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

While Cao Cao hesitated and could not make a decision, five Han soldiers risked their lives to climb up the eastern edge of the city wall.

These five men were like tigers entering a sheepfold; they unleashed a frenzied slaughter, killing several Wei soldiers in succession.

The Han soldiers' fierce fighting spirit intimidated the surrounding Wei troops, causing them to hesitate and none dared to advance and attack.

Fortunately, Wang Shuang stepped forward, wielding a long sword, and charged up the wall, killing the five Han soldiers who had climbed the wall one by one.

The situation then temporarily stabilized.

"Your Majesty, we are on the verge of collapse. We must send reinforcements at all costs, or the city gates will be in grave danger!"

Wang Shuang looked anxious and pleaded with him again.

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, and finally let out a helpless sigh.

"Yang Yishan, listen to my command! I order you to immediately proceed to the reserve army camp and command Zhang He to lead all the reserve troops to reinforce us at the last minute!"

Yang Fu gladly accepted the order, left the city, and headed straight for the reserve army camp.

Cao Cao gazed at Yang Fu's figure, secretly exhaled, then turned and confidently surveyed the Han army outside the city, shouting loudly:

"Immediately issue an order to all the soldiers and officers, telling them to hold out for me for another quarter of an hour!"

"Our reserves will be here soon to hold the line for me!"

The generals readily agreed.

For a moment, Wei Jun's spirits were somewhat lifted.

……

Inside Chang'an City, at the reserve army camp.

Holding Cao Cao's imperial edict, Yang Fu led a group of men into the camp and rushed straight into the main tent.

Inside the tent, Zhang He, clad in heavy armor, sat upright with his eyes closed, while Zhang Xiong stood beside him, sword in hand. The other generals stood solemnly to the left and right, creating a heavy atmosphere.

"General of the Flying Cavalry, the Emperor has ordered you to quickly dispatch the reserve corps to the East Gate for reinforcement!"

As soon as Yang Fu entered the tent, he waved the imperial edict in his hand and shouted loudly.

He arrived in haste and did not notice anything unusual in the atmosphere inside the tent.

Zhang He kept his eyes closed, ignoring Yang Fu's words.

Yang Fu was immediately enraged and shouted, "General of the Cavalry, the enemy's offensive is fierce. If we delay any longer, the East Gate may fall!"

Zhang He finally opened his eyes slowly, but instead of rising to receive the decree, he ignored Yang Fu, his gaze sweeping coldly over the generals, and said in a deep voice:
"Pass on my order: the reserve legion shall immediately launch an attack, following me straight to the national treasury and burning all the grain and fodder!"

Zhang Xiong and his generals readily accepted the order without the slightest hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Yang Fu was shocked and completely stunned.

Instead of reinforcing the East Gate, Zhang He decided to attack his own treasury.
Has he gone mad?
"General of the Flying Cavalry, what are you planning? Are you plotting a rebellion?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Yang Fu flew into a rage, pointed at Zhang He, and roared his questions.

Zhang He's eyes were cold and resolute as he said in a deep voice:

"That's right, Yang Fu, you're right. Today, I, Zhang He, am rebelling! I will lead my brothers from Hebei to burn the city's grain supplies and help the Emperor of Han recapture Chang'an!"

Zhang He no longer concealed his true intentions and openly expressed his determination to oppose Cao Cao, even revealing his entire plan.

He had limited military power, while Cao Cao had stationed heavy troops at the four gates, making defenses very tight.

If one were to launch a mutiny and seize power independently, while there is a chance of victory, it is not guaranteed.

The national treasury was relatively poorly guarded, with only a few hundred people on staff.

Zhang He's plan was to take advantage of the situation to attack the national treasury and burn all the grain in Chang'an.

Once the food supply is cut off, tens of thousands of Wei troops inside and outside the city will run out of food that very day, and their morale will collapse instantly, causing them to flee without a fight.

This was Zhang He's plan to coordinate with Xiao He and Guan Yu from within and without to recapture Chang'an!
Upon hearing this, Yang Fu gasped.

With his wisdom and resourcefulness, how could he not see the situation clearly after it had developed to this point?
The Zhang He before us has secretly surrendered to Liu Bei, intending to take advantage of the situation to rebel and help the Han army capture Chang'an from within.

Moreover, Zhang He's rebellion was not a simple seizure of the gate, but a direct attack on the national treasury's grain supplies!
With only a little over a thousand men guarding the national treasury, how could they possibly withstand a surprise attack from the Hebei army, which outnumbered them several times over? Loss was almost inevitable.

The 300,000 bushels of grain were obtained by Cao Cao through ruthless exploitation, squeezing every last drop of resources from the people of Liangzhou, solely for the purpose of defending Chang'an.

If Zhang He had burned it, there would have been no time to replenish it, and no way to transport more supplies.

With 60,000 soldiers running out of food that very day, it would be strange if their morale didn't collapse instantly!
Thinking of this, Yang Fu broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly asked:

"Zhang He, His Majesty has treated you well, how dare you betray the Great Wei?"

Yang Fu did not dare to act rashly, and tried to subdue Zhang He with loyalty and righteousness.

Zhang He, however, showed no remorse and said in a deep voice:
“I, Zhang He, have fought for the Cao family for half my life, which is enough to repay their kindness. Besides, if the emperor had listened to my advice and retreated to Longxi earlier, we wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.”

"Today, I, Zhang He, will fight for myself and for the survival of my thousands of sons from Hebei!"

Zhang He spoke with righteous indignation and frankly expressed his true feelings.

Yang Fu was speechless in rebuttal.

There was nothing they could do; everything Zhang He said was true.

Even he himself had advised Cao Cao to abandon Chang'an and retreat west to Longyou, but Cao Cao himself did not listen.

Now, it seems understandable that Zhang He would launch a rebellion to find a way to survive.

"Yang Fu, considering that you are also a righteous man, I will show you leniency and spare your life. I will not kill you today, so go."

"Go tell Cao Cao not to put up any more futile resistance and let countless people pay with their lives for his obstinacy. He should surrender to the Han emperor as soon as possible."

Zhang He issued an ultimatum, then waved his hand, ordering the guests to leave.

Yang Fu gripped his sword tightly, gritting his teeth, wishing he could draw his sword immediately and fight Zhang He to the death.

But at the last moment, he managed to suppress his impulse.

Yang Fu knew Zhang He's martial arts skills all too well, and he was afraid he would be no match for him.

Moreover, the entire camp is now made up of people from Hebei, most of whom obey Zhang He's orders without question, so he has no real authority over them.

An impulsive battle will only lead to certain death.

"I cannot die; I must report to His Majesty immediately..."

Yang Fu's thoughts raced, and he quickly weighed the pros and cons.

So he swallowed his anger, snorted coldly, glared at Zhang He, and then turned and fled in a hurry.

“Father, this fellow will surely warn Cao Cao. We can only mobilize three thousand reserve troops, and four thousand of them are still loyal to Cao Cao. I think we cannot let him go.”

Zhang Xiong clearly disagreed with Zhang He's decision to let Yang Fu go.

Zhang He waved his hand dismissively and snorted coldly:
“We were once ministers of Wei, so sparing Yang Fu’s life now is an act of consideration for our past camaraderie. Even if Yang Fu hadn’t warned us, wouldn’t Cao Cao have sent troops to rescue us if he had known that I was causing trouble and burning his supplies?”

Zhang Xiong was speechless and had no reply.

"Zheng!"

Zhang He drew his sword and shouted sternly:

"The arrow is already on the bowstring, there's no need for us to waste any more time here. Pass on my order to quickly gather all the soldiers in each camp. We'll set off immediately and head straight for the granary south of the city!"

Zhang Xiong's spirits lifted, and he immediately accepted the order and left.

Fifteen minutes later, more than three thousand Hebei soldiers had assembled.

Zhang He stood before the camp gate, brandishing his sword and shouting:
"My lads of Hebei, today I, Zhang He, will lead you to a way to survive. Follow me straight to the national treasury and burn all of the Wei army's provisions to the ground!"

The three thousand Hebei soldiers, as if injected with chicken blood, were so excited that they shouted wildly.

The camp gates suddenly swung open.

Three thousand fierce soldiers from Hebei charged out of the camp, rolling towards the national treasury. (End of Chapter)