Chương 33: Rescue Wuji

At this moment, outside Wuji County, Chief Zhang Niujiao was standing on a hillside, making grand promises to his men.

He stood with his hands on his hips, spitting as he shouted:

"Brothers! You know the Zhen family in the city? They're so rich they could pave the entire Yellow River with their money!"

"The grain is piled higher than a mountain! Break down the city gates, grab any gold you want, and choose any woman you like!"

The 50, 000 men below, wearing yellow turbans, had their eyes shining and were howling like a pack of wolves that hadn't eaten for three days and had spotted meat.

Zhang Niujiao stroked his beard smugly: "Charge in! We won't stop fighting for three days!"

In truth, he was quite uneasy. Most of the "50, 000-strong army" consisted of refugees who had just thrown down their hoes, and their weapons were still kitchen knives or hoes.

The Yellow Turban rebels were envious of this "pie in the sky" promise and immediately became like they had been injected with chicken blood. They picked up hoes and kitchen knives and rushed towards the city wall, or carried ladders and desperately attacked the city.

One of the gang leaders yelled at the top of his lungs, "Rob money, rob grain, rob women!"

This caused a cacophony of howls and wailing.

Some were even yelling, "Break down the city gates and rob the Zhen family! Gold and silver treasures belong to the heroes, and beautiful girls belong to the brothers!"

The truck slammed against the door, and the ladder creaked and groaned, creating a scene comparable to a large-scale demolition site.

A Yellow Turban soldier, halfway up the ladder, suddenly shouted to the upper floor, "Brother upstairs! Is Miss Zhen really as beautiful as the legends say?"

The garrison soldier poked his head out and grinned: "Great! But you'll have to ask this pot of hot soup in my hand if it agrees first!"

After saying that, he poured a spoonful of golden gravy down, and the soldier slid down the ladder with a "whoosh," yelling as he ran:

"Hot! Hot! Hot! Miss Zhen must be made of chili peppers!"

On the city wall, Magistrate Chen Ji, his beard almost white with anxiety, repeatedly bowed to Zhen Yi beside him:

"Patriarch Zhen, thanks to your family's financial and manpower contributions, otherwise this dilapidated city wall would have collapsed long ago!"

Zhen Yi calmly waved his hand, saying, "You're too kind, Your Excellency. The Zhen family's ancestral home is here; defending the city is defending our family business."

In his heart, he cursed the heavens: That damned Zhang Niujiao, he only picks to eat the fattest meat!

Not long after.

Chen Ji, clinging to the wall, looked at Zhen Yi with a mournful face and said, "Patriarch Zhen! Why did you dilute your ancestral kerosene with water? Mushrooms are even growing on the logs!"

Zhen Yi scratched his head and explained, "Your Excellency, my family's kerosene has been stored for ten years and has long since spoiled... These mushrooms might even poison a few thieves?"

As they were talking, a stray arrow whizzed past and pierced Chen Ji's official hat, startling him so much that he immediately fell to the ground.

"My official hat! I bought it for a hundred coins when I took office!"

Zhen Yi quickly pulled him back: "Your Excellency, your life is more important than your hat! The Yellow Turban rebels are about to climb up!"

Zhang Niujiao rode a skinny horse outside the city, brandishing his broadsword and showing off:

"Brothers! Charge!"

Before the words were even finished, the soldiers guarding the city wall poured a pot of hot molten gold down on them, scalding the Yellow Turban soldiers who screamed in pain.

Zhang Niujiao covered his nose and cursed, "Shameless! If you're going to fight, then fight! Why bring in biological attacks?"

Just as the city gate was about to be breached, the ground suddenly began to shake.

The garrison thought it was an earthquake, but then they saw a dark cloud appear on the horizon.

Liu Ce took the lead, his Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd pointing diagonally at the sky, his black horse kicking up dust.

Behind them, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and six other fierce generals were lined up in a goose-wing formation. The eight hundred Xuanjia Iron Cavalry were as silent as mountains, with only the sound of their armor clashing like the grinding teeth of death.

Zhang Fei, with his sharp eyes, pointed at the rear of the Yellow Turban army and shouted:

"Brother! That skinny guy on the horse wearing a yellow turban must be Zhang Niujiao! I, Old Zhang, will use his head as a chamber pot!"

Liu Ce laughed and scolded, "You've saved up eight chamber pots already! This time, give them to Zhijie!"

Cheng Yaojin roared and charged out, wielding his Bagua axe like a windmill.

Before the Yellow Turban Army could react, the Black Armor Army ripped a gash in the air like a sharp knife.

With a single, powerful strike of his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, Guan Yu cleaved three Yellow Turban soldiers, shields and all, into the ground.

Zhao Yun's silver spear flashed out seven plum blossoms, specifically targeting the enemy's wrists, instantly crippling a row of Yellow Turban soldiers.

Dian Wei wielded his double halberds, cutting the cloud ladder in half, causing the yellow-turbaned soldiers on the ladder to fall like dumplings.

Qin Qiong, with his tiger-headed spear, would stab horses in the rump, causing the frightened warhorses to drag the Yellow Turban generals all over the field.

Just as Zhang Niujiao shouted "Hold on!", Liu Ce had already charged in front of him.

(Liu Ce: Zhijie, you still need to practice.) The Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd pierced through the air with a whooshing sound. Zhang Niujiao raised his sword to block it, but with a "crack," his sword shattered, and the halberd tip pierced through his chest.

He looked down at the bloodied hole and choked out his last words:

"you……"

Liu Ce drew his halberd and chuckled: "What do you mean, 'you'? Remember to buy health insurance in your next life."

A short while later, Cheng Yaojin arrived and said to Liu Ce with a frustrated expression, "My lord, why are you stealing kills again?"

Liu Ce grinned at Cheng Yaojin: "If you're bad at it, practice more!"

……

Chen Ji and Zhen Yi, standing atop the city wall, stared in disbelief. Chen Ji, trembling, pointed at the Xuanjia Army:

"These... these are heavenly soldiers and generals?"

Zhen Yi slapped his thigh: "They're heavenly soldiers! And the kind who carry imperial insignia! Look at the character 'Liu' on their flags; they're coming from the north. It must be Liu Ce, the Southern General and Prefect of Zhuojun!"

Chen Ji quickly ordered, "Open the city gates! Help General Liu capture prisoners!"

The defending soldiers roared and rushed out to pick up the leftovers, specifically targeting the Yellow Turban soldiers who had lost their armor and weapons and bundling them into sacks.

The two scrambled down the city wall, and when they opened the gate, Chen Ji tripped and fell flat on his face because his legs were weak.

Upon seeing Liu Ce, Chen Ji immediately performed a deep bow:

"Your humble servant is deeply grateful to General Liu for saving my life! Had you arrived even a fraction of a second later, I would have been forced to write my dying testament!"

Zhen Yi stole glances at the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry and soldiers, mentally calculating: I must cling to this powerful figure!

Zhen Yi quickly bowed to Liu Ce and said, "Thank you, General Liu! I am Zhen Yi, the head of the Zhen family. If you hadn't arrived in time, the Zhen family's ancestral home would have been burned down!"

【Ding……】 Name: Zhen Yi, courtesy name Chengye Gender: Male Age: 42 [Strength]: 37 Commander: 56 [Politics]: 72 [Intelligence]: 78 【Charm】: 78 [Appearance]: 81cm ……

That evening, the county government held a victory banquet, and Cheng Yaojin, holding a wine jar, boasted:

"I'm so tired of chopping with my axe today! Those Yellow Turban rebels are so skinny they're like chickens, not even enough to fill a tooth gap!"

Zhang Fei retorted, "Give me a break! When the final battle statistics are tallied, the number of enemies you killed isn't even a fraction of what Zilong killed!"

Zhao Yun calmly sipped his wine: "Third Brother, mine was a precision strike, yours was a demolition operation."

The room erupted in laughter.

As Zhen Yi raised his cup in a toast, he said, "General, with such extraordinary bravery, why not stay in Wuji County for a few more days?"

Liu Ce sighed on the surface, "The Yellow Turban Rebellion has not yet been quelled, so I dare not indulge in pleasure! I will leave after a few days of rest."

(Zhang Chun: Alright, alright, a few days ago we asked you to stay a few more days in Zhongshan, but you only rested for one day before leaving.) ……

The hustle and bustle of the banquet did not completely subside until late at night. Outside Wuji County, most of the lanterns in the military camp were extinguished, leaving only a few shining warmly at the gate.

Liu Ce rubbed his throbbing temples as he returned to the barracks. His armor, still reeking of alcohol, was taken off and immediately wiped clean by his personal guards.

Although this kind of wine from the Eastern Han Dynasty wasn't a problem for him, the sheer quantity made him feel bloated.

Before long, he fell into a deep sleep, so fast that he didn't even notice the night breeze outside the window.