The sun is blazing in June, and although the war in Guanzhong is coming to an end, it has also reached its climax.
Below Tongguan, the Han army formed a square formation of ten thousand people, led by five generals: Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan. There were endless chariots and horses, and banners covered the sun.
Behind the five generals, more than 20 generals including Yan Yan, Zhang Ren, Ma Dai, Fu Wei, Pang De, Wang Shuang, Gou Fu, and Wu Yi stood in awe, with Zhang He and Yu Jin holding down their positions in the rear, with a formidable momentum.
After closing, Cao Jun held his weapons with a dull look on his face. Those who beat the drums forgot to demonstrate, and those who fired arrows silently put down their long bows, with despair in their eyes.
"This battle...does it still need to be fought?" Xia Houmao held on to the wall and barely stood still. He swallowed and looked at Dianman who was standing aside.
Looking at the five-color square formation of black, red, white, yellow and ocher in Guanxia, as well as the endless army behind it, Xiahou Mao not only couldn't muster the slightest fighting spirit, he even had the idea of joining it.
The despair in Dianman's eyes flashed away, and he said coldly: "Huh, we serve the Prime Minister, and we will die!"
"When a person dies, everything ends when a lamp goes out!" Xia Houmao tried to persuade Dianman, "Now the enemy is in urgent need and the war is tense. It is time to keep a useful body..."
"If the governor leaves, he will never retreat again!" Dianman said angrily: "If Tongguan is lost, Luoyang will also be in danger. If the soldiers and horses in Guanzhong join forces with Guan Yu, the Central Plains will not be saved. How can you and I have the face to meet the prime minister? ?”
"What are these words?" Xia Houmao's face darkened. He felt guilty for guarding Chang'an earlier.
At this time, if he leaves first and Dianman dies in Tongguan, wouldn't it make him even more incompetent and cowardly?
After thinking for a while, he clenched his fist and said, "Okay, General Dian is not afraid of death, and a certain Xiahou's descendants will fight bloody battles. General, just defend the enemy, I will coordinate the rear."
Dianman was nodding his head when suddenly he galloped into the pass on a fast horse and urgently reported that Jingzhou soldiers had invaded Xingyang. Xinpi and Zhong Yao rebelled and surrendered Luoyang, and Henan was lost.
Dianman was shocked and said, "How could this be so? Doesn't this mean that the Central Plains is insecure?"
"This letter comes at the right time!" Xia Houmao's eyes were filled with joy, and he advised again: "Luoyang has been lost, and there is no use guarding Tongguan. We should retreat as soon as possible while Zhang Fei doesn't know the news."
During the discussion, Ma Chao rushed his horse to the pass and cursed: "The remnants of Cao's thieves, Ma Chao from Xiliang has come to take revenge. Quickly switch and die!"
Xiahou Mao said anxiously: "Ma Chao is a famous general in Xiliang. There is no need to fight to the death with him. Please consider the long term."
Noriman also felt helpless at this time and sighed: "The matter has come to this, and it all depends on the decision of the governor."
Xia Houmao ordered Dianman to prepare first. When he arrived at the pass, he shouted loudly: "Ma Chao, your father's murder was due to Sima Yi's conspiracy and has nothing to do with the Prime Minister. Don't get the wrong person."
Ma Chao said angrily: "Without Cao Cao's command, how could Sima Yian be so bold? You are Cao Cao's son-in-law and a descendant of Xiahou, so I will attack you first."
"No, no, no, the wrongdoer has his own owner, how can he implicate the innocent?" Xia Houmao waved his hands hurriedly, seeing Zhang Fei in the position of the coach, and said loudly: "Stay back, my brother-in-law Zhang Fei and I have something to say. "
Ma Chao returned to the front to explain the situation, and Pang Tong smiled under the banner and said: "The plan is done! Xia Houmao will definitely want to quit, and Yide will do it as a favor."
Zhang Fei rode up to the pass and laughed loudly: "Uncle, what do you want from me?"
Xia Houmao stuck his head out and replied carefully: "Brother-in-law, for the sake of our friendship that day, I will give Tongguan to you, and you are not allowed to chase me, how about that?"
"Getting married back then was a private matter. Now everyone is their own master. It's a business matter, so how can I let you go?"
Zhang Fei yelled with angry eyes. Xia Houmao felt his heart tighten when he heard this. He was thinking about his words when he heard Zhang Fei say again: "Unless you leave the money, food and luggage in the pass."
"That's natural!"
Zhang Fei took a few steps forward and whispered: "That Ma Chao has a bad temper and is eager for revenge. I will hold him back first, but it will only last for an hour at most. You can take care of yourself."
Xia Houmao was startled, and then he said happily: "Thank you so much, brother-in-law!"
Seeing Zhang Fei retreating, he immediately ordered the soldiers to retreat. When he closed the door, he saw Dianman already waiting. He said proudly: "If it weren't for my friendship with Zhang Fei this time, we would all die at the hands of Ma Chao."
When Cao Jun heard this, they all nodded and thanked Governor Xiahou one after another, praising him for being fearless in the face of danger and enduring humiliation. For the sake of the entire army, they had to bow to reckless men like Zhang Fei.
Sima Yi killed Ma Teng and his son and one hundred thousand Xiliang troops. If he broke through, they would all die.
After passing the pass, Ma Chao and others all shook their heads and cursed. They fought all the way from Xiliang to the pass just to catch up with Cao Jun and get revenge. They didn't expect Xia Houmao to abandon the pass and leave.
Xu Shu smiled and said: "If it hadn't been for Shi Yuan's clever plan to scare Xia Houmao away, a fight would have cost many soldiers their lives."
Pang Tong said: "Xia Houzhen is a coward. He was scared by General Wei's bluff and retreated from Chang'an. I didn't expect him to be a general! Today, tens of thousands of troops threaten Tongguan. This is when Wu King Fu Chai used his military appearance to force the Jin army back and achieve hegemony. With this move, the priority should be to attack the enemy’s heart!”
Ma Chao sighed: "Feng Chu is indeed well-deserved. It's a pity that if we let Cao Jun go, it will be difficult to avenge him!"
Xu Shu said: "The traitor Cao is far away in Mobei. Sima Yi is in Huainan. When General Ma arrives in the Central Plains, he can seek revenge on the enemy."
Ma Chao's eyes were slightly gleaming, and he said in a deep voice: "Whenever a certain horse sets foot in the Central Plains, I will definitely retaliate and wipe out the Sima clan. When the thief Cao returns from outside the Great Wall, I will take the old thief's head."
The men and horses rested until evening. Cao's army had already withdrawn from Tongguan. Pang De led his troops into the pass first. Only then did he learn about the news from Luoyang and hurriedly reported to Zhang Fei.
Ma Chao was shocked and said: "It turns out to be Crouching Dragon's clever plan. Huainan was settled before us. Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chu can really bring peace to the world."
Pang Tong tugged at his beard and smiled: "Kong Ming took Henan without spending a single soldier. After all, his skills are superior to mine!"
Xu Shu said: "Now that the two capitals of the East and West have been secured, the Han Dynasty will be re-established just around the corner. We should meet up with the old capital as soon as possible to regain the Central Plains and conquer Hebei with the hope of conquering the world."
Zhang Fei couldn't help laughing and said: "Hahaha, I'm finally going to meet my second brother!"
All the generals were overjoyed, and after some discussion, they decided to leave Wei Yan to guard Chang'an temporarily. The rest of the generals followed Zhang Fei to select elite troops and went straight to Luoyang to join Zhuge Liang's army.
At this time, Liu Qi was still planning to take Luoyang from Hongnong in Danshui, and Yu Guo Huai and others were recruiting elite troops. Suddenly, news of Luoyang spread, and everyone was amazed at Wolong's ability to capture the old capital of Kefu by himself.
While they were celebrating their victory, suddenly Xiangyang family generals rushed to the army overnight to report Liu Biao's death.
It turns out that Liu Biao had just completed the "Five Classics Chapters" and held a banquet in Xiangyang for Jingzhou celebrities to celebrate with everyone. This masterpiece has been handed down to the world and will be famous for thousands of years.
For a month, there were no interruptions in large and small banquets. First, the news from Chang'an came. The guests all praised Liu Qi's abilities. Liu Biao was like a spring breeze. For a time, his scenery was unparalleled, and his reputation was far superior to that of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.
Just when I could wake up from my dream with a smile, news came from Luoyang again. There were reports in the city that there was a purple aura appearing in Xiangyang, and a yellow dragon appeared in Tanxi. All kinds of auspiciousness were clearly signs of the emperor.
Many happy events came one after another, his life's hard work was completed, and his son became a dragon. Liu Biao actually laughed and died during the dinner.
Liu Qi had no choice but to hand over Guanzhong to Xu Shu and the Central Plains to Zhuge Liang. He rushed back to Xiangyang overnight to mourn.
