Chapter 225 Death of Cao Ren Down the River
The moment tens of thousands of Han troops fought out of the mountains and forests, the fate of thousands of Wei troops on the shore was already sealed.
Among the Han generals who charged at thousands of Wei troops, although Zhang Bao was not the most senior, he was definitely the most courageous.
Bao means branch. Zhang Fei named his eldest son Bao, which shows Zhang Fei's expectations for Zhang Bao.
Zhang Bao, who was trained and raised by Zhang Fei since childhood, may not be as brave as his father Zhang Fei, but he is still the top choice among the Han generals.
The weapon used by Zhang Bao is a halberd.
As a long weapon that has been circulated in China for hundreds of years, the halberd has always been frightened by its powerful lethality.
However, due to the lethality of the halberd, weapons such as the halberd cannot be used unless they are powerful and heavy-handed.
Zhang Bao waved the halberd in his hand, jumped over the numerous Han army formations, and then rushed into the Wei army formation like a hungry wolf.
After the halberd flowers flashed up, the Wei army under Zhang Bao's horse let out bursts of wailing sounds.
Thousands of Wei troops were already frustrated, and after seeing how brave Zhang Bao was, they could no longer maintain their formation even with the command of the Wei generals.
When there was a disturbance in the formation of thousands of Wei troops, Ding Feng and Zhang Yi seized the opportunity to command the Han army and instantly divided the formation of thousands of Wei troops into many pieces.
With the continuous addition of Han troops from the rear, the Wei army's formation became more and more scattered.
Many Wei troops fell to the Han army's swords one after another. Under the harvest of the Han army's swords, streaks of blood bloomed on the banks of the Han River.
Driven by the undercurrent, the Han River keeps rushing toward the shore.
Whenever the clear Han River washes away, the blood on the banks of the Han River will be brought into the river.
But as the blood became more and more abundant, even with the wash of the Han River, the blood on the riverbank gradually began to accumulate.
When the Han soldiers who were encircling and killing the enemy lifted their feet lightly, they would pick up blood flowers from the puddles on the ground and fly around their waists.
Even in the end, the clear river water that came and went with the undercurrent also had a dark blood-red color when it returned to Hanshui River.
Under the protection of Chang Diao, Xia Houshang and others, Cao Ren fought and retreated all the way to the shore.
But at this time, the cockpit behind them had already been destroyed by fire, and they had no way out.
As time went by, thousands of Wei troops on the shore either died or surrendered, and there were hardly any left standing.
The only ones still standing were the dozens of Wei soldiers who were guarding beside the Wei generals. There were only a few dozen Wei troops who still had some fighting spirit.
Most of them are personal guards of various Wei generals. Others would surrender, but they would not.
After destroying most of the Wei army, tens of thousands of Han troops had turned into barriers, surrounding Cao Ren and other Wei generals on the river bank.
Surrounded by the majestic Han army barriers, Cao Ren and other Wei generals were in desperate situation.
All the Wei generals looked at the approaching Han army with red eyes. They clenched the steel swords in their hands with determination in their eyes.
Among the Wei generals, Xia Houshang's eyes were the reddest.
Xiahou Shang looked back and saw tens of thousands of Wei soldiers being burned to death or jumping into the water and drowning on the Han River.
A large part of the remaining Wei army had completely given up struggling after seeing that they had been surrounded.
In the desire to survive, they all sailed to the shore and surrendered to the Han army.
Now it can really be called the Wei army, and the only people fighting for them are the dozens of people in front of them.
An army of nearly fifty thousand!
Now there are only dozens of people left, and the sadness in their hearts is about to swallow Xia Houshang whole.
The origin of this consequence was Mengda's letter, but it was him who contributed to it!
It was he who chose to believe in Meng Da and his dedication to meritorious service. If it hadn't been for him, tens of thousands of Wei troops and a group of Wei generals would not have ended up in this situation.
Xia Houshang looked at the sword in his hand that Xia Houyuan gave him.
When Xia Houyuan gave him this sword, he hoped that he would use it to kill all the enemies of the Cao family.
But now Xia Houyuan's expectations are like a curse, crazily stirring Xia Houshang's heart.
The overwhelming emotion of regret made Xiahou Shang put the sword in his hand on his neck.
But just when he was about to kill himself with a knife, a pair of strong hands grasped the blade of his knife, making it impossible for him to commit suicide.
Xiahou Shang looked in the direction of the big hands and found that it was Cao Ren who stopped him from committing suicide.
When Xiahou Shang met Cao Ren's tiger eyes, his eyes were filled with tears.
At this time, Cao Ren's palm holding the blade was dripping with blood. Seeing this, Xiahou Shang quickly threw away the sword in his hand.
After throwing away the sword, Xiahou Shang cried out sadly to Cao Ren: "Uncle, Shang is stupid, Shang deserves to die, causing uncle and tens of thousands of troops to die."
Hearing what Xiahou Shang said, Cao Ren shook his head and said to Xiahou Shang:
"I am the general, and all the sins are mine."
Although the battle to attack Xing County in Han Dynasty took place under the influence of Xiahou Shang, in the end it was Cao Ren who really made the decision.
If Cao Ren disagrees with this battle, then even if Cao Pi agrees with Xiahou Shang's actions, Cao Ren's prestige can still dissuade Cao Pi from changing his mind.
Cao Ren looked at the Han army that surrounded them tightly. The red streaks made his eyes sting.
I am afraid that he will never see the yellow color that represents the prosperity of the Wei Dynasty again in his life.
Cao Ren knew that the Han army had surrounded them but did not continue to kill them because he saw that they had no strength to resist, so he wanted to capture them alive.
This idea of the Han army also gave Cao Ren some time to give instructions to Xiahou Shang.
Cao Ren stretched out his bloody hand to pick up Xiahou Shang's fallen sword, then handed it to him and said to him:
"Don't forget the expectations of a talented person!"
"You are still young, don't be tempted to commit suicide just because you lose.
Thinking back on how ambitious and ambitious the late emperor was back then, he also fell into danger many times. However, the late emperor was able to achieve great success in the end because he knew his shame and then became brave."
Cao Ren's words fell into Xiahou Shang's ears, and the look of shame and anger on his face was slightly relieved.
Even the expressions of determination on the faces of other Wei generals on the side changed after hearing Cao Ren's words.
Then Cao Ren looked at the Wei generals beside him and said to them: "Keep your body useful for the future!"
After saying these words, Cao Ren threw away the long sword in his hand and walked forward towards the numerous Han troops.
Xia Houshang, Chang Diao and other Wei generals wanted to stop Cao Ren's move, but they were stopped by Cao Ren's stern look.
Cao Ren has been in charge of the army for decades, and his power is no less powerful than Cao Pi.
Although he is now at the end of his rope, he is still the cavalry general of the Wei Dynasty!
After walking slowly ten steps away from the numerous Han troops, Cao Ren shouted to the wall of Han troops in front:
"Now that we have the overall situation under control, why not show up and see him?"
Although Cao Ren did not name anyone when he shouted, everyone knew who he was shouting.
Now in this situation, the only person who is qualified to be called by Cao Ren to meet is Mi Yang.
Not long after Cao Ren's shouts were heard, there was a commotion in the tight Han army wall.
Then the Han army surrounding Cao Ren and others separated to reveal a passage on both sides, and a figure riding a tall horse appeared from the passage.
Mi Yang gradually arrived not far from Cao Ren.
Mi Yang sat high on his horse and said to Cao Ren below: "The overall situation has been decided, why not surrender early?"
When Mi Yang's words of persuasion to surrender reached Cao Ren's ears, Cao Ren seemed to have heard a joke. He said to Mi Yang:
"If the situation between you and me were reversed today and I asked you to surrender, would you agree?"
Mi Yang was not surprised by Cao Ren's rhetorical question.
According to Cao Ren's loyalty to Cao Wei and his influence, once he is defeated and surrounded, he will generally have only one fate.
Mi Yang looked at the sword on Cao Ren's waist.
Cao Ren threw away the long knife in his hand but kept the sword at his waist. His intention was clearly revealed.
When Cao Ren's words revealed his intention to die, Mi Yang didn't feel the slightest regret in his heart.
There were many famous generals in the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms. As the number one general among the Cao clan, Cao Ren was naturally one of the best.
But Mi Yang would not have any sympathy or tolerance towards Cao Ren because of this.
If the person standing under Mi Yang's horse were Zhang He, Zhang Liao or other famous generals, Mi Yang would dismount and look at them equally in order to save their face.
But it happened that Cao Ren was standing in front of him now.
In the twenty-third year of Jian'an, Cao Ren slaughtered Wan!
Whether it is historical records or the tragic scenes he heard from Wang Hong, they all prove the seriousness of the crimes Cao Ren committed in Wancheng.
As the seat of Nanyang County, Wancheng's permanent population cannot be less than tens of thousands, or even more.
As a general, it is an essential quality to be kind and not to lead troops.
If during a battle between two armies, tens of thousands of casualties are caused by the general's command, it is an unavoidable norm.
However, when the overall situation was determined, Cao Ren actually ordered his soldiers to massacre tens of thousands or even more unarmed people.
This makes it impossible for Mi Yang, a person from later generations, to have any favorable impression of Cao Ren.
So facing this world-famous general in front of him, Mi Yang stopped talking after trying to persuade him to surrender.
Then Mi Yang asked Cao Ren directly: "If you have any last words, you can tell them."
Listening to Mi Yang's words, Cao Ren sneered. He looked at the Han Lu in front of him that he wanted to get rid of, and slowly drew out the long sword from his waist.
When Cao Ren made this move, not only Xia Houshang and others behind Cao Ren were shocked, but Mi Yang's generals Zhang Bao, Zhang Nan and others also rushed to defend Mi Yang.
However, Mi Yang waved his hand to stop the actions of the generals.
Cao Ren put the long sword drawn from his waist on his neck. Then he looked at Mi Yang and said, "I have fought in the army all my life. I am not a person who is afraid of death. My family has been supported by your majesty. What are my last words?"
Then Cao Ren said to Mi Yang: "If you kill Lu Meng first and then take my head, you might be accused of overshadowing the master with your merits!"
As soon as Cao Ren said these words, the faces of all the generals behind Mi Yang showed sullen expressions.
This guy is still deceiving people even when he is about to die!
After Cao Ren finished speaking, he laughed and turned around. He looked at the Wei generals behind him and shouted in front of the two armies: "Put down your weapons!"
This was Cao Ren's last order as the cavalry general of the Wei Dynasty. This order would not only save the lives of Xiahou Shang and others, but also prevent them from being criticized when they have the opportunity to return to the north in the future.
In the army, military orders are like royal orders!
After finishing speaking, Cao Ren looked at Xia Houshang and others with expectant eyes.
Then he drew the long sword in his hand across his neck, and a blood flower bloomed in front of Xiahou Shang and others.
When the blood flower fell to the ground, a majestic body fell heavily on the muddy ground.
Before Cao Ren completely lost consciousness, he seemed to feel a man wearing a crown walking towards him with a smile.
Brother!
Rendi tried his best.
This was the last thought in Cao Ren's mind. When this thought flashed through his mind, Cao Ren, the cavalry general of the Wei Dynasty, was killed!
When Xia Houshang and other Wei generals saw Cao Ren dying in front of them, great sadness appeared on their faces, and then they all knelt down and cried bitterly.
Then the weapons in their hands fell off one after another.
When Mi Yang saw this scene, he ordered the Han army behind him to step forward and capture Xiahou Shang and others.
After Xiahou Shang and others were captured, Zhang Bao and other generals rode their horses to Mi Yang.
Among the generals, Zhang Bao had the most straightforward character. He looked at Cao Ren's body on the ground and asked Mi Yang:
"General, how should we dispose of Cao Ren's body?"
When Zhang Bao asked this question, Zhao Tong, Cheng Ji, Zhang Nan and others also showed questioning looks on their faces.
Cao Ren's identity is unusual. Although he is dead, how to deal with his body is also an important matter.
Facing Zhang Bao's inquiry, Mi Yang thought for a moment and then said: "The owl's head will be properly preserved with incense ash and then put into a wooden box."
After hearing what Mi Yang said, Zhang Bao and others showed excitement on their faces.
What Mi Yang wants to do is self-evident.
Cao Ren was a clan member of the Wei Dynasty, which was a dynasty established by usurping the foundation of the Han Dynasty.
In the eyes of Zhang Bao and others who regarded the revival of the Han Dynasty as their lifelong dream, Cao Ren was a national traitor, and they would not have the slightest sympathy for Zhang Bao, a national traitor.
After finishing the disposal of Cao Ren's body, Mi Yang immediately turned to the Han generals and ordered:
"You immediately lead your troops to board the ship from the lower reaches, and then rush down the river to Wudang."
"Be sure to cooperate with Xiu Yuan and other troops to surround Wudang County before the enemy reinforcements arrive in Wudang!"
Upon hearing Mi Yang's order, all the men showed excitement. They bowed to Mi Yang and said, "I accept your order."
In the county mansion of Wudang County, Man Chong looked at the sky outside the hall, and the solemn look on his face became more and more serious.
Cao Ren's army set out in the morning, but until the evening, no news of success has come.
Logically speaking, Cao Ren led an army of nearly 50,000 to the expedition, and with Meng Da as his internal support, even if he could not capture the West City in one day, he should at least be camping outside the West City now.
But now Cao Ren's nearly 50,000-strong army seems to have disappeared out of thin air since the expedition, and even the scouts he sent out on his own initiative have never returned.
This filled Man Chong's heart with worry.
Just when Man Chong was about to continue sending out scouts, a soldier suddenly stumbled in from outside the hall.
After seeing Man Chong, he immediately knelt down and pointed outside the city, anxiously reporting to Man Chong:
"General, many enemy troops suddenly appeared outside the city!"
After hearing the news, a huge look of shock suddenly appeared on Man Chong's face!
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!