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

Chapter 74: After seven ins and seven outs, I killed Cao Cao and today I, Liu Bei, finally avenged my previous shame!

"I have ordered that whoever obtains the head of the Big Eared Bandit will be rewarded with ten thousand gold and be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

On the watchtower, Cao Cao was even optimistic enough to offer a huge reward.

He was completely unaware that danger was approaching.

"Prime Minister, be careful!"

Xu Chu cried out in alarm and quickly swung his sword to block the attack.

The blade slashed but was half a beat too late, only slicing the tail feathers of the arrow.

The sharp arrow shot towards Cao Cao's forehead deviated slightly and went straight to Cao Cao's mouth.

"Click!"

After a muffled sound of collapse, a stream of blood splattered out.

Cao Cao groaned miserably, covered his mouth and fell to the ground.

"Prime Minister!"

Everyone was shocked and rushed forward to support Cao Cao.

Only when Cao Cao tremblingly pulled the arrow out of his mouth did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

The arrow's force was greatly reduced by Xu Chu's sword, and it was also blocked by his front teeth, so it did not take his life.

Cao Cao's life was not harmed, but his two front teeth were shot off, and air was leaking from his mouth, making him look extremely embarrassed and funny.

When the soldiers of Cao's army saw their Prime Minister Cao fall to the ground after being shot by an arrow, they were all shocked and their morale was severely damaged in an instant.

"Crack!"

The camp walls were overturned one after another, and Liu's army took advantage of the situation to break through the camp walls, forcing Cao's army to retreat step by step.

"Zilong's arrow truly hits the target from a hundred paces away!"

When Liu Bei saw Zhao Yun shoot Cao Cao, he was surprised and cheered.

Zhao Yun picked up the Dragon Gallbladder Spear and volunteered:

"My lord, the morale of Cao's army has been broken. Please ask Zhunyun to lead the Yicong to attack and take advantage of the situation to defeat Cao's army!"

Liu Bei glanced at the battle situation and said happily:

"Okay, Zilong, you will lead the White Horse Volunteers to attack immediately and disrupt Cao's army's formation!"

Zhao Yun took the order, picked up his spear, jumped on his horse, and rushed out.

More than fifty Yan and Zhao cavalrymen followed Zhao Yun and charged towards Cao's army.

Zhao Yun came from the famous White Horse Volunteers.

In the Battle of Jieqiao that year, Gongsun Zan underestimated the enemy, resulting in the White Horse Volunteers being defeated by Ju Yi's first-rank camp, and almost the entire army was wiped out.

These fifty-odd riders were all from the same hometown as Zhao Yun. They had escaped the disaster that year and preserved a spark of hope for the White Horse Volunteers.

After Gongsun Zan was defeated, Zhao Yun took these fifty-odd riders and defected to Liu Bei. After traveling north and south, he finally followed Liu Bei to Jingzhou.

These fifty-odd volunteers riding on white horses could be regarded as Liu Bei's sharpest knives, and he was usually reluctant to use them easily.

Today's battle is a matter of life and death. It has reached the point where the White Horse Volunteers must attack!

More than fifty volunteers, whistling like the wind, rushed into the enemy's thicket in a blink of an eye.

Zhao Yun charged forward, his dragon-bone spear dancing like the wind, stabbing the Cao soldiers who blocked his way to the ground like paper.

Yicong followed closely behind, crushing and killing Cao's soldiers along the way.

More than fifty riders charged left and right in Cao's army formation, invincible and unstoppable.

Zhao Yun's attack made the Cao army's formation more and more chaotic, and there were signs that they could not hold on.

Look upstairs.

Cao Cao had already stood up staggeringly with the help of everyone.

When I touched my mouth, it was empty. Two of my front teeth were broken.

It would have been fine if the arrow had hit anywhere else, but it happened to hit his mouth and broke two front teeth!

The Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty has become a leaky mouth. Where is his dignity?
"Big Ear Thief——"

Cao Cao was so ashamed and angry that his eyes popped open and he let out a roar of anger through gritted teeth.

Just as he was angry, the camp wall had been breached by Liu's army, and his own defense line was retreating step by step.

A general with a white horse and a silver spear rushed into his own army with only fifty or so riders, charging left and right as if he was in an empty space!

If we continue to let that general run rampant like this, the consequences will be disastrous.

"Who is that guy? How dare he be so arrogant?"

Cao Cao was so frightened and furious that he shouted in a hysterical voice:

"Quickly dispatch troops and help me kill that guy. Kill him—"

Upon receiving the order, the generals in Cao's camp led their troops to surround and kill, trying to stop the fifty cavalry volunteers.

In the midst of the chaos.

Zhao Yun once again locked onto Cao Cao's location, rode his horse and brandished his spear, heading straight for the watchtower to kill.

"Who are you, the thief? How dare you act so recklessly?"

With a loud shout, Cao's general Chunyu Dao jumped on his horse and raised his spear, blocking Zhao Yun's way.

"Cao family henchmen, prepare to die!"

Zhao Yun disdained to answer, and rode his horse without stopping, like a bright silver rainbow, rushing towards Chunyu Dao.

Chunyu Dao was furious and swung his spear.

Before the spear was even launched, Zhao Yun's spear tip had already arrived like lightning.

"So fast…"

Chunyu Dao was instantly shocked.

It's too late.

In a flash, the Gentian spear pierced his chest.

A scream was heard, Chunyu Dao was defeated in one move and was killed by Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun stepped on Chunyu Dao's corpse and continued to charge forward.

Before he could move five steps, two more Cao generals came to attack him.

"You are nothing but a bunch of idiots. Leave your heads behind!"

The two brothers Zhong Jin and Zhong Shen, each holding a long sword, attacked from the left and right.

Both swords were used with full force, slashing down from the air.

Zhao Yun held the Dragon Gallbladder Spear horizontally and easily blocked the two long swords.

Just as the two men were about to put away their swords and attack again, Zhao Yun shook his arms vigorously and knocked their swords away.

Immediately afterwards, the Gentian Spear stabbed twice in a row like lightning.

The two shots were as fast as lightning, so fast that before the two men could see clearly with their naked eyes, their throats had been cut by the gun tips.

Two streams of blood spurted out, splashing Zhao Yun's silver armor.

Generals Zhong Jin and Zhong Shen, with faces twisted with hideous fear, covered their bleeding necks and both fell off their horses.

Zhao Yun charged forward courageously, stepping on the corpses of the two generals and continuing to charge.

Yan Ming, Ma Yan, Zhang Nan...

All the generals from Cao's camp who came forward to block his way were killed by Zhao Yun as if they were stakes.

After killing more than ten well-known Cao generals in a row, Zhao Yun was unstoppable and was about to rush to the bottom of the watchtower.

No one in Cao's army dared to stop him, and they were so frightened that they retreated one after another.

"Who is that general who has the courage of Lü Bu?"

Cao Cao's eyes were filled with fear as if he had seen a ghost, and he seemed to see the figure of Lu Bu from that year.

"Protect the Prime Minister, and watch me chop off that bastard's head with my own hands!"

Xu Chu was greatly stimulated. He jumped off the watchtower with his sword in hand, mounted his horse and rushed towards Zhao Yun.

"You rat, do you really think there's no one in my Cao camp?"

"Xu Chu is here, don't act so arrogantly!"

A tiger-like roar made everyone's scalp tingle.

Xu Chu, holding a long sword in his hand, rushed towards Zhao Yun like a black whirlwind.

The long sword in his hand stirred up a cloud of dust in the air, and with the force of the sky collapsing and the earth splitting, he slashed forward wildly.

Zhao Yun's brows furrowed slightly.

Before they even started fighting, Zhao Yun could tell from the momentum of the sword that the approaching general was no ordinary person.

so what?

Zhao Zilong of Changshan is a man of great courage. He has never been afraid of anyone in his life!
So the warhorse under his crotch did not slow down. Zhao Yun took a deep breath, and the Dragon Gallbladder Spear rolled up the power of a raging wave and attacked head-on.

"throat!"

Swords and guns collided, and the sky collapsed and the earth cracked.

The splashing blade wind was as sharp as a knife, causing the two people's faces to hurt slightly.

Xu Chu's eyes widened, and his conceited look was instantly replaced by surprise.

Since Lu Bu was executed and Yan Liang and Wen Chou were beheaded, he boasted that his martial arts were invincible in the world, and the only person who could rival him was Guan Yu.

This earth-shattering blow, using all his strength, would be enough to injure the opponent even if it didn't kill him.

But who would have thought that this general under Liu Bei could easily take his full-strength sword attack!

"Besides Guan Yu, is there another person like him under Liu Bei's command?"

Xu Chu was truly shocked and shouted angrily:
"I, Xu Chu, will not kill an unknown general. Who are you? Tell me your name!"

Zhao Yun's eyes were as cold as ice, and he shouted coldly:
"I am Zhao Yun from Changshan. How dare you be so arrogant in front of me!" Before he finished speaking, Zhao Yun stretched out his arms and easily shook off Xu Chu's long sword.

Immediately afterwards, the Gentian Spear danced again, creating layers of spear shadows that covered the entire sky and earth.

Zhao Yun's contempt instantly hurt Xu Chu's self-esteem and made him go berserk.

"How dare you, you rat named Zhao, look down on me!"

A loud shout was rang out, and Xu Chu danced wildly with his long sword, transforming into countless iron curtains, and attacked head-on.

"Clang clang clang!"

The knife and the gun collided in a flash.

The two fought together.

The White Horse Volunteers' fierce charge was finally curbed.

Cao's army's disrupted formation gradually began to recover.

On top of the watchtower.

Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief, and the pain in his mouth was replaced by surprise at Zhao Yun's martial arts.

"This Zhao Yun's martial arts skills are as strong as Guan Yu's!"

"The Big Eared Thief, a mere mat weaver and shoe seller, has managed to recruit so many capable generals under his command. It's truly astonishing..."

Cao Cao was too embarrassed to say it out loud, but his envy, jealousy and hatred were clearly written on his face.

Cao Cao sighed and pointed at Zhao Yun, shouting:

"Pass the order down, Zhao Yun must be captured alive. This general who can defeat ten thousand enemies must be captured by me—"

The word "use" has not yet been uttered.

In the direction of the granary, three smoke signals rose in the sky.

Immediately afterwards, thousands of defeated soldiers fled into the main camp in panic.

Xu Huang rode his horse at full speed, dismounted and knelt down at the foot of the watchtower.

"Your Excellency, Guan Yu and his son are attacking the granary from two sides. Huang has tried his best, but he is no match for their combined attack!"

"Huang has betrayed the Prime Minister's trust and has lost the granary. Please punish him!"

Xu Huang half-knelt at the foot of the watchtower and reported the bad news with a guilty look on his face.

Look up and down the stairs.

From generals like Cheng Yu and Cao Ren to the Tiger Guards, everyone was horrified and terrified.

Cao Cao felt as if he had been hit on the head with a stick. Suddenly the world was spinning before his eyes and he could not stand steadily again.

"Prime Minister!"

Cao Ren and Cheng Yu rushed forward first and both supported Cao Cao.

Cao Cao gasped for breath and it took him a long while to finally recover a little.

"You, Xu Gongming, are as talented and skilled as Guan Yu. How could you be defeated by him?"

Cao Cao's face was distorted and he shouted hoarsely at Xu Huang.

Until this moment, he still had hope, as if unwilling to accept this cruel fact.

"Huang arrived at the granary in time and had already stabilized the front. It seemed that he was about to repel Guan Yu."

"Who would have thought that Liu Bei would follow Xiao He's plan and order Guan Yu, son of Guan Yu, to lead his troops ashore at the Yu River and attack our granary from the east without warning."

"We are attacked from both sides, our army is demoralized, and we just lost our granary!"

Xu Huang explained the whole process with a sigh of helplessness.

Xiao He’s plan!

These four words were like a thunderclap in the ears, and everyone heard them clearly.

Cao Cao's heart suddenly shook. He pushed away those who supported him and stumbled down the watchtower.

"How do you conclude that this was Xiao He's plan?"

Cao Cao grabbed Xu Huang and shouted excitedly.

Xu Huang did not dare to hide it, so he told Guan Yu the whole story of the information he had revealed when he had failed in his verbal battle with Guan Yu and was slapped in the face by Guan Yu.

Cao Cao gasped and froze in place.

All the previous stories about Xiao He were just rumors found by spies and there was no actual evidence.

And today, Guan Yu personally confirmed the existence of Xiao He.

The plan of attacking from both sides of Yushui River was clearly Xiao He's prediction that Guan Yu would not be able to take on Xu Huang, a tough nut to crack, and that was why he ambushed Guan Ping's surprise troops.

This one plan alone is enough to show how ingenious this person is and how intelligent he is.

"Xiao He, Xiao He... Since you are so talented and intelligent, why don't you come to me and join me instead of going to Liu Bei?"

"Hateful, hateful~~"

Cao Cao came to his senses, clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

Cheng Yu on the side sighed deeply and bowed deeply to Cao Cao:
"Prime Minister, the granary has been lost. Even if we hold on to the main camp, it will be useless."

"The situation is hopeless. The defeat of the southern expedition is irreversible. Please, Prime Minister, give the order and we will quickly abandon our camp and retreat north to Xinye."

With Cheng Yu taking the lead, Liu Ye, Man Chong and other counselors all came to pay their respects.

Cao Ren and other generals all sighed inwardly and remained silent.

Everyone knew that the loss of the granary was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The defeat is inevitable, and abandoning the camp and retreating north is the wisest choice.

Cao Cao clenched his fists, veins bulged on his face, and his bloodshot eyes burned with resentment.

Looking back at the time when we swore an oath in Xudu, we were so ambitious and so arrogant.

At the beginning, he made a bold statement, claiming that he would take Jingzhou, pacify Jiangdong, and unify the world within three months.

But now?

Before they even entered the gate of Jingzhou, the 150,000-strong army was defeated by Liu Bei.

Not only did he lose many soldiers and generals, but he also broke two front teeth!

If they retreat north in such a disgraceful manner, where will their reputation be?

"I'm not willing to accept this, I'm not willing to accept this~~"

Cao Cao gritted his teeth and was still making his final struggle.

A horn sounded from the east, and a flag with the word "Guan" appeared to the east of the camp.

"Guan Yu! It's Guan Yu leading his troops from the granary!"

Someone shouted in such a startled voice, causing everyone to change color and fall into terror.

Cao Cao also shuddered, and the ferocious and unwilling look on his face was immediately replaced by panic.

"Prime Minister, victory and defeat are common in the military. It's not like we haven't been defeated before!"

"We only lost a few tens of thousands of soldiers. The entire north still belongs to the Prime Minister. This defeat is of no consequence to the overall situation."

"The Prime Minister has withdrawn today. At worst, we can recover next year and march south again."

"If the Prime Minister doesn't leave now, not only will the entire army be wiped out here, but I'm afraid even the Prime Minister will be buried here."

"If anything happens to the Prime Minister, chaos will break out in the north, and the Han Dynasty will be usurped by traitors like Liu Bei and Sun Quan!"

"Prime Minister, please prioritize the Han Dynasty and order the camp to retreat north!"

Cheng Yu knelt down and tried to persuade him, using all kinds of high-sounding excuses.

Everyone knelt down and tried to persuade him.

"I never thought that I would be defeated by the treacherous schemes of the Big Eared Bandit today, even though I destroyed Yuan Shao, conquered Hebei, and defeated the Wuhuan, without a single defeat in the past ten years!"

"Never mind, never mind. Next year, I will regroup and march south to avenge Liu Bei!"

Cao Cao sighed deeply, and waved his hands feebly, as if he had collapsed.
"Order the entire army to break camp and retreat north!"

Cao Cao finally let reason overcome his anger.

As if they had been pardoned, everyone hurriedly surrounded Cao Cao and retreated north.

The signal for the withdrawal of troops was sounded.

The Cao army, which was still fighting hard, saw that their prime minister had fled, and their morale immediately collapsed and they fled.

Xu Chu, who was fighting a desperate battle with Zhao Yun, had to attack a few times and then flee on horseback.

Zhao Yun rode his horse and dragged his spear, leading his followers in pursuit.

Liu's soldiers rushed into Cao's camp like a tide, and chased the scattered Cao's army like tigers and wolves.

"My lord, there are smoke signals rising above the granary, and General Guan's flag has appeared east of the enemy camp!"

"General Guan must have captured the granary camp, and when Cao Cao learned of it, he had no choice but to abandon the camp and flee!"

At the center of Liu’s army, Chen Dao excitedly pointed at the defeated enemy troops and shouted.

Liu Bei laughed out loud.

We finally won the battle today.

Having been defeated by Cao Cao for most of his life, today he finally washed away the shame and defeated Cao Cao with a big victory.

At this moment, it seemed as if the depression that had accumulated in my heart for more than ten years was finally released, and I felt extremely refreshed all over.

The laughter suddenly stopped, Liu Bei pointed his sword to the north and shouted proudly:

"Pass on my order, the entire army must not stop and continue to pursue Cao the thief northward!"

"The short, fat, bearded man is Cao Cao!"

"Whether you capture me alive or kill me, I will reward you handsomely!"

(End of this chapter)