Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 171 Wang Lang: Lord Yan, rest assured, on the battlefield, I will definitely curse the enemy general to death!

Listening to Zhao Yun's impassioned speech and seeing his slightly moist eyes, Yan Xiang knew in his heart that things were settled.

Indeed, when it comes to matters of bewitching people, it's always best to invite the old Taoist priest Yu Ji from Mount Bagong to handle it.

Who wouldn't be confused by such a grand scene, where everyone looks up to them and eagerly anticipates their arrival?

Seeing that Zhao Yun had already expressed his opinion, Yan Xiang followed suit.

"I have a request that I am not sure whether I should make."

“I am Yuan Gong’s adopted son, and you are Yuan Gong’s chief minister. We are as close as family. Why should Lord Yan be so formal?”

"To be honest, the lord ordered Jiang Qin to send a large ship to Youzhou, but you've come at an inopportune time."

Some time ago, Liu Biao of Jingzhou raised an unjust army and ordered Wen Ping to lead 50,000 troops by land and water to Lujiang, invading our territory without cause.

Jiang Qin's naval forces are currently on the Yangtze River, fighting against the Jingzhou navy led by Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. They have been evenly matched for days, and Jiang Qin is currently unable to extricate himself from the conflict.

Yun is furious!
"What? You brat dare to invade my godfather's territory?"

Zhao Yun immediately laughed loudly, "Lord Yan is mistaken. It's not that I've come at the wrong time, but rather that I've come at the perfect moment!"
During this period of time, I have felt ashamed of the kindness I have received from Lord Yuan, the care and protection of all the gentlemen, and the love and respect of the people.

I always feel that I have not accomplished anything significant, so how dare I accept this honor?
"Now that we have this opportunity, if we do not eliminate this future threat for my adoptive father and utterly defeat Wen Pin, how can I face the elders of Jianghuai again?"

As Zhao Yun spoke, he mounted his horse, and the jade lion in the night sky seemed to sense his feelings and let out a long neigh.

"Lord Yan, please don't make things difficult for us. This matter is easy! Once Yun defeats Wen Ping and takes his head, it won't be too late for us to go to Youzhou together with General Jiang."

When Yan Xiang saw him about to leave on horseback, he thought to himself that young people these days are too impatient, and quickly called him back.

"Young Master Yun, please wait!"

Bring it

Yan Xiang was about to suggest taking his troops with him before leaving, and was about to entrust the 20,000 Black Mountain soldiers to them, but then he changed his mind and felt it was inappropriate.

Although Zhao Yun is currently the lord's adopted son, he is still serving under Gongsun Zan, so it would be inappropriate to directly hand him over with troops.

The general leading the troops had to be a high-ranking official or nobleman in Yuan's camp, someone who would leave others speechless and thus command respect.

While he was pondering, he caught a glimpse of Wang Lang, the Dean, among the welcoming officials. His eyes lit up, and he pointed at Wang Lang, saying to Zhao Yun:

"Young Master Yun, please wait a moment, let me introduce you to someone!"
This is a prince, a man of high moral character and great prestige, a renowned scholar throughout the land.

Before you came here, my lord, we discussed in the main hall how to deal with the Jingzhou army. We were just about to ask you, my lord, to lead 20,000 troops to Lujiang to provide support.

Unfortunately, this group of soldiers is of mixed quality, with many being lazy, cunning, and unruly. We are truly worried that the prince will have difficulty controlling the soldiers.

If they were to plunder the local people along the way, it would unnecessarily damage the reputation of our lord, so the journey has not yet begun.

Now that Young Master Yun intends to go to Lujiang to provide support, why not temporarily serve as a deputy general by the Prince's side?
This would allow him to discipline his soldiers, and with the assistance of these troops, the young master would be even more able to defeat Wen Ping and achieve a resounding victory.

Zhao Yun originally thought that his adoptive father's rear had been attacked and that the situation was urgent, so he led his eighteen riders to rush to the aid. Now that there were 20,000 troops to help, how could he refuse?

He hurriedly greeted the prince, saying, "This humble one, Zhao Yun, greets Your Highness."

"Rest assured, Your Highness, Yun will ensure your safety on your journey to Lujiang."

And Wang Lang? How could he not be overjoyed upon hearing this?

He thought his plan to lead a large army to Lujiang and make a name for himself under the leadership of the famous general Zhang Xun had fallen through.

But who could have imagined that things would take a turn for the better? Now, he is led by Zhang Xun, a general who is as famous as Ji Ling, and assisted by Zhao Zilong, the adopted son of the lord who has entered and exited Mengcheng seven times.

Old Wang felt that he had secured this achievement, so he quickly helped Zhao Yun up.

"Young Master Yun, there's no need for such formalities. I will need to rely on you a lot along the way for this army."

Seeing that the two of them were very satisfied with the arrangement, Yan Xiang was also quite satisfied. There was only one thing he was still worried about, so he gave Wang Lang some more instructions.

"Your Highness is getting old, so please listen to the young master on this trip. Do not act arrogantly because of your age. If you delay the lord's important affairs, I, Yan, may forgive you out of consideration for our relationship, but the sword at my waist will not tolerate you!"

Wang Lang knew perfectly well that Yan Xiang was worried that his reckless command would delay important matters.

In fact, he had heard that Zhang Xun had won eight battles in Lujiang. If General Zhang hadn't been so cautious in his military tactics, he would have already stormed out of the city and defeated Wen Ping.

Wang Lang felt that the Jingzhou soldiers were easy to bully. Since General Zhang Xun was there, he planned to lead 20,000 men to follow Zhang Xun's command, gain some military merit, and perhaps even get a noble title.

Now it's just a matter of switching from listening to Zhang Xun to listening to Zhao Yun, which doesn't matter to him. He's just happy to have a chance to earn military merits.

Therefore, he immediately told Yan Xiang, "Don't worry, Lord Yan. I am aware of my own abilities. When I go to Lujiang, I will definitely use my strengths and my silver tongue to curse Wen Ping to death."

Yan Xiang: "."

"Alright then," Yan Xiang said, seeing that Wang Lang had agreed to his plan without lifting a finger. He then turned to Zhao Yun and said:
"Since those 108 heavy armors in the warehouse were originally intended for Young Master Yun by our lord, we will bring them along on this trip. This will not only ensure Young Master's safety but also help us defeat the Jingzhou army."

Zhao Yun thanked Yan Xiang for his kindness again, and then went with Wang Lang to the army to take over the so-called 20,000 unruly soldiers.

Before he even arrived, his voice preceded his arrival!

"Zhao Zilong of Changshan is here! Who is willing to join me in protecting the territory and ensuring the safety of the people, and in achieving great deeds?"

Get out of the queue!

If they are cunning, cowardly, or even plotting robbery?

Just stay where you are, and officials will lead you to cultivate the land. Your lives will be safe.

"If you step forward now and follow me into battle, and still dare to disobey me, don't blame me for being ruthless with my spear!"

As soon as the words were spoken, they saw a figure on a white horse with a silver spear charging into the enemy ranks. Many of the Black Mountain bandits were so frightened that they almost collapsed to the ground.

Although most of these Black Mountain bandits had been captured by Yuan Shu before and had never seen Zhao Yun's prowess.

However, after Sun Qingbing's defeat, prisoners of war from the Black Mountain were naturally sent to them in batches.

It's safe to say that even if these people had never met Zhao Yun, they must have heard of his prowess from the Black Mountain prisoners who were sent to them later.

With only one man and one horse, he routed the more than 10,000 Black Mountain bandits and took the head of their chief commander, Sun Qing, amidst the chaos of battle.

According to the prisoners from Black Mountain who were sent over later, Zhao Zilong of Changshan was no longer human; he was a murderous demon, a killing machine!
At this moment, how could these Black Mountain bandits not be terrified and uneasy when such a legendary monster, who was being talked about among the prisoners, charged towards them on a white horse and with a silver spear?
He suddenly roared, "Step forward!"

The Black Mountain bandits instinctively obeyed and stepped forward. Those who hadn't reacted yet, seeing everyone around them step forward, fearing that standing out would attract the attention of the Demon God Zhao Zilong, hurriedly followed suit.

His feet were faster than his legs. Only then did he hear Zhao Yun's words, such as "disobedience will be punished by the spear," which made him even more terrified. He stood as straight as a pine tree and dared not move.

After the initial panic subsided, the Black Mountain soldiers thought to themselves: What! It's actually this murderous demon who commands us? There's no doubt about it, he can take on ten thousand men by himself, we're bound to win this battle, brothers, charge!

As long as you behave yourself and don't dare to violate military discipline, you'll be killed by this murderous demon to establish his authority, and then you'll be able to gain military merit, right?
Yes, in the eyes of these Black Mountain bandits, Zhao Yun, who single-handedly charged in and out of enemy lines seven times and routed an army of ten thousand, was far more terrifying than the fifty thousand troops of Jingzhou.

No matter how many Jingzhou soldiers there were, they were still human beings, and as human beings, they could be killed. But Zhao Zilong of Changshan? That guy wasn't even human!

At a single command, 20,000 Black Mountain bandits stepped forward, standing as straight as pine trees, motionless.

Zhao Yun was very satisfied with this, thinking to himself that Lord Yan was very kind to him.

So obedient, like elite soldiers, how could they be slacking off, cheating, or disobeying?
It must have been Yan Gong who deliberately said that to give me the pretext of being appointed as a deputy general and commanding 20,000 Yuan troops. He was being too modest.

The people in Yuan's camp have been so good to me, I am truly grateful.

Moved, Zhao Yun coldly gave the order.

"The three armies, heed my command, form ranks and march swiftly, and advance towards Lujiang."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of Black Mountain were terrified that this murderous demon would make an example of them.

They had never lined up so seriously and quickly in their entire lives. In a short period of time, they had assembled and set off to follow Zhao Yun.

Such a scene of strict discipline and authoritative command almost left the commander-in-chief, Wang Lang, completely bewildered.

Are these still the same group of unruly Black Mountain soldiers who came from bandit backgrounds?
You should know that when they were selected from 50,000 Black Mountain prisoners, they were all cunning and deceitful.

There was no way to control the mountain bandits and outlaws; they were all people with their heads hanging by a thread, who were willing to kill officials and rebel.

But with Zhao Yun's arrival, what happened to your previous arrogance?

Is this what the lord's adopted son is capable of?
The most terrifying thing is that the lord has a total of five such adopted sons under his command.

Wang Lang had already made up his mind that his lord was truly destined by Heaven. He would go to Lujiang and curse several people to death, and then write in the military report:
He, Wang Lang, fought on the battlefield, and before even exchanging a single blow, he had already slain the enemy general!

But before they could even exchange a single blow, he only cursed and didn't even make a move.

With such achievements, he will surely attract the attention of the lord and win a great deal of wealth and honor in the new dynasty.

Lujiang Frontline.

Wen Ping and Zhang Xun have been locked in a standoff in Shucheng for more than ten days.

The two sides remained at peace. Wen Ping worried that he had lost too many soldiers and was betraying his lord by preserving his strength. In that case, even if he captured Lujiang, he would have accomplished nothing.

After all, apart from the brothers Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue, no one else in Jingzhou wanted to provoke Yuan Shu too much and invite trouble upon themselves.

If we were to divert Yuan Shu's strategic objectives from the north to Jingzhou, wouldn't we be using ourselves to delay Yuan Shu's army and give Cao Cao and Liu Bei a chance to regroup?
Liu Biao was unwilling to do such a selfless act, but Yuan Shu was nearby on his left and was growing increasingly powerful.

If we do not restrain them now, and instead unite with Cao Cao and Liu Bei, in time all the powerful figures will be destroyed. How will our own province resist Yuan Shu?
Therefore, ordering Wen Ping to attack Lujiang at this moment, implementing the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao," is a helpless move made by all parties in Jingzhou after weighing the pros and cons.

However, this desperate measure has now encountered a problem.

Previously, Yuan Shu, who should have been engaged in multiple battles but was short of troops, somehow managed to recruit a battle-hardened force of 20,000 men.

They also have the advantage of defending the city, which is enough to contend with the elite troops under his command in Jingzhou.

Unfortunately, they encountered a general like Zhang Xun, who remained steadfast and invincible.

His strategy of using a tortoise-like approach was to lure the enemy out, while a strong attack would risk losses; leaving them in the same place would only delay the inevitable.

At present, Wen Ping's greatest strategic hope is that with his own large army by his side, Yuan Shu in the north, upon hearing the news, will be wary and lead his army back to reinforce him.

Just as the enemy remained still and we remained still, Wen Ping suddenly received a report:
"Reporting to the general, the scouts report that a force of 20,000 Yuan troops is approaching and is less than ten miles from Shucheng."

Wen Ping was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Could it be that Yuan Gonglu has led his main force south to provide reinforcements?"

As soon as he said it, he realized something was wrong. Calculating the time, even if Yuan Shu, who was far away in the north, had heard the news from Lujiang, it was impossible for him to lead his main force to Lujiang so quickly.

Upon realizing this, Wenping's face darkened, and he thought to himself that he was in trouble.

Sure enough, the messenger immediately reported back:

"Reporting to the general, we did not see the Yuan banner. The banner carried by the general's commander had the character 'Wang' on it, which suggests that he came from Shouchun."

Wen Ping nodded upon hearing this. "You came from Shouchun?"

This must be Yan Xiang's newly recruited army. I've heard that Yuan Gonglu has changed his previous style of drastically expanding the army and is now implementing a policy of hiding soldiers among the people.

They're probably just some country bumpkins who've only practiced a few times; nothing to worry about.

Yan Xiang has recruited these people, probably because he has run out of ideas. Perhaps this is the opportunity for me to take advantage of the situation and break through Lujiang.

As for the banner bearing the character "Wang"? I've never heard of a general with the surname Wang in Yuan's camp.

After a moment's thought, he ordered the scouts to investigate further, determined to find out who the commander of this army would be. At the same time, he summoned Huang Zu to discuss important military matters.

Shortly after, Huang Zu walked into the tent and bowed respectfully.

"What are your orders, General? Do you intend to launch a full-scale attack on the city? If so, I fear I will fail my lord's expectations, and I regret that I am unwilling to do so."

In my opinion, since Zhang Xun is holding out to the bitter end, delaying is pointless. It would be better to return to Jingzhou sooner rather than later, so as to conserve provisions.

"No!"

Seeing that his attack on Lujiang had failed, Huang Zu had long intended to retreat to Jiangxia to guard his small territory and protect himself.

Wen Ping was not surprised by this. His eyes narrowed and a smile appeared on his lips.

"General Huang, I already have a good plan in mind. Defeating Yuan is just around the corner. General Huang has not yet achieved anything. How can you suggest retreating?"

"Oh? Zhang Xun is determined to defend to the death. In this situation, does the general still have a way to defeat Yuan?"

“It didn’t exist before, but it does now.”

Wen Ping, with a confident expression, said to him:
"I recently learned that another 20,000 troops under Yuan Shikai are about to arrive in Shouchun. This is the perfect opportunity for us to defeat Yuan Shikai."

"What a joke! Is the general joking?"
How could we possibly win if enemy reinforcements were to arrive?

Seeing that Huang Zu did not believe him, Wen Ping explained it to him.

"General Huang, you may not know this, but this batch of Yuan troops is nothing more than laborers and new soldiers forcibly conscripted by Shouchun, who have run out of ideas."

How could a rabble of 20,000 men who have never even been on the battlefield not be defeated in an instant once they are surrounded by my 50,000 elite troops?
If we see the reinforcements routed and we face annihilation, I refuse to believe that Zhang Xun will remain comfortably seated in the city and not come to our aid.

(End of this chapter)