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

Chapter 96 The Big-Eared Thief, Offense and Defense Have Shifted
Deep trenches and ramparts, fortified camps and strongholds.

Yuan's 100,000 troops surrounded Changping City, but instead of attacking, they were busy with construction projects every day, and the military camps were bustling with activity.

It is important to know that the State of Chen was located next to Runan, which was Yuan Shu's core base.

As a prefecture so close to Runan, Chen was already within the sphere of influence of the Yuan family.

The local prominent families, if not all of them were disciples or former officials of the Yuan family, at least had intricate connections with the Yuan family.

It was only because the original owner was defeated in Nanyang and fled to Huainan that these prefectures and counties of Yuzhou fell into Cao Cao's hands, which is why he still has to fight with Liu Bei for them today.

Therefore, after Yuan Shu conquered Chen, he hardly needed to stabilize the internal situation. It would have been even more natural than the surrender of several counties in Jiangdong.

Because his purpose this time was to reclaim what belonged to him, the Chen family had long awaited Lord Yuan's return.

You, Liu Bei, are but a humble weaver of mats and seller of shoes. You rose from obscurity by taking advantage of the times, and how long have you been in Yuzhou by imperial decree?

Do you really think that the title of Governor of Yu Province can outweigh the century-long accumulation of my Yuan family?

It is not uncommon for governors and prefects appointed by the imperial court to fall into the water, suffer accidents, or resign voluntarily because they went against the wishes of our local gentry families.

As the 100,000-strong army arrived in mourning, the young master of the Yuan family sent a document to the local gentry in the State of Chen. Unlike Liu Bei, there was no need to spend money to buy or sell, nor was there any need for so-called loan agreements or promissory notes.

Cart after cart of grain left the fortress, and groups of laborers came and went in an endless stream. Local noble families in Chen State, more or less, always had to provide grain and people.

This has nothing to do with profit, but rather with the long-standing reputation the Yuan family has cultivated around Runan over the past century.

In short, Yuan Shu's letter was a plea for face from his uncles and elders.

Could the Chen family refuse? Not to mention that many of them were former protégés and servants of the Yuan family, even if they wanted to refuse, how could they dare to say "no" in the face of the 100,000-strong army of Chen County?

If we don't give them face today, then when Yuan Shu reclaims Chen tomorrow, we naturally won't need to give face to these uncles and elders anymore.

Surely no one would believe that Liu Bei, who only knew how to restore the Han Dynasty, could win today, when Yuan Shu had swallowed up Jiangdong and caused Cao Cao to suffer repeated defeats.
It can be said that although Yuan Shu was the attacker this time, the advantages of terrain and popular support lay with the Yuan family.

In Pei State, because Qiao County was influenced by the power of the Cao family and was constantly in the struggle between Cao and Yuan, the influence of the Yuan family had been greatly weakened.

However, Liang State did not border Runan and was quite far away, so the Yuan family's influence was limited.

Ironically, it was the State of Chen, which was most deeply influenced by the Yuan family, that provided Yuan Shu with no logistical pressure, because the entire State of Chen would fight for him.

It has been a long time since we last met, but seeing this letter feels like we are seeing each other in person.

Yuan Shu was incompetent; his father and brothers had both died at the hands of bandits, and Tian became the current head of the Yuan family.

The emperor, being of meager virtue and young and easily misled by treacherous officials, was so capricious that he ordered Liu Bei to attack us, harming loyal and virtuous people. This was even worse than the partisan purge.

Now, we should seize the opportunity of Chen to revive the Han Dynasty, rebuild the Han Dynasty three times, and restore the Han imperial family. This is the time to do so.

I hope that all my uncles and elder brothers will generously offer their assistance.

He casually tossed the first draft of the letter into ashes in the flickering candlelight, watching as laborers from the Chen State came and went outside the camp, grain and fodder piled up like mountains, trenches were dug deeper and deeper each day, and more and more fortresses were built.

Yuan Shu sat upright in his tent, sipping honey water from his cup and chuckling softly.

"You big-eared thief, you burglar who broke into my house and refused to return what you borrowed from my Yuan family's territory. Do you really think I'm the one attacking and you're the one defending?"
A family with a thousand-year history, the Yuan family has accumulated wealth over a hundred years. How could you, a mere weaver of mats and seller of shoes, possibly compare?
From this day forward, the roles of offense and defense have reversed.

On the walls of Changping, Liu Bei watched as Yuan Shao's army built high camps and dug deep moats. They even brought in the water from the moat, intending to dig another moat in front of Yuan Shao's main camp outside the city, as if they wanted to completely surround Changping and wage a protracted war. How could Liu Bei, who witnessed this scene, not be terrified?

The battle between attacking and defending a city may seem to have not yet begun, with neither side suffering a single loss. However, thunder is brewing in the silence. When the rain pours down and the floodwaters surge, it would be wishful thinking to try to escape.
When Yuan's army besieged the city, they could only watch helplessly as layers of camps rose up, completely surrounding the entire city of Changping.

Whether it was Liu Bei, his soldiers, or even the common people in the city, the psychological pressure was increasing day by day.

After all, everyone knows that once the city is completely isolated from the outside world, even if Yuan's army does not attack the city, the people inside will starve to death and have no way out but to surrender.

Seeing this, Liu Bei frowned as he looked at the well-organized defensive fortifications of Yuan Shu's army outside the city.

"Gentlemen, we have heard that when attacking a city, one should surround three sides and leave one side open. But do you know what the deeper meaning is behind Yuan Gonglu's move of completely surrounding us in the city?"
Are you forcing us into a dead end, where soldiers are united in heart and mind, fighting to the death for a chance to survive?

"Your Majesty is absolutely right!"

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei's seemingly joking question was met with affirmation from his strategist Sun Qian.

He seemed to have thought of something extremely terrifying; his face turned deathly pale, and his words became hushed and somber.

"In Qian's opinion, perhaps he really wants to wipe us all out in one fell swoop?"
After all, although Liang Kingdom's Jian Yong and Pei Kingdom's Mi Zhu still had some troops left to defend the city in the entire Yu Province, the only force that could truly stand against his military might was his own main force.

If we perish in this battle, then the land of the three kingdoms of Yuzhou will be settled in one fell swoop.

If that's the case, why did he leave one side open when he surrounded us, allowing us to retreat one city at a time while he continued his attack step by step?

For a moment, the entire room fell silent.

These startling words must have left everyone bewildered and terrified.

"How is this possible? We, more than 40,000 men, are defending the city. They are all elite troops from Danyang left by Tao Gongzu for defense."

How dare Yuan Gonglu do that? To annihilate all 40,000 of my elite troops in one battle, a desperate fight like that of cornered beasts surrounded on all sides with no chance of survival?

Liu Bei's face was also extremely ugly. Although he still did not believe it, how could he not believe it after seeing the recent actions of Yuan's army?

"My lord, no matter what, we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom!"

Since Yuan Shu wants to build camps, dig deep trenches, and fortify high walls, we must destroy them one by one!

Otherwise, if he were truly insane and, relying on his abundant resources, were to build another outer wall outside Changping City.

If they then treat our location as part of the inner city of Changping, how will our lord and these 40,000 elite troops cope?

"What? Such a brilliant plan?"

Zhang Fei was greatly surprised upon hearing this, and he clearly thought the idea of ​​building another city outside Changping was extremely brilliant.

"Brother, this is absolutely not allowed. I should lead the army out to fight and prevent Yuan Gonglu from succeeding."

"Third brother, don't be impulsive."

Before Liu Bei could speak, Guan Yu, the true strategist present, decisively spoke up.

"We have the advantage of defending the city, so why should we attack them instead?"

　I finally made it! I said there would be an update tonight, and I meant it! Thank you all for your support with so many monthly tickets!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)