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

The next day.

Bei Gong Boyu's life was short, and the sun rose high in the sky.

A bodyguard stumbled to the door: "General! Something terrible has happened! Liu Bei is coming again with his troops! And the entire army is being mobilized!"

"Again?" Bei Gong Boyu's face darkened. He pulled up his trousers, grabbed his scimitar, and charged up the city wall.

Sure enough, the Han army outside the city was arrayed in neat formation.

It still looks as intimidating as ever!

The large banner bearing the character "Liu" fluttered in the wind.

Suddenly, a cavalryman stepped forward from the front of the Han army formation and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"General Han! My family's general had a very pleasant conversation with you yesterday, and today we have prepared a small feast to invite you to have another chat on the battlefield!"

The city walls fell so quiet you could hear Han Sui's heartbeat!

Thump thump!

All the generals turned their heads and looked directly at Han Sui.

Bei Gong Boyu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and the veins on his hand gripping the curved sword bulged. He managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"General Han, you two seem to have a very good relationship! He's invited you again! Go ahead."

"General, this is clearly Liu Bei's scheme to sow discord!" Han Sui also realized something was wrong; he really didn't know Liu Bei at all!

If it were Cao Cao instead, he could barely make sense!

He hurriedly explained, "He's trying to sow discord between us! I can't go!"

"Not going?" Bei Gong Boyu gritted his teeth. "Wouldn't not going confirm your collusion? I want to see what he can come up with with you today!"

Han Sui gritted his teeth and had no choice but to lead his personal guards out of the city again.

This time, Liu Bei not only brought Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, but also had his personal guards carry two jars of fine wine and several plates of beef and mutton.

"Brother Wenyue, yesterday's celebration was not to our liking. It was due to my oversight that I did not prepare a banquet. Today, I have specially prepared some wine for us to drink and chat."

Prepare a drink as a sign of respect!

Liu Bei smiled and finished drinking one bowl, then personally handed him another bowl of wine.

Han Sui took the wine bowl and looked at Liu Bei's sincere expression and apology, which seemed to make him feel much more at ease.

Even the damned Beigong Boyu didn't treat me like this!

He cursed Beigong Boyu eight hundred times in his heart.

The two sat on the open ground in front of the battle line, drinking and chatting.

They talked from sunrise to midday, discussing local customs and traditions, and recounting their experiences in Luoyang back then, without mentioning the war at all.

On the city wall, Beigong Boyu stood for three whole hours without drinking a drop of water or eating a bite of food.

He watched as the two of them drank and chatted happily right in front of him, enjoying themselves immensely!

He was so angry that he trembled all over.

Fine, fine, I'll be starving here while you guys have your feast?

"snort!"

Out of sight, out of mind, Bei Gong Boyu simply flicked his sleeves and turned to leave the city wall.

On the afternoon of the same day Liu Bei withdrew his troops, he sent a messenger to the city gate, specifically addressing Han Sui.

The messenger, in front of all the guards, handed the letter to Han Sui's personal guard and loudly proclaimed:

"My family general said that the letter contains only private matters, and General Han should remember to reply after reading it."

The news quickly reached Beigong Boyu's ears.

He sat in the prefect's mansion and slammed his hand on the table: "Private matters? What private matters can't be discussed in public? It's clearly a secret letter treasonous with the enemy!"

The generals: ? ? ?

While it's true that private matters shouldn't be discussed in public, Han Sui is just too suspicious!

"General, why don't we just arrest Han Sui and interrogate him?" a trusted general asked.

"No." Bei Gong Boyu suppressed his anger.

"After Li Wenhou's death, Han Sui still had a considerable number of men under his control, and many Han people listened to him! Arresting him now will only incite a rebellion. Let's wait and get solid evidence before taking action."

On the third day, Liu Bei indeed came again. The same procedure was followed: he summoned Han Sui for a chat, and after the chat, he delivered a letter.

Even Bian Zhang couldn't sit still this time!

Late at night, Bian Zhang kicked open the door to Han Sui's tent, his face ashen: "Wen Yue! What exactly do you want?!"

Han Sui was reading a letter when he looked up and saw Bian Zhang. He frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Am I crazy?" Bian Zhang pointed at his nose:

"The whole city is buzzing with rumors that you're colluding with Liu Zhonglang! Beigong Boyu has sent over a dozen groups of spies to keep an eye on you!"

You're still chatting with him on the battlefield every day and receiving his letters! Are you really planning to so obviously betray your brothers and defect to Liu Zhonglang?

"Nonsense!" Han Sui stood up abruptly.

"I'm using this as a pretext! I'm deliberately letting Liu Bei think I'm willing to cooperate with him, so I can take the opportunity to probe his true intentions!"

"Playing along?" Bian Zhang almost laughed in anger:

"I see you're truly tempted! You're willing to trade all our lives for your own wealth!"

He doesn't care about Beigong Boyu, but he has to care about himself!

"You don't believe me?" Han Sui trembled with rage. "Fine! I'll show you the evidence!"

He turned around, grabbed a stack of letters from the box, and slammed them on the table:

"All the letters Liu Bei wrote to me are here! Look at them yourself! See if there's a single word about treason!"

Bian Zhang picked up the letters and opened them one by one.

Sure enough, every letter was filled with everyday matters and local customs, and not a single word involved military affairs.

But the more he looked, the uglier his expression became.

"Why have these letters been smeared?" Bian Zhang pointed to the dark ink stains on the letters.

"Also, why does every letter only mention your name, Han Sui? What about my name, Bian Zhang?"

We were both dragged into this rebellion, and you, on the contrary, went off to secretly associate with Liu Bei, completely severing ties with me!

Bian Zhang grew increasingly angry as he read on!

If you hold back for a moment, you'll only get angrier; if you back down, you'll only feel like you've lost out!

"Very well! You, Han Sui! You really wanted to sell me, Bian Zhang, along with me! So you could preserve your reputation as a loyal and virtuous Han general!"

Han Sui was taken aback. He picked up the letters and examined them closely. Sure enough, each letter had several ink smears, and there was no mention of the seal from beginning to end.

I hadn't noticed it before, but now everything seems incredibly obvious!

He understood everything at once.

This was also Liu Bei's treacherous scheme!

Those smears weren't done by him at all; Liu Bei had applied them before sending the message! It was to make sure he couldn't explain himself no matter how hard he tried!

"I didn't do it!" Han Sui exclaimed anxiously. "Liu Bei did it on purpose! He's trying to sow discord between us!"

"Intentional?" Bian Zhang didn't believe it at all. "Han Sui, do you think I'm a three-year-old? Who would scribble on their own letter like that? You're just trying to cover up your affair! You want to sell me out and then defect to Liu Bei!"

"I don't!"

The two argued more and more fiercely.

They even drew their swords, ready to engage in fencing!

Just then, the tent curtain was suddenly lifted.

The two of them were so startled they jumped!

Bei Gong Boyu stood at the door with a dozen or so personal guards, each holding a curved sword.

His gaze fell on the letters on the table, which were covered in scribbles, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"Han Sui," Beigong Boyu spoke, "what else do you have to say?"

Han Sui looked at Beigong Boyu at the door and his heart skipped a beat.

Now, no matter how hard I try, I can't explain myself. Those smeared letters are irrefutable evidence, but an explanation is absolutely necessary!

"General, this is Liu Bei's scheme to sow discord!" Han Sui took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down:

"The ink stains on these letters weren't done by me; Liu Bei did it on purpose! He wants us to kill each other!"

"A scheme to sow discord?" Bei Gong Boyu walked in step by step, picked up a letter, and pointed to the ink:

"Then tell me, why doesn't he sow discord between others, but instead sows discord between you? Why doesn't he chat with Bian Zhang, or receive emails from others, but specifically chooses you?"

"I..." Han Sui was speechless.

"And another thing," Bei Gong Boyu continued:

"How did Liu Bei know about the night raid a few days ago beforehand? Did you tip him off? You wanted us to both be severely injured so you could reap the benefits!"

"It wasn't me!" Han Sui exclaimed urgently. "My loyalty to the general is unwavering, heaven and earth can bear witness!"

"Loyal and devoted?" Bei Gong Boyu scoffed. "I think you've been plotting rebellion for a long time!"

He waved his hand, and his personal guards stepped forward to seize the man.

"Who dares!" Han Sui suddenly drew his sword and held it horizontally in front of him. Several of his trusted men behind him also drew their swords to protect their master.

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly became tense, as if swords were about to be drawn.

Bian Zhang watched this scene with a complicated expression, took a step back, and remained silent.

"Han Sui, how dare you resist arrest?" Bei Gong Boyu roared.

"General, I have not colluded with the enemy!" Han Sui stared at Beigong Boyu and explained sincerely, as sincere as his loyalty!

"I'm willing to prove it to you. Tomorrow, I will personally lead a large army as the vanguard to attack Liu Bei's camp! We will definitely break through the Han camp, capture Liu Bei alive, and prove my innocence!"

Liu Bei has ruined me! At worst, I'll just give up being a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty!