In the evening, three thousand Cao troops suddenly arrived from the direction of Kunyang. They rushed into Ye County without saying a word, repelled the security troops sent by Liu Qi, and took control of the city.
The caravan was confused as to what was going on, and those who usually had ill intentions took the opportunity to loot. The city was in chaos, and many people fled in panic, still in shock.
Xiahou Mao welcomed Cao Tai to the government office and said with a smile, "Ziming, I helped you take over Ye County this time, so you owe me another favor."
Cao Tai frowned and said, "Although our two armies have not agreed to a truce, Ye County was given up by Liu Qi. There are many people from aristocratic families here. If they rashly barge in, they may be blamed."
Xiahou Mao sneered, "When two countries clash, all is fair in war. Liu Qi is already attacking Liangzhou, so what human feelings can we talk about? Ye County is the throat of the Central Plains. Only by taking this city can we protect Xuchang."
Cao Tai said angrily, "You first said that the enemy was trying to seize the city, and then I led the troops here. Doesn't this make me bear a bad name? Where are the enemy troops?"
Xiahou Mao advised: "Ziming, please be patient. My news in Jingzhou has never been wrong. Guan Yu has indeed come."
Cao Tai snorted slightly. If Xiahou Mao had not provided him with important intelligence several times before, he would never have led his troops out. This time, he was risking the danger of going out without permission.
If Jingzhou did not send troops, it would not only violate military orders but also be criticized. Ye County gathered all kinds of people, including children of aristocratic families and even people in the court.
Destroying this place would cut off everyone's financial resources and would also trigger a war. Unless it is absolutely necessary, who would dare to act rashly
As they were speaking, the defenders suddenly reported that Guan Yu had indeed led his troops to the city.
"Look, he's here as expected. How could I lie to you?" There was a hint of joy on Xiahou Mi's face.
Cao Tai, however, looked solemn and immediately sent someone to inform Zhang Liao and ask for help. Guan Yu personally led the troops and was very likely to march into the Central Plains.
The two hurried to the top of the city wall and saw a group of soldiers standing in the sunset. There were only 500 people. Guan Yu stood on his horse with his sword drawn, his three-foot-long beard fluttering in the evening breeze, and glanced at the defenders on the city wall.
Seeing the generals appear on the city wall, Guan Ping stepped forward and shouted: "Xiahou Mao, you dare to insult my father, come down from the city and die."
Xiahou Mao laughed and said, "I am the descendant of Xiahou Ying, so am I not worthy of your sister? You and your son bullied me first, and I am just returning the favor!"
Guan Ping raised his sword and shouted, "Xiahou Mao, do you dare to go out of the city and fight?"
Xiahou Mao held onto the city wall and said coldly, "I dare not. What can you do to me?"
Guan Ping was furious. He turned his horse around twice and asked, "Who on the city wall dares to attack Ye County?"
Cao Tai clasped his fists and said, "General Guan, are you all right?"
"Cao Tai?" Guan Ping said coldly, "When you three arrived in Xiangyang, Master Liu treated you so well. Now, in order to facilitate the travel between the two places, we deliberately gave up Ye County. Why did you send troops to attack?"
Cao Tai clasped his fists and said, "General Guan is coming with his army, how can we not be prepared?"
Guan Ping said: "Xiahou Mao is talking nonsense. I am here to settle accounts with him today. If you are smart, hand over this boy and withdraw your troops immediately!"
Xiahou Mao shouted, "Guan Ping, you and your son are here to occupy Ye County. Stop using sweet words. We are not three-year-old children."
Guan Yu suddenly rode his horse to the foot of the city and said in a deep voice: "Xiahou Mao, you are so arrogant and asked me to fight! Now that I am here, you are dispatching troops to attack Ye County. You dare to use me? I will make you die without a burial place!"
Seeing Guan Yu's murderous intent, Xiahou Mao retreated half a step in fear and said with a forced smile, "You came to settle accounts with me, why did you bring so many soldiers with you?"
Guan Yu stroked his beard and sneered, "These five hundred swordmen are my guards, they will not take action."
Xiahou Mao shouted, "Guan Yunchang, stop talking. Even if we take Ye County, what can you do to me?"
"Guan has always won people over with virtue, using courtesy before force. Don't regret it." Guan Yu glanced coldly at Cao's army on the city wall, then led his men away.
Xiahou Mao pointed at the men and horses that disappeared into the night and laughed, "Fortunately, Ziming arrived in time, and Guan Yu's evil plan failed and he returned in defeat."
"War is not a joke." Cao Tai frowned and said, "The troops of Runan dare not act rashly now. They must be afraid. If you two start a war in the Central Plains because of your personal grudges, and General Zhang rushes to meet the enemy, won't you and I become sinners for all eternity?"
"Haven't you heard that those who strike first win, while those who strike later lose?" Xiahou Mao said with a smile, "Our army has already taken the lead in this battle. By the time Guan Yu returns to mobilize troops, General Zhang's army will have already captured Ye County. This battle will have to be fought sooner or later. If we can advance into Nanyang in one fell swoop, Ziming will be the first to achieve the credit!"
Cao Tai realized at this point that he had been a little reckless, but the war had already started and there was no way to retreat, so he had to order his soldiers to defend the city and wait for reinforcements.
After Arrangement An went to discuss matters with Xiahou Mi later, he saw that his house was in a mess. The servants and maids were busy packing things, loading large and small bags in the car, as if they were moving.
Cao Tai hurried to the hall and saw Xiahou Mao ordering people to put a huge stone into a box. He was surprised and asked, "Zilin, what are you doing?"
Xiahou Mao dusted himself off, pointed at the huge courtyard and said with a smile, "My dear brother, you came at the perfect time. I specially vacated this place and gave it to you!"
"You want to leave?" Cao Tai widened his eyes.
Xiahou Mao sighed, "My dear brother is a great general, with the power to lead troops and make great achievements. I am just a commoner now, what is the point of staying here?"
Cao Tai was displeased and said, "This incident was caused by you, but you left at night. How can I report this to General Zhang?"
"The war is about to start, and I can no longer participate!" Xiahou Mao picked up an envelope on the table and handed it over: "This is a one million note from Hanyuan Bank, you keep it well..."
"What do I need the money for?" Cao Tai was furious. He threw the envelope to the ground and shouted, "You are not allowed to leave. You must explain this to General Zhang first."
"There are actually people who don't like money?" Xiahou Mao shook his head and sighed, then bent down to pick up the envelope.
Before he could get up, he heard someone outside yelling that there was a fire. He went to the door and yelled, "Which bastard is so careless? I have all the ebony furniture from South Vietnam here. Can you afford to pay for it if it burns?"
Dangdangdang—
Not only were there shouts in the backyard, but there were also sounds of gongs in the street. People shouted to put out the fire, and in a blink of an eye, the sky turned red, and fires were everywhere.
The two men hurried out, only to see chaos on the street. After dark, some people started smearing, setting fires, and looting in the chaos.
"Quick, send troops to Hanyuan Bank!" Xiahou Mao's eyes reflected two balls of fire, urging Cao Tai: "There are a lot of banknotes there, we will make money if we grab them, hahahaha—"
Cao Tai pushed Xiahou Mao aside and issued an order: "Immediately seal off all streets and do not allow anyone to put out the fire. Anyone who dares to riot and flee will be killed without mercy!"
Cao's army immediately went out to maintain order on the street. Xiahou Mao rushed over, pointed at the tallest building and cried, "Fire! Fire! That's my building!"
Cao Tai had no time to care about these things. This city was filled with all kinds of people, just waiting to take advantage of this chaos to make a fortune. If it was not stopped in time, it would surely cause chaos.
"Report—" At this moment, the guards came running to report: "General, something bad has happened. Someone escaped and opened the west gate, and Guan Yu came in to kill us."
“What? Guan Guan Guan…” Xiahou Mao’s face changed drastically and he sat down on the ground.
"What's the point of closing the door? Retreat quickly!" Cao Tai was shocked and ordered his men to retreat without saying a word.