Spoiler History: Starting from the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 679: Autumn Wind Blows the Dust Road

The fire in Shangcai has weakened a little.

As Zhao Yun's elite cavalry from Youzhou entered the city, the camp clashes caused by Wang Ping and Deng Fan were quickly divided and suppressed.

As expected, after being captured and tied up, Cheng Yu returned to the government office he was familiar with.

The soldiers who were ordered to burn the food and grass were afraid to look at him, and the tung oil torches they had been assigned were scattered on the ground. It was obvious what had happened, causing Cheng Yu to grit his teeth:

"Thieves..."

"You are wrong, Governor Cheng. Why are you talking about bandits?"

With a rebuttal, Zhao Yun stepped into the government office, followed by the excited generals Wang, Meng, Zhang and Feng, as well as Deng Fan, who could not hide his nervousness on his face.

"Oh, you are a dying swallow, a barbarian who doesn't know how to be civilized, and... a traitor. How dare you see me?"

Meng Huo quickly hugged the furious Wang Ping:

"Zijun, Prince Jun, let's see what General Zhao has to say!"

Deng Fan's face darkened, he bowed deeply and spoke earnestly:
"Sir, the villagers are just...seeking a way to survive."

"Live and survive! Your actions will only make Ming Gong cut off your clan's survival in the future!"

If it weren't for Zhang Yi's pressure behind Cheng Yu, Zhao Yun had no doubt that Cheng Yu would attack Deng Fan directly, so he stood between the two of them:
"Prefect Cheng, please tell me what the way out is for Cao the thief?"

Cheng Yu stared at Zhao Yun, then raised his head.

Zhao Yun didn't care at all and said earnestly:

"Mr. Cheng probably doesn't know the current situation. Let Yun tell him a little bit."

"A few days ago, Zhang Liao was defeated by General Guan in Lu County. Afterwards, the army headed west to attack Xinxi. Cao Zhen fought to the death and refused to surrender, and died with the city."

"Yesterday, General Guan led his army northward, conquered Xincai and headed straight for Chen County. Yun followed General Guan's order to help attack Shangcai, but unexpectedly met Governor Cheng on the way. So Yun can lead his army northward tomorrow."

"With the troops in Duyang and Lord Xuande's troops from the capital divided into two groups, the situation of supporting Xuchang is gradually taking shape."

Cheng Yu sneered at Zhao Yun's statement that he was captured "on the road", and was stunned for a moment when he realized that Liu Bei's troops were leaving the capital, and finally sneered at these words:
"If you are sleepy, Zhao Yun, go to bed early and don't talk in your sleep."

"Master Cheng doesn't believe it?"

"Oh, what a fool's talk."

"Military Advisor Xu once told me that Governor Cheng is a man of courage and strategy."

"This Xu Shu is not old and blind yet."

Zhao Yun didn't care, he took a half step forward and pulled out a bamboo pole from Zhang Yi's waist:
"So Military Advisor Xu said, you will understand after you read this."

After saying this, Zhao Yun didn't waste any words. He took the bamboo tube and took out a fire starter to light the string at the tail, then aimed it at the courtyard wall ten steps away.

With a loud "bang", thick smoke and flames suddenly burst out, which scared Cheng Yu. At the same time, he saw dust falling from the courtyard wall.

"It really can only be used once..." Zhao Yun whispered to himself, and then threw the small bamboo tube cannon in his hand, which was cracked in the middle and was said to be made by Zhuge Liang in an attempt to follow what the Tang people said, to Cheng Yu.

He took it in a panic. The longer Cheng Yu rubbed it and looked at it, the worse his expression became. Before he could raise his head and ask, Zhao Yun said directly:

"Military Advisor Xu said that the money earned from one piece of Shu brocade can make sixty tubes of this thing."

Cheng Yu shook his body. He was aware of the exquisiteness of the things made in Jingzhou and Yizhou, but he had previously thought that paper candies were just gimmicky things. Although iron tools were sharp, they were not much better than others. But this thing in front of him would break even after one use, but as long as each soldier carried two tubes, then... he no longer dared to imagine it.

The head is no longer held high, and the shoulders have slumped, but...

"Do you think you can trick me into surrendering to you with this thing?"

Seeing Cheng Yu throwing the broken bamboo tube on the ground and kicking it twice, Zhao Yun saw Zhang Yi looking at the bamboo tube with a bit of heartache, so he shook his head helplessly: "Yun is not asking Governor Cheng to surrender, but just wants him to understand that Prime Minister Cao's defeat is not far away."

"What a fool!"

Wang Ping was whispering to Meng Huo in the back:
"Isn't it said that Cheng Yu is knowledgeable? Why is he still using these four words? And I can tell they sound a bit hollow..."

Zhao Yun turned a deaf ear to him and led Cheng Yu to turn around and open the gate of the government office. Outside was a crowd of pale-faced common people, all glaring at Cheng Yu.

Standing in front of the threshold, Cheng Yu could tell from their attire that most of them were from Wufang and Liyang, which he had destroyed. He also ordered some people's wives and daughters to be sunk into wells to destroy the city with sewage.

"Mingsir, you will never..."

Before he could finish his words, someone gave him a push from behind.

Then thousands of bony hands caught him, and the government office door closed behind him.

The next day, before Zhao Yun mounted his horse, he asked Deng Fan carefully:
"You really don't want to go with me?"

This young agricultural official was said to be less than twenty years old, but he was diligent and studious, and he was able to launch an uprising in the middle of the night to cooperate with Wang Ping in taking Shangcai. Even though Zhao Yun had never heard of this name, he still admired him very much.

He is brave and resourceful, and his physique looks good too. He is a good candidate.

"Thank you for your kindness, General Zhao!"

Deng Fan's face was a little tangled, but he finally refused:

"The Fan family has fallen into poverty. We have only been able to get to where we are today thanks to the help of the people of Shangcai. Now that Emperor Liu has defeated the bandits, Fan wants to go to Xiangyang and Jiangling to learn farming techniques to benefit the people of the village and repay their kindness."

"Once this matter is settled, Fan will go find General Zhao and General Wang to repay their kindness today."

"This is what it means to be a real man!"

Wang Ping smiled happily and patted Deng Fan on the shoulder, praising him for his loyalty.

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment and felt that it would be inconvenient to bring Deng Fan with him to the north, so he nodded and handed over his badge:
"Take this with you. I will leave you a horse. I hope you can find me soon and build a career together in the North and West!"

Deng Fan suddenly felt his blood boiling:

"I will definitely live up to the general's trust!"

Wang Ping, who was excited just now, suddenly looked confused: What about me?
Riding his horse through the north gate, Zhao Yun looked back at the part of Cheng Taishou hanging above.

He shook his head, lightly squeezed the horse's belly, raised his silver spear and pointed it straight to the north.

The autumn wind blows across the dusty road, and the silver armor shines in the sun, heralding the beginning of peace.

The cool breeze gradually rose, causing Xiahou Yuan to wrap his clothes tighter. Seeing the friction of the battle formation in front of him, he simply asked the people around him:

"Cao Zixiao, do you think Xu Gongming can hold on?"

Now that he is a prisoner, there is no need for him to wear armor. Just like now, Xiahou Yuan can wear a robe and stand on a small hill to observe the battle.

It was much more inconvenient for Cao Ren, because after Wuyang City fell, it was Wu Yi who ordered people to dig him out from the ruins.

Cao Ren happened to be on top of the city gate when it collapsed. Fortunately, the city gate tower had just been built less than half a year ago, and the sturdy beams provided him with a place to stay. However, his legs and arms were broken as a result, and now he can only lie on a chair to enjoy the fresh air.

"Xu Huang is quite clever."

There was resentment in Cao Ren's words. Yan County, the focus of Xu Huang's defense, was not far from Wuyang. He might have detected something was happening, so he did not defend the city from beginning to end. Instead, he chose to face the Lishui and Rushui rivers to prevent Liu Bei's army from crossing the river.

But... Cao Ren, with his leg in a splint and his arm hanging on his chest, still wasn't optimistic:

"Xu Gongming... has run out of tricks."

(End of this chapter)