Chapter 69: The Ambush Camp and the Greataxe Cavalry

  In February 9th of the year 184, Wang Xu, who had been lying in bed for more than 20 days, was basically recovered from his injuries and finally got Xu Shu's consent to move freely!

  But before he could revel in this hard-won freedom for long, Wang Fei, Gao Shun and Xu Huan arrived together, presenting him with a thick stack of silk...

  "Third brother, these are the express letters sent by General Huangfu. Because you were recovering from your injuries for a while, Xu Shu didn't let us show them to you, so we put them aside."

  Holding the dozens of silk handkerchiefs in his hands, which were not light in weight, and seeing the dense tiny characters on them, Wang Xu suddenly got a severe headache, and waved his hands repeatedly: "Forget it, there are so many letters, if I read them one by one, I don't know when I'll finish. Just tell me the important things!"

  Seeing Wang Xu's worried look, Wang Fei couldn't help but smile slightly. "Alright! Actually, it wasn't anything particularly big, mainly General Huang Fu's inquiry about your injuries, as well as some of the latest battle situations and imperial deployments!"

  "Just tell me about the battle situation, forget about everything else!"

  "Alright!"

  He nodded, and Wang Fei also didn't say much. After a moment of contemplation, he continued: "Generally speaking, the current war situation is relatively good. Since the governor of Youzhou, Guo Xun, and the Taishou of Guangyang, Liu Wei, died in battle, they have been fighting separately, like scattered sand! However, the people on the border are quite fierce, and the Yellow Turbans' rebellion has had a hard time spreading for the time being. The resistance organized by various local forces has also been very successful. I heard that among them, there is a certain official named Gongsun Zan who is particularly exceptional, with outstanding military achievements, and has already caught the attention of the imperial court!

  "It's actually the Jizhou side that's more troublesome. General Lu Zhi, leading the imperial main force, had been winning battle after battle. With the assistance of Liu Yu, the new governor of Ganling and former governor of Youzhou, they had already besieged Zhang Jiao in Guangzong City. Just as they were about to achieve a complete victory, Left Feng, a minor official who had gone to supervise the army, falsely accused General Lu of missing an opportunity due to bribery. The Emperor was deceived by him, and has already sent General Lu back to Luoyang under guard. If it weren't for General Huangfu's timely plea, there would even be danger to his life!"

  At this point, Wang Fei's face showed a strong indignation. "These eunuchs are really not good things, we are fighting bloody battles in the front, and they still do such things, it's really hateful!"

  After scolding for a while, Wang Fei took a deep breath and continued: "Fortunately, the imperial court has dispatched Dong Zhonglang General Dong Zhuo to take command of the army, who is currently on his way! It is said that Dong Zhuo is rough but has strategic ideas, and has had many military achievements in the border areas, pacifying...

  "Never mind Dong Zhuo, just tell us about the other battlefields!" Before Wang Fei could finish his sentence, Wang Xu cut him off with a wave of his hand.

  He was very clear about Dong Zhuo's deeds, although this person had a brilliant first half of his life, but in the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he didn't have any achievements at all. After the rebellion of Han Sui and Bian Zhang in the northwest, he completely took the path of a powerful minister. Originally, this was nothing, as there were many lords in the chaotic world. However, after this person stepped onto the historical stage, apart from his cruelty, cannibalism, and drinking human blood, there was no other place worth praising, and ultimately ended up with a corpse exposed on the street, so Wang Xu had not even half a bit of good feeling towards him!

  Although Wang Fei was very puzzled as to why Wang Xu had such a strong dislike for Dong Zhuo the moment he heard his name, he still nodded and didn't make any further introductions. Instead, he continued from where he left off earlier: "Putting aside the situation in Hebei, the situation south of the Yellow River is actually quite good! The newly appointed governor of Nanyang, Qin Yi, who was previously the commander of Jiangxia, led the soldiers of Nanyang to a great victory over the Yellow Turbans at Wan City, beheading the leader of the Yellow Turbans - Zhang Mancheng, also known as Tian Xiong Xing."

  "While on the side of Yingchuan, since the great victory at Changshe, General Huangfu has been pursuing and defeating the remnants of Bo Cai's forces along the banks of the Ying River in Yangdi. The remaining troops either surrendered or dispersed, and the area has been completely pacified. He is now leading his army to Chen State! Apart from this, other states and counties have also reported successive victories, among which the newly appointed Governor of Yuzhou, former Attendant Gentleman Wang Yun, and Wang Zishi have achieved the most fruitful results!"

  Hearing that everything is developing along the trajectory of history, Wang Xu's mood is very good. The efforts made in the battle of Changsha are always worth it. In this contest, he has already taken a crucial step forward. That young son of Zhang Jiao must be having a headache at this moment!

  As soon as he thought of that person, Wang Xu couldn't help but ask: "By the way, where did the Yellow Turban troops that were intercepted by Sun Jian go?"

  "This... I'm not quite clear either, General Huangfu's letter only said that he fled northward, but didn't have any specific whereabouts. I think it should be him busy chasing Bo Cai, so he didn't have the energy to take care of Cai! According to my estimate, the purpose of the Yellow Turbans going north should be to cross the Yellow River and escape to Ji Province!"

  "Hmm!" If it was really Beishang, then there would only be one possibility - to return to Jizhou. But at this moment, Wang Xu instead felt a slight sense of disappointment.

  I myself haven't even gotten used to it yet, how could he just leave like that? If that person really returned to Ji Zhou, then he would be completely out of the picture.

  On the surface, it seems that returning to Jizhou and changing the situation on the main battlefield would be a good way to turn things around. However, in reality, this would only put him at a disadvantage, as no matter how the situation in Jizhou changes, it will not affect the overall outcome. Even if he were to kill Dong Zhuo and change the course of history from then on, it would have no impact on the outcome of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. This is because the main force driving this war is the imperial army led by Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, and his return would mean that he can only watch as the main forces of the Yellow Turbans south of the Yellow River are quickly eliminated, and then wait for his own demise!

  "Ah!"

  He let out a soft sigh, his eyes complexly sinking for a moment before Wang Xu temporarily put these thoughts aside, lifted his head and smiled: "Forget about him, if he wants to run then just let him! Has General Huangfu given us any orders?"

  "Hehe! There's no order, just a message to take good care of your injury. If you're not seriously hurt, he hopes you can hurry back to the army and help him come up with strategies!"

  "Alright! Since it's like this, let's prepare and set off in two days!"

  Saying so, Wang Xu turned his head and asked: "Gao Shun, Gongming, I don't know how you have integrated the troops?"

  Upon hearing this, the two men exchanged a faint smile and glanced at each other. Xu Huang remained seated and motionless, while Gao Shun immediately cupped his hands and said: "The reorganization of the troops has been completed, and their training is also going well. However, regarding the Imperial Guard, I have differing opinions with Gongming. I hope the General will make a decision!"

  "Oh?"

  "It's like this, Gong Ming has trained a hundred halberd cavalrymen by himself and taught them a set of halberd techniques. However, from my observation, the soldiers he trained are indeed very powerful in breaking through enemy lines, but they seem more suited for breaking through formations and killing enemies. A general's personal guards should prioritize defense while also being capable of fighting on horseback and on foot. So I think it's better to use my own array warriors, although our current training methods are not yet perfect, I will gradually improve them, and I believe they will be more suitable for guard duties!"

  Upon hearing Gao Shun's words, Wang Xu was initially overjoyed, but soon became worried! The Trapping Camp was of course the top choice, but how could Xu Huang's personally trained axe-wielding cavalry be any worse? If he were to make a clear choice now, wouldn't that mean suppressing the other person?

  After frowning and thinking for a long time, Wang Xu's mind suddenly moved, and he immediately raised his head and said: "Since Gongming has already trained 100 people with great axe riding skills, let these 100 people be my personal guards!"

  However, Gao Shun had just revealed a gloomy expression, and Wang Xu immediately responded with extreme seriousness: "Gao Shun, I also have some understanding of your Trapping Array warriors, who have great potential. I hope you don't limit them to just being guards, but rather comprehensively cultivate their abilities. Since you've named them the Trapping Array, then the soldiers trained by this method must live up to these two words - whether it's attacking cities and strongholds, or charging into battle, they must be proficient in all aspects. The Trapping Array warriors should indeed be unbeatable in attack and invincible in battle!"

  As soon as these words came out, Gao Shun fell into deep thought. After a while, the gloom on his face was swept away, and he rarely showed an excited look!

  "I will definitely live up to General's expectations!"

  Just as everyone was rejoicing, Zhou Zhi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "Boss, congratulations! The power of the Great Axe Cavalry is really amazing, that power is absolutely a sharp weapon for cutting down generals and killing enemies!"

  Upon hearing Zhou Zhi's praise, Wang Xu felt even more delighted! Seeing this, Zhou Zhi couldn't help but laugh secretly. Before Wang Xu could react, he continued with a puzzled expression: "But what about the money you owe to the blacksmith? Although those 101 battle axes were made from scrap metal and re-forged, the processing fees weren't small either! On that day when I got your approval, I gathered all the blacksmiths in the city to rush the job, only then could the Great Axe Riders be born!"

  With these words, Wang Xu's smile stiffened instantly, and his lips twitched.

  In the midst of everyone's loud laughter, a thunderous roar suddenly burst out: "Zhou Zhi, you little scoundrel, how dare you cheat me? Why didn't you say clearly that you wanted a whole hundred axes? Where am I supposed to get so much money?"