Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 964 Zhou Yu's Departure
After the two fought for twenty or thirty rounds, Sun Ce had already gained the upper hand, which made him feel very proud.

"What Xu Huang, what a famous general of the Han Dynasty, is nothing more than this."

Xu Huang was already very anxious, and his taunting made him even more angry: "Who the hell are you? Cao thief is a disaster to the country and the people, and he is a traitor and a traitor. I think you are a good man, so why do you help him and serve him?"

Sun Ce was very disdainful: "Cao Cao? Is he worthy of being my lord?"

Xu Huang asked in surprise, "You are not Cao Cao's subordinate? Then who are you?"

"Oh no, I let it slip." Sun Ce realized that he had said something wrong, and his face was filled with anger again: "You want to know? I will tell you after you die."

He increased the force of his Overlord Spear by another three points. Xu Huang tried to defend himself hastily, but gradually he felt powerless.

Fortunately, tens of thousands of Han troops outside the city have joined the battle at this moment. Their combat power is obviously stronger than that of the enemy. Although they are tired after a day of traveling, when they encounter the fighting, they all cheer up and block the tens of thousands of enemy troops within 300 steps outside the city, making it impossible for them to advance.

Many of the generals under Sun Ce's command were young generals recruited by the Sun family in recent years. Veteran generals such as Cheng Pu and Han Dang did not appear. These young generals had poor martial arts skills and could neither compare with Sun Ce nor the battle-hardened veterans in Xu Huang's army who had been promoted step by step from the grassroots soldiers.

The two armies fought for a long time, and many generals of the Sun army died at the hands of the Han army generals, which made Sun Ce want to rescue them several times. It was also because of this that Xu Huang had a chance to catch his breath. After the two fought for more than a hundred rounds, although he was at a disadvantage, he did not lose.

Qian Zhao, who had been watching the battle on the tower, was relieved a little: "Fortunately, although the enemy general is an extraordinary martial artist, his command of troops is far inferior to mine and Gong Ming. But it is really strange that this group of enemy troops is so well-equipped, but it seems that the soldiers' physical fitness and coordination are not as good as the Cao army we saw before. Even their bodies are a little thin. It is simply a fantasy to ambush our army with these people alone. What exactly is Cao's plan..."

Sun Ce looked at the Han army pouring out of the city gate, his eyes unconsciously glancing towards the northeast from time to time.

"Gongjin, Gongjin, you have to be quick. Xu Huang's martial arts are not as good as mine, but the troops he leads are really powerful. If you don't succeed, I won't be able to hold out until dawn..."

More than a hundred miles northeast of Lu'an City, there stands a tall city, which is Hefei City.

South of Hefei, the tranquil Shishui River flows through here, and after more than 30 miles, it merges into Chaohu Lake. Chaohu Lake, in turn, has many rivers connecting it to the turbulent Yangtze River.

A few hours before Sun Ce and Xu Huang fought, the sky was clear and the sun was high in the sky.

Outside the city of Hefei, a grain convoy had just crossed the Shishui River. Several men who looked like veterans were recounting the grain.

After a while, several people came to the leader of the grain protection team and said, "Captain, the 650,000 shi of grain and grass are not missing at all, and all the guards and civilians are also there."

The captain stroked his beard and nodded, "Well, Generals Xu and Qian, you must have arrived in Lu'an City by now. Tomorrow you will send troops to Jingzhou and Runan. We must hurry up and deliver these grain and grass to Lu'an City before dawn. Tell the soldiers and civilians that if this task can be completed, each of them will be rewarded with an extra 500 coins."

"As ordered."

"Okay, let's go."

The captain mounted his warhorse and led the long grain convoy forward.

Not long after we started walking, the official road ahead split into two. One was still a wide avenue, and the other was a narrow muddy path.

The captain shouted, "Where is the guide in the army?"

A middle-aged man hurried over and said, "General, there are several hillsides ahead. Although they are not very high, they are difficult to walk on. This path passes through the mountains. The main road bypasses the hillsides and is safer and more convenient."

The captain frowned and asked, "Which way is shorter?"

"General, if we take the small road, it will take about ninety miles to Lu'an. If we take the main road, it will take about one hundred and forty miles. However..."

"No need for that. Pass the order down and take the small road."

"Captain, this..." Several guards seemed doubtful.

The captain said with a resolute face: "Don't worry, the main force of Cao's army is in Runan. Generals Xu and Qian have led a large army here. After passing through it, I'm afraid that not only will there be no Cao's army, but even some small bandits. If we take the main road, we will definitely not be able to arrive before dawn. Only by taking the small road can we succeed. Don't worry."

After listening to his analysis, everyone felt it made sense and felt relieved.

The military order was quickly passed down, and the civilians in the grain convoy waved their whips and drove the donkeys and horses onto the small road.

The path became more and more broken, and the carriages and donkey carts became more and more bumpy. Fortunately, the carriages were strong enough and did not fall apart. However, the team soon entered the mountainous area. The tall trees on both sides blocked most of the sunlight, making the clear sky look like a cloudy day.

Gradually, the sun set and the sky became darker. Even after the sun had completely set, the grain convoy had not yet left the mountain road.

The captain ordered torches to be lit and they traveled overnight. The guards and laborers were well prepared and lit the torches immediately. The firelight reflected in the bushes on both sides, creating hazy shadows and a rather eerie look.

"Captain..." A guard walked up to the captain and kept looking to both sides, appearing a little scared.

"Do you think there might be some mountain spirits, ghosts, poisonous snakes or ferocious beasts in here?"

The captain looked at the man, who turned out to be a new recruit who had just joined the army a few months ago. "Haha, what are you thinking about? I have been in the army for six years and have seen all kinds of battles, but I have never seen the mountain spirits and ghosts you mentioned. Not to mention this forest, I have walked through the graveyard in the middle of the night, and there is nothing to be afraid of. As for poisonous snakes and beasts, hehe, there are so many of us and we have torches. They are the only ones who are afraid of us. Why should we be afraid of them?"

The new recruit stuck his head out and seemed to be a little braver. However, a bush not far away suddenly shook, causing a rustling sound.

"Ah... there's a monster..." He was so frightened that he lost his mind and made the captain shake his head.

The captain took out a bow and arrow from his body, aimed at the swaying bushes, and shot an arrow.

"咹..." A wild beast scream was heard, and the bushes shook violently for a while, and then fell into silence again.

A soldier ran over quickly, then ran back happily with something in his hand: "Captain, you have great archery skills. It's a deer."

The captain looked a little proud, "We are lucky tonight. Pass the order down. We will go another ten miles and then rest here. Everyone can eat some dry food and roast the deer. Although there is only a few pounds of meat, it is not enough for so many people to enjoy, but each person can have a bite to satisfy their cravings."

"Hehe, Captain, you're wise. Deer meat is a rare delicacy. It's very nutritious. Very nutritious."

The soldier threw the deer onto a carriage and continued on his way.

The guards and civilians were all excited: "The general is mighty!"

"We rough folks are in for a treat tonight."

"The general is truly a great archer..."

The captain couldn't help but show a bit of excitement on his face as he listened to the many compliments from the crowd.

"I was eliminated from the Shenji Camp because my archery skills were not good enough. Otherwise, why would I come here to escort the grain convoy? Fortunately, I have practiced archery hard in the past few months and have made great progress. After this battle is over, I will definitely participate in the assessment of the Shenji Camp and return to General Ye Xiang's command." He was full of confidence, and many scenes of training and fighting in the Shenji Camp emerged in his mind.

"Whoosh..."

The sound of the arrows piercing the air made the captain feel fascinated: "Hmm... I seem to have seen the scene of us practicing archery together in the army. The sound of the arrows flying through the air is really wonderful..."

He was daydreaming when the soldier beside him pushed him awake: "General, it's bad, we've been ambushed...ah..."

The soldier was halfway through his words when an arrow pierced his throat. Blood splattered all over the captain's face, leaving him stunned on the spot.

"Whoosh whoosh..."

"Help me..."

"Enemy attack... There is an enemy attack..."

"Huh...huh..."

The sounds of flying arrows, shouting, and wind blowing flames came one after another, and soon brought the captain's thoughts back to reality.

"Enemy attack? An ambush? Quickly...quickly prepare for battle!"

He shouted loudly, but before he could take out his weapon, teams of enemy troops emerged from the woods on both sides.

"Kill it..."

A burly young general rode over on horseback and said, "Jiujiang Zhou Tai is here, enemy generals, watch out for the sword!"

Zhou Tai held a machete in his hand and slashed straight at the captain.

On the hillside not far away, Zhou Yu and Lu Su were watching the fighting in the flames from afar.

Lu Su looked at Zhou Yu with some surprise and admiration: "Gongjin, how can you be so sure that the grain convoy will take this small road? Logically speaking, the small road is difficult to travel, and the main road is wide, so the possibility that they took the main road is higher."

Zhou Yu was wearing armor and looked heroic. He glanced at Lu Su and smiled calmly: "Haha, Zi Jing, you only know one side of the story. Normally, when a grain convoy faces such a choice, it will naturally choose to take the main road, which is safe, convenient, and less likely to cause accidents. However, the current situation is different."

"Oh? How is it different?" Lu Su asked.

"It's very simple. Think about Xu Huang and Qian Zhao. They have been conquering cities and territories all the way. They are invincible and will soon go north to encircle Cao Cao's army and win a great victory. Unifying the world is just around the corner. With such a great victory, the Han army has become arrogant. Regardless of the fact that Xu Huang and Qian Zhao just passed by here, the grain convoy believes that there is no danger here. Even if there are some risks, I am afraid these guards will not take it seriously. This is one reason."

"Secondly, Xu Huang and Qian Zhao have already arrived in Lu'an City. They will not stay in the city for long. I predict that they will split their troops into two groups tomorrow morning. One group will encircle Cao's army, and the other group will serve as the vanguard to attack Jingzhou. And the food and grass must be sent before the troops move. With the war imminent, this food and grass convoy must arrive in Lu'an before dawn. The main road is forty miles longer than the small road. In such a situation, anyone would choose to take the small road."

After listening to this, Lu Su gave Zhou Yu a thumbs up and said, "Gong Jin is very resourceful and resourceful. I admire him very much."

"Hahaha... Zijing, after dawn, you and I can drink together with Bofu in Hefei to celebrate our success."

"Forget it, forget it. I am not good at drinking, so I will risk my life to accompany you this time."

Outside the city of Lu'an, Xu Huang had already gotten rid of Sun Ce. The two no longer fought alone, but rushed into the army to fight.

Although Sun Ce knew that the key to this battle was Zhou Yu, and he was only a supporting one, he was still arrogant, and especially after seeing the famous Xu Huang, he wanted to capture and kill him and defeat the Han army.

However, he was not able to defeat Xu Huang after fighting for a long time. Not only did his own army fall into a slump and was beaten back step by step. He had to withdraw and join the battle to prevent several young generals whom he had trained and promoted with great effort from being killed or injured in this battle.

Xu Huang had already seen clearly at this moment that although the combat effectiveness of this group of enemy troops was not weak, there was still a big gap compared to the Han army led by him. What's more, he had the advantage in military strength, so there was no need to worry.

He wielded the Wutang Xuanhua Axe and charged back and forth among the enemy troops, killing countless people with his axe.

"You enemy general, you are no match for me. I see that you are quite skilled. Since you are not yet a subordinate of Cao, why don't you turn to the light and surrender to the imperial court to gain fame and honor? Otherwise, if you continue to fight, I am afraid you will lose your life."

When Sun Ce heard his arrogant tone, he became very angry. He was about to retort, but then he remembered that he had let the cat out of the bag before. He was afraid that he would say something that he shouldn't say in such a hurry, so he quickly swallowed the words back.

Xu Huang was not surprised to see him silent. Although he was very surprised at the appearance of this enemy army, he felt that a battle with such a huge disparity in strength was definitely not something that Cao Cao would do. However, he could not figure out anything for the time being and thought that he could only retreat the enemy first.

Qian Zhao on the city wall was now confident in his plan, waiting for the enemy to be defeated and flee.

"Da da da..." A burst of hurried horse hooves sounds immediately aroused his vigilance. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a person running towards him from the northeast.

"General Qian... General Xu..."

Qian Zhao quickly recognized the voice of the person coming. It was a general in the grain protection team. His face changed.

"No, something happened..."

Thousands of miles away, Xuzhou, Langya County, the ancestral home of the Zhuge family.

Since Zhuge Xuan and Zhuge Jin joined Liu Bei, they moved to Donghai County, and brought Zhuge Dan, Zhuge Jun and other children with them. However, only Zhuge Liang declined, saying that he liked quietness and wanted to stay in his ancestral home and study, so he did not go to Donghai County. Zhuge Xuan thought that Donghai and Langya were close, and his nephew was always smart and sensible, so he let him go.

At this time, Zhuge Liang put on a coat, walked out of his room, holding a book, and came to the backyard.

"Sir, it's not even daybreak yet, why are you up so early?"

A servant came over and asked.

Zhuge Liang waved his hand and said with a smile: "When I was reading during the day, there were a few difficult points that I had not figured out. Now that it is late at night and everyone is asleep, it is a good time to think about them. You don't have to pay attention to them, just go and have a rest."

The servant did not find it strange. This young master of their family has been so studious since he was young. When he was studying, if he encountered something he did not understand, he would never give up until he studied it thoroughly. Therefore, he did not take it seriously and retreated immediately.

"Swoosh..." A meteor flashed in the night sky, attracting Zhuge Liang's attention.

He looked up at the starry sky: "Hmm? This Ziwei Star...wasn't like this a few days ago..."

He lowered his head, a puzzled look on his face: "Strange... Really strange. I think Liu Bei and Sun Jian clearly have rebellious intentions. And Cao Cao's power is growing day by day. The Luoyang troops have been fighting for a long time and have become arrogant. This time they have fallen into Cao Cao's trap and are bound to fail. It stands to reason that the emperor will go through a great catastrophe today, but why is this Purple Star brighter than before? Strange... Really strange..."

(End of this chapter)