After saying this, Han Sui suddenly sprang up, drew his sword from his waist and slashed at Ma Chao. Ma Chao was caught off guard and was in a critical moment.

A long spear pierced straight through Han Sui's back.

He slowly turned his head, only to see Zhao Yun's calm expression.

"Mr. Lu has wanted to kill you for a long time, but Meng Qi was reluctant and wanted to give you a chance. I didn't expect you to still take this step!"

Han Sui collapsed with an incredulous expression. He never imagined that he would die at the hands of Zhao Yun.

“Uncle, I know you have ambitions, but I can’t bear to kill you. Why do you insist on going down this path?”

Ma Chao looked at the corpse lying on the ground with a complicated expression and muttered to himself.

Han Sui's 40,000 Xiliang cavalry immediately went berserk, but Ma Chao immediately mounted his horse and roared, "Han Sui has rebelled and has been executed!"

"I, Ma Mengqi, guarantee that this matter has nothing to do with you. As long as you follow me, I will ensure you wealth and prosperity!"

Ma Chao's reputation in Xiliang was even greater than that of his father, Ma Teng, especially among the Qiang people, who revered him as a god.

Because Xiliang is a place where strength is paramount, and most importantly, it also has hundreds of thousands of surrendered soldiers.

If they were to become disorderly, these hundreds of thousands of surrendered soldiers could easily devour them alive.

"We are willing to obey the general's orders!"

Ma Chao nodded in satisfaction, then casually brandished his spear and ordered, "On my command, burn the grain rations at Wuchao. Anyone who obstructs us will be killed without mercy!"

Soon, flames filled the sky, and the Wuchao granary was completely burned down.

Thick smoke billowed up, which Dong Zhuo, who was on the front lines in the distance, saw and immediately showed a look of astonishment.

"What happened? Why is Wuchao on fire?" Dong Zhuo shouted anxiously.

Li Ru frowned and said, "My lord, I will immediately send scouts to investigate the situation!"

"What are you even asking about!" Dong Zhuo was about to explode in anger when Lü Bu returned on Red Hare.

However, he was covered in blood, and his right hand was hanging limply.

"Fengxian!" Dong Zhuo exclaimed in surprise.

Before Lü Bu could speak, he suddenly tumbled off Red Hare.

Dong Zhuo rushed forward in a hurry, taking three steps at a time.

"Fengxian, what happened? Who injured you like this?" Dong Zhuo asked anxiously, holding Lü Bu in his arms.

At this moment, blood spilled from the corner of Lü Bu's mouth, and his face was deathly pale, clearly indicating that he had suffered extremely severe internal injuries.

"My lord... cough cough cough!" Lu Bu said weakly, "Your subordinate is incompetent. The rescue of Wuchao went poorly, resulting in the burning of the grain supplies. I beg my lord to punish me!"

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo was both shocked and furious. Wuchao had an army of 150,000, with Hua Xiong and Lü Bu guarding it, yet they still couldn't stop the Yellow Turban Army.

How is this possible? Could it be that Lu Li personally took action?

"What exactly happened?" Dong Zhuo asked anxiously.

"Ma Chao, Han Sui, and Gao Shun led their troops to attack Wuchao. When I arrived, I killed Gao Shun, wiped out the Trapped Camp, and seriously wounded Ma Chao."

"But to everyone's surprise, another Zhao Yun appeared!"

"He...he also reached the Lesser Grandmaster realm, and we fought to a draw!" Lu Bu said, panting.

Lesser Grandmaster Realm!

Dong Zhuo and Li Ru were completely stunned after hearing this. How could this be?

Zhao Yun actually broke through to the Lesser Grandmaster realm? How old is he?

However, the injuries on Lü Bu's body were genuine; Dong Zhuo knew he wouldn't lie to him.

"My lord, what should we do now?" Li Ru asked anxiously.

Dong Zhuo gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Send down the order: the entire army shall cease its siege!"

With Wuchao fallen, the feudal lords must have received the news and are probably starting to prepare for their retreat.

Cao Cao had previously said that the first battle should be the decisive one, and that the outcome of the battle would be decided in one fell swoop.

If they were to retreat in such a disgraceful manner, then no one in the world would be able to withstand the Yellow Turban Army!

Therefore, we must grit our teeth and fight this battle!

Dong Zhuo then summoned Cao Cao and Yuan Shao separately; among the warlords, these two were the most powerful.

As long as they don't retreat, there's still a fight to be fought.

After the two arrived, Dong Zhuo did not beat around the bush, since the towering flames and thick smoke at Wuchao could not be concealed at all.

"How many days' worth of provisions do we have?" Cao Cao asked in a deep voice.

Dong Zhuo sighed: "At most two days!"

But Cao Cao knew that, according to Dong Zhuo's conservative estimate, the food and provisions for a million-strong army would probably not even last half a day.

"Prime Minister, now we have no choice but to fight with our backs to the wall!" Cao Cao said solemnly.

"A desperate battle?"

Cao Cao nodded and said, "The best course of action now is to take out all the grain and provisions, let the soldiers have a good meal, and then launch a full-scale attack on the Yellow Turban Army. That might give us a glimmer of hope!"

It must be said that Cao Cao's reaction was beyond Dong Zhuo's expectations.

He hadn't expected that Cao Cao would be even more resolute than him!

"Benchu, what do you think?" Dong Zhuo asked Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao was a man who loved to strategize but lacked decisiveness, but at this moment he couldn't think of a better solution.

"Prime Minister, what Mengde said is our only chance now!"

These two sworn enemies, surprisingly, reached a consensus. Dong Zhuo was not one to mince words, and after a moment of contemplation, he immediately said, "Alright! We'll do as you say!"

"You two keep the other lords in check, I will personally command the army!"

At this moment, Dong Zhuo seemed to have returned to his former glory in Xiliang. He had once subdued the Qiang tribe single-handedly on horseback.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun led his army back immediately after burning down the Wuchao granary.

Zhao Yun was also seriously injured, but when he told Lu Li the news of Gao Shun's death in battle, Lu Li immediately felt a pang of pain in his heart.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!