Chapter 239: Guan Yunchang, it's better to follow me and surrender to Duke Cao
Three days later, Guan Yu led his troops to leave Pengcheng for more than ten miles, but the people walked too slowly.
In addition to the people in Pengcheng, there are also people nearby outside the city, while the people in Lucheng have already left on the road first.
"Report..." A fast horse came running towards us and shouted, "General Guan, the enemy's 20,000-horse army is already approaching. They will catch up with us tomorrow."
"Who is leading the army?" Guan Yu asked calmly.
"The leading generals are Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren."
"Okay, let's investigate again and report again."
Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren, like Xiahou Yuan, are Cao Cao's most trusted people, and the troops they lead must be elite.
Although there were only 20,000 people, they were able to catch up, indicating that Cao Cao's army was not too far away.
If you are held back by them, it will not be easy to leave once Cao Cao's army arrives.
"General Guan, what should we do?" Xu Ding asked.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard, thought for a while, and said: "The soldiers are coming to stop us. We must protect the people and leave. If they rush to pursue them, they will be exhausted. If we can defeat them again and kill these two people, Cao Cao may have to retreat on his own."
Already."
"I heard that Cao Ren is quite brave..."
"Humph, you're a bastard!"
Guan Yu disdainfully spoke without waiting for Xu Ding to finish.
Xu Ding was from Qiao County, so he had naturally heard of Cao Ren and knew that he was also a fierce man.
Guan Yu sent people to pay attention to the movements of the pursuers behind him, and no longer moved forward, but stayed at the same place to camp, waiting for Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren, hoping to attack Lao with ease.
Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren and Xu Huang led their troops and pursued Pengcheng. At this time, there were only a few people left in the city, and it was like a deserted city.
They came to pay homage to Xia Houyuan's burial place.
Cao Ren gritted his teeth and said: "Hmph, everyone in Pengcheng can be killed!"
"Miaocai, I swear to avenge you by killing Guan Yu's head!" Xiahou Dun also vowed fiercely.
Xu Huang didn't say anything. He was just a surrendered general and not from Yuzhou. He was just a foreign general. Many times he couldn't speak at all.
However, what Xu Huang did not expect was that Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren actually sent troops to kill almost all the people in the city and the people nearby outside the city, as many as five to six thousand people, and also burned down many people's houses.
Xu Huang originally wanted to dissuade him, but seeing the angry looks of the two of them, he knew that his words would be useless.
"We can catch up with Guan Yu tomorrow. Can you tell us how we should fight?"
That night, Cao Ren asked Xiahou Dun and Xu Huang.
"How can I beat him if I chase him directly and chop off his head?" Cao Ren felt that there was something wrong with Xiahou Dun's question.
Xiahou Dun said: "Guan Yu defeated Miao Cai, which shows that he is an extraordinary general. Besides, he still has more than 10,000 soldiers. We only have 20,000 horses. We still need to have a plan."
"Since he stayed behind, he must have wanted to protect the people from leaving. If the people walked slowly, he would also walk slowly. It would be better for Ming Gong to send another 10,000 soldiers to kill them in one fell swoop."
Cao Ren remembered that Guan Yu had killed Yu Jin, and now he killed Xia Houyuan. It seemed to be extraordinary, and he was not sure of victory.
"No, if Ming Gong sends troops to arrive, maybe Liu Bei will also have reinforcements to rescue him. Moreover, the two of us are here and there are more soldiers and horses than Guan Yu. How can we ask for reinforcements! Gong Ming, tell me, what do you think?
?”
Xiahou Dun looked at Xu Huang and asked.
Xu Huang has been just listening to what they said, while also thinking about strategies in his heart.
Now I heard Xiahou Dun ask himself, and replied: "Guan Yu advanced slowly, his troops and horses were not tired, and we are chasing in a hurry, and the soldiers are tired. If the two armies fight hard, our chances of winning are not great. However, we have slightly more troops and horses,
It is better to detach an army and advance from the side. When the two armies are fighting, they suddenly rush out from the side. The enemy soldiers will not know how many reinforcements we have, so they will be frightened and flee."
When Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren heard this, they were both overjoyed and laughed and said: "Hahahaha... Gongmingguo has a clever plan. Yes, Guan Yu will be defeated in this way."
"Gongming, tomorrow you lead five thousand people in front. Yuan asked you to lead ten thousand people. After Gongming, I will lead five thousand people around Guan Yu. When you fight with the enemy, I will suddenly beat the drum and rush out. Hahaha
...Don't let Guan Yu go tomorrow, you will behead him and offer it to Duke Ming!" Cao Ren said.
Xiahou Dun and Xu Huang agreed with his proposal.
Early the next morning, Xu Huang first led 5,000 people out of the city from the east under Cao Ren's flag, followed closely by Xiahou Dun, who led 10,000 people, and Cao Ren led 5,000 people to leave from the south, first going south and then turning east.
With the troops of Xu Huang and Xiahou Dun attracting Guan Yu's scouts, Cao Ren's troops could easily sneak around to Guan Yu's side.
Guan Yu received the report in the camp that Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun had left the city and were slowly coming here.
At this time, he learned that the people were only a dozen miles away from him, and they were walking too slowly.
At the same time, it was also discovered that Cao Cao and Jizhou's army still had two or three days to reach Pengcheng.
"Let's wait. Only by defeating them can the people leave safely."
Guan Yu said to the army princes.
The people are walking so slowly. If you catch up with the people now, it will only make the people panic, and the enemy soldiers will catch up with you. It is better to stay and fight, and if you win, you can stop them.
"General Guan, my lord has sent Gan Xingba and five thousand soldiers to meet him. We will be here tomorrow." At this time, another scout came to report.
"Brother, don't you trust me? I asked Xingba to help me, but that's fine. When they arrive, they can clean the battlefield for me."
Guan Yu seemed to be talking to himself.
"Reporting to General, I don't know why the enemy troops are advancing slowly, which is very strange." Another scout reported.
"Haha, they must want to move slowly to conserve their strength. If they don't dare to come, we will leave when the people are gone."
Guan Yu did not expect that Xu Huang and Xiahou Dun deliberately drove slowly in order to buy some time for Cao Ren so that they could arrive at Guan Yu's side in advance.
Near midday, when the scouting horses reported back, the people were still moving forward slowly, and the enemy soldiers were about to chase them outside the camp.
"Since they are coming, we will go out to greet them."
Guan Yu led his troops out of the camp and formed their formation. Soon, Xu Huang arrived first, followed by Xiahou Dun.
"Xu Gongming, you helped the thieves with your life and massacred the people in Pengcheng. Is it possible for a brave man to do such evil things?"
Guan Yu raised his sword and clapped his horse and went out to the formation. Xu Huang on the opposite side also clapped his horse and went out. Looking at each other from a distance, Guan Yu shouted loudly.
Both of them are from Hedong County. Although one is in Jie County and the other is in Yang County, they are far apart, but in Xuzhou, they can be regarded as fellow villagers.
Guan Yu thought of some feelings for his fellow countrymen, so he first shouted to Xu Huang instead of immediately joining the army.
After all, it can be said that Xu Huang is the only fellow Guan Yu can meet now. Even if there are others, they generally cannot get into Guan Yu's eyes.
"The deaths of the people in Pengcheng were not caused by Huang." Xu Huang replied.
"My eldest brother, General Liu Xuande, has a benevolent heart and the ambition to help the world bring peace to the people. Why don't you join a certain group and follow them to eliminate the evil bandits and achieve success!"
Guan Yu wanted to persuade Xu Huang to follow Liu Bei with him.
"Cao Gong also has the ambition to stabilize the world, and since he is following suit, how can he change his master overnight?"
"If that's the case, then don't blame me for not thinking about my fellow countrymen."
"Advance troops!"
Guan Yu's persuasion was ineffective and he ordered the troops to march.
Cao Cao let Xu Huang serve as a front-line army because he actually understood Xu Huang's military strength. He used him to deal with Guan Yu and Hedong people to deal with Hedong people. It was also a test for Xu Huang.
When the drums sounded, Xu Huang stopped talking, ordered the troops to march in, and clapped his horses to greet them.
Soon, the two armies met and charged together.
Indeed, as Guan Yu expected, his men and horses were waiting for work, but the enemy soldiers came in a hurry. Moreover, he had a new victory over Xia Houyuan. His morale was very high and everyone was brave.
Xiahou Dun also led his troops forward at this time, following behind the troops and horses led by Xu Huang to supervise the battle and urge them to advance step by step.
The soldiers and horses led by Xu Huang were not weak soldiers. Although they were rushing around in a hurry, there were people behind them with swords to supervise the battle, and they all behaved bravely and fearlessly at this time.
Guan Yu brandished the Qinglong Sword, killing and advancing all the way. The soldiers followed and advanced step by step, and they had a faint advantage.
Xu Huang knew that he had reinforcements on Guan Yu's side and would be able to help him soon, so he felt safe and fearless. While slashing the enemy soldiers, he pushed towards Guan Yu, hoping to fight with him.
Precisely because he and Guan Yu are both from Hedong, now is the time for Xu Huang to express his loyalty to Cao Cao.
As long as he has a battle with Guan Yu, it would be better if he can kill Guan Yu. Then Cao Cao will have more trust in him, and he will have a better future by following Cao Cao in the future.
"Xu Gongming, if you surrender now, it's still too late. Otherwise, someone will take your head."
Guan Yu rushed to Xu Huang and shouted to him.
"Hmph, we don't know yet who will behead whom, come on."
Xu Huang didn't appreciate it and shouted and slashed at him with his knife.
When the two generals fought, the soldiers from both sides only gathered around to fight, and no one could get close to them.
"You are so ignorant that someone will take your head today."
Guan Yu was no longer polite to him, raised his sword to block him, and then struck him with his sword.
Now Guan Yu and Xu Huang don't know each other, so they are just fellow villagers, and they don't have as deep a friendship as they did in history.
Historically, when Guan Yu surrendered to Cao Cao, he had a deep friendship with Zhang Liao and Xu Huang.
As for the rest of them, it is difficult to get into Guan Yu's eyes.
Xiahou Dun saw Xu Huang and Guan Yu fighting from a distance. He also wanted to go over and join forces with Xu Huang to kill Guan Yu. However, Guan Yu's troops and horses seemed stronger now. Seeing that his soldiers were retreating, Xiahou Dun had to be behind.
Supervise the battle, withstand the opponent's offensive, and wait for Cao Ren to appear.
"Hold on, our reinforcements will be arriving soon."
Xiahou Dun shouted to encourage morale.
Most of his soldiers also knew that Cao Ren would show up to help, but the enemy soldiers were killing them too hard and they might be defeated if they continued to fight.
"Xu Gongming, look at it. Your soldiers are about to flee. It's okay if you surrender at this time."
Guan Yu gave Xu Huang another chance.
After fighting Xu Huang, they fought for more than thirty rounds. Guan Yu knew in his heart that Xu Huang's force was not weak at all, and was much stronger than Yu Jin and Xia Houyuan.
If such a person can be allowed to surrender and assist his elder brother Liu Bei with him, the world may become more stable.
"It's too early to say who escaped."
Xu Huang responded and continued to block the chop with his sword.
This was the first time Xu Huang fought against Guan Yu. At this time, he was slightly shocked. Sure enough, Guan Yu was as brave as the rumors said. No wonder Yu Jin and Xia Houyuan died in his hands.
Therefore Xu Huang did not dare to be careless and fought with all his strength. No matter whether he could kill Guan Yu or not, as long as he did not let him kill him and persisted until Cao Ren showed up with his troops, he would be victorious.
Xu Ding led his soldiers and horses, and was killing the enemy soldiers while retreating step by step. At this time, he was very happy, thinking that he would win again this time.
"Brothers, kill quickly. If you win again this time, the Lord will reward you heavily!"
Xu Ding shouted and slashed wildly with his sword, knocking down three or four enemy soldiers immediately.
Xiahou Dun shouted loudly: "Don't retreat, hold on, reinforcements are coming."
However, the soldiers still slowly retreated. Although they knew there were reinforcements, if the reinforcements did not appear, they would not be able to continue to withstand it.
Xiahou Dun was so anxious that he looked sideways frequently, just waiting for Cao Ren to appear quickly with his troops. If he didn't appear, he would be defeated.
While Xiahou Dun was looking anxiously, he suddenly saw a group of soldiers appearing on the south side. A closer look revealed that they were the soldiers led by Cao Ren.
"Reinforcements are coming! Reinforcements are coming!"
Xiahou Dun shouted excitedly.
At this time, his soldiers also saw that their troops were rushing from the south. The drums were beating and the flags were flying. It seemed that the savior had arrived, which immediately gave them confidence and fighting spirit. They shouted loudly and fought hard to fight back.
Guan Yu was feeling proud, thinking that he would win again this time and could block the pursuers and protect the people from leaving.
But he didn't expect that the enemy would have reinforcements.
Guan Yu's soldiers suddenly panicked.
We didn't expect reinforcements from the enemy to appear at all. The key was that we didn't know how many reinforcements there would be.
Originally, I and the opponent were evenly matched, but now that the opponent has reinforcements and suddenly attack, I am afraid that I will not be able to resist them.
With this mentality, many people began to have the idea of escape.
What was originally a forward movement immediately turned into a defensive posture.
Xu Ding did not expect that when he saw his soldiers retreating gradually, he quickly shouted: "Don't be alarmed, we will kill as many enemy reinforcements as there are."
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Cao Ren clapped his horse and ran ahead, shouting "kill" loudly, and led his troops to quickly join the battlefield.
From the moment they saw them appear until they joined the battlefield, Guan Yu's troops went from being panicked to actually being irresistible.
Cao Ren led his troops to rush forward, and Guan Yu's troops immediately became more chaotic.
At this time, Guan Yu was even more angry and angry, and he used his sword even more fiercely, wanting to kill Xu Huang as soon as possible.
"Guan Yunchang, how about you surrender to Duke Cao with me?"
Xu Huang actually persuaded Guan Yu to return and surrender to Cao Cao.
"Hmph, don't say anything more!"
Guan Yu raised his sword to strike again, but Xu Huang raised his sword to block him.
At this time, they played more than 120 rounds, but still couldn't decide the winner.
But Xu Huang had reinforcements and reversed the situation. It was no longer urgent at all. What was urgent now was Guan Yu.
Seeing that his troops were retreating one after another, unable to withstand the enemy's attack, Guan Yu was so angry that he wanted to kill all those who retreated.
"Guan Yunchang, your troops have escaped."
After another twenty rounds of fighting, Xu Huang shouted to Guan Yu.
Guan Yu had already seen that his troops had begun to flee. Although Xu Ding led some men to block the enemy's offensive, the rest of the troops were unable to stop them and ran back like a dike.
At this time, Cao Ren slashed at the enemy soldiers who were fleeing with his sword, while glaring at Guan Yu and running towards him.