Chapter 4: Those who refuse will be killed

  "Kill!" Wei Xu and Song Xian, although they were only second-rate generals, but not ordinary soldiers could compare with them. Each of them killed two Cao army soldiers. This was not because they wanted to turn the tide, but because although they had surrendered to Cao Cao, ordinary Cao army soldiers still didn't know.

  They rushed all the way to the city gate, and a defender ran over and saluted Wei Xu and Song Xian with his fists, saying: "General Wei, General Song! What's the situation under the city tower? How is our lord? Do we need to go and support?"

  The slaughter on the city wall was extremely tragic, and from time to time, someone would fall at the gate of the city, so Dabo would ask like this.

  "Never mind!" Wei Xu gave Song Xian a glance.

  Song Xian said with a clear conscience, "With our lord on the city wall, how can Cao's army possibly rush up?"

  "This is also true!" Du Bo nodded his head. Lü Bu was a man known as the God of War, and this Du Bo, who guarded the city gate, was originally a soldier from Pingzhou, and had followed Lü Bu for many years, with boundless reverence for his lord.

  Just as Du Bo had put his heart at ease, he suddenly widened his eyes and his face was full of painful expressions. "General Song, you... why!" A bloody mark suddenly appeared on Du Bo's neck, and blood gushed out from that mark, clearly cutting off the main artery.

  "Don't blame me, brother, but you've blocked our brothers' path!" Dou Bo collapsed to the ground. The soldiers guarding the city wall were stunned, and suddenly saw Song Xian and Wei Xu draw their swords and shout at their own soldiers: "General Cao's army is outside the city, and Xiaopei City will be breached soon! Those who want to live, open the gate with me and welcome General Cao! Kill!"

  "Song Xian Wei Xu, Master Gong treated you well, but you did such a thing, killing to avenge Lord Du Bo! This governor of Bianzhou had deceived the hearts of the soldiers, and a group of defending soldiers rushed forward, shouting that Wei Xu and Song Xian had killed them."

  Outside Xiaopei City, Cao's army set up a large camp.

  A middle-aged man stood at the entrance of the account, looking forward to the warriors who were rushing forward, and asked a military general beside him: "Hou Cheng Jiangjun, can Wei Xun and Song Xian really bring Lü Bu over and offer the city?" The middle-aged dark-skinned man was none other than the hero of this world, Cao Cao, the future Emperor Wu of Wei. He didn't disbelieve that Wei Xun and Song Xian would betray Lü Bu, but rather he didn't believe these two had the ability to capture Lü Bu!

  Lü Bu, who is he? Is he a fierce tiger? Cao Cao still remembers the heroic appearance of Lü Bu outside the Tiger Trap Pass that year. The eighteen vassals were blocked by him and could not move at all. Can such a person be easily tied up?

  "Report to the Prime Minister, Red Hare has been taken out by my subordinates. Lu Bu's combat strength is now less than 20%. My brothers Song Xian and Wei Xu may not be top generals, but they are more than enough to deal with a Lu Bu who only has 20% of his original strength!"

  Those around him, whether they were military generals or literary officials, all furrowed their brows at Hou's words. The seller sought to glorify himself, but to say that the former master was a traitor - such a person was truly a petty man.

  The scholars may be displeased in their hearts, but the military officers directly took a step back, ashamed to be associated with him. This made Hou Cheng very embarrassed!

  But Hou Cheng's awkwardness soon disappeared.

  "Report!" A messenger rushed in "Inform the Prime Minister, a divine weapon was dropped from above on Xiapi City, killing several soldiers"

  "What a divine weapon!" A single piece of artillery dropped on the heads of people attacking the city could indeed kill several, after all, they were swarming like ants, densely packed.

  "General Xiahou said this is Lü Bu's Heaven Halberd!" The messenger replied.

  Now the only one leading troops to attack the city is Xiahou Mao. General Xiahou is him!

  "Ah?!" Cao Cao's eyes flashed with excitement, a joyful color rising to his face. "Bring it over and let me take a look!"

  Before long, two soldiers carried in a halberd with a cold light, and the crescent-shaped groove on the top of the halberd shone brightly. A red tassel hung from the side, swaying gently in the windless air. On the body of the halberd were embroidered several words: "Pingzhou Lv!"

  This is indeed Lü Bu's halberd, no Lü Bu without his halberd haha.

  "Congratulations, Lord Chancellor! Congratulations, Lord Chancellor! The city of Xiapi will be breached soon. I'm afraid we'll be able to hold a celebratory banquet in the city tonight!" Houchen immediately flattered him with a bootlicking remark.

  "Haha!" Cao Cao burst out laughing triumphantly.

  Just then another messenger rushed in: "Report! Report to the Prime Minister, Xia Pi City has fallen!"

  "Has Xiaoyi City been breached?!" Cao Cao was slightly stunned. The one attacking the city was Yuan Tan, but he himself had hardly given any troops to Yuan Tan due to Hou Cheng, Song Xian and Wei Xu's surrender, only letting him pretend to attack while waiting for Song Xian and Wei Xu to capture Lü Bu. How did the city end up being breached?!

  "The city gate was opened from inside Xiaopei City!" The messenger said.

  "Is it open inside?!" Has someone betrayed Lv Bu again?!

  "I'm sure those two brothers are fine!" Hou Cheng said with a smile. "Chancellor Yan has been defeated, Lü Bu has been captured, and Xu Province is now completely under our control!"

  "Pass on the military order! The whole army attacks the city!" This just broke open one gate, and there are still three sides left.

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  "Kill!" Lü Bu charged forward on his horse, although he no longer had the Guandao, but it did not hinder the explosion of his combat power. None of these Cao army soldiers could withstand him for even one round, and even some officers were killed at first sight!

  Coming down from Baimenlou, Song Xian and Wei Xu didn't run into Lü Bu who was in the midst of an outburst.

  Along the way, Lü Bu had killed nearly a hundred people, and the soldiers gathered around him were close to three hundred. Under his command, they were like a sharp spear that could pierce through anything, unstoppable.

  "Where are we going now?!" Liu Mang held a long sword stained with blood in his hand, and no one could protect him in the chaotic army, only himself could protect himself! His armor had many white marks all over his body, which were all knife cuts and sword slashes. If it weren't for this sacred robe, Liu Mang would have died who knows how many times already.

  This wave of killing, Liu Mang also killed a few people, these are living people, not small animals, they're human! When the fresh blood splashed on Liu Mang's face, he could even feel its bitter saltiness!

  "Cheng Zhong Zhou Mu Fu!" Lü Bu's eyes were red, he was enraged. If not for the dazzling golden armor on Liu Mang's body, Lü Bu might have killed him with a swing of his hand!

  "Into the city?!" Liu Mang was thinking of how to get out, rather than charging into that place in the city that looked like certain death.

  Liu Mang wanted to say something but was stopped by Shi Chang, who said "The ladies of the city are all there!"

  "Madam?!" Liu Mang finally remembered, how could he forget that Lü Bu was a man of the Guo family, and making him lose his own family would be easier than killing him.

  Good man is equal to a teammate who digs pits for his father!

  If we follow them and charge forward, this team of three hundred people will definitely be wiped out!

  If I leave Lv Bu and walk alone, it's also a dead end. Whether horizontally or vertically, it's all death! Can't you give me a way out?

  "Kill! Kill!" The sounds of slaughter outside the city grew louder and louder. With a gathering of ten thousand people, the noise was bound to be great.

  "General, the city has been breached!" A blood-soaked and wounded Lü Bu soldier cried out to Lü Bu.

  "The city has been breached?!" Lü Bu's eyes widened, a surge of murderous intent that made one suffocate "Which gate? The west gate? The south gate or the north gate?!"

  "It's Dongmen!" The wounded soldier cried out.

  East Gate! Isn't this the gate I just rushed through? And isn't White Tower right at East Gate?! It seems like I was the one who urged them to open the city gate!

  "Sung Hsien Wei, you dare! I'd love to devour your flesh and blood!" Lü Bu glared at them with rage in his eyes. He knew that Liu Mang had instigated the two of them, but knowing was one thing, and the actual outcome was another matter altogether.

  One city gate has been broken, and there are still three city gates left. Cao Cao's army will not be able to stay still, once the other three gates are also broken, they will really be trapped here.

  There is a very serious problem now, whether to rush into the city or not. If we don't go, Lü Bu's wife and children will be left for Cao Cao to take care of, and Lü Bu's head will be green with anger. If we do go, these three hundred people won't even think about living, it's very likely that they'll be blocked by the Cao army in the city, and the wife and children still can't be saved!

  "How hateful!" Lü Bu was frantic, this choice had put a generation of war gods in a difficult position.

  "General!" Shi Chang shouted.

  "Listen up, all of you! Protect Liu Bei and his brothers as they break through the siege at Xiaopei. Don't make any mistakes!"

  Take me with you? This feeling is great, my life will be saved, and Lord Lü won't have to worry about his family anymore. But this isn't Lord Lü's style.

  "General, what about you?" Chang Yu said, getting straight to the point.

  "I'll go into the city and rescue my family!" Lü Bu stood tall, holding his halberd against the wind.

  "As for the general alone, how can he be an opponent of Cao's army? It is difficult to ensure safety. I hope the general will think thrice! Even if one were a god of war descended from heaven, in the midst of a sea of people and tactics, they would still end up as bloody mud."

  "General Lü Bu, think thrice!" shouted a row of soldiers on the side.

  "Don't worry, the person who can hurt me hasn't been born yet!" Lü Bu, a dragon among men and a god of war, never retreats, even if he knows that place is a den of dragons and tigers.

  "We swear to follow General to death!" Cheng Yu was the first to kneel down.

  "We swear to follow General Lü Bu to the death!" Who is Lü Bu? He is the soul of the army, he is the god of war. Other armies may suffer heavy casualties, their flags may fall, and their morale may collapse, but not Lü Bu's army. They have their own god of war, and that is Lü Bu. As long as Lü Bu lives, his army will always be there.

  "I've made up my mind, you can all stop trying to persuade me!" How could Lü Bu not know that this time he might not be able to return? Outside the city were tens of thousands of Cao's troops, and inside the city was chaos. No matter how strong one person's power was, they couldn't defeat a group of people. But Lü Bu refused to give up. Even if it was destined for failure, he had to do it. This was a man's interpretation of his duty to his family and responsibility.

  These three hundred soldiers, Lü Bu may not know a single one of them, but he knows they are all good men, the strong and brave under his command. With such subordinates by his side, how could he bear to take them with him to death?

  "General!" Cheng Yu shouted again.

  "Who else dares to speak like this!" As soon as the words were spoken, a good wooden knife was cut into two pieces with one forceful chop. The fragments scratched Lü Bu's fingers, but he didn't care at all. The soldiers below stopped talking, but their eyes still filled with reluctance and helplessness.

  The God of War, Lü Bu's heart suddenly softened at this moment.

  "Go! Take good care of Liu Mang brothers, maybe we'll meet again!" After finishing speaking, Lü Bu was about to pick up his spear and leave.

  "Alas! Why must it be so!" A long, drawn-out sigh. This voice belonged to Liu Mang. Honestly, Liu Mang was really moved by Lü Bu's words. Why did you have to say something like that, Lü Bu? It's so touching, it's making me almost want to cry.

  Liu Mang also knew that although these soldiers would listen to Lü Bu's words and break through with him, once they broke through successfully, the souls of these three hundred soldiers would be gone. Soldiers without souls could only be a pile of walking corpses.

  To sacrifice over 300 lives for his own life, Liu Mang couldn't bring himself to do it.

  "Listen to my command!" Liu Mang shouted loudly, but the surrounding soldiers didn't pay attention to him and instead cast their gaze towards that lonely figure.

  Looking at the attitude of these three hundred generals, Liu Mang also got angry: "Aren't you all generals of Lü Bu's army? Don't you listen to Wen Hou's orders anymore? Do you want to betray Wen Hou like Song Xian and Wei Xu?! Now that Wen Hou has put you under my command, you must listen to my orders, do you understand?!" Liu Mang had never yelled so loudly before.

  "What's going on? I'm out of here!" A soldier from Lü Bu's army took off his helmet and shouted "I'd rather die than leave my general!"

  "What's your name!" Liu Meng picked up the long sword in his hand and pointed at the soldier, with a murderous aura emanating from his words.

  "My name is Laozi Li Er Niu, how dare you think of killing me? Come on then!" The soldier puffed out his neck and glared at Liu Mang with anger.

  "Someone come and take him down!" Among the three hundred people, someone who was dull but resolute executed Wen Hou's order and took down the soldier called Er Niu.

  "Alright, which one of you is going to tell me what crime should be committed for fleeing from the battlefield?"

  "Beheaded according to law!" Cheng Yu didn't know which move Liu Mang was playing but still responded.

  "Alright, Li Er Niu, do you know your crime?" Liu Mao shouted loudly.

  "Kill me then, anyway I don't want to live anymore, I'll go down and accompany the general!" Li Er Niu became even more agitated.

  "Fine, since you want to die, I'll help you!" Liu Mang also got angry, although he knew that this Li Er Niu was a capable man, but this is the army, this is war, can't let you do whatever you want.

  "Cut!" Liu Mao shouted, but the surrounding soldiers didn't move, and even the soldiers who had taken down Li Er Niu didn't budge.

  "Alright, you won't make a move, I will!" Liu Mang picked up his long sword and in one swift motion stabbed it into Li Er Niu's chest. Cheng Yu tried to stop him but was too late, hot blood splattered out.

  "You!" Li Er Niu's face twisted in agony.

  "Swish!" Liu Mang swung his sword down directly, and a good head rolled off, the eyes on it seemingly disbelieving that Liu Mang would take action.

  "Ah!" Cheng Yu knew they were in trouble. Originally, the soldiers' emotions had been unstable due to Wen Hou's orders, and now Li Er Niu had been killed. Among these soldiers, there were his comrades-in-arms, people who had followed him all along, and if things went wrong, a mutiny could break out.

  Cheng Yu hastily shielded Liu Mang in front of him, because several soldiers' eyes had already become unsavory.

  "How dare you kill Li Er Niu!" As expected, there was a mutiny among the soldiers. A soldier from the same hometown as Li Er Niu furiously shouted at Liu Mao, who would have had trouble explaining himself before swords were drawn.

  "What's the big idea!" Another one stood up.

  "What's the big deal? You're asking me what's the big deal?" Liu Mang smiled, smiling very happily. "You come over and I'll tell you why!"

  Two soldiers heard Liu Mang's words and approached him.

  "I'm relying on this!" Liu Meng's ferocious expression flashed across his face. Two more blood pillars rose, and two soldiers widened their eyes before falling to the ground.

  Liu Meng held a long sword in his hand, like a demon, and roared at the surrounding soldiers: "You have been soldiers for longer than me, you have spent more time on the battlefield than me, you know the military law better than me. I tell you, Li Er Niu and those two dead soldiers, I admire them, they can follow Wen Hou Gong and defy military law, I admire them, but I still want to kill them! Military law is military law, no matter what reason you have, once you violate it, unless I die, otherwise you will die for me!" Liu Meng's expression was now ferocious and ugly, and his decisive killing of the three people made the important people present feel a chill.

  "From today on, you will be my soldiers, Liu Mang's soldiers! You will face a general who does not understand human emotions, does not know how to compromise, and only follows military law! If anyone disobeys, step forward and kill me, otherwise I will kill you, do you understand?!"

  "I understand" was said weakly and listlessly.

  "What's wrong with you guys? Don't you have any blood in your veins? Are you cowards?! Speak louder, I can't hear you!" Liu Meng roared.

  "Got it!" This time they not only spoke in unison but also raised their voices.

  Cheng Yu looked at Liu Mang's eyes and saw a glimmer of movement. He had always thought that this Golden Armor person was just a useless noble, but who knew he actually had some skills? His decisive killing had really stunned a bunch of people.

  "Alright, now I command all 312 people in the camp. You, you, you and you!" Liu Mang pointed to three people, including Cheng Yu. "I appoint you as company commanders, each of you will be in charge of 100 people, including yourselves! And the remaining 12 people will be my personal bodyguards!"

  The military system of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Mang couldn't understand it, so he could only do it according to his own university military training, 33 people as a row, three rows as a company, and three companies as a battalion.

  This should be able to break through! Cheng Yu also began to believe in Liu Mang.

  "You are now my soldiers, you must listen to me! Now I command, the whole army will rush to the city immediately"

  Liu Mang issued his second order.

  "What?! Cheng Yu was stunned. "Sir? Marching towards the city?! What is he trying to do?"

  "Didn't you understand? Do I need to kill two more people?! Liu Mang said, "I want you to march quickly towards the city, I'm going to rescue Lü Bu, rescue your general! Didn't you understand? Ah!"

  It turned out that he killed those three soldiers in order to suppress these unruly soldiers. If the previous killings only shocked these soldiers, then this command would really win over their hearts.

  "Yes!" The order of Liu Mang was to go and rescue Lü Bu, their general. Every single soldier's morale was boosted, all the dissatisfaction and hatred towards Liu Mang had disappeared.

  "Go!"