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

Inside Jinyang City.

Xiahou Dun sat high in the seat of honor, stroking his fine beard and examining a letter with a smile.

That was a letter written in Liu Bei's own handwriting.

Of course, this letter was written to Qian Zhao, his sworn brother.

The reminiscing about old times goes without saying, but what pleased Xiahou Dun most was that Liu Bei accepted Qian Zhao's surrender and agreed to gather a large army at the south gate two days later, waiting for him to launch a coordinated attack from within and without.

"Guo Boji, your feigned surrender was truly ingenious! That big-eared traitor has indeed fallen for it!"

Xiahou Dun smiled sarcastically and passed the letter to Guo Huai.

Guo Huai perked up and quickly took the book, carefully reviewing it word by word.

After confirming that everything was correct, Guo Huai breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands, and smiled, saying:
"Heaven has not forsaken our Great Wei, Heaven has blessed the General, and we tens of thousands of soldiers have hope of survival."

Xiahou Dun laughed heartily, then descended the high steps and came to Qian Zhao, handing him Liu Bei's letter.

Qian Zhao's hands trembled slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she finally took the letter.

When Qian Zhao saw the familiar handwriting in the letter, she sighed inwardly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

A hint of shame, mixed with a touch of helplessness, flashed between her brows.

"Qian Zijing, you have rendered meritorious service to the country. Rest assured, once we successfully break through the encirclement, I will certainly petition the Emperor for your commendation!"

Xiahou Dun patted Qian Zhao on the shoulder and chuckled as he made grand promises, seemingly having completely forgotten about his earlier threat to her with his family.

Qian Zhao gritted her teeth secretly, hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile and cupped her hands, saying:
"This is merely the duty of a recruit; I dare not presume to claim credit."

Seeing Qian Zhao's attitude, Xiahou Dun nodded in satisfaction, then turned and glanced at the generals.

His expression suddenly turned stern, his eyes blazing with magnanimity, and he declared boldly:
"Gentlemen, Qianzi Jing's feigned surrender has succeeded. In two days, the big-eared thief will definitely deploy a large number of troops to the south gate, leaving the north gate undefended."

"This is a golden opportunity for us to break through and head north."

"Do you all have the confidence to fight alongside me and carve a bloody path through this?"

The generals saw a glimmer of hope, their fighting spirit was ignited, and their will to fight soared.

Wang Ling was the first to jump up, and exclaimed:

"Ling Yuan vows to follow the General to the death and fight his way out!"

The generals were immediately mobilized, all jumping up and responding enthusiastically.

Looking at his generals, whose fighting spirit soared, Xiahou Dun nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, saying:

"Then it's settled. You all prepare early. In two days, our entire army will break out!"

The generals readily accepted the order.

With the plan finalized, the generals, filled with hope, took their leave one by one.

As Qian Zhao walked out of the hall, she glanced back at Xiahou Dun, a cold smile playing on her lips.

“I originally intended to die for the State of Wei, but you, Xiahou Dun, resorted to any means necessary, threatening the lives of my family members to force me to do something unjust.”

"Your Majesty, it's not that I, Qian Zhao, wanted to betray you; it was your brother who forced you. Blame your good brother if you must..."

Qian Zhao snorted coldly, her eyes resolute as iron, and turned to stride away.

...

Two days later, at midnight.

Jinyang, North Gate Tower.

Xiahou Dun, sword in hand, glared defiantly at the Han army's encirclement outside the north gate.

The lights were still bright, but it was impossible to tell whether they were real or illusory.

The city wall beneath our feet is now riddled with holes and appears to be extremely fragile.

Footsteps sounded, and Wang Ling excitedly climbed the city wall.

"Reporting to the General, my main force has been assembled at the North Gate, leaving only less than three thousand old, weak and wounded soldiers at the South Gate."

"Everything is ready. Please give the order, General."

Xiahou Dun turned and looked towards the south gate.

In order to make the act convincing, he had to leave a group of men behind to create the illusion of a "seizure" at the south gate.

After much deliberation, the only option was to sacrifice the three thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers who had lost their fighting ability.

Thus, those three thousand men were transferred to the South Gate without their knowledge to carry out a mission that was "certain to result in certain death."

"If I were not forced to, I would never abandon a single soldier..." Xiahou Dun sighed, a helpless expression on his face, and even a hint of tears welled up in his eyes.

Guo Huai hesitated, then could only sigh.

Wang Ling remained calm and reassured him:
"The general's actions were for the sake of the overall situation and were a last resort."

"Those three thousand soldiers sacrificed themselves for the sake of the Great Wei dynasty. They died a worthy and glorious death."

"General, there's no need to blame yourself too much. We should hurry up and let our main force break through."

Having found a way out, Xiahou Dun sighed and lamented, then went along with it.

Changing the subject, Xiahou Dun turned his gaze to Guo Huai:
"Boji, I want to ask you one more question: how confident are you that the big-eared bandit has indeed fallen into the trap, and that the northern encirclement camp must be undefended?"

When things came to a head, Xiahou Dun's sudden question seemed rather guilty.

Guo Huai knew that Xiahou Dun was worried about Xiao He.

He was worried that his feigned surrender might have escaped Xiao He's "heavenly eyes".

After all, countless bloody lessons are still fresh in our minds.

After pondering for a long time, Guo Huai took a deep breath and said:
"To be honest, Xiao He is incredibly resourceful. If he were a god, I wouldn't be able to guarantee that this plan would escape Xiao He's notice."

"Huai can only say that, judging from the current signs, there is a high probability that this plan will succeed."

"Man proposes, God disposes; we have no choice but to take a gamble."

Xiahou Dun frowned.

Guo Huai played a trick and gave an ambiguous answer.

What does it mean to say that "man proposes, God disposes"?
In other words, you're not confident and don't dare to make a guarantee.

That battle was truly a high-stakes gamble.

He was risking the lives of over 40,000 soldiers, and even his own life as a general of the Great Wei, to gamble that Xiao He would miscalculate this time!

But, what if...

If this plan fails, wouldn't the lives of these 40,000 soldiers, and his own life as the general, be...?

Xiahou Dun shuddered and dared not think any further.

"General, if this plan fails, the worst that can happen is death. If we don't use this plan, we'll just be waiting to die anyway."

"It's just a matter of dying sooner or later, there's no difference."

"Since we're going to die anyway, we should fight with all our might; at least there's a glimmer of hope!"

The call of Wang Linghao came from behind.

Xiahou Dun's heart skipped a beat, and that trace of hesitation and worry vanished in an instant.

In his eyes, there was only resolute determination.

"You're right. Rather than sitting and waiting to die, why not take a gamble!"

Xiahou Dun roared wildly and waved his hand, shouting:

"Immediately send an order to the south gate to light the beacon fires!"

The order was passed down.

A moment later, three beacon fires slowly rose atop the South Gate tower.

That was the signal agreed upon with Liu Bei in Qian Zhao's feigned surrender letter:

Use the signal of lighting a torch to seize the south gate and welcome Liu Bei's main Han army into the city!

As the beacon fires were lit, three thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers on the city walls immediately unleashed a deafening battle cry.

Everything is ready.

Xiahou Dun immediately drew his sword, descended from the city wall, and leaped onto his warhorse.

Guo Huai, Wang Ling, and other generals all followed and descended the city walls, mounting their horses.

"Open the city gates and lower the drawbridge!"

At Xiahou Dun's command, the tightly closed, dilapidated gate slowly opened, and the drawbridge gently descended.

Outside the gate, a towering earthen wall blocked the view ahead, making it impossible to discern the true state of the Han camp.

"Mengde, may your boundless blessings help me succeed in this battle..."

After a silent prayer, Xiahou Dun took a deep breath and pointed his long sword forward:
"Great Wei soldiers, heed my command! Follow me in breaking through the encirclement and carve a bloody path!" (End of Chapter)