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

"Reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements from Runan have arrived!"

"Our lord has not forgotten us!"

"Reinforcements have finally arrived! We're saved!"

In Hefei, the exhausted garrison of Pang Tong was awakened by a distant cannon blast. They then saw flames filling the sky below Jiming Mountain, with the fire spreading all the way to Zhang Xun's camp below the city. Finally, they cheered with joy.

At this time, after Zhang Xun's troops bombarded Hefei with trebuchets at dusk, nearly half of the west gate wall had collapsed. Pang Tong repaired it with bricks and stones and then covered it with water, which quickly froze in the severe cold, barely maintaining the defense of the western side of the city.

Half a month ago, as the Jiangxia naval battle gradually subsided, Pang Tong led a small force from Wancheng to Hefei to personally oversee the construction of the new city and prepare for the first batch of craftsmen and their families who would move to Hefei after the spring. However, as soon as he arrived in Hefei, Zhang Xun and Yang Hong, former subordinates of Yuan Shu who were entrenched in Shouchun, suddenly led their troops south and cut off the connection between Hefei and Runan. Immediately afterwards, Cheng Pu's navy from the east arrived.

Pang Tong originally planned to hold his ground and wait for the enemy to run out of supplies before withdrawing. However, Lei Bo led more than a thousand of his men in a rebellion in the middle of the night, secretly opened the west gate, and let Zhang Xun's troops into the city.

Fortunately, Pang Tong noticed the unusual activity of Zhang Xun's troops cooking outside the city during the day and arranged for Gan Ning to patrol the city at night. Gan Ning was able to reach the west gate in time, kill the traitor Lei Bo in the barbican, and forcefully push back Zhang Xun's vanguard troops that had already entered the city, thus protecting the city gate and even briefly attacking Zhang Xun's main camp.

It was at that time that Pang Tong seized the opportunity to send his only letter of appeal to Runan and Wancheng for help.

With the besieging troops growing larger and larger, and Hefei having been desolate for a long time, with no food reserves except for the grain sent from Jingzhou, and with Lei Bo's rebellion, there were less than four thousand defenders left in the city. Pang Tong, Gan Ning, and Chen Lan had already made plans to break out of the city in a desperate situation.

The arrival of reinforcements at this time was like a godsend.

On the city wall, Gan Ning, unable to hide his excitement, said to Pang Tong, "Strategist! The reinforcements from Runan have arrived! Why don't we charge out of the city and attack them from both sides? We're sure to defeat them!"

Pang Tong's joy was much less intense. He waved his hand and said, "Absolutely not! We have few soldiers in the city, and it's difficult to distinguish friend from foe at night. We must not attack now."

After being blocked by Pang Tong, Gan Ning grew increasingly anxious as he listened to the deafening sounds of battle outside the city. After pacing back and forth, he said, "Although Zhang Xun's troops are a rabble, the Jiangdong army is numerous and powerful. If Jiangdong comes to our aid, won't the reinforcements be in grave danger?"

Pang Tong laughed and said, "Although we do not know who will come to our rescue, they must be a brave and resourceful person. Xingba, look towards the direction of Mount Shu."

Upon hearing this, Gan Ning turned to look at the Great Shu Mountain in the southwest. Sure enough, the entire mountain was covered in red light, as if countless soldiers were crossing the mountain.

Also looking at Mount Dashu were a group of generals from the Jiangdong Central Army Camp in the south of the city.

Half an hour ago, a sudden drumbeat woke the generals of Jiangdong from their sleep.

Then came a constant stream of urgent reports from the soldiers—

"Report! Liu Bei's main reinforcement force has appeared in the direction of Mount Da Shu!"

"Report! Zhang Xun's granary at Jiming Mountain has been burned down!"

"Report! Zhang Xun has been killed, and Liu Bei's reinforcements have breached the defenses of Mount Shu!"

"Report! Zhang Xun's main camp west of the city has fallen!"

"Report! General Yang Hong requests your immediate assistance!"

Cheng Pu's face turned ashen as he listened to the frequent reports of defeats, which sounded like tales of death.

At first, when they heard that Liu Bei's reinforcements had arrived, the generals of Jiangdong were still discussing it. But as the reports of defeats came more and more frequently, no one spoke anymore.

"Hmph, I said it before, Zhang Xun and his ilk are nothing but bandits, we can't count on them." Chen Wu, standing behind Cheng Pu, suddenly snorted coldly.

Liu Ye, who was in charge of liaison between the two armies in this battle, was in the Jiangdong army camp. He was clearly dissatisfied with these words and retorted, "General Chen, our friendly forces are in trouble. Not only do you refuse to help them, but you also insult them. Isn't that too frivolous?"

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Cheng Pu turned to Liu Ye and bowed, saying, "Mr. Ziyang, it's not that we are unwilling to help, but as you can see, the Great Shu Mountain is swarming with bandits. How can we possibly help them in this situation?"

Liu Ye was speechless for a moment and stopped talking.

Seeing this, Chen Wu immediately retorted, "If you hadn't repeatedly assured our lord that Liu Bei's army would be defeated in Nanyang and that this opportunity was not to be missed, why would we have hastily raised our troops?"

Before they had gone halfway, they learned that Cao Cao had suffered a great defeat, and the gentleman said that Liu Bei's army was severely weakened and would be unable to come to their aid.

"After besieging Hefei for ten days without success, you said yesterday that you now have a powerful weapon called the trebuchet, and the city will fall in no time—"

"Now, instead of the city falling, Liu Bei's army has attacked, and Zhang Xun's troops have been routed in a single battle. Do you, sir, consider the lives of the men of Jiangdong to be a game?!"

Under Chen Wu's relentless questioning, Liu Ye's face flushed red and then paled.

Liu Ye himself was also puzzled. How could Cao Cao, who was almost invincible, have suffered defeats since he started following him, first at Runan, then at Guandu, then at Yancheng and Wancheng, and even had to flee for his life for two hundred miles... Could it be that he was the one who suffered these defeats?

Meanwhile, the generals of Jiangdong, led by Chen Wu, began to complain about Liu Ye.

"Could it be that Cao Cao is so afraid of Liu Bei that he wants Jiangdong to stand up for him?"

"Why doesn't Mr. Liu Ye go himself to save Yang Hong and his gang of bandits?"

"Lord Cao has fought Liu Bei many times and must know his enemy well. I presume Mr. Liu Ye already has a strategy to defeat him? Please enlighten me!"

The generals of Jiangdong launched into a barrage of sarcastic remarks, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.

"Enough!" Cheng Pu shouted.

"Mr. Liu Ye is a distinguished guest of our lord, you must not be so presumptuous!" Cheng Pu drew his sword from his waist and slammed it into the ground, glaring angrily at the officers.

"Lord Cheng, please calm your anger. It was my slip of the tongue. Please punish me." Facing the most respected old general in Jiangdong, Chen Wu was the first to back down, bowing and saying.

The crowd followed suit, some bowing, some kneeling, all saying in unison, "Please punish us, Lord Cheng!"

"Whether Zhang Xun is here or not, we will all fight for our lord. Anyone who disrupts our morale will be executed!" Cheng Pu finished his tirade, and everyone became solemn.

Zhuge Jin, who had remained silent throughout, now saw that the army's morale had finally stabilized and reminded them: "Lord Cheng, Mr. Ziyang, General Chen Wu, with a formidable enemy at hand, how to defeat them is probably the most important thing."

The group stopped looking at the flames that covered the Great Shu Mountain and followed Cheng Pu back to their tent.

"Mr. Ziyang, I believe that Yang Hong's forces are doomed to defeat, and it is unlikely that they can stop Liu Bei's reinforcements from entering the city," Cheng Pu said calmly to Liu Ye.

Liu Ye remained silent, which was tantamount to acknowledging Cheng Pu's statement: Zhang Xun was dead, and Yang Hong's remaining troops... were just pawns anyway, so let fate decide.

"Mr. Ziyu, what do you think our army should do to defeat the enemy?" Cheng Pu asked, turning to Zhuge Jin after seeing that Liu Ye did not object.

Zhuge Jin did not directly answer Cheng Pu's question, but instead muttered to himself, "They have come from afar and their strength is formidable. Our army could have waited in comfort, but unexpectedly, Zhang Xun's troops collapsed at the first contact, and the opportunity has been lost."

"The army is on a long expedition, so there should be a lot of supplies and provisions, but there's still no sign of them... Hmm..." Just as he was muttering to himself, a soldier rushed into the tent.

"Report! Yang Hong's remaining troops have fled towards Shouchun, and Liu Bei's reinforcements have entered Hefei!"

Zhuge Jin was not distracted by the lowly soldier. He suddenly raised his head and said, "I believe that to take Hefei, we should first cut off its supply lines. Starting tomorrow, the Xiaoyaojin navy will continue to attack the city. The main camp here will be fortified with deep moats and high walls. We will secretly send a surprise force to raid Dashu Mountain and cut off its supply lines. In this way, the day when the city falls will not be far off."

After listening, Cheng Pu pondered the plan repeatedly in front of the map and then asked, "Mr. Ziyu, this plan is indeed good. We will decide on a course of action tomorrow after we have ascertained the strength of Liu Bei's reinforcements."

Seeing that the plan had been decided, everyone went outside the tent. The sounds of fighting in the west of the city gradually subsided, and the fires on Mount Da Shu had almost disappeared. Seeing that Liu Bei's reinforcements had no intention of attacking their camp, the generals and officers of the Jiangdong army returned to their camps to rest.

Meanwhile, in Hefei city, a completely different, bustling scene unfolded.

After being besieged for several days, the drawbridge at the West Gate was wide open, and the defending troops and reinforcements were busy going in and out, clearing trenches, repairing city walls, and taking inventory of supplies.

At the city gate, Zhou Cang and Liao Hua encountered Gan Ning and Chen Lan.

"My benefactor! It's you, my benefactor!" Gan Ning exclaimed in surprise as he saw Zhou Cang on horseback.

Upon seeing Gan Ning, Zhou Cang exclaimed with delight, "General Gan! It is thanks to General Gan that Hefei has held firm!"

"My benefactor has come from afar and has performed another great service. Hurry and enter the city, where Military Advisor Pang is waiting for you!" Gan Ning said, bowing from his horse.

"Where are General Gan and General Chen going?" Zhou Cang asked, puzzled, seeing that Gan Ning and Chen Lan were in a hurry.

"We are here on the orders of our military advisor to persuade Yang Hong to surrender in Shouchun. Speed ​​is of the essence in war, so please forgive us for taking our leave now!" Gan Ning and his companion bowed and spurred their horses onward toward Jiming Mountain, with five hundred cavalrymen following closely behind.

"This strategist Pang's use of troops is indeed extraordinary..." Liao Hua murmured to himself as he watched Gan Ning and the other man leave.

After the two went up to the city wall, they saw Pang Tong deep in thought, gazing at a map.

"Strategist! Zhou Cang has been ordered to come to our aid and is awaiting your command!" Zhou Cang shouted, startling Pang Tong.

Pang Tong turned around and said, "So it's Yuanfu! I wondered who was so brave and resourceful as to travel all the way to Hefei to make fun of Jiangdong."

Zhou Cang laughed heartily and said, "Your petty tricks can't fool the strategist."

"Who is this young general?" Pang Tong asked Liao Hua.

"I am Liao Hua! I await your command, strategist!" Liao Hua hurriedly knelt and bowed upon first meeting Pang Tong.

"I've heard of him, General Liao, please rise!" Pang Tong was pleased to see Liao Hua's respectful manner and stepped forward to help him up.

"Strategist, we have brought a total of one thousand armored soldiers, one thousand cavalry, and two thousand infantry. Please arrange where we will set up camp," Zhou Cang quickly asked before Pang Tong could speak.

Pang Tong nodded. This number was not much different from what he had expected. After all, Runan was too close to Cao Cao, and it was already the limit to be able to transfer so many people to Huainan.

"Where are the lord and Yuanzhi?" Pang Tong asked.

"They are all in Jingzhou."

"In that case, you two will set up camp at the foot of Jiming Mountain with a thousand armored soldiers and cavalry, forming a pincer movement with me. All infantry will enter the city to rest. I will make arrangements when Gan Ning and the others return." Pang Tong quickly made the arrangements.

"Strategist, may I ask why you are in such a hurry to persuade Yang Hong to surrender?" Zhou Cang couldn't help but ask.

"Zhang Xun and Yang Hong have been entrenched in Shouchun for a long time. Their army has just suffered a defeat and their morale has completely collapsed. If we do not take this opportunity to persuade them to surrender and allow Yang Hong to escape back to Shouchun, the consequences will be disastrous," Pang Tong explained to the two men with a smile.

"The strategist's insight is brilliant!" Zhou Cang thought to himself with admiration.

Liao Hua looked at Pang Tong with the same admiration as a devoted fan.

"Eight thousand men, hmm, more than enough. Let me see just how formidable your so-called 'Tiger and Wolf Army of Jiangdong' really is..."

As Pang Tong spoke, he picked up his pen, turned around, and slowly drew a circle around the location of the Jiangdong military camp on the map.