The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Beneath the walls of Wushang City, banners fluttered and soldiers numbered over ten thousand.

Standing outside the city walls, Zhang Cheng frowned and asked, "What's going on? There isn't even a single sentry on the walls. Could that bastard Guan Xing have ambushed us inside the city?"

Zhuge Ke shook his head and said, "No, the scouts reported that Guan Xing has already withdrawn, but we haven't found out where he went yet."

Zhang Cheng frowned and said, "Send a team of soldiers up to launch a feint attack and see how things go."

Soon, a hundred Wu soldiers stepped out of formation, carried ladders and rushed towards the city wall. They then easily climbed up without any hindrance and opened the city gate from the inside.

The rest was simple. Zhang Cheng waved his hand and led his army into the city. Once inside, he found every house closed. When he arrived at the county government office, he was furious.

The county government warehouse was cleaner than a dog had licked; not only were there no grain or supplies, but not even the population register remained.

That damned Guan Xing, he really is a ruthless scoundrel, stealing every last penny from anyone who passes by.

Just as he was sulking, Zhuge Ke rushed in and said urgently, "General, we've found out. Guan Xing went to Yan Zhen's stronghold, Jitou Ridge. That place is a cliff with only a narrow path about a meter wide, making it very difficult to attack."

Zhang Cheng frowned and said, "Why did Guan Xing hide there? That shouldn't be the case. We can't go up to that dangerous place, and he can't come down either. As long as we block him at the bottom of the mountain, he can only wait to die. Guan Xing shouldn't be that stupid, right?"

Zhuge Ke said with a wry smile, "That's true, but Guan Xing has a lot of grain. He seized hundreds of thousands of shi of grain from Zhu Hong, the three major families, and Yan Zhen. These days, he has transported it all up the mountain. I heard that he also bought a lot of salt from the neighboring county and transported it up as well."

“General, that’s hundreds of thousands of shi of grain, enough to feed two or three thousand of them for two or three years. On the other hand, our tens of thousands of troops can eat half a mountain in one meal. We can’t even get the grain we need nearby. We have to transport it from other places. The cost of the journey alone is painful.”

"More importantly, with the fall of Jianye, the reserves of Jiangdong over the years all benefited Guan Yu, and the consumption of grain and fodder not only did not decrease but gradually increased."

"Now the strategist's side has to supply the Grand Commander, Ruxukou, and even support Jingzhou. The grain consumption is too great."

"Given this, the strategist's supply of provisions is very limited. We only have enough for twenty days' worth of provisions. If we cannot achieve a quick victory, we may have no choice but to retreat."

Zhang Cheng's brows furrowed so tightly they could trap a fly, and he said through gritted teeth, "Damn Guan Xing, he's got his eye on this and's planning to wage a war of attrition against us."

"Pass down the order: the army shall rest for one night and proceed to Jitou Ridge tomorrow morning."

Silent all night.

At daybreak, Zhang Cheng ordered Zhou Xun to lead 3,000 men to stay in the county town to guard the grain supplies, while he personally led 7,000 men to Jitou Ridge.

Although Zhang Cheng was mentally prepared for the danger of Jitou Ridge, he was still shocked when he actually saw it.

The narrow, winding path, only a meter or so wide, was not only extremely steep, but in some places it was almost vertical, requiring a ladder to climb.

Launching a strong attack on this terrain would be tantamount to suicide. The only way is to block the mountain and wait for the supplies to run out. The problem is that he can't outlast Guan Xing.

Zhang Cheng gritted his teeth and said, "Send two hundred men to probe the attack. Guan Xing's men are all temporarily recruited civilians and bandits, so their fighting strength should not be strong."

Zhuge Ke had no good solution for this terrain, so he could only personally command the army to launch an attack.

……

A karst cave on the mountainside.

Guan Xing woke up naturally after a good night's sleep, and as he stretched and stepped out of the stone gate, Meng Jun rushed over and said, "Captain, the Wu army has begun their attack."

Guan Xing ran to the edge of the cliff to check and found hundreds of Wu soldiers wearing armor and holding shields struggling to climb up. He couldn't help but sneer.

The road was only so wide, and no matter how many Wu soldiers there were, they could only send four or five men at a time, posing no threat to the Han army. Moreover, he had piled up a large number of logs and rocks in the cave, ready to serve the Wu army at any time.

Guan Xing calmly smiled and said, "Don't worry, just defend according to plan. By the way, has Guan Yan returned?"

"Coming, coming." Guan Yan's voice came from behind him as soon as he finished speaking.

Guan Xing quickly turned around and asked, "What's the situation in the city?"

Yesterday, Guan Yan did not retreat with the main army, but stayed in the city to gather information about the Wu army.

Guan Yan replied, "It has been investigated. The county town is currently being garrisoned by Zhou Xun, with a garrison of about three thousand men. Moreover, all of Wu's army's provisions are in the city."

Guan Xing frowned and fell into deep thought. After thinking for a long time, he said, "Three thousand men is not many, and the guards of the grain supplies are not elites. Perhaps we can take out Zhou Xun first."

Defense has never been his style; he wants to attack and annihilate the Wu army below the mountain.

While annihilation is difficult, it's not impossible.

Guan Xing said, "Go and rest. From now on, completely seal off the escape routes. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order."

The area below the mountain has been surrounded by Wu's army. Guan Yan climbed in through a passage, but this passage can no longer be used for the time being, as there is a risk of being discovered by Wu's army if it is used again.

After seeing Guan Yan off, Guan Xing turned his gaze down the mountain. Seeing that Wu Jun had been easily defeated, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "By the way, what are the others doing holed up in the cave?"

"Guests have arrived, and instead of coming out to greet them, you bunch of hosts just stay holed up in your caves without making a sound. Is this how you treat guests? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you if word gets out?"

Meng Jun asked in surprise, "How should we greet them?"

Guan Xing said speechlessly, "You've traveled all over the country and even had your legs crushed under carriages, and I still have to teach you this? Watch carefully."

After saying that, he turned to look at the Wu army below the mountain, raised the megaphone and roared: "You cowards of the Wu army, attack, fight and kill, how come you have such a hard time climbing a slope? Have you all not eaten?"

"You guys better step up your game! Are you really going to become the cowardly rats of Jiangdong that outsiders talk about?"

After shouting, he said to Meng Jun, "Do you understand? That's how you greet them."

"You should have said so earlier! Watch me!" Meng Jun excitedly grabbed the megaphone and was about to yell, but Xie Chong pressed his hand down and said weakly, "Captain, this isn't appropriate. I'm also from Jiangdong. It's not just me; most of the people in our army are the Jiangdong rats you're talking about."

"Uh..." Guan Xing's face instantly turned awkward. He touched his nose and chuckled, "How could I forget about that? Sorry, it's my fault. Give me the megaphone, I'll think of a new word."

Guan Xing took back the trumpet, frowned in thought, and suddenly a brilliant idea flashed in his mind. He excitedly said, "A son should be like Sun Quan, who sent 100,000 men to Hefei to behead, and when in doubt, consult Zhang Zhao, and surrender to the enemy. What do you think of these two lines?"

Meng Jun and Xie Chong muttered a few words to each other, and at the same time gave each other a thumbs up and said, "Captain, I only realized today that you are so talented. I don't think even Cao Zhi can compare to you."

Guan Xing shoved the megaphone into Meng Jun's hand and said irritably, "Don't flatter me, get out of here."

What merit or ability does he possess to dare compare himself to Cao Zijian?

Putting everything else aside, even if he plucked all his hair out, he still couldn't write that "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River."

Meng Jun touched his nose sullenly, took the megaphone and shouted into the cave, "Brothers, stop hiding, come out and greet our guests!"

After the soldiers came out and explained, Meng Jun led his troops to face the Wu army, and shouted in a hoarse voice, "A son should be like Sun Quan, who sent 100,000 men to Hefei to behead. If you are in doubt, ask Zhang Zhao. Surrender and you will be fine."

Hundreds of soldiers shouted at the same time, their deafening shouts echoing through the valley and easily reaching the ears of Wu's army.

Frustrated by the failed attack, he frowned upon hearing the shouts and asked, "What are the Han soldiers barking like dogs? Can you hear me?"