Chapter 51

"Bo Cai, little boy, you can't run away." Zhang Fei, seeing that Bo Cai was about to disappear from his sight, wanted to continue chasing him.

"Do not pursue a defeated enemy." At this moment, Liu Yao came to the three of them and instructed. It wasn't that Liu Yao didn't want to chase, but both the Xianfeng Camp and the Chongfeng Camp had a disadvantage: they were not suitable for long-distance pursuit. The reason was simple: the equipment on these two camps was too heavy. Just the weapons in their hands weighed over fifty pounds, and the armor and supplies were even heavier.

Seeing that Liu Yao had said this, Zhang Fei, though still somewhat reluctant, silently stopped and watched helplessly as the Yellow Turban soldiers slipped away one by one.

"May I ask if you are the Crown Prince?" At this moment, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun had also defeated their opponents and came to Liu Yao's side. They looked at the man wearing a metal helmet, whose face was completely obscured, but who was covered in blood and exuding a fierce aura, and asked.

Liu Yao turned around, lifted the mask, and laughed, saying, "Ha ha ha, General Huangfu, General Zhu, it has been two years since we last met in Luoyang. How have you been recently?"

The two men saw that Liu Yao's appearance had not changed much from when they met in Luoyang two years ago; he was still a handsome young man. However, in terms of demeanor, Liu Yao was no longer the naive Crown Prince of two years ago. Now he exuded a mature and noble aura.

Looking at Liu Yao, who was covered in blood, and the large axe he held, which was still dripping with blood, and considering his somewhat short and slender body, as well as his frenzied charge in the chaos, they couldn't help but feel a sense of shock. They suddenly felt that they themselves had grown old.

Of course, "short" was relative. Huangfu Song, Zhang Fei, and others were all over six feet tall, and even Zhao Yun was at least six feet five inches. Liu Yao, standing among them, was indeed quite short. This was mainly because Liu Yao was still young.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have been well recently." Huangfu Song said respectfully, feeling even more respect for the young Crown Prince who had achieved remarkable feats. "Your Highness, this is not a suitable place to talk. Why don't you come with me into the city, have a good wash, and then I will set up a banquet to welcome you?"

Although Huangfu Song said this, his and Zhu Jun's eyes were fixed on Liu Yao's fish-scale armor, and the envy in their eyes was impossible to hide. Generals cared most about weapons, armor, and horses, and even a famous general like Huangfu Song was no exception.

They had seen that when the Yellow Turban soldiers' weapons struck Liu Yao's armor, they only produced a few sparks and did no harm to him. Although the armor that Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun wore was the best in the imperial palace, in the Eastern Han dynasty, which did not emphasize iron smelting, how could it compare to the fish-scale armor made by Oufeng, a descendant of Ouyi, using refined steel?

"Ha ha, that's right, Lord, we've been eating dry rations for days. My mouth is already dry. I must have a good meal. If there's wine, it would be even better." Zhang Fei rubbed his stomach and laughed.

Liu Yao glared at Zhang Fei, making him take a step back. "You fool, I said no drinking during the war. Have you forgotten? Do you want me to ban you from drinking for a few months to make you happy?"

"Uh, no more, no more. I won't drink anymore." Zhang Fei quickly waved his hands.

"Crown Prince, there's no need for that. After all, our army has won a great victory today, and the soldiers should be rewarded. Drinking is fine as long as no one gets drunk. Besides, this general has done a lot today, so a little drink is not too much to ask." Zhu Jun interjected. He admired bold and fierce generals like Zhang Fei, and such men were most to his liking.

Zhang Fei nodded repeatedly, secretly giving Zhu Jun a thumbs up. Unfortunately, he was glared at by Liu Yao again.

"Alright, you can drink a little, but absolutely no getting drunk." Liu Yao agreed, as today was a great victory, and Bo Cai was injured. Given his character, he would not attempt a surprise attack.

Hearing Liu Yao's agreement, Zhang Fei laughed foolishly.

"That's good. Your Highness, please come with me into the city quickly." Huangfu Song said.

Liu Yao did not refuse, as he was also hungry, and the cloth inside his armor was soaked with blood, making him extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to wash up. He then waved to his soldiers, "Xianfeng Camp, Chongfeng Camp, follow me into the city."

The more than ten thousand soldiers marched toward the city gate under the admiring and respectful gazes of Huangfu Song's and Zhu Jun's soldiers.

"All of you clean up the battlefield and return. Reward the soldiers." Huangfu Song announced to his soldiers.

"Oh!!! " Everyone cheered and began to clean up the battlefield in an orderly manner.

According to the statistics, in this battle, the Yellow Turban army lost thirty thousand lives, and the number of injured was countless. Those still capable of fighting were definitely less than ten thousand. On Huangfu Song's side, ten thousand soldiers lost their lives.

As for Liu Yao's forces, they were almost unscathed. The Xianfeng Camp lost seventeen men, and the Chongfeng Camp lost thirty-nine men. There were no severely injured, and only a few lightly injured. After all, what happened on the battlefield was unpredictable. Most of the dead soldiers were hit by stray arrows in vital areas, so there were no severely injured. Unlike Liu Yao, who had a helmet specifically designed to cover all vital areas.

In the governor's office of Changshe City, Liu Yao and the others, who had just washed up, were led by Huangfu Song's guards to the hall. Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were already waiting inside.

Huangfu Song, seeing Liu Yao's arrival, hurriedly welcomed him and said respectfully, "Your Highness, please take the main seat."

"No need." Liu Yao waved his hand casually and said, "After all, you are the ones in charge here. It's not proper for a guest to take the main seat." He then found a seat on either side and sat down.

Zhang Fei and the others also sat down in the same manner.

"This..." Huangfu Song looked at Liu Yao, who had already sat down, and helplessly shook his head, sitting in the main seat with Zhu Jun.

"Crown Prince, and all the generals, we owe you a great deal for coming from afar to rescue us. Otherwise, my old bones would have been left here, and the people of Changshe City would have suffered. I will raise a cup to thank you!" Zhu Jun raised his cup and said heartily.

"Ha ha, General Zhu, you are too kind. Cheers!" Liu Yao did not hesitate, as in the military, one must be bold and straightforward. Being overly polite would be disliked.

"Cheers." Everyone raised their cups to celebrate the victory.

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In the governor's office of Changshe City, Liu Yao and the others, who had just washed up, were led by Huangfu Song's guards to the hall. Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were already waiting inside.

Huangfu Song, seeing Liu Yao's arrival, hurriedly welcomed him and said respectfully, "Your Highness, please take the main seat."

"No need." Liu Yao waved his hand casually and said, "After all, you are the ones in charge here. It's not proper for a guest to take the main seat." He then found a seat on either side and sat down.

Zhang Fei and the others also sat down in the same manner.

"This..." Huangfu Song looked at Liu Yao, who had already sat down, and helplessly shook his head, sitting in the main seat with Zhu Jun.

"Crown Prince, and all the generals, we owe you a great deal for coming from afar to rescue us. Otherwise, my old bones would have been left here, and the people of Changshe City would have suffered. I will raise a cup to thank you!" Zhu Jun raised his cup and said heartily.

"Ha ha, General Zhu, you are too kind. Cheers!" Liu Yao did not hesitate, as in the military, one must be bold and straightforward. Being overly polite would be disliked.

"Cheers." Everyone raised their cups to celebrate the victory.