Chapter 222: A Trap Within a Trap

Late at night, the moonlight hung high, and a gentle breeze blew over the surface of the Yellow River, causing the reflections to tremble slightly. One after another, massive dark shadows moved rapidly across the Yellow River, and the sounds of low shouts spread out continuously from them.

At the Shuizhai behind the camp, countless soldiers were constantly boarding ships, while on the other side at the camp gate, a group of soldiers was fully prepared and waiting to set off.

"They're here!"

Xu Rong looked into the distance, sensing an aura of grim slaughter; his expression was cold and stern.

The sounds grew closer and louder, and under the faint moonlight, only a vast, dark mass could be seen.

"Let them in to fight!"

Xu Rong gave the order quickly.

Inside the camp gate, traps had long been prepared, just waiting for the opponent to arrive.

Xu Rong knew clearly that it would be difficult to hide their withdrawal from the Xuzhou army, but fortunately, their camp was built on the existing Shuizhai.

They had previously requisitioned all the boats in the vicinity and had been staying in this Shuizhai; they had enough boats for a retreat, and as long as they could hold off the Xuzhou soldiers for a while, they would be safe once their main force had all retreated onto the ships.

Xu Rong knew that once the coalition discovered their retreat, they would inevitably come in pursuit; he stayed behind specifically to intercept them and, at the same time, to deal them a heavy blow.

"Haha! As expected, Niu Fu is trying to run. Pursue him! Don't let them get away!"

Sensing that the resistance at the camp walls was extremely weak, the great general under Zhang Yang immediately became excited.

This time, the Duke had sent him again, and this was a great opportunity to perform a meritorious deed; he could not let the Duke down, so he took the lead, riding his mount like a War God, invincible and unstoppable.

Seeing their general so valiant, Zhang Yang's army naturally charged forward with wild shouts.

"Fire!"

Seeing that the time was right, Xu Rong gave a cold smile.

Instantly, fire arrows were lit and shot out with a *whoosh, whoosh, whoosh*; in an instant, the area around the camp gate turned into a sea of fire.

"Oh no! It's an ambush!"

Countless piles of dry hay turned into Fire Snakes, illuminating the camp quite brightly.

"Let's kill our way out!"

Seeing the coalition army suddenly fall into chaos, Xu Rong's face lit up with joy; the opportunity had arrived, and he led his elite troops to charge into the chaotic army of Zhang Yang.

Xu Rong had only five hundred Cavalry and three thousand Elite Soldiers.

Zhang Yang's army numbered a full thirty thousand, yet they were not considered elite; they might be fine in a great victory, but once they encountered an accident, as was the case now, there was simply no one who could stabilize the chaotic situation.

"Kill them all!"

Five hundred Cavalry and three thousand Xiliang Infantry, under the leadership of Xu Rong, were surrounded by Military Qi, their blood-rage soaring to the heavens, appearing like bright lamps in the dark night.

They transformed into reapers from Hell, continuously harvesting the blood of the enemy.

"Run!"

Finally, there were those who could no longer hold on; they threw down their weapons and fled toward the rear or in other directions.

This flight was like a domino effect; others followed suit, fleeing in succession, and Zhang Yang's army collapsed in an instant.

"Damn it!"

"Do not run! Stand your ground!"

In the rear, Zhang Yang watched his army collapse and flee once again, his face livid, especially with other warlords present beside him.

He spurred his horse forward, holding a Long Spear, and continuously cut down the soldiers who were fleeing back, roaring, yet it was useless.

The morale of the army had shattered and was beyond saving; even if he killed a few people, or even hundreds, he could not rally the army's heart.

At this moment, Xu Rong's elite troops had already killed their way out of the camp and were charging toward Zhang Yang.

"How bold!"

Seeing the incoming general, Zhang Yang became even more furious and charged forward on his horse.

Both were warriors at the Qi Refining stage, though neither was beyond the Qi Refining First or Second Layer; blades and spears collided, the impact of Qi against Qi.

"Oh no!"

The moment he saw Zhang Yang, Xu Rong felt that something was wrong; he recognized Zhang Yang, the Prefect of Shangdang, whom they had fought before and defeated several times.

He had originally thought that the force attacking the camp tonight was the Xuzhou army, and that he could put up a little resistance, launch a surprise counter-attack, and then return to the camp to board the prepared ships to cross the river and set up defenses around Ping County.

Yet now, the force they had encountered was actually Zhang Yang's Shangdang army, so where was the Xuzhou army?

He did not have to guess for long, for he had already seen it; all around, a force was rapidly emerging, charging toward the three thousand Xiliang Infantry behind him.

He was intercepted by Zhang Yang and was powerless to act.

He already knew that he had likely fallen into a trap.

A trap within a trap; he thought he had outmaneuvered the opponent, but he had not expected to be the one caught in a trap.

"This person is truly ruthless."

"Using those tens of thousands of troops as bait, could it be just for my three thousand soldiers?"

He speculated in his heart.

On the other side, Zhang Yang saw the Xuzhou army appear, and his expression changed several times; he was no fool, and he understood in an instant.

He had become the bait.

Anger flared in his heart, but it quickly dissipated; he was annoyed that the other party had used him as bait and schemed against him.

But all of this was something he had asked for himself; the other party had originally intended to use their own troops, but he had rushed up eagerly, and even brought along words to threaten the other party.

He was truly stupid.

And as for the current situation, he also understood that even if he could rally his tens of thousands of troops afterward, it would be good if even one-third remained.

He still could not be mentioned in the same breath as those few people.

This world ultimately relies on strength; he could not compare to those people, so how could he "seek justice"?

Thinking of this, his spirit collapsed, and he had no more thoughts; his attacks also weakened.

Seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in Xu Rong's eyes; regardless of what Zhang Yang was thinking, he knew he had fallen into a trap.

There was no turning back now; since that was the case, he would drag someone down with him before he died.

He immediately launched a terrifying offensive, abandoning all defense, intent on trading his life for another's.

This suicidal fighting style naturally left Zhang Yang flustered; he and Xu Rong were evenly matched in strength, but with his spirit scattered and no desire to fight to the death, he could only defend passively.

However, after a few rounds, his body had already been torn by several wounds from the opponent's Qi.

"Prefect Zhang, why not leave this person to me?"

Just then, a gentle voice came from behind, causing Zhang Yang to perk up; he did not need to turn around to know who had arrived—it was a martial general under the command of the Prefect of Donghai Commandery.

His strength was formidable.

At least at the third level of Qi Refining or higher.

Although he had been schemed against by several warlords from Xuzhou, in the current situation, he had fallen into a disadvantageous position, and it was impossible for him to put on airs any longer.

Furthermore, his greatest enemy was Wang Kuang, not these people from Xuzhou; after all, the foundations of these people were all in Xuzhou.

He had long been plotting to take Henei, and there were many conflicts between him and Wang Kuang; if not for the campaign against Dong Zhuo, they would inevitably have had to fight several major battles in the future.

Now that his troops had suffered heavy losses and his strength was already weaker than Wang Kuang's, he had to find a way to increase his own strength, so he could afford to offend these people from Xuzhou even less.