Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1127 Siege
Xu Chu was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately accepted the order and said, "Chu will definitely live up to your trust!"

There was a reason why Xu Chu was happy. As Cao Cao's trusted personal guard, his daily job was to protect Cao Cao's safety.

Although he had identified several assassins in recent years, made contributions and received rewards, this reward seemed not enough compared to charging into battle and gaining merit.

So Xu Chu is still a guard general. Seeing his peers with less experience than him lead the troops out for a while, and come back with a higher official position than himself, Xu Chu naturally feels a little uncomfortable.

Moreover, he had worked hard for Cao Cao over the years, done some dirty work, and offended many people in Cao's camp. If Cao Cao was alive, he could still protect him. But if Cao Cao died, with Xu Chu's official position, anyone he had offended would be able to jump on his head and step on him a few times.

Although Xu Chu might have opportunities to make contributions in the future, Cao Cao's health was deteriorating and he might not be able to hold on for a few more years. The heir of the Cao family by then might not be able to use him. This was what Xu Chu was most worried about.

So when Xu Chu heard that Cao Cao sent him to fight, he was extremely happy. This battle of Jizhou was the largest war in recent years. Both sides sent out great generals. As long as he could kill the generals and seize the flags, he would surely be rewarded with merit and be awarded a title. This kind of opportunity must not be missed!
He immediately led hundreds of Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, rushed out of the camp gate with great momentum, and headed straight for Zhang He's central army formation.

Cao Cao stood at the door of the tent and thought that he did not want to send Xu Chu out unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, if the enemy sent a general to attack the camp at this time, Cao Cao would have no one left and would probably have to flee in panic.

But Cao Cao guessed that Yuan Xi's army on the opposite side should not have any spare strength. Although they have many lieutenant generals, there are not many generals who can storm the camp and seize the stronghold. Right now, fighting is very intense in various places in Jizhou, and Yuan Xi's army should be almost at its limit. So he put the card of Xu Chu on the line to see if he can break the current situation!
Cao Cao's calculation was correct. Almost all of Yuan Xi's generals had been sent out, and Zhang He's central army already had the largest number of soldiers and the strongest strength. No one expected that Cao Cao would send reinforcements, but would come in person to take charge!
Zhang He was already being beaten back by Cao's offensive, but even though he was retreating, the situation was still under his control. After seeing most of his soldiers retreat and re-establishing a defense line in the rear, Zhang He felt a little relieved, feeling that he had escaped this time.

However, before he could catch his breath, a cavalry army rushed over fiercely, shouting, "Zhang He, get off your horse and die!"

As soon as Zhang He saw the enemy's flag, he secretly groaned in his heart. He still had some strength to deal with Xiahou Dun, but facing a fierce general like Xu Chu, he was already exhausted and would lose his life if he was not careful!

Naturally, Zhang He would not fight head-on, so he turned his horse around and retreated.

Seeing that the military merit that was about to be won was let go by Changtui, Xu Chu was not willing to accept it at all. He immediately roared, picked up his axe and rode his horse to chase after him.

He was chasing closely from behind, while Zhang He was fleeing desperately in front. With one chasing and one fleeing, they unknowingly got away from the main force.

Xu Chu's deputy general saw this and warned him, "General, be careful. The other side may be scheming."

After hearing this, Xu Chu said angrily: "How dare they ambush here?"

"I think they don't want to live anymore!"

"Don't talk nonsense to me, follow him and don't let him get away!"

Xu Chu was familiar with the generals under Yuan Xi. Zhang He was an old subordinate of Jizhou and must be highly appreciated, otherwise he would not have become the commander-in-chief of the central army. If he could capture the enemy's head, he could make back all the wasted years with interest!

He pursued them relentlessly all the way and encountered many small retreating units of Zhang He's army on the way. When they saw the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry coming, they all fled to both sides to avoid them. Xu Chu naturally looked down on them and just kept charging forward.

His deputy general secretly groaned when he saw this. If the enemy surrounded them at this time, not only would his cavalry be unable to annihilate the enemy, but it would also be questionable whether they could defeat them or not, and whether they could escape would be a problem!
You, Xu Chu, are extremely brave and strong. If you see the situation is not good, you can break through and escape, but what about us?
But the crowd was already in a difficult situation following Xu Chu, so they could only bite the bullet and chase after him. After walking for a few miles, they saw several cavalry troops appearing around them. The leader shouted, "Xu Chu, you are greedy for merit and have advanced recklessly. Now you have been surrounded. Dismount and surrender immediately!"

Xu Chu was shocked and subconsciously rode his horse and led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to retreat. As a result, he ran a few dozen steps and looked back, and the people who were blocking the road were gone!

Xu Chu realized that the other party had sent someone to defraud him. Zhang He had already run away. It was ridiculous that he fell for such a crude trick!
He roared in anger and immediately rode his horse again to chase after him. He didn't believe that the other party had any other tricks up his sleeve!
Xu Chu's persistence was finally rewarded, and after chasing for another half an hour, he finally found Zhang He's flag again. This was within Xu Chu's expectations. The horses of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had all had enough rest, while Zhang He's cavalry had been fighting all day, and the horses' strength was far less than usual. Sooner or later they would be caught up, and this was where Xu Chu's confidence came from.

Xu Chu was sharp-eyed. When he saw Zhang He’s armor and face in the crowd, he knew he had found the real enemy. He immediately roared and rushed towards Zhang He.

Zhang He sighed when he saw this. He had delayed for some time in order to cover the rear, but now the other party was sure of him and he had no choice but to fight.

He shook his numb arms and walked towards Xu Chu.

The news that Zhang He was losing the battle and being pursued by Cao's army had already been passed on to the central army in the rear. Now, it was Zhuge Liang who replaced Yuan Xi as the commander-in-chief.

Yuan Xi had wanted to lead the army himself, but Zhuge Liang persuaded him not to. Yuan Xi was puzzled and said, "Cao Cao has already led his troops here personally. If I don't respond in a different way, how can I make up for this disadvantage?"

Zhuge Liang only needed one sentence to shut Yuan Xi up, "Now that the lord is out on the battlefield, he is at a disadvantage!"

"Excuse me for saying this harshly, but if both Cao Cao and our lord meet with an unexpected accident, which side will be able to persist in fighting?" Yuan Xi paused. Zhuge Liang's words hit the nail on the head. Cao Cao was in good health to begin with, and although he had not yet appointed a crown prince, he was probably prepared for the situation. His direct descendants were mainly composed of the Xiahou and Cao families, supplemented by the scholars of Yingchuan. The general framework of entrusting the orphan to his care had already been decided. Even if Cao Cao died, Cao's camp could proceed according to the established plan.

But it was different for Yuan Xi. His children were still young, and he was in his prime, but he did not entrust his children to others. If he really died, the State of Jin would be without an absolute backbone and would probably become a group of loose sand.

He said depressedly: "But Junyi is under too much pressure. Cao Ying has deployed so many generals to deal with him. If I don't help him, I'm afraid he won't be able to hold on."

Zhuge Liang said decisively: "Leave it to me now. I will definitely live up to your trust."

After hearing this, Yuan Xi could only say helplessly: "Then everything depends on the military advisor."

"I have mobilized all the generals I can mobilize. The remaining forces are not as strong as those of Cao's camp, which makes it difficult for the military advisor to make a meal without rice."

Zhuge Liang said: "No problem, this is my duty as a military advisor. I will definitely help General Zhang out of this predicament."

When Yuan Xi received the intelligence, it was the third day after Cao Cao left Yecheng. Now Zhuge Liang was on a hurry out of Yijing and had been marching for almost two days. He thought that Zhang He would have to hold on for at least one more day, otherwise he would never be able to catch up.

While Zhuge Liang was marching, he received news from the front saying that Zhang He's army was retreating towards this side seventy or eighty miles away. Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang thought to himself that he had finally caught up with them.

He was a little worried about this. During the Baekje naval battle, Yuan Xi waited for Zhuge Liang and Tian Yu to rescue him, but Zhuge Liang decided to let Tian Yu go. In order to avoid future troubles in Qingzhou, he decided to stay and block Cao's army.

Although Zhuge Liang judged that Yuan Xi was safe by observing the stars, persuaded Tian Yu by committing suicide to apologize, and successfully defeated all the invading Cao troops, strictly speaking, his actions were actually in conflict with Yuan Xi's orders.

Although Yuan Xi later believed that Zhuge Liang had made the best decision and never mentioned the matter again, Zhuge Liang still felt a little uncomfortable. After all, no matter how magnanimous his lord was, if his subordinates did not arrive when his life and death was involved, he would have some resentment in his heart, right?

Amid this vague sense of uneasiness, Zhuge Liang faced what was probably the most magnificent battle in his life. The total number of troops deployed by both sides in this battle exceeded 200,000, and was still increasing.

Under such circumstances, Zhuge Liang still served as a military advisor and was on equal footing with Ju Shou and Tian Feng. This made Zhuge Liang feel even more uncomfortable. The more Yuan Xi valued him, the more he felt that the burden on his shoulders was heavy.

Zhuge Liang was a man who would repay even a drop of favor with a spring of gratitude. Moreover, Yuan Xi not only recognized his talent but also saved his life. So Zhuge Liang seemed to have been tied up by an invisible bond without realizing it.

Now he knew that Zhang He's central army could not afford to lose, so he immediately ordered his soldiers to march at full speed, and at the same time gather Zhang He's retreating troops and turn around to support Zhang He.

When he arrived, he found the battlefield in chaos. Xu Huang, Gongsun Du and Guo Zu had already arrived to rescue Zhang He who was surrounded. Xiahou Dun also came with Li Dian to help Xu Chu. The two sides' formations were intertwined and it was difficult to distinguish between friend and foe.

Zhang He was trapped by Xu Chu's troops and could not get out after several conflicts. Xu Huang and others were unable to approach him and Zhang He was in imminent danger.

Zhuge Liang took a quick look through the telescope and realized that the key to victory on the battlefield was Xu Chu, who was suppressing Zhang He. After some arrangements, he rode his horse directly towards Xu Chu and said, "Zhuge Lailiang, the military advisor of the King of Jin, is leading the army to attack the Cao family rebels. You all should surrender quickly!"

Xiahou Dun and Li Dian didn't realize anything yet, but Xu Chu's eyes lit up instantly.

Since he followed Cao Cao on a daily basis, he had naturally heard some things that even Xiahou Dun had never heard of. These things all came from Cao Cao's unintentional mumblings to himself.

Cao Cao was very vigilant, but he trusted Xu Chu quite a lot. After all, if there was anything wrong with Xu Chu, Cao Cao would have been beheaded long ago.

Therefore, Cao Cao did not shy away from speaking to Xu Chu on a daily basis, and Xu Chu kept in mind his comments on Yuan Xi's subordinates.

In Xu Chu's memory, although Cao Cao admired brave generals like Zhao Yun and Guan Yu, Cao Cao's appreciation for Guan Yu was higher than that for Zhao Yun.

The reason for this is that Guan Yu was not only extremely brave, but also had the talent of a commander and was able to lead a large army into battle. Such a person is extremely rare in the world.

Cao Cao believed that no matter how powerful a military general was, he would one day become too old to fight, but compared to counselors and military strategists, he would be more difficult to deal with.

Therefore, only Xu Chu knew that the biggest threat in Cao Cao's eyes were the counselors in Yuan Xi's camp, especially those who were already not promising counselors at such a young age. If they were so powerful at such a young age, how terrible would they be when they were older?
Zhuge Liang, Lu Xun.

These two are the people Cao Cao really wants to kill!
(End of this chapter)