My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 224 Only Lord Chu can bring peace to the world! Liu Bei: Times have changed, let's break through the cursed city of Xiapi!

Chen Yuanlong.

The son Chen Gui spoke of was none other than Chen Deng, Chen Yuanlong.

He and Mi Zhu supported him in becoming the ruler of Xuzhou, and he regarded him as his right-hand man.

However, unlike the merchants of Mihang, Chen Deng came from the Chen family of Huaipu, which was a prominent family in Xuzhou with roots in Xuzhou for nearly a century.

For such a century-old prominent family, personal likes and dislikes are insignificant; the survival of the family is the most important thing.

Therefore, although Chen Deng greatly admired Liu Bei, he had no choice but to submit to Lü Bu when Lü Bu's takeover of Xuzhou was a foregone conclusion.

When Xuzhou fell to Cao Cao, Mi Zhu abandoned his family and property to follow Liu Bei, but Chen Deng, for the sake of his family's future, could only stay in Xuzhou and continue to serve Cao Cao, the new master.

Hearing Chen Gui's words, it was clear that Chen Deng still harbored resentment and regret about not being able to follow Liu Bei.

“Yuanlong was a man of great talent, but unfortunately, the heavens were jealous of his talent. I could not reunite with Yuanlong to work together to save our great Han dynasty. This is truly a regret in my life.”

Liu Bei quickly helped Chen Gui up, his voice filled with emotion, deeply regretting Chen Deng's untimely death.

Then he smiled and looked at Chen Gui, his face full of arrogance, and said:

"With the world in chaos, who isn't caught up in the chaos? I am no exception."

"I understand the reasons why Lord Chen and Yuanlong had no choice, and I have never blamed you."

"Now that I have returned to Xuzhou, I can join Lord Chen and the heroes of the Chen family to fight against the rebels and eliminate the traitors, and to restore the Han Dynasty. This is the will of Heaven."

"The past is past. I only ask that you, Lord Chen, not dwell on it anymore, but wholeheartedly assist me in capturing Xiapi and recovering Xuzhou!"

Chen Gui's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Hearing Liu Bei's words, he finally realized that the Duke of Chu before him, as Chen Deng had said, was indeed a wise and benevolent ruler with extraordinary magnanimity.

“Yuanlong, you are right. Duke Chu has the qualities of Emperor Gaozu. He is the truly benevolent and wise ruler who can bring peace to the world…”

Chen Gui was filled with mixed emotions, then cupped his hands and resolutely said:

"Please rest assured, Lord Chu, I am willing to risk my old bones and the very survival of my Chen clan to help you defeat Cao Cao and recover Xuzhou!"

"I am like this, and so are all the people of Xuzhou."

"Only Lord Chu is worthy to be the ruler of my Xu Province, and only he can save the people of my province from Cao Cao's slaughter!"

These words seemed to represent the entire population of the state, entrusting the lives and fortunes of thousands of people to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei felt a surge of mission and said with conviction:
"Please rest assured, Lord Chen, this time, I will absolutely not lose Xuzhou again, nor will I allow the people of Xuzhou to be slaughtered by Cao Cao again!"

"I swear by the Sishui River, even if I only have one breath left, I will fight Cao Cao to the death!"

Chen Gui nodded emphatically, his aged face now filled with trust.

Liu Bei helped Chen Gui to sit down, glanced at the generals, and said boldly:
"You have all heard what Lord Chen said. Go and make preparations quickly."

"Three days from now, I will join you all in a celebratory feast in Xiapi!"

The generals were filled with enthusiasm and readily accepted the order.

...

Three days later, at noon.

West of Xiapi City, the sounds of battle shook the heavens, and the drums thundered like lightning.

Zang Ba stood on the city tower, sword in hand, his brow furrowed, staring intently at the Chu camp outside the city.

Half an hour ago, the Chu army, which had been besieging the city for a month without attacking, suddenly made a move.

The Chu camp west of the city opened its gates wide, and nearly 20,000 Chu soldiers poured out of the camp like a tide, gathering in front of the west gate.

Hundreds of military formations of all sizes stood in solemn array, with siege ladders, battering rams, towers, and other siege equipment clearly visible.

Without a doubt, Liu Bei will launch an unprecedentedly fierce attack on the west gate of Xiapi.

"Liu Bei, you have besieged the city for a month without attacking, so why are you suddenly making a big show of attacking it today?"

"Could it be that the Duke of Wei's offensive in Pengcheng and Langya is so fierce that you are about to be overwhelmed, which is why you are so eager to break through my Xiapi?"

Zang Ba conjured up this reason in his mind, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

If that is indeed the case, the siege of Xiapi will soon be lifted.

As long as Zang Ba can withstand Liu Bei's final frenzied attack, Xiapi and Xuzhou will still be his.

Thinking of this, Zang Ba's spirits lifted, and he shouted:

"Listen up, men of Mount Tai! My city of Xiapi is as solid as a rock. Even if the enemy has a million soldiers, they will never be able to set foot on the city walls!"

"Everyone, cheer up! If we win this battle, I will reward you handsomely!"

The soldiers of Mount Tai were originally bandits, but upon hearing of the generous reward, their spirits were lifted.

Thump thump thump~~

Within the Chu army's ranks, the earth-shaking sound of drums had already begun.

The massive Chu army, large and small, marched with overwhelming force toward the west gate of Xiapi.

The siege is about to begin.

Zang Ba stood with his sword drawn, looking down arrogantly at the Chu army, and coldly snorted:
"Liu Bei, this Xuzhou belongs to Zang Ba, and I will never let you take it from me!"

"Come on, if you have the guts, come up and die!"

Zang Ba and his Taishan soldiers were prepared for a desperate battle.

In the blink of an eye, countless arrows soared into the air and swept towards the city wall.

Immediately afterwards, the slowly advancing Chu army, under the cover of a hail of arrows, accelerated their charge.

One after another, trench bridges were erected, siege ladders were hurled towards the city walls, and watchtowers were pushed forward one after another…

Tens of thousands of Beifu soldiers bravely climbed the ladders and rushed up the city wall.

Zang Ba ran back and forth on the city wall, shouting at the Taishan soldiers to retaliate with arrows and hurling stones and logs at the Chu army on the siege ladders.

An unprecedented and fierce siege battle ensued.

Although the Chu army had a numerical advantage, its morale and fighting spirit were also superior to those of the Taishan soldiers. If this had been done in open field battles, the enemy army would have been crushed long ago.

But this was a siege.

Under Zang Ba's command, more than 7,000 Taishan soldiers, taking advantage of the high ground of the city walls, managed to withstand the overwhelming offensive of the Northern Army.

Chu soldiers kept climbing the city walls, only to be cut down and fall to the ground.

After a fierce attack lasting an hour, the Chu army suffered over a thousand casualties, but failed to breach the walls of Xiapi.

"Brothers, the Chu army is nothing special. Cheer up! They're at their last gasp. Hold out for another half an hour, and the Chu army will surely retreat!"

Zang Ba had already seen the light at the end of the tunnel and confidently shouted to his soldiers.

The soldiers of Mount Tai were in high spirits and fought with increasing courage.

Outside the city, the central army of Chu.

Looking at the Taishan soldiers who were putting up a stubborn resistance, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh:

"Xiapi City is indeed as solid as it was back then. Zang Ba is a skilled commander, and his Taishan soldiers are no rabble."

"If it weren't for your psychological warfare strategy, Bowen, if I had simply attacked and breached the city, I don't know how many more soldiers would have been sacrificed..."

Xiao smiled and raised his hand, pointing into the distance:

"Lord Chu, the play is almost perfect. Chen Su and Yin Li should be in position. It's time to make our move."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, then flicked his whip:
"By my order, immediately light the signal fire!"

After the order was given, three beacon fires were lit behind the central army.

Three thick plumes of black smoke shot into the sky, clearly visible both inside and outside Xiapi City.

Inside the city.

On the main street of the North Gate, more than two thousand people were marching swiftly towards the North Gate.

Of these two thousand men, half were not wearing Wei army armor, and they seemed to be a private army hastily assembled.

Yin Li and Chen Su walked at the front with grim expressions.

The patrolmen along the way questioned the suspicious group as it passed by.

Yin Li claimed that he was acting on the orders of Zang Ba, gathering a righteous army composed of the city's residents to reinforce the north gate. The patrols along the way did not obstruct them, and the two thousand men advanced unimpeded to the north gate.

now.

On the north gate tower, Wu Dunzheng led more than two thousand soldiers, standing ready to defend against the Chu army's attack.

Zang Ba had previously sent people to each gate to inform them that although Liu Bei's main force was attacking the west gate, it was very likely just a feint, and he would take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the other three gates, so they must be on high alert.

Wu Dun dared not be careless and ordered all his soldiers to climb the city walls and be on guard, keeping a close watch on the movements of the Chu camp to the north of the city.

Unaware that his brother Yin Li had silently appeared behind him with two thousand men, he was completely unaware.

"That strategist Xiao is truly a genius, with uncanny foresight."

"As expected, there are only two thousand men at the North Gate. General Yin, let's make our move."

Chen Su looked at Yin Li with excitement.

Yin Li took a deep breath, drew his sword, and shouted:
"On my command, seize the north gate and welcome the Chu army into the city!"

Before the order was given, Yin Li took the lead and charged forward.

Two thousand Taishan soldiers and private soldiers mingled behind them surged forward like a tidal wave, rushing towards the unsuspecting North Gate garrison.

The soldiers below the city gate heard the commotion and thought that reinforcements had arrived, but they did not expect that the enemy would rush forward and start slashing without saying a word.

Screams rang out, and before dozens of Taishan soldiers could even respond, they were all hacked to the ground.

"Rebellion! Someone has rebelled and caused chaos!"

"It was Yin Li who started the rebellion, attempting to seize the North Gate!"

"Report this to General Wu immediately!"

A terrified scream suddenly rang out.

On top of the city.

Wu Dun finally noticed something was wrong and hurriedly turned his head to look into the city. He gasped when he saw what he saw.

Blood mist was flying everywhere beneath the city gate, which had been seized by the rebel soldiers and flung open with a crash.

Yin Li, wielding a large sword, led the rebel army, charging wildly towards the city wall.

"Yin Zidu?"

Wu Dun's face changed drastically, as if he had seen a ghost.

At this critical moment when the Chu army was besieging the city, Yin Li was actually leading his troops to kill his own men and even opened the north gate.
The next moment, Wu Dun suddenly woke up.

This kid failed to persuade his elder brother Zang Ba to surrender to Chu, so he decided to launch a mutiny to seize the gate and let the Chu army into the city!

"Yin Li, you bastard, how dare you betray your elder brother and our Taishan Army?"

Wu Shu, wielding a knife, blocked Yin Li's path and cursed angrily.

Yin Li, however, showed no remorse and said sternly:
"Back when Lao Chang rebelled against Cao Cao, Zang Ba was the first to lead troops to suppress him. Lao Chang was killed by Yu Jin, and he didn't utter a single word. He had already betrayed us brothers!"

"He only cares about being the governor of Xuzhou and doesn't care about the lives of our Taishan Army. I'm rebelling against him today to find a way for my brothers to survive!"

"Wu Dun, if you know what's good for you, surrender to Chu with me. Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding brotherhood!"

Wu Dun flew into a rage and cursed:

"I've followed my elder brother my whole life, and he's never made a mistake. You dare to slander and betray him? I'll kill you!"

As he spoke, Wu Dun brandished his sword and lunged at Yin Li.

Seeing that he was stubborn and unrepentant, Yin Li stopped trying to persuade him and charged forward with his sword.

Both armies surged forward and pounced on each other.

A fierce battle ensued on the north gate of the city.

Wu Dun commanded a regular Wei army, which was stronger than the ragtag army cobbled together by Yin Li, and Wu Dun's martial arts skills were also superior to Yin Li's.

After a brief exchange, the "rebels" were forced to retreat step by step and soon fell off the city wall.

A scream rang out as Yin Li's wrist was severed. He stumbled back a few steps and crashed into the city wall before falling to the ground with a thud.

"You traitor, what else do you have to say!"

Wu Dun pointed his blood-stained knife at Yin Li and demanded an answer with a sarcastic expression.

Yin Li, clutching his severed hand, said with a face full of grief and indignation:

"Wu Dun, I'm only taking my leave now. I'll be waiting for you on the road to the Yellow Springs. Duke Chu will soon send you and Zang Ba to join me—"

Enraged, Wu Dun raised his blood-stained blade to take Yin Li's life.

at this time.

The sound of hooves rang out, and a young Chu general, carrying a long-handled sword, charged into the city gate like a streak of fire.

Behind them, thousands of Northern Tiger Warriors, holding aloft their long-handled swords, surged in like an iron torrent.

It was Guan Xing who led the Mo Dao Army to break in!
Wu Dun was startled, and when he looked up, Guan Xing had already galloped past on horseback, sword in hand.

The long-handled sword flashed out like lightning.

Wu Dun tried to swing his sword to defend himself, but it was too late.

With a deafening tearing sound, Wu Dun's massive body was cleaved in two.

One strike to kill the enemy!
Yin Li breathed a sigh of relief after narrowly escaping death.

Guan Xing, sword drawn, stood on his horse and demanded:

"I am Guan Xing, General Longxiang under the command of Duke Chu. Who are you?"

Yin Li struggled to his feet, clutching his severed arm and bowing as he said:
"I am Yin Li. As promised, I have captured the city gate and welcomed General Guan into the city!"

Upon hearing Yin Li's name, Guan Xing put down his long sword. Seeing that Yin Li had lost an arm, he couldn't help but sigh.

Although Yin Li had made great contributions, he was now a cripple and had no future to serve. He could only retire from the military and enjoy a life of wealth and comfort.

Guan Xing then ordered his men to help Yin Li up and quickly send him to the medical camp for treatment.

Then, brandishing his longsword, he shouted:
"Raise the banner of our Great Chu on the city wall and report our victory to the Duke of Chu! We have captured the North Gate!"

"Leave 500 men to support the main force; the rest of the Mo Dao troops, follow me to continue killing the enemy!"

Guan Xing led two thousand Mo Dao soldiers and charged into the heart of Xiapi along the main street.

On the north gate tower, a flag bearing the character "Chu" was slowly raised.

At this moment, Ximen.

Zang Ba stood with his hand on his sword, coldly looking down at the Chu army below the city.

After nearly two hours of siege, the Chu army's offensive was nearing its end, and there was no longer any need for him to run around and direct the attack.

Today's battle will soon end with the Chu army's defeat and retreat.

Zang Ba gazed into the distance at Liu Bei's central army and sneered:
"Liu Bei, this city of Xiapi is your cursed land; you have never won a single battle here."

"You were defeated by Lü Bu and the Duke of Wei back then, and you will be defeated by Zang Ba today!"

"Hahaha--"

Wild laughter echoed from the city walls.

"Report!"

One rider, terrified, galloped along the city wall, dismounted, and collapsed at Zang Ba's feet.

"Reporting to the Governor, Yin Li has rallied powerful families in the city to rebel, and they have now captured the North Gate!"

"General Wu has been killed by the enemy, and the Chu army has already stormed in through the north gate!"

Zang Ba was greatly alarmed and hurriedly looked towards the north gate.

Sure enough, a flag bearing the character "Chu" had already been raised atop the city wall.

Zang Ba froze on the spot, his face frozen in a moment of astonishment and despair. His buzzing mind was filled with only two words:

Finished!

(End of this chapter)