Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 402 Yuan Shao may have a million soldiers, but he is powerless; I will surely conquer Hebei.

October 23rd, 3:00 AM.

The heavy rain came quickly and left just as fast. After only an hour, the dark clouds had dispersed, revealing a sky full of stars.

A troop of cavalry, bearing the banners of Yuan's army, galloped rapidly toward Xindu, thirty-five li away. Behind the cavalry, an even larger army moved silently.

"Shut up!"

"My lord, General Xu's troops are only twenty li from Xindu. Should we launch a surprise attack on Xindu now, or should we order the soldiers to rest for a while?" Zhao Yun reined in his horses and reported.

Zhang Yu glanced at the dark sky and asked, "What time is it now?"

"At the time of dog-like thievery!" Zhao Yun replied.

The fourth watch, between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., is the darkness before dawn and when people are sleeping the most soundly. Therefore, thieves often commit crimes during the fourth watch, hence the term "dog thief" is often used to refer to this time. Since the fourth watch falls within the Chou hour (1-3 a.m.), it can also be referred to as "cockcrow."

Zhang Yu looked at Xu You and asked, "Ziyuan has been in Xindu for a long time. What do you have to see today?"

Xu You considered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, “My lord, Xindu has been the seat of the state for a long time, and it has been repaired by Yuan Shao. The city is fortified, with high walls on the outside and a palace on the inside. It is not advisable to forcibly break through the city. Many of Yuan Shao’s generals and officers are unruly. Now, we can send General Xu to the city of Xindu to see if he can trick the city gates open.”

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu pointed at his cavalry and said, "Quickly send a message to Xu Huang, instructing him to use Zhao Rui's name to deceive the city."

"As ordered!"

They spurred their horses and quickly disappeared into the night.

Shortly after, Xu Huang received Zhang Yu's military order and led a hundred cavalrymen to Xindu.

A wooden watchtower stood by the roadside, though no sentries were on guard now, but a tall lantern still hung there. Xu Huang led his cavalry along the main road, and was soon spotted by the exhausted Yuan soldiers on the city wall.

However, despite seeing them, the Yuan soldiers on the city wall did not react much. After all, in their minds, the Bing army was confronting Yuan Shao at the front line. If they dared to openly let them see them and approach the city, what other army could it be but their own?
As Xu Huang's troops approached, Yuan's soldiers poked their heads out and shouted, "What troops are you commanding?"

Xu Huang, dressed as a general under Yuan Shao, gave his entourage a wink, signaling them to step forward and answer.

The rider, with extraordinary courage, neither blushed nor panted, spurred his horse forward a few steps, looked up at the Yuan army on the tower, and calmly replied, "I am a subordinate of General Zhao Rui. I am on the orders of Duke Wei to march north to Yijing to support Gongsun Zan. We have been traveling through the night when we were caught in a sudden downpour. We are soaked to the bone and hope to be allowed to rest in the city."

Junquhou yawned, not wanting to pay attention to the people below the city, and gestured to the Yuan soldier who had asked the question earlier to continue answering.

"Xindu is a strategically important location in Ji Province, and ordinary troops are not allowed to enter," Yuan Zu said, having received the instruction.

The cavalryman was greatly dissatisfied and cursed, "We've been traveling day and night, and we can't even drink hot water. Do you think our Qingzhou troops are incompetent?"

Yuan Bing knew that the troops below the city belonged to Yuan Tan and did not know what to do, so he looked to the Marquis of Junqu.

Seeing that things were not going well, Junquhou changed his tune and peeked out with a smile: "It's not that we are unwilling to open the door, but the Commander-in-Chief has ordered that the door must not be opened at night."

Xu Huang raised his voice and said, "Then inform Commander Shen that my troops have endured great hardship. Tonight is cold and windy, and it is after the rain. The soldiers are all suffering from cold and hunger. If they catch a cold, wouldn't that delay the battle?"

Seeing that Xu Huang was determined to enter the city, Junquhou secretly groaned, fearing that he would not be able to sleep. Helpless, he could only say, "Please trouble the general to present the military order so that I can report to the commander."

"it is good!"

A wooden basket was lowered from the city gate tower, and Xu Huang had someone put a forged military order inside.

As darkness fell and Xu You pointed out the details, the Marquis of Junqu could no longer distinguish between truth and falsehood. So the general ordered him to return to Xu Huang by the same route, while he himself went down from the city tower to report the situation to Shen Pei.

After tossing and turning several times, Shen Pei, who had already fallen asleep, was forcibly woken up by his nephew Shen Rong. Upon learning what had happened, Shen Pei frowned slightly.

"Since you, my lord, have sent troops north to support Gongsun Zan, why has no news come from you?" Shen Pei muttered to himself.

Shen Rong, without doubting the truth, said, "Perhaps the matter happened so suddenly that you, my lord, did not have time to inform your uncle. Now that Zhao Rui has obeyed your military orders, if we do not allow them to enter the city, it may displease the eldest son."

"Normally speaking, it is rare for troops to travel at night and rest before dawn."

After much deliberation, Shen Pei was still surprised that Zhang Yu dared to launch such a bold surprise attack on Xindu. He finally said, "Since you are in charge of guarding the West Gate, then we will follow your suggestion."

Since Shen Pei became the head of Xindu, his nephew Shen Rong was promoted to the position of city gate captain.

"Uncle, please get some rest!"

Seeing that his uncle had accepted his suggestion, Shen Rong left happily.

After taking a few steps, just as Shen Rong was about to leave the house, Shen Pei felt a vague unease and couldn't help but call out to stop her nephew.

"Wait a minute!"

"uncle!"

Shen Pei hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yancheng is cramped, making it inconvenient to enter. Let them stay outside the city temporarily, and you can provide Zhao Rui's troops with wine and meat."

"What does Uncle mean?" Shen Rong asked, puzzled, seeing the inconsistency between Shen Pei's words and actions.

“The discipline of the Qingzhou soldiers is hard to know. If we let them into the city, it might cause a disturbance. It’s better to leave them outside the city,” Shen Pei said. “Besides, they will rest for a while and then leave. Why bother opening the gate again?”

"As ordered!"

After Shen Pei's efforts, while Shen Rong was preparing the wine, Jun Qu Hou informed Xu Huang's troops outside the city.

Upon learning that the troops could not enter, the cavalryman who had questioned them earlier flew into a rage, pointed his whip at the Yuan soldiers on the city wall, and said, "Where is Commander Shen? Do you have a detailed account of what happened?"

"Calm down!" Junquhou quickly reassured him, "It's not that I didn't know the details, but the city is too narrow to accommodate a large army. For now, I'll trouble you to set up camp outside the city. Commander Shen has already instructed his men to prepare wine and food, which will be sent out of the city shortly."

"Thank you for your trouble, brother. I will report your merits to Commander Shen when we enter the city at dawn," Xu Huang said, knowing when to stop.

"Thank you, General Zhao!" Junqu Hou said happily, unsuspecting of Xu Huang's accent.

Xu Huang led his cavalry back to the army, not wanting Yuan's army to suspect anything, and allowed the soldiers to dismount and rest.

After a while, it was already dawn. Xu Huang was anxious because the city gates were still not open. He was afraid that Shen Pei would discover the large army that followed by daybreak. But in order not to arouse suspicion, he could only pace back and forth with his hands behind his back.

Before they could finish, the west gate slowly opened, and dozens of soldiers carrying wine and water out of the city. Xu Huang was overjoyed.

"quick!"

Xu Huang kicked Xu Chu, who was squatting on the ground, and ordered him to lead his men forward.

Xu Chu staggered, glared at Xu Huang, and led dozens of soldiers disguised as Yuan soldiers to meet them. They blocked the Yuan soldiers outside the city gate and enthusiastically helped them carry wine and food. The Yuan soldiers were happy to have help, so they handed over the heavy loads on their shoulders to Zhang soldiers and led a few of them into the city to carry the remaining wine out together.

"Brother, you've worked hard. Sorry to bother you so late at night!"

"let me help you!"

"Thank you!"

Where in Qingzhou are you from?

"I am from Donghai, Qingzhou."

"Brother, you are truly magnificent!"

mingling in the crowd, Xu Chu and Yuan Bing became sworn brothers, and his imposing physique attracted the attention of many.

Upon reaching the city gate, Xu Chu secretly observed the situation and noticed that most of Yuan's soldiers were carrying food and wine, and none of them were wearing armor. He immediately had an idea.

Just as Xu Chu reached into his robes, whether anyone noticed or not, someone suddenly shouted, "Wait!"

This shout startled Xu Chu so much that he stood still, seeing everyone looking at him, afraid of being discovered.

At this moment, Zhang Bing, who had blended into the crowd, had someone secretly gripping a knife, ready to fight.

The firelight flickered, and Yuan Bing, who had spoken earlier, laughed and said, "Brother, you left the sesame cake on the ground."

It turned out that when Xu Chu reached for his sword, he dropped the flatbread he was carrying on the ground.

Xu Chu let out a long sigh of relief. Seeing that everyone was busy with their own things, he stepped forward with a smile and said, "Brother, it's getting cold. You should put on another layer!"

As he spoke, Xu Chu suddenly sprang up, pulled out a sharp knife hidden under his clothes, and stabbed it viciously into Yuan Bing's stomach.

At the same time, upon hearing Xu Chu's signal, five or six Zhang soldiers mixed in with the crowd suddenly sprang up, drew the short blades hidden on their bodies, and frantically stabbed at the surrounding Yuan soldiers.

"Enemy attack!"

Several men were unable to dodge in time and were killed on the spot. The rest of Yuan's soldiers, upon seeing this, were first stunned, and then fled in panic.

"kill!"

The twenty-odd soldiers who had been carrying wine and food earlier threw down their belongings and hurried toward the city gate to fight alongside Xu Chu, who was engaged in battle.

Xu Huang, who was keeping a close eye on the changes at the city gate, immediately mounted his horse, pointed his spear forward, and shouted in a sharp voice, "Charge and break through the city!"

"Bah!"

More than a hundred cavalrymen charged out first, with Xu Huang leading the charge, heading straight for the city gate. The horses' hooves flew, and the riders moved like the wind, unstoppable.

Upon seeing this, the guards on the city wall immediately reacted, raising their batons to strike the bell, symbolizing an enemy attack.

"Dong dong!"

As the bell rang, two thousand cavalrymen rushed into the city like a flood. With the help of the cavalry, the west gate was easily controlled by Xu Chu, who was leading his troops to the city walls to welcome Zhang Yu's army into the city.

The resounding bells served not only as a warning to Yuan's army but also as a clarion call for Zhang Yu to launch a general offensive.

Xu Chu, holding the stolen shield in one hand and wielding his sword in the other, fought his way from the city ladder to the city wall, killing more than a dozen Yuan soldiers along the way.

Once atop the city wall, with room to maneuver, Xu Chu, relying on his immense strength, defeated every Yuan soldier who fought him. Even when attacked by arrows, they were blocked by the armor on Xu Chu's body.

Under Xu Chu's leadership, the Bing army quickly appeared on the West Gate tower and gradually took control of the West Gate.

Now, twenty miles away, more than four thousand infantry and cavalry are marching valiantly, their goal set on Xindu.

Zhang Yu gazed at Xindu City under the faint red glow of the sky, raised his whip and pointed forward, shouting, "Victory or defeat hinges on this! Follow me and charge into the city!"

"kill!"

In an instant, the sounds of horns, bells, shouts of battle, and the clatter of horses' hooves mingled at the west gate. Yuan's army scattered and fled, while Zhang's army poured into the city, making Xindu increasingly chaotic.

"Shut up!"

Zhang Yu spurred his horse to the city gate, looked at the word 'Xindu' engraved on the stone, and laughed loudly to his men, "Even if Yuan Shao has a million soldiers, he is powerless to do anything now!"

(End of this chapter)