Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 146 General Dian, if you have the guts, come up and fight!
Deputy General Zhang braved arrows and stones and has died.

Upon hearing the news of his deputy's death, Dian Wei, who had been furious at the subordinate for misleading the army, fell silent for a moment.

He sighed and gave a quiet instruction.

"Now that the deputy general is dead, you are the deputy general. Go back and lead your men, and launch a fierce attack. Do not let the blood of our predecessors be shed in vain!"

However, this lieutenant was neither elated by his promotion nor did he obey orders; he simply knelt deeply on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"General Dian, we really can't fight any longer."

Within an hour, approximately two to three thousand men had been killed or wounded, exceeding one-tenth of the total casualties. Morale was crumbling; if the fighting continued, the soldiers risked mutiny.

"What do you know! You can't hold on anymore, how can Yuan Jun hold on?"

Even if our army has 20,000 troops and suffers 2,000 or 3,000 casualties, it would only be one or two out of ten.

On the other hand, Yuan's army numbered only four thousand. Just watch closely, if he suffers four or five hundred casualties, that's one or two out of ten.

With nearly a thousand casualties, they have yet to collapse and flee. I have to admire the enemy general's ability to manage his troops, but he has clearly reached his limit.

Continue the fierce attack. Throughout history, how many armies have been able to withstand such casualties and fight to the death without retreating?
I predict that the morale of Yuan's army has reached rock bottom, and a rout is imminent. Quickly send the entire army forward; do not attempt to further disrupt their morale.

Knowing he couldn't be persuaded and understanding that Dian Wei was right, the general sighed, gritted his teeth, and accepted the order.

"only!"

However, at that very moment, the drums of Yuan's camp sounded, shaking the entire battlefield, and thousands of people shouted in unison:

"Since leaving Shouchun, we have been invincible!"
Cao Cao's army is utterly vulnerable; destruction is imminent!

Their spirit was soaring and their resolve was unwavering, even unto death!

silent.

A deathly silence fell between the lieutenant and Dian Wei.

The lieutenant looked at Dian Wei with a rather strange expression, the meaning of which was self-evident.

General Dian, this is what you just said: the morale of Yuan's army has reached rock bottom. If we just put in a little more effort, they can be defeated without a fight.

I have a feeling that Yuan Shao's army's morale is at its peak. Even if our Cao army were to collapse, they probably wouldn't run away.

Dian Wei: "."

He just said that throughout history, how many armies have been able to withstand such casualties and fight to the death without retreating?
As a result, he ran into one right in front of him.

Where can I go to seek justice?

After a moment's hesitation, the general tentatively tried to persuade him again.

"General Dian, now that things have come to this, Yuan's army has suffered heavy casualties but has not collapsed; on the contrary, its momentum has become even stronger."

In my opinion, it would be better to temporarily avoid confrontation and devise another strategy.

"No."

Dian Wei slowly shook his head, "This time, I was ordered by my lord to come and conquer Yingchuan, but I have suffered repeated setbacks, wasted money and supplies, and returned empty-handed. I am ashamed."

Of course we can retreat now. General Cola is trapped in enemy territory and is fighting desperately to delay while we come to his rescue.

If we abandon this mission now, not only will this expedition to Yingchuan end in failure, with heavy losses and the loss of General Yue, but we will also return to Luoyang. How will we explain this to our lord then?

"But things have come to this point. It's not that we don't want to help, but the Yuan army is too stubborn and difficult to defeat, so we simply can't!"
If the general insists on his own way and loses these 20,000 troops here, he will have no face to show before Cao Cao.

"Enough talk, I refuse to believe it now!"

As the saying goes, "In a narrow encounter, the brave prevail." Yuan's army fought to the death with a quarter of its casualties, while our casualties were less than half of theirs. Did they all become cowards, afraid to fight, and flee in disarray?

After speaking, Dian Wei picked up his halberd and slowly walked towards the front line. "Give the order to the three armies: I, Dian Wei, will personally lead the charge; all soldiers, just follow behind me!"

Dian Wei!

Cao Jun's number one warrior!
At this moment, as the Cao army watched Dian Wei slowly walk forward, hope and fighting spirit were rekindled in their eyes.

If General Dian were to lead his troops out on his own, how could Yuan's army possibly withstand him!
The trenches had long been filled with the corpses of Cao Cao's soldiers, and the earthen walls could be scaled over by stepping on the bodies of friendly troops. With Dian Wei leading the charge, the Cao Cao army was in high spirits.

Despite Yuan Jun's boasts of being invincible and fearless in their attempts to stop him, they all fell to Dian Wei's halberd due to the vast difference in strength between them, with none able to withstand a single blow.

Seeing Dian Wei, like a tiger descending the mountain, lead his men to break through the outer wall and enter the inner wall in a short time, Chen Dao immediately put down his drumsticks and picked up his spear.

"Order the three armies to continue blocking Cao Cao's army and fight to the death without retreating."

"I'll personally confront Dian Wei!"

The deputy general hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"Young General, didn't Young General Xu Sheng previously warn that Dian Wei's strength is too great to be defeated by force?"

As the adopted son of Lord Yuan, a man of immense wealth and honor, how could you personally venture into such a dangerous place?
Even if we breach the outer wall, we still have an inner wall; we can simply send more soldiers to hold them off.”

"Stop talking. Dian Wei's strength and bravery are beyond the reach of any soldier."

I have received great kindness from Lord Yuan, yet I have not rendered any service whatsoever. I would gladly face any danger, even death, without regret. What is there to fear from a mere Dian Wei?

"Besides, we are both adopted sons of Lord Yuan. If Xu Sheng can take the position, why can't I?"

Having said that, he waved away the people who were trying to stop him, picked up his spear, and hurried to meet Dian Wei.

Meanwhile, Dian Wei led his troops to the scene. The Cao army was already numerous and powerful, and with them protecting him from behind, Dian Wei, as the spearhead, was like a tiger among sheep. He quickly took the lead and had half of his body already climbed onto the inner wall of the Yuan army.

Just as he was about to push himself up and leap into the air, a silver spear, like a cold glint, struck him, aiming straight for his heart.

Seeing the power of this move, Dian Wei freed one hand to wield his halberd to block it. In the blink of an eye, the silver spear took advantage of Dian Wei's unstable footing, which only allowed him to climb halfway up the wall. Due to the difficulty of maneuvering, and the need to use one hand to climb the earthen wall, the silver spear forced Dian Wei off the inner wall after several rounds.

Fortunately, this was just an earthen wall of Yuan's army camp, not a city wall. The outer wall was eight feet high, and the inner wall was only six feet high, so Dian Wei falling down would not cause any serious harm.

Chen Dao, however, stood atop the earthen wall, looking down at them, and laughed loudly.

"Quickly write a military report, report it to your adoptive father, and inform the three armies."

What does it matter that Xu Sheng defeated Dian Wei in thirty rounds?
"Dian Wei, a mere commoner, fought me for only a few rounds before being defeated and forced to retreat. This was witnessed by the entire army!"

Dian Wei: ? ? ?
Dian Wei, who had just stood firm against the earthen wall, suddenly changed color!

What kind of nonsense is this military report? Have they no shame?

I was climbing the wall when you ambushed me. I managed to fight you with only one hand and escape unscathed.

How come in your military report it became that I fought you several times and was defeated and had to retreat?

Even so, it seems...
No!

Wait a minute? How did Xu Sheng manage to defeat Dian Wei in just thirty rounds?
If it weren't for that Xu Sheng, that guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who had a few drinks last time and fought like a madman, I probably would have killed him thirty times over.

Damn it!
Are you Yuan Jun really this shameless when writing military reports these days?

Dian Wei's face was frighteningly dark as he glared angrily at Chen Dao, who was looking down at him.

"I, Dian, do not slay nameless ghosts under my halberd; state your name, sir!"

"Chen Dao and Chen Shuzhi of Runan are the adopted sons of Lord Yuan!"
"You treacherous general, you have guts! Dare to come up and fight me!"

Dian Wei: "."

(End of this chapter)