Chapter 17: Xu Chu's Tiger Craving

  Build a house in the backyard.

  Hu Zhan finished with the woman and still felt somewhat unfulfilled, his fire not yet vented.

  Just as I was about to go back inside and continue, a young servant rushed in hastily.

  "General, something has gone terribly wrong."

  "A group of ferocious bandits killed over a hundred of our brothers."

  Hu Zhi suddenly flew into a rage and shouted: "What kind of bandit are you, daring to kill my soldiers? You're simply tired of living!"

  "A small school loudly replied: 'It is a village 20 miles away, inside there are hundreds of thieves, very brave, two teams of brothers went to attack the village, unexpectedly being killed by these thieves more than 100 people, please General send troops to avenge my brother!"

  "How can this be? This is absolutely unreasonable."

  Hu Zhi was furious and shouted loudly: "Come on, summon the main force for General, kill them, kill the bandits in Zhuangzi."

  "Roger."

  The little school hastily answered and rushed out to pass on the order.

  Soon, 8,000 Western Liang iron cavalry quickly assembled and rushed northward like a storm.

  Luo Zhan followed Hu Zhu's horseback, his mouth corner slightly revealing a faint, imperceptible smile.

  Twenty li of road will take less than half a time period to arrive.

  Soon, a large estate of about ten acres appeared in front, and it looked extraordinary at first glance.

  Still far away, I saw someone peeking out from the top of Zhuangzi's wall. As we got closer, there were already over a hundred people standing on top of Zhuangzi, each holding knives and spears, not fearing the Western Liang Iron Cavalry's sharp blades at all.

  With a loud shout of command, the 8,000 Western Liang iron cavalry immediately surrounded Zhuangzi.

  The private soldiers of the Zhuangzi clan, although each and every one of them had a stern expression, were not intimidated in the slightest. They drew their bows and faced off against each other with a fierce gaze.

  Hu Zhi slapped his horse and rode out of the formation, shouting loudly at the entrance of the manor: "You dare to kill a soldier under my command! Quickly hand over the murderer to me, otherwise I will order my army to flatten this manor and not even leave a chicken or dog alive!"

  "Levelling the estate of Zhuang, not a single chicken or dog is left."

  Eight thousand Western Liang iron cavalry shouted in unison, their voices like thunder, and their momentum was extremely shocking.

  Just then, a loud shout like thunder burst forth from within the Zhuangzi, shaking everyone's eardrums.

  "Get out of here, you son of a bitch."

  A loud shout like a thunderclap was heard, and then the wooden gate of the manor burst open, and a big man rushed out.

  This man is about twenty years old, extremely majestic in appearance, over eight feet tall, with a waist circumference of more than ten feet, suspected to have the strength to bind tigers.

  Hu Zhen was shocked and immediately burst into anger: "You thieving scoundrel, did you kill the soldiers under my command?"

  The man said sternly: "What of it?"

  "Hu Zhèn said sternly: 'Fine, come quickly to receive your death sentence. Otherwise, I will flatten the manor and leave no one alive.'"

  "Fart!"

  The man was also furious and rushed over with a big knife.

  Hu Zhui would never put a rustic Han man in his eyes, he patted his mount, swung his sword and killed him.

  The man brandished his sword and ran, his two legs moving at a speed that was hardly slower than a warhorse.

  Hu Zhuan was shocked, his heart had just "thudded" once, the distance from that man was less than ten steps, so he had to force himself to shout loudly, taking advantage of the momentum of charging forward with his war knife, and slashed down fiercely.

  "Come and die."

  The man let out a loud roar and countered with a knife in hand.

  Right!

  In the midst of the clashing sounds, Hu Zhong's long knife was directly sent flying, its hilt shattered, and his soul was frightened out of this world. However, before he could even react, Hanzi's long knife had already struck down with a thunderous momentum, cutting Hu Zhong and his horse in two.

  The sudden change stunned everyone on the spot.

  Luo Zheng was no exception, this master was too fierce, one knife cut Hu Zhen and his horse in two.

  To have such martial power, he must be a super strong man of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's level.

  The eight thousand Western Liang soldiers were all stunned and silent, each one quietly dazed, as if they couldn't come back to their senses.

  General Hu Zhen was beheaded just like this, and the result is really hard for people to accept.

  When he came to his senses, the man had already charged into the Western Liang army, like a fierce tiger bursting out of its cage. With just a few swift moves, he killed over ten of Hu Zhi's personal guards standing at the front, as if chopping melons and cutting vegetables, with unparalleled efficiency.

  A shrill and mournful howl startled everyone awake.

  Suddenly faced with this sudden change, everyone panicked, and the vanguard was instantly thrown into great disorder.

  Luo Zheng saw the man rushing towards him and without saying a word, he turned his horse's head around and ran away.

  The generals all ran away, and the Western Liang cavalry naturally followed closely behind, fleeing in a hurry.

  The man chased after him but couldn't catch up, and while he was still in a daze, Niu Jin killed him.

  At such a close distance, they suffered this sudden change, and since the man was really fierce and overwhelming, everyone's first reaction was to turn around and run away. The 8,000 brave and battle-hardened Western Liang Iron Cavalry were defeated by one person and fled in disarray.

  Returning to the temporary camp in the manor, everyone was still shaken and uneasy.

  But thinking of the 8,000-strong army being killed by a single person and fleeing in disarray made his face flush with shame.

  Luo Zheng also felt a bit discredited, in fact, human strength is always limited, let alone that man, even if Lü Bu came, it would not be possible to rely on his own strength to defeat the 8,000 brave and warlike Western Liang iron cavalry.

  In fact, as long as the soldiers had a desperate determination, with just fifty men, they could have cut down that man even if it cost them their lives.

  It was just that Hu Zhen had been suddenly killed, and everyone was caught off guard. Under the sudden change, each person's heart was in a state of panic. Moreover, with their commanding officers leading the way in fleeing, how could the soldiers still be expected to rush forward and fight to the death?

  Otherwise, even if that man was brave, he would have been minced into a pulp.

  Luo Zheng had just ordered someone to go and ask what that man's surname and name were when a personal guard rushed in.

  "General, General Hu Mao requests your presence at the central army tent for a discussion."

  "What's wrong?"

  Luo Zheng's eyes were somewhat deep and solemn, after a moment of contemplation, he got up and went to the central military tent.

  The Chinese military headquarters.

  Hu Mao sat in the main seat with an air of self-satisfaction, scanning the surrounding officials with a complacent smile.

  Niu Jin sat in the upper right position, without saying a word, his face was very gloomy.

  The rest of the more than twenty generals above the rank of army supervisor also had different expressions on their faces and looked thoughtful.

  After Luo Zhengjin arrived, he took a brief look around and walked straight to the empty left upper seat, his several small schools followed one after another on both sides, looking at Hu Mao and then at Niu Jin, each with an expression of sudden understanding, as if they had understood something.

  "Hu Mao saw that everyone had arrived, and immediately said impatiently: 'Everyone, now my brother has unfortunately died in battle. As the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and an army cannot be without a commander for a day. In order to complete the task entrusted by our lord, we will thoroughly defeat the enemy in the eastern regions, forcing the rebel army of Guandong to retreat. I am willing to temporarily take my brother's place as commander, everyone please work together with one heart and do not let things go wrong.'"

  "I will obey orders."

  More than half of the school responded loudly, all were Hu Zhong and Hu Maoming's subordinates.

  The remaining half of the students were silent, all looking at Luo Zheng and Niu Jin's faces.

  Lu Zheng's mouth corners rose with a faint smile, thinking that Hu Mao was indeed a fool, and he was in such a hurry to contend for the power of commanding troops after Hu Zhu's death. No wonder he had Hu Zhu as his backer, but still couldn't get reused.

  Niu Jin sneered coldly: "You're nothing but a thing, Hu Mao, and you dare to give orders to me?"

  Hu Mao's face turned iron-green with rage, and he shouted: "Niu Jin, what do you mean?"

  Niu Jin is the younger brother of Niu Fu, but Niu Fu is actually the son-in-law of Dong Zhuo. He is considered to be one of Dong Zhuo's most trusted and high-ranking officials, even above Hu Zhi, a powerful general. Naturally, Niu Jin looks down on Hu Mao, saying: "What do you mean? Are your dog eyes blind? I am the younger brother of General Niu Fu, and my status is higher than yours. You're just a useless piece of trash, daring to give orders to me? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror, what are you even worth?"

  This remark is utterly devoid of tact and would be unbearable for anyone.

  Hu Mao spat out a mouthful of blood and nearly suffocated, drawing his sword and roaring: "Niu Jin, you lowly rascal, you're looking for death!"

  Niu Jin drew his sword with a clang and said in a stern voice, "I'm afraid you won't be able to make it."

  "Both of you calm down."

  Luo Zheng hastily intervened, "At present, General Hu Zhen has unfortunately died in battle. I ask the two generals to prioritize the overall situation and not miss the great cause of our lord. Otherwise, even if we return to Luoyang, if our lord blames us, we will also be punished."

  Hu Mao and Niu Jin simultaneously took a deep breath, slightly suppressing the anger in their chests, but still glared at each other, neither convincing the other.

  It's been noisy for half a day, but there is no result.

  Niu Jin didn't take Hu Mao seriously at all, and led his officers out of the tent with a swagger.

  Hu Mao was still seething with anger, but there was nothing he could do about it.

  Luo Zhen also took the opportunity to leave the main tent of the central army and returned to his own camp.

  Hujue is dead, and the 8,000 Western Liang iron cavalry are likely to be in disarray for a while.

  Hu Mao and Niu Jin are both mediocre people, no matter who replaces whom as commander, it's all a bit unsatisfactory.

  What's more, the two men were at odds with each other and would never compromise unless one of them suddenly died.

  Lu Zheng thought to take the opportunity to capture these 8,000 Western Liang cavalrymen, but unfortunately, he was inexperienced and had no powerful backers. With Hu Mao and Niu Jin only looking out for their own interests and not considering the bigger picture, it was impossible for them to listen to his orders.

  But things have to be done one step at a time.

  Hu Zhe is dead, the first plan has been completed.

  As long as Hu Mao and Niu Jin are dead, the remaining land will naturally be taken over.

  A cold smile spread from the corner of Luo Zheng's mouth, and a murderous aura rose.

  The scout sent out to gather information finally returned early next morning.

  "General, I've already found out about the little man."

  "According to the local villagers, that ruffian's name is Xu Chu, also known as Zhong Kang. He was born with extraordinary strength, and eats three dou of food per meal. He's a notorious fierce man within a radius of ten li."

  "Is Hu Chi crazy?"

  Luo Zheng was shocked and then his face lit up with joy.

  Xia Hou Dun scratched his head, "Ah, I almost forgot that Xu Chu indeed has a nickname 'Tiger Lust'."

  Luo Zheng didn't bother to respond to that rebuking remark, and instead clapped his hands excitedly, saying: "I should have known it was you! Such a super fierce warrior can't be some unknown person. It's actually Tiger Crazy Xu Chu! Haha, heaven is really helping me!"

  Chen Tong scratched his head and asked: "General, haven't you heard of Xu Chu's great name?"

  "Nonsense!"

  Lu Xun scolded, saying: "This Xu Chu's bravery is not inferior to that of Lü Bu at the Battle of Tiger Trap Pass, and even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are no match for him. If we can get this man's help, I won't have to worry about Sun Jian again."

  Chen Tong took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice: "I didn't think there was such a fierce man in Guandong."

  Lu Zhenxin is talking nonsense, there are many powerful people in Guandong, besides Xu Chu, there is also Dian Wei.

  I don't know where Dian Wei is now, whether he has defected to Cao Ang's camp or not.

  Fortunately, Xu Chu has not yet joined Cao Cao's camp and still has a chance. Since they have met, no matter what, they must recruit this fierce man to their side; if they let him go like this, they will definitely regret it to death.

  "Come in."

  Luo Zhengluo thought for a moment and immediately shouted towards the outside of the tent.

  There were already close guards rushing in, clasping their hands and saying: "What are your orders, General?"

  Luo Zheng shouted: "Immediately assemble the troops and rush to Xu's village to avenge General Hu Zan."

  "Ah, got it."

  The bodyguard was startled and immediately ran out with his legs.