Chapter 36: The soldiers are gone, Zou family is lost, Liu Bei comes to attack, and Zhang Ji's mentality collapses!
Wancheng, the county seat.

The palace was decorated with lights and there was a festive atmosphere.

Zhang Ji sat high in the seat, stroking his thin beard, looking at the guests in the room, a satisfied smile on his lips.

Today is a good day for him to marry the daughter of the Zou family. The noble families in Wancheng are quite considerate and have sent people to congratulate him.

"With so many famous scholars and celebrities here, it seems that my father made the right move to marry into the Zou family..."

Zhang Yan, the eldest son who was sitting next to him, complimented with a smile on his face.

Zhang Ji snorted coldly and said disapprovingly:
"Marrying Zou for my father is just the icing on the cake."

"Do you think they really came to congratulate their father just for Zou's sake?"

"You are wrong. They are afraid of my Xiliang Iron Cavalry and the knife in my hand. They dare not deny me this face."

Zhang Yan was slightly shocked, as if he understood something.

Zhang Ji took a sip of wine and asked casually:
"Where are Wen Jin's troops? Have any military reports been sent back?"

Zhang Yan hurriedly took out a piece of silk book from his bosom and presented it with both hands:

"This is the military report that arrived this evening. I thought my father was busy with his wedding, so I wanted to present it to him tomorrow."

"Two days ago, my brother had already arrived at Biyang. Liu Bei actually lined up his troops with his back to the city, wanting to fight to the death with our army."

"My brother claimed in the military report that within one day, he would defeat Liu Bei, capture Biyang, and take 100,000 bushels of grain and fodder."

A look of surprise flashed across Zhang Ji's eyes.

He obviously did not expect that Liu Bei would be so courageous as to go out of the city to fight.

"This Liu Bei is really arrogant!"

"That's good. I think Wen Jin has already conquered Bi Yang, and the 100,000 hu of grain and grass are on their way to Wan City."

"The shortage of food and grass has been resolved. I can rest assured. Hahahaha——"

A huge stone fell from Zhang Ji's heart. The more he thought about it, the more happy and proud he felt. He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Zhang Yan's smile was forced, but there was a hint of worry between his brows.

After hesitating for a long time, he lowered his voice and said:
"In recent years, Wen Jin has always been the commander of the army. He has been deeply loved by the soldiers."

"If he wins this battle and solves our food and grass shortage problem, his prestige in the army will surely increase greatly."

"If this continues, I'm afraid that the entire army will not be able to tell who is the commander of our Zhang family army..."

The smile on Zhang Ji's face suddenly disappeared and his brows furrowed.

How could he not hear the hidden meaning of his son's words?

Zhang Yan was worried that his nephew Zhang Xiu's prestige would surpass his own and he would replace him sooner or later.

After a sigh, Zhang Ji looked somewhat helpless:
"If I don't rely on Wen Jin, who else can I rely on?"

"Your brothers are still young, and you can't ride a horse into battle. How can you lead the troops to fight and help your father share his worries?"

Zhang Yan fell silent when his sore spot was mentioned.

Changing the subject, Zhang Ji said:

"I have watched Wen Jin grow up since he was young, so I know him well."

"He may be a little bit arrogant, but as a father, I don't think he would dare to have any unreasonable expectations."

"Don't worry, I'm still young and strong, and I have enough time to build a foundation for you to live on."

"By that time, you won't have to lead your troops into battle yourself, and you can still be the leader of a region."

Zhang Ji told his son what he was thinking.

Zhang Yan's face turned from gloomy to bright, and he said happily:
"I didn't know that father had such foresight. I was just worrying too much and I'm sorry to make you laugh."

Zhang Ji stroked his thin beard, looking somewhat conceited:
"After all, I once followed Lord Dong, held the emperor's office, and experienced many storms. Am I really a brave but foolish warrior from Xiliang in the eyes of the world?"

"Let me tell you the truth. After I robbed Liu Bei's food and fodder and stabilized the army's morale, I planned to use Nanyang as a base to gradually defeat Liu Biao's fame-seeking followers and go south to take over Jingzhou."

"Jingzhou will be the foundation of our Zhang family in the future!"

Zhang Yan's body shook, and the haze in his eyes immediately disappeared.

So in delight, he began to compliment him with some flattering words like "He has a far-sighted mind".

Zhang Ji patted his son on the shoulder and taught him earnestly:
"Eat one bite at a time and do one thing at a time. You are the future leader of the Zhang family army, so you must be patient."

"Let's start by defeating Liu Bei and taking back the 100,000 bushels of grain..."

Just when Zhang Ji was teaching his son.

There was a sudden commotion among the guests outside the hall, with loud exclamations.

Zhang Ji subconsciously raised his head, his eyes suddenly focused.

I saw a familiar figure walking through the crowd and walking towards me with big strides.

"Wenjin?"

Zhang Ji was surprised when he recognized Zhang Xiu.

Logically, shouldn't Zhang Xiu be leading his troops to attack Biyang?

Even if Zhang Xiu won the battle quickly, it would be impossible for him to return to Wancheng so quickly!

An ominous premonition came over me.

"uncle!"

Zhang Xiu knelt on one knee and bowed with a guilty look on his face:

"I have disappointed my uncle. I failed to capture Biyang and was defeated by Liu Bei!"

He was too embarrassed to speak and almost squeezed out the word "defeat" from between his teeth.

There was an immediate uproar in the hall.

Zhang Ji's face changed drastically, he jumped up in shock and asked:
"You personally commanded an army of 8,000, but you were defeated by Liu Bei?"

"Wenjin, you, you..."

Zhang Ji's voice was hoarse, he was so excited that he couldn't make sense, and his eyes looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Who is Liu Bei? He is a mat weaver and shoe seller, a stray dog ​​who fled from Xuzhou!
My nephew is a veteran general of Xiliang, brave and good at fighting, and his ability in commanding troops is even better than mine!

How could he be defeated by a weakling like Liu Bei?
Zhang Ji couldn't believe it.

"I was careless and underestimated the enemy. I didn't expect that Liu Bei was so cunning and deceitful. He actually..." Zhang Xiu looked guilty and could only silently recount the whole process of how he fell into the trap and failed.

Zhang Ji's body swayed, and he fell back into his seat, his mouth shrinking into an exaggerated circle.

"How could Liu Bei have known our army's weaknesses so well and come up with such a treacherous plan?"

Zhang Ji sucked in a breath of cold air, disbelief welling up in his eyes.

Zhang Xiu sighed bitterly and helplessly:
"My nephew just remembered that when Liu Bei was in Rudong, he defeated the coalition forces of Yuan Shu and Lu Bu, which were twice his size, with only 3,000 soldiers."

"My nephew guesses that Liu Bei must have some very capable counselors who can offer him advice and suggestions."

"Uncle, we all underestimated Liu Bei and made the mistake of underestimating the enemy!"

Zhang Ji's body stiffened again, and there was a layer of surprise in his eyes.

Zhang Yan, who was standing by, was the first to come to his senses and asked hurriedly:

"Wenjin, how many people did you lose?"

Zhang Xiu sighed again and said silently:
"Our army did not suffer many casualties in this battle, but on the way back, a large number of soldiers from Nanyang fled."

"The number of troops I brought back was less than 3,000."

"Even my son Zhang Quan's life or death is unknown now."

Zhang Ji and his son's faces suddenly changed color.

The 8,000-strong army was reduced to only 3,000!

This situation can no longer be described as a serious loss of vitality, it is almost a total annihilation!
"Wenjin, you really disappoint us."

"Five thousand soldiers are gone. We now have less than four thousand soldiers left. How can we survive in Nanyang?"

"Wenjin, Wenjin, you——"

Zhang Yan was still chattering, but Zhang Ji took a deep breath and shouted, "Enough!"

Zhang Yan was shocked and had to shut his mouth.

At this time, Zhang Ji had recovered from his shock and regained some composure.

He understood that blaming Zhang Xiu would be of no use, and in the current situation, he had to rely on Zhang Xiu.

After suppressing his son, Zhang Ji pretended to be calm and asked:
"Wenjin, what about Liu Bei? Will he catch up with us?"

Zhang Xiu was relieved to see that Zhang Ji did not punish him, and said hurriedly:
"Reporting to my uncle, Liu Bei led his entire army in pursuit, and his vanguard has appeared near Wancheng."

"When my nephew entered the city, he had already ordered the city gates to be closed and all the troops to go up to the city walls and prepare for battle."

"We still have 4,000 soldiers. The walls of Wancheng are high and thick. I don't think Liu Bei will be able to break through the city in a short time."

Zhang Ji breathed a sigh of relief, jumped up, stripped off his wedding clothes, and grabbed his sword.

"Hurry to the South Gate Tower!"

Faced with a powerful enemy, Zhang Ji had no time to prepare a wedding banquet and decided to go to the top of the city wall in person.

The guests in the hall were also shocked by the news of Zhang Xiu's disastrous defeat and dispersed in a flash.

When Zhang Ji just stepped out of the door.

Hu Che'er, covered in red and covered in ribbons, stumbled over and knelt down in front of Zhang Ji.

"My lord, I am incompetent!"

"On the way to pick up my new wife, I ran into a general who claimed to be Wei Yan, a general under Liu Bei, and led his army to intercept and kill me."

"I was outnumbered and defeated, and my new wife was abducted by Wei Yan!"

Zhang Ji suddenly stopped and his body instantly turned into ice.

Veins popped out of his forehead, his eyes bulged, and his face gradually became distorted...

The 8,000-strong army was almost defeated by Liu Bei.

Now, even the Zou family's daughter that he was going to pay as tribute was robbed by Liu Bei's generals along the way!
Zhang Ji never dreamed that he would fall into the hands of a mat weaver and shoe seller.

And it was such a severe disaster!

What a shame!
These four words filled my mind in an instant.

"Liu Bei!"

"How dare you humiliate me like this!"

"How dare you——"

Inside the palace, there was an angry roar like that of a wild beast.

...

South of Wancheng.

Thousands of Liu's soldiers have arrived at the city.

One camp after another began to be set up outside the four gates.

Inside the Chinese military tent.

A layout map of Wancheng City has been placed in front of the desk.

Liu Bei has begun discussing with everyone the strategy of how to capture Wancheng.

"Although Zhang Xiu was defeated, Zhang Ji gathered the defeated troops and still had more than 4,000 men and horses."

"Wancheng is the strongest city in Nanyang. If Zhang Ji is determined to defend it, it will be difficult for our army to attack it."

Liu Bei pointed at the map and analyzed it. It was obvious that he remained calm and did not become arrogant because of the great victory over Bi Yang.

Everyone offered suggestions and advice at once, but none of them was perfect.

"Jinglue, how do we capture Wancheng? Do you have any good ideas?"

After listening to everyone's advice, Liu Bei felt that they were all inappropriate, and finally his eyes fell on Xiao Fang.

Everyone's expectant eyes were once again focused on the military advisor.

Under the gaze of everyone, Xiao Fang said slowly:
"To be honest, lord, before the battle of Biyang, Fang took the initiative to plant a hidden chess piece in advance, which can help lord quickly capture Wancheng!"

This statement came out.

Surprise suddenly welled up in Liu Bei's eyes.

(End of this chapter)