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

Chapter 322 The emperor can shout "Long live the emperor!" but my brother can't?

Meanwhile, Guo Gong led the people of Liang to be formally incorporated into the territory of Qi.

Liu Bei led his army forward, and when they reached a point thirty li from Chen, he suddenly ordered his troops to halt.

It turned out that Li Yi had reined in his horse and stepped forward to offer his advice:

"The Wei army arrived first and occupied the strategic point, which may be a trap."

Xuande nodded, and then rode alongside Li Yi to a high place to observe the battle.

It was late spring, and the mountain wind was howling.

Standing on the high ground, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh:
"...Ziyu, how many years has it been since we fought side by side like this?"

"It's been three to five years already."

Li Yi took a cylindrical object from his bosom and placed it in front of him to examine it.

It was his telescope that everyone around him called the "thousand-mile telescope."

But the mirror revealed the true nature of Wei's camp, both real and illusory.

Three thousand archers are hidden in the dense forest to the southeast, and five thousand infantry and cavalry lie in ambush behind the earthen mound to the west.

The camp gate was merely decorated with flags; in reality, it was an empty camp.

Now that we've seen through the Wei army's strengths and weaknesses, things will be easier to plan next.

As usual, Li Yi offered Liu Bei a plan:
"Let Yun Chang lead light cavalry to attack their eastern camp, Yi De lead infantry to attack the western camp, and Zhong Kang lead the Tiger Warriors to feign an attack on the central army."

"Fight on all three fronts and retreat, luring their ambush troops out in full force."

Zhang Fei's eyes widened. "Now that you know where Cao Cao's army is lying in ambush, why don't you just attack the central army?"

Li Yi smiled and said:

"Although we know the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, we are still in the open while they are in the dark."

"If we venture too far, we will surely be surrounded."

"Now we must first break through their ambush, just in time to pull out their tiger's teeth."

Liu Bei clapped his hands in approval and immediately issued the order to the general.

The three generals accepted the order and left, each leading their elite troops to carry out the plan.

On the mountaintop, the telescope in Li Yi's hand gleamed, reflecting the battle situation over a hundred miles.

Just as dawn broke, Guan Yu led his three thousand Qingzhou soldiers straight to the eastern camp of Wei.

In this campaign, Guan only led 5,000 soldiers.

But they were all fierce soldiers from Qingzhou, trained by him over the past few years, and their combat strength was formidable.

As he himself said, the quality of an army is more important than its quantity.

For Guan Yu, sending more men to the battlefield would only result in the deaths of more brave warriors.

The Azure Dragon Blade flashed a cold light in the morning light, while the Yellow-Clawed Lightning Horse beneath him neighed like thunder.

Li Dian, the garrison commander of Dongzhai, was overjoyed upon seeing this:

"The Qi people are reckless, just as General Xiahou predicted!"

He then ordered the drums to be beaten, and the crossbows hidden in the forest fired in unison.

"withdraw!"

Guan Yu reined in his horse and turned around, his green robe billowing as he led his army in a different direction.

Li Dian, unsuspecting of any trickery, personally led five thousand infantry and cavalry in pursuit, shouting, "Don't let Guan Yu escape!"

At the same time, Zhang Fei led his elite troops from Xuzhou to launch a fierce attack on Xilei.

The eighteen-foot spear swept across, shattering three layers of deer antlers.

Cao Hong, who had a clear view from the mound, couldn't help but sneer:

"Originally, we wanted to subdue Li Yi, but instead we've subdued a reckless Zhang Fei."

"Very well, they're now in my trap!"

He then waved his command flag, and five thousand infantry and cavalry charged out from behind the hill, causing the earth to tremble.

These 5,000 infantry and cavalry were mainly cavalry, and were Cao Cao's elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

Unlike the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in history.

During the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao and Liu Bei formed an alliance.

On the battlefield, Cao Cao's army witnessed firsthand the power of the Youyan Iron Cavalry led by Gongsun Xu and Zhao Yun.

So they immediately began to imitate it, and distributed the horseshoes, high-bridged saddles, and double stirrups to their own cavalry.

After ten years, Cao Wei had also built up an elite cavalry force.

As for the third army, it was led by Xu Chu, who took the lead and went straight for the central camp.

Tiger-like warriors cleaved open the camp gate with their broadswords, and a hundred elite soldiers followed them as they charged into the central army.

Suddenly, a large banner bearing the name "Xiahou" was erected behind the tent.

Xiahou Yuan's nephew, Xiahou Shang, personally led his elite troops to surround them:

"Xu Zhongkang! I'll take your dog's head!"

Just as the Wei army launched its three-pronged attack, a signal cannon suddenly sounded from the mountaintop.

Wherever Li Yi's command flag pointed, 50,000 Qi troops charged out of the valley.

On the left are Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, and on the right are Zhang He and Gao Lan.

The army advanced in one fell swoop, immediately cutting off Li Dian's return route.

Before the Wei archers could even nock their arrows, blood was already blooming from their throats.

Li Dian exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!"

He hastily ordered a change of formation, but Guan Yu turned his horse around and with a single stroke, cut the general's flag in half.

Terrified, Li Dian lay prone on his horse, hastily trying to dodge Guan Yu's attack.

It was only thanks to the desperate resistance of several officers that Li Dian was able to retreat to the central command formation to take command.

The Qi army, occupying the high ground on the west side, had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows, unleashing a rain of arrows that blotted out the sky.

Cao Hong's cavalrymen were thrown into chaos, and Zhang Fei turned back to charge, his spear aimed straight at Cao Hong.

"Zhang Yide of Yan is here!"

The two generals' weapons clashed, sparks flying three zhang (approximately 10 meters) high.

The battle was most fierce in the central command area.

Xu Chu suddenly abandoned his sword, took two meteor hammers off his saddle, and swung them around at Xiahou Shang.

Xiahou Shang thrust his spear forward, but was entangled by the iron chains.

Just as he reached out to take it, Xu Chu threw a second meteor hammer at him.

"what!!"

Xiahou Shang was unable to dodge in time and was hit in the chest.

He immediately vomited blood, fell from his horse, and died.

Overjoyed at his successful ambush of the Wei army, Liu Bei immediately drew his sword and shouted to the Qi army behind him:
"The restoration of the Han Dynasty is happening today!"

"Eliminate the traitors for the country! Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!"

Generally speaking, the higher the monarch's personal prestige, the higher the morale of the army when the monarch personally supervises the battle.

Having served as the King of Qi for so many years, Liu Bei's reputation in the army was already extremely high.

Now, personally urging his soldiers forward on the battlefield, the soldiers immediately felt their blood boil and their heroic spirit surge.

"Kill!"

"Come on!"

Encouraged by Liu Bei, tens of thousands of Qi soldiers surged towards the Wei army like a tidal wave.

On the eastern front, Li Dian's troops were now in dire straits.

Guan Yu's Jingzhou and Qingzhou soldiers charged in all at once, with swordsmen and shieldmen forming an impenetrable wall in front, while spearmen constantly thrust through the gaps.

The Wei archers had just finished firing a volley of arrows when they were cut down by the light cavalry that suddenly appeared before them.

"Hold it! Hold it!"

Li Dian shouted hoarsely, his ring-pommel sword already chipped.

The war was far more intense than he had imagined.

Although this battle in the Central Plains was a desperate struggle between the two sides.

But no one expected, including the Wei and Qi armies themselves, that the intensity of the initial encounter would be so high.

It started as a brutal, meat-grinding battle.

The Wei army wiped out a wave of Liang troops last night, and their morale is high.

However, this also led to a certain degree of underestimation of the enemy.

After successfully ambushing Liang's army and nearly annihilating them.

The Wei army clearly assumed that the Qi army would do the same.

Unexpectedly, the Qi army saw through their ambush, not only successfully organizing a counterattack but also demonstrating remarkable resilience.

Its strength far surpasses that of the Liang army soldiers from last night.

Li Dian was already an excellent general, but he was immediately engaged in such a high-intensity battle.

I haven't fully adapted yet.

Suddenly a hail of arrows came, and even his personal guards fell one after another.

Looking up, one could see Gongsun Xu's White Horse Cavalry on the high slope, drawing their bows and nocking arrows, their silver armor gleaming in the sunlight.

The fighting on the western front was even more brutal.

Zhang Fei's Yan Yun Iron Cavalry clashed with Cao Hong's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. The warhorses reared up with neighing, and the knights, their eyes bloodshot, hacked and slashed at each other.

Every cut was like a knife cutting flesh, every shot drew blood.

Everyone was bloodthirsty, hacking and killing anyone they saw.

Because if you're too slow, you'll die at someone else's hands.

An old soldier from Yanyun had a spear pierce his chest, but he clung to the shaft so that his comrade could cut off his opponent's head with a single blow.

The ground was soaked in blood, and the horses' hooves made a chilling "squeak" sound as they stepped on it.

In front of the central command tent, Xu Chu wielded his broadsword with great force.

Like a tiger among sheep, he charged left and right through the Wei army's ranks as if they were empty.

Three Wei soldiers approached with shields, but he swept them away with a single blow, sending them and their shields flying.

Xiahou Dun was furious after defeating Xiahou Shang, and immediately ordered Cao Chun to go into battle.

Cao Chun charged forward with his spear, aiming straight for Xu Chu's throat.

The two fierce generals clashed, sparks flying from their clashing weapons, and the surrounding soldiers involuntarily made way for them.

With a deafening roar, a fireball suddenly exploded in the rear of the Wei army.

It turned out that Li Yi's fire attack team, which had been lying in ambush, had set fire to the earthenware jars filled with oil.

Amidst the raging flames, the Wei army's formation was completely thrown into chaos.

"Hooray, Ziyu has won!"

Looking at the raging fire, Liu Bei was overjoyed.

Because the cost of kerosene-filled ceramic pots is extremely high.

If a large-scale ambush is carried out, it is possible to miss the target.

The only option was to deduce the Wei army's marching route and then concentrate the burial.

Unexpectedly, Li Yi had predicted this correctly.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Bei waved his command flag, urging his troops to continue advancing.

The Qi army, like a sharp dagger, pierced straight into the heart of the Wei army.

"Retreat! All troops retreat!"

Xiahou Dun's single eye was bloodshot, and his vocal cords were about to crack from shouting.

The remaining Wei troops abandoned their armor and fled in disarray towards Chendu.

People kept falling along the way, and the cries of the wounded echoed across the twilight fields.

The smoke of battle had not yet cleared, and the scorched earth was littered with corpses.

Broken swords and halberds lay askew in the blood and mud, and tattered banners fluttered weakly in the wind, occasionally swirling up pieces of blood-stained armor.

Flocks of crows circled around, emitting piercing cries, and occasionally swooped down to peck at the still-warm corpses.

On the western front, Cao Hong's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were routed.

Warhorses collapsed and died, armor shattered, and the surviving Wei soldiers abandoned their helmets and armor, struggling and crawling in the mud.

Zhang Fei's Yan Yun Iron Cavalry trampled through the enemy ranks, their hooves pounding in pools of blood and splashing up dark red mud.

Several severely wounded Wei soldiers huddled beside a pile of corpses, staring blankly at the sky, as if awaiting their death.

The eastern front was in complete disarray, with Li Dian's archer unit almost entirely wiped out.

Arrows were planted densely in the ground, like steel thorns growing out of nowhere.

Guan Yu's Qingzhou soldiers were clearing the battlefield. The swordsmen and axemen checked the fallen enemies one by one. Occasionally, a Wei soldier who was not dead would let out a weak groan, and then be finished off with a blow.

Upon seeing this, Guan Yu couldn't help but frown.

"War is like this, Guan Yu, do not be soft-hearted at this moment."

Li Yi stepped out from behind him, seemingly already guessing what Guan Yu was thinking.

"Even if we accept the surrender of these Wei soldiers, they are not truly hostile to our army."

"But he was already seriously injured, where would we find so many medicines to treat him?"

"Moreover, our army still has hundreds of thousands of soldiers who are fed by horses?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu remained silent.

The blood groove on the Azure Dragon Blade was completely stained. He leaned on the blade with one hand and coldly surveyed the battlefield.

He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and his red face appeared even more majestic in the sunset.

Just as the soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, a cheer suddenly erupted from the Qi army ranks.

"A resounding victory! A resounding victory! The Wei dogs have been routed!"

"General Guan is mighty! General Zhang is invincible!"

"Long live the King of Qi! Long live Prime Minister Li!"

"Charge into Chendu! Capture Xiahou Dun alive!"

"Charge into Chendu and capture Xiahou Dun alive!"

The soldiers raised their blood-stained weapons high and pounded their shields, the sound echoing across the fields.

Someone searched the corpses of Wei soldiers and found wine sacs, then tilted their head back and drank the wine.

The liquor dripped down his chin, mixing with sweat and blood.

Despite their grimaces, the wounded soldiers laughed along, as if the pain had been washed away by the joy of victory.

Standing on high ground, Liu Bei looked at his cheering soldiers, his eyes filled with both satisfaction and a touch of heaviness.

Seeing Li Yi return after surveying the battlefield, he spoke:
"Although we won this battle, the cost was considerable."

Li Yi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the corpses on the battlefield, and said in a low voice:
"War has always been like this: one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand."

"Your Majesty is a veteran of many battles. Have you been in Xiapi for so long that you have forgotten what it is like on the battlefield?"

Liu Bei fell silent for a moment; he had never felt such heartache before, even when he was fighting a war.

Could it be that after he became the King of Qi, he got used to the role of "ruler and father" and could no longer see his subjects killing each other?

Thinking of this, Liu Bei suddenly spoke:
"Ziyu, accompany me for a walk."

“…Here you go.”

The setting sun was like blood as Liu Bei and Li Yi rode slowly across the battlefield after the battle.

The horses' hooves occasionally pounded over broken weapons, making dull thuds.

In the distance, laborers were collecting corpses, and the air was filled with the stench of blood and scorched earth.

"Every war adds countless more orphans and widows to the family."

Liu Bei stared at the corpses being carried away, his brows furrowed. "When will this chaotic world end?"

This is actually a difficult question to answer.

Liu Bei was also accompanied by renowned scholars such as Jian Yong and Chen Gong.

But when Liu Bei asked, no one could give a specific answer.

Liu Bei smiled slightly and asked Li Yi beside him:

"Ziyu, when will this chaotic world end?"

The same question, which Liu Bei had seemed to be muttering to himself just now, was now being addressed directly by name.

"Just today!"

"Today?"

"Just today."

……

A cheer drifted on the wind, and shouts of "Long live the King of Qi!" and "Long live the Prime Minister!" could be faintly heard.

Li Yi suddenly reined in his horse and seized the opportunity to ask:
"Your Majesty, can you hear what the soldiers are shouting?"

The phrase "Long live the Emperor" was originally a blessing used by ordinary people during celebrations.

However, during the reign of Emperor Wu, it became a term exclusively used by the emperor.

However, under normal circumstances, the term "Long Live the Emperor" could still be used by ordinary people, except for the emperor.

It is not absolutely mandatory.

For example, when General Ma Yuan rewarded his troops, there was a scene where "officials and soldiers all bowed and shouted 'Long live the Emperor!'"

In the Han Dynasty, feudal lords could also use the term "Long Live the Emperor" in informal ceremonial settings, as it had not yet been legally monopolized as an exclusive symbol for the emperor.

Even so, in such a sensitive period, and in the context of Liu Bei's "sensitive identity,"

The soldiers' instinctive shouts of "Long live!" seemed somewhat unusual.

Liu Bei understood the implied meaning in Li Yi's words, and his expression shifted slightly:

"The soldiers were overjoyed with their victory and got carried away for a moment."

"No."

Li Yi's eyes shone brightly. "'Long live the Emperor' is an exclusive title for the Son of Heaven. Now, the three armies are spontaneously shouting 'Long live the King of Qi!' This is the will of Heaven and the will of the people."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yong, Chen Gong, Wang Lang, and the others behind him all trembled and subconsciously held their breath.

Everyone admired Li Yi immensely.

So brave.

It can only be said that he truly deserves to be called Prime Minister Li; he dares to say anything in front of Prince Qi.

In any case, none of the three of them would dare to say such things so openly while the emperor was still alive.

But Li Yi was that kind of man; he just said it.

This is a bold attempt!

At this moment, everyone's eyes were on Liu Bei.

Obviously, this kind of thing depends on the attitude of the person involved.

However, given the relationship between Li Yi and Liu Bei, it will not have any impact on the two of them.

Liu Bei spoke slowly and solemnly:

"Right now, the priority should be suppressing the traitors; how can we presume to discuss anything else?"

Li Yi chuckled softly:
"The restoration of the dynasty by Emperor Guangwu also began with 'Prince Xiao'."

"Our lord now inherits the legitimate lineage of the Han Dynasty and complies with the expectations of the common people, ruling over all nations from the center of China."

"The promotion was a natural progression."

Since the atmosphere had already reached this point, Li Yi decided to directly ask Liu Bei to see his attitude.

After all, this was the political objective of the Central Plains War.

If Liu Bei himself didn't have this idea, then it would be his subordinates who would suffer.

"You bastard, Li Ziyu."

Liu Bei suddenly smiled, "When did you learn this trick of persuading someone to join the throne?"

"I was merely expressing the sentiments of the entire army."

Li Yi pointed to the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield and said, "These soldiers are willing to die for their country, not only to punish traitors, but also to follow a wise ruler."

"If Your Majesty remains humble and modest, it will only discourage the soldiers."

Just then, Zhang Fei rode up on his horse.

He overheard the conversation between Li Yi and Liu Bei in the distance and immediately dismounted.

He said it in a very casual way:
"Brother, you are too modest!"

"It's just a cell."

"You can call him 'Emperor,' but you can't call him 'elder brother'?"

"Yide, stop talking nonsense!"

When facing Zhang Fei, Liu Bei didn't give him a pleasant look and reprimanded him very severely.

Zhang Fei gave a light snort:
“Every word I have said is true, and this is what the people want.”

"In my opinion, if our army marches on Chendu now, we can welcome the Emperor."

"It would be wise to have the young lord abdicate!"

"Have you not heard the words of the sage: 'How can someone whose virtue does not match his position, and whose people do not submit to his will, be fit to be the Son of Heaven?'"

"Now my elder brother is revered by all people; he is the true master of destiny!"

Liu Bei was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

"Yide, I want you to read more books."

"Is this all the books you read?"

Hahaha……

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

After laughing, Liu Bei remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, he saw an old soldier kneeling on the ground, weeping bitterly, holding the belongings of his fallen comrade in his arms.

He sighed:
"If one can ascend to a high position and quickly stabilize the realm, thus sparing the people from war..."

"Very well, let's discuss it again after the siege of Chendu is lifted."

Li Yi smiled knowingly and said no more.

As dusk fell, Liu Bei's figure stood out remarkably tall amidst the carnage of the battlefield.

In the distance, shouts of "Long live the King of Qi!" rose and fell, drifting alongside mournful banners in the blood-red sunset.

……

The night was deep, and the candlelight flickered inside the Wei army's main tent in Chendu.

Xiahou Dun, with one eye bloodshot, hastily summoned his generals for a meeting before even removing his armor.

The generals in the tent were either sitting or standing, their faces covered in the dust and smoke of battle.

"The initial defeat was not a fault of the commander!"

Cao Hong slammed his fist on the table and stood up, causing the command arrows on the table to rattle loudly.

"The Qi army only succeeded by a lucky surprise attack. If they regroup and fight again, they will surely avenge their previous defeat!"

Whether Cao Hong's statement was intentional or unintentional, it was of great significance.

This statement indirectly exonerated the defeated generals.

Upon seeing this, the subordinate generals all chimed in with their agreement:

"Exactly, exactly! Our troops have not yet adapted to the enemy's tactics!"

"If we had deployed a proper and powerful army, how could we have been defeated by Liu Bei?"

Man Chong stroked his beard and shook his head:
"The morale of the soldiers has now collapsed, like a crossbow at the end of its stroke."

"Build deep trenches and high walls, and await the arrival of the Runan army to provide reinforcements..."

Runan was Cao Ren's territory, and it was under his jurisdiction.

Everyone's eyes instinctively fell on him, because the soldiers from the Runan Military Region had not yet arrived in Chendu to join them.

But Cao Ren also had his reasons for saying that.
If he doesn't leave a large force in Runan, how can he defend against Zhuge Liang's Jingzhou army and Chen Deng's Huainan army?

“Runan is far away, and a slow approach won’t solve the urgent problem.”

Cao Ren took a scroll of bamboo slips from his robes and threw it onto the table, saying in a deep voice:
"What's even more troublesome now is that Chen's existing forces have already suffered more than 30% losses!"

The tent fell silent instantly. A loss of 30% was undoubtedly a huge blow to an army.

For an army that primarily relies on conscription, this would be an even more devastating blow.

After all, Cao Wei was able to amass an army that could overwhelm the Qi army by mass-producing troops.

Once a large number of regular soldiers are lost, it is impossible to quickly replace them.

To prevent mutiny, they had to break up the conscripted men into very small groups and send them to various military units.

Therefore, the replenishment speed is far slower than that of the Qi state's conscription system.

Amidst the crackling of the candlelight, Cao Ren pointed to the bamboo slips and explained the gravity of the current situation:
"To prevent a mutiny by the newly conscripted men, in accordance with the new system of our Great Wei, the soldiers of each camp will be stationed in different locations."

"Now that we have lost soldiers, there is nowhere to replace them in the short term!"

Cao Hong, with his fiery temper, slammed his fist on the table and roared:
"I told you long ago that this 'division of forces' system does more harm than good!"

He glanced at the generals and said, "Back in Yanzhou, how convenient it was to recruit soldiers on the spot!"

"By the time the report gets submitted and the approval is granted, Liu Bei will have already stormed the city!"

Man Chong retorted:
"If we do not divide our troops in this way, given the intensity of our army's forced recruitment of brave soldiers..."

"The soldiers in the army will surely mutini!"

Cao Hong said bitterly:
"If there is a mutiny, kill them."

"As time goes by, naturally no one will dare to cause trouble again!"

Man Chong couldn't help but sneer:

"This will only provoke more people."

The meeting quickly descended into argument.

Everyone was trying to shift the blame.

Some argue that the forced conscription of troops should never have happened, while others say that once troops were conscripted, they should never have been divided up.

This has led to difficulties in replenishing personnel and preventing the immediate restoration of combat effectiveness.

In short, before the incident, everyone was able to sit down peacefully and discuss things calmly.

After the incident, all sorts of conflicts and problems were exacerbated.

"Alright, it's no use saying anything now!"

Xiahou Dun displayed the authority of a leader and stopped the argument by speaking up.

He hesitated for a long time before speaking slowly:
"Filial piety, integrity..."

Xiahou Dun's single eye shone brightly. "With the current forces, is it possible to stop Liu Bei at the city walls?"

Cao Ren traced the mercury markings on the map with his fingertip, frowning as he said:
"Each battalion has less than 70% of its full strength, and only enough bows, crossbows and arrows for three days."

"If the Qi army launches a full-scale attack..."

He slammed the bamboo slip shut, saying, "It's like throwing an egg against a rock; the chances of winning are extremely low."

"Unless divine intervention is involved, it will be extremely difficult, extremely difficult..."

Cao Hong slammed his fist on the table, causing the lamp to flicker.

"If I had known this would happen, I should have incorporated all the able-bodied men from Chen into the military!"

"Otherwise, we wouldn't be in this situation where we have no replacements."

"Be careful!"

Xiahou Dun suddenly lowered his voice, "I have a plan that may solve this predicament."

Everyone was stunned, and their eyes all turned to Xiahou Dun.

It's as if to say, "You have a plan too?"
Xiahou Dun opened his mouth and slowly uttered four words:

"Temporarily abandon the emperor."

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

Cao Hong suddenly stood up, his sword clattering against the table.

"...General, please think it over carefully. The Emperor is the rightful heir of the Han Dynasty."

"If Liu Bei were to obtain it and follow the example of Yao and Shun, how would our Great Wei state conduct itself?"

“Zilian, don’t be alarmed, it’s not a true abandonment.”

Xiahou Dun waved his hand to calm Cao Hong down.

Then, in a methodical manner, he analyzed the situation for everyone:
"If we forcibly seize the emperor now, we will surely be pursued by the Qi army's light cavalry."

"It would be better to leave this 'burden' to Liu Bei."

His single eye gleamed with a sharp light, "When he led the emperor on a military campaign, he could travel no more than thirty li a day."

"Our army can quickly retreat from Xiangcheng, transfer troops from Runan, make advance preparations, and shift the battlefield."

"Wait until their troops are exhausted and weary, then strike them in one fell swoop."

"Won't the emperor fall back into our hands?"

Man Chong, however, seemed somewhat anxious and said with concern:
"But to just abandon the emperor and hand him over to Liu Bei like this, what if something goes wrong..."

For the past fifteen years, the Han court has been controlled by the Cao and Liu families, who jointly governed it.

Xiahou Dun's decision now means that he wants to break this situation.

From then on, the emperor completely fell into the hands of the Qi people, especially given Liu Bei's current reputation.

There really was only one step separating them from the emperor.

Xiahou Dun gritted his teeth and said bitterly:
"Liu Bei prides himself on his benevolence and virtue; how could he dare to emulate the story of Dong Zhuo?"

He rose and placed his hand on his sword. "Moreover, Duke Wei had already given a secret order: in urgent situations, expediency may be used."

"Gentlemen, do not forget—before the Battle of Guandu, we even dared to temporarily abandon our base in Yanzhou!"

Why should we begrudge a mere minor official?

Rumble!
A sudden clap of thunder sounded outside the window, and a torrential downpour of early summer arrived abruptly.

The sound of rain mingled with the coughs of the soldiers guarding the city walls. Cao Ren gazed at the rain-soaked window paper and murmured:

"I fear that after this retreat, the hearts of the people will all turn to Qi and Han."

“Those who achieve great things don’t stick to trivial matters!”

Xiahou Dun chopped the candle at the corner of the table and said fiercely:
"I have made up my mind, and I will do it."

"There is no better solution than this."

"Immediately issue the order: the entire army should be lightly armed and withdraw from the west gate to Baima before dawn."

"Leave empty tents and place many flags to buy enough time for our army to retreat."

As the fourth watch was about to end, the west gate of Chendu quietly opened.

The Wei army, lightly armed and swift, with horses' hooves wrapped in cloth and soldiers gagged, quietly withdrew from the city like a black undercurrent.

Xiahou Dun stood on the west gate bridge, looking back with one eye at the outline of the palace in the city.

The soldiers kept his orders firmly in mind: raise more flags and keep the cooking stoves.

Zhao Yan offered further advice:
"We might as well send old and weak soldiers to patrol the city walls again, beating drums. Liu Bei will surely think that our army is still holding the city to the death."

Xiahou Dun agreed.

In the rain, the main force of the Wei army quietly withdrew north, leaving behind empty camps everywhere, with banners fluttering in the wind.

At dawn the next day.

Qi scouts reached the walls of Chen's capital, only to find Wei flags waving on the city walls, cooking smoke rising as usual, and the faint sound of watchman's drums.

"Weird..."

Zhang Fei scratched his head, "Why is that Wei traitor so quiet?"

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. "I fear there may be a trap."

Li Yi took out his binoculars and examined the object closely for a moment, then suddenly sneered:
"Though there are many banners, none reflect the light of weapons."

"Though the smoke from the chimneys is plentiful, there is no neighing of warhorses—this is a classic case of the Empty City Stratagem!"

Liu Bei immediately ordered Xu Chu to lead a light cavalry force to attack the city.

In less than half an hour, the city gates were opened wide—it turned out that the Wei army had already withdrawn.

Only a few old soldiers remained on the city wall to beat the drums. Upon seeing the Qi army arrive, they immediately knelt down and surrendered.

With this arrangement, Xiahou Dun successfully misled the Qi army, buying the Wei army enough time for a strategic retreat.

But the Qi people didn't lose out either, because they entered the capital of Chen without losing a single soldier.

At this time, the Chen court completely fell into Liu Bei's hands.

……

(End of this chapter)