Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 168 Liu Bei has a tiger general, Zhao Yun defeats several men in succession (Please subscribe and vote for monthly tickets)
Zhao Yun was already extremely strong, and the Jade Lion he rode was a tall horse, equipped with fish-scale armor, a bright silver spear, and other secondary weapons.

Like a fierce bear that is impervious to swords and spears, it can instill fear in the timid just by looking at it from afar.

Hearing Zhao Yun's candid challenge, which was so frank it was hard to believe, the rebel generals of Yanzhou, who had established their stronghold in the mountains, became even more suspicious.

You say you have no ambush, and I'll believe you?

Do you think we're three-year-olds?

The rebel generals of Yanzhou dared not fully trust even their own men, let alone believe the self-proclaimed honesty of Zhao Yun, their enemy.

"You have all witnessed Lü Bu's martial prowess. He killed Liu Sandao, a fierce general under Kong Zhou, with a single arrow. Furthermore, he led only two thousand men to rout Kong Zhou and Zhang Miao and Ying Shao's more than ten thousand troops, and even set fire to Kong Zhou's camp."

"As for Zhao Yun, he once fought Lü Bu one-on-one under the walls of Luoyang and the battle ended in a draw. You must guard the camp well and absolutely not engage in battle without my order!"

"Moreover, I have also heard that Zhao Yun was only Liu Bei's fourth brother. Liu Bei also had two sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, both of whom were no less skilled in martial arts than Zhao Yun."

"If Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are lying in ambush behind Zhao Yun and we rush out to fight, we will surely be defeated!"

Qiao Mao was terrified. He imagined Liu Bei's plan and warned his men.

At the same time, Qiao Mao was secretly glad that he had chosen a mountainous location to build his camp. Otherwise, if he had stayed outside Xiaopei City, he would probably have been scattered by Zhao Yun like Kong Zhou.

At that time, morale will be even lower.

Now, with the mountain fortress built against the terrain and a large number of laborers from Yanzhou transporting grain and fodder from the rear, as long as time is dragged out, it can be delayed until Yuan Shu and Tao Qian encircle them, or at the very least, until Liu Bei retreats.

After all, Xiaopei is close to Yanzhou, while Luoyang is almost a thousand miles away from Yanzhou. Qiao Mao did not believe that Liu Bei would dare to leave his army alone and waste time with his side.

From a strategic perspective, Qiao Mao's analysis makes sense.

Liu Bei is indeed not suited for a prolonged war.

However, on a tactical level, Qiao Mao was simply making excuses for his cowardice.

That being said, many of Qiao Mao's men had participated in the Battle of Luoyang, and the memory of being charged by Liu Bei's eight hundred cavalrymen resurfaced with Liu Bei's arrival.

Qiao Mao was also unwilling to engage Liu Bei in direct combat for this reason: the soldiers under his command were all afraid of Liu Bei, and if they did not rely on the natural terrain, they would probably scatter and flee before the battle even began.

Seeing that Qiao Mao was pretending to be mute, Zhang Miao, Ying Shao, and the others also pretended to be stupid in the camp.

Although some people suspected that Zhao Yun might be bluffing, to confirm whether Zhao Yun was bluffing or not, someone had to test him.

However, the question then became who should go and test the waters.

Seeing Zhao Yun swaggering around with fifty cavalry while no one on his side dared to respond, Yuan Yi was both anxious and angry. So he sent someone to invite Qiao Mao and the others over.

Although they dared not accept the challenge, Qiao Mao and the others did not disobey Yuan Yi's summons and came one after another.

Each of them harbored their own ulterior motives, wanting to encourage others to test whether Zhao Yun was deliberately creating a mystery.

Of the nine men present, Kong Zhou, Zhang Miao, and Ying Shao suffered losses due to Lü Bu's attack, while Yuan Yi, Yuan Xu, Qiao Mao, Zheng Sui, Bao Xin, and Li Zan still had sufficient troops.

Zhang Miao then spoke up, belittling himself: "Right now, the morale of Prefect Ying and I is low, and even if we wanted to fight, we have no brave warriors to use."

He then urged, "I have long heard that Prime Minister Bao is resourceful and wise, skilled in both martial arts and literature. He was once recruited by General He as a Cavalry Commandant, and he has many brave and valiant generals under his command. I wonder if he could lead the troops to fight Zhao Yun and restore our morale?"

Ying Shao chimed in, "I have also heard that Bao Xiang's younger brother, Bao Tao, is also the bravest in the army. He can surely kill Zhao Yun and thwart Liu Bei's prestige!"

Listening to Zhang Miao and Ying Shao's incitement, Kong Zhou couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Kill Zhao Yun?

Based on Bao Tao?

However, Kong Zhou suffered the most losses this time and did not want to see everyone present conserving their strength.

After all, everyone is in Yanzhou, and Kong Zhou and Bao Xin's territories are adjacent. Who knows if there will be conflicts in the future?

It was in Kong Zhou's interest to let Bao Xin suffer a loss, so he said, "Who is Zhao Yun? I have never heard of Zhao Yun in my life. This man only commands a large army because he is Liu Bei's sworn brother."

"However, although Zhao Yun is not very capable, Bao Tao is not as good as my fierce general Liu Sandao. I think that Gao Shun under Prefect Zhang is not bad. He was able to maintain his formation even when my defeated troops charged. Why not let Gao Shun fight Zhao Yun? He might be able to win."

Ying Shao sneered: "Kong Zhou, how dare you mention Liu Sandao? That piece of trash who was shot dead by Lü Bu with one arrow, does he even deserve to be compared with Bao Tao?"

Zhang Miao sneered repeatedly: "Although Gao Shun is formidable, our army's morale has not recovered and we are not fit for battle. How about you lend me a few thousand soldiers and I'll let Gao Shun lead the charge?"

Kong Zhou glanced at Bao Xin and Li Zan, and deliberately said, "Both Prime Minister Bao and Prime Minister Li have 10,000 fresh troops. If you let the two of them gather 4,000 men for Gao Shun, they will surely be able to kill Zhao Yun."

Li Zan was surprised that someone was eyeing his troops so soon after he arrived, and sneered, "Prefect Kong himself doesn't want to send troops, but he's eyeing my and Prime Minister Bao's troops."

"Zheng Xiang also has a great general, Lü Qian, who is both brave and resourceful. Why don't we have Zheng Xiang lend Lü Qian to Prefect Kong to help him train his troops and restore morale?"

"Moreover, I have heard that Prefect Yuan has a subordinate named Li Dian, who is also resourceful and brave, and can help Prefect Kong train his troops and restore morale."

Bao Xin also sneered repeatedly.

They don't want to offer any benefits; they just want to instigate and encourage others.

"Let's listen to Yuan Yanzhou," Bao Xin said, turning the conversation directly to Yuan Yi.

Although he had anticipated that everyone had their own ulterior motives, Yuan Yi was still furious when he heard their claims that they only wanted others to do the work so they could take advantage of the situation.

As the governor of Yanzhou, Yuan Yi was only given an official title by Liu Yu, and it was out of respect for Yuan Shao.

However, even if Yuan Shao were to personally become the governor of Yan Province, the people would still fight for it.

In chaotic times, having troops is essential for strength; giving them away leaves one vulnerable to being slaughtered.

"Have you all considered that if Zhao Yun really didn't have any ambushes, and only used two thousand men to hold off seventy or eighty thousand of us here, wouldn't that make us a laughing stock?"

Yuan Yi tried his best to control his tone as he analyzed the pros and cons for everyone.

"Anyway, I definitely can't send troops or generals." No matter how Yuan Yi tried to persuade him, Kong Zhou insisted that he would not go into battle.

Qiao Mao sneered and urged, "Yuan Yanzhou, you are the governor of Yanzhou. You should set an example for us. Besides, you have eight or nine thousand soldiers under your command. It would be a piece of cake for you to defeat Zhao Yun, who has two thousand men."

“That’s right.” Ying Shao brought up the old matter again: “If it weren’t for your insistence on besieging Xiaopei without attacking, Yuan Yanzhou, we would have killed Cao Cao long ago and gone to claim the reward from the General of Chariots and Cavalry. You look down on the thousand-gold reward, but I’m really too poor.”

"Moreover, before I became the governor of Shanyang Commandery, Yuan Yanzhou had already recruited all the elite soldiers and generals of Shanyang Commandery. My troops are just old, weak and disabled soldiers, who are not of great use!"

If time could be reversed, Yuan Yi would never have recommended Ying Shao as the governor of Shanyang Commandery. He would have at least found someone obedient who could support him wholeheartedly.

I never imagined that I would end up shooting myself in the foot.

"Is this what you all think?" Yuan Yi glanced at the crowd, his eyes sharpening. "If you really don't want to fight, then we'll each lead our troops back. Since none of you want to fight, then let's not fight."

The last sentence was almost shouted by Yuan Yi. One province of Yan, eight powerful governors and chancellors—Yuan Yi felt he was going crazy, and suddenly felt empathy for Cao Cao.

In any other province, none of the governors and chancellors of Yanzhou have real power. They are all from official families or have a long history of fame. No wonder Cao Cao has not been able to set foot in Yanzhou.

Although the argument had been fierce, everyone was unwilling to simply return.

After all, they came to attack Xiaopei hoping to gain benefits, and now that they haven't gotten any, how can they back down?

Seeing that no one spoke, Yuan Yi continued, "If everyone is really unwilling to send troops, why not send a fierce general with several dozen cavalry to fight Zhao Yun? We can't just let Zhao Yun show off with fifty cavalry!"

"Didn't you say I was unwilling to take the lead? Fine, today I'll set an example! Someone, summon General Han Yong!"

Before long, a burly man holding a horse spear appeared in the tent, his voice as loud as a tiger's: "This humble general, Han Yong, greets my lord!"

Yuan Yi stroked his beard slightly, and said with a hint of pride, "There is a bandit general named Zhao Yun who has led fifty cavalrymen to challenge us at the foot of the mountain. No one in the field dares to fight back. You should also lead fifty cavalrymen down the mountain and help me to curb Zhao Yun's momentum."

Han Yong glanced contemptuously at the crowd and loudly accepted the order: "If we fail to capture and kill Zhao Yun, this humble general will bring you his head!"

A cold smile crept across Qiao Mao's lips.

Kill Zhao Yun?

Just you?
I've at least heard of Zhao Yun, how come you, who came out of nowhere, are being called a general by Yuan Yi?
After glancing at Han Yong and then at Yuan Yi, Qiao Mao had a guess in his mind: He probably just randomly picked a brave warrior to send to his death, and then he could take the opportunity to make us send our own valiant generals to fight.

In fact, Qiao Mao's guess was correct.

This so-called General Han Yong was just a squad leader under Yuan Yi who had some martial prowess, and who was temporarily valued by Yuan Yi.

If he wins, that's great; if he loses, Yuan Yi won't be heartbroken.

Han Yong, unaware of Yuan Yi's scheme, assumed he had gained Yuan Yi's favor and excitedly led fifty cavalrymen down the mountain. Pointing at Zhao Yun, he shouted, "You are Zhao Yun? I am Han Yong, a general under Yuan Yi of Yanzhou. Watch me take your head!"

Take my head?

Zhao Yun glanced at Han Yong with surprise, but without answering, he simply beckoned with his hand.

Han Yong felt humiliated and spurred his horse straight at Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun didn't even spur his horse; he simply raised his spear and struck Han Yong, knocking him off his horse and leaving Han Yong alone, his horse looking around in bewilderment.

This scene shocked the cavalrymen behind Han Yong.

"I will not kill you, quickly send someone else to fight!" Zhao Yun waved his hand, and the cavalrymen all fled in panic.

The news that Han Yong had been killed by Zhao Yun in one round quickly reached Yuan Yi's ears.

"My General Han Yong!" Yuan Yi cried out in anguish, covering his face and sobbing, but not a single tear fell from his eyes; he just wailed the whole time.

Qiao Mao understood Yuan Yi's plan and also wanted to use Yuan Yi to weaken others, so he said angrily, "This Zhao Yun is too arrogant. I have Cheng Hu, a brave general from Dongjun, who is strong enough to fight a tiger. He can definitely defeat Zhao Yun."

Yuan Yi looked at Qiao Mao with some surprise, but quickly composed himself and said happily, "Prefect Qiao has such a fierce general; he can surely rival Zhao Yun! Quickly invite Cheng Hu down the mountain!"

Like Han Yong, the so-called Cheng Hu was just a relatively brave squad leader; it was all Qiao Mao's deliberate collusion with Yuan Yi.

However, Cheng Hu was also unaware of this, only thinking that he had been given an important position by Qiao Mao, and he came to fight Zhao Yun with a steel fork.

Seeing Cheng Hu's flawed horsemanship, Zhao Yun didn't even blink before killing him.

Having lost two generals in quick succession, Yuan Yi was greatly alarmed: "We fear an ambush if we send out troops, and now we've lost two generals in a battle. What should we do?"

With Qiao Mao's cooperation, Yuan Yi's methods were effective.

If Zhao Yun's swaggering and arrogance cannot be stopped, everyone present today will lose face.

Internal strife aside, face must be preserved.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Sui, the Prefect of Rencheng, said, "I have a great general under my command, Lü Qian, who is quite brave and might be able to fight Zhao Yun."

Yuan Yi and Qiao Mao's eyes lit up.

Zheng Sui was an honest man; even he felt a little sorry for him.

Both men chose a squad leader to impersonate a general, but Zheng Sui directly became a real general.

Even Lü Qian, who received Zheng Sui's military order, was somewhat bewildered: How could a commander like me go to fight against someone's general?
Lu Qian had no choice but to obey Zheng Sui's military orders and led his close followers and brave warriors down the mountain.

Upon seeing Zhao Yun's imposing and tiger-like appearance, Lü Qian felt his scalp tingle. How could he possibly fight him?
With his thoughts racing, Lü Qian cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I am Lü Qian Lü Zike from Rencheng. Greetings."

Zhao Yun was immediately surprised.

The first two were arrogant and domineering, so Zhao Yun didn't bother to say anything and just killed them with a single spear thrust. But the third one actually asked about etiquette?
Since Lü Qian was being polite, Zhao Yun couldn't be impolite either, so he raised his spear and replied, "I am Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong of Changshan, please!"

Seeing Zhao Yun extend his hand in invitation, Lü Qian sighed inwardly and charged forward with his spear.

Compared to Han Meng and Cheng Hu, Lü Qian was initially polite and his fighting style seemed more like a friendly exchange, which is why Zhao Yun didn't kill him.

After fighting for ten rounds, Lü Qian suddenly cried out and fled, clutching his right arm and abandoning his spear, which surprised Zhao Yun.

I've seen people go to their deaths, but I've never seen someone walk right into the line of fire.

Out of politeness towards Lü Qian, Zhao Yun did not point it out, but instead spurred his horse and shouted: "Among your seventy or eighty thousand men, is there not a single one who can fight? If that's all you've got, why don't you just lay down your weapons and surrender? Your Imperial Uncle might spare your dog lives."

Upon learning that Lü Qian had been defeated, Zheng Sui sighed, "I never imagined that even Lü Qian couldn't defeat Zhao Yun. I'm at my wit's end."

Yuan Yi and Qiao Mao secretly regretted it.

I thought Lü Qian would be killed by Zhao Yun, but it turns out that Lü Qian was only injured.

Yuan Yi took a deep breath and looked at Zhang Miao: "Prefect Zhang, I've heard that your subordinate Gao Shun is not only brave but also extremely skilled in commanding troops. Why not let Gao Shun lead his men to fight Zhao Yun?"

“Zhao Yun has won three battles in a row. If we provoke him with words, he will not leave. In that case, Gao Shun may be able to kill Zhao Yun here. If we can win, I am willing to give up five hundred soldiers to help Prefect Zhang.”

Qiao Mao also said, "I am also willing to contribute five hundred soldiers to assist Prefect Zhang."

Bao Xin, Li Zan, and others also offered to contribute troops to help Zhang Miao.

If one person contributes 500 men, Zhang Miao can obtain 4,000 soldiers.

Zhang Miao was secretly delighted, but he suppressed his joy and said, "You all must not go back on your word."

Yuan Yi declared confidently, "Everyone here can bear witness. If we break our promise, how can we face anyone in Yanzhou?"

(End of this chapter)