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

Everyone was taken aback.

"Sow discord," Li Changdao said. "Han Sui and Bian Zhang were accomplices and of equal status."

Now Han Sui is secretly contacting us behind Bian Zhang's back, and he wants to take all the credit and monopolize Liangzhou.

If Bian Zhang finds out, how could he not hate him? A slight provocation will surely create discord between them. If Han Sui then decides to betray them, Bian Zhang will not go with him.

We can also reveal this to Beigong Boyu, the actual leader of the rebels, at any time!

Let them fight amongst themselves!

"Brilliant!" Zhang Fei exclaimed, suddenly understanding. "Fourth brother, your brain is sharper than a ghost's!"

Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed:

"Good! Do as Fourth Brother says! Immediately reply to Han Sui, agreeing that ten days later, when our army is at the gates of Ji County, he will light a fire in the city as a signal, and we will attack from the inside and kill Beigong Boyu."

"And one more thing," Li Chang added, "Let Xu Rong take his 1,000 men to stay behind at Longguan, guard all the surrendered soldiers, and clear the grain route from Qianxian to Lueyang. After we've rested, we'll head straight for Lueyang!"

"Yes, sir!" the crowd replied in unison.

The next morning, the army broke camp and headed south.

When the news reached Lueyang, the garrison commander, who was Han Chinese, had long since lost the will to serve under Beigong Boyu.

Upon hearing that Liu Bei's army was approaching, the city was surrendered without even being attacked.

Liu Bei captured Lueyang without bloodshed, thus completely eliminating any worries about food supplies. The army rested in Lueyang for a day before continuing its march towards Ji County.

……

Outside Ji County, at the rebel camp.

Bei Gong Boyu sat in the main seat, his face no longer showing his usual arrogance, but only gloom.

Li Wenhou's 20,000-strong army was completely wiped out, Longguan was lost, and Lueyang surrendered!

One bad news after another, like a hammer blow, finally woke up this arrogant Qiang leader!

He was about to take over the entire Liangzhou, and he got carried away!

Now he finally understood that Liu Bei was not Li Wen, not Danghu, and certainly not one of those Han Dynasty county soldiers who would collapse at the first sign of trouble.

This is a real opponent.

"Gentlemen, what should we do now?" Bei Gong Boyu glanced at the generals under his command.

"Liu Bei's 20,000 troops will reach Ji County within ten days at most. We currently have less than 40,000 men, and our provisions are only enough for half a month. We also can't seem to take Ji County no matter what we do. If this continues, we'll all die here."

The generals under the tent lowered their heads, and no one uttered a sound.

Bian Zhang sat to the side, expressionless and silent. He had long since given up on running away, but Bei Gong Boyu had kept him in check, preventing him from showing it.

Han Sui's eyes darted around, and he had an idea.

He hadn't expected Liu Bei's army to make such rapid progress.

He originally planned to use Beigong Boyu to take over Ji County, then kill Beigong Boyu, defect to Liu Bei, and reap the benefits.

But now Liu Bei's army is about to arrive, and he hasn't gained any merit yet. At that time, let alone becoming a prefect, it's uncertain whether he can even keep his head!

"General, I have a plan that can defeat Liu Bei and also capture Ji County," Han Sui said, standing up and bowing.

Bei Gong Boyu's eyes lit up: "Tell me the agreement quickly!"

"With Liu Bei's army approaching, the garrison of Ji County must be in high spirits, eagerly awaiting reinforcements day and night."

Han Sui laughed and said:

"When we attack the city again, we will send people to impersonate Liu Bei's reinforcements, holding up large banners with the character 'Liu' outside the city, pretending to come to the rescue of Ji County."

Then we'll deliberately lose to them and flee out of Ji County. The garrison commander of Ji County will surely open the city gates to let us in when he sees our defeat.

Then we can seize the city gates and take Ji County with ease.

"Great plan!" Bei Gong Boyu slapped his thigh, overjoyed. "If we take Ji County, we'll have a fortified city and supplies, and we can keep Liu Bei at bay for a long time!"

"With this, having taken over the entire Liangzhou, I can rally over 100,000 men with a single call. What do I have to fear from Liu Bei's mere 20,000 men!"

Bian Zhang glanced up at Han Sui with disdain in his eyes, but remained silent. He didn't understand why Han Sui was offering advice. Did he have some kind of plan?

Bei Gong Boyu immediately ordered, "Proceed according to the plan outlined in the agreement! Select three thousand elite troops, dress them in Han army uniforms, and put on this play first thing tomorrow morning!"

……

On the official road from Lueyang to Ji County, the Han army was traveling day and night.

Horse hooves pounded the yellow sand, wheels rolled over gravel, and the army of more than 10,000 stretched out in a long line, kicking up clouds of dust.

Liu Bei, mounted on his horse, frowned and occasionally glanced back at the supply train behind him.

"Hurry! Ji County has been besieged for over three months. If we're any later, it might be too late!"

Li Chang rode alongside him:

"Brother, my Black Crow cannot go to such far and unfamiliar places to investigate, but in my opinion, the rebels now only have two paths."

One option is to find a way to take over Ji County before we arrive.

Secondly, they will ambush us on our inevitable route, just as we ambushed Li Wenhou!

"Yes!" Liu Bei's heart tightened, and he nodded in agreement.

"That's why I'm worried about Ji County! What if the rebels take Ji County before we arrive?"

Once we enter the city, with its fortified walls and provisions, he can hold out against us!

Liu Bei grew increasingly anxious and immediately issued an order:

"Send word: Zilong must lead his cavalry on a lightly armed and swift march! They must reach the walls of Ji County within three days!"

"promise!"

The messenger spurred his horse and galloped away, the white horses moving even faster.

……

The city wall of Ji County.

The old prefect Guo Dian leaned against the parapet, gazing at the endless rebel camps outside the city, his eyes bloodshot.

After a three-month siege, the city's food supplies had long since run out, and the soldiers could only drink a bowl of thin porridge each day. Many of them didn't even have the strength to hold their weapons.

What's even more infuriating is that those powerful families actually refused to contribute grain! Are they really not afraid of the rebels invading?

The city wall is now riddled with holes from the rebel army's battering rams, and it is only thanks to the people that it has been temporarily repaired with bricks, stones and wood.

"Prefect! Prefect!" A guard scrambled up, his face beaming with joy.

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived! Some brothers who escaped from the rebel camp just said that a large army led by General Liu Bei has reached Lueyang!"

"Really?!" Fu Xie was shocked and grabbed his personal guard's arm.

"It's absolutely true! Many people saw it! They were flying banners with the character 'Liu' on them, as well as banners with the names 'Guan Yu,' 'Zhang Fei,' and 'Zhao Yu'!"

The news spread throughout the city walls in the blink of an eye. The previously lifeless defenders erupted in cheers.

Many soldiers threw down their weapons and embraced each other, weeping bitterly. They had held out for three months; finally, reinforcements had arrived!

They thought the imperial court had been forgotten by them!

Among the crowd, only Ma Teng and Pang De frowned.

Ma Teng, courtesy name Shoucheng, was a descendant of General Ma Yuan, and was leading his 3,000 Qiang and Han soldiers to guard the west gate.

He was tall and had a striking face and nose; his martial arts skills were among the best in Liangzhou.

Pang De, courtesy name Lingming, had already become a military commander at a young age. He was exceptionally brave and fearless.

"Captain Ma, don't you find this strange?" Pound asked, puzzled.

"Liu Bei's army is far away in Lueyang. It is only mid-February now. The ice and snow have melted, and the roads are difficult to travel."

Even if they rushed day and night, it would take at least three days to arrive. How could they have been discovered by those of us who escaped back? And yet we haven't noticed a thing?

Moreover, Beigong Boyu's Qiang scouts were scattered all over the place, and the reinforcements, unfamiliar with the area, managed to arrive here quietly.

Ma Teng nodded, but also became increasingly uneasy:

"I also feel something is wrong. Beigong Boyu is arrogant by nature, but also very cunning, and Han Sui is even more treacherous. I'm afraid there's a trap."

The two found Guo Dian and shared their worries and speculations.

"Prefect Guo, this matter must not be believed lightly." Ma Teng looked seriously outside the city:

"The rebels are likely deliberately letting deserters return to spread false information and lure us into opening the city gates. We just need to hold our ground and wait for reinforcements to arrive, and the siege of Ji County will naturally be lifted."