Han Ji

That night, Liu Bei mustered his troops, and midnight arrived.

Suddenly, a fire broke out near the south gate, its flames illuminating half the sky. The sounds of drums and shouts of battle blended together, clearly audible even from this distance.

Lu Zhi made his move.

Liu Bei crouched behind the earthen slope outside the west gate, watching the torches on the city wall begin to move south. The speed was not fast, but it was definitely moving.

"Master Lu has put on quite a show," Guan Yu said in a low voice.

"It's our turn." Liu Bei stood up.

Behind the slope, a dark mass of wood. Not people, but logs. Five battering rams lay there, like five wild beasts waiting to devour their prey.

The cart was made of rough logs nailed together, with wheels salvaged from the village underneath. A battering ram, as thick as an adult's waist, hung in front, its top covered with sheet metal. The roof was covered with two layers of cowhide, which had just been pulled from the river that afternoon and was still dripping water.

It's simple, but it's enough.

"push."

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he was the first to step down the earthen slope. The others followed suit.

The battering rams began to move forward, their wheels creaking as they hit the ground. About thirty men, shirtless, surrounded each ram, pushing it. On either side, men held shields high above their heads.

A figure flickered on the city wall.

Then the arrow came down.

The first volley of arrows struck the cowhide with a series of thuds. The second volley hit its mark; a man pushing a cart was struck in the throat and fell without a sound. Those nearby immediately filled in for him.

"Hurry!" Zhang Fei shouted beside the second car, "Don't stop!"

The wheels ran over the corpse.

We were fifty paces from the city gate.

A sharp, piercing gong rang out from the city wall. More torches were lit, and people began throwing stones. A stone the size of a washbasin struck the top of the battering ram, the sound of breaking wood making your teeth ache. The ram was totaled.

"Keep pushing!" Liu Bei shouted from beside the third chariot.

Forty steps.

Boiling oil was poured over it.

Boiling oil was poured onto the hide of the first cart, followed by a torch being thrown down. With a whoosh, flames shot three feet high. The man pushing the cart had his hair and eyebrows on fire, but he still kept his head down and pushed.

"Add water!" Zhang Fei rushed over with a bucket and poured water onto the burning cowhide.

White steam hissed out.

Thirty steps.

The city gate was right in front of us. It was covered with sheet metal, and the door studs were as big as fists.

"Stop!" Liu Bei raised his hand.

Three battering rams remained lined up in front of the barbican gate. The arrows from the city walls intensified, and the shield bearers fell one after another.

"Hammer!"

The men pulled the battering ram back, tightening the ropes.

"put!"

The first muffled thud.

thump—

The city gate trembled, and dust fell from the walls. Shouts and curses came from behind the gate.

"Pull! Let go again!"

Boom!

The second blow was even harder. Through the crack in the door, you could see figures running around inside.

"They've made it onto the city wall!" Guan Yu pointed to the city wall.

More Yellow Turban soldiers appeared behind the battlements, some carrying crossbows. The crossbow bolts were more powerful than bows; one pierced through cowhide and lodged in the shoulder blade of the man pushing the cart. The man swayed but didn't let go.

"Zhang Liang is at the south gate," Liu Bei said, staring at the city wall. "The garrison here dares not act on its own. We must break through before they return to request permission!"

"Get out of the way!" Zhang Fei suddenly pushed aside the two men on the third vehicle, grabbed the rope himself, and shouted, "Get out of the way! I'll handle this!"

He couldn't pull the log by himself.

But he doesn't need to max it out.

Zhang Fei pulled the battering ram halfway, then suddenly let go and slammed his shoulder into the end of the ram.

Boom! ! !

This sound was different. The sound of wood cracking came from inside the city gate, clear and piercing.

"It's broken!" someone shouted.

"It's not broken yet!" Liu Bei drew his sword. "Continue!"

The three battering rams crashed into each other in succession. Thump, thump, thump, one after another, like the heartbeat of a giant.

The city gate began to deform.

The metal sheeting was dented in a large area, and the door panel was cracked in the middle. Through the crack, you could see torches inside, and terrified eyes.

"Give it your all!" Zhang Fei rammed into it again.

click-

This time it was the sound of a complete break.

The city gate collapsed inwards, raising a cloud of dust. The torchlight from inside the barbican suddenly burst forth, illuminating the blood-stained faces of everyone outside the gate.

"It's broken!!!" hundreds of people shouted at the same time.

Liu Bei was the first to rush forward.

He leaped into the barbican, stepping over the fallen door panel, his sword gripped tightly in his hand. Inside, a dozen or so Yellow Turban soldiers were retreating in panic; seeing someone enter, they instinctively raised their swords.

Liu Bei didn't give them time.

The sword grazed the first man's neck, then plunged into the second man's stomach. He kicked the third man to the ground, and the sword tip pierced his throat.

Clean and efficient, in three breaths.

"Hold the doorway!" he shouted, turning around.

Guan Yu has arrived.

He wore a green robe, carried a long sword, and had a red face. He burst through the broken door like a torrent. In a flash, two Yellow Turban soldiers wielding spears were cut in four at the waist.

"Cavalry!" Guan Yu roared outwards.

The sound of hooves was like thunder.

A thousand cavalrymen emerged from the darkness, their hooves trampling over the fallen city gate and into the barbican. The men beside the battering rams quickly made way, watching the torrent of iron cavalry surge through the city gate.

Chaos broke out inside the barbican.

There were originally only two hundred defenders here, but suddenly the gate was breached, followed by a cavalry charge. Guan Yu's horse knocked three men away, and his sword struck the inner gate bolt.

Wood chips flew everywhere.

"Open the inner gate!" Liu Bei arrived with his elite guards. "Open the city gate!"

Several suicide soldiers rushed towards the winch. The Yellow Turban soldiers guarding the winch tried to resist but were hacked to death.

The winch is rotating.

The chains rattled as the inner door slowly rose.

"Zhang Fei!" Liu Bei shouted.

"exist!"

"Take your men to the city wall and occupy the west gate!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Fei led his infantry onto the ramparts. Yellow Turban soldiers were still shooting arrows from the city walls, but the infantry cut them down one by one.

Liu Bei turned to look inside the barbican.

The battle was nearing its end. Cavalry charged back and forth inside the barbican, the Yellow Turban soldiers either dying or surrendering on their knees. Guan Yu's horse stopped beside the winch, blood dripping from the tip of his blade.

"Brother," Guan Yu said, "the city has fallen."

Liu Bei nodded and walked to the inner doorway.

The gate was fully raised. Outside lay the streets of Yingtao City, pitch black, but distant lights flickered—Zhang Liang's reinforcements were on their way.

"Blow the horn," Liu Bei said, "let Lord Lu know that the West Gate has been breached."

The bugle sounded, its long tone carrying far through the night sky.

The drumbeats from the south gate suddenly quickened, and the shouts of battle grew louder. Lu Zhi was intensifying his attack to tie down Zhang Liang's main force.

"What's next?" Guan Yu asked.

"As planned." Liu Bei wiped the blood off his sword. "I will lead the troops to attack the county government, Yide will occupy the city walls, and you will lead the cavalry straight to the granary to prevent the enemy from destroying the grain after their defeat."

Will Zhang Liang return to provide assistance?

"Whether he goes back or not, he's already lost," Liu Bei said. "If he goes back to reinforce, Lu Gong can enter through the south gate. If he doesn't, we'll storm in, seize the county government office, and kill him!"

The cavalry surged out of the inner gate, their iron hooves pounding on the bluestone streets, the sound audible throughout the entire city.

Liu Bei watched them walk away, then waved to the assassins behind him.

"Go to the county government office."

He stepped out of the inner gate and into the darkness of Yingtao City.