"Thump, thump..."
Heavy footsteps echoed from the prison.
"Clink, clink..."
The shackles and fetters struck the ground with clear sounds.
A middle-aged man walked slowly, his shadow stretched long by the setting sun, appearing lonely, composed, and unyielding!
Apart from Tian Feng, who else could it be?
Stepping out of the cell and into the entrance of the prison, he glanced at the few remaining guards. Tian Feng knew that the fewer people left here, the more it proved how disastrously Yuan Shao had been defeated on the front lines!
He raised his head to look at the twilight sky.
"Alas..." With a long sigh, he proclaimed loudly, "Hidden Dragon aids Cao, not Yuan... Why, Hidden Dragon aids Cao, not Yuan!"
Having spoken, he extended his left hand, and the jailer respectfully handed him an iron sword.
"Swish..." With a sound, Tian Feng drew the iron sword... intending to commit suicide!
Who would have thought, at this very moment...
"Jiedu Tian, hold on a moment..."
A voice came from within the prison.
Everyone subconsciously turned their heads to find the source of the sound, only to see over ten men in black emerging, killing their way out. Their coordination was seamless, and in an instant, they had subdued the guards present.
And from amidst them, a figure strode out – who else but Sima Zhongda?
"Jiedu Tian, on the orders of our Young Master Lu, I am here to help you escape Ye City!"
"You..."
Tian Feng lowered his head and saw Xu Yuan beside this man.
Cough, cough...
Xu Yuan coughed, "Jiedu, a wise bird chooses its tree... They are... they are people sent by Young Master Lu, the commander of the Dragon Soaring Battalion! Specifically sent to save you and my family!"
As soon as Xu Yuan finished speaking...
Sima Yi continued, "Jiedu, rest assured, just like the members of the Xu clan, the entire Tian clan has been successfully relocated. Young Master Lu has mentioned repeatedly that Tian Yuanhao, with his direct counsel, is ten times more intelligent than him... Today, we risk everything to invite Jiedu Tian to the Central Plains to support a wise lord!"
Whoosh... Da Feng Novel Network
The sudden turn of events startled Tian Feng.
To be honest, he was not a stubborn person. In the past... he had served as the chief strategist for Han Fu, the Governor of Ji Province. But for the sake of his family's development, he had resolutely defected to Yuan Shao. This time... was he going to defect to Cao again?
"Commander of the Dragon Soaring Battalion? Young Master Lu? Are you referring to Hidden Dragon?" Tian Feng asked back.
"Indeed," Sima Yi replied truthfully.
"Hahaha..." Tian Feng burst into laughter. "Hidden Dragon flatters me. How can my humble skills compare to his? Hidden Dragon can save my family, and I, Tian Feng, am deeply grateful. But... I once betrayed Han Fu to join Yuan Shao, and if I betray Yuan Shao again today to join Cao Cao, wouldn't I become a fickle and untrustworthy person? Haha..."
As he spoke, Tian Feng recited the final line.
"A ruler who is foolish and a minister who is corrupt cannot escape defeat! I deserve to die..."
Upon saying this, Tian Feng was about to draw his sword across his neck. Who would have thought that Sima Yi had already approached him, and without a word... directly struck the back of Tian Feng's head with his palm.
Lu Yu had given instructions. Given Tian Feng's personality, he would surely not surrender. There was no need to persuade him; just knock him out and take him away!
"Ah..."
Tian Feng cried out in surprise and fainted...
Sima Yi caught him and was about to leave when he saw the jailers on the sides.
There were only seven or eight of them...
Even though Sima Yi knew that most of the troops had gone to support Yuan Shao on the front lines, leaving only these few men to guard the entire Ye City prison still greatly exceeded his expectations.
Sima Yi was about to issue an order.
However, the jailers all spoke, "Young Master? Could you recommend us to join Hidden Dragon?"
Clearly...
In the current situation, the strong and weak were clearly delineated. Cao Cao's fire was already spreading like wildfire, while Yuan Shao's forces were like a collapsing tidal wave, a falling building!
It was no exaggeration to say that many civilians and soldiers in the northern regions had already considered defecting to Cao Cao, but they lacked the means.
"Mas, they..."
Xu Yuan seemed a little concerned...
Sima Yi, however, extended his hand. "Their eyes do not lie to me."
Lu Yu was skilled in psychological tactics, and Sima Yi's psychological tactics were actually... not inferior to Lu Yu's. From the eyes of these jailers, Sima Yi could see that they were genuinely willing to defect.
"In that case, I will give you two choices..." Sima Yi said. "First, follow us and escape Ye City, staying away from this place of trouble. In doing so, you can ensure your safety! Second, I will knock you unconscious and leave you here to report the intelligence here to the Central Plains, to the Dragon Soaring Battalion. By doing so, you will have made great contributions, and in the future, you will be honored and your descendants will prosper – there will be no doubt about it."
This...
"Gulp" With a gulp, these jailers instinctively swallowed and then looked at each other.
"The second option!"
Someone among them uttered this sentence, and immediately, countless others echoed it.
Sima Yi walked up to them and patted their shoulders.
"Well done, from now on, you are members of the Dragon Soaring Battalion..."
Having said this... Sima Yi immediately gave the order.
With a "thud," each of their heads was struck forcefully from behind, and then they all fainted to the ground...
Looking at the jailers lying scattered about, Sima Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
He felt that he was one step closer to the mission assigned by Chief Lu...
—Establishing an "underground base" behind enemy lines in Ye City, and continuously reporting intelligence from here back.
A spy...
Perhaps, he... was born to be a spy.
"According to the first plan, withdraw..."
Sima Yi gave the order.
Immediately, countless people withdrew in an organized manner through the tunnel...
...
...
Xu Du City, South Gate.
Nineteen riders stood ready, facing the charge of three thousand enemy cavalry.
"Young Master Zhuge? We..."
A Dragon Soaring Battalion soldier anxiously asked, but before he could finish, Zhuge Jun preempted him, "Everyone, check if the tail-less bolts in the 'Zhuge Divine Crossbow' are still sufficient!"
This...
At this point, all the Dragon Soaring Battalion riders realized that this young master named "Kongming" intended for them to repel the enemy with the "Zhuge Divine Crossbow."
But... the current "Zhuge Divine Crossbow" could only fire thirty-two bolts, two volleys in total... and their opponent was several thousand strong...
As some of the Dragon Soaring Cavalry were about to ask questions.
Zhuge Jun had already pointed towards the enemy cavalry less than a thousand paces away.
"My master said that Liu Bei's third sworn brother, Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide, is as dark as ink and has a fiery temper. I presume... the one who will charge at the forefront of these enemy soldiers must be him!" Zhuge Jun's tone was solemn. "From my observation, this group of enemy soldiers is undisciplined. As long as we capture the leader and shoot dead Zhang Yide first, the enemy army will surely retreat!"
Whoosh...
As these words left his mouth, the brows of the eighteen Dragon Soaring riders furrowed. Subconsciously, they felt that Zhuge Jun's idea was too idealistic.
But... as the enemy cavalry drew closer.
They all noticed that the dark general among the enemy soldiers was charging at the forefront, leaving the knights behind him by a significant margin.
Indeed, just like the "rash" personality mentioned by "Young Master Zhuge."
This was an opportunity!
This was a heaven-sent opportunity for a decisive blow!
"We obey Young Master Zhuge's orders!"
All eighteen Dragon Soaring riders shouted in unison. For a moment, everyone felt that this "Young Master Zhuge" had suddenly become much more reliable, truly worthy of being Commander Lu's last disciple!
—"Waaahhhh..."
At this moment, Zhang Fei's roar could already be heard. He urged his warhorse forward with one hand, tightly gripping his Serpent Spear with the other, evidently... the dozen or so riders before him were mere fodder in his eyes, easily defeated!
He had this confidence!
Zhang Fei was still shouting, "Eat my grandpa Zhang's spear!"
Charging at the forefront, although Zhang Fei was alone on his horse...
Yet, the thudding of the hooves managed to create the momentum of ten thousand men charging!
"Three hundred and fifty paces..." Zhuge Jun softly murmured.
All the Dragon Soaring riders prepared themselves.
The "Zhuge Divine Crossbow" in their hands was hidden beneath the horses' manes. They were worried that revealing it too early would alert the "dark general" and cause them to miss the fatal blow!
"Three hundred paces!"
"Two hundred paces!"
Zhuge Jun continued to remind them.
The Zhuge Divine Crossbow was most powerful within fifty paces, and its finely forged tail-less bolts could penetrate almost any iron armor!
However, at such close range...
The danger also increased significantly.
In the past, when Guan Yu temporarily joined Cao Cao's camp, he had mentioned that his third sworn brother, Zhang Fei... could snatch the heads of generals from amidst tens of thousands of soldiers as easily as picking something from a pocket!
Amidst immense risk often lay fleeting opportunities.
"One hundred and fifty paces, nock the bolts!"
Zhuge Jun calculated the distance and shouted...
The Dragon Soaring Cavalry had strict discipline. Instantly, with Zhuge Jun at the center, everyone raised their arms, set aside their war halberds, drew their Zhuge Divine Crossbows, their movements unified, as if they were one person.
Then...
The right arm extended, the brow, the arm, the fist... forming a perfect line!
Simultaneously, a small bolt, eight inches long, with a cylindrical front and a pointed tip, and no tail feathers, was instantly drawn out—this was the famous "Tang Sect Hidden Weapon" of later generations—the Zhuge Divine Crossbow!
"Shoot..."
Zhuge Jun dared not be negligent. When Zhang Fei was still about seventy paces away, he gave the order.
—"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."
The sounds of the spring mechanism were continuous...
Unlike the silent springs used in general Mo family "mechanical hidden weapons," this was more covert and easier to wound enemies, but its power was undoubtedly much smaller.
It could be said that the Zhuge Divine Crossbow was unique; in pursuit of power, it was deliberately allowed to make booming sounds!
Nineteen riders, nineteen sets of "Zhuge Divine Crossbows," each Zhuge Divine Crossbow fired sixteen finely forged tail-less bolts, bursting out like the light of dawn, with incredible speed.
In an instant... they surged towards Zhang Fei like a swarm of locusts!
...
This...
Feeling the "bolts" shooting towards him from all directions.
Zhang Fei was initially surprised. Fortunately, he had experienced many battles and his combat experience was undeniably rich. Upon seeing the enemy's actions, he had already sensed something was amiss.
When he heard the terrifying "explosive" sounds, he quickly reined in his warhorse and pulled back, increasing the distance.
He even dismounted, letting his horse block the first volley of arrows.
Even so, the bolts, like "locusts," still managed to pierce his shoulders, two of them. He could feel that they had almost grazed his shoulder bone. Blood splattered, and a bone-piercing pain surged through him!
But Zhang Fei endured it completely.
He subconsciously looked at his shoulder and saw that his blood contained a dark hue, a sign of poisoning.
"Damn it... attacking with hidden arrows is one thing, but daring to poison me?"
—Dē dé dé...
At this moment, the warhorse in front of Zhang Fei let out a whinny, then raised its legs. As if using its last ounce of strength, with a final "thump, thump..." sound, it tragically fell sideways.
Zhang Fei saw clearly that his warhorse's neck and limbs had been ruthlessly pierced by the bolts.
What great power!
Even more terrifying was that these bolts seemed to be able to fire in rapid succession. Instantly, another volley burst forth...
This time, Zhang Fei dared not delay and threw himself to the ground...
He buried his head in the earth!
Even so...
This time his right arm was pierced by a bolt... a chilling sensation spread through him, the cold wind seeping into his body, causing Zhang Fei to feel numb all over!
"General Zhang..."
At this moment, a group of cavalrymen had caught up with Zhang Fei.
In fact... they had arrived after the first volley of bolts was fired. However, the first group attempting to rescue Zhang Fei was instantly turned into sieves by the second volley of tail-less bolts.
Many riders had their chests pierced and lost their lives in an instant!
These inexplicable bolts were too terrifying!
These enemy soldiers dared not delay...
They helped Zhang Fei up and ran back, fearing they would fall into the path of those "terrifying" bolts again. Who knew how many more arrows these dozen or so riders could fire!
After creating some distance...
Whoosh... whoosh...
Zhang Fei, gasping for breath, shouted at Zhuge Jun.
"You kid, you're fighting dirty, what kind of skill is attacking from behind?"
"Hmph..." Zhuge Jun snorted. "Sneaking is a skill? Heh, Zhang Yide, I'll tell you honestly, your sneak attack has long been seen through by my young master. The three thousand 'divine crossbows' on the city wall are waiting for you to fall into the trap?"
"I'll kill you..." Zhang Fei's eyes blazed with anger. He wanted to raise his Serpent Spear again and pierce this ignorant young man through a hundred transparent holes!
Who would have thought that the riders beside him had already helped him onto his warhorse, and the group was actually retreating!
That's right...
They were retreating!
Rather than retreating, it was more like they were scared!
These cavalrymen were Yellow Turban rebels. They had no military discipline. Their general, Zhang Fei, was in such a sorry state. Hearing about the three thousand crossbows again... who would dare to press forward?
Kidnapping the Son of Heaven was for Liu Bei... but damn it, one's life was one's own!
"Retreat..."
"Retreat..."
Instantly, the three thousand enemy soldiers turned their horses around, not even bothering to rescue their fallen comrades. They fled in panic.
Even while fleeing...
Zhang Fei's shoulders and arms were still bleeding continuously. It was blood tainted with green poison... evidently, his poisoning was not light.
Seeing them retreat, Zhuge Jun's heart trembled. The large beads of sweat on his forehead rolled down like rain.
"Whoosh... whoosh..."
He kept taking deep breaths. Only he knew best that the Zhuge Divine Crossbow only had two volleys... If... if they hadn't managed to intimidate the enemy, then... then...
"Young Master Zhuge, let's retreat back into the city first!"
A Dragon Soaring Battalion soldier reminded him...
Zhuge Jun nodded.
"Return... return to the city."
At this moment, his whole body was trembling. Who knew... how much courage he had mustered to command with such composure and aura. He felt... he had used all the courage he had for the rest of his life today!
...
...
Xu Du City, on the city wall, Zhao Rong watched this scene with immense astonishment!
Originally...
He had already prepared for the worst. If Xu Du City were to fall, at the very least, he had to protect Lord Xun and ensure that Cao Sikong's family evacuated this place!
He didn't even have time to send troops to quell the rebellion at the city gate; there simply wasn't enough time!
But now...
The situation had completely reversed. Just below the city wall, over ten Dragon Soaring cavalry had repelled several thousand enemy troops. This had bought him enough time to quell the rebellion at the South Gate!
This was a whole new story.
"No need to evacuate important personnel. Immediately... immediately lead two thousand officers and soldiers to pacify the rebellion at the South Gate! Close the city gates!"
"Yes!"
Zhao Rong gave the order...
A soldier received the command and went to relay it.
Another soldier beside him repeatedly exclaimed, "As expected of the Dragon Soaring Battalion... a dozen or so riders standing at the South Gate have intimidated the enemy's thousands of troops. It is truly astonishing."
Yes...
Zhao Rong also found it astonishing. However, now was not the time for astonishment.
Lord Xun's fate was still unknown. The urgent report stated that Zhang Fei was only leading three thousand vanguard troops, and behind them were nearly thirty thousand troops of Liu Bei!
Even if... the rebellion was quelled!
But could three thousand defenders resist thirty thousand troops attacking the city?
Zhao Rong's expression remained grim...
Just then.
—"Report, General... Lord Xun has awakened!"
—"Zhang Zhongjing of the medical department and the folk physician Hua Tuo have joined forces to save Lord Xun... Now, Lord Xun has awakened!"
Upon hearing this news...
"Good!"
Zhao Rong exclaimed. "Quick, lead the way, take me to see Lord Xun..."
After all, he, Zhao Rong, was just an ordinary city defending general. Lord Xun was the true reliance of Xu Du City!
—"Report... the scouts have discovered that the one who led the Dragon Soaring Cavalry to repel the enemy just now was the student Zhuge Liang!"
Another soldier reported!
Whoosh...
Zhuge Liang?
Zhao Rong's eyes narrowed. When he heard "student," his first thought was... wasn't that the disciple of Situ Lu?
Then it was no wonder...
The Dragon Soaring Battalion, Zhuge Liang... If he was Lu Situ's disciple, then it was no wonder!
Perhaps, this was something Lu Situ had foreseen in advance...
And given instructions to these disciples who were students and the remaining Dragon Soaring Cavalry...
For some inexplicable reason, thinking of this, Zhao Rong's tense mood eased considerably.
"Quick... send someone to summon this Zhuge Liang, have him... have him also go to the medical department to meet Lord Xun!"
Of course, he had to meet Lord Xun.
In fact, when Zhuge Jun repelled the enemy just now, he made a huge mistake!
He lied that Lu Yu had foreseen Liu Bei's surprise attack, and that was fine! But the greatest mistake was mentioning the three thousand "divine crossbows" waiting on the city wall...
This was a bit like "protesting one's innocence too much."
If there were really three thousand divine crossbows, how could they openly admit it!
This was like Zhang Yide at Changban Slope. After he scared away Cao Cao's army... if he hadn't dismantled the bridge, then given Cao Cao's suspicious nature, he might not have dared to cross the bridge. But if the bridge was destroyed, it undoubtedly... indicated a huge sense of guilt!
Zhang Fei was easily fooled!
But how sharp was Liu Bei?
If not for this remark, he might not have dared to continue attacking Xu Du City. But with this remark, his nearly thirty thousand troops... would likely soon be at the city gates!
—"Quickly dispatch people to scout everywhere... make sure to find the enemy's position!"
—"All small roads and mountain paths from Runan to Xu Du City must be investigated!"
—"Quick... be quick!"
Zhao Rong, while running towards the medical department, did not forget to instruct the soldiers beside him.
He looked like he was facing a great enemy, with no time to spare!
Just like his expression...
Zhang Fei's vanguard was merely an appetizer; Liu Bei's main army was still behind!
...
...