Chapter 389 I don't have time to play along with you. Those who don't surrender to the King of Chu will be killed! I won't even give you the chance to endure humiliation!

"My king, retreat! Our army can no longer hold out!"

Wen Chou came running over with a sad face and shouted at Yuan Shang.

Chunyu Qiong also came galloping over and shouted hoarsely:

"My lord, it was Zhang He who led the army and broke through our central defense line."

"The rest of the routes have also been breached by the Chu army. Yishui can no longer be defended. Let us retreat quickly!"

"If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave!"

Yuan Shang's heart felt as if it had been hit by a heavy hammer, and his look of despair and sadness was replaced by fear.

Just when he was still making his final hesitation.

There were thunderous cries of killing ahead, and the soldiers were retreating in droves, directly breaking through his central army formation.

Less than twenty steps away, a general was brandishing his sword like the wind, madly reaping the lives of his soldiers like cutting wheat.

"Zhang... Zhang He?"

Yuan Shang let out a cry of surprise, and the fear on his face instantly shattered any remaining hesitation.

"Retreat, immediately retreat to Yijing City——"

Yuan Shang turned his horse around, screaming hoarsely, and fled.

He was naturally very clear about how powerful Zhang He was. Now that the enemy was right in front of him, would he be waiting to die if he didn't run?

Generals Wen Chou and Chunyu Qiong breathed a sigh of relief and turned their horses to follow Yuan Shang in his escape.

"Chun Yuqiong, you come to cover the rear and stop that traitor Zhang He!"

Yuan Shang turned his horse around and suddenly left these words.

Chunyu Qiong was stunned. The whip he had raised was suspended in the air, and his whole body was frozen in place.

Good man, we've been defeated so badly, but you stayed behind to let me cover your retreat?

Aren't you asking me to die?
We are both your subjects, but Wen Chou's martial arts are better than mine. Why don't you let Wen Chou cover the retreat, but let me do it?
Isn’t it because Wen Chou is your confidant, and I, Chunyu Qiong, used to be from the faction of the eldest son Yuan Tan?

Chunyu Qiong was not stupid. As soon as his thoughts turned, the whip fell.

It's already this late. Saving your life is the most important thing. Only a fool would obey your orders and cover your retreat.

Unfortunately, in the blink of an eye that he hesitated, it was too late to escape.

"Chun Yuqiong, don't run away!"

"Zhang He is here!"

A loud shout sounded behind him.

Zhang He, with a long sword in his hand, chased after him as if walking on a bloody path.

A sound of breaking through the air was heard, and the long sword was wrapped in thick blood mist and slashed down wildly in the air.

Chunyu Qiong thought to himself that it was not good, and there was no time to move forward, so he had to turn around and fight back with the spear in his hand.

"throat!"

There was a loud bang as if the sky was collapsing.

With one blow of the sword, the spear in Chunyu Qiong's hand was knocked back. His body swayed a few times and he almost couldn't sit still. He was directly knocked away.

Zhang He did not give him a chance to breathe and struck him with the second blow.

Chunyu Qiong took a deep breath and raised his gun with all his strength to block the attack.

"Bang!"

Another muffled sound.

The blade pressed heavily on the gun barrel, causing Chunyu Qiong's mouth to burst and his internal organs to feel as if they were about to break.

His arms were bent by the shock, and the veins on his arms burst. He barely managed to withstand the blow.

"Chun Yuqiong, Yuan Tan is dead, and Yuan Shang's defeat is imminent!"

"The demise of the Yuan family is inevitable. Why are you still resisting? Why don't you surrender to the King of Chu?"

Zhang He, remembering the friendship between them in the old days, reduced his strength a little and urged the enemy to surrender in a stern voice.

At this moment, Chunyu Qiong had already begun to consider surrendering.

In other words, when Yuan Shang ordered him to cover the retreat, or even when he heard the news of the demise of the Wuhuan cavalry, he had already begun to think about surrendering to Chu.

But he is also a person of status and reputation.

He is the most senior minister of the Yuan family and is on equal terms with Yuan Shao. Although he is not a local lord, he has the qualifications of a local lord.

Just because of one word from you, Zhang He, I will kneel down before your sword and beg for surrender, and ask you to introduce me to Liu Bei?
Where can I put my face?
"Zhang He, you are a disloyal and unrighteous man!"

"I, Chunyu Qiong, have received great favors from the previous king and sworn to be loyal to the Yuan family. How can I follow your example and betray the Wei Dynasty?"

Chunyu Qiong then gritted his teeth and shouted, acting like a loyal minister who was willing to die for the Yuan family.

He also used rather conservative words. The most serious accusation he leveled at Zhang He was "disloyalty and injustice," and he did not use any other dirty words.

The meaning is quite obvious:

I, Chunyu Qiong, am also a person who cares about face. I have to pretend to be loyal and unyielding. If you persuade me a little more earnestly, I will obey you...

Zhang He naturally knew Chunyu Qiong's character, and he also knew that if he continued to persuade him a few more times, the old man would be saved and would surely surrender.

It's a pity that he can't.

For Zhang He, the words of persuasion to surrender just now were just a formality, so as to avoid being criticized for disregarding the friendship between colleagues.

Although both were ministers of Wei, they belonged to different camps.

You, Chunyu Qiong, are from Yuan Tan's faction, and I, Zhang He, am from Yuan Shang's faction. Not only do we not see eye to eye, but we also often give each other flirtations.

When we were both working in Yuan's family, I was always thinking about how to kill you. Today, we are enemies, but I suddenly let go of our past grudges and am kind enough to find a way for you to live?
I'm not that generous...

Zhang He raised his lips slightly and cursed:
"Chun Yuqiong, you are such a stubborn person, you are still stubborn even when you are about to die!"

"Okay, I'll help you and send you to see Yuan Benchu!"

As soon as the curse came out, Zhang He repelled Chunyu Qiong with a sword, and then the long sword in his hand turned into a sword curtain in the air, which covered the sky and pressed down on Chunyu Qiong.

Chunyu Qiong was shocked.

He really didn't expect that Zhang He would not act according to the script. He pretended to be loyal and righteous, but the other party took it seriously and wanted to kill him if they disagreed.

"Zhang He, you——"

The shocked Chunyu Qiong had no time to say anything before his body was covered by layers of knife shadows.

Blood splattered and screams were heard.

Within a few moves, Chunyu Qiong was stabbed several times and fell off his horse with a scream. Chunyu Qiong fell to the ground, fear overwhelmed the pain, and he looked up to Zhang He and begged:
"Brother Zhang, please spare me, I am willing to return—"

"You stubborn and rebellious person, you want to be buried with the Yuan family? I will grant your wish!"

Zhang He did not give him a chance to beg for surrender. He cursed loudly and slashed down with the bloody knife in his hand.

"Zhang He, don't—"

The wailing stopped abruptly.

Chunyu Qiong's old head fell to the ground.

"Old dog, you relied on your seniority to slander me in front of Yuan Shao. Have you ever thought that one day you would die under my sword?"

"What a joy! What a joy! Hahaha——"

Zhang He laughed loudly three times towards the sky, then collected Chunyu Qiong's head, spurred his horse and dragged his sword to continue chasing Yuan Shang.

The Wei army collapsed across the board and fled towards the Yijing fortress.

All 200,000 Chu troops crossed the river, climbed onto the north bank, chased the scattered enemy troops, and headed for the Yijing fortress.

On the main city building.

Shen Pei’s face was as pale as paper, and the word “despair” was surging in his sunken eyes.

"God is blind. Do you really want to destroy the Yuan family and let a mat weaver and shoe seller take over the world?"

Looking at his own army in disarray, Shen Pei raised his head to the sky and asked angrily and unwillingly.

In a blink of an eye, a large number of defeated Wei troops had rushed to the fortress of Yijing.

Shen Pei saw at a glance that Yuan Shang was among them, and immediately put away his grief and anger, and ordered the gate of the fortress to be opened and Yuan Shang to be allowed in.

After a while.

Yuan Shang, surrounded by Wen Chou and other soldiers, rushed into the gate of the fortress.

"Shen Zhengnan, is this your brilliant plan?"

"Our army couldn't hold out for even a quarter of an hour, and was completely defeated!"

"Now that Yishui has been lost, the morale of the armies has collapsed, and the fortress of Yijing can no longer be defended."

"You tell me, what should I do?"

Yuan Shang reined in his horse and started questioning Shen Pei.

Shen Pei felt both ashamed and aggrieved, but he had to swallow the pain.

After taking a deep breath, he cupped his hands and sighed:

"Your Majesty, it is my incompetence that has prevented me from turning the tables for you."

"The only solution now is for Your Majesty to withdraw from Yijing and head west through Dai County to seek refuge with the Second Young Master."

Yuan Shang was shocked.

Jicheng has been captured, Youzhou can no longer be defended, and retreating northward will only lead to death.

Looking at the whole of Hebei, it seems that going west to Bingzhou to join Yuan Xi is indeed his only way out.

But for him, the King of Wei, to go like a stray dog ​​to seek refuge with his second brother, who he has always looked down upon and is as weak as a waste, isn't this just humiliating himself?
"My king, at this point, there is only hope if we continue to live!"

"Even if you know you will be humiliated, you should still endure the humiliation!"

Shen Pei persuaded him sternly in an almost tragic tone.

Yuan Shang's heart trembled, and any remaining concerns disappeared in an instant.

After a long sigh, he whipped his whip feebly:
"Forget it, let's just survive first. Let's go to Bingzhou to seek refuge with my stupid and incompetent second brother!"

Shen Pei breathed a sigh of relief, and Wen Chou also let out a long sigh.

The two of them immediately led the Yulin Guards, surrounded Yuan Shang, took Liu to the carriage, abandoned Yijing and headed northwest.

Just as they were about a few miles away from Yijing.

To the south, dust and fog rolled up, and thousands of cavalrymen came like the wind.

Led by the "Zhang" flag, three thousand Black Mountain Chu cavalry, under the command of Zhang Yan, intercepted the enemy all the way.

"Zhang Yan? Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Riders?"

Yuan Shang, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly changed his expression in horror.

Shen Pei's face was as pale as water, and he cursed with gritted teeth:

"My lord, this must be the big-eared thief. He thought we might retreat to Bingzhou, so he ordered Zhang Yan, the Black Mountain thief, to lead the light cavalry to intercept us in the northwest direction!"

"That big-eared thief is trying to kill us!"

Yuan Shang despaired again, and the whip in his hand slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground.

Wen Chou waved his spear and shouted:

"Now that things have come to this, there is no point in talking nonsense. Run away!"

Yuan Shang suddenly woke up, and without the whip in his hand, he could only beat his horse wildly with his hands.

More than a thousand panicked Wei soldiers fled desperately.

From the oblique direction, the Black Mountain Chu Cavalry led by Commander Zhang Yan were roaring towards them.

"All troops, listen up! Ride and shoot to kill the enemy!"

Zhang Yan pointed his silver spear and shouted at the fleeing Wei army.

More than 3,000 Black Mountain Chu cavalry immediately drew their bows and arrows and fired indiscriminately at the fleeing Wei army.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Sharp arrows, as dense as heavy rain, came in like an overwhelming force.

The next moment, a rain of arrows fell to the ground.

Screams suddenly rang out, and the Wei soldiers who were only concerned with fleeing were nailed to the ground in groups.

Wen Chou wielded the spear quickly and, relying on his martial arts skills, he deflected all the incoming arrows.

Yuan Shang and Shen Pei were not so lucky and were both shot by arrows.

"Pfft!"

Two muffled sounds were heard, followed by two screams.

The master and the minister, one in front and one behind, fell off their horses with screams.

(End of this chapter)