Free Web NovelChapter 277: Capture East County (Part 3)
In the pitch-black night, a series of heart-stirring long drum beats suddenly resounded.
The long sounds pierced through the night, waking countless residents of Dongjun City from their pleasant dreams.
Xun Huo and Cheng Yu, both in the prefect’s residence, woke up simultaneously, their eyes filled with astonishment.
This long sound was only made when enemy troops invaded, and their sharp minds instantly began to work at high speed.
A midnight enemy invasion suggested a few possibilities.
First, the remnants of the Yellow Turban bandits might have organized an attack on the city. Since Lord Cao Cao had gone to Xuzhou, taking most of the soldiers from Yan Province with him, this would be the perfect time for these bandits to take advantage of the situation.
Second, the Black Mountain bandits, fleeing from Jizhou into Yan Province, might be stirring up trouble to raid the city for food supplies.
Recently, the powerful leader of Jizhou, Yuan Shao, had issued a decree to eliminate bandits throughout Jizhou, causing the Black Mountain bandits who lived in the deep mountains to flee to various states and counties.
Yan Province, connected to Jizhou, naturally became a heavily affected area.
Moreover, the Black Mountain bandits, fleeing in disarray and short on food, often came down from the mountains to rob food from major counties and cities.
Previously, the presence of Cao Cao’s deterrent power had kept these bandits in check, but now that Cao Cao had left, some people’s minds might be getting restless.
Third, General Long Chen might have split his army into Yan Province, launching a sudden attack at the right moment to force Cao Cao to withdraw his troops back to Yan Province.
This was the most likely yet the most unlikely guess by Xun Huo and Cheng Yu.
Why such a contradiction?
Because this strategy was a risky maneuver; if slightly mishandled, it could lead to a total defeat.
Yet, it was also the strategy with the highest chance of success.
According to intelligence, Long Chen had Guo Jia from Yingchuan by his side, and it was very likely that this plan originated from him.
Thinking of Guo Jia, Xun Huo couldn’t help but frown. He and Guo Jia were both from Yingchuan and had a deep relationship, knowing well each other’s formidable capabilities.
This made them wary of each other.
Cheng Yu hurriedly threw on a long robe and rushed out of the residence towards the city gate.
"Hey, Wenruo! You’re out too! Quick, let’s go together!"
Seeing the familiar Xun Huo ahead, Cheng Yu waved his hand.
Xun Huo nodded, and the two of them shared a carriage heading towards the city gate, with two rows of imposing soldiers in red armor lined up on either side. These soldiers wore helmets resembling fierce tigers from the mountains, rode excellent horses from the northern lands, and wielded sharp long spears.
Their aura of killing intent was like drawn swords, causing the panicked citizens on the street to hastily move aside.
"Move aside! Anyone who dares delay official business will be killed without mercy!"
The cold and stern voice echoed through Dongjun, filling the citizens with deep respect.
These were Cao Cao’s strongest special forces—the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!
The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were not easily dispatched unless absolutely necessary because the selection of these soldiers was from among the centurions.
In other words, they had to be recruited from battle-hardened leaders of a hundred men. Here, a centurion was just an ordinary soldier, showing their elite status!
Their rank could reach the peak of the third grade, making them the undisputed elite troops in the army.
Every member of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry represented a massive investment of resources by Cao Cao.
Due to the difficulty in training the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, their numbers were limited.
Currently, there were only about 800 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry guarding the two strategists, led by the commander Cao Xiu. freewёbnoνel.com
Cao Xiu had joined Cao Cao during the campaign against Dong Zhuo and was known as a "thousand-mile steed."
Cao Cao treated him like his own son and appointed him to command the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry as his personal guards.
Now, these elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were assigned by Cao Cao to protect the two strategists.
...
Meanwhile, at the city gate, Le Jin and Xu Rong had already seen each other.
In an instant, two terrifying auras swirled above them.
Just from the aura each exuded, they could preliminarily judge the other’s strength.
"Bandit, state your name! My blade does not cut nameless rats!" Le Jin shouted coldly, raising his ring-headed saber that gleamed with a silver cold light, forming a terrifying crescent blade.
Xu Rong cautiously observed Le Jin’s movements, while secretly pondering this person’s weaknesses.
He responded aloud, "I am Xu Rong, a general under General Long Chen!"
The reason he openly revealed his lord’s name was because this incident would inevitably be exposed.
Cao Cao was no fool, and he would surely find out who sent troops to attack Dongjun.
Thus, Xu Rong did not bother to disguise himself as a mountain bandit or a Yellow Turban soldier.
Upon hearing this, Le Jin was indeed greatly shocked.
He never expected that this attack on Dongjun was orchestrated by General Long Chen.
Thinking of his lord who was currently fighting in Xuzhou, Le Jin felt a chill in his heart.
Although he was a fierce general, he was not stupid. Given the current situation, he naturally realized that Long Chen’s move was a ploy to save Zhao by besieging Wei!
This maneuver would force Lord Cao Cao to withdraw his troops from Xuzhou to defend his headquarters in Yan Province. Otherwise, even if his lord conquered Xuzhou, losing the base in Yan Province would be too costly!
No, Long Chen’s sinister plot must not succeed.
With this in mind, Le Jin roared, his aura surging once more, putting immense pressure on Xu Rong.
However, Xu Rong’s fighting spirit was not much inferior. As long as this raid on Dongjun succeeded, he would undoubtedly earn the greatest merit.
A red gleam flashed in Xu Rong’s eyes as he wielded his iron spear, its terrifying spear energy seemingly tearing the air apart.
Le Jin quickly swung his ring-headed saber to block the attack.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The violent sounds pierced the night sky, and the two men retreated several feet from each other.
However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that Le Jin had retreated further.
"Damn, without my battle axe, I can only exert eighty percent of my strength!"
Le Jin was anxious.
Without his main weapon, he couldn’t fully demonstrate his combat power.
The only solution now was to have his soldiers retrieve his battle axe!
Seeing this, Xu Rong quickly thrust his spear to attack again!
Le Jin cursed, "Xu Rong, you are dishonorable! Without my battle axe, how could you suppress me! Even if you defeat me now, I will not concede!"
"Hmph!"
Xu Rong merely sneered, his spear movements becoming even faster, creating thousands of afterimages that left Le Jin struggling to cope, barely holding on.
Strike while the iron is hot!
As a composed commander, Xu Rong would not let Le Jin off just because he didn’t have his main weapon.
Such actions were the habits of chivalrous swordsmen, but Xu Rong was a standard general. He wouldn’t be bound by these chivalrous rules.
Without his battle axe, Le Jin had already lost half the battle.
Xu Rong successfully pinned Le Jin on the city wall, while Wu Lan and others quickly opened the city gates and lit torches, sending out signals.
Hundreds of miles away, Guo Jia saw the blazing fire on Dongjun’s city wall and felt a surge in his heart.
He immediately issued a swift order.
"Lü Bu, hear my command!"
"At your service!" Lü Bu’s eyes seemed to blaze with fire as he promptly clasped his hands in response.
Finally, he could fully showcase his skills. His halberd was already eager for battle!
"Lead all the Bingzhou cavalry and charge into Dongjun. Just kill your way through and turn the entire Dongjun upside down!"
"Yes!!!" Lü Bu’s lips curved into an uncontrollable smile.
