Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3687 The Fog-Locked Dream Boat Breaks Through the Barrier, A Born Soldier Is Not a Bloodbath on the Road

The thick, impenetrable mist, like a damp, cold shroud, tightly enveloped Chen Zhong and his remaining dozen or so brothers.

The boat planks beneath my feet swayed gently in the murky lake water, emitting unsettling creaking sounds.

The fishing boat that was found at the last minute was so dilapidated that it looked like it would fall apart at any moment.

The oars slashed across the water, making a dull and monotonous sound.

All around were endless reed beds, their dark green stalks towering into the mist, their distorted reflections shimmering in the water like countless silent ghosts. The air was thick with the stench of water, decaying plants, and a lingering, acrid smell of burning that seemed to never dissipate…

That was the fortified village they had fled from, the embers of despair left on them.

Chen Zhong leaned against the side of the boat, blood seeping through the burlap bandage covering his wound.

His eyes were vacant as he stared into the depths of the thick fog, as if the screams of the aristocratic youths in the fortified village were still echoing in his ears, and as if Wang Hong's terrified and distorted face, devoid of any elegance, was still shimmering before his eyes.

A profound sense of emptiness and a chilling hatred gnawed at his heart in alternating waves.

They escaped, tearing a path to survival with betrayal and bloodshed, but the road ahead is uncertain, and where is their way home?
Where can these "discarded pawns," abandoned by their master and then turning against him, go?
In the midst of this deathly silence and confusion, a very faint sound, unlike the flapping of waterbirds, pierced through the thick fog and came from the reeds to the side. Chen Zhong tensed up abruptly, becoming alert like a wounded wild animal, his hand gripping his short knife tightly.

His brothers around him also stopped paddling instantly, held their breath, and their eyes were filled with the fear of startled birds.

Could it be Cao Cao's pursuing troops?
The thick fog was slowly pushed aside by the bow of a ship, and a small boat slightly larger than them appeared like a ghost.

The hull showed obvious signs of charring and damage, and the sail was reduced to a half-torn strip of cloth, drooping helplessly.

A dozen or so lean figures stood on the ship, each with a weary face but also a fierce and menacing air.

On the deck, several corpses covered with straw mats were arranged.

The leader was a burly man. Even though he was somewhat disheveled, his back remained straight as a pine tree. His wet hair was haphazardly plastered to his forehead, and his eyes shone brightly in the thick fog, like the sharp edges of a quenched blade, as he stared intently at Chen Zhong and his companions.

The two sides faced off in the thick fog, the air so still it was almost dripping with water.

Chen Zhong could sense the murderous aura emanating from the other party, a bloody battle still raging, indicating that he was no benevolent person, nor an ordinary defeated soldier or river bandit.

Who are they?

The burly man at the bow of the other ship spoke first, his voice hoarse and deep, with a heavy Sichuan accent, piercing through the fog and carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.

Chen Zhong remained silent for a moment, his mind racing. Although the enemy looked disheveled, their fierce aura far surpassed that of ordinary Cao army soldiers. They shouldn't be Cao army pursuers...

Chen Zhong replied hoarsely, "Refugees..."

"Escapee?" The burly man's gaze swept over the bloodstains and rudimentary weapons on Chen Zhong and the others. "Since you're fleeing... then lay down your weapons and submit to inspection!"

Chen Zhong looked at the half-drawn bows in the hands of the soldiers behind the burly man, and at the cold glint of the swords, spears, and arrows. After a moment of silence, he drew his short blade and threw it onto the deck.

Perhaps, this is fate?
Chen Zhong didn't know; he was just tired and felt somewhat indifferent.

Gan Ning's men searched the area but found no trace of Cao Cao's army. However, it was clear that Chen Zhong was not a genuine refugee.

Gan Ning's sharp gaze swept over their small boat and the grief and despair on their faces, lingering particularly on their bandaged wounds. "So, you really are 'refugees'?"

"What's going on with you guys? Who did you mess with? Why are you killing so fiercely and fleeing so hastily?" Gan Ning asked.

Chen Zhong's brothers instinctively looked at him.

Chen Zhong closed his eyes, and the towering flames of the fortified village and Wang Hongyuan's indifferent laughter resurfaced in his mind.

He took a deep breath, with an almost self-destructive chill, and briefly recounted how the Wang family had used them as pawns to defend the manor, and how he had desperately lured the enemy to breach the fortress. There was no embellishment, no accusation, just a statement, but the bone-chilling sense of betrayal conveyed between the lines silenced the men on Gan Ning's ship.

"A sacrificed pawn?" Gan Ning's thick eyebrows furrowed tightly upon hearing this, his eyes not showing contempt but rather a burning rage. He took a sudden step forward, causing the ship to rock, his voice booming like thunder in the thick fog, "What utter bullshit! What kind of 'pawn' is born to be sacrificed?! Here, under my command, under the General of the Cavalry, no one is born 'naturally' to be sacrificed, nor is anyone 'inevitably' destined to be abandoned! Look at me!"

Gan Ning pointed to his nose, his voice suddenly rising, carrying a wild and untamed arrogance, "Back in Ba County, I was a 'Jin Fan Bandit'! In the eyes of those corrupt officials and gentry, I wasn't even a 'pawn,' just a 'bandit' deserving to be wiped out and scorned! But the General of the Cavalry didn't see it that way! He saw that I could fight, that I knew how to swim, so he gave me boats, gave me soldiers, and made me a general with honor! My brothers included river pirates, fishermen, and refugees. In the eyes of those nobles, they were all 'pawns' who could be discarded at will! But on my boat, they were comrades who would live and die together!"

Gan Ning pointed to the bodies covered with straw mats on the deck, his eyes slightly red, but his voice was even more forceful, "Damn it, I've really messed up this time! That bastard Cao Ren tricked me! So many brothers died! But let me tell you, they weren't sacrificial pawns! I didn't throw them out as shields to block arrows! They charged alongside me, fell into the ambush, and died in battle! I'm holed up in this godforsaken swamp now, not to escape! I'm going to find a way out, find Cao Ren, and avenge these fallen brothers! I'll use Cao Ren's blood to consecrate my banner!"

But Gan Ning, cursing, quickly scratched his head again, "This godforsaken place... it's more winding than the rivers in Sichuan! My guide... ugh!"

He spat fiercely, a flash of pain and rage in his eyes. "They shot us to death with those damned Cao army arrows! This damned swamp, we've been wandering around for two days and can't even find north!"

Chen Zhong's heart stirred.

The guide is dead?

get lost?

Judging from the damage to the other ship and the bodies on the deck, it was clear that they had also been through a fierce battle.

Chen Zhong tentatively asked, "Are you... really the Flying Cavalry?"

"I am Gan Ning!" Gan Ning patted his chest proudly. "Gan Xingba of Jinfan!"

Gan Ning!

Chen Zhong had heard of this name before!

This name is quite well-known in the Jingzhou area. He was originally a pirate named Jinfan and is now a general under Fei Qian, the General of the Cavalry.

He's actually wandering around in this Yunmeng Marsh?
Gan Ning's gaze pierced Chen Zhong like a tangible object: "You think you're a man?! I'm asking you, where's your guts?! You led your brothers out here just to rot in this wretched place? Or do you want to hide somewhere, lick your wounds, and only spit out curses at those bastards who abandoned you? Come with me! Be my guide, lead the way through this hellish swamp north! I'll take you and your brothers to settle accounts with Cao Ren! We'll use our swords and spears to tell those high and mighty bastards! A soldier's life is still a life! A soldier's grudge must be avenged with blood!"

Chen Zhong's heart felt as if it had been struck hard by a heavy hammer.

Gan Ning's words struck his heart like a battering ram, shattering his notions of "destiny" and "inevitable war" into pieces!
As Chen Zhong looked into Gan Ning's eyes, which burned with the flames of revenge and made no attempt to conceal his pain and anger, and then compared them to Wang Hong's cold and detached gaze in his memory, which regarded human life as worthless, a completely different sense of power sprouted in his desolate heart like a seed breaking through the soil.

Chen Zhong looked down at his rough, blood-stained, and calloused hands, then at his remaining brothers beside him, who were also scarred but whose eyes had regained a glimmer of light...

In Gan Ning's eyes, they no longer seemed to be disposable expendables, but rather...

Comrades who can fight side by side?
Gan Ning even openly admitted his defeat and stated his desire for revenge. This frank anger was far more real and powerful than the Wang family's hypocritical empty talk.

"This part of Yunmeng Marsh..."

Chen Zhong slowly raised his head, his gaze no longer empty, but gradually focusing. He pointed to the fog-shrouded northwest, "To head north, the official roads and waterways are dead ends. I know a route, through the reeds, across the shallow marshes, bypassing Cao Cao's outposts, that leads to the southern outskirts of Xinye... but the waterway is difficult; in some places we have to tow the boat ashore, and..."

"And what a load of rubbish!" Gan Ning waved his hand, interrupting his hesitation, his eyes gleaming with wild joy. "As long as we know the way! What's wrong with a tugboat? My men may not have much else, but they've got plenty of strength! Quick, come closer! Get on my boat! Show me the way!"

Chen Zhong said nothing more and nodded heavily.

When Chen Zhong stepped onto the scorched deck of the warship, he felt that he was no longer a drifting, helpless piece of driftwood, but had become one with this warship that carried anger and revenge.

Gan Ning whistled, and a moment later, another whistle came from within the thick fog.

A moment later, a whistle sounded in response, and after a while, two or three more ships joined them... Chen Zhong used his short blade to carve on the bow deck.

The lines outline the winding waterways, vast reed beds, several key shallows, and hidden land connections.

A hidden passage winding through the mists of the swamp and plunging into the enemy's rear gradually became clear under his guidance.

"Start from here at an angle," Chen Zhong pointed his knife at a spot, "keep close to the edge of this reed bed. The water's shallow enough for a boat to pass. Ahead, there'll be an area with particularly dense weeds and a hard muddy bottom; the boat will run aground... Everyone get into the water and tow the boat across, it's about half a mile. Once you're past that area, you'll connect to an abandoned fishing channel that leads directly to Long Lake to the north..."

Gan Ning bent down to carefully examine the simple yet clear map, a genuine, exhilarating smile spreading across his face—the first such smile since the defeat. "Good! Excellent! Good man! From now on, you're one of my men on Gan Xingba's ship! After we behead Cao Ren, I'll personally petition the General of Chariots and Cavalry for your reward! Set sail! Follow Brother Chen's directions! Hey you over there! Come here and change Brother Chen's bandages!"

Chen Zhong stared at Gan Ning's smile for a moment, then couldn't help but smile as well.

……

……

When one of the scouts sent by Sima Yi, risking his life at the last minute, finally arrived at Wancheng, wounded and battered, and delivered the devastating news of the defeat at Songshan and Cao Cao's main force marching south to Huang Zhong, it was all too late.

Cao's army arrived one after another and began to besiege the city.

"Has Cao Cao's main force really marched south?"

Huang Zhong stood atop the city wall of Wancheng, watching Cao Cao's army begin constructing siege camps around the city, and frowned.

Cao Cao arrived in person, and his momentum was unstoppable!
Huang Zhong understood that Cao Cao's army had not attacked Wancheng immediately, which meant that they had led their troops to Fancheng!
From the perspective of the overall battle situation in Jingzhou, in the Jingbei region, Li Dian and Liao Hua's troops are clearly more threatening than Huang Zhong's troops in Wancheng...

Wancheng is now an isolated and prominent place!

Cao Ren is in Xiangyang and could launch a counterattack with Cao Cao's main force at any time!

However, now that we talk about it, it was thanks to Cao Ren's earlier surprise attack on Wancheng that Huang Zhong arrived in Wancheng before Cao Cao, strengthening the city's defenses and stabilizing the front line. Otherwise, if Cao Ren hadn't pulled this stunt...

It's hard to say who owns Wancheng now!
The most urgent task is to immediately withdraw troops and strengthen the city's defenses!

The entire Jingzhou region is now clearly divided, with each faction fighting its own battles...

Cao Cao's precise and ruthless strategic blow not only recaptured Feijunbao, forced Sima Yi to retreat, and frightened Li Dian and Liao Hua, but also completely disrupted the rhythm and deployment of the Flying Cavalry's entire Jingbei campaign.

What initially seemed like an advantageous encirclement situation instantly turned into a precarious predicament where Cao Cao's main force was eyeing them covetously, and their various units were unable to attend to both ends.

On the battlefield, the tides of advantage can turn at a rapid pace; a single misstep can lead to a snowballing defeat.

Judging from the current situation, the initiative on the Jingxiang battlefield has changed hands since the appearance of the "Cao" banner in northern Jing. However, this change was brought about by Cao Cao's army. It's like the side lane of a chessboard was suddenly blocked by two rooks, which are naturally extremely powerful, and other pieces dare not easily compete for it...

For the first time, the generals of the Flying Cavalry Army, including Huang Zhong, truly felt the isolation and pressure of being divided, surrounded, and cut off from information.

However, a turning point is also brewing amidst the danger...

'General...'

Seeing Cao Cao's army undertaking such a massive construction project, with banners waving everywhere, Huang Zhong's personal guards felt that Wancheng was like a small boat in a vast swamp, ready to be capsized and swallowed up by any sudden storm. They couldn't help but feel anxious, "General...we...have we been abandoned...?"

Huang Zhong glanced at him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry. Would the General's army have any worn-out soldiers?"

……

……

Wancheng had only just been besieged, yet people were already filled with unease. Wenxian, on the other hand, had been besieged for nearly a month, and the atmosphere hanging over Wenxian was no longer the smell of gunpowder, but rather despair and a helpless fear.

The smell was a mixture of earthy, sweaty, fecal, and decaying odors, creating a cacophony of animalistic smells that resembled the smell inside a swill truck during rush hour.

The tattered flags drooped on the city wall, and the defenders seemed to have lost their souls, their movements sluggish and their eyes vacant. They barely managed to keep their numb limbs afloat, relying only on their fear of "Lord Cheng's" accumulated power and their imagination of the brutal revenge of the cavalry after the city fell, where they would kill, burn, and loot everything.

That's right, because Cao Cao's army itself practiced the "Three Alls" (kill all, burn all, loot all), they instinctively feared that the Flying Cavalry would also use the "Three Alls" against them...

Even though their fear was unfounded, they still felt terrified.

Because all the information Cao Cao's soldiers received came from their military academy, and the information from the military academy came from their superiors...

This traditional pyramid structure of the Han Dynasty, which only pursues results and ignores process, resulted in the lower and middle classes, especially the lower-class civilians and soldiers, being selected time and again. The "good citizens" and "good soldiers" who remained were people with no thinking ability, who only knew how to work and fight...

Now, a "minor problem" has arisen between the superiors of Cao Jun's soldiers and their superiors.

Deep within the castle's mansion, a strong smell of herbs and a barely perceptible stench of decay permeated the air.

Cheng Yu lay on the couch, his body burning hot, his teeth clenched so tightly that they made a "crunching" sound.

A few days ago, because he distrusted the military intelligence passed on by his subordinates, he insisted on going to the front line to spy on the cavalry camp, and was grazed in the arm by a stray arrow...

At first, Cheng Yu only felt some discomfort; his facial muscles were stiff, and he often wore a wry smile. The other guards didn't pay much attention; after all, given the current situation in Wen County, who could be happy and have a cheerful expression?

However, as the outer city was gradually built, Cheng Yu's health seemed to be slowly deteriorating.

At first, he was only afraid of bright light; once exposed to strong light, his limbs would involuntarily twitch. This prevented Cheng Yu from patrolling the city during the day, allowing him to only show himself at dawn and dusk.

If that's all there is to it, it's nothing special.

The cavalry were busy besieging the city and building camps. Occasionally, they would launch small-scale probing attacks, which were just to stretch the soldiers' muscles and bones. They did not commit too many troops. Cheng Yu did not need to give special command on the Wen County city wall. The cavalry would withdraw on their own after two or three hours.

As the siege of the city was gradually completed, Cheng Yu's condition worsened.

Seeing that Cheng Yu's condition was not good, the guards secretly found a doctor, but the doctor was also unable to help.

The doctor explained that this was caused by "toxins entering the Du meridian, causing the tendons and vessels to buckle. The pathogens attack the internal organs, leading to spasms and rapid breathing. Symptoms include restlessness, high fever, profuse sweating, and a erratic, pecking pulse..."

In other words, it means, "If you can't be cured, just wait to die. While you can still move, eat something good..."

Cheng Yu's personal guards were naturally shocked. They pressured the doctors to treat him "no matter what" while strictly keeping the news under wraps. They stayed by Cheng Yu's side for twelve hours a day, praying that Cheng Yu would recover completely.

There were no effective medicines in the Han Dynasty.

This disease can be summed up in one word: "fight".

The doctor said it was a number of 50/50.

But can Cheng Yu pull through?

Cheng Yu knew this, and he hoped he could pull through and return to his post, but the illness had gradually weakened him.

Intense, uncontrollable spasms would suddenly seize him, causing his limbs to stretch backward, his head and neck to become rigid, like a fully drawn bow, with inhuman "hoarse" sounds escaping from his throat, and his eyes wide open but unfocused.

His moments of lucidity grew shorter, but his delirium increased, a mixture of ramblings about the human flesh incident, gnashing curses against the betrayal of the Hanoi gentry, and resentment towards the prime minister's delayed arrival of reinforcements...