Chapter 160: Breaking Out, Sending Daughter to Seek Reinforcements

In the third year of Jian'an,
In the middle of the seventh month of autumn!

Cao Cao united with various generals from Mount Tai, Chen Deng, and Xiahou Yuan, forming a total of four allied armies numbering around forty to fifty thousand troops, to encircle and besiege Xuzhou.

Lü Bu had originally intended to follow Chen Gong's advice, leading his troops out of the city to establish an encampment outside. However, his wife, Lady Yan, worried that Chen Gong and Gao Shun were not on good terms, and coupled with the fact that Chen Gong had once betrayed his master before, Lü Bu hesitated and ultimately rejected the plan.

Thus, he lost the final strategic initiative of the war.

This infuriated Chen Gong to no end; Lü Bu was clearly bringing about his own destruction.

Desperate to carve out a sliver of survival, Lü Bu led over a thousand wolf cavalry to launch a sudden counterattack while Cao Cao's forces were still unestablished. However, Lü Bu's petty tactics had long been seen through by Cao Cao.

The thousand wolf cavalry returned with the vast majority of their men slain or wounded.

Lü Bu had no choice but to order the strict defense of Xuzhou, forbidding anyone from opening the city gates without authorization.

For a time, panic spread among the people within the city!

————

On the city walls of Xiapi.

Lü Bu's daughter, Lü Lingqi, draped in armor with a heroic and spirited aura between her brows, watched the mighty and formidable approach of Cao Cao's army. Seeing that the city was about to be completely surrounded, she burned with anxiety.

With enemies besieging on all four sides, her father was bound to be defeated.

At this thought, she grabbed her slightly damaged battle halberd, spun around, and commanded sternly, "Zhang Liao, go tell my father that I am breaking through the lines to seek reinforcements. Tell him not to worry."

With that, Lü Lingqi led a dozen personal guards and headed straight down the watchtower.

Zhang Liao was utterly stunned by Lü Lingqi's words and hurriedly shouted, "Milady, you must not! The enemy army is about to complete the encirclement; breaking through at this moment means nine deaths and hardly a chance of life."

"Step aside!"

"I said, step aside!"

Lü Lingqi held her halberd level, the tip resting against Zhang Liao's neck, her eyes glaring with fury.

Zhang Liao hesitated for a long time, but finally stepped aside to let her pass. Lü Lingqi strode forward resolutely. Zhang Liao gritted his teeth and called out to the personal guards behind him, "Go report to the lord and tell him I am escorting Milady to ensure her safety."

Zhang Liao knew well that what his young mistress said, she would carry out without fail.

It was clearly too late to report to Lü Bu beforehand, and breaking through to seek reinforcements was indeed a decent choice. Without a moment's hesitation, he hoisted his battle saber and followed closely behind.

Creak!

The city gates swung open, and Lü Lingqi charged out at the very front.

Behind her, aside from a dozen personal guards, Zhang Liao also led twenty mounted followers, trailing closely in Lü Lingqi's wake.

The distant Cao army naturally spotted them, but Cao Cao did not take them seriously. At present, completing the encirclement was of the utmost importance; a mere dozen or so horsemen were utterly insignificant—at most, they were merely going to seek reinforcements.

Furthermore, he had arranged archers to set up ambushes along the possible escape routes.

Even if the ambush failed and Chu Feng was bogged down in Shouchun, Cao Cao truly did not believe that Chu Feng would abandon the safety of Shouchun to send troops to Lü Bu's rescue.

"Lord, let me take some men and play with them!"

Seeing that the enemy general was none other than Zhang Liao, Xu Huang stepped forward with a smile, cupping his fists.

"Go ahead!"

Cao Cao waved his hand dismissively, unconcerned.

Before long, over a hundred cavalrymen began to pursue and intercept them, all utilizing light composite bows to shoot from horseback, compressing their living space. Lü Lingqi's brows knitted slightly, knowing they could not allow this to continue.

"Charge out with me!"

She raised her smaller battle halberd into the distance and shouted furiously.

With that, Lü Lingqi took the lead, with Zhang Liao guarding her flanks, charging straight toward the gap in Cao Cao's encirclement.

Seeing that his initial tactic had failed, Xu Huang immediately led his men to meet them head-on. Gazing at Lü Lingqi, who possessed a valor that rivaled any man, he chuckled softly:

"Lü Lingqi, your father boasts that his martial prowess is the finest under heaven. I wonder how much of it you have inherited? Today, let me test your skills. If you lose, follow me back to my camp to become my wife."

"Hmph! My father's martial arts are so profound that even a mere fraction of them is more than enough to handle you!" Furious, Lü Lingqi whipped her horse forward and charged straight at Xu Huang.

Zhang Liao cleaved an enemy in two with a sweep of his blade, shouting that it was already too late to stop her, and immediately spurred his horse in pursuit.

"Hehe, brave but witless, truly the exact same mold as your father. A simple goading tactic makes you this angry." Xu Huang sneered, gripping his gilded greataxe and striding forward to meet her.

In the blink of an eye, they closed the distance.

Lü Lingqi let out a sharp cry, her battle halberd flashing with blinding speed as it thrust directly toward Xu Huang.

Xu Huang frowned internally: *Such a fast halberd! This Lü Lingqi actually possesses some genuine skill, not just flashy tricks.*

He brought his greataxe up to parry. With a crisp *clang*, Xu Huang felt his greataxe sink heavily under the force, yet a cold smile crept onto his lips as he teased, "Nice halberd technique, but it lacks a bit of strength."

"Hmph! More than enough to take your head!"

Lü Lingqi's great halberd danced through the air, raining down blows upon Xu Huang that soon had him crying out in distress. Lü Lingqi knew well that she was inferior in raw physical strength, but when it came to martial arts technique, she only needed to master the refined essence.

Xu Huang grew somewhat annoyed. He was beaten into a state with no opportunity to counterattack, as if his entire repertoire of skills was restricted and unable to be unleashed, leaving him deeply vexed.

Seeing Zhang Liao approaching with his saber raised, Xu Huang felt a twinge of retreat.

He knew Zhang Liao well; this man possessed unstoppable valor and was Lü Bu's most formidable fierce general. Fighting Lü Lingqi alone was already somewhat taxing for him; if Zhang Liao were to join the fray, defeat was certain.

Since he could not trap them, Xu Huang did not press his luck. He feinted with his greataxe, then immediately reined his horse aside to clear the path. Lü Lingqi and Zhang Liao dared not linger, hurrying away at top speed.

Even so, the thirty-odd riders under their command had suffered half-casualties.

Watching their retreating backs, Xu Huang wheeled his horse back to formation: "Lord, it was Zhang Liao and Lü Lingqi. They must be heading to Shouchun for reinforcements."

"Hehe, sending a woman to seek reinforcements? Lü Bu truly seems to have reached the end of his rope." Cao Cao burst into a cold laugh; fighting Lü Bu was always a pleasant affair.

Lü Bu had led over a thousand cavalrymen to charge the lines and managed to trap himself in the process. If it had been Chu Feng instead, his entire army would likely have had to endure yet another trial of life and death.

"Lord, it would be best to resolve this battle swiftly! Although Shouchun has a sword hanging over its head, I still worry that this man might pull off a miraculous victory. We cannot lower our guard."

Guo Jia frowned slightly and offered his counsel.

Cao Cao nodded. "Does Fengxiao have a brilliant strategy to help me conquer Xuzhou?"

"Lord, observing everything Lü Bu has done throughout his life, he has never had any desire to hold a lofty position; instead, he has repeatedly chosen to live as a dependent under others. The Lord might as well fake a surrender to this man, promising him a general's post and a marquisate!"

Guo Jia stroked his chin and suggested in a deep voice.

Cao Cao pondered this and nodded. When he put it that way, it was indeed true: first he served under Ding Yuan, then Dong Zhuo and Wang Yuan; after the imperial court fell, he wanted to defect to Yuan Shu, then he went to Yuan Shao, and later he hooked up with Zhang Miao.

If not for Chen Gong and the others welcoming him, with Lü Bu's mere peasant background, wanting to become a regional warlord would have been immensely difficult.

"Makes sense! Let us give it a try!"

Xun You smiled faintly and said, "Lord, Lü Bu is a man incapable of managing his subordinates. If he refuses to surrender, we might as well shoot letters over the city walls to sow discord among his subordinates; it just might have miraculous results."

The two strategists offered complementary plans, both hitting the nail on the head. If anyone was to blame, it was Lü Bu for having too many flaws; previously when fighting Chu Feng, Guo Jia and Xun You had miscalculated on multiple occasions.

After a long while, the Cao army completed its encirclement.

At this moment, Lü Bu donned his armor and climbed the city walls. Having received the news that Lü Lingqi and her troops had broken through the siege, he gazed into the distance from the heights, watching her successfully escape, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief.

Although he was addicted to wine and lust, Lü Lingqi was his only offspring; how could he not be anxious?

Cao Cao spurred his horse forward and shouted aloud, "Lü Bu, you and I meet again at last! Come to think of it, the last time we met was several years ago, during the great battle in Yanzhou."

"Back then, you, Lü Fengxian, led merely hundreds of armored cavalry and left my forces in complete disarray, fleeing in utter panic. Ever since that day, I knew that you, Lü Bu, were invincible!"

"Haha, indeed, indeed!"