Chapter 45: Seize It As Your Own
Xiahou Dun reluctantly left with his guards, a sharp glint in Wang Lei's eyes.
This Xiahou Dun is not simple!
Wang Lei and Xiahou Dun's conversation was completely humiliating, especially the two horses given, which can be said to be a humiliation for Xiahou Dun. However, Xiahou Dun remained calm and composed, accepting Wang Lei's gift of the two horses, and leaving with his guards in a tranquil manner. Such magnanimity is not something ordinary people can achieve, truly worthy of being Cao Cao's left and right arm.
On the battlefield, soon only Wang Xue and his party were left.
The soldiers of the Tiger Troop suffered minor casualties, with fewer than 20 killed and less than 50 wounded.
It was the soldiers of Xinshi County who suffered over a hundred losses, with even more wounded. At first, the soldiers of Xinshi County were caught in the pincer attack by Xiahou Dun and Liu Bei, suffering heavy casualties, while Wang Yue came out later to rescue the soldiers of Xinshi County who had been killed. Wang Yue glanced at Pan Feng's dead body, immediately withdrew his gaze, and didn't take it to heart.
So far, Wang Lei still does not know that the dead person is Pan Feng, and only thinks that a very insignificant small role has died. The military governor of a county cannot enter Wang Lei's eyes.
"My lord, the battle is over. Please dispatch soldiers to escort us and the war horses back to Xinshi County. Once we return to Xinshi County, I, the county magistrate of Xinshi, will surely express my gratitude."
Plucking up his courage once again, he spoke out.
Wang Lei did not answer directly, but instead asked: "Brother, what's your surname?"
Tun Chang replied: "Reporting to Your Excellency, my humble name is Ma Yuan!"
"Ma Yuan, that's a good name. If I'm not mistaken, one of the founding fathers of the Guangwu Emperor was also named Ma Yuan. Your name is great, but your suggestion is terrible. Wuji County has just been attacked by the Black Mountain bandits and this official doesn't have enough troops to escort the war horses to Xinshi County. Moreover, you've suffered heavy losses and can't protect these war horses either. Therefore, this official will send all the war horses back to Wuji County for now."
Wang Lei hummed and ordered: "Typical Sima, escort the war horses back to Wuji County, set off immediately!"
Dian Wei was extremely excited, with a wave of his hand, he immediately took action.
Ma Yuan worried about his situation when he returned to Xinshi County, knowing that if he didn't bring back the war horses, his situation would be dire. He spoke loudly again: "Sir, you can't do this, these are the war horses of Xinshi County."
"Hmm..."
Wang Lei stared at Ma Yuan, hummed, his expression was cold and solemn, his eyes were like knives.
Ah!!!
A black gold snake spear lay across his chest, and a formless pressure instantly spread out.
Ma Yuan was so frightened that he retreated two steps in a row, and even Ma Yuan worried that Wang Yue would stab him with a spear.
Wang Lei said: "The official's order is not to be doubted, you go back to Xinshi County."
"Roger!"
Ma Yuan did not dare to refute again, and cupped his fists: "Sir, I bid farewell!" He immediately gathered the new city county soldiers under his command, and reluctantly looked at the majestic and sturdy war horses, with sorrow in his eyes. He had no choice but to leave. Although Ma Yuan knew that he would be punished by the county magistrate this time, he could only go back. The person in front of him was not someone he dared to provoke, nor could he afford to provoke.
Ma Yuan led his horse away, and the soldiers from Xinshi County followed closely behind, disappearing from Wang Lei's line of sight.
Dian Wei was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear as he watched the warhorses return. This batch had yielded six hundred warhorses, a huge profit. These warhorses were enough to equip Wang Yue's soldiers and would be a symbol of Wang Yue's rise in Wujun County.
……
Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led their troops northward, only stopping after they had gone far away from the battlefield.
At this time, Guan Yu's face turned red and he couldn't help but cough.
Liu Bei stopped and asked with concern: "Second brother, how is your body?"
Guan Yu shook his head slightly, with a resolute expression, and said: "Thank you for your concern, brother. I've only suffered a minor injury, nothing serious. Let's continue on our way. If the county magistrate of Miao County leads his troops to pursue us again, it will be very unfavorable for us."
Liu Bei said: "He will be slowed down by his war horses after winning and won't be able to catch up."
Guan Yu let out a light sigh and said with shame: "It's all Guan Yu's incompetence, dragging down my brother. If I could defeat that black-faced man holding the large iron halberd, with our three brothers' abilities, we would definitely be able to turn the situation around in one move. Our soldiers are too few, and we can't even kill their generals, so we can only lose."
Liu Bei called over his soldiers and ordered: "Halt the advance, rest in place."
Orders were given, and Liu Bei supported Guan Yu to sit down, saying: "Second brother, this defeat is not your fault, but my own lack of strength. Even if we are defeated, if I still have soldiers who can fight in my hands, at this time, leading the army to quietly kill back, must be able to kill the county magistrate of Niuji County by surprise, and then recover the war horses. Unfortunately... after this battle, our troops under our command were reduced again, and there are less than 70 people left."
As he spoke, he looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and said with a sigh: "Yunchang and Yide were both tigers among the heroes of their time, with outstanding martial arts skills. Unfortunately, they followed me wandering around, and until now, they still haven't found a place to settle down. Liu Bei is really incompetent!"
He was overcome with grief, and tears welled up in his eyes. Thinking of himself as a proud descendant of the Liu family, he had fallen to the point of being a foot soldier, strengthening the war horses for the imperial court, and still hadn't succeeded, the humiliation in his heart can be imagined.
That hint of sadness is hard to erase.
Slight melancholy infected Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.
Zhang Fei's expression fell, but he encouraged himself: "As long as we brothers work together with one heart, we will surely create a great career."
Guan Yu calmed the wound in his heart and said slowly: "To achieve great things, one must suffer greatly. Brother, reviving the Han dynasty is a very difficult task. But as long as you don't give up, with my help and Yide's, we will surely succeed."
"Yes, it will definitely be successful."
Liu Bei gritted his teeth and his expression became firm.
Three people looked at each other and put their hands together, holding endless hope.
……
Xiahou Dun led his troops away, and after they were far from the battlefield, his face turned completely dark.
Xiahou Yuan walked beside Xiahou Dun, although Xiahou Dun didn't say a word, he truly felt the anger hidden in Xiahou Dun's heart. Xiahou Yuan said: "Brother, don't be angry about what happened earlier, even if we had the upper hand, it would have been impossible to give up our warhorses. We can only blame ourselves for being weak, if we were strong, today's events wouldn't have occurred."
Xiahou Dun nodded and said, "I understand the reasoning, but the county magistrate of Wujun is not a big man, but he is cunning and difficult to deal with. This time we only got two horses, but our men lost nearly twenty people, what a pity!"
Xiahou Yuan said: "Things have come to this, elder brother need not worry."
"Never mind, let's go back to Yanzhou."
Xiahou Dun's mood was gloomy, and he slapped the horse's back with his hand. The warhorse was in pain, and it suddenly galloped forward with its four hooves, instantly running to the front. The guards under his command began to speed up their advance.
