I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 165 Labor Dispatch Guan Yunchang

When Xu Huang led his troops to the Suzaku Gate, the rebel soldiers under the command of Wang Fu and Zhong Ji still failed to break through the gate of the Jiade Hall. They were soon caught in a trap by the Northern Army and became prisoners.

The elite Hedong troops under Xu Huang's command had participated in the great battle outside Hulao Pass that defeated the coalition forces of 18 princes, so their morale was high. In addition, Xu Huang trained them strictly on a daily basis, so they were well-trained. Although Zhong Ji and Wang Fu led their troops to fight desperately, they were no match for Xu Huang and were defeated in a short while.

Wang Fu and Zhong Ji were tied up like dumplings and escorted all the way to Xun You.

"You two, do you have anything to say now?"

"Oh, what a good trick, I lost this battle, and I am convinced of the defeat."

Wang Fu looked dejected. He was not afraid of death, but he was unwilling to accept that his great cause had not been accomplished.

Zhong Ji, on the other hand, looked proud and shouted angrily, "You can kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you, but if you want me to surrender to you treacherous ministers, you are just dreaming!"

"You still don't repent even when you are about to die. If the ancestors of the Zong family are still alive, I'm afraid they will be so angry at an unworthy descendant like you that they will open the coffin and crawl out of the ground."

At this point, Xun You had no intention of persuading Wang Fu and Zhong Ji to surrender. These diehards of the old party had even dared to rise up in rebellion in order to oppose Du Tian and Wang Jing's new policies. It was obvious that they could not be convinced by just a few words.

But people are bound to die, but after all, we are all Confucian scholars with status. Before being executed, we must give others a chance to leave their last words.

"Do you two have any last words to leave behind?"

The stubborn Zhong Ji just turned his head away and didn't say anything else.

As for Wang Fu, he was silent for a moment, then looked up at Xun You and asked, "I have already arranged spies in the city. How did Xu Huang and his Hedong soldiers sneak into Luoyang without my knowledge?"

If Xu Huang hadn't suddenly rushed out and disrupted his formation, how could he have lost the battle so easily and so unfairly?
In Wang Fu's plan, he originally wanted to break into the palace in the name of clearing the court of corrupt officials. As long as he could deal with Xun You, the outcome would be settled.

As for the Sword Saint Wang Yue, Wang Fu felt that as long as he did not touch Liu Xie, Wang Yue would have no reason to get involved, so Wang Yue would not become an obstacle to him.

But no matter how much Wang Fu planned, he didn't expect that it was Xu Huang who came to rescue him, and he came so quickly!
Therefore, what puzzled Wang Fu the most was how Xu Huang had ambushed in Luoyang city so early and concealed it from the insider he had arranged to monitor the city.

Anyway, the overall situation has been decided now, and the rebels have been shut out. Xun You doesn't mind letting Wang Fu know the truth, so he explains to him: "Your plan is full of mistakes, and the worst mistake is that you used spies without any suspicion?"

Being despised so mercilessly, Wang Fu was very unhappy: "Please give me some advice, Gongda."

Xun You glanced at Wang Fu and continued, "The Zhong family is a big family in Luoyang. I had expected that you would use Zhong Ji to arrange an insider in the city, so half a month ago, I suggested to my lord that General Xu disguise himself and sneak into the city. And the Hedong soldiers under his command also disguised themselves as followers of the caravan and entered the city."

"So that's how it is. Gongda's plan is a foresight and he anticipated the enemy's moves. With the secret guards in the city providing protection, it was easy to hide it from the spies I arranged. Everything was done without anyone noticing."

After Xun You's explanation, Wang Fu finally understood what was going on. He then said bitterly, "Alas, I had calculated everything, but I missed this point. I thought I was smart, but I didn't expect that I would be played around by others from the very beginning. This life is so sad and ridiculous."

Wang Fu finally realized where he lost. In terms of strategy and calculation, he was ultimately no match for a top wise man like Xun You.

Xun You then ordered: "Put these two men in jail and wait for the Lord to return before making any further decisions."

After dealing with the two men, Xun You looked at Xu Huang again and said, "General Xu, please restore order in the city to prevent scoundrels from taking advantage of the situation to rob people."

At this time in Luoyang City, the war had ended, but sporadic fighting still continued. The noble families who followed Wang Fu and Zhong Ji in the rebellion were afraid of being liquidated by Wang Jing, so they chose to resist stubbornly.

Faced with this situation where the trapped beast is still fighting, Xun You is not impatient at all.

Anyway, according to the established plan, these lurking poisonous snakes were supposed to be lured out through this battle and then captured in one fell swoop.

Therefore, Xun You asked Xu Huang to lead the troops and take some time to eliminate them one by one.

On the other side, Wang Fu, who was imprisoned, remained silent.

On the contrary, Zhong Ji, who had spoken so firmly just now, was now afraid: "Ziyou, when Wang Jing comes back, are we going to die?"

Wang Fu's cell was right next to Zhong Ji's. The two looked at each other through the gap in the wooden fence: "Why, are you scared? Didn't you just say that you can kill me or chop me up as you wish?"

Zhong Ji was not as calm as he was. Hearing this, he said angrily, "That was just a polite remark! Do you understand polite remark?"

Although he was angry, Zhong Ji was still a human being, and humans are afraid of death. He grabbed the wooden railing and stared at Wang Fu: "Ziyou, think of a solution quickly, I don't want to die."

Wang Fu sat on the ground, his expression was so calm that it was a little scary: "Don't worry, as long as you are not dead, we still have a chance."

Zhong Ji was immediately surprised: "Really? Are you sure?"

In order to appease Zhong Ji and prevent him from committing suicide in prison before Wang Jing returned, Wang Fu had to whisper to him: "Before the uprising, I had already made an agreement with Liu Gongshan and Zhang Mengzhuo that they would send troops if Luoyang was attacked. Now that Xu Huang is not at Hulao Pass, the defense must be empty and it will fall easily."

"Great!"

Hearing Wang Fu say that he still had a chance to turn the tables, Zhong Ji couldn't help but show his joy, but then he felt something was wrong: "That's not right. Even if they come to attack, how do they know that Xu Huang has led the main force to leave Hulao Pass? What if they don't dare to attack, and Xu Huang returns in time, then everything will be over, right?"

Although Liu Dai and Zhang Miao were also famous Confucian scholars, they might be good at reciting poems and composing music, but their ability to lead troops in battle was not commendable.

Recalling the two's previous performance, Zhong Ji always felt that they were not very reliable.

Wang Fu comforted Zhong Ji and said, "Don't worry too much. The backup I arranged in the city should have spread the news that Xu Huang has suppressed the rebellion in Luoyang. It will take at least three to five days for the Northern Army to completely eliminate all the opposition in the city. And the troops at Hulao Pass, according to my estimation, are only a little over a thousand at most. Once they are attacked fiercely, they will definitely be unable to resist."

"Well, that's better."

Zhong Ji had to place his last hope on Liu Dai and Zhang Miao.

As the sun sets in the west, strong winds blow over Hulao Pass, battle flags flutter, and a solemn and murderous atmosphere fills the sky and earth. The earth is completely silent, like the calm before a storm.

In front of the city gate watchtower, Guan Yu stood behind the parapet, overlooking the battlefield, his hands on his chest and sighing. The blood seemed to be boiling in his majestic body, and his heart was filled with heroic spirit.

Now nearly thirty years old, his martial arts have almost reached the pinnacle, he has a strong physique and a solid foundation, yet he still retains the sharpness of a young man and is obviously in excellent condition.

Especially with the flourishing star of Kaiyang Wu Qu, Guan Yu at this moment is not only full of vigor and vitality, but also has extremely strong luck.

Now Liu Bei was fooled by Wang Jing into working for the court, and Guan Yu also became Wang Jing's employee, a temporary worker at that, getting the lowest salary and doing the dirtiest and most tiring work. Even the money was not paid by the Northern Army, but by the court.

However, this was not a problem for Guan Yu. At this moment, he not only did not regard replacing Xu Huang to guard Hulao Pass as a trouble, but instead regarded it as an opportunity. Therefore, when Wang Jing put this opportunity to lead troops to fight alone in front of him, Guan Yu agreed without hesitation.

The future bearded man was now stroking his beloved long beard, feeling full of confidence and thinking about how he could make himself famous.

On the tower, Guan Yu was preparing for a fight when his men suddenly reported, "Captain, reinforcements are here."

"really!"

Guan Yu stood up in surprise, but when he went down to take a look, he saw that there were only two hundred cavalrymen in total, and they were led by the scholar Xun You.

When Guan Yu thought that there were only a little over a thousand defenders in the city, he became so angry that his eyelids twitched and he felt like he had been fooled.

Unfortunately, his face is naturally red, so even if he is angry, most people can't tell.

However, Xun You was not an ordinary person. He saw Guan Yu's anger and asked with a smile, "Why, Captain Guan, do you not welcome me?"

Guan Yu, who had just been appointed as a captain by Wang Jing, became furious when he saw Xun You's half-smiling face. Pointing at the 200 cavalrymen behind Xun You, he cursed unceremoniously: "Xun Gongda, are these the reinforcements you sent? Are you here to make fun of me?" At the end, Guan Yu was almost roaring.

He was aloof by nature and looked down upon everyone except his elder brother Liu Bei. Therefore, even though he knew that Xun You was the Chief Clerk of the General Wei's Mansion and the chief military advisor of Wang Jing's staff, he still did not look at him favorably.

Xun You simply chose to ignore Guan Yu's rudeness, his expression still calm and composed: "Captain, what you said is wrong. Soldiers are more valuable than numbers. As long as they are used properly, the role that hundreds of elite soldiers can play is far greater than that of tens of thousands of rabble. I heard that you usually read a lot, especially the Spring and Autumn Annals. Don't you understand some of the mysteries of military tactics from it?"

I love your whole family!
Guan Yu was so angry about Xun You's words that he wanted to curse. He was promised an opportunity to lead the troops alone, but the troops he got were only more than a thousand people. Isn't this a cheating?

Even if you are the military genius Han Xin, what can you do with a thousand men?
However, seeing that Xun You seemed to be unaware of the impending crisis, Guan Yu had no choice but to remind him: "Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai and Chenliu Governor Zhang Miao have joined forces, with a total of 30,000 troops, and are advancing towards Hulao Pass. If no reinforcements arrive, even if I have three heads and six arms, I will not be able to defend the pass at my feet."

"Aren't reinforcements coming?"

Xun You pointed at the 200 cavalrymen behind him with a smile.

Guan Yu, however, could not smile at all. His red face even began to turn red and black. He said coldly, "If you want to die, I will not stop you. But if you want me to stay and be buried with you, that is absolutely impossible."

Seeing that Guan Yu was so angry that he wanted to quit, Xun You did not keep him in suspense. Instead, he clapped his hands and immediately his men brought up two large boxes, one long and one short, and slammed them in front of Guan Yu with a clang.

Guan Yu was stunned for a moment, then frowned and asked, "What is this?"

"Captain, if you want to know, why don't you open it and take a look yourself?"

Guan Yu faced the suspicious expression and didn't know what Xun You was up to, but he still opened the wooden box.

"Ah, this is it!"

In the long wooden box was a Green Dragon Crescent Blade made of cloud-patterned steel and meteorite iron. Both the material and craftsmanship were far superior to the one Guan Yu had used before. Moreover, it was made by a famous craftsman, and dragon blood was deliberately injected during the casting process. Therefore, it was extraordinary and magical, and had become one of the most famous swords in the world.

The sword is nine feet and five inches long, with a wide and long blade shaped like a half-moon, a forked blade on the back, a hole in the blade with a flag hanging from it, a dragon-shaped mouth at the connection between the blade and the handle, and a spike at the end of the long handle.

"This sword is made of Bingzhou meteorite iron and Luoyang Han's cloud-patterned steel. It weighs 82 kilograms and can split mountains and crack rocks. Are you satisfied, Captain?"

Xun You still had a smile on his face.

This time, Guan Yu felt that his smile was a little more pleasing to the eye. There was nothing he could do about it. It was simply that the new weapon in his hand smelled so good that it felt different to the touch.

Holding her in my arms, the delicate touch and the wonderful feeling are just like holding my wife.

Although Guan Yu does not have a wife now, it does not prevent him from having some fantasies in his heart.

Guan Yu couldn't wait to open another box, and was pleasantly surprised again. Even his eyes, which were usually half-closed, were now wide open, as if he was about to be blinded by the light.

The things in the box were really to his liking. After seeing them, he couldn't take his eyes off them.

"Just like the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade, this set of Dragon Scale Azure Cloud Armor was made for the Captain by Li Feng, the craftsman of Qiqiao Pavilion. It uses five kinds of exotic gold and divine iron and seven kinds of rare treasures from heaven and earth. It not only uses a brand new forging and annealing process, but also uses the three latest technological achievements of Mohist mechanical techniques. Are you satisfied?"

satisfaction?

This word is no longer sufficient to describe Guan Yu's mood at this moment.

Whether it is the broadsword or the armor, the craftsmanship and quality are beyond Guan Yu's imagination.

Especially under the guidance of Wang Jing, Li Feng's thinking was completely opened up. He combined the Li family's secret techniques of energy smelting and improved a new alloy formula several times. The weapons and armor he created now have such superior performance that people are shocked, especially the use of high-quality steel produced in Bingzhou, the quality is unmatched.

Guan Yu wore armor and a battle robe, all green, and held the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand. Except that his beard was not long enough, he already had some of the majesty and ferocity of a martial saint in later generations.

Guan Yu obviously couldn't put the new equipment down and was extremely satisfied with it.

Seeing that Guan Yu looked very happy but too reserved to show it, Xun You stepped forward with a smile and said, "It seems that the commander intends to stay and live and die with Hulao Pass."

Guan Yu's mouth twitched after hearing this. He was so happy just now that he almost forgot the crisis he was facing. Now that Xun You reminded him of this, his face suddenly turned ugly again.

"Captain, do you still have doubts?"

nonsense!

Guan Yu cursed in his heart, but as a self-proclaimed scholar, he kept reminding himself to be cultured and reserved, and said patiently: "Let me ask you, can you defeat Liu Dai and Zhang Miao's 30,000 troops with only 1,000 soldiers stationed in Hulao Pass?"

Xun You smiled and answered truthfully: "Of course I can't do this kind of thing, but don't we still have you, the captain?"

Damn it!
If Guan Yu hadn't been so short-handed, he would have wanted to step forward and slap Xun You's head.

What sin have I committed to deserve such a deceiving person?

Guan Yu touched the Blue Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand. The frosted texture made him reluctant to give it up. He had no choice but to say to Xun You as kindly as possible: "I'm sorry, Guan can't do this kind of thing."

Although he had an aloof personality, Guan Yu was not so arrogant as to think that he, a "enemy of ten thousand men", could really defeat ten thousand men alone.

Even for a martial arts expert like him, it is impossible for him to really kill ten thousand enemies by himself. After all, even if there are ten thousand of them standing there for you to kill, you will be tired to death.

A martial arts expert only has strong explosive power, but he is not invincible!

Once their physical strength is exhausted, they will still be surrounded and killed by the human wave tactics.

Xun You smiled and joked to Guan Yu: "Oh, it turns out there are things in this world that Guan Yunchang can't do. I thought the commander was omnipotent."

"Hmph, stop talking nonsense. If you can't come up with a solution, I'll have to take my leave!"

Guan Yu was very angry and was about to continue to rant, but was interrupted by Xun You: "Don't worry, I haven't lived enough, and I'm not here to die with the commander today. I have already made a plan to deal with it."

Xun You was a top strategist after all, and he was also Wang Jing's military advisor and chief strategist, so Guan Yu was very convinced of his ability. But at the same time, he couldn't help but be curious: "Sir, do you really have a solution?"

"Captain, please be patient and listen to my analysis."

Xun You then began to describe his strategy for breaking the impasse: "As the Art of War says, to capture a thief, you must first capture his leader. So my strategy is very simple. Choose a favorable terrain, then choose the most favorable time, and attack directly, targeting the enemy general, and killing him with one strike."

“It’s a good idea, but how do we implement it?”

After all, Guan Yu had followed Liu Bei to fight against the Yellow Turban Rebellion, so he was no longer a rookie on the battlefield. He would not impulsively give up his life just because of a plan that someone else came up with on the spur of the moment.

Regarding Xun You's strategy, Guan Yu directly asked three most critical questions.

"First, how do we choose the right ambush location?"

"Second, how do you choose the right time to strike?"

"Third, and most importantly, how can you be sure that I can kill the enemy general quickly? What if I rush over and get hacked to death instead?"

(End of this chapter)