Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 198 Zhang Miao is captured alive, Liu Bei conquers Chenliu (Please subscribe and vote for monthly tickets)
Zhang Fei captured Hanoi without bloodshed, but Shen Pei, who rushed to Wei Commandery, was greatly shocked by the news of the rebellion of Min Chun, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and Geng Wu, the Minister of Justice.

Upon hearing that Shen Pei had ordered Min Chun to defend the city, Yuan Shao's face instantly darkened.

After killing Han Fu and returning to Ye City, Yuan Shao initially wanted to kill Min Chun and Geng Wu to eliminate future troubles. However, Liu Yu believed that since Han Fu was dead, Han Fu's former subordinates should be treated well. Not only did he not kill Min Chun and Geng Wu, he also made them the Nine Ministers.

Liu Yu was both his blessing and his curse.

Thanks to Liu Yu, they gained Youzhou and Jizhou, but also because of Liu Yu, they were ambushed by Liu Bei in Yecheng. Now, they can hardly even protect Hanoi.

"I'll go back to the hunting dogs right away!"

Shen Pei harbored a侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a belief that he could get away with it) and wanted to go back and snatch the shooting dog.

Feng Ji stopped Shen Pei: "We don't need to worry about Hanoi anymore. Min Chun has surrendered to Liu Bei, and he must have been instructed by Liu Bei to lure General Pingxi out of the city. If we go back now, we will not only fail to retrieve Shequan, but we may also be ambushed. General Pingdong has sent word that Liu Bei is leading his troops to attack Chenliu. We should quickly cross the river to help him."

Lies may deceive for a while, but they will eventually be exposed.

Although Ju Shou could not send messages via Baimajin and Yanjin, he could still send messages via other ferries.

In the letter, Ju Shou also mentioned that Qiao Mao had abandoned the defenses west of Puyang and directly gathered troops to defend Puyang.

Although Ju Shou rebuked Qiao Mao for his cowardice in his letter, Yuan Shao did not blame Qiao Mao. Yuan Shao also believed that Qiao Mao's strategy of holding Puyang was the safest one.

If Qiao Mao had divided his troops to guard various parts of Dongjun, Liu Bei would have seized the great city of Puyang.

The difference between a small town and a big town is significant.

White Horse City has no moat and its walls are low, so it can be attacked simply by building bamboo ladders on the spot.

Puyang, however, is a large city that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, with a moat and high walls. Without an inside agent, it would be very difficult to break through the city.

If Liu Bei were to capture the major city of Puyang, Yuan Shao would have to prioritize conquering Puyang, otherwise Liu Bei would cut off his supply lines.

After several days of intelligence gathering, Yuan Shao had a relatively clear understanding of the situation in Yan Province:
Seeing that Puyang was well-defended, Liu Bei abandoned Baima City and Baima Ferry, and a portion of his troops retreated to Suanzao.

Because Suanzao was the site of a meeting of Yuan Shao and others in the past, it had many deep trenches and high walls that could be used to deploy troops.

The other part of the troops went directly to attack Chenliu.

Liu Bei's decision to abandon the tactic of Baima Ford also made Yuan Shao wary.

If Yuan Shao were Liu Bei, he would have deployed heavy troops at both Yanjin and Baimajin, and then concentrated his forces to attack Chenliu.

But Liu Bei simply replied: "Want to cross the river? Come on, I promise I won't fight you!"

The more Liu Bei acted this way, the less Yuan Shao dared to cross the river easily.

They waited until the boats that could cross the river could only carry 5,000 people at a time before crossing at Yanjin and Baimajin respectively.

Although it took some time, it was safe and reliable.

When Yuan Shu cut off his beard and abandoned his robe, Yuan Shao mocked him for not knowing how to use troops. But now, when facing Liu Bei, although Yuan Shao didn't admit it, his actual military deployment showed his fear of Liu Bei.

Chenliu County.

Apart from Chenliu City, most of the cities in Chenliu Commandery have been captured by Liu Bei.

After being attacked for many days, they were first killed by Liu Chong's troops, and before reinforcements arrived, Liu Bei sent more troops to attack.

Looking at the flags outside the city, Zhang Miao was both angry and annoyed.

They were both angry that Yuan Shao's reinforcements had not arrived and angry that Liu Bei was bullying the weak with his superior numbers.

Zhang Miao then felt quite regretful.

Gao Shun repeatedly asked Zhang Miao to gather all the armored soldiers and select the elite troops to form the Trapped Camp, but Zhang Miao refused for various reasons.

"If I had eight hundred armored warriors to charge into battle, what would I have to fear from Liu Bei!"

Zhang Miao pounded on the mud bricks on the city wall, thinking of the Trapped Camp, which consisted of fewer than a hundred armored men. They had not only failed to make a name for themselves after leaving the city, but had also been routed and killed.

Liu Chong's Chen soldiers were mostly equipped with strong bows and crossbows, and they preferred soldiers with low armor coverage who boasted of being elite warriors.

Fighting against these self-proclaimed elite troops is the most effective way to demoralize the enemy.

"My lord, Liu Bei has reinforced his troops again! Their banners read 'Liu Bei, Imperial Uncle of the Han Dynasty,' it's Liu Bei!"

Before Zhang Miao could come up with a solution, the chief clerk rushed over with another report.

These days.

First Guan Yu appeared at the foot of Chenliu City, then Zhao Yun came, followed by Dian Wei, and then Huang Zhong.

And today, Liu Bei has come in person again!
Zhang Miao's heart grew heavier: Liu Bei's troops were arriving one after another, and they would surely conquer the surrounding cities first before gathering in Chenliu. I was in Chenliu, isolated and helpless!
"Prefect Zhang, why don't you come out and meet me?" Liu Bei rode his horse to the city walls and shouted loudly.

The officers and soldiers on the city wall looked at Liu Bei, who was riding a tall horse below the city wall, with fear. Their morale dropped again with Liu Bei's arrival.

Those who participated in the Battle of Xiaopei couldn't help but think of Liu Bei's feat of defeating hundreds of thousands of troops from three provinces with only 20,000 soldiers.

Now, with only Chenliu and a few thousand people in the city, how can they possibly fight against overwhelming odds?
Zhang Miao gritted his teeth, suppressing his fear, and shouted at Liu Bei, "Liu Bei, how dare you invade my city?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei laughed loudly: "Prefect Zhang, you are wrong. Under heaven, all land belongs to the king, and all people within the borders are his subjects. This is Chenliu City of the Han Dynasty. I am the imperial uncle of the Han Dynasty and a great general of the Han Dynasty. I want to enter the city, but you are stopping me. What is your intention?"

Zhang Miao snorted coldly, trying to dispel his fear, and shouted, "The current emperor is in Ye City, not the false emperor in Luoyang. If you leave, you can still save your life; if you stay here, the emperor will surely lead a large army to attack you!"

Knowing that Liu Yu was in Ye City and that there was a large army in Ji Province, Zhang Miao felt even more confident. He mustered his strength and shouted, "Liu Bei, you have been besieging the city for many days without being able to break through. Today you deliberately invited me to meet you, surely trying to use a clever trick to undermine my morale. Unfortunately, I have seen through your plan!"

“My city has enough food and fodder; we can hold out for a year without running out of food. My city also has enough well water and firewood; we will not lack water or fire! Spring plowing is approaching, and you claim to be benevolent and righteous. Why ruin the people's spring plowing for the sake of a moment of anger?”

Liu Bei laughed heartily and called out to the officers and soldiers on the city wall, "It seems your Prefect Zhang is quite adept at deception. Do you know why I only arrived here after almost a month of siege?" "Since I'm here, I'm certainly here to persuade you to surrender. But before I do, I must tell you something: I just came from Ye City. Ye City is a good place. Without your Minister of the Treasury Min Chun and Minister of Justice Geng Wu, I wouldn't have been able to break through Ye City."

"So what if your governor saw through my plan? Your esteemed emperor Liu Yu has fled, and Yuan Shao is still fighting the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans. A lone city, facing tens of thousands of my troops, how many more days do you intend to hold out?"

Zhang Miao was shocked and shouted, "Impossible! Even if you have Min Chun, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and Geng Wu, the Minister of Justice, as inside help, how could you possibly cross the river?"

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Prefect Zhang, why deceive yourself? You know who Qiao Mao is. Although he is in Dongjun, he has withdrawn all his troops to Puyang. Otherwise, why wouldn't he send troops to reinforce Chenliu?"

Zhang Miao's expression changed drastically.

The surrounding officers and soldiers were also terrified.

Seeing the fear on the faces of his officers and men, Zhang Miao shouted urgently, "Liu Bei, if you have the guts, attack the city! I will not surrender. My brother Zhang Chao was murdered by Zang Ba at your behest; this is an irreconcilable enmity."

Liu Bei pointed his whip at the officers on the city wall and laughed loudly: "Did you hear that? Your Prefect Zhang wants you to die with him to avenge his deceased brother."

“Your Prefect Zhang has already said that I am a man of benevolence and integrity. As long as you are willing to open the city gates, I will forgive and forget everything. Prefect Zhang, please don’t kill me. I don’t like people who would kill their lord for personal gain just to save their own lives.”

"After entering the city, Zhang Miao and his family, as well as officials and commoners who are willing to leave with Zhang Miao, can leave Chenliu City safely, and I will not stop them."

"As you have probably all heard, last year hundreds of thousands of people from three prefectures tried to kill me, but in the end I only killed Tao Qian and Yuan Yi. I am now raising Tao Qian's family in Luoyang, and Tao Qian's two sons have also entered the Imperial Academy."

"I don't like killing, I prefer reasoning, and I hope you can all listen to my reasoning. I'll give you half an hour to consider; after half an hour, I will not accept your surrender."

Zhang Miao's expression grew even more urgent, and he sternly rebuked his men: "Anyone who dares to surrender will be dealt with according to military law!"

In the past, everyone feared Zhang Miao and would not dare to have any disloyal thoughts; however, today is different, as Liu Bei has presented everyone with the choice of surrender or not.

Because Liu Bei only executed Tao Qian and Yuan Yi last year and treated Tao Qian's family well, Liu Bei's benevolence spread.

Furthermore, Liu Bei stated that there was no need to kill Zhang Miao, and that Zhang Miao, his family, and those who were willing to leave with Zhang Miao would all be released safely.

With such generous surrender benefits, how could the officers and soldiers on the city walls not be tempted?
After holding out for almost a month, morale had long since plummeted.

The two officers exchanged glances, secretly found a hemp rope, and tied Zhang Miao up while he wasn't paying attention. Zhang Miao's guards tried to step forward to protect him, but they were all frightened away by the knife held to Zhang Miao's neck.

Zhang Miao was furious: "Xu Xi, Mao Hui, I have treated you two well, why have you betrayed me?"

While intimidating Zhang Miao's guards, Xu Xi said, "Prefect Zhang, a wise man submits to circumstances. We two only want to live. Don't worry, Liu Bei doesn't like those who kill their lord for personal gain, so we won't kill you. But if you refuse to cooperate, then we'll have no choice but to kill you and abandon the city."

Mao Hui also said, "Prefect Zhang, we have been guarding for you for almost a month. How could we have failed you in your past kindness? Yet you want to drag us down with you to avenge your deceased brother. We are only serving you out of kindness, not your servants who have to obey you in everything."

Just then, Gao Shun led several dozen soldiers into battle.

Gao Shunben was resting below the city wall when he heard the commotion on the city wall and rushed over to see what was happening. He happened to run into Xu Xi and Mao Hui holding Zhang Miao hostage.

Xu Xi and Mao Hui were wary of Gao Shun, so they quickly took a step back.

Xu Xi shouted sternly, "Gao Shun, do not advance any further! Liu Bei has said that as long as we surrender, Zhang Miao and his family, as well as officials and commoners who wish to leave with Zhang Miao, can leave safely. Do not force us!"

Mao Hui also said, "Gao Shun, haven't you always been dissatisfied with Zhang Miao for not giving you enough armor to practice with the Trapped Camp? Back when we were outside Xiaopei, Zhao Yun also said that Liu Bei had a great appreciation for you. If you surrender to Liu Bei, he will definitely give you armor to practice with the Trapped Camp."

"Besides, as long as we surrender, Zhang Miao won't die, those who are willing to leave with Zhang Miao won't die, none of us will die, and the people in the city won't have to suffer the ravages of war anymore. Are we going to let everyone lose their lives because of you alone?"

Seeing Gao Shun hesitate, Zhang Miao flew into a rage: "Gao Shun, kill them! Are you going to betray your benefactor and forget your kindness?"

He glanced at the furious Zhang Miao, and at the fearful Xu Xi and Mao Hui, then looked at the terrified officers and soldiers around him, and thought of the civilians suffering from the ravages of war in the city.
Gao Shun sighed and threw down his weapon. The soldiers behind him also threw down their weapons.

Xu Xi and Mao Hui were overjoyed and ordered the surrounding officers and soldiers: "Gao Shun has already surrendered, why aren't you surrendering yet? Quickly open the city gates and welcome Liu Huangshu into the city!"

Seeing that all was lost, Zhang Miao closed his eyes in despair.

Although Zhang Miao knew that Chenliu City could not be defended, he did not expect that Liu Bei would turn the officers and soldiers on the city wall against him with just a few words, and even Gao Shun chose to surrender.

What Zhang Miao didn't know was that Liu Bei chose to attack Yanzhou at the beginning of spring not only because he had defeated the rebels in three provinces the previous year, but also because Zhang Miao lacked prestige in Chenliu.

Zhang Miao, the Prefect of Chenliu, was appointed by Yuan Wei when Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo, and Yuan Wei were discussing interests in Xiyuan.

Upon assuming office, Zhang Miao led the officials, soldiers, and civilians of Chenliu to form an alliance to attack Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo, but the alliance ultimately failed.
Then Zhang Miao, along with Yuan Yi and others, went to attack Cao Cao in Xiaopei, but were instead defeated by Liu Bei with 20,000 troops.
For more than a year as the governor of Chenliu, he was either fighting or preparing for war, yet he still couldn't win.

How could a governor of Chenliu with such a reputation have any prestige?

Liu Bei chose to fight swift victories to avoid Zhang Miao and others spending too much time bestowing favors upon local people.

If every battle required overwhelming numbers of men, Liu Bei's Lingyan Army would be exhausted within a few years.

One of the main reasons Li Shimin was able to unify the country so quickly was that his rivals had no opportunity to develop.

Before the chaos arrives, no matter how wise or strategic you are, your ability to lead troops will always need time to mature.

Liu Bei was constantly maneuvering to gain the upper hand in order to seize the initiative.

No one had as much combat experience as Liu Bei, nor as many military strategies, nor as many battle examples, nor as many fierce generals and soldiers, and most importantly, as many weapons and equipment. Anyone who fought against Liu Bei was just asking for trouble.

Liu Bei is currently level 16 with full gear, while others lack the necessary equipment and level, so Liu Bei can defeat anyone he encounters.
If they were to settle down for ten or eight years, and all the wise and strategic generals had grown up, they would all be at level sixteen with top-tier equipment, making it difficult for Liu Bei to defeat them.

As the city gates opened, Liu Bei led his troops into Chenliu City.

Just as the people in the city were terrified that Liu Bei's troops would enter the city to loot, the soldiers of the Lingyan Army spontaneously entered the city chanting the slogan, "We would rather freeze to death than dismantle houses, we would rather starve to death than plunder."

If any elderly, weak, women, or children in the city fell due to panic, a squad of soldiers would step forward to assist them, strictly adhering to the military rule of not disturbing the people when entering the city.

Such disciplined soldiers surprised and puzzled the people and residents of the city.

Even Zhang Miao's soldiers weren't this friendly!
A sigh rang out from the side of the street: "It is said that Liu Bei is benevolent and virtuous, and seeing it today, it is indeed so. Zhang Miao's defeat was not unjust."

(End of this chapter)