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

Lei Tong's shouts echoed from the city wall, like a death knell.

Hearing the shouts, the Shu soldiers on the city wall all looked up and gazed into the distance.

Sure enough, they saw countless Han infantry and cavalry surging towards Heisong Pass like a tidal wave, with flags fluttering and swords flashing, like a torrent of steel.

The soldiers were thrown into chaos. Some were so frightened that their legs went weak and they almost collapsed to the ground.

Some frantically grabbed their weapons and stumbled towards the city wall, preparing to scale it and engage in battle.

The soldiers guarding the gate were even more anxious, constantly urging the grain escort team to enter the city quickly.

By this time, the soldiers protecting the grain had already fallen into panic.

Upon hearing the news of the Han army's attack, they were terrified and abandoned their supply wagons, desperately rushing into the city.

As a result, the city gates became increasingly congested, like a bottle that had been stuffed full and could no longer hold anything.

Seeing this, Lei Tong was extremely anxious. He immediately spurred his horse down from the city wall, arrived at the city gate, and shouted:

"Fools, move the grain carts now! If the city gates can't be closed, you'll all die—"

Then the accident happened.

Among the grain-protecting soldiers, a silver spear suddenly shot out, slicing through the air like lightning.

"puff!"

One shot pierced Lei Tong's heart with pinpoint accuracy.

Lei Tong felt a sharp pain in his chest.

His face contorted in shock and disbelief as he stared at the assassin before him, his mouth agape, yet no sound came out.

"I am Zhang Bao, a general of the Han Dynasty! I have come to take your life!"

"Lei Tong, let's go!"

Zhang Bao sheathed his silver spear, and a muffled "thud" echoed at the city gate.

Lei Tong felt blood gushing from his chest. He swayed a few times, then fell off his horse and crashed heavily to the ground.

The soldiers on both sides were stunned. Their eyes widened as if they had witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world.

How could a Han general appear among the Shu soldiers protecting the grain?

How was Lei Tong killed?
All of this happened so suddenly that it caused their brains to short-circuit instantly.

"The Grand Marshal is truly a divine being..."

Looking at the panicked Shu soldiers, Zhang Bao couldn't help but admire them.

All of this was the result of Xiao He's meticulous planning.

Previously, Xiao He feigned to order Wu Yi to offer grain as an apology, his purpose being to get the Shu soldiers to drive the grain carts into the camp.

Afterwards, Wei Yan ordered the Han soldiers to disguise themselves as Shu soldiers protecting grain supplies, and to blend into the grain cart procession and return to Heisong Pass.

When the fake grain convoy entered the pass, they deliberately created trouble, blocking the gate and preventing it from closing smoothly.

At this moment, Wei Yan seized the opportunity to storm into Heisong Pass and capture the pass.

This was Xiao He's plan to break through the barrier, a series of interconnected steps that were impossible to guard against.

"Han soldiers, hold the city gates!"

Zhang Bao brandished his silver spear, let out a loud shout, and charged towards the Shu soldiers.

His silver spear flew up and down, and wherever it went, heads fell and blood splattered.

Those disguised grain guards also drew their swords and attacked the Shu soldiers.

In an instant, the city gates were filled with the glint of swords and the deafening shouts of battle.

With their commander killed, the Shu soldiers were thrown into chaos. They were like a swarm of headless flies, running around aimlessly and unable to mount any effective resistance.

Outside the pass, the Han army is rushing towards Heisong Pass.

Wei Yan saw the city gates wide open and couldn't help but admire them inwardly.

"Grand Marshal, your divine calculations are unparalleled."

Wei Yan sighed again, expressing his utter admiration for Xiao He's strategy.

He pointed his long sword and shouted:
"Hear my command, brave men of Han! Charge into Black Pine Pass and slaughter the stubborn enemy!"

With his command, the bugle sounded, its stirring horn like a battle cry, inspiring every Han soldier.

Tens of thousands of Han soldiers surged toward the city gate like a tidal wave.

Seeing his own army surging towards them like a tidal wave from afar, Zhang Bao felt reassured and decisively ordered all the grain transport vehicles to be abandoned.

The grain carts were abandoned and scattered along the roadside as the soldiers pushed them with all their might.

In the blink of an eye, the surging tide of soldiers, like a raging torrent of steel, poured into the gates of Heisong Pass with overwhelming force.

With high morale, they advanced swiftly and fiercely towards the heart of Black Pine Pass, their battle cries echoing everywhere they went.

Inside the mansion hall at Heisong Pass, Gao Pei sat upright at his seat, already slightly tipsy.

He squinted slightly, his mind racing with thoughts.

"By this time, Wu Yi should have returned with news."

"I wonder if Wei Yan will retreat after obtaining the supplies? Although the situation seems stable at the moment, I still need to be cautious."

Thinking of this, Gao Pei stood up, his body swaying slightly, wanting to go out of the mansion to check the situation outside.

Just as he took a step out, a deafening battle cry suddenly came from outside the mansion.

The sound exploded like thunder, instantly shattering the tranquility of the mansion.

Gao Pei was startled, and his expression instantly turned serious.

He quickly summoned a soldier and gave him instructions:
"Quickly go outside and find out what happened!"

A moment later, the soldier returned in a panic, and before he even reached Gao Pei, he shouted:

"Prefect! Prefect! Something terrible has happened!"

One of the guards collapsed in front of Gao Pei, trembling all over, and said in a tearful voice:

"The Han army has captured the city gates and is already inside!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Pei was immediately horrified, his eyes widening like copper bells, his face filled with disbelief.

He grabbed his bodyguard and questioned him sternly:
"How did the Han army break in? Why didn't Lei Tong come to report? What is he doing?!"

The guards sobbed and said:
"It wasn't that General Lei Tong didn't report the news; it was that the Han soldiers disguised themselves as soldiers transporting supplies and took advantage of the chaos to block the gate! General Lei Tong fought with the enemy general and was unfortunately killed! That's how the Han army seized the opportunity to break in!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Pei swayed violently, as if struck by a heavy blow, and froze on the spot.

Countless questions surged into his mind instantly, like turbulent waves, and he could not calm down for a long time.

Did the Han army disguise themselves as a grain convoy?
Blocking the city gates with grain carts?
Wei Yan led the main force of the Han army into Heisong Pass.
What is going on here?

Why has it developed into this situation?
A host of suspicious points intertwined in his mind.

Suddenly, Gao Pei's figure swayed again, as if a bolt of lightning had flashed through his mind, and he instantly understood everything.

It turns out that all of this was a trap. From the moment Wei Yan demanded grain from Liu Zhang, it was all part of a huge conspiracy.

The purpose was to lure Liu Zhang into sending grain to the Han camp, while Wei Yan secretly dispatched Han soldiers disguised as grain transporters to infiltrate Heisong Pass.

In this way, grain carts could be used to block the city gates, cutting off the connection between the inside of the pass and the outside world.

Then Wei Yan led the main force of the Han army to seize the opportunity to enter the pass and take Heisong Pass in one fell swoop, thus completely controlling the situation.

This is Wei Yan's true intention!

"No, Wei Yan doesn't have that ability; he couldn't possibly have come up with such a meticulous plan."

Gao Pei pondered to himself, when suddenly his eyes lit up:
"It must be Xiao He's doing! Looking across the world, only Xiao He has the wisdom and strategy to play Liu Zhang, me, and Lei Tong and others like fools!"

Thinking that he had been so tricked by Xiao He, Gao Pei was furious and stomped his feet, cursing loudly: "Gao Pei, Gao Pei, you were completely fooled by Xiao He!"

After cursing, he shouted:
"Order all troops to assemble immediately and drive the Han army out! Heisong Pass must not be lost! The consequences of losing it would be unimaginable!"

After Gao Pei finished speaking, he leaped onto his warhorse and charged out of the mansion like an arrow released from a bow.

Holding a long spear, he galloped along, gathering troops from all sides of Shu.

Upon receiving the order, the various Shu troops quickly sprang into action and were urgently dispatched to the East Gate front line to prepare for a desperate battle with the Han army.

Unfortunately, when Gao Pei arrived at the main street, the scene before him filled him with despair.

The Han flag had already been raised high on the city wall.

This symbolizes that Wei Yan has completely controlled the East Gate and seized the initiative at Heisong Pass.

On the main street, Han infantry and cavalry charged forward with high morale, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

The defeated Shu soldiers, like stray dogs, were fleeing in disarray, scattering in all directions, creating a scene of utter chaos.

"Young men of Sichuan!"

Seeing this scene, Gao Pei felt a surge of tragic emotion. He spurred his horse and brandished his spear:
"Heisong Pass must not be lost! This is our homeland! Follow me and kill all the Han soldiers!"

Having said that, he spurred his horse, and it charged forward like the wind. Gao Pei brandished his spear, charging towards the Han army like an enraged lion.

The Shu soldiers' faces were filled with helplessness and sorrow, but they had no other choice but to follow closely behind Gao Pei and grit their teeth as they charged toward the Han soldiers.

The two armies then officially began their battle. In an instant, shouts of battle shook the heavens, and the clash of swords was incessant.

Gao Pei took the lead, his spear flashing wildly through the crowd like a dragon emerging from the sea.

With each swing of his spear, he cut down Han soldiers.

All of this was in vain.

Despite Gao Pei's immense bravery and superb martial arts skills, he alone was simply unable to reverse the inevitable defeat.

The Han army's arrival was clearly well-prepared.

Under the fierce onslaught of the Han army, the Shu soldiers quickly fell into chaos.

After a fierce charge, countless Shu soldiers were killed or wounded, lying haphazardly on the ground, their painful groans echoing everywhere.

Signs of collapse began to spread within the Shu army's ranks, and morale plummeted.

At this time, Gao Pei was still fighting desperately on the battlefield, trying to boost morale and get the Shu soldiers to hold their ground.

The morale of the Shu soldiers had completely collapsed. Seeing the powerful offensive of the Han army, they were filled with fear and despair, and they fled in all directions without a fight.

"Don't run away!"

Seeing this, Gao Pei's eyes widened in anger, and he roared loudly:
"Anyone who dares to flee will be killed without mercy!"

As he brandished his spear, he cut down several fleeing Shu soldiers, attempting to intimidate the crowd.

Unfortunately, his threats had no deterrent effect whatsoever.

Faced with life and death, the Shu soldiers had long since forgotten his orders.

Apart from a few hundred personal guards who remained close to him, swearing to serve him to the death, the rest of the Shu soldiers scattered at the mere sight of him, fleeing desperately to the rear like frightened birds.

Just as Gao Pei was isolated and helpless, someone else was wreaking havoc on the battlefield ahead.

This man was none other than Wei Yan.

He held a long sword, his swordsmanship was skillful and powerful, each strike carrying an overwhelming momentum.

Wherever the blade passed, heads fell to the ground.

At this moment, Wei Yan felt only a sense of exhilaration.

On this bloody battlefield, he fully enjoyed the thrill of killing enemies.

He seemed to have transformed into a god of war, invincible and unstoppable.

Just then, Wei Yan's gaze suddenly focused and locked onto an enemy general.

The enemy general was also quite skilled in martial arts, charging left and right through the crowd, and had already killed countless Han soldiers.

Wei Yan secretly guessed:

"Could this person be Gao Pei?"

Upon realizing this, his fighting spirit was instantly ignited, like a raging fire, unstoppable.

"Wei Yan is here!"

Wei Yan roared loudly:
"Gao Pei, prepare to die!"

Having said that, he spurred his horse, dragging his sword, and galloped towards Gao Pei like a bolt of lightning.

Wherever he went, the Shu soldiers who tried to stop him were easily knocked to the ground, unable to hinder his advance.

Gao Pei, who was fighting hard, suddenly heard this thunderous roar and his body trembled.

He subconsciously looked up and saw a military officer standing in front of him.

"Wei Yan? He's Wei Yan?"

Gao Pei was startled, and his hands involuntarily went limp.

Wei Yan's fame was widespread, so how could Gao Pei not have heard of him?

He knew in his heart that he was no match for Wei Yan, but at this moment, he had no way out.

Just as he was in shock, the long sword came crashing down on him like a mighty river.

The blade's momentum was incredibly sharp, leaving no way to dodge it!

Gao Pei understood that even though he was no match for the opponent, he could only do his best to withstand the blow.

So he gritted his teeth and raised his gun with both hands to defend himself.

"throat!"

A deafening roar resounded, and the powerful impact sent the soldiers on both sides flying, crashing to the ground like kites with broken strings.

Gao Pei felt a divine force crashing down on him like a tidal wave, instantly causing severe damage to his internal organs. His internal organs felt as if they had been shattered, and he was in unbearable pain.

Immediately afterwards, his body was lifted into the air, drawing an arc in the air, before spitting out blood and crashing heavily to the ground.

With a loud "bang!", Gao Pei fell to the ground.

He had several broken ribs, and the excruciating pain almost made him faint.

"I couldn't even withstand a single move? Is this Wei Yan's true strength?"

Gao Pei lay on the ground, feeling both sorrowful and filled with fear.

He tried to struggle to his feet and continue fighting, but his body seemed to have a mind of its own and could not support him.

"Vulnerable!"

Wei Yan looked at Gao Pei lying on the ground and said contemptuously, a hint of disdain on his face.

Having said that, he raised his long sword again, ready to take Gao Pei's life and end the battle.

At this critical moment, Wei Yan suddenly remembered Xiao He's instructions.

Xiao He had once told him that Gao Pei was not a loyal subject of Liu Zhang, and that if he could be won over, it would have a significant impact on the overall situation.

When the people and soldiers of Shu see that even Liu Zhang's generals have surrendered to the Han emperor, their hearts will surely waver.

Thinking of this, Wei Yan's heart stirred, and his killing intent instantly dissipated.

He snorted coldly and said:
"Capture this thief!"

Upon hearing this, the group of Han soldiers behind him immediately swarmed forward and firmly captured Gao Pei. (End of Chapter)