Chapter 97 of 100
Chapter 97
20 min read4,913 words
In front of them were two roads, one wide and one narrow, leaving Cao Cao's army momentarily unsure which to take. Cao Cao ordered someone to go to a high place to observe. Seeing smoke rising from several spots on the narrow road, he ordered his men to take the Huarong Path.
Everyone asked, "Where there is smoke, there must be troops. Why take this road?"
Cao Cao said, "The military manual says: ‘If it seems real, it is fake; if it seems fake, it is real.’ Zhuge Liang has people create smoke in the mountains to make our army afraid to take the narrow road, but he has set an ambush on the wide road. I will not fall for his trick."
Li Wuqing shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that the portrayal of Cao Cao in the Battle of Chibi was truly very foolish, with every step being within Zhuge Liang's calculations, even his final escape from Guan Yu on the Huarong Path was foreseen by Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang, observing the celestial phenomena, knew that Cao Cao's fate was not to end here, and this was very likely true in the projection world.
"Prime Minister, Zhuge Liang's plans are flawless, and he would not overlook this. Even if the principle of ‘if it seems real, it is fake; if it seems fake, it is real’ applies, he might also use the principle of ‘if it seems real, it is real.’ Therefore, we must not take the Huarong Path."
Li Wuqing hurried forward to advise.
Cao Cao was unconvinced, saying, "Immortal, although you have extraordinary abilities, you may not be familiar with military strategy. Taking the Huarong Path is definitely safe."
Cao Cao was very determined, and his tone left no room for doubt. His subordinates all followed his orders and took the Huarong Path.
Seeing that Cao Cao did not agree with his opinion, Li Wuqing was not disappointed. He had anticipated this, knowing that with Cao Cao's stubborn nature, he would not easily change his mind once he had made a decision. He had only tried, hoping for the best but not worrying about the worst. The main deity's mission would not be so easy, and a confrontation with other trainees was inevitable.
As they walked on the Huarong Path, everyone except Li Wuqing was exhausted and hungry, the wounded supporting each other, and without proper clothing, they were truly suffering from hunger and cold.
The vanguard suddenly stopped, as the pit was filled with water, and the horses were stuck in the mud, unable to move forward. Cao Cao ordered the strong to clear the road, and the wounded to move slowly.
Cao Cao, fearing that Zhang Fei would catch up, ordered Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, and Xu Huang to lead a hundred cavalry to supervise the work, and to cut down those who were slow, using the dead bodies to fill the road.
After the road was repaired, one-third of the troops had already filled the water pit, one-third had fallen behind, and only one-third remained with Cao Cao.
Cao Cao's actions were truly those of a ruthless hero, treating the lives of others as nothing when his own life was at stake. The famous saying, "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me," was evident.
After walking a few miles, the road became slightly flat. Cao Cao saw that only three hundred men remained, none of whom were in proper armor, and he laughed loudly.
Everyone asked, "Why is the Prime Minister laughing again?"
Cao Cao said, "Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang are truly incompetent. If they had set an ambush here, we would all be captured."
Before he finished speaking, he was once again proven wrong. A cannon fired, and Guan Yu led five hundred soldiers to block the way.
Cao Cao's escape route was so foolish that it could not be described as just foolish; it was the epitome of foolishness, so foolish that it left Li Wuqing speechless.
Facing Guan Yu, Cao Cao's generals were terrified and looked at each other in dismay.
At this moment, Cao Cao still had several great generals, including Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Xu Chu, and Zhang He, all of whom were capable of fighting a thousand men. Even if they could not defeat Guan Yu, they could still hold him off. However, after a night of fleeing, they were all exhausted, and their fighting power was greatly diminished, making them no match for the well-rested Guan Yu.
"Immortal, we have no choice but to trouble you again."
Cao Cao quickly sought help from Li Wuqing.
Li Wuqing's Northern Mystic True Qi was so powerful that even after a night of running, he was not out of breath. His state showed that he was full of energy.
Cao Cao and his men saw Li Wuqing's extraordinary abilities as a kind of magic, and even the most wary of the generals could not help but be impressed.
With Guan Yu blocking the way, the hope of survival rested on Li Wuqing, who still had sufficient fighting power. Under the expectant gazes of so many people, Li Wuqing felt a great deal of pressure.
Li Wuqing shook his head slightly and, as Cao Cao and the generals' faces changed, said in a deep voice, "The person blocking the way is not only Guan Yu. Among the five hundred soldiers, there are many hidden experts, making it even harder to deal with."
"What?! Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang are determined to kill me!"
Cao Cao said angrily, "At this point, we can only fight to the death."
The generals said, "Even if we are not afraid, our horses are exhausted. How can we fight?"
Li Wuqing said at the right moment, "Prime Minister, if you go and plead with Guan Yu not to attack, most of his five hundred soldiers should obey him. The rest, I can handle."
Cheng Yu's eyes lit up, thinking this plan might work and help them escape. He quickly advised Cao Cao to personally plead with Guan Yu.
With his life on the line, Cao Cao had no choice but to follow the advice. He bowed forward and said, "General, how have you been?"
Guan Yu said, "I have been waiting for the Prime Minister for a long time, following the orders of the military advisor."
Cao Cao said, "My army is defeated and in danger. I hope the general will remember the old friendship."
Guan Yu said, "I have already killed Yan Liang, executed Wen Chou, and rescued the White Horse, repaying you."
Cao Cao said, "Have you forgotten the five passes and the generals I killed? A man of honor values trust and righteousness. General, you are well-versed in the Spring and Autumn Annals. How should you repay me?"
Guan Yu, a man of great righteousness, was particularly loyal to those he respected. He was also very proud. Cao Cao's appeal to trust and righteousness finally softened his heart.
Guan Yu turned away and ordered his soldiers to disperse. Most of them obeyed, but about twenty remained, blocking the way.
"You still won't let us through? What are you doing blocking the way?"
Cao Cao and the generals were about to charge forward but were startled by the obstruction. They shouted lightly.
"Cao Cao, you have committed countless evils, angering heaven and man. Heaven has punished you with this defeat at Chibi. We will make sure you die on the Huarong Path."
One of the twenty or so trainees stepped forward, pointing at Cao Cao and speaking arrogantly.
Glancing at this trainee, Li Wuqing realized he did not recognize him, likely a new recruit. However, among the trainees, there were many familiar faces.
Liu Hongjun, Zhao Dingkun, Fang Junjie, Xiu Yongqing, Su Yi, Jingwei, Fan Qi, and Liu Juan, all of whom he had trained before, were mostly present.
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