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

Chapter 250 Soaring Dragon Rising from the Mist, Hidden and Concealed

With the submission of the powerful families of Lu City and the surrender of the officials, all the people of Lu were brought under the rule of the king and enjoyed "peace and prosperity under the heavens".

Having temporarily secured the newly acquired territory, the next step is to focus on the two counties of Wenyang and Biancheng.

Lu Xun originally intended to use the King of Lu's order to send a proclamation to pacify Wenyang, but unexpectedly, since Wenyang was closest to Yanzhou, Cao Chun, who had just received the request for help, was on his way to relieve Lu City with the troops of Yanzhou.

Having likely heard the news of the upheaval in Lucheng en route, Cao's army hastily led its troops to retreat and establish defenses in Wenyang.

Without the imperial court's assistance, Yanzhou currently has only 20,000 local troops, who are also responsible for guarding various parts of Yanzhou.

Therefore, Cao Chun, who only brought 10,000 men to provide support, knew that Lu City had been completely captured by Yuan's army and he knew that he was not capable of taking back the lost territory.

Therefore, he led 10,000 reinforcements to garrison Wenyang and adopted the method of digging ditches and building fortifications, seemingly intending to make Wenyang the gateway to Yanzhou.

With such a thorn in his side holding the city, Lu Xun's Yuan army, which was already small, was unable to do much against him after several major battles.

Moreover, the Liang army had been on a long campaign and was worried about the Liang forces in the rear. Seeing that Cao Chun was determined to defend the country to the death, they decided to give up.

He then turned his attention to the territory of Lu, the only place besides Wenyang that had not been recovered.

Biancheng!

His gaze swept over the map of the State of Lu on the wall. The young man tapped lightly on the table and gave his instructions:
Where is Chen Zhang?
Summon him to me.

Biancheng.

As supplies were continuously lowered from the city walls, Li Dianjun, who was below the city, not only regained some of his strength but also set up a simple camp outside the city.

It wasn't that they didn't want to find an opportunity to enter the city, but the Yuan army was only a hundred and fifty paces away from the city, just an arrow's distance away.

At this distance, once the city gates are opened, Yuan's army will surely arrive before all eight hundred of them can enter the city.

Moreover, Yuan's camp had specially set up sentry posts, taking turns to watch their movements day and night. It was clear that as long as they made any move to enter the city, whether it was opening the city gates or hanging the eight hundred men one by one, Yuan's army would take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Although hanging people up there wouldn't cause the city to fall instantly, if Yuan's army came, these eight hundred men would surely die immediately.

Li Dian himself was fine, but his cowardly subordinates, who were afraid to live for even a day, were clearly not willing to do so.

Besides, if they really had to hang someone, who would go first and who would go last? The one who hangs first might be able to get up, but the one who hangs last would be attacked by Yuan's army. At that time, Li Dian wouldn't even be able to fight Yuan's army; his own troops would be fighting each other.

Thus, the two sides stood in a stalemate. This unexpected calm seemed to foreshadow an impending storm.

Every day, in the calm before the storm, this small city of Bian would gaze out at the bustling Yuan camp, just an arrow's length away.

Unlike the fear and desolation in the city, the Yuan camp outside the city was bustling with people, digging ditches, building fortifications, and working enthusiastically.

However, this peaceful scene was shattered by a shrill scream.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The entire camp was thrown into chaos in an instant, with laborers running and trampling, and soldiers rushing about with swords drawn.

Not to mention the garrison on Biancheng City, even Li Dian's troops below the city could see the chaos in Yuan's camp clearly.

"General? It seems something has happened to Yuan's camp?"
Judging from this situation, have our reinforcements arrived?

The lieutenant, who had been idly resting against the city wall, suddenly sprang to his feet and approached Li Dian, his face full of eager anticipation.

"General, should we make a move?"
If we could lend a helping hand to our allies, even if we couldn't decisively defeat Yuan Shao through a pincer attack, it would be good if we could at least temporarily create an opening to let reinforcements in, and then enter the city together to defend it.

As the lieutenant finished speaking, the other soldiers also looked over, their eyes filled with unspoken expectation.

Yes, there's no sense of security standing guard outside the city. We sleep with our swords as pillows day and night, fearing that Yuan's army might attack at any moment.

If we can cooperate with the reinforcements and temporarily repel Yuan's army to enter the city and defend it, at least we'll have the city walls to rely on, and we can sleep peacefully.

However, under everyone's gaze, Li Dian remained calm and shook his head.

"It may not be reinforcements, but rather a feigned disturbance by Yuan's army to lure the enemy. We must be wary."

Let's wait and see.

Hearing this, everyone felt unwilling but had no choice but to give up.

Before long, fire broke out in Yuan's camp, and the sounds of fighting, panic, neighing horses, and cries of agony rose and fell.

Then, soldiers hurriedly raised a large banner with the character "乐" (Le) written on it, under which Yue Jin rode his horse and traveled to various places.

Since Yuan's camp was only an arrow's throw from Biancheng, and with his banners waving, his figure was visible and indistinct in the sight of Li Dianjun and his men, and his loud shouts reached their ears.

"Don't panic, form ranks and meet the enemy."

"They number no more than five thousand; they are nothing to fear. Gentlemen, follow me to prepare the army and meet them in battle. We will defeat them in an instant."

Under his command, Yuan Jun gradually formed a battle formation, showing signs of driving out the invading enemy.

"General, we can't wait any longer."

"Yes, General, our allies risked their lives to come to our rescue; we cannot let them down!"

"In the past, when the general led us to fight to the death under the city walls, we were not afraid. Why are you so afraid of death today and just watch your allies be wiped out?"

Hearing the soldiers urging him on and seeing their increasingly anxious expressions, Li Dian sighed, knowing he couldn't stop them.

When they fled to the walls of Biancheng that day, the crowd was intimidated by the momentum of their killing of the deputy general. Knowing that they were in a desperate situation with no chance of survival, they were encouraged by his words and had the spirit to fight to the death.

As the saying goes, one should strike while the iron is hot, but then the momentum wanes, and finally, one is exhausted.

Yuan Jun did not directly attack the city that day, thus squandering the hard-won momentum of a desperate fight.

In addition, during this period, with 20,000 Yuan troops just an arrow's distance away, amidst the fear and panic that they could be attacked at any moment, the only thing that could encourage them to hold on to this place was the reinforcements that would arrive at any time.

Now that the long-awaited reinforcements have finally arrived, it is time for a final gamble to save our lives.

If not now, when?
If he continues to block everyone, and this reinforcement army is defeated by Yuan's army, everyone's morale to defend the city will also dissipate.

Therefore, even though he still harbored some doubts and wondered if Yuan Jun's feigned chaos was actually a trap, Li Dian, who had always been cautious, had no choice but to take a gamble and make a move.

Having made up his mind, he immediately met everyone's gaze and nodded slightly.

"Reinforcements have arrived; now it is time to fight to the death!"

kill! "

Having said that, he was the first to draw his sword and charge towards the chaotic fire that had broken out in Yuan's camp.
"Fight to the death with the general!"

"The day will be the day to decisively defeat Yuan Shao's camp!"

"Kill that dog Yuan and avenge our blood feud!"

"Don't panic, friendly forces, we're coming to your aid."

In an instant, led by Li Dian, the group charged into Yuan's camp, fighting with their last breath and battling to the death to reach the heart of the chaos.

Sure enough, they saw an army of about five thousand men, all dressed in the armor of the State of Lu, carrying a large banner with the character "Chen".

The leading general, seemingly possessing the courage of ten thousand men, led his troops to move freely within Yuan's camp as if it were empty.

He laughed loudly and shouted to the sky.

"Chen Zhang of Lu is here!"
Who dares to fight?

Yuan Jun seemed to have been terrified by him and dared not approach.

So Chen Zhang drank again!

"Chen Zhang of Lu is here!"
Who dares to fight me?

No one answered, no one dared to fight.

"Neither retreat nor fight!"
Why are you so timid and hesitant?

This shout was delivered with all his might, as if he had screamed until his throat was hoarse and his voice was broken.

The sheer force of the noise was so astonishing that the young man in white who had been chasing them for days turned pale and fell off his horse.

Yuan's army was thrown into chaos!

shock! ! !
Upon seeing this, Li Dianjun and his men were all astonished and regarded Chen Zhang as a celestial being!

Even Li Dian couldn't help but sigh in surprise, "I have often heard that there is a great general named Chen Zhang in Lu, who is invincible throughout Lu and has never been defeated."

They said he was just a general from a small country, who had never seen the heroes of the world, and that calling himself a general was just laughable.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that Li was blind to the heroes of the world. Chen Zhang was able to conquer the entire State of Lu not because he was no match for the people of the world.

Rather, it was because the King of Lu never went to war; only the generals of Lu were capable of fighting him.

Since the world was in chaos and strife arose, there were Lü Bu and Guan Yu in the past, Lei Bu and Chen Lan in the future, Ji Ling and Zhang Xun in the future, and now we see Chen Zhang of Lu.

The heroes of this world are as numerous as carp crossing a river; they should not be underestimated.

After Li Dian finished speaking, seeing that it was indeed Chen Zhang leading the Lu Kingdom's reinforcements, all his doubts disappeared. Taking advantage of the chaos in Yuan's army caused by Chen Zhang's intimidation, he quickly led his troops to attack.

"General Chen, Li Dian is here, coming to help."

Upon seeing him, Chen Zhang's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, "General Pingxi, I, Chen, have come here to provide assistance on the orders of our king."

The two men joined forces and prepared to kill Yuan's army again.

Unexpectedly, it seemed that because the white-clad youth had fallen from his horse and fainted, Yuan Jun's military power had fallen into the hands of Yue Jin, and the originally loose and chaotic formation suddenly changed, becoming a well-organized army.

Furthermore, by utilizing the deep trenches and fortifications they had previously built, they seemed intent on encircling both Cao and Lu's armies within this camp.

"not good!"

Upon seeing this, Li Dian exclaimed, "Oh no!"
"Le Wenqian's ability to lead troops is truly extraordinary."

If Yuan's army had been under his command, we would all be dead long ago.

As he spoke, he hurriedly said to Chen Zhang:
"General Chen, the Yuan army is currently encircling us. Only the place where I just attacked still has a passage."

"Now that Yuan's army is numerous, it would be better for us to return to Biancheng together, defend the city, and keep the enemy at bay."

Li Dian originally thought that a brave figure like Chen Zhang, who could take down ten thousand soldiers, must be as arrogant as Lü Bu.

It might have required a lot of persuasion, but unexpectedly, Chen Zhang was surprisingly easy to talk to.

“Zhang has come to the aid on the king’s orders. My king once said that after arriving here, all matters, large and small, shall be under the command of General Pingxi.”

"Since the general has instructed us to enter the city and defend it, I, your humble servant, will naturally obey."

As he spoke, Chen Zhang leaped onto his horse and charged forward along the path Li Dian had taken.

"Chen Zhang will lead the way, and the general will follow."

At this moment, Li Dian witnessed for the first time what it meant to be able to hold off ten thousand men!

Chen Zhang wielded a large sword that could cleave gold and split rocks, and his blade was so powerful that Yuan's army retreated in fear, none daring to fight him.

With him leading the way, Li Dian and the others were able to fight their way back even more easily than when they came.

Furthermore, due to the chaos in Yuan's camp, Lu Xun fell from his horse and fainted. Le Jin was busy reorganizing his troops and maintaining stability within the camp, so for a time, no one had time to pursue them.

Upon reaching the walls of Biancheng.

"Chen Zhang of Lu is here, sent by the king to provide assistance. Why hasn't the county magistrate opened the city gates yet?"

The county magistrate also recognized Chen Zhang, and since Li Dian was also by Chen Zhang's side, he had no doubts about Chen Zhang's actions of calling for the city gate to be opened. For a moment, no one suspected him.

"Reinforcements have arrived."

Reinforcements have arrived!

In an instant, as the long-closed city gates of Biancheng were opened, everyone on and around the city, who had been suppressed for so long by the oppressive power of Yuan's besieging army, couldn't help but weep.

With these five thousand men entering the city, and with the addition of two great generals, Li Dian and Chen Zhang, Biancheng can rest easy.

The gate slammed shut with a loud bang. Because Chen Zhang's Lu army had the largest number of soldiers, they naturally took over the city's defense as the main force against Yuan's army as soon as they entered the city.

On the city wall, Li Dian came to inspect the city he had been guarding for many days for the first time. Chen Zhang respectfully accompanied him, showing great deference to this General Pingxi.

"General Chen, with your bravery, it is a waste of your talent to be confined to the State of Lu."

Li Dian seemed quite satisfied with his performance and made a show of support.

"My return to Lu this time is because the Prime Minister urgently summoned me back to Luoyang."

"Once we've driven back Yuan's army outside the city, you shall come with me back to Luoyang to meet the Emperor. The Prime Minister will surely entrust you with important responsibilities."

However, upon hearing this, Chen Zhang could only laugh inwardly.

To meet the emperor? To be entrusted with an important task?
Assassinating the king and killing his emperor is a crime punishable by betrayal of one's master. Within the palace of the King of Lu, Chen has already severed himself from the world.

If he were to actually go to Luoyang, the first thing the emperor would do is behead Chen.

After waiting for a while, Li Dian did not hear the expected words of gratitude from Chen Zhang. He looked up in surprise and saw an extremely arrogant face.

"General Pingxi has repeatedly performed extraordinary feats by deceiving four city gates and sending a single letter requesting reinforcements to break through the capital."

The general deserves the greatest credit for the victory in this battle against Lu. With such an outstanding achievement, if you were to go to Luoyang, how could Cao Cao tolerate you?

"You shall still follow me to Shouchun; the King of Han will surely entrust you with important responsibilities, and your talents will not be wasted."

What! ! !
Li Dian was shocked and incredulous.

What? A plea for help to breach the capital? What? Repeatedly performed extraordinary feats? What? The King of Shouchun? ???
I was only besieged in Biancheng for a few days, just a few days, but why does the whole world feel so unfamiliar?
General Chen, you...

However, before he could react, Chen Zhang had already raised his hand and given the order.

"General Pingxi's plan was far-sighted, and today his great undertaking has been accomplished. He will return to Shouchun."

"By order of General Zhang Zun, open the city gates and welcome the royal army!!!"

Li Dian: "!!!"

You scoundrel, you must be setting me up again!

He was furious and immediately led his troops to fight. However, he had only eight hundred men under his command, and even with the addition of the garrison of Biancheng, he had only a little over three thousand men.

In contrast, Chen Zhang brought the Lu army, which was well-prepared. Before anyone could react, they launched a surprise attack and killed or wounded hundreds of people.

With the city gates wide open, Yuan's army poured in continuously, making the fall of Biancheng inevitable.

"One careless mistake led to this tragic end at the hands of a villain."

The moral decay has reached this point.

Li Dian was in despair and cried out to the heavens.

"Prime Minister."

Prime Minister!

"Prime Minister"

Three times he called out "Prime Minister," and drew his sword to commit suicide. Chen Zhang, who had been watching him closely, rushed forward to snatch the sword away.

Unfortunately, Chen Zhang's seemingly invincible bravery was nothing but a show of strength. After a few exchanges, he was not only no match for Li Dian, but was also nearly injured by him, and dared not go forward again.

Upon seeing this, Li Dian scoffed.

“I, Li Dian, was blind and mistook a villain for a hero, which led to this disaster. I have no one to blame but myself.”

Having said that, he slit his throat with his longsword, and the corpse fell to the ground.

Chen Zhang sighed softly, said "Excuse me," and stepped forward to cut off the head.

Not long after, at the Bian County government office.

Chen Zhang brought the severed head to this place and bowed down in worship.

"Grand Commander, Zhang has failed in his mission. Li Dian has committed suicide."

However, the young man on the high platform seemed unconcerned about this.

"It's alright, this is exactly what I planned."

Chen Zhang: "???"

Chen Zhang was surprised and looked up.

Huh? Was this also part of your plan?

Is this the strength of Yuan Gong's first disciple?
But Lu Xun looked down at him and, with a light laugh, tossed down a bronze mask.

"Who said Li Dian died? He was just unfortunately burned in the fire at Yuan Camp outside the city."

From this day forward, you will be Li Dian, General Who Pacifies the West of Han.

Chen Zhang: "."

Watching Chen Zhang's departing figure, Lu Xun propped his chin up with his hand and leaned lazily against the table.

What does it mean to have a flawless plan?

As long as Li Dian is alive, he will secretly hide the mask.

Li Dian is dead; this is exactly what I planned.

As for pushing Chen Zhang out, will it be able to fool people?

If you tell a lie enough, someone will always believe it; after all, a mask isn't worth much.

Moreover, with truth and falsehood intertwined, outsiders find it increasingly difficult to discern the true nature of my Yuan camp.

Like a teacher soaring through the mist, sometimes hidden, sometimes revealed.

(End of this chapter)