Xia Houshang advised: "Repairing fortifications is the responsibility of a small soldier. The general is the commander-in-chief of the three armies. How can he come in person?"

Xia Houyuan said: "The road ahead is cut off, the soldiers are tired, food and grass are insufficient, and the morale of the army is slack. How can we boost morale if we don't take the lead?"

"This is very true. I will go with my uncle." Xia Houshang suddenly realized and prepared to dismount and go with him.

"The three armies cannot be without commanders. My wise nephew is in charge of the camp. He will come as he goes!"

Xia Houyuan left him to guard the stronghold and led 500 elite soldiers to the front line to put out the fire. When Cao Jun saw this, they were all moved and rushed to repair the antlers.

Liu Qi was on the cliff and had a panoramic view of everything. When he saw Xia Houyuan approaching with a wooden stake in his arms, he immediately gave the order to beat the drum.

Dong dong dong——

The muffled sound of war drums came from overhead, like thunder. Cao Jun was shocked, and Xiahou Yuan also raised his head to watch.

An army rushed out from the hillside and headed straight for the trench of the front camp. The general in charge, with his white beard fluttering, holding a golden sword upside down, clapped his horse and galloped down, and in a blink of an eye he was close.

"Huang Zhong?" Xia Houyuan was shocked, stood up and roared, and smashed the wooden stake out of his hand.

"Xia Houyuan, those who surrender will not be killed!" Huang Zhong raised his sword and cut off the wooden staff. He rode his horse over the gap in the antlers and struck Xia Houyuan with a single blow in the air.

Xia Houyuan drew his sword in a hurry. Seeing that the sword was very sharp, he did not dare to parry, so he rolled on the spot and dodged to the side.

Huang Zhong took the lead and slashed with his broadsword, causing several Cao soldiers to fall. He then moved his horse forward to pursue Xia Houyuan and slashed at the back of Xia Houyuan's head.

Xia Houyuan got up in embarrassment, but he couldn't outrun the horse. He heard the wind behind his head and knew something was wrong, so he jumped into the trench to dodge.

Yan Yan led Jufu from the rear, followed closely by General Zhang Yi, who had broken through the enemy's defense line. The three of them each took their own way and directly attacked Cao's camp in front.

Xia Houshang had just returned to the camp and was worried about food and grass. He suddenly heard the sound of drums outside and hurried out of his tent. He saw Xia Houyuan being attacked by a sneak attack and hurriedly ordered the soldiers to rescue him.

When he rode out of the camp, he was met by Yan Yan, who was attacking and blocked Cao's army in the camp. The two armies fought in a melee, and the sound of killing was loud.

Huang Zhong had already led his own soldiers to kill the surrounding Cao troops, urged his horses to the front of the trench, pointed at Xia Houyuan and laughed: "You know, I pretended to be wounded and retreated earlier. A brilliant man is actually a fool!"

Xia Houyuan stared and cursed: "You thieves are full of tricks. You and I are at odds with each other."

Huang Zhong stroked his beard and said, "A certain person and Guan Yu are already married, so you and I can be considered one family, so why should we be like this?"

"Who is with your family?" Xia Houyuan raised his sword and roared: "A man would rather die than surrender, how can I bear the humiliation of being captured?"

Just as he was about to draw his sword and kill himself, a soldier nearby flew up and threw Xia Houyuan into the trench. Before he could react, he snatched the sword away. The other soldiers stepped forward and tied Xia Houyuan up.

Huang Zhong advised: "Xia Houyuan, do you know how much effort General Liu put into capturing you alive? In order not to harm the peace between the two families, I waited for ten days. I advise you not to know good from evil."

Xia Houyuan struggled and roared, and actually hit the antlers with all his strength. Huang Zhong shouted: "Xia Houyuan, even if you want to die, you should think about your nephew and the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses."

Xia Houyuan froze, his face was ashen, and he was panting like an ox. He stared at Huang Zhong on the horse, wishing he could eat him alive.

"We are all Han officials, why do we need to fight and kill?" Huang Zhong sighed softly and ordered his men to escort him back to Dazhai and go to the front camp to persuade Cao's army to surrender.

Xia Houshang has been knocked off his horse by Yan Yan, and Guo Huai is still in a difficult position, but he is defeated by Zhang Yi and Ju Fu. They attack from both sides and are forced to the bottom of the cliff. They are in danger.

At this time, the entire Han army was dispatched. The morale of Cao's army was already low. Seeing that Xiahou Yuan was captured and unable to retreat, they all surrendered.

In the evening, Xun You arrived with his troops. Later, Fa Zheng sent Zhang Yi to lead his troops to pursue them. Seeing that the entire army was wiped out, they had no choice but to surrender. The matter was over, and there was no need to fight to the death.

Liu Qi personally persuaded Xia Houyuan that he had given up his own son to save his niece Xia Houjuan. Now that his niece is so close, wouldn't it be a pity in life if he didn't see her face to face?

Xia Houyuan finally calmed down a little and stopped seeking death and survival. He just waited to go to Xiangyang to see his niece before committing suicide to express his ambition.

The delaying strategy worked, and Liu Qi met with Xun You alone and said: "Mr. Wen Ruo's letter must have been received by Mr. Xun You. The Xun family was originally a loyal member of the Han Dynasty. I also know that you two are determined to help the world. Today, the Han Dynasty is revitalized."

I'm about to come, sir, I hope you can help me."

Xun You said with emotion: "In the past, Cao Mengde raised troops in Chenliu, determined to serve the king, and we followed him, with the intention of bringing order to the chaos. However, people have endless desires, high positions make ambitions full, and power makes them complacent. Cao Cao entered Wei Gong and lost the hope of the world.

, losing consecutive battles, how different is it from Yuan Shao back then? Isn’t this God’s will?”

Liu Qi thought that it was only when he knew that Lao Cao had built up his fortune throughout his life and was finally picked by the Sima family that he realized that he would not be happy with his retribution.

"Sir, there is no need to worry about useless territory. This article assumes that we are stationed in Jingzhou to dispatch the rear, but the war situation in the south is undecided: although Shi Xie intends to surrender, he never pays tribute and obeys orders. He is the master of one side. Lai Gong, the prefect of Jiaozhou, cannot rule.

I would like to ask you, Sir, to help in the war, completely recover Jiaozhou, stabilize South Vietnam, and explore the territory of the South Road. What do you think?"

Xun You can also be regarded as a witness to the decline of the imperial court. He went from being the minister of Huangmen to assisting He Jin, and later participated in the murder of Dong Zhuo. In his heart, he still regarded himself as a Han official and was not as decisive as Xiahou Ba.

Seeing that Liu Qi was so considerate, he happily accepted the order and said: "In the past, the Qin State conquered Baiyue, and there were horses to help expand the South China Sea. I dare not make false claims to expand the territory, but I am willing to help the general regain the territory."

That night, the whole battalion celebrated their victory. Generals Huang Zhong and Yan Yan were highly praised by the younger generations. They were getting stronger with age, comparable to Lian Po, and became role models for the entire army.

It was rare for Yan Yan to fight so happily in a battle, and he said that he would have no regrets in his life. Zhang Yi and other Shu generals took turns to persuade him to drink, and he became very drunk without realizing it.

The generals in Cao's camp set up a separate table, and Liu Qi and Huang Zhong toasted to everyone. Xia Houyuan ignored them with a cold face, but Xia Houshang accepted the reality and resolved the embarrassment.

To be honest, among this group of people, it is unlikely that Xia Houyuan will contribute temporarily. The one he likes most is Guo Huai.

At this time, Guo Huai had just emerged. Although he was favored by Xia Houyuan, he had not yet been put into any important role. Liu Qi called him outside the tent alone to encourage him and offered him three glasses of wine. The young man was so excited that he paid his respects.

Liu Qi said happily: "In this battle, I am not happy with Xia Houyuan and his son, but I am happy with Guo Boji!"

This young man is similar to Zhang Liao. He grew up on the border and fought against barbarians all the year round. He is smart and capable, and has the ability to lead troops. When he grows up, he is also a general, and is much more valuable than Xia Houyuan.

At this point, the battle for the army on the Middle Road of the Northern Expedition was completely over. The plank road in front was burned down and it was impossible to advance. Zhao Yun and Pang Tong could only be ordered to make full arrangements to advance to Guanzhong.

Only Zhang Yi and Chen Shi'er were sent from Taibai Road to Chencang to support Zhao Yun. The army was led by two veteran generals Huang Zhong and Yan Yan. They immediately retreated to Hanzhong and rested before heading to Guanzhong from Chencang Road.

Liu Qi and Fazheng returned to Hanzhong first, firstly to prepare for the war in Luoyang as soon as possible. Once Luoyang was conquered, they would connect the eastern and western armies into one and take full control of the war situation.
Chapter completed!