Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3712 The Morning Cry of the Pheasant
The night in Wancheng was as heavy as the reader's insults towards the monkey, pressing down heavily, yet separated by something.

On the city wall, Huang Zhong's men, who were on duty, leaned against the cold crenellations, their eyes wide open, but they could not see the darkness inside Cao Cao's besieging camp.

The campfires of Cao's army flickered, forming a blurry band of light, like the pupils of a wild beast lurking around Wancheng in the darkness, reflecting cruelty and greed.

Wancheng is indeed a nice place if there were no war.

After all, Wancheng has a very advantageous geographical location, situated between the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Han River, with convenient transportation in all directions. This provides unique conditions for the prosperity of its commerce and trade. However, it is precisely because of this that Wancheng is not easy to defend.

During the Qin Dynasty, the land of Nanyang was not yet fully developed, so the Qin emperor "relocated the unruly people of the world to Nanyang," and thus Wancheng began to prosper.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, many of Liu Xiu and his ruling group hailed from Nanyang. Nanyang and Wan became the focus of attention. Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu) repeatedly ordered tax reductions for Nanyang. People yearned for the "imperial homeland" and were attracted by the tax breaks, so before the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Nanyang's population was at its peak, almost approaching the size of the Han capital.

But now...

Wancheng was not built in a day, but it could be ruined in a day.

Huang Zhong, his hand on the ring-pommel sword at his waist, paced slowly along the city wall.

His old armor gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the dim torchlight, and his slightly graying beard trembled in the night wind.

Although he was now heavily surrounded by Cao Cao's army, Huang Zhong was not panicked.

After all, his martial arts skills were undeniable. For Huang Zhong, who was not yet fully old in his middle age, breaking through the encirclement was not a difficult task. He only needed to find the right opportunity and determine the direction of the breakout.

Huang Zhong's current somewhat aged appearance is simply due to the hardships he endured during his youth and middle age.

Prolonged exposure to wind and sun can make a thirty-year-old look fifty.

Before meeting General Fei Qian, Huang Zhong was just a hunter in the mountains. Who could have imagined that he would be where he is today?
Huang Zhong wasn't particularly ambitious. Historically, even with his formidable martial skills, he obediently served as a city garrison commander, obeying the orders of his incompetent aristocratic superiors, all to save money for his sickly child's medical treatment—a typical middle-aged corporate slave from the Three Kingdoms period. Even in his old age, after finally landing a decent job at a respectable company, he still fought tooth and nail to protect his family's wealth.

Huang Zhong's slaying of Xiahou Dun was indeed a remarkable feat in history, but who knew that he would die shortly afterward?
Huang Zhong stopped and stood on the battlements, gazing at Cao Cao's camp below.

There's been no good news these past few days, just a constant stream of bad news.

The issue of food supplies, in particular.

Cao Ren burned some of the granaries in Wancheng, which made the already scarce grain supplies in Wancheng even worse.

The grain officer in charge of logistics reported a couple of days ago that the grain reserves were less than ten days' worth, and even if the grain was distributed in small measures, it wouldn't last more than a few days...

Just as he was pondering this, some chaotic noises suddenly came from the distance of Cao Cao's camp.

"General!" a guard pointed in the direction, "There's movement over there!"

Huang Zhong saw it too.

The once quiet fires in Cao Cao's camp now stirred, flickering and swaying, accompanied by the roars of men and the clash of weapons...

"This is……"

Huang Zhong frowned slightly.

Moments later, the flickering flames and sounds approached Wancheng.

"Archers, be on guard!"

Huang Zhong gave the order.

A group of soldiers stepped forward with a clatter, swords drawn and arrows nocked.

The commotion in Cao Cao's camp below the city continued. A blurry figure stumbled out of the darkness and rushed toward the city wall of Wancheng, seemingly pursued by a large number of Cao Cao's soldiers.

"Fire arrows! Stop the pursuers!" the military officer on duty on the city wall shouted instinctively, then realized that he was not the highest-ranking officer at the moment, and quickly turned around to look at Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong nodded slightly, not taking offense at the military academy's overstepping of its bounds.

A volley of arrows, whistling through the air, hurtled towards the pursuing Cao army. Several muffled groans echoed from the darkness, and the pursuers' movements visibly faltered.

In the dim light, the arrow rain wasn't very effective in terms of coverage and killing power, but it did have a blocking effect. The Cao army pursuers were a few steps slower, giving the pursued some chances to escape.

The figure being chased seemed to have used up its last bit of strength, collapsing onto the muddy ground no more than twenty steps from the moat of Wancheng, with a loud thud!

"Quick! Fire more arrows! Hold off the pursuers!" Without Huang Zhong needing to give a specific order, the military officer shouted, then lay prone on the battlements and yelled to the pursuers below, "Come here! Hurry!"

Arrows rained down from the city wall, heading towards the back of the pursuers.

Amidst the darkness and flickering light, some screams rang out.

The pursued man scrambled to his feet and ran forward on all fours, but just as he crossed a section of the filled-in moat and approached the city wall of Wancheng, he was shot in the back by an arrow from a Cao army officer who rushed out of the darkness!
The pursued man screamed, seemingly trying to turn his head to see who had shot him, but he couldn't support his body and collapsed to the ground with a thud. His body convulsed violently a few times before becoming still.

The Cao army officer in the shadows seemed somewhat smug as he looked up at the city wall and his gaze met Huang Zhong's.

Huang Zhong frowned slightly. "Bring me the bow!"

The guards handed him a bow and arrows.

The Cao army officer seemed to sense Huang Zhong's killing intent and quickly retreated into the darkness.

Huang Zhong glanced at the target and, realizing he couldn't guarantee a hit with a blind shot, clicked his tongue, changed direction, and shot and killed another Cao soldier charging ahead.

The soldiers who had been pursuing Cao Cao's army saw arrows raining down from the city walls and that those being pursued were dead. They were also wary of Huang Zhong's archery skills, so they followed the military officer and quickly disappeared back into the darkness.

The city walls were deathly silent.

All eyes were focused on the fallen figure.

Huang Zhong pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Two men go down and carefully drag that man back."

The basket was lowered, and two daring soldiers quickly slid down the city wall. After cautiously looking around, they dragged up the still-warm body and tied it with ropes.

The body was dragged up the city wall, over the crenellations, and smashed onto the blue bricks of the wall.

This was a soldier wearing ordinary two-piece armor, not very old, his face contorted with blood loss and fear, an arrow lodged deep in his lung, the fatal wound.

"search."

Huang Zhong's words were concise and to the point.

The guards stepped forward and carefully examined the object.

Soon, they pulled a small bamboo tube wrapped in oiled paper from the lining of the corpse's battle robe.

The oil paper package was torn, and the surface was covered with mud and dark red bloodstains, as if it had been crushed by something, causing the bamboo tube to be almost broken.

Huang Zhong took the oil paper package and frowned slightly.

The oil paper wrappings and bamboo tubes contained little useful information, or rather, even if they did, nothing could be preserved after being crushed and damaged.

Fortunately, the cloth used inside the bamboo tube was soft and did not break.

Under the flickering torchlight, the handwriting on the silk scroll appeared somewhat hasty, but the content made Huang Zhong's heart sink!
"The rebel chieftain's troops have gathered in Wancheng, Jingbei. We cannot hold out there. We must quickly reorganize our army and break out. I will personally lead elite cavalry to provide support at Feihu Fort. The opportunity is fleeting; delay will only lead to unforeseen changes. Imperial edict..."

At the end of the seal, there is a blurry but discernible mark, which seems to be Sima Yi's personal seal.

"Is this General Sima? Flying Fox Fortress?" A military officer nearby leaned closer, his voice filled with incredulous joy. "If General Sima can help us, we have a chance to survive!"

Huang Zhong did not answer immediately.

Cao Cao's army besieged the city, leaving one side open. If they rushed in through this gap, they might indeed reach the city walls. He wasn't a strategist like Xun Yu or Zhuge Liang, whose plans were flawless. Huang Hansheng relied on his sword, the intuition and experience honed through countless bloody battles.

He just felt something was strange...

Huang Zhong examined the young man's body again, but found nothing of value.

Under normal circumstances, Huang Zhong would have remained indifferent to letters that were unmarked or whose markings had been damaged, but now, in Wancheng…

The food supplies are almost gone.

If they hold out without supplies, they will face certain death: starvation or slaughter when the city falls.

Unless Huang Zhong wanted to eat human flesh, breaking through the encirclement was the only option.

Even knowing that there might be a trap ahead, we still have to go for it!
Instead of waiting to die, it is better to fight to the death!
Huang Zhong gripped the silk scroll tightly, his knuckles turning white, and a fierce, sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

With a horse beneath my feet, a knife in my saddle, and arrows in my body, who in the world can stop me?

"Give the order!" Huang Zhong's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute force, instantly silencing all the whispers on the city walls. "All troops prepare! Tonight at midnight, open the north gate and break out!"

As midnight approached, dark clouds obscured the waning moon, plunging the world into a deep, inky darkness.

Inside the north gate of Wancheng, there was deathly silence.

Huang Zhong led over a thousand soldiers, along with over a hundred lightly wounded men who were still able to move, and they had all assembled.

Warhorses were gagged, soldiers were in full armor, and all eyes were focused on the tall figure behind the city gate.

Huang Zhong was not wearing a brocade robe, but still dressed in a worn black iron armor. He carried a powerful bow on his back, the bow itself was dark and exuded a heavy killing intent. He leaned on a long sword with his left hand and looked around at the faces of those who had followed him through thick and thin.

He saw fear, but he also saw courage. "My men!" Huang Zhong's voice rang out in the silence, "Our supplies are running out! Holding out here means certain death! Our only option now is to fight!"

He suddenly brandished his longsword, its blade flashing with a cold light. "Tonight, all of you, stay close! Follow me and we'll fight our way out!"

There were no passionate shouts, nor any flowery words.

These soldiers were half from the Flying Cavalry and half from Huang Zhong's troops; both could be considered elite.

"Open the city gates!"

The heavy winch groaned shrilly as the massive wooden door slowly slid open a crack.

The cold night wind, carrying the scent of earth and wild grass from outside the city, suddenly rushed in.

The gap widened, and the darkness outside the door resembled a gaping maw ready to devour its prey.

"Lower the suspension bridge!"

With a creaking sound, the suspension bridge descended, making a loud crash.

"Follow me—!"

Huang Zhong led from the front.

With a long neigh, the warhorse charged out of the city gate first!

Behind them, nearly two hundred elite cavalrymen followed closely, followed by infantrymen, like a flood bursting its banks, crashing into the unknown darkness outside the city!
The Cao army camp outside the city seemed to be disturbed by this sudden breakout.

After a brief period of chaos, the warning gong sounded hastily.

Dozens of sparse arrows shot out from the darkness, landing weakly on the ground on both sides of the charging column.

Those who block my way shall die!

Huang Zhong roared and slashed left and right with his long sword. The two Cao army infantrymen in front of him did not even have time to react before they were decapitated.

The cavalry behind him also unleashed astonishing fighting power, thrusting with spears and wielding sabers, instantly tearing a bloody gap in the seemingly tight defense line hastily assembled by Cao's army!
Cao Jun's encirclement strategy, leaving one side open, seemed to have genuinely left a gap, without actually making any moves...

Rushed out!

However, Huang Zhong felt little joy. He still felt an invisible pressure surrounding him, and some kind of danger still lurked in the surrounding darkness.

This breakout...

It's so smooth!

Cao Jun's resistance was less of an interception and more of a drive-away!
The arrows were sparse, and the infantry were scattered, as if they had only symbolically blocked the way before allowing them to break through the first line of defenses.

However, now that we've already broken out of the city, we can only continue forward.

"Don't linger! Charge out!" Huang Zhong shouted sharply, suppressing the restlessness in his troops who were starting to stir after their initial small victory. The uneasy premonition in his heart grew stronger.

The group dared not linger and sped northwest along the breach that had been breached.

Behind them, the shouts of Cao Cao's army and the hoofbeats of the pursuing soldiers gradually converged, like rolling thunder, pressing on everyone's nerves.

As they fled for their lives, the sky turned from pitch black to a somber, deep gray, signaling the approach of dawn.

A fork in the road appeared ahead.

A relatively wide mountain road extends northeastward, leading to Feihu Fort Taigu Pass.

That is, the place mentioned in the letter...

The other road turns northwest, becoming narrower and more rugged, disappearing into the undulating mountains and leading to Yique Pass.

The group involuntarily slowed down at the fork in the road, and everyone's eyes turned to Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong reined in his warhorse, which puffed out thick white smoke.

Huang Zhong inspected the two roads on the left and right.

"General! There's smoke over there!" Suddenly, a soldier pointed northwest towards the more rugged mountain path and shouted, "Smoke on the mountain! There are people over there! An ambush!"

Huang Zhong instinctively wanted to walk in the other direction, but when he gave the order, his heart suddenly clenched!
A thought flashed through my mind like lightning!
wrong!

If there were indeed ambushes in the direction of Yique Pass in the northwest, why did Huang Zhong reveal himself and expose the smoke signals even before he reached the ambush area?

This……

"Change course! Northwest! Towards Yique Pass!"

At that moment, Huang Zhong decided to follow the guidance of his heart.

"General, so... we're not going to Flying Fox Fortress?" the guard asked.

Huang Zhong shook his head, glancing at the still-calm, even overly calm, northeast direction. "If there's an ambush, why reveal ourselves?"

Some soldiers understood, while others did not. However, military orders were absolute, and Huang Zhong made the decision. The entire army immediately left the mountain road leading to the relatively flat Feihu Fort and headed towards Yique Pass.

Led by Huang Zhong himself, the elite vanguard, like a red-hot dagger, fiercely stabbed towards the rising flames!

"Old man Huang Zhong! Where do you think you're going!"

Huang Zhong's troops had not gone far when they heard a loud shout coming from ahead.

A troop of fierce Cao army cavalry suddenly charged out from the flank, led by a young and valiant general in silver armor and a white robe—none other than Lü Qian, a general under Cao Cao. He had been ordered to ambush Huang Zhong here, lighting fireworks to create a false impression of strength. He had assumed Huang Zhong would be led towards Taigu Pass by the letter and the fireworks, but the old general had unexpectedly headed towards Tiger Mountain, disrupting his plans!
Lu Qian originally planned to block Huang Zhong's retreat after he headed towards Feihu Fortress, but he did not expect Huang Zhong to rush over directly without even the slightest hesitation or pause. This left Lu Qian with no time to make any corresponding arrangements, so in his haste, he shouted for battle!
Lu Qian's idea was simple: as long as Huang Zhong's troops were stopped, Cao Cao's army on the main road of Feihu Fort would realize something was wrong and rush over, and they could still surround and annihilate Huang Zhong from both sides!

But the next moment, Lü Qian could no longer maintain his imposing manner...

Seeing Lü Qian lead Cao's army to attack from the flank, Huang Zhong quickly took out the dark bow and moved with ghostly speed. In the blink of an eye, a heavy arrow with eagle feathers was already nocked on the bowstring!
Draw the bow!

Like a full moon!
Arrow, go!

Like a shooting star!
The arrows, accompanied by a piercing whistle, arrived in front of Lü Qian almost as soon as he raised his spear and roared!

Lu Qian felt a blur before his eyes, and a tremendous force slammed into his left shoulder!

The shoulder armor, forged from fine iron, was pierced through as if it were made of paper!

A sharp pain instantly swept through his body. He screamed, his spear slipped from his hand, and the terrifying force pulled him backward, almost causing him to fall off his horse!

Protect the general!

Cao's army was thrown into chaos.

Huang Zhong didn't even look at the result; the bowstring was still humming.

He sheathed his great bow, drew his sword, and pointed it forward, his voice echoing across the land: "Those who block my way, die!"

The power of this arrow not only severely injured Cao Cao's general, but also greatly deterred other Cao Cao soldiers who were trying to block him!
Huang Zhong is an old hunter...

In the mountains and forests, the distinction between fierce beasts is not always determined by a bloody fight; momentum is quite important.

Huang Zhong could have killed Lü Qian with a single arrow, but he held back.

It wasn't that Huang Zhong was particularly kind to Lü Qian, but rather that Huang Zhong knew that a wounded person was different from a wild beast.

When a wild beast is wounded, it will fight desperately because it knows its predator will not let it go. But when a human is wounded, not everyone has the courage to fight to the death; more often, they will be cowardly and run away...

As expected, Cao Cao's army retreated to protect Lü Qian, and Huang Zhong's men seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, tearing open a gap at the entrance to the northwest mountain road!
Huang Zhong took the lead, leading his remaining troops into the rugged mountains without looking back.

Supported by his personal guards, Lü Qian clutched his shoulder, where blood was gushing out. His face was ashen, and he watched Huang Zhong disappear into the misty mountain path, his eyes filled with horror and resentment.

He underestimated the veteran's ruthlessness and feared his unpredictable archery skills.

Lü Qian dared not pursue any further...

As the first faint rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and shone on the walls of Wancheng, Huang Zhong had already led his troops into the vast mountains.

Cao Cao's army stormed into Wancheng, thick smoke billowing and flames rising...

Huang Zhong reined in his horse on a slightly higher slope along the mountain path and looked back.

Flying Fox Castle...

Sima Yi...

Heluo...

General of the Cavalry...

Huang Zhong suppressed his turbulent emotions. "Let's go! To Yique!"

The sound of horses' hooves rang out again, shattering the silence of the mountains and forests, as they trudged onward toward the northwest.