Han Ji

Half an hour later, the firelight on the northern watchtower flickered three times—they had succeeded.

"Enter."

The cavalrymen dismounted, led their horses, and slipped into the camp through the gap. Stacks of grain piled high, covered with straw mats. Hundreds of packhorses grazed peacefully in the stables.

The central command tent was brightly lit, and the sound of drinking games could be heard.

Liu Bei ordered most of his troops to lie in wait, while he himself, along with Zhang Fei and Jian Yong, sneaked behind the tent. They poked a hole in the tent flap and peeked inside, where several generals were drinking heavily, their faces flushed and necks bulging.

The man in the main seat was fat, with his chest open and a tuft of black hair on his chest; he must be Chen Bai.

"General, have another drink!"

"Drink...drink my ass!" Chen Bai slurred, "That bastard Han Zhong made me guard the rear camp, and all the credit went to him..."

"Exactly! We're risking our lives too!"

Just as he was cursing, a personal guard outside the tent shouted, "General! There's news! It's coming from...from the government troops!"

Chen Bai was taken aback for a moment: "Bring it in!"

A silk scroll was tied to the arrow. Chen Bai unfolded it, squinted at it for a long time, and clearly didn't know many characters and couldn't understand it.

"What is it written?" he asked the clerk beside him.

The clerk took it, his face changing: "General... Lu Zhi said that if you surrender and offer grain, he will guarantee you a position as a colonel..."

"A captain?" Chen Bai's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"That's what it said in the letter..."

"Han Zhongcai, give me a Sima title!" Chen Bai slammed his fist on the table. "Lu Zhi... Lu Zhi is a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Doesn't he keep his word?"

The tent was quiet.

Liu Bei gripped the hilt of his sword tightly outside the tent.

After a long silence, Chen Bai, panting heavily, said, "Damn it... let's do it! But just writing a letter won't do; we need Lu Zhi to send someone of sufficient standing to talk!"

"I'll go," Liu Bei whispered to Zhang Fei. "You wait here. If I don't come out in a quarter of an hour, then charge in."

"Big brother!"

"This is a military order." Liu Bei straightened his armor and entered the tent.

The sound of swords being drawn filled the tent instantly.

"Who are you?!" Chen Bai stared wide-eyed.

"Liu Bei, Cavalry Commandant under Lord Lu." Liu Bei stopped, took out an iron tally, and said, "This tally serves as proof."

The clerk took it, examined it carefully, and nodded to Chen Bai: "It's true... A few days ago, a messenger reported that Lu Zhi had a disciple named Liu Bei who killed Zhao Hong."

Chen Bai looked Liu Bei up and down: "You're young, but you're quite bold."

"I am not as good as General Chen." Liu Bei looked directly at him. "If you are willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, I can promise on behalf of Lord Lu: I will never break my promise as a colonel. Moreover, after Han Zhong's defeat, all the Yellow Turbans in Hanoi will be incorporated into your army. Of course, they will be reorganized into the government army."

The conditions have been tightened.

Chen Bai's breathing became heavy. Incorporating his old troops meant that he still had military power and was not just a figurehead captain.

"Han Zhong has 50,000 men..." he hesitated.

"Han Zhong won't live past tomorrow," Liu Bei said. "Lu Gong's army has arrived, and the garrison of Ye City will launch a pincer attack tonight. General, now is the perfect time to switch sides."

"Tonight?"

"Yes." Liu Bei glanced outside the tent. "If the general doesn't believe me, you can wait a quarter of an hour. There will be three rockets on the city wall as a signal; that's the agreed-upon signal."

Chen Bai gritted his teeth and paced back and forth inside the tent.

One lap, two laps.

"Damn it!" He stopped abruptly. "I'm betting! But you have to promise not to hold me accountable for being a thief afterwards!"

"The imperial court has issued an edict that all those who have turned against their former masters will not be prosecuted for their past crimes," Liu Bei said, emphasizing each word with his life.

Chen Bai stared at him for a long while, then grinned: "Fine! You've got guts, kid!"

He turned and ordered, "Pass down the order! All battalions are not to move! Wait for my signal!"

He then said to Liu Bei, "The grain supplies are right outside. Are you going to burn them or take them?"

"Burn it first, then take it." Liu Bei clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Rest assured, General."

Fifteen minutes later, three rockets rose into the sky from the north of the city, standing out conspicuously in the night sky.

Chen Bai was completely convinced and immediately ordered his personal guards to set fire to various parts of the grain camp as a mere formality, burning empty stacks of grain.

When the fire broke out, Liu Bei had already led his men to retreat outside the camp.

"Is it done?" Zhang Fei asked anxiously.

"It's done." Liu Bei mounted his horse. "Send the signal for Guan Yu to provide support. We'll return to the front lines and prepare for the general offensive."

"Yes, sir!"

North Gate of Ye City.

When the ten men crawled out of the water gate, they were covered in a foul stench, but they carried a letter written by the garrison commander, offering to come out of the city and launch a pincer attack.

As soon as we landed, we saw a great fire breaking out to the north.

"The grain depot is burned down!" the veteran exclaimed excitedly.

"Quick, send the signal!" Qian Zhao took out a rocket, lit it, and launched three in a row.

Moments later, the sound of horses' hooves thundered in. Guan Yu's three hundred cavalrymen arrived, broke through the encirclement at the north gate, met up with Qian Zhao and the others, and charged out of the city.

The Yellow Turban rear camp was thrown into chaos, the fire spread, and cries shook the heavens.

A while ago, Han Zhong rushed out of the central command tent and saw the fire in the rear camp. His face turned pale.

"My supplies!?" he roared. "Quickly! Send troops to salvage the supplies!"

But it was too late.

To the east, Lu Zhi's main force began to beat drums in attack. To the west, the gates of Ye City suddenly opened wide, and the defending troops surged out like a tidal wave.

A pincer attack from three sides.

The Yellow Turban army, whose front lines were mostly composed of displaced people, collapsed instantly and scattered in all directions. The central army was thrown into chaos by the fleeing soldiers, and Han Zhong killed several men but could not stop them.

"Hold on! Hold on!" His eyes reddened as he personally led his elite troops against the flow of people, trying to capture enemy generals and flags to reverse the tide.

They ran right into Liu Bei.

In the firelight, the two armies faced each other.

Han Zhong, wielding a long spear and riding a yellow horse, saw that Liu Bei was young and grinned maliciously: "You're still wet behind the ears, yet you dare to stop me?"

Liu Bei did not answer, but spurred his horse forward.

The red cloud flew swiftly, reaching them in the blink of an eye. Han Zhong thrust his spear forward, but Liu Bei dodged to the side, slashing at Han Zhong's wrist with his sword. Han Zhong parried with his spear, and the two horses stumbled, each charging back more than ten paces before reining in their horses and turning around.

Round two.

Han Zhong's spear technique was ruthless and skilled, specializing in attacking the lower body. Liu Bei's sword was short, making close-quarters combat extremely dangerous.

Zhang Fei offered to help, but Guan Yu stopped him, saying, "Brother will be alright."

Round three.

Han Zhong's spear thrust missed, its force exhausted. Liu Bei seized the opportunity, switching his sword to his left hand and drawing a short sword from behind his saddle with his right—the one Cao Cao had given him, which he always carried with him.

The short sword was thrown.

Han Zhong ducked to avoid the blow, his helmet being slashed off. Before he could even look up, Liu Bei was already upon him, his sword slashing upwards.

"puff"

The sword penetrated three inches into his abdomen.

Han Zhong screamed and fell from his horse.

Liu Bei reined in his horse, sword pointed at Han Zhong's throat: "Han Zhong has been defeated! Those who surrender will be spared!"

The sound spread everywhere.

When the Yellow Turban Army saw their commander fall from his horse, their last bit of will to resist collapsed, and they all knelt down.

The battle ended as dawn broke.

Of the 50,000 Yellow Turban rebels, over 10,000 were killed or wounded, 30,000 surrendered, and the rest fled. The government troops suffered fewer than 2,000 casualties.

The gates of Ye City swung open, and the garrison commander Yang Feng led his troops out to greet them. He was a thin, middle-aged general, his armor tattered, but his eyes sharp.

"This humble general, Yang Feng, thanks Lord Lu for relieving the siege!" He knelt on one knee.

Lu Zhi helped him up: "General Yang has held out for more than a month and has rendered meritorious service to the country. I will certainly submit a memorial to the court to request commendation for the general."

Yang Feng smiled bitterly: "Of the soldiers who defended the city, less than three out of ten survived... There's no need to ask for credit; I only ask that Lord Lu provide generous care for the orphans."

"nature."

Upon entering the city, one sees only devastation.

Wounded soldiers lay on both sides of the street, groaning incessantly. Ordinary people peered out from the rubble, their eyes numb.

The prefectural governor's office was burned down, and temporary military tents were set up on the city wall.