Chapter 38 "Piggy" Don't Panic!

  Xu Chu, still vigorous, had a fierce battle with Lü Bu for over a hundred rounds. The heavy armor on his body had long been shed, but he still felt the weight, both physically and mentally;

  "Perhaps... today is the day of my death!" Xu Chu thought silently!

  The hundred or so pounds of the Nine-Eared Eight-Ringed Elephant Nose Watermelon Knife is now very difficult to lift, and the opponent Dong Zhuo's top fighter, adopted son Lü Bu, is indeed not a good person, and he actually becomes more courageous as the battle rages on!

  "How can such a hero be under someone else's command! If we don't eliminate him, he will surely become a great enemy of Lord Cao and our teacher in the future!" Xu Chu saw that there were fewer and fewer people around him, and he himself was also exhausted. He decided to make a desperate move, not hoping to kill Lü Bu, but at least to make him a third-rate cripple!

  "Come and take my life!", the fierce roar of Xu Chu, like a tiger, frightened the war horses of the Western Liang army, making them tremble with fear and refuse to obey their riders. Gathering all his strength, Xu Chu charged forward, ignoring Lü Bu's Heaven-Defying Halberd which was about to split open his belly, and swung his giant blade down on Lü Bu's head, determined to wound him.

  "Hiss!" "Whoosh!", two light sounds, the outcome is already decided! Xu Chu covered his belly splattered with blood and retreated a few steps. Fortunately, he had thick fat, and Lü Bu didn't cut through!

  Lü Bu, after all, was Lü Bu. He wasn't a aluminum kettle or nylon cloth. He dodged low and avoided Xu Chu's fatal blow, but the Yan Zilong feather on his head was cut off at the root, and his hairband crown burst open. With disheveled hair, Lü Bu fell silent for a moment, gazing at Xu Chu with an expression of admiration: "You're the first person to ever wound me! To show my respect..."

  Lü Bu, who originally wanted to let Xu Chu off the hook, was interrupted before he could finish speaking; a voice came from afar: "Don't worry, Piglet! The master is here!", and the one who dared to call himself Xu Chu's teacher was none other than Li Yu, also known as Li Dàye.

  Lü Bu, what a temper! Today is so unlucky, can't even finish saying a word. Squinting at the distance, dust and smoke are rolling in, the sound of war horses neighing is endless, and amidst the fluttering banners, one can vaguely see the flags of various lords!

  Only to see a golden armor in the team shouting: "I am General Yan Liang!", "Three surnames family slaves! Don't be arrogant!", A black-faced man also shouted loudly, but... his head seemed to be lowered, this guy wouldn't wear high heels at Tiger Trap Pass? Lü Bu secretly wondered.

  "General Yuan's highway is seated, Ji Ling is here!", "Guan Mou is here!", from time to time someone reported their name and rushed out on horseback. Lü Bu, even in his arrogance, knew that he could not match these men with just one person's strength. He immediately rode the Red Hare Horse: "Brothers! Let's go!"

  Seeing Li Yu riding over on his horse, Xu Chu almost cried in frustration, "That scoundrel Lü Bu, he wanted to force me... Waaahhh... Fortunately I'd rather die than submit!", "Huh? Does Lü Bu have eyes for your flabby body? This is just nonsense!"

  "Teacher, have you called for reinforcements?" Xu Chu asked with a sneer. "Ha! Who would bother with us fools? Let's go! It's all fake! If we're discovered, who knows if everyone will die here!" Li Yu sighed;

  The war horse stopped, the smoke dispersed, and Xu Chu finally saw that there were only over a hundred people coming, which was exactly the number of troops left by Cao Cao for Li Yu. However, each person was carrying a large banner with the words "General" written on it, and a wooden stick was tied to the tail of each horse. Yan Liang was played by Hua Xiong, Zhang San was played by Yue Jin, and Guan Erge was played by Qu Jiang, all of them were fake!

  Li Yu had no choice but to direct this play! He actually scared away the fierce and ferocious Lü Bu! What a great move!

  But Cao Cao, under the protection of his cousin Cao Hong, led a few hundred defeated soldiers in a desperate escape. As they ran, there were shouts of "Capture Cao Cao alive!" Xu Rong and Lü Bu joined forces to surround Cao Cao, but unexpectedly, Xu Chu fought bravely and killed his way out, opening up a bloody path for him. Xu Rong did not want to give up and led his troops in pursuit.

  Xu Rong's old haunt was the territory of Yangdu, where he had been appointed as governor by Dong Zhuo. If it weren't for the pressure from the lords of Guandong, Dong Zhuo wouldn't have agreed to transfer him out of here, because this place was a crucial passage for those heading west back to their old haunts in Longxi. Familiar with the terrain, Xu Rong led his troops to ambush Cao Cao's advancing route;

  "Hiss! ——", because of the urgent pull of the reins, Cao Cao was thrown to the ground by his horse, and he stared at Xu Rong's men who were about to chop him down. Cao Hong, who had always protected Cao Cao, became angry: "Don't think I'm not famous, just take me for a big scallion!", his hand rose and fell, chopping down several soldiers, Cao Hong jumped off the horse;

  He was exhausted and weary, and with a despondent heart, Cao Cao said dejectedly: "I shall die here, my worthy brother can leave quickly!"

  Cao Hong said, "General, you have always been our big brother, the mainstay of our group. Without you, what can we do?" "Hurry up and mount your horse!" Cao Hong said, "I'd rather walk." Cao Cao asked, "The enemy is approaching, what will you do?" Cao Hong replied, "The world can't be without me, but it's even more impossible to be without the General."

  Cao Cao sighed, and for a moment he was overcome with emotion: "If I were to be reborn, it would be thanks to your strength." Cao Cao mounted his horse, and Cao Hong took off his armor and followed on foot, sword in hand. They ran until nearly the fourth watch, when they saw a large river blocking their path ahead, while the shouts of their pursuers grew closer behind them. Cao Cao sighed: "My fate has reached this point; I will not be able to live again!" Cao Hong hastily helped Cao dismount, took off his cloak and armor, and carried him across the water. Just as they reached the other bank, the pursuing soldiers arrived, shooting arrows at them from across the river.

  Helpless Cao Cao and Cao Hong had to flee with their clothes soaked in water. It was still cold during the spring equinox, and one can imagine how uncomfortable they felt! After dawn broke, they walked for over 30 miles and rested briefly at a mound of earth. Suddenly, shouting erupted from afar, and a group of cavalrymen rushed towards them: it was Xu Rong, who was familiar with the terrain, coming to pursue them after crossing the river upstream.

  Cao Cao was both anxious and urgent, with no soldiers or armor under his command, and only Cao Hong by his side. How could he resist Xu Rong's large army? Just as he closed his eyes and prepared to await death, a loud shout rang out: "Xu Rong! Do not harm my lord!" Suddenly, a big fat man appeared, dragging a large sword and riding a horse towards them. His body was wrapped in cloth, his face pale, and his lips dry and cracked - the precursor to serious injury!

  Although his personal bravery was ordinary, Xu Rong still decided to show off and rushed forward with a loud shout, but in just one round... Xu Rong was lifted by the collar and suspended in mid-air! "All of you stop!" A voice shouted from afar: "I am Hua Xiong! Those who know what's good for them should put down their weapons and surrender!"

  The general was captured, the original Western Liang's first brave warrior Hua Xiong advised surrender, and in the distance, smoke and dust were rolling in, suspected to be a large army coming, more than 5,000 Western Liang soldiers were frightened and threw down their weapons to surrender...

  "Master! Are you alright?", Li Yu asked as he rode his horse forward, but just as he was about to dismount, he hesitated. He helplessly shouted: "Shan Xue, put the teacher down!", It turned out that Li Yu, who couldn't ride a horse, had made a simple stirrup on both sides and tied himself to the horse's back with a rope, at this moment he looked quite embarrassed;

  "Ah, sir...", Cao Cao was moved to tears and couldn't speak, seeing Xu Chu's body covered in blood: "A loyal and righteous warrior! A benevolent and righteous hero! How fortunate! How fortunate!"

  Suddenly, another group of soldiers and horses arrived, and everyone was shocked. It turned out that Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, brothers, had rushed over. Before long, Cao Ren and Xun Yu also found their way there. Cao Cao felt both joy and sorrow.

  "Hahaha!" Li Yu suddenly burst out laughing, "Sir, what are you laughing at?", Cao Cao was puzzled;

  "Haha! My lord! Shouldn't we be celebrating? Escaping death is like winning the lottery! And those fools, I scared them all off with one trick!", Li Yu laughed uncontrollably; As for Li Yu using a clever tactic to scare away Lü Bu and surrendering over 5,000 Western Liang soldiers, this was all understandable;

  "What is this lottery for?" Cao Cao; "Uh... it's just a gamble!"