pappabearbooks Chapter 93 You're such a jinx!
Chapter 93 You're such a jinx!
Liyang County Town.
Liu Xun led his remaining troops in a retreat, finally arriving in Liyang before nightfall.
Liu Xun glanced at the troops behind him, then looked at Zhang Xun and Zhang Xiu.
How many people are left?
"The number of those capable of fighting is less than five thousand."
Zhang Xun lowered his head.
"The cavalry is all gone, only a thousand archers remain, and the arrows..."
"That's enough!"
Liu Xun kicked the pillar.
"They brought 18,000 people out of Hefei! And they've only been running for three days! Three days!"
Zhang Xiu placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and roared:
"General, allow me to take two thousand men back! Yuan Tan's pursuing troops number only a little over a thousand cavalry. The terrain is narrowing; we can fight them!"
"A fight?"
Liu Xun seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He staggered to his feet, walked up to Zhang Xiu, and almost pressed his face against his.
"Zhang Xiu, General Zhang, what did you have to fight with? In Wancheng, you had Jia Xu, Hu Che'er, and a fortified city, but what happened? You were caught off guard by Cao Cao and almost perished there! Later, you surrendered to me, saying you would help me defend the city! And what happened? One day! Hefei only lasted one day!"
"Zhang Xiu, oh Zhang Xiu, I've just realized you're a real jinx!"
Liu Xun's last words were almost shouted.
Originally, Zhang Xiu had not come to seek refuge with them.
I'm perfectly fine.
He could live comfortably as the local tyrant of Lujiang, without feeling too comfortable.
As a result, Zhang Xiu's defection attracted Liu Bei and Yuan Tan.
They ended up getting themselves into trouble.
If it weren't for the fact that half of these 5,000 remnants were Zhang Xiu's men, he would have already killed Zhang Xiu.
Zhang Xiu's teeth were clenched so tightly they made a clanging sound.
If you, Liu Xun, have problems with your command, how can you blame me?
Zhang Xun quickly tried to smooth things over: "My lord, please calm down! General Xiu is only acting out of loyalty. Now that the pursuers are closing in, if we don't blunt their advance, it may be difficult to hold out any longer."
"Hold on."
Liu Xun laughed loudly, his laughter filled with madness.
"What do you think you can defend it with? Hefei has high walls and thick fortifications, yet we suffered a crushing defeat. Today, we have only five thousand remnants of our army. Do you think you can hold this small city? Are you kidding me?"
The hall fell into a deathly silence.
At this moment, Zou's suppressed coughing could be heard intermittently from outside.
After days of running around and living in fear, Zou was already on the verge of death.
Zhang Xiu suddenly turned around and strode towards the side room. Liu Xun sneered behind him:
"What? You won't listen to my advice and want to go ask your dear aunt for help? What does a woman like her know..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Xiu slammed the door shut and stormed out.
The side room smelled of medicine mixed with mold.
Zou lay on a straw mat, covered with Zhang Xiu's cloak.
Her face was deathly pale, but when she saw Zhang Xiu come in, she still tried her best to sit up.
"Auntie, don't move."
Zhang Xiu knelt on one knee before the table, his voice soft.
Zou gently grasped Zhang Xiu's wrist.
"I heard what you just said."
Ms. Zou had to catch her breath after speaking each word.
"Xiu'er, listen to your aunt... don't go. Yuan Tan... we can't defeat him..."
"But..."
"No buts."
Zou's hand tightened.
"In Wancheng, we lost to Cao Cao. In Hefei, we lost to Yuan Tan. Xiu'er, don't you understand? This world... is no longer one you can fight your way out with just a spear."
She coughed violently, and Zhang Xiu quickly patted her back gently.
After her cough subsided, Ms. Zou leaned against the wall, gazing out at the dark night.
"Liu Xun is right. Holding Liyang to the death will only lead to our demise."
She turned her head and looked at Zhang Xiu.
"But if you turn back and fight Yuan Tan to the death, you will die right now."
"What should we do then?"
Zhang Xiu's voice was bitter.
"Is there no place in this vast world for Zhang Xiu to find refuge?"
Ms. Zou remained silent for a long time.
So long that Zhang Xiu thought she had fallen into a deep sleep, she finally spoke softly:
"Head north."
"north?"
"Lü Bu".
When Zou uttered those two words, it seemed as if she had used all her strength.
"Isn't he the one you initially wanted to pledge allegiance to? But Lü Bu has just obtained the Imperial Seal and needs men... More importantly, he and Yuan Tan are bound to clash sooner or later."
Zhang Xiu was startled.
"Although Lü Bu lacks strategy, Chen Gong is here. Chen Gong knows that taking us in is beneficial for containing Yuan Tan..."
Zou's voice grew weaker and weaker.
"Xiu'er, remember... living is more important than anything else. As long as you're alive... there's still a chance..."
Her hand slowly slid down.
Zhang Xiu hurriedly checked her breathing; although weak, it was still steady.
These words seemed to have exhausted her strength, and she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Zhang Xiu knelt in the darkness for a long time before getting up and walking back to the main hall.
Liu Xun and Zhang Xun were still arguing, but they both stopped when they saw him come out.
"General,"
His voice was unusually calm.
"You're right, holding Liyang to the death is a sure path to certain doom."
Zhang Xun wanted to refute, but Zhang Xiu continued:
"To the west lies Jiangxia, where even Huang Zu himself is in dire need of protection. To the east lies the vast sea."
"Therefore, the only option is to head north. We'll cross the Danyang Hills, enter Xuzhou, and surrender to Lü Bu. We're already nominally under Lü Bu's control, so surrendering to him this time is perfectly justified."
"Lü Bu?"
Liu Xun sneered.
"A traitor who serves three masters? Zhang Xiu, have you been confused by your aunt's illness?"
"Lu Bu has just obtained the Imperial Seal of the State, and it is the perfect time for him to recruit soldiers and horses and win over the hearts of the people."
Zhang Xiu stared at Liu Xun,
"Although we have fewer soldiers, General Zhang is the head of Yuan Shu's former generals, and I also have old ties with him in the Xiliang army. More importantly..."
He paused, then said, word by word:
"Lu Bu and Yuan Tan are bound to clash. We have a blood feud with Yuan Tan, and these are precisely the loyal and righteous men that Lu Bu needs most."
The hall fell silent once more.
Even Liu Xun remained silent this time.
He looked out at the night sky, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.
Zhang Xun slowly began to speak:
"General Xiu's words...are not without merit. Lü Bu is short-handed, and Chen Gong alone cannot hold him off. If we surrender, at least we can secure temporary peace. Moreover, Yuan Tan has just acquired Lujiang, which borders Xuzhou, and conflict is imminent..."
That's enough.
Liu Xun raised his hand to interrupt.
He stood up and paced around the hall.
Think back to the life of a local tyrant who was once surrounded by followers; now he'll be living under someone else's roof and will probably have to do whatever others want.
Although Liu Xun found it difficult to accept Zhang Xiu's suggestion, he knew that if he stayed here to defend the city, it would be difficult to sustain the situation.
Fine, better to live a miserable life than to die. I'll just have to live under someone else's roof.
At least I still have some troops at my disposal, so I guess I can still be given important responsibilities.
After walking back and forth seven or eight times, he finally stopped.
"Pass on the order."
Liu Xun sighed.
"The entire army will rest for two hours and depart at dawn. We will not take the official roads, but rather the mountain hunting trails, bypassing Lishui. Our objective—"
He took a deep breath and then slowly spoke:
"Xiapi".
Zhang Xiu then spoke again:
"If our army flees, Yuan Tan will surely pursue us. We must leave one person behind to cover our retreat."
Liu Xun thought about it and agreed.
If no one covers their retreat, I'm afraid our small force will be hunted down to death.
He pointed to Zhang Xiu in front of him and said:
"You stay behind to cover our retreat!"
"..."
Zhang Xiu couldn't catch his breath and almost suffocated!
You damn father!