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

Chapter 268 Xun Chen's Astonishment, Xu Shu's Ruthlessness Even Leads to Self-Criticism (5 Updates)
In the middle of winter, the cold wind is biting.

At dusk, on the city wall of Huguan.

Xu Shu, the chief clerk of the left general who stayed behind, patrolled the city with his sword, showing concern for the soldiers on the city wall.

After Liu Bei left Huguan, the capital of Shangdang, Xu Shu would patrol the city walls twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

Behind them, Xun Chen also braved the cold wind to follow Xu Shu.

Rubbing his face, which was chapped and sore from the cold wind, Xun Chen finally couldn't help but ask, "Chief Secretary Xu, Huguan is located in the rear. Why do you need to patrol the city walls so frequently? Even if you are worried that Governor Gao will seize power out of resentment, you should be on guard against the city itself."

Xun Chen secretly lamented his misfortune.

Every time Xu Shu inspected the city walls, he would take Xun Chen with him. Poor Xun Chen not only had to handle government documents for Xu Shu during the day, but also had to accompany Xu Shu on his inspections of the city walls morning and evening.

Xu Shu smiled warmly and readily offered an excuse: "Brother Youruo, we are both from Yingchuan. It is said that when you are away from home, your hometown feelings are the strongest. Apart from you, I don't know any other people from Yingchuan in Huguan. At other times, we are both busy with official duties, and only when we patrol the city in the morning and evening can we steal a moment to enjoy the winter scenery together."

Listening to Xu Shu rambling on and on, Xun Chen subconsciously felt the urge to punch him again, but he quickly abandoned this unrealistic idea.

Although Xun Chen came from a prominent family and was tall and strong, he was far inferior to Xu Shu, a chivalrous man who had spent many years mingling in the marketplace and had killed people to avenge others, when it came to beating people.

Seeing Xun Chen sigh, Xu Shu smiled and asked, "Brother Youruo, I've probably heard you all too many times that I'm advising you to switch allegiance to General Zuo, but I still have to say it today: a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a wise minister chooses a good lord to serve. In the world today, besides Cao Cao, only General Zuo has the ability to gather talented people. You wouldn't be thinking of joining Cao Cao, would you? You and Xun Yu are brothers, so joining Cao Cao would indeed be advantageous. But you must understand one principle: Confucius said, 'A gentleman helps those in distress, not those who are already wealthy.' Cao Cao already has enough talented people under his command; we consider ourselves gentlemen, how could we possibly join Cao Cao?"

Xun Chen sighed, rubbing his forehead: "Yuanzhi, I've answered you many times! I've never considered joining Cao Cao!"

Xu Shu spread his hands: "But you never thought of joining General Zuo!"

Xun Chen looked up at the sky and sighed again: "Yuanzhi, must I abandon the Grand General? We pride ourselves on being gentlemen, how can we betray our old master and serve a new one?"

Xu Shu pondered for a moment, chin in hand: "That makes sense. I'll try to persuade you again tomorrow!"

Xun Chen's lips twitched, and he secretly clenched his fist: I really want to fight Yuan Zhi!

As they were talking, Xu Shu suddenly stopped and looked into the distance from the edge of the battlements.

After squinting for a moment, Xu Shu suddenly shouted, "City gate officer, close the city gate immediately!"

Xun Chen was taken aback. There were still two quarters of an hour before the city gates closed. The sudden closure of the gates meant that someone was planning a sneak attack on Huguan.
As the city gates closed, Xun Chen saw the approaching army banners and horses.

"Who is the one bearing the banner of Su?" Xun Chen frowned, pondering the prefectural and border generals of Bingzhou.

Xu Shu scoffed, "They're neither Hu people nor the Black Mountain Army, so they must have come from the direction of Ye City."

Huguan City is built across a canyon and follows the contours of the mountain. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has three gates.

The South Gate was the main city gate, facing Changzi and Luxian counties in the heart of Shangdang Prefecture. It was mainly used for daily government affairs and business travel, connecting other county towns within the prefecture. It also had a barbican and watchtowers.

The North Gate was a strategic pass facing Hebei, including places like Yecheng and Handan. It directly controlled the Taihang Pass and was the center of military defense. It also had a double gate structure, with an outer gate and an inner gate. A drawbridge-style gate was set up where the city wall met the mountain. The West Gate was an emergency gate. Due to the treacherous terrain, it was a small, concealed gate with a narrow passage, only allowing one horse to pass at a time. It was used for surprise attacks or communication through the mountain paths.

Huguan City was originally built to defend against the Hu people.

Now, there are no Hu people or Black Mountain Army flags outside the North Gate. The east side of Huguan City is steep cliffs and deep valleys. Only the troops from Ye City could possibly have come up the river and entered through the North Gate.

Xun Chen lowered his head in thought: "The banner with the character 'Su' in the direction of Ye City, could it be Su You, a general under Young Master Shang?"

"Who cares who they are!" Xu Shu's tone grew colder: "I have a post station ten miles away. Anyone who wants to enter through the north gate must first be notified by the people at the post station. Now no one from the post station has come, but the troops have come first. They must have ill intentions."

Xun Chen exclaimed in surprise, "You actually set up a post station ten miles away? Who are you trying to guard against?"

"Do you believe in guarding against the Hu people?" Xu Shu asked casually, making up a story as he gazed at the approaching troops.

Seeing that eight out of ten of Xu Shu's sentences were untrue, Xun Chen sighed again and stopped asking questions.

And below the city gate.

Looking at the tightly closed city gates, both Guo Yuan and Su You frowned.

"Once the gates of Huguan are closed, there is absolutely no way to breach Huguan unless we cut through the mountains and attack the city." Guo Yuan clenched his fists secretly, his tone indignant. He had come in secret all the way, but he hadn't expected that Huguan would close its gates ahead of schedule.

"Don't panic." Su You slightly shook the reins: "Don't show yourself yet, I'll go and call out."

Immediately, Su You rode his horse to the foot of the city gate, clasped his hands and shouted: "I am Su You, a general under the governor of Ji Province. I have been ordered by the general to reinforce Hedong. I have a document here and request that you pass through."

Xun Chen turned to Xu Shu and said, "Since the General has the document, we can let him in."

"Let him in?" Xu Shu glanced at Xun Chen: "Brother Youruo, these past few days I've shared every good meal and drink with you. You can't harm me. There are less than three hundred people inside the North Gate, while Su You has two thousand under his command. Are you planning to take my head and hang it at the city gate?"

Xun Chen was immediately stunned: "Yuanzhi, what do you mean by that? How could I possibly take your head? The Grand General is reinforcing Hedong with troops, and Su You has also sent a document. If you insist on obstructing us, wouldn't that confirm the rumors that the Left General wants to take Bingzhou and establish himself?"

"Rumors stop with the wise. Those who believe rumors will only bring harm to General Zuo if they stay." Xu Shu calmly stared at Su You below the city, then raised his hand to amplify his voice and called out, "General Su, please forgive me. It is getting late, and the city gates will not open until tomorrow morning. I would be grateful if you could camp outside the city for the night. I will personally come out of the city to welcome you tomorrow morning."

Su You held up the document and shouted, "With the General's document here, how can we delay military intelligence? Besides, it's not time to close the gate yet, why can't we open it?"

Xu Shu shrugged: "The rules were set by the Left General's Chief Clerk. I was just following orders. General Su, please don't make things difficult for me."

Xun Chen looked at Xu Shu in astonishment: Whose orders are you following? Your own?

Su You did not recognize Xu Shu and called out again, "The military situation is urgent. If there is a delay, I will also be punished. Please be lenient and inform the Left General's Chief Clerk for me."

Xu Shu feigned respect, clasped his hands in a fist and exclaimed, “General Su, I am truly sorry. The Left General’s Chief Clerk has taken a new concubine today, how could I dare to disturb him? Even if you enter the city, you must rest in Huguan City tonight, there is no rush. I hope you will give me face and enter the city tomorrow morning.”

　The fifth update is here!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)