With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 284, Xun Yu and his nephew meet.

"How could the Yellow Turbans possibly appear near Xuchang?" Xun Yu found it hard to understand.

Xuchang was the capital of the Han Dynasty. In recent years, the imperial court had paid special attention to Xuchang. Even if the Yellow Turbans appeared in other places, it was absolutely impossible for them to appear within a hundred miles of Xuchang.

Xun Yu found it hard to understand and was very angry that the Yellow Turban rebels had gathered and caused chaos in the capital.

Jia Xu glanced at Xun Yu and said, "Lord Xun, these may be bandits who have wandered over from elsewhere."

Turning to Taishi Ci, Jia Xu instructed, "Ziyi, the bandits are attacking. We cannot let them off lightly. You must lead the troops out of the city immediately and defeat these bandits!"

Taishi Ci readily accepted the order and was about to leave when Jia Xu called him back and whispered a few words of advice.

Taishi Ci understood immediately, nodded vigorously, and strode down the city wall.

Before long, Taishi Ci led his men to open the city gates and charge out. The two sides immediately engaged in battle, and after fighting for a while, the enemy hastily retreated.

Taishi Ci persisted and led his men in pursuit.

Xun Yu did not dispel his worries. He shook his head and said in bewilderment, "Isn't it a bit too far-fetched for a bunch of Yellow Turban rebels to dare to cause trouble in Xuchang?"

Jia Xu nodded. "Lord Xun is called my Zhang Liang by Prime Minister Cao, and he truly lives up to his reputation. You and I think the same thing: these people are not Yellow Turban rebels at all. Their purpose in coming here is to draw our troops away."

Xun Yu felt somewhat embarrassed. Even though Jia Xu was praising Cao Cao, it made Xun Yu feel awkward.

He countered, "Then why did you just say they were bandits from out of town?"

A strange smile appeared in Jia Xu's eyes. "I was just testing Lord Xun's judgment to see if you could spot their flaws?"

Xun Yu sighed helplessly, "What time is it? You still want to test me. Although I haven't been on the battlefield for a long time, I fought against the Yellow Turbans many times when I followed the Prime Minister in my early years. Tonight, this group of people moved in and out in an orderly manner, without any disorder. They look more like well-trained soldiers."

Jia Xu nodded. "That's right, I've noticed that too."

"So, you're saying that you deliberately set up a trap by having Taishi Ci lead the troops in pursuit?"

Jia Xu nodded again. Talking to smart people is so convenient.

Jia Xu even thought to himself that Cao Cao's loss of Xun Yu was a huge one.

In Jia Xu's view, Xun Yu was worth a hundred cities!

After a while, Lu Xun quickly climbed up the city wall and came to Jia Xu and Xun Yu.

"The group from the north of the city has finally made their move; they've already entered the secret passage."

"Is the number of people still the same?" Jia Xu asked.

Lu Xun didn't say much, but his words were concise and to the point: "No more, no less, still around a thousand."

Jia Xu shook his head. "That group of fake Yellow Turban rebels already numbered over two thousand, yet so few entered the secret passage. These people were clearly just testing us; there must be more to come. It seems we've met our match this time."

Even Jia Xu, who was usually calm and collected in the face of adversity, had his eyes light up at this moment, and a hint of excitement arose in his heart.

Jia Xu solemnly instructed, "Proceed as planned. No matter what happens in the secret passage, there is no need for reinforcements."

Lu Xun was somewhat worried, "But in that case, it will be difficult for the guards in the secret passage to stop so many people."

Jia Xu remained expressionless, as calm as a stone. "No need to say anything more, carry out the order."

Lu Xun suddenly remembered that the emperor had once described Jia Xu as a treacherous strategist in front of him, and today, he was completely convinced.

The more than 1,000 people entered the secret passage and soon encountered resistance. However, there were only a few hundred guards in the passage, and the enemy advanced rapidly. The battle was fierce but short.

The leader of this group was Fang Hu. Fang Hu had a cold face and brandished a goose-feather saber. He had once been a captain under Cao Ren, loyal and brave in battle. He was specially selected by Cao Ren to participate in the operation to capture Xuchang.

"Hurry up, before they send reinforcements, break through the secret passage and capture the imperial city."

Fang Hu shouted and charged forward. Another wave of guards rushed over. Fang Hu roared and charged forward with his sword. The blade whistled as Fang Hu attacked fiercely, but the guards fought tenaciously and refused to retreat.

Each guard was able to kill two or three enemies before he died, and even Fang Hu was slashed by a knife.

Fang Hu cursed and continued forward, soon bursting out of the secret passage, which led directly to the imperial city. So when they appeared directly in the imperial city, even Fang Hu himself found it hard to believe; happiness had come too suddenly.

Fang Hu forced himself to calm down and immediately ordered, "You must guard the exit for me."

Then, someone was sent to deliver a letter to Xun You.

At this moment, on the third floor of Lingyan Pavilion, behind a window, stood two people, Jia Xu and Xun Yu, who had arrived from the south gate.

Seeing those people appear in the imperial city, Jia Xu remained still and on high alert, saying in a low voice, "These people are very cunning. They are still testing us to see how many guards are actually in the imperial city."

Xun Yu said, "Yes, if the enemy suddenly appears in the capital, the defending army will definitely go all out and concentrate all its strength to rush over."

"So, I've already informed the Imperial Brother-in-law in advance, and he'll be here with his men soon."

Sure enough, Dong Cheng arrived with his men not long after. Although Dong Cheng had brought quite a few people, about two thousand, their fighting strength was clearly inferior to that of Fang Hu and his men.

Fang Hu handled the situation with ease, not only guarding the secret passage but also blocking Dong Cheng's attack, causing Dong Cheng's side to suffer considerable casualties.

"Look, the enemy's reinforcements are here."

Jia Xu's gaze quickly shifted from Dong Cheng to the exit of the secret passage. The entrance to the passage was like a floodgate opening, with people pouring out in an endless stream.

Xun Yu was increasingly surprised as he looked at them. Without Jia Xu's reminder, he knew that these were people sent by Cao Cao.

Under heaven, only Cao Cao had the strength and the courage to send people to cause trouble in Xuchang.

Sun Quan wouldn't dare, and Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu wouldn't even consider it.

With reinforcements arriving in droves, Fang Hu, who already held the advantage, found the situation completely one-sided as more and more reinforcements arrived, and Dong Cheng was utterly unable to withstand them.

But Dong Cheng had no intention of retreating. He kept shouting, "Block them! You must hold them!"

Dong Cheng was already old, nearing sixty, and had been out of the battlefield for many years. His physical condition and combat ability were far inferior to what they used to be, but he showed no fear.

Xun Yu watched and couldn't help but feel admiration. Suddenly, he turned to Jia Xu and asked, "Wenhe, have you told the emperor's brother-in-law that you are ready?" Dong Cheng is the emperor's brother-in-law, the emperor's father-in-law. If something happens to Dong Cheng at his age, how will the emperor explain it when he returns?

Jia Xu shook his head. "I didn't tell him."

"You...you...you"

Xun Yu was shocked by Jia Xu's words. He pointed at Jia Xu and staggered backward, finding it unbelievable that Jia Xu could do such a thing.

That was the emperor's brother-in-law, yet he was used as bait.

Jia Xu sighed and said, "This is the imperial city. If the enemy does not encounter strong resistance here, they will inevitably become suspicious. Although the emperor's brother-in-law is old, he has always been loyal to His Majesty. It is most appropriate for him to take the lead. No matter how perfect the plan is, there will always be someone who has to act as bait."

Jia Xu did not regret his actions.

Of course, he was also keeping a close eye on the development of the battle and would not let Dong Cheng get into trouble easily.

After waiting for so long, Jia Xu finally caught the big fish of the night at the exit of the secret passage. He touched Xun Yu with his hand, signaling him to take a look.

Xun Yu followed Jia Xu's gesture and looked over. Instantly, he froze, completely stunned.

It was Xun You, his nephew!

Although Xun Yu had worried about this countless days and nights, ever since Xun You became the Imperial Censor, he had guessed that something bad might happen one day.

Jia Xu suddenly pointed to the ground and said, "Lord Xun, do you know why I brought you here to watch the battle tonight?"

Xun Yu was suddenly startled. "Did you already know that he was leading the team?"

The "he" here refers to Xun You.

Jia Xu nodded and said, "Although we all know that Cao Cao is the mastermind behind all this, the one who actually planned and directed it is definitely not Cao Cao himself. The most suitable candidate is Xun You. As early as the end of last year, he sent people to secretly investigate the secret passage. We have already discovered it, but Xun You is still in the dark and unaware of it."

Facing his nephew, Xun Yu suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

He also inexplicably felt a sense of dissatisfaction towards Cao Cao.

Even now, Cao Cao still has designs on Xuchang, and Xun Yu would never believe that Cao Cao didn't use Xun You at all.

When Xun You appeared, he saw that the general leading the opposing team was Dong Cheng, and the situation was already quite clear, so Xun You breathed a sigh of relief.

He took a few steps forward and shouted at Dong Cheng, "Imperial Brother-in-law, give up your futile resistance! Taishi Ci has been lured away by us. With your small force, you cannot hold Xuchang."

When Dong Cheng saw Xun You, his eyes turned red. He spat on the ground and cursed, "Xun You, His Majesty values ​​you so much, promoting you to the rank of Imperial Censor. You don't appreciate the Emperor's favor and actually led troops to Xuchang to cause trouble. Are you crazy? Don't you know the consequences of your actions?"

Xun You let out a disdainful sneer, "You talk too much nonsense, Fang Hu, take him down immediately."

Fang Hu agreed, carrying the large sword on his shoulder as he walked towards Dong Cheng.

Xun You immediately divided his troops and began to make arrangements.

However, at the entrance to the secret passage, a group of people suddenly appeared. The leader was a man on horseback, holding a gun. He had a beautiful beard and bright, piercing eyes. In the darkness of the night, his eyes flashed with a cold light.

Xun You left many people at the entrance. He was well aware of the importance of the secret passage and sent a large number of troops to guard it.

Someone shouted, "Who goes there?"

"Donglai Taishi Ci!"

A person's name is like a tree's shadow. Taishi Ci was already renowned for his chivalry in his early years. He always put righteousness first. He went to Luoyang alone to submit a memorial to the emperor and rescued Kong Rong in Beihai. These are all remarkable deeds in his life.

But the most famous battle was the Battle of Shenting Ridge, where he fought a fierce three-hundred-round battle with Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror, and the two fought to a draw.

Because of this one incident, no one in the world dared to underestimate Taishi Ci anymore.

Could someone who could fight Sun Ce to a draw be an ordinary person?
So when they heard the name Taishi Ci, all the Cao soldiers guarding the secret passage were shocked.

Taishi Ci said disdainfully to them, "Hurry up and send someone to deliver a message. You can't stop me. Tell your commander that the entrance to the secret passage has been blocked by me, Taishi Ci!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Taishi Ci stopped wasting words, spurred his horse, and charged forward with his spear.

Taishi Ci was in high spirits and full of fighting spirit. He took the lead and charged forward as if he were in an empty field. Cao Cao's soldiers screamed and fell down like cut wheat.

Cao's soldiers were in a panic. Although they were all carefully selected, they were still finding it very difficult to deal with the fierce and brave Taishi Ci.

The soldiers brought by Taishi Ci charged forward like wolves and tigers, and the battle instantly became fierce. Shouts, screams, the sound of clashing weapons, and the sound of horses' hooves all mingled together, as if the whole world had become chaotic.

Taishi Ci's spear moved like a dragon, swift and ruthless, thrusting and stabbing with incredible speed and ferocity. In the blink of an eye, no fewer than a dozen people had died under his spear.

Blood splattered all over Taishi Ci's body. He was expressionless, like a crazed killing machine, charging into the enemy ranks, constantly raising his spear and viciously stabbing at the enemy again and again.

The morale of the Han soldiers was high, and someone shouted, "His Majesty is not in Xuchang, and something has happened in Xuchang. This is our disgrace! Brothers, kill!"

"Kill them! Fight them to the death!"

The Han soldiers went berserk, their eyes bloodshot, roaring and brandishing their swords and spears as they charged forward with all their might.

The garrison in Xudu was clearly different from those in other places. Although they did not understand what faith or mission meant.

But they knew this was Xudu!
This is the capital of the Han Dynasty; if something happens anywhere else, nothing can happen here.

Almost every one of them had met the emperor and knew the importance of defending the city. If something happened to Xuchang, they would be letting the emperor down.

Both sides were elite troops, so the intensity of the battle was predictable. However, it was clear that Taishi Ci's side had the upper hand, and they quickly killed more than two hundred enemies and forcibly blocked the entrance.

Just as Dong Cheng was about to be overwhelmed, someone ran over with a message: "Something's wrong! Taishi Ci has blocked the entrance."

Xun You was taken aback. "Wasn't Taishi Ci lured away? How come he's back so quickly?"

A sense of foreboding suddenly arose in Xun You's heart, and this feeling grew stronger and stronger.

(End of this chapter)