I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

Two hours before Zhang Xiu was to surrender, Liu Bei summoned all his generals to the central camp north of the city.

"Brother, you can't go!" Zhang Fei was furious when he learned of Zhang Xiu's demand that Liu Bei enter the city alone on horseback.

Kuai Yue also advised, "My lord, my master has a close relationship with Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu. These are both fickle and unpredictable men; they should not be trusted lightly!"

Zhao Yun frowned and said, "If our lord enters the city alone and something goes wrong, we won't know how to act. It's best not to go!"

Seeing that everyone was against it, Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu, who also shook his head in disagreement.

After all the dissenting voices had been expressed, Xu Shu slowly spoke up, saying, "I also believe that this matter is extremely risky, but it may be worth a try."

"Strategist, do you intend to put my elder brother in danger?" Zhang Fei looked at Xu Shu with displeasure.

"Third brother, don't talk nonsense!" Liu Bei's first words were to stop Zhang Fei from attacking Xu Shu.

Seeing that Liu Bei supported him, Xu Shu continued, "Gongyou has sent a letter saying that if we continue the siege, our supplies will not last more than a month."

"Last night, Zhang Xiu sent his son to surrender. Judging from his words and manner, he seemed unwilling to accept defeat and did not appear to be a person who was feigning surrender. He was outwardly flattering but inwardly suspicious."

"Moreover, I believe that Zhang Xiu did not do this in order to surrender."

After Xu Shu finished speaking, the generals in the tent looked at each other in bewilderment. Wen Ping asked, "If not to surrender, then what is the matter?"

"It is for choosing a master," Xu Shu said.

"Xiu once followed Zhang Ji in attacking Chang'an, experienced the chaos of Li Jue and Guo Si, and had many dealings with Jing Sheng Gong in Wancheng. Later he surrendered to Cao Cao. After all, he was a local hero with great knowledge and his plans were not small."

"Now that I wish to serve a new lord, I have taken this action, entering the city on horseback to invite you, to test your courage and strategy."

"I believe that this is the reason."

After Xu Shu finished explaining, the generals in the tent gradually understood the meaning of Xu Shu's words, "not to surrender."

Kuai Yuezhi nodded in agreement, saying, "Yuanzhi is right. In the past, my lord also entered Jingzhou alone on horseback, which led to his current dominance in Jingxiang."

Liu Bei then stood up from his desk and said, "What the strategist says is exactly what I think. I wish to recruit talented people and generals from all over the world. What is there to fear if I enter the city on horseback?"

"Moreover, with several generals stationed elsewhere, there is no need to worry."

Seeing that everyone no longer objected, Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief and instructed Xu Shu to begin preparing for the surrender.

At the stroke of dawn, the gates of the North Camp opened, and a line of soldiers lined up and sounded the bugle.

Liu Bei, wearing a tall crown and a purple brocade robe, rode slowly from the main tent.

Kuai Yue and Xu Shu followed closely behind, followed by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Wen Pin, Wang Wei, Zhao Yun, and Zhou Cang, all lined up in a row.

The generals escorted Liu Bei all the way to the city walls.

The drawbridge of the city gate was slowly lowered, and horns sounded from the city walls. Two hundred guards from inside the city gate lined up and stood in formation below the city walls.

Once the soldiers had formed ranks, a man on the city wall shouted, "Please invite Lord Liu into the city!"

The soldiers guarding the city walls dropped their weapons, knelt down, and shouted in unison, "Please, Lord Liu, enter the city!"

Liu Bei and his generals saw from afar that behind the city gate, two people were kneeling on the ground, holding a wooden tray in their hands, with a coffin behind them.

He then turned back and nodded to his generals, before decisively urging his horse to slowly cross the drawbridge.

At the city gate, Liu Bei dismounted and walked into the city.

Upon seeing Liu Bei enter, the honor guards on both sides of the city gate shouted in unison, "Please welcome Lord Liu into the city!"

The sound echoed through the city gate, its momentum quite magnificent.

Liu Bei remained calm and solemnly approached Zhang Xiu.

"This sinful subject Zhang Xiu is willing to surrender to Lord Liu!" Zhang Xiu, dressed in plain robes and accompanied by his son Zhang Quan, raised his official seal high and said to Liu Bei.

The crowd outside the city gate watched the city from all angles.

From afar, one could see Liu Bei bending down to help Zhang Xiu up, holding his hand and saying something to him.

After exchanging only a few words, Zhang Xiu suddenly handed the seal of office to Zhang Quan beside him, then knelt down and solemnly kowtowed to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei bent down once again and helped Zhang Xiu up.

Then Liu Bei took Zhang Xiu's hand, and the three of them walked back to the city gate together.

Zhang Xiu knelt before Liu Bei's generals and said, "This sinful subject Zhang Xiu begs all generals to follow me into the city!"

Only then did the group feel completely relieved, dismounted, and followed Liu Bei and Zhang Xiu into the city.

According to the previous agreement, Wen Pin and Wang Wei will temporarily take over the defense of Wancheng.

Zhang Xiu remained the governor of Nanyang, and together with his son Zhang Quan, he served under Liu Bei, while Liu Bei moved his troops to Bowang.

Before their departure, Xu Shu and Liu Bei saw Kuai Yue off at the Guali Ferry crossing as he returned to Jingzhou.

"Your Excellency and Strategist's military tactics this time have truly impressed me!" Kuai Yue smiled and bowed to Liu Bei and Xu Shu.

Liu Bei quickly returned the greeting, saying, "You flatter me! Without Lord Jingsheng's assistance, I truly wouldn't have dared to even consider this battle. Please convey my gratitude to Lord Jingsheng on my behalf, Mr. Yidu!"

Kuai Yue replied, "You are too modest, my lord! Your troops have been routed without a trace. I wish you a resounding victory in your campaign against Cao Cao. I would like to host a banquet for you in Xiangyang!"

"Tomorrow, I will certainly visit Jing Sheng Gong and Mr. [Name] again in Jingzhou!"

"Alright, Your Excellency, please wait! Yuanzhi, please wait!"

After saying goodbye, Kuai Yue boarded a small boat and headed straight for Jingzhou to report back.

Unconsciously, Liu Bei and Xu Shu walked towards the watchtower again.

Outside Wancheng, soldiers were busy clearing the camp. Liu Bei and Xu Shu looked at this scene from afar, their hearts filled with many emotions.

Before Xu Shu could speak, Liu Bei took the initiative to recount the details of accepting Zhang Xiu's surrender that morning.

"When I surrendered, Zhang Xiu asked me what I should do if he, Zhang Xiu, were ever surrounded by others."

Xu Shu remained silent, quietly watching Liu Bei.

"I told him that if he were ever besieged, I, Liu Bei, would do everything in my power to personally rescue him. Every word is true, and heaven and earth bear witness."

After I finished speaking, Zhang Xiu bowed again, expressing his willingness to serve my army.

Xu Shu nodded. Zhang Xiu's dilemma was indeed not surrendering, but choosing a lord.

"Yuanzhi, what are your plans for the future?"

"What is your opinion, my lord?"

Liu Bei gazed in the direction of Wancheng, gently tapping the railing as he pondered.

"It has been more than two months since we began our campaign, and I see that the soldiers are all exhausted. I fear that another major battle will not be enough to secure victory. It would be better to rest and recuperate for the time being. What do you think, strategist?"

"My lord, you are wise. I believe that our army has now captured Yancheng, Wancheng, and Bowang. These three places all need to be managed and recuperated. In addition, there are tens of thousands of troops in Lujiang and Wancheng that urgently need to be dealt with. It would be better to postpone the war."

Liu Bei nodded in agreement, then said, "I just don't know what Yuan Shu and Cao Cao will do."

Xu Shu said, "In my opinion, Cao Ren's retreat without a fight this time shows that the Cao traitor has suffered heavy losses and should not be able to launch an attack southward in the short term."

"My lord, I believe that both Bowang and Yancheng are easy to defend and difficult to attack. It would be better to leave three thousand troops in each city to garrison them, and follow Cao Cao's method of 'military farming' to support the war effort with grain."

"Zhang Xiu led a thousand men to cultivate land in Wancheng. As for the harvest, it can be divided equally with Liu Jingsheng. The rest of the troops will return to Runan to recuperate."

"My second brother is a steady and reliable man; he is suitable to garrison Bowang. What does the strategist think?"

"I think it would be better to leave General Zilong in Bowang, as I have other important responsibilities as Yunchang."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei turned to look at Xu Shu, only to find that Xu Shu had his hands behind his back, leaning on the railing and gazing southeast.

"Does the strategist refer to Lujiang?"

"Exactly!"