Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3678 Burning the Continent to Block Tigers and Wolves, A Dragon Soars from the Ashes

"Charge! Charge! Don't let them get away!"

Although these elite Cao Ren soldiers were intercepted by Zhuge Liang, they still tried to charge forward.

"Shoot!"

Zhuge Liang's calm voice rang out again.

The skilled soldiers of the Sichuan Army, who had been lying in ambush on one side, unleashed their power once again.

They followed Zhuge Liang from Zigui along the mountain path. Even those with mediocre martial arts skills had their willpower and courage honed through the hardships and steepness of the long journey. So even when Cao Cao's army howled like mad dogs in the firelight and darkness, their wrists remained steady and their aim precise.

Moreover, Zhuge Liang had specifically instructed that the aim was not to kill the enemy with a single blow, but to hit and stop them. Therefore, the vast majority of arrows hit the bodies of Cao Cao's soldiers directly.

Although most of Cao Cao's soldiers wore two layers of armor, which could protect them from some arrow damage, they would instinctively recoil after being hit by an arrow, regardless of whether they were injured or not. This greatly slowed down Cao Cao's pursuit.

Taking advantage of this precious respite, Cai Mao and his remaining dozen or so wounded guards, like stray dogs, disappeared in a panic near the exit of the secret passage in the southwest defense line of Xiangyang City under the cover of Zhuge Liang's support team. They fled into the mountains and were eventually transferred away in a disheveled state by a small boat.

Cao Ren was furious when he heard that Lady Cai had been rescued from a secret passage outside the city.

Cao Ren's face was ashen. The meticulously planned trap had almost completely ensnared Cai Mao, this big fish, only to have him miraculously rescued at the last moment!

Although Cao Ren didn't know who had saved Cai Mao, and it was possible that Cai Mao had prepared this as a backup plan, now...

Cao Ren shouted, "Cai Mao! This treacherous villain dares to collude with foreign enemies to plot against my Xiangyang! If I don't raze Cai Zhou to the ground and exterminate the entire Cai family today, I swear I am not worthy to be called a man!"

If you don't kill the wolf, there will be trouble later!
If the monks run away, can the temple also run away?

Cao Ren's actual anger was far less than it appeared on the surface.

After all these years, betrayal and being betrayed have been part of the lives of the Han gentry.
The key point is that Cao Ren has now confirmed that the Cai family is disloyal, and Caizhou is the Cai family's stronghold, where they have built up their resources, wealth, private army, and family members over many years. Cai Mao's recent defeat, like a stray dog ​​fleeing back to its lair, presents a golden opportunity to uproot him and eliminate any future threat!

In this way, we can replenish our military supplies with Cai Zhou's resources, eliminate a potential threat, and use the heads of the Cai family to deter other disloyal individuals within the city who have not yet been eliminated...

The process of ransacking homes, exterminating entire clans, and slaughtering pigs to make a fortune naturally began.

"Send the order!" Cao Ren abruptly stood up, his voice booming like thunder, "Gather three thousand elite troops and follow me out of the city immediately to raze Cai Zhou to the ground! Leave no one alive!"

At dawn, Cao Sanguang led his soldiers straight to Caizhou, which was now engulfed in apocalyptic chaos and despair.

The once prosperous manor is now shrouded in gloom and despair.

The wounded private soldiers groaned incessantly, while their families, women, and children wept deafeningly.

Cai Mao sat dejectedly in the hall where he once held court, his face covered in mud and blood, his eyes vacant as he stared at the clansmen running frantically outside. Cai Zhou was his root, the symbol of his Cai clan's century-long presence in Jingxiang. Every inch of this land, every house, every granary was soaked with the blood, sweat, and glory of the Cai clan.

"It's over...it's all over..." Cai Mao muttered to himself, his face ashen with despair. "Cao Cao's army...Cao Cao's army will definitely come...Caizhou...can't be saved..."

Thinking of Cao Ren's ruthless methods and the impending destruction of his family's legacy, Cai Mao felt as if his heart was being torn apart and nearly fainted.

Uncle Cai! This is not the time for lamentation!

A clear and steady voice rang out, carrying an undeniable power.

Zhuge Liang, dressed in simple military attire, his eyes bright as stars, said, "Cao Cao's army will surely come. Uncle, you should make a decision as soon as possible! Should we fight to the death here, perishing together, or... preserve the population and intend to make a comeback?"

"I...I...Nephew, nephew, please tell me, what should I do?" Cai Mao looked at Zhuge Liang desperately, as if grasping at a straw. "Nephew, save me! Save my Cai family!"

"Only by cutting off one's own arm can a warrior survive!" Zhuge Liang pointed to the magnificent houses on the island. "General, Cao Zixiao's aim is not only your life, but also to completely destroy the Cai family's foundation as a warning to others! Rather than leaving this place to aid the enemy, it's better to... burn it all down!"

Within this Cai family's Caizhou, there are not only magnificent houses, but also wealth and valuables!

The wealth accumulated by the Cai family over more than a hundred years and several generations!
"What? ! 』

Cai Mao was struck dumb, jumping to his feet, his voice trembling. "Burn...burn Cai Zhou? No! Absolutely not! This is the foundation of my Cai family's centuries-old business! It's where we live and work! How can the blood and sweat of our ancestors be destroyed by my hands?"

He looked at everything familiar before him, his eyes filled with reluctance and pain.

"General Cai!" Zhuge Liang's voice suddenly rose, carrying the force of metal and stone, "Though a legacy is important, nothing is more precious than human life! Cao Cao's army will arrive in an instant. If we remain trapped in this island, it will be a mutual destruction, failing to preserve our legacy and extinguishing the Cai family's bloodline! What meaning would the Cai family's century-old legacy hold? Only by abandoning these possessions we cannot take with us, and by setting up a feint, can we deceive Cao Cao's army and buy the Cai family a chance to escape! Although it will all be reduced to ashes, this fire will not be a fire of destruction, but a fire of rebirth!"

"Rebirth?" Cai Mao was completely flustered, staring blankly at Zhuge Liang. "Nephew, no, Zhuge Liang, may I ask... how do you explain this rebirth?"

Zhuge Liang slowly said, "General, you can lead your clansmen and available troops to retreat westward along the Han River with me, to join forces with Colonel Liao, and then we will gradually plan our resurgence! When we march south and recover Jingzhou and Xiangyang, why should we worry that the Cai family cannot restore its former glory? At that time, you, General, will be the one to achieve the greatest merit in this revival!"

Zhuge Liang's words struck Cai Mao's heart like a heavy hammer.

Cai Mao looked around, seeing the terrified and desperate faces of his clansmen, the bewildered eyes of his young nephews and nieces, and then at Zhuge Liang's wise and decisive face, a sense of tragic grandeur welled up in his heart.

Yes, what use is a legacy if the person is gone?

Cai Mao sighed deeply, closed his eyes, and two streams of tears slid down his cheeks. When he opened them again, his eyes were filled with pain and resolve. He gritted his teeth and forced out the order, his voice hoarse but carrying a desperate, ruthless edge: "Pass on...pass on my order! All clansmen and servants, immediately pack your valuables, take your rations, and discard all heavy items! Within half an hour, evacuate to the Zhouxi Wharf and await further orders!"

"All the grease and firewood in the warehouses shall be scattered throughout the houses, granaries, and roads! Especially along the narrow passages connecting the northern part of the island to the mainland, they shall be piled up even more! Act according to Master Kongming's orders! Quickly! Those who disobey will be executed!"

From "Kongming" to "nephew," then to "official," and finally to "sir," Cai Mao's heart seemed to change and rise and fall with each title.

Once the order was given, the entire Caizhou was thrown into even greater chaos, like a hornet's nest that had been stirred up. But within this chaos, a clear direction began to emerge.

but……

The situation remains far from optimistic.

Cries, shouts, running, and the sounds of objects being smashed were all mixed together.

Women, children, the elderly, and the infirm, supported by servants, stumbled and shoved their way toward the western dock.

Cai Mao, with his remaining few dozen relatively elite private soldiers, along with some other servants and guards, ran around frantically, his eyes red, like ants on a hot pan.

Zhuge Liang personally directed the Cai family to pour and pile up barrels of oil and piles of firewood in key locations on the island.

However, before everything was fully arranged, and before Cai's men could completely evacuate from the docks, a Cai family servant stumbled in panic, collapsing with a thud in front of Zhuge Liang and Cai Mao. "No, no, no... Something terrible has happened! Dust is rising from the direction of Xiangyang! Cao Cao's army is coming!"

"coax……"

The Cai clan members were immediately agitated!
Cai Mao looked around, his face deathly pale.

Zhuge Liang also sighed slightly.

There was nothing they could do. Even with the repeated urging and assistance of the Cai family's private soldiers and servants, many of the Cai family's common people would forget this or want to bring that, and then there would be a cacophony of babbling 'Yay!' and 'Babies!', and before long, the contents of the bundles in their arms and sleeves would suddenly spill out onto the ground halfway through their journey...

Even though they knew Cao Cao's army was coming!

Even knowing that Cao Cao's army meant certain death!
Can……

Hasn't Cao Cao's army arrived yet?

We need to bring this, but what about the children?
Where did my baby go?

My wife...

Husband...

My lads...

Well, now Cao Cao's army has arrived...

Wow!

"Master! Master! What do we do?! What do we do?!"

Cai Mao turned to Zhuge Liang in near despair, "Mr. Kongming, what... what do we do now?!"

Zhuge Liang held up two fingers, pinched the ribbon of his turban between his fingers, and gazed at it as it fluttered in the wind. He then sighed, "Now... the only option is... to spare Cao Zixiao's life for now..."

"Temporarily... Huh? What?!" Cai Mao could hardly believe his ears.

"Uncle, please entrust me with command of the Cai clan's troops... I can guarantee your safety..." Zhuge Liang glanced around, "and the Cai clan as well..."

"This..." Cai Mao hesitated slightly, then ripped off the jade pendant from his waist and personally handed it to Zhuge Liang. "Listen up, everyone! From this moment on, everyone in the Cai family! Will obey Master Kongming's orders! Anyone who disobeys will be severely punished!"

After saying this, Cai Mao immediately bowed down.

Zhuge Liang quickly helped Cai Mao up and then issued a series of orders.

They instructed people to throw kerosene and firewood at the street corner where Caizhou connected to the mainland, piling them up under the archway.

At the same time, he ordered all ships at the dock, regardless of whether they were full or not, to leave the dock immediately and head towards the Han River... Upon hearing this, Cai Mao's eyes widened, but he swallowed the words that were about to come out and said nothing.

Seeing that Cai Mao remained silent, the Cai family members quickly followed Zhuge Liang's instructions...

Just as the last few ships leaving Caizhou departed from the dock, billowing dust filled the eastern official road, obscuring the sky. Cao Ren personally led his elite troops, like a black iron torrent, carrying overwhelming killing intent, straight towards Caizhou!

Cao Ren took the lead, and as he looked at the seemingly calm Cai Zhou who was getting closer and closer, a cruel smile appeared on his lips.

He wanted to exterminate the entire Cai family!

"Order that after the fall of the state, thirty percent of the Cai family's wealth will be distributed as rewards to the soldiers! Kill!"

Cao Ren gave the order loudly, and the Cao army soldiers cheered in unison, their morale soaring.

The vanguard of the Wei army, as fierce as wolves and tigers, charged towards Caizhou along the narrow dike.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

More than ten arrows whistled through the air, felling three or four of Cao Cao's vanguard soldiers.

"There it is!"

Sharp-eyed Cao soldiers spotted the sniper archers Zhuge Liang had left on a distant rooftop.

"kill!"

Cao's soldiers raised their shields to guard against stray arrows as they charged into Caizhou.

Cao Ren followed the flow of Cao soldiers to the archway square in front of Cai Zhou Avenue, belonging to the Cai Clan. Suddenly, something seemed to tug at Cao Ren's heart, triggering his instinctive alertness.

Cao Ren reined in his horse, squinted, and slowly scanned the area from left to right.

Suddenly, some scattered firewood at the foot of the archway caught Cao Ren's attention!

"Frontline! Temporarily..."

Before Cao Ren could give the order, dozens of rockets rose into the air and landed on the piles of firewood that had been stacked and doused with oil!

*Boom!*

Flames erupted!

Dry firewood ignites easily when exposed to fire, and the spilled kerosene only fuels the fire.

The flames suddenly shot up several meters high, emitting a deafening roar!

A scorching wave of heat rolled in, carrying thick smoke and the scent of death.

The flames licked everything frantically, quickly connecting and turning the front half of Caizhou into a sea of ​​fire. This towering wall of fire engulfed Cao Cao's vanguard!

"Aaaaaaahh ...

"Fire! Huge fire!"

"Help!"

The first few dozen Cao soldiers, caught off guard, were instantly engulfed in flames, letting out piercing screams as they turned into rolling fireballs. The troops following behind were terrified by this sudden hellish sight and instinctively retreated, their formation instantly thrown into chaos.

"We've fallen for their trap! There's an ambush! Retreat! Retreat!"

The Cao army soldiers who were not engulfed by the flames hurriedly withdrew from the fire area.

In the latter half of Caizhou, Zhuge Liang took advantage of the rising flames and thick smoke that blotted out the sky, and the chaotic noise, to order everyone to dismantle the connected buildings at the crossroads, knock down the easily ignitable wooden walls, and lay out a firebreak.

When Caizhou was built, the Cai family invested heavily over several generations. Many houses were made of brick and stone, especially those along the street and important mansions and ancestral halls. Apart from the beams and pillars, they were basically made of brick, stone and tiles.

Therefore, Zhuge Liang and others did not actually need to clear many of the collapsed areas. Moreover, under the cover of the chaotic and noisy sounds of the front island, the collapse of the latter half of Cai Island would be mistaken for a collapse caused by flames.

Thick smoke billowed towards Cao Cao's army.

Many of Cao's soldiers were unable to open their eyes due to the smoke and coughed repeatedly.

"Get out! Get out!"

Sitting on horseback, Cao Ren was choked by the fumes and quickly led his army to retreat again.

Thick smoke billowed, obscuring the view. Only the houses inside Cai Zhou could be vaguely seen behind the wall of fire, and smoke and flames began to rise one after another.

"What a vicious plan!"

Cao Ren gritted his teeth, but secretly rejoiced.

Luckily, I didn't rush in first, otherwise now...

Cao Ren gritted his teeth, "Men! Search upstream and downstream immediately! Cai must have escaped by boat! Search! Find her alive or dead!"

He absolutely refused to believe that the other party would stay behind the fire to die.

Such a large fire was clearly intended to hinder the enemy and destroy supplies; the Cai family must have already made their escape!

Cao's soldiers sent scouts upstream and downstream, and soon found Cai's ships slowly sailing forward in the Han River.

But even if they found it, it was useless. After all, Cao Ren couldn't transform into a boat when he encountered water and back into cavalry when he got ashore, just like in the game...

Cao Ren considered calling upon the Xiangyang navy to pursue and kill them, but after a moment's consideration, he abandoned the idea.

It's a real shame that the Cai family and others escaped, but Xiangyang is far more important than Caizhou!
In an effort to hunt down Cai and his associates, the Xiangyang troops were mobilized in large numbers, resulting in a lack of preparedness...

Not worth the candle.

The fire was still raging on Caizhou Island, crackling and popping, and the heat was intense.

It seemed that the sound of houses collapsing could also be heard inside Caizhou.

Thick smoke billowed straight into the sky, turning half of the sky gray-black.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of burning grease and oil, making it difficult for Cao Cao's soldiers to breathe, even from this distance. Cao Ren's warhorse was also snorting and kicking its front hooves in discomfort.

Cao Ren's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

He stared intently at Caizhou, which was engulfed in flames and shrouded in thick smoke, with a growing sense of doubt in his heart.

Did all of Cai Zhou's people really leave by boat?
But with such a large fire, how could anyone still be inside?
Were those people who fired rockets earlier Cai's assassins?

"Guards! Set fire to these reeds! Burn them all!"

Cao Ren considered a possibility and immediately gave orders to the surrounding Cao army soldiers.

Another fire was started. Normally, reeds are indeed easy to burn in the summer, but Cao Ren forgot one thing: there had been a heavy summer rain just yesterday...

As a result, even more thick smoke rose up, and Cao Cao's army was at a disadvantage!

Cao Ren harbored a burning rage with nowhere to vent it. He was unable to kill his enemy and could only watch helplessly as Cai Zhou's wealth turned to ashes...

Although his original intention was to burn everything he couldn't take with him.

The smoke from the surrounding reeds grew louder and louder, and Cao Ren continued to wait patiently.

No one ran out...

No hidden ships were exposed.

Apart from the fireworks that filled the sky, Cao's army found nothing.

Cough cough cough…

Amidst Cao Cao's army, the sounds of coughing caused by the smoke could be heard continuously.

Left with no other option, Cao Ren angrily swung his sword at the air. "Order! Leave a team to monitor the fire. Once the fire has subsided slightly, immediately enter the island to search! The rest of you, follow me back to the city!"

He turned his horse around, filled with resentment and a sense of indescribable frustration, and reluctantly led his troops back to Xiangyang.

But in any case, it can be considered that the hidden dangers on the outskirts of Xiangyang have been eliminated.

As soon as Cao Ren left, the small squad of soldiers he left behind lost their spirit of holding the edge of the fire and remaining steadfast despite the smoke and fire. They immediately turned around and went to find a place to stay away from the smoke and fire...