In Bowang Slope, Xia Houlan was leading the rear army and was walking when he suddenly saw thick smoke rising in front of him and hurriedly came to meet him.
I saw countless Jingzhou troops setting fire on the top of the mountain. Fireballs and tree stumps were constantly ignited and rolling down. The fire was raging on the mountain and thick smoke was billowing in the valley. There was nowhere to start.
Just as he stepped forward to meet the deserters, suddenly an army came out from behind and blocked the middle of the road. The general in charge, wearing red horses and green robes, was Guan Yu.
"Those who surrender will not be killed!" Guan Yu raised his sword with one hand, caressing his long beard and looked coldly at the confused Cao Jun.
Xia Houlan dared to fight Guan Yu. Seeing that there was no way out, the screams in the valley continued. He sighed dejectedly and thought of Zhao Yun again, so he dismounted and surrendered.
Cao's army had no fighting spirit. Seeing that the general had surrendered and Xiahou Dun was nowhere to be seen, they all put down their weapons and a large area in the valley fell to their knees.
Xia Houlan came forward and said: "General Guan, I and Zhao Zilong are from the same hometown. We have known each other since we were young, and we are willing to listen to your orders."
Guan Yu stroked his beard and asked, "What evidence is there?"
Xia Houlan replied: "Zilong is left-handed. He eats with his left hand but uses his sword with his right hand."
Guan Yu pondered for a moment, thinking that this person and Zhao Yun were strangers to each other, and he would not open his mouth to deal with such private matters, so he believed him half-heartedly.
He told Xiahoulan: "The place where the grain was burned was called Anlin. There is a valley behind it. You can go down the valley to the Baihe River. There will be ships to meet you. You and Guan Ping will escort the prisoners there."
Xia Houlan's heart was moved when he heard this. Guan Yu actually knew the place where grain was burned. Could it be that Le Jin burned grain a few days ago and they did it intentionally?
Thinking of this, I can't help but feel scared. If this is true, then Cao Cao's plan to attack the camp and the city last night was all planned by Liu Qi and others?
While thinking about it, Guan Ping ordered his soldiers to come forward and collect Cao Jun's weapons, drive the soldiers back, leave Bowangpo by a small road, and escort them to Wancheng.
Guan Yu only brought five hundred swordsmen to the rear. He saw fire filling the valley and heat waves hitting his face. Although some Cao soldiers escaped, it was no longer important.
It was already evening when we retreated to Anlin. Dark clouds covered the entire Bowang Slope, filling the sky and being visible for dozens of miles.
Sure enough, Cao Xiu saw the fireworks and was heading here with his army. Guan Yu ordered people to carry firewood, light a fire where the grain was burned, and retreat into the valley.
Cao Xiu and Han Hao were transporting part of the food and baggage in preparation for Xiahou Dun's advance army to camp after arriving at Wancheng. They saw black smoke floating in front of them halfway. At first, they thought Xiahou Dun was resting, but when the smoke got bigger and thicker, they realized that the situation was not good. Hurry up and lead the troops to check.
After walking for a while, I saw a fire on the road blocking the way, and there were forks on the side, and the vegetation was messy. I didn't dare to move forward rashly, so I sent someone to check the movement first.
About half an hour later, the scouts reported back one after another. Many fragments of weapons and armor were left in the Chalu mountain forest. The footprints were messy, and it seemed that a large army had passed by.
In the valley ahead, the fire had been extinguished, and corpses were piled up on the road, most of them turned into charcoal. It was too horrible to see.
"Yuan Rang is in danger!" Cao Xiu sighed heavily. It was getting dark, so he had to retreat back and send someone to report the news to Cao Cao.
Guan Yu crossed the Baihe River, ordered Guan Ping to escort the prisoners, and rushed to Wancheng with Xiahou Lan.
At the beginning of the lanterns, Wancheng was full of joy. All the generals came to report the victory one after another. They all had their own merits. They were admirable for Zhuge Liang's planning and predicting things like a god.
When Guan Yu came to the government office, Liu Qi had already prepared wine to welcome him. He personally greeted every victorious general at the entrance of the lobby and rewarded him with wine.
Xu Shu poured the wine, nodded and said with a smile: "Congratulations to Yunchang for another great achievement!"
Liu Qi raised his glass, and Guan Yu hurriedly stepped forward to take it, clasping his fists and saying, "The general and the two gentlemen have arranged the whole battle well."
After this battle, Guan Yu was also filled with emotion. He had never fought such a well-prepared battle with Liu Bei before, and he actually turned Cao Cao around, which really relieved his hatred!
Liu Qi had already heard the battle report and said with a smile: "If it weren't for Yun Changhu's power, how could he have captured five thousand prisoners without bloodshed?"
Guan Yu turned back and looked at Xia Houlan: "This person also has half of the credit. He claims to be a fellow villager of Zilong, and he took the initiative to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side."
Xia Houlan stepped forward and saluted: "Xia Houlan, I am indeed from the same hometown as Zhao Yun and has nothing to do with the Cao family."
Liu Qi naturally knew that Xia Houlan was true, so he nodded and said: "If you dare to follow Yunchang, you will definitely not cheat. Since you have abandoned the dark side and turned to the bright side, from now on, you will fight side by side with Zilong and give him wine!"
The soldier brought another glass of wine to Xiahoulan, and everyone drank it together. Guan Yu did not accept any of the cloth or money in the plate, so he had to leave it to Guan Ping.
When all the generals arrived, Liu Qi and everyone walked into the lobby. Seeing Zhao Yunzheng and Chen Dao chatting there, he laughed and said, "Zilong, who do you think is here?"
Zhao Yun turned around and looked over. He was stunned for a moment and then showed a look of surprise. He quickly walked over and grabbed Xia Houlan: "Fu Qiu, is it really you?"
Meeting an old friend in a foreign country can easily arouse a strong sense of nostalgia. Even the calm Zhao Yun can't help but feel a little emotional.
Xia Houlan was also very excited, nodded and said: "That day in front of the army, I heard that my brother was fighting Xu Chu, and I didn't know your whereabouts. I thought that we were each our own masters, and we couldn't meet each other, but who knew... Alas!"
"Now that we have given up the dark side and turned to the bright side, we will still be brothers from now on!" Zhao Yun clapped his hand, turned to Liu Qi and cupped his fists, "General, can you let him attend the meeting together?"
"It doesn't matter!" Liu Qi waved his hand and said with a smile: "We won the first battle. Let's celebrate with a big banquet tonight. We won't stop until we get drunk."
Zhao Yun cupped his fists towards Guan Yu again and said, "Thank you Yun Chang for showing mercy."
Guan Yu returned the salute and said: "General, like my elder brother, is kind and kind. Since he ordered us to kill less and persuade us to surrender more, how dare Guan disobey? It's just that I will be hungry for a long time with my Qinglong Sword!"
Zhang Fei stepped forward and pulled Guan Yu to the table, complaining: "Second brother, come and judge me: I caught Xiahou Dun today, and this kid is shameless. He thinks he is my elder and wants to be my father-in-law. How can it be true?"
Guan Yu was startled, then he stroked his beard and smiled: "The third brother has robbed someone's niece, and now he has given birth to a second son. This father-in-law doesn't recognize me, so I'm afraid you can't help me!"
Everyone burst into laughter after hearing this, Zhang Fei's black face turned purple, and he complained: "Second brother is here to make fun of me too!"
Liu Qi motioned for everyone to sit down, Xia Houlan sat behind Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang was on the right, and Xu Shu was on the left. At a glance, they were all the leaders of the Three Kingdoms period, and they felt a sense of accomplishment.
Then he raised his glass and said loudly: "This battle was planned by Kong Ming. Yuan Zhi planned the strategy and expected the enemy to win. He used advance to retreat and cut off Cao Cao's arm. For your meritorious service, you should first pay tribute to the two military advisors."
Everyone stood up one after another, including Guan Yu, who no longer looked down upon Zhuge Liang. Only then did they know that Xu Shu's words were true and Wolong's reputation was well-deserved.
From setting up camp in Bowang City to ambushing at Bowang Slope, he wiped out Xiahou Dun's army in one fell swoop. Every step he took was within his expectations. Who would be dissatisfied?
Zhuge Liang showed humility and drank with the generals. Seeing that the civil and military forces were finally united, Liu Qi felt comfortable, opened his hands and laughed and said: "Let's have dinner!"
All the generals came to propose a toast to Liu Qi and the others. This great victory once again pushed his prestige to a new height.
Liu Qi offered tea instead of wine and said respectfully to Zhuge Liang: "Next, it's time to turn retreat into advance."
The banquet lasted until late at night. Zhang Fei and Gan Ning drank wine together. Both of them drank like mud and fell under the table. Seven or eight soldiers could not lift them up.
