Chapter 71: The Scholars of Wang Zuo

  The fallen hoopoe has eaten a mouthful of mud, and its red crown is also stained with blood and mud.

  If someone else had been spat with blood, they would have probably lain on the ground unable to move, but Hu Che'er rolled around on the ground a few times and then got up as if nothing was wrong.

  "What an oddball..."

  Yan Liang secretly praised him, with a single stroke of his sword, he shouted: "Take down this wild ox, I will spare your life."

  At the command, a dozen or so knights turned over and dismounted, and swarmed up in a swarm.

  Huche'er lost his spear, and was also internally injured, but that body's brute strength was still terrifying. With bare hands and empty fists, he charged left and right, and actually knocked down the soldiers who were rushing up one by one.

  His fists were like iron hammers, and with each punch, you could hear the "crack" of shattered bones. In just a moment, he had knocked down a large circle of people around him.

  Looking at the soldiers lying on the ground and screaming, and then looking at those fierce and powerful barbarians, Yan Liang became more and more interested, wanting to see how long this guy could last.

  "Whoever can bring down this villain will be richly rewarded," Yan Liang shouted loudly.

  At the mention of a heavy reward, these tiger-wolf-like men's bloodthirstiness was stirred up even more, and even more people shouted as they rushed forward.

  Yan Liang then held a big knife and watched with great interest this one-on-one bare-handed fight.

  It was also because Yan Liang wanted to capture him alive, so his soldiers did not dare use their weapons. Otherwise, even if Hu Che Er's strength surpassed that of ordinary men, he could not withstand the swords and spears coming at him from all sides.

  After several rounds of fighting, twenty or thirty people had been knocked to the ground by Hu Che Er. At this point, he was using brute force and couldn't help but pant heavily.

  The surrounding soldiers took advantage of the opportunity, and a dozen or so people rushed up together. One hugged his legs, another tied his arms, and they wrapped Hu Che'er's whole body tightly like adhesive tape.

  "We've finally caught this guy, quickly bring ropes to tie him up."

  Those dozen or so people struggled to hold back Hu Che Er, while the rest of them quickly dismounted and untied the ropes.

  Yan Liang's interest gradually dissipated as he thought that Hu Che Er was also a mortal, and in the end, his two fists were no match for four hands.

  Just then, something unexpected happened.

  Wrapped in a red face and thick neck, the old man suddenly let out a loud roar, his muscles bulging all over his body, and with a fierce force, he pushed open the door.

  In the midst of the howling sounds, those wrapped soldiers were like bursting mud, flying in all directions.

  Yan Liang was amazed at this sight, but he didn't expect that this man's brute strength would be so powerful.

  "Alright, you've had your fun, let's just drop it now."

  Yan Liang was enraged, his legs clamped tightly around the horse's belly as he shot out like a flash of lightning.

  The proud and arrogant Hu Che'er sensed that there was a horse rushing from behind, but when he hastily turned his body around, it was already too late.

  A cold light flashed by, and Yan Liang's long knife back came like the wind, once again knocking on his upper back.

  With this knife, Yan Liang used all his strength and aimed at the soft ribs of Hu Che Er. He only felt dizzy for a moment, swayed a few times, and then his huge body crashed to the ground.

  Those soldiers crawling on the ground saw that the ferocious monster was knocked down so easily by their general, and after venting their anger, they all showed reverence on their faces.

  "Bind him up." Yan Liang sheathed his long sword and said coldly.

  A group of soldiers finally woke up and surrounded him, taking revenge by tying Hu Che'er into a human rice dumpling with three layers inside and three layers outside.

  Yan Liang looked around and saw that several hundred Cao troops had been killed, scattered all over the place, with corpses lying everywhere.

  He turned his horse's head, just as he was about to order a charge into Xudu City, when Zhou Cang came galloping up from behind with an old man with white hair and beard tucked under his arm.

  "General, didn't you say there was a model that couldn't be killed? The end general caught one, take a look and see if it's useful."

  Zhou Cang shouted loudly and put the old man on the ground like a small chicken.

  The old man straightened his waist, took a few deep breaths, and casually patted the dust off his body, with an air of self-absorption, as if he didn't notice the tigers and wolves surrounding him.

  Yan Liang couldn't help but feel interested in this calm old man, and he looked him up and down with a keen eye.

  But what was seen was that the old man's skin was as tender as an infant, his hair and beard were white like snow, his whiskers were sparse, and on his smooth and clean forehead there was a deep wrinkle like a knife cut. A pair of small eyes half opened and half closed, shining brightly, as if hiding a gloomy vicissitude, looking exactly like a high-ranking official who had been pampered and indulged.

  "An interesting old man..." A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Yan Liang's mouth.

  Zhou Cang saw this old man being so arrogant and couldn't help but get angry, shouting: "Old fellow, General Yan is here, why don't you pay your respects quickly!"

  When the old man heard the three words "General Yan", his tall figure suddenly shook slightly.

  Those small eyes glanced at Yan Liang, sizing him up from head to toe, with a gaze that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts and read Yan Liang's thoughts.

  Yan Liang didn't feel out of place either, his sharp gaze scanning the old man.

  The eyes of the two men met for a moment, and a hint of surprise flashed in the old man's eyes, but he avoided looking at Yan Liang directly again.

  "It's General Yan Zi Yi, I'm so glad we met here, it's really fate." The old man suddenly chuckled and bowed his hands.

  Yan Liang slightly cupped his hands and returned a courtesy, saying lightly: "I don't know the honorable surname and great name of this elderly gentleman?"

  "Cough, cough..." The old man swallowed his saliva and stroked his white beard, saying: "I am Wu Wei Jia Yu, fortunate to meet the General."

  When he heard the two words "Jia Xun", Yan Liang's heart was shocked, and a kind of inexplicable excitement suddenly rose.

  Never thought that this old man in front of me would be the legendary "Poison Master".

  When Dong Zhuo was killed, all the generals under his command were afraid for their lives and wanted to disperse the army and escape back to Xiliang. But due to Jia Xu's words of advice, the 100,000-strong Western Liang army suddenly united and counterattacked Chang'an, causing the Han court, which had just caught its breath, to fall into a desperate situation once again.

  In a chaotic world, how many people can remain calm?

  The Battle of Wan City, where he defeated Cao Cao twice, further showcased his brilliant strategies.

  What's even more precious is that this person was unmatched in wisdom and strategy, but also knew how to preserve himself, and ultimately died of old age.

  Throughout history, those who can achieve this are truly countable on one's fingers.

  A legendary figure like him now stands in front of me with a smile, just like an old neighbor.

  Yan Liang was very clear, however, that beneath that extremely affable smile lay a heart with depths that were impossible to fathom.

  However, Yan Liang was indeed very excited.

  This time he went all the way to Xudu, just to muddy the waters and catch a few fish. Whether it was civil officials or military generals, or gold, silver, and wealth, everything was welcome.

  At present, although there are strategists like Xu You and Yi Ji by Yan Liang's side, these two men cannot be considered as the best assistants. If one wants to achieve great things, he must have the most outstanding strategist of the time to assist him.

  Jia Xu was exactly the kind of talent that Yan Liang urgently needed.

  "It seems like this trip is really worth it."

  Yan Liang felt a sense of emotion in his heart, but his mouth calmly said: "So it's Mr. Wenhe, but isn't the gentleman supposed to be following Cao Gong around? How did you end up here?"

  Jia Xu sighed and said, "Cao Gong's defeat at Guandu, the various armies were defeated, I, an old man, got separated from Cao Gong and mistakenly escaped to this place, but unexpectedly met with General."

  His expression and tone, with a helpless look on his face.

  Yan Liang's eyes rolled a few times, but he quickly realized that he was lying.

  Many officials and nobles in Xuchang went to Guanzhong, indicating that Cao Cao's order to withdraw from Guanzhong had been transmitted back to Xuchang. How could Jia Xu, one of Cao Cao's closest advisors, not know about it?

  Nahucheer and Jia Xiu were originally under Zhang Hua's command, and they were also from the same hometown in West Liang. The two of them joining forces at this time seemed to have a clear purpose for heading south, and it was not what Jia Xiu said "accidentally escaped here".

  All signs indicate that he has given up on Cao Cao this time and is planning to seek another way out.

  Jia Xian is a person who is good at being cautious and protecting himself, and his actions are also normal.

  Jia Xu's going south and joining Liu Biao is absolutely impossible due to his ability to judge people.

  As for Yan Liang himself, although he has recently risen to prominence, his power is still weak and small. Moreover, judging from Jia Xu's surprised expression when they met earlier, it is unlikely that he would be able to do so.

  In this case, there is only one person left.

  Yan Liang's mouth curled up in a cold smile, saying: "I think Mr. Wenhe is not mistakenly escaped to this place, but wants to go south to join the Jiangdong Sun family."

  As soon as these words came out, a hint of surprise flashed in Jia Yu's eyes.