Three Kingdoms: Conquer Wu from Maicheng with Cavalry and Swords, Don't Fall Behind

"Useless! You are a bunch of useless trash! You are as cowardly as pigs in a pen. How dare you call yourselves the sons of Jiangdong? The soldiers under the old general and the late general, when they heard the drums, the mountains and rivers trembled with their spirit. In contrast, you are cowardly and hesitant, not even as good as the farmers on the ridges!"

Ma Zhong was furious and kicked the soldier who reported to him. General Pan had ordered him to seize the city when the opportunity arose, but now that Guan Yu was gone and the gates of Maicheng were closed, he had no way to explain himself.

He slammed his fist into his palm, looking at Maicheng with extreme resentment.

"General, we've captured a survivor elsewhere." The guards brought forward a young Han soldier, bound like a dumpling, to curry favor and claim credit.

Ma Zhong was overjoyed and personally stepped forward to untie the ropes, saying politely, "Go and tell the garrison and the elders of the city to open the gates and surrender."

The boy stood stubbornly in place, coldly staring at Ma Zhong.

Ma Zhongqiang drew his sword and held it to the boy's neck: "The outcome is clear now, are you still going to be so stubborn? Go, just open your mouth and you can turn misfortune into fortune. You're young, haven't even gotten married yet, have you? To die like this, how can you face your father?"

The boy thought of his parents, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He was thinly dressed and shivering from the cold, but he nodded slowly in agreement.

Ma Zhong took off his cloak and draped it over the boy, then turned and ordered, "Take him to the city walls."

A rickety four-wheeled vehicle rolled along the ruts, clattering forward.

The garrison looked down, their hearts pounding, their breaths catching in their throats. They anticipated what was happening and instinctively felt a pang of regret.

Zhou Cang spat disdainfully, "That Wu dog is too despicable! What's the difference between him and a eunuch!"

Qi Ye remained calm and composed, his mind as still as water. He could never learn the good things, but he always managed to amplify the bad—just the behavior of a coward.

Using hostages as leverage is unlikely to work on players, and it has little effect on Han Chinese as well.

Historical records state that when Qiao Xuan's youngest son was kidnapped, government troops surrounded the kidnappers but dared not attack. He ordered an attack, even if it meant his own son would be killed in the process.

Afterwards, Qiao Xuan submitted a memorial to the emperor, requesting that "all those who kidnap hostages should be killed and not ransomed with money or treasure, thus opening up avenues for wickedness," thus becoming the first person to carry out a "Russian-style rescue."

Unfortunately, the Han Dynasty used this as a basis to revise its laws and promulgate them throughout the empire. From then on, whenever hostage situations arose, there was a legal basis to follow.

The boy stood shakily on the carriage, threw his cloak onto the snow, and shouted loudly towards the city:

"We've protected General Liao as he charged out, and the reinforcements from Shangyong will arrive in less than seven days! Tell my mother I'm not a coward, don't blame General Liao, and don't blame the Marquis..."

"Hold the line at Maicheng! We must hold Maicheng!"

Tears streamed down the faces of the defenders on the city walls. Trapped in Maicheng, they desperately needed a glimmer of hope. The young man's words had angered the Wu general, and their survival was uncertain.

Qi Ye was taken aback and looked intently at Guan Ping. No wonder he went out of the city to chop wood at this time; it turned out he was covering Liao Hua's escape. It's just that Shangyong wouldn't send troops; the regrets of history are not something ordinary people can rewrite.

Guan Ping's neck veins bulged, his heart filled with extreme turmoil. Every decision he made required someone to sacrifice themselves to carry it out. This kind of helplessness was not an isolated incident.

How powerful must a person be to regard others as worthless?

Ma Zhong was furious. He spurred his horse forward, snatched the spear, and shouted, "You brat in straw sandals, are you out of your mind?!"

The young man, his eyes blazing with youthful vigor, declared: "My lord is a man of unparalleled righteousness, which is why I chose to follow him. Now you want me to utter words of injustice? Do you think I'm some kind of coward from Jiangdong?!"

What a masterful tactic of putting one down to praise another!

Ma Zhong, enraged, thrust his spear forward, piercing the boy's burning chest. The latter's cold gaze lifted slightly, a mixture of resentment and stubbornness.

Qi Ye had to admit that Wu Jun's plan to lure the enemy was more ingenious than he had imagined. Using benevolence and righteousness as bait, his ingenuity made it difficult not to fall for it.

If we keep tolerating this, we'll become like grandsons.

The Martial Saint took a deep breath, as if squeezing out four words from his chest: "Open the city gates!"

The defending soldiers were taken aback, unable to fathom Guan Yu's thoughts, and stood frozen in place for a moment. The city gate had been closed with great difficulty, and opening it now would mean certain death.

The Martial Saint leaped down the ten-foot-high city wall, and Red Hare galloped up to him, neighing joyfully. He mounted the horse, his long-handled sword tapping softly against the saddle.

"Open the city gates!!"

All the surrounding guards held their breath, their hearts pounding and their pulses throbbing.

Guan Ping sensed the tense atmosphere around him and was the first to react, his mind racing in a few breaths. His suppressed emotions erupted hysterically:

"You scoundrels, running rampant and devouring the people, betraying your alliances—how dare you live in this world?!"

Ma Zhong's lips curled into a smile, and two streams of white breath shot out fiercely from his nostrils:

"So what if you have status? So what if you have connections? So what if you have righteousness? Come and touch me! Go ahead and lay a hand on me! A defeated general can only resort to empty words!"

Guan Ping hissed loudly: "Truly a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

Ma Zhong proudly raised his head and replied, "A true man would rather die in battle than follow the example of the Guan family father and son and hide behind the wall to survive!"

The gates of Maicheng suddenly burst open, and a general rushed out. He wielded a long-handled sword and wore a green cloak. With just a glance, his powerful aura enveloped the entire area.

"My lord, charge into battle!" The defending soldiers roared, the sound instantly engulfing the entire battlefield. They watched the lone figure in the sky, treading through the vast white snow, charging towards the Wu general without hesitation.

Ma Zhong, feeling the deathly aura surrounding him, realized he was being held back by Guan Ping. He quickly turned his horse and galloped backward, shouting, "Sound the horns and drums! All troops, charge!"

The bugle calls, like rolling thunder, seemed to defy the heavens. The Wu army charged forward, howling and screaming, like a pack of wolves.

"Sell the first one." Qi Ye was fearless and focused his mind on the operation.

The Martial Saint rode swiftly into the center of the army, charging back and forth. A breathtaking clatter of hooves swept across the Wu army ranks. Scenes of men and horses falling, and blood and flesh flying everywhere, filled the air.

Ma Zhongqing couldn't help but swallow, feeling a chill run down his spine, and desperately spurred his horse to gallop.

The Martial Saint gripped his long sword, drew his bow, and unleashed a thunderous arrow that struck Ma Zhong squarely in the back of the head, causing his helmet to fall to the ground.

Ma Zhong, with disheveled hair, spurred his horse forward and shouted fiercely, "Stop him! Stop him!"

Qi Ye released the directional keys, focused intently on the crosshair, and the arrow whistled through the air, turning into a white flash and striking Ma Zhong's warhorse.

Ma Zhong tumbled off his saddle and fled among the infantry. His heavy breathing sounded as if his blood vessels could burst at any moment.

Red Hare pawed at the ground with astonishing force, sweeping through the ranks of men and arriving behind Ma Zhong in a few breaths.

In a panic, Ma Zhong grabbed a round iron shield, used it as a shield against his arm, and faced the enemy sideways, thinking to himself, "If I deflect the attack with the edge of the shield, I can survive! He only needs one strike, why should I be afraid of him!"

The Martial Saint swung his long-handled battle blade, its sharpness descending from the sky, becoming ever more dazzling.

boom!

Ma Zhong's arm muscles rippled with a powerful surge, and his bones snapped with a crack. The shield slammed backward into his cheek, tearing flesh from his mouth to his ears.

The ferocity of the Jiangdong soldiers vanished, and they stood obediently in place, trembling slightly.

Ma Zhong lay listlessly in the snowdrift, his consciousness fading away in a daze.

The martial saint exuded an imposing aura. After a brief exchange of blows, he fled towards Maicheng.

Zhou Cang, looking fierce and menacing, led dozens of riders to meet them, and the Wu bandits dared not pursue.