Chapter 83

“That’s not necessarily true; grabbing territory and grabbing population is the top priority now!”

On a small hill,

Liu Bei hadn’t traveled far with his troops,

when scouts reported,

"My lord, Cao Cao was ambushed by Dong Zhuo's subordinate Xu Rong at the Bian River in Xingyang. Cao Cao was struck by an arrow, and generals Bao Tao, Wei Zi, and others were killed in battle!"

Everyone was shocked!

They didn’t expect Cao Cao to be defeated so quickly; he had over twenty thousand troops!

Liu Bei nodded; Cao Cao was indeed too reckless,

Dong Zhuo had been a general for over twenty years and had the poisonous strategist Li Ru; how could he not have a backup plan? Boss Cao was a bit careless!

“Cao Cao is defeated; I have fish to pick up again!”

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei looked at Liu Bei,

“Big Brother, I didn’t expect Dong Zhuo to have an ambush; what should we do?”

Liu Bei looked into the distance,

“Cao Cao has just been defeated, so Dong Zhuo’s side must think the Alliance won’t dare to pursue anymore. If we pursue now, we can catch them off guard!”

Zhang Zhang Liao, Jia Kui, and others’ eyes lit up, and they cupped their hands one after another,

“My Lord is wise; I didn’t even think of that!”

Zhang Fei laughed heartily,

“Big Brother, why couldn’t I think of that!”

Liu Bei said in a deep voice,

"Pass on my order: the entire army is to advance rapidly. Upon seeing Xu Rong's troops, charge straight in and engage them in slaughter!"

“Zhao Zilong, you do this later...”

Zhao Yun nodded; his master had developed a desire to recruit talent again.

The livestream chat exploded,

“The Big-Eared Thief grasps human nature so thoroughly!”

“The Big-Eared Thief is truly a thief; I am not as good as him!”

“Indeed, a normal person would stop when hearing Cao Cao was defeated, but he is charging with his whole army!”

"Xu Rong is in for a miserable time. Having just won a victory, he never would have imagined that the big-eared thief would be so treacherous!"

“Why do I feel like the Big-Eared Thief has snatched Cao Cao’s results again?”

“Boss Cao is so miserable; I feel like he’s always making wedding clothes for Liu Bei! Is he practicing the Divine Skill of Wedding Clothes?!”

“I think it’s Liu Bei’s unique vision and far-reaching perspective!”

"Xu Rong is so miserable; he hasn't even finished laughing, and now he's about to cry!"

On the road from Xingyang to Chang’an,

Xu Rong was in a good mood. Dong Zhuo had ordered him to cover the rear, and he had easily routed Cao Cao's army.

and even hit Cao Cao with an arrow. It was a pity he didn’t take Cao Cao’s life, but it was still a great achievement.

He wasn’t good at flattery; although his ability to lead troops was top-tier among the Xiliang soldiers, he was still just a Captain,

“This time I should be promoted to Colonel.”

“Boom!”

“Woo-hoo!!~~”

The earth shook, and the sound of charging horns echoed across the land!

Xu Rong gave a start and looked toward the rear.

and behind him, dust was flying as a large group of cavalry suddenly charged out, with a huge “Liu” flag flying!

“Not good, it’s Liu Bei’s cavalry!”

He had led troops for many years, and seeing the formation of Liu Bei’s cavalry charge, with the momentum of a mountain, he knew they were hard to deal with,

and besides,

Liu Bei was valiant, his subordinate Guan Yu had beheaded Hua Xiong, Zhao Yun had captured Zhang Zhang Liao, and Zhang Fei had fought Lu Bu to a standstill!

Liu Bei himself had defeated Lu Bu; he couldn’t possibly win in a duel!

“Hurry, turn the rear into the front, defend!”

Unfortunately, the cavalry was too fast, and the soldiers couldn’t react at all,

“Boom!”

Liu Bei's cavalry crashed directly into the rear ranks of Xu Rong's army.

and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun each led a cavalry unit, splitting into three paths and charging wildly.

In an instant, Xu Rong's soldiers and horses were overturned, and the formation collapsed immediately!

Xu Rong cut down a few fleeing soldiers, but he could not save the situation from its decline.

“Whoosh!”

Zhao Yun spurred his horse forward and unleashed several spear strikes at Xu Rong, sweeping him off his mount!

“Ah!”

Zhang Fei, riding his Black Cloud Stepping on Snow, also charged over, intending to finish off Xu Rong with a single spear thrust!

Zhao Yun hurriedly waved his spear to save Xu Rong.

"Zhang Yide, our lord has taken a liking to this Xu Rong; do not harm him."

Xu Rong: ??

“Liu Bei actually knows me? And has taken a liking to me? I heard he likes to sleep with his generals? Is he that kind of person?!”

A wave of lingering fear washed over Xu Rong!

Zhang Fei shouted loudly,

"Xu Rong has been captured! Why do you not surrender yet?"

His voice was so loud that it drowned out the screams and shouts!

Seeing the commander's banner had fallen and Xu Rong had been captured, Xu Rong's subordinates dropped their weapons one after another and knelt on the ground!

Only a small number of cavalry, seeing that the situation was bad, rode their horses and ran wildly!

Liu Bei let Guan Yu and the others chase for a while before starting to reorganize the army.

"Xu Rong, are you willing to surrender?"

Xu Rong did not hesitate much. Dong Zhuo was devoid of Dao and did not value him, while Liu Bei had an extremely high reputation and was a man of loyalty and righteousness—he was a wise lord!

He knelt on one knee,

“This subordinate is willing to surrender!”

Liu Bei helped Xu Rong up; he had gained another fine general!

After learning the movements of Dong Zhuo's army from Xu Rong, he began to deploy his troops and generals.

“Yunchang, Zhang Yide, Zhang Zhang Liao,”

“This subordinate is here.”

“Follow me to pursue the Xiliang soldiers; along the way, if you see Xiliang soldiers escorting rations and supplies or driving the people, quickly defeat them.”

“Understood!”

"Zhao Zilong, Xu Rong, Jia Kui, you are to lead the infantry and the baggage train to collect the grain, fodder, and wealth captured by Guan Yu and the others along the way, and escort the common people toward the direction of Maojin Ferry."

“Tell them that we have built shelters in Hedong, and there is food and meat soup to drink; let’s get through this winter first.”

“Understood!”

Jia Kui cupped his hands,

“My Lord, the people of Luoyang will surely be extremely grateful to you.”

Liu Bei shook his head,

“I only hope the people can safely get through this winter. Dong Zhuo moved the capital in a hurry without any preparation; I fear the days for the million people of Luoyang will be very difficult once they reach Chang’an.”

Xu Rong and Zhang Zhang Liao were deeply moved; their lord was truly someone who considered the needs of the common people!

“Zhang Yide, follow me to lead the other troops to pursue the Xiliang soldiers!”