Han family achievements

Chapter 250 fierce battle
"Zhongkang!"

When Xu Chu was full of expectations, the middle-aged man hurried up and said with a frightened look on his face: "Dong Zhuo has sent reinforcements again."

Xu Chu's face was as steely as he maintained his composure and said, "How many people are there?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and said: "It's too dark for the clansmen to see clearly. It's estimated to be at least five thousand, maybe ten thousand!"

Xu Chu's eyes were bloodshot and ferocious.

With 2 soldiers and horses, the small Qiao County cannot be defended at all!
There are thousands of Xu clan members in Qiao County, almost all of them!

The middle-aged man looked around and whispered: "Zhongkang, it's still too late to leave now. They are not besieging the city. You can still escape with some of your clan members."

But Xu Chu was not stupid, and said: "They don't surround us, they just want us to escape. There are countless pairs of eyes outside these four gates. Once we leave the city, no one can survive!"

The middle-aged man didn't understand this, so he thought about it and gritted his teeth and said: "Then just fight with them. How many of you can survive is better than waiting for the city to be destroyed and no one can survive!"

"Three days, three days at the latest!"

Xu Chu remained steadfast and said: "As long as we hold on for three days, General Cao will arrive and we will be saved!"

Seeing that Xu Chu was still waiting, the middle-aged man stamped his feet anxiously and said, "Zhongkang, why do you believe in Cao Cao so much! If you don't leave, none of us, the Xu family, will survive..."

Xu Chu didn't speak, he just held the big spear in his hand and looked firmly towards the south.

It's not that he believes in Cao Cao, it's that they have no way out.

Cao Cao is their only hope.

Seeing that Xu Chu couldn't listen, the middle-aged man cursed angrily, but had no choice but to leave bitterly.

Outside the city, Dong Zhuo sent Zhang Ji and was joining Guo Si.

Guo Si's face was a little gloomy. He exchanged cups with Zhang Ji for a while, and then said: "Brother Zhang, Mr. Dong, are you not dissatisfied with me?"

Zhang Ji didn't know what he was thinking. He shook his head and smiled and said: "Brother Guo, don't you understand the meaning of Dong Gong sending me here?"

Guo Bang frowned and thought for a while, his expression became even more ugly.

It's not because Dong Zhuo sent reinforcements, but because the reinforcements were from Zhang Ji!
Because Zhang Ji's nephew Zhang Xiu rebelled and defected to the imperial court, Zhang Ji's position in Dong Zhuo's shogunate was very embarrassing and he was already marginalized.

Dong Zhuo sent Zhang Ji here, obviously as a warning.

Guo Si naturally didn't want to end up like Zhang Ji, so he said coldly: "Brother Zhang, I am determined to attack tomorrow. What do you think?"

Although Zhang Ji was marginalized, he was happy and at ease, with the sobriety of an outsider. He asked doubtfully: "Brother Guo, it's just a Qiao County with no official troops. Why has it been attacking for many days without making any progress?"

Guo Bang drank the wine and said with a stern face: "Brother Zhang doesn't know something. That Xu Chu is quite famous in Runan and other places. Thousands of his clan have gone through many battles. They are not ordinary people. I have attacked the city many times." They can't even get up. Moreover, I didn't lay siege to the city, but they didn't escape. They are obviously not ordinary nobles."

Zhang Ji was also a little surprised and said: "You won't surrender or you won't escape?"

Guo Bang said: "So, tomorrow, I would like to ask Brother Zhang to attack the east gate, either to attack it in, or to force them to leave the city and escape."

"Okay." Zhang Ji said without hesitation.

He brought 5000 people to attack the east gate, which would put tremendous pressure on the people in the city. Maybe the city would be broken tomorrow.

Guo Si felt relieved when he saw that Zhang Ji didn't shirk the blame. He picked up his wine glass and said, "Thank you, Brother Zhang!"

Zhang Ji raised his glass and said, "Brother Guo, you're welcome."

He lost his previous vigor and did not care about the loss of soldiers, so he acted casually.

Guo Si and Zhang Ji agreed to rest for the night, and early the next morning, they formed their troops and prepared for a strong attack.

At the head of Qiao County City, Xu Zhu had already made preparations.

Facing Guo Si, Zhang Ji used almost all available means in his strong attack.

Houses in Qiao County were demolished everywhere, and rubble on the city walls was thrown downwards by turning heads and rolling logs, blocking the attack of Guo and Zhang's troops.

Xu Zhu was patrolling the city back and forth, and the wind in his hand pushed Guo Si's soldiers down.

With Xu Zhu's command and taking the lead, the young men at the head of Qiao County City kept roaring and did not retreat, desperately defending the city.

Guo Si and Zhang Ji attacked for an hour, but still failed to break through. Instead, they suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw their troops.

Zhang Ji didn't care about the loss of soldiers, and said with surprise: "This Xu Chu really deserves his reputation."

Guo Bang's face became more and more gloomy, and he said: "If this drags on, I won't be able to represent Dong Gong at all!"

Yuan Shu's defeat had the greatest impact on Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo, who was originally unhurried, suddenly took action and continued to build fortresses everywhere and seize some important places.

This Qiao County is a strategically important place located at the junction of Yingchuan, Runan, and Peiguo. Dong Zhuo is bound to win it!
Zhang Ji didn't care at all and said with a smile: "Brother Guo, don't worry. This Qiao County is too far away from Yanzhou and Runan, and there are not many soldiers and horses in Yingchuan. There will be no official rescue. If we drag it on, the city will be destroyed soon."

Guo Bang didn't want to drag it out and appear incompetent. He stared at Qiao County and thought for a while, then suddenly became alarmed and turned around sharply and said, "How much food is left in Qiao County?"

The soldiers around him were stunned by his question and were speechless.

Guo Bang snorted coldly and said, "Send someone to find a way to find out!"

The soldiers responded and went to investigate in a panic.

Seeing this, Zhang Ji said: "Brother Guo, use the technique of tiring the enemy, day and night."

"Okay." Guo Bang said.He was too lazy to use any tactics before and just attacked hard. Now he had to stop and use some tactics.

After saying this, Guo Bang said: "Send the order, the whole army rests, makes food, and continues the attack after noon!"

"Yes!" the soldiers responded, and the army slowly retreated.

On top of Qiao County City, the Xu clan breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Chu remained expressionless as he cleaned the battlefield together.

After packing up and going down the tower, the middle-aged man pulled him over and whispered: "Zhongkang, there is not much food in the city."

Xu Chu knew this a long time ago. He took a deep breath and said, "I should be able to survive for three more days. Uncle, please control yourself. You must survive for three days!"

The middle-aged man was a few years older than Xu Chu. Hearing this, he hesitated and said: "People in the city are panicked. If we continue to control it, I'm worried something will happen."

Xu Chu said with a stern face: "No matter what, we must survive three days. If we can't survive, we will all die!"

The middle-aged man saw that Xu Chuming was stubborn and wanted to die waiting for Cao Cao. He knew it but could not persuade him, so he had to sigh heavily and turned around to make arrangements.

Xu Chu didn't explain much. Now he is in a desperate situation and can only defend. Once he leaves the city, he will play into Guo Si's hands!

All he hoped for was that Cao Cao would keep his word and come as promised.

"There are still two days..." Xu Zhu said to himself, his heart heavy, as if a big stone was weighing on him.

Once Cao Cao breaks his promise, the Xu clan will probably be destroyed in Qiao County!

After noon, Guo Si and Zhang Ji attacked the city again. This time, they did not attack the two gates at the same time, but concentrated their troops and attacked the east gate.This put tremendous pressure on Xu Chu, and the city gate was almost rushed open. The top of the city changed hands again and again, and the attack and defense were very fierce.

Corpses were being carried on top of the city, and bows and arrows rained down from the top of the city.

Xu Zhu was almost using the most primitive method to defend the city. Without equipment, the losses during the defense and siege were almost proportional!

Xu Chu waved his spear and pierced the city head back and forth, like an invincible god of war, killing the enemy like a chicken.

However, Guo Si and Zhang Ji's soldiers were like a steady stream, and the head of Qiao County was in danger.

Guo Si was supervising the battle, and he killed any soldiers who fled or retreated without hesitation, forcing the soldiers to move forward to attack the city.

Zhang Ji was on the side, enjoying his leisure time, just like an outsider, without any trace of nervousness or anxiety.

This battle lasted from noon to dusk. Qiao County, which was about to be breached several times, actually managed to hold on.

This made Guo Si's face extremely gloomy, his chest heaving, and his anger overwhelming.

I can't blame anyone. After chopping up a soldier, he roared at the three self-appointed captains in front of him: "We will continue to attack the city tomorrow. If we can't break it, I will chop you down with my own hands!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The three captains raised their hands in horror and responded, with cold sweat dripping from their faces.

Guo Si didn't care, waved his hands and strode away.

Zhang Ji smiled at the three of them, and then his smile froze when he heard the report from the soldiers.

"General Zhonglang, there were 320 casualties and [-] casualties," the soldier said.

Zhang Ji couldn't help but laugh. He brought 5000 people, but he lost a thousand and three in one fell swoop, which was really a big loss.

In Qiao County, there was silence.

Guo Si attacked fiercely. They did not have bows and arrows and other equipment to defend the enemy, and the losses were equally heavy.

The middle-aged man packed up the corpses of several tribesmen, came to Xu Zhu, and sighed: "3000 people, including those from the past few days, almost half of the tribe is gone."

Xu Chu's expression changed, then his eyes were blood red, his face was like iron, and he said: "Keep guarding!"

The middle-aged man looked at Xu Zhu's expression and sighed more and more, saying: "As of now, this is the only way it can be."

At this point, if you want to run away, you really can't escape.

Both sides took an urgent rest. That night, Guo Bang led his cavalry and marched around the four gates to exhaust the enemy in Qiao County.

Xu Zhu stayed up all night and ran around the four gates. He was really afraid that Guo Bang would attack the city overnight.

Guo Si and Zhang Ji, who had gathered their strength and strength, launched a fierce attack at dawn the next day.

This time, they attacked four gates at the same time, determined not to give up until the city was breached.

Guo Si personally supervised the army at the east gate, brandishing his sword and shouting loudly, urging the attack.

On the top of the city, Xu Zhu waved his spear, and even though he was covered in blood, he still refused to retreat.

The city gate under your feet was constantly trembling and might collapse at any time.

"Let's go!"

Seeing that there was nothing he could do, the middle-aged man pulled Xu Zhu and said urgently: "We can go as far as we can, we cannot let our Xu family die!"

Xu Chu broke away from him, put his spear against his chest, and shouted: "Whoever dares to leave will disturb the morale of the army. I, Xu Zhu, will be the first to kill him!"

This was the first time the middle-aged man saw Xu Zhu's expression. He felt very clearly that if he said one more word, Xu Zhu would really kill his uncle!

The middle-aged man had no choice but to sigh and continue to defend the city.

The other members of the Xu clan may have been frightened by Xu Zhu's momentum, and their hesitation was gone, and they once again worked hard to defend the city.

However, the small city wall in Qiao County is obviously going to be occupied by Guo Si and Zhang Ji's troops, and the city's destruction is already in sight.

Guo Si and Zhang Ji both saw clearly and worked harder to urge the soldiers to attack.

At this moment, in a dense forest twenty miles away from Qiao County.

Cao Cao's [-]-strong army was resting and reorganizing while waiting for Xiahou Dun's reply.

They arrived half an hour ago. Because of the non-stop travel day and night, the soldiers were very tired and in need of rest.

Guo Jia was not in good health. Now he was walking under a big tree to avoid the dazzling sun. He picked up the wine bottle with trembling hands and took a sip.

After a sip of wine, Guo Jia felt like he was alive. Most of his strength was restored, and he felt quite sober.

Although Cao Cao is nearly forty years old, he is stronger than half of the young people and is tireless.

He looked towards Qiao County, waiting for news from Xiahou Dun.

After waiting for a while, Cao Cao found out that the bowl of food handed over by Cao Hong did not look like a general. He sat down next to Guo Jia, ate a big meal and said, "Fengxiao, do you think there will be any difficulties in this battle?"

Guo Jia drank wine and enjoyed the pleasure similar to 'surviving a disaster'. He smiled and said: "There is no difficulty now. The general's trouble will be later."

If Cao Cao takes possession of Cao Cao, the news passed to Dong Zhuo must be that the imperial court is preparing to take action against him. Dong Zhuo, who has always been 'calm', is likely to make big moves, triggering a situation in most of the southern states.

But Cao Cao will definitely attract Dong Zhuo's fierce attack!

Cao Cao ate a rather ordinary meal and said, "I have asked for an order to control the two counties of Yingchuan and Runan. Fengxiao, according to your judgment, will the court agree?"

Guo Jia lay there, thought for a while, and said, "It's hard to say. The general's move will inevitably arouse suspicion between the government and the public. The key lies in the palace."

Cao Cao took Guo Jia's wine flask and took a sip, then put down the rice and said with a calm expression, "I think so too. However, I guess your Majesty will probably be right."

Guo Jia turned sideways, thinking about the young His Majesty whom he had met once, took a sip of wine, and said thoughtfully: "General, I don't think you need to keep making things difficult for His Majesty."

Cao Cao paused quickly and continued to eat.

Cao Cao's behavior has always been completely inconsistent with the style of a scholar-official at that time, and his behavior was quite "violent", which also attracted constant criticism and impeachment from the government and the public.

Similarly, this also put Liu Bian in trouble many times. He was unable to defend himself several times and could only 'punish' Cao Cao.

The most serious thing is that last year, Cao Cao was transferred back to Beijing and was 'idle' in Da Sima Mansion for more than a year.

If Lu Zhihui had not had the wrong intention and worked hard to cultivate Cao Cao before his death, Cao Cao's life in Luoyang would have been very difficult.

Cao Cao took a few bites, but did not continue Guo Jia's words. He looked at Qiao County with his narrow eyes and said with a deserted face: "If I win Qiao County, with the support of Runan and Yingchuan counties, and the support of the imperial court, I will be confident." , Dong Zhuo will be destroyed within two years!"

Guo Jia didn't speak. He didn't understand why Cao Cao had to take Qiao County and why he faced Dong Zhuo so quickly.

Unable to guess Cao Cao's purpose, Guo Jia still fulfilled his duties as an aide and said: "General, two years is too short."

Dong Zhuo was destroyed in two years. The court was frightened and feared that Cao Cao would be killed.

(End of this chapter)