Three Kingdoms: The Guan Family's Rebellious Son, Long Blessing Jing Xiang

Zhang Liao's sword;
Jiang Wei's sword.

A deafening metallic roar.

The interweaving of strength and will seemed to freeze the air at this moment.

Two extremely bright sparks collided under the sky.

However, before the echo completely faded away, just as the spark was extinguished, an ominous "crack" sound suddenly rang out, like a sign of the ice cracking in winter, ominous and cold.

Zhang Liao suddenly felt the sword in his hand become empty...

It was as if his sword... was wailing, wailing because it could not withstand such a violent impact.

Looking at the sword again, fine cracks spread rapidly like a spider web, flashing ominous light.

"Oops--"

Zhang Liao's pupils suddenly shrank, with a mixture of disbelief and horror. He could feel the vitality of the weapon in his hand fading bit by bit, just like holding a dream that was about to be shattered.

In the next breath, the sword could no longer withstand this force. It made a sharp breaking sound and completely shattered into countless pieces, scattering like fallen autumn leaves.

The fragments sparkled with a sad light in the sunlight, but it also foreshadowed Zhang Liao - he had lost his means of attack and at the same time his most important defense, exposing his weaknesses...completely to the enemy.

At this moment, time seemed to slow down and a strong sense of crisis filled the air.

Jiang Wei's Blade...

The blow shattered the blade of his sword, which was now very close, as if it was a tiger showing off its power, or as if a superior was looking down on an inferior.

A cold light flashed, and the breath of death was overwhelming.

In an instant, Zhang Liao was filled with unprecedented despair and unwillingness. He did not lose in strength or technique, but... he lost in weapon!

only…

The instinct for survival made him burst out with amazing strength at this moment. He retreated quickly and put some distance between himself and Jiang Wei!
However, this battle inevitably ended with Zhang Liao's defeat.

"tread…"

Hearing Jiang Wei's footsteps moving forward, Zhang Liao's brows could not help but frown deeply. He knew that now... with his bare hands, he was definitely no match for the young general Jiang Wei in front of him.

——『Tianshui Jiang Boyue? 』

There is no doubt that Zhang Liao remembered this name at this moment. He was even prepared to pounce on the young general, even at the risk of his life.

Even if he rushed towards his sword and ended his own life, he preserved his loyalty!
——I pledge my loyalty with my blood!
Unexpectedly, Jiang Wei did not move forward, but turned around, put his sword into the scabbard, and then walked step by step towards his horse.

"you…"

Zhang Liao didn't know what to do and exhaled subconsciously.

Jiang Wei kept walking, still with his back to Zhang Liao, but spoke in a resounding voice, "Although we won this battle, it was due to the sharpness of our blades. General Zhang's weapon is not good, and I am ashamed of my victory. I will return to the city today... It won't be too late to get a solid weapon and fight again tomorrow—"

Having said this, Jiang Wei had already mounted his horse... and drove his horse back to the central army.

The entire Han army also quickly changed its formation, with the rear team becoming the front team and withdrawing directly back to the camp, without any intention of continuing to coerce or attack the city.

Zhang Liao stared intently, and with great surprise, his deep eyes looked at Guan Lin on the central army chariot.

At this moment, the chariot turned around, and Guan Lin, who was supposed to have his back to Zhang Liao, suddenly looked back. Across the central army, his eyes met Zhang Liao's...

This time, their eyes met, and it was like a glance that lasted for a thousand years...

In an instant, Zhang Liao understood——

...

...

Guan Yu in Chang'an City was destined to look gloomy.

For several days, he had trouble sleeping.

As for the reason, there is no other...

The eldest brother Liu Bei sent news from Hanzhong, first saying that Cao Cao evacuated from Baoxiade. Guan Yu mobilized heavy troops and deployed a large number of scouts in Baoxiade in order to block Cao Cao in one fell swoop.

What was lost at Huarong Road...this time he was determined to take it back.

But... this deployment had not lasted for two days when news came from my eldest brother Liu Bei that Cao Cao would evacuate from one of the other four roads except the "Baoxia Road".

This... undoubtedly increased the difficulty for Guan Yu to capture Cao Cao.

Guanzhong is so vast, and he has only 5,000 Guan family soldiers under his command, and he even needs to withdraw some of them to take over the city defenses of various cities and counties in Yongliang.

There are some Wei soldiers who surrendered in Guanzhong, but firstly, their number is not large, and secondly, they can’t be used in the short term...

With four more intersections, it was extremely difficult to deploy defenses. We even had to keep an eye on the movements of Tongguan to prevent a counterattack by the Wei army.

It was for this reason that Guan Yu had not had a good rest for several days and nights. Scouts and scouts brought him news all the time, and the map of this place in front of his desk had never been put away since it was unfolded.

Fortunately, I received some good news recently.

"Second General..." Zhao Lei entered the room and knelt on one knee to report: "Xiahou Dun in Tongguan has led the remnants of the Wei army to retreat to Bingzhou. Now there is no soldier in Tongguan anymore. Second General, you don't have to worry about that place anymore..."

Although it was good news, it only moved Guan Yu slightly.

He even just uttered, "Oh," and continued to concentrate his phoenix eyes... speculating on several routes of Cao Cao's escape.

This is the most critical moment...

There is only this one step left to revive the Han Dynasty and realize his eldest brother's wish. Guan Yu does not want to, and dares not, fail at this moment.

Zhao Lei sensed something from Guan Yu's expression, and his eyes shifted to the four roads. He then added, "General, don't worry. Guan's army is deployed on all four roads, and they have sent out many scouts and scouts... As long as Cao Cao evacuates from here, he will definitely not escape our eyes."

Zhao Lei said it with great confidence...

But Guan Yu stroked his beard slightly, and then said bitterly: "Maybe not..."

This…

Before Zhao Lei could continue speaking, Guan Yu's voice rang out again, "Let alone Cao Cao's treachery, we, the three thousand or so Guan family soldiers, have to guard four intersections. It's autumn now, the grass is long and the forests are dense, making it easy to hide... I'm afraid it won't be easy to hunt him down!"

At this point, Guan Yu sighed again, staring at the four roads as always, and chanted heavily:
"Qishan Road, Chencang Road, Tangxie Road, Ziwu Valley, which one is it?"

At this point, he did not forget to add, "If my son Yunqi were here, based on his understanding of Cao Cao, he would probably be able to predict it correctly..."

As Guan Yu said, it would be much more difficult to capture Cao Cao if the troops were divided into four places than if they were gathered together in one place.

And the most, most, most critical issue is that this is a task with no "tolerance" and no mistakes can be allowed!
Listening to Guan Yu's words and looking at his desolate expression, Zhao Lei couldn't help but sigh, and his mood became heavy.

As this heavy atmosphere enveloped the government offices in Chang'an City...

suddenly.

"Report..." A personal guard of the Guan family rushed into the room, knelt on one knee, and presented a piece of thin silk in his hands.

"What is this?" Guan Yu asked curiously as he took the silk.

"Someone left this item outside the government office, and it was just discovered by patrolling soldiers, who brought it directly to the Second General."

Following the words of the guard.

Guan Yu did not think about it any more. He had seen many people suddenly leave tokens outside government offices like this. Most of them were people who reported officials anonymously. They were afraid that the officials would hold a grudge against them if their reports were unsuccessful, so they resorted to this desperate measure...

Although Chang'an has been conquered, the people's hearts are still uncertain, so Guan Yu will not think too much.

but…

As the letter slowly unfolded, his slightly closed eyes suddenly opened and closed to the extreme with a "whoosh", as if he had seen some surprising prey. His originally bleak expression suddenly became extremely energetic.

This change in expression stunned Zhao Lei who was standing beside him.

Zhao Lei asked quickly: "Second General? What's going on?"

"This letter says..." Guan Yu explained in a low voice: "It says that Cao Cao has left Ziwu Valley and is now at the foot of Mount Li..."

"what?"

Just this one sentence shocked Zhao Lei, but after being surprised, he became suspicious and cautious, "Could it be that this is Cao Cao's trick, making a feint to the east and attacking in the west... Transferring the second general to Mount Li and diverting the attention of our Guan family army to Mount Li, which will make it easier for him to escape."

"I have doubts too..." Guan Yu chanted while stroking his beard.

Because it involves Cao Cao, he must be very cautious. Every decision he makes now, every negligence...may repeat the story of Huarong Road, letting the tiger go back to the mountain, there will be endless troubles -

"There is another very suspicious point..." Guan Yu continued, but his tone was even more suspicious.

"what?"

"The letter mentioned that Cao Cao would be sent to Wuzhangyuan, and asked us to deploy troops there to wait for him to tire out!"

Guan Yu's words had just fallen.

Zhao Lei was even more suspicious. "Is this a strategy of waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out or a strategy of waiting for an opportunity? Wuzhangyuan is quite a distance away from Chang'an... and it is on the south bank of the Wei River. Let alone... will Cao Cao show up there in the opposite direction? Will there be reinforcements from the Wei army and an ambush at Wuzhangyuan? Second General... you must think twice before you act!"

"I know..." Guan Yu nodded and turned to the guard, "Besides this letter, have you found anything else?"

"Yes!" The guard suddenly thought of something, but he had forgotten about it because he was too anxious to report. He quickly took something out of his arms and presented it with both hands.

This is a jade ring...

The guards' voices came out at the same time, "When the patrol discovered it, it was this jade ring that was pressing down on the silk... If it weren't for the Second General's reminder, I would have almost forgotten..."

As the jade ring appeared, Guan Yu's original doubts and suspicions disappeared all at once...

Because, this jade ring...he...he...he was too familiar with it.

Isn't this the jade ring that he gave to Yunqi and asked Yunqi to find a way to pass it on to his second son Guan Xing? Ring? Return it!

This is a token that he has forgiven Guan Xing, and is happy that his son Guan Xing has made up for his crime, and hopes that he will return...

So now…

"Bu, Huan, what does An Guo want to say? Are you not going to return it? No... at this time, how can Guan only focus on these... An Guo's letter... This is An Guo's letter..."

With this in mind, Guan Yu unfolded the letter again and read it word by word, his pair of phoenix eyes almost completely glued to it.

Why is it Mount Li? Instead of the exit of Ziwu Valley?
correct…

Because only by letting down one's guard can one deceive Cao Cao's suspicious character and lure him to Mount Li!

Then...Wuzhangyuan, Wuzhangyuan...

In an instant, Guan Yu's pair of phoenix eyes widened to the extreme, his eyes flickered, and he stood up suddenly... his eyes wandered from the letter, to the other hand... the location of the jade ring, and then finally, the phoenix eyes suddenly raised and stared at the location of Wuzhangyuan in the map.

At this moment, he said with surprise and joy, "It's Wuzhangyuan... It's Wuzhangyuan..."

I don't know whether it was because he was certain of Cao Cao's location, or because he was happy that this important information was brought by his son Guan Xing...

"Ha ha ha ha…"

"Hahahahaha..."

Guan Yu couldn't help laughing...the laughter was almost insane.

Zhao Lei noticed that something was wrong with Guan Yu's expression. He was gloomy just now, but now... he was laughing... so happily, as if... he had already captured Cao Cao.

at this time…

"Invite the troops immediately..." Guan Yu gave a thunderous order, "Withdraw all the Guan family soldiers who are ambushing on Qishan Road, Chencang Road, Tangxie Road, and Ziwu Valley Road, and then ambush at Wuzhangyuan..."

"what…"

Zhao Lei was shocked. He...he even wondered, why did they suddenly end up at Wuzhangyuan? This was completely different from Cao Cao's escape route and had nothing to do with it!

Guan Yu seemed to see Zhao Lei's doubts. He smiled and stuffed the jade ring and the letter into Zhao Lei's hands. He explained with great surprise, but it was more like his own heartfelt release, "An Guo is back, An Guo is back with this great achievement--"

As he spoke, Guan Yu was already walking towards the door in two steps at a time.

Then, all that could be heard was his roaring shouts and orders.

"Prepare the horses, and call the troops—"

"Quick march, Wuzhangyuan——"

...

...

The spear moves like thunder, breaking the formation, and the rider gallops across the sky like a dragon;
The sky is broken by the string, and the arrows are shot out from the bow.

The long tassels howl in the west wind, dyeing a life of vicissitudes;
Green blood, don’t ask, where is the grave.

“Boom, boom…”

On the second day of the duel, at the gate of Suanzao County, Zhang Liao, equipped with new weapons, fell off his horse again. The familiar weapon was still broken, and his unwilling look was still there.

"Ha ha ha ha…"

The one who defeated him this time was Gan Ning and Gan Xingba. They were not as humble as Jiang Wei yesterday. They rode their horses to the side of the fallen Zhang Liao and said to him with a smile, "You were once the god of war who dominated Xiaoyaojin. How did you become so miserable today?"

"A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated..." Zhang Liao chanted fiercely.

But what responded to him was Gan Ning's loud laughter, "Hahaha!"

"You want to die? I won't! Go back to the city quickly to change into new weapons and armor, and fight again tomorrow..."

"you…"

“Hahahaha! If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools. Hahaha, when killing the enemy on the battlefield, the one with the sharpest weapon will win three points first! Hahaha…The Jinfan Ranger who was beaten down in Xiaoyaojin, he is finally back——”

With Gan Ning's loud roar, he drove his horse back to the army formation...

Then, the Han army returned to the camp, Guan Lin looked back, and he and Zhang Liao had that "one glance that lasted a thousand years" encounter...

"Guan Yunqi!"

Watching the enemy walk away, Zhang Liao's teeth chattered with hatred. He groaned hoarsely and fiercely, "Guan Yunqi, how long are you going to humiliate me?"

...

The whirling dance is full of madness, and the name spreads to all directions. The four-sided mountain leans against the Acacia Corridor, and the red makeup is added.

For whom do I wear cloud-like clothes, with my sleeves raised and lowered in the wind? One is for farewell, and both of us cannot forget it.

"唵啷啷啷-"

On the third day, unlike the previous two days when Zhang Liao's crescent halberd was shattered, his weapon did not break today. Instead, he felt severe pain in his palms from the powerful swing of the "steel spear" by Ling Tong. He had no choice but to let go of the weapon and was defeated again.

But this time, facing Ling Tong's eyes that were filled with hatred, Zhang Liao's desire to be freed quickly was obvious.

"Kill me, don't torture me anymore—"

When this sentence was chanted, Ling Tong made a "Pooh" sound, took a sip, and stared at Zhang Liao fiercely, "Miss Zhuo shouldn't have saved you back then, shouldn't... shouldn't... Alas..."

Having said this, he paused, pondered deeply, and then said to Zhang Liao fiercely: "You are not worthy at all!"

After saying this, he reined in his horse, turned around, and walked away with his gun in hand.

At this time, Zhang Liao roared: "I will not fight tomorrow, and you will not humiliate me again--"

tread…

Ling Tong stopped his horse, then turned around, raised his spear slightly, and pointed it gently at Zhang Liao.

But his tone was calm, "I advise you not to do this, otherwise, this Suanzao County will become a sea of ​​purgatory and fire. Not only will you die, but all your comrades, the people you once protected... will die!"

This…

Ling Tong's words were not loud, but they reached Zhang Liao's ears, just like: killing people and destroying their hearts -

...

Overlooking the mountains and rivers, the clouds surge, holding the sword and riding the wind;
The ladder soared into the sky, and the thunder roared across the nine heavens.

Gazing long and hard like a strong pine tree, I forget the worldly affairs and fall into a dream;

The sword intent becomes empty, and the heart is one with the heaven and earth!
Jiang Qin's relieved laughter could be heard from the fierce battlefield. "Hahahaha... the former Xiaoyaojin God of War is no more than this!"

Then came He Qi's heart-piercing words, "Zhang Wenyuan, you have lost to Jiang Wei and Gan Ning, and you have lost to Gan Ning and Ling Tong. Now even Brother Jiang and I can easily defeat you. Are you still the god of war who defeated 100,000 with only 800 men and made the children in Jiangdong stop crying? How could we lose to you back then?"

At this point, Jiang Qin seemed to have gotten rid of his inner demons. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go. Someone else will fight tomorrow..."

As they were talking, the two men rode away on horseback.

Today, Zhang Liao lost two battles again and lost two weapons.

...

The blue sword is so sharp that it hides its edge, and the heavy sword is so ingenious that it is not elaborate;
The cold light breaks through the sky, and the afterimages disappear in an instant.

One religion, two alliances, three demons, four families, five swords, six sects, seven stars fighting ten evils;

I have been drunk on the battlefield for thirty years, how can I find a way out of the worldly affairs with books and swords?

"what--"

The duel of generals on that day was the closest Zhang Liao had ever come to victory. With a roar from him, the Crescent Halberd, which was famous for its power, was sharp and miraculously avoided Guan Yinping's Green Dragon Sword and hit her heavily on the back.

This is the limit of Zhang Liao's martial arts.

It’s thanks to a female general like Guan Yinping... otherwise, there would never be such a good opportunity!

There was even a moment when Zhang Liao was ecstatic, because... according to the bet between him and Guan Lin, as long as he could defeat one person, he would be able to survive for a year without any harm to the Han soldiers.

One year was enough for him to get news from the King of Wei.

It was enough for him to make the most correct decision for his soldiers.

But... hope appears in an instant, and the same hope is completely shattered in the same instant.

"Click..."

Zhang Liao thought that the crescent halberd would be enough to break Guan Yinping's armor... and because the opponent was a woman, Zhang Liao even held back and avoided Guan Yinping's vital parts. But... who would have thought that the sharp crescent halberd would not... break Guan Yinping's defense at all when it hit her armor.

Even...even the armor doesn't have the slightest dent!
Even... that force reacted back to Zhang Liao himself, and as expected, his tiger's mouth shook, and he actually fell off his horse.

It was not until this time that Zhang Liao realized a problem that he had previously overlooked.

——Unable to break the defense!
He was deeply aware that Guan Lin and his generals not only had weapons that could cut through iron like mud and chop stone like gold, but their armor was also impenetrable and as solid as a rock!

This? How can we fight this?
Not only was Zhang Liao unable to fight, but at the moment he fell off his horse, Zhang Liao was already certain... the Great Wei, the current Great Wei was no match for these Han soldiers trained by Guan Lin.

Too far!

There is a huge gap in weapons and armor.

It's like a kid fighting an adult...the gap is too, too, too, too, too big!

...

…(End of chapter)