Chapter 41: The petty man Cao Ren pays his respects to the commander-in-chief

  Jun Yuqiong's more than a dozen personal soldiers rushed up with great momentum, wanting to take Zhou Jian down on the spot.

  "Huh?"

  "Hmph!"

  Dian Wei and Xu Chu, two evil men with round eyes staring, let out a loud hum, and took a step forward in unison.

  "Take down this general as well."

  Sun Quan drew his sword and let out a loud roar, not taking Tian Feng and Xu Chu seriously at all, they were just two insignificant soldiers.

  The imperial guards were arrogant and domineering, and with the general's order, they didn't take Zhang Fei and Xu Chu seriously, swinging their swords to chop them down.

  "Looking for death."

  Dian Wei, this evil man, could no longer hold back, and suddenly pounced forward, his iron fists flying.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Ah! Ah! Ah!

  A loud rumbling sound and a miserable cry almost sounded at the same time, and several bodyguards were directly blown off the point-landing platform.

  Xu Chu, this fierce warrior, took a swift step forward and swooped down in front of Chunyu Qiong, picking him up as if he were a small chicken. He then strode back to Zhou Jian's side and asked, "My lord, how should we deal with this scoundrel?"

  "How dare you, a lowly servant, to be so presumptuous and overstep your bounds."

  Zhang Liao's face turned green with rage, his eyes bulging as he let out a loud roar, but in Xu Chu's grasp, he was like a three-year-old child, completely unable to resist.

  Zhou Jian glanced at Chun Yuqiong, his eyes flashing with a cold killing intent, then lifted one foot and kicked Chun Yuqiong's abdomen with moderate force, before waving his hand to let Xu Chu release him.

  Killing such a fool is of no benefit, and killing him will also cause trouble.

  Fighting is prohibited in the barracks, let alone killing people.

  However, although it can't kill a person, it must be punished, and cannot always be bothered by flies.

  Zhou Jian's kick was neither light nor heavy, seemingly without much force, and now he can't feel any pain, but after a few days, it will take effect, and it will definitely make Chun Yuqiong suffer for ten days or half a month.

  "Zhou Jian, you little kid, General will not let you go."

  Sun Yuqiong's face turned purple, his eyes almost spewing fire, but he didn't dare to make another move. A good man doesn't take advantage of the situation in front of him, so he could only drop a ruthless remark and lead more than ten of his personal soldiers who had been beaten off the stage to slink away with their tails between their legs.

  Zhou Jian snorted, "The imperial court has appointed such a mediocre person as a general. It's really not good news for the soldiers."

  Nanyang, Wancheng.

  Tens of thousands of people wearing yellow turbans, shouting slogans "The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky will rise", surrounded Wan City, and under the incitement of the Yellow Turban leader, launched a desperate attack on Wan City.

  The sound of mourning fills the fields, blood stains the sky for a long time.

  The Yellow Turbans, although numbering tens of thousands, lacked weapons, armor and siege engines. Facing the high walls and thick gates of Wan City, they could only use their fragile lives to fill the wide moat, and the originally clear water of the moat had already been dyed red.

  Despite this, the desperate Yellow Turbans continued to launch suicidal charges without hesitation.

  Yellow Turban Rebel Rear Guard

  Zhang Mancheng rode a tall horse, standing solemnly on a mound of earth, majestically watching the army attack the city. To his left and right were over a hundred personal guards, each wearing leather armor and holding sharp blades, far more elite than the rioters who attacked the city with wooden swords, bamboo spears, iron hoes, and other farm tools. At least in terms of equipment, they could barely be considered excellent.

  Wan City is a famous strong city, with high walls and thick walls, the moat is very wide, it's hard to break through.

  Tens of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels took turns attacking in waves, continuously and fiercely for three days, but still could not break the city.

  As the army attacked from morning till afternoon but still couldn't break into the city, Zhang Mancheng's face turned extremely unsightly.

  "Report, General——"

  Not far away, a Yellow Turban rebel leader rushed over and shouted: "General, our brothers have suffered heavy casualties. Why not order the army to retreat, rest for a night, and attack the city again tomorrow?"

  "Hey!"

  Zhang Mancheng swung his left arm fiercely and reluctantly said: "Pass on the order, withdraw the troops."

  "Roger."

  The Yellow Turbans' leader loudly acknowledged the order and hastily galloped away.

  Just as Zhang Mancheng was about to ride back to camp, another horseman came galloping from a distance.

  Report!

  Riding up hastily, he said loudly: "I report to the Master, Cao Ren of Pei State has led an army of 8,000 men to surrender."

  "Are you from Pei Guo?"

  Zhang Mancheng was taken aback and exclaimed: "How did a person from Pei State's Qiao County end up in Nanyang?"

  The messenger bandit scratched his head, "This little man also doesn't know."

  Next to him, a military strategist with the appearance of a dog's head turned his eyes and thought: "If it is a friendly army coming to surrender, it must be that the great general's prestige has spread far and wide, and has already reached the land of Pei. The general might as well take in all their troops and order them to attack the city the next day."

  Zhang Mancheng's eyes lit up and he said loudly: "Good, quickly summon that person to come to the central military tent for an audience."

  "Roger."

  The messenger immediately responded and left.

  Zhang Mancheng had just returned to the main tent of the central army when a messenger came to report that Cao Ren, from Pei State, had arrived.

  Zhou Wu wore a suit of leather armor, with a yellow scarf wrapped around his head, and his face was slightly altered. He strode into the central army commander's tent, bowed to Zhang Mancheng who sat high on the case table: "Your humble servant, Cao Ren from Pei State, pays respects to the Grand Commander."

  Zhang Mancheng stroked his beard and asked in a deep voice, "Cao Ren, you are from Pei State, why have you come to Nanyang to join me?"

  Zhou Wu replied: "I have long heard of the great general's mighty name and have come to offer my services."

  "Hmm!"

  Zhang Mancheng's face had a pleased expression, and he thought to himself that the commander's prestige and fame had indeed spread to Pei Guo, and even people from Pei Guo were coming to surrender. As long as they could capture Wan Cheng, this strong fortress, they would surely become famous far and wide. Bo Cai and Peng Tuo were nothing but ordinary men, how could they be compared to the commander?

  Only when a great and virtuous teacher gains control of the world will enfeoffment as a marquis and appointment as a chancellor be considered beneath him.

  Thinking of delightful things, I couldn't help but feel elated.

  Zhang Mancheng said: "Very well, I hereby appoint you as a general, and you can lead your troops to follow my command in front of my tent."

  "I will obey orders."

  Zhou Wu hastily bowed again and accepted the order, but in his heart he was coldly laughing repeatedly.

  The next day, they attacked the city, and Zhang Mancheng indeed ordered Zhou Wu's unit to be the vanguard, rushing to attack the city first.

  Zhou Wu did not say much more and readily accepted the order. He went to appoint generals, personally leading his two thousand Yellow Turban rebel troops to attack Wan City.

  As soon as they came out of the main tent, Chen Liang couldn't help but scold: "Zhang Mancheng this villain, obviously saw that we have 8,000 troops under our command, and not being his confidant, thought to take advantage of the opportunity to weaken our power, how dare he!"

  Another attendant said coldly, "What's the point of talking nonsense? Completing Young Master's task is what matters. As long as we kill Chu Gong, if that Zhang Mancheng doesn't know his place, find an opportunity to get rid of him."

  Chen Liang nodded and said, "So be it, let that fellow live a few more days first."

  Zhou Wu said in a low voice: "Alright, go and count the troops quickly, take down Wan City as soon as possible, and capture and execute Zhang Gong."

  "Roger."

  The crowd of followers immediately responded with a clang and went to adjust the troops.

  Soon, the 8,000 troops were divided into three parts and launched an attack on Wan City from the east, south, and north gates.

  The eight thousand troops led by Zhou Wu and his nine followers were different from other Yellow Turban rebels in that they had no old or weak soldiers, nearly half of the rebels were equipped with cavalry sabers, and there were also hundreds of suits of leather armor.

  Nanyang is rich in fine iron, and its smelting and casting techniques are famous throughout the land. Many wealthy families even secretly purchase iron armor to equip their private soldiers.

  Zhou Wu killed his way to Nanyang, and after breaking through several cities, he not only absorbed the troops of several small canal commanders but also searched for a large number of weapons and armor from the armories of various counties to equip these chaotic armies.

  Not only that, after Zhou Wu opened the granary and distributed food, he also sent away the old and weak, and had them return to continue farming. He selected the strong and able-bodied, organized them into units, and imposed strict discipline on them. As a result, the 8,000-strong army not only consisted entirely of robust soldiers but also had stricter discipline than other rebel armies.

  Zhang Mancheng gazed at the rear troops, and his eyes suddenly showed a strong sense of envy. He sighed and said: "This is indeed an elite force! I didn't expect Cao Ren to be quite capable of leading troops. The 8,000 soldiers under his command are not inferior to our own elite troops!"

  "General, how can you say that? Although Cao Ren is quite capable of leading troops, compared to the General, he's still a minor sorcerer in front of a great one. The General has 5,000 elite soldiers under his command, each one able to hold off a hundred men. How can Cao Ren's ragtag army compare?"

  The generals around him immediately flattered him like a courtier, and they all praised Zhou Wu and highly commended Zhang Mancheng.

  Zhang Mancheng felt comfortable all over and smiled with joy, nodding his head repeatedly: "These words are excellent, these words are excellent."

  In an instant, the war drum sounded like a thunderclap in the sky and on earth.

  The 8,000-strong troops, led by the attendants, formed a neat formation and launched a fierce attack on the east, south and north gates of Wan City.

  The garrison of Wan City had only over 3,000 troops. After several rounds of fierce battles, they had already suffered heavy casualties. Moreover, the military equipment and supplies were also depleted due to lax preparations.

  Zhou Wu personally led four thousand troops and launched the most violent attack from the North Gate.

  The garrison of Wan City has only a thousand or so remaining soldiers, with low morale. If Zhang Mancheng had not ordered the troops to retreat earlier, the city would have been breached long ago. Even with the help of private soldiers from powerful families, they could not withstand the fierce attack of tens of thousands of rebels.

  Zhou Wu had already put on a suit of iron armor, holding up a thick wooden shield, and personally led five followers and more than 100 well-equipped men with leather armor and steel knives, braving the sparse wooden beams and bricks falling from the top of the city wall, climbing up the cloud ladder to the top of the city wall.

  "Kill."

  Zhou Wu Meng leapt onto the city wall, let out a loud cry, and with one vigorous slash of his knife, cut down the three approaching county soldiers into six pieces, clearing a landing spot for the five followers climbing up behind him and over a hundred Yellow Turbans.

  "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

  Five attendants jumped onto the city gate, quickly occupied the gate tower, and joined forces with Zhou Wu to swiftly kill more than a dozen county soldiers who were rushing over. The Yellow Turbans behind them climbed up the ladder and soon climbed to the top of the city wall, engaging in fierce battle with the defending county soldiers.

  These more than a hundred sturdy men were the elite troops handpicked by Zhou Wu from his eight thousand soldiers, not only were they strong and powerful, but their weapons were also of high quality, and they were far superior to those weak and feeble old men who carried wooden swords, bamboo spears and farm tools.

  The northern gate's forces were originally not many, and Zhou Wu brought five followers and over a hundred brave warriors to personally capture the city. The several hundred county and national soldiers had already been disheartened, seeing the Yellow Turbans' attack was so fierce, they immediately retreated step by step, soon collapsing into chaos.

  Although Zhou Wu cannot become a top-notch general, under Zhou Jian's careful cultivation, he can fight evenly with Jiang Qin, which shows his bravery. The five followers are not much worse, personally killing the enemy and capturing the city, it can be said that they are like tigers entering a flock of sheep.

  "Open the city gate."

  Zhou Wu cut off the suspension bridge's rope with one knife, and before the bridge fell, he shouted loudly towards the sky with his horizontal knife.

  "Boom!"

  With a loud crash, the heavy drawbridge fell heavily onto the bridge piers of the moat.

  "Roger."

  Two attendants immediately led dozens of red-eyed Yellow Turbans down from the city head and rushed towards the city gate.