Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 129: Escape End
Zhu Zhi has always been arrogant. After arriving in Qiantang, he relied on his past fame and brilliant military achievements to look down on the heroes of Jiangdong as grass. Therefore, when he was pinned to the ground and humiliated in turn by two people whose reputations were far inferior to his, the anger in his heart could not be washed away even by the water of mountains and rivers, and he vowed to take revenge.

However, in the eyes of the enemy, he was nothing more than a toothless tiger or a fat deer. Everyone bared their ferocious fangs, wanting to taste his deliciousness.

Han You and Xu Sheng simultaneously glanced up at the gradually darkening sky. Han You revealed a sinister smile and ordered Pan Zhi, the guard commander beside him, "Quickly mobilize our personal cavalry battalion to join the battle. Don't let him escape!"

Pan Zhi clasped his fists and accepted the order, then led more than 400 of Han You's personal cavalrymen and rushed towards Zhu Zhi's army.

Xu Sheng also gathered all the cavalry and ordered them to hand over their few remaining arrows. He then distributed them to over thirty skilled archers. He then ordered, "Zhu Zhi's horse is fast. Listen to my command. Charge into the enemy formation. First, shoot his horse, then seize him with all your might. Once you've captured him, flee immediately! Zhao Cuo, lead a hundred cavalrymen to the southwest to form an ambush. If Zhu Zhi escapes, join me in capturing him."

Zhao Cuo had experienced many battles and was now more calm. He asked, "What should we do if we can't capture him?"

Xu Sheng's tone was as cold as ice as he slowly uttered a word: "Kill!"

Zhao Cuo nodded solemnly and led a hundred cavalrymen to gallop towards the southwest.

The mobilization of Han and Xu's two armies immediately aroused Zhu Zhi's vigilance. Han You's army had surrounded him several times before, and he led his troops to break out every time. But this time, he knew it would be difficult, and a feeling of being at the end of the road surged in his heart.

Zhu Hai once again repelled the enemy on the right. Seeing two cavalry units closing in from both flanks, he knew the enemy was about to launch a final, fatal attack. He hurried to Zhu Zhi and shouted, "Father, the situation is critical. We won't be able to hold out until nightfall. While the enemy is still surrounded and killed, retreat immediately. I will lead the troops to cover your retreat!"

Then he looked at Chen Xian, his eyes full of earnestness, and said solemnly: "Father's safety depends on Mr. Chen!"

Chen Xian heard a hint of determination in his words and knew that he was determined to die. With tears in his eyes, he said, "Don't worry, Dingshan. Even if I die, I will protect the captain!"

Zhu Zhi knew very well that evacuating immediately was the only chance of survival, but the thought of abandoning his subordinates who had followed him for many years and escaping alone was too great to cross in his heart.

He gripped the reins tightly, his brow furrowed. While he was hesitating, Chen Xian had already led the remaining fifty or so riders and without saying a word, he was fleeing towards the southwest. This was the only gap that was not surrounded by the enemy.

Zhu Zhi looked back, exchanged glances with Zhu Hai, and then looked at the hundreds of soldiers who were still fighting. His eyes were full of complex expressions, but in the end he could not utter a word, only letting out a low groan filled with pain.

At this time, Xu Sheng had led 300 cavalrymen to a place 150 steps to the right of Zhu Zhi. Seeing Zhu Zhi fleeing in danger, he pulled the bowstring to its full extent, and the arrow shot out like a meteor, hitting the warhorse under Zhu Zhi's crotch, splashing a spray of blood.

Immediately afterwards, two more arrows pierced the warhorse's body.

The warhorse felt the pain and carried Zhu Zhi forward wildly. After only a few hundred steps, its limbs gradually lost strength. It let out a low whine and fell to the ground.

Chen Xian hurriedly changed Zhu Zhi's warhorse. Seeing more than a hundred enemy cavalry galloping towards him, he hurriedly protected Zhu Zhi and turned west.

The two groups of cavalrymen under Han You's command also reacted at this time, shouting and bypassing Zhu Hai who was trying his best to intercept them, and chased after Zhu Zhi.

For a moment, there were three cavalry troops following Zhu Zhi closely, chasing him relentlessly. The dense hooves of their horses stepped on the ground, making a rumbling sound.

Among the three cavalry armies, Pan Zhi's cavalry had the fastest horses.

Xu Sheng's horses were tired, and Chen Xian's horses were inferior and tired. Pan Zhi's horses, though inferior to Xu Sheng's, were fresh troops. Although they were a little slow to react and fell behind, they were gradually catching up and getting closer and closer to Xu Sheng's troops.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Xu Sheng shouted, "To the left!" Three hundred cavalrymen followed the order and followed Xu Sheng, galloping to the left and blocking the front of Pan Zhi's troops.

Pan Zhi was blocked and angrily shouted from his horse: "Xu Sheng, what do you mean?"

Xu Sheng turned a deaf ear to him, whipped the horse's buttocks with the whip in his hand, and tried his best to catch up with Zhu Zhi.

The four cavalry armies galloped for half a minute, and the speed of the horses gradually slowed down. At this time, Zhao Cuo's troops, relying on the advantage of being closest to the direction of Zhu Zhi's escape and having superior horsepower, finally stopped Chen Xian's troops.

The two cavalry armies did not slow down and collided violently, causing chaos and confusion for a moment.

Xu Sheng rode his horse to the scene and led 300 cavalrymen to surround Chen Xian's troops, while also isolating Pan Zhi's troops.

Pan Zhi lost the upper hand to Xu Sheng by a hair's breadth, and he was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He lost his composure and started cursing.

"Xu Sheng, you cunning villain! You're blocking my way! How despicable and shameless!"

He wanted to lead his troops to charge and rescue the people, but this would inevitably lead to a fierce conflict between the Yan and Han armies, and the truce agreement that was hard-earned would be invalidated.

Pan Zhi found it difficult to bear such a heavy responsibility. He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He hurriedly ordered someone to report to Han You.

Xu Sheng knew that time was running out, so he pointed his spear at Zhu Zhi and shouted, "Come here, tie him up!"

At this time, there were only more than 20 cavalrymen including Chen Xian left by Zhu Zhi's side. He was surrounded by six or seven layers of cavalrymen led by Xu Sheng and Zhao Cuo, who had dull eyes and pale faces.

"I have fought on the battlefield for seven or eight years and have never suffered such a crushing defeat. Today, I must die to preserve my reputation and avoid humiliation from this villain!"

Zhu Zhi drew his sword with trembling hands and held it across his neck, but Chen Xian desperately stopped him. He cried out in pain, "Captain, why are you doing this? Wu Jing's army is strong. When he and General Sun hear you're in trouble, they'll surely do everything they can to rescue you. Then, with Yuan Shu's intervention, you might be able to escape. If you commit suicide, wouldn't that bring grief to your loved ones and joy to your enemies? It's better to keep yourself alive so you can plan for future actions!"

Chen Xian was right. Although the examples of killing surrendered generals were not uncommon in this era, they were by no means common. The results usually depended on many factors, such as political considerations, revenge psychology, strategic needs, and the attitude of the surrendered generals themselves.

Chen Xian held down Zhu Zhi's right hand holding the sword with both hands. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding enemy troops rushed forward and tied him up.

Although Zhu Zhi was very powerful, the situation was hopeless at this moment. He was disheartened and knew that resistance was futile. He sighed, closed his eyes, and let himself be manipulated.

Soon, Zhu Zhi and Chen Xian were tied to two horses and surrounded by dozens of cavalrymen.

Zhu Zhi, the commander of Wu Commandery and renowned throughout Jiangdong, was a figure unattainable to these soldiers. Seeing this man successfully captured, everyone felt a sense of unreality, as if they were still in a dream.

It’s hard to imagine how generous a reward the young master would give for this!

Every soldier was so excited that his blood boiled. They guarded Zhu Zhi closely as if he were a rare treasure, fearing that any accidents might happen.

(End of this chapter)