The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 217 Young Jia Kui, you're lucky to have met General Zuo (3rd update)
Jiangyi, outside the East Gate.

A group of Yuan soldiers shouted curses at the top of their lungs at the city wall.

However, after nearly two hours of cursing, the defenders on the city wall didn't utter a sound, treating it as if the Yuan soldiers below were just barking wildly.

"That Jia Kui is such a scoundrel! He's infuriating!"

In the camp outside the city, Guo Yuan was furious and kicked over the table in the commander's tent again.

Coming from Shangdang, Guo Yuan conquered cities and territories all the way, and none could stop him.

I thought I could keep fighting Pi Shi, control the entire Fen River, and then march south to take Anyi and achieve the great feat of conquering Hedong.

Never thought.

However, they were blocked for seven days in a small town called Jiangyi!
Jiangyi was originally the capital of the State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period. However, due to wars and dynastic changes, Jiangyi's scale was far smaller than before, turning from a large city at the level of a capital into a small county seat with fewer than 10,000 households.

Although Jia Kui, the magistrate of Jiangyi, was not yet thirty years old, he was well-versed in military strategy.

Not only could he command the mere three hundred county soldiers in Jiangyi City as if they were his own arms, but he could also mobilize the people in the city to defend the city together, holding off Guo Yuan for seven days!
Guo Yuan had five thousand infantry and cavalry, yet he couldn't even take down a small town called Jiangyi with only three hundred county soldiers!

Guo Yuan blushed as he recalled how he had confidently declared to the high-ranking officials, "If I fail to recover Hedong with my troops, I am willing to face military law and bring my head to face you!"

Life and death are minor matters; face is a major matter.

"Zhu Ao, you have always been proud of your wisdom and resourcefulness, so why can't you even come up with a good strategy for attacking the city?" Guo Yuan was furious and vented his anger on his strategist Zhu Ao.

Zhu Ao was also having a major headache.

They had been advancing with unstoppable momentum, and thought that Hedong was within their grasp, but they encountered a fierce tiger in Jiangyi who had not yet made a name for himself: "Although Jia Kui came from a prominent family in Hedong, by the time of his grandfather Jia Xi, the family had already declined. Jia Xi was just a minor schoolteacher in Xiangling County; Jia Xi's son was just a minor official in the prefecture. I never expected that Jia Xi's grandson would be so powerful."

"I asked you to come up with a good plan, not to tell me what Jia Kui's grandfather did!" Guo Yuan roared, his face contorted with rage, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhu Ao.

Zhu Ao shrank back and said weakly, "We can wait for Hu Chuquan to lead the Hu troops to arrive first! The Hu people have always liked to plunder. If they enter the city, Jiangyi City will be completely wiped out. At that time, I will persuade Jia Kui to surrender with the benefits and we will definitely be able to take Jiangyi without bloodshed."

Guo Yuan clenched his fists tightly!

Zhu Ao's strategy meant that even if Jia Kui surrendered the city, it wasn't because he was afraid of Guo Yuan, but because he was afraid that the Hu people would plunder the elders in the city!

This is also a disgrace for Guo Yuan!

But now that Jia Kui had blocked them for seven days, Guo Yuan was at a loss and could only reluctantly adopt Zhu Ao's plan, asking, "How much longer until Huchuquan arrives?"

Zhu Ao silently calculated Hu Chuquan's marching route, a puzzled look on his face: "Strange! Hu Chuquan should have arrived yesterday, how come it's past noon today and we still haven't seen his troops?"

Guo Yuan snorted and said disdainfully, "The barbarians are always greedy. They must have been delayed by looting along the way! After we destroy Cao Cao, I'll kill Huchuquan first!"

He would come when summoned and leave when dismissed; this was Guo Yuan's attitude towards Huchuquan.

Deep down, Guo Yuan, who was proud of his lineage, looked down on the Xiongnu royal family, such as Huchuquan, who had only managed to survive by relying on the Han Dynasty.

Since Huchuquan had not arrived, Guo Yuan had no choice but to send another messenger to urge him. However, to Guo Yuan and Zhu Ao's astonishment, the messenger returned and said that Huchuquan had sent his troops back to Xihe.

"How dare Hu Chuquan play tricks on me?" Guo Yuan gasped for breath, gritting his teeth.

Unable to capture Jiangyi, Huchuquan sent his troops back to Xihe, truly proving the saying that misfortunes never come singly!
Seeing Guo Yuan's gloomy face, Zhu Ao hurriedly asked the messenger, "Did Hu Chuquan say why the troops were withdrawn?"

The messenger cautiously observed Guo Yuan's expression and whispered, "I didn't see Huchuquan, I only saw Right Wise King Qubei. Qubei said that General Xia Zhao of Shangdang brought the Left General's military order, which only contained four words: 'Come see me.' General Xia also told Huchuquan that the Left General ordered him to send his troops back, bind himself, and go to Shangdang. If he dared to disobey the order, he would be executed without mercy! After receiving the order, Huchuquan immediately ordered Qubei to lead his troops back to Xihe, then bound his own hands and followed General Xia to Shangdang."

Zhu Ao was stunned: "General Zuo ordered Huchuquan to send his troops back and bind himself to go to Shangdang, and Huchuquan obediently sent his troops back and bound himself to go to Shangdang? When did Huchuquan become so subservient to General Zuo?"

The messenger shook his head: "I don't know either."

"Liu Bei!"

The sound of clenched teeth rang out, and Guo Yuan's eyes became even more ferocious.

"Huchuquan was once captured by Liu Bei, but was later released by him. He fears Liu Bei like a tiger and naturally dares not disobey orders!"

Guo Yuan then revealed the reason why Hu Chuquan bound himself and went to Shangdang.

Zhu Ao was even more surprised: "But why would General Zuo do this? Could it be that the Grand General has changed the military orders?"

"If the military order is changed, it won't just be Huchuquan who goes back." Guo Yuan kicked the overturned table again and said angrily, "I waited for Liu Bei in Shangdang for half a month, but Liu Bei was late in coming; now that we are about to capture Jiangyi, Liu Bei has ordered Huchuquan to retreat. He's here to steal my credit!"

Zhu Ao said with great concern, "Now that Hu Chuquan has sent his troops back, and we are unable to conquer Jiangyi, what should we do?"

"You're the strategist, and I'm the strategist? Can't you use your brain to come up with a better plan?" Guo Yuan was already in a bad mood, and hearing Zhu Ao's dejected words only made him angrier: "If you can't come up with a good plan today, you're not going to sleep either!"

Zhu Ao shrank back again and weakly replied, "This subordinate will certainly do his utmost."

Meanwhile, in Jiangyi City, Jia Kui, clad in armor, inspected the city's defenses at each of the four gates and reassured the soldiers and civilians.

"Rest assured, everyone. We have been holding out in Jiangyi for seven days. The reinforcements from Lord Anyi will arrive soon. As long as we hold out for three more days, we will have nothing to fear from Guo Yuan!"

A hoarse voice echoed frequently from all four doors.

However, Jia Kui knew very well that if Wang Yi, the governor of Hedong, were to send reinforcements, they would have arrived long ago.

With no reinforcements arriving outside the city, only three days remain until the ten-day deadline agreed upon by Jia Kui and the soldiers and civilians inside the city.

The fact that the soldiers and civilians in the city were willing to hold out for ten days was also due to Jia Kui's high moral character and his promise to the soldiers and civilians: if reinforcements did not arrive after ten days, the soldiers and civilians in the city could bind themselves and surrender to Guo Yuan.

Combined with effective defense, this allowed them to hold onto Jiangyi.

After calming the soldiers and civilians at the four gates, Jia Kui returned to the top of the east gate. Looking at Guo Yuan's tent outside the city, Jia Kui fell into deep thought again.

Even before Jiangyi was besieged, Jia Kui's scouts had discovered that Huchuquan of Xihe County had also led Hu troops south. Jia Kui only hoped that he would not encounter Huchuquan's Hu troops in the last three days.

If the Hu soldiers from Huchuquan also attack the city, Jia Kui's current deployment will absolutely not be able to hold it!
　Here comes the third update. I've been busy on Saturday, so it's a bit late.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)