At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 230 Ling Cao died in battle and Yan Yan surrendered

Ling Cao was covered in blood, but fortunately he was already wearing inner armor before he infiltrated into the Yizhou Army prisoners.

Moreover, Ling Cao had just deliberately avoided the vital points, so it seemed that he was seriously injured, but in fact, his life was not in danger for the time being.

"Rush over and seize the city gate quickly!"

Although Zhao Wei felt that with the few men and horses in Huang Zhong's hands, even if he was lucky enough to enter the city, it would be difficult to win.

However, as the coach of one side, he felt a little uneasy in his heart.

After several rounds of intensive arrow rain, there were not many people left at the door, but the Jingzhou soldiers led by Huang Zhong were getting closer and closer.

He knew that there was no delay, so he didn't care to continue firing arrows, so he sent people to rush towards the city gate crazily.

Ling Cao threw away the arrow-studded corpse in front of him, then pulled out the three arrows stuck in his body, and shouted sternly: "If we can guard the city gate today, even if we all die in battle, You can also seal your wife and protect your son, so your life will not be wasted!"

"Brothers, please follow me and guard the city gate. If I take a step back, behead me first!"

After saying this, Ling Cao unexpectedly advanced instead of retreating, swung his sword to kill, and blocked the gate of the city.

"kill!"

Chen Wu didn't say much. He followed the few remaining Lujiang Shangjia beside him, with a bloodthirsty light in their eyes, guarding them closely.

Zhang Ren and Lingbao led the troops to attack first, but they were intercepted by Ling Cao and Chen Wu respectively and fought to the death.

Zhang Ren had extraordinary martial arts skills and was assisted by a large number of soldiers. However, Ling Cao was suffering from three wounds, bleeding profusely, and his physical strength declined rapidly.

Lingbao was also very skilled in martial arts, so it was difficult for Chen Wu to take him down in his eagerness.

"go away!"

Seeing Huang Zhong outside the city getting closer and closer, Zhang Ren became anxious and angry. He endured Ling Cao's knife and stabbed him directly in the abdomen.

"Ling Cao!"

Chen Wu, who was fighting with Lingbao, couldn't help but feel his eyes splitting when he saw this, and wanted to abandon Lingbao and go to rescue Lingcao.

However, at this moment, Deng Xian also led his troops to kill him.

Under attack from two sides, Chen Wu was killed and retreated steadily. He watched helplessly as the spear in Zhang Ren's hand pierced Ling Cao's body.

"Ho!"

Unexpectedly, Ling Cao, who had been severely injured, did not retreat but advanced. He rushed forward and hugged Zhang Ren's body tightly.

The soldiers who were following Ling Cao all had red eyes when they saw this, and they rushed towards Zhang Ren without hesitation, wanting to kill him on the spot.

"let go!"

Zhang Ren was hugged tightly by Ling Cao.

Seeing that the enemy soldiers had already rushed over, Zhang Ren was frightened and angry at the same time, and tried his best to break free of Ling Cao.

However, Ling Cao was already determined to die and refused to let go no matter what.

Seeing that Zhang Ren was about to be killed by the sword, the bodyguards behind him hurriedly came to his rescue and quickly defeated Ling Cao's men with the strength of their numbers.

With the help of his personal guards, Zhang Ren finally broke free from Ling Cao's restraints.

Zhang Ren was so angry that he was about to shoot him again to end his life, but when he saw Ling Cao's unyielding eyes, he finally sighed slightly.

Ling Cao was covered in blood, and it was obvious that he could not survive.

In the final analysis, both sides were fighting for their own masters. Since the other side had lost its combat effectiveness, Zhang Ren, thinking of his bravery and loyalty, did not take another shot.

After breaking free from Ling Cao's shackles, Zhang Ren quickly led his army to kill Ling Cao's men.

For a time, only Chen Wu and a dozen people were left at the city gate to support themselves.

"kill!"

Seeing that Chen Wu and others were about to be unable to hold on any longer, Huang Zhong had already taken the lead and rushed over with his horse speed. He killed several people in a row with his own bravery, and even fought alone against Zhang Ren, Lingbao, and Deng Xian, and still did not fall behind.

With the arrival of Huang Zhong, a large number of Jingzhou soldiers also poured into the city.

The brave wins when we meet on a narrow road.

The Jingzhou Army's combat effectiveness was already slightly superior, and with Huang Zhong, a fierce general rushing in front, the Yizhou Army's strength advantage in the city could not be used at all, and Huang Zhong continued to advance with a disadvantaged force.

Now Huang Zhong is biting Zhang Ren, Lingbao, and Deng Xian to fight against each other. Zhao Wei did not dare to order people to fire arrows, so he had to continue to invest troops, hoping to use up the number of troops to exhaust Huang Zhong's men.

When that time comes, all the soldiers in Jingzhou will be lost, and no matter how brave Huang Zhong is, he will surely perish in the city.

"Ling Cao!"

"Ling Cao!"

"Ling Cao!"

Ling Cao was born in a poor family and was rarely known as a knight. He didn't even have a nickname.

Chen Wu only started to get acquainted with Ling Cao after he followed Jia Xu into Ba County. However, the two had similar minds. Even though they had not been together for a short time, they were already like brothers.

At this time, he didn't care to follow Huang Zhong to charge, but ran to Ling Cao, hugged him tightly in his arms, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Ling Cao held on for a breath just to have a word with Chen Wu.

While vomiting blood, he said intermittently: "I, when I die, after I die... I hope the army can help... take care of my wife, children, and parents!"

After saying this, Ling Cao died immediately and did not close his eyes until his death.

"Ahhh!"

Chen Wu looked up to the sky and howled, then placed Ling Cao's body next to him with red eyes. After wiping away his tears, he headed towards the front of the formation to kill without saying a word.

Huang Zhong was now fighting one against three. Although he was not at a disadvantage, it was difficult for him to make a breakthrough in a short period of time.

Until Chen Wu joined the battle group, he attacked Zhang Ren without hesitation, without any room for turning, and fought with his life.

Zhang Ren was originally slightly better than Chen Wu in martial arts, but seeing the opponent's desperate fighting style, he was forced to retreat.

Huang Zhong took advantage of the situation and used his power to repel Deng Xian and Lingbao.

Seeing that Deng Xian was about to be killed by the sword, Wu Yi led his troops to kill him and saved Deng Xian's life.

At night at the Dianjiang South Gate, the shouts of killing continued until dawn. The soldiers on both sides were exhausted from the battle, but still no one retreated.

Huang Zhong knew that this might be his only chance to invade Dianjiang, so he would not give up easily.

Zhao Wei also knew that the Jingzhou army could not be allowed to enter the city.

Therefore, even though Huang Zhong led the army to gradually advance, Zhao Wei still ordered his soldiers to fight to the death and launched a fierce street battle.

In the city, Yan Yan is under house arrest.

Yan Yan couldn't help but change his face when he heard the shouts of killing coming from the city gate, and asked hurriedly: "What happened? Why do I hear the shouts of killing coming from the direction of the south gate?"

The soldiers responsible for guarding Yan Yan had already received orders from Zhao Wei and did not dare to let Yan Yan know any military information.

Yan Yan shouted for a long time, but no one answered her, and she suddenly collapsed to the ground helplessly.

The shouting of killing continued all night long, and Yan Yan was keenly aware that the shouting of killing was getting closer and closer to his direction.

That also means that the Jingzhou Army may have entered the city and is advancing towards the city.

He walked to the door, slapped the iron door angrily, and shouted angrily: "Dianjiang is in danger, let me out quickly!"

However, there was only silence in response to Yan Yan.

outside the city.

Zhou Qi listened to the shouts of killing coming from the city, looked at Jia Xu anxiously, and asked: "Young Master Huang Zhong, aren't you going to bring in troops to help at this time?"

It turned out that the so-called story that Zhou Qi divided his troops into three groups and led his troops across Dianjiang to seize the entire territory of Brazil was actually true or false, and was all based on Jia Xu's plan.

Although Zhou Qi did divide his troops into three groups and went to attack Brazil with great fanfare, the number of troops sent was far less than expected.

Although he trusted Huang Zhong's ability, he would not place all his wealth and life on others.

If Huang Zhong loses his camp and Zhao Wei and others cut off the food route, Zhou Qi and his soldiers may be wiped out in Brazil.

Zhou Qi couldn't take this risk.

He adopted Jia Xu's strategy, had people put up more flags under his own banner, and sent out three groups of troops to attack Brazil with great fanfare.

In fact, there were only [-] troops heading to Brazil this time.

Zhou Qi himself left 5000 men behind, hiding them secretly in the mountains and forests, and then set up various strategies to break the city tonight.

Jia Xu heard Zhou Qi's words, but shook his head and said: "The roads in the city are narrow and the army cannot spread out at all. If Zhao Wei knows that the lord has arrived with his troops, he will definitely order arrows to be fired indiscriminately to repel General Huang Zhong." .”

"Only when General Huang Zhong fights his way into the city and advances a certain distance to ensure that all the lord's troops can enter the city can he lead his troops to respond."

The Yizhou Army in the city had a strength advantage. If they did not engage in battle with the Jingzhou Army and chose to defend the city, even if Zhou Qi and others invaded the city, it would be difficult to continue advancing.

Although Zhou Qi knew this truth, Huang Zhong had too few troops.

They fought all night and must have suffered heavy casualties. Zhou Qi was also worried about the safety of Huang Zhong and others.

Compared with Zhou Qi, Jia Xu is worthy of the title of poisonous person, his heart is extremely cold, and he puts interests first in everything.

He had spent so much time planning just for today.

If Zhou Qi rashly exposes his whereabouts, he will most likely fall short.

Zhou Qi took a deep breath and suppressed the anxiety in his heart. While waiting, a scout suddenly came to report: "My lord, General Huang Zhong has led his troops to advance one mile into the city!"

Zhou Qi was overjoyed when he heard this, and then set his sights on Jia Xu.

Jia Xu's eyes burst out with frightening light. He turned to look at Zhou Qi and said, "My lord, you can raise an army to attack the city!"

In Dianjiang City.

Zhao Wei looked at the Yizhou soldiers who had been fighting all night but were slowly retreating, with a terrifying and gloomy expression on their faces.

The reason why Dianjiang is easy to defend and difficult to attack is not just because it is surrounded by mountains and rivers and the city is steep.

When Dianjiang was originally built, it was considered that the enemy would probably attack from the south gate, so there was almost only a small mountain road one mile away from the south gate.

With this design, even if the south gate is lost, the defenders in the city can cut off this road at any time, making it difficult for the enemy to continue advancing into the city.

The reason why Zhao Wei did not do this was because he wanted to exhaust Huang Zhong's men and then kill Zhou Qi's generals.

Never thought about it.The Jingzhou soldiers who fought all night last night indeed paid a heavy price, but the casualties of the Yizhou army in the city were even worse.

If Zhao Wei hadn't known that Huang Zhong had less than five thousand soldiers and horses, he might have cut off the mountain road to the south gate long ago.

Now that Huang Zhong has occupied almost the entire mountain road, it is too late for Zhao Wei to regret it.

In fact, Zhao Wei also breathed a sigh of relief at this time.

The mountain road ahead was narrow, and the Yizhou Army was unable to exert its strength advantage at all, so it retreated steadily.

Now that they have retreated to an open position in the city, the Yizhou army can spread out, which is beneficial to Zhao Wei.

"Order the defenders in the city to line up and fight the Jingzhou Army. You must keep Huang Zhong here today!"

The Yizhou Army paid such a price. If Huang Zhong could not be captured, Zhao Wei would not be able to explain to Liu Zhang.

at the same time.

Zhou Qi has already brought 5000 men under his command, heading towards Dianjiang City in a mighty manner.

As soon as he walked into the door, he saw Chen Wu, who was leading the troops to defend the city with red eyes, and Ling Cao who was standing beside him with his eyes open.

Zhou Qi was shocked when he saw this.

He asked Jia Xu to help command the army, but he walked quickly to Chen Wu, looked at Ling Cao's body, and asked, "What's going on?"

Chen Wu saluted Zhou Qi, looked at Ling Cao's body next to him, and tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.

In order to avenge Chen Wu, he fought desperately with Zhang Ren and suffered several injuries. Fortunately, his life was not in danger.

Huang Zhong also noticed that something was wrong with Chen Wu's state, and was worried that the other party would lose his mind and get into trouble, so he forcibly ordered Chen Wu to lead his army to guard the city gate.

Huang Zhong himself and Liu Pan continued to fight in the city.
Although Chen Wu wanted to avenge Ling Cao, he did not disobey the military order and led his troops to guard the city gate.

After hearing Zhou Qi's inquiry, Chen Wu said in a hoarse voice: "Xu and Ling Cao, with the elite of the army, quietly infiltrated among the Yizhou Army prisoners and captured the city by surprise when they arrived at the door."

"I never thought that in order to recapture the city gate, Zhao Wei's servant directly ordered the arrows to be fired, regardless of the fact that there were many Yizhou soldiers at the door."

"In order to blend in among the prisoners without being discovered, we didn't dare to wear heavy armor or carry shields. We just wore cloth armor under our clothes. We couldn't protect ourselves from the dense arrows."

"After several rounds of arrow rain, we suffered heavy casualties. Ling Cao was also hit by three arrows, but he still fought to the death."

"Later, Zhang Ren and Lingbao led their troops to attack. Someone intercepted Lingbao, but Ling Cao stopped Zhang Ren. However, Ling Cao was hit by three arrows and lost too much blood and lost his strength. In the end, he lost to Zhang Ren. Killed by him."

Chen Wu told the story of Ling Cao's death in detail, which made Zhou Qi feel heavy.

He actually liked the two generals Chen Wu and Ling Cao very much, and planned to train them carefully before entrusting them with important tasks.

Zhou Qi originally thought that he had changed history long ago, and Gan Ning and Zhang Liao had also surrendered to him. The fate of Ling Cao and Chen Wu had therefore changed, and they might not necessarily die in battle.

Unexpectedly, Ling Cao was not shot by Gan Ning, but died in the hands of Zhang Ren. It has to be said that it was God's will.

Zhou Qi felt as if something was stuck in his throat. He walked to Ling Cao and held him in his arms, reaching out to close his eyelids.

However, Zhou Qi took action several times, but Ling Cao remained glaring and refused to close his eyes.

Zhou Qi turned to look at Chen Wu and asked, "Did he have any last words before he died?"

Chen Wu said: "He asked me to help take care of his wife, children and children."

When Zhou Qi heard this, he immediately said to Ling Cao's body: "In this battle, you and Chen Wu should take the lead in winning the southern gate of the Yangtze River. I will grant you the title of Captain Fenwei and Chen Wu the title of Captain Fenwu."

"I will support your parents, wife and children by myself. From now on, your son Ling Tong will stay with the second young master and study literature and martial arts together."

"When he is crowned, he can directly inherit your official position."

After saying these words, Zhou Qi closed Ling Cao's eyelids again, and this time Ling Cao magically closed his eyes.

Zhou Qi looked at Ling Cao who was covered in blood, took off his cloak, wrapped his body himself, and then said sadly: "General, let's go, I will never let you down!"

Zhou Qi ordered people to take good care of Ling Cao's body until the war was over, transport it back to his hometown, and bury it in a glorious manner.

But he himself led Xu Chu and others towards the city.

While passing by the mile-long mountain road, Zhou Qi finally saw the cruelty of this battle. The road was almost covered with corpses.

Zhou Qi hadn't gone very far before his shoes were already soaked in blood. You can imagine how much blood there was on the ground.

When Zhou Qi arrived at the front line, Zhao Wei and his Yizhou Army had already begun to retreat.

Although they have a large number of people, they have lost several games in a row in the past few days, and this time they lost their troops.

Especially tonight, Huang Zhong used a trick to sneak into the city again.

Originally, Zhao Wei wanted to use his military superiority to kill Huang Zhong, but he did not expect that Zhou Qi did not lead his troops to Brazil, but instead secretly ambush such a troop.

When the reinforcements arrived, Zhao Wei was shocked and angry. He didn't expect Zhou Qi to be so patient. Even though Huang Zhong's soldiers suffered heavy casualties, they did not send reinforcements. They had to wait until the opponent actually advanced into the city and the overall situation was decided. Willing to send troops to help.

Nowadays, although the Yizhou Army still has a strength advantage in the city, the reinforcements falling from the sky have completely defeated the Yizhou Army's fighting spirit.

Even Zhao Wei felt panicked and couldn't see the slightest hope of victory, let alone ordinary Yizhou soldiers.

The army was defeated like a mountain.

Although the Yizhou Army would not be completely defeated after Zhang Ren's death, the Yizhou Army with such morale could not hold Dianjiang at all.

Zhang Ren also knew that the situation was over, so he did not ask for forcible defense of the city. Instead, he persuaded Zhao Wei to withdraw his troops as soon as possible to preserve his strength.

In this way, Zhao Wei led the army in the city to fight and retreat, and then withdrew from the north gate of Dianjiang.

Zhou Qi had few soldiers, and he also knew the principle of not pursuing a weak enemy. Moreover, Huang Zhong and others fought all night long. Not only did they suffer heavy casualties, but they also reached their mental and physical limits.

Zhou Qi let go of Zhao Wei and the Yizhou soldiers and horses in the city, and let Huang Zhong and others rest first. However, he took Jia Xu, Gan Ning, and Xu Chu to set up a plan to pacify the people and clean up the remaining Yizhou troops in the city.

When Zhou Qi was inspecting the city, he suddenly encountered a grassroots officer. Not only did the officer not surrender, but he resisted stubbornly.

However, due to Xu Chu's extraordinary bravery, this officer was no match at all and was captured alive within three seconds.

Seeing the unconvinced look on the man's face, Zhou Qi asked strangely: "Your defeat has been decided, why don't you want to surrender, but instead insist on resisting?"

The officer spat and said, "It's all because of Zhao Wei's lack of plans and his disobedience to Yan Shijun. Otherwise, how could you have attacked the city so easily?"

Zhou Qi couldn't help being surprised when he heard this, and asked, "Why did you say this?"

The man frowned and said, "Huang Zhong has been cheating and failing many times before. Yan Shijun has noticed it, so he took the initiative to go out of the city to find out the truth."

"Although the envoy unfortunately fell into the trap, he has been able to conclude that Huang Zhong was defeated by fraud and must have a plan."

"But Zhao Wei listened to the slander and had you imprisoned."

"When Lingbao and others robbed the camp last night, after the envoy learned the news, he tried his best to admonish Zhao Wei even if he was imprisoned. He said that there would be something wrong if he robbed the camp rashly."

"It's just that Zhao Wei didn't accept the loyal advice. Not only did he not listen to what the envoy said, but he also strictly ordered our envoy's old subordinates not to visit him again."

"If I had listened to Yan Shijun's words earlier, why would we have been defeated like this!"

Zhou Qi was overjoyed when he heard this and asked, "Do you know where Yan Yan is being held?"

When the officer heard this, he looked at Zhou Qi warily and said, "I don't know!"

Zhou Qi smiled and said, "You are also a loyal person, so there is no need to worry."

"I am Zhou Qi, the cavalry general. I have admired Yan Yan for a long time. Meeting him will never harm his life."

"If he doesn't want to surrender, I will let him go."

"It's useless for you to deliberately hide Yan Yan's traces. After my army takes control of Dianjiang City, it will be easy to find him."

"But you have to think carefully, what if other generals discover Yan Yan in advance during this period and accidentally kill him?"

The officer was startled, and then asked: "General Chariot and Cavalry is true to his words, will he not harm the commander's life?"

Zhou Qi smiled and said: "I am a prince, how can I break my promise and get fat?"

The man then took Zhou Qi and others to the place where Yan Yan was detained.

All the soldiers responsible for guarding Yan Yan here had already fled for their lives, and they didn't even open the cell door for Yan Yan before leaving.

Zhou Qi ordered people to break through the door, and then saw Yan Yan with a slumped face, and said: "Zhou Qi has heard of the envoy's name for a long time!"

Yan Yan was shocked. He didn't expect that the person coming was actually the cavalry general Zhou Qi.

Although they had seen it before in front of the formation, the distance was too far and because they were all wearing helmets and armor, they could not see clearly.

Now seeing Zhou Qi up close, Yan Yan couldn't recognize him.

Yan Yan was not ignorant of good and evil. Seeing that Zhou Qi did not command with the attitude of a victor, but was rather humble and polite, he immediately saluted and said: "The defeated general has seen the chariot and cavalry general!"

Zhou Qi hurriedly supported Yan Yan, then pointed to the general who brought him here, and sighed: "If Zhao Wei had listened to the envoy, how could Zhou Qi have attacked the city?"

Yan Yan couldn't help but let out a long sigh when he heard this, his face full of loneliness.

He looked at Zhou Qi and said with a wry smile: "Those are just superficial words from the defeated general. If you see the general on horseback in Dianjiang today, you know that the general has been planning for a long time."

"Even if they didn't leave the city last night, they had already fallen into the general's trap. Sooner or later, Dianjiang would be in danger."

After saying this, Yan Yan closed her eyes and said: "Liu Shijun has treated me well. Today I was defeated and captured. I only want to die. I also ask General Chariot and Cavalry to do it!"

When the general who brought Zhou Qi saw this, he couldn't help but turned pale and said, "Why are you doing this?"

"General Chariot and Cavalry promised before that if the envoy is unwilling to surrender, he is willing to let the envoy leave on his own."

Yan Yan opened her eyes and looked at Zhou Qi in surprise, then smiled bitterly and said: "I have been defeated and captured. Even if I am released, it will be difficult for me to gain Liu Shijun's trust."

"In this case, it is better to die generously."

Zhou Qi heard this and advised: "It is said that a good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a wise minister chooses his master to do his work."

"Liu Zhang is weak and not a master of the Ming Dynasty. The Yizhou clan is not having an easy time under the oppression of the Dongzhou people."

"If you are willing to surrender, I will still treat you as the governor of Bajun and I will not do anything to the people of Bajun. How about that?"

Yan Yan was about to refuse, but Chen Wen suddenly brought someone with him, holding a document and shouting: "Liu Zhang received the battle report from Zhao Wei, relieved Yan Yan from the post of governor of Ba County, and ordered Zhao Wei to escort him there." Chengdu disposal.”

Chen Wen's words were like the straw that broke the camel's back.

Yan Yan closed her eyes, and two lines of tears fell from the corners of her eyes. She was obviously heartbroken.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already kneeling on the ground and said: "Thanks to the great love of General Chariot and Cavalry, Yan Yan is willing to surrender!"

(End of this chapter)