Han Ji

"you..."

Liu Bei didn't give him a chance to call for help. He strode forward, sword pointed at his throat: "Don't move."

Two guards inside the tent drew their swords, but were tackled by an old soldier behind Liu Bei, who stabbed them in the heart with a short sword.

Du Yuan's face turned deathly pale: "How...how did you get in?"

"Qiaodao," Liu Bei said, pushing his sword forward half an inch, "have your men open the city gates and surrender."

"Dream on!" Du Yuan gritted his teeth. "I..."

Before he could finish speaking, a fire broke out in the direction of the granary behind the gate, billowing thick smoke.

Next, from the direction of the stables, the horses neighed in alarm and fled in all directions.

The sounds of fighting erupted from the gate tower, and Zhang Fei's roar was like thunder: "Your grandpa Zhang is here! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

Du Yuan's face was ashen.

"Surrender, and you may live." Liu Bei stared at him. "If you don't surrender, you will die now."

There was a commotion of footsteps outside the tent. A guard rushed in, but was stunned by what he saw.

"Send the order..." Du Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed, "Open the city gates... surrender."

The guards hesitated.

"Go now!" Du Yuan roared.

The guards turned and ran.

A moment later, the door slowly opened.

Outside the pass, Lu Zhi saw the signal and led his troops in.

The battle ended quickly. Most of the defending troops surrendered, while a small number resisted but were wiped out.

At noon, Wu'an Pass changed hands.

Results of the battle: Over a hundred were beheaded and two thousand were captured. Eleven government troops were killed and nineteen wounded in the suicide squad.

Standing atop the gate tower, Liu Bei gazed northwards.

The mountains rise one after another, and further north lies Julu County, Zhang Jiao's stronghold.

"Brother," Zhang Fei walked over, "Now that we've taken this level, shouldn't we move on to Julu?"

"Yes." Liu Bei nodded, "But we have to wait for Lord Lu's deployment."

"I can't wait any longer," Zhang Fei grinned. "Let's finish this quickly so we can go home."

Come back home.

Liu Bei thought of the small courtyard south of Luoyang, his mother, and the green grass on his uncle's grave in Zhuo County.

There is also Xun Cai.

The jade pendant was warm and smooth against my heart.

"Yes," he said. "After the war, I'll go home."

Guan Yu went up to the gate tower and stood beside Liu Bei, and together they looked north.

The wind blew through the pass, carrying the smells of blood and burnt smoke.

But in the wind, there seemed to be a hint of freedom from afar.

Further north, there is Julu.

Zhang Jiao was waiting.

A million Yellow Turbans are waiting.

Even more devastating bloodshed awaits.

But at this moment, standing on Wu'an Pass, Liu Bei suddenly felt that although the road was long, every step he took was on solid ground.

Behind them lay the recovered Hanoi and Weijun.

Before him lay a giant deer, waiting to be subdued.

Surrounded by brothers who would share life and death.

He placed his hand on his sword and looked toward the northern horizon.

"Yun Chang, Yi De."

"exist."

"Get ready," Liu Bei said. "The real battle is about to begin."

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly: "My blade has long been thirsty."

Zhang Fei laughed heartily: "My spear is too!"

Laughter echoed through the pass.

In the distance, Lu Zhi's army was entering the pass, its banners waving.

Further away, towards Ye City, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys as people begin to rebuild their homes.

As Liu Bei watched, his mind gradually calmed down.

Though times of chaos are bitter, the human spirit has not died.

This battle can still be fought.

We must continue fighting.

Julu County, on the south bank of the continental marshland.

The water surface is vast, and the reeds stretch to the sky. It is June, the reeds are green, and when the wind blows, the green waves rise and fall like the sea.

When Liu Bei arrived at Ze Nan with his vanguard of 5,000 men, it was already afternoon. Scouts reported: There was a large Yellow Turban camp in Ze Bei, with banners flying everywhere, estimated to number 30,000 to 40,000.

"Who will lead the troops?" Liu Bei asked.

"Zhu Tao, a general under Zhang Jiao." The scout wiped his sweat. "This man is fierce and has fought many tough battles."

Liu Bei dismounted and climbed the earthen slope to look into the distance.

The Zebei camp was neatly set up, complete with trenches, fences, and watchtowers. Cavalry could be faintly seen moving about in the camp, their armor gleaming.

"They are not a rabble," Guan Yu said from the side.

"Zhang Jiao has placed his elite troops here to use the water and marshland to hold us back." Liu Bei pointed to the marshland, "Look, there are boat shadows in the reeds."

"An online army?" Zhang Fei stared wide-eyed.

"Small sampans can't carry many people, but they're familiar with the terrain and can harass people back and forth." Liu Bei turned around and ordered, "Send orders to set up camp with our backs to the river, and set up a wagon formation in front of the camp, with plenty of bows and crossbows."

"Backwater?" Jian Yong frowned. "Brother, the Art of War says..."

"I know that having our backs to the river is a risky move," Liu Bei interrupted him, "but this place is flat and has no natural defenses. With the great marsh behind us, at least we don't have to worry about being attacked from behind."

Qian Zhao nodded: "That makes sense. Moreover, most of our troops are from the north and are not used to naval warfare. If we set up camp too close to the water, we will be easily attacked."

"That's settled then." Liu Bei waved his hand. "Hurry up, the camp must be up and running before dark."

Five thousand men sprang into action. Chariots formed an outer circle, their shafts linked together, with shields erected behind them. The palisades were buried in the ground, then watered and tamped down. The trenches were dug wide and deep, with bamboo spikes inserted into the bottom.

They worked until the sun was setting, and the camp was beginning to take shape.

As Liu Bei and Guan Yu were inspecting the defense line, the sound of drums suddenly came from the marshland to the north.

Dozens of small boats rushed out from the reeds, each carrying three or four people, armed with bows and crossbows, and shot arrows at the shore. The arrows were sparse but accurate, and several soldiers digging trenches fell to the ground, struck by arrows.

"Shield!" Liu Bei shouted.

The shield bearers stepped forward to protect the soldiers at work. But the small boats were agile; they fired a few shots and then retreated back into the reeds, only to reappear in another spot.

"Damn it, it's like a mosquito!" Zhang Fei raised his spear to give chase, but Liu Bei held him back.

"Don't chase, watch out for ambushes."

"So we'll just let them shoot like that?"

Liu Bei looked at Qian Zhao and said, "Zijing, select fifty skilled archers to aim specifically at the boatmen. Shoot the men, not the boats."

Qian Zhao nodded and led the people away.

A moment later, the bowstring twanged, and several yellow-turbaned soldiers on small boats were hit by arrows and fell into the water. The remaining boats hurriedly retreated.

But the harassment didn't stop. After nightfall, the small boat arrived again, this time without a fire, silently approaching the shore, taking out two sentries, and by the time they were discovered, they had already retreated back into the marsh.

The soldiers were disturbed all night and could not sleep peacefully.

As dawn broke, Liu Bei's eyes were bloodshot.

"We can't afford to waste time like this," he said to his generals. "Zhu Tao is trying to wear down our morale before engaging in a decisive battle."

"Then let's settle this with him!" Zhang Fei slammed his fist on the table.

"How do we decide?" Liu Bei pointed to Zebei. "He has the great marshland at his back and reeds on his flank for cover. A frontal assault would result in heavy losses."

Guan Yu pondered, "Brother, could we lure him out?"

"Be specific."

"Today we will feign a retreat, and he will surely think our army is cowardly and may lead his troops in pursuit," Guan Yu said. "Then we can ambush him halfway and defeat him."

Liu Bei thought for a moment and shook his head: "Zhu Tao is not a reckless man, he may not be fooled."

Everyone fell silent.

Jian Yong suddenly spoke up: "Brother, how about... we start a verbal battle?"

"A verbal battle?"

"Right." Jian Yong grinned. "Find a few loudmouths and have them go to his camp and hurl insults at him, making sure they're the most offensive ones. Zhu Tao is known as a fierce general in Nanyang, and he's very concerned about his reputation; he won't tolerate this."

Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei's eyes lit up: "I'm an expert at this!"

Guan Yu nodded, "It's worth a try."

"Alright." Liu Bei made the decision. "Yide, you take three hundred cavalry to provoke them. Yunchang, you take a thousand archers and lie in ambush in the reeds on the left. Zijing, you take a thousand cavalry and lie in ambush behind the earthen slope on the right. I will lead the main force to form a battle formation in front of the camp. If Zhu Tao comes out to fight, we will fight and retreat, luring him into the encirclement."