Han Ji

Later that night, four more guards took turns standing watch at the entrance to Shen Pei's residence; he no longer dared to leave only two people.

Yuan Tan was in a residence in the east of the city, surrounded by several lieutenants. Guo Tu was also there, so thin that his cheekbones protruded and his eyes shone brightly.

"Young Master, the shouts from Liu Bei's men outside the city have been heard throughout the entire city. Shen Pei forged the imperial edict, Yuan Shang usurped the throne—even Liu Bei knows this. Now, even the soldiers in our camp are whispering that the Young Master is the rightful heir. Shen Pei has already turned against us; he drew his sword at the granary gate today. If you don't make the first move, he will sooner or later."

Yuan Tan's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "Shen Pei has many men. The soldiers from Ye City all listen to him, and he holds the majority in Cangting City."

Guo Tu said, "So we can't fight head-on. Shen Pei will patrol back from the granary every night, passing through the alleys in the city. The alleys are narrow, and his men can't squeeze through. I've arranged for several archers to ambush on both sides of the alleys, waiting to fire arrows when he passes by."

"And then what?"

"After firing the arrows, they rushed into the county government office amidst the chaos and seized Shen Pei's military tally. With Shen Pei dead, his troops would belong to the eldest son. Without Shen Pei, Yuan Shang is just a toothless dog."

Yuan Tan paced back and forth in the room, knife in hand. The candlelight flickered his shadow. "Eliminate Yuan Shang too."

Guo Tu was taken aback. "Young Master, Yuan Shang is, after all, your brother. How will you explain killing him when you return?"

Yuan Tan stopped. "When he stole my position, didn't he ever consider that I was his brother?"

He spread out a layout map of Cangting City on the table and set the ambush location at Jingxiang, a narrow alleyway leading from the granary to the county government office. Jingxiang was less than fifty paces long and only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

Archers ambushed on the rooftops on both sides of the alley, blocking both the entrance and the end, making it impossible for Shen Pei to escape.

That night, after inspecting the granary, Shen Pei returned with a dozen or so personal guards. Passing through the alleyway, which was dark and unlit, Shen Pei stopped halfway through. He remarked to his guards that it was too quiet there.

Before the words were even finished, torches lit up at both ends of the alley. A dozen or so crossbowmen rose from the rooftops. As Shen Pei looked up, the first volley of arrows rained down. Several of his personal guards fell. Shen Pei was struck in the shoulder by an arrow and dragged to the wall by his guards. A second volley of arrows followed, falling several more. Shen Pei, dragging his wounded arm, charged towards the end of the alley, where Yuan Tan's men had blocked it. A fierce hand-to-hand combat ensued in the narrow alley, each strike piercing the flesh.

Shen Pei was escorted out of the alley by his personal guards, but there were too many wounded soldiers, and by the time they reached the county government office, only a few people remained with him. Shen Pei pressed the arrow shaft on his shoulder with his uninjured hand and told the guard who had brought the message that he was going to find the young master.

Yuan Shang was awakened from his dream. He understood everything after hearing his guard's words. He jumped up, not even fully armored except for his breastplate, grabbed his sword, and headed outside. He had to rescue Shen Pei. Shen Pei was his last trump card. If Shen Pei died, he would have nothing left.

He led his personal guards and charged towards the well alley. The battle at the entrance of the alley was over, and more than a dozen corpses lay on the ground, some of Yuan Tan's men and some of Shen Pei's men. Yuan Shang walked over the corpses, his boots stained with blood.

Yuan Tan was waiting for him at the alley entrance.

The two men stood a dozen paces apart. The torchlight illuminated the open space between them, where blood, discarded swords, and shields lay scattered. Soldiers behind Yuan Tan, torches in hand, surrounded them, as did those behind Yuan Shang. The two groups confronted each other at the alleyway entrance.

"Yuan Shang! You colluded with Shen Pei to usurp my father's legacy. Today, I will cleanse the Yuan family of its corruption."

"My father's dying wish was to make me his heir. I came to rescue you out of kindness, but you went out of the city without permission, suffered heavy losses, and even tried to kill the judge upon your return. You are the traitor to the Yuan family."

Yuan Tan raised his sword. The blade flashed briefly in the firelight. His soldiers charged forward. Yuan Shang's soldiers also charged forward. The two sides clashed at the entrance to the alley, swords and shields clashing, sparks gleaming brightly in the darkness.

The fighting spread from the well alley to the county government office, and from the county government office to the vicinity of the granary; the battle engulfed the entire main street. Shen Pei was helped onto his horse inside the county government office and, dragging his wounded shoulder, retreated through the back gate. Before leaving, he left an order: all soldiers from Ye City, assemble at the north gate.

Yuan Shang retreated to the North Gate two hours after the fire started. Shen Pei sent word that they must evacuate.

Shen Pei argued that continuing the fight with Yuan Tan in Cangting City, regardless of the outcome, would only benefit Liu Bei outside the city. He suggested retreating to Ye City, where there were still troops and provisions, and it could still be defended.

Yuan Shang said he was leaving, and Cangting would fall to Yuan Tan. Shen Pei said Cangting was beyond saving; if the two brothers stayed, they would die together, so it was better for Yuan Tan to die alone. Yuan Shang glanced back at the city of Cangting in the firelight, then turned his horse and rode north.

The general guarding the north gate was one of the men left behind by Shen Pei. Shen Pei's personal guards had gathered outside the north gate, and together with Yuan Shang, they numbered about two thousand men. Before dawn, this remnant force left the north gate and headed towards Ye City.

Zhao Yun's cavalry north of the city spotted them, but Shen Pei had chosen a difficult path—an abandoned road along the Zhang River, obscured by bushes, making it hard for the cavalry to give chase. Zhao Yun sent men to follow them for a while, killing several dozen stragglers, but the main force still managed to escape.

By the time Yuan Shang retreated to Ye City, it was already broad daylight. The guards at the city gate recognized their young master and quickly opened the gate. Upon entering Ye City, Yuan Shang's first act was to send Shen Song to find a physician, and then he put Feng Ji in charge of the city's defenses.

Shen Pei lay on the couch, the arrow in his left shoulder being removed by the physician. The arrowhead was hook-shaped, and a piece of flesh was pulled out with it. Shen Pei bit down on a cloth and didn't cry out, his forehead covered in sweat.

After applying the medicine, he instructed Feng Ji to rearrange the sentry posts around Ye City, saying that Liu Bei's next step was Ye City.

Yuan Tan stood on the city wall, looking out at Liu Bei's numerous camps, their tents brightly lit. His lieutenant stood beside him, saying, "My lord, we can't hold out. The city has fewer than ten thousand soldiers, and only enough food for ten days."

Yuan Tan did not answer. That night, he changed into the uniform of an ordinary soldier, took a few dozen personal guards, and sneaked out of the city through the east wall, running eastward along the deserted road. He did not intend to die there.

News of Yuan Tan's escape spread throughout the city at dawn. The garrison pushed open the city gates from the inside. Weapons were piled up in the gate openings, and the surrendered soldiers walked to the moat outside the city and squatted down, raising their hands above their heads.

Guan Yu's troops entered the city through the south gate, while Zhang Fei entered through the east gate. There was no longer any resistance in the city, and the streets were littered with abandoned weapons and armor.

Zhang Fei rode his horse along the main street and when he reached the county government office, he saw the empty bluestone pavement. The blood spilled a few days earlier had been washed away with water, but dark red stains still remained in the cracks of the stones.

Jian Yong, along with his clerks, set up a table to register the surrendered soldiers. Those who wished to stay were incorporated into Zhang He's new recruits, while those who did not were given travel expenses to return home. The people of Cangting received two shi of grain per household as compensation, drawn from the grain reserves seized from Yuan's army.