The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

Jiangdong, Wu County.

In Sun Jian's mansion, the Imperial Seal of the State was displayed on the table.

But as Sun Jian looked at it, his brows furrowed more and more, and he felt increasingly uneasy!

"Yuan Shao is dead."

He looked up at Sun Ce and Zhou Yu below the steps:

"Liu Bei has taken over Ji Province and is about to control half of the country."

What... should we do?

Sun Ce stepped forward: "Father, what are you afraid of? Our Jiangdong army is well-trained and well-supplied, and we have the natural barrier of the Yangtze River."

Even if Liu Bei is strong, can he really cross the river?

At this moment, Zhou Yu seemed to have entered his complete form, as if another soul had returned!

He shook his head: "Bo Fu must not be careless."

Liu Bei possessed the righteous cause of eliminating Dong Zhuo, controlled four provinces, and had the strategies of Li Chang and Jia Xu, as well as the bravery of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Lü Bu.

Now that Yuan Shao has just died, Hebei will fall into his hands sooner or later. Yuan Shu will also be defeated sooner or later.

Time is running out for us!

"How about we devise a plan to sow discord between Liu Biao and Huang Zu in Jiangxia?"

His plan and strategy were perfect, but unfortunately, Huang Zu of Jiangxia still hasn't solved it.

Sun Jian picked up the imperial seal, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be quite heavy.

He found this jade seal in the ruins of Luoyang and thought it was a sign from heaven.

But now, Liu Bei occupies two capitals, holds the reins of righteousness, and is about to possess half of the country.

This jade seal of his was like a hot potato.

"Pass on my orders." Sun Jian put the imperial seal back into its box. "Prepare the army for war. Keep a close eye on Jiangxia!"

They sent envoys to Jiangxia to spread rumors.

"Here you are."

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

The world order changed overnight.

Yuan Shao fell, and Liu Bei rose.

Liu Yan died quietly, but it had little impact.

……

The city walls of Ye City were scorching hot under the scorching August sun, and fine cracks appeared on the plaster.

The locusts in the fields are still swarming.

Zhang Fei circled the city three times, and his vanguard troops set up siege ladders three times, but they were all driven back by rolling stones and logs.

The arrows rained down from the city walls like a swarm of locusts, so dense that the attacking soldiers couldn't even lift their heads.

"Damn it! This Shen Pei is quite good at defending!" Zhang Fei wiped the sweat from his face, slammed his eighteen-foot spear on the ground, sending dust flying everywhere.

After several days of siege, the city's defenses remained unmoved.

They couldn't even break through the city walls, let alone breach it.

Although Yuan Shao was dead, Shen Pei managed to defend Ye City like an impregnable fortress.

Most of the families of the powerful clans in Hebei were in the city, and they all fought to the death to defend their homes. Surprisingly, no one surrendered the city!

Zhang Fei doesn't seem to make any sense at all!

Three days later, Liu Bei's central army slowly arrived at Ye.

The procession moved slowly, with refugees lining the route.

The severe drought was followed by a locust plague, turning the fields in Hebei into barren wastelands. The locusts blotted out the sky and devoured even the grass roots and tree bark.

The people, young and old, fled westward along the official road, their faces pale and emaciated. Some collapsed by the roadside and could never get up again.

Liu Bei made arrangements along the way, ordering his soldiers to set up porridge sheds and distribute miscellaneous grains, which slowed down the march by half.

When they arrived at Ye City, he didn't discuss attacking the city first. Instead, he urged the setting up of soup kitchens outside the city so that people could be saved before discussing anything else.

"How's Shen Pei doing?" Liu Bei pecked at the porridge residue on his hand and looked up at the city wall.

Cheng Yu shook his head and said:

"Shen Pei is stubborn. We tried to persuade him to surrender twice, but he cursed us both times. He said he had received great favors from the Yuan family and swore to live and die with Ye City. He even cursed our lord."

Liu Bei sighed: "Shen Zhengnan can be considered a loyal and righteous man."

He then sent another letter into the city, telling him that if he surrendered, he would guarantee the safety of the Yuan clan.

Soon, the surrender letter shot onto the city wall was thrown back untouched.

On the city wall, Shen Pei stood in full armor, leaning against the parapet and shouting loudly: "Liu Bei, you traitor! You usurped the court and proclaimed yourself Duke of Jin! I am a retainer of the Yuan family, how can I serve two masters!"

"Come and attack if you want the city! I'd rather lose my head than surrender the city!"

Liu Bei looked up at the city wall and shook his head: "He is loyal, but too foolish."

"Alright, let's surround them first. When their supplies run out and morale collapses, they'll naturally fall."

As they were talking, billowing dust rose up from the official road to the south.

"My lord! The Grand Commander's grain convoy has arrived!"

Liu Bei's eyes lit up, and he quickly took small steps to meet him.

The long convoy of grain carts stretched as far as the eye could see, piled not only with grain sacks, but also with bundles of dried herbs and cartloads of clean cloth.

In the middle of the procession, thousands of people dressed as physicians rode horses and carried medicine chests; they were Hua Tuo and his disciples.

Li Chang came from the front of the group, covered in dust, with dirt clinging to his collar and cuffs, and he used a feather to shield his face from the dust.

"Big brother."

Liu Bei stepped forward, patted his arm heavily, and spoke with a hoarse voice, his voice filled with concern:

"Fourth brother, you've lost weight!"

Li Chang looked down at his toes. Luckily, he hadn't gained weight and was still as handsome as ever! He could still be that jade-like young master.

Jia Xu and Cheng Yu exchanged a glance. He's obviously gained several pounds!

Looks like they've had too much merit!

Li Chang shook his head, his face righteous: "It's all for the people of the Han Dynasty!"

Jia Cheng: "..."

Yes, just like us!

Liu Bei nodded emphatically, "The same goes for us!"

Looking at the provisions, he said with relief:

"Fortunately, the supplies have arrived. A few days later, the people outside the city wouldn't have been able to hold on. This locust plague is already in August, and it still hasn't stopped..."

"We've been delayed on the road for a few days. The counties along the way are distributing grain to help the people, so we can't move fast." Li Chang wiped the dust off his face and pointed to the team behind him.

"There is enough grain to feed the army and the people for several months, and we have also prepared enough medicine for epidemic prevention."

Mr. Hua personally brought his disciples, over a thousand people, all knowledgeable about epidemics.

Even new students who have only learned a few words have to come and help out, learning on the job, and they don't even need a salary!

As a medical student, this is a blessing that you can only dream of!

Some people even have to pay money to get an internship, and some don't even have that opportunity!

"Brother, there are a few things that need to be passed down immediately, or something terrible will happen."

Dispatch your generals to quickly pacify the counties and prefectures of Ji Province! Encircle Ye City with your main force!

A severe drought is always followed by a major epidemic. After a locust plague, the fields are littered with corpses, making it the easiest place for disease to spread.

Generals should take note:

First, all the corpses of civilians and soldiers who died in battle along the road must be buried in deep pits and disinfected with lime as much as possible; no corpses should be left exposed in the wilderness.

Second, the drinking water in the army and soup kitchens must be boiled. We have already brought a lot of coal, and no one is allowed to drink raw water!

Third, any civilians or soldiers suffering from fever or diarrhea should be immediately moved to isolation sheds and not allowed to live with ordinary people.

Finally, we turn to Hua Tuo:

"Mr. Hua, take your disciples and go to each camp and resettlement point to keep watch. Report any abnormalities immediately."

"To save the people, we must first prevent disease. If a plague breaks out, then true devastation will ensue. You have truly saved countless lives."

Jia Xu and Cheng Yu, who were standing nearby, secretly exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Liu Bei immediately made arrangements for all the generals, leaving only Zhang Fei and Lü Bu behind.