At Bowang Slope, Xiahou Lan was leading the rear army when he suddenly saw thick smoke rising ahead and hurried over to provide support.
Countless Jingzhou soldiers were seen setting fire on the top of the mountain. Fireballs and tree stumps kept igniting and rolling down. The fire on the mountain was raging all over the sky, and thick smoke was billowing in the valley. There was no place to start.
Just as he was about to step forward to meet the deserters, an army suddenly rushed out from behind and blocked the center of the road. Leading the way was the general riding a red horse and wearing a green robe, looking very majestic. It was Guan Yu.
"Those who surrender will not be killed!" Guan Yu raised his sword with one hand, stroked his long beard, and looked coldly at the chaotic Cao army.
Xiahou Lan dared not fight Guan Yu. Seeing that there was no way out and the screams in the valley continued, he sighed dejectedly, thought of Zhao Yun, and dismounted to surrender.
Cao's army had no fighting spirit left. Seeing that their commander had surrendered and Xiahou Dun was nowhere to be seen, they laid down their weapons one after another and knelt down in the valley.
Xiahou Lan stepped forward and said, "General Guan, Zhao Zilong and I are from the same hometown. We have known each other since childhood. I am willing to accept your orders."
Guan Yu stroked his beard and asked, "What's the evidence?"
Xiahou Lan replied: "Zilong is left-handed. He eats with his left hand, but uses his right hand to wield a sword."
Guan Yu pondered for a moment, thinking that this man and Zhao Yun were strangers, and he would not talk about such private matters, so he believed it to about 70%.
He instructed Xiahou Lan, "The place where the grain was burned earlier is called Anlin. Behind it is a valley. Going down the valley will lead to Baihe River. There are boats to pick you up. You and Guan Ping will escort the prisoners there."
Xiahou Lan's heart moved when he heard this. Guan Yu actually knew the place where the grain was burned. Could it be that Le Jin burned the grain a few days ago on purpose
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel scared. If this was true, then the attack on the camp and siege on the city last night, wasn't Cao Cao's plan all planned by Liu Qi and others
While he was thinking, Guan Ping had ordered his soldiers to go forward and collect Cao's weapons, and drove the soldiers back, out of Bowangpo through a small road, and escorted them to Wancheng.
Guan Yu brought only 500 swordmen to guard the rear. They saw a fire spreading across the valley and the heat waves were overwhelming. Although some of Cao's troops had escaped, it was no longer a big deal.
When we retreated to Anlin, it was already evening. The entire Bowangpo was covered with dark clouds, which filled the sky and could be seen within dozens of miles.
Sure enough, the scouts ahead reported that Cao Xiu had seen the fireworks and was leading his army towards here. Guan Yu ordered his men to carry firewood and set fire to the place where the grain had been burned before, and then retreated into the valley.
Cao Xiu and Han Hao transported some food and supplies in preparation for Xiahou Dun's vanguard army to set up camp after arriving in Wancheng. Halfway through the journey, they saw black smoke rising ahead and initially thought that Xiahou Dun was taking a rest. When the smoke grew thicker, they realized that the situation was not good and quickly led their troops to check.
After walking for a while, they saw a big fire blocking the road. There was a fork in the road next to it and the grass and trees were messy. They didn't dare to move forward rashly, so they sent someone to investigate the situation first.
About half an hour later, scouts reported back one after another that there were many fragments of weapons and armor left in the forest at the fork in the road, and there were messy footprints, as if a large army had passed by.
In the valley ahead, the fire had been extinguished, and corpses were piled up on the road, most of which had turned into charcoal, a horrific sight.
"Yuan Rang is in danger!" Cao Xiu sighed heavily. It was getting dark, so he had to retreat and send someone to inform Cao Cao.
Guan Yu crossed the Baihe River, ordered Guan Ping to escort the prisoners, and took Xiahou Lan to Wancheng.
As the lights came on, Wancheng was filled with joy. Generals came one after another to report their victories, each of them claiming credit. They were all full of admiration for Zhuge Liang's strategic planning and foresight.
When Guan Yu arrived at the government office, Liu Qi had already prepared wine to welcome him. He would personally greet every victorious general at the lobby door and give them wine as rewards.
Xu Shu poured the wine, nodded and said with a smile: "Congratulations to Yunchang for another achievement!"
Liu Qi raised his cup, and Guan Yu hurried forward to take it, clasping his fists and saying, "It is all thanks to the general and the two gentlemen for their good management."
After this battle, Guan Yu was filled with emotion. When he followed Liu Bei before, he had never fought such a well-prepared battle. He actually managed to fool Cao Cao, which really satisfied him!
Liu Qi had already heard the battle report and said with a smile: "If it weren't for Yun Chang's mighty power, how could we have captured 5,000 prisoners without bloodshed?"
Guan Yu turned around and looked at Xiahou Lan: "This man also deserves half of the credit. He claimed to be a fellow villager of Zilong and took the initiative to abandon the dark and join the light."
Xiahou Lan stepped forward and saluted: "I am Xiahou Lan, indeed I am from the same hometown as Zhao Yun, and I have nothing to do with the Cao family."
Liu Qi naturally knew that Xiahou Lan was genuine, and nodded, saying, "You dare to follow Yun Chang here, so you must not be lying. Since you have abandoned the dark and joined the light, you will fight side by side with Zilong in the future. Give me some wine!"
The personal soldier brought another glass of wine to Xiahou Lan, and they all drank it together. Guan Yu refused to accept any of the cloth or money on the plate and had to leave them to Guan Ping.
When all the generals arrived, Liu Qi and the others walked into the hall and saw Zhao Yun chatting with Chen Dao. He laughed and said, "Zilong, look who's here?"
Zhao Yun turned his head and looked over. He was stunned for a moment and then showed a look of surprise. He walked over quickly and grabbed Xia Houlan: "Fu Qiu, it's really you?"
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land can easily evoke strong homesickness. Even the calm Zhao Yun could not help himself.
Xiahou Lan was also very excited and nodded, "That day in front of the army, I heard that brother and Xu Chu had a big fight, and then I knew where you were. I thought that we were each serving different masters and would never meet, but who knew... Alas!"
"Since you have already turned from darkness to light, we are still brothers from now on!" Zhao Yun patted his hands, turned around and clasped his fists towards Liu Qi and said, "General, can you let him attend the meeting?"
"No problem!" Liu Qi waved his hand and said with a smile, "We have won the first battle. Let's celebrate with a banquet tonight. We won't stop until we are drunk."
Zhao Yun clasped his fists towards Guan Yu and said, "Thank you, Yunchang, for showing mercy."
Guan Yu returned the greeting and said, "General, you are as kind and generous as my elder brother. Since you ordered us to kill less and persuade more people to surrender, how dare I disobey? But my Qinglong sword will be thirsty for a long time!"
Zhang Fei walked forward and pulled Guan Yu to the table, complaining: "Second brother, please judge for me: I captured Xiahou Dun today, and this guy is so shameless that he regards himself as my elder and wants to be my father-in-law. This is really unreasonable!"
Guan Yu was startled, then stroked his beard and smiled, "Third brother, you stole someone's niece, and now she has two sons. If your father-in-law refuses to recognize them, I'm afraid you can't do anything about it!"
Everyone burst into laughter when they heard this. Zhang Fei's face turned purple and he complained, "My second brother is making fun of me too!"
Liu Qi motioned for everyone to take their seats. Xiahou Lan sat behind Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang to the right, and Xu Shu to the left. At first glance, they were all the best of the Three Kingdoms period, and a sense of accomplishment arose spontaneously.
He raised his glass and said loudly: "This battle was won thanks to Kong Ming's planning and Yuan Zhi's tactics. They anticipated the enemy's victory, used advance as a retreat, and cut off Cao Cao's arm. You have made great contributions. I would like to toast to the two military advisors first."
Everyone stood up, including Guan Yu, and no longer looked down on Zhuge Liang. They realized that every word Xu Shu said was true and that the name "Sleeping Dragon" was well-deserved.
From setting up camp in Bowang City to ambushing at Bowang Slope, he wiped out Xiahou Dun's army in one fell swoop. Every step was within his expectations. Who would not be convinced
Zhuge Liang was humble and drank with the generals. Liu Qi was happy to see that the civil and military officials were finally of one mind. He opened his hands and laughed, saying, "Let's feast!"
All the generals came to toast Liu Qi and his two companions. This great victory once again pushed his prestige to a new height.
Liu Qi used tea instead of wine and toasted to Zhuge Liang: "Next, it is time to retreat in order to advance."
The banquet lasted until late at night. Zhang Fei and Gan Ning drank to their heart's contention. Both of them drank like mud and fell under the table. Seven or eight soldiers were unable to lift them up.