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

A valiant general stepped forward in response.

"exist!"

"I'll give you 20,000 elite troops. Set off immediately and retake Jieting!" Beigong Boyu pointed at Li Wenhou. "Within three days, I want to see Liu Bei's head! As for Ji County, I'll personally oversee the battle; it will be captured in two days!"

"No!" Han Sui interrupted, "General! Liu Bei has three fierce generals under his command: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, as well as the strategist Li Chang, whose plans are flawless. It's too dangerous for General Li Wenhou to lead 20,000 men! Perhaps..."

"Enough!" Bei Gong Boyu interrupted him, her eyes filled with suspicion.

"Wenyue, are you scared? What's there to be afraid of about Liu Bei? He only has 20,000 men, and he's divided his forces twice!"

In such a short time, they've already fought two battles at Qianxian and Jieting! How much fighting strength do they have left? We just need to take advantage of their unstable foothold and we can take them down in one fell swoop!

Otherwise, he would have taken over Longguan and connected the two regions!

"You just need to help me take Ji County; the matter of Jieting is none of your concern!"

Han Sui opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Never mind, he's just a mascot who's been kidnapped.

After the tent was closed, Han Sui walked out of the main tent alone.

I glanced back at Beigong Boyu's military tent:

"Stubbornness and self-will lead to self-destruction."

He finished speaking in a low voice, then turned and went into a side tent. Inside the tent, Bian Zhang had been waiting for a long time.

"How's the agreement?" Bian Zhang asked.

"Bei Gong Boyu ignored the advice and sent Li Wenhou with 20,000 men to their deaths."

Han Sui sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of wine.

"He has already conquered most of Liangzhou and is no longer willing to listen to any advice. If you continue to follow him, you'll die sooner or later."

Bian Zhang sighed, "I saw it coming a long time ago. Beigong Boyu is just a reckless brute, incapable of anything. Yet we're still being held hostage by him. What are we going to do now?"

"What should we do?" Han Sui's eyes darted around. "A wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on. Although Liu Bei has few soldiers, he has many fierce generals under his command, and with Li Chang assisting him, he will surely achieve great things in the future. Why don't we..."

Bian Zhang shook his head. "In their eyes, we're probably already considered rebels, aren't we?"

As he spoke, Han Sui also sighed, but he was unwilling to give up!

If Beigong Boyu could rebel and almost seize the entire Liangzhou, why can't I, Han Sui, do the same?

He leaned closer to Bian Zhang and whispered a few words.

Bian Zhang's eyes widened, and finally he nodded emphatically: "Alright! We'll do it your way! I'll go contact those who are dissatisfied with Beigong Boyu right now!"

Han Sui picked up his wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

Looking out at the pitch-black night, he gave instructions to his trusted aides:

"Immediately send someone to Jieting to secretly request an audience with Li Chang. Tell him that I, Han Sui, am willing to be an inside agent to help him defeat Beigong Boyu's army."

"I only ask that after this is accomplished, the imperial court will pardon my crimes and those of Bian Zhang, and spare our families."

The trusted confidant accepted the order and disappeared into the night.

……

Inside Jieting City.

Just as dawn was breaking, the black crow on Li Chang's shoulder flapped its wings and flew up, circled three times, and landed back in his palm.

"They're here," Li Chang greeted them. "Zilong, Moji, get to work."

Half an hour later, Moji led three hundred Qiang cavalrymen, dressed in rebel attire, and ambushed them in a valley twenty miles east of Jieting. Zhao Yun led a thousand elite cavalrymen, hiding in the forests on both sides of the valley.

Before long, a grain transport team slowly approached. Five hundred rebel soldiers were escorting more than two hundred grain carts, heading towards Longguan.

"Speed ​​up! The brothers at Longguan are waiting for the grain!"

The leading Qiang man shouted at the top of his lungs, completely unaware that something was wrong.

"Let's do it!"

At Moji's command, three hundred Qiang cavalry charged out of the valley, shouting in the Qiang language, "By order of General Beigong, we have come to provide support!"

The Qiang man was taken aback. Just as he was about to ask a question, Moji rushed in front of him and slashed him off his horse.

Those who surrender will not be killed!

Zhao Yun led a thousand elite cavalrymen out from the mountains on both sides, his gleaming silver spear flashing up and down.

The five hundred escorting soldiers couldn't hold out at all; in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they all threw down their weapons and surrendered.

Looking at the more than two hundred grain wagons loaded with food and military equipment, Moji couldn't stop smiling:

"The strategist is brilliant! He said there were people, and there really were! And they're even a grain convoy! Now we have enough food to last another half month!"

When the news reached Jieting, the entire army rejoiced.

Looking at the mountain of grain, Liu Bei smiled and said to Li Chang, "Fourth brother, your black crow is sometimes even more effective than the best scout."

Li Chang nodded. If they are starved or thirsty for a few days, they will actively seek out food and water on their own!

"Brother, now is not the time to be happy. Bei Gong Boyu is furious that the grain convoy has been intercepted and that Jieting is in our hands."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will soon send a large army to attack Jieting. We need to prepare in advance.

Capture Longguan before the rebels arrive! Reunite with my second brother! This will also relieve logistical pressure!

He walked up to the map and traced his finger across it:

"The first thing is that the head of Longguan is already trapped. Send a force to circle around to the rear of Longguan and attack from both sides with Second Brother and Xu Rong, forcing the head of Longguan to surrender and incorporating the five thousand garrison troops of Longguan."

This way, our forces can be expanded to over 20,000, and we can also eliminate any worries about our rear.

"Alright!" Liu Bei nodded. "Who should I send?"

"Third Brother." Li Chang looked at Zhang Fei.

"Take three thousand elite troops and set off overnight to circle around to the rear of Longguan. Remember, only surround them, do not attack, and make a show of force. Second Brother and Xu Rong will launch a feigned attack from the front. When Hu's supply lines are cut off and morale is low, they will surely surrender in a few days."

"Leave it to me!" Zhang Fei patted his chest. "Within three days, I'll make that brat Danghu open the city gates obediently!"

"The second thing," Li Chang continued.

"The one sent by Beigong Boyu to attack Jieting is very likely Li Wenhou. Let's set up an ambush in Luopo Valley and try to wipe out his 20,000-strong army in one go."

"Lost Valley?" Zhao Yun frowned. "The terrain there is treacherous, with high mountains on one side and forests on the other, and only a narrow path in the middle. It is indeed a good place to set up an ambush."

"Yes." Li Chang nodded.

"Leave 1,000 men to guard Jieting and watch over the prisoners. The remaining 8,000 men will all go to Luopo Valley to set up an ambush. Elder brother, you take 3,000 men to besiege the other supply lines, feigning an attack on their supply lines and rear, to urge them to speed up their advance."

"As for Zilong and me, we'll wait for Li Wenhou to rush into the valley, then we'll capture him in one fell swoop!"

"It's settled then!" Liu Bei immediately approved.

That afternoon, Zhang Fei led three thousand elite troops and set off overnight, circling around to the rear of Longguan.

Several days later, at dawn, on the city wall of Longguan.

Dang Huzheng looked at the Han army camp below the city with a worried expression.

He already knew that Jieting had fallen and the supply route had been cut off!

Nowadays, the army only has enough food to last for three days!

The soldiers were filled with fear, and desertions were happening every day.

A scout stumbled up: "General! Something terrible has happened! A large Han army has been spotted in the rear! About three thousand men, and they've cut off our retreat!"

"What?!" Danghu's face turned pale, and the teacup in his hand clattered to the ground.

He rushed to the edge of the city and looked back. In the distance, dust billowed, and a large banner with the character "Zhang" fluttered in the wind.

"It's Zhang Fei!" Danghu trembled all over. "Guan Yu in front, Zhang Fei behind, we're surrounded!"

Standing atop the watchtower of the Han army camp, Xu Rong looked at the panicked rebel army atop the Longguan Pass and smiled at Guan Yu:

"General Guan, according to the messenger, General Zhang has arrived. The enemy cannot hold out for much longer."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled: "Send word to fire arrows to spread the news that they are being attacked from both sides and about to be cut off from their supply lines. Let them collapse from within without a fight!"