Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Liu Yao watched Lei Bo's troops set up camp north of the city, his heart filled with resentment and unwillingness. His past battles with Yuan Shu were still vivid in his mind, those fierce battles seemed like yesterday, yet now he could only watch Yuan Shu's troops swagger away, helpless to stop them. His right hand tightly gripped the sword at his waist, his knuckles white from the strain, but his face held only a look of helplessness.

Liu Yao knew that his limited forces were no match for Lei Bo's vast army. Furthermore, to defend Yuzhang and resist Sun Ce, he had to rely on Huang Zu's strength. In this situation, despite his resentment, he could only suppress his anger and watch helplessly as Yuan Shu's army withdrew.

Meanwhile, Sun Ce's forces continued their assault on the city. After days of intense attack, Sun Ce's army made slow progress, suffering heavy casualties and achieving little. Today, Sun Ce only dispatched two generals, Lü Meng and Quan Cong, to lead a portion of the troops to attack the city, not fully committing.

Li Feng, from inside the city, saw Lei Bo securely stationed northeast of the city walls. His heart finally settled, and he felt a sense of relief. Watching the mildly aggressive attack outside the city, where Sun Ce's army, led by Lü Meng and Quan Cong, was repeatedly repelled by the defenders on the city walls, a mocking smile played on Li Feng's lips. He thought to himself, it was truly ridiculous that Sun Ce, still unaware that their main force had already withdrawn, was still engaged in a futile siege.

It turned out that Lei Bo and Li Feng had a plan in mind; they wouldn't surrender the city so easily to Liu Yao and Huang Zu. They had agreed that once Lei Bo had established a foothold outside the city and Li Feng had only a small force inside, they would reveal the city's defensive weaknesses to Sun Ce, allowing him to engage in a desperate battle against Liu Yao and Huang Zu. This way, they could both preserve their own strength and escape unscathed while also leveraging others to weaken the enemy—killing two birds with one stone. Li Feng narrowed his eyes, gazing at Sun Ce's tent outside the city, mentally calculating the moment to execute this plan, waiting for the flames of war to flare up once again in Yuzhang County.

Lü Meng and Quan Cong were standing at the front, frantically planning their next attack. They carefully observed the defensive flaws on the city walls, issuing orders and adjusting their offensive positions. Suddenly, a soldier on the wall shouted at the top of his lungs, "We've surrendered the city! Liu Yao and Huang Zu's armies are about to enter. Don't waste your energy attacking!" This sudden outcry threw the previously tense and orderly battlefield into chaos.

Upon hearing this, Lü Meng and Quan Cong were both shocked. They exchanged a look of disbelief. Without delay, they dispatched swift horses to report this urgent news to Sun Ce. Sun Ce, who was in the main tent discussing war plans with his advisors, erupted in fury upon hearing this news. "We've been tricked by these two! How despicable!" He was already proud and conceited, and the rage of being tricked by Lei Bo and Li Feng threatened to consume him.

However, Sun Ce was unwilling to give up. He learned that Liu Yao and Huang Zu's armies had not yet completed their rotation, leaving Yuzhang City vulnerable. If he could seize this opportunity to storm the city, perhaps there was still a chance of capturing it. With this thought, Sun Ce gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and ordered, "All troops, listen! Attack the city with all your might! We must capture Yuzhang City today!"

Suddenly, war drums thundered, and cries of slaughter shook the heavens. Sun Ce personally led the army in a fierce assault on Yuzhang City. Soldiers surged toward the city walls, erecting ladders and desperately scaling them. On the walls, Liu Yao and Huang Zu's troops had only recently entered the city and were not yet fully familiar with its defenses. They were caught off guard by Sun Ce's sudden onslaught.

Meanwhile, Li Feng, watching the chaos surrounding Sun Ce's army outside the city, felt a surge of joy. He knew his plan was halfway successful. Feeling relieved, he led the remaining troops out of the east gate without stopping, heading towards Lei Bo's troops stationed in the northeast.

Meanwhile, Huang Zu and Liu Yao's armies continued to enter the city through the north gate. They had expected to secure the city smoothly, but they hadn't anticipated Sun Ce's sudden attack. Huang Zu's face was grim. As he directed his soldiers to the city's defense, he cursed, "Lei Bo and Li Feng, those two bastards, set us up!" Liu Yao, too, was filled with anxiety. He knew that if he couldn't stabilize the situation, the newly acquired Yuzhang City would likely change hands again.

The battlefield was thick with smoke, and the three factions were caught in a chaotic fight. Sun Ce's troops attacked like crazy, while Liu Yao and Huang Zu's coalition forces fought desperately, and Li Feng, under the cover of the chaos, led his troops away.

The city was like a purgatory, with shrill cries of killing and screams of agony reverberating, each one piercing one's eardrums. Huang Zu and Liu Yao's forces, having entered the city first through the north gate, seized the opportunity and quickly advanced towards the south gate.

On the south gate walls, a blood-curdling battle raged. Sun Ce's army charged like a tide, their soldiers shouting and carrying ladders as they charged the walls. Inspired by the deafening drumbeats, they braved the elements, fearing no loss of life. Even as their comrades fell, blood splattered all over their bodies, they refused to retreat. Finally, a group of elite soldiers climbed the ladders to the top of the city wall and engaged the defenders of Huang Zu and Liu Yao in close combat.

Glinting blades clashed, sending out deadly sparks. Soldiers from both sides grappled, fists piercing flesh, swords drawing blood. Red-eyed, the warriors of Sun Ce's army roared and slashed with their swords, attempting to tear a hole in the city wall. The defenders, unwilling to be outdone, relied on their familiarity with the terrain, bolstered by battlements and ramparts, putting up a tenacious resistance. Every inch of the wall became the focus of a life-or-death struggle.

However, the allied forces of Huang Zu and Liu Yao, leveraging their numerical superiority and their early defensive deployments, repeatedly repelled Sun Ce's assaults on the city walls. Soldiers who reached the top of the walls were shot down by a hail of arrows before they could even gain a foothold, or were stabbed or hacked down by the defenders wielding swords and spears. They fell screaming from the walls, landing heavily in a pool of blood below.

Lü Meng led the charge, wielding his long sword, cutting down enemy after enemy. However, he was struck in the arm by an arrow fired from the city wall. Gritting his teeth, he tore off a corner of his shirt to bandage it, and continued to direct the battle. Quan Cong, in the fiercest battle, was struck in the leg by a stray arrow. He knelt on one knee, forced himself to stand, and shouted to boost morale. Xue Zong, in close combat, was slashed in the back by an enemy spear, his armor stained red with blood. Lü Dai, also caught in the melee, suffered a cut on his arm, the wound so deep it exposed the bone, but he simply bandaged it with a cloth and returned to the fight.

On the city walls, severed limbs and arms flew everywhere, and blood flowed down through the cracks in the wall, gathering in dark red pools at the base. Some soldiers, pierced through the chest by sharp blades, clung to their enemies until their last breath; others, their arms severed, clutched their weapons with their free hands despite the excruciating pain and continued fighting.

Sun Ce stood at the front, watching the raging battle unfold on the city walls, his heart pounding. He roared at the top of his lungs, brandishing his spear repeatedly to spur his men on to another charge. Generals like Lü Meng and Quan Cong led the charge, ignoring their wounds and leading their troops towards the city walls once again. But facing the defenders' frenzied counterattacks, Sun Ce's army was repeatedly defeated. The corpses of soldiers from both sides piled up like a mountain on the battlefield, a fierce and brutal battle raging on, with no end in sight.

On the city walls, the cries of battle gradually faded, replaced by a heart-wrenching silence. Only the groans of the wounded and the lingering sound of weapons clashing filled the air. Gu Yong was terribly anxious. He pushed through the crowd and quickly approached Sun Ce. He knelt on one knee and said earnestly, "My lord, we cannot continue this assault! Countless soldiers have been killed and wounded. If this continues, I'm afraid our army will be severely damaged and will never recover!" He raised his head, his eyes filled with worry and anxiety.

Lu Meng was covered in blood, and the cloth wrapped around his arm was soaked with blood. He walked over with heavy steps, his voice hoarse: "My lord, what Yong said is absolutely right. In today's battle, although our army fought desperately, the enemy's defense was too stubborn. My brothers, we can't hold on any longer..." A trace of pain and unwillingness flashed in his eyes. Looking at the corpses scattered on the battlefield, his heart was filled with sorrow.

Wei Yan frowned, clasped his fists, and said, "My lord, although I am reluctant to withdraw my troops at this time, I believe that as long as there is life, there will be no fear of lack of firewood. If we continue to attack blindly, it will only increase casualties. I hope my lord will reconsider!"

Sun Ce clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at the Yuzhang County city, so near yet so far away. His chest heaved violently, a surge of rage and resentment threatening to consume him. How could he willingly give up? This city had been the heart of his ambitions, but now, watching the heavy casualties of his soldiers, corpses strewn across the battlefield, blood staining the ground crimson, his rage gradually gave way to helplessness.

After a long time, Sun Ce sighed, his voice low and hoarse: "Forget it... withdraw!" These two words seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

As the retreat horn sounded, the soldiers slowly retreated like a tide. Their steps were heavy and slow, and everyone's face was filled with fatigue and loss.

Liu Yao and Huang Zu stood on the city wall, watching the retreating Sun Ce army, and breathed a sigh of relief. This brutal offensive and defensive battle finally ended in their victory, and Yuzhang County City finally fell into their hands.

Lei Bo and Li Feng, the instigators of all this, had already led their troops to a successful rendezvous in the northeast. Standing on a high vantage point, they gazed at the billowing smoke rising from the direction of Yuzhang County, listening to the faint cries of battle, and a smug smile crossed their faces.

Li Feng patted the dust off his body and said to Lei Bo with a smile: "Brother, this time it is thanks to our advance planning, otherwise it would not be so smooth!" There was a cunning glint in his eyes. Thinking back to this series of arrangements, his heart was full of a sense of accomplishment.

Lei Bo nodded and laughed heartily: "That's right! Sun Ce, Liu Yao and Huang Zu are still fighting each other to the death, but they don't know that we have already slipped away and got away!" As he said, he turned his head to look at the neatly arranged troops, his eyes full of relief.

Before evacuating, they didn't forget to do one crucial thing: pack up all the food and fodder in the city and take it away. The mountains of food and fodder were now theirs, enough to sustain the troops for a long time. As for the baggage they couldn't take with them, Li Feng waved his hand and set it ablaze before leaving. A raging fire soared into the sky, illuminating half the sky red, and billowing black smoke rose into the clouds, as if announcing the complete success of their "victorious escape."

Having manipulated the two most powerful warlords in the world, the two generals embarked on the journey back to Lujiang with a sense of immense relief. They rode on their majestic horses, their mighty troops behind them, raising a cloud of dust. Thinking of the praise they would receive upon their return to Lujiang and their encounters with Yuan Shu, their lips curled up, as if they could already see a future of prosperity.