Chapter 33 General Gan, you don't want Xiling City to fall into Cao Cao's hands, do you? ( words long chapter!)

Chapter 033: General Gan, you don’t want Xiling City to fall into Cao Cao’s hands, do you? ( words long chapter!)

Woohoo! ~
Boom, boom, boom! ~
Outside Xiling City, the sounds of war drums and horns roared incessantly.

In the center of Cao's army in Jiangling, under the banner, the deputy general looked at Cao Ren hesitantly: "General, you had a duel with that thief general before. According to what you said before, General..."

The deputy general explained carefully: "I have no other intentions, I am just worried that the evil general will slander the general in the future."

This is an era where reputation is more important than anything else. Once a reputation is tarnished, no matter if one is a civil official, a military general, or a king or a minister, one will be condemned by the public.

Cao Ren smiled faintly. He understood what the other party meant. This deputy general was his confidant, so Cao Ren did not take it as an offense.

"Warfare is the art of deception." Looking ahead at Xiling, which was about to be besieged by the army, Cao Ren had a carefree look on his face: "I came here to fight a war, to take Xiling. As long as we can take Xiling, the rest is insignificant."

"Besides, the bet I made with that thief general was a private one. The Prime Minister ordered me to take Xiling, which was a public one. How can I abandon the public one for a private one?"

Cao Ren eventually broke his promise, and he felt at ease doing so.

When the prime minister conquered Xuzhou, in order to make Lu Bu surrender, he even lied to him. As long as Lu Bu was willing to surrender, the prime minister would hand over all his troops to Lu Bu, ensure that he would be promoted to general, and even become brothers with Lu Bu.

As a result, when Xuzhou City was broken, the prime minister strangled Lu Fengxian to death on the White Gate Tower.

I just broke my promise and betrayed my alliance. What does it matter?
……

Boom! ~
The boundless Cao army, like dark clouds in the sky, swept towards the west gate of Xiling City in a mighty force!

Under the trampling of tens of thousands of troops, the entire Xiling City was shaking slightly.

"Quick! Archers, get ready!"

"Rolling stones and battering rams! Bring up more rolling stones and battering rams!"

"Heat the boiling oil!"

There was a murderous atmosphere on the top of Xiling City.

A large number of soldiers were moved back and forth, and all the city defense equipment was moved to the top of the city.

Everyone understands that the first test facing Xiling City has arrived!

Only if they can hold on will they be able to truly take root on both sides of this great river.

If you can't make it...

Tap tap tap~
The sound of dense footsteps rang out on the top of the city wall, and Liu Wu's figure appeared in front of all the soldiers.

"Lord!"

"Greetings, my lord!"

Several captains on the city wall saluted Liu Wu one after another.

Liu Wu nodded slightly and looked towards the dark mass of Cao's army outside the city.

Wei Yan on one side was already cursing: "Cao Zixiao is extremely shameless! If he dares to ruin Zilie's cause, I will cut him into pieces!"

As long as Cao Ren keeps his promise and the army retreats, Xiling will be able to get some breathing time and will be able to better deal with the more hidden challenges that will come.

But now Cao Ren has broken his promise. Even if Xiling can win this battle, it will surely suffer heavy losses and be seriously injured after the war. How difficult will it be for Xiling to survive surrounded by wolves on both sides of the river?
"General Wei is right!" Lu Xun stood behind Liu Wu, looking at the Cao army under the city and gritting his teeth: "Cao Zixiao is indeed Cao's cousin. He has really learned Cao's cunning and shamelessness thoroughly!"

Lu Xun’s worries last night came true, and Cao Zixiao really broke his promise.

The more Lu Xun thought about it, the more angry he became; the more he thought about it, the more ashamed he became. If his lord had not released Cao Ren in order to get him back, how could Xiling be in the crisis it is in today?

Gao Shun, who was beside the two men, said nothing. He just stared at the figure under the banner of Cao's central army, with murderous intent in his eyes. Yesterday, his spear should have pierced Cao Ren's neck!

"Everyone." Liu Wu, who had been silent, slowly turned around and glanced at everyone: "Now that things have come to this, we will implement the strategy we discussed yesterday."

As soon as the words fell, the three people present were shocked, even Wei Yan couldn't help but take a deep breath.

When several people were discussing the matter yesterday, they also considered how Xiling should respond if Cao Ren broke his promise. Liu Wu devised a response plan, but this response plan was too risky.

Wei Yan couldn't help but say: "Zi Lie, your plan may work, but it is too risky! You are the backbone of Xiling now, and you should not do it unless it is absolutely necessary..."

"Now is the last resort." Liu Wu said indifferently.

Wei Yan opened his mouth but said nothing in the end, because he knew that Liu Wu was right and now was the last resort.

Liu Wu: "Bo Yan."

Lu Xun was startled: "Lord?"

Liu Wu looked at Lu Xun, his bright eyes calm and silent: "In a little while, Xiling City will be handed over to you."

Leave Xiling to me?

This was not included in the strategy that the lord set yesterday?

Lu Xun hadn't reacted yet and just stared at Liu Wu blankly.

Liu Wu has already begun to assign military orders: "Gao Shun."

Gao Shun: "I am here!"

Liu Wu: "How many horses are there in the city?"

Gao Shun: "We still have more than a hundred cavalrymen."

Liu Wu nodded and said, "Choose one hundred elite soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp and follow me out of the city. The remaining seven hundred will be handed over to Lu Xun."

"I obey your command!" Gao Shun bowed.

Liu Wu looked at Wei Yan: "Chang Wen."

Wei Yan said solemnly: "I am here!"

"You are ordered to help Lu Xun defend the city. You must obey Lu Xun's orders. If the city is lost, bring your heads to me!"

"Yes!"

The military order had been issued, and Liu Wu turned around and walked towards the city.

Lu Xun finally came to his senses. He subconsciously bowed to Liu Wu: "My Lord..."

Liu Wu had already led Gao Shun down from the city wall.

Da da da! ~
After a while, the sound of horse hooves was heard in the city.

In the cold wind, a hundred riders rode towards the east gate!

The two leaders were Liu Wu and Gao Shun. The wide streets in the city were empty, with only more than a hundred riders galloping on the bluestone streets.

boom! ~
The east gate slowly opened, and the blazing sunlight poured down, shining directly on Liu Wu and the hundred riders behind him.

In the bright sunlight, the figures of the hundred riders slowly disappeared, leaving only yellow dust dancing in the sunlight...

On the tower, Lu Xun stared at Liu Wu disappearing at the east gate, lost in thought...

Xiling City is the lord's only foothold on both sides of the river and the lord's only support.

If I hadn't been captured by Cao Ren's personal soldiers yesterday, why would my lord have exchanged Cao Ren for me? Xiling City wouldn't necessarily be in the danger it is in today.

But even so, at the most critical moment, the lord still trusted me without hesitation, and handed over Xiling City, the lord's lifeline and the hope for his future great cause, to me without hesitation.

Leave it to me, a descendant of the Jiangdong Lu family.

Hand it over to me, a young scholar who has brought trouble to the lord and has not yet been able to take charge. The lord treats me, Lu Boyan, with such trust!
Lu Xun just felt his throat blocked, his heart was filled with excitement and fear.

He has always been proud of himself, but the weight of Liu Wu's trust is so heavy, so heavy that even Lu Boyan, who has always been proud of himself, is frightened by it.

"Boy, since the lord trusts you, just go ahead and do it." Suddenly, a big hand pressed on Lu Xun's shoulder.

Lu Xun looked up and saw that it was Wei Yan.

Wei Yan grinned at Lu Xun and said, "My lord, I have been ordered to obey your orders. So I, Wei Wenchang, will obey your orders today."

"But don't forget, there is really no one available in the city right now, and you had no choice but to let me obey your orders. When you have more troops and horses in the future, I will definitely still be a general under your command! Also, I have to say this first..."

"If the city is lost, Wei Yan will naturally bring his head to see the lord, but your head, Lu Xun... Wei Yan must also bring it with him!"

Wei Yan's words sounded fierce, but how could Lu Xun not hear the encouragement in them?

Instantly, the remaining fear and doubt in Lu Xun's heart disappeared. He turned his head to look at the Cao army outside the city that had begun to attack the city, and said to himself in a deep voice: "Lu Xun, I will not be trusted by the lord anymore!"

……

"kill!"

"The general has ordered us to go to Xiling today!"

The endless Cao army rushed towards Xiling City like a surging tide.

hum! ~
Whoosh! ~
On the top of the city wall, a large number of archers gathered together and shot arrows, and in an instant, arrows rained down like locusts.

A large number of Cao's soldiers were nailed to the ground and died on the spot.

Occasionally, Cao's troops rushed to the city, but they were greeted by rolling stones and battering rams falling from the top of the city, as well as burning and smelly gold juice.

For a moment, the Cao army soldiers under the city had their brains bursting, bones and tendons broken everywhere, and screams and wails were heard everywhere.

The attacking and defending sides were in a stalemate...

Inside the city, on the parade ground.

Five thousand Shanyue people stared at Wei Yan on the podium with expressions of either fear or resentment.

Wei Yan was on the stage, threatening them loudly: "Do you know who is attacking the city outside? It's Cao Cao's army."

"Cao Cao is Jiangdong's mortal enemy. Not long ago, Cao Cao's army of 800,000 was burned to ashes by Jiangdong. He wanted to kill all the people in Jiangdong's six counties and eighty-one states to avenge his army."

"You are all from Jiangdong! Think about it, once Xiling City is destroyed, we can just run away, but none of you Shanyue people from Jiangdong will survive!"

"Every one of you will be burned by Cao Cao to avenge his 800,000-man army."

"Now, your only way to survive is to defend the city with us. As long as Cao Cao's army can't break in, you can survive..."

While Wei Yan was doing his best to intimidate the Shanyue people, he was also considerate and pointed out a way for them to survive.

Although these Shanyue people have always lived in the mountains and forests and know little about what is happening outside, under the current circumstances, their chances of survival are greater if they stay in the city than if they leave the city.

Soon, the attitude of the Five Thousand Shanyue softened.

Wei Yan heaved a sigh of relief, then turned around and stepped down from the stage, and came to Lu Xun who was standing beside him and bowed: "Mr. Boyan, these 5,000 Shanyue can defend the city at any time. I am here to give you the order."

The first task Lu Xun gave to Wei Yan was to organize the Shanyue people to defend the city as soon as possible. Wei Yan used threats, intimidation, coaxing and deception, and actually got the task done.

Lu Xun stood in front of the 700 soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp. He nodded and said, "After these 5,000 Shanyue are brought to the top of the city to defend the city, General Wei will supervise the battle. If any Shanyue have ulterior motives, the general can deal with them at any time."

Wei Yan: "I will obey your orders."

Lu Xun didn't say anything more and led the soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp to a certain place in the city.

Just as Wei Yan said, there is really no one available in the city right now. In this case, it might be a good idea to put some people who are inconvenient to use to some use.

As for whether that person is willing or not, the elite troops that the lord left for him are not just for show!

Inside the military tent, Gan Ning listened to the shouting and screaming outside the city, his face filled with confusion.

Is this a large army coming to attack the city?
But I don’t know whether it is Cao Cao, Liu Bei, or Jiangdong who sent troops to attack?

Wow! ~
Just as Gan Ning was lost in thought, the door curtain inside the military tent was lifted.

Several figures walked in. Gan Ning looked up and saw that the one leading them was Lu Xun and Lu Boyan.

Lu Xun smiled and said, "General Gan, how are you?"

Gan Ning just looked at Lu Xun coldly. That day he heard with his own ears that Lu Xun called the thief general "lord". What could he say to such a traitor?

Lu Xun was too lazy to talk to him and went straight to the point: "General Gan, Xiling City is now under attack by the enemy, and there are not enough generals to defend the city. I hope General Gan can help me."

"Afterwards, Xingba, please follow my orders and repel the enemy."

Seeing that Lu Xun actually wanted to give him orders, Gan Ning couldn't help but sneer: "Let Gan Ning listen to your orders?"

"You are a traitor who abandoned Jiangdong and betrayed the Marquis of Wu. Do you think you are worthy of Gan Ning's orders? Ridiculous!"

Lu Xun's face turned cold: "This is out of Xingba's hands... Come on, General Gan is inconvenient to walk, so let's carry him to the top of the city wall."

Several soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp immediately rushed over, carried Gan Ning and walked out of the tent.

Gan Ning still wanted to struggle, but as soon as he moved a little, he felt the arms of the two soldiers around him tied him up like four chains, and he could not move at all.

Gan Ning has been seriously injured since he was hit by Liu Wu's halberd that day and has not recovered yet. In addition, the people who carried Gan Ning away were soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp. He was completely unable to resist and could only watch himself being carried away.

As soon as he was carried out of the military tent, Gan Ning was stunned. The seven hundred soldiers standing there could not hide their fierce and elite power at all.

Gan Ning was secretly surprised that this little thief Lu Xun was so valued by the bandit general. How could he trust Lu Xun to be in charge of such elite troops?
"Lu Xun, you little thief, you want me to obey your orders and serve you, you are dreaming!"

"Gan Ning would rather die than be humiliated like this!"

"Kill me quickly!!"

Gan Ning cursed all the way.

Lu Xun just glanced at him calmly and said, "General Gan, do you know what the Xiling is to Jiangdong?"

"Humph, you are a wise counselor!" Gan Ning snorted coldly, "Xi Ling is the gateway to Jiangdong. Whoever takes Xi Ling can go down the river from Jiangdong and directly take the banks of Jiangzuo!"

"This is the lifeline of Jiangdong. Who doesn't know this?"

Lu Xun nodded: "It's good that the general knows."

As they were talking, Gan Ning had already been carried to the top of the west gate tower.

There were endless shouts and wails from the top of the city.

Countless soldiers fought hard to counterattack the city.

Gan Ning looked outside the city and his heart skipped a beat. The bright banner with the word Cao on it was so eye-catching.

It was Cao's army that attacked Xiling? !
If Cao Cao were to retake Xiling, then Jiangdong...

Lu Xun saw the change in Gan Ning's expression, and he said calmly: "The one who attacked Xiling was Cao's confidant, Cao Ren and Cao Zixiao."

"This time he sent all 30,000 troops from Jianglin to attack Xiling..."

Cao Ren!

Thirty thousand troops attack Xiling!
Gan Ning's expression became more and more ugly. Lu Xun's mouth curved slightly and said, "General Gan, you don't want Xiling City to fall into Cao Cao's hands, do you?"

(End of this chapter)