Three Kingdoms: Let Yuan Shen be great again

Chapter 30 Liao Lai Liao Lai!

Although the decision has been made to support Liu Bei, the specific methods of rescue still need further discussion.

According to the military intelligence brought by Mi Zhu, the current situation in Xuzhou is extremely dire, on the verge of collapse, and could be completely annihilated at any moment under the fierce offensive of Cao Cao's army.

Therefore, speed is of the essence in warfare, and there was no time to send a large army north, so only a small force could be sent on a rapid march to provide support.

As the saying goes, one cannot stand firm without being ruthless. Either do nothing or go all the way. Yuan Yao steeled his heart, temporarily setting aside Sun Ce's threat, and brought out the Zhong clan's most elite mobile forces.

That is, the two thousand imperial guards under Yuan Yao's own command and the two thousand soldiers under Ji Ling's main force, totaling three thousand men.

And so, just the next day, Yuan Yao personally took command, leading Cao Xing, Ji Ling, and Mi Zhu to Xuzhou.

In fact, no one wanted Yuan Yao to go in person, but considering that this operation was basically his own idea and he didn't trust anyone else to go, he decided to take the risk based on the guiding principle that the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish.

Along the way, Mi Zhu was extremely anxious, his panic was palpable, fearing that if he arrived too late, he would hear some terrible news.

However, bad news still came.

The Zhong clan's reinforcements had just entered Xuzhou from the border of Jiujiang County, and before they had gone far, they encountered a group of defeated soldiers.

Upon questioning, it was learned that the situation in Xuzhou had changed again in just a few days.

Cao Cao employed a blitzkrieg tactic this time, launching a series of high-intensity attacks within just half a month, giving Liu Bei no chance to catch his breath.

Now, the situation in Xuzhou is hopeless. Pengcheng, Langya, Donghai and other counties have surrendered one after another, and Chen Deng of Guangling County has also changed his allegiance. Only Guan Yu is still holding on to Xiapi.

Mi Zhu's hands and feet were ice cold. Upon hearing that Liu Bei had suffered repeated defeats under Cao Cao's offensive and that his fate was now unknown, he felt dizzy and almost collapsed.

Yuan Yao also frowned.

Liu Bei was defeated far too quickly; judging from this, their support operation actually failed before it even began.

So what should we do next? Withdraw our troops or continue our advance into Xuzhou?

Mi Zhu suddenly remembered something and quickly grabbed Yuan Yao, pleading, "Cao Cao's army is besieging Xiapi City. Guan Yu will surely be unable to hold it alone, and our soldiers' families are all inside the city. I beg you, Young Master Yuan, to provide immediate support to avoid any unforeseen circumstances!"

Xiapi?

Guan Yu?

Yuan Yao, who was still hesitating, suddenly felt a lightbulb go off above his head.

If this attack can capture Guan Yu, it seems like a pretty good result.

Even if he saves Guan Yu, he will most likely only get a trial card, but that's still pretty good. It might even be useful in resisting Sun Ce.

"Let's go to Xiapi!"

Because Cao Cao focused his efforts on pursuing Liu Bei, there were relatively fewer Cao troops in southern Xuzhou, but small groups could still be seen from time to time recruiting and accepting surrendered counties.

This caused Zhong's army to slow down significantly after entering Xuzhou, and it took them two full days to reach the outskirts of Xiapi.

It just so happened that Xiapi fell at that very moment.

Xiapi, as the seat of Xuzhou, was a rare fortified city, and could even be called the most formidable pass in the Central Plains. It shouldn't have fallen so quickly.

Unfortunately, Lü Bu had just died here a little over a year ago, and Xiapi was already in ruins. Liu Bei was unable to repair it after he took control of Xuzhou, so he could only make do with what he had.

According to Mi Zhu, when he left, Guan Yu had less than two thousand men. Facing Cao Cao's army, which outnumbered them several times over, it was already quite remarkable that they had managed to hold out until today.

This is where the advantages of Yuan Yao personally leading the team become apparent.

If it were anyone else, given the average incompetence of Zhong's ministers, they probably wouldn't have waited until Xiapi; they would have likely returned the moment they learned of Liu Bei's crushing defeat.

Even if he were Cao Xing, he might make an extra trip to Xiapi, and then, moved by the sights, fight a fierce battle with Cao's army, but he certainly wouldn't be very interested in rescuing Guan Yu or anything like that, since he's really not familiar with it.

Only Yuan Yao himself could distinguish between what was important and what was urgent. Seeing that Xiapi had fallen and Cao Cao's army was pouring in like a tide, he immediately ordered Zhongshi's army to attack and rescue Guan Yu from his predicament.

Ji Ling, however, was a step behind and asked an additional question:

Who was the commander-in-chief of Cao Cao's army?

The scout who had just returned immediately reported:

"The banner says Xiahou, it must be Xiahou Dun!"

The moment the name was mentioned, not only Ji Ling but also Cao Xing was delighted.

Cao Cao is really senile; he sent over a farmer.

What kind of battle could Xiahou Dun possibly fight?

Ji Ling, who had initially viewed Cao Cao's army as a tiger, suddenly calmed down and boldly volunteered for battle: "Please wait a moment, Grand Commander, I will be right back!"

"General Ji, go immediately."

The next moment, Ji Ling led his troops and charged towards the rear of Cao Cao's army.

It must be said that Ji Ling truly deserves to be the top general of the Zhong clan's army. Although he was a bit too greedy for empty pay, the troops he left behind were indeed elite. Seeing their commander personally charging ahead, they all sped up to catch up, and with an unstoppable momentum, they managed to strike the enemy before Cao's army could return to defend.

In war, the worst thing is to be attacked from both sides.

At this moment, Guan Yu in Xiapi City, though no match for the enemy, was still fighting desperately, holding off his opponent like a chopping board, unintentionally creating an excellent opportunity for Ji Ling to deal damage.

Yuan Yao, who was watching the battle, was all smiles. Even with his military expertise, he could understand that his own side had actually used the hammer and anvil tactic, which was extremely effective, without communicating with Guan Yu!

Unfortunately, Ji Ling's forces were still too few. If they had twice as many troops, they might have been able to cut Cao Cao's army in half and deliver a fatal blow.

On the other hand, there was a reason why Xiahou Dun was looked down upon. He had actually seen the Zhong clan's reinforcements coming from the south long ago, but firstly, he had just broken through the city and was reluctant to retreat, and secondly, his command skills were limited, so he was slow to change his formation. In the end, he missed a good opportunity while hesitating, allowing Ji Ling to seize the opportunity and successfully attack from behind.

The Cao army, which was originally in high spirits and planned to take Xiapi in one fell swoop, was completely stunned by this sudden attack. The morale of the army was thrown into chaos, and within a quarter of an hour, they showed signs of being unable to hold on and were on the verge of collapse.

Yuan Yao was overjoyed and was about to lead Cao Xing to press forward, so he could also experience the joy of bullying Cao's army, but he froze a second before giving the order.

wrong!

Yes, everyone knows that Xiahou Dun is very bad.

With insufficient troops and dilapidated city defenses, even Guan Yu, no matter how fierce he was, could not reverse the overall situation. Therefore, it was a perfectly normal operation for Cao Cao to send his close confidant to boost his battle record.

The problem is that Yuan Yao's Zhong clan army marched all the way from the south, and their movements could not possibly be concealed.

Xiahou Dun may be naive, but he's definitely not stupid. His poor command in battle is one thing, but knowing the enemy has reinforcements and not making preparations is another.

Furthermore, since the garrison commander of Xiapi was Guan Yu, wouldn't Cao Cao have assigned Xiahou Dun a few powerful henchmen to prevent any unforeseen events?

Just then—

The ground began to tremble, accompanied by the desperate alarm of the scouts. Yuan Yao turned his head and saw that a surprise force of Cao Cao's army, about eight hundred men, had suddenly appeared on his flank and was heading straight for his banner!

Someone looked surprised and pointed at Cao Cao's army on the side, shouting:

"It's the Bingzhou army!"

Bingzhou Army?

Yuan Yao was puzzled for a moment, trying to recall who under Cao Cao commanded the Bingzhou army.

When they saw the figure leading the enemy army again, who was eight feet tall, wearing a golden helmet and purple robe, looking majestic like a war god, they finally realized what was going on.

At that moment, Yuan Yao suddenly felt the same heart-pounding sensation that Sun Quan had once experienced—

"Zhang Liaochong, here I come!"