Chapter 203 Putting the Facts Away
Xiling County, noon.

Yuan Shu's sweet dream was disturbed and he was about to get angry, but he learned the shocking news.

"The entire Jingzhou navy was wiped out?!"

"Cao Cao was also beaten and fled in a panic?!"

Yuan Shu dared not stay in Xiling County, "Prepare the horses!"

"Escort me back to the camp!"

This is why Cao Cao did not flee south back to Xiling County.

It's totally unreliable, and running back will only add to your troubles.

To the west of Xiling County is a river called Ju Shui.

Therefore, if Cao Cao wanted to escape, he could only run around the city to the east.

But he didn't expect to meet Zhang Fei halfway and all his efforts were wasted.

the other side.

Yuan Shu had just dressed and arrived at the stable when his men came to report.

"Cai Mao wants to come and see me?"

"No! No!"

After saying this, Yuan Shu mounted his warhorse and rode away with his personal soldiers.

Outside the yard.

Seeing Yuan Shu running away, Cao Ren, who had finally escaped into the city with Cai Mao, was furious.

"I told you to just rush in, but you insisted on making up some stupid rules!"

"Alright! Yuan Shu has escaped. What should we do now?"

The two men experienced extreme thrills and excitement along the way. Fortunately, Guan Yu's troops were in chaos, allowing the two men to take advantage of the situation and escape into the city.

Cao Ren thought he could escape with his life, but unexpectedly, he just went from one hell to another.

Cai Mao did not have many opportunities to deal with Yuan Shu, and he thought that as the eldest son of the Yuan family, Yuan Shu should at least know the most basic etiquette.

Now it seems that Cai Mao's previous vision was all an illusion. The only thing he did right was to invest heavily in Cao Cao.

The most urgent thing is to escape first.

Cai Mao used his connections in Jingzhou to gain support from the Huang family, a prominent family in Xiling County, and was given two old war horses.

Cao Ren did not know where Cao Cao was, so he followed Cai Mao north and fled to Nanyang County.

...

Cao Cao led more than a thousand cavalrymen into the mountains and forests.

In order to stop Zhang Fei's invasion, the brothers Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan took the initiative to stay and resist.

Unfortunately, Xiahou Yuan's injuries on both hands had not healed yet, and he could only use half of his fighting ability. Although Xiahou Dun wanted to fight him hard, he was no match for Zhang Fei.

After just one encounter, Cao's army was scattered by Zhang Fei and fled in all directions.

"Scatter! Everyone, scatter!"

Zhang Fei was quick-witted and shouted, "Block the north! Don't let any of the enemy cavalry escape!"

"Don't hurt the horse!"

At this moment, Zhang Fei's IQ skyrocketed and he immediately grasped the key points.

The royal guards and the Chenliu knights immediately spread out like a big net and killed anyone they saw.

Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan wanted to organize their men and break out in one go.

Because Cao Cao traveled lightly, most of his troops did not wear armor and were naturally at a disadvantage.

Zhang Fei immediately noticed the Xiahou brothers' plan and shouted, "Enemy generals, stop running!"

"Wait for Grandpa Zhang to take your dog head!"

After saying that, he rushed towards the two Xiahou brothers alone, as if he couldn't see the hundreds of people behind him.

From childhood to adulthood, Xiahou Dun had never suffered such humiliation, so he rode his horse and drew his sword, ready to fight Zhang Fei head-on.

Fight even if you can’t beat him!

"Die, you bastard!"

Seeing Xiahou Dun rushing out, the even more reckless Xiahou Yuan also rushed forward despite his injuries.

Seeing this, hundreds of riders behind him also charged forward.

Zhang Fei seemed unaware of this and was only thinking about taking the enemy's head.

Fortunately, the captain of the personal guard was sharp-eyed and immediately organized dozens of cavalrymen to follow Zhang Fei, with Zhang Fei as the head and the personal guards as the body, and they quickly formed a cone-shaped attack formation.

"kill!"

Zhang Fei roared loudly and squeezed the horse's belly with his legs, causing the warhorse to leap high as if by human will. He then used his spear like a stick, imitating Guan Yu, to give the horse a wake-up call!
Xiahou Dun had never seen such a ferocious man before, so he gritted his teeth and rushed forward with his sword in hand.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Xiahou Dun could not withstand the combined force of man and horse and was knocked off his horse. Not only was his knuckles broken, but he also felt that his internal organs were displaced, his stomach was churning, and he almost vomited blood.

When Xiahou Yuan saw his cousin being knocked over, he was not afraid. Instead, he angrily stabbed Zhang Fei with his spear.

The latter, whose old strength had just gone and whose new strength had not yet come, rolled off the horse's back.

The confrontation lasted only a moment, and the cavalry of both sides collided with each other.

Relying on their strong physique, the royal guards used inferior forces to forge through the Cao army, and relied on their full body armor to suffer extremely minor casualties in exchange for nearly a hundred casualties of the Cao army.

Suddenly, the morale that Cao's army had finally gathered collapsed, and they could no longer launch a decent counterattack, becoming lambs to be slaughtered.

Zhang Fei jumped up from the ground, quickly grabbed a warhorse from Cao's army, and mounted it in one go.

"Good horse!"

As soon as he came up, Zhang Fei's eyes lit up and he praised endlessly.

If there had been a warhorse like this just now, not only Xiahou Dun, but also Xiahou Yuan would have had to stay!

"The whole army has them!"

At this moment, Zhang Fei seemed to be possessed by the god of war, and shouted at the command: "Change horses!"

When the orders reached each cavalryman one by one, they were ecstatic.

As a knight, who wouldn't be envious of Cao's army's excellent war horses? They rushed to pull down Cao's soldiers and ride on their war horses like wolves and tigers.

An hour later, Jinmao's army completed the change of horses, and only a few hundred Cao's troops escaped, and the pursuit continued.

However, Zhang Fei seemed to have come to his senses and kept commanding the nearby cavalry to gather their horses.

Compared to chasing down a defeated army, the warhorse is definitely more valuable and the military merit is greater!
Zhang Fei understood this point very clearly.

The only pity is that Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan are missing.

Since Cao's soldiers were not wearing armor, it was impossible to tell who was who.

...

This chase lasted a whole day.

Until late afternoon.

Jin Mao led his troops to arrive and occupy Xiling County, and then announced to all troops to stop pursuing and set up camp near Xiling County.

After a day and night of rest.

Jin Maocai summoned generals from various departments to hold a meeting in Xiling County.

The entire war went very smoothly from the beginning, except that key figures such as Cao Cao, Cai Mao, and Yuan Shu escaped.

Jin Mao sat at the top, with civil and military officials on his left and right.

The counselors had no expression on their faces, while the generals were either happy or worried.

"This is a great victory, and Military Advisor Xun deserves the most credit!"

Jinmao's first sentence set the tone for the entire meeting.

"I have decided that Military Advisor Xun will be promoted three levels in a row to the rank of First-Class Colonel, and will be awarded a thousand gold coins and a residence in Jianye County!"

"I will also submit a petition to appoint Xun You and Xi Zhicai as military advisors and priests."

Xun You stepped out of the line and bowed, saying, "My Lord, your reward is too great. Please take back your order."

"Well." Jin Mao nodded and said, "Then cancel the reward. The military rank and position remain unchanged. He will still be a first-class colonel and military advisor!"

Seeing that Xun You was still trying to argue, Jin Mao raised his hand and said, "Military Advisor Xun, please go down first. There are many things to deal with. We will discuss this later."

Xun You reluctantly returned to his original position, and Xi Zhicai couldn't help but joked, "Congratulations, Gongda."

Xun You just sighed and said nothing.

Jin Mao rewarded Zhou Yu again and promoted him to the rank of first lieutenant.

Next comes the main event.

"Huang Gai led his troops to defeat the Jingzhou navy, beheading 1,344 people and taking 5,341 prisoners."

"Reward all the navy and promote them to a higher level!" "The rest of the military achievements will be counted separately."

"Huang Gai was promoted twice to the rank of Grade 1 Colonel!"

Huang Gai was not as humble as Xun You. He stepped out and bowed to express his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, my lord!"

"Ling Cao did not follow orders and although he made some gains, he committed serious negligence."

"Since the results are relatively good, no fault will be pursued, no reward will be given, and the original position will be retained."

"Do you have any objection?"

Ling Cao stepped out and bowed, saying, "I have no objection!"

Jin Mao nodded and said, "In consideration of the hard work of the soldiers, I will pay out of my own pocket to reward each member of your army with half a stone of rice."

Ling Cao bowed and said, "Thank you, my lord!"

"Guan Yu, step out!"

Jin Mao's expression suddenly changed: "Do you admit your guilt?"

Guan Yu clasped his fists and asked, "I wonder what crime you have punished me for?"

"AWOL!"

"A general pursues military exploits like a soldier. Isn't that enough to punish you?"

Guan Yu said calmly: "Changing generals before a battle is a taboo in military tactics. Your Excellency wants me to lead the new troops to command the vanguard and also to direct them."

"I'm sorry to have to obey."

Jin Mao sneered and said, "You are right!"

“I really did something wrong about this!”

"But putting aside the facts, aren't you wrong?"

"I..." Guan Yu wanted to defend himself, but he didn't expect Jin Mao to directly admit his mistake.

For a moment, Guan Yu was completely confused and didn't know how to explain.

"Military Advisor Xi, help me draft a confession. Even if I made a mistake, I must be punished!"

Jin Mao said solemnly: "Solicit opinions from the entire army. I will accept whatever punishment the soldiers think I should bear."

"My lord, no!"

All the scholars and generals came out to stop them.

Jin Mao waved his hand and said: "If I can't even correct the mistakes I made, how can I correct this chaotic world!"

"My lord is wise!" The counselors bowed together.

The military generals followed closely behind.

Guan Yu was also moved by Jin Mao's righteousness and took the initiative to bow and said, "Guan Yu knows his crime, please punish me!"

Jinmao felt ashamed of his own shamelessness, but he felt a little secretly happy in his heart.

"Since Guan Yu admitted his guilt sincerely, he will be punished severely and demoted to a fifth-level lieutenant, but his original position will remain unchanged."

“I hope you can continue to work hard and achieve greater success.”

Guan Yu clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "Thank you, sir, for your generosity."

Jin Mao nodded, and then his expression changed: "Where is Dong Xi?"

Dong Xi was much more sensible than Guan Yu. He immediately stepped out of the line, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "Dong Xi admits his guilt!"

This has left Jinmao at a loss and unable to cope with the situation.

"My lord, Dong Xi is not qualified for the position of the captain of the second battalion. Please reduce my military rank, remove my official position, and let me return to the imperial guards!"

Jin Mao's brows turned into an "embarrassed" frown. It was the first time he heard of someone voluntarily confessing a crime.

"Well, I didn't say you were guilty of anything."

Jin Mao said incoherently: "That is, he failed to arrive at the designated location on time and failed to intercept Cao Jun's commander. It is at most a crime of negligence."

"Not that serious."

This time, it was Dong Xi who insisted, "My Lord, I am really not suited to lead troops. Please let me return to your side and be your personal soldier!"

This was not the first time Dong Xi had made this request. Last time, when there was a shortage of generals, Jin Mao had no choice but to let Dong Xi take over.

This time with the joining of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Dian Wei, it seems that it is not impossible to agree to Dong Xi's request.

So Jin Mao shouted, "Dian Wei Dian Hong Xing!"

"Come in and discuss matters!"

Dian Wei, who was guarding the gate, thought he had heard it wrong. In this battle, he fought alone.

I thought that if I followed the central army into the battlefield, there would definitely be opportunities to fight.

Unexpectedly, Jinmao's army was too powerful, and the plot that Dian Wei expected did not unfold. He only waited for the news of a great victory.

To be honest, if Dian Wei knew how to ride a horse, he would have followed the five hundred personal guards to fight the enemy with Zhang Fei.

It’s strange, but for some reason, no warhorse can withstand Dian Wei’s torture.

So far, three war horses have been killed by Dian Wei. Since then, Dian Wei never dared to ride a war horse again.

Because every war horse is a valuable asset, Dian Wei does not want to cause Jinmao to suffer heavy losses because of his own reasons.

Now the opportunity is coming!

Dian Wei excitedly entered the meeting hall, clasped his fists and said, "Dian Wei greets the lord."

"Do you have the confidence to serve as the captain of the second battalion?"

Jinmao's thinking is still stuck in its early days, when there was no one available.

So he thought of letting Dian Wei be an intern first, and it would not be too late to make him a full-time employee after he accumulated enough military merits.

Unexpectedly, there were so many people who came out to oppose this time.

Xi Zhicai: "My lord, things are different now. Dian Wei has just joined the army. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a rookie."

"Even though Dian Wei has performed well, it is a great favor from you to allow him to stay in the Imperial Guard."

"How can you take on such an important task without having done anything?"

Xun You and Zhou Yu had similar ideas.

The military generals were much more direct and said all sorts of things.

"Stop arguing!"

Jin Mao said dissatisfiedly: "Didn't you all come here this way before?"

"What if it's someone else who can't do it now?"

Huang Gai stepped out and said, "My Lord, that's different."

"Dian Wei has not participated in any major battles, nor has he attended officer training. His qualifications and abilities have not been tested."

"The Second Battalion now has 2,000 soldiers. Which of the soldiers there didn't rise through the ranks from the recruit camp?"

"Which one has no military exploits?"

"My Lord, how can you let someone who has done nothing take on this important task?"

Huang Gai concluded: "I suggest that Dian Wei be promoted to the deputy commander of the second battalion. He should follow the commander for a while, and then he can be promoted to the regular commander."

Jin Mao originally wanted to scold him, but was almost defeated by Huang Gai's last words.

Wow, this turn was so sudden.

However, if you think about it carefully, what everyone said actually makes sense. The soldiers in the main camp are now completely different from before, and each of them is much stronger than the previous royal guards.

No matter how much he prefers Dian Wei, he has to take it one step at a time.

"Dian Wei, what do you think?"

Facing Jin Mao's question, Dian Wei showed extraordinary wisdom: "My Lord, I want to continue to follow you!"

At this moment, Jin Mao suddenly felt happy.

Who wouldn’t want to have someone as loyal and powerful as Dian Wei to protect them?

"In this case, who can take on the position of the Second Battalion Captain?"

At this time, Zhang Fei jumped out and said, "Sir, I'm here!"

Jin Mao laughed. Zhang Fei was a good choice, but handing over the main battalion to an outsider was unprecedented and even Jin Mao did not agree with it.

"Yide has made great contributions this time. I have other plans."

Jin Mao smiled and said, "The position of the Second Battalion Captain will be left vacant for the time being."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Fei asked in a tactless manner: "Sir, why don't you give me a chance?"

"Who knows, maybe I'm a military genius?"

Jin Mao was speechless.

　Sorry everyone, I have to move this week, so I can only update twice a day. The update time is uncertain.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)