Three Kingdoms: I rely on system loopholes to survive

Since taking over the affairs of Chengdu, Zhang Su felt as if the bamboo slips were piled up like mountains, and all kinds of documents were pouring in, leaving him no peace for a single day. Although he intended to delegate the work to others, he was always uneasy. He suspected others and thus harbored resentment, which inevitably led to the emergence of hidden dangers. He was either wary of his subordinates' selfish motives or worried about the ridicule of his colleagues. In addition, he had been receiving military reports of lost territories requesting reinforcements. Under the increasingly hostile gaze of Liu Zhang, Zhang Su felt a chill run down his spine and would often wake up in the middle of the night to ask his servants, "Is my head still here?"

As soon as the court meeting ended that day, Zhang Su heard phrases like "Mianzhu has been lost, it would be better to surrender" all over his ears. Liu Zhang pondered for even longer than the day before. Zhang Su could see from his lord's expression that he was already tempted, but there was still a sliver of hope left.

Zhang Su knew that Liu Qi of Jingzhou was in cahoots with Liu Bei and would certainly not come to his aid. Even if he reluctantly agreed to act as an envoy, he would most likely be on Liu Bei's side. In the end, the Liu family would be at peace, but Zhang Su's good head would have to be used as an apology. It was hateful that not a single person in the hall dared to step forward and fight! At this moment, he forgot about Fa Zheng and the others who he had eliminated as dissidents and imprisoned.

He returned to the government office full of resentment, only to hear a junior officer secretly report: "Today, Wang Lei, the city gate commander, complained in public about the lack of provisions and pay, and his words seemed to imply criticism of the prefect."

Zhang Su's temples throbbed. Wang Lei had always been upright and outspoken, and he was at odds with Wang Lei. If he said this, wouldn't the morale of the army waver? He knew that he had done a lot of framing since he gained power, but with a knife almost to his throat, he had no choice but to do it to save his life. Why couldn't these people understand even a little bit?
"They dare to undermine the morale of the army in public like this, who knows if they are already dissatisfied with our lord behind our backs! I think these soldiers only care about their generals, how could they remember the kindness they have received from our lord? Why not send another group of trusted men to infiltrate each army, and kill them first if they make any moves! In order to prevent them from having any rebellious intentions and revealing the city's defenses, which would only benefit Liu Bei. What do you think, my lord?"

Zhang Su was most annoyed that the people of Yizhou were not speaking with one voice. So, having obtained Wang Lei's incriminating evidence, he immediately seized the opportunity to speak with Liu Zhang in private, explaining the dire situation. At the end, he added, "Now that Liu Bei's army is at the city gates, if my lord can monitor Wu Yi, Wang Lei, and others, not only can you give advance warning if the city gates are breached, but even if one of them has been bribed by Liu Bei, my lord can seize the initiative and take precautions in advance!"

Liu Zhang pondered for a moment, then adopted a posture of great trust in Zhang Su: "Zi Chi's words are reasonable... However, most of the clans in the city... are inclined to surrender... A person as resolute in advocating war as Zi Chi is truly..."

He slowly descended the steps and walked up to Zhang Su, grasping Zhang Su's arm: "Since Zichi has such a good plan in mind... why don't you arrange the matter of supervising the army? As for confidants, Zichi's confidants are my confidants... all matters in the city will be left to Zichi, and there is no need to report them to me."

Zhang Su cursed inwardly, but was deeply moved by the scene before him: "I will certainly live up to my lord's trust!"

Wang Lei was inspecting the city wall when several unfamiliar soldiers suddenly appeared on his left and right. Their armor was gleaming, but their eyes darted around, keeping a distance. He didn't pay them any mind at first, until he reached the watchtower and was about to call upon Chen Wu, the garrison commander who usually guarded the area, to inquire about the defenses when a burly-looking officer with a scar on his chin stepped forward and bowed: "General Wang, Garrison Commander Chen has been reassigned. The defenses here will temporarily be handled by this humble general, Zhao Meng."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lei frowned slightly: "Where has Chen Wu been transferred to? Is there a transfer order? Why don't I know about it?"

Zhao Meng's face remained expressionless as he bowed respectfully. "This is a direct order from the Prefectural Governor's Office, stating that each department needs to rotate its best personnel to respond to any emergencies. I am merely following orders." He stepped aside, revealing the scene inside the watchtower. The familiar junior officers were nowhere to be seen, replaced by unfamiliar faces. When they saw his gaze sweep over them, they all lowered their heads to avoid his eyes.

Wang Lei's heart sank. He slowly walked up the parapet, his hand resting on the cold crenellations. He thought of Zhang Su's actions since he was ordered to defend the city, and then of Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and others. For a moment, he felt a sense of shared sorrow, like a rabbit mourning the death of a fox.

The continuous mountain ranges stretched to the horizon, and faint flickering flames could be seen spreading, indicating that Liu Bei's army was about to besiege the city. In fact, they all knew the current situation perfectly well, but since they were still receiving a salary from Liu Zhang, they were willing to obey orders in return.

Wei Yan, one of Liu Bei's generals, was known for his unconventional tactics and keen observation of the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. If he knew that the generals and ministers in the city were suspicious of each other, and that the garrison soldiers each had their own thoughts... Wang Lei sighed deeply upon thinking of this, secretly hoping that Zhang Su was just being petty and would punish him for his careless words today, and that he would not actually monitor all the garrison soldiers in the city.

Unfortunately, as soon as Wang Lei returned to his residence, he received a letter from Wu Yi, which was full of dissatisfaction with Zhang Su for secretly placing his cronies in the army. At the end of the letter, Wu Yi even invited Wang Lei to write a letter to Liu Zhang to ask him to rescind his order and to ask Liu Zhang to execute Zhang Su, this treacherous villain, in order to appease the army.

Wang Lei gasped and immediately asked the soldier who delivered the letter if anyone else had seen it. He learned that nowadays, the letters between the generals were first copied and sent to Zhang Su before being delivered to each other. He thought to himself that something was wrong and that Wu Yi was likely to be killed by Zhang Su!
He held the letter that Zhang Su had already read, feeling it burning hot. The morale in the city was already wavering; if he were to cut off another arm, how could he possibly hold on?

He immediately sat down and wrote furiously, not to reply to Wu Yi, but to Liu Zhang. His tone was earnest, only stating that "if the supervising officer changes responsibilities, the soldiers may not know the general, and the general may not know the soldiers, which could easily lead to chaos on the battlefield." He made no mention of Zhang Su's name, and pretended that he was unaware of Wu Yi's proposal. This letter was naturally also sent to Zhang Su's desk first.

Zhang Su first saw Wu Yi's secret letter requesting his execution, then Wang Lei's document opposing the military supervision, and a suspicion immediately arose in his heart: When did these two become so close? If they had nothing to hide, why would they fear surveillance? Could it be that they had already...

He subconsciously touched his neck and felt a chill on the back of his neck.

"As expected! They've colluded! One wants to kill me, the other is pretending to be a good guy! They must have agreed to open the city gates to welcome Liu Bei, using my head as a stepping stone to advance their careers!" He muttered to himself, "Wang Lei complained about the grain supplies during his inspection today. Why didn't he complain earlier or later, but only now that Liu Bei's army is at the city gates? He must have planned to undermine the morale of the army, so that he could use it as leverage to defect to Liu Bei! Unfortunately, I've already heard these words. Now it seems they are clearly harboring resentment and advocating for rebellion! So their intention to collude with Liu Bei began right now!"

"Fortunately, these two are not as quick-witted as I am. They foresaw early on that someone in the city would harbor rebellious intentions. Issue the order!" Zhang Su slammed his hand on the table. "Wu Yi and Wang Lei are colluding with foreign enemies and intend to surrender the city! Order the military supervisors in all armies to take immediate action to control these two and their trusted followers. If there is any resistance, kill them without mercy! Also, order all units to assemble and stand by, ready to suppress any possible disturbances at any time!"

Before the order could be relayed, word had already leaked. Zhao Meng, who received the secret order first, was eager to make a name for himself and led his men straight to Wang Lei's location. Wang Lei was already worried that Wu Yi's letter would implicate him, and upon seeing Zhao Meng's aggressive approach, he assumed that Zhang Su was truly going to purge them, and immediately drew his sword!

Almost simultaneously, Wu Yi was in a similar situation, except that Wu Yi truly had his own selfish motives. Zhang Su's actions gave him an excuse to make a fuss. "Zhang Su killed a general and surrendered to the enemy! He colluded with Liu Bei! Quickly follow me to kill this villain and protect our lord!" He shouted while giving a wink to the junior officer beside him. Thinking of the gold and silver that Wu Zhi had secretly given him when he came as an envoy, and the promises he had made, Wu Yi felt a surge of excitement.

When Liu Zhang was awakened by his panicked attendants and heard the news that "Zhang Biejia and the generals are fighting each other, and the north gate is in chaos," his last shred of hope vanished. Although Liu Zhang had long been prepared to shift all the blame onto Zhang Su and surrender innocently, he never expected that this day would come so soon.

It seems that Liu Bei has already acquired Yizhou with ease, so why should I struggle in vain? I might as well do him a favor, and I'll surely enjoy wealth and honor in the future.

Liu Zhang had made up his mind. He closed his eyes, waved his hand, and spoke in a dry, cold voice:
"Go...and execute Zhang Su, who has wreaked havoc on the city and framed loyal officials...on the spot. Take his head...prepare the official seal...open the city gates." (End of Chapter)