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

Liu Xun turned his horse around and led his personal guards to flee south.

The cries of defeated soldiers rose and fell behind them, while the shouts of the Han army in pursuit pressed ever closer.

In the midst of this chaotic rout, Yu Hu suddenly pushed aside the barbarian soldiers around him, rushed to Meng Quanma's side, and bowed to persuade him:

"Your Majesty, the Han cavalry are incredibly fast. We have no soldiers to cover our retreat. If we flee in this panic, we will be caught up and wiped out sooner or later. Perhaps..."

Yu Hu's words reached Liu Xun's ears intermittently, startling him so much that he froze.

How could he not hear the malice in Yu Hu's words?

This is to use him and his Shu army as shields, sacrificing their lives to buy time for the barbarian army to escape!
This tactic of using someone else to do the dirty work is extremely ruthless!

A ruthless glint flashed in Meng Quan's eyes, and after a moment's thought, he understood Yu Hu's hidden meaning.

So he reined in his horse, turned around, and shouted at Liu Xun:

"Liu Xun, you lead your troops to cover the rear and block the pursuers, allowing our army to escape first!"

Before he finished speaking, Meng Quan didn't even glance at Liu Xun, but spurred his horse and rode away.

The tens of thousands of barbarian soldiers behind them had already panicked and fled in disarray. Seeing their king take the lead in fleeing, they swarmed south like headless flies.

In the blink of an eye, the barbarian army's torrent had vanished, leaving behind only a field of provisions and supplies.

Liu Xun and his Shu soldiers were thus abandoned on the spot, becoming pawns on the road to rout.

The Shu soldiers looked at each other, their faces filled with panic.

The allies who had fought side by side just moments before turned on them in an instant, and this sudden betrayal made the already demoralized Shu army even more panicked.

"Your Highness, Meng Quan is a shameless scoundrel!"

Enraged, Lü Kai rushed to Liu Xun's horse and shouted:

"He's clearly using us as pawns to cut off the Han army's pursuit; he's using us as a tool to kill someone else!"

Liu Xun's body trembled.

He clenched his fists tightly, his heart burning with rage.

This wicked scheme must have been devised by that treacherous Yu Hu!
However, if he disobeys Meng Quan's orders now, Meng Quan will surely use this as an excuse to reprimand him later.

Even if he manages to escape back to Nanli City, Meng Quan, who commands a large army, will never let him go.

But if he obeyed the order to cover the rear, the Han cavalry would arrive in an instant, and how could his panicked troops possibly withstand it?
To fight would inevitably result in the annihilation of the entire army.

The Shu soldiers under his command were the last remaining fighting force of the Shu Kingdom.

Once the kingdom is destroyed here, there will be no hope of its restoration!
"Your Highness, we absolutely cannot become cannon fodder!"

Seeing Liu Xun hesitate, Lü Kai hurriedly urged him again, his voice trembling with tears:

"These soldiers are our last hope; we cannot let them perish here in vain!"

The surrounding Shu soldiers echoed his sentiments.

Liu Xun steeled his resolve and made a decision through gritted teeth.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the humiliation in his heart, and shouted sharply:
"Listen up, soldiers of Shu! The barbarians are treacherous; we need not risk our lives for them!"

"All troops, listen to my command! Do not linger in battle! Retreat to Nanli City immediately!"

Having said that, Liu Xun turned his horse and rode off again.

The Shu soldiers, as if granted a general amnesty, turned around and fled south with Liu Xun.

The group fled desperately for about half a day, gradually losing the shouts of the Han army chasing them.

Liu Xun's tense nerves had just relaxed a little when he suddenly noticed that something seemed off about the road ahead.

The warhorse beneath him suddenly reared up and let out a neigh.

Liu Xun stared wide-eyed in disbelief, completely dumbfounded.

The only road leading to Nanli City was blocked!
Upon closer inspection, the obstacles blocking the road were actually discarded armor and weapons of the barbarian army, completely clogging the path. "This...this?"

Liu Xun was bewildered and couldn't understand why Meng Quan would leave these things behind.

Lu Kai spurred his horse forward, and upon seeing the scene before him, his face turned ashen.

"Your Highness, Meng Quan's act of abandoning these things was not unintentional; he was deliberately trying to prevent our retreat south!"

"He wants to trap us here so that the Han army can come and annihilate us!"

These words were like a sharp knife, piercing through Liu Xun's last shred of hope.

He suddenly looked up, veins bulging on his forehead.

Meng Quan! How cruel you are!
Not only do they use others to kill, but they also want to wipe them out completely!
At this moment, the Shu army was fleeing in panic, while the Han army was in hot pursuit.

Ma Dai led his iron cavalry through the valleys, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing enemy troops.

Previously, in order to cooperate with Wei Yan's plan, he had to act as bait and deliberately feign defeat against the rattan armor army. Although he eventually defeated the enemy and achieved his strategic goal, he was still holding a grudge.

Even if it was a feigned defeat, he felt he had lost all face.

Therefore, after defeating the rattan armor army, he immediately volunteered to lead his troops in pursuit of the Nanman army.

He wants to regain his lost face.

"Your Highness, the Han cavalry has crossed the valley and is less than five li away from our army. Their commander is none other than Ma Dai!"

A scout, covered in blood, spurred his horse and rushed to Liu Xun to report.

Liu Xun felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and a sense of despair instantly swept over him.

The road ahead was blocked by Meng Quan, and the retreat route was firmly held by Ma Dai.

At this moment, he had nowhere to go and was being pursued from behind; he was in dire straits!
"Your Highness, we must make a decision quickly, or it will be too late!"

Lu Kai urged hoarsely.

Liu Xun felt even colder inside.

Even Lü Kai lost his composure, which shows that the situation had become extremely critical.

He could only force himself to calm down, take a few deep breaths to suppress the panic in his heart, and let his brain work at high speed, thinking of a way to break the deadlock.

A moment later, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

After taking a deep breath, Liu Xun slowly raised his hand and waved:
"Lu Kai, you immediately lead two thousand soldiers to clear the road ahead at all costs and make sure to open up the road to Nanli City!"

He paused, then continued:

"I will lead the remaining soldiers to turn around and block Ma Dai's pursuit, buying you time!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Kai was greatly alarmed and hurriedly said:

"Your Highness, Ma Dai is brave and skilled in battle, and his cavalry is the elite of the land. With our remaining forces, how can we possibly stop him?"

Liu Xun shook his head and sighed, then smiled bitterly:
"At this point, there is no other way. This is our only way to survive. Go and carry it out immediately, without delay!"

Knowing that further discussion was pointless, Lü Kai gritted his teeth and nodded.
"Your Highness, please go. This humble general will do his utmost to clear the way ahead as soon as possible!"

Having said that, he turned his horse around and led two thousand soldiers to rush toward the obstacles blocking the way.

Liu Xun drew his long sword from his waist.

He rarely took to the front lines himself, but at this moment, he knew he had to lead from the front.

If even he backs down, none of his soldiers will be willing to risk their lives for him.

"Young men of Shu!"

Liu Xun raised his longsword high and said sternly:
"We are now in a desperate situation. Only by fighting to the death can we have a glimmer of hope!"

"Follow me back and fight our way out!" (End of Chapter)