Chapter 6: Beheading the Enemy General Before the Formation

  End of February.

  The Kwantung Army advanced to a point three miles from the Zhenwu Pass and set up camp, discussing strategies for advancing troops.

  The next day, Yuan Shao and the various lords led a large army of 20,000 men to the foot of Zanwu Pass, probing for weaknesses.

  A large army formed a battle array, and Yuan Shao asked his generals: "Who can go forward to provoke a fight and boost the morale of our allied army?"

  Next to him was Ji Bei's assistant, Bao Xin, who feared that someone would steal his credit, so he hastily gave a signal to his younger brother, Bao Zhong.

  Bao Zhong immediately stepped forward and said: "I am willing to go."

  Yuan Shao said with a smile: "With General Bao Zhong leading the charge, our army's prestige and might will surely be restored. Hurry and go."

  Bao Zhong obeyed the order and immediately rode out of the camp, announced his name, and shouted loudly, "Hu Zhi, you scoundrel, come quickly to meet your death."

  At the top of the Zhenjiang Pass, Hu Zhong and a group of officers had already arrived, standing on the city wall to observe the formation of the Eastern Allied Army. Upon hearing this, their faces turned iron-blue with rage, and they shouted at those around them, "Who will help me behead this scoundrel and vent my anger?"

  Luo Zhen's thoughts turned rapidly, and he secretly thought that Bao Zhong was unheard of, probably a nobody. He estimated that even Zu Mao was not as good as him, so it shouldn't be difficult to deal with him. At this time, he rushed ahead of Hua Xiong and said loudly: "This general is willing to go."

  Hu Zhen's face looked a bit better, and he said: "Go quickly!"

  "I will obey your orders."

  Luo Zheng took the order and hurriedly rushed down from the city gate, inspecting the troops.

  Before long, the drawbridge was lowered and the city gate opened.

  Luo Zhen led five hundred cavalrymen out of the city gate, lined up in a row at the foot of the city, and charged forward to meet Bao Zhong with dancing knives and horses.

  Bao Zhong shouted loudly: "I will not kill nameless ghosts with my sword, come and announce your name."

  Luo Zheng cursed and shouted: "I am Luo Zheng! You are a treacherous villain, Bao Zhong. Come quickly to meet your death!"

  "Looking for death!"

  Bao Zhong's face turned red with rage and he immediately urged his horse forward, charging towards them.

  Luo Zheng also urged his horse forward, his body straight as a pen, slightly leaning forward.

  In the midst of the shocking war drum sound, two horses quickly approached each other.

  Fifty steps.

  Thirty Steps

  Fifteen steps.

  Luo Zheng could clearly see the sweat on Bao Zhong's face, and his eyes suddenly turned cold-blooded.

  At the moment when the two horses crossed each other, Bao Zhong shouted loudly: "Come and die!" and raised his knife to chop.

  At this moment, Luo Zheng also shouted loudly, "Watch out for hidden weapons!" His empty left hand made a gesture as if to throw something.

  Huh?

  Bao Zhong was startled and instinctively ducked down to hide.

  "Haha, idiot, you're in the way."

  Luo Zheng burst out laughing and swiftly swung his saber, striking down with a swift slash.

  Bao Zhong only felt a flash of light rushing towards him, and just as he realized he had been deceived, it was already too late. He was struck by the sharp blade of the horse-trampling knife, which sliced through his calf and sent his head flying backwards, spewing out a mouthful of hot blood.

  Until the war horse rushed out for more than thirty feet, Bao Zhong's headless corpse fell from the horseback.

  On the top of the Zishui Pass, cheers burst forth like thunder, greatly boosting the morale of the Western Liang army.

  Hua Xiong licked his lips and said with a fierce gaze: "Actually, let Luo Zheng that kid steal the show, huh!"

  Hu Zhen was also in a great mood and laughed: "Well done, this time we've dampened the rebel army's morale. Ro Zhengxian, take note of this achievement."

  Kwantung Army Front

  Yuan Shao was somewhat discredited, while Bao Xin, the Administrator of Jibei, turned pale with rage.

  The first battle resulted in the loss of a general, this is truly an inauspicious start to the campaign.

  There were feudal lords who frowned and said: "To win with such a lowly move is truly an unchivalrous victory."

  Cao Cao laughed and said, "Your words are wrong, sir. War is a deceitful art, the fate of a nation, life and death, survival or destruction, all depend on it. In war, only the outcome matters, not the process. As long as one can win, even the most despicable means are justified. Therefore, I think we should look at things from a different perspective, otherwise, we will suffer greatly sooner or later."

  Yuan Shao smiled and said: "What Meng De said is absolutely right."

  Just then, a loud shout came from ahead.

  "Yuan Shao, you little man, come quickly and accept your death."

  It turned out that Luo Zheng had beheaded Bao Zhong and was loudly shouting for battle in front of the formation.

  Yuan Shao flew into a rage, his face turning iron-blue. As someone who valued his reputation highly and held an esteemed position, he was being scolded as a petty person - how could he not be angry? At that moment, he bellowed: "Who will bring me the head of this insolent subordinate?"

  "The General's Desire."

  As soon as the words fell, Yuanshu saw a brave general named Yu She come out from behind him and ask for orders.

  "Hurry up and go."

  Yuan Shao fiercely waved his hand, his face extremely ugly.

  Yu She accepted the order and left, riding his horse and wielding his spear, to fight against Luo Zheng.

  Luo Zheng uses his old trick again and prepares to behead Yu She once more.

  Unexpectedly, Yu She had learned a lesson from Bao Zhong's teachings and was prepared, so he didn't fall for it.

  Luo Zheng had no choice but to summon his spirit, dancing with his saber in a whirlwind of slashes, fiercely battling Yu She.

  In my mind, I'm thinking of a plan. If my sinister plot is seen through, it won't work. It seems that if there's an opportunity, I should prepare some deadly hidden weapons for self-defense. The use of false and real moves will make it harder for others to defend against, which also conforms to the essentials of military strategy.

  The war drum shakes the sky, the shout is like thunder.

  Luo Zheng and Yu She were locked in a fierce battle, their swords clashing back and forth, with neither gaining the upper hand.

  In front of the allied army formation, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's brows furrowed tighter as they looked on.

  The weak applause from behind was even more humiliating.

  Even an unknown soldier from the Western Xia army couldn't be defeated, how can we boost morale?

  Cao Cao ordered his cousin Cao Hong: "Zili, go and wait for an opportunity to shoot this thief with a hidden arrow."

  Cao Hong accepted the order and immediately rushed down from the high platform, hiding behind the gate, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow.

  In front of Guan's empty space, Luo Zheng and Yu She were still in a fierce battle.

  "Just one Yu Shi, and I couldn't take him down!"

  Luo Zheng's face didn't look too good, and Yu She was just a small fry after all.

  Not to mention comparing with Lv Bu and Zhao Yun those super strong generals in history books, even second-rate generals are not as good.

  Can't even handle a small role like this, it seems my martial arts skills are really poor.

  But then I thought, when I first came, my strength was not as good as that of an ordinary woman of this era. Now I can fight evenly with Yu She, a military general, and my progress is not small, immediately regaining confidence.

  The thirty moves have passed quickly, and neither of them has won yet.

  Hu Zhi, who was watching from above the pass, grew impatient and ordered Hua Xiong to take advantage of the situation and shoot Yu She.

  Once again when the two horses crossed paths, there were two 'humming' sounds, and the bowstrings seemed to vibrate at almost the same time.

  "Not good."

  Luo Zheng and Yu She were both shocked at almost the same time. They didn't care about fighting anymore and hastily dodged to the side.

  A muffled sound and a scream almost rang out at the same time, but the scream had just started when it suddenly stopped.

  Yu She lowered his head and tried to dodge, but was shot in the forehead by Hua Xiong's arrow and fell off his horse, dead.

  Lu Zheng dodged to the side, but was shot in the shoulder blade by Cao Hong. His strength was drained away like a receding tide, and he was so frightened that he didn't care about anything else. With great effort, he mustered up some energy and urged his horse to flee back without saying another word.

  In front of the allied army, Yuan Shao's face turned iron-green, he waved his hand and ordered the great army to attack the city.

  In the midst of the shocking war drum sound, the Kanto army immediately pressed forward, swiftly charging towards the city gate, preparing to seize and capture the city.

  Luo Zheng tightly hugged the horse's neck and led 500 cavalrymen in a swift charge through the city gate.

  In the midst of the shrill sound of machinery, over a hundred infantrymen exerted their strength to close the city gate, inserted the iron door bolt, and topped it with more than a dozen thick wooden beams. Immediately, the thousand-pound gate fell down, the drawbridge was lifted, and arrows rained down from the top of the city wall, shooting the Eastern Army's soldiers off their horses.

  Luo Zheng was seriously injured and was carried back to the military camp by his soldiers to recover from his wounds.

  The war drums shook the sky, and the cries of killing filled the fields.

  Eight thousand imperial soldiers carrying cloud ladders and shields charged forward under a hail of arrows pouring down from the city walls.

  Hu Zhen, under the guard of dozens of his personal soldiers, personally directed the defense on the wall. Boulders, wooden beams and boiling hot oil were poured down without any cost, and the infantrymen of the Kwantung Army who rushed to the bottom of the city fell in pieces amidst the miserable howls.

  The cruelty of war was best interpreted at this moment, and human life was humble here, not even as good as ants.

  In the barracks.

  A military doctor applied a wolf-toothed arrow as thick as a thumb to Luo Zheng's wound, bandaged it and applied herbal medicine.

  After doing all this, Luo Zheng was already in so much pain that he was dizzy and covered in sweat.

  Those wolf-toothed arrows were not ordinary arrows, but were made by soaking solid hardwood, which was not only thick and heavy, but also equipped with iron arrowheads with inverted hooks, generally only used by high-ranking generals in the army.

  Especially the inverted hook on the arrow, when it is pulled out from the flesh, the pain cannot be described in words.

  Luo Zheng couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic for the anesthetics of later generations. If there were anesthetics, he wouldn't have to suffer so much.

  It wasn't until Lang Zhong left that he calmed down and tended to his own wounds.

  The bronze ring is simple and unadorned, but it has a mysterious power.

  A warm current flowed from the fingertips and quickly spread throughout the body. As it passed through the left shoulder, a gaping wound that had been pierced by wolf fangs began to heal at a visible rate, with damaged tendons, bones, and flesh regrowing in rapid succession, accompanied by waves of numbness.

  In less than twenty breaths, the wound healed and the pain disappeared.

  Luo Zheng sprang up and jumped around, exercising his hands and feet, and instantly became lively and energetic.

  "Not bad, and it's gotten even stronger."

  Lu Zheng felt his strength increasing again, and he walked out of the military account with a comfortable mood after wearing his armor.

  "General, how did you get up?"

  Chen Tong stood guard outside the tent and was startled when he saw Luo Zheng come out.

  "I'm fine!"

  Luo Zheng waved his hand and asked: "How is the battle going?"

  Chen Tongdao said: "The Kwantung rebels are attacking the city, and I'm not too clear about the specific situation either."

  Luo Zheng nodded and ordered: "Send someone to keep an eye on the city guard, report back immediately if there's any situation."

  Chen Tong responded with a sound and immediately went down to make arrangements.

  Luo Zheng did not go to the city head, but stayed in the military camp to recover from his injuries, keeping an eye on the battle situation at all times.

  After all, his injury is not light, it's impossible to recover so quickly, and he has to pretend a bit.

  If he were to rush to the city wall so quickly and energetically, it would be strange if he weren't considered an evil spirit.

  After sunset, the Kwantung Army withdrew its troops after suffering more than 2,000 casualties.

  Hu Zhi had just let out a sigh of relief, but the next day at dawn, the Kwantung Army launched another fierce attack, and divided its 300,000-strong army into ten groups, attacking the city of Guan in shifts day and night. Hu Zhi only held on for three days, and was already extremely exhausted.

  After all, the Kwantung Army had an army of 300,000, which was ten times that of the defenders at Shanhai Pass. They took turns attacking day and night, with enough time to rest, while the Western Coolies did not have enough troops to rotate and rest.

  By the third day, Hu Zhi even deployed his cavalry on top of the city walls, hoping to hold out for a few more days.

  On the fifth day, the situation was precarious.

  When Hu Zhi's forehead was almost scorched, the reinforcements from Luoyang finally arrived.

  Guo Zhi led his army of 50,000 men and finally arrived at Zishui Pass, temporarily stabilizing the situation.

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