Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 42 Lei Bu and Chen Lan? It's you again!
Dressed in white mourning clothes, Yuan Shu arrived at the city walls.

Dressed in plain clothes and a fox fur coat, Xi Zhicai stood atop the city wall.

The two looked at each other, speechless for a long time.

This was the first time Yuan Shu had seen Xi Zhicai. He was as thin as a candle in the wind, and his face was paler than the snow that filled the city.

Yet his eyes burned like fire; though his body had long since decayed, his soul still blazed brightly for his ideals.

At that moment, as if confirming an answer, he smiled.

Yuan Shu knew that the smile seemed to be asking:
[General, how much grain and fodder do we have left?]

In that instant, Yuan Shu confirmed that Xi Zhicai was Cao Cao's chief strategist and smiled.

It seems to be answering:

[It will likely take longer than your time.]

Yuan Shu remembered that Guo Jia came to Cao Cao's camp in 196 AD, which is this year.

The reason Guo Jia joined Cao Cao was that Cao Cao wrote to Xun Yu saying, "Since Zhicai's death, there is no one I can discuss matters with." Xun Yu then wrote to Guo Jia, summoning him to join Cao Cao.

That is to say, the next hour, the next quarter of an hour, the next cup of tea, the next instant, the next moment!

Xi Zhicai could die at any moment.

Even if you can defend Yangdi City, will your body be able to hold out until then?

Having figured out his opponent, Yuan Shu had already made up his mind.

"Pass on my orders!"
"I will order my army to attack the city in waves; I will keep Yangdi awake all night!"

He stood on a chariot drawn by six horses, drew his sword, and pointed it at the city wall.

"Liu Qing's blood has yet to be shed!"

When will the hatred of these gentlemen be extinguished?
Driving a long chariot, I trampled through city walls and palaces!
Men of Lujiang, the enemy who assassinated you, Prefect Liu, and who tricked and killed my trusted general, is right before your eyes!

"Revenge is today! Whoever breaches the city first will be rewarded with ten thousand coins and promoted three ranks!"

"kill!"

"Avenge Prefect Liu!"

"kill!"

"For Lord Yuan, for promotion!"

Since Liu Xun was the former governor of Lujiang and was planning to establish his own independent regime, he prepared various military supplies and provisions for his troops and treated them very well. Many people were grateful for his kindness.

It can be said that with Liu Xun's command, most of these Lujiang soldiers would follow him in rebelling against Yuan Shu.

Fortunately, Liu Xun, who is now dead, was Yuan Shu's true confidant and beloved general.

Yuan Shu gladly accepted the elite troops of Lujiang that his beloved general had personally raised.

To avenge Liu Xun, ten thousand men tied white turbans to express their determination. With the temptation of gaining military rank by killing enemy heads, this army was both a mournful and a ferocious force, and their battle cries could be heard to the heavens!
Seeing the enemy troops charging towards him like wolves and tigers, Xi Zhicai frowned slightly. Just as he was about to speak, a gust of cold wind made him cough violently.

"Strategist Xi, you should avoid the wind for now. I will handle all matters related to defending the city myself."

Xiahou Dun hurriedly tried to help him down. To be honest, seeing Xi Zhicai cough these past few days had made him more anxious than seeing Yuan's army attacking the city.

This was the lord's favorite strategist, and he often consulted him on important matters.

Among the military advisors, Xun Yu was in charge of administration and he was in charge of strategy. The one who established the foundation was Wenruo (Xun Yu), while the one who planned the affairs were all talented and ambitious.

Given the current state of the strategist, if anything were to happen to him, whoever was by his side would be in trouble.

"The enemy's momentum is strong, we must not use our troops to fight them. We should..." "Don't worry, strategist. I have followed you for many years and fought in more than a hundred battles, large and small. How could I not know?"
Yuan Gonglu is incapable of commanding troops. Among his subordinates, only Ji Ling is skilled in military strategy, and I am well aware of his methods. He is no match for me.

"I swear to avenge the humiliation suffered at the hands of Qiao County. If we are defeated and the city falls, I will bring you my head!"

After speaking, Xiahou Dun disregarded Xi Zhicai's wishes and forced his soldiers to take him back to his room to rest.

Otherwise, given the cold wind and snow on this city wall, it's uncertain whether the city will fall or not, and the strategist might die of illness here first.

After seeing Xi Zhicai off, Xiahou Dun focused on dealing with the enemy's siege. He stared coldly at the city below with his single eye, a chilling smile playing on his lips.

Ji Ling!

Previously, whenever fighting against Yuan Shu, Ji Ling was an unavoidable old adversary. Xiahou Dun had long since figured out Ji Ling's tactics. Today, he would let this treacherous villain who had tricked him know what was what.

However, when a formidable enemy meets another, the strength of the two can be discerned in a short time. With Xiahou Dun's experience in warfare, he sensed something was amiss as soon as they clashed on the city walls.

Something is wrong!
These soldiers of Yuan's army are very strange.

Although Yuan Shu used the pretext of avenging Liu Xun to incite the soldiers' grief and launch a fierce attack on the city, he only had enough momentum for one battle.

If they can hold them off for a short while, dampen their vengeful spirit, and remind them of their fear of death, they will surely be defeated.

But what's going on now? These soldiers are not only not discouraged, but they are becoming even more brave and fierce. Those who rush to the top of the city wall do not care about seizing points, but rather about killing heads.

Even after being pushed off the city wall, these Yuan soldiers still clung tightly to the enemy's head, showing no fear whatsoever.

[Because of Lord Yuan's generosity, those who died in battle were compensated with double the military merits, and their military ranks and pensions were sent to their families. Anyone who dared to embezzle these funds would be executed without mercy by Yan Xiang's sword.]

Although Xiahou Dun did not know the reason, he was experienced in battle after many years of fighting. Seeing the fierce and ruthless Yuan army who were determined to kill heads, he knew that something was wrong.

The enemy soldiers attacking the city were fearless and valiant, while the defenders, who had the advantage of defending the city, were timid. Instead of rushing to meet the enemy soldiers who had stormed the city walls, they took a few steps back and waited for others to go first.

"Gentlemen, fight to the death! Anyone who dares to retreat will be executed without mercy!"

Xiahou Dun personally killed a retreating soldier, coldly surveyed the crowd with his single eye, and then ordered his personal guards to supervise the battle. Only then did this cowardly atmosphere subside slightly on the city walls.

However, he also knew that this was not a long-term solution, so he kept a close eye on the enemy's offensive, made every effort to coordinate and command his soldiers.

Xiahou Dun was confident that Ji Ling's military skills were inferior to his own, and that the best course of action now was to use this advantage to turn the tide and stabilize the army's momentum.

However, as the war dragged on, the more Xiahou Dun tried to command his troops, the more powerless he felt, as if he were stuck in a quagmire, with his soldiers no longer under his control and difficult to manage freely.

"Impossible! That old scoundrel Ji Ling has no concept of such military tactics! Who could it be?"

He stared intently at the city below, as if hoping to make out the appearance of his opponent through the fog of the battlefield.

Suddenly, he narrowed his one eye, as if he had discovered something!

"Lei Bu and Chen Lan? It's these two?"

Xiahou Dun was surprised that every now and then, either Lei Bu or Chen Lan would come to Yuan Shu to offer advice. Then Yuan Shu would issue orders from his chariot and command his soldiers to suppress him on the city wall.

"Could it be true, as the strategist says, that these two men's methods of warfare are indeed unique?"

At the foot of the city, Lei Bu, a personal guard, skillfully ran from the central command tent to deliver a message.

"Reporting to the lord, Military Advisor Zhou said: The time has come, the enemy's morale is low, we should withdraw the first batch of attacking troops and replace them with a second batch of fresh troops carrying large siege weapons, to overpower the weak and crush their morale."

Military Advisor Yang and his men discussed the matter and all agreed, so they came to request the lord's order.

Yuan Shu agreed.

Lei Bu then retreated to the central command tent, where he happened to meet Chen Lan, who was delivering a message, on the way.

The two nodded to each other and passed by.

(End of this chapter)