Chapter Thirty-Six: The Army Sets Out from Changsha

  Upon hearing the commotion outside, the reading voices inside suddenly came to an abrupt halt. Before long, dozens of scholars and young masters rushed out, mostly dressed in brocade and with an air of nobility, clearly from aristocratic families. Of course, there were also many wearing coarse clothes and simple attire, poor students from humble backgrounds, whose gaunt and dark faces evoked sympathy, making one realize that this academy still had poor students.

  He was the first of five elders, with a stern expression and piercing eyes. The pair of bright white eyes seemed like an abyss, giving people a heavy sense of oppression, as if in front of him, no matter how much disguise or pretence, it would be difficult to escape his discerning gaze, as if being seen through.

  "Are you Xu Feng of the Yellow Scarves?" The old man's expression remained calm as he stroked his beard and asked.

  "It's exactly..." Xu Feng smiled slightly and nodded indifferently.

  When Huangfu Song and others arrived at Yingchuan City, the scene before their eyes was shocking. The tall city wall seemed to be stained with blood, covered in bloodstains. The head of Governor Yin Xiuxiu hung high on the city tower, swaying gently in the wind, his unwilling eyes wide open, as if he had been reluctant to leave at the time of his death. The bodies of the dead guards were densely hung on the high walls around, and when they entered the city, it was like entering a ghost town, with an atmosphere of horror and eeriness everywhere.

  Those rich and wealthy families in the city, some died, some were killed, and all the valuable things in their homes were looted by the Yellow Turbans, not even a single grain of rice was left.

  "Xu Sanguang, I swear to flay you alive and break your tendons, chop your corpse into a million pieces. You just wait and see, but hopefully you won't fall into my hands." Huangfu Song's beard and hair were all standing on end, his teeth clenched tightly, and his iron fist was so tense that his fingers had dug deep into the flesh.

  "The general, they didn't take all the money and grain away, but instead divided half of it among the people in the city." The scout sent out returned to report.

  "What a ruthless move." Cao Cao said, unable to hold back his words.

  "General, what should we do?" Zhu Jun looked at Huangfu Song and asked anxiously.

  "Hurry up and attack Yangzhai, we can't let the tragedy of Yingchuan happen again." Huangfu Song said, turning his horse's head, whipping it forward, and rushing towards Yangzhai. This time, Huangfu Song came out with all his might, because Yangzhai was the capital of Yingchuan Prefecture, and he couldn't afford to lose it. If those clans and aristocratic families were slaughtered, even if Huangfu Song had nine lives, it wouldn't be enough. Just the criticism from the officials and dignitaries from various places who were related to those aristocratic families would be unbearable for him. How could he neglect this when General-in-Chief He Jin's power was in Yingchuan?

  "But General, what if Zhou Cang and others counterattack again and besiege Changsha? What should we do?" Cao Cao frowned and asked Huangfu Song to remind him.

  "Hmph, it seems they are the four major armies, coming with a mighty force. However, they are just covering up for Xu Feng's army to deceive people. Who knows, these four major armies might already be in Yangzhai, and it's perfect timing for me to annihilate them all at once." Huangfu Song gritted his teeth and said.

  "But you've left only 5,000 troops and horses to guard Changsha. What if Bo Cai and his men take advantage of the situation and escape? We must be prepared."

  "After being besieged for half a month, do you think the remaining Baosi troops without food and grass supplies can still stir up trouble?" Huangfu Song rebuked Cao Cao with an unsatisfied glare.

  "Ah..." Seeing Huangfu Song's unpleasant expression, Cao Cao had no choice but to shut his mouth. A hint of disappointment flashed across Cao Cao's eyes. This Huangfu Song, although an old general in the court, was impulsive and didn't consider the overall situation. It seems that this battle is going to be tough.

  "General, General Xu has sent someone." Zhou Cang, who was resting on the original land of Hei Hu Mountain, heard the news from Xu Feng and hastily stood up, hurriedly waving his hand and saying "Bring him over quickly."

  "Report, General Xu has successively defeated Yingchuan and Yangzhai. Now is the best time to besiege Changsha, please do not hesitate, General, quickly dispatch troops." The messenger ran up to Zhou Cang, stood on one leg, and replied respectfully.

  "Haha, Xu Feng did a great job! Within five days, he captured two cities and gave Huangfu Song a slap in the face. I've investigated clearly, now there are less than 5,000 soldiers defending Changsha, it's the best time to attack. Quickly pass the order to the other three routes of the army, form a siege, tomorrow at noon surround Changsha and rescue General Bo." Zhou Cang hastily ordered.

  "Roger..." The orderly responded and hurried off to make preparations.

  "Tell the brothers, we'll set out for Changsha in half a watch." Rubbing his large hands together, Zhou Cang excitedly laughed and said "I've been cooped up for several days, my big knife is almost rusty!"

  "Alright, the time for a stick of incense has arrived, you guys, take action." After half a stick of incense's worth of tense confrontation, Zhang Fei had already grown impatient. If Xu Feng hadn't given the order to wait until after one stick of incense's worth of time, Zhang Fei would have hated to give the order to start fighting early.

  "How dare you?" The head of the Yuan family saw Zhang Fei's men rushing forward and was so frightened that he hastily shouted to stop them.

  "You old rascal, you've talked too much!" Zhang Fei suddenly roared, his snake spear shooting out like a javelin, whizzing through the air with a whoosh, and with a thud, it pierced deep into the neck of Yuan's family head, killing him on the spot.

  "As the cold voice of Zhang Fei came, hundreds of Yellow Turbans shouted in unison, drew their swords and spears, and charged towards the Yuan family's many guards to kill them."

  The two sides clashed, their eyes locked in a fierce stare. Zhang Fei, empty-handed and unarmed, suddenly picked up a stone bench from the ground and hurled it at his opponents. The massive stone bench, weighing hundreds of pounds, flew through the air with incredible speed and force, accompanied by a chilling scream that sent shivers down the spines of all who heard it. In an instant, five or six enemy soldiers were crushed to death beneath its impact, their bodies splattered across the ground like rag dolls. The once-spotless floor was now awash in a sea of blood, brains, bile, stomach acid, and even feces, all mixed together in a gruesome, nightmarish spectacle that seemed to stretch on forever.

  "I've had enough of your nonsense for half a day, I'm fed up! Brothers, kill them all without leaving one alive!" Zhang Fei shouted as he charged into the crowd.

  "Look at the knife." The two men, one on the left and one on the right, swung their knives towards Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei leaned back, kicked both feet in a circular motion, knocking the two to the ground. Immediately after, he did a fish-leap jump, stood up again, and with his fists, one on the left and one on the right, pounded the chests of the two men who were lying on the ground.

  "Ka ka..." A sound of broken ribs came, in the face of Zhang Fei's brute force, the two men's chests seemed to be made of tofu and couldn't withstand a single blow. With one strike from Zhang Fei, their ribs collapsed and their breastbones were completely shattered.

  "Haha, Xu Feng's fist and footwork are really useful, it's so powerful!" He sent the two back to Grandma's house, looking at the two who closed their eyes unwillingly, Zhang Fei said to himself. Following Xu Feng for many days, Zhang Fei had not learned less about Xu Feng's fist and footwork. Since the last time he fought with Xu Feng, Zhang Fei had been paying attention to Xu Feng's fist and footwork. Every time Xu Feng practiced martial arts, he would take the opportunity to observe and pay attention secretly. Of course, Xu Feng didn't mind this at all, his subordinates' skills were enhanced, which was not a bad thing.