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

Xu Zhi's gaze was fixed on the two figures—Jiang Xu and Yin Feng.

At this moment, his heart was like a surging tide, with hesitation and suspicion constantly intertwined.

"What if those two surrender to the Han in the face of battle?"

This thought was like a sharp blade, repeatedly cutting and grinding at Xu Zhi's heart.

If these two defect, not only will the night raid plan fail, but it could also plunge the entire Wei army into an abyss of no return.

at this time.

Jiang Xu keenly noticed the worry in Xu Zhi's eyes, and then said with a resolute expression:

“General Xu, if I wanted to surrender to the Han, I would have done so long ago! Although I, Jiang Xu, am not a great sage, I understand the meaning of loyalty and righteousness. Now that the Great Wei is in danger, we, as generals of Wei, should live and die with the Great Wei. How could we do such a thing as betraying our lord for personal gain!”

Yin Feng also hurriedly stepped forward and echoed:
"I feel the same way. I also have a grudge against Ma Chao. If I surrender to the Han, wouldn't I be courting death? General Xu, please believe me. I will live and die with you and defeat the Han army together!"

Hearing the two express their feelings so earnestly, Xu Zhi's concerns gradually dissipated.

After a long pause, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes:
"You two are so loyal, how could I not believe you? Now I give you five thousand elite soldiers. Tonight, go and raid the Han camp on the north bank and burn the Han army's supplies! If you succeed, you will surely turn the tide of the battle!"

...

As night fell, a somber atmosphere filled the east gate of Ji City.

Five thousand Wei soldiers stood in neat rows, each with a serious expression, gripping their weapons tightly, awaiting orders.

Xu Zhi stood on the city wall, gazing at the darkness outside the city, a hint of hesitation appearing in his eyes.

"If we lose this battle, the consequences will be unimaginable..."

He muttered to himself, his fists clenching unconsciously.

The arrow was already on the bowstring, yet a strange sense of unease welled up within him.

Just then, Jiang Xu advised:
"General Xu, we can't hesitate any longer. If we go all out, we still have a chance. If we do nothing, we'll just be waiting to die."

"Have you forgotten the fall of Pingxiang City? Back then, it was because of our hesitation that the Han army had an opportunity to take advantage of us. If we miss this opportunity again, Ji City will surely fall!"

Yin Feng's face turned ashen, and he said urgently:

"General Xu, the soldiers have already assembled and are in high spirits. If you change your mind now, the morale of the army will surely be dampened."

"By then, we won't even need the Han army to attack; we'll be thrown into disarray ourselves."

Xu Zhi took a deep breath, as if making his final decision, and gritted his teeth, saying:

“That’s right, I will not repeat the same mistake! Jiang Xu, Yin Feng, listen to my command, depart immediately and proceed according to plan!”

The two generals exchanged a glance and accepted the order in unison.

Then, the city gate slowly opened, and the drawbridge was lowered with a "boom".

The two generals led the Wei soldiers, like a black dragon, and quietly headed east towards Jicheng.

"May Heaven bless the Great Wei..."

Xu Zhi stood on the city wall, watching the departing procession, and silently prayed in his heart.

...

The main camp of the Han army north of Jicheng was bustling with activity.

Outside the tent, it was freezing cold, and a biting wind howled past, making the tent flap loudly.

Inside the tent, however, it was warm as spring, with a roaring charcoal fire radiating warmth.

Zhang Fei was discussing the current battle situation with his generals.

"Cao Pi is only a few days away from Liangbei. If we don't pursue him now, we may not be able to catch up."

Zhang Fei was somewhat anxious.

"It is a foregone conclusion that Cao Cao has retreated into Liangbei. I believe that we should first encircle and annihilate the 10,000 Wei troops in the city, take Jicheng first, and then march north to pacify Liangbei. In this way, Liangzhou can be completely returned to the Han Dynasty."

After hearing this, Zhang Fei nodded:
"It is indeed a pity that the little traitor Cao chose to flee to Shu. However, our goal before the battle was to recover Longyou. Now that we have achieved it, it can be considered perfect."

"Everyone has worked hard. Let's have a good celebration after this battle is over."

"I wonder when the General of the Cavalry plans to attack Ji City. I am willing to trample Ji City to pieces!"

Ma Chao suddenly stood up and volunteered for battle.

It turned out that he had enemies in Ji City: Jiang Xu and Yin Feng. Ma Chao wished he could immediately storm into Ji City and tear these two to pieces to vent his anger.

Zhang Fei smiled and said:
"Don't worry, everyone. The Grand Marshal said that Xu Zhi will definitely abandon the city and flee west within a few days. I have already set up a large ambush. When the time comes, we will catch the Wei army like a turtle in a jar and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao's fighting spirit diminished slightly.

Just then, a scout rushed into the tent, knelt on one knee, and said:

"Report! Nearly ten thousand Wei soldiers have left the city under cover of night and are heading west."

The tent immediately erupted in excitement.

The generals began whispering amongst themselves, discussing the matter animatedly.

"General of the Flying Cavalry, Xu Zhi is likely attempting to abandon the city and break out. Please order your troops to intercept him."

Ma Chao was the first to jump up, excitedly exclaiming.

The will to fight was reignited in the hearts of the generals.

Everyone eagerly volunteered to fight, requesting to send troops to intercept the Wei army.

Zhang Fei stood up, preparing to give the order.

Suddenly, a voice sounded:
"General of the Cavalry, wait!"

All eyes turned to Ma Su, who stood up, a hint of doubt on his face, and said:

"Su found the Wei army's actions quite suspicious."

"What's suspicious?"

Zhang Fei sat down and asked.

Ma Su pointed westward and said:

"If the enemy were to break out, their target would definitely be in the Liangbei direction. They should have chosen to break out to the west, but now they are heading east. There must be something fishy about this."

"Furthermore, if Xu Zhi wanted to break through, how could he only have a little over five thousand men? What would happen to the rest of his troops?"

"In my opinion, this is probably Xu Zhi's feint."

Ma Su voiced his doubts, and Zhang Fei became wary.

He stroked his beard and fell into thought.

Zhao Yun nodded slightly and said:

"I also think that if we want to break through, we must mobilize the whole army. Xu Zhi has only sent a part of his troops. There must be a reason for this."

Zhang Fei frowned and asked:
"Then tell me, what does Xu Zhi intend to do?"

All eyes turned to Xiao He.

Xiao He remained silent, his eyes deep and mysterious.

A moment later, a slight smile appeared on his lips, and he gently set his wine glass down.

"Yide, quickly order the cavalry to cross the river and rush to the aid of the north bank."

Just as everyone was puzzled, Xiao He continued:
"In this battle, we must annihilate all the Wei troops who attacked our grain camp!"

Zhang Fei was stunned. His eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

All the generals looked suspicious. They were originally discussing how to stop the Wei army from breaking through, but the Grand Marshal wanted to go to rescue the grain camp on the north bank.

There seems to be no connection between the two.

"I understand."

Ma Su suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly said:

"Xu Zhi sent half of his troops out of the city, not to break out, but the Wei army pretended to break out to the east, but actually changed course and crossed the river to the north, heading straight for our grain camp."

“My grain supplies are stored in the northern camp, and I still have 400,000 bushels of grain. Xu Zhi wants to break through my northern camp and burn my grain supplies!”

"If the grain supplies are burned, our army will be unable to resupply and will have to temporarily retreat to the nearest granary. This will lift the siege of Jicheng!"

Ma Su understood Xiao He's implied meaning and excitedly exposed the enemy's intentions.

Zhang Fei suddenly understood, and looked at Xiao He with eyes full of admiration. (End of Chapter)