Chapter 113: Each one depends on his own ability

After Liu Bei led his troops into Donglai Commandery, scouts continuously reported that Yuan's army had already captured three cities in a row.

Guan Yu said, "After several days of continuous fighting, Yuan's soldiers must be exhausted. If we wait for them to rest or enter the city, it will be difficult for us to fight."

Liu Bei agreed, "That's what I think too. Order the whole army to pursue Yuan's army!"

The next day, the two armies encountered each other.

Liu Bei saw Yuan's army lined up in a neat formation with high morale, and he felt a faint sense of foreboding.

Then he saw a young general come out and shout, "I am Yuan Xi. I would like to meet Duke Xuande."

Hearing this, Liu Bei ignored Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's obstruction and rode forward, stopping within bowshot of Yuan Xi.

Yuan Xi cupped his hands and said, "Young man greets Duke Xuande. Thinking back to when we met in Fei County, it feels like yesterday. I can't help but sigh."

Liu Bei said in a deep voice, "Yuan Zhoumu has indeed given birth to a good son. In my eyes, you are more difficult to deal with than your elder brother."

Yuan Xi humbly said, "I dare not say that. When brothers are of one mind, they can break gold. Are Duke Xuande's three brothers not the same?"

Liu Bei waved his hand and said, "There's no need to mention these things. If you have something to say, say it quickly."

Yuan Xi then said, "Duke Xuande is a hero of this era. Now that the two armies are at war, there will inevitably be many casualties. Why not turn hostility into friendship? Is that possible?"

Liu Bei snorted coldly, "The Yuan family is good at invading Qingzhou, attacking and killing important officials of the Han court, and even establishing another emperor. They are truly traitors of the Han. How can I, Bei, be on the same path as you?"

Hearing this, Yuan Xi laughed and said, "Duke Xuande is mistaken!"

"Back then, Dong Zhuo held the Han Emperor hostage and brought disaster to the world. My father called on the heroes of the world to unite and oppose Dong, which was to support the Han Dynasty!"

"It was because the Han Emperor was held hostage by the traitor Dong, the court was in chaos, and the chaos in the world did not stop that the coalition forces established Liu Hou (Yu), a member of the Liu clan, as emperor, to restore clarity to the Han Dynasty!"

"But what about Duke Xuande?"

"I remember that people like Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, and Tao Qian supported Que Xuan!"

"Does Duke Xuande also agree with this?"

Liu Bei was speechless for a moment and could not answer.

Seeing this, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei rode forward. Yuan Xi's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but want to turn around and run away.

Zhao Yun and Gao Lan behind him also rode forward and stood beside Yuan Xi, and Yuan Xi felt a little relieved.

Guan Yu said in a deep voice, "Brother, don't waste words with this kid. Let's see the truth on the battlefield."

Zhang Fei pointed at Zhao Yun and cursed, "Boy, my brother treated you well, but you betrayed him!"

Zhao Yun said indifferently, "Yun's conscience is clear."

"I also want to know why Duke Gongsun Zan killed Liu Hou, but Duke Xuande has remained silent."

Liu Bei sighed and said, "Zilong, I know you feel injustice in your heart, but how can I not have my difficulties?"

"It is so difficult to find a place to stay in the world. I also have my own unavoidable difficulties."

"Tao Zhoumu passed away the other day."

Zhao Yun understood the hidden meaning in Liu Bei's words, was silent for a while, and finally cupped his hands and said, "Forgive Yun for not being able to serve Duke Xuande."

Liu Bei sighed deeply.

Zhang Fei was impatient, waved his Zhangba Snake Spear and pointed at Zhao Yun: "I knew you kid had a rebellious bone!"

"Come and fight me, let your grandfather send you on your way!"

Zhao Yun came from a humble background, and Zhang Fei had always looked down on him. Now that Zhao Yun heard Zhang Fei scolding him like this, he also felt angry and tightened his grip on the spear shaft.

Yuan Xi said, "I hope Duke Xuande will prioritize the overall situation. Now the two sides are fighting endlessly. Moreover, Cao Cao is still coveting Xuzhou. If you fight and injure your muscles and bones, how can Duke Xuande defend Xuzhou?"

Zhang Fei shouted, "Today I will kill you all here, and then go back and destroy that Cao Cao kid!"

Yuan Xi ignored him and said, "When Zigan (Lu Zhi) was alive, he was a strategist under my father's command, but Duke Xuande and Gongsun Zan, as his disciples, were enemies of him. Was the teacher wrong, or were the disciples wrong?"

As soon as these words came out, Guan Yu couldn't help but shout, "Eloquent and specious, all words are nonsense!"

Seeing that the words were not speculative and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both had the desire to fight, Liu Bei finally made up his mind and said, "Whether it is victory or defeat, we must fight to see the difference."

"Good!" Hearing this, Yuan Xi cupped his hands and said, "I hope that after a battle, I can still sit down with Duke Xuande and have a good talk!"

The two sides did not answer each other and returned to their respective formations.

Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief, his back was covered in cold sweat. He was really afraid that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would get angry and rush up to chop him down.

Fortunately, the other side still had some martial virtue, probably thinking that he was not worth killing?

Yuan Tan came up and said, "Second brother, since they are stubborn, we can only start a war."

Yuan Xi nodded helplessly, thinking that sometimes, the most effective way to persuade the other party is still force.

Yuan Tan waved his hand, and the Jizhou soldiers began to advance, with archers standing in the center army, ready to release arrows.

Seeing the opposite formation advancing, Liu Bei worried, "This battle is not easy to fight. The opposite soldiers do not seem as tired as we thought."

Guan Yu said in a deep voice, "We can only find an opportunity to kill the opposite general."

Zhang Fei sneered, "Watch me!"

He took the lead and rushed towards the opposite side.

As a result, the opposite army shouted and a rain of arrows shot over.

Zhang Fei cursed inwardly, dodging on his horse. The opposite side didn't seem to want to give him a chance!

He ran around the front of the formation for a while and arrived at the flank, where he found that Zhao Yun was already standing in front of the formation. He immediately shouted and rushed up, and the two fought together.

Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei had also sparred many times, and they were familiar with each other's routines. They rolled and fought for dozens of rounds without a clear winner. Zhang Fei looked back and saw Guan Yu hesitating for a moment before riding up.

This was the method they used to kill Yan Liang. Zhang Fei entangled the enemy general, and Guan Yu took the opportunity to rush up!

Seeing this, Liu Bei sighed and couldn't help but turn his head away.

Seeing Guan Yu getting closer and closer to Zhao Yun, he heard the sound of a bowstring in the distance, and an arrow shot towards Guan Yu.

Guan Yu was startled and dodged the arrow. He saw Zhang He running with his bow, and Gao Lan was also fighting with him.

Guan Yu immediately understood that his plan had been seen through!

Also, Yan Liang was dead, and the other side couldn't not be on guard!

But how could he retreat when facing two people?

Guan Yu laughed loudly and greeted him: "Come and fight!"

In an instant, the three generals were in a melee.

Seeing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei entangled, Liu Bei immediately drew his double-edged sword and ordered the soldiers to press forward. The two armies exchanged a rain of arrows and collided fiercely.

As soon as the battle began, Liu Bei felt something was wrong. The Jizhou soldiers were full of fighting spirit and suppressed the Xuzhou soldiers at once!

Now he could only order the soldiers to hold the center army and hope that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei could kill the opposite general and break through from the side to gain victory.

A thought flashed through his mind, should this battle not have been fought?

He stretched his head and looked, and saw that Zhang Fei was eager to stab Zhao Yun to death, but Zhao Yun defended him perfectly. For a time, the two were deadlocked.

Guan Yu was facing Zhang He and Gao Lan, but he was energetic, and his long knife was like a storm. Zhang He and Gao Lan could not win for a while.

Guan Yu knew that he could not last long. He used all his strength, and his physical exertion was far higher than the opposite side. Now he was in a dilemma, unless he found a flaw in the opponent and killed one, otherwise he would lose sooner or later.

But he didn't even have this opportunity.

Only the sound of a bowstring was heard, and an arrow shot towards Guan Yu's face like a meteor!

Guan Yu was startled. This arrow was faster than the one Zhang He shot earlier!

He quickly turned his head and barely avoided the arrow. He saw a general with double halberds on his back, holding a large bow and galloping towards him!

Tai Shici!

He finally brought his mother back and came to see Yuan Xi as promised. Yuan Xi was overjoyed and took him to see Yuan Tan, promising that as long as Tai Shici persuaded the cities of Donglai to surrender without resistance, he would never disturb the people in the city.

Later, the Jizhou army fulfilled its promise. Except for sending a few hundred people into the city, the army did not enter the city to disturb the people. As a result, the counties along the way surrendered one after another.

This is also why the Jizhou soldiers are so energetic now.

While rushing, Tai Shici continuously shot arrows at Guan Yu with his strong bow. Guan Yu finally couldn't resist, and his left arm was shot by an arrow. The arrow pierced through the armor and went several inches into the flesh.

Guan Yu's strength was exhausted. He roared and waved his knife, riding back to his own formation.

Seeing this, Tai Shici and the other three generals turned their horses and headed straight for Zhang Fei.

This was the order Yuan Xi gave them before the war.

Since the other side would sneak attack, then this side would not be polite.

Concentrate superior generals and gang up on the opposite general!

Zhang Fei was entangled with Zhao Yun, and seeing Guan Yu injured, the three generals rushed towards him, and he couldn't help but shout: "Despicable and shameless, see how your grandfather Zhang Fei kills you all!"

He waved his Zhangba Snake Spear with all his strength, forced Zhao Yun back, and turned his horse and ran.

He was not stupid.

Seeing the four generals chasing Zhang Fei, Yuan Xi couldn't help but burst into tears. Who had ever fought such a rich battle!

Can Romance of the Three Kingdoms do this!

Seeing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei retreating, Yuan Tan decisively commanded the cavalry on both wings to press forward, and a rain of arrows poured onto the flanks of Liu Bei's army, and the soldiers fell to the ground one after another.

Liu Bei himself could not maintain his formation and sighed.

One wrong move, every move is wrong. He just wanted to rely on force, but was suppressed by the opponent's force.

In addition to his three brothers, there were still too few available generals!

Seeing that the defeat was obvious, he had to command the soldiers to slowly gather and find an opportunity to break through.

The battle lasted for most of the day, and Liu Bei finally escaped with half of his men.

The reason why he was able to achieve this result was that Yuan's army did not kill them all.

Yuan Tan said to Yuan Xi, "Why didn't you chase them?"

Yuan Xi said, "Duke Xuande may not stand on our side in the future."

"And if he is beaten so badly that he has no soldiers, Cao Cao will probably turn around and attack Xuzhou immediately. Wouldn't we be making wedding clothes for others?"

Yuan Tan laughed and said, "It seems that the second brother, like three years ago, is still somewhat afraid of Cao Cao."

"I think it is difficult for him to have a chance in the four battlefields of Yanzhou. Is the second brother overthinking it?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "It's just a feeling, I hope I'm wrong."

Ju Shou listened to this and was thoughtful.

He had not spoken from beginning to end in this battle, but let Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi play freely.

From the results, it was much better than he expected.

But because of this, Ju Shou was even more conflicted.

The three sons of the Yuan family are all so capable, I am afraid that the future struggle for the throne will be no small disaster.

But Yuan Shao did not listen to Ju Shou's advice and let the three sons lead troops separately. Most of the strategists have taken sides, but Ju Shou has been indecisive.

It is obvious that the eldest son and the second son have joined forces, but the third son's biological mother, Madam Liu, is the first wife and will never let the two of them get their wish.

Ju Shou began to have a headache. It is so difficult to find someone to assist, will he eventually be involved in the vortex of the struggle for the throne?