Chapter 155 Liu Zilie led his troops to seize Nanyang! Cao Mengde angrily killed Ma Teng! !
Chapter 155: Liu Zilie led his troops to seize Nanyang! Cao Mengde angrily killed Ma Teng! !
"Liu Zilie! You can kill me or shave me, it's all up to you!"

"I, Xu Huang, will never surrender to you!"

On top of Jingshan Mountain, Xu Huang, with his hands and feet tied, gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

Cao Ren, Yu Jin, Man Chong, Lu Chang and others all became captives of Liu Wu. He, Xu Gongming, was absolutely unwilling to follow in the footsteps of these four people. Prime Minister Cao had been very kind to him, and now he could only repay him with his death.

Xiangfan has been broken, and Liu Zilie will definitely send troops to take Nanyang next. Wancheng is the capital of Nanyang, and it is definitely a place that Liu Zilie must attack.

Fortunately, when he led his troops out of Wancheng, there were still thousands of soldiers in the city.

There is neither a large river like the Han River nor a flood season near Wancheng. Even if Liu Zilie led his troops to the city of Wancheng, he could only attack the city honestly.

The thousands of soldiers in the city would defend the city and it would be no problem for them to hold out until Prime Minister Cao's reinforcements arrived.

As long as we hold on to Nanyang,

Defend Wancheng,

Prime Minister Cao has the opportunity to turn the situation around!
Liu Wu glanced at Xu Huang calmly and said, "Don't worry, General Gongming. I will not kill you, nor will I surrender to you. My army wants to take Wancheng, and we still need your help."

He doesn't kill me, nor does he persuade me to surrender, but instead asks me to help him take Wancheng?
Is Liu Zilie playing a trick on me?

Xu Huang was so angry that he laughed: "Kill me if you want, why are you playing tricks on me?!"

Liu Wu ignored him and turned to look at Zhao Yun: "Uncle is chasing Xu Huang this time, is there anyone else with him?"

Others?

Zhao Yun was stunned and shook his head: "There were more than a hundred guards, but they all died under my spear."

Liu Wu: "Not a single one is left alive?"

Zhao Yun: "They were killed cleanly, not a single one survived."

After receiving Zhao Yun's affirmative answer, Liu Wu nodded and said, "In that case, Wancheng can be taken."

Can Wancheng be taken?

How come Wancheng can be taken? !
Xu Huang was stunned. He suddenly had a bad feeling: "Liu Zilie, what on earth do you want to do?!"

……

Nanyang County is the hometown of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu. Most of the 28 generals and 365 meritorious officials of Yuntai came from Nanyang. Therefore, Nanyang was crowded with royal relatives and was known as the "Southern Capital" and the "Emperor's Hometown".

Nanyang belonged to Jingzhou and had jurisdiction over more than 30 counties, while Henan County, where the former capital Luoyang was located, had only more than 20 counties under its jurisdiction.

Among the Thirteen Prefectures of the Han Dynasty, Xuzhou, which had the fewest counties, had only more than sixty counties. The counties governed by Nanyang County accounted for half of Xuzhou's counties!

The population of this county has exceeded two million, even catching up with the population of a state. It is a truly fertile land.

Nanyang was therefore known as the largest county in the world, with abundant resources and a prosperous population.

Its seat, Wancheng, was an important military town and the western gateway to Xuchang. Its gain or loss was directly related to the safety of the Central Plains. Cao Mengde attached great importance to it and only his trusted confidants could be stationed there.

The fact that Xu Huang was able to garrison this city is enough to prove his importance in Cao Cao's heart.

Now, Xu Huang has led his troops away from Wancheng for several days.

"How come there is no news from General Gongming since he left Wancheng?"

"I heard that Xiangfan was hit by a flood a few days ago. I'm afraid that this battle will be difficult for General Gongming."

"So what if there's a flood? Xiangfan has high walls and thick fortresses. It shouldn't be a problem for us to hold out until our general's reinforcements arrive. With the 20,000 reinforcements from Wancheng, how difficult will it be to hold on to Xiangfan?"

"That's right! I heard that the Prime Minister has already stationed 60,000 troops in Xiangfan. If General Gongming arrives, there will be 80,000 troops! Even if Liu Zilie is so powerful, can't 80,000 troops defend Xiangfan?"

On the top of Wancheng City, several captains were discussing the battle situation in Xiangfan in a low voice, and the atmosphere was relaxed.

It was no secret that Xu Huang cut down trees to build boats and requisitioned warships. The military intelligence of the Xiangyang dike breach had also spread in Wancheng long ago.

They only knew that the Han River was flooding, but they had no idea how serious the flood was.

In the view of these generals in Wancheng, Xiangfan is a big city. Even if it is flooded by a flood, the impact on Xiangfan should not be too great. Although General Xu Huang will have a difficult battle this time, he will eventually return with a great victory.

As for Xu Huang taking away the main force of Wancheng...

Even though there were only a few thousand defenders in Wancheng, Xuchang was behind Wancheng.

As long as the city gates are closed, no matter how strong the invading enemy is, they can always hold out until the Xuchang army arrives.

Da da da! ~
Suddenly, yellow dust rolled up in the distance.

Hundreds of riders guarded a carriage and galloped to the city of Wancheng.

The guards on the top of the city drew their bows and aimed their sharp arrows at the hundreds of riders below the city: "Who are you?"

Xilulu! ~
A general at the foot of the city, holding a halberd, rode forward and said, "We are the personal guards of General Xu Huang. Open the city gate quickly!"

General Xu Huang’s personal guard?
The guards on the city wall were all stunned. A captain who had just been discussing the Battle of Xiangfan poked his head towards the city wall and sneered, "What nonsense!"

"General Xu Huang led his troops to aid Xiangfan. How come his personal guards suddenly returned to Wancheng?"

The generals below the city shouted, "We have been tricked by Liu Zilie!"

"He used the power of the flood to submerge Fancheng, drowning countless people! The entire Fancheng was submerged in water, all the food and grass were submerged in the water, and there was no food for several days. Xiangfan surrendered early!"

"He joined forces with Sun Quan, and the two naval forces of Jingzhou and Jiangdong attacked General Xu Huang."

"The 20,000 men and women in our army are in disarray. We can only escort General Xu Huang back to Wancheng first!"

Xiangfan surrenders soon!

Jiangdong and Liu Wu joined forces to defeat General Xu Huang?

boom! ~
On the top of Wancheng City, it seemed as if a thunderbolt exploded in the minds of all the soldiers.

This, how is this possible?

Xiangfan surrendered, and even General Xu Huang was defeated?
The faces of the several officers on the tower changed constantly, but they managed to keep their sanity: "You said you were going to escort General Xu Huang back, but where is General Xu Huang?"

The general holding the halberd waved his hand, and immediately a figure was carried out of the carriage.

The figure was unconscious, with a thick linen wrapped around his forehead, blood still oozing out.

But that face was familiar to everyone on the city wall...

General Xu Huang, it is indeed General Xu Huang!

The soldiers defending the city were dumbfounded, and their bowstrings slowly loosened. Did General Xu Huang really lose?!
"What are you still dithering about?" The general holding the halberd seemed to be getting more and more anxious: "General Xu Huang was injured by the enemy and lacked medical care and medicine along the way. If we don't welcome General Xu Huang into the city, if something happens to him, will you go and apologize to Prime Minister Cao?!"

The words of the halberd-wielding general instantly shocked the captains on the city wall: "Open the city gate, open the city gate quickly!"

Boom! ~
The gates of Wancheng opened wide in front of hundreds of riders.

Da da da! ~
Rumble, rumble~
Liu Wu looked calm. Holding a halberd in his hand, he led hundreds of cavalrymen and slowly urged their horses into the long corridor.

After a while...

"Ah!~"

"No! That's fake, they're not... ugh!"

"Quick! The enemy is attacking! Gather the soldiers! Gather the soldiers quickly!"

Suddenly, a fierce fight broke out in Wancheng.

Boom! ~
at the same time,

The densely packed soldiers from Jingnan, like a rolling tide, rushed towards Wancheng from outside the city.

The black mass of the army poured into the western gate of Xudu, the seat of the largest county in the world!

It's the day,

Wancheng fell, Liu Wu took Nanyang!

……

Wow! ~
A huge banner with the word "Liu" on it fluttered in the wind on the top of Wancheng City.

inside the city,

A large number of Jingnan troops were mobilized to guard important locations.

"Hurry up!"

"Don't look around!"

Under the guard of Jingnan soldiers, thousands of Wancheng defenders walked dejectedly towards the parade ground. They were now prisoners.

These captive soldiers in Wancheng never imagined that Xu Huang was captured alive and even used as bait to trick the city gate of Wancheng into opening.

Although Wancheng was tricked into opening the city gate at that time, if the defenders in the city had been well mobilized, it would not be impossible to recapture the city gate before the enemy army arrived.

However, the incident happened suddenly and the soldiers in the city had no time to react.

In addition, the general holding the halberd was very brave. He led more than a hundred cavalrymen to guard the city gate corridor, almost like a single man blocking a thousand men. He held out until the main force of the enemy arrived...

"Alas!~" Among the crowd of captives, the captain who opened the city gate for Liu Wu sighed. What else is there to say now that things have come to this?

Wancheng County Governor's Mansion,
Liu Wugao sat at the main desk and everyone gathered together.

Wei Yan stood below, his eyes filled with uncontrollable enthusiasm: "The news that my army has captured Xiangfan has already spread to all the counties!"

"When the counties and prefectures around Xiangfan heard that our army had arrived, they all surrendered..."

Xiangfan surrendered!

The impact this had on the counties and prefectures of Xiangfan was beyond imagination.

After the fall of the two big cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng, all the counties and prefectures that depended on these two cities had no room for resistance at all.

surrender,

This is their only way out.

Wei Yan had already prepared to capture several counties and make an example of others.

As a result, wherever his troops went, the gates of all the cities he encountered were wide open, and the county magistrates came in person to welcome him, which was almost like offering baskets of food and drink to welcome the royal army.

Wei Yan still remembers the scene when he stood in the lobby of the Zhangling County Magistrate's mansion and looked at the magistrates of more than a dozen counties bowing respectfully to him.

At that moment, Wei Yan's blood was boiling hot.

Wei Wenchang has come to this day!

Even though he had a high prestige in the army when he was under Liu Biao's command, once he left the military camp, the governors and county magistrates of various counties in Jingzhou might smile apologetically to him in person.

But when you turn your back, who doesn’t look down on you behind your back?

Later, when he was under the command of Han Xuan and Liu Bei, he was marginalized everywhere.

When have these county governors and magistrates ever been so respectful and fearful to me as they are now?
Do they fear themselves and respect themselves?

Do not!
They are respectful and fearful of Zilie!

Zhanxiling,
Cut off Jiangbei,
Go down to Jingnan,
Until now, we have taken over Xiangfan and Nanyang County!
Wei Yan personally witnessed and participated in Liu Wu's gradual rise in power. He himself also went from being a surrendered general who was always excluded under Liu Bei's command to a general who could rule a region on his own.

Now that Nanyang has been conquered and the land of northern Jing is in Liu Wu's hands, the next step is...

Wei Yan couldn't help but tremble slightly all over. Nanyang was known as the imperial hometown, and the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai all came from this place. Later, their portraits were painted and enshrined in Yuntai Pavilion. Their names will be passed down through the ages and shine for future generations.

What Emperor Guangwu of Han did, Zilie might also be able to do.

I can emulate the achievements made by Deng Yu!
"Xiangfan has been conquered. All the governors and magistrates in the surrounding counties who are not confused will know what to do." Feng Chu, who was standing aside, took a sip of wine contentedly.

Along the way, he and Wei Yan persuaded the counties to surrender. After the county governors and magistrates knew that he was Liu Wu's teacher, they sent him dozens of carts of various fine wines. Pang Tong sighed: "Now Jingbei has fallen into Zilie's trap. Even Liu Jingsheng didn't have such achievements. No..."

"Zi Lie is far better than Liu Jingsheng. Liu Jingsheng did not completely take back Nanyang, nor did he occupy Hefei."

Although Liu Biao was the lord of Jingzhou at the beginning, he only occupied part of Nanyang, which originally belonged to Jingzhou. As for the territories outside Jingzhou, he was even more powerless.

How can he be compared with Liu Wu today?
Pang Tong suddenly felt dazed...

After the main case, that young and calm face did not change at all from the young face who personally sent him to be the magistrate of Leiyang County.

But Pang Shiyuan felt as if he were in another world.
Even though he is a phoenix chick,

Even though he is confident that he has a high vision,
But he never thought that this good disciple he accepted would actually reach this point one day.

Take Jingbei, conquer Nanyang, and knock on the door to the Central Plains!

This is my apprentice, this is the lord I assist!
Mr. Shuijing, the teacher, once praised Zhuge Kongming as "Jiang Ziya who prospered the Zhou Dynasty for 800 years, and Zhang Zifang who made the Han Dynasty prosperous for 400 years."

But now it seems,
I am afraid that I will have to get ahead of Kong Ming and realize the achievements of Jiang Ziya and Zhang Zifang.

"Teacher..." Liu Wu's calm voice brought Pang Tong back to reality from his reverie: "What is the current situation of our army?"

Since the attack on Xiangfan,

The power under Liu Wu's command continued to expand, changing almost every day. The territory increased dramatically, and more and more soldiers surrendered. Even Liu Wu could not give a specific account of his current financial situation.

Pang Tong smiled: "It would be great if the Lord knew about this..."

"Now we have taken over all the counties under the jurisdiction of Zhangling, Xiangyang, and Nanyang!"

"My lord, you already have 80,000 troops under your command, and you have also selected the elite soldiers who surrendered from Xiangfan and Xu Huang and incorporated them into your army, totaling 140,000 troops!"

"From today on, my lord has taken full control of Jingzhou!!"

……

Xuchang, Prime Minister's Mansion.

in the courtyard,
A group of doctors gathered together with sad faces:
"The Prime Minister's headache has recurred..."

"When wind moves to the lungs, it produces mucus; when it moves to the spleen, it produces saliva. Prime Minister, you have a disease of wind and saliva."

"The focus of the wind saliva is in the brain. Unless Bian Que is still alive, we cannot cure the Prime Minister with our abilities."

"Prime Minister Cao's fellow countryman, Hua Tuo from Qiao County, is a great doctor of the time. He may be able to cure the Prime Minister's illness, but he travels around practicing medicine and it's hard to find his whereabouts."

"I don't know who caused Prime Minister Cao's old illness to relapse today..."

In the bedroom of the Xiangfu,
Cao Mengde was lying on the couch with his back facing up, a white cloth on his forehead, sweat all over his head, his face pale, and his groans were occasionally mixed with a certain person's name.

"Liu Zilie!" Even though he had a splitting headache, Cao Cao still gritted his teeth in hatred when he thought of Liu Wu.

The Han River burst its banks and flooded Fancheng? ! !
Since Cao Mengde captured Xiangfan, the Han River has indeed burst its dikes many times, but none of them has flooded Fancheng.

Liu Zilie had just led the navy of Jingzhou to rush towards the Han River, but not long after, the Han River broke its banks and flooded Fancheng?

If there was nothing strange about this matter and Liu Zilie, Cao Mengde would never believe it!
Fancheng was flooded.

Liu Zilie also controls the Jingzhou navy, Cao Ren, Yu Jin and others...

"Hiss! It hurts so much that it hurts me!" Thinking of this, Cao Cao felt his headache getting worse.

The servant beside him hurriedly came forward with honey water and carefully fed it to Cao Cao. The sweet taste slightly relieved Cao Mengde's pain.

"Prime Minister..." Cheng Yu, who was beside the couch, hesitated a little, but finally spoke: "Although the Prime Minister has a headache right now, the matter in Xiangfan is more urgent."

"Now that the Han River has burst its banks, Liu Zilie's Jingzhou navy is on the Han River. He will definitely not remain indifferent."

"Fancheng can hardly defend itself, and Xiangyang can hardly hold its own. Even with Xu Gongming's 20,000 reinforcements, Fancheng has become a swamp. The Northern Army is not good at water battles, so I'm afraid..."

"I think that in order to protect Xiangfan without any loss, we should continue to send more troops to Xiangfan."

Send more troops to Xiangfan?

Cao Mengde on the couch laughed bitterly: "Zhongde, now I have a large number of troops under my command guarding the four directions. Since Yu Jin's 30,000 troops were transferred to Xiangfan, there are only a few troops left that I can directly dispatch."

"Even the troops that supported Xiangfan last time, I could only mobilize Xu Huang's troops in Wancheng first..."

"There are only 20,000 defenders left in Xuchang now! We can't move anymore."

There are only 20,000 defenders left in Xuchang?
Cheng Yu stayed there. Although he held the title of General Fenwu, military affairs were always discussed by Cao Cao and his trusted generals, and rarely handed over to his advisers.

It was not until this time that Cheng Yu knew the current status of Xuchang's military strength.

For a moment, Cheng Yu was also a little unprepared: "If this is the case, if this is the case... the siege of Xiangfan, can I just sit there and watch?"

Just stand by and watch!

These four words hit Cao Cao's heart hard.

If Xiangfan falls, that bastard Liu Zilie will definitely attack Nanyang and take Wancheng.

Wancheng is the western gateway of Xuchang. If it is captured by Liu Zilie, the whole world will be shaken and the Central Plains will be in danger!
Cao Mengde regretted it.

At the beginning, I just rejected Liu Wu's proposal to send 10,000 troops north, but this bastard made such a big fuss in Xiangfan. If I had known this would happen, I might as well have agreed to his request right away...

"Alas~" Prime Minister Cao sighed. It was useless to think about these things now.

No matter what, Xiangfan cannot be lost!

Cao Cao gritted his teeth and seemed to have made up his mind: "Zhongde! Draft an order in the name of the emperor..."

"Here!" Cheng Yu grabbed a blank bamboo slip and dipped the wolf hair brush in his hand into ink.

Cao Mengde said in a low voice: "Fancheng is trapped by the rebels. Order the provincial governors and governors of all states under the jurisdiction of the court to lead the troops!"

"Rescue Fancheng!"

Let the provincial governors and governors of the country lead troops to rescue Fancheng? !

Uh-huh! ~
Cheng Yu suddenly raised his head and looked at the weak figure on the couch in almost disbelief.

Once this order is issued, won't it make people speculate that Xuchang is weak?

The most important thing is that it is easy to gather this group of people, but who knows if they will have other ideas?
"Prime Minister, this..."

"No problem." Cao Cao seemed to know what Cheng Yu wanted to say and interrupted him directly: "The heroes in the world today are only me and Liu Da'er, and... Liu Zilie. The others are mediocre and not worth mentioning."

"They can't make any big waves."

Tap tap tap! ~
There were hurried footsteps and Xu Chu rushed in.

"Prime Minister!" Xu Chu's face was full of solemnity: "The spy in Ma Teng's mansion reported that Ma Teng learned the news from Xiangfan..."

"He's going to run!"

……

"Drive! Drive!"

Several figures rode out of Xuchang on horseback.

Leading the way was an old general, who was extremely strong and sturdy. He was the former general, the Minister of Defense, and Ma Chao's father, Ma Teng Ma Shoucheng.

Ma Teng and Han Sui originally ruled Liang Province and were the overlords. Later, he was summoned by the emperor to serve in the court. As a result, he was trapped in Xuchang. He was nominally an official in the court, but in reality he was under house arrest.

He wanted to return to Liangzhou all the time, but he could never find the opportunity.

now,

opportunity finally arises!

He got the news that the Han River broke its dike and flooded Fancheng, but it happened that Jingzhou Governor Liu Zi had already led the Jingzhou navy and was lingering on the Han River.

Xiangfan is in danger and Cao Cao cannot send out troops. Right now is the time when Cao is in dire straits. If he doesn't leave now, when will he leave?

"Cao Mengde!" Ma Teng gritted his teeth, thinking that he, the descendant of General Ma Yuan, was imprisoned in Xuchang like a prisoner by Cao Cao for no reason, he could no longer suppress the anger in his heart.

When I return to Liangzhou this time, I will make sure Cao Mengde learn a lesson.

"Go!" Ma Teng whipped his whip hard, "Hurry up! Don't let that Cao thief catch up!"

"Brother Shoucheng, where are you going?!" A cold and eerie voice suddenly sounded in front.

This sound is...

Ma Teng's heart suddenly tightened and he reined in his horse subconsciously.

Xilulu~
There were about several hundred riders blocking Ma Teng's way ahead.

The leader was Cao Mengde, who had not yet recovered from his headache.

Da da da! ~
Cao Cao's face was gloomy. Under Xu Chu's guard, he rode his horse slowly forward: "Brother Shoucheng, why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

Cao Mengde's imposing manner was so intimidating that Ma Teng panicked and subconsciously explained, "Teng is not leaving Xuchang..."

"Then why did you rush out of the city?!" Cao Cao shouted loudly, furious.

Ma Teng was speechless, not knowing how to explain: "I, I am..."

Since Ma Teng was summoned to the court, Cao Mengde had been very caring and concerned about Ma Shoucheng's well-being in order to appease him.

But now that he had just received the news of the incident in Xiangfan, he actually wanted to sneak away from Xuchang without hesitation. This old thief had been in Liangzhou for too long and had really acquired the manners of a Qiang barbarian!
Cao Cao had a headache and was already feeling depressed. Looking at Ma Teng who had been caught red-handed by him, he suddenly remembered the incident of the secret decree.

The secret edict was originally led by Liu Wu, and Ma Teng also signed it...

Liu Zilie, Ma Teng...

Thinking of Liu Wu,

Thinking of Xiangfan,

Thinking about Ma Teng running away because of Liu Zilie...

Cao Mengde was immediately furious, pointing at Ma Teng's nose and cursing: "Liu Zilie, that brat, bullied me, and you, an old man, dare to treat me like nothing?"

"Old Qiang thief! When Liu Bei and Liu Wu led the way in issuing the imperial edict, I never cared about it when you signed it. Now that this is the case, you should just keep your head down and live an honest life. How dare you rebel again?!!"

Ma Teng was a descendant of General Ma Yuan, but due to the downfall of his ancestors, he had to drift to Liangzhou and live with the Qiang people.

What he desired most in his life was to restore the glory of his ancestors, and what he hated most was that others made innuendos against him by using the Qiang people.

Cao Cao kept calling Ma Teng an old villain and an old Qiang bandit, which completely angered Ma Teng.

He angrily yelled back: "I am the descendant of General Fu Bo Ma Yuan, and my family has been high officials for generations. How dare you, a eunuch, insult the bloodline of a national hero?!"

"Cao thief! You receive Han's salary, but you behave like a traitor! You deceive the emperor and bully the ministers!"

"When I return to Liangzhou this time, I will mobilize all the Liangzhou cavalry to cut you, a eunuch, into pieces! Cut you into pieces a thousand times!!"

Eunuch!
Creak~
These three words instantly made Cao Cao clench his fists, and he looked gloomily at Xu Chu beside him.

Xu Chu shouted angrily, "Old bastard!"

Woo! ~
The Fire Cloud Sword slashed across, and a sharp sound of breaking through the air was heard.

Poof! ~
A cold light flashed and blood spurted out.

Ma Teng's huge head was separated from his body and fell to the ground with a loud bang...

　That's all for today. Today's two chapters total 12,000 words. Good night, brothers.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)