The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 198 Zhang Liao Dies, Zhongmou Lives

"Are you from Nanyang?"

A crisp sound came from behind.

Deng Ai suddenly turned around.

On the ridge of the field stood a beautiful young woman.

The young girl was dressed in fine linen clothes and carried a lacquered food box, clearly from a noble family.

Although her features were still somewhat immature, she possessed bright eyes and white teeth, and her appearance was quite beautiful.

Deng Ai was in the prime of his life, full of youthful vigor, and couldn't help but take a second look.

Only after the girl chuckled did he realize his rudeness and quickly bowed, saying:

“My ancestral home is in Jiyang, Nanyang.”

The girl was clearly amused by his stuttering speech, and after a while, she said:
"That's no wonder."

"My lord just sent a letter from Ye County, and the Liangjia bandits have indeed fled to the area."

Upon hearing this, Deng Ai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no surprise on my part.

"The lord also said that the ambush was successful, and you deserve a reward for your helpful plan!"

The adult (father) the girl mentioned was Deng Ai's current boss.

Xu Miao, the Agricultural Commissioner of Yingchuan.

Deng Ai still respected his new boss.

The other party did not look down on him because of his background and his stutter.

Previously, he had deduced that the bandits would flee to Fangcheng, but no one believed him.

Xu Miao was the only one who strongly supported the plan and persuaded the garrison commander of Mobei to recruit a large army to ambush Ye County.

This demonstrates his insight and courage.

Upon thinking of this, Deng Ai prepared to humbly decline.

Before he could even process what was happening, the girl had already handed him the food box, saying:

"Your Excellency is usually honest and upright, and there are no funds available for reward in the household at the moment."

"But those who have made contributions must be rewarded."

"This is a type of flatbread that I baked in the style of Luoyang flatbread, just to express my feelings."

Because Emperor Huan of Han liked sesame cakes, this type of pasta became popular in Luoyang.

Deng Ai was slightly taken aback, quickly wiped the mud off her hands on her clothes, and then solemnly accepted it.

Having completed her "mission," the girl gave a slight bow and gracefully departed.

She was also rushing to prepare noodles for the other "heroes".

As Deng Ai watched her retreating figure, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how talented and beautiful she was.

Although noodles may not be particularly expensive, they are valued for the thought of cooking them yourself.

Xu Gong really has a wonderful daughter!

Who knows which lucky young man will marry her in the future?

Deng Ai himself did not have any extravagant hopes.

He is twenty-seven years old this year (by Chinese reckoning), and has long been married and has children.

……

Ten days have passed since the fire was extinguished.

Seven days have passed since we withdrew from the old city of Hefei.

But the stench of burnt meat still occasionally filled Sun Quan's nostrils.

Only by climbing to the highest point of Ruxu East Gate and standing against the wind can one feel a moment of coolness.

However, beneath the city walls lay densely packed Wei army camps.

These were Wei warships laid out to cover the ground.

It is a series of layers of antler wood enclosures.

They were enemy flags, one after another.

Zhu Ling, the General Who Received the Right to Invoke the Imperial Axe.

Jia Kui, Governor of Yuzhou.

Wang Ling, Governor of Yanzhou.

Familiar and unfamiliar fierce generals and capable ministers of the Wei army.

At this moment, they all gathered around Dongguan, surrounding it from the front and back, eyeing it menacingly.

Wear linen and wear filial piety.

"What a Zhang Wenyuan..."

"They actually used the entire fertile land of Huainan as a burial ground, luring orphans to be buried with them!"

Sun Quan gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

Half a month ago, when Wu's army flooded into Hefei like a tidal wave, Sun Quan seemed to see the scene of the crowd coming down the mountain shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Having managed Jiangdong for over twenty years, building upon the legacy of three generations, this great victory is well-deserved!

Never thought about it.

Overnight, a fire destroyed her beautiful dream.

They retreated in resentment.

But it was too late.

Shouchun, Wancheng, and Guangling. The various Wei armies launched their offensives almost simultaneously.

By the time Sun Quan made up his mind to withdraw from Hefei, the Wei cavalry had already swept across the horizon like fire, spreading like wildfire.

After that, they fought and retreated, suffering more defeats than victories.

Only thanks to the desperate efforts of his subordinates were they able to retreat into Dongguan.

Following Zhou Tai and Sun Huan.

Generals such as Sun Shao, He Qi, Han Dang, Xianyu Dan, and Liu Shao also died in battle one after another.

These people should have shone brightly in their own Northern Expedition.

"Your Majesty, messenger from Danyang reports that Lü Fan and Zhou Fang fought a fierce battle with Zang Ba's tribe at the cave entrance. They initially won but were defeated. Zhou Fang capsized his boat and drowned, while Lü Fan barely escaped with his life. We urge Your Majesty to cross south immediately!"

Sun Quan suddenly turned around:

"Speak properly. What do you mean by 'winning first and then losing'?"

The officer hurriedly said:

"Initially, our naval forces narrowly defeated the enemy and held the south bank. However, a sudden strong wind arose at night, and many warships drifted to the north bank, where the enemy took advantage of the situation..."

Clang!
Sun Quan suddenly drew his sword, pointing it menacingly at the officer's face.

"Can you say that again!"

The military officer was immediately bewildered and at a loss, and could only hold the report high above his head to show that he had not lied.

Just then, Zhu Huan, the governor of Ruxu, rushed in to see him. Upon seeing the scene, he knew that Sun Quan had already learned of the bad news.

He knelt and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, the eastern and western flanks are no longer sufficient to protect the central army. I urge Your Majesty to prioritize your own safety and cross the river to the south immediately!"

"Although Lü Ziheng suffered a narrow defeat, he ultimately routed Zang Ba's naval forces. Therefore, Your Majesty still has a chance of survival if you cross the river at this time!"

"If we wait for the Wei people to reorganize their naval forces, or if they come from Ruxu to the south, I fear there may be unforeseen events!"

Click!

Sun Quan suddenly swung his sword and shattered the bamboo slips, startling the officers who fell to the ground.

"If I were to abandon my army and retreat, I might survive, but what would become of the army's morale? What would become of our ancestral homeland in Jiangdong?"

"Who will be willing to follow Gu Beifa in the future?"

Zhu Huan, his eyes red with anxiety, wept and bowed, saying:

"I risk my life to speak this out: if anything were to happen to Your Majesty, it would be a grave loss to the dynasty that was built by our ancestors!"

"In the past few days, I have personally led the troops and captured many Wei generals and officers. I have only just realized that Zhang Liao has set a trap with his life, and the various Wei armies have been feigning slowness in order to surround and kill Your Majesty in order to achieve victory in one battle!"

After speaking, Zhu Huan rolled up his armor skirt in front of everyone, revealing deep, bloody gashes on his legs that exposed the bone.

Sun Quan was trembling violently.

At this moment, he seemed to see the scene of Zhang Liao's eight hundred cavalry breaking through the encirclement at the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford years ago.

At that time, they were only able to retreat thanks to the desperate protection of their subordinates.

Time has changed.

How could a dead Zhang Liao be more terrifying than a living Zhang Liao?
In the blink of an eye, before Sun Quan could even sigh, Zhu Huan grabbed his hands tightly and dragged him down the pass.

Along the way, Xu Sheng, Luo Tong, and the others were initially stunned, but then, under Zhu Huan's loud shout, they all rushed forward to help.

At this moment, the accumulated merits of three generations of Jiangdong rulers saved Sun Quan's life, but could not preserve his dignity.

……

"I have heard that Lu Xun has already marched east from Qichun to provide relief."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to avenge General Zhang myself."

"What a pity..."

On Chaohu Lake, Zhu Ling looked at the royal flag hanging high above the pass, her tone filled with regret.

Someone behind him responded:

"Our army has killed many enemies in this battle, and we are confident that we can take all the counties north of the Yangtze River in the next battle."

"If Gang Hou has a spirit in the afterlife, he will surely rest in peace."

“Lord Gang…” Zhu Ling paused slightly.

He turned to look at the high-ranking official holding the imperial insignia.

It was Jia Kui, the governor of Yuzhou, who had come from Runan, a distance of seven hundred li.

"Has the imperial court already decided on the posthumous title?"

"It was decided a long time ago."

Although Jia Kui's army marched with lightning speed, he himself remained calm and unhurried.
“Strong and resolute is called 'gang' (刚), and making up for past mistakes is called 'gang' (刚).

"General Zhang abandoned Lü Bu and surrendered to the late emperor. He was decisive in battle and always led from the front. Is there any word more fitting for him than 'strong'?"

Zhu Ling remained silent for a long time.

His gaze held a hint of nostalgia and envy.

In the end, it all comes back to what's in front of us:

"Your Excellency has come from Ancheng. Do you have any news of Wen Zhongye?"

"His troops were responsible for marching south to block Jing and Yang, but now that Lu Xun has come from Qichun, it is clear that he has not been able to achieve his goal."

"In that case, it would be better to retreat to the north of Tongbai Mountain as soon as possible to prevent any unforeseen circumstances."

However, upon hearing this, Jia Kui's calm expression suddenly turned worried.

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(End of this chapter)