Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 250 The Little Sister is Everywhere
Peng Cai was furious when he received Zu Lang's reply.

Zu Lang has stationed 9,000 troops in Lingyang and even more in Ningguo. If they travel day and night, they could reach Yixian in one or two days, or four or five days at most. Such a short distance, yet they refuse to come to our aid. What kind of lousy ally is this?
“Zu Lang only cares about Yan Yi right now, how could he care about our lives?” Chen Mu looked exhausted and said weakly, “Let’s try to ask for help from Shexian, Haiyang, Liyang and other places before the enemy besieges the city.”

Shexian, Haiyang, and Liyang are all located in the southern part of Danyang, only a few dozen miles away from Yixian. They are currently occupied by several powerful clans and bandit groups.

Peng Cai's face was clouded with anger as he gritted his teeth and said, "Yan Yi has put a lot of pressure on these places in order to open up the vital route connecting Yuzhang. Mr. Chen, you may not know this, but Fan Hai of Shexian has already sided with Yan Yi, and Cang Dan of Haiyang has a grudge against me, so he will definitely not come to my aid. As for Tian Xing of Liyang, he does have some connections with me, but alas!"

Chen Mu remained silent upon hearing this. Liyang was located east of Haiyang, and if troops were sent to its aid, they would inevitably have to pass through Haiyang. Given the relationship between Zang Dan and Peng Cai, how could they not take advantage of the situation at this time?

He sighed inwardly, his forehead wrinkles furrowing with worry: "We are now at a critical juncture of life and death. Perhaps we should try to make peace with Zang Dan. If we can persuade Zang Dan to let go of his hatred, there is still a glimmer of hope."

A deep sense of humiliation welled up in Peng Cai's heart, and his face turned extremely ugly. After a long while, he finally said, "I'll give it a try."

He returned to his study and first sent a letter to Tian Xing asking for help. Then he sent a trusted aide with generous gifts to Haiyang in an attempt to reconcile with Zang Dan.

At this moment, Ling Cao was leading the vanguard battalion to approach the west gate of Yixian County.

A scout rode up on horseback to report: "More than a hundred enemy transport wagons have left the east gate and are heading towards Haiyang."

"Scout again!" Ling Cao waved his hand dismissively and ordered, "The supply battalion will build a camp, and the rest of the units will attack the stronghold in the west of the city."

Squads of soldiers moved at the order and began to clear out the surrounding strongholds.

By sunset, all the strongholds and key roads west of Yixian County had been taken over by Ling Cao's troops.

At dawn the following day, Zhu Zhi led the central army to the scene. The entire army was divided into three parts: one part guarded the west gate, while the other two parts advanced towards the north and south gates respectively.

Peng Cai knew very well that the defending troops outside the city would have little chance of withstanding the enemy's offensive. With morale low, the troops had already withdrawn from the north, south, and east gates into the city, preparing to defend it to the death.

Faced with the enemy's seemingly non-existent defensive lines outside the city, Zhu Zhi did not accelerate the offensive, but instead advanced slowly and methodically.

His objective in this operation was to "openly attack Yixian while secretly crossing Lingyang," so he deliberately delayed the offensive at every turn.

Two days later, all the strongholds around Yixian County fell, and the city was besieged.

At this time, there were still three days until February 22nd. In order to buy time, Zhu Zhi ordered his men to copy hundreds of letters of persuasion to surrender and shoot them into the city in turn.

Some of these letters urging surrender were 'accidentally' obtained by scouts from various surrounding forces.

"I have been ordered by the Prefect of Danyang and the General Who Subdues Rebels to lead the army to suppress the rebels. Your stubborn resistance is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, only increasing casualties. Considering the innocence of the people in the city, I will grant you three days to open the city gates and surrender, in which case your lives will be spared. If you remain obstinate, the army will attack the city in three days. When the city falls, everything will be destroyed, leaving no one alive!"

In the bedroom of the ancestral home in Jing County, a beautiful woman lay on a soft carpet, holding a letter urging surrender in her hands, reading it aloud intermittently.

"Go grind the ink and write a military order for me, ordering Jiao to conscript three thousand soldiers in Lingyang and to be on high alert."

Zulang lay on his back on the blanket, closing his eyes to rest.

Regarding the defense of Lingyang, he was originally hesitating between sending more elite troops and recruiting new soldiers locally, but upon seeing the letter of surrender, he made a decision instantly.

Zangdan also did something similar to Zulang.

Zang Dan accepted the generous gifts from Peng Cai and immediately used them as military funds to recruit two thousand new soldiers. However, he did not reply to Peng Cai's request at all.

Peng Cai wandered around the city walls of Yixian County every day, gazing eastward into the distance with longing eyes, but the smoke of war he had been waiting for never rose.

"You treacherous dog Zangdan, if I escape this predicament, I will surely behead you one day!"

Peng Cai knew exactly what was going to happen, and he slammed his fist into the wall, furious.

In his desperate attempt to survive, he bowed down to his enemies, only to be met with even greater disappointment and humiliation.

In two days, the enemy will attack the city. With our army's current combat strength and morale, it is wishful thinking to try to hold Yixian County.

"The future of this item is uncertain, and I fear it will soon become someone else's feast." Peng Cai reached out and touched his head, a cold wind blowing by, and he couldn't help but shiver.

The world is a cold and indifferent place; there are many who curry favor with the powerful, but few who offer help in times of need.

Looking at the grim enemy army formation below the city, Peng Cai felt a surge of despair and was filled with mixed emotions.

He walked heavily back to the barracks and was surprised to find that the atmosphere in the camp was a bit strange. Some soldiers who should have been changing shifts and resting were now gathered outside the barracks whispering to each other.

"Go and see what's going on."

A guard ran towards the barracks, but quickly returned in a panic, whispering in the commander's ear: "Reporting to the commander, some people in the camp are spreading rumors that the general is preparing to surrender the city."

Peng Cai flew into a rage: "Who dares to cause trouble in my camp!"

The guard hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "It's said that the news came from Chen Mu."

Where is Chen Mu?

"Right here in your barracks."

Peng Cai, like an enraged lion, gripped his sword hilt and stormed toward the barracks.

He and Chen Mu were friends who had gone through thick and thin together. When Chen Mu was in trouble, he came to him for help and treated him with sincerity, like a brother. But he never expected that the other party would stab him in the back.

"Chen Mu, what are you trying to do!"

Peng Cai's eyes widened in anger, and he suddenly kicked the door open. A loud shout exploded like thunder, causing dust to fall from the roof beams.

Chen Mu sat upright in the room, his hands resting on his knees, his expression calm. He glanced up at the furious Peng Cai, drew his sword from beside the mat, and threw it at Peng Cai.

“Peng Jun, my actions this time were entirely for your benefit. Please allow me to express my true feelings. If you are still not satisfied with my words, I am willing to offer my neck for execution without any complaints.”

"Speak!" Peng Cai forced back his anger. Chen Mu said solemnly, "A true man in chaotic times, without power and followers, is less than a dog. I know this pain deeply, and I don't want to see you repeat the same mistake."

"Now the enemy is at the city gates. Once the city falls, the foundation that Lord Peng has painstakingly built over the years will be lost. At this critical moment, not a single one of those who used to call you brother will lend a helping hand? A whole bunch of them are just standing by and watching you die!"

"As the saying goes, it's better to rely on yourself than on others. In my opinion, rather than die here, we should join Yan Yi and help him pacify Jiangdong! In this way, not only will we be out of danger, but wealth, honor, and titles will be within our grasp. Wouldn't that be ten or a hundred times better than what we have now?"

Chen Mu became more and more agitated as he spoke, his almost roaring words echoing in the barracks.

Unbeknownst to him, the anger on Peng Cai's face had vanished without a trace, replaced by a deep and thoughtful expression of being deeply moved.

"I misunderstood you, my brother!"

After a long silence, Peng Cai sighed heavily, picked up the sword from the ground, put it back in its sheath, and tightly grasped Chen Mu's hands with both of them. He said with deep emotion, "Brother, your words have awakened me from my dream! Xu Gong is nothing more than a small favor to me. Why should I risk my life for him!"

Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If only you, brother, submit, it may be difficult to gain Yan Yi's full attention. You might as well persuade Tian Xing to go and join us. In this way, we can not only be treated well by Yan Yi, but the three of us can also rely on each other in the future."

Peng Cai nodded slowly: "Brother, what you say makes sense. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

Chen Mu thought for a while and said in a deep voice, "We cannot easily believe Zhu Zhi's words alone. We must have Yan Yi write it in his own hand and affix his seal before we can submit to him."

Peng Cai agreed wholeheartedly. After discussing all the details with him, he sent a trusted confidant with a secret letter out of the city to discuss the matter of surrender with Zhu Zhi.

"Huaiyuan, Ziyang, come quick, come quick!"

Inside the command tent, Zhu Zhi paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. When he saw Ling Cao and Liu Ye enter, he smiled and raised the silk handkerchief in his hand.

"Junli, what makes you so happy?" Ling Cao asked, puzzled.

Zhu Zhi handed the silk scroll to Ling Cao: "Peng Cai is willing to surrender! This is his handwritten letter."

Ling Cao and Liu Ye were both pleasantly surprised after reading the letter.

They only intended to use the pretext of attacking Peng Cai to launch a surprise attack on Lingyang, but unexpectedly, they forced Peng Cai to surrender, which was a pleasant surprise.

“The matter is urgent and should be reported to the Lord immediately,” Ling Cao said solemnly.

Zhu Zhi nodded slightly: "I will immediately send someone to inform you, my lord."

"Wait!" Liu Ye suddenly spoke up: "Peng Cai's surrender is a godsend! I have come up with a plan to take Lingyang as easily as taking something out of a bag. Let me write down the details and present them to you, my lord."

Zhu Zhi's face lit up with joy: "What's the plan?"

Liu Ye's gaze was deep, radiating confidence: "We will keep Peng Cai's surrender a secret for now. We can arrange for him to feign defeat and flee, pretending to surrender to Zu Lang. After our army arrives in Lingyang, we can coordinate with our army from the inside and outside, launching a pincer attack. In this way, Lingyang will surely fall in one fell swoop."

Zhu Zhi nodded repeatedly, stroking his beard and smiling: "Brilliant plan! Regardless of whether Zu Lang suspects anything, our army's chances of capturing Lingyang will increase significantly. It's just that Peng Cai insists on seeing Your Majesty's personal handwriting before he will surrender. Time is too tight, it seems we must ask Your Majesty to postpone the attack on Zu Lang by three days."

The three of them quickly finalized the details of the plan, one after another. Liu Ye wrote it down in detail, sealed it with clay, and sent it to Qiantang along with Peng Cai's letter of surrender.

Such urgent military intelligence, in later times, could be handled with a single phone call. But in this era, it would take an incredibly long time.

Zhu Zhi's trusted subordinate, Cao Wei Mou, personally led a group to deliver the message. Each man rode three horses, galloping day and night, killing more than ten horses in the process, before finally reaching Qiantang within twelve hours.

By the time Wei Mou returned to the Yixian camp, covered in dust and grime, twenty-three hours had passed. According to the original plan, Zhu Zhi should have led his army towards Lingyang by now.

Zhu Zhi took the secret letter handed to him by Wei Mou, hurriedly went into the commander's tent, and then opened it.

Before long, Ling Cao and Liu Ye, having received the news, stood side by side.

"Your Majesty has already given the order to postpone our advance, but not for three days, only for two days," Zhu Zhi immediately replied.

Liu Ye was not surprised by this result, because on the 22nd, it wasn't just their troops who were launching the offensive; other areas also had operational plans. As the saying goes, pulling one hair affects the whole body; if the Yuzhang area was postponed by two days, other areas would follow suit.

His expression turned solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "There is no time to lose, contact Peng Cai immediately."

Fifteen minutes later, Yan Yi's handwritten letter was delivered into the city.

Peng Cai summoned Chen Mu, and together they entered the room. He solemnly opened the letter. It contained several hundred words and bore three seals.

"Having heard of your profound understanding of righteousness, General, and your willingness to abandon darkness for light and join us in this great undertaking, I am overjoyed! Your long service on the frontier is a great fortune for Jiangdong."

"I grant all your requests, General. I hope you will wholeheartedly assist me in governing, and work together to conquer Lingyang. Once our great undertaking is accomplished, I will share the wealth and fame with you!"

Peng Cai read the letter several times before reluctantly putting it down, his face beaming with joy: "It's done! I never expected you to be so generous. I regret not submitting sooner."

After reading the letter, Chen Mu was overjoyed, but couldn't help but smile bitterly. If he had joined Yan Yi earlier, he wouldn't be in this predicament. Fortunately, Yan Yi treated everyone equally, giving him the same treatment as Peng Cai, which put his mind at ease.

"Time is of the essence, and there is no time to lose. We must quickly capture Lingyang as a tribute to the emperor."

The two discussed the matter briefly in the room and then proceeded according to the plan.

That very night, Peng Cai selected the elite troops, weeding out the weak and keeping the strong, reducing the 5,000-strong army to 3,000. Under the cover of darkness, he and Zhu Zhi staged a realistic retreat, with their banners fluttering and heading straight for Lingyang.

The next morning, Zu Lang proudly displayed Peng Cai's handwritten letter of entrustment to his civil and military officials.

In the bandit world of Jiangdong, Peng Cai was a formidable figure. Throughout Jiangdong, there were no more than ten bandit forces that could rival him. Zu Lang had long desired to recruit him, and now that Peng Cai had come to join him, his wish had been fulfilled.

The strategist Fabian advised, “General, judging from the scouts’ reconnaissance, there’s nothing suspicious about Peng Cai’s surrender. However, these are turbulent times, and we must be extra cautious in everything we do. In my opinion, we should not let Peng Cai enter the city for the time being. General, you can order him to garrison outside Lingyang City and appease him with money and provisions. When we go to war with Yan Yi next month, he can serve as a shield for Lingyang.”

“In the dead of winter, the fields are desolate. Peng Cai has come seeking refuge in his desperate situation. If I refuse him entry into the city, and word gets out, who will come to serve me in the future?” Zu Lang actually agreed with Fabian’s point of view, but he valued the impact of Peng Cai’s arrival even more. After hesitating for a moment, he said in a deep voice, “Since there’s nothing suspicious about it, let him enter the city. Chen Mu is very hostile to Yan Yi. With him coming to serve me, what do I have to worry about?”

Fabian knew that Zulang was very ambitious and was in high spirits at the moment, so he could hardly persuade him to stop. Therefore, he said no more.

(This chapter was revised four times and published four times due to sensitive content. Furthermore, the author was unable to delete VIP chapters, resulting in four separate chapters containing the same content. Subscribers only need to subscribe to one chapter. If you have mistakenly subscribed, please join QQ group 720536435 for a refund of three times the cost of the incorrect subscription. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.)
(End of this chapter)