Three Kingdoms: Daily settlement helps Liu Bei revive the Shu Han dynasty.

Chapter 113 When Paths Meet, the Brave Win

Zhang Fei led his men forward, and sure enough, the city gate opened by itself.

The magistrate of Zhuji County, holding an official seal, led several officials out of the city and knelt by the roadside to welcome Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei stepped forward, glanced at the magistrate, and said, "Tie him up first, and we'll see what the strategist decides after the war is over."

After saying this, Zhang Fei turned to Lei Hu and said, "Lei Hu, leave five hundred men to guard the city, the rest of you follow me north to take Yuji!"

Lei Hu grinned: "Understood!"

Suddenly, a rider galloped in from outside the city. He stopped outside the tightly closed city gate, looked up at the city wall, and shouted, "General Zhou, the Prefect has ordered you to immediately lead all troops to reinforce Gaoqian Village!"

Zhou Xin quickly walked down the city wall, took the order from the knight, unfolded it, and his expression changed drastically.

Gaoqiantun was attacked and its grain supplies were burned!

He mounted his horse, drew his sword, and roared, "All troops, assemble! Follow me!"

Three thousand private soldiers filed out and hurried along the official road toward Gaoqiantun.

-

Zhou Xin, mounted on his horse, kept urging his soldiers to quicken their pace.

The procession stretched out very long; the front had already traveled three miles, while the rear had only just left the city gate.

Due to the time constraints, Zhou Xin did not send out scouts to clear the way.

Moreover, this area was their own territory, and the main force of Lu Yong's army was still on the opposite bank of Guling. He felt that it was impossible for enemy troops to appear here.

However, Zhang Fei's troops sped up from the north of Zhuji.

The scout galloped back: "General! A large army has been spotted ahead, heading this way!"

Zhang Fei was taken aback, then overjoyed: "How many people?"

"I can't see clearly, but there are at least two or three thousand. The flags have the character 'Zhou' written on them, and the line is incredibly long."

Zhang Fei laughed heartily, "The meat has come to our doorstep! Give the order: form ranks and meet the enemy!"

Seven thousand soldiers quickly deployed, with swordsmen and shieldmen advancing, spearmen on both flanks, and archers bringing up the rear.

The entire team did not stop, but moved forward at a constant speed.

Zhang Fei and Lei Hu stood on horseback at the front of the formation, waiting for the opposing force to appear.

Zhou Xin's team also noticed the movement ahead.

The vanguard captain rode up to Zhou Xin: "General, there are people blocking the road ahead! It looks like Liu Bei's army, at least several thousand!"

Zhou Xin reined in his horse, his face ashen.

He hadn't expected to encounter Liu Bei's army here again, and thought to himself, "Has Guling already fallen?"

"If that's truly the case, I must defeat this enemy army and rescue the Lord!"

"Form ranks! Prepare for battle!" Zhou Xin shouted to the soldiers behind him.

Three thousand private soldiers hastily deployed into formation.

However, they were on a forced march, and the column was too long. Before the soldiers at the back could catch up, the soldiers at the front had already encountered Zhang Fei's army.

Zhang Fei had no intention of giving Zhou Xin a chance to catch her breath.

He raised his spear and roared, "Kill!"

Seven thousand soldiers shouted in unison and charged toward Zhou Xin's troops.

Lei Hu took the lead and charged into the enemy ranks.

With a sweeping swing of his great axe, he directly felled a row of enemy soldiers.

Zhang Fei followed closely behind, his spear sweeping wildly left and right, and Zhou Xin's soldiers fell one by one like wheat being harvested.

Zhang Fei and Lei Hu led the way, and those who stood in their way were utterly defeated.

Although Zhou Xin's private army was well-trained, it was less than half the number of the enemy and was caught off guard, so their formation quickly fell apart.

The people in the front row were scattered, while those in the back row were still rushing towards this side, unable to coordinate with each other.

Zhang Fei spotted the enemy general and charged towards him with his spear.

Zhou Xin had just fought off two enemy soldiers when he turned around and saw Zhang Fei charging towards him.

He considered himself somewhat brave and valiant, so he raised his sword to meet Zhang Fei.

However, with just a slight movement, he was swept off his horse by the spear!

Before his downfall, Zhou Xin had a thought that flashed through his mind: "Is there really such a fierce general in this world?!"

With a "thud," Zhou Xin fell heavily to the ground, feeling dizzy and seeing stars.

Before he could get up, Zhang Fei's spear was already right in front of him.

Fortunately, Zhou Xin reacted quickly, using a lazy roll to narrowly avoid the attack.

Zhang Fei did not pursue, but instead shouted, "Wang Lang's cause is lost, why not surrender now?"

Zhou Xin raised his head and scoffed, "There are only generals who die in battle, not generals who surrender!"

After saying that, he actually picked up the spear and charged at Zhang Fei again.

Zhang Fei raised his spear, parried two attacks, and asked again, "Fighting to the death is pointless. Why not preserve your body to achieve great deeds?"

Zhou Xin gritted his teeth and cursed, "That big-eared scoundrel claims to be a member of the Han imperial family, but he is in reality a traitor to the Han! I, Zhou, receive a salary from the imperial court; how can I submit to a traitor?!"

For Zhang Fei, it was acceptable to scold him or to hit him.

But Zhou Xin made a fatal mistake by insulting Liu Bei, the elder brother Zhang Fei respected most.

This means they were truly prepared to die.

Zhang Fei's face darkened, and he no longer held back.

With a sudden thrust of the spear, Zhou Xin was caught off guard and pierced through the chest.

Blood gushed from the wound, and Zhou Xin, gripping the spear tightly, actually spat a mouthful of foul blood into Zhang Fei's face.

"Pfft!!" Zhou Xin was also fierce, gripping the spear tightly with both hands, and actually spat a mouthful of foul blood at Zhang Fei from a distance.

"Hahahaha!!" He burst into wild laughter.

Although it couldn't hurt Zhang Fei, being able to spray him in the face in the end was enough to somewhat vent my anger.

The laughter gradually faded, and Zhou Xin's body slowly slid down, leaving no sound.

Zhang Fei wiped the blood and grime from his face, looked down at Zhou Xin's corpse, and remained silent for a moment.

"He was a real man," Zhang Fei said to his personal guards. "Give him a proper burial."

"Yes, sir." The guards obeyed and carried away Zhou Xin's body.

Lei Hu approached, glanced at the large pool of blood on the ground, then at Zhang Fei's face, and cautiously asked, "Third General, are you alright?"

"It's alright." Zhang Fei mounted his horse. "Gather the surrendered troops. Leave three hundred men to gather them, and the rest will continue north with me."

After Zhou Xin's private army was defeated, they scattered and fled.

Zhang Fei gathered seven or eight hundred surrendered soldiers, leaving three hundred men to guard them, and then led the main force straight to Yuji.

The garrison in Yuji City was already small, and the main force had been taken away by Zhou Xin. When they saw Zhang Fei's army pressing in, they simply opened another gate and fled.

Zhang Fei captured Yuji without breaking a sweat, leaving a thousand men to defend the city, while he led the main force to continue his advance towards Guling.

Guling.

As dawn broke, signs of unrest were already emerging in the camp on the south bank.

The fire at Gaoqiantun illuminated half the sky.

The soldiers all guessed that there was a problem with their own food supplies, so they discussed it in small groups, and morale began to waver.

-

At Yu Fan's urging, Wang Lang led 10,000 soldiers to leave first.

Yu Fan then led the remaining six thousand men to stay behind and block Lu Yong's army.

However, most of these soldiers were county soldiers conscripted from various counties, and their combat effectiveness was generally average.

Yu Fan was truly unsure whether he could stop Lu Yong.

On the north bank, Lu Yong's camp.

It was already broad daylight.

Lu Yong stood by the river, calculating the time, and estimated that Xu Sheng had already arrived at Gaoqian Village.

Regardless of whether Xu Sheng can capture Gaoqiantun, Lu Yong will lead his army in a strong attack. After all, Zhang Fei and He Qi have already launched their offensives, and he cannot wait any longer.

Lu Yong said to Zhou Tai beside him, "Youping, lead three thousand vanguard troops in a frontal assault!"

Zhou Tai had long been preparing to make his move.

Upon hearing Lu Yong's order, he immediately clasped his hands and said, "This humble general swears to take Guling at all costs!"

Immediately, he turned around, drew his long sword, and roared, "Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy!!!"

Zhou Tai led thirty warships out of the port at the same time.

The sails were full, and the soldiers on board were beating drums and shouting.

This time it's no longer a feint, it's a real, full-scale attack!

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