The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 65 How Many Sunsets Have Passed

Without saying a word, the two men brandished their ring-pommel swords and slashed at each other.

With just one touch, Sun Huan's knife slipped from his hand!

They were immediately horrified.

Before he could think any further, Guan Ping's second strike came.

Sun Huan was unable to dodge in time and could only try his best to turn sideways to defend himself with the plates of his shoulder armor.

There was a loud cracking sound.

It turned out that Guan Ping's sword had broken.

It turned out that he had been trapped for a long time, and his weapons were already worn out and could not be replaced. At this moment, he finally reached his limit.

Even so, Sun Huan took the full force of the blow, and his arm bone broke on the spot.

The pain was so intense that his eyes were practically popping out of their sockets.

"Ma Sima, quick, stop him!"

Seeing that he was likely to die at Guan Ping's hands, Sun Huan couldn't help but ask Ma Zhong, who was closest to him, for help.

The latter had already noticed the movement of Guan Ping and Sun Huan's banners and rushed towards them immediately.

Just then, he arrived and, without saying a word, swung his sword at Guan Ping.

Guan Ping was unarmed, so he simply followed Sun Huan's example and used his shoulder armor to withstand the attack.

To be honest, some people are just naturally better at fighting.

Similar choices, similar nail tips, but the effect is better in Guanping.

Ma Zhong stumbled and almost lost his balance.

However, he did possess some strength, so he did not lose his sword and was able to continue slashing.

Guan Ping, unarmed, found himself in grave danger.

but.

Just as Ma Zhong raised his sword once again...

A powerful arrow shot out from the grass on the opposite bank of the canal without warning.

It hit Ma Zhong's arm right where he was holding the knife!
Ma Zhong immediately felt the pain.

Adding to his recent fall from a horse and injury, his sword-wielding technique has become completely distorted.

Guan Ping's fighting spirit was incredibly strong.

He immediately stepped forward and, before the opponent's blade could fall, kicked him to the ground.

Then he repeatedly punched and smashed his face!

Ma Zhong was stunned on the spot by the beating.

He fainted without uttering a sound.

There was no way out.

However, Guan Ping, who had been harboring resentment for many days, was overcome by murderous intent and still felt unsatisfied.

He snatched the ring-pommel sword from the opponent and kicked off the opponent's skull.

He then swiftly beheaded Ma Zhong on the spot!

Pfft!
Ma Zhong's head rolled into the water, startling Sun Huan, who fell to the ground.
Faced with Guan Ping, who was like a god of death, he was at a loss.

He could only let his guards drag him like a dead pig to Pan Zhang's main camp in the rear.

The latter is trying to provide support in this direction.

Guan Ping, seeing that most of his surviving soldiers had been evacuated, decided not to cause any further trouble.

He pulled out the general's flag, gathered the remaining troops, quickly boarded the pontoon bridge, and left triumphantly.

When Guan Ping finally returned to the west bank after being away for many days.

The setting sun was a deep red.

Under the crimson glow of the sunset, a lone rider with a bow and arrow arrived, followed by more than twenty other riders.

It's Miwei, whom we haven't seen in a long time!
this moment.

Guan Ping felt both relieved and fortunate to have narrowly escaped death.

There was also the touching story of friendly forces risking their lives to come to the rescue.

Surprise, elation, a mix of emotions, tears welling up, speechless.

The only time I saw Miwei's face clearly was the moment I realized it.

A firm voice resounded in my heart.

I fear I will become sworn brothers with this person for life.

……

……

After Mi Wei helped Guan Ping and his men ashore, it was getting dark.

Knowing that the enemy was still behind them, the two dared not linger for a moment, nor did they rashly cross the Li River to the north.

Instead, they first moved into the "safe" camp of Miwei.

That area had already been occupied by Liao Hua's forces, serving as a rear base for their advance on Linyuan.

Nighttime is not a good time for marching.

One could easily get lost if one wasn't careful. Fortunately, Miwei had already traveled this route once, and there were local barbarian cavalrymen like Zhan Sifu leading the way.

We finally arrived safely at cockcrow.

The entire army then rested for a day, which is not mentioned again.

On the morning of the third day, Guan Ping slept soundly without any dreams, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

It's natural to have no dreams.

After all, the person who beheaded him in his dream had already been personally beheaded by him.

They're just wasting their brains feeding the fish.

After breakfast, Miwei came to him with a list of the soldiers that had been counted.

"Most of the infantrymen died in battle, and fewer than a thousand escaped."

"The knights' armor was more complete, and most of them survived, but many of their warhorses were lost."

"However, the Tang side already has reserves, and we can replenish them today."

"By combining the troops left here by my unit and Chief Clerk Liao, we can still muster two thousand soldiers for the general, including more than five hundred cavalry!"

At present, this is definitely a force number that cannot be ignored.

Especially since Guan Ping was still alive and could personally lead these troops.

At the beginning of the southward advance, the two armies had a very unbalanced troop strength.

Guan Ping successfully escaped from danger the day before yesterday.

A fundamental change has occurred.

The strategic initiative has been taken into our own hands.

Next.

Whether they stayed behind to defend the area and then counterattack Pan Zhang and his men.

They should follow Liao Hua and work together to rescue Lin Yuan.

There is great potential in both.

but.

Guan Ping, as the undisputed commander of this area, did not make a decision immediately.

Instead, he earnestly asked Mi Wei:

"Lord Mi, Commander Mi, what do you think our tribe should do?"

When Mi Wei first joined the campaign against Huarong, he considered himself Guan Ping's strategist, so he didn't think much of it at this moment.

Zhaozhidao:
"After the battle the day before yesterday, although Pan Zhang and Sun Huan's forces still have a numerical advantage, their morale must be low, and they may not dare to attack Zuo Tang rashly."

"Even if they attack, there is a large land area around Tang, and the enemy's naval advantage cannot be converted into an advantage in attacking the city."

"Therefore, I believe that with only five garrisons of Zhang Shi and a sufficient number of auxiliary troops, we can secure the Tang territory and maintain our supply lines."

Mi Wei paused slightly, then cupped his hands to Guan Ping and said:

"General, you might as well lead two thousand troops westward to assist Registrar Liao in the battle!"

"If we can further relieve the siege of Commander Zhao of Hanshou (a subordinate commander, not a powerful commander-in-chief), and with our side holding the city, the balance of power between the enemy and us will be reversed."

"If this can be achieved, the situation at Wuling will be completely turned around!"

Guan Ping nodded in agreement, then asked in more detail:
"Do you think I should follow Liao Sima and take the trail to Linyuan, or go south to the banks of the Yuan River and go upstream?"

Miwei also had his own thoughts on this.

He immediately unfolded the marching map and said:
“If it were before, the trail would definitely be the safest option, which is why Registrar Liao chose it.”

"But General, you might as well take the Yuan River route now."

"Firstly, advancing along the river and transporting supplies by boat would be much faster."

"Secondly, for the same reason, the Yuan River, as the main waterway connecting Dongting Lake to Linyuan, has always been the enemy's supply route."

"As far as I know, there is a large sandbar called Fanzhou on the upper reaches of the Yuan River. The terrain is quite open, enough for horses to run on!"

As he spoke, he pointed out the location of "Fanzhou" on the map.

Guan Ping glanced at it once, and his eyes immediately lit up.

This is because this island is located precisely at the bottom of the Yuan River, where it flows into Linyuan and Hanshou.

If two thousand people could stand on it.

Although it may not be able to completely cut off the enemy's supply lines.

But the enemy will certainly feel like they have a thorn in their side and will be unable to exert all their strength to besiege the city.

This created numerous opportunities for Liao Hua and the garrison troops of the two cities to engage in battle.
This is the same principle as when Mi Wei went to set up a stronghold behind Pan Zhang!

Guan Ping was full of praise upon seeing it, and said on the spot:

"What you say is very true, we will do as you say!"

Miwei only realized what was happening at that moment.

No... Big Brother, aren't you the one in charge of making decisions here?

Shouldn't you all stop questioning me?

Shouldn't we at least get a few people to discuss this with?

Why do you believe whatever I say?

(End of this chapter)