Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3657: The Fire of Anyi Reflects the Blood of Loyalty, Authority is Like a Prison, and the Duty of the Lord and His Subjects
"Give me the knife!"

Xiahou Dun's voice was hoarse but extremely clear, with an unquestionable determination.

It seems to carry a sense of relief.

His breathing was still rapid. The continuous days of drunkenness and debauchery not only paralyzed the Hussars' monitors, but also eroded his body.

Because of the lack of adequate training for a long time, his endurance and strength have greatly decreased. Even if he wants to burst into battle now, he does not have enough energy...

Xiahou Dun's hand was cold and trembling, but he reached out firmly towards the sword in Le Jin's hand.

However, Le Jin did not let go, but pressed on the handle of the knife tightly like a pair of pliers!
Le Jin rejected Xiahou Dun's "request"!
The cold metal touch of the blade was far less than the excruciating pain that raged in Le Jin's heart.

The cold words of the secret order screamed in his mind, burning his soul.

Cao Xiu's hollow eyes, the resolute backs of Sun Liu and his companions as they rushed towards the pursuers, and Xiahou Dun's heartbreakingly calm look of begging for death...

Countless images tore him apart in an instant.

"General!"

Le Jin raised his head suddenly, his eyes bloodshot, and growled like a wounded beast, "Forgive me, I can't do this!"

This rejection was decisive and carried an almost tragic madness.

"you……"

Before Xiahou Dun finished speaking, Le Jin shot up like an arrow!

"Follow me! Kill them!"

Le Jin roared and no longer looked at Xiahou Dun.

He poured all his blood, unwillingness, and anger towards this cold calculation into his arms!
The short and strong body burst out with amazing strength. He no longer chose to hide behind the rock, but like a mad tiger out of the cage, he actively pounced to the left side of the rock, leaving a gap in the seemingly sparse formation!

That direction is exactly where Lao Ba and the others might be waiting for us!
The sword in his hand drew a sharp cold light and accurately wiped the throat of a pursuer who had just leaned forward!

Le Jin's battlefield instincts and personal bravery gained from fighting in the army were fully released at this moment!
The hot blood splattered on Le Jin's ferocious face, but he seemed unaware and kept walking, bumping into the arms of another hussar soldier who was stabbing him with a spear. He held the spear with his shoulder and stabbed the blade into the opponent's abdomen!
The moves were brutal and swift, a completely life-or-death fighting style on the battlefield, without any fancy moves, just to carve out a bloody path!
Xiahou Dun was stunned by Le Jin's sudden desperate charge. Looking at Le Jin's bloody figure, his originally dead heart was actually stirred by this boiling blood!
A long-lost trace of brutality and unwillingness belonging to a military general flashed across his eyes like a spark!

Yes, even if I die, I have to drag someone down with me!
The thought of dying was suppressed, and the instinct for survival was ignited!
Xiahou Dun growled, and a surge of strength came from nowhere. He staggered to catch up with Le Jin's direction of charge, bent down to pick up the spear dropped by the hussar soldier from the ground, waved the spear, and deflected the arrows for Le Jin!
"General! This way!"

Le Jin roared and used his short blade to block a ring-handled sword that was coming at him, but his left arm was cut by another sword, leaving a bloody wound so deep that the bone was visible!
He groaned, but did not retreat a single step. He sacrificed his life at the cost of his injury and hacked his opponent to death!

But more and more hussars were chasing us...

At this critical moment, when Le Jin and Xiahou Dun were about to be completely submerged in the swordplay -

"General!"

"kill!!"

Several familiar roars with a strong rural accent exploded from the woods behind the hussar line!

Immediately afterwards, an arrow came with a sharp sound of breaking through the air, accurately shooting down the pursuer who was about to raise his sword to chop at Le Jin's side!
It's an old scar!

He rushed out from the shadows of the forest with other death-defying warriors who came to support him!

They were like a red-hot knife, stabbing fiercely into the flanks of the pursuers!
"Quick! Quick, get into the woods!"

Le Jin was ecstatic and in high spirits, and the wounds on his body didn't seem to hurt so much anymore!
He seized this fleeting opportunity, grabbed the somewhat exhausted Xiahou Dun, and rushed towards the hole torn open by Lao Ba and the others!
"Cover the general!"

Lao Ba was covered in blood, and the hideous old scar on his face made him look even more ferocious. He waved his sword and cut a bloody path to meet up with Le Jin.

Several death warriors protected the two wings tacitly, fighting and retreating at the same time.

The pursuing cavalry were caught off guard by the sudden arrival of new reinforcements and their offensive slowed down slightly.

With the desperate protection of Lao Ba and others, Le Jin and Xiahou Dun finally escaped the most deadly encirclement temporarily and plunged into the denser forests in the north of the city.

"Let's go! Go deep into the mountains! I know a small path!"

Old Scar was panting, his voice filled with the anxiety of having survived a disaster.

No one dared to stop. They took advantage of the cover of the trees and ran desperately into the depths of the forest, taking one step forward and one step back.

The pursuers seemed to be left behind them, but the flame of hope was ruthlessly extinguished by the cold reality just as it was ignited.

Just when they rushed out of a relatively sparse woodland and saw a relatively open and steep ridge in front of them, dense torches suddenly lit up below the ridge and on the ridges on both sides!

The flames were like ferocious fire snakes, instantly illuminating the area as bright as day!
Under the torches is a strict formation!
The armor was bright, the spears were like a forest, the strong bows and crossbows were all drawn, and the cold arrows flashed the cold light of death in the firelight.

These were definitely not pursuers who were temporarily mobilized, but an ambush force that had been set up here long ago!
The leader, wearing a scholar's robe and light armor, stood in front of the formation. His face seemed unusually calm under the flickering flames, and even had a hint of composure as if he had mastered the wisdom.

It was Xun Chen, the prefect of Anyi.

"My two generals..."

Xun Chen's voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the night wind and reached the ears of Le Jin and others, with a kind of indifference that seemed to know everything, "The night dew is heavy, and the mountain road is rugged. Why do you have to work so hard? Although Anyi is small, there is still a place for the two generals to rest for a while."

The hearts of Le Jin and others sank into an icy cave in an instant!

The hot blood in my body seemed to be frozen by this cold voice!

He understood, he understood completely!

Looking at the seemingly lax surveillance, the unattended canals, and the poorly protected residence of Xiahou Dun...

Everything is in Xun Chen's plan!

They are like a group of trapped beasts who think they are smart, struggling in vain in the cage carefully set up by the hunter!
Lao Ba and the others also froze in place, the blood draining from their faces.

Their numbers, physical strength and equipment were as small as ants in front of such a well-prepared and well-rested ambush force.

The continuous desperate escape and bloody fighting exhausted their strength...

Despair, like an icy tide, instantly submerged everyone.

Xiahou Dun's body shook violently, and he almost lost his balance. He looked at the solemn formation, and at Xun Chen's frighteningly calm face. The last bit of blood fire ignited by Le Jin was completely extinguished, leaving only boundless coldness and self-mockery.

"Hehe...Hehehe..."

Xiahou Dun let out a low and desolate laugh, which was filled with endless fatigue and irony. "Wen Qian, ah Wen Qian... did you see it? This is... this is... cough cough..."

He started to cough violently, hunching his back as if he was going to cough out his lungs. "This is fate... and also... calculation... calculation..."

Xiahou Dun looked at Le Jin, who was covered in blood and whose left arm was still bleeding. His eyes were extremely complicated, with gratitude, compassion, deep guilt, and a hint of indescribable relief.

"You... shouldn't have disobeyed orders... Just give me a message..." Xiahou Dun's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, "And you've sacrificed the lives of these... good brothers... They are all heroes, all heroes..."

His eyes swept over Lao Scar and the few remaining death-defying warriors who were covered in scars but still had unyielding eyes.

Lao Ba and the others met Xiahou Dun's gaze without flinching, but instead showed a tragic and heroic attitude of facing death calmly.

Passion is worthless in the face of cold political tasks.

Even if Le Jin refused to carry out the despicable order and chose to fight to the end as a warrior to protect the last dignity of his comrades, it would not change anything.

Sun Liu, Li Er, Zhao San, Chen Qi, Wang Wu, etc., these famous and unknown warriors died to save Xiahou Dun. Lao Ba and others knew that it was a desperate situation, but they still rushed to help; Le Jin disobeyed the secret order to save Xiahou Dun and was seriously injured...

The friendship between these comrades-in-arms seems so heavy and sad in the face of cold political calculations.

Le Jin disobeyed the so-called "voluntary" secret order and failed to rescue Xiahou Dun. He followed his blood and friendship, but brought everyone into deeper despair...

Xiahou Dun saw through the cold calculation, but was powerless to break free. He felt that he was burdened with even greater guilt because of Le Jin's friendship.

Le Jin leaned on his sword, supported his body, and panted violently. Blood flowed down his left arm, soaking the ground beneath him. He looked at the dense flames, looked at Xun Chen's calm face, and then looked at Xiahou Dun who was on the verge of collapse and the only one left, Lao Ba, who had a determined look in his eyes. Cao Xiu's eyes before his death appeared clearly again, overlapping with the scene before his eyes...

A despicable secret order?
Boiling blood?
Heavy comradeship?
He suddenly opened his mouth, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying, mixed with blood and mud. His voice was hoarse but extremely clear. It was directed at Xun Chen, and also like the final roar towards this cruel fate!

"What a good plan! Le... I admire you!"

He paused, then suddenly straightened his bloodstained spine, and shouted with his last bit of strength, "If you want to take my head and General Xiahou's life..." He looked around at the last comrades around him. Old Scar and the others immediately clenched their weapons, straightened their chests, and their eyes burst into the last rays of light, "You'll have to pay with your life!"

This roar is a roar of despair, the last stubbornness of the dignity of a soldier, and the most tragic response to the cold political task!
The calmness on Xun Chen's face finally showed a slight fluctuation.

He looked at those figures who were like candles in the wind but still standing upright, and a subtle complex emotion flashed through the depths of his eyes...

Perhaps it was regret, or perhaps it was respect for this pure bloodiness, but soon these emotions were covered up by the cold determination and disappeared without a trace.

Xun Chen slowly raised his hand.

The sound of the taut bowstring, like the whisper of death, instantly resounded throughout the mountains.

"Release the arrow."

The cruel political task will eventually crush the boiling blood and heavy comradeship.

Xun Chen's order also put the final end to this doomed escape.

The cold command pierced the night sky and also shattered the last hope of Le Jin and others.

The humming of the bowstrings gathered into a wave of death, and the whistling sound of the arrows tearing through the air instantly drowned out Le Jin's unyielding roar.

The dense rain of arrows, like black hail, ruthlessly covered the only remaining comradeship.

"Raise your shield! Protect the general!"

Old Scar's eyes were bloodshot and he roared, trying to use his body and the small round shield he had snatched to block Xiahou Dun.

However, how many shields can be grabbed in such a hurry?

Le Jin had already put his life and death aside. The only thing he could do was to suddenly throw the staggering Xiahou Dun to the ground and use his short but tough body as the last barrier.

"Puff! Puff!"

The dull sound of arrows piercing the flesh was endless.

Lao Ba's burly body shook violently, as if hit by a sledgehammer. He looked down at the bloody arrowheads sticking out of his chest. A hoarse sound came from his throat. He stared at the direction of Le Jin and Xiahou Dun and fell to the ground with a bang.

Several other death-defying warriors were nailed to death in the cold rocks and soil before they could even utter their final cry.

After the first round of arrow rain, the survivors were faced with the second round of arrow rain.

After two rounds of arrow rain, Le Jin and everyone else were shot to the ground.

Le Jin felt several tearing pains in his back, shoulder blades, and thighs at the same time. The huge impact made his eyes go black and he almost suffocated. The warm liquid soaked his already ragged clothes. He couldn't tell whether it was sweat, mud, or his own blood.

Xiahou Dun under him let out a suppressed groan of pain. A stray arrow pierced Le Jin's arm and also grazed Xiahou Dun's ribs.

Le Jin thought that if he risked his life before his death, he could exchange for a few more hussars, and might even have a chance to fight and kill Xun Chen, but it was obvious that Xun Chen did not give him any chance and did not leave any loopholes.

Because Le Jin and his companions wanted to sneak into the city and hide in Hedong, they did not wear armor, let alone heavy armor that could ignore ordinary arrows.

Any long-range weapon can cause critical damage to Le Jin and others.

The rain of arrows stopped for a moment, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and rust.

The cavalry soldiers surrounded them silently and quickly, and placed the cold spear tips and ring-handled swords on the necks of Le Jin and Xiahou Dun who were unable to resist.

Le Jin tried to raise his head, his vision blurred by the blood loss and severe pain, but he still stared at Xun Chen, his teeth clenched, blood foam overflowing from the corners of his mouth. He seemed to want to say something, but the arrow in his chest had punctured the alveoli, and a large amount of blood rushed into his throat, so he couldn't make any sound...

Xiahou Dun lay on the ground, his chest heaving violently, the last light in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving only the dead despair and emptiness. He looked at the distorted night sky above his head, which was illuminated by the torches, as if he was looking at his own moment of death, or as if he had completely accepted his fate and fell into endless pain.

"What a pity..."

Xun Chen's voice was calm, as if he was not the one who ordered the massacre. He glanced at the corpses scattered all over the ground and the dying Le Jin, and finally landed on Xiahou Dun. His eyes were not so much the contempt of a victor, but rather a kind of pity and helplessness after seeing through fate.

"Someone, take him away... If he can still be saved, do your best to treat him."

Xun Chen glanced at Le Jin and gestured.

The hussars stepped forward and tied Le Jin's hands and feet with ropes, locking up his last bit of strength and anger.

He was being dragged up, half carried, half dragged.

Le Jin's gaze finally swept across Lao Ba's wide-open angry eyes, across the corpses of the death-defying warriors who had remained in a guarding posture until their death, and finally stopped on Xiahou Dun's lifeless face.

Le Jin let out a hoarse cry from his throat, and finally tilted his head and took his last breath.

The hussar soldier holding Le Jin stopped, then stretched out his hand to test Le Jin's nose, and then pressed his hand on the wound of the arrow...

"Sir!" the hussar shouted, "This man is dead! Do you want to cut off his head and take it back?"

Xun Chen was silent for a while, then waved his hand, "He is at least a good man... Let's leave his body intact!"

The hussar responded, but did not continue to carry the man, but just dragged him like an animal.

Le Jin's two legs rubbed against the ground, leaving a twisted mark.

This is his last mark left in this world.

A warrior who has fought a hundred battles.

When he died, he was like a dog.

"Bang!"

Le Jin's body was lifted up and thrown into the baggage cart.

"This is a big fish!"

The hussars smiled at one another, like fishermen greeting one another on the shore after a good harvest.

"I say, are the bodies of the others just going to be thrown here?"

"As for the rest, let's follow the old rules. Cut off the head and take it away. Find a place to bury the body!"

"Okay! Hurry up!"

The Hussars moved quickly to clean up the battlefield.

The heads of Lao Ba and other daredevil warriors who died were chopped off and thrown on the car. The remaining headless bodies were randomly found in a depression and shallowly buried.

After a period of time, the traces left by these people will completely disappear. At most, they will turn into some bones. Even the bones may be taken away by unknown birds and beasts, and their whereabouts will be unknown.

Xiahou Dun was not dead yet. He was carried onto a stretcher and his wounds were simply treated, but his eyes were always looking upwards empty, allowing the hussars to do whatever they wanted.

Like a piece of meat on a chopping block.

No matter how the butcher moved the meat, he never said a word.

Even if the hussars touched his wound, Xiahou Dun's muscles only twitched and no sound was made.

His heart is dead.

Cao Cao's secret orders, Xun Chen's calculations, Le Jin's defiance and sacrifice...

The end of all this completely destroyed the last bit of hope in his heart.

Xun Chen observed him in silence, without saying a word.

There was no sarcasm or persuasion.

It's like a hunter looking at a piece of bait. Will he say something to the bait?
Xun Chen looked up at the night sky.

The night will pass and dawn will soon come.

Fortunately, he is now standing under this tricolor flag...