My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 285 Tiger Fool Seizes the Gate
The problem is that Yuan Shu's courage is no longer what it used to be.

Yuan Shu is now so afraid to stay in Shouchun that he wants to flee to Liyang or even Jiangdong.

You're asking him to personally lead the troops to rescue Ruyin, but he doesn't even have a numerical advantage. How could Yuan Shu possibly agree to that?

However, since Yang Hong and Yan Xiang had previously been quite aggressive, and they were his trusted advisors and right-hand men, Yuan Shu couldn't directly refuse them.

At the same time, Yuan Shu also needed to consider the opinions of the military in the city.

At this time, the generals in the city were led by Zhang Xun, Ji Ling, Lei Bo, Chen Lan and others. Among them, the troops under Zhang Xun and Ji Ling were the most elite and were the apples of Yuan Shu's eye.

The quality of the troops of Lei Bo, Chen Lan and others was slightly inferior. They were powerful figures from the Jianghuai region who came to join Yuan Shu with their own troops and were later incorporated into the regular army.

Liu Feng had a very good impression of Lei Bo and Chen Lan.

It's already quite remarkable that these two people were able to leave their mark in official history.

At the same time, both of them have a good sense of right and wrong and good judgment.

After Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, they fled with their retainers and clansmen to live in seclusion in the mountains of Qian County. Later, after Yuan Shu lost power, he tried to seek refuge with them, but they refused him outright.

More importantly, these two men were quite dissatisfied with Cao Cao's policies and looked down on Sun Quan's abilities, so they eventually joined Liu Bei.

Speaking of which, Liu Feng wanted to ask Lei Bo if he had a son named Lei Yuan.

Yuan Shu's three most capable generals were Qiao Rui, Zhang Xun, and Ji Ling.

The three had a fairly harmonious relationship, especially Qiao Rui and Zhang Xun, who were close friends.

Therefore, although Zhang Xun knew the risks were great, he still supported Yuan Shu's decision to send troops to rescue Ruyin.

Ji Ling's attitude was ambiguous; she neither supported nor opposed it, remaining neutral.

Lei Bo and Chen Lan are undoubtedly of a lower rank, and their opinions are generally not sought.

With Zhang Xun paired with Yan Xiang and Yang Hong, even Yuan Shu himself couldn't directly oppose them. Wasn't it their combined efforts that prevented Yuan Shu from fleeing before?

After all, the centralization of power in the Eastern Han Dynasty was far less than that in later dynasties, not to mention that we are currently in a chaotic period.

For this reason, Yuan Shu was very pleased to find that neither Sun Xiang nor Zhou Yu supported the rescue of Ruyin, but Zhang Xun, who was standing to the side, did not look so happy.

Yuan Shu took the initiative to ask, "So, according to Wen Yang and Gong Jin, what should we do now?"

Sun Xiang and Zhou Yu exchanged a glance before Zhou Yu finally spoke, saying, "Reporting to Your Excellency, in my opinion, Ruyin is indeed not worth aiding, as the risk is too great. However, the garrison at Ruyin is only ten thousand strong, and with Liu Bei's army attacking day and night, it will surely fall if defended for too long. Therefore, Your Excellency can first send a message to the Commandant of Ruyin Bridge: if Ruyin can be defended, then defend it; if it cannot be defended, then abandon Ruyin and retreat to Shouchun."

Upon hearing Zhou Yu's words, Zhang Xun was overjoyed and quickly chimed in, "My lord, Gongjin's words are quite reasonable. Qiao Rui's troops number only ten thousand, while Liu Bei has over forty thousand, and is constantly reinforcing them. If Qiao Rui's troops are trapped in Ruyin City, it will be a great blow to our armies in Shouchun. However, if they can safely withdraw from Ruyin and return to Shouchun, it will greatly boost our morale."

Zhang Xun's words were not wrong. The essence of the strategy of resisting step by step was to resist step by step. It did not require every city to resist to the death. As long as we did our best, retreating was also a way to preserve our strength.

After pondering for a while, Yuan Shu was somewhat tempted.

Seeing this, Zhou Yu's eyes lit up, and he promptly encouraged him, "My lord, we can send a contingent to Shen County to take unified command and provide support for the garrison commander of Ruyin to withdraw his troops. After that, we can not only continue to resist in Shen County, but also retreat to Shouchun at any time. In this way, we will have 30,000 to 40,000 troops in Shouchun."

Sun Xiang, observing from the side, had a clear understanding of Zhou Yu's thoughts.

This guy just wanted to deceive Yuan Shu into continuing to divert his key officials away from Shouchun; he's truly not a son.

Sun Xiang was inwardly criticizing Zhou Yu when Yuan Shu suddenly asked for his opinion.

"Wenyang, what do you think of what Gongjin said?"

Sun Xiang looked up and met Yuan Shu's gaze. Judging from Yuan Shu's expression, he seemed to be smitten.

Sun Xiang naturally couldn't undermine Zhou Yu, so after considering it for a moment, he indirectly agreed, saying, "Although Gongjin is young, he is mature and prudent. If he can bring back the troops from Ruyin, that would be the best outcome."

Sun Xiang's approval made Yuan Shu make up his mind.

He hesitated when it came to sending someone to meet Qiao Rui.

The best candidate would have been Zhang Xun, who was a close friend of Qiao Rui. If he had been sent, he would have done his best.

But Zhang Xun is now the top military officer in Shouchun City. If he is sent out, then Yuan Shu will only have Ji Ling left as his most trusted general.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shu couldn't help but gasp, realizing that he had become so empty around him.

Upon closer inspection, Yuan Shu realized that all his trusted generals, including Qiao Rui, Li Feng, Yue Jiu, and Liang Gang, had been dispatched to the front lines, and he couldn't help but feel regretful.

Yuan Shu wanted to send Zhou Yu or Sun Xiang to meet Qiao Rui, but he was worried that such a choice would displease Zhou Yu and Sun Xiang.

After all, this mission is very risky, and if things go wrong, you might even get yourself into trouble.

Zhou Yu and Sun Xiang are far more independent than Zhang Xun and Ji Ling. If they are angered, how can they be expected to defend the city wholeheartedly for us?
After much deliberation, Yuan Shu made his decision: "Fuyi, this time I still need you to take the lead."

Ji Ling, courtesy name Fuyi, was one of the top five generals under Yuan Shu.

Since Zhang Xun is untouchable, and Lei Bo, Chen Lan, and others are not qualified, the only option left is to ask Ji Ling to take action.

Ji Ling was tall and burly, with a ruddy complexion. He looked like a bankrupt version of the Second Master.

His abilities were actually quite good; historical records show that he was capable of commanding armies of 20,000 to 30,000 men.

There is a significant difference between historical records and fictional accounts; historical records don't always depict armies of 100,000 men as depicted in fictional accounts.

A general who can lead an army of tens of thousands into battle, regardless of victory or defeat, is already a qualified commander if he can maintain the army's fighting strength.

If he can win another battle, he will be just an ordinary famous general.

Therefore, Ji Ling herself is definitely not stupid; on the contrary, she is quite intelligent.

He had anticipated that Yuan Shu would have no choice but to send him, so he spoke up at this moment: "My lord, two thousand men are really not enough. It just so happens that Brother Wenyang and Gongjin have entered the city. Could we transfer another part from the southern reinforcements to strengthen our forces?"

A hint of joy flashed in Yuan Shu's eyes. He turned to Sun Xiang and Zhou Yu and said, "Wen Yang, Gong Jin, what do you think?"

Zhou Yu's heart sank; he never expected to lift a stone only to drop it on his own foot.

After exchanging a glance with Sun Xiang, the two knew they couldn't refuse the request at this point, so they could only agree immediately: "We will all obey your orders, sir."

"good!"

Yuan Shu finally smiled with satisfaction and immediately decided, "Wen Yang, Gong Jin, transfer two thousand men from your troops to the Fuyi Commander for the time being. In this way, together with the two or three men in Shen County, we will have a total of six or seven thousand men, which is enough to support Qiao Rui's troops."

Then Yuan Shu said to Ji Ling, "Fuyi, I will give you three days to prepare. After four days, we will march north and you must bring Shengde back to me!"

Ji Ling crossed his hands and replied, "Yes!"

Having dealt with his troubles, Yuan Shu felt relieved and thought of a banquet. So he said to Sun Xiang and Zhou Yu, "Wen Yang, Gong Jin, you should go and rest for now. I will hold a banquet in the palace in three days to welcome you back."

Sun Xiang and Zhou Yu naturally agreed and then left first.

Ji Ling was left behind by Yuan Shu. Seeing Yuan Shu's hesitant expression, he had a bad feeling. He only breathed a sigh of relief after Yuan Shu spoke.

Yuan Shu had instructed him to rescue Qiao Rui's troops if possible, and if not, to abandon Shen County and retreat to Shouchun with all his troops. As long as his troops were unharmed, he would be credited with a good deed.

Upon hearing this, Ji Ling obeyed the order, but the thought of Qiao Rui being sold in Ruyin City left her feeling somewhat empty.

Yuan Shu was naturally unaware of Ji Ling's thoughts, and even if he had, he wouldn't have reacted.

In his view, it was already more than enough that Ji Ling was sent to meet Qiao Rui.

Subordinates are meant to sacrifice themselves for their superiors. You can't expect me, Yuan Shu, to risk my life to save you, Qiao Rui.

Zhou Yu and Zhang Xun left together, and Zhou Yu deliberately walked with Zhang Xun to build a rapport.

Zhang Xun was also from the Jianghuai region and was a member of a powerful family in Lujiang. He was among the first local powerful families to pledge allegiance to Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu's original trusted generals, except for Sun family's army which went to Jianghuai ahead of time, were almost all slaughtered by Cao Cao in the Battle of Kuangting.

My current trusted confidants are almost all newly recruited from Jianghuai.

After a casual chat with Zhang Xun, Zhou Yu obtained a considerable amount of intelligence. When Zhou Yu returned to the camp, Liu Feng and the others were already waiting for him.

Zhou Yu quickly recounted the situation on Yuan Shu's side, including Yuan Shu's final decision.

Then he talked about the intelligence he had obtained from Zhang Xun.

Currently, Lei Bo's troops are stationed in the north of the city, and Chen Lan's troops are stationed in the west of the city, each with two thousand men.

A thousand men were stationed in the city of Xiangguo, commanded by Zhang Ben, a trusted subordinate of Zhang Xun and an elder of the Zhang family.

As per Yuan Shu's orders, the south of the city was entrusted to Zhou Yu and Sun Xiang for defense, while the original troops in the south of the city were all taken back to the palace by Yuan Shu.

Zhang Xun's other 3,000 men were stationed in Jincheng, north of the city, while the remaining 8,000 were Yuan Shu's personal guards, stationed in the inner city palace, responsible for protecting Yuan Shu's safety.

This information was not a secret to the allied forces, so Zhang Xun did not keep it confidential and leaked it to Zhou Yu in casual conversation.

After learning all the details and having some discussion, everyone agreed that the banquet three days later would be the best opportunity to make their move.

So Liu Feng began assigning tasks.

Now that the main army has entered the city, Liu Feng's army is practically invincible. The next decisive factor is not who wins or loses, but whether Liu Feng can capture Yuan Shu.

Next, everyone carried out the tasks assigned by Liu Feng.

Zhou Yu has been quite active these past few days, frequently befriending the city's generals. He is handsome, of noble birth, knowledgeable in music, magnanimous, and generous.

In no time, the name of Zhou Lang resounded throughout Shouchun.

At the same time, in accordance with Yuan Shu's orders, the defense of the south of Shouchun City was also handed over to Zhou Yu's army. However, Xiangguo City was still under the control of Yuan Shu's army, which shows that Yuan Shu did not completely trust Zhou Yu and had left behind a means of checks and balances.

Three days later, at night, Zhou Yu and Sun Xiang each led more than a hundred personal guards to Yuan Shu's palace for a banquet.

Many people attended the banquet. In addition to Zhang Xun and Ji Ling, military generals such as Lei Bo and Chen Lan, as well as civil officials such as Yang Hong, Yan Xiang, and Li Ye, were all present.

Only Yuan Huan remained on leave and stayed home.

The banquet was a great success; Yuan Shu had never been so happy since Liu Bei raised his army in Runan and the north.

Zhou Yu and Sun Xiang were also completely drunk and unable to hold their liquor.

As dusk approached, Zhou Yu and Sun Xiang quietly slipped out of the main hall under the pretext of changing clothes and headed straight for the palace gate.

There are two hundred guards at the palace gate, one hundred of whom are stationed on the city wall and the other hundred are stationed inside and outside the palace gate.

The village head guarding the gate also recognized Zhou Yu. When he saw Zhou Yu and Sun Xiang, both of them drunk and staggering towards the city gate with the help of several close attendants, he even made a few teasing remarks with a smile.

Seeing that their lord was drunk, several exceptionally burly and tall men in iron armor came out from outside the palace gates. Concerned and confused, they disregarded the rules and rushed towards Zhou Yu and Sun Xiang.

This behavior was not allowed; how could someone from outside the palace enter the palace at will without a token?

But Zhou Yu's spending lavishly on the palace these past few days has been very effective, especially at the palace gates. Every time Zhou Yu entered or left the palace, he received generous gifts. In addition, Yuan Shu specially hosted a banquet for Zhou Yu tonight.

Although the head of the palace gate hesitated for a moment, seeing that there were only three or five people on the other side, and being eager to protect his master, he did not reprimand them.

Soon, the three or five burly men entered the palace gates and finally greeted their lord. They hurriedly helped Zhou Yu, Sun Xiang, and the others to walk out.

The garrison commander breathed a slight sigh of relief, unaware that the armored soldiers waiting outside the city had quietly begun to organize their ranks.

As Zhou Yu was about to enter the palace gate, the gatekeeper saw him approaching and asked with concern, "Commander Zhou, are you alright? Be careful when you get on your horse later."

"Then please give me a ride, village chief."

Zhou Yu suddenly smiled at the palace gate garrison commander, and before the commander could understand the meaning, he suddenly shouted, "Attack!"

The armored soldiers who had just arrived at his side suddenly launched an attack. Two of them rushed out, and one of them captured the palace gate commander as easily as catching a chicken. The other drew his long sword and quickly killed all three or four personal guards who were accompanying the palace gate commander.

Before the village chief could even understand what was happening, he was already tied up and gagged.

At the same time, Zhou Yu shouted to those around him: "General Zuo was wicked and has already been dismissed by the Emperor. Now, Lord Liu has raised righteous troops and marched south with unstoppable momentum. He has already captured Ruyin and will soon reach Shouchun. Do you want to die with Yuan Shu, or abandon the darkness and embrace the light?!"

"Those who wish to surrender may lay down their weapons and armor and save their lives!"

At Zhou Yu's shout, the guards outside the palace gates rushed in.

Of these two hundred personal guards, forty or fifty were wearing iron armor, an astonishingly high proportion.

Previously, the garrison commander of the palace gate had envied the Zhou family's extravagance, as they were able to produce so many iron armors. Now, his soldiers were about to face the charge of these armored warriors.

The forty-odd men outside the city were no match for these fierce warriors. They were overwhelmed by the enemy's forces, who broke through their lines and stormed into the palace gates as easily as snow melting and ice dissipating.

Meanwhile, the soldiers inside the palace gates were also slaughtered by those armored warriors, leaving them no time to close the gates.

The defenders on the city wall wanted to retaliate with crossbows, but Zhou Yu retreated into the palace gates. Meanwhile, his personal guards outside the city, holding shields high, kept pouring into the palace gates, rendering the defenders useless.

Zhou Yu said to a tall, imposing man, "Brother Zhongkang, I'll leave the rest to you."

The person who arrived was none other than Xu Chu.

Faced with Zhou Yu's polite words, Xu Chu simply said, "Please rest assured, Captain!"

Then, with a wave of his hand, forty armored soldiers immediately followed behind him and rushed into the doorway.

These armored soldiers used Xu Chu as their spearhead and charged towards the city wall.

The garrison that was able to guard the palace was clearly the army that Yuan Shu trusted most.

Zhou Yu's earlier shouts were not actually intended to make these soldiers surrender; rather, his real purpose was to slow down their reaction and cause some chaos.

This objective was indeed achieved, and the capture of the garrison commander left the soldiers somewhat leaderless, causing them to fight independently.

Under such circumstances, they were even less likely to be able to stop Xu Chu's offensive.

In just a short while, Xu Chu had already fought his way up the city wall from the bottom and cleared a foothold.

Xu Chu was about to continue his attack when he saw a shout from the other side, who then turned around and fled along the city wall.

Xu Chu was somewhat surprised, but he didn't expect that his three layers of heavy armor were already soaked in blood, almost turning red.

Along the way, Xu Chu killed at least twenty or thirty of Yuan's soldiers.

Seeing their brave warriors being slaughtered by Xu Chu as easily as chickens and dogs, even the highest morale of Yuan's soldiers would collapse, let alone in the current situation.

Although Xu Chu was somewhat surprised that the other party had collapsed so quickly, he did not forget his job.

At this moment, one of the armored soldiers behind him lit a torch and handed it to Xu Chu.

Xu Chu took the torch and waved it in the distance.

Zhang Liao had already led eight hundred men to lie in ambush at the intersection of the long street, and was overjoyed when he saw the torches.

"My lads, follow me into battle!"

Zhang Liao shouted and led eight hundred elite troops toward the palace gate.

His troops had only one mission: to capture Yuan Shu alive.

When Zhang Liao arrived at the palace gate, the passageway had been completely cleared, and Zhou Yu's personal guards had been stationed on the city wall.

"General Wen Yuan, please come with me!"

Zhou Yu stood at the end of the palace gate, his starry eyes shining brightly, showing no trace of drunkenness.

As Zhang Liao drew closer, Zhou Yu shouted, "I have a great achievement to perform. I wonder if General Wen Yuan would be willing to come with me to retrieve it?"

Zhang Liao rushed in, looked at Zhou Yu, and replied, "It is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask!"

(End of this chapter)