Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1128 Escape
Xu Chu stared at Zhang He who was surrounded by him, and then glanced at Zhuge Liang's flag hundreds of steps away. Several thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

The best option at the moment seems to be to kill Zhang He first, then kill the military advisor Zhuge Liang, get these two great merits, and then turn around to deal with other people.

But ideals are beautiful and reality is cruel, and Xu Chu could not go on at this first step.

Because he had no confidence that he could defeat Zhang He in a short period of time.

The opponent was indeed exhausted after days of fighting. When Xu Chu first came up to fight Zhang He, he thought he could take his head within a few dozen moves. However, after half a day, Zhang He's head was still firmly attached to his neck.

Xu Chu also tried several times to decide the outcome with one move, but was interrupted by the guards around Zhang He.

Xu Chu did not react at first until the sword he thought was going to hit him was blocked by Zhang He's guard who was on guard at the side. Xu Chu suddenly realized that he had fallen into Zhang He's trap without knowing it!

Xu Chu did not fight many battles in recent years, and when he was able to go into battle and kill the enemy, he would often challenge the enemy generals in a duel, and then chop off the enemy's head with his own strength.

This method is fine for dealing with second- and third-rate generals, but it has some problems when dealing with first-rate generals.

Anyone who can become the commander of an army is a versatile person who has both martial arts and intelligence and knows how to advance and retreat. The premise for these people to fight in a duel is that they have to go up due to the situation and they are confident that they can win. If they feel that they are not as strong as the opponent, they will never go up to die.

This is the case with Zhang He, one of the four pillars. He may be the best at commanding troops among the four. Military force is only a part of his ability, and his greatest strength lies in his overall vision.

Just like when he was in charge of the central army before, he retreated decisively when he saw that the situation was hopeless. However, he was able to maintain his formation while retreating, and at the same time he was able to tie down the enemy so that it could not have the energy to attack friendly forces. In terms of knowing when to advance and retreat, he was particularly valuable.

Moreover, when He was chased by Xu Chu, he seemed to be at the end of his rope and was forced to fight Xu Chu, but in fact he was just fighting and running away. He used the guards around him to constantly restrain Xu Chu and drain his strength.

Xu Chu wanted to kill Zhang He, but he was actually restrained by Zhang He's dozen guards and had no rest at all, while Zhang He was able to find time to recover his strength. After fighting for a long time, the gap between the two sides was gradually narrowing.

Xu Chu thought he was almost victorious several times, but as the fight went on, he realized that the goal of killing Zhang He was getting further and further away from him. He finally came to his senses and realized that if he continued like this, not only would he not be able to get Zhang He's head, it was even uncertain who would win!
At this time, Zhuge Liang came with his troops to help. When Xu Chu learned that the one coming was actually the fierce military advisor Zhang He, he immediately became active. Since the opponent's military advisor came to his door, he would first kill Zhang He in one go, and then take advantage of the situation to charge into the battle and take Zhuge Liang's head!
Thinking of this, Xu Chu roared and slashed at Zhang He with the sword in his hand. Zhang He didn't know Xu Chu's intention and could only resist hard. He cried out in his heart that he was unlucky. The opponent's martial arts should be top-notch in Cao's camp, how could he run into him!

The two men exchanged more than ten moves. After all, Zhang He had fought for two days without rest. Even if he could recover some strength, he was still far inferior to Xu Chu. The guards who came up to help were forced by the cold wind from the swords and spears and could not get into the circle of the two men. They could only stand by and worry.

Zhang He subconsciously retreated in the direction of Zhuge Liang's army. The Cao soldiers surrounding him shot and stabbed at him to prevent him from escaping. Xu Huang and others rushed into the circle desperately, intending to rescue Zhang He. At the same time, Xiahou Dun and Li Dian also rushed over here, wanting to be the first to encircle and kill Zhang He with Xu Chu.

While both sides were desperately fighting over Zhang He, the sunlight in the sky was blocked and it seemed that something was slowly approaching Zhang He's head.

Everyone subconsciously looked up, only to find that at some point a huge balloon had appeared in the sky and appeared more than ten feet above the fighting people!

Amid the exclamations of the soldiers on both sides, someone threw a rope from the basket under the balloon, and the rope fell towards Zhang He's head!

Zhang He reacted very quickly. He jumped onto the saddle at the first possible moment, then squatted down, jumped high and grabbed the rope. While in the air, he grabbed the end of the rope and wrapped it around his wrist.

His body was hanging on the rope, but he was falling down with the balloon. Instead of rising, it was falling. This was because his body was too heavy and could not withstand the lifting force of the balloon!
Xu Chu reacted immediately, and rushed forward on his horse, sweeping his sword across Zhang He's waist, ready to cut Zhang He in half!

Zhang He was in the air and couldn't dodge. When he saw Xu Chu drawing his sword, he secretly cried out "it's all over". He was hesitating whether to let go or not. At this time, the people in the basket reacted and threw down two sandbags that were used as ballast.

The weight of the basket was reduced, and the balloon suddenly rose, carrying Zhang He up into the sky. Xu Chu's broadsword brushed past Zhang He's feet, making Zhang He break out in a cold sweat.

The spy in the hanging basket poured half a bottle of kerosene on the burning coal. Suddenly, the flames grew stronger, and the balloon's ascent speed increased instantly, rising more than ten feet in the blink of an eye.

Xu Chu was not good at archery, so he did not bring a bow. Seeing this, he shouted, "Shoot!"

"Shoot him down!"

When Cao's soldiers saw this, they immediately shot arrows at Zhang He. Zhang He grabbed the rope and dodged left and right, avoiding the arrows while climbing up.

Driven by the desire to survive, Zhang He climbed up the hanging basket in a few blinks of an eye and hid inside. All the arrows hit the bottom of the basket and could no longer hurt him.

Zhang He survived the robbery, feeling terrified, and sat in the basket, gasping for breath.

Seeing the soldiers shooting randomly, Xu Chu couldn't help but shout, "Shoot the ball up there!"

The spy and Zhang He in the basket were terrified when they heard this, because this was indeed the weakness of the balloon. If it was really shot, both of them would fall to their death! The spy quickly took out a rocket and lit it. A spark bloomed in the air. The generals of Yuan Xi's army in the distance saw it and quickly gave orders, leading the soldiers to drive several horses to gallop.

The rope behind the warhorse stretched straight, and the other end was tied to the balloon. Driven by the warhorse, the balloon flew rapidly towards Zhuge Liang's army and left the encirclement of Cao's army.

Xu Chu's subordinates cried out in regret, knowing that their plan to encircle and kill Zhang He had failed. The enemy's bizarre tactics were endless and it was really difficult to cope with them!

However, when they turned around, they found Xu Chu holding a big knife and riding his horse at full speed towards the direction of the balloon. They cried out in their hearts, thinking that Xu Chu was unwilling to give up and wanted to chase after him?
But that is the enemy's formation?

But they had no choice but to follow closely. They saw Xu Chu wielding a big sword in front of them. Wherever he went, he was invincible. The soldiers of Yuan Xi's army were cut down one after another.

Zhang He watched from below and couldn't help shaking his head, saying, "What a lunatic! If I don't come down from the sky, will he still be waiting for me down there?"

"Now he is alone in deep enemy territory. Is he willing to sacrifice his life for military merit?"

Then the next moment, to the surprise of everyone present, Xu Chu's horse turned and did not run towards the balloon, but went straight towards Zhuge Liang's flag!

The generals of Yuan Xi's army present then realized that Xu Chu was actually plotting against Zhuge Liang!
They all rushed towards the direction where Zhuge Liang was. If anything happened to the military advisor, the situation on the field might take a sharp turn for the worse!

Xu Chu's ferocity was fully aroused. He roared and chopped down the enemies who tried to stop him. In the blink of an eye, he was only a few dozen steps away from Zhuge Liang!
When Zhuge Liang saw this, he pulled out a ring-handled sword from behind.

His subordinates hurriedly advised: "Military Advisor, the person in front of you is a famous general from Cao's camp. Military Advisor, you must not be careless!"

No wonder he fought. Although Zhuge Liang was skilled in martial arts, he was still inferior to the generals in the battlefield. What's more, the opponent was the famous Xu Chu. Even Zhang He was defeated. Did Zhuge Liang really think he could defeat the opponent?

When Zhuge Liang saw Xu Chu getting closer, he raised his hand slightly and pointed the tip of the knife diagonally at Xu Chu.

But Xu Chu ignored the blade. With a grim smile on his face, he whipped his horse hard to speed up, hitting the horse's butt until it was bloody. In his other hand, he held the long sword high up, vowing to cut Zhuge Liang in two!
Thirty steps, twenty steps, ten steps!

This distance was enough for him to draw his sword. Xu Chu let go of the whip and gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, ready to kill Zhuge Liang in the next moment!
However, the next moment, Xu Chu's body suddenly sank, and he and his horse fell down.

When he was in mid-air, he saw that there was a pit about ten feet deep under his feet. He even saw that the soil was very wet and fresh, obviously it had just been dug.

Xu Chu was a little confused. When was this pit dug?
Then his brain tensed up. If there were sharp stakes below, he would be finished!

Fortunately, what he was afraid of did not happen, but he fell heavily to the ground.

But before he could rejoice, several bamboo tubes with burning fuses were thrown down on his head.

The next moment, loud explosions were heard, and the cave was filled with flames and smoke.

Zhuge Liang waved his hand and said, "Bury!"

After hearing this, the surrounding soldiers pushed down everything on the ground, such as clods of earth, rolling logs, dead horses and dead men. In the blink of an eye, they had filled most of the ten-foot-deep pit.

Xiahou Dun saw this from behind and let out an angry cry. In the blink of an eye, a great general was trapped, and judging from the situation, Xu Chu was most likely dead!
Zhuge Liang then issued an order, ordering everyone to press forward and rescue Xu Huang and others.

The two sides fought for another half day, and finally more and more Cao troops arrived. Zhuge Liang saw that his soldiers were exhausted, and knew that there was no point in fighting any further, so he led everyone to slowly retreat.

Although Cao's camp had the advantage in military strength, it was unable to pursue. After seeing Zhuge Liang retreat, Xiahou Dun could only set up camp on the spot and build a defensive stronghold.

At this time, a soldier came to ask whether the pit where Xu Chu was buried should be dug. Xiahou Dun thought about it and, with the mentality of trying everything possible, ordered people to clean the pit.

The Cao army soldiers took great effort to pull the dead horse log out of the pit with a rope, and then sent people down, who found Xu Chu with holes all over his body, broken legs, and only one breath left.

When they saw the situation in the cave, they couldn't help but be amazed. After falling for a while, Xu Chu dug a hole in the earth wall with a big knife and buried his head in it, avoiding the vital parts that were most vulnerable to the explosion.

At the same time, when he was buried, there was some space for breathing, which allowed him to survive miraculously, but now he is only half dead.

Everyone worked together to rescue Xu Chu and sent him to the rear for treatment. Xiahou Dun became worried. His main force was having such a hard time fighting, so what about the other forces?
(End of this chapter)