Chapter 1086: Unreasonable

"My lord, follow me quickly!"

Ji Ling grabbed Yuan Shu’s arm and dragged him onto the horse’s back. Yuan Shu stumbled a few steps and was almost dragged onto the warhorse by Ji Ling. The two rode the same horse, Ji Ling in front controlling the direction, and Yuan Shu in the back holding Ji Ling’s waist tightly, his face as pale as paper.

"Ji Ling, where are we fleeing to?"

Yuan Shu’s voice carried a tremor; he had never been so embarrassed. In his cognition, as the legitimate son of the Yuan family, he should be high above; when had he ever suffered such a fright?

"Go find Cao Cao or Yuan Shao; they will surely help us resist Hua Xiong!"

Ji Ling replied while galloping on the horse. He also understood in his heart that only by uniting with other powerful warlords could they possibly resist the offensive of the Xiliang army.

However, they had not run far when they encountered another interception by the Xiliang cavalry. The leading general, burly and holding a large hammer, was a fierce general under Hua Xiong—Li Jue.

"Hmph, want to run? Have you asked my Li Jue’s hammer?"

Li Jue shouted, swung his large hammer, and smashed it toward Ji Ling and Yuan Shu. Ji Ling hurriedly swung his sword to block, but Li Jue was immensely strong, and Ji Ling felt a huge force coming, his arm almost being shattered.

"Ji Ling, run quickly! Don’t worry about me!"

Seeing this, Yuan Shu shouted loudly. He knew that staying here would only make him a burden to Ji Ling; it would be better to let Ji Ling escape alone, perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope.

"My lord, I, Ji Ling, swear to protect my lord’s safety!"

Ji Ling said through gritted teeth, and he swung his sword to meet Li Jue’s large hammer again. However, just then, an arrow broke through the air and shot straight at Yuan Shu.

"Not good!"

Ji Ling was shocked; he wanted to block the arrow, but it was too late. The arrow pierced through the night and accurately nailed into Yuan Shu’s shoulder.

"Ah—"

Yuan Shu let out a scream, and his body fell from the warhorse. Ji Ling’s eyes were about to split; he roared and used all his strength to attack Li Jue, wanting to win a glimmer of hope for Yuan Shu.

However, Li Jue did not pursue Yuan Shu but turned to fight with Ji Ling. He knew that Hua Xiong’s target was Yuan Shu; as long as he dragged Ji Ling down, Hua Xiong would arrive, and Yuan Shu would not be able to fly away.

"Ji Ling, your opponent is me!"

Li Jue sneered, and the large hammer in his hand smashed toward Ji Ling like a storm. Although Ji Ling was brave, he felt the strain under Li Jue’s fierce attack.

On the other side, Yuan Shu endured the severe pain and crawled on the ground. He knew that if he stopped now, he would surely die. He had to find a hiding place and wait for rescue.

"There!"

Yuan Shu’s eyes lit up; he saw a dense forest not far away, and hope suddenly arose in his heart. He crawled toward the dense forest with all his might, hoping to escape the pursuit of the Xiliang army.

However, just as he was about to enter the dense forest, a figure suddenly appeared before him. The man was wearing iron armor and holding a long spear; it was Hua Xiong!

"Yuan Shu, you can’t run!"

Hua Xiong said coldly, and the long spear in his hand pointed straight at Yuan Shu’s throat. Yuan Shu trembled all over; he knew he had reached a dead end.

"Hua... Hua Xiong, you... you dare to kill me? I am a person of the Yuan family!"

Yuan Shu shouted, his voice fierce but his heart weak, trying to use his identity to intimidate Hua Xiong. However, Hua Xiong just sneered.

"So what if you are a person of the Yuan family? Today you will surely die!"

Hua Xiong said, and was about to thrust his spear at Yuan Shu. Just then, a loud voice suddenly rang out.

"Hua Xiong, stop hurting my lord!"

A figure rushed out from the dense forest, holding a large sword, and slashed at Hua Xiong. The man was another fierce general under Yuan Shu—Zhang Xun.

Zhang Xun’s appearance made Yuan Shu overjoyed; he seemed to see the hope of life. However, Hua Xiong did not retreat because of this; he met Zhang Xun’s attack, and the two fought together instantly.

Although Zhang Xun was brave, he was not Hua Xiong’s match. After a few rounds, he was forced to retreat step by step by Hua Xiong. Yuan Shu watched, anxious in his heart, but could do nothing.

"Zhang Xun, take the lord and go quickly!"

Ji Ling’s voice suddenly rang out. He had somehow broken free from Li Jue’s entanglement and rushed over. He knew he was not Hua Xiong’s match, but as long as he could save Yuan Shu, it would be worth it even if he died.

Hearing this, Zhang Xun understood immediately. He feigned a sword strike, turned around, and took Yuan Shu to flee into the depths of the dense forest. Hua Xiong was furious and chased after them, swearing to behead Yuan Shu.

However, just then, a burst of rapid hoofbeats rang out. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao each led a group of elite troops to the battlefield. Seeing Yuan Shu being chased and killed, they immediately led their troops forward to support.

"Hua Xiong, your opponents are us!"

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao shouted in unison, and they each swung their swords to charge at Hua Xiong. Seeing this, Hua Xiong knew that it was impossible to behead Yuan Shu today. He sneered, turned around, and led the Xiliang army to retreat.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao did not pursue but immediately checked Yuan Shu’s injuries. Although Yuan Shu was injured not lightly, fortunately, there was no life-threatening danger. He looked at Yuan Shao and Cao Cao gratefully, secretly rejoicing that he had saved his life.

"Thank you both for saving me!"

Yuan Shu said weakly. He knew that if Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had not arrived in time today, he would have died at Hua Xiong’s hands.

"Brother Yuan, you are too polite; we are both allies of the coalition, and we should help each other."

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao said one after another. Although they each had their own ulterior motives, they still showed the unity between allies at such a time.

After this night raid, the coalition camp suffered heavy losses. Many small warlords’ camps were broken by the Xiliang army, and countless soldiers were killed or injured. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao immediately organized the coalition to reorganize and defend, to prevent the Xiliang army from attacking again.

And Yuan Shu needed to recuperate for a period of time because of his injuries. Lying in the tent, recalling the encounter tonight, he felt lingering fear in his heart. He knew that he must change his previous pride and contempt for the enemy, otherwise, the next time he met a fierce general like Hua Xiong, he might not have such good luck.

"Ji Ling, Zhang Xun, you two have made a great contribution to saving the emperor this time, and I will reward you heavily."

Yuan Shu said to Ji Ling and Zhang Xun. He knew that these two were his loyal ministers and good generals, and he must win them over well.

"My lord, you are too kind; protecting the lord is our duty."

Ji Ling and Zhang Xun said modestly one after another. They also understood in their hearts that Yuan Shu was able to save his life this time entirely because of their desperate rescue.

In the days that followed, the coalition camp strengthened its defense measures. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao took turns patrolling to prevent the Xiliang army from attacking again. And Yuan Shu, while actively recuperating, began to think about how to confront Hua Xiong and the Xiliang army.

He knew that defeating Hua Xiong was not an easy task. But no matter what, he had to try his best. Because only in this way could he keep his life and status. And this night raid incident also became a major turning point in the coalition camp. It made the various warlords realize the powerful strength of Hua Xiong and the Xiliang army, and also made them more united to confront Dong Zhuo’s influence together. ===== CHAPTER 1776 =====