My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Suddenly, Wu Rong's body trembled violently as if struck by a heavy blow. Her body began to shake uncontrollably.

In that instant, she seemed to suddenly understand the reason for everything, and a terrible thought flashed through her mind:
She fell into a trap!

It turned out that Wei Yan had long anticipated that she would be unable to restrain herself and would lead her troops in a night raid.

Knowing Wu Rong's arrogant, impulsive, and reckless nature, he deliberately lowered the guards of the Han camp, pretending to be completely unprepared, allowing Wu Rong's barbarian army to easily storm into the camp.

The dummy in the imperial tent was merely bait he had set up to lure Wu Rong into believing that she had successfully killed Wei Yan, thus lowering her guard and falling into the trap he had laid.

In reality, Wei Yan had already secretly hidden himself in the shadows, quietly waiting for the best opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

This is clearly a trap set by Wei Yan to lure the enemy!

I have fallen into his trap so easily and been manipulated by him.

Thinking of this, Wu Rong couldn't help but shiver. A chill ran from the soles of her feet straight to her head, making her feel cold all over.

She had originally dreamed of launching a night raid on the Han camp, killing Wei Yan, and achieving unparalleled merit, but she did not expect that all her actions were already anticipated by Wei Yan. She was like a clown, performing a ridiculous farce in front of Wei Yan.

"Wu Rong, dismount and surrender!"

Wei Yan stared intently at Wu Rong, his eyes filled with majesty and unquestionable domineering power, as if he could crush Wu Rong instantly with a single command.

"I can spare your life! Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

As Wei Yan spoke, his gaze inadvertently drifted to Xiao He beside him.

In fact, from beginning to end, all of this was within Xiao He's expectations.

Xiao He was meticulous and had long ago analyzed Wu Rong's personality traits and style of doing things, and he expected that she would inevitably launch a night attack on the Han camp.

Therefore, he made arrangements with Wei Yan in advance and planned this scheme to lure the enemy.

As it turned out, Xiao He's judgment was entirely correct; Wu Rong indeed fell for their trap and obediently walked into the snare they had set.

Wu Rong's eyes widened in fury, his chest burning with rage, and he roared fiercely:

"You treacherous scoundrel Wei Yan, how dare you humiliate me like this! I will tear you to pieces to vent my hatred!"

With this earth-shattering roar, Wu Rong suddenly spurred his horse, and the warhorse beneath him neighed and galloped forward like an arrow released from a bow.

The long sword she gripped tightly gleamed coldly in the sunlight, leaving a sharp trail as it pointed directly at Wei Yan.

Who cares if we fall for a trap or not!

At this moment, Wu Rong had only one thought in his mind: to use his martial arts skills to kill Wei Yan.

She believed that as long as she could successfully kill Wei Yan, she could secure victory in one fell swoop, eliminate his merits in one battle, and still turn the tide of this seemingly unfavorable situation!
This is the plan she is determined to keep in mind right now.

With this in mind, Wu Rong did not hesitate at all. Dragging the long sword in his hand, he accelerated and charged towards Wei Yan again, each step making a loud thud on the ground.

Wei Yan, facing Wu Rong's aggressive advance, curled up a disdainful sneer and lightly flicked his riding whip, seemingly to provoke Wu Rong.

Just then, a chilling bugle call pierced the sky, breaking the momentary silence.

Immediately afterwards, the battle cries rose up like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, and the sound of hooves shook the earth, as if a thousand troops and ten thousand horses were galloping.

Countless Han soldiers surged in from all directions like a tidal wave, forming a vast, dark mass that surrounded Wu Rong and the barbarian troops she led.

Upon seeing this, Wu Rong was greatly alarmed. He quickly looked around and saw that all around him were Han soldiers. He was immediately horrified.

"An ambush! So Wei Yan had laid this trap all along, just waiting for me to take it!"

Wu Rong felt a sense of foreboding and cursed through gritted teeth.

The curses were useless at this point, as the Han soldiers arrived in an instant.

A brutal massacre was about to begin.

The Han soldiers wielded their swords, felling one barbarian soldier after another, blood splattering everywhere; their horses' hooves trampled the barbarian soldiers into a bloody pulp.

Although the barbarian soldiers were incredibly brave, they lacked discipline.

When things are going smoothly for this legion, each member is as ferocious as a beast.

However, once they encounter headwinds, their morale collapses immediately, and they are utterly defeated.

Under the encirclement and attack of the Han army, the barbarian soldiers quickly lost their morale and their fighting spirit plummeted.

"Escape! Escape!"

At this moment, all the barbarian soldiers had only one thought in their minds: to escape this land of death.

Ignoring military orders, they dropped their weapons and fled at the first sign of trouble.

"It must be Xiao He's scheme! Damn it, I've been tricked by him!"

In the midst of the chaos, Wu Rong suddenly realized what had happened, and his anger burned even more fiercely. He gritted his teeth and cursed loudly.

"Xiao He, I'm going to kill you! I, Wu Rong, will tear you to pieces!"

Enraged, Wu Rong charged against the tide of soldiers towards Xiao He's location.

This time, her target was no longer Wei Yan, but Xiao He, who was hailed as the Great Han Military Genius!

Upon seeing this, Xiao He simply smiled faintly, as if everything was within his expectations, and remained unmoved.

But Wei Yan shouted loudly:

Where is Zhang Bao?

Before he finished speaking, a rider galloped out like the wind, brandishing his spear, and blocked Wei Yan and Xiao He's path.

The visitor was Zhang Bao.

Wu Rong was once again enraged by Zhang Bao's arrogant attitude. She roared and slashed at Zhang Bao with her long sword.

The blade flashed like lightning, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, and hurtled straight towards Zhang Bao.

Seeing this, Zhang Bao instantly spun out his silver spear, its tip as swift as lightning, and met Wu Rong's longsword with the force of thunder.

"boom!"

A dull thud resounded, followed by a shockwave that sent the surrounding barbarian soldiers sprawling to the ground.

Zhang Bao remained unmoved, like a god descending to earth, his aura unchanged, as if the attack just now was nothing more than a trivial matter to him.

Wu Rong felt an invisible mountain pressing down on her, the force so strong that she felt a sweet taste in her throat and involuntarily spat out blood.

The force of the madness shook her so violently that her bones cracked, her fingers felt like they were about to split, and she was in excruciating pain.

"Zhang Bao... is he really that amazing?"

Wu Rong was secretly shocked, and a look of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

Wu Rong's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and a wave of horror washed over him, causing him to panic.

Wu Rong has always had extraordinary confidence in his martial arts skills.

In her past battles, every Han general who fought against her was cut down by her with her swift and fierce swordsmanship.

She proclaimed herself the number one warrior of the Southern Barbarians, and was invincible on the battlefield, never suffering a defeat.

However, Zhang Bao in front of her was like an insurmountable mountain, shattering her arrogance with an almost crushing force.

When the two turned to face each other again, a deep sense of horror welled up in Wu Rong's eyes.

"The number one warrior of the Southern Barbarians? Hmph, all talk and no action!"

Zhang Bao's lips curled into a mocking smile, and the silver spear in his hand pointed at Wu Rong like a snake flicking its tongue.

"His Majesty has decreed that if you surrender, your life may be spared."

Zhang Bao's voice was loud and authoritative, like a thunderclap in Wu Rong's ears.

He openly solicited surrenders, as if Wu Rong's surrender was a foregone conclusion.

surrender?

This was undoubtedly a great humiliation for the proud and arrogant Wu Rong.

She had fought countless battles her entire life; when had she ever suffered such humiliation?

Anger burned fiercely within her, and she raised her long sword, shouting at the top of her lungs:

"You dare to look down on me like that, Zhang! I will tear you to pieces to vent my hatred!"

Wu Rong cursed wildly. Then, dragging her long sword, she charged at Zhang Bao without regard for anything else.

At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: even if she knew she was no match for him, she would still cut off Zhang Bao's head to prove her strength.

"You shameless woman! You overestimate yourself!"

Zhang Bao stood proudly with his spear held high, his posture unwavering, like a mountain peak.

His eyes revealed a disdain for Wu Rong.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Rong had already reached Zhang Bao.

With a surge of rage, she swung her long sword wildly, the wind whistling as if to tear everything around her apart.

However, in the blink of an eye, Zhang Bao's silver spear had already thrust out like lightning.

With a casual wave of his hand, he delivered a seemingly effortless strike that was as powerful as a thunderbolt.

"boom!"

A deafening roar, like a thunderclap, seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

Countless soldiers were scattered by the powerful impact and fell to the ground.

Zhang Bao held the gun in one hand and steadily blocked Wu Rong's long sword in mid-air, his posture relaxed and at ease.

He actually caught Wu Rong's full-force attack with one hand; such strength is truly astonishing.

Wu Rong's eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on her forehead bulged. Unwilling to accept defeat, she slashed fiercely with her long sword once more.

In an instant, she went berserk, unleashing nearly ten slashes in one go.

Each strike was as heavy as Mount Tai, carrying all her strength and anger as she slashed fiercely at Zhang Bao.

However, Zhang Bao only held the gun in one hand, his movements as agile as a ghost, easily deflecting her long swords one by one.

He remained calm and composed, as if everything was under his control.

Wu Rong, however, was already panting heavily, sweating profusely.

Her physical strength was constantly being depleted, and her confidence was completely shattered by Zhang Bao in these repeated confrontations.

She gradually realized that Zhang Bao hadn't used his full strength at all; he was just toying with her, like a cat playing with a mouse.

If this killing continues, I'm doomed!
escape!
At this moment, Wu Rong had only one thought in his mind: to escape this terrible place as quickly as possible.

As she fled from her life, her moves began to become scattered, and her originally sharp swordsmanship became chaotic and disordered.

Once his moves became chaotic, Wu Rong immediately revealed a weakness.

Zhang Bao seized the opportunity and thrust out his silver spear like lightning.

"Kakaka!"

Three crisp sounds rang out, and three bloody gashes were slashed open on Wu Rong's body and arm.

Blood instantly stained her clothes, and a scream followed.

The pain felt like countless needles piercing her bone marrow, causing her excruciating agony.

Unable to hold on any longer, Wu Rong immediately turned his warhorse and fled in a frenzy, disregarding everything.

Her figure sped across the battlefield, like a wounded beast desperately fleeing the hunter's pursuit.

Seeing this, Zhang Bao spurred his horse, brandishing his spear, and prepared to give chase.

Just then, Xiao He's eyes flickered slightly, and a plan came to mind.

He shouted:
"Let her escape!"

"Keeping her alive can break Meng Quan's plans!"

Hearing Xiao He's shout, Zhang Bao stopped.

Since the Grand Marshal had given the order, he naturally dared not pursue the matter any further.

After all, Xiao He's wisdom and prestige were unmatched in the army, and his words were law.

At this moment, Wu Rong felt a pang of disappointment when he saw that Zhang Bao had not pursued them.

She originally wanted to escape, not only to get away, but also to kill Zhang Bao.

Because she was not only skilled with a knife, but also had a secret technique of throwing stones.

The flying stone can crack a person's skull; its power is astonishing.

She thought that if she escaped, Zhang Bao would definitely come after her.

At that time, she could take advantage of Zhang Bao's unpreparedness and launch a flying stone to kill him.

This was the plan she had already devised.

However, Zhang Bao did not chase after them, which puzzled Wu Rong greatly.

Just as she was filled with confusion, Xiao He's loud voice rang out again:

"Wu Rong, have Meng Quan prepare the coffin. He can lie down inside now!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Rong broke out in a cold sweat.

She never expected Xiao He to be so arrogant, daring to threaten her and Meng Quan so bluntly.

What an arrogant tone!
Wu Rong cursed inwardly, but dared not retort.

Knowing she was no match for Zhang Bao and Xiao He, she could only whip her horse and flee.
...

The more than 20,000 Nanman troops collapsed instantly, like a sandcastle hit by a storm.

The once orderly formation was now in complete chaos, with soldiers running around in all directions like headless flies.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Commander Wu Rong disregarded the lives of his soldiers and rode away in a frenzy.

With their commander fleeing, the Southern Barbarian army was immediately leaderless, and their morale plummeted.

They were like a flock of lambs without their leader, left to be slaughtered at will by the Han army like tigers.

At this moment, Zhang Bao was like a god of death descending upon the battlefield, unleashing his full killing intent upon the Nanman soldiers without reservation.

The silver spear in his hand, like a giant silver dragon, darted wildly through the crowd.

Where the spearhead passed, a cold glint flashed, and wherever it went, no one was spared.

Every Nanman soldier he targeted seemed to have death locked onto his throat, and before he could even put up any resistance, he was cut down by Zhang Bao.

Outside the Han camp, the scene was horrific.

Corpses piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers, slowly spreading and emitting a nauseating stench.

A pungent odor filled the air.

Seeing that the Nanman army had been defeated, Wei Yan made a decisive move and spurred his army to pursue them like a surging tide for several miles. They advanced with unstoppable momentum and reached the city of Nan'an.

Wu Rong, however, passed through Nan'an City without entering, her mind only focused on escaping this terrible place as quickly as possible, so she headed straight for Jiangyang City.

She knew that Nan'an City was no longer a safe place, and only Jiangyang City might still give her a chance to catch her breath.

Inside Nan'an City, Deng Xian seemed to have already anticipated Wu Rong's defeat.

When he saw the Han army charging towards the city like ferocious beasts, he sighed helplessly.

Then, he gritted his teeth and ordered the abandonment of Nan'an City, and fled to Jiangyang City with Wu Rong's defeated army.

Like stray dogs, they fled the city, which was about to fall into the hands of the Han army, in a sorry state.

A short while later, over Nan'an City.

The Han flag fluttered in the wind.

In the south of Nan'an City, a vast army is marching north.

This massive army was imposing, like a giant black dragon winding its way across the land.

That was a combined force of 80,000 men, consisting of the Shu army led by Liu Xun and the Nanman army led by Meng Quan. (End of Chapter)