Chapter 63: Guan Zhang, The Brave Warrior

  When Huangfu Song led his army northward to Dongjun, Zhu Huan also led a large army to attack Nanyang.

  Wancheng

  Zhou Wu's face was cold and stern as he gathered his nine followers to discuss the matter.

  Xie Chang sat in the corner, his face cold and calm, but he was also secretly anxious. The Zhu Yan army was about to arrive at Nanyang, and even if they couldn't break through Wan City for the time being, the Yellow Turbans of Nanyang wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

  If we can't escape from the bandit camp before Huangjin in Nanyang is defeated, the consequences will be unthinkable.

  However, Cao Ren considered himself to be in a very precarious situation and wanted to escape, but it was almost impossible.

  Zhou Wu glanced at the nine followers and Xi Chang, and said in a low voice: "Brother Zhou Sheng has already passed on the young master's order. The Yellow Turban rebels in Dongjun are very powerful, and Huangfu Song has led his army northward. Zhu Huan's large army is marching straight to Nanyang. Although there are less than 20,000 soldiers under Zhu Huan's command, the Yellow Turban rebels along the line from Yingchuan, Runan to Chennan have been defeated, and the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang will not last long either. For now, our only option is to follow the young master's order, lead the troops to flee into the mountains and forests, preserve our strength as much as possible, and wait for an opportunity."

  Chen Liangdao said: "Nanyang has many mountains, just find a mountain and occupy it as king."

  Li Qi said, "No, Nanyang has many mountains, but an army of 50-60,000 is not a small number. Moreover, half of them are old, weak, women and children, without food, how can we support these 50-60,000 people?"

  Zhou Wudao said, "What Li Qi said is not wrong. Five or six hundred thousand people are not a small number, and going out to plunder is very inconvenient. Moreover, relying solely on plundering, it is indeed impossible to support these five or six hundred thousand people."

  There is also a retainer who says: "It is possible to order the elderly, weak, women and children to open up wasteland and cultivate it, so as to obtain some food."

  The rest of the entourage also expressed their own views and opinions.

  Zhou Wu listened to a round, and there was no foolproof strategy. He couldn't help but frown deeply. Having no choice, he turned his head to ask Xichang in the corner who had not spoken a word, "Xichang, what do you think?"

  Xie Chang said calmly: "Wanting to preserve one's strength is actually not difficult."

  Zhou Wu's spirit lifted, and he said, "Please speak."

  Xie Chang said, "Nanyang has many mountains, and each of you leaders can lead 5,000 to 6,000 men and horses, separately fleeing into the various mountain forests. When spring arrives, we will open up the mountains as fields, cultivate and live off the land. In our free time, we can each lead our troops out to plunder and obtain some food, so it should not come to a point where we run out of grain."

  Zhou Wu slapped his thigh and said, "This plan is excellent. With so many mountains in Nanyang, if we divide the 50,000 to 60,000 troops into ten units and have them scatter into various mountain forests, it will be much more convenient for us to launch surprise attacks from outside. As long as we cultivate some more grain, we can sustain ourselves."

  Li Qi then worriedly said: "If we are separated, I fear that there will be many inconveniences in our communication."

  After some deliberation, Zhou Wu said resolutely: "Although it's inconvenient to split up, it's better than waiting to starve to death. To be cautious, we must communicate with each other every half month. When going out to plunder, we must notify each other in advance to avoid being attacked by the government army one by one. Also, we can only plunder the rich and not harm innocent civilians, otherwise, Gongzi will not tolerate it."

  "We understand."

  Nine attendants spoke in unison.

  Xie Chang was slightly surprised and did not expect that these bandits would have a good conscience, still thinking of the people at this time, it's really rare.

  At that time, the ten people decided on their respective areas of descent and mountains and forests, and immediately dispersed quickly. Taking advantage of the opportunity to go out and plunder, each led five or six thousand horses and men to leave Wan City and flee into the mountains and forests to become bandits.

  Xi Chang never found an opportunity to escape and was taken away by Zhou Wu.

  As for Nanyang, it was completely handed over to Han Zhong, letting Han Zhong go and resist Zhu You's large army.

  Guǎngzōng

  Fifty thousand Han troops formed an iron wall around them, while over a hundred thousand Yellow Turban rebels were trapped and besieged in the isolated city.

  Since the army had besieged Guangzong at the end of May, Lu Zhi ordered the main force to encircle the city and dig trenches and build watchtowers, while also building a large number of siege engines, waiting for everything to be ready before continuing, then taking the city in one fell swoop.

  Half a month later, the defensive works were completed.

  Lu Zhi ascended the platform and pointed, 50,000 troops day and night without stopping alternately launched fierce attacks, fighting for more than a month without falling.

  Guangzong was the stronghold of the Taiping Dao, where Zhang Jiao had operated for decades. The over 100,000 rebels in the city were not as elite or skilled in battle as the government troops, but they were more elite than the rebel armies of Bo Cai and Peng Tuo.

  Moreover, Guangzong City has high walls and thick defenses, with defensive works that are also well-maintained. Furthermore, more than 100,000 Yellow Turban rebels have all made up their minds to fight to the death, resisting fiercely. With Lu Zhi's troops being too few, it is impossible to break through the city.

  Three drums sounded, and the Han army formed a circular formation.

  Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi rode their horses side by side to the front of the formation, gazing up at the rebel troops on the city wall.

  Lu Zhi pointed to the head of Guangzong City and said to Huangfu Song: "Yizhen, look at Guangzong City, its walls are strong and solid. Zhang Jiao has been operating in Guangzong for decades, and his defensive works are perfect. Moreover, there are more than 100,000 rebel soldiers with a firm determination. Our army is small, and it's not a good strategy to attack the city with weak forces. If we launch a strong attack, it will only result in losing our troops."

  Huangfu Song nodded in deep agreement, "Zi Gan's words are excellent. Zhang Jiao is the leader of the Yellow Turban rebels and cannot be compared to ordinary bandits like Bo Cai and Peng Tuo. However, Guangzong is the main base of the Yellow Turban rebels. If we can capture Guangzong, the Yellow Turban rebellion will be pacified overnight. Moreover, there are eunuchs causing trouble in the imperial court, so it's necessary to capture the city as soon as possible to prevent any changes in the situation."

  Lu Zhi nodded and sighed: "It's just a pity for the three armies and soldiers, they sent their lives in vain."

  Liu Bei was originally in Youzhou following Liu Yu to attack the Yellow Turbans, and had only arrived at Guangzong yesterday. Unaware of the actual situation, he heard this and immediately stepped forward: "If our respected teacher wishes to raise an army to attack the city, I can join with my two sworn brothers and lead our own troops as vanguard for our respected teacher."

  Lu Zhi deliberately let Huangfu Song see the difficulty of attacking the city, and immediately nodded: "Good, just follow Zhongmou's words."

  "Understood."

  Liu Bei loudly acknowledged and immediately led Guan Yu and Zhang Fei away with a nod.

  In a flash of time, amidst the shocking sound of war drums, Lu Zhi immediately ordered the army to attack the city.

  Liu Bei personally led Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with nearly a thousand brave warriors, rushing towards the city gate.

  A fierce and bloody battle suddenly unfolded under the thick walls of Guangzong City and on its city head.

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led hundreds of brave warriors, holding shields and swiftly climbing onto the city wall. Like tigers entering a flock of sheep, they killed the Yellow Turbans on the city wall until they cried out to their fathers and mothers. With no enemies in front of them, they quickly stabilized the situation.

  Lu Zhi gazed out at the formation and saw that they were evenly matched. He couldn't help but loudly praise: "Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are truly fierce generals!"

  Huangfu Song also nodded repeatedly, "I didn't think that among the vanguard troops there would be such a fierce general. The bravery of these two men is no less than that of Zhou Jian and Xu Chu of Hebei. Indeed, the land of Hebei has many heroes."

  Zhou Jian looked out from the city wall and saw that there were many rebel soldiers with armor on top of Guangzong City, although most of the armor was made of leather, their weapons were more advanced than those of the rebels they had encountered before, and the defensive fortifications were also well-maintained.

  However, Guangzong City was not that easy to break, with over a million Yellow Turban bandits each having the determination to defend it to the death. Breaking the city wouldn't be that easy.

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were brave, but they were still far from being able to affect the outcome of a war; otherwise, what would be the use of tens of thousands of troops?

  Surely enough.

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were indeed valiant and unmatched, killing the Yellow Turbans on the city wall until they cried out for their fathers and mothers, but they could not achieve further victories.

  On top of Guangzong City.

  "One of the Yellow Turban bandits shouted loudly: 'Brothers, the government troops slaughter us righteous men and don't give us a way out. Whether we stick our heads out or hide them, it's all the same death sentence. We might as well die in a blaze of glory. Follow me, let's kill these two beasts!'"

  Countless Yellow Turban bandits responded to the call, rushing forward one after another, surrounding and killing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei on the narrow city wall.

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, although invincible in bravery, were faced with too many Yellow Turban bandits. Each of them fought to the death, but despite their efforts, they could not drive back the enemy. The nearly thousand militiamen who followed them suffered heavy casualties, leaving only a few dozen survivors.

  Liu Bei followed closely behind Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, wielding his dual swords to slay the enemy while keeping an eye on the nearly thousand militiamen he had recruited. Seeing that they were almost all wounded or dead, he couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in his heart and blood dripping from his head.

  It was not easy for Zhang Fei to spend all his family's wealth to recruit over a thousand local militiamen, but now they are almost gone.

  Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh, why didn't he have a good birth, and yet his steps were so difficult. In order to fight for a good life, several battles had been fought, from Youzhou to Jizhou, with almost no village brave left.

  If we continue to fight like this, I'm afraid I'll end up being a lone commander again.

  Liu Bei immediately shouted: "Second brother, third brother, the enemy is fierce and strong, can retreat quickly."

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei let out a cold hum, although they were unwilling in their hearts, but they could only quickly retreat, covering Liu Bei and the remaining tens of militiamen as they slid down the city wall along the cloud ladder. Only then did the two men kill open a bloody path and quickly descend the ladder.

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