In the midst of silence, Guan Yu clasped his fists and said, "I don't have enough merit and dare not occupy such a high position. I am afraid that I will disappoint His Majesty's high expectations. Please choose someone else who is worthy."
The envoy's face suddenly became displeased and he said in a deep voice: "Guan Yu, how dare you resist and disobey the decree?"
Guan Yu looked indifferent: "I forgive you for not accepting the order!"
"Guan Yunchang, you are so courageous!" The envoy said angrily: "Resisting the decree is a crime of deceiving the emperor. If you want to kill your head and exterminate your clan, how dare you..."
"Shut up!" Liu Qi stood up suddenly, pointed at the envoy and shouted: "You are a dog slave. Everyone knows that Cao Cao is a thief who manipulates power, oppresses the emperor, and harms people by perverting edicts. You still dare to bark like crazy here, get out!"
The envoy had Cao Cao's instructions and thought that there was a guard of honor that could suppress the crowd. Unexpectedly, it was Liu Qi who attacked first and hurriedly put away the imperial edict and left in embarrassment.
Guan Yu and others were also shocked. Although what Liu Qi said was true, wouldn't he be scolding the emperor if he rebuked the angel in person?
Liu Qi didn't care about this. Sometimes he had to break away from the constraints of these feudal systems and be as willful and free as Cao Cao in order to survive in this troubled world.
In times of war and chaos, only those who are brave will die of hunger and those who will break the rules will stand out.
After driving away the envoy, Liu Qi clasped his fists to everyone and said: "The emperor is in trouble and has been oppressed by traitors. Fortunately, Yun Chang saw through it. King Qin's road is long and arduous, and we still need to work hard."
Guan Yu clasped his fists and said: "Although Guan is not talented, he can distinguish between the honest and the traitor, the good and the evil. Since his brother's death, he should do his best. How can Cao Cao's mere alienation plan sway my heart? I will not give up until I get rid of the traitor." "
Zhang Fei also cupped his fists and said, "Me too!"
Seeing everyone saluting one after another, Liu Qi felt reassured. As long as everyone is of the same mind, time will eliminate all barriers.
Xu Shu said: "If Cao Cao's plan fails, he will definitely order Cao Ren to send troops to put pressure. Then he will have to work harder for the generals to fight."
Guan Yu cupped his fists and said, "Guan is willing to be a pioneer!"
Zhang Fei said loudly: "The thief Cao sent troops, I will kill him without leaving a single piece of armor behind."
Liu Qi couldn't help but be overjoyed when he saw that this imperial decree had aroused Guan Zhang's ambition. This was really a blessing in disguise.
He stepped forward and grabbed the two men's thick arms, and said sternly: "My uncle is like a firefly compared to a bright moon, but a single spark can start a prairie fire. From now on, I am willing to advance and retreat with you, share hardships, and accomplish great things."
"I obey the general's orders!"
Everyone saluted together, now they shared the same hatred, and the distance between them became much closer.
As Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also joined in the training, the atmosphere in the camp gradually became warmer. The sergeants also broke away from the depression of Liu Bei's death, and their morale was high.
Liu Qi and Xu Shu discussed: "Cao Ren has mobilized all his troops and horses in Fancheng. There are thirty thousand, and we need to use a plan to defeat them."
Xu Shu smiled and said: "Don't worry, general. Guan, Zhang, Zilong and others are all enemies of ten thousand people. Cao Ren has no generals under his command, so thirty thousand soldiers are not a worry. If Cao Ren comes in person, I will definitely capture Fancheng!"
Liu Qi nodded and said: "It is not difficult to defeat the enemy. This time I not only want to take Fancheng, but also want to take back Wancheng and take over Nanyang. What do the military advisors think?"
Xu Shu didn't expect Liu Qi to have such a big appetite, so he was surprised. He pondered for a moment and replied: "There are only 8,000 troops in Xinye, which is not enough to take over the land of Nanyang. We need to mobilize troops from Xiangyang, but this move will definitely attract Cao Cao's massive attack." If we come to attack, we may shake the foundation of Jingzhou."
Liu Qi sighed softly and said with a wry smile: "I have been leading Jingzhou for more than half a month. I have put out lists to recruit talents, but no one has come forward. I know that it is because of my previous illness that I am too cowardly and not a wise leader. As the saying goes. Birds choose trees to roost on, and everyone in the world regards us as rotten trees, how can we come and join them?"
Xu Shu hurriedly said: "General, there is no need to belittle yourself. This time we fight against Cao Ren, we will definitely be a blockbuster."
Liu Qi said with a smile: "That's exactly what I meant! This battle will not go away. Once it starts, I must become famous in one battle so that everyone knows that I, Liu Qi, can help the Han Dynasty, so that we can gather talented people and work together." great cause."
Xu Shu deeply believed that Liu Qi's current reputation was indeed not enough to recruit talents.
He also knew that Zhuge Liang was plowing the mountains and forests because he was actually waiting for the Ming Dynasty. Now that Liu Bei was dead, only Liu Qi could prove himself before he could be invited to come out.
After the agreement, Liu Qi sent Liu Pan to deliver a message, allocating 30,000 elite troops to Wenpin, ready to cross the river and go north at any time. This was the main reason why he kept Wenpin in Xiangyang.
Before setting off, Liu Qi decided to do something big!
The structure and talents of the Three Kingdoms are about to be finalized. If you don't make it a big success, who will be willing to follow you?
Secretly deploying troops and generals, sure enough, a few days later, Tan Ma came to report. Cao Ren sent 5,000 men and horses to capture Xinye, with Lu Xiang and Lu Kuang as the vanguard.
Guan Yu first asked for orders: "I regard the two Lu as grass and ears, and I am willing to defeat Cao's troops."
Zhang Fei, Wei Yan and others were not far behind. Some of them wanted to kill the enemy to vent their anger, while others were eager to perform meritorious service and eager to fight.
Liu Qi said, "Everyone, please be patient. The top priority in this battle is to capture the enemy. Jingzhou's troops are limited. It would be best to capture more enemy troops for my use."
Xu Shu said: "You can order Yun Chang and Yide to lead their troops to ambush on the left and right. Zilong will lead the light cavalry around to cut off the enemy's path. The general will go out of the city to meet the enemy in person and annihilate them in one fell swoop."
Liu Qi acted according to his plan, and the three generals Guan, Zhang and Zhao left the city first. He stayed put and waited for Cao's army to arrive.
Half an hour later, dust was flying on the road to the west, and soon the flags were fluttering. Cao Jun rushed towards the city, with a thousand cavalry arriving at the city gate first.
Liu Qi's eyes suddenly shone and he said with a smile: "Currently, the army is most in need of cavalry. These one thousand horses must not be allowed to escape."
While he was talking, a military general urged his horse forward and shouted: "Liu Qi, my son, quickly open the city and surrender, and you will avoid death. Otherwise, we will attack the city and kill you without leaving a trace."
The arriving general was none other than Lu Xiang. Seeing Liu Qi defending the city, he did not dare to fight and looked extremely arrogant.
Liu Qi summoned Huang Zhong to send troops to meet the enemy, leaving Wei Yan and Xu Shu to guard the city and watch the battle.
The infantry went out first to form a formation, and the archers trained by Huang Zhong personally guarded the city gate. Liu Qi stepped forward on horseback and said in a deep voice: "How dare an unknown person make a noise here?"
When Lu Xiang saw Liu Qi leaving the city, accompanied by a white-haired veteran, he became more and more proud. He looked up to the sky and laughed and said: "Liu Qi, a sick man, dares to resist and disobey the order. What's the use of leading this old soldier out of the city? Call Guan Yu to apologize quickly." .”
Liu Qi smiled coldly and said to Huang Zhongyan: "Han Sheng, give him some color to see!"
Huang Zhong was most afraid of others talking about his age, so he spurred his horse to come out with his sword and went straight to attack Lu Xiang.
Lu Xiang looked contemptuous and was still laughing with his gun raised on the horse. When Huang Zhong rushed forward, he stabbed him under the horse with a gun.
Huang Zhong arrived on horseback, and a brilliant sword light flashed through the air like a horse.
"Hahaha...burp~"
Lu Xiang's laughter stopped suddenly. Half of his body was chopped off from his neck to his left shoulder, and blood spurted out in a dazzling way.
“Brother——” Lu Kuang’s eyes widened and he shouted.
Cao Jun was in an uproar. Unexpectedly, Lu Xiang actually blocked the veteran general's sword, and was shocked.
Dong dong dong——
At the same time, drums were beating loudly on the top of the city, Huang Zhong led his troops forward, and the ambush troops from Guanzhang on the left and right also rushed out, and the sound of killing outside Xinye City was loud.
