Chapter 238: Chapter 237
In the distance.
When the generals of Cao Cao's army saw Chen Ye sprinting on foot to catch up with Zhao Yun's famed horse, then leaping into the air and delivering a kick that shattered the head of the Night-Shining Jade Lion, they couldn't help but gasp in shock.
Especially Xiahou Yuan and Xu Chu, who felt a chill run down their spines and a deep sense of fear.
Both had briefly crossed swords with Chen Ye before.
If that "Luo Xiu" hadn't shown mercy back then, their graves would probably already have grass growing over them by now.
In hindsight, they should be grateful for Luo Xiu's mercy in sparing their lives!
While the generals were filled with fear, Cao Cao's eyes gleamed with excitement, his expression one of joy.
"Hahaha, with such a mighty general, how can I not bring peace to the world?"
Cao Cao couldn't help but laugh heartily.
As anyone familiar with the Three Kingdoms knows, Cao Cao had a penchant for brave warriors just as much as he did for beautiful women!
He once released Guan Yu because he wanted to capture Zhao Yun alive…
The more powerful his generals, the happier Cao Cao was.
...
"My name is Luo Xiu, styled Zhongye, just a nameless soldier."
Chen Ye smiled faintly and said, "General Zilong, I respect you as a true hero, but my lord holds you in high regard. Please don't make things difficult for me."
Zhao Yun stood up from the ground, clutching the infant Liu Shan in his left arm while gripping his sword with his right, his expression resolute as he faced Chen Ye.
"General Luo, I will not surrender. If you wish to keep me here, then take my life!"
Hearing this, Chen Ye couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.
Loyalty and righteousness can be virtues, but at times they can also be burdens.
Like now!
Chen Ye didn't doubt Zhao Yun's words. After thinking it over, he said, "How about this, General Zilong? You put down the child and face me in a fair fight. If you win, I will let you both go. If you lose, you will stay."
"And as for this child, the offspring of Liu Xuande (Liu Bei), I am willing to plead with my lord to spare his life. What do you say?"
Zhao Yun hesitated for a moment, then surprisingly agreed.
"Very well! I'll do as General Luo suggests, but I hope you will keep your word!"
What attracted Zhao Yun most to this proposal was the promise to spare Liu Shan's life!
As long as the young lord survived, his master would one day find a way to rescue him, and Zhao Yun could answer for his actions.
Nothing else mattered!
Zhao Yun then gently placed Liu Shan on the ground nearby, raised his sword in front of himself, and said with determined eyes, "Please, General, grant me your instruction!"
In truth.
Facing a monster like Chen Ye, Zhao Yun knew he had no chance of winning!
But surrender? That was impossible!
In Zhao Yun's dictionary, the word "surrender" didn't exist!!
"General Zilong, please!"
Chen Ye cupped his hands and invited Zhao Yun to make the first move.
Hearing this, Zhao Yun wasted no time.
"Hah!"
Zhao Yun shouted, charging forward with his sword.
A flash of cold light—his sword moved like a dragon!
Even without the Silver Spear in hand, Zhao Yun's speed was terrifyingly fast.
As one of the top-tier generals, Zhao Yun's combat prowess was among the best in the entire Three Kingdoms era.
No one among the generals dared claim to surpass Zhao Yun.
However.
Zhao Yun's opponent was too formidable.
Formidable to the point of surpassing human limits!!
As an A-rank powerhouse, even with some of his abilities restricted, Chen Ye's sheer attributes alone could crush any of the Three Kingdoms generals.
No matter how fast Zhao Yun was, in Chen Ye's eyes, he was still a bit too slow.
With a slight shift of his feet, Chen Ye dodged Zhao Yun's sword and simultaneously extended a finger, aiming it at Zhao Yun's forehead.
With the strength Chen Ye currently possessed, if that finger struck, even marble could be pierced through!
To Chen Ye's surprise, Zhao Yun showed no sign of dodging.
Instead, Zhao Yun's expression was resolute, charging forward with unstoppable momentum towards Chen Ye!
"No! Zhao Yun is trying to kill himself!"
Chen Ye instantly realized something was wrong and quickly withdrew his hand, turning the jab into a push.
The next moment.
Chen Ye's expression changed.
Because Zhao Yun's sword came slashing down—not towards Chen Ye, but towards his own neck!
"What the hell! Is he really this determined?"
Chen Ye no longer held back, unleashing his full speed. He struck with his palm, arriving after Zhao Yun's attack but still managing to land a blow on Zhao Yun's arm.
With a cracking sound.
Zhao Yun's arm went limp, hanging down loosely.
Chen Ye had broken his arm...
The sharp sword clattered to the ground.
"General Zilong, why are you doing this?" Chen Ye sighed.
Zhao Yun smiled bitterly and said, "I know I am no match for you, General, so I thought to sacrifice myself for righteousness, to repay my lord's kindness. I beg you, General, do not stop me!"
"Absolutely not!"
Without another word, Chen Ye dislocated Zhao Yun's other arm to prevent the handsome warrior from taking his own life!
"General Zilong, believe me, following Liu Bei will get you nowhere!"
The pain of a broken arm would be unbearable for most people.
Yet Zhao Yun didn't utter a single sound.
Hearing Chen Ye's words, Zhao Yun frowned and said, "Please, General, do not slander my lord!"
"I'm not slandering him. Liu Xuande is doomed to fail! But enough of that… General Zilong, I urge you to give up on this idea of sacrificing yourself. If you die, this child will not survive either!"
With that threat, Chen Ye hoisted Zhao Yun onto his shoulder, cradled the "child of unknown parentage" Liu Shan, and brought them before Cao Cao.
"My lord, mission accomplished!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing that Chen Ye had indeed captured Zhao Yun, Cao Cao was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Excellent!!!"
Cao Cao had witnessed the entire confrontation.
It was truly impressive!
"Zhongye, you have rendered great service. I will record your achievement and reward you after the battle is over!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
Chen Ye was also pleased, a smile spreading across his face.
But it wasn't because Cao Cao had promised him a reward.
He wasn't from this world—what good would a reward do him here?
What made Chen Ye happy was the system's notification.
Just after capturing Zhao Yun, his reputation points had skyrocketed by more than ten thousand!!
It was absolutely thrilling!
According to the storyline, up ahead there was Zhang Fei, who would block the way. If Chen Ye could capture Zhang Fei alive too, wouldn't that earn him another surge in reputation points?
...
Cao Cao admired Zhao Yun for a moment, then praised, "General Zilong, you are indeed a mighty warrior! But why do you assist a tyrant?"
Zhao Yun was stunned, hearing Cao Cao compare Liu Bei to the wicked King Zhou of Shang. He immediately retorted in anger, "My lord is praised across the land for his benevolence and righteousness. How dare you slander him?"
"Just a mere hypocrite!"
Cao Cao shook his head, indicating that he had already seen through Liu Bei's facade.
Then, Cao Cao asked, "You are now in my hands. Are you not afraid I will take your life?"
Zhao Yun didn't even flinch.
"If you want to kill me, then kill me!"
Seeing Zhao Yun's defiant attitude, Cao Cao recognized him as a man of loyalty and integrity, nodding in satisfaction.
He had always admired such loyal and brave warriors!
Guan Yu was like this, and now he had found another in Zhao Yun.
"If you are willing to surrender, I will spare your life!"
Zhao Yun wasn't surprised by Cao Cao's offer of surrender, but his loyalty to Liu Bei was unwavering as he firmly replied, "Traitors and rebels! I will never surrender, even unto death!"
Hearing Zhao Yun call him a traitor and rebel, Cao Cao wasn't the least bit angered.
He had been called worse plenty of times!
Cao Cao smiled and asked, "If I am a traitor, then how do you justify Liu Xuande dragging tens of thousands of commoners with him, forcing them to leave their homes, suffering such calamities that many have perished or disappeared? What kind of man does that make him?"
Cao Cao pointed towards the distance, motioning for Zhao Yun to look, and said, "Look at these commoners. They could have lived peacefully in their homes, but because of Liu Xuande's selfish ambition, they are now suffering this needless disaster."
Following Cao Cao's gaze, Zhao Yun saw countless suffering civilians, and he fell silent...
With so many people, including the elderly, the sick, and the frail, forcing them to migrate was bound to result in casualties along the way. Even if the commoners chose to follow willingly, Liu Bei should have advised them to stay behind.
"These people all followed my lord of their own accord!" Zhao Yun continued to defend Liu Bei.
"Hahaha, history will be the judge of what is right and wrong!"
Cao Cao chose not to argue further. Instead, his gaze shifted to the infant in Chen Ye's hands. "Is this child Liu Xuande's son?"
Zhao Yun immediately grew vigilant. "What do you intend to do?"
Cao Cao chuckled confidently, "I, Cao Mengde, do not trouble myself with harming a mere child... Someone come here!"
A guard stepped forward.
Pointing at little Liu Shan, Cao Cao commanded, "Take this child back to Liu Xuande!"
This was a dangerous task.
However, the guard did not even flinch. He quickly took Liu Shan, mounted his horse, and rode off to catch up with Liu Bei.
Zhao Yun was stunned, looking at Cao Cao in disbelief.
Cao Cao laughed heartily and said, "General Zilong, since you refuse to surrender, I will not force you. For now, stay here in peace. Once I capture Liu Xuande, I will reunite you with your lord."
"In the future, if you wish to plead for Liu Xuande's life, I will consider it, out of respect for your loyalty!"
With that, Cao Cao waved his hand, signaling for Zhao Yun to be taken away and treated well.
As for Zhao Yun's arms, which had been dislocated by Chen Ye, military doctors were ordered to set them back in place.
Many present could see through Cao Cao's true intentions.
Chen Ye was one of them.
At this moment, Chen Ye couldn't help but admire Cao Cao's cunning. No wonder he became a legendary warlord—his strategies and calculations were indeed extraordinary.
Sending Liu Shan back to Liu Bei might seem like a magnanimous gesture on the surface.
But in reality, it cut off Zhao Yun's path of return.
Liu Bei knew Zhao Yun had gone to retrieve his son. Now that his son was sent back, but Zhao Yun remained in Cao's camp, what would Liu Bei think?
Even if Cao Cao were to release Zhao Yun now, Liu Bei might hesitate to trust him again in the near future…
This was Cao Cao's plan to sow discord!
Simple! Yet effective!!
...
The army then continued its advance.
Upon reaching Changban Bridge, a scout suddenly reported that there seemed to be an ambush ahead.
Cao Cao, along with his generals, proceeded to the bridge.
Chen Ye was among them.
At the bridgehead, they saw a rough-looking giant of a man with upturned tiger-like whiskers and wide, glaring eyes. He held a long spear, standing alone on the bridge.
Behind the bridgehead, in the woods, dust was rising, as if a thousand troops were rushing forth.
For a moment, no one could determine whether there was an actual ambush.
The giant man shouted at Cao's forces, his voice like thunder, "I am Zhang Fei of Yan! Who dares to face me in a fight to the death?"
His roar was deafening, shaking the earth.
Some of Cao's soldiers, seeing Zhang Fei's imposing presence, were already trembling with fear.
But Chen Ye's eyes lit up...
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