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

Chapter 217 Another Victory, Killing Ju Shou, Liu Bei Holds a Grand Feast for the Army (Seeking monthly votes and continued updates)

Although it's a pity, Liu Bei would not deliberately recruit someone whose stance is contrary to his own.

Since they have taken the opposing side and are unwilling to surrender, they should be dealt with according to military law.

Liu Bei then instructed Guo Jia, "Puyang has fallen. Quickly send the news to the other side and tell all the generals and soldiers that I will be hosting a banquet in Puyang tonight."

The implication is that Lü Bu, Cao Cao, and others need to breach Ju Shou's camp before nightfall.

This requirement was somewhat harsh before the fall of Puyang, but now that Puyang has fallen, the news of a great victory will boost our morale and lower the enemy's.

Taking advantage of the low morale of Ju Shou's troops, it was the perfect opportunity to defeat Ju Shou in one fell swoop.

"Your Imperial Uncle is wise!"

Guo Jia did not hesitate and rode his horse to the riverbank, then informed Lü Bu, Cao Cao and others of the news of the capture of Puyang City.

After Guo Jia left.

Liu Bei then sent people to post notices in the city.

The notice was simple and direct, which garnered the support of officials and commoners in Puyang for the new policies.

To the officials and common people who opposed the new policies, the new policies were a form of extortion and plunder. Liu Bei's proclamation was tantamount to saying: either give it to me voluntarily, or I will rob it from you. You choose.

However, for Liu Bei, issuing such a proclamation was already quite benevolent. Other cities that were breached were immediately seized by force, but Liu Bei would first try to reason with the officials and people inside the city.

Liu Bei would only resort to force and robbery when the officials and common people in the city refused to listen to his reasoning.

With precedents set by Chenliu, Jiyin, and Shanyang counties, and Puyang previously occupied by rebels, officials and civilians within the city were exceptionally well-behaved if they did not listen to Liu Bei's reasoning.

Aside from trying to conceal some of their money, grain, land, and houses, they all responded to the notice to varying degrees.

Liu Bei didn't care about hiding it.

Regardless of whether officials, scholars, or commoners concealed anything, there would be designated personnel to investigate and collect money, grain, land, and housing. Those who maliciously concealed information would be made examples of others.

Others sought the hearts and minds of the gentry and common people, while Liu Bei sought the hearts and minds of the common folk.

You can't have your cake and eat it too; Liu Bei wasn't greedy enough to want both the people's hearts and the government's support.

Liu Bei was not afraid that without officials and commoners, no one would be literate. Liu Bei's Lingyan Army was not only good at fighting on the battlefield, but also literate, which was a good opportunity to promote simplified characters in Dongjun.

Ju Shou was outside the camp.

Upon hearing that Puyang City had been captured first, Lü Bu, Cao Cao, and others were both surprised and ashamed.

Liu Bei was originally tasked with containing Shen Pei at the foot of Puyang City to prevent Shen Pei from leaving the city to support Ju Shou.

As a result, Liu Bei, who was in charge of containing the enemy, broke through Puyang City first, while those who were attacking Ju Shou's camp had not yet succeeded.

"We must not let the Imperial Uncle underestimate us!"

Whether it was Lü Bu, Dian Wei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, or Cao Cao, they all became excited and intensified their attacks on Ju Shou's camp.

In order to demoralize the rebel army in Ju Shou's camp, Lü Bu and others had the soldiers shout slogans such as "Puyang City has been captured by the Imperial Uncle, why don't you surrender now?" to undermine the morale of the rebels.

At the same time, on the city tower of Puyang City facing the Hu River, the banner reading "Liu, the Imperial Uncle of the Han Dynasty" was also put up.

In the camp.

Ju Shou's face was full of exhaustion and anxiety.

Faced with the combined attack of Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Dian Wei, and Cao Cao, even with his brain working at high speed, Ju Shou was still caught off guard and overwhelmed.

The longer it went on, the more frequently Ju Shou made mistakes in his command.

Although Ju Shou also had capable generals to command, his generals were far inferior to those of Lü Bu and others, and his soldiers were far inferior to those of the Lingyan Army.

They barely managed to hold off Lü Bu and his men's attack thanks to the advantageous terrain of their camp, but even so, Ju Shou was exhausted from running around.

Upon learning that Liu Bei had captured Puyang, Ju Shou felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He choked on his own breath and clutched his chest for a long time before he could catch his breath.

"Puyang has fallen? How is that possible? Is there an inside agent in the city, or did Shen Pei leave the city?" A series of guesses flashed through Ju Shou's mind.

However, these speculations were of no use in defending the camp, and even if Ju Shou wanted to shout that this was Liu Bei's deceptive scheme, it would be to no avail.

The increasingly fierce offensive by Lingyan Army and Cao Cao's army further confirmed the authenticity of the news.

What Ju Shou didn't know was:
The news of Liu Bei's capture of Puyang boosted the morale of the Lingyan Army and Cao Cao's army, and also made Lu Bu, Cao Cao and others, who felt ashamed, determined to break through Ju Shou's camp today.

Liu Bei has already held a victory celebration banquet in Puyang City. If we still can't break through Ju Shou's camp today, it would be too embarrassing.

"Commander, are you ready to fight alongside me?"

Seeing that Ju Shou held firm and refused to surrender, Lü Bu became determined and prepared to personally lead the charge.

Dian Wei had been holding back for a long time.

Since becoming a colonel, Liu Bei had high expectations for Dian Wei, demanding that he learn to train troops, command them, and coordinate them in battle rather than just relying on personal bravery.

However, Dian Wei's inherent martial prowess would not change because of his training and command of troops.

Upon hearing Lü Bu's words, Dian Wei immediately gathered three hundred elite armored soldiers. Dian Wei himself donned several suits of armor and shouted, "Colonel Lü is not good at infantry combat, so I will take care of the charge."

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu immediately objected.

I'm not good at foot combat?
How dare you underestimate me?
Seeing Dian Wei clad in multiple layers of armor, Lü Bu, not wanting to be outdone, also donned multiple layers of armor and led three hundred elite armored soldiers into battle.

"We'll fight on either side; whoever gets inside first will be the greatest hero!"

"I can chase a tiger across a ravine and also win the first merit!"

The two men showed off their skills to each other, each leading their armored soldiers into battle.

Attacking a fortified camp was not suitable for warhorses to gallop, so Lü Bu, Dian Wei, and the six hundred armored soldiers who were charging into battle all chose to abandon their horses and not fight.

Cao Cao was filled with envy at this sight.

Cao Cao also wanted to emulate Lü Bu and Dian Wei, but unfortunately, he had too few armored soldiers under his command and no warriors as fierce and powerful as Lü Bu and Dian Wei who could wear multiple layers of armor and charge into battle first.

For an ordinary military general, wearing multiple layers of armor, it would be a miracle if he could even run, let alone fight.

Looking at Lü Bu and Dian Wei charging into battle like fierce tigers, Cao Cao once again missed the Trapped Camp and Gao Shun who had not come with him for the assault.

If Gao Shun and the Trapped Camp were present, Cao Cao would have been able to break through Ju Shou's camp before Lü Bu and Dian Wei.

With Lü Bu and Dian Wei leading the charge, Ju Shou's camp could no longer be defended, and Dian Wei forcibly broke through a large gap in it.

"Commander Lü, I deserve the greatest credit!"

Dian Wei laughed heartily, his twin iron halberds like the scythe of death, killing anyone who clashed with them and injuring anyone who touched them.

Moreover, Dian Wei also carried a small halberd that could be used as a concealed weapon; when it was thrown, it never missed its target.

Although Dian Wei beat him to it, Lü Bu was not angry. He laughed and shouted, "The credit is yours! Watch me capture and kill Ju Shou!"

As Dian Wei and Lü Bu established themselves in Ju Shou's camp, the Lingyan Army swarmed in from the rear, forcibly tearing open the breach in the camp.

"Minister Ju, we can't hold out any longer, let's retreat!" Xue Ti, defeated, urged Ju Shou to leave.

The mere thought of Dian Wei's ferocious appearance sent chills down Xue Ti's spine, let alone the thought of fighting him. Seeing Xue Ti's fear and attempt to flee, Ju Shou was both angry and furious, glaring at him and shouting, "Our troops are still here, and we can still fight to the death! How dare you talk about retreating and undermining our morale? If you dare to speak such nonsense again, you will be punished according to military law!"

Xue Ti was scolded harshly, feeling both angry and aggrieved: "I did defend, and now that I can't hold on, can't I even retreat?"

Faced with Ju Shou's domineering presence and the threat of military law, Xue Ti had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue.

If he went, he might die; if he didn't, he would die immediately. Xue Ti had no other choice.

However, when they had the advantage of fortified camps and terrain, they could withstand the strong attacks of Lü Bu, Cao Cao and others. Now that they had lost the advantage of fortified camps and terrain, Ju Shou's troops were like sheep encountering tigers, completely powerless to fight.

Even if Xue Ti wanted to fight, he couldn't reverse the defeat.

"Pfft" sound.

Li Zan, the former Chancellor of Dongping, was killed by a short halberd thrown by Dian Wei.

In his panic, Xue Ti saw the valiant general Jin Yun being hacked to death, and he could not help but feel fear in his heart.

"We can't hold out any longer! If we do, we'll only face certain death!"

Thinking of Ju Shou's military order, Xue Ti dared not ask Ju Shou for instructions again and chose to abandon the camp and flee.

The army was defeated like a mountain.

As more and more Lingyan soldiers stormed into the camp, the rebels' psychological defenses began to crumble, and even Ju Shou's angry execution of several subordinate generals could not stop the defeat.

Ju Shou was also of a fierce temperament; even when his soldiers fled in panic, he held fast to his banner.

"This must be Ju Shou. He certainly has guts!"

Upon seeing Ju Shou under the banner, Cao Cao was immediately struck by his talent.

Despite his appreciation for talent, Cao Cao did not relent in his offensive against Ju Shou.

Only by capturing the enemy alive can we consider whether to offer them a way to surrender.

Lü Bu, however, did not share Cao Cao's mindset; the stubborn rebel leader who refused to surrender had to be killed.

During the attack on Ju Shou's camp, many of Lü Bu's Lingyan Army soldiers died. If Ju Shou had surrendered, Lü Bu could have restrained his murderous intent. However, since Ju Shou refused to surrender, Lü Bu's murderous intent was hard to suppress.

"Bring me my bow!"

Seeing that Ju Shou was still holding firm, and that his warriors were unable to break through, Lü Bu shouted and took the hard bow that his personal guards had brought him.

He then drew his bow and aimed an arrow at Ju Shou, who was still directing his personal guards to defend the banner.

With a "whoosh," the arrow flew like a shooting star, striking Ju Shou squarely.

Gripping the arrow shaft tightly, Ju Shou tried to struggle, but only felt his consciousness rapidly fading away.

I never imagined that I, Ju Shou, would die here!

They arrived full of ambition, but now they have suffered a complete defeat.

His heavy body fell to the ground, and there was no more cry.

"kill!"

Seeing Ju Shou fall after being shot by an arrow, Lü Bu shouted and threw down his bow to charge forward again. His fierce warriors also seized the opportunity to rush forward, and in a short while, they had slaughtered the remaining rebel troops who were no longer under Ju Shou's command.

Seeing Ju Shou killed by Lü Bu's arrow, Cao Cao couldn't help but sigh, and then mocked himself for how naive his previous idea had been.

Then Dian Wei stepped forward, swung his twin iron halberds with great force, and Ju Shou's banner fell down, as the sound of victory horns rang out in the camp.

Inside Puyang City.

Commandant Cui Wu excitedly reported the victory to Liu Bei: "Uncle, the bandit leader Ju Shou is dead, and our army has won a great victory!"

The simple news of victory made Liu Bei burst into laughter: "Good! Tell the generals that I have already prepared a banquet in the city. After we have cleaned up the battlefield, we will enter Puyang City to celebrate our victory!"

With Ju Shou dead and Shen Pei and Tian Feng fleeing, Yuan Shao's plans on the south bank of the Yellow River have completely failed.

Even though Dongping Kingdom and Jibei Kingdom have not yet changed their flags, it cannot change the fact that Liu Bei controls the south bank of the Yellow River. This is a great victory worth celebrating!
Although night had fallen, Puyang City was still brightly lit.

Liu Bei held a banquet to celebrate his victory and reward his troops, and cheers resounded throughout Puyang City.

at the banquet.

Liu Bei raised his cup to his officials and said respectfully, "This great victory is all thanks to your efforts."

The generals also returned the toast with hearty laughter, drinking heartily and expressing their joy to the fullest.

After toasting the civil and military officials, Liu Bei poured more wine and said, "Although some remnants of the defeated army have fled to the eastern part of Yan Province, the situation in Yan Province is now settled, and Yuan Shao can no longer seize control of Yan Province. Here, we can toast Cao Cao of Yan Province again and congratulate him on finally being able to take control of the entire territory of Yan Province."

A burst of laughter rang out, and all the civil and military officials raised their cups to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao had a very difficult time as the governor of Yan Province. Liu Dai died, Liu Biao surrendered, and Gai Xun was about to resign due to illness. Only now could Cao Cao truly take control of Yan Province.

Thinking of all the hardships he had endured, Cao Cao was filled with emotion. He raised his cup in return and said, "Without the help of my uncle and all of you, I would have been a governor of Yan Province in name only. I toast you all."

The banquet was filled with harmony and laughter.

In less than half an hour, a large number of people at the banquet were drunk.

Although Liu Bei also drank, he did not drink freely after offering a toast. Instead, after everyone was drunk at the banquet, he arranged for people to take the generals to rest and also arranged for guards to stay with them.

The greater the victory, the less careless one should be. While the generals may drink to their hearts' content, Liu Bei must not follow suit.

Liu Bei had strong self-control when it came to personal desires.

After the last person left the banquet, Liu Bei led his men to patrol the city to ensure that Puyang would not be thrown into chaos that night.

After all, Liu Bei had issued a proclamation during the day, ordering the officials and people of Puyang to earnestly implement the new policies. If inspections were not strengthened, it was inevitable that some dissentful individuals would take the opportunity to cause trouble.

When Liu Bei reached the top of the East Gate, he encountered Zhao Yun, who was also on patrol. He was surprised and said, "Fourth Brother, what are you doing here? Didn't you go back to rest after getting drunk? I remember you were the first one to get drunk."

Zhao Yun stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Brother, please forgive me. I was just pretending to be drunk to slip away and inspect the area."

Liu Bei laughed and advised, "Fourth brother, you have worked hard in battle today, why should you exhaust yourself? Listen to your elder brother, go back and rest first. Even if there is an inspection, it is not your turn."

Zhao Yun didn't take it to heart: "It's just a little tiring. My elder brother is on patrol here, how could I not protect him?"

Seeing that Zhao Yun refused, Liu Bei stopped trying to persuade him and instead patrolled the city wall while chatting with Zhao Yun.

When the conversation turned to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Liu Bei asked, "Now that my second brother has become the governor of Yu Province and my third brother has become the governor of Hanoi, does my fourth brother have any intention of governing a prefecture or county?"

Zhao Yun replied without hesitation, "I will follow your instructions, brother."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Fourth brother, your ambitions are too low. Everyone else hopes to govern prefectures and counties, and be ennobled and appointed as generals, but you don't care about status at all. We are brothers, you can tell me whatever you want, how could I mistreat my own brother?"

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment and said, "My second and third brothers are guarding the prefectures and counties, so I should stay by my eldest brother's side."

Although not explicitly stated, Zhao Yun's meaning was clear: Liu Bei needed a sworn brother by his side. Lu Bu, Xu Huang, Dian Wei, Huang Zhong, and others were merely newly recruited generals of Liu Bei, not sworn brothers like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun who had known each other for many years.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei did not insist, and said with a smile, "Since Fourth Brother is unwilling, then stay by my side and await orders."

(End of this chapter)