Chapter 9: The Visitor on a Snowy Night (Part 1) Seeking Recommendations and Favorites

  After nightfall, the temperature plummeted.

  The cold wind howls incessantly, rolling up a vast expanse of dust and sand.

  Around the hour of hai, goose feather-sized snowflakes fluttered and fell, instantly dyeing the sky and earth a vast expanse of white.

  This is the first snow in Nanyang County since winter began, and the snowfall is very heavy.

  Only a thousand miles of silver armor and white wrapping can be seen, in the dark night color, revealing a sense of solemnity and majesty.

  By midnight, the wind gradually subsided and the snowfall also weakened...

  A line of carriages came slowly from the east, with knights in greatcoats guarding the front and rear, getting closer and closer...

  "Zhong Ye, where did you go?"

  A hoarse voice came from inside the carriage.

  A knight spurred his horse forward and slightly bowed on horseback, "Mr. Yuan An, after crossing the creek ahead, it's Yangqu Town!"

  "It's such a big snowstorm, it's probably also inconvenient to continue on the road. Why don't we enter Yangqu Town to rest for a while and set off again at dawn?"

  The carriage was silent for a moment, then someone whispered.

  After a moment, the old voice sounded again: "Forget it, let's not go to disturb the place, otherwise it will be another trouble. I remember that there is a horse station outside Yangqu Town, which has been abandoned for many years. Why don't we rest at the station tonight and set off immediately after the snow stops?... De Cao, what do you think? On this snowy night, let's cook wine and have a good talk... This time back to Xiangyang, I have decided to retreat to Lumen Mountain. My brother advised me many times, it's hard to see each other again."

  "Mr. Yuan An's intention is good, how can I dare not follow his moral integrity?"

  "Snow and wine are also a beautiful thing... Hehe, it's just a pity that Mr. Zuwen is not here, otherwise it would be even more delightful."

  "You think you can get that old thing out of retirement? Fat chance!"

  A loud burst of laughter came from the carriage, followed by that old voice again, "Zhong Ye, let's rest at Yangquan Inn tonight."

  "Ah!"

  The knight outside the car bowed his head in response and then let out a series of whistling sounds from his mouth.

  More than a dozen horsemen galloped out of the convoy, rushing towards the distance. Only the sound of horseshoes was heard, and soon they disappeared from sight. The knight reined in his horse and made a circle on the spot, seeing that the convoy had not become chaotic, he urged his horse to follow up, following the convoy along the main road, advancing slowly.

  Yangjue Town is under the jurisdiction of Bijiang County.

  After entering Yangzhai Town, it is equivalent to entering Liu Biao's sphere of influence.

  In the first year of Jian'an, after the Emperor escaped from Guanzhong, Zhang Ji, a great general of Xiliang, saw that Guanzhong was in ruins and led his troops to leave Guanzhong and come to Jingzhou.

  Later, Zhang Ji died in battle while fighting for control of Yangcheng after being shot by an arrow.

  Zhang Ji's nephew took the opportunity to take control of the army and became the commander-in-chief of this Western Liang army. Zhang Xiu was once a general under Dong Zhuo, and when he left Guanzhong, he had the title of General Who Establishes Loyalty. At that time, Cao Cao welcomed the Emperor and obtained the orthodox name. Especially after Cao Cao welcomed the Emperor, his sphere of influence shifted to Yuzhou, and he successively attacked and captured places like Yingchuan and Chen State, which put Liu Biao under great pressure.

  Wan Cheng is very close to Xu Du!

  Liu Biao divided Nanyang Commandery into two parts under the advice of Kuai Liang, and gave seventeen counties to Zhang Yue for his recovery.

  But don't think Liu Biao did it out of kindness.

  He had Zhang Fei garrison at Wan City, on the one hand wanting Zhang Fei to become a shield for Jingzhou, and on the other hand hoping that Zhang Fei and Cao Cao would contend with each other.

  To show his sincerity, Liu Biao also ordered the withdrawal of troops from Jiangling, as a border city between the two sides.

  Of course, the so-called withdrawal of troops and horses is not completely without defense. Liu Biao's general Deng Ji was stationed in Xinye, with more than 10,000 elite soldiers under his command, specifically to defend against Zhang Xiu. From Xinye to Jiyang, it takes only a day's ride on horseback. Moreover, the people of Jiyang are a powerful clan that has always been hostile towards outsiders like Zhang Xiu. When Zhang Xiu first arrived in Nanyang Prefecture, he had not yet established himself and therefore did not dare to easily become an enemy of Liu Biao, so he formed an alliance with him instead.

  Liu Biao was a close relative of the imperial family and had always been respected for his prestige.

  Neither Cao Cao nor Yuan Shu dared to lightly go to war with Liu Biao.

  This also made Jingzhou gradually recover its calm under Liu Biao's governance. Although it can't be said that the roads were free of robbers, they were generally safe to travel on.

  The team of horses proceeded along the main road and saw the shadow of Yangzhuangyi from afar.

  The knight waved his hand on horseback, indicating that the team should speed up. But just as he did, a clash of weapons was heard in the distance, and it seemed that someone was fighting. A fast horse came galloping from the direction of the post station, stopped in front of the knight's horse, and bowed: "General, the post station has been occupied by someone. We tried to drive them away, but unexpectedly they had weapons in their hands and violently resisted, injuring two of our brothers."

  The knight wore a windproof mask and his face was unclear.

  Only revealing eyes as bright as the stars, listening to the report from his subordinates, his eyes narrowed involuntarily, flashing a hint of cold light.

  "Come with me and take a look."

  As he spoke, he urged his horse forward and as they passed a cart, the knight suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of a long spear standing upright in the cart.

  Dozens of knights immediately followed, and in the blink of an eye they arrived at the gate of the post station.

  This station originally belonged to Yangjue Town, but it was abolished later due to various reasons.

  A small, independent courtyard with a row of houses and an abandoned stable. Several knights stood in the yard, along with a burly, black-bearded giant of a man. The masked knight reined in his horse to take a closer look, seeing that the giant was about eight feet tall, sturdy and robust. He wore a gray short jacket, over which he had donned a cotton gown. In his hand, he grasped a double-headed steel spear, dancing it with a whooshing sound that seemed to shake off wind and rain.

  While their own knights had a numerical advantage, they were unable to subdue that giant of a man.

  On the contrary, with the loud roar of that big Han, the steel spear drew out a cold light, forcing the knight to retreat continuously, and gradually unable to hold on.

  Under the eaves, four people were still standing.

  One of them was over eight feet tall, with a dark complexion and broad shoulders.

  He held a large iron hammer in his hand, seemingly used for forging... At a rough glance, the estimated weight of this hammer was around sixty kilograms.

  The knight narrowed his eyes and thought: Where did these two good men come from?

  His gaze passed over the shoulder of the man with the hammer, and he saw a woman, half-crouching under the eaves, one arm around a child, the other grasping the arm of another child.

  Seems like family?

  The knight was somewhat perplexed when he suddenly heard a loud roar coming from inside the courtyard.

  Gangui Zhuan Han suddenly spun around on the snowy ground, using his Night Battle Eight Directions technique to force back three knights.

  "Good fellow, don't be reckless, take a shot from me first...... Young men, retreat!"

  The knight leapt off his horse, grasped the long spear, and with a swift turn of his body, charged into the courtyard. Several companions hastily retreated, only to see him shake his spear, and with a swift motion, thrust it out, as fast as lightning. The spear was accompanied by a gust of wind, and in an instant, it arrived before the robust man.

  The burly Han's eyes narrowed involuntarily, and he took a step back, holding the steel fork horizontally in front of his chest and pushing outward.

  With just a loud clang, the knight's large spear was immediately knocked open, but the strong man also took several steps back with his feet floating.

  Before he could steady himself, the knight burst out laughing and strode forward with a brisk step.

  Hand stuck to the gun stock sliding, grasping the middle of the gun stock, hand pressed down, stomped foot and shouted loudly.

  The giant axe swung down with a loud crash. The burly man furrowed his brow, gritted his teeth, and raised the steel spear upwards, just in time to lock onto the gun barrel. Although the gun barrel was locked in place, the immense force transmitted through it still caused the burly man's body to tremble and his legs to go weak.

  The knight burst out laughing, "Haha, you've been had!"

  The long spear suddenly rotated in his hand, and the friction between gold and iron emitted a piercing sound.

  The knight strides forward with his spear, his body moving in tandem with the weapon, twisting outward...

  The steel spear was locked in place like a long gun, and the strong man could no longer grasp it, suddenly slipping out of his hand.

  Before the sturdy man could react, the knight quickly stepped forward and gave him a vicious kick in the chest. The sturdy man was kicked so hard that he sat down on the snowy ground with a thud... The knight turned around and swung his spear, which shot out with a loud whoosh... The black-bearded man and the woman watching from the side couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

  Zhuang Han couldn't help but close his eyes and thought to himself: It's all over!

  Waited for half a day, but didn't see anything happen.

  Zhuang Han opened his eyes and took a look, only to see the gleaming gun tip dancing in front of him.

  "A real man can be killed but not humiliated. I'm no match for you, if you want to kill me, just do it, why bother humiliating me?"

  The knight burst out laughing and removed the wind scarf from his face, revealing a handsome face. He shook his head and suddenly pulled back his large spear.

  "Hey, you're pretty handy!"

  The burly man slowly stood up and stared at the knight, "But you are not his match in three moves."

  "In that case, I won't kill you either... As long as you leave the station, I'll pretend nothing happened, how about it?"

  "You..."

  The strong man hesitated for a moment and finally nodded his head.

  "Brother, let's go."

  The black man standing under the eaves was an honest man, he responded with a sound, put away the iron hammer, took a thin child from the woman's hand, hugged him in his arms, picked up his luggage and prepared to leave. The strong man walked aside, picked up the steel fork, and beckoned to another child.

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