I will be the master of Xuande

Chapter 800: Death of Zhou Lang

"I never thought that this place would be where I would be buried."

Zhou Yu turned his head and looked at the Wujiang River behind him. Looking at the rolling river, a relieved smile appeared on his face.

Considering his age, it is extremely difficult for him to have such a mentality when faced with such a desperate situation.

Just now, Xu Chu led his elite troops to raid Zhang Fei's camp and carry out a decapitation operation, but unexpectedly he encountered the elite cavalry led by Pang De. After two attacks, Xu Chu's army was scattered.

Xu Chu himself was also caught in the fighting and was covered in wounds from the attacks of the heavily armored cavalry. He was eventually captured alive by Pang De and taken to the rear army.

The failure of Xu Chu's surprise attack meant that Zhou Yu's army had no chance of turning the tables. Zhang Fei no longer attacked Zhou Yu's camp, but turned around to encircle Zhou Yu's army. Ma Chao, Guan Ping and others had also crossed the river and rushed over from the rear to outflank Zhou Yu's retreat.

Faced with the powerful northern army, Zhou Yu was attacked from both sides and soon lost almost all his troops.

On the banks of the Wu River, Zhou Yu was in a desperate situation.

Back then, Wujiang was the place where Xiang Yu, the King of Western Chu, committed suicide, and now Zhou Yu is about to die in battle here as well.

But there was not much commotion in his heart.

Although I was unwilling, I was not afraid.

Soon, Zhang Fei and other generals defeated Zhou Yu's outer soldiers. The elite Northern Army soldiers tightly surrounded Zhou Yu and his remaining soldiers. Zhang Fei, the commander-in-chief of Liang Province, holding a Zhangba Snake Spear, rode his horse to a place not far from Zhou Yu.

Seeing that the remnants of his army were included in the ranks of his own soldiers, Zhang Fei immediately ordered his men to shout at Zhou Yu.

"Han, the Grand Commander of the Liangzhou Production and Construction Corps, specially invites Zhou Lang to have a talk in front of the battlefield!"

After hearing this, Zhou Yu did not resist at all. Instead, he calmly asked the shield-bearing guards to disperse and confidently walked to the periphery with a sword in hand.

Looking at Zhang Fei not far away, Zhou Yu bowed to him.

"General Zhang, I have long heard of your great name!"

Zhang Fei rode his horse forward a few steps, closer to Zhou Yu, so that Zhou Yu could hear his voice.

In fact, what Zhang Fei did was completely unnecessary. It was difficult for ordinary people to hear his voice clearly.

"Mr. Zhou, I, following the Emperor's edict and the Prime Minister's orders, have marched south to the lands of Jingchu and Jiangdong to take back the counties and cities and bring them under the rule of the King. This is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the wishes of the people!"

"You led the troops to block the unification of the north and south, hindering the emperor from governing the country and the court from governing the people. Your crime is very serious!"

"However, considering that your ancestors were important figures in the government and were also talented, even if they are guilty, they can be forgiven."

"At this time, if you take off your armor and surrender, you will still retain your title of nobility."

After hearing what Zhang Fei said, Zhou Yu curled his lips in disdain.

He was a proud person by nature. Although he knew the situation was hopeless and that Zhang Fei represented the orthodoxy of the court, it was not in his character to surrender like this.

He, Zhou Yu, has his own pride.

However, Zhou Yu did not directly answer Zhang Fei's words. He just took two steps forward and shouted to Zhang Fei: "General Zhang, although Zhou Yu is young, I have heard that you are a rare hero and a loyal general under the command of the current prime minister. You are a man who puts trust and loyalty first. I am buried here today without any regrets, but I want to ask you to do something!"

Zhang Fei felt very sorry when he heard Zhou Yu's words that seemed to indicate he wanted to die.

Zhang Fei knew that Zhou Yu was a talented person. If possible, he would really like to humble himself and keep Zhou Yu, but he couldn't. In front of the soldiers of the two armies, Zhang Fei couldn't be so humble.
This is a matter of principle.

Because from Zhang Fei and Zhou Yu's perspective now, it is not a war between two countries, but the imperial court's quelling of local unrest.

In this situation, Zhang Fei represents the imperial court and orthodoxy. The imperial court must be majestic towards these separatist rebels, because the imperial court represents orthodoxy and justice in this war. The separatist forces can surrender, and the imperial court is happy to accept them, but they cannot appear too humble, because the separatist forces are not legitimate after all. Especially in front of the soldiers of the three armies, Zhang Fei must maintain a high profile, otherwise the premise of this war will be questionable.

Zhang Fei looked at Zhou Yu helplessly, and said as tactfully as possible: "Mr. Zhou, you are so young, don't you have the heart to make contributions to the Han Dynasty?"

Zhou Yu said in a very casual manner: "The Han Dynasty is full of talented people, why is I the only one missing?"

Zhang Fei continued, "Then you will not care about your family members in Jiujiang County, and your elders?"

Zhou Yu said in a loud voice: "I have heard that those who govern the world with filial piety do not harm others' relatives, and those who govern the world with benevolence do not cut off people's sacrifices!"

"The Prime Minister is a great man and an unparalleled hero. I believe that after he unifies the world, he will not harm our people."

"If the Prime Minister is really such a person, a hero like General Zhang would not follow the Prime Minister, right?"

After hearing Zhou Yu's words, Zhang Fei knew that Zhou Yu was determined to leave.

It’s not that he is so loyal to Cao Cao, but this man is arrogant and his proud nature does not allow him to do so.

He doesn't understand and he won't bend his knee.

Thinking of this, Zhang Fei sighed with regret.

"Well, since you are determined to die, I won't make it difficult for you. If you have anything to say, just say it!"

Zhou Yu said: "I have no regrets dying here today, but I hope that General Zhang will show mercy to these soldiers, who are all Han people, and let them return home to reunite with their families."

Zhang Fei heard this and said in a loud voice: "Zhou Gongjin, you worry too much. I have been fighting for half my life, and I have never killed anyone except the enemy in the battlefield. What's more, the soldiers behind you are all my great Han people. From now on, they will belong to the court and become my great Han people. Not only will I not hurt their lives, but after the court pacifies Jiangnan, I will give them land, food and clothing, so that they can eat well and live in peace!"

Zhou Yu heard Zhang Fei say this and said, "If that's the case, I feel relieved!"

After saying this, he turned to the remaining Cao army soldiers and said, "My men, do not resist any longer. Listen to my orders, lay down your weapons... and surrender to the court!"

As Zhou Yu finished speaking, the soldiers threw their weapons to the ground one after another.

After giving the order, Zhou Yu suddenly drew out his sword and placed it across his neck.

"In this life, Yu has not achieved any achievements, and I am ashamed of my ancestors! What a pity, how painful!"

After saying that, Zhou Yu swung his sword and blood splattered in the air.

As Zhou Yu's body fell to the ground, the remaining Cao army soldiers behind him knelt on one knee and mourned and paid tribute to Zhou.

None of them went to save Zhou Yu, not because they didn't want Zhou Yu to live, but because they all wanted to fulfill the pride of their great commander-in-chief.

Zhang Fei shook his head regretfully.

"What a shame, what a shame, such a young talent, what a pity, what a pity."

"But if I were in his position, I would do the same."

(End of this chapter)