Zhou Yu said: "A real man would sacrifice his life for his country and fight to the death. Why can't I use a mere woman to protect the foundation of Jiangdong for three generations and leave my lord's name for thousands of years?"
"I have Gongjin's help, so why should I worry about not accomplishing my goal?" This sentence moved Sun Quan so much that he finally made up his mind.
Zhou Yu added: "When Liu Qi loses power in the future, my lord will take Jingzhou and settle him and his wife in Jiangdong, so that their children will have no worries about food and clothing. This way of repaying evil with kindness is truly a benevolent and wise ruler, and will surely be passed down as a good story for all ages."
"Hahaha, Gongjin is right!" Sun Quan laughed towards the sky.
After the banquet, Zhou Yu immediately returned to Chaisang and stood on the bow of the boat with his hands behind his back. His white clothes were as white as snow, and his demeanor was detached, but there was a lingering sadness between his brows.
"Bofu, for our great cause, I will not refuse even if I die a thousand times. Have you ever closed your eyes in peace in your grave?"
Sun Ce was at the height of his career, but he was killed by a common man, and he didn't even get to see him for the last time.
Zhou Yu was heartbroken after losing his best friend. If he hadn't left any last words, he would have committed suicide and followed him.
He didn't want to stay in Jiangdong for a long time because he was afraid that the scenery would remind him of the people he had met.
Whenever I think of the scene of the two of them drinking and chatting happily, I feel heartbroken and in agony.
The boat goes upstream, the river is surging, the water is splashing, and the dancing waves are like a man as powerful as a galloping horse, always happy and heroic, talking and laughing.
I still remember the days when I rode the wind across the river, full of passion and enthusiasm, and your laughter is still ringing in my ears, but in the blink of an eye we are separated by life and death.
Although the assassin was killed, it was only said that it was the revenge of Xu Gong's followers, and there was no further news.
A shocking change, like this wave, disappeared in a flash, disappeared in the river, and undercurrent surged.
…
The south of the Yangtze River is cold and foggy, so a light fur coat is enough to get through the winter. But in the north, it is snowing heavily, the ice is three feet thick, and all things are dormant.
This should have been a season for rest and recuperation, but there was war and endless fighting inside Wuguan.
Liu Qi seized Wuguan by fraud, and Ma Teng was hesitant. Cao Cao was worried that the situation in Guanzhong would change, so he appointed Cao Hong as the General Zhenxi to guard Chang'an, and sent the general Xu Huang to seize Wuguan.
Xu Huang led 30,000 elite troops and rushed to Wuguan. The rear army camped along the mountain, while the front army arrived outside the pass, beating drums and forming a battle array.
At the critical moment, swords and spears were everywhere. Wei Yan and Fu Rong looked at Cao's soldiers and saw that they were well-organized and their formation was tight. They were stronger than Xiahou Cun's troops.
Wei Yan praised: "Cao Cao said Xu Huang is like Zhou Yafu, and it is true. With such momentum, we should not underestimate the enemy."
As he was watching, a general arrived in front of the pass, holding a sword and shouting, "You thieves from Jingzhou, you sneaked into the pass, come out quickly and be killed."
Fu Zhu was furious and said, "The enemy is rampant. If we don't go out to meet them, our army will lose its prestige. It is better to go out of the city and fight to test the strength of Cao's army."
Wei Yan originally just wanted to defend the city to the death and ignore it, but the terrain west of Wuguan was flat and Cao's army had already set up camp. If he did not engage in battle, Xu Huang would surely attack the city, so it would be better to deal with him and delay the time.
"If you want to go into battle, General, you must be careful of Xu Huang. I have fought with this man before and he is very skilled in martial arts. You must not be reckless."
Fu Zhun clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, General. I will only kill this arrogant general and have no intention of fighting Xu Huang."
Wei Yan ordered Fu Rong to go out of the city to meet the enemy, while he watched the battle from the top of the city. If he saw that the situation was not good, he would withdraw his troops and return to the city.
Fu Zhu led his troops out of the city and shouted, "I am Fu Zhu from Nanyang, and I am here to announce my name!"
The man laughed and said, "You are a nobody, Xu Shang from Hedong has come to take your life."
Fu Rong was furious. He urged his horse and rushed out with his sword in hand. Xu Shang also stepped forward to fight. The two fought in front of the pass. After twenty rounds, Xu Shang could no longer resist.
Fu Rong became more and more courageous as the battle went on, and he wanted to kill the general to intimidate the enemy, forcing Xu Shang to panic and turn his horse to flee in a hurry, with Fu Rong chasing him.
Xu Huang had been preparing in front of the battle line. Seeing that Xu Shang was defeated, he immediately rushed out to rescue him. He held off Fu Rong and fought for more than ten rounds. Then he sounded the horn to call back his troops and they all retreated.
Xu Huang whispered a few words to Xu Shang, picked up his axe and came to the pass, laughing: "Wei Yan, you ordered your generals to fight, but you hid inside the pass. Are you afraid of me, Xu Gongming, and want to be a coward?"
"Xu Huang, stop being so arrogant. I will chop off your head today."
Wei Yan was furious and ordered Fu Rong to guard the pass and ride out of the city.
The two had fought before in Nanyang, so without further ado, they raised their swords and charged towards Xu Huang.
Xu Huang roared and smashed his axe straight towards the opposite side, but Wei Yan did not dodge and blocked it with his sword.
The two horses met each other, and there was a loud bang, which shook Wei Yan on his horse and Xu Huang's axe was also bounced away.
"Are all red-faced ones so powerful?" Xu Huang was secretly shocked and couldn't help but think of Guan Yu.
In the Battle of Nanyang, Cao's army fell into traps and fled many times, and did not fight to the death. Today, after fighting with Wei Yan with all his strength, they realized that this man was quite powerful.
His axe weighed at least fifty or sixty kilograms. He used the full force of his mount to smash it down with more than several hundred kilograms of force. Many enemy generals were split in half by a single blow of his axe.
This Wei Yan was able to take his full-strength attack, and the recoil made his arm numb. Such an opponent is at least comparable to Yan Liang and Wen Chou.
"Hahaha, he's still a decent opponent!" Wei Yan's fighting spirit was also aroused, and he rode his horse to charge again.
The two men fought together with astonishing momentum. In addition, the terrain in front of Wuguan was narrow, with a thousand-foot cliff on one side, which made it even more dangerous.
Drums beat loudly on the city wall, and both armies shouted to cheer. Wei Yan's sword flew up and down like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, with a terrifying momentum.
Xu Huang's axe seemed clumsy and slow, but it was as steady as a rock. No matter how fast the sword attacked, it was foolproof.
The two men met their equals in chess and the generals met their best talents. The two fought more and more courageously, and after more than thirty rounds, there was no clear winner.
After fighting for more than ten rounds, Xu Huang seemed to be running out of strength, and his moves became increasingly chaotic. He roared and smashed down with his axe, forcing Wei Yan to retreat, then turned his horse and rode away.
Wei Yan retreated a few steps, drew his sword and stood on his horse, but did not chase him. He laughed and said, "Xu Gongming, this strategy of luring the enemy is too clumsy. I just want to learn from you."
Xu Huang rode his horse back to his camp, hoping to lure Wei Yan to lead his troops to attack, but seeing that the enemy had withdrawn his troops back to the city, he sighed helplessly and ordered his troops to set up camp to rest and prepare for another battle tomorrow.
The next morning, the northwest wind was howling, the weather was freezing cold, and the sound of military training could be heard from Cao's camp. The sound shook the valley and occasionally the accumulated snow fell.
Half an hour later, Xu Huang led his troops to the city again, pointing directly at Wei Yan and challenging him to a fight to the death.
Fu Zhu still wanted to fight, but Wei Yan said, "Xu Huang lured the enemy yesterday, and he must have a trick today. Don't pay attention to it. We will be invincible."
After watching on the top of the city for a while, he ordered Fu Rong to be on guard, and Wei Yan went back to the city tower to avoid the cold. The two of them took turns guarding the pass, and as long as Cao's army did not come to attack, they would let him shout.
Xu Huang cursed for a while, but when he saw Wei Yan turning back, he became so angry that his face turned blue, and he ordered the three armies to prepare to attack the city.
Although the interior of Wuguan is relatively flat and spacious, the terrain is limited. Although Cao's army comes in large numbers, they cannot rush in all at once.
Xu Huang had already divided his troops into three camps: front, middle and rear. Each camp was further divided into five teams, which took turns to attack the city.
Wuguan already had sufficient equipment, including bows and arrows, wooden poles, etc., and with the addition of a batch of military weapons delivered a few days ago, it was safe.
Cao's army could only attack from the front. On the narrow mountain road, before they reached the city, they were shot like hedgehogs by the dense rain of arrows.
Although Fu Rong was young, he commanded calmly and defended impenetrably. Cao's army attacked for half a day but to no avail and suffered heavy casualties. Xu Huang had to retreat temporarily.