Han Ji

"No," Liu Bei shook his head. "Their families are in the city, and they themselves are surrendered soldiers. What good will come of it if they go back? The most likely outcome is that they'll shut up and hide. But the fact that they go back is evidence in itself. The fact that the government troops are even letting surrendered soldiers go back shows what? It shows that Guangzong will definitely fall, and they don't care about these small fry."

Guan Yu nodded: "Winning hearts and minds is the best strategy."

That afternoon, the five surrendered soldiers were brought to the edge of the trench. They all had wives, children, and elderly parents in the city, and they knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

Liu Bei personally saw him off.

"You know what to say when you get back," he said, looking at the five men. "If you can get the city gates opened even a crack, I'll guarantee your whole family wealth. If not... at least bring your family members out, and I'll settle them."

The five men kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, General! Thank you, General!"

"Go."

The five men staggered toward the city gate. The guards on the city wall saw them and stirred, but did not fire any arrows, apparently recognizing them.

The city gate opened a crack, and the five people squeezed in before the gate closed again.

Liu Bei turned and returned to his camp.

The next two days were even more bizarre in the city.

The daytime was silent, but at night there were occasional commotions and flashes of light. Once, there was even a brief shout of battle, but it quickly subsided.

Li, the registrar, learned from the surrendered soldiers that rumors were indeed circulating in the city that Zhang Jiao was seriously ill and Bian Xi had seized power, but many of his old subordinates were still dissatisfied. The two factions were engaged in open and covert struggles, and dozens of people had already gone missing.

"Bian Xi is cleaning up the mess," Liu Bei judged. "If Zhang Jiao were still lucid, he would never allow internal strife. It seems... Zhang Jiao is truly finished."

"Should we take this opportunity to attack the city?" Zhang Fei rubbed his hands together, eager to fight.

"No," Lu Zhi rejected the idea at the military council. "Even a cornered beast will fight. Let them fall into complete chaos before we defeat them."

Three more days passed.

On the seventh day of the tenth lunar month, a cold rain began to fall in the early morning.

Liu Bei was awakened by hurried footsteps outside the tent. Jian Yong rushed in, soaking wet: "Brother! Something terrible has happened in the city!"

"explain."

"News from the surrendered soldiers: Last night, a fire broke out in the city, and Bian Xi was killed!"

Liu Bei suddenly stood up: "Where is Zhang Jiao?"

"Zhang Jiao..." Jian Yong gasped for breath, "I heard that upon hearing the news of Bian Xi's death, he vomited several liters of blood and fell into a coma. Now the city is leaderless, and several tribal leaders are vying for power!"

The rain was pouring outside the tent.

Liu Bei grabbed his sword: "Let's go see Lord Lu!"

Inside the central command tent, Lu Zhi was already clad in armor.

All the generals gathered, each with a solemn expression.

"Is the news confirmed?" Lu Zhi asked.

"It's confirmed," the military advisor in charge of intelligence said. "Our informants in the city also reported that there was a chaotic battle last night, with hundreds killed and wounded. Bian Xi's body was displayed at the north gate, and Zhang Jiao... is most likely dead."

A low murmur rippled through the tent.

Lu Zhi raised his hand to silence the murmurs and looked at Liu Bei: "Xuande, what do you think?"

"I believe the time is ripe," Liu Bei said, clasping his hands in a fist salute. "With Zhang Jiao dead, the Yellow Turbans' morale has collapsed. The city is in chaos, which is the perfect opportunity to break through. But we must not launch a direct attack; we should force them to open the city gates themselves."

"How do we force it?"

"Attack from all four sides, but leave one side open." Liu Bei walked to the map. "Attack fiercely from the east, south, and north, but leave the west side untouched. Send surrendered soldiers to shout: 'Only the ringleaders will be executed; those who were coerced will be spared. Those who surrender at the west gate will be spared.'"

Lu Zhi pondered, "What if they break out through the west gate?"

"The students have already laid an ambush of two thousand archers on the west bank of the Ming River," Liu Bei said. "Anyone attempting to break through will be attacked while they are crossing the river."

The generals looked at each other and nodded.

"Good." Lu Zhi slammed his hand on the table. "Issue the order: At noon today, attack from three sides! Xuande, you lead your troops to guard the west side, and the ambush troops are in position."

"yes!"

The order was given, and the camp immediately erupted in excitement.

Soldiers donned armor and carried weapons, inspecting bows and crossbows and moving ladders. Cooks hurried to prepare food, the aroma of meat broth mingling with the rain and filling the air.

When Liu Bei returned to the western camp, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had already completed the reorganization of their troops.

Four thousand men stood solemnly in the rain, their armor gleaming wet, their eyes filled with a chilling intensity.

Li Shun and the auxiliary soldiers from Zhuojun were also in the ranks. They had now been issued leather armor and short swords, and were considered regular soldiers.

"Brothers," Liu Bei said, his voice piercing the rain from the makeshift platform, "Guangzong City has fallen today! After this battle, Hebei will be at peace, and you can go home to see your parents, embrace your wives and children!"

The audience was silent, with only the sound of rain.

"But in war, there are always deaths." Liu Bei paused, then said, "I, Liu Bei, hereby swear: those who die in battle today, I will support their families! Those who are wounded, I will provide for them until their death! And those who return alive, we shall drink for three days straight, until we are completely drunk!"

"I swear to follow the general to the death!" Li Shun was the first to shout.

Then came the roar of four thousand men: "We will follow you to the death!"

The sound of the waves drowned out the sound of the rain.

Liu Bei drew his sword and pointed it at Guangzong City through the rain: "Let's go!"

The ambush troops on the west side quietly left their camp and slipped into the reeds on the west bank of the Ming River. Bows and crossbows were nocked, and logs and stones were put into position.

War drums resounded from the east, south, and north.

At noon, the general offensive began.

Ladders were erected on the city walls, and battering rams rammed the city gates. Arrows rained down like locusts, boiling oil was poured down, and screams and shouts of killing mingled together.

Guangzong City resembled a dying giant, struggling in the rain.

Liu Bei stood on the arrow tower on the west wall, staring intently at the west gate.

One hour, two hours.

The number of defenders on the city walls is dwindling, but they are still putting up a stubborn resistance.

"Damn it, why aren't you opening the gates yet?" Zhang Fei stamped his foot in frustration.

"It'll be soon." Guan Yu squinted. "Look, the guards at the west gate are starting to retreat."

Sure enough, the yellow turban flags at the west gate gradually thinned out, and figures gathered near the city gate, seemingly arguing.

Another half hour passed.

The rain gradually subsided.

Suddenly, the west gate slowly opened a crack.

A leader wearing tattered leather armor poked his head out and looked around.

Liu Bei raised his hand: "Speak out."

Dozens of surrendered soldiers shouted in unison, "Only the ringleaders will be punished; those who were coerced will be spared! Open the city gates and surrender, and your lives will be spared!"

The leader hesitated for a moment, then turned around and shouted something.

The door was opened wider, and a dozen or so Yellow Turban soldiers came out, threw down their weapons, and knelt on the muddy ground.

Then came dozens, then hundreds...

Like a dam bursting, countless figures poured out of the west gate. They abandoned their armor and weapons, staggered out, and knelt down in droves.

The Yellow Turban rebels, still resisting on the city walls, saw this and their morale completely collapsed. Some ran down the wall, while others jumped over it.

The offensive from the east, south, and north suddenly intensified, and the ladders were filled with government troops.

At three quarters past the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), Guangzong City fell.

When Liu Bei led his army into the city through the west gate, the streets were already filled with kneeling surrendered soldiers and civilians huddled in corners. Corpses lay strewn about, blood mixed with rainwater flowed, and the stench was overwhelming.

"Go to the prefect's residence!" Liu Bei ordered.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led the way, cutting down several Yellow Turban rebels who were still putting up a fight, and rushed straight to the center of the city.

The prefectural governor's mansion had been mostly burned down, and amidst the ruins, a group of Yellow Turban generals were kneeling and worshipping around a corpse.

The corpse lay on a makeshift wooden bed, dressed in a yellow Taoist robe, its face withered, and black blood still lingering at the corner of its mouth.

Zhang Jiao.

He really died.