The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 273 Guan Yu from Jingzhou Comes to Join Us
Meanwhile, Zhou Yu achieved a minor victory against Cao Cao's army at Jiangkou, demonstrating his strength.

He hoped to use this to gain an opportunity to discuss the division of Jingzhou with Li Yi.

Seeing that Li Yi was losing interest, Zhou Yu offered to exchange the military intelligence he had gathered in Jiangling for Li Yi.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi burst into loud laughter:
"Why ask about the military situation in Jiangling?"

"It was nothing more than Cao Cao using Cai Mao and Zhang Yun to command the navy and train Wei soldiers for him."

"These two men have lived in the Jianghan region for a long time and are well-versed in naval warfare."

“Once they have trained the Wei soldiers to be highly skilled, they will become a great threat to our army.”

Zhou Yu was startled and asked:
How do you know this?

He thought carefully and realized that the people of Qi had all stayed in Jiangxia.

Along the way, he didn't see any other ships going to Jiangling to spy on military affairs. How did he find out?
"...Very well. Since Prime Minister Li also knows that this matter will cause trouble sooner or later, how does he intend to deal with it?"

Zhou Yu didn't care how Li Yi knew, he just assumed that Li Yi had been able to foresee this.

"I think Grand Commander Zhou doesn't need to know too much, and I have no obligation to explain this to you."

"Just watch how I get rid of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun."

Li Yi put his hands behind his back, gesturing for his servants to see the guest out.

Seeing this, Zhou Yu no longer insisted.

After he left, people around him surrounded him and asked why the Qi state had been so cold.

What can we do now?
Zhou Yu replied, "Let's return to Xiakou and discuss this further."

Since Li Yi doesn't need the Jiangdong navy right now, why should Zhou Yu keep trying to curry favor with him?

After several encounters, Zhou Yu also learned a lesson.

You are most valuable only when others need you.

Clearly, the current strategic position of Eastern Wu does not align with the interests of the State of Qi.

Zhou Yu had no choice but to return to Xiakou first to preserve his strength and avoid pointless losses.

After seeing Zhou Yu off, Guan Ping came to ask:
"I wonder if Your Excellency has any plan to get rid of Cai Mao and Zhang Yun?"

Since Guan Ping was considered a close friend, Li Yi did not hide anything from him.

She turned around, took out a letter, and handed it to him to read.

This was actually a letter from Jiangling.

The book states briefly:

"Wei Yan, the garrison commander of Jiangling, respectfully writes to Prime Minister Li:"

"I am a humble man from Jingchu. I was fortunate enough to be accepted by Liu Jingsheng and have been able to contribute my meager strength."

“Now Cai Mao and Zhang Yun have betrayed their master for personal gain, leading the traitor Cao Cao into the invasion, plunging the people of Jingzhou into misery.”

"Whenever Yan thought about it, he was filled with indignation and wished he could kill these two traitors with his own hands to appease the world!"

“Cao Cao was tyrannical and cruel, slaughtering the people. Although Yan was crude and uncouth, he knew loyalty and righteousness.”

"I have long heard that King Liu Bei of Qi is renowned for his benevolence and virtue throughout the land, and that Prime Minister Li Gong possesses unparalleled wisdom and strategy in this era. These are truly the people I admire throughout my life!"

"Now Yan is ordered to guard the west gate of Jiangling. Many of the soldiers are nostalgic for their former lord and are unwilling to become Cao Cao's lackeys."

"If the Prime Minister does not despise me, I am willing to act as an inside agent. We will set a date to light the fire and open the city gates to welcome you."

"Then Jiangling can be recovered, and the traitor Cao can be defeated."

"And the people of Jingzhou are all grateful for the Prime Minister's benevolence in giving them a second chance at life!"

"Words cannot express everything; I await your judgment with sword in hand. Only the Prime Minister can discern the truth."

The signature reads "Wei Yan".

After reading the letter, Guan Ping's first reaction was not to be happy that Li Yi had gained an inside man.

Instead, he questioned the authenticity of the letter and immediately asked:
"...Your Excellency, please forgive my ignorance, but I have never heard of a general named Wei Yan in Jingchu."

"This man is just an insignificant gatekeeper. How much do you know about him?"

"What if the enemy is using a feigned surrender to lure our troops there, only to ambush them inside the city?"

"Isn't this a disaster?"

Guan Ping's concerns were not unfounded.

Because at that time, Wei Yan was indeed just an unknown nobody.

Even when he joined Liu Bei, he started from the bottom.

His eventual rise to the positions of Prefect of Hanzhong and General Who Conquers the West is truly admirable.

This truly exemplifies the meaning of "being born into poverty is not a disgrace; being able to bend and stretch is what makes a true man."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi smiled calmly and said while stroking the letter:
"It's no deception!"

“Wei Wenchang was of a strong and resolute character and had always abhorred Cai and Zhang’s betrayal of their master; his intentions were evident.”

"Moreover, the book speaks of the elders of Jingzhou with sincere and earnest words."

"Based on my lifelong experience of observing people, this letter is by no means a forgery."

Guan Ping was well aware of Li Yi's ability to judge people, which was in no way inferior to that of his own Uncle Liu.

Since he trusted Wei Yan so much, Guan Ping had no reason to doubt him.

He immediately bowed to Li Yi and said:
"...Since the Prime Minister trusts Wei Yan, then Ping is willing to lead a small team."

"Tonight we will go to the west gate of Jiangling. If we can break into the city and capture Jiangling, it will be a great achievement for the Prime Minister."

"If this is a trick, may I be cut into a thousand pieces, and I will take the blame for the Prime Minister!"

Hahaha……

Hearing this, Li Yi was still very happy.

However, his offer was still rejected.

"There's no need for you to go."

"Why?"

Guan Ping's eyes widened, a hint of disappointment on his face.

"Could it be that the Prime Minister doubts Ping's courage?"

It's not that I doubt your courage.

But you are Guan Yu's own son. Even if I am 90% sure, I wouldn't dare let you take that 10% risk.

Your father entrusted you to me back then, asking me to take good care of you.

In this dangerous situation of military action, would you be sent?
Of course, you could say that Guan Ping was actually killed by Li Yi because of this.

Will Guan Yu really come to settle scores with Li Yi?

Given Guan Yu's temperament, he probably wouldn't.

However, it's certain that a rift will be created, so there's really no need to take that risk.

Li Yi stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked into the distance, and slowly said:

"Although I trust Wei Yan, what I am worried about is not whether you can open the West Gate, but whether Wei Yan can succeed."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Guan Ping.

That innocent face was filled with naivety.

"Although Wei Yan is in charge of the West Gate, he is isolated and his forces are weak. If we respond rashly..."

"I fear that before my master arrives, his head will already be hung at the gate by Cao Ren."

Guan Ping said anxiously:

"Jiangling City is strategically located and easy to defend, but difficult to attack."

"It is rare to find someone willing to act as an inside agent, and the Prime Minister trusts them without question."

"But they refuse to use it, and Ping really can't solve it!"

"...It's not that it's not used, it's just that it can't be used in this way."

Li Yi took out three brocade pouches and handed them to Guan Ping.

"This is what I just wrote. Now that Jiangling City is fortified, it is not advisable for us to have frequent contact with Wei Yan."

"Otherwise, I fear Cao Ren might become suspicious."

"Moreover, I heard that Guo Jia has also come to Jiangling. Although this drunkard is ill, he is cunning and I am also afraid of him."

"We should use clever tactics and proceed gradually."

Guan Ping immediately understood and solemnly bowed to Li Yi, saying:
"...This subordinate obeys the order and will certainly deliver this brocade pouch to Wei Yan."

"This matter is of great importance. If it is leaked, it could harm him."

Li Yi repeatedly gave instructions.

Guan Ping was also aware of this matter and felt a great responsibility on his part.

He repeatedly assured Li Yi that he would definitely complete his mission.

He bowed to Li Yi again before leaving.

At this moment, Chen Deng entered and bowed to Li Yi, saying:

"...Did the Prime Minister summon me for something?"

Li Yi smiled and patted his shoulder, saying:

"It's nothing serious, I just need to borrow a large ship."

Chen Dengsong breathed a sigh of relief:

"I wondered what it was about; it turns out we need a boat."

"You are the current Prime Minister, and this trip to Jiangnan is led by Zhuge Liang."

"But how dare we disobey your orders?"

Li Yi smiled but did not respond.

"……only."

Chen Deng then changed the subject, "What does the Prime Minister need a warship for so late at night?"

Li Yi smiled slightly, "Isn't Zhang Yun training Cao Ren's navy?"

"I am also proficient in naval warfare. I will go to the Jiangling Water Fortress and give them some pointers."

what? !

Chen Deng was startled. "Prime Minister, are you perhaps planning a night raid on the Jiangling water fortress?"

"It wasn't a night raid, we were just going to investigate."

"Even though it wasn't a night raid, Jiangling is an important town in Jingzhou, heavily fortified with troops."

"Now that Cao Ren's Wei army is also his henchmen, how can you, as the prime minister, act rashly?"

"...Hehe, Yuanlong, you are mistaken."

"Now that Kongming is the commander-in-chief of the three armies, my trip to the south of the Yangtze River is a sinecure and of no importance."

Hey you!

Hearing this, Chen Deng was both amused and annoyed.

You, the dignified Governor of Ji Province in the northern frontier, are telling me it's insignificant?
If you die here, do you believe that Old Liu's northern region will immediately erupt into a large-scale rebellion?

"Even if we are going to explore the Jiangling Water Fortress, we can prepare more warships."

Do you think there are no boats or ships in Huainan?

I dare not say anything else, but what Chen Deng has had the most of in Huainan over the years is boats.

One reason is that Huainan itself is wealthy and has the capital to build ships.

On the one hand, Li Yi supported the development of the navy and provided policy support, allowing Chen Deng to unleash his full potential for large-scale production.

"...Heh heh, I've been in power for over a decade, who am I afraid of?"

"Yuanlong, rest assured. Have you forgotten what happened back in Guangling?"

“Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror, once traveled by boat to meet me in person. At that time, didn’t I also just travel there in a small boat?”

Upon hearing this, Chen Deng was immediately reminded of unpleasant memories.

He tried to stop Li Yi from going, but Li Yi insisted on going.

Fortunately, nothing really happened in the end, otherwise Chen Deng would have had a hard time explaining himself to Liu Bei.

"...Alright, I know you never take risks. Since you dare to go, you must have a plan."

"Tell me what else needs to be prepared."

"...No problem!"

Li Yi smiled slightly and put his arm around Chen Deng's shoulder.

“If Brother Yuanlong can come with me, I won’t need any more things.”

"...Eh! What about me?"

Chen Deng was dumbfounded. He should have advised Li Yi to bring more boats.

You're confident you can just bring one large ship? I'm not at ease!
Even if I, Chen Zhengnan, were to act with prestige, I would certainly have at least a hundred ships accompanying me.

Chen Deng was on the verge of tears but had no choice but to comply.

Then, suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly asked:
"Prime Minister, please wait!"

"We are going to investigate the water fortress at night."

"However, since this is ultimately a military operation, shouldn't we inform Mr. Zhuge?"

Li Yi stroked his beard and said:
"Kongming is currently inspecting the navy at the water fortress. A round trip would take at least half an hour."

"Let's just do what's convenient for each other."

Li Yi's last sentence was supposed to be, "As the prime minister, do I have to apply for permission to go and explore a water fortress?"
But after some consideration, we decided to just do what's convenient for us.

in fact,

Whenever the topic of this trip to the south of the Yangtze River came up, Li Yi avoided discussing who was in charge and who was second in command.

The relationship between Li Yi and Zhuge Liang within the entire Southern Expeditionary Army is also quite delicate.

Except for Li Yi, everyone listened to Zhuge Liang.

Apart from Zhuge Liang, everyone else listened to Li Yi.

No matter who spoke or gave the order, everyone listened.

They dared not offend either side.

Li Yi, needless to say, was the most powerful person in the State of Qi.

Although Zhuge Liang was young and inexperienced, everyone present was a seasoned professional.

How could they not see that Zhuge Liang's backer was Liu Bei?

Liu Bei spared no effort in promoting Zhuge Liang.

Offending him is tantamount to offending Liu Bei.

It was a farewell to his official career, and no one would be foolish enough to do that.

Therefore, when Li Yi and Zhuge Liang gave orders at the same time, everyone obeyed, regardless of who gave the order.

As for Li Yi and Zhuge Liang?
Logically speaking, Zhuge Liang was the commander-in-chief of this southward expedition, and Li Yi was sent to the army by Liu Bei.

In theory, we should also listen to Zhuge Liang.

As Zhuge Liang's mentor and senior, Li Yi was someone Zhuge Liang almost always listened to and followed.

Therefore, the relationship between the two was considered extremely delicate within the military.

Fortunately, the two did not have any disagreements while they were together.

Otherwise, people won't know whose advice to follow.

Although the probability of that happening is very low, it might actually happen.

In the end, it is highly likely that Li Yiqian will still be in charge and make all the decisions.

The reason is simple: firstly, Chen Deng of the Huainan faction definitely supports Li Yi.

The two were sworn brothers, their friendship spanning over a decade.

Chen Deng's siding with Li Yi means that his generals from Huainan, including Xu Sheng and Gan Ning, will also side with Li Yi.

It can be said that Chen Deng's vote carried a lot of weight.

The remaining people included those brought by Kongming, such as Zhao Yun and Gao Shun.

They were all upright and dignified people, and they couldn't handle this kind of thing at all.

And even if we take a step back,
If it were a matter concerning the south, Li Yi and Zhuge Liang would indeed have disagreements and conflicts.

Given Liu Bei's personality, who would he help in that situation?

Therefore, someone as intelligent as Zhuge Liang would never have a political conflict with Li Yi.

First, if a real conflict occurs, the only outcome will be self-humiliation.

Secondly, if everyone actually sides with Li Yi, it will damage Zhuge Liang's own personal prestige.

So, there is no need.

Although Zhuge Liang had full authority over affairs in Jiangnan, he would discuss many important matters privately with Li Yi.

On the surface, it was said to be seeking the opinions of seniors, but in reality, it was just reporting to Li Yi again.

If Li Yi disagreed, he would humbly accept the suggestion and make changes accordingly. It can be said that the Prime Minister was definitely a master of handling things in the workplace.

Having made his decision, Chen Deng ordered his men to prepare a large warship.

He brought along Gu Dong and also personally selected several outstanding generals to accompany him.

Zhao Yun and Gan Ning were brought to accompany him, and they were equipped with powerful bows and crossbows.

After boarding, we proceeded slowly forward.

As the large ship set sail, upon reaching the edge of the camp, Li Yi ordered his men to lower the tack stones.

It was late spring, and the river was shrouded in mist.

Li Yi then ordered the boatman to row slowly while he observed from the bow of the boat.

They saw that the Cao army's water fortress watchtowers were fully equipped with crossbows and that the water gates were heavily patrolled.

After observing, he said to those around him:
"It seems the rumors are true; Cao Cao's army is making extensive use of Jingzhou generals to train their soldiers in water-related exercises."

"If they master it, the men of Huainan will have no advantage on the Yangtze River."

Chen Deng urged from the side:
"...Now that the Prime Minister has finished inspecting the water fortress, he may return immediately."

"If Cao Cao's army discovers this and sends large ships to surround us, our army will be in grave danger."

Li Yi smiled slightly and said, "No rush."

Call over a trusted confidant and give him the secret plan.

The trusted confidant accepted the order and crossed the river in a small boat.

Cao Ren had just woken up and felt that the river was shrouded in mist, fearing that an enemy might attack.

He decided to personally climb the watchtower and patrol the area.

Suddenly, a small boat appeared on the river, and he quickly gave the order:

"Capture him immediately!"

Ten small boats rushed out of the water gate to seize the light boat.

When the people on the boat saw a large number of small boats coming to capture them, they had no choice but to give up resisting.

The Wei soldiers captured him and found a letter on his body.

He then hurriedly reported back to Cao Ren, saying:
"Reporting to the general, this man is a spy from the Qi army."

"We found a secret letter on him."

Cao Ren took the letter, opened it, and read:
—"General Zhang Yun: We agree to light a fire at midnight as a signal to jointly defeat Cao Cao."

Cao Ren was surprised and asked:

"Has Zhang Yun already colluded with the enemy?"

Someone might advise:
"The people of Qi are cunning; I fear this is a plot by thieves to sow discord."

"General, you should examine this carefully."

Cao Ren said:

“Cai Mao and Zhang Yun did not come to us out of desperation. Now that they can serve Wei Gong, they can also serve Liu Bei.”

“Jiangling is also an important town in Jingzhou, and I will defend it together with it.”

"If they intend to harm me, kill me and surrender the city, I will not even know when I die."

Or he might remonstrate again:

"Since the Imperial Academy Chief Minister Guo is still in Jiangling, General, you might as well discuss this with him."

Cao Ren then said:

"It's not fully light yet, and Chief Minister Guo is still resting."

"His illness is severe and he should not be disturbed."

Everyone asked:
"Since it was not discussed with Chief Minister Guo, it is impossible to know whether this secret letter is true or false."

Cao Ren said in a deep voice:
“I will summon Zhang Yun and ask him, and I will know the answer.”

So he ordered someone to summon Zhang Yun for questioning.

After learning the whole story, Zhang Yun also felt wronged and quickly said:
"This must be a ploy by the Qi people to sow discord. How can you, General, believe it so easily?"

Just as he was explaining himself, a report came that a fire had broken out at the west gate!

It turned out that it was Wei Yan's clever plan, which was to deliberately set fire to the west gate at midnight.

To prove Zhang Yun's crime of "colluding with the enemy".

Cao Ren rushed to the west gate and saw a great fire. He became even more convinced that Zhang Yun was acting strangely, so he drew his sword and shouted angrily:

"How dare you, you traitor!"

"Even if Li Yi has two mouths and four eyes, how could he possibly set fire to my gate?"

"……this!!"

Zhang Yun was speechless, unable to defend himself; the incident happened so suddenly that he couldn't think of a reason for it.

Then someone reported that a large number of boats had appeared on the river.

Because of the river fog, the quantity could not be seen clearly, so Cao Ren only gave the order:
"The river is shrouded in thick fog, and their army has suddenly arrived; their numbers are unknown."

"We can first send our naval archers to fire a barrage of arrows at it, preventing it from getting close to the water gate."

When the order came, the archers all went to the front of the camp and fired their arrows.

Shortly after, arrows rained down on the river.

Gao Shun led his armored soldiers into battle, holding shields and blocking the way.

The arrows struck the shield with a gurgling sound.

A volley of arrows failed to force the enemy to retreat.

Li Yi had already sent someone to announce:
"General Zhang, you should kill Cao Ren quickly. Once I have taken Jiangling, I will definitely report your achievements to the King of Qi!"

Cao Ren could clearly hear the shouts from the river; it was clearly Li Yi's voice.

He himself was there, so how could it be fake?

"Zhang Yun, you treacherous dog, how dare you harm me!"

Cao Ren was furious and immediately ordered his warriors to seize Zhang Yun.

Zhang Yun shouted, "Innocent!"

Cao Ren scolded:

"Li Yi never took risks in his military campaigns."

"They came under cover of thick fog. If it weren't for you acting as their inside man, how could they dare to be so fearless?!"

Considering the unexplained fire at Ximen, Cao Ren became even more convinced that Zhang Yun had already colluded with Li Yi.

If we do not strike first, we will surely be harmed!
Zhang Yun had many trusted confidants in Jiangling City.

Fortunately, Cao Ren was also a renowned general, and he took advantage of the fact that Zhang Yun had few men around him.

He ordered the samurai to seize him, and without waiting for anyone around him to react, he immediately beheaded him.

When Zhang Yun's head fell to the ground, everyone around him was terrified.

Cao Ren sternly stopped him:

"Soldiers, do not panic. Zhang Yun is the only one who has colluded with the enemy; it has nothing to do with you."

"I will inform Lord Wei later and ask him to forgive your crimes."

Cao Ren quickly rallied the troops and reassured everyone.

With Zhang Yun dead and a formidable enemy looming outside the city, the crowd was at a loss for what to do.

They had no choice but to follow Cao Ren's orders and defeat the enemy first.

Soon, dawn broke.

Seeing that the river fog was gradually dissipating, Li Yi ordered the boat to be hoisted back.

By daybreak, Cao Ren could see that Li Yi's fleet did not have many people.

While he was still wondering and uncertain, Guo Jia had already woken up.

Dragging his ailing body, he came to the city wall and asked Cao Ren what had happened the night before.

Cao Ren then reassured him:

"Don't be alarmed, Chief Minister. Last night, the bandits took advantage of the river fog to try to attack our water fortress."

"Ren had already led his archers to shoot at them and repelled them."

Guo Jia stroked his beard and asked in a deep voice:
"Was it the people of Eastern Wu or the people of Qi who attacked last night?"

Cao Ren replied:
"The fog is too thick to see clearly; it might be on both sides."

"Anyway, Ren has already defeated them."

Guo Jia, however, sensed something was amiss and asked who had led the troops last night.
Cao Ren replied that Li Yi had come in person.

Guo Jia was shocked upon hearing this:
"Li Yi is the son of a noblewoman from the State of Qi. If he weren't absolutely certain of victory, why would he personally lead troops to launch a night raid on the water fortress?"

"What else did he do last night when he came?"

Cao Ren was slow to realize that Zhang Yun's matter was somewhat suspicious.

But the truth will eventually come out, and hiding it is useless.

He then told Guo Jia the truth about what had happened the previous night.

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia stomped his feet in anger:
"...The general has fallen into the trap!"

"If Zhang Yun were truly in cahoots with Li Yi, why would he withdraw his troops without firing a single arrow?"

This……

Cao Ren felt a chill run down his spine, realizing something was amiss, but he still tried to explain:
"But a fire did break out at the West Gate last night. Li Yi couldn't possibly have set fire to my city from a distance, could he?"

Guo Jia gritted his teeth and said:
"If there is someone in the city who is acting as an inside agent for Li Yi, we agree to set the fire at midnight."

"Li Yi came at this time to make the general suspect that Zhang Yun was colluding with the enemy!"

hiss……

After listening to Guo Jia's analysis, Cao Ren gasped.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night because I couldn't fall back asleep, and my mind wasn't clear yet.

Why didn't you think it over more before hastily killing Zhang Yun?

“Zhang Yun is a general of Jiangling. Killing him may shake the morale of the army.”

Guo Jia frowned. "Why didn't you discuss this with me last night, General?"

Cao Cao had just entered Jingzhou when he killed Zhang Yun, a key general of Jingzhou, not long after.

This move will certainly make the soldiers in Jingzhou feel uneasy.

Killing Zhang Yun is a small matter; appeasing the people of Jingzhou is a much bigger one...

Cao Ren was greatly embarrassed, slapped his forehead, and sighed:

"Since it was already late last night, and I knew that the Imperial Academy Master Guo was seriously ill, I did not want to disturb his rest."

"When the incident occurred, a series of unexpected events followed."

Before Ren could think it through, ... alas!

Cao Ren knew he had made a mistake, and now he was wondering how he could explain himself to Cao Cao in Xiangyang.

By this time, it was already broad daylight.

Many generals climbed onto the wall and saw that Zhang Yun was dead and the city was in a mess.

Everyone asked in surprise:
"General Cao, Chief Minister Guo, what happened last night?"

Before Cao Ren could speak, Guo Jia spoke first:

“Zhang Yun is colluding with the enemy, intending to harm us, and then surrender the city to Li Yi.”

"Fortunately, General Cao Ren discovered it in time and killed him."

Guo Jia first helped Cao Ren remove the pot from the stove; this was a necessary task.

Although Cao Ren did make a mistake, we cannot actually make him admit it.

Otherwise, once everyone knows that Zhang Yun was innocent, the morale of the army will definitely waver.

Cao Ren immediately understood, placed his hand to his lips, and coughed lightly twice:

"...That's right, exactly."

"Zhang Yun's treason is none of your business."

"Generals, do not panic. You may return to your respective units and defend your posts with peace of mind."

"After we defeat the Qi rebels, Duke Wei will reward you handsomely and will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Fearing trouble, no one investigated further, and they quietly withdrew.

After cleaning up the battlefield and washing the city walls.

Guo Jia then asked Cao Ren:

"Who was the general in charge of guarding the west gate last night?"

Cao Ren pondered for a long time and replied:

"He appears to be a local general from Jingzhou, a man from Yiyang, named Wei Yan."

Guo Jia's eyes narrowed:

"Send men to capture him immediately!"

Cao Ren followed his advice and immediately ordered his warriors to capture Wei Yan at the west gate.

A short while later, the warriors reported back:
"We didn't see him when we went to the West Gate!"

Cao Ren hurriedly asked:

"where it goes?"

He replied, "I heard that last night, taking advantage of the chaos on the river and the fire at the west gate, Wei Yan escaped from the city!"

Well!
Upon hearing this, Cao Ren's vision went black.

I clutched my chest; the pain was unbearable.

What a fine Li Ziyu! What a fine Wei Wenchang!
What a grand show!
Not only did Cao Ren mistakenly kill Zhang Yun, but Wei Yan was also able to escape unscathed.

Cao Ren instantly felt as if his intelligence had been trampled on, and he had been thoroughly humiliated by Li Yi.

Do not!
This is an utter disgrace!
"I swear to kill this traitor!"

Cao Ren gritted his teeth and swore an oath.

Guo Jia shook his head helplessly and comforted Cao Ren, saying:
"It's too late for regrets now that things have come to this."

"The best course of action now is to appease the soldiers and civilians in the city."

“Zhang Yun’s death is a small matter, but the things that happen after his death are a big matter.”

Cao Ren had no choice but to follow Guo Jia's advice and go back to appease the soldiers and civilians of Jingzhou.

With a formidable enemy at hand, the people of Jingzhou dared not pursue the matter of Cao Ren killing Zhang Yun.

However, a seed of wariness towards the Wei people had already been quietly planted.

Not to be discussed.

……

Meanwhile, Wei Yan set fire to the west gate, and taking advantage of the chaos, he escaped across the river in a small boat, heading straight for Jiangxia.

He did not achieve much in Jingzhou and did not attain a high official position.

It's all Liu Biao's fault for lacking ambition; Wei Yan had few opportunities to make contributions.

He admired Liu Bei, who was always either at war or on his way to war.

The generals under Liu Bei's command also became famous and made great contributions.

When Wei Yan was in Jingzhou, he often heard about this and couldn't help but admire it.

Especially when Huang Zhong, a native of Jingzhou, displayed great prowess under Liu Bei's command, killing Xiahou in battle.

At nearly sixty years old, he was appointed as a general in all directions.

How can anyone not be envious?
A true man should act like this!
Finally, after much anticipation, Liu Bei's southward journey finally arrived.

Although Liu Bei himself did not arrive in person, his agent Li Yi was present.

Wei Yan can contact him.

The original plan was to open the west gate and cooperate with Li Yi to take Jiangling in one fell swoop.

However, Li Yi replied that this matter was of great importance and should not be acted upon lightly.

Let him set the fire at midnight and then escape in the chaos.

If you're just going to run away, why go through all that trouble of setting a fire?
Although Wei Yan didn't understand, he did as he was told in order to leave a good impression on Prime Minister Li.

"...General, Jiangxia has arrived!"

A boatman rowed the boat and spoke to Wei Yan.

"...Good, come with me quickly to the shore to see Prime Minister Li!"

Wei Yan rubbed his hands together excitedly, believing that he finally had the opportunity to realize his lifelong ambition.

……

(End of this chapter)