My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 638: Heroes from all over the world gather in Xiangyang

Huang Zhong was not a man known for his eloquence, and the rhetoric he used to persuade the enemy to surrender was taught to him on the spot by Xu Shu, Liu Bei's military adviser.

Faced with the sharp words and sophistry of the Yicheng County Magistrate and the garrison commander, he naturally found it difficult to convince the other party for a while. After cursing for a while, he had to retreat in anger.

Huang Zhong rode back to Liu Bei's banner in shame and bowed to his lord to apologize:

"I am incompetent and have failed to persuade the magistrate of Yicheng to give up his evil ways. Please tell me, lord. Should we attack Yicheng now, or divide our forces to besiege it while the rest of the main force races to advance north to Xiangyang?"

Liu Bei did not express his opinion on this issue immediately. He just thought about it quietly for a while, then comforted Huang Zhong and told him not to worry about it.

Then he asked Huang Zhong and Xu Shu a question each:
"Who is this Yicheng County Magistrate? He is so stubborn. Yuanzhi, what do you think our army should do with him?"

The two of them were questioned by their lord and answered quickly one after another.

Huang Zhong: "The magistrate of Yicheng County is named Kuai Qi, the nephew of Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue."

Liu Bei nodded gently: "This is not surprising. It shows that the Kuai family and the Cai family are really tied together. They prosper together and suffer together."

After Liu Bei finished his sigh, Xu Shu on the other side continued to answer:
"My lord, our army's vanguard is mostly cavalry. It is not easy to attack and break the city. It takes a long time to prepare."

Liu Bei: "So Yuan Zhi is advising me to bypass the city and head north to attack Xiangyang?"

Xu Shu: "We should give it a try, but the target may not be fixed on Xiangyang. Yicheng is the lair of the Kuai clan, and it is already so entangled that it refuses to surrender.

It can be imagined that Xiangyang must have been deployed in advance like an iron barrel. The lord's light army advanced quickly, hoping to inspire loyal and righteous people to open the door for the inner support, which is probably difficult to achieve.

It might even expose those potential loyal and righteous people in vain, so it is better to let them be patient for the time being and make plans later."

Liu Bei sighed helplessly, knowing that Xu Shu was right. Yicheng was already heavily guarded, let alone Xiangyang.

It is unlikely to take back the territory without bloodshed this time while the enemy is still unstable.

After thinking it through, Liu Bei pointed his whip to the northwest and said, "No matter what, we still have to give Xiangyang a try. Especially if Cai Mao is not convinced and sees that we have few soldiers and only cavalry, and dares to go out of the city to fight back, then I don't mind killing him in a field battle.

If he is not provoked in any way and there is no one in the city who would respond to the righteous act and open the gates, our army will gain nothing at the gate of Xiangyang and will turn west.

Divide the troops to attack Bianxian and Linju, bypass the Han River, take the mountain road to connect to Fangling, and ensure that Shangyong counties are not seized by Cao's bandits. When all the five counties in northern Jing are stabilized, we will then use the main army to fight against Cao's bandits for victory. "

Seeing that Liu Bei had let go of his obsession and had become more realistic, Xu Shu quickly expressed his agreement:

"My lord, you are taking steady steps and not being swayed by the thought of revenge. This is a blessing for the Han Dynasty. I have another plan that may be able to trick Yicheng County, but I cannot guarantee its effectiveness."

"You can tell me as soon as possible." Liu Bei was not surprised at all and directly asked Xu Shu for advice.

Xu Shu pointed out: "Our army can pretend to be eager to go to Xiangyang, leaving only a small number of cavalry to besiege Yicheng, blocking the three gates of the north, south and west, leaving only the gate on the east side facing the Han River unsieged, to prevent the soldiers in the city from breaking out and reporting the news.

Before leaving, the lord can send someone to intimidate by shouting, "In a few days, the prime minister will arrive with the main force of the infantry, and will surely storm the city. By then, all the people of the Cai and Kuai clans who are rebelling in the city will be wiped out."

In this way, the enemy will surely panic. Whether they try to break through the Han River and retreat to Xiangyang, or take advantage of the departure of our main force and underestimate the small number of cavalry we left to block the gate, and dare to go out of the city to counterattack and destroy our army's food supply, our army can take the opportunity to kill them or break into the city. "

Liu Bei thought about it and felt that although the success rate of this plan could not be guaranteed, there would be no loss even if it failed, so he immediately approved it.

According to Xu Shu, the core of this strategy is "pretend to be in a hurry and have no time to take care of anything else", which will result in the force left to guard Yicheng being very weak, thus luring the enemy.

Kuai Qi in the key city is not a man of wisdom, so such a strategy should be enough to deal with him.

Liu Bei immediately gave Huang Zhong a look, asking him to give his last try at cursing.

Huang Zhong understood what he meant and quickly returned to the gate of Yicheng, shouting towards the top of the city wall:

"Kuai Qi, my little brat! Your Kuai family colluded with Cai Mao to murder the envoy, yet you are still stubborn and refuse to change your ways. If you insist on making excuses, then don't blame the general for helping the envoy to clean up the mess!
At most in three or four days, Zhuge Situ will lead a large group of infantry to this place. By then, we will capture Yicheng and destroy both sides!

The Ge Gongche was invented by Situ, and its strength in attacking cities is well known to the world! Those Ge Gongche were originally prepared for Xiangyang, and it is just a piece of cake to break your Yicheng!
I’ll give you one last chance now. If you don’t open the gate to welcome the king’s division, then no one of the Kuai clan will be left alive in the city!”

Kuai Qi originally thought that he could have more arguments with Huang Zhong to discuss whether Liu Biao was murdered. But Huang Zhong lost the argument and simply stopped reasoning with him and threatened to exterminate his entire family.

A scholar like Kuai Qi suddenly felt like a scholar meeting a soldier.

Kuai Qi unilaterally refuted and argued, but the other party did not listen at all and rode away. He only left hundreds of cavalrymen outside the three city gates of Yicheng County to monitor.

……

After Huang Zhong completed the task of deterring the enemy, he quickly caught up with Liu Bei, reported the situation, and wanted to continue to serve as the vanguard.

But Liu Bei and Xu Shu smiled and told him to be patient: "Old General, there is no need to be so anxious. You can lead more than a thousand cavalry to the north of Yicheng, at the confluence of the Yishui and Hanshui rivers, to collect boats and prepare for ambush.

Whether Kuai Qi despises the cavalry left behind to monitor us, breaks out of the city, or returns north via the Han River, you must stop him. I will protect me as I go to Xiangyang."

Huang Zhong couldn't help but get anxious when he heard this. This was his first chance to make merit after he officially surrendered to Liu Bei. How could he miss the opportunity to go to Xiangyang?

It was Xu Shu who comforted him: "Old General, think about it. The defenders of Yicheng are already so vigilant. How many opportunities are left for Xiangyang? Anyway, the cavalry cannot attack the city. The task of deterrence and persuading the enemy is enough for Shuzhi.

You have a chance to make real achievements in Yicheng. As long as you take Yicheng, you will have a springboard to attack Xiangyang along the Han River, which will be very helpful for the subsequent protracted war. It is not without reason that Jing Shenggong went to Yicheng before entering Xiangyang. This place is also very important. "

Huang Zhong was still a little worried: "But our army does not have many soldiers. If I cannot be with you personally, will your safety be in danger..."

Liu Bei immediately interrupted this question and said, "Don't worry about this. Our army is composed of cavalry and has plenty of energy. If the enemy's main force attacks, we can retreat calmly. Moreover, Shuzhi has served as my bodyguard. Han Sheng does not need to worry too much."

What Liu Bei said was true. In history, Chen Dao had led Liu Bei's elite Bai Li soldiers and served as Liu Bei's central army guard. It was more than enough for Chen Dao to protect Liu Bei's safety.

If Liu Bei heard that Cao Cao was coming in person, he could retreat temporarily and wait for Zhuge Jin's navy and infantry to join forces. If only Cai Mao dared to go out of the city and counterattack Liu Bei with his small army, that would be exactly what he wanted.

This is not because Liu Bei is arrogant. Although Liu Bei himself is not a famous general, he is not afraid at all when he leads nearly 10,000 cavalrymen to fight against Cai Mao's troops in Xiangyang City.

Although the soldiers under Cai Mao's command were far more numerous than Liu Bei's first batch of troops, they were not elite and their morale was not united.

If he defended the city, Cai Mao could still control the army by relying on his accumulated prestige. Once it came to a field battle, Liu Bei only needed to attack the hearts of the people properly, and use the banner of revenge for Liu Biao, and then use the name of Liu Qi to win over the people. Cai Mao himself did not dare to think how many of his men would turn against him in the face of battle.

Huang Zhong saw that this was indeed the truth, so he did not insist and obediently accepted the mission.

Liu Bei also patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Han Sheng is left behind because the mission here is arduous and we need to defeat the enemy with fewer troops. If we leave too many soldiers, Kuai Qi will not dare to break out. We need to leave fewer soldiers to let him see hope and then destroy him. Such an important task can only be accomplished by a famous and brave general. Han Sheng should encourage himself."

After hearing this analysis, Huang Zhong's eyes filled with tears. He said that he would perform well and seize the bridgehead for the subsequent attack on Xiangyang as soon as possible.

……

Liu Bei quickly led his army north and did not even camp near Yicheng that day.

Kuai Qi saw that the main force of the enemy had indeed withdrawn, and only a few hundred people were left blocking each gate, and he couldn't help feeling anxious.

He thought over and over again but really couldn't make up his mind. The generals around him were not very smart and there was no one to consult with.

Finally, they could only find a few young talents in the city who were known for their virtues and discuss strategies with them.

The people called by Kuai Qi were several young men from the Ma family in Yicheng County, including Ma Kang, Ma Liang and others.

Ma Liang was the youngest of the three brothers who came to visit. He was only in his early twenties, but he also had the best reputation in Yicheng Township. At a young age, people in the streets had heard that "among the five brothers of the Ma family, the white-browed one was the best."

As soon as they met, they had to bow to the Magistrate Kuai due to etiquette. Kuai Qi did not stick to it and directly asked Ma Liang:
"I have heard that Ji Chang is quite good at arithmetic and planning. This county is not familiar with military affairs, but I wonder if the enemy army starts from Hanyang and goes up the Han River, how many days will it take for the cavalry and navy to travel?"

Ma Liang made a simple calculation for such a simple question and reported to the incompetent county magistrate: "It can be about three or four days' journey. The Han River does not flow too fast below Yicheng, but it is difficult to travel a hundred miles a day by sailing against the current."

Kuai Qi felt even more nervous when he heard what Ma Liang said, which was similar to what Huang Zhong had said before when threatening him. Then, he asked for advice again, wondering if there was any safe way to ensure escape: "What if the enemy army is well prepared and prepares warships in Jingling and other places halfway, and then goes north to block the waterway outside the east gate of Yicheng?

Is there any way to ensure a safe escape by water after exiting the East Gate?"

How could Ma Liang, who was only in his early twenties, answer such a question?
The Ma brothers quickly expressed their helplessness. Finally, seeing that Kuai Qi was at a loss, Ma Liang gave him a suggestion:
"You may want to take a small boat with a very shallow draft, and go north along the Han River for more than 20 miles, then turn into the Yi River and go to Xiangyang. The Yi River is shallow, and large ships from the Han River cannot enter. That's why there is such a prosperous commercial port in the northeast of Yicheng, and we need to change ships for transportation."

When Kuai Qi thought about it, he suddenly understood.

Any town on a river was originally formed for a reason.

Most of the time, it is because a small river flows into a big river, and then a transfer terminal needs to be set up here to exchange goods between the small boats in the small river and the large ships in the big river.

Yicheng also has a geographical feature: there is a tributary of the Han River, the Yishui River, which merges into the Han River nearby. Large ships sailing in the Han River cannot sail into the Yishui River.

If Zhuge Jin came from Hanyang, Jingling and other places in the lower reaches of the Han River to besiege Yicheng and Xiangyang, he must have brought large ships that sailed on the Han River.

Especially when the Han River reaches Xiangyang and Fancheng upstream, the river channel is narrower, but the water is deeper and the flow is faster. To play a role in the Xiangyang battlefield, the navy must use larger warships, and small boats are just there to deliver food.

And how could Zhuge Jin spend so much time to deal with a small target like Yicheng? When Zhuge Jin deployed his troops, he must have made serving the imaginary battlefield of Xiangyang his top priority.

Therefore, if we can sail a short distance in the Han River and then turn into the shallow Yi River to sail north to escape, then even if the enemy has prepared a naval ambush in advance, we don't have to be afraid, we will definitely be able to break through successfully!

After thinking this through, Kuai Qi felt relieved. At least he could ensure that he could escape if he wanted to, and would not be killed by Liu Bei's army in revenge.

After returning to make some preparations, he organized many of the relatives and close friends of the Kuai family, brought valuables and property, assembled a number of small boats found in the city, and more than a thousand reliable soldiers, then opened the east gate of Yicheng and let them break out to the north in the dark.

Kuai Qi did this not only to save his own life, but also for his family.

The lair of Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue is in Yicheng. There are too many members of the Kuai family in Yicheng. If they were all wiped out by Liu Bei, it would be too tragic and would also deal a heavy blow to the pro-Cao faction in Jingzhou.

……

Kuai Qi originally thought that this time all his clansmen could escape.

However, the fleet only sailed north in the dark for two hours, traveled more than 20 miles, and turned into the Yi River.

After sailing for a while, they suddenly heard loud shouts from between the sparse woods on both sides of the river, and dozens of small boats, also in the style of civilian ships, emerged from the reed marshes on the shore.

These boats were converted from fishing boats and were not even as good as motorboats. Each boat could carry less than ten people, and all together they could only carry three hundred soldiers.

Kuai Qi sent a military commander and two Quchang to protect the Kuai clan members as they retreated, a total of more than a thousand people.

Seeing that there were about two to three hundred people blocking the road on the opposite side of the water, and that the boats were all temporarily requisitioned from the public, the Sima of the Jingzhou army plucked up his courage and led his troops to meet them directly.

"The enemy has only about 200 men. The whole army must fight to the death to defeat them!"

Unfortunately, the military commander had just shouted twice when an arrow shot out from the darkness and hit him directly in the face, causing him to fall headfirst.

The morale of the soldiers under his command was instantly stifled.

The small boats of Liu Bei's army on the opposite side were firing arrows and attacking fiercely downstream with great momentum.

The two Qu Changs sent by Kuai Qi had no idea how and where the enemy would appear here. Despite having a four or five times numerical advantage, they were beaten and fled in all directions.

Some Jingzhou soldiers rowed their boats to the beach, trying to land and escape.

Unexpectedly, not long after landing, cavalry rushed out from behind the sparse woods on the shore and attacked the Jingzhou soldiers who were not yet firmly established. Many relatives and friends of the Kuai family also died in the chaos.

The rest were afraid of being killed without any explanation, so they had to shout in surrender.

Huang Zhong won a great victory and captured all these people, taking them back to Yicheng after dawn.

As most of the fleeing members of the Kuai clan were captured and became Huang Zhong's human shields, it became too easy for them to capture Yicheng.

He simply placed these human shields in front of the gate, and the soldiers in the city who were still planning to defend the city to the death began to waver. Some knowledgeable people in the city who were loyal to Liu Biao and Liu Qi also took the opportunity to join forces and launch an attack.

Finally, with the help of scholars from Yicheng Ma family and others who responded to the eldest son's call, a part of the city defense troops turned against their own side and opened the gate to welcome Huang Zhong into the city.

Huang Zhong immediately rode his horse into the city, controlled the gates, killed those who resisted stubbornly, and firmly occupied this bridgehead for the subsequent attack on Xiangyang.

After finishing all this, Huang Zhong left behind one or two deputy generals to stabilize the situation in Yicheng and wait for Zhuge Jin to join forces.

He himself only brought a few hundred riders, with each man having multiple horses. He changed horses day and night and went to Xiangyang to chase his lord Liu Bei.

……

Huang Zhong only led a small number of people in the pursuit, but because they had enough horses to exchange, they eventually caught up with Liu Bei shortly after Liu Bei arrived in Xiangyang.

That day was May 26. When Liu Bei arrived at the city of Xiangyang, Cao's army had not yet arrived.

But Cai Mao had already taken strict precautions and blocked the three city gates of Xiangyang, east, west and south, with rammed earth a few days in advance.

Only the north gate bordering the Han River was left unblocked, and it was guarded by Cai Mao's direct navy and communicated with the water gate wharf of Fancheng, the twin city on the opposite bank.

Liu Bei led seven or eight thousand cavalrymen and patrolled the southwest sides of Fancheng in a show of force, hastily setting up a simple camp.

Afterwards, they displayed the flags to boost military morale, and went to the South Gate to order the civil and military officials in the city to surrender.

To make it more convincing, Liu Bei's army were all wrapped in white cloth today, including Liu Bei himself, who also wrapped a white silk ribbon around his forehead, a gesture of revenge for Liu Biao.

"Listen up, soldiers on the city! I am Liu Bei, the Grand Commandant of the Han Dynasty, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the Marquis of Wuchang! When Brother Jingsheng was alive, we were like brothers! Qi'er is like my own nephew. Now Cai Mao is a thief who has killed his master and betrayed him. God and man are outraged!
You have all received the kindness of Brother Jingsheng during his lifetime. How can you be so stubborn and help the tyrant to commit atrocities? Submit your membership as soon as possible, and I will kill the traitor with you!"

Liu Bei had his men shouting and cursing for a full half hour, and the people on the city walls were indeed in a state of panic and were quite shaken.

Unfortunately, Cai Mao had completely blocked the three city gates, so people couldn't open them even if they wanted to, just to prevent people from becoming unstable.

Liu Bei's attack on people's hearts ultimately failed to produce any substantial results.

At noon that day, a scout under his command suddenly reported back and told Liu Bei the bad news:
"My lord! In the direction of Fancheng in the north of Han, there is a large number of Cai Mao's navy crossing the Han River to help an enemy army across the river. Judging from the enemy's flags, it seems to be Cao Ren, the general of Cao's camp!"

"Cao Ren? Arrived so quickly? That means that Wancheng and other places, as well as the entire Nanyang County, must have been sold to Cao Ren by Cai Mao and are now completely under his control. Xinye, Fancheng and other places have also fallen into Cao Ren's hands!"

Liu Bei reacted quickly. Although he felt regretful, he had already roughly estimated the situation in his mind.

Xu Shu on the side also hurriedly gave him advice: "My lord, it seems that it is too late to seize Xiangyang in time, and we can only use other methods later.

Our navy is going upstream from Wuchang, but it is not as fast as the cavalry. Now there are no warships to stop Cao Ren from entering Xiangyang.

We should first find a way to occupy Linju and Fangling County, which is connected to Shangyong County, to prevent Liu Qi's Huo Jun, who is staying in Shangyong, from being intimidated by Cao's army and surrendering without knowing the strength of the friendly forces. "

Liu Bei knew that what Xu Shu said was right, but he was still a little unwilling: "Of course we have to do this, but is there no way to save the current situation?

Even if we can't capture Xiangyang, we can at least try to weaken the enemy! We can't come here in vain!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu also fell into deep thought, but could not think of any good idea.

At this moment, a messenger from the rear army came to report that Huang Zhong had caught up with them and brought with him a group of relatives of the Kuai family who were captured in Yicheng.

Hearing this, Xu Shu immediately came up with a plan: "My lord, even though we cannot take Xiangyang now, it is not a wasted trip. At least we can make Cao Jun dare not trust and use the Kuai family after entering Xiangyang."

(End of this chapter)