Chapter 8, The Peerless Benevolence and Righteousness of Zhao Zilong
Zhao Yun fought his way back, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. Wherever he went, his might was unstoppable, and he killed so fiercely that his battle robe was soaked in blood, causing the enemy troops to lose their courage. When Zhao Yun reached the place of Lü Bu, the six generals of Cao Cao's army were all injured, in a perilous situation, yet Lü Bu remained unscathed, as if he were merely toying with them while engaging in battle with Cao Cao's forces. Zhao Yun shouted, "Lü Bu, you treacherous villain, do you dare to fight me, Zhao Yun, in a life-and-death battle?"
Yuan Shao, amidst his personal guards, fought fiercely but could not break through the encirclement. In a moment of distraction, he found himself surrounded by the troops led by Zhang Liao. Yuan Shao lamented to the heavens, "Am I, Yuan Shao, destined to die in this place?" At that moment, a young general in white armor charged in, saying, "My lord, do not panic, Zhao Yun is here." Upon closer inspection, Yuan Shao realized that this was a newly allied young general, named Zhao Yun, courtesy name Zilong, from Changshan Zhendingshi, currently serving as a deputy general in Yuan Shao's rear guard.
Yuan Shu was just soundly asleep with his sister-in-law's daughter in his arms when he suddenly heard that someone was attacking the camp. Instead of ordering the protection of the grain, Yuan Shu mobilized his personal guards to protect himself. Unexpectedly, a group of fierce cavalry charged in like wolves and tigers. Most of Yuan Shu's personal guards were nothing but drunken louts, who were invincible when bullying the common people, but now faced with the elite of the Xiliang cavalry, they were no match at all. Before long, Yuan Shu's personal guards were scattered and the Xiliang cavalry directly stormed into Yuan Shu's tent.
Yuan Shao was greatly enraged and intended to draw his sword to slay the disobedient Zhao Yun. However, the forces of Lü Bu had gradually surrounded him, leaving Yuan Shao no choice but to gather his remaining soldiers to break through on their own, disregarding the fate of Cao Cao's army and Zhao Yun. As Yuan Shao fought fiercely, he was on the verge of escaping when, amidst the chaos, an arrow suddenly flew towards him, aimed directly at his throat. At that moment, Yuan Shao was swinging his sword to strike down a nearby general and was utterly unable to defend himself. In a state of shock and helplessness, he suddenly felt a spear thrusting from behind, which intercepted the arrow before it could reach him. Turning around, he saw it was Zhao Yun.
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Zhang Liao saw that Yuan Shao was already like a turtle in a jar, ready to be captured alive. Suddenly, a valiant young general, Zhao Yun, charged out with unmatched bravery, sweeping through the battlefield as if it were unguarded. The Xiliang cavalry attempted to block him several times, but Zhao Yun knocked them off their horses. Zhang Liao, filled with rage, abandoned his pursuit of Yuan Shao and rode to confront Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun also spotted Zhang Liao, recognizing him as the main commander, and shouted as he charged directly at him. The two riders collided with a tremendous sound, causing Zhang Liao to slowly fall from his horse, while Zhao Yun remained unharmed. The soldiers of Dong Zhuo were taken aback, forgetting about capturing Yuan Shao, and hurried to rescue Zhang Liao. Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Yun rescued Yuan Shao and fought his way out of the encirclement.
The companion disdainfully curled his lips, "With your pathetic appearance, do you think you can become a general? In your next life! Besides, to become a general, one must have connections with the lord. If General Zhang were not the lord's brother-in-law, would he dare to secretly sell military provisions? Would he dare to exchange military provisions for a daughter of a prominent family? General Ji, who has no familial ties with the lord, would not dare to do such things either"
The night wind is indeed cold. The patrolling soldier, Wang Ergou, shrank his neck and looked enviously in the direction from which the woman's voice floated. With a lewd smile, Wang Ergou said to his companion: "It is much better to be a general; a bag of white flour can exchange for two young maidens. If I could hold those two maidens and sleep with them for a night, it would be worth dying for"
Wang Ergou had no choice but to close his mouth and obediently follow behind the captain. The pain from the kick he received on his backside yesterday still lingered, and Wang Ergou did not want to endure a second round. After walking for a while, Wang Ergou suddenly sensed something was amiss. Li Xiaoping usually walked with heavy breaths, but why was there no sound of him gasping now? Just as Wang Ergou was about to turn around, a large hand firmly covered his mouth, and in the next moment, a sharp knife swiftly slashed across his neck, causing Wang Ergou's body to fall silently to the ground. Then, another shadow darted behind the patrol captain and executed the same method, eliminating all the members of the patrol team.
Yuan Shao was greatly enraged, "Well, you Cao Mengde, I sent you to assist with the grain supplies, yet you keep making excuses. Attacking Zishuiguan? If we capture it but have no grain, won't my army starve to death? If you refuse to go, I, the alliance leader, will go myself."
The two armies of Yuan and Cao had finally managed to shake off their pursuers. Just as Yuan Shao was about to express his gratitude to Cao Cao, a sudden cannon shot rang out, and another army emerged from the roadside. At the forefront was a general riding a red rabbit steed, wielding a Fangtian painted halberd, exuding an imposing presence. It was none other than the valiant General Lü Bu! Lü Bu shouted, "Where does Yuan Shao think he is going?"
"Nonsense!" Gao Shun reprimanded, "I observe that the Chancellor is indeed a person who cares for the country and the people. The rumors circulating about the Chancellor being cruel are merely deceit. How can we unjustly entrap the Chancellor? Bind this Yuan Shu well, and release the woman.
Yuan Shao found himself in a difficult position. To be honest, his relationship with his half-brother Yuan Shu was not good, and it was not worth Yuan Shao depleting his precious military forces to assist Yuan Shu. In the end, Yuan Shao turned his attention to Cao Cao, the initiator of the allied forces, saying, "Meng De, I command you to mobilize our troops and fully support Liangdong to ensure the granary is completely secure"
At night, in the military camp of Yuan Shu located in Liangdong, the gates were tightly shut, watchtowers stood tall, and layers of horse and deer antlers were closely arranged. The trenches were both wide and deep, and patrolling soldiers moved back and forth along the stockade, with torches occasionally illuminating every possible hiding spot. Truly, this was the formidable army of Yuan Shu, the governor of Shouchun, known for its strict military discipline. ... Yet, within this seemingly heavily guarded stronghold, the sounds of several women moaning drifted out at this moment ...
As soon as Yuan Shao's army had fully entered the forest, a sudden clamor of battle erupted, and flames surged towards them. From the side, an enemy force attacked, and a commanding general shouted, "Zhang Wenyuan is here; Yuan Shao, why do you not surrender?" Yuan Shao was greatly alarmed, realizing, "There truly is an ambush!" He hurriedly ordered a retreat, but they were surrounded by raging fires, and in their panic to escape, Yuan Shao's troops trampled one another, resulting in countless casualties.
Wang Ergou was about to say something more when the patrol leader spoke up, "Wang Ergou, Li Xiao, no talking during the patrol. After we finish another round, we will switch shifts, and you can say whatever you want while tucked in your bed."
Yuan Shao quietly said to Zhao Yun, "Zilong, let Meng De hold the enemy off while you help me return to the main camp to bring reinforcements." Zhao Yun, being the person he is, would never abandon his ally in need of rescue. Zhao Yun replied, "My lord, the Cao army has come for us. If we forsake them for our own lives, would that not invite ridicule from the world?"
Cao Cao was a capable minister in times of peace and a formidable hero in times of chaos. He understood that it would be more feasible to rescue Yuan Shu now than to enter the ambush set by Dong Zhuo's army. Thus, Cao Cao clasped his fists and said: "Alliance Leader, Dong Zhuo is a treacherous villain. He will surely set up an ambush on our route of rescue while he plunders grain, waiting to launch a surprise attack on our army. The current strategy should be for us to take advantage of the fact that Dong Zhuo's main forces have not yet joined with the defenders at Sizhuo Pass. We should strike decisively to capture Sizhuo Pass, seize the grain within, and then direct our forces towards Luoyang, thereby cutting off Dong Zhuo's supply lines." In recent days, although the coalition against Dong Zhuo has attacked Sizhuo Pass multiple times, the feudal lords have been merely pretending to unite while actually remaining divided, conserving their strength and mocking one another. Moreover, the commander of Sizhuo Pass, Xu Rong, is both brave and resourceful. Although his forces are few, he has held his ground firmly, providing no opportunity for the coalition against Dong Zhuo. As a result, the coalition's repeated assaults have yielded no success.
Who is it? Come out! As Gao Shun entered Yuan Shu's camp, he discovered someone hiding in the bedding. If you don't come out, I will kill you!
Zhao Yun remained silent, charging forward on horseback and directly breaking through the encirclement to rescue Yuan Shao. Upon reaching a safe location, Zhao Yun dismounted and bowed three times to Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao, feeling uneasy, was just about to offer some words of comfort to Zhao Yun when Zhao Yun mounted his horse again and single-handedly re-entered the encirclement to save Cao Cao's army
Yuan Shu was so frightened that his courage was shattered, "I won't go; if I go to Dong Zhuo, he will definitely kill me!" At this point, Yuan Shu's voice was already choked with tears, "Gentlemen, please show me some mercy and spare me, Yuan Shu. My Yuan family has served three generations of officials for four generations; in the future, I will surely repay your kindness generously."
Despite the earnest pleas of many, Yuan Shao swiftly mobilized his own 50,000 elite troops and headed straight for Liangdong. When the army reached halfway, Yuan Shao suddenly noticed the dense trees on both sides and the treacherous road ahead. He ordered a halt and dispatched scouts to investigate for any ambushes. Not long after, a scout from the forest shouted, "There is no ambush." Yuan Shao, anxious about the supplies, took this at face value and ordered the main force to advance.
Gao Shun was overjoyed; he had originally intended to charge at the central army to see if he could behead Yuan Shu. To his surprise, he was able to capture Yuan Shu alive, which was a much greater achievement. "It turns out it is the governor, our chancellor wishes to invite the governor for tea, please come, governor."
The enemy has raided the camp! After countless flames erupted in the military camp, someone finally sounded the alarm. However, it was already too late; not only were the barracks ablaze, but the lifeblood of the coalition of the Eighteen Lords—the granary—was engulfed in even greater flames. The night wind, sharp as a knife, greatly aided the raiders, as the wind fanned the flames, causing them to soar into the sky, illuminating Yuan Shu's camp. Gao Shun struck successfully but was unwilling to cease his assault. While directing most of the cavalry to charge in all directions, he personally led a team of elite soldiers straight towards the central camp, with the obvious goal of targeting Yuan Shu.
A cavalryman leered at the woman and said, "General Gao, this woman is quite appealing. Why don't we take her back to honor the Chancellor? The Chancellor has a particular fondness for this type."
Yuan Shao and Zhao Yun had just broken through the encirclement when suddenly an army charged in. Yuan Shao lamented, "My fate is sealed." Zhao Yun comforted him, saying, "My lord, do not worry; I would sacrifice my life to ensure your escape." At that moment, a general from the opposing side shouted, "Is the one coming Yuan Gongtai?" Yuan Shao looked closely and was overjoyed to see that it was Cao Cao, whom he had just scolded, leading troops to rescue him. Yuan Shao was delighted and joined forces with Cao Cao, finally breaking through the fiery net. However, of the fifty thousand troops Yuan Shao had brought, fewer than ten thousand were able to return.
There were a total of 10 shadows that attacked the patrol team. They quickly moved aside the wooden barricades next to the stockade and one shadow took out a fire stick, waving it a few times towards the outside of the stockade. Several thick ropes outside the stockade were immediately looped over the barricades, and with a strong pull, the barricades fell down, allowing countless cavalry to rush into the stockade.
"No, no." A voice trembled from within the quilt: "I am Yuan Shujun, the Prefect of Shouchun, Yuan Gongji."
Liang Dong suddenly rose to prominence, causing Yuan Shao, who was stationed outside the Sishui Pass, to be greatly alarmed. He hurriedly summoned the lords to discuss how to rescue Yuan Shu. However, Gongsun Zan, Yuan Yi, and the other eight lords returned today after a great defeat, and the coalition army was already in a state of panic. With the granaries on the verge of being lost, everyone felt insecure and began to have second thoughts. Yuan Shao was merely the so-called leader of the alliance, and many were unwilling to obey him. Now, when Yuan Shao spoke of rescuing his brother, naturally no one was willing to provoke the swift and valiant cavalry of Xiliang.
Yuan Shao was nearly paralyzed with fear; Lü Bu, universally recognized as the number one fierce general in the world, was a name that everyone had heard of. Cao Cao urgently ordered several of his generals to engage in battle: Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Li Dian, and Le Jin all rushed forward, and the six generals engaged Lü Bu in combat.
Gao Shun ordered his men, and with a wave of his hand, several soldiers pulled Yuan Shu out of bed. However, as soon as he was pulled out, everyone was taken aback, and then burst into laughter, for Yuan Shu was not even wearing clothes, completely naked, and tightly holding onto a similarly naked woman.