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

Chapter 43 This must be the man Heaven helps me defeat Cao Cao.
From dawn till dusk, the siege continued.

When the large siege engines were deployed, and Xiahou Dun saw more than a dozen catapults being pushed out from Yuan's army, he felt his hands and feet turn cold and remained speechless.

Catapults were difficult to manufacture and transport, and consumed a great deal of manpower and resources.

Has Yuan Shu become so wealthy?

The appearance of catapults dealt a severe blow to the morale of Cao Cao's army, although their accuracy was insufficient and it was difficult to cause significant casualties.

But the soldiers were terrified of the huge rocks that might fall from the sky at any moment, and were filled with anxiety. How could they fight with their lives on the line?

Xiahou Dun exerted almost all his strength, using all the military strategies he had learned in his life to constantly command the soldiers on the city walls and change their defensive formations, hoping to regain the advantage.

However, no matter what moves he made, they were always seen through and countered by those below the city.

He stood alone atop the city tower, his single eye fixed on Lei Bu and Chen Lan, who moved about beside Yuan Shu with the unassuming demeanor of lowly soldiers, his gaze almost clenched with rage.

"A skilled warrior does not achieve great feats. One who has thunder in his heart but a calm face is worthy of being a general. This must be the case with Lei and Chen."

"I shouldn't have killed Liu Xun in the first place; it's allowed you and your ilk to rise to power."

That night, the army launched a massive attack on the city, which continued unabated throughout the night.

With 100,000 troops under Yuan's command, there was more than enough room for rotation and rest.

However, Cao Cao's army numbered only 20,000, and he also had to divide his troops to garrison Xu County, Yangcheng, and Xuanyuan Pass, guarding the three cities and one pass to block Yuan Shu's northward advance to Sili and eastward advance to Yanzhou.

Therefore, the garrison at Yangdi only numbered 10,000, and their ability to hold out was due to their previous scorched-earth policy, which emptied the fourteen cities of Yingchuan.

Therefore, the city had more than enough food and defensive equipment, which enabled it to rely on the advantage of defending the city to repel Yuan's army's attacks time and time again.

But this is by no means a long-term solution. If Yuan's army continues its offensive as it is today, Xiahou Dun will no longer dare to boast that Yangdi can hold out for much longer.

With a slight sigh, even though he was reluctant to disturb this strategist who was like a candle flickering in the wind, Xiahou Dun still stopped in front of his door.

"Yuan Rang, now that you're here, why don't you come in?"

"military adviser."

Xiahou Dun pushed open the door and entered, only to find that Xi Zhicai was not alone in the room. He was struggling to stay upright and talking with a refined scholar dressed in plain clothes.

Upon seeing him arrive, Xi Zhicai looked at him as if he had expected it, his eyes remaining calm as he began to explain.

“Yuan Rang, there’s no need for further words. After our meeting on the city wall today, I want to tell you that Yuan’s army is not an easy opponent.”

Originally, before the great battle even began, we killed General Liu Xun ahead of time to demoralize the enemy.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Shu personally wore mourning clothes for Liu Xun and used Liu Xun's old troops from Lujiang as his vanguard, using hatred to mobilize the troops in distress. As a result, the morale of the army did not waver, but instead became even stronger.

I have met Yuan Gonglu more than once with my lord and know him very well. He is nothing but a skeleton in a tomb and has no ability to devise such strategies.

Guan Shu's actions, such as issuing a proclamation to welcome the emperor, must have been guided by a master strategist.

Seeing that Xiahou Dun's eyes were filled with even more worry, Xi Zhicai smiled and explained it to him.

"There is no need to worry. I have been thinking about defeating Yuan for a long time and have already made a plan."

Yuan Shu led an army of 100,000 northwards, seemingly an invincible force, but in reality, like Yuan Shao, he was internally unstable and fraught with hidden dangers.

I have long heard that Sun Jian's son, Sun Ce, has the same spirit as his father, harbors great ambitions, and is by no means someone who will remain subservient to others for long.

This is because Yuan Shu adopted him as his godson, treated him like his own son, promised him his legitimate daughter, and placed great trust in him.

Therefore, Sun Ce was always grateful for his kindness and loyalty, and devoted himself to serving him, unwilling to betray him.

However, even between biological fathers and sons, there can be differences; how much more so between adopted sons?
Yuan Shu is nothing but a skeleton in a tomb; I do not believe that he truly regarded Sun Ce as his own son and had no fear of him whatsoever.

Once Yuan Shu becomes suspicious, he can sow discord among Sun Ce. Sun Ce harbors great ambitions and is now filled with filial piety, yet his adoptive father suspects him. How can he not harbor rebellious thoughts?
If father and son fight each other and Yuan Shu dies, the situation will collapse, and our army's predicament can be resolved.

With Sun Ce dead, the Sun family army, which had been scattered and incorporated by Yuan Shu, and a group of veteran generals of the Sun family would inevitably fall into internal strife.

They were all loyal to Sun Ce, the son of their former lord Sun Jian, because he was doing well under Yuan Shu. They wanted to make him more favored so they could compete with the eldest son for the emperor's favor, so they risked their lives to serve him. Now that Sun Ce is dead, how could they not rebel?

If this is the case, then Yuan's army will be in turmoil, and our predicament will be resolved.

Having said all that, he then pointed to the scholar in a turban beside him.

"This is Jiang Gan, Jiang Ziyi, his classmate and good friend Zhou Yu, who is currently in Yuan Shu's army and is Sun Ce's most trusted friend."

This time, defeating Yuan still depends on Ziyi.

"For many years I have lived quietly in Cao Cao's camp without achieving anything, and I am eager to serve my lord but have no opportunity to do so."

Jiang Gan bowed respectfully and said, "Strategist, rest assured. Zhou Yu and I are very close friends, having studied together and often sharing a bed and sleeping side by side. He will surely believe me if I tell him this."

Xi Zhicai nodded slightly and gave instructions to Xiahou Dun.

"You shall arrange the matter of Ziyi. Under the guise of a peace envoy, send him into Yuan's camp."

After painstakingly explaining his arrangements, he seemed to have exhausted all his energy, and his coughing and panting were more severe than ever before.

"Strategist, you must take good care of your health."

Seeing his face as pale as paper, Xiahou Dun was filled with worry, while Xi Zhicai simply smiled and folded the white handkerchief, which was already soaked with blood, and continued chatting and laughing.

"A true man should live when he is meant to live and die when he is meant to die. If Heaven does not grant him a long life, how can one avoid it by simply taking care of himself?"

"Do not worry about me; Yuanrang should prioritize defending the city."

"only."

Upon hearing that Cao Cao's army had sent an envoy named Jiang Gan to seek peace with Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu, who was directing the siege from his chariot, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"This must be the one Heaven is helping me defeat Cao Cao!"
"Quickly, go and summon my peerless generals Lei Bu and Chen Lan. I have an important matter for them to handle."

Meanwhile, as the entire city of Yingchuan trembled and wailed under Yuan Shu's military might, with only three cities remaining, Liu Bei and Lü Bu had also successively dispatched troops to Xuzhou, which was not far away.

On that day, due to the imperial edict, Lü Bu was summoned by Liu Bei and rushed to Xiapi.

Because Liu Bei was known for his kind and friendly manner, Lü Bu assumed they were acquaintances and burst into loud laughter before even entering the room.

"My dear brother, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

After this greeting, a dark-faced man carrying a long spear came out to meet them.

"You Lu Bu, come and fight me for three hundred rounds!"

"You black rascal, drunk again?"

Lu Bu wasn't annoyed. He had visited Liu Bei's residence quite a few times, and based on his experience, everyone got along very well.

Liu Bei was often invited to his residence, and Lü Bu even introduced his wife and daughters to Liu Bei without any hesitation, unilaterally considering them family friends.

That's for sure. From Ding Yuan to Dong Zhuo, from Wang Yun to the two Yuan brothers, Lü Bu changed masters five times, and none of them were as sincere as Xuande.

Only with Liu Bei did he truly feel respected. Liu Xuande did not treat him as a subordinate who came to join him, but befriended him as a friend.

The only thing that made his experience unpleasant was this dark-skinned Zhang Fei, who would always clamor to fight him for three hundred rounds every time they met.

We've fought before at Hulao Pass, don't you know whether you can last three hundred rounds?

Lu Bu was used to this, and whenever this happened, Liu Bei would always come to persuade him, explaining that the black fellow was just drunk.

Out of respect for his brother, Lü Bu didn't hold a grudge against Zhang Fei, assuming that he probably just really liked drinking.
This time, he treated it as a normal occurrence, dodging the drunken brute and laughing as he said:

“My dear brother has summoned me to discuss something important; please don’t be silly.”

(End of this chapter)