Chapter 253: Ruthless and ungrateful Lord, you are not worthy of being buried with me! Liu Bei: Lu Bu, today is the day you die!
The three generals were confused by Lu Bu's order.

Didn't we agree in our previous military meeting that we would break out from the east gate?

Gao Shun's vanguard troops have already set out. Shouldn't we follow suit? Why are you suddenly turning to the north gate to break out?

Do you think you are joking by changing your mind at the last minute?

"What are you still standing there for? Didn't you hear Marquis Wen's order?"

Only Chen Gong looked calm. Not only was he not surprised at all, he even urged the other generals.

The generals were intimidated by Lu Bu's power and dared not ask more questions, so they could only pass on the order in a hurry.

Nearly five thousand soldiers of Lu's army had to turn around hastily and head towards the north gate.

Before leaving, Hao Meng couldn't help but remind:

"Marquis Wen, since we have changed the direction of our breakout, should we send someone to recall Gao Boping before he gets far away?"

Lu Bu glared at him and said coldly:
"Just follow orders and don't meddle in other people's business!"

After saying this, Lu Bu spurred on his horse and galloped away.

Hao Meng was stunned and his face became more confused. He had no idea why Lu Bu scolded him like that.

If you want to break out through the north gate instead, isn't it natural to recall Gao Shun?
Otherwise, if you broke out from the north gate, Gao Shun and the three thousand soldiers would be completely unaware of the situation and would all die at the hands of Liu's army.

"General Hao, don't you understand the deep meaning of Marquis Wen?"

"Without Gao Boping and his three thousand soldiers fighting to the death to attract Liu Bei's heavy troops to encircle us, how could we have successfully broken out from the north?"

Chen Gong rode his horse closer to Hao Meng and hinted in a low voice.

Hao Meng narrowed his eyes, looking confused, his mind racing as he chewed over what Chen Gong had said.

Suddenly his eyes widened and he exclaimed:

"You mean, Marquis Wen treated Gao Boping and the three thousand soldiers as abandoned pawns to buy time for him to break out from the north gate?"

Chen Gong coughed a few times and sighed:
"General Hao, some things are better known than revealed."

Hao Meng suddenly realized what was going on and quickly shut his mouth, raising his head to look in the direction of Lu Bu, as if he was afraid that Lu Bu would hear him.

He didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he was sure that Lu Bu was gone.

"Gao Boping followed Wen Hou earlier than any of us. He is truly loyal."

"Marquis Wen actually said that such a loyal and trusted minister should be sacrificed, so wouldn't the rest of us be..."

Hao Meng murmured to himself, feeling a chill in his heart.

Chen Gong's eyes were as sharp as a blade, and he could naturally see that Hao Meng was chilled by Lu Bu's actions.

This was exactly the effect he wanted to see.

"General Hao, when we get to the north gate later, if you want to survive, you have to follow my instructions."

Chen Gong left an ambiguous remark, whipped his horse and galloped away.

Hao Meng was totally confused and had to follow him with full of suspicion.

A quarter of an hour later.

More than 5,000 soldiers and horses arrived at the north gate.

Lu Bu climbed up the city wall and looked towards the east, his eyes flickering with nervousness.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of horns and shouts of killing finally came faintly from the east.

Lu Bu's eyes focused, and his nervous look instantly turned into excitement.

The sound of killing coming from the east meant that Gao Shun's troops had engaged in a fierce battle with Liu Bei's army.

This meant that Chen Gong's judgment was correct. Although there seemed to be no Liu army camp outside the east gate, in fact Liu Bei had already stationed a large number of troops, waiting for him to fall into the trap.

"Gongtai, Gongtai, I am lucky to have your brilliant plan, otherwise I would have walked into a trap and died without a burial place!"

Lu Bu looked at Chen Gong with a look of relief and approval, and smiled.

Chen Gong smiled faintly, cupped his hands and said:
"Marquis Wen, since Liu Bei's main forces are all in the east, the north must be empty."

"We should break out of the siege from the north gate as soon as possible. I'm afraid Gao Boping has too few troops and can't hold out for long."

Lu Bu's spirit tensed up again, he immediately put away his smile, ordered the city gate to be opened, and the entire army broke out.

After the order was given, the north gate of Shouchun opened wide and the drawbridge was slowly lowered.

Lu Bu took a deep breath, mounted his horse, raised his spear, and rushed out.

Generals Cao Xing and Wei Xu, leading their own troops, followed Lu Bu out one after another.

However, Chen Gong deliberately stayed behind and did not rush to follow Lu Bu out of the city like the other generals.

Hao Meng originally wanted to rush out of the city, but seeing that Chen Gong did not move, he had no choice but to move too.

It was not until all five thousand soldiers had left the city, leaving only the two of them, that Hao Meng became anxious.

"Mr. Gongtai, what exactly do you mean by that? The army has left, so why don't we leave?"

Hao Meng's face was filled with anxiety, and a layer of cold sweat had appeared on his forehead.

Chen Gong, however, signaled to his followers.

Behind him, Chen Gong casually took out a few sets of clothes from the common people. He threw one to Hao Meng and started changing without saying anything.

"Mr. Gongtai, this..."

Chen Gong looked at the people's clothes in his hands with a confused look on his face.

Only after he had changed his clothes did Chen Gong say, "General Hao, change your clothes quickly and find a house to hide in."

Hao Meng stood there in a daze, his eyes filled with surprise and confusion, totally not understanding what Chen Gong was talking about.

"Liu Bei will certainly deploy a large number of troops outside the north gate to prevent Lu Bu from escaping. He will surely die if he goes there. If we follow him, we will only end up dead."

"After Liu Bei captures Shouchun, he will certainly let the people of Shouchun return to the city. At that time, he will not check them too strictly. We can blend in with the people and leave Shouchun openly. It won't be too late to seek refuge with Yuan Benchu ​​later."

Chen Gong no longer concealed the secret and told the plan to escape.

Hao Meng suddenly realized and was horrified:
"Chen Gongtai, are you planning to betray Marquis Wen and use the fact that Marquis Wen's army was annihilated to cover up our whereabouts so that we can disguise ourselves as civilians and escape?"

Chen Gong showed no shame on his face, and said coldly:

"Lü Bu was so heartless that he even sacrificed Gao Shun, his most loyal general, at will."

"If you want to be buried with this heartless and ungrateful lord, just follow him out of the city and break out."

Hao Meng's heart was shaken, and the surprise on his face instantly shattered to the ground, and he fell into silence. After a slight pause, Hao Meng gritted his teeth and began to change his clothes.

Soon, more than ten people changed into civilian clothes and hurried down the city.

"Lu Bu, it's not that I can't accompany you to the end, it's that you don't deserve it!"

"I, Chen Gong, must remain useful to help Yuan Gong pacify the world, destroy Cao Cao and Liu Bei, these traitors, and bring peace to the people of the world."

"You and I are here, let's go our separate ways and accept our fate!"

After taking one last look at the city gate, Chen Gong turned around and disappeared into the night without looking back.

North of the city.

Lu Bu was nervous as he led his five thousand soldiers, struggling forward in the mud.

Although the water level had dropped to knee-deep, moving forward was far more difficult than usual.

Lu Bu looked around from time to time, fearing that a group of Liu's troops would suddenly appear and block his way.

Facts have proved that his worries were unnecessary.

The sky in the east was just beginning to turn pale as the five thousand Lu army soldiers finally walked out of the flood area. The flat ground ahead gradually rose and the outline of the ferry could be vaguely seen.

All signs indicate that Liu Bei's main forces were deployed to the east of Shouchun. There was no camp in the north, and there was no soldier to stop them.

It was estimated that Liu's army at the ferry had at most two to three thousand naval forces, and they were in an unprepared state.

His five thousand soldiers should be able to easily break through the water camp with a surprise attack.

Then, they robbed the warships, crossed the Huai River, and fled far away.

"Heaven will not abandon me, Lu Bu. I know that I, Lu Bu, can always survive in desperate situations, and this time is no exception..."

A smug sneer flashed across Lu Bu's lips, and he whipped his horse and sped towards the ferry camp.

As the first ray of morning sun was about to rise, the ferry ahead was already in sight.

With the help of the light of the morning sun, one could even clearly see that the few soldiers on duty were yawning.

Lü Bu suppressed his ecstasy, waved his halberd and shouted:
"All troops, listen to my orders. Follow me and charge into the enemy camp!"

"If we win this battle, we can survive!"

The five thousand soldiers of Lu's army roared in response as if they were injected with chicken blood, and rushed towards the water camp.

However, they were completely unaware that inside the water camp, there were countless pairs of ferocious eyes staring at them.

That excited look was as if he was staring at prey that had come to his doorstep.

Inside the camp gate.

Liu Bei looked up and saw clearly thousands of enemy soldiers, like wild beasts out of a cage, rushing towards him, shouting and killing.

Judging from the situation, there are at least 5,000 people, which must be the main force of Lu’s army.

"Jinglue, it seems that Chen Gong did not lie. Lu Bu really wanted to break out from the north gate."

Liu Bei sighed and looked back at Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang smiled faintly and pointed his feather fan at the enemy:
"No matter if he is lying or not, Lu Bu has come to our door anyway. The old and new hatred between our lord and him should be settled today."

Xiao Fang's words were like a fire, instantly igniting all the resentment that had accumulated in Liu Bei's heart for many years.

All the memories of Lu Bu's ungratefulness, stealing his Xuzhou, and almost forcing him into a desperate situation came to his mind.

"The military advisor is right. It's time to settle accounts with old and new grudges..."

Liu Bei's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he raised his whip and shouted:

"Light the smoke signals and blow the horns!"

As the order was given, a black smoke signal rose in the sky in the blink of an eye.

Outside the water camp.

Lu Bu's eyes were bloodshot and he had clenched the halberd in his hand, ready to take the lead and break down the camp gate.

Sudden.

The trumpets sounded and the drums of war suddenly became louder.

Countless soldiers of Liu's army suddenly poured out from the originally empty water camp, like divine troops descending from the sky, densely blocking the camp wall.

Then, to the west, to the east, to the south...

Countless battle flags with the word "Liu" on them and countless soldiers of the Liu army came from all directions like a tide.

Ambushes are everywhere!

Lu Bu's face turned pale with horror, and the murderous intent on his face was instantly replaced by endless astonishment.

The soldiers of Lu's army, who were rushing wildly, were immediately thrown into chaos. They stopped one after another, and bumped into each other and crowded together.

"Ambush? Liu Bei actually set up an ambush at the ferry?"

"Shouldn't his main force be setting up an ambush in the east to stop Gao Shun?"

"Why are there so many enemy troops here?"

Lu Bu's voice was hoarse and trembling, and he turned around and shouted:

"Gongtai, Chen Gongtai, you——"

There was no sign of Chen Gong behind him.

The strategist who was supposed to be following him suddenly disappeared at this critical moment, as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth.

Lu Bu's heart skipped a beat and an ominous thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

At this time, the tightly closed gate of Liuying slowly opened.

Liu Bei held his sword, urged his horse, walked out slowly, and appeared in front of the army.

"Liu...Liu Bei?"

Lu Bu called out the name with trembling hands.

Liu Bei's eyes were as cold as a knife. He pointed his whip at Lu Bu and said sternly:
"Lü Bu, you turned evil into evil and took Xuzhou from me. Today is the day for me to settle accounts with you!"

"I have set a net for you, and you can't escape even if you have wings!"

"Today is the day you die!"

(End of this chapter)