Chapter 1771: Unreasonable

"My lord, follow me quickly!"

Ji Ling grabbed Yuan Shu's arm and dragged him onto the horse. Yuan Shu stumbled a few steps and was almost dragged onto the warhorse by Ji Ling. The two rode one horse, Ji Ling in front controlling the direction, 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 trembled; 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 answered while galloping. He also understood in his heart that only by uniting with other powerful lords could they resist the offensive of the Xiliang army.

However, they had not run far when they encountered another interception by Xiliang cavalry. The leading general was burly and held a big hammer; it was Hua Xiong's fierce general—Li Jue.

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

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

"Ji Ling, go quickly! Don't worry about me!"

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

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

Ji Ling said through gritted teeth, and he swung his sword again to meet Li Jue's hammer. However, just at this moment, an arrow broke through the air, shooting 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 crack, and he roared, using all his strength to attack Li Jue, wanting to win a glimmer of life for Yuan Shu.

However, Li Jue did not pursue Yuan Shu but turned to entangle with Ji Ling. He knew that Hua Xiong's target was Yuan Shu, and as long as he dragged Ji Ling, once Hua Xiong arrived, Yuan Shu would not be able to fly away.

"Ji Ling, your opponent is me!"

Li Jue sneered, and the big 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 struggled to crawl toward the dense forest, hoping to escape the pursuit of the Xiliang army.

However, just as he was about to enter the dense forest, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. The man was clad in iron armor and held a long spear; it was Hua Xiong!

"Yuan Shu, you can't run!"

Hua Xiong said coldly, his long spear pointing 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 man of the Yuan family!"

Yuan Shu shouted, trying to use his identity to intimidate Hua Xiong. However, Hua Xiong just sneered.

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

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

"Hua Xiong, stop hurting my lord!"

A figure rushed out from the dense forest, holding a big sword, and slashed toward 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 steadily by Hua Xiong. Yuan Shu watched, anxious in his heart, but could do nothing.

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

Ji Ling's voice suddenly rang out. He did not know when he had 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, even death was worth it.

Zhang Xun understood upon hearing this. He feinted a sword move, turned, and took Yuan Shu to flee into the depths of the dense forest. Hua Xiong was furious upon seeing this and chased with his spear, swearing to behead Yuan Shu.

However, just at this moment, a burst of urgent 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 toward Hua Xiong. Seeing this, Hua Xiong knew that it was impossible to behead Yuan Shu today. He snorted coldly and turned to lead the Xiliang army to retreat.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao did not pursue but immediately checked Yuan Shu's injuries. Although Yuan Shu was not lightly injured, 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 two for saving me!"

Yuan Shu said weakly. He knew deeply 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 army and 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 times.

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

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 he must change his previous pride and underestimation of 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 in saving the lord this time. I will reward you heavily."

Yuan Shu said to Ji Ling and Zhang Xun. He knew these two were his loyal ministers and good generals and must be well wooed.

"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 following days, the coalition camp strengthened its defense measures. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao took turns patrolling to prevent the Xiliang army from attacking again. Yuan Shu also began to think about how to fight against Hua Xiong and the Xiliang army while actively recuperating.

He knew that defeating Hua Xiong was not easy. But no matter what, he had to do his best. Because only in this way could he keep his life and status. This night raid incident also became a major turning point in the coalition camp. It made the lords realize the powerful strength of Hua Xiong and the Xiliang army and also made them more united to fight against Dong Zhuo's power together. ===== CHAPTER 1772 =====