Three Kingdoms: Madam, I am a decent person

Chapter 784 The Death of Liu Bei
Although Xu Shu's voice was very soft, Zhang Sui still heard it.

Zhang Sui laughed and said, "After taking Jingzhou, the whole world will be at peace."

"The chaotic era is about to end."

"This vast empire still needs talents like Yuanzhi to help govern it."

Zhang Sui looked at Xu's mother, raised an eyebrow, and said, "What do you think, old lady?"

"Do you want to see the people live in peace and prosperity as soon as possible?"

Xu's mother smiled and said, "If it really is as the General says, with no refugees and everyone having clothes to wear and food to eat, who wouldn't be happy?"

Xu Shu glanced at his elderly mother beside him and gave a bitter smile.

In the face of this great general, her own mother was ultimately somewhat naive.

However, the elderly mother is in someone else's hands, and she is completely unaware of the risks involved. What can he do?
He could only console himself: this general truly had a reputation for benevolence and righteousness, unlike Cao Cao who slaughtered the people.

Hopefully, he will be a wise ruler in the future!

Just as Zhang Sui and Xu's mother were chatting, a guard outside said, "My lord, Chief Clerk Chen Zhen has urgent military intelligence to report!"

Seeing this, Xu's mother stood up and said to Zhang Sui, "General, you are busy. My son Yuanzhi and I will go outside and wait."

Zhang Sui called out, "Someone, take the old lady and Yuanzhi out to find a place to rest, and prepare tea and refreshments."

Hearing the response from outside, Zhang Sui then said to Xu's mother and Xu Shu, "If you are not comfortable staying here, you may leave on your own."

"However, don't go to Maicheng. Battle is about to break out there, it's too dangerous."

"Head towards Fancheng."

"If you don't like me, Zhang Sui, you can leave Fancheng and go anywhere else."

Xu's mother smiled and said, "What is there to dislike about such a benevolent and righteous ruler as the General? After the war in Jingzhou is over, I want to go with the General to Ye City to take a look!"

Zhang Sui said, "Absolutely no problem!"

Only then did Xu's mother leave the commander's tent with Xu Shu's help.

Chen Zhen walked in.

Chen Zhen bowed to Zhang Sui and said, "My lord, more than half of the troops on the city wall are gone. It seems that the Jiangdong army has withdrawn!"

"How to do?"

Zhang Sui stroked his sparse beard and said, "They must have seen Ziyang and the craftsmen building the trebuchet and got scared."

“During the siege of Shouchun, Ziyang used trebuchets to attack the city.”

"Jiangdong is so close, you must have heard of it."

"They also know that if they can't defend Shouchun, they certainly can't defend Maicheng."

"Now they probably want to retreat south of the Yangtze River and fight us with their navy."

When it comes to using naval forces to fight, Zhang Sui thinks of the famous historical scene, the Battle of Red Cliffs.

such a pity!
Cao Cao is dead.

And Jiangdong will never exist again.

Before I even set off, Guo Jia and Li Ru had already led the army of the deceased Huang Zu to Lujiang County to find Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning, preparing to cross the river and attack Jiangdong.

Facing the three strategists Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, and Li Ru, as well as generals Gan Ning, Zhang Xun, and Xu Dan stationed in Lujiang, the newly recruited navy in Guangling, the navy in Lujiang, and the navy of the deceased Huang Zu were all at the disadvantage.

Zhou Yu and Pang Tong were not in Jiangdong.

More than 20,000 elite troops from Jiangdong were also in Jingzhou.

Zhang Sui simply couldn't think of any other way for Jiangdong to resist the attack!

Thinking of this, Zhang Sui pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said to Chen Zhen, "Notify the people and tell them to shout along the moat of Maicheng."

"Tell them to call the guards on the city wall to come down."

"Tell the people that we are about to attack the city with trebuchets."

"At that time, the defenders on the city wall will surely die."

"We are all men of Jingzhou, there is no need for us to kill each other."

"As long as they come down from the city wall, we will not care about their past."

"The same applies to generals."

Chen Zhen responded and was about to leave.

Zhang Sui quickly called out to him.

Chen Zhen looked at Zhang Sui with a puzzled expression.

Zhang Sui tapped the table with his right index finger and said, "Go find Ziyang and have him find a way to get a trebuchet as quickly as possible. In an hour, we will use this trebuchet to perform a stone-throwing attack on the city, so that the people and the guards on the city wall can see how terrifying the trebuchet is."

"Let the people and the soldiers on the garrison understand."

“I, Zhang Sui, am not trying to scare them; I genuinely do not want to kill them.”

"Enough people have died in these chaotic times."

"Let the soldiers guarding the city walls think carefully about what will happen to their parents, wives, and children after they die."

“I, Zhang Sui, am not a butcher. Haven’t the people under my rule heard how they are doing?”

"Are they really going to throw their lives away in vain?"

Chen Zhen responded again and turned to leave. Zhang Sui watched Chen Zhen's departing figure, remained silent for a moment, then stood up and also walked out of the command tent.

The Tiger Warriors and personal guards outside the command tent immediately followed.

The group rode to the forefront of the army.

Chen Zhen was talking to Liu Ye.

Liu Ye was busy at the time, but after hearing Chen Zhen's words, he immediately made a gesture.

All the craftsmen who were building the trebuchet stopped.

Liu Ye then jogged over to a group of people.

The group transported all the finished components together.

In the distance, in the safe area that Zhang Sui had arranged for the people, some cavalrymen rode up and talked to the people.

Before long, people from the safe area flocked to this side and gathered at the edge of the moat.

Countless people shouted towards the city wall.

Some elderly people were crying right there.

A young woman cried out in anguish.

There was the sound of a child crying loudly.

The soldiers guarding the city wall, hearing the shouts coming from the edge of the moat outside the city, all shed tears.

Some of the younger soldiers started crying.

Liu Bei, who had been staring blankly, finally came to his senses.

All around me were cries.

Looking at the countless people standing on the edge of the moat below the city, beating their chests and stamping their feet in frustration.

Liu Bei's gaze finally fell on Zhang Sui, who was riding at the very back of the people.

The two looked at each other
When Liu Bei saw that Zhao Yun was actually by Zhang Sui's side, his expression immediately darkened.

He recalled the time when he was facing off against Cao Cao and Zhang Sui's armies, and how he encountered Zhao Yun and Tian Yu, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

The two men chatted and laughed under Zhang Sui's command.

That scene deeply pierced his heart.

Previously, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had suggested that they try to surrender to Zhang Sui.

However, watching Zhao Yun and Tian Yu chatting and laughing, he realized that once he joined Zhang Sui's side, he might never have the chance to fulfill that dream again.

But now, facing Zhang Sui again, he realized that from the moment the other party appeared, he had no chance.

He himself became a pawn in this situation.

Liu Bei felt his eyes were a little sore.

Turning his gaze away from Zhang Sui, Liu Bei looked at Wen Ping beside him, whose expression was complex, and said with a slight tremor in his voice, "Open the city gates, we surrender."

Wen Ping looked at Liu Bei with disbelief.

Liu Bei forced a smile, suppressing his pain, and said, "What, General Wen, do you think I, Liu Bei, am heartless? Seeing so many people heartbroken, do you think I would still harden my heart and make everyone die with me?"

Wen Ping shook his head, his voice hoarse as if a rusty iron knife had been sharpened on gravel, and said, "No, I never thought that way."

"I just want to express the gratitude of the people of Jingzhou to the general for his kindness."

After saying this, he knelt down before Liu Bei and bowed several times.

When the nearby garrison heard Wen Ping say this and saw him kneel down, they all knelt down as well.

A whole section of the city wall knelt down.

As Wen Ping rose and rushed down the city wall, he ordered his soldiers to open the city gates. On the city wall, countless guards cheered and ran down.

The drawbridge is lowered.

The people rushed across the drawbridge and ran towards the city gate.

Zhang Sui watched this scene and nodded to Liu Bei on the city wall.

Liu Bei did not look at Zhang Sui; his gaze was fixed on the people and the garrison troops meeting in the open space outside the city.

These people have all come together and reunited.

And what about yourself?

The images of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Jian Yong, and others flashed through Liu Bei's mind.

He could almost see them walking forward and waving at him.

"Big brother, keep up!"

"Brother, hurry up and catch up! What are you dawdling for? I hate it when you dawdle like this!"

"My lord, what are you waiting for? We need to hurry!"

As Liu Bei watched Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Jian Yong, and the others walk away into the distance, he laughed and choked out, "I'm coming!"

After saying that, he drew the sword from his waist and, as Zhang Sui's pupils contracted sharply, slit his throat in one swift motion.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, blood fell with the corpses down the city wall, like blooming flowers.

(End of this chapter)