Chapter 632 - Defeat and Capture

At midnight, in the tent, Ning Ke couldn't sleep and tossed and turned. He was feeling anxious and uneasy, but more than that, he was frustrated and indignant. It was not easy to organize such a large-scale event, and to lose everything because of a defeat was something that anyone would be unwilling to accept.
"You seem really unsettled."
Suddenly, a voice rang out, startling Ning Ke. When she turned around, she realized it was Li Fei, who knows when he had entered the tent.
Ningke just felt a goosebumps rising on his body, but he quickly calmed down, got up from the bed, and whispered, "As a prisoner under the stairs, how can I sleep? It's already rare not to wash my face with tears."
Li Fei folded his hands behind his back and said, "You're quite humorous, kid. Your staff skills aren't that great, but your cavalry training is impressive."
When talking about his training in cavalry, Ning Ke's anxious expression vanished, and he excitedly said, "Hehe, my ancestors had a military background. They once grazed the pastures in the Xiongnu territory and had a certain understanding of horsemanship. Ancestors used to say that the key to military training lies in diligence. One must practice day and night in order to gradually become skilled. My cavalry skills were all earned through hand-to-hand training, tirelessly day and night."
Li Fei rolled his eyes and said, "You really can't handle compliments, can you? I just praised you and you're already full of yourself. No wonder you want to dominate the world as soon as you achieve a little success, even thinking of killing me."
"Hey hey, who can claim to be perfect and never make mistakes?” Ningke did not feel ashamed and instead chuckled, "As a humble person who has nothing now, it is an opportunity that is too good to let go. How can I not give it my all? If I don't give it a try, how can I face my ancestors? Even if I die, I might leave a mark in history."
Li Fei sneered and said, "Even if I have a name, it's an infamous one. I will be cursed by future generations."
Ning Ke shook his head and said, "Hehe, let them curse. I can't hear it anyway, so let them be."
Li Fei looked at Ning Ke in surprise, amazed that he was still so optimistic at this point.
He couldn't help but think of Ah Gui, who, when he found out he was going to be beheaded, first blacked out before calmly accepting his fate. Ah Gui seemed to think that in life, it was inevitable that one would have to lose their head at some point.
Agui's spirit is full of irony, while Ningke is simply overly optimistic.
Such a guy is no different from a Monkey King, who could easily somersault to the Jade Emperor's Palace if not careful.
He wants to use someone like Ningke, but he also needs to give him a disciplinary spell in advance.
Li Fei said lightly, "I appreciate you and plan to give you a chance to start anew. Are you willing?"
Ning Ke was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "You don't have to argue with me anymore. I am the leader of the evil gang. The ordinary Yellow Turban rebels might be allowed to go, but people like me would be captured and killed."
Li Fei said: "You are captured by me, so I have the initiative. It is not up to others to decide whether to kill you or not."
Ning Ke's face changed and he respectfully knelt down, saying: "Earlier, this humble person already mentioned that my life belongs to you. As long as you give the command, I am willing to go through fire and water."
Li Fei waved his hand and said, "Alright, you help me train the cavalry honestly, and there will be benefits for you in the future."
Ning Ke laughed loudly and said, "Hahaha, this is my specialty dish."
Li Fei saw the situation and shook his head helplessly. If this kid doesn't change his habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve, he will definitely suffer a big loss in the future.
As the night grew deeper, Li Fei came to the cold pool alone. The water in the pool was extremely calm, with only the sound of the wind whistling.
I wonder how Diaochan is doing," Li Fei lightly stomped his foot, deliberately creating a sound.
Soon, a pure white figure rushed out of the cave and, under the moonlight, saw that it was Li Fei. Excitedly, she threw herself into his arms.
"Master, I miss you so much."
Li Fei smiled and said, "It seems that your cultivation has already reached the late stage of Qi Refining. It looks like you have been diligently cultivating during this period, very impressive."
Diaochan whispered, "I am alone here, without any disturbances, completely focused on my cultivation, naturally improving at a rapid pace."
However, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart, the path of cultivation is not easy. After staying alone for a long time, she also yearned to blend into the crowd, but in the end, she endured it.
"Is Bai Ling still living at the bottom of the pool?"
"Yes, recently I don't know what's going on with it. It often gets angry for no reason."
"Haha, maybe it feels that the troubled times have arrived."
"What chaotic times?"
"Diao Chan has been staying near the cold pool, completely unaware of the news about the Yellow Turban Rebellion."
"Li Fei smiled faintly and immediately changed the subject. At this time, the Yellow Turban Rebellion is completely different from the historical event. It is not a widespread uprising that engulfed half of China."
The reason for the change is definitely the intervention of the time traveler.
And Bai Ling is a naturally wild spirit beast, like a beloved child of the earth, so when China falls into chaos, it also feels uneasy.
However, there is no need to tell Diao Chan about these matters in order to avoid distracting her and not be worth the effort.
After chatting with Li Fei for a while, Diao Chan turned to the main topic and taught her the sword cultivation technique. After sending out the flying sword, he bid farewell and left.
In the blink of an eye, three months have passed. The court sent out a force of 300,000 troops to besiege Xiangyang City, with Lu Zhi as the main general. This man is from Zhuo County, Zhuo Prefecture, Youzhou. He comes from a distinguished family and has status and position. Moreover, he is knowledgeable and talented, excelling in both civil and military affairs. He has previously been Liu Bei's teacher.
Just this resume alone is enough to start live streaming in modern times.
In Lu Zhi's view, a group of bandits can't resist his regular army. With a little more time, he will be able to conquer them. As long as he takes Xiangyang City, the army will surely quickly occupy the other eight counties, and Jingzhou will naturally be recovered.
However, he underestimated the strength of the Yellow Turbans and underestimated the intelligence of Cui Dacong.
Cui Dacong is like a godsend; once he enters the battlefield, the morale of the Yellow Turban Army will greatly increase. In addition, cavalry is useless against him; his voice can cause horses to lose control. Therefore, the only option is to launch a strong attack using infantry.
This battle lasted for a full three months, but the casualties were not severe. Both sides were testing each other and did not truly exert their full strength. Additionally, Cui Dacong stayed inside the city and did not have the opportunity to engage in combat.
In this case, Lu Zhi still has confidence in winning this battle and appears very confident and optimistic. He calls for a challenge in front of the city every day.
In the fourth month, Cui Dacong changed his usual conservative approach and no longer defended the city. He unexpectedly led 50,000 Yellow Turban troops to actively leave the city and meet the enemy, which puzzled Lu Zhi.
Even if you're powerful, you can't defeat 300,000 of our troops with just 50,000.
Lü Zhi immediately ordered an attack, and as expected, Cui Dacong quickly retreated in the face of our overwhelming numbers and hastily fled towards the east.
This direction is not the direction of the city gate, but Lu Zhi does not suspect him, and with his own 30,000 elite troops, he directly chased after him.
What happened next was unbelievable to him. It turned out that Cui Dacang was not really defeated, but he lured the enemy deep, and had already arranged ambushes, waiting for Lu Zhi to fall into the trap that was designed in advance.
These ambush troops were brought by Zhang Niu Jiao. He had been staying in Guiyang County and received Cui Dacong's orders early on. He led a cavalry unit to live in the mountains, making it truly undetectable.
After Lu Zhi was defeated and ordered to retreat, another group of soldiers appeared in the city. The general leading them was Cai Mao, who directly captured Lu Zhi, leaving the remaining imperial army without a leader. After being attacked for a while, they fled in a sorry state.
During this battle, more than 60,000 soldiers surrendered.
When Cui Dacong first met Cai Mao, he returned in failure. However, he won the favor of Cai Mao's second sister, Cai Ying. The two of them quickly became a couple, and they wasted no time in formalizing their relationship.
Cai Mao, seeing that the situation was irreparable, decided to put aside his pride and wholeheartedly cooperate with Cui Dacong. He also helped Cui Dacong persuade the influential families of Jingxiang, led by Kui Yue, to acknowledge Cui Dacong's rightful position as the ruler of Jingzhou.
Lu Zhi was locked in the first cell of the prison.
He stared fiercely at Cui Dacong, who came to visit, and shouted, "Traitor, you deserve to die."
Cui Dacong reached into his ear, smiling and said, "Mr. Lu, let's not use such harsh language. Let's have a good chat."
"I am disgusted. There is nothing to talk about between you and me," Lu Zhi snorted and turned his face away.
Cui Dacong wasn't angry and continued, "Why is there nothing to talk about? There is so much to discuss, like whether we can save this world, and how much longer the emperor can endure."
Lv Zhi hummed again, closed his eyes, and refused to look at him.
Cui Dacong smiled and said, "If you have this attitude, then I really have nothing more to say. I can only spread the news that you, Lu Zhi, are afraid of death and have already joined the embrace of our Yellow Turbans."
Hearing these words, Lu Zhi was almost angered to the point of jumping up, and angrily said, "You...you beast!"
Cui Dacong laughed heartily, "Lord Lu, are you willing to chat with me?"
Lü Zhi was very depressed, but under pressure, he had no other thoughts left. Faced with this difficult situation, he felt completely helpless.
"What do you want?"
"I want you to join the Yellow Turbans."
"You rest."
"Then I will go out..."
"Enough!" Lu Zhi shouted, "I have lived a righteous life, how can I be ruined by a beast like you? I would rather die."
"You die, die right now, is it useful? Will the old emperor believe in the loyalty of a dead person?" Cui Dacong chuckled, "Think about it, if you surrender to me now, I will publicly proclaim that you, Lord Lu, wholeheartedly serve the country and have already died in battle. Then I can give you a new identity and you can continue to serve me. And when the time is ripe, I can even reunite you with your family. Why not seize the opportunity?"
Luzhi's eyes flickered, seemingly moved, but his deep loyalty to the Han Dynasty prevented him from speaking up.
"Mr. Lu, take your time to consider here. I'm not in a hurry. Sooner or later, you will figure it out. I bid farewell," Cui Dacong took a few steps out and turned around, saying, "If there is anything you need, just let my subordinates know. I may not show enough respect to someone as talented as you."
As soon as Cui Dacong's figure disappeared, Lu Zhi sat down on the ground as if he had lost all his strength. When he looked up again, tears were streaming down his face, and in an instant, he seemed to have aged ten years.