The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

The fire in Kaichang continues, but the turmoil in Xuchang is nearing its end. When the bugle call for a counterattack is sounded, is Yuan Shu's defeat, or perhaps the emperor's defeat, already sealed?

However, Liu Xie, standing high in the palace, felt no sense of loss, for he was beginning to understand a truth: in this era where imperial power had waned, relying on the feudal lords was ultimately unreliable.

Ever since he learned that Yuan Shu had exchanged three thousand soldiers for the jade tablet in Sun Xiaoce's hands... "Your Majesty," Dong Cheng behind Liu Xie called out hesitantly.

"Sigh..." Liu Xie sighed sadly. He said in a low voice, "Father-in-law, isn't Yuan Gonglu a scoundrel in the same boat?"

Dong Cheng remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Your Majesty, this old minister recommends someone to assist you. In my opinion, this person is no less capable than Jiang Shouyi!"

"Oh?" Liu Xie seemed somewhat surprised, turning to look at the person beside Dong Cheng, and said with a smile, "Is this the one? Compared to Jiang Zhe? I don't believe it!"

"Why does Your Majesty treat this humble subject so lightly!" A man beside Dong Cheng said, bowing respectfully. "This humble subject also respects Minister Jiang, but only for his benevolence and righteousness. Apart from that, I do not believe he is inferior to anyone else!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Liu Xie's eyes were filled with curiosity as he turned and asked, "What talents do you possess? What position should you hold?"

"Why doesn't Your Majesty ask my name first?"

Liu Xie smiled slightly and said calmly, "If you have nothing, what use is it for me to know your name?"

"I understand. My request is for the position of one of the Three Dukes!"

The Three Dukes? Liu Xie glanced at the person upon hearing the voice, and for a moment he seemed to see Jiang Zhe when Deng Shan saved him. "If it were then, I would be the emperor..." Alas!

"What...is your name?"

"This humble commoner is Sima Lang!"

Liu Xie snapped out of his thoughts and chuckled, "Have you come to Xuchang seeking an official position?"

"No!" Sima Lang saw the disdain in Sima Lang's eyes and said in a deep voice, "I was just traveling with my fourth brother, passing through Xuchang..."

"Your brother?" Liu Xie turned around and glanced indifferently at the fire in Xuchang.

"Yes, Your Majesty, my younger brother is named Yi, and he has..." Liu Xie, disheartened, had no interest in listening to Sima Lang's words and said indifferently, "Who can win tonight?"

Sima Lang was slightly displeased that Liu Xie had interrupted him, but recalling what the two brothers had said earlier, he sighed inwardly, "With such a narrow mind, even an emperor is not a wise ruler!"

"In my humble opinion, Gou Wenruo intends to purge Xuchang... Yuan Gonglu is ambitious and eager for quick success, but he is blind to the details and will surely fail!"

"Defeat is inevitable," Liu Xie muttered to himself, "The best outcome would be mutual destruction," the last part barely audible.

As Sima Lang said, Yuan Shu was still blocked on Baihu Avenue by the more than 1,000 Tiger and Leopard Battalion led by Yang Ding. Moreover, according to his subordinates, his generals Chen Lan and Ji Ling were also being held back by the black-armored Tiger and Leopard Battalion. What infuriated Yuan Shu even more was that each of the two generals was leading 3,000 chariots, but according to his subordinates, they were being held back by only about 500 Tiger and Leopard Battalion soldiers. How ridiculous!

Cao Mengde used a mere three thousand soldiers to intercept me, Yuan Gonglu, here? Intercepted just inches away from the palace?

"Ridiculous!" Yuan Shu roared amidst the bewildered gazes of the crowd. "What are you all doing? How could you be stopped here by a mere thousand or so of the incompetent Tiger and Leopard Battalion? Six thousand men couldn't even defeat a thousand or so! I ask you, what exactly are you doing?!"

"My lord!" Yuan Shu's general Li Feng said hesitantly, "This Tiger and Leopard Battalion is truly an elite force; we must not underestimate them!"

"Is that so?" Yuan Shu sneered, waved his hand, and shouted angrily, "Archers, fire!"

"No, my lord!" Li Feng exclaimed in alarm, "There are also our soldiers ahead!"

Yuan Shu glanced at Li Feng indifferently and said coldly, "Even if I didn't do this, do you think they could have survived under those so-called Tiger and Leopard Camps? Fire!"

Upon hearing his lord's words, the archers behind Yuan Shu unleashed a rapid barrage of arrows. Arrows rained down like a storm. Moments later, cries of agony rose from the front.

Yuan Shu is ruthless! Yang Ding's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he saw an arrow coming towards him and quickly blocked it with his hand. Fortunately, the arm armor on the left arm of the Tiger and Leopard Camp was designed to block blades. With a clang, a scratch was left.

However, the other soldiers of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion were not as lucky as Yang Ding. Those who were shot in the limbs were the least of their problems. More than ten of them were shot in the head by an arrow and died with resentment.

"Hmph!" Yuan Shu sneered. He shouted, "Keep firing! Cease fire! Let's see how many times they can block it!"

"Yes, sir!" Although the archers behind Yuan Shu felt guilty about the death of Tong Ze in front of them, they directed all their hatred towards the Tiger and Leopard Camp.

Li Feng, his eyes slightly red, stared at the tragic scene before him, then sadly turned his head away. His son had died at the hands of his own comrades. "My lord," he cried, "how can these soldiers rest in peace?"

"Damn it!" Yang Ding cursed under his breath. The Tiger and Leopard Battalion's weapon configuration differed from the Trapped Battalion's. The Tiger and Leopard Battalion's basic weapon configuration consisted of a long spear, a long sword, and a hand crossbow. This was the equipment configuration for cavalry; however, the Trapped Battalion was different. They didn't have hand crossbows, but instead used iron shields. One horse, one foot—this was exactly what Jiang Zhe had planned earlier, but it made things difficult for the current Tiger and Leopard Battalion soldiers.

Gritting his teeth, Yang Ding made a decisive move, lifting up the corpse of one of Yuan Shu's soldiers to shield himself. The rest of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion followed suit.

"Damn it!" Yuan Shu roared, clearly seeing Yang Ding's actions as a provocation. He pointed his longsword and shouted, "Spear formation!"

As Yuan Shu finished speaking, hundreds of spearmen, each wielding a spear and an iron shield, formed a square formation and slowly headed towards the Tiger and Leopard Camp at Yuan Shu's command.

Facing a gun array that seemed like an iron wall, not a single soldier of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion retreated in fear. They threw aside the corpses in their hands and roared as they charged towards the enemy.

They knew they were facing such a gun emplacement. With nowhere to retreat, their only option was to risk their lives and kill the enemy before the crossbows could take them down!

The Tiger and Leopard Battalion soldiers charged at Yuan Shu's army's spear formation like wolves and tigers. The sound of weapons clashing and the thud of weapons piercing human bodies were enough to make one's teeth ache.

Even Yuan Shu was somewhat shocked. It seemed that the bravery of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion had far exceeded his expectations, and he stared intently at the battle.

However, Liu Ai, who was beside Yuan Shu, was clearly not interested in the matter. He glanced worriedly in the direction of the palace, wanting to say something to Yuan Shu, but he couldn't find the words and sighed repeatedly.

"Tiger's Camp!"

"Drink!" The Tiger and Leopard Battalion's morale surged again and again. With each death, their morale grew stronger; with each additional death, their morale increased tenfold!

The master once said... "The hardest thing to do is to let go." For the sake of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion's reputation, can we ultimately let go of our own lives?

Every soldier in the Tiger and Leopard Battalion asked themselves this question, and sadly, before they fell, they still hadn't found the answer, yet not one of them retreated!

"Tiger and Leopard Battalion, I underestimated you!" Yuan Shu finally said this. How wonderful it would be if such a powerful army were under his command!

Tiger and Leopard Battalion Commander Ying Fei glared angrily at his fallen comrades, his eyes fixed on the opposing general. He turned to Sima Que beside him and said, "Look! Just kill this man, and the rest will scatter!"

Sima Jiu nodded, secretly raising a long spear... "Well done, Tiger and Leopard Battalion! A mere thousand or so have held off my six thousand soldiers for half an hour. You're finished!" Yuan Shu clearly saw that the Tiger and Leopard Battalion was exhausted. Indeed, even under the threat of archers, each of them had killed four or five of Yuan Shu's soldiers. Even an elite Tiger and Leopard Battalion like theirs was feeling weary, let alone the fact that the thousand-plus Tiger and Leopard Battalion had only lost a mere hundred or so so far... Just then, a Yuan Shu soldier rushed to Yuan Shu's side, urgently saying, "My lord, something terrible has happened!"

"Insolence!" Yuan Shu's face darkened with displeasure, but he was about to erupt in anger when he suddenly noticed the bloodstains on the carriage. Startled, he asked, "What is it?"

"My lord! The south gate has fallen!" Yuan Shushi said sadly.

"The South Gate has fallen?" Yuan Shu was shocked and looked at Liu Ai in astonishment.

Liu Ai, also looking surprised, asked urgently, "Didn't I just leave two thousand men to help you guard the south gate? How many soldiers are coming?"

It would have been better if he hadn't spoken, because the soldier's face turned indignant as he shouted, "That general only led a thousand or so soldiers to take the city gate, and we fought with all our might! Humph! The guards under your command are cowards and utterly useless. Seeing that things were going badly, they all scattered and fled!"

"Wh-what?" Liu Ai was shocked, her face filled with doubt and surprise.

Yang Feng secretly took a few steps back. He knew better than anyone what kind of people the Imperial Guards were; most of them were scoundrels and thugs from the old Chang'an city. Very few of them had any real skills, and with only this one army under their command, Yang Feng had no choice but to accept it. This was also the reason why he had been so determined to reorganize the Imperial Guards.

Unfortunately, after arriving in Xuchang, Gou Huo and others naturally wouldn't sit idly by and watch Yang Feng grow stronger, and Yang Feng was willing but unable to do anything about it.

"Good! Very good!" Yuan Shu laughed angrily. His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he stared intently at Liu Ai and Yang Feng, making Yang Feng tremble with fear.

Liu Ai hesitated for a moment before asking, "Could it be that Yu Jin has returned?"

"Yu Jin?" Yuan Shu sneered, his anger palpable. "Yang Yi lured him a thousand miles away."

How could I possibly get back in time! Lord Zongzheng, judging from the current situation, I, Yuan Gonglu, must demand an explanation from you!

"Hmm?" Liu Ai's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Could it be that Lord Yuan believes that I am in league with Gou Wenruo and others?"

Yuan Shu took a deep breath, staring intently at Liu Ai. After a long while, seeing no amiss, his tone softened, and he said gently, "So what should we do now? Advance, or retreat?"

Liu Ai said in a deep voice, "Things have come to this. Our only option is to advance! Advancing gives us a sliver of hope; retreating means certain death!"

"Haha!" Yuan Shu laughed loudly several times. Then, enraged, he said, "Lord Zongzheng, do you intend to wipe us all out here? Enter?" He pointed to the Tiger and Leopard Camp not far away, then to the gradually dying fire in the distance, and said furiously, "How can we enter? Men, seize him!"

"Yes, sir!" Yuan Shu gave the order, and his guards stepped forward to seize Liu Ai and Yang Feng.

"You!" Liu Ai exclaimed, both shocked and furious. "Yuan Gonglu, do you think I'm bullying you? If we occupy the palace, even Gou Wenruo and the others wouldn't dare to act rashly. To retreat like this is to court death!"

Yuan Shu snorted and said angrily, "I will never believe again!" Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he abruptly turned to the side. He then heard a cry of alarm, "My lord, be careful!"

To Yuan Shu's astonishment, several members of the Tiger and Leopard Camp charged straight towards him like the wind. "Yingfei! Sima Que!" Yang Ding, who had spotted their movements early on, shouted in alarm, "Don't go any closer!"

Ignoring Yang Ding's roar, Ying Fei, wielding a massive shield he had seized in his left hand and a sword in his right, charged into the enemy formation. Yuan Shu's guards rushed forward to surround him… Suddenly, a figure flashed out from behind Ying Fei—it was Sima Que, wielding a long spear. He leaped onto Ying Fei's back, soaring into the air, his spear pointing directly at Yuan Shu. He roared, "Die with me!"

Because of the bravery of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion, Yuan Shu's guards, fearing for their lord's safety, surrounded him. Their intentions were good, but this only caused Yuan Shu more trouble. His horse was so tightly packed that it couldn't move at all.

In a panic, Yuan Shu hastily drew his longsword. Unexpectedly, his hand trembled, and it slipped from his grasp. "No!" Yuan Shu roared, spurring his horse to make way for his guards, but the loyal guards only pressed closer, their spears raised high... "Sir, if I die, please tell the world that I, Sima Zhen, am not a traitor plotting rebellion. I merely killed some worthless scoundrels... My only request is that you not cross me out of the Tiger and Leopard Camp register..." *Bang!*

Suddenly, Yuan Shu felt a powerful force push him away. Before he could react, his general Li Feng was shouting something to him anxiously… He quickly touched his body, Yuan Shu trembling with shock, but the joy of escaping death filled his heart. He looked up, and what he saw shocked him. His guards were still holding their guns, but there was one person above them… “A spear pierced through his body, clearly he’s not going to survive… Just to kill me? Just for this one blow?” Yuan Shu swallowed hard, his heart pounding. What kind of look was that? Resentment? Disappointment?

Was there not a trace of fear of death facing him? The more Yuan Shu looked at the dead body of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion soldier, the more terrified he became. Was this the Tiger and Leopard Battalion? Soldiers who were not afraid of death?

"It's a pity it's you who died! It's you! Hahaha!" Yuan Shu's face was contorted with rage as he raised his longsword and approached Sima Zhen's corpse, roaring, "I'll cut off your head and expose it to the sun for three days! I'll...!" Suddenly, his words faltered. He felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder, and what he saw terrified him. A long sword was embedded horizontally in his right shoulder socket, piercing through his body... Glancing into the distance, Yuan Shu still saw a member of the Tiger and Leopard Camp cursing at him, "Fool! Surrounded by dozens of my guards. You still dared to throw your weapon, fool!"

Tiger and Leopard Battalion... I underestimated you!

"My lord!" Li Feng roared, catching the fallen Yuan Shu. He glared hatefully at Ying Fei, who was still fighting fiercely with his iron shield, and shouted angrily, "Kill him!"

"Yes, sir!" Yuan Shu was filled with shame and anger upon seeing his lord seriously injured. Several men rushed forward and surrounded Ying Fei, hacking and slashing at him with swords and spears.

"Kill me?" Ying Fei's blood boiled, and he threw away his iron shield, grabbed two spears, and charged at Yuan Shu. Kill him! Kill him and all will be well!

"No! Yingfei!" Yang Ding shouted from afar.

"Yuan Shu, die with me!" Yingfei hurled his spear at Yuan Shu, who was in Li Feng's arms. But as he was about to throw a second spear, he suddenly shuddered, glancing in astonishment at the three iron arrows lodged in his chest, their fletchings still trembling... Alas... Sir, I, Yingfei, will follow you without regret!

"Bang!"

"Yingfei!" Yang Ding roared in fury, cleaving the Yuan soldier in front of him in two with a single stroke. Turning around, he shouted angrily, "Brothers of the Tiger and Leopard Camp! Don't let these two brothers die with their eyes wide open in disbelief! Kill them!"

The morale of the Tiger and Leopard Battalion soared to unprecedented heights, with every soldier displaying unwavering courage and fearlessness. Yuan Shu's army suffered a crushing defeat, utterly powerless to resist.

"My lord!" Li Feng endured the pain from the spear that had pierced his arm, but his heart was filled with worry for Yuan Shu's safety.

Yuan Shu slightly opened his eyes and looked at Li Feng. His voice was barely audible.

"Seize" the south gate... "Retreat!"

Li Feng turned and glanced at the Tiger and Leopard Battalion soldiers, whose chests were constricted like wild beasts, then nodded with tears in his eyes and said, "Yes, sir! This subordinate obeys!"

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