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

Arrows carrying letters were shot into the walls of Longguan, but thousands of letters failed to cause the slightest disturbance!

Ninety percent of the soldiers inside the pass were Qiang people, and they were all illiterate!

They held the letter, but they didn't understand it!

With great difficulty, a few soldiers who could barely recognize a few characters got together and started guessing and probing:

"What Han...Han army...captured what, front and rear...what, pincer attack...supply...out of food...Beigong what, soon what!"

"What do you mean?" the Qiang soldier next to him asked anxiously.

The soldier scratched his head; he didn't quite understand either!

He usually prides himself on being a rare literate and cultured person! How could he back down now?

So I just improvised:

"That means Liu Bei led an army of 100,000, conquered a vast territory, and surrounded us from both the front and the rear! General Beigong's supplies have also been burned, and we'll all starve to death in three more days!"

These words caused an uproar.

The rumor spread like wildfire, from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, and in less than half an hour, it grew increasingly outrageous.

"I've heard that Liu Bei has a strategist who can fly, summon wind and rain, and conjure up an army of 100,000 in a single night!"

"Beigong Boyu died in battle in Ji County long ago! We are now an isolated force, and no one is coming to our rescue!"

"Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are here! Each of them could kill a thousand! General Li Wen was killed by them with a single blow!"

The morale of the troops guarding Longguan was already low, and these rumors made them even more fearful.

That night, more than two hundred soldiers secretly scaled the city wall and ran away, and even several platoon leaders followed them.

Danghu paced frantically in the commander's tent, smashing over a dozen earthenware jars: "Investigate! Investigate! Who's spreading rumors! Catch them and behead them!"

No matter how hard they investigated, they couldn't find the source. The rumors spread like wildfire, becoming increasingly outrageous.

Two more days passed, and the army's food supplies were completely cut off. The soldiers could only drink a bowl of thin porridge each day, and they didn't even have the strength to wield a sword.

"General! We can't wait any longer!" the lieutenant cried. "If we wait any longer, we'll starve to death without the Han army even attacking! Perhaps... perhaps we should open the gates and surrender!"

"Surrender?" Danghu's eyes widened, and he drew his curved sword. "I, Danghu, have fought alongside General Beigong for many years, with unwavering loyalty. How could I surrender!"

He gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "At midnight tonight, the entire army will launch an attack! A fierce assault on the Han army's camp! If we can break through their defenses, we might even capture Qian County! They'll never expect that!"

The lieutenant tried to persuade him further, but Danghu slammed his sword down on the table: "If you dare to speak of surrender again, kill me without mercy!"

At the third watch of the night, the gates of Longguan quietly opened. Dang Hu personally led five thousand soldiers, sneaking towards the Han army camp in the dark.

They thought the Han army was unprepared, but little did they know that Xu Rong had been waiting for them all along.

Xu Rong never expected to come back and surrender, but since this was the first time he had this opportunity, he dared not relax at all!

I wish I could keep watch over them every night!

Finally, his chance was given!

Xu Rong immediately reported to Guan Yu:

"General, the rebels have emerged! Not only do they refuse to surrender, but they've also dared to launch a surprise attack on our army!"

When Guan Yu was awakened, he was taken aback upon hearing the news, then stroked his beard and smiled.

"Alright! If they launch a sneak attack, I'll launch one too!"

Order them to come in. Encircle them from both flanks, while the central army holds the line. Don't let a single one escape.

You personally lead a thousand men and seize Longguan Pass while the opportunity arises!

After thinking for a moment, he added, "If the enemy is prepared, they will ambush us outside the pass!"

Xu Rong cupped his hands in greeting: "I accept the order!"

About an hour later, the Han army was ready.

When the leader led his men into the Han army camp, they found it completely empty, without even a lamp.

"Oh no! We've fallen into their trap!" Danghu's face turned pale, and he was about to order a retreat.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The war drums suddenly sounded.

The torches instantly illuminated the entire camp.

Guan Yu, clad in green armor, stood on his horse, sword drawn, before the central army formation.

"Guan Yu is here! Surrender at once!"

The man was terrified and, gritting his teeth, shouted:

"Charge! Kill Guan Yu, and the reward is a thousand taels of gold!"

A fierce general brandished his sword and charged straight at Guan Yu.

Guan Yu didn't even raise his eyes, and lightly swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

A cold glint flashed.

The fierce general was cleaved in two, sword and all. Blood splattered everywhere.

All the rebels were terrified and stood frozen in place, too scared to move.

Dang Hu immediately sensed something was wrong and shouted, "Everyone, attack together!"

Another hour later.

"Who else?" Guan Yu asked again.

No one dared to answer.

But the household dares!

Looking into Guan Yu's eyes, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his curved sword clattering to the ground.

"I surrender! I surrender! I beg General Guan to spare my life! I was also coerced by Beigong Boyu and forced to join the rebels!"

The commander knelt down, and the remaining rebels all threw down their weapons and knelt in unison: "We surrender! We beg the general to spare our lives!"

Before an incense stick could burn, the remaining three thousand rebels all surrendered!

Guan Yu captured Longguan without lifting a finger.

The Han army moved in early the next morning.

Guan Yu and Xu Rong began to reorganize the surrendered troops: thousands of rebels were dispersed, the old, weak, sick and disabled were sent back to their hometowns, and the elite troops were split up again to guard them.

Another thousand troops were transferred from Qianxian to garrison Longguan, thus opening up the logistical route from Qianxian to Jieting.

"General Guan, General Xu, and General Zhang have sent messengers to say they are waiting thirty li west of Longguan." The personal guard clasped his hands in greeting.

Guan Yu nodded: "Send the order: leave one thousand men to guard Long Pass, and the remaining five thousand will come with me to join my third brother and head to Luopo Valley to assist in the battle!"

"promise!"

The army broke camp and headed towards Luopo Valley.

……

Li Wenhou led an army of 20,000 and only then arrived at Lueyang.

There are two roads ahead, one going north to Jieting, and the other going east to Longguan.

These past few days have been filled with bad news:

"General! Something terrible has happened! The grain convoy bound for Longguan has been intercepted! More than two hundred grain carts have been seized by the Han army!"

"General! Longguan has fallen! Danghu has surrendered! Guan Yu has captured Longguan and is heading this way!"

"General! Liu Bei is harassing our rear with several thousand men every day, and he's burned three of our granaries! General Beigong's supplies are only enough for ten days!"

Li Wenhou sat on his horse, his face ashen, his whip nearly snapping in his hand.

He originally thought that with 20,000 troops, taking back Jieting would be a piece of cake.

Who would have thought that before even reaching Jieting, they would lose Longguan, then cut off their supply lines, and almost completely cut off the army's rear!

"General, what should we do now?" the adjutant asked urgently. "Continue attacking Jieting, or fight our way back to Longguan?"

Li Wenhou frowned, unable to make up his mind.

At the Battle of Jieting, Guan Yu of Longguan could attack from behind at any moment, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from both sides.

If we attack Longguan, Liu Bei at Jieting will definitely lead his troops in pursuit. Moreover, Longguan is strategically important, and Guan Yu is a formidable fighter, so whether we can take it is another matter entirely.

"How about... we split our forces into two groups?" the lieutenant tentatively suggested. "One group of 10,000 men can attack Jieting, and the other group of 10,000 men can attack Longguan. That way, we can attack both without delaying either."

"No!" Li Wenhou shook his head. "Liu Bei has three fierce generals under his command: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun. Dividing them up will only lead to their defeat one by one."

Just then, a scout rode back and said urgently:

"General! We've received intelligence! Liu Bei has taken the main force of the Han army at Jieting to harass their rear. There are now less than three thousand men left in Jieting, mostly the old, weak, and disabled!"

"What?" Li Wenhou's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Absolutely true! I saw with my own eyes Liu Bei leading seven or eight thousand men towards the northwest!"