Chương 46: Lu Zhi is dismissed, Zhang Bao shouts.

Mid-May.

Something went wrong at the imperial court.

Lu Zhi, the Northern General who led the army to besiege Guangzong, refused to bribe Zuo Feng, a junior eunuch who came to supervise the battle, because of his uprightness and integrity.

After returning to Luoyang, Zuo Feng, who harbored resentment, impeached Lu Zhi, falsely accusing him of building high walls but failing to fight and thus undermining the morale of the army.

Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, believed the slander and flew into a rage. He ordered Lu Zhi to be escorted back to Luoyang in a prison cart to be punished. At the same time, he appointed Dong Zhuo to replace Lu Zhi in his post.

This series of stunts undoubtedly gave the precarious Yellow Turban Army a chance to breathe and also eased the pressure on Zhang Liang in Guangzong.

However, this brief respite did not deter Liu Ce from his northward journey.

Around the end of May, Liu Ce's army slowly marched, and after a period of time, finally arrived outside the city of Xiaquyang.

The army set up camp ten miles outside the city. Liu Ce immediately sent out scouts to gather information and ordered the troops to rest and recover their strength.

Inside the city of Xiaquyang, General Zhang Bao quickly received an urgent report from his scouts.

"Report—!"

"General!"

"A large number of Han troops have been discovered outside the city, bearing banners with the character 'Liu' on them and those bearing the title 'General of the Southern Army,' numbering approximately seven thousand!"

"Liu? General of the Southern Army?"

Zhang Bao was stunned for a moment, then a ferocious and excited smile appeared on his face. He slammed his hand on the table.

"Hahaha! Good! Very good! You've really chosen the path to hell when there's one way to heaven!"

"Liu Ce, you brat! I haven't even come looking for you to avenge Cheng Yuanzhi and Bo Cai yet, and you've already delivered yourself to my doorstep! Do you really think I, Zhang Bao, am made of clay?!"

One of his more cautious generals, recalling the various rumors about Liu Ce, couldn't help but advise:

"General, we must not underestimate the enemy!"

"Liu Ce successively defeated the leaders of Cheng Yuanzhi and Bo Cai. He was cunning in his military tactics, had many fierce generals under his command, and his army was extremely powerful..."

"Should we take advantage of the city's defenses, hold our ground, wear down their morale, and wait for them to retreat on their own when their supplies are depleted...?"

"You're talking nonsense!"

Zhang Bao interrupted him directly, his face full of disdain and confidence, even with a kind of blind fanaticism, and said:

"He only has seven thousand men! Seven thousand! I have 120, 000 troops in the city!"

"120, 000 against 7, 000, that's almost twenty times the manpower! The advantage is off the charts! If this advantage isn't with us, then it must be with him!"

"Hold on? Hold on to what?"

"I will crush him honorably and use his head to pay tribute to my brothers who died in the Yellow Turban Rebellion!"

"Let the world know how powerful I, Zhang Bao, am! Issue my order: open the city gates and launch a full-scale attack!"

"I'll show that brat Liu Ce that all tricks are futile in the face of absolute power!"

(Liu Ce: What a coincidence, that's what I thought too.) Seeing Zhang Bao's arrogance and complete refusal to listen to advice, the general could only secretly lament his predicament and pray that the other party was truly just all show and no substance.

A few days later, outside the city, Liu Ce and others were observing the city's terrain and discussing whether to lure the enemy or launch a full-scale attack when they suddenly saw the gates of Xiaquyang slowly open and the drawbridge lowered.

Cheng Yaojin grinned widely and laughed:

"Hey! My lord, look! This Zhang Bao is quite something, a real 'honest man'!"

"They actually dare to open the gates and confront us head-on? That saves us the trouble of attacking the city!"

Zhang Fei and Dian Wei were also eager and excited:

"Haha, good to be out! Good to be out! Saves me the trouble of climbing over the wall!"

"This is a good opportunity to stretch my muscles; my bones have been itching to get going after traveling for the past few days!"

Liu Ce smiled, but his eyes instantly sharpened. He said to the six people beside him:

"Brothers, did you see that? They're incredibly confident, with an army of 120, 000. It's terrifying!"

"When the fighting starts, everyone better be on your guard! We may be outnumbered, but even though we're of higher quality, we absolutely cannot afford to be caught off guard!"

"Proceed according to plan: cavalry charge, infantry follow up, and focus on destroying their command!"

"Yes, sir!" the six replied in unison, their fighting spirit surging.

Soon after, Zhang Bao led a massive force of 120, 000 Yellow Turban soldiers out of the city gates and managed to form a battle formation outside the city.

Although the number of people was large and they looked like a huge crowd, their formation was loose, their clothes and armor were messy, and their flags were crooked.

Zhang Bao took the lead, arriving at the front of the formation. He pointed his spear at Liu Ce, his voice filled with resentment and arrogance, attempting to overwhelm his opponent with his imposing presence.

"Liu Ce, you brat! You have repeatedly opposed my Taiping Dao, killing my followers and destroying my foundation! Today is your death day!"

"This place, Xiaquyang, is where you, Liu Ce, will be buried! This day next year will be the anniversary of your death!"

"system……"

【Ding……】 Name: Zhang Bao Gender: Male Age: 37 [Strength]: 75 Commander: 77 [Politics]: 65 [Intelligence]: 67 【Charm】: 75 [Appearance]: 68cm Liu Ce picked at his ear, looking nonchalant, even a little amused, then tapped his head with his finger, responding with a laugh, his voice carrying clearly across the front:

"Oh? My great head is right here. It's big, round, and quite sturdy."

"If you're so capable, come and get it yourself. Let's see if you have the teeth to do it."

Seeing Liu Ce's "pretty boy" appearance and his flippant provocation, Zhang Bao's anger surged to his head.

Confident in his martial arts skills and seeing that Liu Ce was young, he conceived the idea of killing generals on the battlefield and crushing the morale of the government troops in one fell swoop. In his view, this was the best way to quickly end the battle and demonstrate his martial prowess.

Zhang Bao shouted loudly, his voice shaking the entire audience:

"Liu Ce! Stop with the empty words! Do you dare to fight me one-on-one on the battlefield?"

"Let me see if you, this 'royal brother' and 'famous general,' have any real skills. Or are you just someone who hides behind your subordinates and schemes?"

Before Liu Ce could react, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, and Cheng Yaojin behind him couldn't hold back any longer.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Fei burst out laughing.

"Big brother, did you hear that? He wants to fight you one-on-one! Hahaha! How much fake alcohol has this guy drunk to dare challenge you?"

Dian Wei grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and rubbed his twin halberds:

"Is this guy tired of living? Is he in such a hurry to reunite with his brother Bo Cai?"

Cheng Yaojin, in a sarcastic and affected tone, addressed the people beside him:

"Wow, what kind of deity gave you that courage?"

Even Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Qin Qiong, who are usually calm and composed and never show their emotions, couldn't help but raise the corners of their mouths and shrug their shoulders slightly, clearly struggling to hold back their laughter.

Guan Yu even deliberately turned to the side, pretending to stroke his beautiful long beard to hide his smile.

Liu Ce was also at a loss for words. He looked at Zhang Bao and deliberately asked in an incredulous tone:

"What did you say? You want to... fight me one-on-one? You, and me?"

Seeing that the opposing camp was not only unafraid but also laughing and joking, Zhang Bao's anger flared even more. He thought Liu Ce was bluffing and became even more smug, arrogantly saying:

"What? You're too scared?"

"If you're scared, kneel down and beg for mercy now, tie your hands, and maybe I'll spare your body for the sake of your skin!"

"Okay, okay!"

Liu Ce nodded repeatedly, his smile growing even brighter.

A promise is a promise!

"I've never heard of such a bizarre request in my life—a guy actively asking to fight and get killed. I have to grant your wish! Otherwise, wouldn't I be letting your 'kind intentions' go to waste?"