Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Wei Yan keenly sensed Taishi Ci's change. He seized the opportunity and unleashed a powerful blow, his long sword whirring and slashing down at him with the force of thunder. Taishi Ci barely raised his spear to block, but, exhausted, the overwhelming force numbed his knuckles, his hands trembling, and he nearly dropped his spear. Wei Yan seized this opportunity and unleashed a series of fierce attacks. His sword flashed, descending upon Taishi Ci like a violent storm. Taishi Ci could only barely parry, retreating step by step, and finally stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

Wei Yan spotted the opening and, with a single thrust of his long sword, swiftly brought it to bear on Taishi Ci's neck. The cold blade pressed against his skin, filling Taishi Ci with resentment. However, he no longer possessed the strength to resist and could only helplessly allow Wei Yan to capture him. Everything around them instantly fell silent, with only Taishi Ci's heavy breathing echoing in the still air, revealing the intensity and brutality of the battle.

After Wei Yan captured Taishi Ci, he couldn't help but feel admiration for the fierce general who was restrained but still exuded an indomitable spirit.

Wei Yan personally untied Taishi Ci's ropes, his movements gentle, fearful of offending the valiant warrior. Afterward, he stepped back a few steps, a gentle yet sincere smile on his face. He cupped his hands, his posture erect, and spoke in a loud, respectful voice, "Since our recent exchange, I've observed your remarkable skill. Your moves are fierce, your martial arts are exquisite, and you are no ordinary man. This fierce battle has filled Wei Yan with admiration. I wonder what your name is, so I can remember this rare encounter."

Taishi Ci rubbed his wrist, painfully bruised by the ropes, and glared at Wei Yan fiercely, his eyes spitting fire. Then, with a cold snort, he turned his head away, his tone filled with disdain and determination, and said sternly, "Hmph! Kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you. No need to ask any more questions! Ever since I broke out of the siege, I've been relentlessly pursued by Yuan Shu's minions. I'm already exhausted both physically and mentally. Now that you've captured me without a word, I, Taishi Ci, accept defeat. But expecting me to beg for mercy is a pipe dream! I only consider you sent by that traitor Yuan Shu. Now that I'm in your hands, I have nothing to say. But expecting me to utter a single word is absurd!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan grumbled, realizing a major misunderstanding. With an anxious expression, he quickly waved his hand, took a step forward, and explained, "General, you've misunderstood! A huge misunderstanding! I'm Wei Yan, a junior officer under General Sun Ce. I've long heard of your heroic deeds and admired your skill and courage. I'm here at General Sun's command, leading the vanguard to support General Liu Yao in his fight against Yuan Shu. We were scouting the path ahead to clear obstacles for the main force. It's truly a misunderstanding that led to this conflict today, simply because we didn't know the general's identity."

When Taishi Ci heard the word "Sun Ce," his tense body froze. He slowly turned around, his gaze as sharp as a torch, staring intently at Wei Yan, as if he could see through him. His eyes were filled with suspicion, and his tone was scrutinizing and questioning. "You say you're Sun Ce's man? What's your proof? I've been chased by Yuan Shu's men all this time, with nowhere to escape. My nerves are constantly on edge. Now you've captured me without explanation. How can I trust you? I won't trust you simply because of a few words."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan burst into laughter, his hearty chuckle echoing throughout the empty space. Laughing, he waved his hand, his face brimming with confidence as he spoke, "General Taishi, if you don't believe me, that's easy to do! My General Sun's army is right behind us, a mighty force, rushing day and night to aid your General Liu Yao. Yuan Shu has been besieging Yuzhang County for a long time, and General Sun, concerned for his allies, how could he sit idly by?"

He paused briefly, took a step forward, his eyes filled with sincerity, and continued, "General, why not come with me to meet my general? Once we meet General Sun, everything will be revealed. Furthermore, you've been in Yuzhang County for a long time and are well aware of the situation there. It's a good opportunity to explain the current state of Yuzhang County to General Sun, allowing him to formulate a comprehensive strategy to defeat the enemy and lift the siege of Yuzhang as soon as possible. This way, we can both clear up misunderstandings and discuss major plans together. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Wei Yan and Taishi Ci strode towards Sun Ce's tent at great speed. Along the way, Taishi Ci still had doubts in his heart and looked around vigilantly, not missing any details.

Upon entering the tent, Sun Ce was seated in the main seat, his expression calm and composed, radiating an innate heroic spirit. Wei Yan stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "My lord, this is General Taishi Ci, serving under General Liu Yao. We captured him earlier by mistake, but now we know it was a misunderstanding."

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce immediately stood up and approached Taishi Ci with a beaming smile. He shook Taishi Ci's hands with both hands and said warmly, "I've long admired your great name, Ziyi. It's a great honor to meet you today!" Taishi Ci's doubts dissipated at Sun Ce's sincerity, and he quickly clasped his fists in return, saying, "General Sun, my general Liu Yao is being besieged by Yuan Shu in Yuzhang County. Our food and supplies are running low, and we are in imminent danger. I implore you to send troops to rescue us as soon as possible!"

Sun Ce was not in a hurry. He patted Taishi Ci's shoulder gently and said gently: "Don't worry, Ziyi. You have been traveling all the way and have experienced hard battles. You must be hungry. Come, prepare some wine and meat so that General Taishi Ci can have a good meal first." Taishi Ci was stunned at first, but then he no longer refused. After all, he was indeed exhausted and urgently needed to replenish his energy.

Soon, steaming hot wine and meat were served. Taishi Ci, without pretense, picked up the wine jug and gulped it down, then grabbed the chunks of meat and devoured them ravenously. Sun Ce sat nearby, smiling and watching him with admiration in his eyes.

After eating and drinking to their heart's content, Taishi Ci heaved a sigh of relief, stood up, and knelt on one knee before Sun Ce, solemnly saying, "I'm grateful for the kindness you've shown me today. I'll repay you someday. If you're willing to send troops to rescue me, I, Taishi Ci, will do it for you, even to the bitter end."

Sun Ce stepped forward to help Taishi Ci up, and said with a firm look: "Don't worry, Ziyi, now that I have led the army here, I will definitely lift the siege of Yuzhang. But marching and fighting require long-term planning. We still need to plan carefully to ensure that there are no mistakes." After that, Sun Ce ordered people to unfold the map, and discussed the strategy of defeating the enemy with Taishi Ci, Wei Yan and others. The atmosphere in the tent instantly became heated and tense.

Taishi Ci gathered his thoughts and began to elaborate on the situation in Yuzhang. "General Sun, since launching their campaign, Yuan Shu's army has been unstoppable. Leveraging superior numbers and formidable combat capabilities, they have advanced rapidly and quickly reached Yuzhang County. General Liu Yao, fully aware of Yuzhang's strategic importance, fought tooth and nail to hold on, a defense that lasted for over six months."

His brow furrowed, his tone heavy, "But the prolonged hold has consumed a huge amount of supplies within the city, and now food and fodder are extremely scarce. The soldiers' daily rations have been reduced again and again, and morale is becoming increasingly low."

After a pause, Taishi Ci continued, "However, Xu Shao, the city's advisor, is a keen observer. He's analyzed that after we successfully burned a batch of Yuan Shu's food supplies, the pace of their siege has slowed. All signs indicate that Yuan Shu's army may also be facing a food shortage. However, their forces are still superior to ours. If we can't break the siege in time, Yuzhang City will be in imminent danger."

After listening to Taishi Ci's detailed account, Sun Ce pondered for a moment. Then he looked at the counselors and generals in the tent and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, the situation in Yuzhang is now clear. Let's express our opinions and discuss strategies to defeat the enemy."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bu Zhi stepped forward, bowed, and said, "My lord, although Yuan Shu is short of food, he still has the advantage in numbers. A forced attack is not the best strategy. I have a plan to relieve Yuzhang's distress. We will lie to the outside world and claim that Kuaiji County has an abundance of food and fodder. However, my lord, despite your friendship with General Liu Yao, you do not want to be drawn into this conflict and are unwilling to send troops to rescue him. However, out of courtesy, I will still send General Liu Yao some food and fodder."

He paused, a sly glint in his eyes as he continued, "On our first two grain shipments, we didn't send heavy troops to escort them. We only sent a small number of soldiers to pretend to escort them, and we marched towards Yuzhang County with great fanfare. Yuan Shu would have been envious of the grain being shipped from Kuaiji County to Yuzhang. But seeing the small size of our escort, he would have become suspicious and wouldn't have dared to plunder rashly. After all, he feared it was a trap set by us."

"But as time goes by, seeing batch after batch of food being sent to Yuzhang County, he will eventually lose his patience. After all, food is the most urgently needed material for him at the moment. When he finally makes up his mind to send troops to rob food, we will set up numerous ambushes on the food transport route in advance. When his food-robbing troops enter the encirclement, we will rush out and wipe them out in one fell swoop. In this way, we can not only consume Yuan Shu's troops, but also seize his weapons, horses and other supplies, and solve the urgent needs of Yuzhang County. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone." Bu Zhi finished speaking in one breath and looked at Sun Ce confidently.

Xue Zong nodded slightly and added, "Mr. Bu is absolutely right. Meanwhile, we can spread false news, claiming that Kuaiji County has ample food and fodder, and that a large number of reinforcements are on the way. This will intimidate Yuan Shu and make him hesitate to launch an all-out attack on the city. This will also reduce the pressure on General Liu Yao within the city."

At this time, Lu Ji also stood up, his eyes gleaming. "My lord, we can also unite with the surrounding counties and send troops to harass Yuan Shu from the flanks. Yuan Shu is already short of food, and being attacked from both sides will surely make him difficult to withstand. With so much pressure from all sides, his defenses will eventually show a flaw."

Lu Meng rubbed his hands together and said eagerly, "I am willing to lead the vanguard troops to attack Yuan Shu's camp at night and catch them off guard! If we can disrupt their formation, the subsequent battle will be much easier."

Ling Cao, unwilling to be outdone, clasped his fists and offered to fight: "I am willing to support General Lu. If he succeeds, I will lead my troops to pursue him and expand our victory!"

Sun Ce listened to the crowd's suggestions, nodded slightly, and his gaze swept over each one, a plan already forming in his mind. He pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Everyone's saying makes sense. Let's follow Bu Zhi's advice. First, we'll set up a strategy of transporting grain to lure the enemy. We must ensure that we deploy elite ambushes and strike with one strike. Xue Zong will be responsible for spreading the false information. We must make it convincing enough to convince Yuan Shu. Lu Ji, you will be responsible for uniting the surrounding counties. We must ensure this alliance is swift. Lü Meng and Ling Cao, the two of you must be prepared. If the lure succeeds, we'll leave the surprise attack to you."

Everyone responded in unison, morale high. Sun Ce, looking at his capable and formidable generals, felt a surge of confidence. He knew that while this battle with Yuan Shu would be challenging, as long as everyone worked together, they would surely lift the siege of Yuzhang and enhance their reputation in these troubled times.