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

Xiao He had expected this all along!
What do you mean?
Could it be that Xiao He had already foreseen that they secretly returned to Wei, intending to lure Cao Cao's army to attack Xuchang?
Could it be that Xiao He had received advance warning, knew that Cao Cao's army was coming, and anticipated that they would launch a mutiny from within and without, so he made a last-minute decision to send Liao Hua to lead the army to stop them?

Countless questions thundered through Chen Qun's mind.

The seven thousand private soldiers halted, and panic ensued.

"Minister Chen, Xiao He was prepared. What should we do?"

Du Xi was completely flustered and cried out in a trembling voice.

Chen Qun's eyes darted around a few times, and he quickly calmed his panic, saying in a deep voice:

"It must be that Xiao He has already received news of the King of Wei crossing the Wei River and made a hasty deduction. Don't panic."

"In short, the King of Wei's army is already at the city gates. We don't care whether he's prepared or not, we'll just follow the plan and seize the gate!"

Clearly, Chen Qunzhi's calculations could only go this far, completely unaware that even Cao Cao's attack was a result of Xiao He's entrapment.

Du Xi calmed down a bit, but seeing that he was in a difficult situation, he brandished his sword and shouted:

"Brothers, only by taking the city gates can we have a way to survive."

"Those who want to live, follow me and charge!"

Inspired by this, the seven thousand private soldiers had no choice but to muster their spirits and charge towards the Chu army with roars.

Liao Hua sneered and swung his long sword.

On the city wall, archers immediately drew their bows, and countless arrows rained down.

Screams erupted, blood mist filled the air, and swathes of private soldiers were nailed to the ground.

Du Xi brandished his sword to deflect the incoming arrows, and shouted at his soldiers to continue advancing through the rain of arrows.

In the blink of an eye, this group of private soldiers crashed into the Chu army blocking their way.

A fierce battle ensued beneath the North Gate.

The Chu army guarding the north gate numbered about three thousand, all of whom were elite soldiers.

Although the attacking Wei army numbered seven thousand, most of them were private soldiers of aristocratic families, and their combat effectiveness and morale were inferior to those of the Chu army.

The two armies fought for a long time, and although the Wei army had a large number of soldiers, it was unable to gain the upper hand.

Chen Qun's gaze, however, went beyond the city tower to the outside of the city, a deep look of doubt rising between his brows.

Logically speaking, Cao Cao should have been leading a large army to attack the city, and the Chu army, besieged on two sides, should have already collapsed in morale.

Looking towards the outside of the city, there seems to be no movement at all.

Didn't they say that Cao Cao's vanguard had already reached the north gate of Xuchang and launched an attack on the city?
"Could it be that…"

Chen Qun shuddered, a chilling thought rising in his mind.

Just as he was feeling uneasy, shouts of killing suddenly rang out behind him.

Chen Qun suddenly turned around, his body swayed, and the horsewhip in his hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

On the main street, more than 5,000 Chu soldiers, led by a flag with the character "Zhang", attacked from behind.

Zhang Bao.

It was the son of General Zhang Fei, who was leading the Chu army and sweeping all the way here.

"Our mutiny has only been going on for a short while, so why have the Chu troops already reached the North Gate?"

"This this……"

Chen Qun's mind was buzzing, as if he had seen a ghost.

The Wei soldiers who were attacking the city gate suddenly saw a large Chu army coming from behind, and their morale immediately fell into chaos.

With Liao Hua blocking the gates in the north and Zhang Bao attacking the rear in the south, how can this battle be fought?
In the blink of an eye, the Chu army stormed in from the main street.

Blades slashed wildly, spears thrust forward, and iron cavalry crushed everything in their path…

In an instant, the Wei soldiers, caught off guard, were slaughtered in a bloody and terrifying manner, leaving not a single one alive.

Caught between two enemies, the seven thousand Wei soldiers were thrown into chaos.

"Chen Qun, what exactly is going on? What should we do now?"

While wielding his sword and fighting wildly, Du Xi shouted angrily at Chen Qun.

Chen Qun stood frozen in place, stunned and at a loss for what to do.

Seeing that he remained silent, Du Xi shouted angrily:
"Chen Qun, we were all instigated by you to stage a mutiny, you—"

"Traitor, you, Master Zhang, are here! Prepare to die!"

A thunderous roar interrupted Du Xi's complaints.

As soon as Du Xi looked up, he saw a young military general galloping towards him like a tiger or bear.

With a serpent spear in his hand, carrying the force of thunder and lightning, he thrust forward swiftly.

Although Zhang Bao was Zhang Fei's son, he had previously been a guard in Yingtian and had no opportunity to distinguish himself.

Du Xi, unaware of Zhang Bao's true martial arts skills and underestimating his youth, gritted his teeth, brandished his sword, and charged forward to meet him.

Before the sword strike was even executed, the spear in Zhang Bao's hand had already pierced his chest like lightning.

"not good!"

Du Xi's expression changed drastically.

It's too late.

A muffled hissing sound rang out, followed by a spurt of blood and a scream.

Du Xi was pierced in the chest, his body flew backward and crashed heavily to the ground.

Kill instantly with one move!

The Wei soldiers on the left and right, witnessing Zhang Bao's display of divine power and the killing of their commander in one move, were all terrified, and for a moment they thought Zhang Fei had personally arrived.

The remaining will of the traitors crumbled instantly.

They began to discard their weapons in droves, kneel on the ground, and surrender to Zhang Bao.

Chen Qun, who had been frozen in a daze, witnessed Du Xi being beheaded. He shuddered and suddenly snapped back to reality. An overwhelming sense of fear enveloped him in an instant.

Chen Qun hesitated for only a moment, then let out a helpless sigh and knelt down on the ground along with the soldiers whose will had collapsed.

The killing is over.

Of the seven thousand rebel soldiers, more than half were killed or wounded, and the rest prostrated themselves and begged to surrender.

Chen Qun, who was captured for the second time, was bound hand and foot and escorted to the city wall with his face covered in dust.

"Grand Commandant Xiao's ability to judge people is indeed unparalleled. He said that you, Chen Qun, have no will to fight to the death and will surely surrender again. Just as Grand Commandant Xiao predicted."

Looking at Chen Qun, who was covered in dust and dirt, Liao Hua spoke sarcastically, his face full of contempt and sneers.

Chen Qun was sweating profusely, so ashamed he wanted to disappear. He dared not meet Liao Hua's gaze and turned his head away from the city.

This sight was quite alarming; Chen Qun's body jolted, and he froze on the spot once again.

Outside the city, a dense mass of over a thousand soldiers stood, each holding a torch aloft.

However, these soldiers were not Wei soldiers, but Chu soldiers.

"These people... these troops..."

Chen Qun was stunned and confused, and turned shakily towards Liao Hua.

He clearly believed that although his mutiny had failed, Cao Cao's army was indeed at the gates of the city.

This is also why he, clinging to a sliver of hope, endured humiliation and surrendered to Chu again.

If Cao Cao could still capture Xuchang without their inside help, he could have escaped death!
But now, looking around, there wasn't a single Wei soldier in sight outside the city, only a little over a thousand Chu soldiers.

Looking at Chen Qun's bewildered and astonished expression, Liao Hua sneered:

"Grand Commandant Xiao is right after all. You, Chen Qun, have limited wisdom. Even now, haven't you realized that this is Grand Commandant Xiao's plan to lure you out of your hole, just to make you monsters and demons reveal your true colors?"

Chen Qun was stunned at first, then jolted violently and suddenly woke up.

There was no attack by Cao Cao on the city.

The towering flames and deafening battle cries outside the city, seemingly a grand spectacle, were all fabricated by these thousand-plus Chu soldiers!
Their aim was to mislead them into believing that Cao Cao was attacking, thus inducing them to launch a mutiny and attack the North Gate.

Once they walk right into the trap, Xiao He can use the inescapable net he has laid beforehand to wipe out these treacherous traitors who harbor evil intentions and secretly collude with Cao Cao!
This is Xiao He's plan.

"We were actually played like children by him?"

"Where are the men of the King of Wei?"

"The King of Wei has clearly replied to us and led his army south to attack Xuchang. Why hasn't the King of Wei appeared in Xuchang?"

Chen Qun's mind was buzzing, his eyes filled with horror, confusion, and bewilderment.

Liao Hua saw the confusion in his eyes and sneered:

"Don't worry, Cao Cao did indeed march south, but he should still be crossing the Wei River at Yanling right now."

"Our general has already led a large army and is waiting in Yanling. He will welcome him well."

Chen Qun stiffened again and abruptly looked up to the north.

In other words, Cao Cao did indeed head south.

However, before they even reached Xudu, Xiao He used a time difference to lure out these spies and capture them all in one fell swoop.

On Cao Cao's side, Guan Yu led his troops to ambush them at Yanling.

"Impossible! Guan Yu clearly led his troops to attack Xinzheng, how could he suddenly return to Yanling?"

Chen Qun suddenly shouted excitedly.

Liao Hua, however, did not laugh it off and instead asked:
"Why not? Have you forgotten that Yanling and Xinzheng are both located along the Wei River? Is it really that difficult for our General to travel by boat down the river overnight to set up an ambush in Yanling?"

Chen Qun's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly realized something.

Immediately afterwards, a chilling guess, one that sent shivers down his spine, surfaced in his mind:

From beginning to end, it was all Xiao He's scheme.

Liu Bei abandoned his attack on Chenliu, retreated to Suiyang, and feigned an attack on Dingtao...

Guan Yu led his entire army north to attack Xinzheng, feigning an attempt to capture Luoyang…

All of this was bait set up by Xiao He for Cao Cao and for these surrendered officials.

This was all to make them believe that Xuchang was undefended and that they had troops at their disposal to act as inside agents, thus luring Cao Cao to personally lead a large army south to attack Xuchang.

Guan Yu, on the other hand, led his troops to board ships at Xinzheng, and then launched a surprise attack on Cao Cao by water to Yanling, catching him completely off guard!
From the very beginning, every thought they had and every action they took was under Xiao He's control and deduction.

Chen Qun felt increasingly terrified as he thought about it, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"Now that things have come to this, it wouldn't hurt to let you die knowing why."

"Indeed, all of this was a scheme by Grand Commandant Xiao, designed to lure Cao Cao into attacking Xuchang so that we could inflict heavy damage on him."

"Grand Commandant Xiao's vision is not just to take Xuchang, but to take Chenliu as well, and drive your pseudo-Wei forces north of the Ji River!"

"As for Grand Commandant Xiao's marriage to Lady Cao today, one of his intentions was to provoke Cao Cao."

Liao Hua revealed the truth and sneered disdainfully:

"You people are truly overestimating yourselves. Knowing that Grand Commandant Xiao is stationed in Xuchang, you still dare to play tricks under his nose. You are truly showing off your skills in front of Lu Ban and bringing shame upon yourselves!"

The truth came out.

Chen Qun felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. His legs went weak and he could no longer support himself, so he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"How could there be such a person in this world, so insightful and all-knowing?"

"This Xiao He, is he not human, is he a god...?"

Chen Qun collapsed to his knees, muttering to himself, as if his soul had been shattered and he had lost his mind.

Liao Hua, however, was too lazy to say anything more to him. His sarcastic expression vanished, and he snapped:
"Grand Commandant Xiao has ordered that Chen Qun and all the captured rebel generals be beheaded and their heads hung below the city gate!"

Chen Qun shuddered, his stunned expression instantly transforming into boundless terror. (End of Chapter)