Chapter 112: The Siege of Guan Yu
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“Yunchang, you absolutely must not act on impulse. I order you to follow me and break out of the city at once!”
Liu Bei had put on the airs of an elder brother and spoke as though angry.
Had this been the Guan Yu of old, he would certainly have yielded before Liu Bei’s fury.
But today, Guan Yu had resolved to rebel for once.
“Yide, what are you waiting for? Take Big Brother away!”
Zhang Fei glanced at Guan Yu, then at Liu Bei.
One was his second brother, the other his eldest brother. He had no idea whom he ought to obey.
“Ah!”
With a sigh, Zhang Fei seized the reins of Liu Bei’s horse and dragged him away at a hurried pace.
“Second Brother, take care!”
“Yide, what are you doing? Let go of me at once!”
Zhang Fei ignored Liu Bei’s struggles. They were at a critical moment.
Cao Peng did not stop Liu Bei and Zhang Fei from fleeing.
He looked at Guan Yu, who was blocking the road ahead, and smiled faintly.
Turning to Zhao Yun beside him, he asked, “Zilong, is that the Guan Yu who slew Hua Xiong after warming the wine? Do you dare fight him?”
Zhao Yun’s gaze sharpened. “Why would I not dare? Let me see whether he is truly as formidable as the rumors claim.”
As he spoke, his grip tightened around his spear.
He had always believed that one’s strength could only grow through battle against powerful opponents.
The injuries covering his body had nearly healed.
All of that was thanks to the pill Cao Peng had given him. The Tiger-Leopard Body-Tempering Golden Pill was truly extraordinary.
After swallowing it, not only had his wounds healed immediately, but his strength had also risen to another level.
Zhao Yun spurred his horse forward and came to a stop opposite Guan Yu.
Guan Yu thought the young man looked far too inexperienced. His phoenix eyes narrowed, and he said contemptuously, “My blade does not strike the old or the young. Go back.”
Zhao Yun possessed excellent self-control and was not angered.
His silver spear danced lightly before he charged at Guan Yu.
Guan Yu’s narrowed phoenix eyes suddenly opened wide. He raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and brought it down toward Zhao Yun’s face with terrifying speed and force.
Though he had just said that his blade did not strike the old or the young, he would never refuse another’s challenge.
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Zhao Yun’s silver spear flashed. He naturally knew how formidable Guan Yu’s strike was, and as he dodged, the Silver Dragon Spear in his hands had already shifted direction.
He was the disciple of Tong Yuan, the Spear God, and had mastered the legendary Hundred-Birds-朝-Phoenix Spear technique. Since completing his training, he had never truly crossed weapons with a warrior as powerful as Guan Yu.
If Guan Yu’s Green Dragon Blade technique emphasized speed and ferocity, then Zhao Yun’s Hundred-Birds-Attending-the-Phoenix Spear emphasized penetrating force and swiftness.
After dozens of exchanges, the two remained evenly matched.
By then, Zhang Liao, Zang Ba, and Dian Wei had all arrived and taken their positions beside Cao Peng.
A thought suddenly occurred to Cao Peng, and he called out, “Zilong, come back!”
Though he was locked in a thrilling battle with Guan Yu, Zhao Yun obeyed the order and withdrew.
Seeing Zhao Yun called back, Guan Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though he said proudly, “Hmph, you rat. At least you know when to retreat. If we had continued, I would have taken your head within ten moves!”
Zhao Yun was instantly angered, but Cao Peng motioned for him to stand down.
“That brute has insulted me so openly. I cannot swallow this humiliation!” Zhao Yun said resentfully.
Cao Peng comforted him. “Zilong, rest assured. That arrogant fellow will pay the price soon enough.”
Zhao Yun was still somewhat skeptical.
His doubts, however, were dispelled almost immediately.
“Dian Wei, take up your great axes and fight Guan Yu!” Cao Peng shouted.
Dian Wei’s eyes sharpened when he heard this. Was Cao Peng not asking him to take advantage of a weakened opponent?
Still, Dian Wei had always obeyed orders without asking questions.
Gripping his two enormous axes, he charged toward Guan Yu and hacked down.
The momentum was like a raging storm, and even Guan Yu felt cold sweat break out across his brow.
His fierce battle with Zhao Yun had already exhausted a great deal of his strength. He now possessed only about eighty percent of the power he had enjoyed at his peak.
Against the beastlike Dian Wei, every collision between the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and those massive axes made his weapon feel heavier.
His palms had begun to ache.
Watching Guan Yu struggle through one perilous situation after another, Cao Peng’s lips curled into a cold smile.
That was right. He intended to capture Guan Yu through a relay of successive battles.
Was Lord Guan not proud? Did he not always believe that he could fight ten men alone?
Today, Cao Peng would teach Guan Yu that a man ought to remain humble.
“Zhang Liao, Zang Ba, you two join the battle as well!”
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Cao Peng’s order left the two men stunned.
“What?”
“That may not be quite appropriate!”
Zhang Liao and Zang Ba both had their pride. To join the attack on Guan Yu at such a moment seemed rather dishonorable.
Cao Peng, however, shouted indifferently, “Enough nonsense. Get in there!”
Left with no choice, the two generals charged forward together and surrounded Guan Yu.
“Shameless!”
The proud Guan Yu could endure no longer and finally spat out those words. Yet his Green Dragon Crescent Blade had already been forced down by the combined pressure of three weapons.
The strain was simply too great. His horse stumbled, and Guan Yu was thrown from the saddle.
“Take him!”
With a wave of Cao Peng’s hand, the Tiger-and-Leopard Cavalry behind him immediately advanced. They surrounded Guan Yu, raising their spears to pin down his limbs and throat.
Thus, Guan Yu was captured, and the defenses of Xuzhou soon passed into Cao’s army’s hands.
After dealing with some military affairs, Cao Peng went to the prison where Guan Yu was being held.
When Cao Peng arrived, he saw that Guan Yu had not touched the food brought to him. It seemed he intended to demonstrate his resolve through fasting.
The sound of Cao Peng entering nevertheless startled him.
Guan Yu opened his eyes and fixed them on Cao Peng.
“Shameless wretch! You won through dishonorable means!”
Cao Peng had not expected the man still to be brooding over his defeat. Clearly, being overwhelmed through successive battles had dealt a severe blow to his pride.
Cao Peng smiled. “Yunchang, think about this. Your death would be a small matter, but do you know who will protect Liu Bei’s wife after you are gone?”
He had actually dared to threaten Guan Yu with Liu Bei’s wife. Killing intent immediately filled Guan Yu’s eyes.
Cao Peng, however, remained oblivious and continued speaking as though to himself.
“Come to think of it, you have always treated Liu Bei with such devotion. But has Liu Bei ever truly been worthy of you?”
“He has probably already escaped the city. Once he reaches Yuan Shao, he will continue living in comfort, while you will have thrown your life away for nothing!”
Guan Yu flew into a rage. “Stop spouting such nonsense! My elder brother is nothing like the man you describe!”
Cao Peng sneered. “Then tell me this: what sort of man abandons even his own wife and, at the moment of life and death, does not spare a thought for you, his second brother? Can such a man truly be called loyal and righteous?”