Han Ji

Lu Zhi turned around, his gaze sharp as he looked at Liu Bei: "What about inside Shuxian City? Zhou Chong has a considerable private army. If they coordinate an attack from within and without, leaving the city vulnerable, how will we respond?"

"The city's defenses need to be loose on the outside but tight on the inside," Liu Bei said. "All key positions—city gates, armory, and the prefectural government—must be filled by absolutely reliable veterans from the north. Please have Master oversee the prefectural government to stabilize morale. Your student, along with generals like Zhang Wu, will lead elite troops to ambush outside the city. Directly assign two pairs of men to keep an eye on the Zhou residence, their main responsibility being to control the Zhou residence and capture Zhou Chong if chaos breaks out."

The study was so quiet that only the faint crackling sound of the lamp wick popping could be heard.

After a long silence, Lu Zhi slowly nodded: "The plan is feasible. But every step must be flawless. You must personally oversee Wugu's side to ensure everything goes perfectly."

"The student understands."

"Go," Lu Zhi waved his hand. "Make sure the details are perfect and the manpower is properly arranged. We must win this battle cleanly and decisively."

"yes!"

In the following days, the prefectural government began to get busy.

Orders to transport provisions were issued one after another, and the armory worked day and night to replenish arrows and repair armor. Squads of county soldiers were assembled for pre-battle drills. The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The news spread like wildfire into the Zhou residence.

As Zhou Chong listened to the butler's report, an uncontrollable smile appeared on his face.

"Lu Zhi and Liu Bei have finally lost their patience. They've been bothered by those barbarian harassments and are now ready to get serious." He stroked his beard. "Good! Once their main force arrives, Shuxian will be a ghost town!"

"Master, what about the mandrill tribe...?"

"Send another batch of gifts and urge them to gather their forces quickly! Tell that idiot leader Black Wolf to cooperate; he'll get his share of the spoils!" Zhou Chong's eyes gleamed. "Once Shuxian is in chaos, we and the Zhou family will take control of the city gates and the prefectural government, and let Lu Ziqian die at the hands of the mountain demon tribe... This Lujiang will still be under my control!"

He seemed to already see Lu Zhi and Liu Bei's defeat and death.

The day has come for the main force of the government troops to set out on the expedition.

At dawn, the south gate of Shuxian City opened wide, and squads of soldiers, in somewhat disorderly ranks, pulled grain carts and set off southward in a grand procession, at the command of their officers. Dust billowed and banners fluttered in the wind.

Liu Bei, riding a red cloud and wearing leather armor, walked at the head of the procession with a calm expression.

In a corner of the city wall, Zhou's informant watched silently before quickly turning back to report.

The group left the city and traveled for more than ten miles along the official road before turning into a valley.

Zhang Wu, Li Huan, and others, who had been waiting there, immediately came forward. The soldiers quickly unloaded unnecessary supplies, took off their conspicuous uniforms, and changed into dark-colored clothing that was easier to conceal.

"I'm all ready to join the army," Zhang Wu said in a low voice.

Liu Bei nodded and looked at the silent Wugu and the dozens of Black Wolf warriors he had brought: "Now it's up to you."

Wugu's eyes were firm: "Don't worry. After Heichi took away most of the fighting force, I can control the rest. I will clean it up as soon as possible, and then bring people out to meet up with you according to plan, or go directly to Shuxian."

"careful."

"We barbarians have a saying: you can't get tiger cubs without going to the tiger's den. It's worth it to get back my father's things." After saying this, Wugu, along with a few trusted men, quickly disappeared into the dense forest path. He needed to return to the tribe secretly to make arrangements.

Liu Bei then led five hundred elite troops, guided by Wu Huan who was familiar with the mountain paths, along a hidden path, moving silently towards the pre-arranged ambush locations around Shu County, hiding during the day and moving at night.

This road is extremely difficult to travel, and often requires leading horses on foot to traverse through dense forests and canyons.

"This road...do you travel this route often?" Liu Bei asked Wu Huan, who was leading the way. Wu Huan was an old hunter hired by Yan Bao, and he knew this mountain area like the back of his hand.

"Gathering herbs, hunting, and escaping calamities," Wu Huan said in a hoarse voice. "Besides us old folks, not many people know about it."

The group moved forward in silence, with only the sound of footsteps and the occasional chirping of insects and birds.

Before long, they arrived at the designated location—a dense birch forest northeast of Shuxian County, about five miles from the city wall. From there, they could observe the official road and several possible routes for the barbarian advance, and it was also convenient for a quick attack.

"Set up camp here, hide well, and without orders, do not light any fires or make any loud noises," Liu Bei ordered.

The soldiers immediately dispersed, using trees and bushes to camouflage the camp.

Liu Bei climbed onto a huge rock at the edge of the forest and gazed at Shuxian City. The city wall was clearly outlined in the setting sun, appearing calm and serene.

He knew that beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were surging.

Zhou Chong should have already received news of the main government army's southward advance and is intensifying his final preparations. Wugu should have already begun operations within the tribe.

The net has been cast.

Inside Shuxian County, everything appeared normal on the surface.

The market remained open, and people busied themselves with making a living. However, there seemed to be fewer county soldiers patrolling, replaced by some unfamiliar local militiamen.

Inside the prefectural government office, Lu Zhi carried out his official duties as usual, his expression calm. Only the increased number of bodyguards around him and the occasional sharp glint in his eyes revealed something unusual.

The atmosphere in the backyard of the Zhou residence was rather warm.

Zhou Chong was meeting with several men dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, but with sharp, shrewd eyes. These were the leaders of his secretly trained assassins and private armed forces.

"Is everything arranged?" Zhou Chong asked.

"Rest assured, sir, the city gate magistrate is one of our men. He will find an excuse to divert the garrison and open the west gate. The armory has also been taken care of; several key armory clerks will be sick and going home tonight," a leader said, bowing.

"What about the prefectural government?"

"Lu Zhi's guards are tough nuts to crack; a direct assault would result in heavy losses. But our men have already infiltrated the servants' ranks. We can tamper with his food and water; even if we don't poison him to death, we'll leave him severely wounded. Once chaos erupts outside and morale collapses inside, things will be much easier."

Zhou Chong nodded in satisfaction: "What about the people who infiltrated from the Black Wolf Tribe?"

"As instructed by the master, they were scattered in several warehouses and empty houses. With our people watching over them, they are doing relatively well."

"Behave yourself?" Zhou Chong sneered. "A barbarian is a barbarian. Once we've used him..." He made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Any news from the mandrill tribe?"

"A messenger reports that they have assembled and should be able to reach Wild Wolf Gully, about twenty miles outside the city, by tomorrow night."

"Good!" Zhou Chong clapped his hands. "Tell the brothers to prepare. Tomorrow night at midnight, use fire as a signal to open the west gate wide and welcome the mountain demon tribe into the city! Wealth and glory will be ours in this one battle!"

"yes!"

After everyone left, Zhou Chong sat alone in the study, looking at the flickering candlelight, a confident smile on his face.

He could almost hear the shouts of the barbarian soldiers as they stormed the city, and see the heads of Lu Zhi and Liu Bei hanging on the city walls.