Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 85: Hitting Zhang Miao
In this vast world, there must be a place where I can stay... right?

That night, Liu Bei finally made up his mind not to follow Gongsun Zan to the north. He wanted to go south to find his own roots.

Liu Bei kept the armor, gold, silver, and soldiers that Gongsun Zan had given him.
Holding only the white horse given to him by Gongsun Zan, he set out on the journey south alone with his brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

The Pingyuan State where he originally lived is now occupied by Yuan Shao’s eldest son Yuan Tan.

With no place to stay, Liu Bei had to find another way out.

Thinking about it, his three brothers fought for Gongsun Zan for a long time and killed countless soldiers and generals of Yuan army on the battlefield, which was considered as repaying Gongsun Zan's kindness of taking them in.

Even though Gongsun Zan never really used Liu Bei,
But Liu Bei always felt reluctant and guilty because of their friendship as classmates and Gongsun Zan's help to him over the years.

Seeing that Liu Bei was worried, Guan Yu beside him could not help but persuade him gently: "Brother, Gongsun Bogui has fallen into madness and is beyond help. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can escape from this sea of ​​suffering."

Liu Bei nodded slightly.

He appears gentle on the surface, but is actually a tough person at heart.

After hearing that Gongsun Zan was going to plunder the people to enrich his military rations, he had already made up his mind to leave Gongsun Zan. Now his inner struggle was nothing more than a trace of guilt in his heart.

If we have different ideas, we cannot work together!
Liu Bei bowed deeply toward Gongsun Zan's central army tent and murmured, "Brother Bogui, tonight is the last time I will call you brother. I only hope you will repent and treat the people well. Otherwise... disaster is not far away!"

"Bei, I bid you farewell!" Liu Bei bowed again, then turned around resolutely.

Under the moonlight, three people and three horses gradually went away.

The three brothers from Taoyuan left Gongsun Zan's camp and gradually disappeared into the night.
-
Cao Cao and Cao Yan led the army and rushed towards Xiangyi where Yuan Shu was resting.

But when they were about to pass Yongqiu City, Cao Yan suddenly said to Cao Cao: "Brother, I want to take the Qingzhou soldiers out for a walk."

"Want to cause trouble for Zhang Mengzhuo?" Cao Cao glanced at Cao Yan and asked.

"Um...you found out." Cao Yan smiled a little embarrassedly.

Cao Cao poked Cao Yan's forehead with his finger and said, "Brother, don't I understand your thoughts? You are as petty as a needle point. How could you not seek revenge if you had the chance?!"

But after thinking for a moment, Cao Cao agreed: "Zhang Mengzhuo's selfish motives are obvious. You should go and ask him what he really thinks."

"Okay!" Cao Yan grinned and turned to leave.

After the battle of Puyang, more than half of the Qingzhou soldiers were killed or wounded, and the losses were heavy.

But after this bloody battle, the remaining soldiers of Qingzhou can be called true elites.

Zhao Yun's Flying Dragon Riders were also drastically reduced from 3,000 to 1,700. Apart from himself, almost everyone was injured...

In the Battle of Puyang,

Zhao Yun shot down the banner of Yuan Shu's central army with one arrow, which directly led to the collapse of Yuan Shu's army. He is so powerful now!

The title of the most powerful general in Cao's camp has been confirmed. I believe no one will question Zhao Yun's strength anymore.

"Zilong, after this battle, you will be famous all over the world." Xiahou Lan said with great envy.

Zhao Yun, however, remained calm and composed as always, saying, "We are merely fighting on the battlefield. The true victories are decided by our lord, the military advisor, and the general."

"That being said, people still prefer brave generals who charge into battle!" Xiahou Lan licked his lips and said, "Can you teach me the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear when we get back?"

Zhao Yun hesitated for a moment and said, "The Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear is a secret weapon that my master has never passed down to me... However, I've been working on a new spear technique lately. Once I've mastered it, I'll teach it to you."

"It's a deal! Hahaha!" Xiahou Lan was ecstatic. "Once I master your spear skills, I'll be able to be like you in the future and take the heads of enemy generals amidst a huge army!"

"Don't make a fuss! When did I ever take a head from a huge army?" Zhao Yun rolled his eyes at Xia Houlan. "You have to be low-key. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand..." Xia Houlan nodded repeatedly, indicating that since you are powerful, everything you said is correct...

At this moment, Cao Yan came riding up: "Zilong, Qingyuan, come with me!"

Although Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan didn't know what Cao Yan was going to do, they never questioned his words. In addition to Zhao Yun's 1,700 cavalry, Cao Yan also brought with him 13,000 Qingzhou soldiers.

They marched towards Yongqiu in a mighty and arrogant manner.

……

Yongqiu is located in the southern part of Chenliu County and is the transportation hub from Chenliu to Yuzhou.

Compared with Chenliu County, the seat of Chenliu County, Yongqiu is located closer to the southeast.

Not only did it avoid Yuan Shu's marching route north to Fengqiu, it also avoided the area in Kuangcheng where Cao's army was fighting with Yuan Shu.

Moreover, Yongqiu is the foundation of Zhang Miao's family, and his family and resources are concentrated here.

By stationing troops in Yongqiu, while ensuring the safety of his own family, he could control the connection between Chenliu and Yuzhou, and rely on the city to defend against surprise attacks from Cao Cao or Yuan Shu.

However, when Yuan Shu was defeated and fled to Xiangyi, Cao's army wanted to pursue him to Xiangyi and happened to pass by Yongqiu.

In fact, Zhang Miao was also very worried that Cao Cao would send troops to punish him.

But Cao Cao didn't intend to pursue the matter because of their old friendship.

But Cao Yan was a man who would not wait until the next day to take revenge, so he immediately ordered his troops to go and ask Zhang Miao for an explanation.

As Zhang Miao's base, Yongqiu City naturally has strong city walls, moats and watchtowers.

The city has sufficient food and grass reserves to support long-term defense.

However, when Zhang Miao heard that a large army with flags bearing the word "Cao" was rushing towards Yongqiu City, he was still frightened and could not sit still. He quickly arranged for all the guards to climb onto the city wall.

Cao Yan reined in his horse and stopped at the foot of Yongqiu City. Behind him, the Qingzhou soldiers lined up in a row, with Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, and Xiahou Lan standing side by side with their reins.

The defenders on the city wall had already drawn their bows and arrows, and the arrows gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Zhang Xian, the military commander under Zhang Miao, gripped his spear with his knuckles turning white.

He saw Dian Wei standing behind Cao Yan, and he never expected that Dian Wei was actually a rare and powerful general, and that he had personally given him to Cao Yan...

On the top of the city wall, Zhang Miao was looking at Cao's army outside the city with a nervous look on his face.

When he saw that it was Cao Yan, not Cao Cao, who walked out of Cao's army, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

He knew Cao Yan too well. This man was very petty and vindictive. He was afraid that he came with bad intentions this time.

"Lord Meng Zhuo, how are you?" Cao Yan rode his horse forward, arrived in front of the moat, and shouted loudly at the city.

Zhang Miao feigned composure and replied, "General Cao, I wonder why you have brought your troops here today?"

Cao Yan sneered, "Lord Meng Zhuo, you are truly a forgetful person! You and I used to be acquaintances, and you and my eldest brother have been friends for many years. Yet, you have now committed such a treacherous act. I, Cao Yan, truly despise you!"

Zhang Miao's expression changed slightly, but he still argued, "General Cao, what are you talking about? I, Zhang Miao, have always respected Brother Meng De. How could I do such a thing as betraying him?"

"Are you still playing dumb? Why didn't you offer any resistance and allow Yuan Shu to enter Yanzhou, leading to our army's hasty and bitter battle with Yuan Shu, resulting in countless casualties.

Is this a betrayal? Is it a betrayal of my eldest brother?"

Zhang Miao was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to answer.

Cao Yan continued, "Think back to the Suanzao Alliance. You blamed Yuan Shao, bringing disaster upon yourself! My eldest brother, for your sake, was willing to offend Yuan Shao, and even said he should tolerate you no matter what. But what about you? You've turned a blind eye to kindness. Are you worthy of my eldest brother's trust and sacrifice?"

When the defenders on the city heard Cao Yan's words, they began to whisper and talk among themselves.

Many of them knew about the friendship between Cao Cao and Zhang Miao in the past.
Now, hearing Cao Yan scolding Zhang Miao like this,

I also began to doubt Zhang Miao's behavior.

(End of this chapter)