My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 568 Zhao Wei's Intention
Even if they defended the river to the death, could they really stop Liu Feng's army?
If the Bidao Pass is lost, and the army marches down the river, Jiangzhou will be the first to be affected.

With General Zuo's renowned reputation for skill in battle, coupled with his elite and valiant troops, even if I didn't head north to Chengdu, could I really withstand General Zuo's fierce attack?

The thought of this scene sent chills down Zhao Wei's spine.

After a long while, Zhao Wei finally mustered his strength and turned to ask Li Yi and Pang Ledao, "Zishu, Zihe, what are your thoughts?"

Li Yi, courtesy name Zishu.

Pang Le, courtesy name Zihe.

Li Yi and Pang Le exchanged a glance, straightened up together, and bowed to Zhao Wei, saying, "We will obey your orders, Lord. We will follow any command without question."

Zhao Wei immediately became enraged and said, "What I want to hear is your opinion. Why don't you dare to speak frankly? Is there something you can't say?"

Li Yi and Pang Le quickly replied, "We think the scribe's words are very reasonable. Moreover, Mr. Ziju has been following our lord for a long time. He will surely do his best to fulfill our lord's wishes by personally going to Jiangdong. We must not waste the scribe's efforts."

Deep down, Li Yi and Pang Le, like Cheng Ji, also hoped to have strong allies to fight alongside them as generals. As clan leaders, they naturally hoped to stand on the side of the victors.

Liu Feng now commands a strong and well-equipped army with ships stretching for thousands of miles. If he were to truly attack Shu, who could possibly stop him?

They were overjoyed that Liu Feng was willing to cooperate with their lord; they were more eager than Yu Cheng to do so, so how could they possibly cause trouble?

Seeing that his trusted confidants and beloved generals were all in agreement, Zhao Wei felt both displeased and deeply swayed.

Finally, Zhao Wei glanced at his son and couldn't help but ask, "What does my son think?"

Zhao Sheng was stumped by Zhao Wei's question. After a moment, he respectfully replied, "Father, I have long heard that General Zuo is benevolent and virtuous beyond compare, and his reputation is unparalleled. If we form an alliance with him, it would be better than Father dealing with Liu Jizhou alone, and it would also leave room for our family to maneuver."

Zhao Wei understood the implication in his son's words: if he allied with Liu Feng, the Zhao family would have a way out. If they insisted on not backing down and offended Liu Feng, then the uprising would either succeed or fail, resulting in their own death and the extermination of their clan.

Seeing that even his son had this attitude, Zhao Wei's resentment subsided, replaced by a mixture of helplessness and relief.

He was actually extremely afraid of Liu Feng, otherwise he wouldn't have waited until Liu Zhang had cornered him before sending someone to contact Liu Feng.

In the original timeline, Zhao Wei had already contacted Liu Biao long ago.

Zhao Wei knew that his confidants might have their own selfish motives, but at this moment, they were all in the same boat as him.

Zhao Wei himself admitted that even if he were to surrender and relinquish his military power, he would choose Liu Feng over Liu Zhang. This was not only because of his resentment towards Liu Zhang, but also because Liu Feng had a better future and had no personal grudge against him.

"Since everyone agrees, let's proceed accordingly."

Zhao Wei sighed, "I'll have to trouble Ziju again to go to Jiangdong to pay a visit to General Zuo and arrange a date for raising troops. Since we've formed an alliance, and I'm willing to share Jiangzhou and the river defenses with him, General Zuo should also show some sincerity."

Zhao Wei had made up his mind to leave room for his own side, but his words still implied that he wanted to exchange Jiangzhou and the river defense for some more benefits, which made Cheng Ji frown.

Such a narrow-minded and indecisive person truly lacks the qualities of a wise ruler.

Unlike the indecisive and hesitant Zhao Wei, Zhu Bao was full of resentment, his fierce gaze sweeping over his allies and subordinates.

The reason was none other than the Han army that had set up camp outside the city.

Under Bu Zhi's leadership, a combined force of 10,000 from the Jing and Jiao prefectures had arrived outside Qielan City and surrounded the city completely.

Zhu Bao's anger, and even his suspicion that there was a traitor in his own camp, was actually due to a wonderful misunderstanding.

Previously, Zhu Bao received news that the Left General's army had penetrated deep into Zangke and appeared in many places. He was both surprised and frightened. He not only immediately sent reports to Bodao, Chengdu, and Dianchi, but also gathered the surrounding Baiyue barbarian soldiers, assembling 10,000 troops to guard the gateway to Qielan.

But to his surprise, he waited and waited, but Liu Feng's army did not attack. Instead, news came from outside the city that Liu Feng's army had actually stationed itself in place after taking Pingyi and Hanyang.

Zhu Bao was in great distress. Although the other party had stopped making a move, he was in excruciating pain.

Because the five or six thousand southern barbarian soldiers gathered here all need to eat. In addition to food, they also need to be rewarded. Otherwise, who would risk their lives for you?

What's more troublesome is that these southern barbarian soldiers eat Zhu Bao's grain and take Zhu Bao's money, yet they still cause trouble in the city and plunder the local people of Qielan.

Zhu Bao's private army and the retainers of the powerful clans who supported him had clashed with the Baiyue barbarian soldiers many times. If they stayed any longer, he didn't know whether Liu Feng's army would come or not, but Zhu Bao felt that they would fight each other sooner or later.

Feeling distressed about the wasted food and wealth, and after confirming that Liu Feng's army was not making any moves, Zhu Bao, in accordance with the demands of his supporters, dismissed the Baiyue barbarian soldiers.

The Baiyue barbarian soldiers were naturally very dissatisfied. They ate well, slept soundly, and received money from time to time in Qielan County. They could also get things from the Han people for free. Their lives were simply blissful.

Now that Zhu Bao wants them to go back to the mountain valleys, these Baiyue barbarian soldiers are naturally very unwilling.

However, Zhu Bao's attitude was very firm. Although the Baiyue barbarian soldiers were numerous, they were no match for Zhu Bao and could only leave in resentment.

With the departure of the Baiyue barbarian soldiers, food losses immediately decreased by 60%, and financial expenditures decreased by more than 80%. Zhu Bao was overjoyed.

But just thirteen days later, Zhu Bao's joy turned to sorrow.

Bu Zhi set off from Wuling and marched westward along the Yuan River. Zhu Bao had no idea that there would be enemies coming from the east. His attention was still focused on Pingyi in the north and Hanyang in the west.

Zhu Bao did not receive the news until Bu Zhi's army appeared ten miles outside Qielan City.

Zhu Bao was unaware that this was entirely a coincidence. In his view, the fact that Bu Zhi and the Han army were able to find his weakness so coincidentally meant that there must have been a traitor among his trusted confidants who had leaked all his intelligence to the Han army.

Zhu Bao was now gritting his teeth, wanting to find that traitor and tear him to pieces to vent his anger.

Now, there are only Zhu Bao's 2,800 men in Qielan City, plus several hundred private soldiers from various powerful clans, totaling less than 4,000 men. How can they possibly withstand Liu Feng's ferocious army outside?

What's even more troublesome is that there are no reinforcements outside Lan, and apart from the thousand or so leaderless private soldiers of local tyrants outside the city, there is nowhere to turn for help.

At this time, Lü Meng was stationed in Pingyi, Lü Dai in Yelang and Tangao, and Wen Pin in Hanyang, effectively cutting off Zhu Bao's possibility of seeking help from all sides.

If they wanted to seek help from Chengdu or Bodao, they couldn't get past Pingyi; if they wanted to seek help from Dianchi or Weixian, they couldn't get past Yelang or Tangao; if they wanted to seek help from Zhuti, they couldn't get past Hanyang.

The only one they could turn to for help was Wulian of the Baiyue tribe to the south.

However, the Baiyue barbarian soldiers had just been driven away by Zhu Bao, who had used ruthless methods to do so. Getting them back to fight for them now would be difficult, and the Han army outside the city wouldn't easily allow the Baiyue barbarian soldiers to approach Qielan. Suddenly, Qielan found itself surrounded by enemies, with nowhere to turn for help.

"Tell me, what should we do now?"

Qielan City was not large, only able to accommodate two or three thousand soldiers. Therefore, a camp was previously built outside the city for the Baiyue barbarian soldiers to garrison, so that it could be used as a defensive flank for Qielan City and to echo each other from afar.

This not only divides the enemy's forces but also prevents the attacking enemy from exerting their full strength, forcing the local Qielan army in their camps to launch counterattacks.

However, there are only about three thousand people in the city now, so the camp is extremely useless. Even if Zhu Bao wants to defend it, he is not confident that he can. Moreover, once the troops are divided, the troop strength in Lan City will also become weak. This is what is meant by "attending to one thing while losing to another".

After Zhu Bao asked his question, he waited for a long time without receiving an answer. He became furious and cursed, "A bunch of useless trash!"

Zhu Bao was furious inside the city, while Bu Zhi outside was methodically preparing to breach the city.

Kuai Yue gave Bu Zhi ample time, and if necessary, he could even request reinforcements from Lü Meng, Wen Pin, and Lü Dai. Zhu Bao had no chance of escaping.

Zhu Bao was still hoping that his elder brother Yong Kai could save him, but he didn't know that Yong Kai, along with Xie Shi from Tan Gao and the Baiyue barbarian soldiers from the northern part of Yizhou County, had been besieged and killed in Wei County.

**
The Yong brothers, Yong Kai and Yong Lü, in Wei County had already shown signs of despair.

They never imagined that the Han army would arrive so quickly and in such large numbers.

The Han army, which originally numbered only a little over a thousand and less than four thousand including the Han auxiliary troops, has now swelled to ten thousand. Among them, well-equipped and well-trained Han soldiers account for seventy to eighty percent, and the remaining auxiliary troops also appear to be well-equipped, with almost all of them wearing armor.

In contrast, the Yong Kai army in the city numbered five thousand, and there were also more than a thousand members of the Xie clan, a remnant of the Yelang people, who came to the city to provide reinforcements. The two armies together numbered six or seven thousand, which exceeded the number of Han troops outside the city.

However, the Yong brothers, Yong Kai and Yong Lü, were quite desperate about holding Wei County. If they had nowhere else to escape to, they probably would have abandoned Wei County and continued their escape long ago.

It's no wonder the Yong brothers were so pessimistic; the great battle outside Yuyuan City had terrified them. Five thousand of their most elite and courageous troops were routed by less than two thousand Han soldiers with just over a thousand surrendered soldiers.

If the Han army hadn't lacked cavalry, it's questionable whether Yong Kai and his men could have escaped.

Although there are now six or seven thousand people in Wei County, in the eyes of Yong Kai and Yong Lü, the fighting strength of these six or seven thousand people is not as strong as that of the original five thousand people.

However, the Han army outside the city numbered as many as six thousand, and the Han auxiliary troops they brought with them were even better equipped and armored than before.

Yong Kai had previously dispatched a thousand elite soldiers in an attempt to hold Qushui Post Station.

The riverbanks around Weixian County are steep, and there are no suitable sites for building ports. Therefore, to travel from Dianchi Lake to Weixian County via Wenshui, one needs to disembark at Qushui Station, which is 20 miles south of Weixian County, and then head north to Weixian County.

Yong Kai did not close the gates and defend the city, but instead sent his elite troops to seize Qushui Post Station, attempting to ambush the Han army there.

It must be admitted that Yong Kai's tactic was actually quite correct, and also a brilliant move. Landing operations are extremely difficult, no less so than siege warfare.

Geographically speaking, as long as Liu Fengjun cannot capture Qushuiyi, he will not be able to land in Weixian, and the Wenshui waterway will not be a threat.

Yong Kai didn't ask for much. He didn't even expect a thousand men to be able to hold Qushui Post Station. He only hoped to give Lu Xun's Han army a setback and teach them a lesson, and delay them for a while longer.

This dampened the morale of the Han army, which greatly benefited their later defense of Wei County.

Yong Kai's plan was well-thought-out, but the actual situation was quite terrible.

Lu Xun's troops had already scouted out the thousand soldiers guarding Qushui Post Station, allowing them to land ahead of time. They then launched a surprise attack over thirty li (approximately 15 kilometers) and, together with the naval forces, launched a pincer attack, inflicting a major defeat on the enemy and giving Gu Yong a truly impressive show of force.

Under Lu Xun's personal command, Huang Zhong launched a surprise attack from the shore while Lu Xun landed on the water, attacking from both sides and immediately crushing the garrison at Qushui Post Station.

Of the 1,000 waterborne troops stationed at the Thousand-Qu Shui Post Station, fewer than 200 eventually escaped; the rest were either killed or captured.

Yong Kai was both shocked and angry, and also felt a deep fear in his heart.

Before he could react, Lu Xun's troops had already successfully landed and were heading towards Wei County. They set up camp about ten miles away from Wei County, nestled against the mountains and by the water.

Subsequently, Lu Xun's troops did not immediately launch an attack, but instead began to cut down trees and build siege weapons.

Five days later, a troop of men arrived from Wuchi Road; it was Sun Ce's army.

At this time, Sun Ce's troops were much larger than when he set out, as they were the Baiyue barbarian soldiers he had gathered along the way.

These barbarian soldiers were bribed by Sun Ce with salt and cloth, and after being trained by Sun Ce along the way, they were actually able to do some simple transport tasks.

These Baiyue people were stubborn, cunning, and unpredictable, but they also had a simple and honest side.

If you are genuinely willing to offer benefits, and your strength is sufficient to prevent the other party from double-crossing you, then they are willing to put in the effort and work hard.

Sun Ce's troops merged into the main camp, and the army outside Wei County swelled to more than 10,000 men.

Among them were 6,000 Han soldiers, over 1,000 Baiyue troops, over 1,000 Han auxiliary troops, over 1,000 civilian laborers, and 400-500 Baiyue able-bodied men.

Once the number of people exceeds ten thousand, the world becomes boundless.

Looking out from the top of Ziwei County, Yongkai felt a chill in his heart and couldn't help but discuss the matter of escaping with his younger brother, Yonglu.

After much discussion, they discovered that Zhuti was the only place they could go.

If they were still at Dianchi Lake, they could take the Wuchidao branch line through Lianran and Qinzang, then take the Longchuan line all the way north to Yuexi County and seek refuge with Gaoding.

Gao Ding is of average strength and is a local tyrant in Yuexi County. Like him, he outwardly obeys but inwardly defies Chengdu. If he goes to join him, it will greatly enhance Gao Ding's strength, and he may even be able to obtain a territory and make a comeback.

But now we can't get through it.

Unless the brothers Yong Kai and Yong Lü abandoned most of their troops and led only a small number of personal guards across the mountains, there was still some possibility of them reaching Yuexi with a few thousand men, unless the entire Han army became blind.

At the cities of Weixian and Qielan, the Han army advanced step by step, making orderly preparations for the siege.

With each passing day, Yong Kai and Zhu Bao's hearts grew colder.

(End of this chapter)