Chapter 58: Xi Chang Presents a Plan to Seize Military Power

  Cao Cao and Zhou Jian led their troops in a frantic retreat into the valley, at first glance, it seemed as if they were being slaughtered with no way to escape.

  Peng Duo rushed to the front of the array and saw that the government army had escaped into the valley. Without thinking, he charged in head-on.

  A yellow turbaned bandit riding a thin horse behind him wanted to stop and look around, but was squeezed by the surging yellow turbaned bandits behind him and was forced to rush into the valley, unable to stop at all, and could only grit his teeth and charge forward.

  Peng Tuo chased for a while and found something was wrong.

  After turning over a mountain pass, the road ahead was blocked by a small hill-like woodpile. The government army, which was fleeing in disarray, quickly climbed up the two sides of the mountain wall and began to re-form their ranks.

  "Not good, I've been tricked."

  Beng Tuo had not yet become so stupid that he was beyond salvation, and a thought suddenly burst forth in his mind, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

  "Quickly, withdraw, quickly withdraw."

  Peng didn't have time to think carefully whether there was an ambush in the valley and hurriedly shouted loudly.

  But it's too late now.

  Just then, a shocking drumbeat suddenly exploded, and Peng Tudi's courage was shattered in an instant.

  In a flash, countless government soldiers emerged from the high cliffs around them like ghosts, their taut bows already drawn full moon-like.

  "Fire the arrow."

  A thunderous shout pierced through the clouds, even the deafening sound of war drums couldn't cover it up.

  The next step was a dense and heavy rain of arrows that poured down on the Yellow Turban rebels.

  Following the arrow rain, countless logs and stones were rolled down, as well as numerous fire arrows. The small hill-like woodpile that blocked the road was quickly doused with oil and ignited in an instant, a raging fire burst forth, instantly blocking the path ahead.

  The Yellow Turban rebels who had charged into the valley were instantly thrown into confusion and panic spread rapidly.

  "Oh no, my eyes."

  One of the Yellow Turbans was hit in the eye by a strong arrow, and just as he let out a miserable cry, he was struck on the head by a heavy boulder that fell from the sky, his skull bursting open like a pomegranate, splashing blood and brains all over another Yellow Turban nearby.

  In this case, the psychological terror was more deadly to the Yellow Turbans than the strong arrows of the government army. The scattered and panicked Yellow Turban rebels ran around in all directions, trying to find a place to hide, but it was too late.

  The chaotic troops behind didn't know what was going on and were still rushing in non-stop.

  The Yellow Turbans in front wanted to escape from the valley, crowded together in twos and trampled each other to death, and countless rioters died.

  Just as the Yellow Turban rebels realized what was happening and were about to flee, a cavalry force suddenly cut into the rebel army from the side, cutting off the disorganized rebels in the middle.

  Following the 3,000 cavalrymen, the 5,000 government infantrymen quickly arrived at the mouth of the valley and took advantage of the terrain to trap the Yellow Turbans who had already charged into the valley.

  The Yellow Turban rebels had many people and momentum, but the roads at Guandu were narrow and they could not take advantage of their superior numbers.

  Three thousand cavalrymen broke through the enemy's array and quickly reorganized, then turned around and charged into the rebel army's rear array which had already become a mess.

  The rebel rear guard was quickly routed and fled in disarray, scattering all over the mountains.

  In the trough.

  The raging fire has completely burned away the Yellow Turbans' courage, and the tens of thousands of rebels who fled into the valley are in a state of utter chaos.

  The Yellow Turban rebels were just a mob of rioters, in desperate situations, who would care about military orders or not, they were desperately looking for a place to hide, and no one cared about the life or death of General Peng.

  "Get back here, all of you damn well get back here."

  As he watched his loyal guards scatter, Peng's face turned red with rage and he bellowed: "You bunch of bastards, how dare you abandon me and run away? I'll wipe out your entire clan!"

  Before he had finished speaking, a wooden club came crashing down.

  Peng dodged hastily, but before he could steady himself, a strong gust of wind sounded from behind him. As he quickly turned to avoid it, a blue stone came crashing down from the sky and struck him with great force, causing his head to shatter like a watermelon.

  On the high platform.

  "Huang Fu's eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and he suddenly said: 'Pass the order, Cao Cao and Zhou Jian, the two generals, will gather their troops and swiftly bypass the mountain cliffs and dense forests on both wings to pursue the rebels who have not yet entered the valley. They must be determined to annihilate the rebels, lest the dying embers reignite.'"

  "Understood."

  The guards immediately responded with a loud shout and rushed down at once.

  Huang Fu Song again said to Zhu Yun: "The time to defeat Peng Tuo's rebel army is now, General Wei should join me in commanding the great army, and we will annihilate all the rebels in one fell swoop. Only then can Chen Guo and Ru Nan be pacified!"

  "It's about time."

  May 7th, Guangxu year.

  Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun defeated the enemy ten times, successfully luring Peng Tuo's rebel army into an ambush, annihilating Peng Tuo's rebel army in one battle. The more than 40,000 Yellow Turban rebels who were lured into the valley were almost all killed or wounded, with less than a thousand escaping alive.

  The rear army was also heavily killed and wounded under the pursuit of Cao Cao and Zhou Jian, with more than 10,000 captured and several thousand beheaded. Only a few thousand defeated soldiers led by Peng Tuo's generals escaped into the mountains, which can be called a great victory.

  The thirty thousand Yellow Turbans who were captured also did not escape the fate of being killed, and were beheaded by order of Huangfu Song.

  The Peng Ze rebels were soon defeated, and Huangfu Song and Zhu Yi immediately led their troops south to recover Chen State, Ruyang, Nandun and other counties within a few days, defeating the remaining rebel forces. They then sent an urgent horse to Luoyang to expedite the transportation of grain and supplies, while ordering the main army to rest and regroup, awaiting the arrival of food and fodder before advancing west to attack the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang.

  Nanyang, Wancheng.

  Just after Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun's army broke through Changping, the Yellow Turbans of Nanyang were also undergoing a reshuffle.

  Deep house with big yard, inner courtyard and wing rooms.

  Zhou Wu sat on the ground in front, with nine attendants lined up on both sides, each with a spirited expression.

  Xi Chang sat in the corner of the lower seat, calm and composed, with a faintly bitter expression on his face.

  Zhou Wu glanced at the entourage and Xi Chang, then spoke up: "Alright, Li Qi has brought the young master's orders. Everyone, let's discuss how we can swallow up other Yellow Turban leaders' troops before Huangfu Song and Zhu Yue lead their armies to quell the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang, and complete the task entrusted by the young master."

  Chen Liang was the first to speak up: "Zhang Mancheng is an incompetent, with over a million troops under his command, but they don't belong to him, and there are dozens of big and small leaders. I think we can start by taking out some of the weaker leaders and absorbing their troops."

  Another attendant said, "It's not difficult to swallow up those small and weak leaders, but the problem is that these small leaders have only a few thousand people under their command at most, and a few hundred people at least. If we go to collect them one by one, I'm afraid time will not permit."

  Chen Liang's eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and he said coldly: "Why not just take out Zhao Hong directly? He has the most men under him, a full 50,000 troops! If we can get rid of Zhao Hong and swallow up his forces, we'll be able to complete the task entrusted by the young master."

  Zhou Wu nodded and said, "Not bad, I also mean that. Zhao Hong has been a bit lawless lately, I think Zhang Mancheng has already had the intention to kill him, this is a good opportunity."

  Everyone immediately began discussing it in a flurry of voices.

  Zhou Wu listened for a while, then suddenly turned his head and asked Xi Chang, who was sitting in the corner, "Xi Chang, what do you think?"

  Xie Chang said calmly, "This matter is easy. With the bravery of each leader, killing Zhao Hong is like killing a dog, which is not difficult at all. As for Zhang Mancheng, just diverting the disaster to the east can not only make Zhang Mancheng and Zhao Hong's troops lose heart, but also make Cao leader get all of Zhao Hong's troops."

  Zhou Wu's eyes narrowed and he said in a deep voice: "What is meant by 'disaster water flowing east'?"

  Xie Chang's expression was calm and collected, and he lightly said a few words of calculation, which made Zhou Wu and others repeatedly applaud and praise.

  But...

  Zhou Wu swept a glance at Xi Chang, thinking to himself that this guy's plan was truly vicious. If it really succeeded, not only could he make Han Zhong's and Zhao Hong's troops fight each other, but also eliminate the many troubles of incorporating Zhang Hong's troops into his own, killing two birds with one stone.

  I've long felt that this guy Chang isn't an ordinary person, and it turns out he really has some genuine skills.

  Such a talent, if it cannot be used by the young master, should be killed as soon as possible to eliminate future troubles.

  In fact, Zhou Wu had never thought of letting Xi Chang go from the very beginning, so when discussing important matters, he also specially called out Xi Chang and revealed some insignificant inside information to him, in order to eliminate his intention to escape.

  With this fellow's cleverness, he should also be able to guess his own intention.

  Xie Chang had long since witnessed the ferocity of this group of rebels and had indeed guessed Zhou Wu's intentions, knowing that they would not let him go. There was only one thing he couldn't understand.

  This group of rebels seems to have been ordered by someone to come to Nanyang as a spy among the rebels, and is also a courtier.

  It's just...

  Zhou Wu only revealed some insignificant trivial matters, as for the things that really need to be kept confidential, of course, he wouldn't let Xi Chang, an outsider, know everything. This basic confidentiality discipline is something that even the twenty attendants understand.

  Xie Chang couldn't help but wonder who would be so bold and daring, to actually dare to go against the will of heaven and earth, and get involved with the court's rebels, knowing that once the matter is exposed, it would be a crime punishable by the extinction of nine generations.

  As for the names used by these traitors, Xi Chang had long known that they were all pseudonyms and their true names were unknown.

  In any case, the person behind the scenes must have had great ambitions.

  Xie Chang knew that these rebels would never let him go, no matter what. If he tried to escape and was caught, they might even kill him on the spot. So he temporarily surrendered to the rebel camp, and in order to save his own life, when Zhou Wu asked him questions, he had to come up with a plan. After all, it was just a case of dogs biting dogs, and even if more people died, they were all rebels, what did it have to do with him?

  Compared with one's own life, what does it matter if a few people die, especially when they are Yellow Turban rebels.

  Xie Chang, despite his noble name, had no ideals or ambitions that considered the welfare of all living things. He was not a gentleman, and when his own life was threatened, he chose to sacrifice others without hesitation.

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