Chapter 112: Fighting Their Way Out of Xuchang

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The Wolf Shadow Guards were as light as swallows. The moment they stepped onto the lowest spear, they sprang high into the air—more than a meter at a time.

Then they landed on the next row of spears embedded in the city wall.

Using the spears fixed into the wall as a makeshift staircase, they climbed steadily upward.

The soldiers defending the wall quickly noticed what was happening. They shouted in alarm and hurriedly began firing arrows, even hurling enormous boulders down at them.

Their attacks were fierce, but no matter how violently they struck, they could not injure the Wolf Shadow Guards. Their agile bodies darted back and forth, effortlessly evading every attack.

Before long, the first Wolf Shadow Guard reached the top of the wall. With a crossbow in his left hand and a curved saber in his right, he launched into battle with perfect coordination.

Once the remaining members of the Wolf Eagle Eighteen Guards had all climbed onto the wall, they began cutting their way toward the city gate at astonishing speed.

The soldiers attacking below were left utterly dumbfounded by the sight. Even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stared in disbelief.

They had always considered themselves formidable, but after witnessing these men, they finally understood what true strength meant.

Just eighteen men had managed to storm a city wall defended by more than a hundred thousand troops.

“Stop staring! Hurry and continue the assault! Move!”

Coming to his senses, Guan Yu hurriedly urged the army to attack once more.

In the distance, Zhuge Liang, standing beside Liu Xie, was equally stunned.

“Magnificent—truly magnificent. I have never before witnessed such strength. It is unbelievable.”

Zhuge Liang shook his head repeatedly, still unable to take his eyes off the astonishing scene.

Meanwhile, inside the city, Gao Shun soon discovered that the Wolf Eagle Eighteen Guards had entered.

“Soldiers, the Wolf Eagle Eighteen Guards are here! Quickly, follow me and fight our way out!”

Gao Shun shouted loudly. With reinforcements arriving, their confidence grew stronger and stronger.

However, as more and more of Cao Cao’s troops poured in, their casualties began to mount.

There was nothing they could do. Their movements had slowed, and their failure to seize the city gate at the first opportunity had been a grave mistake.

Fortunately, none of the palace maids they were protecting had been injured.

“My lord, look! Those men are here again!”

When Cao Hong and Cao Ren saw the Wolf Eagle Eighteen Guards, they grew anxious.

Of all people, the two of them had the greatest reason to fear these men. Ever since the Wolf Shadow Guards had been formed, they had likely been the first to cross swords with them.

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Back then, Zhang Xiu and the others had been rescued by the Wolf Shadow Guards right from under their noses.

Lü Bu, too, had been saved by these same men.

At the sight of them, Cao Cao clenched his teeth in fury. He hated them with all his heart.

“Archers, prepare!”

“Shoot them dead!”

Cao Cao was truly enraged.

A moment later, large numbers of archers rushed over, nocking their arrows and drawing their bows, ready to fire.

“Everyone, be careful!”

Seeing the archers arrive, the Wolf Shadow Guards under Gao Shun grew anxious.

“Fire!”

Cao Ren gave the order, and more than ten thousand archers began loosing their arrows in a frenzy.

“Forget the wagons! They have been reinforced. Protect yourselves!”

Gao Shun shouted again.

They had anticipated this possibility when preparing the wagons. Knowing that Cao Cao’s army might fire upon them, they had used the finest timber available from the very beginning.

The wagons were more than capable of withstanding the impact of the arrows.

Though the remaining Wolf Shadow Guards were anxious, they did not panic. When the arrows came raining down, they raised their shields above their heads.

Some even dragged the corpses of Cao Cao’s soldiers in front of themselves as cover.

Tens of thousands of arrows fell, yet not one Wolf Shadow Guard was injured.

By then, the Wolf Eagle Eighteen Guards had also fought their way down from the city wall.

Although Cao Cao’s army greatly outnumbered them, no one could withstand their powerful assault.

“My lord, they are trying to seize the city gate and escape!” Cao Ren once again saw through the Wolf Shadow Guards’ intentions.

“Quickly! Hold the gate!”

Cao Cao hurriedly issued the order.

More troops rushed forward, but the Wolf Eagle Eighteen Guards were unstoppable. No matter how many men came, none could get close to them.

Thus, they continued cutting their way toward the city gate.

“Soldiers, join up with the Eighteen Guards! We will fight our way out!”

Gao Shun continued encouraging his men.

With the Wolf Shadow Guards attacking from both sides, large numbers of Cao Cao’s soldiers surrounding the gate were cut down.

Seeing this, Cao Cao grew increasingly anxious.

“What kind of people are these? How can they be so formidable?”

“And what exactly is inside those wagons?”

Cao Cao was filled with curiosity.

“My lord!”

At that moment, a soldier came running over.

“Report, my lord! All the palace maids have disappeared. They were rescued by Gao Shun and taken away in those wagons!”

As he finished speaking, the soldier pointed decisively toward the hundred or so wagons.

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“So it is them!”

“Damn them! Damn them all! What does Liu Xie want with those palace maids?”

“Could it be that he launched this campaign against me solely for their sake?”

Cao Cao finally began to understand the true reason behind the war.

As he spoke, the Wolf Shadow Guards had already fought their way toward the passage leading to the city gate.

“My lord, we are about to lose the city gate. What should we do?”

Cao Ren spoke with an expression of utmost gravity.

Cao Cao clenched his teeth. He was so furious that he felt he might explode. Liu Xie had caused him trouble time and again, and at that moment he longed to tear him apart with his bare hands.

Unfortunately, Liu Xie was not in front of him.

“Kill them! They must die! Even if they escape the city, we must hunt them down!”

“Archers, fire! I refuse to believe that they cannot be killed!”

Cao Cao had completely lost his composure. At that moment, he wanted only one thing: to slaughter the Wolf Shadow Guards.

Before long, the gates of Xuchang slowly began to open.

“The gates are open! The city gates have truly opened!”

When Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and everyone else present saw the gates swing open, they were utterly stunned.

No one could have imagined that a mere eighteen men would fight their way into the city and actually open the gates.

“Charge! Follow me!”

Zhao Yun was the first to recover, and he had not forgotten his mission.

At his command, more than ten thousand cavalrymen immediately surged forward at full speed.

Their task was to provide support for the Wolf Shadow Guards. Now that the city gates were open, their opportunity had arrived.

“That should be enough. We should withdraw as well.”

“Imperial Uncle Liu, take your troops and support General Guan and General Zhang.”

“Remember, withdraw everyone from the city wall. The soldiers who emerge from the city must cover General Gao’s retreat.”

Liu Xie issued another series of orders.

Liu Bei said nothing more. He immediately led his fifty thousand troops to join Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, while ordering all the soldiers who had been attacking the city to withdraw.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun had already led ten thousand cavalrymen to meet Gao Shun and the Wolf Shadow Guards as they charged out of the city.

With them came several hundred palace maids in more than a hundred wagons.