Han Ji

On the first day of the fifth lunar month, Liu Bei ordered a general offensive.

The attack wasn't on Ye City itself. It was on the last line of defense south of Ye City, north of Cangting, where a small force of Yuan's troops, about five thousand strong, were still putting up a stubborn resistance. Most of them were fortified soldiers left behind by Shen Pei after he left. The defending general was a captain promoted by Shen Pei who had never fought in a major battle.

Liu Bei's 60,000-strong army deployed on the plains north of Cangting. The central army banner was raised, its surface unfurling in the wind, displaying the character "Liu" on a black background with a red border.

Guan Yu was on the left, Zhang Fei on the right, Zhang He in the center providing support, and Zhao Yun's cavalry positioned at the flanks and rear. Guan Yu's blade gleamed in the sunlight. Zhang Fei rode back and forth in front of the formation, then turned and roared, "Attack!" The drums sounded.

Guan Yu's left flank advanced first. Twenty thousand infantrymen formed a wedge shape, with Guan Yu at the very center of the first rank, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade trailing behind him. Yuan's archers fired, the arrows clattering against the shields.

Guan Yu ordered the shield bearers in the front row to withstand the rain of arrows, while the crossbowmen in the rear row returned fire through the gaps in the shields, shooting down a row of archers and crossbowmen on the opposite earthen wall. Then the swordsmen and shield bearers pressed forward, vaulted over the earthen wall, and engaged in close combat.

The sound of clashing swords rang out from behind the wall, mingled with screams and shouts of battle. After Guan Yu felled the first captain who scaled the wall, the Yuan army behind it began to retreat.

Zhang Fei's right flank was flanking from the east. Shen Pei's remaining troops were prepared, having piled up sandbags and set up several crossbows on the right flank. Zhang Fei's arrow wound in his shoulder hadn't fully healed, but he still charged to the front.

He charged straight to the sandbags, used the shaft of his spear to propel himself over, and kicked the nearest crossbowman to the ground. Zhang He's central army began to accelerate forward, completely severing communication between the flanks of Yuan's army.

Half of the front line had already collapsed, and Yuan's army was still barely holding on. Just then, Zhao Yun's three thousand cavalry charged in from the flank and rear. The sound of hooves thundered across the ground, and a small cloud of dust rose before engulfing the eastern half of the battlefield.

Zhao Yun's horse charged at the forefront, the tip of his spear reflecting the sunlight. The cavalry charged into Yuan's army formation, knocking men away, trampling tents, and cutting down banner after banner.

The remaining Yuan soldiers were in complete chaos among the earthen ramparts. Some were shouting their commander's name, while others were trampled into the mud. The defending captain tried to raise his sword to regain his footing, but before he could utter a single word, a spear pierced his chest, sending him staggering backward as his sword flew a great distance.

The resistance lasted less than an hour before it ended. Yuan Shao's last line of defense north of Cangting collapsed.

Yuan's army suffered over three thousand casualties and nearly two thousand surrendered. The surrendered soldiers were gathered together and squatted on the ground, their hands on their heads. Zhang He rode past them and saw several familiar faces; they were his former subordinates who had been transferred away by Shen Pei.

He reined in his horse and asked, looking down, "Who still wants to fight?" A middle-aged veteran, his face covered in blood, looked up and said his family was still in Ye City. Zhang He told him, "Ye City is about to fall. If you don't want to die, follow me." The veteran was silent for a moment, then stood up and walked behind Zhang He's horse.

Another group of fleeing enemies tried to escape towards Ye City, but were caught up by Zhao Yun and blocked at the banks of the Zhang River. Some got stuck in the mud while wading, while others abandoned their armor and collapsed on the opposite bank. The river water shimmered with a hazy yellow hue under the setting sun, and discarded shields and tattered banners floated on its surface.

After the Battle of Cangting, there were no more Yuan army strongholds south of Yecheng.

Guan Yu ordered his men to pile the captured weapons on the edge of the battlefield, creating a small mountain. Bows and crossbows were distributed to the newly formed crossbowmen, and spears were given to the infantry as replacements. Zhang Fei sat on an overturned supply wagon belonging to Yuan Shao's army, having a medic change his bandages.

As soon as the old bandage was removed, blood and pus smeared his hands. The healer frowned as he scraped away the rotten flesh and applied chewed puffballs to the wound. Zhang Fei, biting on a wooden stick, gasped in pain, but remained seated.

As evening fell, the latest battle reports were compiled in the central command tent. The battle of Cangting was over, and the Yuan army surrounding Ye City had been cleared. Ahead lay the solitary city of Ye.

Liu Bei stood outside the tent, looking north. He could vaguely see the city walls of Ye City on the horizon. He turned to Jia Xu and said, "Now all Yuan Shao has left is that city wall."

In early May, Liu Bei's army arrived at the walls of Ye City.

The city walls of Ye City reflected a grayish-white light under the sun. Built of blue bricks, they stood three zhang high, and were lined with soldiers. Behind the battlements, archers could be seen crouching, their crossbows already extended.

The moat was wide, fed by the Zhang River, and green algae floated on its surface. The drawbridge had long been erected, its cables taut. The city gates were tightly shut.

Liu Bei rode his horse and circled the base of the city wall. His horse moved slowly, its hooves creaking on the pebbles of the riverbank.

As he reached the southeast corner of the city, he saw a familiar figure standing on the city wall: Shen Pei. Shen Pei also saw him, and the two stared at each other for a moment across the moat. The wind blew from the city wall, and Shen Pei's robes fluttered in the breeze.

Liu Bei spoke first. "Shen Zhengnan, how much longer are you going to hold out?"

Shen Pei did not answer. His face was expressionless, and his beard swayed in the wind.

Liu Bei then said, "Handan is gone. Cangting is gone. Ye City is now an isolated city. How long can your grain last?"

Shen Pei said, "That's enough to defend Ye City."

Liu Bei said, "What's the point of guarding Ye City? Yuan Shao is already ill. You're guarding the city for him, but has he even considered your escape route?"

Shen Pei remained silent. After standing for a while, he turned and left. His footsteps faded into the distance on the blue brick pavement of the city wall. Liu Bei reined in his horse and returned to camp.

Preparations for the siege lasted two days. During these two days, a series of camps were erected around Ye City, the palisades creaking in the night wind. Camps were set up on all four sides of the city: Guan Yu surrounded the south gate, Zhang Fei surrounded the east gate, Zhao Yun surrounded the west gate, and the central army was stationed outside the north gate.

Zhang He located and cut off the source of the moat's water supply, which was a tributary of the Zhang River. The sluice gate was made of stone, but the gate panel was rotten. Zhang He used a hammer and chisel to smash it for more than half an hour before finally breaking the gate panel. The water in the moat slowly dried up, exposing the silt and rotten aquatic plants at the bottom of the river.

The battering rams were readily available, captured from Guandu. The iron-tipped rams had a corner chipped off during the siege, and the craftsmen had repaired them with sheet metal. The siege ladders were made of freshly felled pine wood, which was quite damp. Sixteen catapults were set up on the earthen slope behind the central army.

On the morning of the third day, the catapults began hurling stones at the city walls. The first stone crossed the moat and struck the crenellations of the wall, sending shards of stone flying and causing a section of the crenellations to collapse. Subsequent stones continued to rain down, some hitting the watchtowers, which swayed and caused the archers on the roof to all fall to the ground.

After nearly an hour of fighting, the crenellations on the city wall were smashed to pieces. Then the battering rams were pushed, and the soldiers shouted in unison as they pushed them to the city gate. The iron-tipped rams pounded against the city gate again and again, with one dull thud after another.

The defenders on the city wall threw down oil canisters, which shattered upon hitting the battering ram. Rockets followed, setting the ram ablaze. But the attackers were prepared; their auxiliary troops rushed forward with wet blankets and used sand to smother the flames. The fire was extinguished, and the battering ram continued its assault. The sound of the hinges no longer resembled wood; it sounded like a beast grinding its teeth.