Chapter 368

In Xuxian,

Zhuge Zhang Liang had already arrived with 100,000 troops.

Cao Xiu and Man Chong were ready for battle!

Xia Xia Hou Dun, Zhen Jiang Jiang Yiqu, and others led 30,000 troops to set up camp outside the city, forming a pincer formation with Xuxian, defending strictly.

Gao Shun, Ju Yi, Wang Ping, Gao Lan, and Zhang He led elite troops to attack in turns.

Zhuge Zhang Liang sat in a four-wheeled cart, with guards holding shields and swords, protecting him with a human wall.

He looked at the endless, tide-like attacks, but he felt no joy in his heart.

Xuxian had been built very well by Cao Cao. Although it couldn't compare to a giant city like Ye City, its city defenses were excellent, and it wasn't that large, which actually favored the side with fewer troops in defending the city.

The Cao Army on the battlements all rose, drawing bows and shooting. The Cao Army held the high ground, and their arrow fire was quite methodical, killing off Wang Ping's daredevil siege team.

The horn for retreat sounded.

Seeing that the forced attack had no effect, Zhuge Zhang Liang stopped wasting the lives of his soldiers and ordered a retreat to the camp.

Man Chong was formerly a harsh official. Cao Xiu discovered that Man Chong had a way of defending the city and handled matters flawlessly, proving to be a talent, so he reported the situation to Cao Cao.

Xia Xia Hou Dun laughed loudly in the camp.

"Zhuge, you scoundrel, aren't you full of strategies? Why haven't you taken Xuxian?"

He had been schemed against by Zhuge Zhang Liang twice, and this time he finally felt proud and elated!

The situation in Xuxian remained deadlocked. Zhuge Zhang Liang had no good way to deal with the fortified city and could only wait for a breakthrough elsewhere.

At Hulao Pass,

Guan Yu, Xu Huang, Li Yan, Wu Wu Anguo, and others led 50,000 troops and suddenly killed their way out.

They captured more than a dozen counties in succession, including Yuanwu, Zhongmu, Suanzao, Yanxian, and Changyuan.

Yan Province was shaken!

The Central Plains were shaken!

Guan Yu's spearhead pointed directly at Puyang in Yan Province!

If Puyang City were lost, the connection between Ye City and Xuxian would be cut off, and the Cao Army would have to take a long detour to provide reinforcements.

Cao Pi in Ye City was entrusted with the task in a crisis. With the support of Military Sima Yi, Wu Zhi, Zhu Shuo, and others, he led 20,000 troops into Puyang City.

Military Sima Yi quickly integrated the 10,000 defenders of Puyang City and the 5,000 defenders from the surrounding counties, obtaining a total of 35,000 troops to hold Puyang City firmly.

Military Sima Yi quickly demonstrated his military talent, with orders being obeyed and prohibitions enforced, and organized the defense of Puyang City like an iron bucket.

Guan Yu was blocked outside Puyang City, and several attacks on the city returned without success.

He had his soldiers call out for battle outside, telling Military Sima Yi to come out and die, and the ruffians greeted Military Sima Yi's ancestors for many generations, but Military Sima Yi was not angry at all.

Guan Yu also sent men to deliver women's clothing to Military Sima Yi and Cao Pi to show humiliation!

Cao Pi did not have enough self-control and cursed loudly, but asking him to go out and duel with Brother Guan? That was absolutely impossible; he probably couldn't even block half a move.

Military Sima Yi, however, put on the women's clothing Guan Yu had sent and swayed on the city wall for a long time.

Cao Pi admired him deeply! He had style!

Guan Yu's face turned even redder with anger. He reached a conclusion: as long as Military Sima Yi had no bottom line, he really had no way to deal with him right now.

Cao Cao's strategy in You Province was to hold the large cities firmly—defend to the death!

Zhao Yun also had no way to deal with the fortified cities for the time being, and You Province fell into a stalemate.

The entire Central Plains and Hebei were engulfed in the flames of war.

Both sides had launched fierce fighting in the middle of the Central Plains. The four corners of the Great Han chessboard were Guan-Zhang Liang, Hebei, Bashu, and Jiangdong. Liu Bei had already obtained three, while Cao Cao only had one.

This was a duel between Cao and Liu, and also a duel between the last two warlords with a chance to vie for the throne.

If Cao Cao won, he would demonstrate his strength to the gentry and people of the Great Han, showing that he had the ability to compete with Liu Bei.

If Liu Bei won, he would nibble away at Cao Cao's territory and suppress the prestige Cao Cao had just established by taking the three provinces of Hebei.

This time Liu Bei was strong, so he was the attacker!

Cao Cao became the defender.

The attacking side had many disadvantages, such as long supply lines and the need to attack fortified cities.

Cao Cao only needed to rely on the fortified cities to defend and block Liu Bei's attack, and that would be victory.

The roles of host and guest had changed, and the difficulty was different too!

In Xiapi,

The days of heavy rain finally paused slightly.

Cao Cao's 150,000-strong army arrived. He sent 30,000 troops to guard Xiapi.

He personally led 120,000 troops to confront Liu Bei!

The 30,000 troops of the Taishan bandits, Zang Ba and Sun Guan, also set up camp outside the city.

Liu Bei had split off Lu Xun's 60,000 troops, so he only had 100,000 troops, which was actually fewer than Cao Cao's.

He wasn't panicked, though. Although his troops were fewer, they were all elite, led by good generals, while Cao Cao also had new recruits.

Every day, he challenged the Cao Army to battle, and the dueling of generals was endless!

Ma Chao fought Xu Zhu from dawn until dusk, agreeing to fight again the next day. Xu Zhu didn't even wear armor, showing off his upper-body muscles, wanting to sting Ma Chao's eyes!

Zhang Fei and Dian Wei also fought to a draw!

Huang Zhong fought Wen Chou!

But Liu Bei also had Zhang Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Wei Yan, Zhang Ren, Wen Pin, Chen Wu, Dong Xi, Ling Cao, Ling Tong, Sun Ben, and others who could fight.

Even if Cao Cao had one more Rogers, he naturally lost more than he won in the duels.

This day, the rain was lighter, and both sides led troops out of their camps.

Cao Cao was surrounded by dense guards.

He laughed loudly.

"Liu Xuande, what is the point of you wasting time in Xiapi! In the end, won't you have to return without success!"

A group of ruffians on the Cao Army side kept shouting and pointing at Liu Bei's side, laughing and cursing.

"Liu Bei has a total of over 300,000 troops; if he doesn't gain anything, he'll lose too much face!"

"What else can a mat-weaver and sandal-seller expect!"

Zhang Fei roared, directly drowning out all of them.

"Cao Cao, Ding Yuan Shao treated you as a brother, yet you secretly harmed his two sons. No one is more shameless than you!"

"And Xu You, who helped you enter Ye City—you crossed the river and tore down the bridge, ordering Xu Zhu to kill him. Whoever follows you is doomed!"

Xu Zhu cursed loudly.

"Zhang Fei, stop slandering my lord!"

Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao.

"Mengde, our army has already occupied seven provinces, and our population is nearly twice yours. You should stop holding troops and setting yourself up as an independent ruler."

Cao Cao laughed loudly.

"Although you have many people, they are too widely distributed. How can they compare to the dense population and numerous cities of my Central Plains and Hebei?"

"I heard that the Shanyue people in your Jiangdong have rebelled again."

Liu Bei laughed.

"The Shanyue rebellion will only provide me with high-quality soldiers. As for you, you just took Hebei, and if you stay in a long stalemate with me, rebellions will sprout everywhere, and Xuxian is surrounded by me. You're about to be homeless."

Cao Cao's mouth twitched. He didn't seem to have won a single argument with Liu Bei.

Sun Guan interjected.

"Big-Eared Thief, you still haven't returned much of the grain you owe Qing and Xu Provinces. Shameless!"

Liu Bei replied,

"I came this time just to return that grain, but your lord blocked my path."

Xing Daorong sprayed wildly.

"Sun Guan, you're a bandit by origin; how dare you say these things? Haven't you done enough of that yourself!"

Sun Guan?

"Who is this round-faced general?"

Xing Daorong laughed loudly.

"Saying my name will scare you! I am the invincible general of Jingnan, Xing Daorong!"

Sun Guan mocked,

"Never heard of you!"

Xing Daorong was furious, whipped his horse, and roared.

"Sun Guan, you thief, if you have the guts, come out and fight!"

He had observed over the past few days that Sun Guan's martial arts were average, and he could bully him!

Liu Bei had too many talents, and Xing Daorong hadn't had a chance to show off.

Sun Guan weighed himself, whipped his horse out, and pointed his weapon at Xing Daorong from afar.

"Round-faced fatty, prepare to die!"

Xing Daorong hated it most when people called him a round-faced general; if he hated anything more, it was adding "fatty" to it!

"You're courting death!"

The onlookers in the live stream laughed.

"My General of Lingling is angry!"

"Holy crap, is this just two chickens pecking at each other today?"

"I've got my wine and food ready, and this is it?"

"I'm here to watch Xu Zhu fight Ma Chao shirtless. Brother Ma Chao, if you have the ability, take your shirt off too!" (a certain fujoshi).

"Xing Daorong, you're just atmosphere-building, why are you joining the duel?"

On the field,

Xing Daorong and Sun Guan's horses crossed!

With a loud bang, Sun Guan's body swayed, and the web of his thumb actually split open.