? Why am I being arrested?"

Ying Shao hid himself behind Cao Song and slowly moved outwards.

“Originally it might not have been considered a major crime, but your kidnapping of the Grand Councilor is an unforgivable crime!”

Zhao Yun pointed his spear at Ying Shao: "Cao Cao worked tirelessly for you, yet you used him as a hostage. Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?"

"Stop spouting nonsense and make way..."

Ying Shao did not waver. He slowly moved Cao Song to the carriage in front of the door and had his attendants protect the carriage.

“Your grandfather has been kidnapped; you should have taken his place…”

Zhao Yun pulled Cao Ang towards the carriage and shouted to Ying Shao, "Ying Shao, Grand Commandant Cao is old and frail. If anything happens to him, your Ying family will surely be exterminated by General Cao! Since you want to take a hostage to escape, why not choose a younger one instead..."

"Hmph... I trouble you, Lord Cao, to get in the carriage and accompany me to Qiao County. If I am safe and sound, then you will be safe as well... I will escort you back to your hometown. Will you all try to stop me?!"

Ying Shao still put Cao Song into the carriage.

Cao Ang turned to Zhao Yun and pleaded, "Commander Zhao, my grandfather cannot withstand the dangers of war. Please, Commander Zhao, let him go..."

“Cao Ang… if you and your grandson intend to help this thief escape, I, Zhao, will not be polite.”

Seeing Ying Shao get into the carriage, Zhao Yun struck Cao Ang with the butt of his spear, knocking him to the ground: "The generals of the Han army will not be coerced by traitors! Stop them!"

"Zhao Yun! You dare?!"

Another person ran out of the Cao residence; this was Cao De, Cao Cao's younger brother.

Cao De, sword in hand and accompanied by dozens of servants, also protected the carriage and horses: "If my father were to fall, could you bear the responsibility?"

"What a filial family..."

A hint of mockery appeared in Zhao Yun's eyes: "This is the first time I've ever seen someone willing to use their own father as a hostage..."

Cao De's face turned ashen, and he was about to retort when the carriage started moving.

"...Take them all!"

Seeing that the Cao family was protecting the carriage, Zhao Yun had no choice but to order the arrest of everyone.

Whether or not to fall out with the Cao family was a question Liu Bei had to consider; Zhao Yun only needed to focus on completing the mission.

"Make way! Let's go!" Seeing the soldiers surrounding them, Cao De brandished his sword, attempting to block them.

Just then, Ying Shao suddenly spurred his horse to accelerate, and the carriage carrying Ying Shao and Cao Song broke through the Cao family's servants and the soldiers' encirclement.

Zhao Yun still had some reservations, so he didn't order anyone to fire arrows. Instead, he led a cavalry unit to give chase, while his other troops arrested the Cao family members as well.

The carriage sped south, and the streets of Linzi were very smooth. The carriage had picked up speed and was not much slower than Zhao Yun's horse.

There were many pedestrians on the street, but Ying Shao's carriage paid no heed, crashing through the crowd and causing pedestrians to scramble to avoid it.

The shop's goods were scattered all over the ground, and Zhao Yun, who was chasing behind, had to dodge them and could not overtake them from the side.

The carriage was blocking the middle of the road, with debris constantly bumping into it from both sides. Zhao Yun and several cavalrymen could only follow behind for the time being.

There were military camps in every direction of Linzi, and they were divided into many military stations. The south of the city was Tian Yu's camp. In fact, the outer city wall was replaced by a large number of military stations and more frequent patrols.

Seeing the carriage speeding through the city, soldiers from the outpost dragged out barricades, intending to set up roadblocks.

"Get out of the way! Don't block the way!"

Zhao Yun waved his hand and shouted, signaling the soldiers to make way.

The barricades would indeed prevent Ying Shao from escaping, but at the current speed, they would most likely cause a rollover. Zhao Yun didn't want Cao Song to have an accident, and it would be best to capture Ying Shao alive.

Zhao Yun chased them all the way out of the city and into an open area before finally catching up with the carriage.

The purpose of getting ahead was to force the carriage to slow down, since this was not a battlefield, and it would be difficult to guarantee Cao Song's safety if the speed was too fast.

There was a post station outside the city, where many postmen were always ready. At this moment, more than a dozen postmen rode out on horseback to stop the carriage.

It seems Ying Shao can't escape now.

It wouldn't have been so easy for them to escape.

Cao Song clutched his chest, his face filled with terror; it seemed his blood pressure was a bit high.

When Ying Shao saw the postman, he suddenly smiled.

Zhao Yun had just circled around to the front of Ying Shao's carriage and was about to take the reins when he suddenly caught a glimpse of Ying Shao's expression.

Zhao Yun suddenly turned his head and saw that all the post station soldiers who had come out to stop the carriage had drawn their bows in his direction!

Zhao Yun immediately ducked and hid in the stirrup, intending to use his warhorse to avoid the arrows, but he felt that there weren't many arrows coming.

Zhao Yun flipped himself back onto his horse and looked back, only to see that Ying Shao and Cao Song in the carriage had both been hit by arrows!
After shooting their arrows, the 'couriers' turned and rode away on horseback; those must have been courier horses, which ran very fast.

Ying Shao's expression had changed from a smile to astonishment and confusion.

"How dare you, thief!"

Zhao Yun was furious. He turned around and spurred his horse to give chase. He caught up with the courier and thrust his spear into the back of the courier, who fell from his horse.

The couriers who were ahead quickly scattered and fled in all directions.

The cavalrymen Zhao Yun led immediately split up to give chase, while simultaneously sounding the alarm whistles.

Zhao Yun wanted to speed up the pursuit, but his warhorse let out a mournful cry.

Arrows were also stuck in the side of the horse's rump; one of the dozen or so arrows fired at once had hit Zhao Yun's horse.

Zhao Yun had no choice but to turn back and check on the post station and Cao Song's situation.

Cao Song was hit by two arrows, one of which landed in the center of his chest, near the danzhong point.

Ying Shao was shot in the left chest and thigh with arrows. His expression seemed extremely resentful. He opened his mouth at Zhao Yun, but could not utter a word. Blood foam came out first.

Those archers were shooting indiscriminately.

This kind of head-on arrow shot was very powerful. At that time, the carriage was speeding forward, and Cao Song and Ying Shao were not wearing armor.

Inside the post station, the postmaster and a dozen or so postmen who were on duty were all dead. Their bodies had been stripped naked, and it seemed that the crime had just been committed, as the bodies were still warm.

……

Cao Song is dead!

Liu Bei had just finished discussing Liu Xie's affairs with Diao Chan when he heard this devastating news.

(End of this chapter)