Chapter 381: Let go of past grudges

Li Jue saw that he was entangled by Zhang Liao, Guo Si was suppressed by Lu Bu, and Zhao Yun was no longer under control. He rode his horse forward and killed another general.

He knew that if he continued like this, he would get into trouble. While he was hesitating, he heard drums beating on the top of Anyi city wall, and two armies, carrying the flags of Cao's army and Baibo's army, rushed out.

He did not dare to fight, so he fired a feint and walked away. Zhang Liao wanted to charge forward, but the Feixiong Army rushed out from behind Li Jue and separated the two sides.

When Lu Bu saw that the Fei Xiong Army was protecting Li Jue and Guo Si and retreating, and that although they had suffered many casualties, they were still able to maintain their formation, he realized that the Fei Xiong Army was an elite force that had fought for a long time and should not be pursued, so he rode back.

Cao Cao saw this from the top of the city and sighed, "The Liangzhou Army is indeed the strongest in the world. If I can get them, I won't have to worry about not being able to pacify the world!"

The generals of Cao's army were silent. They had fought many battles in the past few years. From being a mob that could not defeat anyone in the beginning, they had gradually become able to compete with the various princes.

But what bothers them is the background.

Compared with the Liangzhou Army, which has been operating for many years and has strong men and horses and is well-equipped, Cao Cao's army's current weapons and equipment are really not up to par.

That was why Cao Cao was so desperate to find a way out of the impasse. He knew that it would be impossible for him to make any progress under Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao had become wary of him and was always on guard against his becoming too powerful.

Therefore, Cao Cao's preparation to welcome the emperor this time, even at the risk of falling out with Yuan Shao, was a desperate gamble. As long as he had the emperor's edict, he could gather scattered forces and take the opportunity to strengthen himself!

In Cao Cao's expectation, the Baibo Army and the Black Mountain Army were both on the list of those he would annex, but now both of them have been intervened by Yuan Xi, which makes him extremely uncomfortable.

The plan Cao Cao discussed with Xun Yu that day was to wait until the summer harvest and grain collection, capture Chenliu and stabilize the rear, and then go to Luoyang to welcome the emperor. However, Xun Yu pointed out that it would probably be too late.

He believed that after the summer harvest, Jizhou and Youzhou would most likely attack the Black Mountain Army. If the Black Mountain Army was eliminated, the Yuan family would be able to approach Sili, which would be a heavy blow to Cao Cao.

But if he welcomed the emperor earlier, Cao Cao could use the emperor's edict to join forces with the Black Mountain Army, thereby narrowing the power gap with Yuan Shao.

As for the Baibo bandits around the emperor, they must be annexed. The four Baibo generals are too much of a nuisance around the emperor and there is no need for them to exist anymore!

Even if these plans are implemented smoothly, it will take at least several months. If we have to wait until after the summer harvest, there will be too many variables.

Cao Cao agreed with this and immediately made a series of plans.

Abandon Chenliu and head straight to Hedong to welcome the emperor, annex the Baibo bandits, join forces with the Black Mountain bandits, seize Sili, and then take advantage of the situation to seize Jingzhou in the south!

All the counselors were amazed. Just as they were making careful plans, a piece of news came like a bolt from the blue.

The Youzhou army sent troops to Heishan in advance!

Cao Cao was shocked, but he responded immediately. He took prompt action, used Yuan Shang's army to secretly pass through the Jizhou Passage, headed straight for Hedong, and directly welcomed the emperor!

Yuan Xi had not anticipated Cao Cao's move. When he learned about it, he sighed that the old ones are still the wisest. He was glad that he had taken precautions and arranged in advance for Zhao Yun and Ju Su to go south to Henei.

In this way, he barely had time to catch up and compete with Cao Cao for this fleeting opportunity.

By chance, Zhao Yun and Ju Su's isolated army not only destroyed Cao Cao's plan to capture Huaicheng, but also arrived in Anyi with Lu Bu in time, which once again frustrated Cao Cao's plot.

After Cao Cao arrived in Anyi, he heard Cao Ren talking about the Huaicheng incident and said to Cao Ang, "If I had a son, I'd want him to be like Yuan Xianyi."

"If you had half his ability, I would be relieved."

After hearing this, Cao Ang bowed his head deeply and said, "Ang will work hard and not let my father down."

Now Cao Cao was standing on the top of the city wall, watching Zhao Yun organizing his troops to return to the battlefield, and a feeling of jealousy arose in his heart.

Yuan Benchu's three sons are more capable than the other. How were they educated?

During the holidays, these three people will become a big trouble. If they join forces, I will have a headache!

We must find a way to alienate these three people!

Zhao Yun and Ju Shou ordered their men to clean up the battlefield and bring back the wounded and dead. They did not lead their troops back to the camp until all their own soldiers had returned to their positions. This time there were over a hundred casualties, but most of them were wounded, and because most of the soldiers in the previous battle were wearing armor, only those who suffered minor injuries were injured.

These wounded soldiers were carried into the tents, and doctors had already come out to treat them. They cleaned their wounds with hot water, sutured them with needles, applied herbal medicine, and fed them medicinal soup.

Although this treatment plan is crude, it is the most appropriate method that can be adopted on the battlefield of this era.

As for the inevitable infection of wounds, the only thing they could do was take herbal medicine orally to enhance their resistance and help the soldiers survive the fever.

Lu Bu also asked Zhang Liao to count the casualties, and found that after only an hour's battle, hundreds of his most elite cavalry had been killed or wounded. This was not a small number, and his face darkened.

Moreover, these soldiers did not have the backup of medical treatment like the Youzhou soldiers. The wounded could only treat each other. They struggled to the river to clean their own wounds and bandaged each other's wounds.

Feeling annoyed, Lu Bu rode his horse to the gate of the camp. Looking at Zhao Yun's camp opposite, he saw teams of doctors preparing herbs in an orderly manner. He thought to himself, this Yuan family member seems to be very good at logistics?

He looked up at Anyi not far away, and his mood became worse and worse. Today, he and the Youzhou army were like the scapegoats, standing in the front, letting Cao's army and Baibo bandits on the top of the city watch the fun!

He was filled with resentment. If he had known that Cao Cao had seized the initiative, he would have rather not come!

Yuan Shu's army was about to approach Huaicheng, but he was waiting outside Anyi City, like a fool!

Thinking of his wife and daughter in Huaicheng, Lu Bu became even more inclined to retreat. If there was no progress in Anyi, would it be better for him to go back?

It seems that there is no hope to rely on Emperor Liu Xie. I am afraid that he already has a group of new ministers around him. Will he still care about me?

Just when he was worried about gains and losses, the gate of Anyi city opened, and dozens of cavalrymen escorted several carriages towards Lu Bu's camp. The carriages crossed the moat, traveled for several miles, and stopped in front of the camp gate.

Seeing this, Lu Bu showed a mocking look on his face, rode forward and shouted: "What, is there another imperial decree from the city?"

"Do you want me to retreat, or do you want me to pursue the Liangzhou army?"

The door of the front carriage opened, and Yang Biao and Kong Rong got out. Kong Rong winked at Lu Bu, and came to the front of the middle carriage with Yang Biao.

Two people opened the car door and one person got out.

Lu Bu had a sneer on his face, but suddenly his expression froze.

The man who came was wearing the emperor's crown, and it was actually the emperor Liu Xie!

Liu Xie got off the carriage, stepped forward a few steps, came to Lü Bu's horse, bowed deeply to Lü Bu, and said, "I am sorry to Marquis Wen, and I have come here to apologize to him."

Lu Bu quickly dismounted, supported Liu Xie, and said, "Why must the royal family do this?"

Liu Xie raised his head and looked directly at Lu Bu. "I was young and ignorant back then. Wen Hou was loyal to me, but I didn't repay him. After Wen Hou left, I was always worried. Whenever I thought about him, I tossed and turned and couldn't sleep at night."

"Marquis Wen has put aside past grudges and risked his life to save me from danger. However, due to various reasons, I was unable to respond to him in time. This is truly my fault."

After hearing this, Lu Bu was deeply moved and said, "I have no regrets in my death after hearing these words from the Heavenly Family!"

Liu Xie heard this and choked up, "I hope Marquis Wen can help me again!"

"Please follow me into the city. I guarantee that no one will harm you again!"

After hearing this, Lu Bu said in a deep voice: "I will repay the emperor for his appreciation!"

Yang Biao was watching the fight from the side and felt very relieved. After going through so many things, Liu Xie had gradually matured and his words even showed some of the spirit of a wise ruler!

Liu Xie then ordered Yang Biao to invite Jushou and Zhao Yun out, and bowed to them, saying, "You two have made great contributions to today's siege."

After hearing this, the two men hurriedly bowed and said, "Your servants are terrified. We are all here to protect the emperor on the orders of Yuan Xianyi, the governor of Youzhou."

Liu Xie nodded slightly, "I understand, please follow me into the city."

Zhao Yun and Ju Shou looked at each other and accepted the order. Zhao Yun arranged for his deputy to defend the camp, and then he took dozens of cavalrymen and Ju Shou to follow the emperor's convoy.

Liu Xie pulled Lu Bu onto his carriage, and Zhang Liao followed behind on horseback, and the group went into the city.

Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao rode side by side. Zhao Yun bowed to Zhang Liao and said, "Thank you, Brother Wenyuan, for your help."

Zhang Liao quickly responded with a salute, "I dare not. It is just a simple act. What I have done is for the safety of the emperor."

The two men charged into the battle together, felt a sense of mutual admiration, and started chatting, feeling that they had met too late.

The reason for this is that Zhang Liao is fundamentally different from other Bingzhou generals.

His ancestor Nie Yi was a prominent family in Yanmen. He acted as a traitor for the Han Dynasty in the Mayi conspiracy, but the conspiracy failed in the end because the plan was leaked.

Nie Yi was implicated and forced to change his surname. Although the family was still doing well by the time of Zhang Liao's generation, it was still burdened with a stigma and could never hold its head up high.

If Zhang Liao wanted to wash away the stigma of his family, he would certainly make an effort to please the emperor and win his trust, only then would it be possible to clear his family's name.

In this regard, he and Zhao Yun had a lot in common, and their conversation became more and more compatible.

In the carriage at the back, Fu Shou listened to the voices outside the window and thought to herself, no wonder Liu Xie wanted to ride in a carriage alone, it turned out that he was riding in the same carriage with Wen Hou.

She gently lifted the car curtain, revealing a tiny gap, and a faint smell of blood drifted in.

But she acted as if nothing had happened. How many times had she smelled this bloody smell along the way?

At first, it was the Yu Lin Lang next to him who had a stray arrow pierced his neck. He struggled to pull out the arrow, and the gushing blood splashed all over the people around him, and then he fell to the ground and died.

Fu Shou was only a few feet away. When she smelled the pungent smell of blood, she vomited on the spot.

But as the Bingzhou army attacked again and again, more and more people died, and Fu Shou gradually got used to this kind of scene. When she was assassinated by the Yellow River, the blood of the guards next to her splashed all over her head and face, but she didn't react much at that time. It was much calmer than she had imagined.

She looked through the gap in the curtains at the unfamiliar cavalrymen beside the convoy and thought to herself that these were the reinforcements that had just repelled the Liangzhou Army. These people were able to repel even such a ferocious Liangzhou Army. Liu Xie must be safe from now on, right?

Seeing that the armor of these people was stained with blood and many of them had blood on their faces, but their faces showed high spirits, Fu Shou actually felt the peace that he had not felt for a long time.