Chapter 18: An Opponent Like a God

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The loud drumming early in the morning made Li Yu extremely annoyed, "Damn it! That stupid Yuan Caobao is at it again! What a nuisance!", after several days of continuous drumming, Li Yu had become somewhat immune to it, he turned over and was about to fall back asleep.

  "Sir, it's Cao Gong's rising drum!" Qu Jiang rushed in to say.

  "Ah! Lord Cao! Lord Cao! I'm coming!" Li Yu hastily put on his clothes, he didn't want to be caught in bed. He lived in the central army's large tent, and so did Cao Cao. The tent was very spacious, with a diameter of over 10 meters, so naturally, Li Yu didn't have to share a bed with Cao Cao like Liu Bei did with his two brothers.

  He put on his clothes and sat down in the position to the left of the main seat, which was personally designated by Cao Cao, indicating that he valued Li Yu greatly. In fact, Li Yu was also his first true strategist under him, so it's not surprising that he valued him so much.

  After the courtesy, Cao Cao coughed twice: "Call everyone over to introduce you to this person. This is Dian Wei, Dian Junming, now the deputy captain of the guard, brave and extraordinary, my Fan Kuai, the ancient evil also! Everyone cheers!"

  As the Tiger Guards were all relatives of Xu, and Xu Chu was no worse than Dian Wei, he was content to hold a subordinate position and earn a living, and Dian Wei did not have any objections to this.

  "I've seen all the generals!", Dian Wei bowed and then stood silently behind Cao Cao, occasionally glancing at Li Yu, making Li Yu feel uneasy. Isn't it just a lie? Is it necessary? Aren't they all doing this for your own good?!

  "Hmph!" Xiahou Dun let out a heavy snort, not directed at Dian Wei, but rather because since ancient times, literature has no first and martial arts have no second. Cao Cao used evil to describe him, comparing him to the two fierce generals, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, which made him feel indignant.

  When Xu Chu came before, he was not very convinced, but under Li Yu's indication, Xu Chu had never shown his own martial arts, being very low-key, and the two did not compare, he still considered himself as the bravest of the Cao Group; "Sir, your words are a bit too big!"

  "This is indeed true!", Cao Hong said, who was now unable to sit down properly due to Dian Wei's kick.

  "Zi Lian, you're really diligent! Even during the promotion ceremony and discussion of official business, you still want to practice your skills!" teased cousin Cao Ren.

  "Hmm!..." Cao Hong's face scrunched up, but he immediately became solemn: "Yuan Rang, if you and I were to engage in combat, how many rounds do you think it would take for you to defeat me?"

  Xiahou Dun thought to himself, "If we spar naturally, it's not about winning or losing. If we fight to the death, at least a hundred moves will be exchanged! After all, your martial arts are mostly good at defense!"

  "Indeed!" Cao Hong sighed, "But I only lasted 28 rounds in his hands and was kicked down with one kick! If it were a horse battle, it would have just prolonged the fight!"

  "Hiss!" The generals present, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren and Yue Jin, all took a deep breath. In normal circumstances, when a general dismounts, his martial arts skills would be reduced by 30%, and he would be defeated in two or three rounds of close combat. If it was a cavalry battle, he could last at most ten rounds before being defeated!

  "Haha! Xu Zhu's bravery is not below that of Dian Wei! The lord's safety can be completely guaranteed!" Li Yu smiled and praised Xu Zhu, after all, he was his own student, and couldn't let him lose face. Although there hadn't been a chance to show off, at least he wanted to leave a deep impression on everyone.

  "Hiss! ——" Again, it was the sound of a sharp intake of breath. Normally, Xu Chu seemed like just an ordinary guy, but unexpectedly...

  "Congratulations, my lord, on obtaining this brave general!" Cao Ren was the first to offer his congratulations. After all, he had a better brain than others and thought more of it. With Xu Chu and Dian Wei by his side, Cao Cao's personal safety was completely assured;

  "Congratulations, sir!" The others chimed in as well.

  "Haha, thanks to Wei Yan's recommendation! ", Cao Cao was even more delighted, dispelling the unhappiness he had previously felt in the allied army's headquarters.

  So that's how it is! Le Jin thought to himself, Mr. Cao must have had Cao Hong do something, and then he fought with Dian Wei, and that's why Cao Hong ended up like this! Thinking of this, Le Jin intentionally took another look at Cao Hong, no wonder he said you'll know!

  Cao Hong seemed to have also noticed Yue Jin's gaze and suddenly his old face turned red.

  "Hmm! Alright, there's one more thing I'd like to ask for Wei De's opinion!" Cao Cao.

  "Please speak, Your Excellency!" Li Yu's expression turned solemn.

  "The Allied Forces sent Wu Huan Hou Sun Jian and his 30,000 troops to attack Ziwu Pass. The opponent is the 50,000 Western Liang army led by Hua Xiong! What do you think?" Cao Cao said: "Is there a chance of winning?"

  Looking at Cao Cao's worried face, Li Yu hesitated for a moment: "Sun Jian's reputation as a fierce warrior has long been known as the name of a fierce tiger. However, it is well-known that to attack and take down an enemy stronghold, one must have at least twice the number of troops as the enemy. Sun Jian can at most maintain a stalemate!"

  "Yes!" Cao Cao sighed.

  "The most important thing is - I don't know if the Allied army's grain and grass supervisor is that big-headed Yuan!"

  "Yuan Big Head?" The crowd was confused for a moment, "Oh!" Li Yu explained: "Describing someone who is brainless, referring to Yuan Shu and Yuan Huo!"

  "Hahaha!" Everyone burst out laughing, "Cough cough!" After laughing for a while, Cao Cao finally held back: "Hua De, from now on you must not speak like this! Indeed it was Yuan Shu, how did you know?"

  "With Yuan Shao's character, he would only appoint people close to him! He would appease his brother after all. After all, it wouldn't be like Yuan Shao to let someone else control the lifeline of the allied army;"

  "Yuan Shao, a man with a broad exterior but narrow interior, has great ambitions but little wisdom. He appears fierce but is actually timid, likes to make decisions but lacks substance. He was once a hero for a time, but he's not the same Yuan Shao who scolded Dong Zhuo back then: 'Is my sword not sharp?' Of course, the decline of the Han dynasty is related to him, who let Dong Zhuo enter the capital with his foolish plan!"

  "Ah!" Off the topic, Li Yu slapped his forehead: "If Sun Jian loses this time, or if it's a draw, that's fine! But if he wins, even if it's a small victory, what do you think Yuan Shu will do, my lord?"

  "You're kidding!...", after all, they grew up together since childhood, Cao Cao was very familiar with the two Yuan brothers, and Yuan Shu really could do such a thing!

  "No way, I have to go...", Cao Cao couldn't continue speaking, after all they were just guessing. Do you want to rush into Yuan Shu's camp and say: Ah! Governor Yuan, you little scoundrel has no good intentions, you will definitely embezzle Sun Jian's grain... Isn't this brainless? Not only offending Yuan Shu, but also offending Yuan Shao.

  "Hey!" Cao Cao sat listlessly on the couch, remaining silent for a long time.

  "There's a saying that goes well!" Li Yu said: "I'm not afraid of an opponent like a god, but I'm afraid of teammates like pigs! Some people don't think about these things, Master, you should plan ahead early!"

  The Chancellor of Jibei, Bao Xin, thought to himself that since Sun Jian was the vanguard general, he feared that he would take all the credit. He secretly discussed with his younger brother Bao Zhong, "Brother, this is a great opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves. If we let Sun Jian steal the show, it won't be good!"

  "No problem, big brother, I am willing to lead the 3,000 cavalry and take a shortcut to arrive first and capture the enemy's pass. This will also make you look good in front of all the other lords!" "Good! My younger brother is so brave!"

  In fact, the Bao brothers did just that. Bao Zhong led three thousand troops to rush to Zishui Pass overnight without rest and fought a battle at the foot of the pass. Isn't this like an old lady eating arsenic - seeking death herself!

  Hua Xiong, who had long been eager to take action, immediately led the 500 iron cavalry and galloped down from the pass, shouting loudly: "Bandit general, do not escape!"

  Seeing a majestic general rushing towards him, Bao Zhong immediately panicked. He knew he was no match for the opponent and silently cursed himself for boasting earlier. Bao Zhong hastily tried to flee but was beheaded by Hua Xiong's swift slash, falling from his horse. His exhausted army of three thousand was almost completely annihilated.

  Hua Xiong sent someone to bring Bao Zhong's head to Dong Zhuo's mansion to report the victory, and Dong Zhuo promoted Hua Xiong to be a "Duwei".

  But Sun Jian led four generals to the front of the pass. Who were these four generals? The first one was from Youbeiping, a man named Cheng Pu, with the style name Demou, who wielded an iron spear with a snake-shaped head;

  The second one, surnamed Huang, named Gai, styled Gongfu, was a native of Lingling. He wielded an iron whip; The third one, surnamed Han, named Dang, styled Yigong, was a native of Lixi in Liaoxi. He wielded a large single-edged sword

  Fourth, surname Zu, name Mao, style name Dà Róng, from Fuchun, Wu Commandery, wielded a pair of sabers.

  Sun Jian wore a suit of golden armor, wrapped in a red scarf, holding an ancient sword, riding a flower-maned horse, pointing at the pass and cursing: "You wicked traitor, why don't you surrender early!"

  Sun Jian's army was quite elite and skilled in battle. As soon as they arrived at Boma Pass, they wanted to engage in combat with Hua Xiong. However, Hua Xiong remembered Dong Zhuo's words and only focused on defense, refusing to send out troops to fight. Sun Jian had no choice but to order his soldiers to shout insults and humiliate them under the city walls.

  Hua Xiong was able to restrain himself, but Hu Zhen, who had been sent by Dong Zhuo to assist in the defense of Bomaoguan, could not bear it and wanted to lead his troops out of the city to fight him.

  Hua Xiong refused, but could not stop him, because this Hu Zhen was Li Jue's old subordinate, and Li Jue was one of Dong Zhuo's two trusted generals. In order to avoid offending Li Jue, Hua Xiong had no choice but to let it be.

  Hua Xiong thought to himself, anyway he didn't have much of a relationship with Hu Zhi, so letting him lose this time would be good for bringing down his arrogance! Otherwise, it's like he's the master, and I'm the one who can't give orders!

  Dong Zhuo's generals were not all of one mind, especially the new emerging leaders led by Lü Bu and Hua Xiong had a deep conflict with Dong Zhuo's old subordinates.

  This time Hu Zhi insisted on going into battle, and in his heart he also had the idea of winning a victory to intimidate Hua Xiong and others.

  With armor and helmet on, holding an iron spear in hand, **treasured horse**, with a glance from side to side, truly majestic and intimidating. On the other hand, Hua Xiong, who was watching coldly from the sidelines, secretly thought: You'll have your time to cry.

  Hú Zhù led his troops, numbering around 10,000, and immediately opened the city gates, charging out. At this time, Sun Jian's army was still hurling insults without stopping; seeing Hua Xiong's large army emerge from the city, they suddenly dispersed in disarray.

  Hu Zhen let out a cold laugh and waved his hand, the army charged forward. They hadn't gone far when they saw a troop emerging from the forest ahead.

  That army also saw Hu Zhi's large force and became somewhat flustered. They did not advance to engage in battle, but instead turned around and prepared to flee.

  Hu Zhong was here to make a name for himself by killing the enemy, how could he let him go easily? He immediately shouted: "You thief, don't run!" As soon as he spoke, he led his troops in a swarm and chased after them.

  As they chased closer and closer, the general of Sun Jian's army seemed to realize that he couldn't escape, so he turned back and clashed with Hu Zhi's army. As soon as they made contact, Sun Jian's army was beaten back repeatedly by Hu Zhi's army, almost collapsing in defeat. The general who led the vanguard fought two rounds with Hu Zhi before fleeing into the ranks, not daring to engage again.

  "Retreat! Retreat!" The man frantically waved his treasured sword, shouting loudly as he fled with the remnants of his defeated army. Hu Zhong burst out laughing: "The mighty tiger of Jiangdong is nothing but this!" "Pursue! I want you to pursue!" Hu Zhong was about to give chase on horseback when he was stopped by one of his generals: "General, beware of a trap!"

  Hú Zhěn furrowed his brow, turned around, and seemed to see Huà Xióng watching from afar on the city wall. A fierce look flashed across his face as he said: "Sun Jian's army is a mob that can't withstand a single blow. Even if they have some tricks up their sleeve, it doesn't matter! You all follow me in pursuit, and killing Sun Jian will be the greatest achievement!"

  Having said that, he ignored several generals and rode away alone. The generals had no choice but to lead the troops in pursuit.

  Chasing after them, Hu Zu gazed ahead at a steady pace, as if dangling his remaining troops. He couldn't help but feel uneasy in his heart. After all, he had also experienced many wars; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to lead so many soldiers.

  Hu Zhi thought that if they continued to pursue, they would likely fall into an ambush. He pulled the reins of his horse and was about to order a retreat when suddenly a cannon shot rang out. From both sides of the forest came a humming noise, followed by wave after wave of arrows filling the sky, falling down on them like rain.

  Hu Zhen's face changed, and the iron spear in his hand rotated like a windmill, only blocking the arrows outside his body, unable to get close. However, his soldiers did not have such skills, and all they heard were continuous miserable cries. A large group of soldiers were cleared out, and even the flag bearer beside him was shot dead, causing Hu Zhen's great flag to fall!

  When the great flag falls, the military heart is in chaos! More than 10,000 horses and men suddenly panicked, at a loss for what to do. "Retreat! Retreat!"

  At this time, Hu Zhi's voice came, and the military heart was settled. The generals of various departments also rode horses and waved their whips to command the army to retreat. At this time, a cavalry suddenly killed from both sides, and the troops who were chased by Hu Zhi in front also reorganized their formation and killed back.

  Hu Zhuan glanced sideways and saw that the large military flag on the left had a huge "Sun" character written on it, while the large flag on the right had a huge "Huang" character written on it. The troops in front, who were originally being pursued and had not yet raised their flags, also erected a large flag with a "Zu" character.

  Three teams suddenly broke into Hu's army, and in an instant, people and horses were overturned. Hu's large army immediately collapsed! Hu saw this, his heart panicked and confused, he didn't go forward to fight with them, and led the troops beside him to retreat.

  "The bandit will retreat, Cheng Pu is here!" In just three rounds, Hu Zhi was stabbed in the throat and died by a halberd.