Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

In Chengdu at the end of last year, the chill of winter had not yet faded when Liu Bei received an urgent report from Jingzhou. The writing on the bamboo slips was blurred by the messenger's sweat, but every word struck like a heavy hammer: Jiangdong was eyeing Jingnan, Runan was under fierce attack by Cao Cao, and Yingchuan was being held back by the Xiliang army. Jingzhou was in dire need of help from three sides.

After reading the urgent report, Zhang Fei's thick eyebrows furrowed, and he slammed his hand on the table: "Brother! The battle in Xichuan is at a stalemate. Ma Chao is holed up outside the city and can't break in anytime soon. Jingzhou is our foundation. Now that our rear is on fire, we should return immediately and defend our own territory! Why risk our lives for Liu Zhang here? In the end, it will probably all be for nothing!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, turning Liu Zhang and his ministers deathly pale. They glanced at Liu Bei, only to see the allied commander sitting calmly at his desk, showing not a trace of panic. Liu Zhang couldn't help but speak in a trembling voice, "Lord Xuande... if you withdraw your troops now, Chengdu will be isolated and helpless, and Yizhou will... will likely fall entirely into Ma Chao's hands..."

Liu Bei raised his hand and pressed it on his shoulder, his tone steady: "Ji Yu, rest assured. Now that we have formed an alliance, we are as close as lips and teeth. How can I abandon my ally and only care about my own?" He glanced at all the civil and military officials of Yizhou present and said loudly, "I, Liu Bei, hereby swear that I will live and die with Chengdu, and I will never retreat in the face of battle!"

Upon hearing this, the rulers and ministers of Yizhou were all taken aback, and their gazes toward Liu Bei were filled with admiration and gratitude. Although they had previously allied with Liu Bei, they had always harbored some wariness. Now, seeing that he still kept his promise in times of crisis, their worries were somewhat relieved.

But no one saw that when Liu Bei returned to his camp that night, after dismissing his attendants, he drank heartily with Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Pang Tong, and others. The candlelight in the tent reflected the smile in his eyes, completely dispelling the solemnity he had displayed during the day.

"Brother, don't keep it a secret anymore, there must be good news in Jingzhou!" Zhang Fei asked casually after taking a swig of wine.

Liu Bei raised his wine cup, tears glistening in his eyes, his voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion: "Kongming and Yunchang said in their letter that Lady Gan... has given birth to a son for me!"

The tent erupted in cheers. Zhang Fei jumped to his feet, overturning a table without even noticing: "Good! Good! My elder brother has wandered for half his life, and now, at over forty, he finally has an heir!" Zhao Yun, usually so composed, couldn't hide his joy and clapped his hands, saying, "Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord!" Pang Tong stroked his beard and laughed, "This is Heaven's will to spare the Han dynasty! With a successor to our cause, great things can be accomplished!"

Liu Bei finished his drink and was filled with emotion: "Kongming and Yunchang said that we should temporarily name him A Dou, and wait for me to return and give him a proper name." He looked at the dark night sky outside the tent, and the pent-up frustration in his heart vanished. "With this child, we must protect this family business even more, so that we can give him a peaceful world in the future."

The laughter from inside the tent carried far, creating a striking contrast with the heavy guard on the walls of Chengdu. The rulers and ministers of Yizhou only saw Liu Bei as a hero who kept his promises, unaware that in this hero's heart, the cries of the infant in the distance had already ignited a burning hope. This hope would sustain him, allowing him to navigate the predicament of Western Sichuan more steadily and further.

As February arrived, the snow outside Chengdu had long since melted, but no warmth had arrived. The Xiliang army's camp, like an iron ring, encircled the city, its countless banners fluttering in the wind, completely surrounding the isolated city. Fortunately, Chengdu's city walls were high and its bricks and stones were thick, and its previously stored provisions were plentiful, which allowed it to barely hold out against the relentless attacks day after day, preventing its immediate fall.

However, the surrounding counties had already changed hands. Except for Chengdu, all of Shu Commandery had fallen into Ma Chao's hands; Hanyang Commandery had already fallen; and Baxi Commandery had suffered repeated defeats. Pang Yi and Yan Yan led their remaining troops to retreat to Bazhong Commandery. Separated by several passes, their attempt to rush to Chengdu's aid was now just a pipe dream. They could only look in the direction of Chengdu and sigh in vain.

The atmosphere on the city walls grew increasingly oppressive each day. The Xiliang army began their assault before dawn, ladders strung atop the walls, battering rams pounding the gates, and the battle cries shaking the very bricks of the city. Among the defenders, the local Yizhou soldiers had long lost their fighting spirit; their hands trembled as they gripped their swords. Only the Jingzhou troops brought by Liu Bei held the line. Zhao Yun's white spear and Zhang Fei's serpent spear were stained with blood daily, yet despite repelling wave after wave of enemy troops, they saw no hope of breaking the stalemate. Xiliang reinforcements poured in like a tide, while Chengdu's forces dwindled with each battle.

Fear gripped the hearts of the civil and military officials of Yizhou like vines. They gathered in Liu Zhang's residence, their former lively discussions replaced by silent stares. Occasionally, someone would whisper among themselves, saying things like, "Should we surrender?" or "Ma Chao might spare our lives." Liu Zhang sat in the main seat, his face ashen, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single firm word.

It was at this moment that Liu Bei's figure became the only light atop the city wall. Every day before dawn, he would climb the city wall and work alongside his soldiers, moving stones and carrying arrows. The frost on his armor would melt and re-frozen, and the blisters on his hands would be wrapped with strips of cloth, yet he always stood ramrod straight. When a soldier fell to the ground wounded by an arrow, he would personally bandage him; when rations were distributed, he would make sure that the Jingzhou soldiers and the Yizhou soldiers ate from the same pot, never taking even a single grain of rice more than necessary; even when a cowardly Yizhou official tried to sneak open the city gate, he was caught on the spot, but only punished according to military law, without implicating anyone else.

Such uprightness and generosity stood in stark contrast to Liu Zhang's incompetence, cowardice, and lack of resolve in the eyes of the people of Yizhou. Both were members of the Han imperial family, yet one stood tall in the face of crisis, while the other cowered in adversity; one had the word "alliance" etched into his very bones, while the other only ever talked about "self-preservation."

On the city wall, Zhang Fei wiped the blood off his face, looked at Liu Bei who was feeding water to the wounded soldiers, and whispered to Zhao Yun, "Brother, in the past few months, I'm afraid you've won over most of the people of Yizhou."

Zhao Yun nodded, looking at the surging Xiliang army below the city, and then at the Yizhou soldiers on the city wall whose eyes gradually changed from fear to admiration, and said softly, "The will of the people is stronger than the city walls."

Liu Zhang, gazing out the window from his residence and listening to the distant sounds of battle, felt as if those sounds were mocking his incompetence. He knew that Chengdu might still be able to hold out, but the hearts of the people of Yizhou were no longer with him.

In late March, the humid, hot wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder, blew into the city walls of Chengdu. A layer of sticky sweat mingled with bloodstains on the armor of the defending soldiers, forming dark, hard clumps. Panic swept through the city like a tide, affecting every street and alley. Even the most composed old officials began to toss and turn at night, unable to sleep. The Xiliang army's siege grew increasingly fierce; the casualty figures on the city walls were updated daily, and the accounts in the granaries grew worse with each passing day. Everyone was asking: How much longer can we hold out?

Liu Bei became the only light in everyone's eyes.

The soldiers defending the city, carrying battle reports, lists of wounded soldiers, and lists of provisions, headed straight for Liu Bei's camp, passing by Liu Zhang's government office without glancing at him. Matters that should have been decided by the Governor of Yi Province were now entirely determined by Liu Bei's word: where reinforcements were needed, where the city walls needed repair, how the provisions should be distributed evenly, which courtyard the wounded should be housed in... Every single matter was personally reviewed by Liu Bei, and handled with meticulous order.

Liu Zhang's residence grew increasingly deserted. The once bustling officialdom now only made token visits during holidays, their conversations revolving around "Liu Yuzhou's achievements," as if his position as Governor of Yizhou was merely a figurehead. What alarmed him even more was that the powerful clans of the city had begun secretly colluding with Liu Bei, sending him provisions and medicine, and even sending their sons to serve in his army. Their overt and covert expressions revealed their intention to surrender. They knew that Chengdu's survival until now was entirely due to Liu Bei and his Jingzhou army; if this "outsider" left, the city would be razed to the ground by Ma Chao in an instant.

Pang Tong fueled the flames. He had his guards spread rumors in the city, saying, "If Liu Bei flees, Yizhou will surely perish." He also used the pretext of a meeting to let the officials of Yizhou witness firsthand how Liu Bei led the charge on the city walls and how he stayed up all night in his tent planning defenses. The contrast made Liu Zhang appear even more cowardly and incompetent.

Even Liu Zhang's closest ministers began to try various ways to persuade him. Qin Mi, holding a history book, advised, "Those who understand the times are heroes. Now, Yizhou is in imminent danger and needs a strong ruler to save it." Wang Lei knelt before the gate of the mansion, weeping and pleading, "My lord and Ma Chao are sworn enemies. If the city falls, there will be no way to survive. It would be better to yield the governorship." She Jian was even more blunt: "Give the governorship of Yizhou to Xuande Gong (Liu Bei), and you can live a wealthy life with no worries for your descendants. It's better to die and have your clan exterminated after the city falls."

These words struck Liu Zhang like a hammer blow, nearly driving him to the brink of collapse. He knew he was incompetent and unable to defend Yizhou, yet he was unwilling to relinquish his ancestral legacy to someone else. Tormented day and night, he finally gritted his teeth and sent someone to invite Liu Bei.

Inside the mansion, Liu Zhang looked at his upright and tall kinsman and said in a trembling voice, "Lord Xuande... Chengdu is in imminent danger. I... I am willing to give you the position of Governor of Yizhou. I only ask that you defend this city, leave me a way to live, and I will live a life of wealth and comfort."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei abruptly stood up, his face grave, and his tone righteous and resolute: "Ji Yu, what are you saying! My alliance with you against the enemy was solely for the purpose of jointly protecting Yizhou, not for plotting against your foundation!" He stepped forward and placed his hands on Liu Zhang's shoulders. "Rest assured, as long as I, Liu Bei, live and die with Chengdu, I have absolutely no covetous thoughts! Let this matter not be mentioned again!"

After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Liu Zhang standing there, stunned, staring at his resolute back, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

Liu Bei stepped out of his residence, facing the wind, a complex glint in his eyes. Pang Tong appeared at the street corner, bowing and smiling at him, his eyes full of understanding. Liu Bei nodded slightly, said nothing, and strode towards the city wall. He knew that Liu Zhang's mind was already set, the hearts of the people of Yizhou were with him, and the rest was only a matter of time.

In mid-April in Chengdu, the copper bells on the eaves jingled in the southwest wind, but could not dispel the anxiety inside and outside the city. Qiao Zhou led dozens of students from Yizhou, holding bamboo slips filled with blood-written petitions, and knelt before Liu Bei's camp, weeping and pleading.

"Liu Jingzhou!" Qiao Zhou's white-haired head pressed to the ground, his voice hoarse, "The city's food supplies are less than a month's worth, and more than half of our soldiers have been killed or wounded. If we continue to hold out, we will only perish! The people of Yizhou are willing to serve you as their lord, and only ask that you preserve this land and not let Ma Chao's iron hooves trample Chengdu!"

The students behind him followed suit, kowtowing and weeping: "Please, Liu Yuzhou, take over Yizhou!" "Save Chengdu!"

Upon hearing the news, Liu Bei rushed from the city wall. Seeing the scene, he frowned and quickly helped Qiao Zhou up: "Master Yunnan, please get up! Students, please get up too. Isn't this behavior putting me in an unjust position?"