Cao Ren led his troops across the Baihe River. Li Dian sent someone to report, and Liu Qi took the initiative to leave the city and set up camp to resist the enemy.
Cao Ren sneered, "Liu Qi, you sick man, you are so arrogant after a small victory. You don't know how high the heaven is and how deep the earth is. I will let you learn the true art of war."
When Cao's army arrived at the camp, the two armies deployed their battle arrays. Liu Qi looked frail on his horse, and next to him was a white-haired veteran who was nearly fifty years old.
Cao Ren became more disdainful and sneered, "How dare the old, weak, sick and disabled resist my army?"
Li Dian said: "Lian Po was seventy years old, but he was still able to repel the Qin army. This man was the one who fought against Lu Xiang. General, you must not underestimate the enemy."
Cao Ren curled his lips and smiled: "General Li will go out to fight, let's see how strong he is."
Li Dian frowned and said, "Liu Qi deliberately showed weakness in front of the battle, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei hid in the camp. I'm afraid there must be a trick!"
Cao Ren was furious and said, "When we were in Fancheng, you were passive and lazy in the battle, which weakened our army's morale. Now you are repeatedly making excuses and refusing to meet the enemy. Are you harboring second thoughts?"
Li Dian had no choice but to ride his horse to challenge. Liu Qi winked at Huang Zhong, and Huang Zhong rode out with his sword in hand.
Drums sounded loudly in front of the two armies, and the two men came forward to fight. Although Li Dian was good at martial arts, he was no match for Huang Zhong. He could not hold on in less than ten rounds and wanted to retreat.
Seeing that Li Dian was having such a hard time fighting against an old general, Cao Ren felt ashamed and shouted, "Beat the drum!"
Boom boom boom—
The drumbeats in front of Cao's army became more and more frequent. Li Dian heard the drumbeats and was told to fight hard, so he gritted his teeth and continued fighting.
After barely five more rounds, Huang Zhong let out a loud shout, his white beard fluttering in the wind, and he slashed down with his sword from the air.
Li Dian's weapon flew out and he was swaying on his horse. Before he could sit firmly, he saw Huang Zhong urging his horse to approach him, reaching out to grab the belt of his robe, dragging him onto his own horse and galloping back in response.
"General Li!" Cao Ren was shocked and was about to ride his horse to rescue him, when he suddenly saw a fiery red shadow swaying at the gate, like a flame.
Looking carefully, I saw that it was the Red Hare that had its head poked out there, and on that horse was a man with a red face and a long beard, looking sideways at me with a murderous look on his face.
Cao Ren was shocked, raised his sword and shouted, "Guan Yunchang, don't try to hide in the dark and attack us. Do you dare to come out of the camp and fight?"
Cao Ren witnessed with his own eyes the moment Guan Yu killed Yan Liang in battle, and that blow of the sword is still vivid in his mind.
This man's sword strike is as powerful as thunder, and being attacked by him by surprise is no joke.
Liu Qi was quite disappointed to see that Cao Ren did not come to rescue them. He asked Huang Zhong to take Li Dian away, and Guan Yu urged his horse to slowly walk out of the gate.
His phoenix eyes narrowed into a slit, his three-foot long beard fluttered in the spring breeze, his battle robe puffed up, his red rabbit horse raised its head and pawed with its hooves, looking unruly and imposing.
Liu Qi could clearly see the tension among the soldiers in Cao's camp, which were all as taut as bowstrings. Cao Ren also held his broadsword across his chest, on guard. Archers on both sides drew their bows and aimed from afar.
Cao Ren shouted, "Yun Chang, your brother was killed by Liu Biao and his son. Why do you still want to acknowledge the enemy as your father and work for them?"
Guan Yu's phoenix eyes slightly opened, a cold light flashed, and he stroked his beard and said: "I know right and wrong, and there is no need for outsiders to discuss it."
Cao Ren said: "The Prime Minister has admired you for a long time. He treated you with courtesy in Xuchang and I still remember you. Why don't we work together to protect the emperor and bring peace to the world?"
Guan Yu said coldly: "Cao Cao deceived the emperor and deceived the superiors. I swear to destroy this traitor in accordance with my brother's will! Cao Zixiao, stop making noise and come to fight!"
Cao Ren's face changed slightly, and he laughed loudly, "I am a general, how can I be so brave as to be a common man?"
He pointed a knife at Liu Qi and said, "Liu Qi, do you dare to fight me?"
Liu Qi asked: "What is a battle formation?"
Cao Ren said, "Tomorrow I will set up a formation here. If you can break it, I will withdraw from Fancheng. How do you think?"
Liu Qi nodded and smiled: "It's a deal!"
Cao Ren was secretly delighted, and ordered his troops to withdraw and set up camp, and summoned his generals to arrange the battle formation.
After Li Dian was captured, he was the only general left. Although Liu Qi had few soldiers, he still had Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others, so he naturally would not go into battle easily.
This formation has been practiced for several years. As long as Guan Yu and others are lured into the formation, no matter how powerful he is, he will not be able to escape. If Guan Yu, Zhang and others are captured, Liu Qi will not be a threat.
Liu Qi withdrew his troops and returned to the camp. He ordered his men to bring Li Dian up and asked, "Are you willing to surrender?"
Li Dian shook his head and smiled bitterly, "My father and I have received great favors from the Prime Minister, how can we betray him? I only regret that General Cao did not listen to my advice, and I am afraid that Fancheng will not be saved."
"Oh?" Liu Qi knew that Li Dian was quite strategic and could see through his plan. He liked him even more and asked, "Your Excellency is also from Shanyang, right?"
Li Dian was startled, and suddenly remembered that Liu Biao was also from Shanyang, and nodded slightly.
Liu Qi sighed, "Cao Cao is called the Prime Minister of Han, but he is actually a traitor to Han, just like Dong Zhuo. I heard that you are well-read, so why did you help Zhou to commit atrocities? You and I are from the same hometown, so we should unite to fight against the traitor. Why don't you abandon the dark and join the light?"
Li Dian shook his head and said, "I have studied the Spring and Autumn Annals, and I know the meaning of loyalty and righteousness. How can I be ungrateful and betray my master?"
Guan Yu suddenly opened his eyes and asked in a deep voice: "You also read the Spring and Autumn Annals?"
Li Dian shuddered and nodded, saying, "I have been studying since I was young, and I have been studying the Zuo Zhuan under a teacher. I admire the loyalty and bravery of the ancients, and I will never be a treacherous villain."
Guan Yu snorted slightly, closed his eyes and stroked his beard, and said coldly: "Those who cannot distinguish right from wrong are called foolishly loyal!"
“You…” Li Dian was furious and was about to retort, but suddenly realized that he was just a prisoner. He sighed dejectedly and lowered his head in silence.
Liu Qi smiled and said, "General, you may not know that my second uncle often reads the Spring and Autumn Annals at night without putting it down. If the general has any experience, why not discuss it with him?"
Li Dian looked at Guan Yu, who was holding his long beard and slightly turning his head, and said, "I'd like to learn from you!"
During the late Han Dynasty, aristocratic families passed down scriptures for generations. A set of scriptures was like the martial arts secrets of a martial arts school. Not only was it a family heirloom, it also concerned the reputation of the master.
Li Dian became a student of literature, so naturally he had some integrity and was unwilling to lose to a warrior like Guan Yu.
"Follow me!" Guan Yu lightly threw his battle robe and walked out with his hands behind his back.
Liu Qi asked Guan Ping to take Li Dian away and told him to keep an eye on him and not to anger Guan Yu, but was killed by a single blow.
Li Dian is not a real military general, but he is quite strategic. If Guan Yu can persuade him to surrender, he will be Guan Yu's military officer in the future, and the two will have a common language.
After all, Guan Yu only started studying the Spring and Autumn Annals late in life and relied entirely on his own comprehension. Li Dian, on the other hand, had a legitimate teacher and graduated from a professional school. If they could communicate with each other, perhaps Guan Yu's temper could be changed.
At this time, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun led their troops back to the camp. Zhang Fei was dissatisfied and said, "Cao Ren, this kid, didn't dare to fight with my second brother. He made me wait for a long time in vain."
It turned out that before the battle today, Liu Qi designed to let Guan Yu capture Li Dian and wait for Cao Ren to rescue him. Guan Yu would go forward to hold the enemy back, and then the ambushes from two directions would rush out, thus defeating Cao's army and capturing Cao Ren.
Unexpectedly, Cao Ren did not dare to confront Guan Yu and had to make other plans. However, this was also a good thing as it bought more time for Wei Yan.
Liu Qi asked the two to go back and rest, and asked Xu Shu, "Cao Ren will set up a battle formation tomorrow. Does the military advisor know how to do it?"
Xu Shu smiled and said, "I often hang out with Kong Ming and others in Longzhong, and I know a thing or two about Qimen Dunjia. You will know it by observing the formation tomorrow."
When Liu Qi mentioned Zhuge Liang, he felt itchy in his heart and said with emotion: "I wonder when I can meet Mr. Wolong."