Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 984: Strange Visitor
"Hmm? You said that Cai Mao ordered Wen Pin and Su Fei to attack Zhang Yong's army halfway across the river, but Zhang Yong saw through their plan and defeated them?"

Cao Cao looked somewhat suspicious and questioned the scout.

"That's right. Moreover, after the enemy won, they did not pursue us. Instead, they took the initiative to let the two generals leave with the defeated troops."

Cao Cao's face darkened, but he didn't say anything. He waved his hand, signaling the scout to go out.

"My lord..." Cheng Yu stepped forward and said, "Cai Mao's plan is really bad. He deliberately left a boat at the ferry for Zhang Yong to cross the river. His intention is obvious at a glance. How could he hide it from Zhang Yong? As for Wen Pin and Su Fei, they are also incompetent. They were frightened by Zhang Yong's few words and their morale was broken. They were also ridiculed by a few so-called prisoners of our army, and their morale was greatly disrupted. With this, how can we not be defeated?"

"But why did Zhang Yong stop the attack after just charging for a while and let them leave? This is really strange."

Cao Ren's words surprised everyone present.

Cao Cao's eyes kept changing, but soon returned to normal: "Hey, this is just Zhang Yong's old trick again, trying to disrupt the morale of Cai Mao's army."

"So that's how it is, my lord." Everyone believed it without a doubt.

Outside Shangcai City, in Cai Mao’s military camp.

"Waste, just waste!"

Cai Mao's angry roar came from the general's tent.

In front of him, Wen Ping and Su Fei knelt on the ground, their faces filled with shame, not even daring to raise their heads.

"Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, waiting for the enemy to tire out, ambushing the exhausted army, yet you were defeated so easily and thoroughly. How can you still have the face to come back? Why don't you just jump into the Ru River and avoid losing face for my Jingzhou soldiers?"

Cai Mao became angrier as he spoke, and he went up and kicked each of them, knocking them to the ground.

"General, this is really because Zhang Yong is too cunning, and I am also..."

Su Fei was about to make some excuses, but Cai Mao threw a scroll of bamboo slips at him and said, "How dare you talk nonsense? Incompetence is incompetence. Go back and get sixty military sticks, and come back to see me."

When the two heard this, they were not afraid, but looked relieved. Although the sixty military sticks were hard to bear, it was better than being scolded here. Cai Mao had been scolding them for half an hour since they returned to the camp. They did not dare to refute and could only kneel on the ground. It was really uncomfortable.

Cai Mao's face was filled with anger, and he drew his sword: "Zhang Yong... Zhang Yong! Come on if you are brave enough. My 150,000-man army is ready to fight you. Huang Zhong is one of the Five Tigers, and even Wei Yan has been promoted and reused many times. But I have not made any great achievements since I joined the lord's army. This time, I must use you as a scapegoat to restore my reputation."

"Someone come here..." He shouted outside the tent, and someone ran in.

"What are your orders, General?"

"Pass on my order, the entire army is on alert, do not let your guard down, otherwise you will be killed without mercy."

"Kill it..."

"Whoosh whoosh..."

Cai Mao once again launched a fierce attack on Shangcai City.

"Zhang Yong, I don't believe you can resist not coming back. As long as you dare to come back, hehe, you must eat this great gift from me..."

He was full of confidence and had a ferocious look on his face, and he only wanted revenge.

On the city wall, the general in charge of guarding Shangcai City was pacing back and forth anxiously.

"He hasn't come back yet... He hasn't come back yet... Counting the days, General Zhang should be back..."

A general hurriedly said, "The gates and walls of this city are too dilapidated. We can't hold on any longer. If General Zhang comes back now, we can attack from both inside and outside and win the battle. But why hasn't he come back yet? If this continues, the city will be broken."

The guard became more and more anxious as he spoke, and shouted directly: "Send someone out to investigate immediately. We must find General Zhang no matter what..."

"General, be careful..." The guarding general was halfway through his words when he was suddenly pushed away by a general next to him.

Just as he was about to get angry, he saw a sharp arrow flying past his eyes and hitting a pillar behind him.

"Oh no! The enemy is attacking!"

When the garrison commander saw the arrow, he immediately cried out in surprise. As expected, teams of Cao's soldiers finally climbed up the tower along the ladder.

"Brothers, follow me and kill..."

The defending general brandished his weapon and rushed into the group of Cao's soldiers.

"General..." Inside Zhang Yong's military camp on the banks of the Ru River, many generals looked nervous, some even impatient.

"I'm afraid Shangcai City won't be able to hold out for much longer. Why don't you send troops?"

The scouts from Shangcai City just came here and reported today's battle situation. They requested Zhang Yong to send troops to rescue as soon as possible, but Zhang Yong refused, which made Chen Lie and others very confused.

However, Zhang Yong did not look up at them, but just read the military book.

"No rush, just wait."

"What are we waiting for? If we wait any longer, we will be in a more passive position once Shangcai City is breached."

Zhang Yong still said the same thing: "Wait a little longer. No one is allowed to move without my order."

"General, this..."

"Okay, everyone, go out and follow the military orders. Don't ask any more questions."

After Zhang Yong said this, generals such as Chen Lie, even if they had a lot to say, could only sigh and leave the tent.

At nightfall, Cao's army withdrew its offensive and retreated back to the barracks.

Cai Mao's face was flushed at the moment, and he looked very proud: "Great, in today's battle, our army almost broke into the city. Although we were beaten back by the enemy, victory is in sight."

Wen Pin held his waist and said, "Why hasn't Zhang Yong shown up yet? I'm afraid there is a trick. General, you should be cautious."

When Cai Mao heard this, his face turned cold: "This general has his own arrangements, there is no need for you to say more."

Wen Pin had good intentions but encountered such a setback, which made him feel bored. He simply walked out of the general's tent, saying that his injuries from the beating were too severe and he needed to rest.

Cai Mao glanced at him, snorted, and did not say anything to keep him.

"Zhang Yong must be afraid of your reputation, General, and the might of our army, so he dare not come here for the time being."

"Yes, yes. Zhang Yong is just a name for nothing. He stumbled upon our ambush yesterday. I'm afraid it was just a coincidence. Otherwise, why would he not dare to show up even when he saw that the city was about to be breached?"

Several generals said a lot of flattering words, which quickly made Cai Mao's face look proud.

At this time, a soldier came in and said, "General, there are several people outside the barracks who want to see you."

Cai Mao was somewhat curious and asked, "Oh? Someone wants to see me. That's strange. We are marching and fighting. Who would come to see me?"

The soldier said, "There are some old and some young on the other side, but one of the old men said his surname is Pang, his given name is De, and his courtesy name is Boliang."

"Mr. Pang De is here?" Cai Mao stood up suddenly, with a look of joy on his face.

"Mr. Pang De is one of the most famous scholars in Jingzhou. Why would he appear here so late at night?" A military officer was puzzled.

Cai Mao could not hide his excitement: "It must be that Lord Pang De has thought it through and is ready to listen to my good advice and submit to the lord. Haha, it is worth my repeated visits to seek talents for the lord."

After he said this, all the generals understood: "So the general wants his Pang family to submit to the lord. That's true. Now, most of the famous scholars and wealthy families in Jingxiang are already serving the lord, but there are only a few families left, still alone, and unwilling to serve. The Pang family is one of them."

"Now Lord Pang De has come to the military camp in person, which shows his sincerity. The Pang family is the top family in Jingzhou, not inferior to your Cai family. It is a great achievement to persuade this man to surrender. I would like to congratulate you first."

"Hahaha, no problem." Cai Mao seemed very happy.

He straightened his armor and clothes, and said solemnly, "Let's go, follow me to meet you in person."

(End of this chapter)