People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 367 Take a Gamble

呼噜
With the horses panting, Zhang Liao led his troops to stop in the streets of Xuchang and signaled the soldiers to remain vigilant.

Although Zhang Liao had confirmed that the Yellow Turbans had abandoned the city not long ago, this was a place that had been occupied by the enemy after all. Zhang Liao would be cautious as there was no guarantee that the enemy would not set up an ambush.

He will not relax his war preparations until the safety of the city is ensured.

Moreover, he had noticed something was not right since he entered the city.

There seemed to be some subtle changes in the attitudes of the people in the city. He keenly felt the people's vague hatred and hostility towards the officers and soldiers, which inevitably made him even more uneasy.

He didn't understand why the people had changed like this, but it was right to stay nervous.

The 30,000-strong army was quickly deployed and soon completely blockaded the entire city of Xuchang. After arriving in Xuchang, many unclear information reported by the messengers gradually became clear.

With the continuous questioning of the people in the city, the events that happened after the Yellow Turbans entered the city gradually emerged.

Zhang Liao confirmed that Cao Cao's family had been captured by the Yellow Turbans and transferred to other places, and their whereabouts are now completely unknown.

However, Emperor Liu Xie did not seem to be captured by the Yellow Turbans as the intelligence claimed, because after the Yellow Turbans occupied Xuchang, they launched a large-scale search for the emperor's whereabouts.

"General, our army has confirmed that there are no Yellow Turbans in the city at all!" Not long after, a soldier came over on horseback and hurriedly reported.

After confirming that the city was safe, Zhang Liao nodded and ordered the army to relax slightly. He then began to arrange the city’s defenses, and everything began to run in an orderly manner.

However, Zhang Liao also began to think about his next move.

This group was sent back by Cao Cao to provide support. Their original mission was to stop the Yellow Turbans and defend Xuchang. However, Xuchang had already fallen once, the whereabouts of the emperor was unknown, and Cao Cao's family members were all captured by the Yellow Turbans.

On the other hand, the Yellow Turbans immediately headed for the battlefield in Yuzhou after occupying Xuchang. Now it is unknown whether Zhou Yu’s situation is good or bad.

Zhang Liao was faced with a lot of problems, which gave him a headache. He had to make a decision as soon as possible about what to do next.
Fortunately, he soon figured it out and decided he wanted them all.

"Leave 10,000 soldiers in the city to guard the city and search for the emperor, and the rest will follow me to the battlefield!"

Zhang Liao gave the order quickly, and without any delay, he immediately assembled his troops. Then the 20,000-strong army marched out of the city in a mighty procession, heading for the battlefield in Yuzhou to help Zhou Yu win.

However, he did not realize that when he was leaving the city, there was a dirty boy in coarse linen clothes in the crowd on the street who was watching all the actions of the officers and soldiers coldly. This was none other than Liu Xie, the Han emperor disguised as a farm boy.

"Your Majesty, are you really not going back?" Fu Xie, who was standing on the side, accompanied Liu Xie and watched Zhang Liao leave the city. He couldn't help but sigh helplessly: "No matter what the Cao, Liu, and Sun people are like, they will still respect the emperor."

Liu Xie snorted coldly: "What kind of emperor is this? An emperor who is imprisoned and has to ask Cao Cao's permission to see a minister?"

Fu Xie was silent for a while, then hesitated and said, "Why not go to Liu Bei in Jingzhou, or Sun Quan in Yangzhou, or Liu Zhang in Yizhou?"

Liu Xie also fell silent, and seemed a little hesitant, but after a long while, he shook his head and laughed at himself: "How are they different from Cao Cao? If Liu Bei was a loyal minister, why didn't he react to the secret decree?"

Fu Xie sighed, "Then what will Your Majesty do? If you don't rely on the prefectures and counties, how can the court survive?"

Liu Xie's fist clenched tightly at some point. After taking a look at Fu Xie, he said dejectedly, "I don't know. Anyway, I will never become that puppet emperor!"

The two looked at each other in silence, and Fu Xie also became troubled.

Liu Xie is the greatest hope for supporting the Han Dynasty. If even the emperor is unwilling to stand up, how can the Han Dynasty be supported?

Whether it was Liu Xie's temper or the princes' excessive behavior, the road seemed to have reached a dead end.

Fu Xie was about to persuade him again. In his opinion, as long as he could first seize the title of emperor, he would always be able to find a way to reverse the situation in the future. After all, there were quite a few scholars in the world who were loyal to the Han Dynasty. At least these people should be given a goal.

But seeing Liu Xie's depressed and confused expression, Fu Xie was unable to speak for a moment.

Although Liu Xie was the emperor, he actually had always lived in an extreme environment. Fu Xie could clearly feel the depression and pain caused by Liu Xie's long-term oppression by the powerful.

On the contrary, Liu Xie smiled from time to time while disguised as a commoner these days. Although the food, drink and accommodation were not as good as those in the palace, and there was no one to serve him, Liu Xie's mental state was more relaxed than ever before.

Fu Xie really couldn't bear to force Liu Xie back into that extreme environment.

They were monarch and subject, but they were more than just monarch and subject, more like a kind of mutual reliance. Liu Xie placed his hopes on Fu Xie's ideals, and Fu Xie was the person Liu Xie trusted the most. Fu Xie couldn't bear to let Liu Xie continue to endure that kind of torture.

But if Liu Xie becomes depressed, how can he realize his ambition to support the Han Dynasty?

Liu Xie found a rock to sit on and just looked up at the sky, not knowing what he was thinking about.

Fu Xie also sat on it and looked up at the sky with him, but his eyes gradually became determined. "Your Majesty, how about we take a gamble?"

"Ok?"

Liu Xie looked over in confusion and saw Fu Xie stand up, then lower his head and smile faintly at him.

Guild wars!
Blood spurted out in front of the battle line, and fresh lives were lost every minute and every second. Traces of iron and blood were seen in every corner of the battlefield, like a huge meat grinder that never stopped devouring the flesh and blood of the soldiers.

As a general of the coalition forces in the Yuzhou battlefield, Zhou Yu no longer had his former handsome appearance. Now he was cold and resolute, the most iron-blooded and cruel man.

He was not a fierce general, but the intensity of the war still made him fight in person, which was enough to show how critical the situation was.

The Yellow Turbans' powerful attack came to a halt again, and Zhou Yu finally had a chance to catch his breath. When the fighting eased, he didn't care about his appearance, but just found an open space to sit down and breathe heavily.

At this moment, he was like a bloody man. Both his armor and exposed parts were covered with thick blood stains that had dried countless times, making his entire body exude a fishy smell.

If it were the Zhou Yu of the past, he would definitely not be able to tolerate his situation, but now he has to endure it even if he can't.

The fighting was so intense that he didn't even have any spare time. Not only did he have to personally go into the battlefield to kill the enemy and boost morale, he also had to take an overall view of the battle situation and stabilize it. After fighting like this day after day, his energy had reached its limit.

However, he had to hold on. If he and his army couldn't hold on, then the battlefield in Yuzhou would be completely defeated.

The war situation is highly complex and the situation is not favorable to his side. He dared not even think about what consequences Yuzhou's defeat would cause. No matter what, he must not fall behind.

Even if the South is really going to lose, we must hold our ground.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate, have a clear conscience, and after finishing your job, Zhou Yu can calmly accept his fate even if the coalition forces lose in the end.

This is more like an obsession. He doesn't want to fall here. Proud people always find it difficult to coexist with failure.

Not long after, Lu Su came hurriedly, his face full of worry: "Gongjin, can you still hold on?"

Zhou Yu certainly understood that Lu Su was not only asking about his physical condition, but also about the current battle situation. After taking a long breath, he said in a deep voice: "I will do my best."

Lu Su was slightly startled, then smiled bitterly and shook his head, also sitting dejectedly aside.

As close friends, how could Lu Su not understand Zhou Yu's character? Even if there was a 10% chance, Zhou Yu would give a confident response instead of the current "try my best".

There is no need to elaborate on how much helplessness is contained in this answer.

"After we lose this battle, the Han Dynasty will be doomed." Lu Su was a little confused. He didn't know what the world would become after Xuan Xia went south and the world was swept by the Yellow Turbans.

After resting for a while, Zhou Yu finally recovered some strength. He just smiled and said, "I will never submit to the enemy. When I am defeated, I will die."

At this time, Zhou Yu looked a little regretful and reluctant: "I just let Xiao Qiao down. She couldn't wait for me to come home."

Hearing this, Lu Su slowly felt relieved: "I remember that the "Edict to Attack Han" was laughed at by the world, but today it may really come true. The destiny has changed and the situation is overwhelming. It cannot be reversed by human power. I never thought that the Yellow Turban bandits would occupy this land of China."

Zhou Yu had already sensed that his side had reached its limit and would find it difficult to resist the next attack from the Yellow Turbans.

This also means that the time will change. Although he is ready to die, he still can't help but sigh: "Xu Chen is indeed a man who can conquer the world. His ambitions are so high that he may be called a sage. It's a pity that his world can't accommodate you and me."

Lu Su nodded when he heard this. Although they had different positions, he had to admit that Xu Chen and Xuan Xia were right. "Yes, China has produced a sage, but it's a pity that they are not our sages."

After a long silence, there was movement on the battlefield again. Zhou Yu looked and saw that the Yellow Turbans had begun to organize a new round of offensive.

With a laugh, Zhou Yu stood up again. He knew that this time it was probably the end.

But in the end, he asked Lu Su a question: "What do you think, with Xu Chen's narrative, will we become bastards that everyone will hate in the history books?"

Lu Su hesitated for a moment and said, "Maybe we are not really good people."

Zhou Yu laughed and rushed to the battlefield with his sword in hand.

At the same time, a new army quietly appeared on the distant horizon. When Zhang Liao saw the fierce fighting on the battlefield in the distance, he completely relaxed.

As long as you are still fighting, you have not lost, and you are not too late.
"Follow me to attack and stop the Yellow Turbans!"

(End of this chapter)