Chapter 349
Chapter 349
Chapter 349 – Tian the Troll Yu
8 AM .
Zhao Yun and He Xing continued traveling northeast toward Ganling City . Along the way, they encountered runaway peasants who fled from wars, and they tagged along with Zhao Yun for the sake of their safety .
As Zhao Yun was still wielding a spear, they thought that he was more reliable than traveling alone .
He Xing and Zhao Yun could not refuse them, so they brought them along their journey .
11 AM .
Because of their previous actions, they became an eye-catching group of war refugees . More peasants flocked to them and wanted to follow them to Ganling City as well .
"Your majesty, this …" Zhao Yun concerned about their well-being .
"Take them along . They're our people, so we shouldn't abandon them . "
"Alright, but I won't be able to protect them all . "
"… I know . "
.
Soon, a scout team from Gongsun Du noticed their caravans . A group of 20 riders galloped toward them and yelled, "All of you, surrender immediately! Come with us if you don't want to die!"
The peasants panicked, "S-Sir, what did we do?"
"We suspect that one of you might be the runaway criminal that we're looking for . If you're not a criminal, you don't have to be afraid since we will give you food and let you go later!"
The crowd sighed a relief since they were honest citizens . However, Zhao Yun stared at these soldiers with a frown .
All eyes of the riders were inspecting female refugees as if they were searching for someone .
'This is not the way they search for a criminal . They're looking for us!'
He Xing also had the same thought . She turned to Zhao Yun to see if he had a solution .
Seeing Zhao Yun's troubling face, He Xing asked the chat .
He Xing: "Gongsun Du is searching for us . "
He Xing: "One of his scouts are claiming civilians that they are looking for a criminal, but they are definitely looking for me . "
Lu Zhi: "I think my plan is busted . Your majesty, do not follow them . "
Lu Zhi: "Tell Zhao Yun, it's time to break away from there!"
He Xing: "Then, where should we go?"
Xun Yu: "Head south, your majesty . Regroup with lord Lu since he's the closest troops . "
Xun Yu: "Gongsun Du wants you as a hostage to escape our net, so don't get captured . "
He Xing: "There are civilians with us . What are we going to do about them?"
Jia Xu: "As hard as it may be, I need you to leave them behind, your majesty . "
Jia Xu: "Your safety takes priority! Our lord hasn't recovered yet . If something happens to you, I'm afraid that our lord won't be able to handle it . "
Lu Zhi: "I'm sending my fastest units and Tian Yu ahead . As long as you keep fleeing south, you'll meet them . "
He Xing took a deep breath and told Zhao Yun about their conversation .
Zhao Yun gulped as he steeled his heart . Once the fight started, everything would be in chaos . Liu Xie and He Xing's life would also be at risk, and their fate fell into his hands .
This was a heavy responsibility!
"I'll bring you out, your majesty!"
While they were whispering, a rider approached them .
"Hey, you! All women have to go with the other group . All men have to follow our commander!"
At this moment, the soldier finally caught a glimpse of Zhao Yun's spear .
"Wait a minute, why are you carrying a …"
*PU*
The spear tip entered his neck, cutting his sentence .
Zhao Yun pulled the soldier down from his horse and jumped on the horseback . He pulled the rein and charged at the nearest riders .
*SWUA*
*SWUA*
*SWUA*
Unprepared, five more soldiers were cut down .
The remaining soldiers detected the odd sounds of iron cutting flesh . They turned around and saw their friends being killed by Zhao Yun .
"Why, you!?"
Zhao Yun ignored the chaotic cries of the peasants and Gongsun Du's scouts . He charged at them without blinking .
The scout captain shouted, "Go tell our lord, we found the suspect! Hurry!"
One of the riders fled the scene, and Zhao Yun could not interfere it . Still, these few soldiers were not his match .
Two minutes later, all riders became lifeless corpses .
Zhao Yun glanced at the direction of the former fleeing rider with grimaced expression .
'More pursuers will come . We have to hurry!'
He rode toward He Xing . As usual, he pulled her and Liu Xie on the horseback before he galloped south, heading back to Lu Zhi .
Noon
The scout reached Gongsun Du Camp with his discovery .
Budugen was surprised that they found the empress this quick, "Are you sure that he's with the empress?"
"Yes, my lord . He was with a woman and a child . We tried to separate them, but he immediately resisted . "
Wang Men revealed interest, "Did the man use a spear?"
"Yes, my lord . "
"How about his age . Is he about in the early 20s or less?"
"Err, yes . I think he's quite young . "
Wang Man turned to Gongsun Du, "There was a rider that rescued the empress . He's a spear master, and he's in his teen . I think he's our guy . "
Upon hearing the report, Gongsun Du could not sit still .
"We found them! All forces, chase after that man . Wherever he is, the empress might be with him!"
With Gongsun Du's order, 21,500 soldiers mobilized south, ignoring the approaching threat from the north .
Wang Men took his 6,000 the remaining horse archers and headed out first . As a light cavalry unit, he had confidence that he could catch Zhao Yun before the others .
Budugen separated his 5,000 Xianbei warriors from Gongsun Du's main army . He volunteered to guard the supplies and the reserve troops, which he would also act as their rearguard .
Gongsun Du allowed it without realizing Budugen's real intention .
Looking at the trusting Gongsun Du, Budugen sneered, 'Idiots . '
.
Cheng Yu, Xiahou Dun, and their escorts traveled south, returning to Xuchang . As they were Cao Cao's men, all scouts from Gongsun Du left them alone .
As they were traveling, they saw a panicking group of civilians at the roadside . Curious, Cheng Yu sent his men to inquire about their situation .
The result surprised them as they were the peasants that followed after Zhao Yun and He Xing . However, Zhao Yun resisted against Gongsun Du's soldiers and killed them all . Afterward, they left them there .
Cheng Yu mumbled to himself before he peered at Xiahou Dun .
"How about it? Want to snatch the empress?"
"What's the catch?"
"If we have her, Mengde remains as a righteous prime minister . If we don't have her, Mengde will be a villain in the eyes of people . "
"Is there a demerit to this if we take the empress?"
"Zhang Tong will find out about our scheme if we pursue . If we don't, he won't find out . "
Xiahou Dun shrugged, "Too troublesome then . Leave them alone . "
"Are you sure? His current position is quite awkward, you know? He got this position from a false empress . "
"That's none of my business . I have one job, and that is protecting you . Anything else is irrelevant to me . "
Cheng Yu chuckled, "Got it . "
The two disregarded the events and the people as they continued marching south .
.
4 PM .
After hours of galloping outside of the forest, Zhao Yun could see a group of horsemen before him .
Upon seeing their banners, Zhao Yun could finally smile .
It was the flags with the letter "Tian . " This unit belonged to Tian Yu!
The leader of the riders also recognized Zhao Yun from afar . As Tian Yu knew about Zhao Yun's behavior and riding style, it was not hard for him to differentiate Zhao Zilong form the rest of regular riders .
"Zilong!"
"Guorang!"
"AHAHAHA! You undying bastard! You made it!"
"Same goes to you, silly fool!"
Zhao Yun had the urge to leap from his horse to hug his friend . Unfortunately, Tian Yu's subordinates, He Xing, and Liu Xie were watching . He had to control his manner .
"Ahem, how did you rush here?"
"Haha! You'd better ask her majesty about this . Master Lu said that she sent this … err, clan message to him? And he knew that all of you will be coming south, so we're here to pick you up . "
As they chatted, a soldier got down from his horse and offered the horse to He Xing .
"Your majesty, please . "
He Xing nodded and got on the other horse with her son . As a woman with high status, riding with a man who was not her husband in public was against her moral .
Tian Yu nodded in approval, "Alright, let's regroup with master Lu . I don't want to listen to his lecture again . ".
"AHAHAHA! Sucks to be you . "
"Oh, you don't have to worry, Zilong . Master Lu said you fOOked up the bodyguard duty, and he has reserved his private tutor course for you as well . "
"Err, crap . "
Zhao Yun sulked while Tian Yu's subordinates snickered by their boss' misfortune .
Unfortunately, their little happy reunion had to be put on hold as the ground trembled . It was a sign that an army of horsemen was coming in their direction .
"Enemies!"
"Get into an array!"
Tian Yu turned to Zhao Yun, "Don't screw up your bodyguard job this time . Stay behind us . "
Zilong complied with the suggestion . One mistake was enough, and Zhao Yun swore that he would not make the same mistake again .
Soon, an army with the banners, [Wang], came to their sight . It was Wang Men's troop of 6,000 riders .
Wang Men raised his fist and ordered his troops to stop . Upon seeing the [Tian] banners and the dirty Zhao Yun behind their formation, he understood what had happened here .
'They reunited, but that doesn't matter as long as I defeat these men . '
Wang Men whispered to his aide, "Form wedge . We'll charge at them . "
Meanwhile, Tian Yu read Wang Men's mouth as he licked his lips .
"Wedge, is it? Okie, dokie!"
Tian Yu bellowed with everything he had as if he wanted Wang Men to hear his words .
"MEN!"
Tian Yu's soldiers tensed, getting ready to form any formation he commanded .
"TURN AROUND!"
Everybody turned their horse around in confusion . Everyone was thinking why Tian Yu wanted to show their backs at the enemies .
"RETREAT!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!"
Zhao Yun, He Xing, and all 5,000 light cavalries almost spat blood .
"Dafuq, Guorang!?"
"Eh, shut it and follow my command, Zilong . I REPEAT AGAIN! RETREAT!!"
All the soldiers looked at each other and shrugged . They turned their horse around and galloped away, showing their back to Wang Men . Zhao Yun and He Xing also rode with them .
Wang Men stared at them with wide eyes . No word could describe his feeling at the moment .
When he came to his sense, Tian Yu and others had already fled a hundred meters .
Infuriated, Wang Men shouted, "CHASE! AFTER THEM!!"
All 6,000 soldiers with a wry smile galloped after the fleeing troops . They took out their bows and arrows, getting ready for a horse archer tactic .
Unfortunately, before they could shoot an arrow, they saw a straight line of running horsemen with Tong's repeating crossbows .
"Eh?"
Behind the running riders, Tian Yu had a mocking grin on his face .
"ARROWS, RELEASE!!"