Chapter 53: Snowy Night Raid

  "The first one was the son of Xun family's eight dragons, Xun Yu's second dragon, Xun Yi, named Wenruo. The other one was the grandson of former Guangling governor Xun Tan, Xun Yu's nephew, Xun You, also known as Xun Gongda. The last one, although without a prominent background, was also a talented scholar, surnamed Xi, named Zhong, styled Zicai."

  After finishing speaking in one breath, Huang Fu finally noticed that Wang Xu was now gaping with his mouth wide open, his eyes dull and the corners of his mouth still had a faint glint of moisture...

  He was startled and asked in confusion: "What's wrong with you?"

  "Huh? Oh...... nothing! Nothing!" Wang Xu shook his head repeatedly as he came to, but his heart was already racing noticeably.

  Good heavens! Spare me, will you? It's actually Xun Yu, Xun You, and Jia Xu! These are all Cao Cao's top advisors! Suddenly putting them so starkly in front of me, aren't you trying to give me a heart attack and have me ascend to the afterlife once again? Are you trying to stimulate my nerves like this?!

  After venting a few sentences in his heart, Wang Xu's emotions finally stabilized slightly. Seeing that the questions had been asked, he immediately pushed off to return and prepare for tonight's action, hastily bidding farewell and leaving!

  But in fact, he was too confused in his heart, and his mind kept calculating how to deceive the three rare civil officials under Cao Cao's account...

  After returning to his own military account, Wang Xu still couldn't calm down, thinking about various methods in his head, but after a simulation experiment, they were all denied one by one.

  After all, these people are not stupid, how can they be so easily deceived! And it's not like Gao Shun, who can use the power in his hands to secretly bring them over. In this situation, no matter how outstanding Wang Xu is, it's impossible for others to willingly become his vassals. The Han Dynasty has not yet split, so how can these people possibly find someone to acknowledge as their master?

  Wang Xu's abnormal behavior also caught the attention of Xue Shu, who had just returned from practicing martial arts. After learning about what had happened, she gave him a big white eye and let Wang Xu go by himself!

  Until midnight, the assembly order was passed down in the army, and Wang Xu reluctantly got up from his blanket. However, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, gazing far into the direction of Yingying, standing still for a long time...

  Because Wang Xu's position was Can Jun Shi, and Wang Fei was also the vanguard of the account, so the two were in a position far away from Huangfu Song in the army.

  Wang Xu was also very satisfied with this, after all, tonight's only task was to escape elegantly, and the commander's side was naturally the safest.

  Even Wang Fei did not complain about not having the opportunity to kill enemies in this position. Predicting that this surprise attack would likely fail, he was not a fool and would not take his life lightly. Moreover, he always remembered Wang Xu's words and never told anyone about his speculation!

  The rapid march at night was extremely oppressive, especially since it had snowed again tonight. To think that this winter has been relatively warm so far, and there have only been a few instances of snowfall south of the Yellow River! Add to that the imperial army advancing in droves under the moonlight, the messengers rushing back and forth, the occasional glint of armor and weapons, and the dark forests all around. All of this weighed heavily on one's mind!

  "Gao Shun, are you from Pingzhou? How did you end up in the Yingchuan army?" Wang Xu couldn't help but speak up to alleviate the dullness.

  "Hmm!"

  He nodded, and after brushing off the snow on his shoulders, he turned around and replied: "I am from Shangdang County in Pingzhou. Last year, the Hebei Garrison recruited soldiers, I relied on my martial arts skills and wanted to make a name for myself, so I enlisted. Some time ago, the imperial court mobilized the Sanhe cavalrymen, and we followed them here."

  Actually, Wang Xu had wanted to figure out where Gao Shun was from in the previous generation, but unfortunately, this buried famous general, although highly evaluated in historical records, had very little data. However, most people in later generations passed down that he was a person from Pingzhou, after all, in the official history, his first appearance was under Lü Bu's command, following Governor Ding Yuan in Pingzhou.

  After some thought, Wang Xu couldn't think of anything to say and casually asked: "You should be over 20 years old now, right? What's your zodiac sign? I've never heard you mention it before."

  "General Wang smiled and said, 'I come from a poor family, my parents died early. If it weren't for my master, I would have starved to death on the streets long ago. Where would I have learned any characters? Moreover, I never thought about these things, nor did my master ever mention them, so we've always just used names to address each other!'"

  Upon hearing Gao Shun's words, Wang Xu immediately felt at ease. No wonder he couldn't find any records of Gao Shun in his previous life!

  But then he caught a glimpse of Gao Shun's eyebrows, and saw that there was a hint of sadness between them. He suddenly realized that he had touched on the other person's sore spot. Immediately, he looked at Gao Shun apologetically and said: "Sorry, I mentioned something that hurts you."

  It was originally just a subconscious sentence of Wang Xu, but Gao Shun's eyes suddenly lit up because of this, staring at him blankly.

  Seeing this, Wang Xu couldn't help but look at himself strangely. "What's wrong? Why are you staring at me?"

  "Oh! Nothing."

  Because it was dark, Wang Xu didn't notice that when Gao Shun said this, his breathing had become slightly urgent and the gaze he directed at him was subtly different.

  He nodded and Wang Xu also stopped talking, his gaze looking back into the distance.

  Thinking of Gao Shun's tragic life, I secretly vowed to change his fate and let this buried unfortunate general shine with the light he deserved...

  After marching for more than a watch in this manner, the army had unknowingly arrived at the mouth of Xiakou Valley. Huangfu Song sent people to scout around and, seeing no danger, ordered the troops to rest in place.

  Wang Xu also dismounted and sat on the snowy ground, quietly adjusting his physical condition. Especially on a snowy day like this, it was quite cold, so he had to get his body moving or else his limbs would stiffen up on the battlefield, and who knows, he might even lose his life.

  Time passed slowly as the crowd warmed up, and after another half hour, a faint glow finally appeared on the western horizon, which had been silent for a long time. The dark sky also flashed with waves of red light.

  The officers and men had just reacted when several orderlies rushed from Huangfu Song's side to the various units of the army, conveying the command for a swift attack.

  Wang Xu also stood up without hesitation, checked his equipment and immediately mounted his horse.

  "Gao Shun, your martial arts skills are exceptional. Soon, Zhou Zhi will be handed over to you. You just need to take care of his safety! Second brother, you must protect Xu Shu more, she has a soft heart and cannot afford any mistakes in this great war!"

  Upon hearing Wang Xu's stern warning, Wang Fei immediately nodded. However, Gao Shun hesitated for a moment before asking somewhat worriedly: "Then who will be responsible for the safety of the military advisor?"

  Upon hearing this, Wang Fei suddenly patted Gao Shun's shoulder heavily and laughed loudly: "Haha! You don't have to worry about that. Don't be fooled by my third brother's elegant appearance, his martial arts skills are even higher than mine!"

  Seeing Wang Fei's expression didn't seem like a joke, Gao Shun suddenly looked at Wang Xu in surprise, but also didn't say anything more.

  The army quickly reformed its ranks and set off at full speed.

  This time, in order to rush to the battlefield quickly, the cavalry had already taken a step ahead as vanguard under the leadership of several generals. Wang Xu and others followed Huang Fu together with the infantry, but their speed was not slow either!

  When Huang Fu Song arrived with the main force, the battlefield had already been fought into a mess. Wang Xu took a distant look and had a general understanding of the current situation.

  The imperial court army was at a disadvantage as expected, and Zhu Jun's more than 20,000 people were clearly ambushed and surrounded on three sides. Fortunately, although the formation had been dispersed, there was no great chaos, but this should be due to Zhu Jun's proper command.

  The vanguard cavalry that had been reinforced earlier then charged into the rear of the Yellow Turbans, but it was clear that the enemy was also prepared. Nearly 20,000 men held them back firmly, and they were unable to achieve the effect of a surprise attack. Faintly, one could still hear the angry roars of General Bao Hong and others.

  At this critical moment on the battlefield, Huangfu Song reacted extremely quickly and swiftly summoned the remaining generals to his side. He went straight to the point: "From the current situation of the battle, our army's night raid plan has completely failed. At present, Gong Wei is being attacked from three sides and is in a state of chaos. If we want to retreat safely, we must disrupt the Yellow Turbans' formation first. And currently, the weakest place of the Yellow Turbans is on their left wing, who dares to lead troops there?"

  Unfortunately, facing Huangfu's expectant gaze, the already silent generals lowered their heads one after another!

  It's not that everyone is afraid of death, but this task is really a bit difficult. The remaining troops are mostly infantry, and even if they can charge in, without superb command, it will not only be ineffective, but also doomed to fail.

  Seeing that everyone was silent, Huangfu Song was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't hesitate and was about to make his own decision. Wang Xu took a deep breath, but suddenly spoke up and said: "General, give me three thousand men, I'll go!"