Chương 43: One-versus-three, Bo Cai Dies

When Bo Cai saw this, he was so scared he almost peed himself.

This guy is too fierce! He didn't dare to linger any longer, turned his horse around, and with his last two close henchmen, tried to slip away in the chaos.

"Trying to run? Did you even ask my halberd?"

Upon seeing this, Liu Ce snorted coldly.

He took a deep breath, mustered all his strength, and with a loud shout, hurled the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd in his hand like a javelin!

The heavy Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd drew a deadly arc in the air, whistling as it shot straight behind Bo Cai!

Bo heard the wind behind him, turned around, and was terrified.

Almost instinctively, he pulled a trusted general behind him to shield himself, while another general instinctively parried with his weapon.

Unfortunately, all of this was in vain in the face of Liu Ce's terrifying strength and the weight of the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd!

"Snap! Pfft—" First, his trusted general's weapon was broken by the impact, then the halberd tip pierced his body without any resistance, its momentum undiminished.

It then pierced through the second general who tried to block, and finally plunged into Bo Cai's chest!

One halberd! Three people! A skewer of candied hawthorns!

Bo Cai looked down in disbelief at the blood-dripping halberd tip emerging from his chest, opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, his eyes quickly dimmed, and he died.

Liu Ce spurred his horse forward, gripped the halberd shaft with one hand, and with a forceful pull, plucked the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd from among the three corpses.

Then, with a flick of his halberd, he lifted Bo Cai's unseeing corpse high above his head and shouted:

"Bo Cai is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

His roar instantly drowned out the clamor of the battlefield.

The surrounding Han soldiers were taken aback at first, then erupted in a thunderous cheer, shouting in unison:

"Bo Cai is dead!"

"Surrender and you will not be killed!"

"Kneeling will save you from death!"

The Yellow Turban Army, still putting up a last-ditch resistance, saw their commander's body being raised like a flagpole, and their last shred of will to resist completely collapsed.

One after another, Yellow Turban soldiers threw down their weapons, covered their heads, and knelt on the ground, spreading out in a dark, dense mass.

The clamor of the battlefield gradually subsided.

Only the occasional crackling of the burning camp and the groans of the wounded remained.

The firelight illuminated the figures of Liu Ce and his six generals behind him, casting long, war-god-like shadows on the battlefield.

Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Cao Cao, who had just arrived and witnessed the final scene, all turned their gazes to this unfamiliar (familiar) young general, their hearts filled with shock, gratitude, and a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe.

The fire gradually died down, and the shouts of battle subsided, leaving only wisps of smoke and a strange stench of burnt and blood mingled in the air.

The two old generals, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, disregarded their exhaustion from the night and the bloodstains covering their bodies.

Under the protection of his personal guards, he hurriedly crossed the still-clearing battlefield and headed towards Liu Ce's central command position.

Liu Ce was holding his Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd, talking to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and a few others beside him.

Seeing the two old generals arrive,

"system……"

【Ding……】 Name: Huangfu Song, courtesy name Yizhen Gender: Male Age: 50 [Strength]: 76 Command: 92 [Politics]: 78 [Intelligence]: 87 【Charm】: 86 [Appearance]: 82cm 【Ding……】 Name: Zhu Jun, courtesy name Gongwei Gender: Male Age: 38 [Strength]: 80 Command: 88 [Politics]: 80 [Intelligence]: 85 【Charm】: 84 [Appearance]: 75cm He quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said neither servilely nor arrogantly:

"My name is Liu Ce. I greet General Huangfu and General Zhu."

Upon hearing the name, and combining it with the formidable army and astonishing achievements, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun immediately recognized the name.

This is none other than Liu Ce, also known as Liu Bolue, the emperor's younger brother who has recently been making waves and has been personally acknowledged by His Majesty. He is the ruthless general who, with a smaller force, defeated 100, 000 Yellow Turban rebels in Zhuojun!

Huangfu Song was so excited that he grabbed Liu Ce's hand tightly, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"General Liu! My goodness, a hero indeed emerges from among the young!"

"If it weren't for the general's divine intervention and this earth-shattering fire attack, Gongwei, the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Changshe City, I'm afraid... I'm afraid we would have been in grave danger!"

"In this battle, the general deserves the greatest credit! Undoubtedly, the greatest credit!"

He spoke with such sincerity that his eyes were red, showing how much pressure he had been under.

Zhu Jun nodded repeatedly beside him, stroking his beard and sighing:

"Yes, Yoshima is absolutely right!"

"General, you not only lifted the siege of Changshe, but also beheaded the bandit leader Bo Cai in battle. We must report this great achievement to the court and request commendation for you!"

Liu Ce was secretly delighted, but he had to maintain a facade. He waved his hand modestly and smiled, saying:

"You two old generals are too kind! Suppressing the Yellow Turbans and protecting the people is our duty."

"Moreover, this great victory was entirely due to the soldiers' bravery, the unity of the three armies, and the two old generals who held the city firmly, drawing away Bo Cai's main force, which allowed me to succeed by sheer luck."

"This credit belongs to everyone, to all of us!"

His words were well said, praising the two veterans while not forgetting his subordinates.

Zhang Fei, standing nearby, couldn't stand this overly polite and refined manner. His voice, as always, boomed, and he shouted:

"Brother! Why are you being so polite with those two old generals! If it weren't for your quick thinking, you wouldn't have come up with this brilliant plan to set the camp on fire."

"Even if we work ourselves to death, we can't possibly take down Bo Cai's 100, 000-strong army so easily! If this credit doesn't go to you, I, Old Zhang, will be the first to object!"

His shout made everyone laugh.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard, a smile on his face. Although he didn't speak, his eyes were full of agreement.

Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, and the others also laughed, and the atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves rang out, and Cao Cao, accompanied by several close followers, arrived in a flurry of dust.

He was clearly either cleaning up the battlefield on the outskirts or had just assembled his troops, and was only now able to come and see his commander.

Cao Cao nimbly dismounted, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Liu Ce, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun, adopting a very humble posture.

"I am Cao Cao, Cavalry Commandant. I greet General Liu, General Huangfu, and General Zhu."

"I am ashamed that I arrived late and was unable to participate in the crucial battle to defeat the enemy."

His words were clever; they both greeted him and subtly explained why he hadn't appeared immediately.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were not unfamiliar with Cao Cao, knowing that he was Cao Song's son and had some reputation in Luoyang, so they politely returned the greetings.

"Commander Cao, you've worked hard."

When Liu Ce saw Cao Cao, his smile widened. He stepped forward and patted Cao Cao on the shoulder familiarly.

"Brother Mengde! How have you been? Haha, it's been almost half a year since we parted ways in Luoyang! I never imagined that we brothers would meet again here!"

Seeing Liu Ce's enthusiasm, Cao Cao smiled, though his smile held a complex meaning. He replied:

"Brother Bolue, it has indeed been a long time. You are now a completely different person, General of the Southern Army, holding the imperial staff and commanding respect throughout the land!"

"I heard of your heroic feat of defeating 100, 000 Yellow Turbans in Zhuojun, which is truly astonishing! Today's Battle of Changshe has further broadened my horizons. I admire you greatly!"