Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 206 Xing Daorong: This is part of the plan
"Oh? Working together from within and without, using fire as a signal? How can I believe you?"

After listening to Xing Daorong's nonsense, Yuan Shu lowered his eyes and sneered, sizing him up.

“If Lord Yuan does not believe in my loyalty and righteousness, I am willing to marry into the Yuan family and serve my father-in-law.”

Rong was confident that he could use his silver tongue to persuade the generals in the city to cooperate from the inside and outside, raise fires as a signal, open the city gates for his father-in-law's army, and take Lingling.

"Yes! I have long been in Jingzhou, my reputation is growing daily, and I am familiar with the mountains and rivers of Jingzhou. I can serve as your guide, leading the way for my father-in-law. With my assistance, the capture of the nine counties of Jingxiang will surely be twice as effective with half the effort."

Inside the main hall, Xing Daorong knelt on the ground, his eloquent tongue wailing and begging for mercy, almost managing to turn black into white.

However, Yuan Shu's face grew increasingly dark as he sat in the main seat. Before he could speak, Sun Ce, who was standing to the side, had already spoken up to refute him.

"How dare you! What kind of thing are you to be my father's adopted son? A prisoner like you dares to dream of climbing the social ladder and gaining entry into my Yuan family?"
Father, this man is glib and smooth-talking; not a word of truth comes out of his mouth. Please execute him immediately.

"Father, spare my life! I am still useful. I can help you subdue Lingling and take over all nine counties of Jingzhou. I am, after all, the top general of Lingling. I have fought many battles and have never been defeated in Lingling. I am extremely skilled in leading troops and can definitely be of help."

"You dare to speak of leading troops? Enough talk, listen to your father, I'm throwing you out."

"enough."

Yuan Shu interrupted the two men with two simple words: "General Xing, my adopted son, is not someone anyone can become."

"Father, please have mercy!"

Xing Daorong felt a chill in his heart. He was about to plead again when he heard Yuan Shu chuckle and say:
"However, if you can follow the plan and light the fire as a signal to open the city gates for me at night, my elegant seat on the Golden Terrace in Shouchun may be empty, and you may be able to have a place there."

First surprised, then overjoyed, Xing Daorong quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude.

"Don't worry, father-in-law. I, Xing, will risk my life tonight to capture everyone in the city and bring the whole prefecture to surrender. I will not fail you."

"Okay! I'll trust you this once."

After Yuan Shu finished speaking, he was about to order his men to untie Xing Daorong and let him leave when Sun Ce spoke up.

"Father, this man claims to know that Zhongmou, that traitor, is in the city. Why don't we let him tell us?"

"Yes, yes! Rong knows, that brat Sun Quan."

Upon hearing this, Xing Daorong had no doubt and quickly recounted how Sun Quan had gained Kuai Yue's favor and how he had joined Liu Pan's ranks.

Yuan Shu remained silent, his gaze growing increasingly sinister. Only after Xing Daorong finished speaking did a mysterious smile appear on his face, and he whispered:

"This traitor dared to betray me and defect to the enemy. General Xing, when you return to the city, you must kill this traitor for me as soon as possible to vent my hatred."

You'll benefit from this later, so please don't let me down.

Xing Daorong nodded repeatedly, and seeing that someone had untied him, he quickly patted his chest and assured them.

“This scoundrel dares to betray my godfather. Don’t worry, father-in-law, I will kill him when I get back and present his head tonight.”

Yuan Shu frowned, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "Go immediately. If you dare to utter another word of nonsense, I will have you dragged out and beheaded."

"Don't be angry, Mr. Yuan. Xiao Rong will be going now. Please don't upset yourself."

As Xing Daorong spoke, he picked up his pear blossom axe, mounted his swift horse, and fled towards Quanling City.

Inside the tent, watching the burly, fat man flee, Sun Ce was puzzled and asked Yuan Shu.

“Father, aren’t you afraid he won’t come back? This fellow is so glib and doesn’t tell the truth. I’m afraid he won’t follow the plan tonight.”

Besides, that traitor Zhongmou, if it weren't for matters concerning Father's grand plan, why would you want him killed? Why not let me personally capture and kill him, cut off his head, and hang it at the east gate.”

Without Yuan Shu even needing to speak, Zhou Yu, who stood behind Yuan Shu and was only concerned with figuring out how to deploy Yuan Shu's army without uttering a word, gave him a disgruntled look.

"Don't you all know that Xing Daorong is two-faced and won't follow orders?"

If you, with your strategic acumen, can see it, how could Lord Yuan not know it?
"The more Yuan Gong wants him to kill Sun Quan, the less likely Sun Quan will die. What's the point of worrying? Go and select your elite troops and prepare to breach the city tonight."

Sun Ce was taken aback. "Didn't you just say that Xing Daorong wouldn't obediently follow the plan? How can we break through the city tonight?"

Zhou Yu was already thinking of kicking this guy out of the tent, so why didn't he hurry up and leave? I'm giving you a way out, but you won't even take it.
Fortunately, Yuan Shu was not angry upon seeing this; instead, he smiled and said to him:
"It's alright, Gongjin, you're overthinking it. After all, Zhongmou is Ce'er's brother, whom he grew up with. It's only natural for him to care more about him."

Besides, as you know, I love Bo Fu very much and wouldn't hold such petty personal matters against him.

As he spoke, he looked at Sun Ce and said, "Actually, there is no need to care whether Xing Daorong is sincere or not. After today's defeat, even if some of the defeated soldiers escape back to Quanling, the garrison here is only about 60,000."

With 60,000 against 60,000, and equal forces, how could my battle-hardened Huainan elite soldiers be afraid of Xing Daorong's Jingzhou troops?
Go and prepare. Tonight, you will lead three hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and Xu Chu will lead three hundred Xuanjia Army soldiers as the vanguard. As long as Xing Daorong dares to open the city gates, we will storm into the city and wipe out any ambushes or traps.

After all, once the city gates are opened, what kind of ambush could possibly be more difficult to breach than his 60,000 troops, who hold the defensive position and force our army to launch a strong attack?
To catch us off guard, he suddenly turned against us and launched an ambush; that's called an ambush.

But I already knew perfectly well that his ambush location was in Quanling City, the ambush time was indicated by lighting fires, and the ambush force was 60,000. He was thus ambushed.

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce was speechless for a moment, and accepted the order to take his leave.

Meanwhile, in the council hall of Quanling City.

Kuai Yue, Liu Pan, Cai Mao, and the others sat there anxiously waiting.

"General Xing has been away on the battlefield for quite some time. I wonder how things are going? Why haven't any military reports arrived yet?"

Liu Pan paced back and forth in the hall, feeling a vague unease in his heart.

"Don't worry, Young Master Pan, with General Xing on your side, what do you have to worry about?"

You know his abilities; he must be caught up in the excitement of charging into the enemy ranks.

We haven't had time to send a message back yet, so we'll just sit here and wait for his triumphant return.

Cai Mao sat calmly in his armchair, looking completely at ease.

"I don't think it's appropriate."

Kuai Yue shook his head and sighed, "General Xing only said that he would go and kill the vanguard of the enemy and then return quickly, and would not engage in battle with Yuan Shu's army."

He hasn't returned yet; I fear something has happened to him.

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan immediately volunteered for the mission.

"Why don't I lead another army out?"
If General Xing has already won, I will return with him without any loss.

If he is unfortunately entangled with Yuan's main force, I can then promptly bring him back.

Upon hearing this, Kuai Yue shook his head, "If General Xing is still locked in a stalemate with Yuan's army, your trip there could catch him off guard and allow you to suddenly appear and rescue him."

But if General Xing has already been killed and his entire army has fled, then if you lead your troops out to attack, you will only fall into an ambush.

Cai Mao couldn't stand it anymore. "This won't work, that won't work. I think it's just Kuai Yidu worrying for nothing."

If you ask me, General Xing might return victorious in no time, and then we'll see what you have to say."

However, before Cai Mao could finish speaking, a group of soldiers, their armor tattered, stumbled and cried as they ran towards them, shouting, "It's terrible! General Xing is gone!"

"Defeat! Utter defeat! Yuan's army, with several times the size of his own, has come to surround and attack. General Xing fought valiantly but was no match for them."

"General Xing has been defeated and captured, and Yuan's army will likely arrive in no time."

Everyone in the hall was horrified.

After all, Xing Daorong had already been hailed as the number one general in Jingzhou under Yuan Shu's influence, and was the last hope for the nine counties of Jingzhou in their desperate gamble.

But what no one expected was that the great battle had only just begun. The enemy army had just arrived, and General Xing was only leading his troops to kill their vanguard.

What's going on? It seems the great battle is already over, and General Xing has been defeated and captured? The top general of Jingzhou was defeated as soon as he set out. How can we fight this battle now?
Of all the people present, Cai Mao was the most incredulous.

Impossible. I was having a perfectly good chat with Xing Daorong when we were drinking.

At that time, Xing Daorong downed a mouthful of strong liquor and spoke eloquently about various strategies and plans to deal with the attack of Yuan's army.

But what's going on now? Many of the plans and strategies we had agreed upon haven't even been put into practice yet. General Xing, who proposed a way to deal with Yuan's army, you've already been defeated and captured?

Enraged, he immediately stood up, grabbed the soldier by the collar, and gritted his teeth.

"Tell me honestly, how exactly did General Xing lose?"

What exactly happened back then? If you dare omit a single word, I'll kill you.

"General, spare my life!"

The soldier begged for mercy and hurriedly recounted the events to the others.

"At first, following General Xing's orders, we intercepted the vanguard of Yuan's army, surrounded them, and routed them."

"But no one expected that the reinforcements from Yuan Jun's main force would arrive so quickly."

"General Xing spoke quickly, and personally went to lure away Yuan Shu's stepson, the Little Conqueror Yuan Bofu, who had defeated Guan Yu and was famous throughout the land."

"Yes, yes, we were surrounded by Yuan's army at the time, and we were so focused on fighting our way out that we couldn't see clearly."

All that could be seen was General Xing fighting desperately, drawing Yuan Ce away so that he could fight Yuan Ce alone.

"Finally, only a mournful cry from General Xing could be heard from afar:"
I stumbled and fell from my horse; it was fate that brought me down, not that I was no match for it.

It is truly a pity. If our horse hadn't stumbled, and if General Xing hadn't captured Yuan Gong's beloved son, we might have been able to lead us back and decisively defeat Yuan's army.

Upon hearing this, how could Cai Mao not be heartbroken?

"Brother Xing! How did you manage to slip and fall from your horse?"
"If I had known this would happen, I should have asked our lord to give you Zhang Wu's magnificent steed, Lu. How could we have met with this disaster today!"

Seeing this last pillar of white jade supporting the sky in Jingzhou, the purple-gold beam spanning the sea, General Xing Daorong of Lingling fell from his horse and collapsed suddenly due to this divine will.

The people of Jingzhou, even Kuai Yue, were saddened by this, thinking to themselves, "Could it be that Heaven truly intends to destroy Jingzhou?"
Otherwise, why would General Xing fall off his horse at such a crucial moment, instead of earlier or later?
Among the crowd, only Sun Quan seemed oblivious to Xing Daorong's reputation, and he stepped forward to offer a timely reminder.

"Gentlemen, General Xing has been captured and may have already surrendered. We should make preparations as soon as possible."

Cai Mao and Xing Daorong had been friends since the time of the Lingling governor's rebellion, and since Sun Quan was brought by his political enemy Kuai Yue, how could they not be furious?

"You brat, how dare you dishonor General Xing's reputation?"
General Xing is loyal and righteous, which Cai knows well.

Before he could finish speaking, Sun Quan sighed helplessly and offered an explanation.

“I also know that General Xing is loyal and righteous, but no matter how loyal and righteous he is, can he compare to Xiahou Dun’s loyalty and righteousness to Cao Cao?”

General Cai, you may not know this, but that Yuan Gonglu is utterly shameless and most skilled at forcing surrender. Therefore, whoever falls into his hands, there is no one who will not surrender.

"Is this really true?"

As everyone was discussing this in shock, a loud bang was heard, and a heavy pear blossom-shaped axe was thrown onto the hall.

A colossal figure, one they could never have imagined, brazenly and imposingly strode in from the outside.

"Who said I have surrendered?"

"General Xing Xing???"

As they watched the large, robust figure slowly approach, looming over them like a massive shadow, everyone present gasped in horror.

Xing Daorong sneered, "My loyalty to my lord is as clear as heaven and earth, as bright as the sun and moon. I will never surrender, even if I die!"

"Speak! Keep talking! Who was it that just now so confidently declared that I was going to surrender?"

Sun Quan: "."

Sun Quan stared blankly at the scene, unsure of where to begin.

Isn't this right?

From Xiahou Dun to Mao Jie and Yue Jin, which one of them didn't fall into Yuan Shu's hands, surrendering whether they wanted to or not?

What kind of monster is this Xing Daorong in front of me?
Why was he able to return even after falling into the hands of that devil Yuan Shu?

Previously, the people in Jingzhou would boast about how powerful Xing Daorong was, but Sun Quan just thought they were bragging.

But what he witnessed right before his eyes truly astonished Sun Quan, who was amazed by Xing Daorong's extraordinary talent.

Given Yuan Shu's terrifying control over his camp, how could anyone possibly escape? How did Xing Daorong manage to do it?
Suddenly, after the initial shock, Sun Quan had a flash of inspiration and realized what was happening.

"Xing Daorong, you didn't surrender; you surrendered voluntarily!"

"Be careful, everyone! He has already surrendered to Yuan Shao. His return now is surely to coordinate an attack from within and without, to annihilate the 60,000-strong army of Jingzhou!"

Everyone was shocked and looked at Xing Daorong in disbelief. The entire room was silent.

Unexpectedly, amidst this almost suffocating oppression, Xing Daorong burst into loud laughter.

"Good! As expected of the person Yuan Ni captured and killed the moment he ordered me to return to the city."

"You saw through this plan at a glance, Sun Quan. No wonder you are so feared by him."

Sun Quan wanted to continue accusing Xing Daorong of indeed surrendering to Yuan, but something seemed off about the meaning behind his words.

Before anyone could ask any questions, Xing Daorong stared directly at everyone present and asked them in return.

"Do you really think things would happen so coincidentally that Yuan Ce just happened to be chasing after me, and I would lose my footing and fall off my horse?"
I did it on purpose!

Or perhaps you wouldn't think that with my great abilities, Xing Daorong, I wouldn't have anticipated that Yuan's main force would arrive in time, leaving me no time to annihilate Yuan's vanguard?
I did it on purpose!

Xing Daorong chuckled softly and said to him:
"Please don't panic, everyone. This was all done intentionally by Xing; it's all part of a plan."

(End of this chapter)