Chapter 232 Liu Wu’s troops are approaching Hangu Pass! Cao Cao has no way to escape!
Chapter 232: Liu Wu’s troops arrive at Hangu Pass!
On the ancient road of Qiaohan, flags blocked out the sun.

The rumbling sound never stops.

The long dragon-like troops were marching hurriedly, and the soldiers, like mountains and seas, had numbness on their faces. These days, all they did was march quickly.

Even dry food can only be eaten on the march.

At the beginning, some people were panic-stricken, worrying that Liu Wu's army would catch up with them at any time.

But he got used to it after running for a while. Not to mention that General Zixiao led 20,000 soldiers to stop Liu Wu from behind, what would it matter even if Liu Wu caught up with him?

It's nothing more than a fight, the outcome is still unknown...

Rumble, rumble~
The chariot with a large banner with the word Cao on it was protected in the center of the army, moving quickly and bumpily all the way.

The driver looked tired, but he was trying hard to drive the carriage.

Cao Mengde was half asleep and half awake under the carriage and canopy...

He was also very sleepy, but he didn't dare to sleep at all. The last time he was so frightened was in Guandu.

At that time, Yuan Shao's army had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, while he had only 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers capable of fighting. Yuan Benchu ​​pressed down on him with the force of a mountain pressing down on his head, and he could hardly sleep every night.

now,

Thanks to Liu Zilie, he was able to recall the feeling of the Battle of Guandu.

Liu Zilie...

At this time, the scouts had not yet brought any news about Liu Zilie's pursuit. It seemed that Zixiao was leading the 20,000 soldiers and was still fighting fiercely with Liu Zilie.

Cao Cao felt a little relieved, hoping that Zixiao could stop Liu Wu for a while longer...

Xilulu~
"Xu~"

The carriage suddenly stopped, Cao Cao woke up instantly, and stood up straight: "What's going on? But Liu Zilie killed..."

"Prime Minister!"

"Zhongde?"

Cheng Yu took a deep breath and bowed to Cao Cao outside the carriage: "Prime Minister, we have arrived at Hangu Pass!"

Hangu Pass?
Arrived at Hangu Pass!
Boom~
Cao Cao suddenly stood up from the sedan chair and looked up...

At this moment, the sun is setting in the west, and the red sunset glow illuminates the sky and also sprinkles on a magnificent pass ahead!

On the lintel of the city wall, the three ancient characters "Hangu Pass" are shining brightly in the setting sun...

Hangu Pass,
As expected, we arrived at Hangu Pass.

"Hangu Pass! We are at Hangu Pass!"

"If we hold on to Hangu Pass, we won't have to worry about Liu Wu's pursuit anymore."

"Finally, everything is stable..."

The cheers of Cao's soldiers resounded in Cao Cao's ears. They finally didn't have to worry anymore and they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

wow~
Cao Cao fell down on the sedan chair, almost all his strength gone.

"Prime Minister!"

"No problem, I am alone."

The string that Cao Mengde had been holding tight for days finally relaxed.

What he experienced these days was as bizarre as a dream...

Just when he was about to capture Tongguan and Guanzhong, Liu Wu suddenly appeared from Tongguan, and even Han Sui surrendered to Liu Wu without knowing when.

The fruit that was originally in hand was picked by Liu Wu.

I fled all the way in a daze, Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, Cao Ren...

The fate of these trusted generals was unknown at this moment, and even their own life and death were still uncertain during this journey...

Fortunately, it is all over now.

The nearly 500-mile-long Qiaohan Ancient Road was finally completed.

Cao Cao felt mixed emotions.

He finally managed to retreat to this ancient pass before Liu Wu's pursuers.

"Prime Minister..." Cheng Yu said, "It's getting late now and the soldiers are exhausted. We should hurry through the pass."

Cao Mengde nodded: "Pass on my order, the whole army enters the pass!"

crunch~
Before the sun completely set, the gate of Hangu Pass was finally opened.

Cao Mengde's canopy-drafted chariot was the first to enter the city.

"Enter the customs! Enter the customs quickly!"

"Oh my God! We have finally entered Hangu Pass!"

"It's over, it's finally over..."

"Don't push! The King of Wei has ordered that all armies and units enter the pass in order. Anyone who dares to cause chaos and disobey the order will be executed!!"

As Cao Mengde's military order came out from Hangu Pass, Cao's army, which had been crowded together at the gate, finally began to enter the city in an orderly manner.

When the last soldier entered the city, it was completely dark.

Torches were also lit on the top of the city wall, and the soldiers on duty patrolled around.

suddenly,

A soldier moved his ears: "What's that sound?"

Rumble~
Suddenly, there was a strange movement outside Hangu Pass. As the sound became louder and louder, fire was lit in the distance outside the pass.

One place, two places,

There were more and more stars, like a fire dragon, illuminating the area outside Hangu Pass.

There were four large flags with the words "Zhou", "Tai Shi", "Lü" and "Ding" inscribed on them.

This is the banner of the Four Generals of Jiangdong, the Wu-Chu Allied Forces!
The Cao army on the top of the city turned pale: "Liu Liu, Liu Wu... Liu Wu's army is coming!!"

……

Inside the city, the residence of the general guarding the pass.

In the lobby,
Meat, fruits, vegetables, fine wine and delicious food are all available.

Cao's army escaped from danger, and his counselors and generals were drinking and discussing with each other, trying to calm down their own King Wei.

"King Wei has traveled a long way, please drink this wine to wash away the dust."

"I offer this wine to the King of Wei for his longevity."

"King Wei, please..."

A group of civil and military officials raised their cups and toasted Cao Cao.

Cao Mengde held the bowl of wine, with a bitter smile on his face, unable to swallow it: "This time during the expedition to Guanzhong, we suffered heavy losses, but did not gain an inch of land, and were even played tricks by Liu Wu and Han Sui. This wine... I really can't drink it."

"Besides..." Cao Cao's expression was gloomy. "Yu Wenze, Zhang Wenyuan, and Zixiao have not returned yet, so how can I have the heart to have a feast?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the civil and military officials in the hall bowed their heads and put down the wine cups in their hands.

"Report!" At this moment, the soldiers guarding the city rushed into the hall in a hurry: "Outside the pass, outside the pass, the flags of the four generals of Jiangdong suddenly appeared. The Wu-Chu coalition has reached the outside of Hangu Pass!"

"What? Liu Wu's army is coming?!" The faces of all the civil and military officials in the hall changed drastically.

Liu Zilie has very quick hands and feet.

Bang~
Everyone hurriedly looked up in the hall...

Prime Minister Cao dropped the wine cup in his hand, his face pale: "Liu Wu's army is coming, so I will be filial to him, I will be filial to him..."

……

It was dark at night, and inside Hangu Pass, the camp of Cao's army was silent.

In a moment,

There was a sudden noise in the camp, with people shouting and horses neighing, and it was a complete chaos.

"Liu Zilie is here to kill us?!"

"This, doesn't this mean that General Zixiao's 20,000 troops are also..."

"General Wen Ze had 20,000 troops, and General Wen Yuan had 30,000 troops. After the battle in Weinan, only 5,000 were left. Those 5,000 people were unable to stop Liu Wu. Now, with General Zixiao's 20,000 troops, can our army still stop Liu Zilie?"

"We still have Hangu Pass, and we can definitely stop Liu Zilie."

"Liu Zilie's military tactics are always unpredictable and difficult to predict. I'm afraid that Hangu Pass..."

This night,
The entire Cao army camp,

The entire Hangu Pass,
From Cao Cao, the civil and military generals to the ordinary soldiers, no one slept all night...

……

The bright and mighty sun broke through the pale sky in the east.

The entire Hangu Pass was dyed a brilliant red gold by the morning sun.

woohoo~
The low horn sounded outside Hangu Pass.

Call ~
The flags are fluttering and gathering like clouds.

Densely packed soldiers lined up outside the pass, their armor and sharp blades reflecting the golden light in the sky, like thousands of golden scales, dazzling the eyes.

On top of Hangu Pass, Cao Cao looked gloomily at the royal flags and banners outside the city...

This large banner with the word "Chu" on it had just arrived outside Hangu Pass early in the morning. At this moment, it was bathed in the rising sun and overlooking the surroundings.

Woo~
The rhythm of the horn suddenly changed, and the King of Chu's flag slowly moved forward until it reached the foot of the city.

Under the banner,
Liu Wu stood on his horse and looked at Cao Mengde on the top of the city wall: "King Wei, did you sleep well last night?"

Sleep well?

I'm afraid no one in the city dared to sleep last night.

Cao Mengde had dark circles under his eyes, and his chest rose and fell for a while, but then he suppressed it again. He said coldly: "Liu Zilie, I have entered Hangu Pass, and I have 100,000 troops at my command!"

"If I were you, you would lead your troops to retreat honestly, so as not to get hurt and lose face at Hangu Pass."

Liu Wu smiled faintly: "I think the King of Wei knows how many troops he still has. As for losing face..."

"The King of Wei has always regarded himself as a loyal and capable minister of the Han Dynasty, and he also compared himself to Duke Zhou who supported the Zhou Dynasty. However, this time you failed to take Guanzhong first, and you were defeated all the way back at Tongguan..."

"If I were to capture Hangu Pass and march straight to Luoyang, I wonder how the King of Wei would be able to maintain his dignity in the world?"

"Is the capable minister of the Han Dynasty, Duke Zhou of Han, really like this?"

Every word and sentence of Liu Zilie is heart-piercing.

Prime Minister Cao's old face has turned red...

If it was really as he said, and I went down Hangu Pass and headed for Luoyang, I would have no choice but to follow the emperor to move to Yecheng, and all my half-life's hard work would go to waste. By then, let alone being Duke of Zhou, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to live in peace as a local lord.

Cao Cao's heart was in turmoil, but he kept sneering: "Liu Zilie, don't argue with me. I am here in Hangu Pass..."

"If you have the guts, just come and attack!"

"I want to see, which is harder, your head or the wall of Hangu Pass!"

Liu Wu nodded in agreement: "What the King of Wei said is very true. There is really no use in arguing... Bring him up."

He waved his hand gently.

Immediately, two figures were tied up and brought to the foot of the city.

On the top of the city wall, Cao's army looked at the two men in an uproar:
"General Zixiao? That's General Zixiao!"

“And Yu Wen Ze!”

"Alas, if the two generals were just defeated, it would be fine, but now they have not been captured by Liu Zilie, this..."

"Both generals are talented generals. Fortunately, they survived..."

Although the civil and military officials of Cao's army were shocked, they also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the two men were alive, there would always be a way to get them back. It was just a matter of bargaining on the part of He Liu Zilie.

Cao Cao's attention did not seem to be on these two people.

He just stared at Liu Wu, his voice trembling slightly: "Liu Zilie, where is Zhang Wenyuan?"

Liu Wu: "On the battlefield, swords and guns are indiscriminate... He died."

Zhang Liao is dead!

Cao Cao's eyes went dark and his body swayed backwards.

"King Wei!"

"Prime Minister!"

Civil officials and military generals hurriedly stepped forward to support Cao Cao.

Cao Cao's face was full of bitterness: "Wenyuan, my Wenyuan..."

Although Zhang Liao surrendered at the White Gate Tower, he was the one among the Five Elite Generals that Cao Cao highly valued.

In the Battle of Langshan, he killed the Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun on the battlefield, shocked the northern border, and made great contributions to Cao Cao's pacification of the north.

In the original historical trajectory, Zhang Liao once led 800 death-defying warriors to defeat Sun Quan's army of .

Not only that, in the battle to defend Hefei, Zhang Liao commanded Li Dian and Le Jin to defeat Sun Quan's army many times, and almost captured Sun Zhongmou alive, which made the generals of Jiangdong tremble.

Moreover, Zhang Liao, a surrendered general, was able to hold the rank of General Conquering the East during Cao Cao's lifetime, ranking only below Yu Jin and Le Jin but above Xu Huang and Zhang He, which was extremely rare.

If Cao Cao had not admired him so much, Zhang Liao would never have reached this point...

The extreme sadness was quickly suppressed by Cao Cao.

Zhang Liao is dead, but nothing must happen to Yu Jin and Cao Ren again.

"Liu Zilie..." Cao Cao looked at Liu Wu coldly, and said without further ado: "What do you want in order to release Wen Ze and Zi Xiao?"

Liu Wu said calmly: "Please, King Wei, let Zhuge Kongming be the Prime Minister of Han. If you agree, I will release Cao Ren and Yu Jin..."

"If you don't allow..."

"The army under my command will take Hangu Pass today!!"

　No more today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)