Chapter 56: The Brilliant and Fierce General Zhang Fei

  The next morning, a guard rushed into Zhang Kuang's bedroom in a hurry, sweating profusely and reported:

  "Enemy attack! Commander!"

  Zhang Kuang has been diligently practicing "Tai Ping True Qi" these days. Although his skills haven't improved much in the short term, his mind has become more stable. Even the strange dreams he used to have when sleeping are slowly disappearing.

  Hearing the sudden remark from his personal guard, Zhang Kuang was slightly startled but since there were no signs of commotion outside, he relaxed and said with an unpleasant expression:

  "What's all the commotion? Have the enemy troops already broken into the fortress?"

  Zhang Kuang's calmness infected his personal guard. The guard calmed down and quickly said:

  "My lord, outside the castle walls, a large number of enemy troops have suddenly appeared!"

  Zhang Kuang put on his outer garment and asked:

  "What return can be expected from He Bai Chang?"

  He Bai Chang was none other than "Flying Heaven Dao Ren" He Man. He is now in charge of the enemy reconnaissance of the Tianping Army, and Zhang Kuang has doubts, naturally he wants to find him.

  "He Qiang, he hasn't come back yet..."

  Zhang Kuang raised an eyebrow and didn't ask again. If even He Man's skills couldn't guarantee a safe retreat, then among the incoming enemies, there must be experts in tracking and searching. This way, the Tianping Army would be at a complete disadvantage in terms of intelligence.

  The Art of War says: If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

  Zhang Kuang picked up his beloved long sword and walked towards the city wall of Wu Burg. As he walked, he thought to himself:

  Who is the enemy?

  The sky was just a little bright. However, looking from the city wall, there were many people's heads appearing in clusters to the east and west of the fort.

  These invaders, seemingly indifferent to whether they are exposed or not, were just one or two miles away from the fort, loudly talking and laughing on the outside, eating and drinking heavily. Under such behavior, the hidden meaning of contempt has been exposed without a doubt.

  When the leader appeared, the defending soldiers on the city wall of Wubao Castle let out a sigh of relief. Some of the bolder ones, who couldn't bear the enemy's arrogant display, asked Zhang Kuang to go to battle and wanted to go out to teach those mobs outside a lesson.

  "Don't underestimate the enemy! Although these people appear to be in disarray, like a mob. In fact, their mutual distance is very deliberate. Looking at these people again, although they are eating and drinking, their palms do not forget to grasp the knife handle. From here it can be seen that these people actually intend to do so, with the intention of luring the enemy!"

  Zhang Kuang's words made his subordinates nod in agreement one after another. However, there were still some discontented subordinates who asked:

  "Commander, can we just let these bandits act so insolently and show off their military might?"

  Zhang Kuang hesitated for a moment, then said to Zhou Cang who had just climbed up the city wall:

  "Great abundance, and hard work for you this time. You can choose fifty soldiers with long legs, good at running, and brave, quietly waiting at the city gate. When the city gate opens, rush out and kill a wave."

  But remember, once the golden drum sounds, you must return quickly. You absolutely cannot entangle with the enemy. If the enemy's ambush troops rush out, our army will suffer a bit!

  Zhou Cang appeared to be rough, but in fact he was meticulous and extremely loyal to Zhang Fei. After listening to Zhang Fei's repeated instructions, he understood that this time they were only going out to gain a small advantage and intimidate the enemy. With this realization, Zhou Cang immediately promised to follow military orders.

  "My lord! For many days without going to the battlefield, my palms are itchy. How about letting me replace Dafeng to go and kill for a while? Dafeng was injured not lightly some days ago, let him rest first!"

  Dian Wei, who was nearby, also heard and wanted to go out and fight.

  "What's the big idea! Dian Dalang, our family hasn't even had a chance to get back on its feet since we recovered from our injuries! Don't you dare interfere and ruin our good fortune!"

  Having heard the argument between the two, Zhang Kuang burst out laughing and said:

  "Now that the enemy is right in front of you, are you two still worried about not having an enemy to kill? Zi Jian, you go down the city first and take a good rest. Don't wait until I order you to attack, but your legs have gone soft and you're out of energy."

  The three of them spoke, and the shock caused by the sudden appearance of the enemy in the hearts of the soldiers on the city wall was dissipated without a trace. When Zhou Cang came down from the city wall and began to select soldiers for the attack, Zhang Kuang called Shen Fu again and instructed him:

  "Zhong Rong, prepare twenty strong crossbows and place them on the city tower. When Da Feng retreats, if any enemy dares to pursue, give our general a good lesson and teach these bold bandits a thing or two."

  "Promise!"

  Although Shen Fu was not strong in martial arts, he was reliable and proficient in mathematics. Zhang Kuang was considering whether to transfer Shen Fu to the logistics battalion to manage supplies.

  The enemy outside the fort, as if noticing that there were important people watching them on the city wall, became more and more arrogant. Although no one did anything as rude as urinating towards the fort, judging from their actions in the distance, these guys' attitudes must have been extremely infuriating.

  But who is Zhang Kuang? Such minor skills are nothing compared to his abilities.

  It is worth noting that in later generations, Mr. Li Zongwu's "The Thick and Black Theory" was once popular for a time. Zhang Kuang may not have read this book, but he knew the general content. Anyone who has seen such accomplishments in the simple folk customs (compared to later generations) of the late Han Dynasty is completely unimaginable to ordinary people.

  One minute later.

  The enemy outside provoked for a while, seeing no reaction on the city wall, and gradually stopped. Zhang Kuang saw this situation and ordered Zhou Cang near the city gate:

  "Attention! No flirting allowed! Let's go!"

  The city gate opened a small gap that was not noticeable, allowing Zhou Cang's team to exit one by one. However, this action gave Zhou Cang's attack a considerable degree of suddenness. When Zhou Cang led his men to within over 100 steps of the enemy, their actions were discovered by those mysterious enemies.

  At this point, those arrogant intruders were in for a real commotion!

  However, these offenders were mostly brave and skilled in martial arts. Led by Zhou Cang, they suddenly charged forward, and more than half of them still managed to pick up their weapons and rush forward to meet the attack head-on.

  Facing a slightly smaller number of enemies, Zhou Cang let out a loud roar and swung his fifty-odd jin fine iron great sword in a single slash at the enemy who was leading the counterattack.

  This enemy is commendable for his bravery, and his strength cannot be underestimated. He is not tall in stature, but his movements are extremely elegant. The long gun in his hand has excellent elasticity, and with just a slight flick, he can create a flurry of sword shadows!

  This gun shadow, mixed with a few red tassels to disturb people's ears and eyes, nine real and one fake. Unless you have sharp eyesight, it is absolutely impossible to accurately determine the true attack point. With this gun, he was known as "Gun Spear First" among the light cavalries in Taishan County, Mou County.

  Although this fierce cow is strong and powerful, if it doesn't dodge, it will inevitably get hit with several more punches...

  Zhou Cang's physique undoubtedly cast a psychological shadow on the opponent. The long spear of this enemy was not intended to kill, but only to make the enemy retreat slightly. As long as this tall and sturdy enemy was blocked, the gunman would have a reason to deal with other light cavalrymen, and could hide in the back row, waiting for an opportunity to attack the enemy.

  Zhou Cang's martial skills were not bad, but the huge long knife in his hand, weighing over 50 kilograms, was naturally unable to compete with the opponent's light and agile spear. Facing the swirling shadows of the spears, he could still identify the real spearhead, but couldn't block it!

  If it can't be supported, then don't support it!

  Zhou Cang saw it clearly, his body slanted to one side, avoiding the vital part, and let this spear pierce from under his ribs. The several Tianping Army soldiers following behind Zhou Cang were really frightened. Everyone only saw a spearhead, which came out from Zhou Cang's armor, and thought he was seriously injured!

  Actually, due to the obstruction of the armor, the sharp spearhead, although it pierced through Zhou Cang's outer skin, slid over his body and penetrated the armor from the side. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhou Cang rushed forward with a single head, the blade flashed, and the pale green "war energy" spread out, already in the gunner's astonishment, he cut him off with one knife!

  Zhou Cang wiped the blood splashing on his eyelids, a ferocious smile on his face, let out a breath, and his feet didn't stop as he pounced towards the second enemy!

  At this time, the enemy who came to commit a crime was killed by the gunman, and everyone's momentum was taken away. Facing Zhou Cang, who was splashed with blood on his body, the person who faced him did not dare to fight back, and he rolled aside with a twist of his foot. Although this was very embarrassing, it was better than being killed by someone with one knife.

  Zhou Cang's sword fell empty, not unexpectedly, and with a reverse swing, he had already swung his long sword in a circle, attacking the third enemy once again. For a moment, under the pale green flying knife aura, Zhou Cang was actually without an opponent!

  This is not to say that Zhou Cang's martial arts had completely overwhelmed the enemy. In fact, among those lightly armed warriors who were fighting against the Heavenly Army, although there was no one who could match Zhou Cang, there were several people who, if they were to engage in a one-on-one duel, would also be able to exchange ten or eight moves with Zhou Cang.

  However, Zhou Cang, despite being slightly injured, beheaded the top three martial artists among the enemy with a single swing of his spear. This move alone intimidated those lightly armed heroes who knew how deadly the deceased spearmen were.

  When two armies clash, the one with the strongest momentum will win. If one side's momentum is clearly suppressed, even if they have a numerical advantage, they are likely to lose!

  As a result, when the remaining enemies faced Zhou Cang, they not only lost their momentum but also became frightened and timid. In this way, their martial arts skills could not be fully utilized, with only six or seven out of ten being displayed. This was how Zhou Cang achieved his impressive military record, like a hot knife through butter.

  Benefiting from Zhou Cang's presence, the other Tianping Army soldiers, although generally inferior to their enemies in terms of martial arts, were vigorous and powerful. For a time, they actually managed to drive back the enemy's lightly armed cavalrymen, who retreated step by step. After losing over ten men, the enemy could no longer withstand such heavy casualties and finally let out a loud cry before fleeing in all directions.

  Zhang Kuang watched from the city wall, seeing it clearly. Although the enemy in front of Zhou Cang had collapsed, however, the surrounding enemies were not affected at all, with dozens of people gathering together to surround Zhou Cang's troops. It seemed that they wanted to annihilate Zhou Cang's troops in one fell swoop!