Wei Xiaobao's Three Kingdoms Adventure

Chapter 108 Guan Yu Releases Zhang Wenyuan
Jueying is indeed a great horse. Even though it was dark and the mountain road was rugged, his speed did not slow down at all. He soon left Zhang Liao far behind.

Zhou Cang had also caught up and said, "If I hadn't advised General Guan, I would have thought you had really kidnapped our general! You are really good at feigning surrender!"

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, "How else could Zhang Liao believe it? I just didn't expect this guy to rush into the valley in the dark to save his second brother, regardless of the ambush. I wonder if our people are ready?"

Guan Yu saw someone breaking into the valley. It was dark and he couldn't see the person clearly, so he thought it was Zhang Liao who had fallen into the trap, so he immediately ordered his men to cut down the huge rocks and heavy wood.

Wei Xiaobao was still worried that Guan Yu was too hasty to set up an ambush, but suddenly he heard shouts and screams from the hillsides on both sides.

Wei Xiaobao shouted, "Oh no! We've been ambushed by our own people."

Wei Xiaobao quickly turned his horse around and ran out of the valley while dodging the falling stones and wood. Zhou Cang had also seized the opportunity and ran to the top of the hill.

Zhang Liao was chasing closely behind when he suddenly heard a loud noise coming from both sides. He then saw Wei Xiaobao coming back and running towards him.

Before Zhang Liao could react, a large rock rolled down the hillside and rolled towards him.

Seeing Zhang Liao in danger, Wei Xiaobao thought that if Zhang Liao was crushed to death, Guan Yu would also be sad. Just when the two horses kicked against each other, Wei Xiaobao jumped off the horse's back and went straight into Zhang Liao's arms.

Zhang Liao thought Wei Xiaobao was attacking him by surprise, so he swung the crescent halberd in his hand and slashed at Wei Xiaobao's chest.

With a swish, a cut was made on Wei Xiaobao's chest.

Wei Xiaobao continued to attack with great force. He grabbed Zhang Liao's shoulders with both hands in mid-air and pulled him off his horse, making him roll several times on the ground.

As soon as Zhang Liao's body stopped, several spears trapped him in place.

Zhang Liao then realized that his horse had been crushed to death by the boulder. Turning around, he saw Wei Xiaobao lying motionless on the ground. He felt a little regretful: "So he was trying to save my life."

As soon as Zhang Liao was tied up, he heard Wei Xiaobao, who was lying on the ground, yelling, "Damn it! I almost died trying to save you!"

Before Zhang Liao recovered from the shock of Wei Xiaobao's resurrection, Guan Yu appeared in the crowd, with Zhou Cang standing beside him, holding a sword.

Zhang Liao asked, "Yun Chang, they didn't tie you up?"

Guan Yu said, "The art of war is treacherous. If it weren't for these 100,000 dan of grain, I wouldn't have treated Wen Yuan this way."

Zhang Liao said, "I'm glad you're alright. I'm a bit inferior in strategy, and I'm defeated wholeheartedly."

Guan Yu stepped forward to untie Zhang Liao's ropes, helped him up, and said, "Lü Bu is capricious and certainly not a wise leader. Why don't you, Wenyuan, come with me to Xiaopei and join my elder brother's army?"

Zhang Liao said, "I have followed General Lu for many years. Now that I have been defeated, I am abandoning him. How can I be a true man? Now that I have been captured by you, you can kill me or chop me up as you please."

Guan Yu said, "I have heard Zhou Cang say that if you had not come to rescue me in such a hurry, you would not have fallen into my ambush. I am only here for food and fodder. You may return."

Zhang Liao sighed, turned around and picked up the crescent halberd on the ground. Just as he was about to leave, he clasped his fists towards Wei Xiaobao and said, "Thank you, brother, for saving my life."

Wei Xiaobao was looking down to check his precious clothes when he heard Zhang Liao talking to him. He raised his head and clasped his fists and replied, "You're welcome. If you meet me again in the future, please show me some mercy." Guan Yu hurriedly ordered someone to send a horse.

Zhang Liao mounted his horse and rode out of the valley without looking back, heading towards Xia Pi.

Guan Yu ordered his men to clean up the battlefield. This battle not only defeated Lu Bu's cavalry, but also captured more than a hundred war horses.

Guan Yu was worried that the night would be too long and would bring more trouble, so he ordered his troops to leave the valley and march quickly towards Yuan Shu's grain transport troops.

On the way, Wei Xiaobao and Guan Yu talked about things in the valley.

Wei Xiaobao said, "Lü Bu's cavalry is indeed formidable. I saw Cao Cao suffer a loss when I was in Yanzhou. I never expected that even after Lü Bu was defeated by Cao Cao and fled to Xuzhou, his cavalry would still be so formidable."

Guan Yu said, "Cavalry, infantry, and archers all have their own countermeasures. When fighting with all three arms, it's important to prioritize both daily drills and battle formations. If Zilong were here, our cavalry could still hold their own against Zhang Liao. Fortunately, your plan with Zhou Cang worked, otherwise we would all have perished in the valley."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Xuzhou is a flat land. If Big Brother takes back Xuzhou, whether it's to defend against Cao Cao's attack or to prepare to attack Yuan Shu in Shouchun, cavalry is the best type of troops."

Guan Yu said, "Brother, how could you not know this? Unfortunately, Xuzhou does not produce war horses, and we are also powerless."

Wei Xiaobao said, "I heard there are many war horses in the northwest. Can't we send someone to buy some? Doesn't Mi Zhu have money?"

Guan Yu said in a slightly stern tone, "You must not be so disrespectful to Madam Mi's elder brother. The Mi family has been very kind to you, not only by giving away all their wealth to support your army, but also by betrothing Madam Mi to you."

Wei Xiaobao smiled awkwardly and said, "I just said it casually. I won't do it again."

Guan Yu continued, "The distance between Xuzhou and Xiliang is long, and there are also Sili and other prefectures between them. I'm afraid the horses will starve to death on the road before we can even get them back to Xuzhou."

Wei Xiaobao asked again, "Where did the horses for Lü Bu's cavalry and the cavalry my eldest brother brought come from?"

Guan Yu said: "Although the horses of Youzhou are not as strong as those of Xiliang, they are also well-bred and can be used as war horses."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Isn't Youzhou Gongsun Zan's territory? Since he is my elder brother's senior brother, he is also my senior brother. After I recapture Xuzhou, I will go back to Shanggu County to see my adoptive father and buy some horses from Youzhou."

Guan Yu said, "Cavalry is a valuable asset, but our army is short of food. Even if we can plunder 100,000 dan of grain this time, it would only be enough to sustain an army of 30,000 for a month. If we raise more war horses, I'm afraid we won't even be able to sustain them for a month. When Qin conquered the six kingdoms, its most formidable weapon, besides its cavalry, was its crossbowmen. If we had crossbowmen, we wouldn't have to fear Lu Bu's cavalry."

Wei Xiaobao said, "Yes, Cao Cao defeated Lu Bu's cavalry in Puyang mainly by relying on archers, but he also used hidden weapons such as caltrops and chevaux de frise."

Guan Yu sighed and said, "It's a pity that the Qin crossbow technique has long been lost. Archers are just as difficult to train as cavalry. It's really hard to organize a team of archers that can defeat the enemy in just one month."

Suddenly, a spy arrived with a report: "Report! Yuan Shu's grain transport troops have arrived at the south bank of the Huai River, led by Qiao Rui, one of Yuan Shu's generals."

Wei Xiaobao was delighted: "The one leading the troops is actually Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's future father-in-law!"

Guan Yu immediately ordered an ambush and launched a surprise attack after all the enemies had crossed the river.

(End of this chapter)