Cheng Pu was fighting with Hou Cheng and was entangled by him. When he heard Sun Quan shouting, it was too late to go back to rescue him.
Zhang Liao brandished his sword and killed the two guards. He was only an arrow's distance away from Sun Quan. He rode his horse at full speed to the bridgehead and chopped down with his sword with a force like thunder.
Sun Quan grew up under the care of his father and brothers and had never fought in such a close distance. He was stunned and unable to move by the fierce murderous aura of Zhang Liao.
"Don't hurt my lord!"
Just as the blade was falling from the sky, suddenly there was a loud shout and a person rushed out from the side.
With a loud bang, Zhang Liao was stopped. His horse stood up, and hundreds of heavily armored Wu soldiers stopped the Xianzhen Camp.
Zhang Liao narrowed his eyes slightly, and it seemed that the general was actually a young boy. He asked in a deep voice, "Who is coming?"
The young man was none other than Ling Tong. He forcibly blocked Zhang Liao's sword attack, causing his blood to boil, his face to turn red, and he became speechless.
At this time, Cheng Pu had already forced Hou Cheng to retreat, and shouted, "My lord, leave quickly."
Sun Quan reacted, urged his horse, and led his troops south with Cheng Pu.
Zhang Liao snorted slightly and urged his horse to give chase, but Ling Tong raised his sword to stop him. They gritted their teeth and fought for more than ten rounds at the bridgehead, but there was no clear winner.
Zhang Liao was secretly shocked that this young man had such ability. Seeing Sun Quan walking away, he roared and pushed him back. Hou Cheng stepped forward to stop Ling Tong and let Zhang Liao chase Sun Quan.
At this time, Zhou Tai and Chen Wu on the opposite side heard the drum beats and led their troops back. Tens of thousands of Wu troops were blocked on the other side of the Fei River. They were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, running around in circles.
Most of Wu's soldiers were infantry. Zhang Liao's horse was fast, and he led the Xianzhen Camp like an arrow shot from a bow, charging along the river first. Cheng Pu turned around and fought to the death, but was chopped off the river bank by Zhang Liao's three swords.
The sun was shining brightly as Sun Quan ran as fast as he could with more than a hundred guards. Zhang Liao followed closely behind them, and behind them was the Wu army, which was as chaotic as a flock of sheep.
On the other side of the river, Zhou Tai and Chen Wu also led their troops forward in parallel. They were so anxious that they scratched their heads, but there was nothing they could do.
At this time Zhu Ling also led his troops to chase back. It turned out that Zang Ba had led the reinforcements from Shouchun. The two joined forces and chased the Wu army again.
The banks of the Fei River were like a great migration of animals, with the Wu army running everywhere. They moved down the river and were soon scattered within a ten-mile area with their formation in disarray.
Sun Quan looked back, but saw neither Cheng Pu nor Ling Tong. The blue robe fluttering in the wind was getting closer and closer, and he was frightened.
As they were marching, a mudflat suddenly appeared in front of them and the front army was stuck in the swamp, unable to move. Sun Quan hurriedly reined in his horse. If he took a detour, he would be hunted down by Zhang Liao. He was so frightened that he didn't know what to do.
Zhou Tai shouted anxiously on the other side of the river: "My Lord, jump into the river quickly, jump—"
"Bi Yan'er, accept your fate—"
Zhang Liao rode his horse and chased after him with his sword brandished. Sun Quan gritted his teeth and urged his mount hard. The warhorse galloped up the embankment, leaped into the air, and jumped into the Fei River with a loud bang.
On the other side of the river, Zhou Tai, Chen Wu and a group of Wu soldiers also jumped into the river one after another, and swam quickly towards Sun Quan to rescue them like dumplings.
Zhang Liao urged his horse to the shore, drew his bow and shot several arrows, but Sun Quan was also a good swimmer and dived into the water and drifted away.
The sails of the ships were surging downstream, and the Eastern Wu navy had also arrived. Zhang Liao knew that the pursuit was hopeless, so he turned his horse around and chased after the fleeing Wu soldiers along the way.
The Wu soldiers were retreating on the road in scattered groups, but Zhang Liao turned back and attacked them all the way. They were so frightened that they screamed and fled, and many of them jumped directly into the river.
The army fought from south to north, as if a big yellow dog rushed into a flock of chickens and ducks. The Wu army did not dare to confront them, causing chaos.
On the other side of the river, Zhu Ling and Zang Ba were not willing to be outdone, and led their troops to charge forward. The Wu army had no one to command or dispatch them, and they were only concerned with escaping, with countless casualties.
Seeing that Zhang Liao had withdrawn his troops, he also led his troops back, confiscated weapons along the way, and returned with a great victory.
Zhang Liao returned to the bridge and saw that Hou Cheng had an injured arm. He asked, "How is the injury?"
Hou Cheng smiled awkwardly: "It's not a big deal to be injured by the young man's blade. His martial arts skills are not inferior to mine."
Zhang Li recalled the fight and frowned, saying, "When this boy grows up, he will be a big trouble in the future."
Hou Cheng smiled and said, "After we go back, we should teach Huzi a lesson."
Speaking of his son Zhang Hu, Zhang Liao smiled and said, "There are so many heroes in Jiangdong, why is Sun Quan such a treacherous villain?"
On the other side of the river, Zhu Ling and Zang Ba also withdrew their troops. Every member of Cao's army returned with a full load of supplies and weapons on their backs.
Zang Ba came to the center of the broken bridge and gave a thumbs up: "Well done Wenyuan, it's a pity to miss the chance to beat up a fallen dog."
Zhang Liao laughed and said, "If Sun Quan dares to come again, he will be turned into a stray dog."
All the generals returned to Hefei to celebrate their victory and deploy defenses. Although this battle failed to eliminate Sun Quan, it intimidated the Eastern Wu and resolved the urgent problem.
In the lower reaches of the Fei River, Jiang Qin led the navy to rescue Sun Quan and others. The Wu army withdrew from both banks to Chaohu Lake. When talking about Zhang Liao, everyone was terrified.
Sun Quan was wrapped in a blanket in the cabin, shivering, and it was unclear whether he was cold or scared!
It was dusk when the fleet returned to the water stronghold. Sun Quan walked out of the cabin and looked around at the embarrassed soldiers. Behind him, the Chaohu Lake was reflected in the sunset glow, which looked sad and magnificent.
Zhou Tai and Chen Wu knelt down under the boat and pleaded guilty: "We failed to protect our lord and we are guilty of death."
"What crime have you committed?" Sun Quan shook his head slightly, motioned for everyone to stand up, and looked towards the direction of the Fei River with a deep gaze.
Not long after, Ling Tong also returned with more than ten people. All of them had tattered clothes and armor and were covered in blood. Ling Tong was even more covered in wounds. The elite troops under Ling Cao were completely wiped out.
"If I hadn't done anything good today, I would have died in Jiangbei!"
Sun Quan nodded with satisfaction and ordered his men to take Ling Tong away for proper treatment. Such young heroes should be given important positions in the future.
Turning around, he saw Cheng Pu, who was also soaked, with disheveled hair and beard. He smiled bitterly, "Mr. Cheng has followed his father and brother for half his life, how could he have ever been so embarrassed? It's all because of me!"
Cheng Pu clasped his fists and said, "My lord, why do you say that? I am incompetent and cannot match Zhang Liao. I am sorry that I frightened you."
"What a shame, what a shame!" Sun Quan suddenly pulled off the blanket from his body, his face gloomy: "After such a great defeat, how can I face the elders of Jiangdong?"
Cheng Pu and others hurriedly advised: "Victory and defeat are common in the military. General Han has already captured Chao County. He has reorganized his troops and advanced by land and sea. He will surely turn defeat into victory and avenge his previous humiliation."
As Sun Quan listened to everyone's consolation, he became more and more angry. He thought that Liu Qi, a mere sick man, could not stop Cao Cao's 300,000 troops by himself. Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun were both defeated and captured.
He had ten times the number of troops, but was still defeated by Zhang Liao. If this got out, wouldn't he be laughed at by the whole world
Thinking of his lofty words in Chaisang, he felt even hotter on his face. He pushed everyone away and went back to the cabin.
Cheng Pu and others were stunned, but saw Sun Quan coming out with an ancient ingot knife in his hand and kneeling at the bow facing southeast.
The generals were puzzled and knelt down one after another.
Sun Quan raised his sword with both hands and bowed three times in the direction of Wujun.
Then he stood up and looked at everyone, saying slowly: "The Sun family is full of heroes, how can I bear such a great humiliation? I should apologize to my father and brothers in the afterlife!"
After that, he drew out his blade with a clang and shouted, "No one of you can stop me!"
Placing the scabbard solemnly on the side of the boat, Sun Quan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, grabbed the ancient ingot knife and wiped it across his neck.