(Captain is about to take the train back to his hometown. It’s a twenty-five-hour drive. Today’s and tomorrow’s updates have been saved as automatic updates. If there are any questions, we can only wait until Captain gets home tomorrow. I wish you the best to go home as well.
Have a safe journey, my brothers.)
Yan Liang suddenly turned against him and wanted to cut off Zhang Yun's ears.
Zhang Yun was stunned for a moment. How could he imagine that one moment Yan Liang was so kind and sociable, and the next moment he wanted to cut off his own ear.
"General Yan, what did you say to me, General? I hope you will forgive me and please show mercy."
In shock, Zhang Yun screamed for mercy.
Yan Liang turned a blind eye and glared at Zhou Cang when he picked up the wine to enjoy.
Zhou Cang and others were still at a loss, wondering why General Yan was so polite to this man named Zhang. This was not at all like the general's style.
Zhou Cang, who was in a daze, was suddenly woken up by Yan Liang, and his eyes suddenly burst out with cold murderous intent.
When Zhou Cang rolled up his sleeves and took a few steps forward, his thick arms held down the struggling Zhang Yun. He pulled out his knife and stabbed him hard like a pig being slaughtered.
"ah--"
Amidst the pitiful howling like a slaughtered pig, Zhang Yun's left ear had been cut off by Zhou Cang, and the wound where the ear was missing was dripping with blood, which only made Zhang Yun cry out in pain.
Looking at Zhang Yun who was screaming in pain, Yan Liang's face was as gloomy as iron.
"You go back and give this ear to Liu Jingsheng and tell him that the counties north of the Han River will be reluctantly accepted by him, so he should be punished for betraying the alliance. If he dares to change his mind again, he will no longer be cut off.
Just one ear."
Every word Yan Liang spoke was like a razor-sharp blade. It only made the murderous and ferocious warriors on his left and right stand in awe.
In the novel, when Cao Cao captured Wuchao in the Battle of Guandu, he cut off the ears and noses of Yuan's prisoners and released them to Yuan Shao to frighten Yuan's people.
Yan Liang now cut off Zhang Yun's ear just to frighten Liu Biao's mind.
Zhang Yun, who had lost his ear, covered his bloody head, feeling both pain and fear. He was so frightened that he did not dare to breathe.
Yan Liang Lai had to look at his useless look one more time and winked at Zhou Cang.
Zhou Cang then threw the bloody ear to Zhang Yun and shouted: "Take the ear and get out of here, I'm still waiting for Ruo to piss off the general. I can't even cut off that thing in your crotch!"
When Zhou Cang drank like this, Zhang Yun was so frightened that he almost lost his mind. Without any hesitation, he quickly held the severed ear and ran away from the big house in a crawl.
Yan Liang watched Zhang Yun escape in embarrassment, but he only sneered and continued to taste the wine in the glass... Xiangyang.
It was getting late, and the brightly lit state pastoral mansion was in a state of panic.
Liu Biao, who was sitting at the head, looked as ugly as an eggplant beaten with frost, while the civil and military officials below him all looked panic-stricken and talked endlessly among themselves.
Not long ago, Xiangyang had just received the latest intelligence from the Battle of Wancheng. The news of the defeat of the Xiliang Army sent the entire Xiangyang into shock.
That was the 40,000-strong Xiliang Iron Cavalry. It was the most powerful army in the world. Even Yuan Shao, who captured Xudu, was afraid and did not dare to send troops to attack Guanzhong without authorization.
Such an almost mythical army was defeated by Yan Liang, and was defeated at an absolute advantage.
Not only the ordinary people of Xiangyang, but also the outstandingly intelligent counselors such as Kuai Yue and Pang Ji could not believe it.
At this moment, Liu Biao's mood reached the bottom. Yan Liang almost miraculously reversed his situation and dealt a heavy blow to the old body again.
"Yan Liang, Yan Liang, are you a human or a demon? How did you do all this? I don't understand. I really don't understand..."
Liu Biao repeated this over and over again in his heart.
"My lord, don't worry. Although Yan Liang won by luck, he will not be able to go south even if he fights against the other side. Since De Gui has taken the opportunity to lead his army to withdraw, as long as he can successfully withdraw his 50,000-strong army, our army actually has no power.
What a loss, what can Yan Liang do?"
Kuai Yue was the first to calm down and calmly comforted Liu Biao.
After hearing the chief counselor's analysis, Liu Biao's depressed and uneasy mood began to subside a little, and his old face regained a little calmness.
"Xidu's words are reasonable. Even if Yan Liang defeats the Xiliang army, his vitality will be severely damaged. How can I be afraid of him?"
Liu Biao gently stroked his beard, his brows gradually becoming calm.
At this moment, a pro-soldier hurriedly entered.
"Reporting to my lord, the scouts reported urgently that General Cai was attacked by Yan Liang's light cavalry and the entire army was defeated. Yan Liang took advantage of the situation and captured Fancheng. General Cai and the defeated army are retreating to Xiangyang."
After hearing this, the whole moment was silent.
Time seemed to have frozen, and everyone's faces were frozen in a moment of horror, and there was an illusion that they were about to suffocate.
The calmness that Liu Biao had just recovered was instantly wiped out, replaced by ten times more shock and panic.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Liu Biao suddenly let out a hoarse shout, jumped up, and ran towards the door with long strides.
The rest of Kuai Yue and others woke up from the shock and hurriedly followed him out.
Liu Biao and this group of high-level civil and military officials from Jingxiang left the Dezhou Mufu and headed towards the north gate of Xiangyang.
When we got up to the city, we looked far into the direction of Fancheng, and saw a line of flames rising to the sky on the north bank. It was clearly the water camp of Fancheng that was burning.
On the Han River, one warship after another docked in disorder, and groups of disgraced soldiers were supporting each other and heading towards Xiangyang.
Seeing this situation, Liu Biao finally believed the cruel fact.
At this moment, Liu Biao was in pain and confusion. The fact before him was beyond his ability to understand. He had no idea how Yan Liang miraculously defeated his five soldiers after defeating the Xiliang army.
Ten thousand troops.
The subordinates on the left and right were all frightened and inexplicable, and everyone fell into an unprecedented panic.
The city gate opened, and the defeated army entered the city sadly.
The people in Xiangyang City heard the sound and went out to watch. The soldiers who returned in defeat told the terrible things they had experienced.
Soon, the news of Fancheng's defeat spread throughout the city. The entire Xiangyang City soon fell into panic, and everyone was full of fear of the devilish Yan Liang.
Not long after, Cai Mao also arrived in Xiangyang.
On the top of the city, when Liu Biao saw his uncle, he felt both happy and angry.
He was happy that Cai Mao was safe and sound, but he was angry that Cai Mao not only defeated his 50,000-strong army, but also lost the important town of Fancheng.
Cai Mao also looked ashamed and knelt on the ground, admitting that he had no command. He asked Liu Biao to punish him.
In this defeat, Liu Biao's losses were not unbearable. In terms of responsibility, Cai Mao, as the former commander-in-chief of the army, indeed had an unshirkable responsibility.
Liu Miao looked angry and wanted to punish Cai Mao.
At this time, Kuai Yue advised: "My lord, victory or defeat is a matter of military strategism. Although General Cai was at fault for his poor command, the defeat of this battle was ultimately caused by the rapid change of the situation, which exceeded all of our expectations."
After Kuai Yue begged for mercy, Liu Biao's anger subsided. He pondered for a moment and then sighed: "That's all, I will cut off your salary for three years as punishment."
Cai Mao breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Liu Biao for his kindness.
Liu Biao then led everyone back to the Prefectural Mufu's Mansion. He was so well received that after letting Cai Mao drink a few glasses of wine to calm his shock, he carefully inquired about the process of the defeat.
Cai Mao then retreated hastily until he was attacked by Yan Liang's cavalry and told the truth.
After everyone listened, they felt as if they felt the same thing. In addition to being angry, their expressions also secretly flashed with admiration.
Liu Biao couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect Yan Liang's use of cavalry to be so miraculous. If this person is not eliminated, he will really be a serious problem for me in Jingzhou."
All the officials were silent.
When the atmosphere was gloomy, a report suddenly came from outside, saying that Zhang Yun had escaped alive and wanted to see him.
Liu Biao originally thought that his nephew had died in the rebellion, but when he heard that he had escaped and returned, he couldn't help but be overjoyed and called for help.
Not long after, Zhang Yun, covered in blood, staggered into the door.
When everyone saw Zhang Yun's appearance, they all gasped.
When Liu Biao squinted his eyes and saw Zhang Yun's terrifying appearance without an ear, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He was so frightened that he felt dizzy and immediately fainted to the ground... Guanzhong, Chang'an City
.
In the Prime Minister's Mansion, Cao Cao was composing a poem.
Next to the case table, Guo Jia, who is in charge of intelligence collection, is reading the latest intelligence from all over the world.
Cao Cao was in a good mood, which was completely different from the loneliness he felt when he first arrived in Chang'an.
In Xudu, Yuan Shao fell ill and was temporarily unable to lead his army to attack Guanzhong.
In Xuzhou, Liu Bei was plotting to betray Yuan and become independent.
Over in Huaili, Han Sui was at war with Ma Teng. The two most powerful princes in Xiliang seemed about to stage a show of fighting each other.
All kinds of information that was beneficial to him gradually made Cao Cao feel that the shadow of the defeat of Guandu and the loss of the Central Plains seemed to be spreading, and the scales of luck seemed to be tilting to his side again.
If Yuan Shao dies of illness, there will definitely be internal division. Coupled with Liu Bei's interference, it seems not impossible that the Yuan family will turn from prosperity to decline.
If Ma Teng and Han Sui kill both of them, Cao Cao can take the opportunity to defeat them one by one and pacify Guanzhong in one fell swoop. At that time, he will use Guanzhong as his base to march eastward and have great hope of retaking the Central Plains.
…
Cao Cao held an ink pen in his hand and had not written for a long time. It seemed that he was preparing words, but he was thinking about a beautiful blueprint in his heart.
After reading all the information, Guo Jia said with a smile: "Everything is just as the Prime Minister expected. The Yuan family has been exposed and the situation is reversed. It is just around the corner."
This sentence touched Cao Cao's heart, and a smile couldn't help but flash across his lips.
Immediately, Cao Cao said: "How is the war in Nanyang? If Yan Liang's eyesore is not removed, it will really make it difficult for me to feel at ease."
"Ma Chao has been massacring the city in Nanyang recently, intending to force Yan Liang to fight. If Yan Liang doesn't fight, he can only sit back and watch his territory disappear. If he goes to fight, he will face several times the number of Xiliang cavalry. I don't think he will do anything this time.
No matter what, it is impossible to escape destruction in the end.”
After hearing Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao's frown gradually relaxed, and his scorched face became calmer.
"Ma Chao's methods are vicious and indeed he is somewhat similar to Lu Bu back then. It is perfect to use him to get rid of Yan Liang."
Cao Cao said with a slight smile. He had already brewed a poem in his mind and planned to write it.
At this moment, a soldier hurriedly entered and handed a wax pill to Guo Jia.
Guo Jia opened the wax pill and took out the silk strip with information written in it. He only took a glance at it, and his originally calm and elegant expression was instantly taken over by shock.
Seeing the strange look on Guo Jia's face, Cao Cao asked, "Fengxiao, where did the information come from that makes you so surprised?"
A drop of cold sweat quietly rolled down Guo Jia's forehead, and he took a deep breath to suppress the shock in his heart.
After a pause, he said silently: "Prime Minister, there is an urgent report just sent from Nanyang. Yan Liang defeated tens of thousands of iron cavalry with four thousand cavalry."
Clang!
The ink pen in Cao Cao's hand fell down with the sound.