Chapter 372 I won't be the butcher of the Yuan family! After I destroy Yecheng, I will drink a celebratory wine with you in the pseudo-Wei palace!

At night, the king's tent.

A confidant who escaped from the city delivered a letter of surrender to Liu Bei.

That was Zhang He's letter of surrender.

The only remaining famous general of Wei State in Yecheng declared that Yuan Shao was cruel and ruthless, had lost the support of the people, and was not worthy of being the ruler of Hebei.

General Zhang He followed the will of heaven and led his Hebei soldiers to open the city gates and welcome Liu Bei's army into the city.

His strategy was to ask Liu Bei to attack the South Gate with a large force tomorrow to contain the Wei army under Ju Su. Then he would take advantage of the situation to open the East Gate and let the Chu army march into Yecheng.

"Zhang He is also going to betray Yuan Shao and surrender to me!"

Liu Bei could not hide his joy on his face and gestured to his ministers with the surrender letter in his hand.

The tent was immediately in an uproar, and everyone turned their gazes of admiration to Xiao Fang.

Their Prime Minister Xiao's strategy of attacking the heart was indeed effective immediately.

Just a few proclamations were enough to lure the Wei soldiers in the city to surrender.

Now even Zhang He, Yuan Shao’s greatest general and one of the Four Pillars of the Court, is going to abandon Yuan and surrender to Chu!

Even Zhang He has surrendered, who else in Yecheng can fight?
Defeat without fighting is imminent!

"I heard that Zhang He is one of the Four Pillars of Hebei and a senior official under Yuan Shao. Does he really want to surrender?"

Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard, with a hint of suspicion between his brows.

"Yunchang, don't worry too much. Zhang He must be sincere in his surrender!"

Without waiting for Lao Liu to ask, Xiao Fang gave a decisive conclusion this time.

Everyone's eyes turned over again.

"Zhang He was originally a general under Han Fu. When Han Fu gave up Jizhou, he asked Zhang He for his opinion, and Zhang He even expressed his opposition in a tactful way."

"Based on this point alone, although Zhang He was highly valued by Yuan Shao, he was definitely not one of Yuan Shao's trusted generals."

"Since he is not a confidant, he is certainly not a die-hard loyalist. So when Yecheng is in turmoil and Yuan Wei is falling, it is reasonable for Zhang He to abandon Yuan Shao and find a way out for himself."

"Moreover, according to the confessions of the fleeing soldiers, Yuan Shao used the collective punishment system in the city to prevent his soldiers from fleeing, killing so many people in the city that the people of Hebei hated him to the core."

"Zhang He is from Hebei. If he becomes a butcher of Yuan Shao to slaughter his fellow countrymen, how can he survive in Hebei in the future?"

"Based on these two points, I dare to conclude that Zhang He must be truly willing to surrender!"

Xiao Fang gave a seemingly reasonable explanation.

But in fact, he had the most important evidence in private, which he did not tell Lao Liu and everyone else.

During the Battle of Guandu in history, Cao Cao launched a surprise attack on Wuchao. Zhang He urged Yuan Shao to lead the main force to rescue Wuchao, but was rejected by Yuan Shao.

However, Yuan Shao listened to Guo Tu's advice and ordered Zhang He to lead his army to attack Cao's camp at Guandu.

As it turned out, Cao Cao was well prepared. Wuchao was burned down, and they were unable to break through Cao's camp at Guandu.

Zhang He was afraid that Yuan Shao would think he was secretly in contact with Cao Cao, so he refused to fight and feared being punished, so he decisively led his troops to surrender to Cao on the battlefield.

It was Zhang He's surrender to Cao that became the last straw that broke the camel's back for Yuan's army.

With such a "lesson from the past", since Zhang He was able to surrender to Cao Cao back then, why can't he surrender to Liu Bei today?
"Since Jinglue is convinced that Zhang He's surrender is sincere, why should I doubt it?"

"Reply to Zhang He immediately. I accept his surrender!"

Liu Bei slammed the table and stood up, sweeping his cold and heroic eyes over the generals.

All the generals stood up suddenly and waited in awe.

"Pass on my order, all troops will be dispatched tomorrow and act according to the plan!"

"I will drink celebratory wine with you at this time tomorrow in the pseudo-Wei royal palace!"

The heroic spirit and fighting spirit of the generals were ignited in an instant and they responded in unison.

Inside the big tent, there was murderous intent.

...

The next day, when the setting sun was as red as blood.

At the south gate of Yecheng, a tense and solemn atmosphere has enveloped the city.

Ju Su, a civil official, had to put on armor and stand on the city wall as a military general to command the Wei army to resist the enemy when all the famous generals of Wei were killed or injured.

More than 7,000 Wei soldiers lined up in front of the city trembling with fear, looking at the Chu camp outside the city with panicked and fearful eyes.

I saw that all the gates of the Chu camp were wide open.

Countless Chu soldiers flowed out of the camp like rivers, and finally gathered at the south gate to form a military strategy.

Nearly 80,000 main forces of the Chu army have gathered in front of the south gate.

At the same time, nearly 200,000 Chu troops from other encircled camps also came out in full force and gathered outside the four gates at the same time.

Even a blind man could see that the Chu army was about to launch a general attack.

As Yuan Shao was bedridden and unable to sit on the city wall in person, the important task of commanding the main force to defend the South Gate had to be undertaken by Ju Su.

"I've finally waited for this day."

"Okay, Liu Bei, let your horses attack."

"If you want to destroy my Yecheng and destroy my Wei, you must first step over my corpse!"

Ju Su drew his sword and shouted:

"Soldiers of the Great Wei, listen up. It's time to serve the king faithfully."

"I want you to fight to the death and defend the city wall at your feet. You are not allowed to retreat even a single step!"

"The men of Hebei would rather die than retreat!"

Ju Su roared excitedly, trying to use these passionate words to inspire the morale of the Wei army.

The Wei army did respond, but their actions were scattered and weak, revealing a sense of guilty conscience.

This made Ju Su's enthusiasm seem quite embarrassing.

"Ugh--"

Ju Su put down his sword and sighed helplessly.

He naturally understood that this was Liu Bei's strategy to win over the enemy's heart, and it had worked.

That manifesto completely destroyed the morale of the people in the city, forcing Yuan Shao to resort to the brutal method of collective punishment, which further aroused the dissatisfaction of the soldiers.

At this time, there were only a few soldiers in the city who were willing to be loyal to Yuan Shao.

The reason they were still standing here was simply because of his prestige and a soldier's instinct to obey orders.

"Your Majesty, I, Ju Su, can only do my best."

"As for how long I can hold on for you, that depends on God's will..."

After Ju Su muttered to himself, his eyes became resolute again and he clenched the sword in his hand.

The Chu army array in every city.

A "Chu" king flag had been raised, symbolizing Liu Bei's personal presence. However, the commander of the central army was Guan Yu.

The 80,000 troops at the South Gate were just a feint attack, intended to attract the main force of the Wei army led by Ju Su.

"It seems that Ju Shou has moved the main force of the Wei army to the south gate."

"Very good, then let's start the battle."

Guan Yu's eyes were as sharp as blades, and he waved the Qinglong sword in his hand, giving the order to attack.

"Boom-boom-boom!"

The sound of war drums suddenly rang out, breaking the silence of the confrontation between the two armies.

The 80,000 Chu troops, with hundreds of large and small formations, set off with a bang.

The Chu army, like a tide, carried countless ladders and began to advance towards the south gate with the force of a landslide and the earth splitting.

The Wei army soldiers on the city wall were all trembling and their faces were as pale as paper.

Before the Chu army reached the city, their legs had already gone weak and they moved backwards involuntarily.

A lieutenant behind Ju Su turned around and tried to escape to the city even right under Ju Su's nose.

"Zheng!"

Ju Su swung the long sword in his hand and cut off the head of the officer who was walking away with his back turned.

The officers and soldiers on both sides were all shocked when they saw this bloody scene.

This was the first time in Ju Shou’s life that he killed someone on the battlefield, and the person he killed was his own subordinate!

"I said, whoever dares to take a step back will be killed without mercy!"

Ju Su held his bloody sword horizontally, his face as ferocious as iron, and shouted:

"The time to fight to the death for the Wei Kingdom and repay the king's loyalty is now."

"I want you to live and die with Yecheng. Whoever dares to retreat again, I will kill him!"

This bloody threat successfully deterred the soldiers from escaping and temporarily aroused their courage to fight to the death.

So they barely suppressed their urge to escape, forced themselves to cheer up, gripped their swords and guns tightly, and prepared for battle.

The Chu army outside the city has already flooded to the city like a tide.

Sharp arrows, as dense as locusts, rose into the air and covered the top of the city.

Blood spurted into the air and screams suddenly rang out.

Under the cover of the absolute advantage of arrow rain, the Chu army successfully built a trench bridge, and the large army crossed the moat like a tide and advanced to the bottom of the city wall.

Hundreds of ladders were erected and placed against the south gate wall.

Under the urging and encouragement of the generals, the soldiers of the Chu army rushed to climb the ladders like hungry beasts and climbed to the top of the city.

The first one to climb the mountain will be awarded the greatest credit, and all the soldiers are eager to be the first.

Under the protection of his personal guards, Ju Su brandished a blood-stained sword and traveled back and forth along the city line, commanding and shouting at the Wei soldiers, putting up a desperate resistance.

The wooden beams and flying stones kept hitting the Chu army. Soon, screams could be heard from all directions, and the city walls were stained with blood.

A fierce offensive and defensive battle took place at the South Gate.

When the Chu army attacked the South Gate, the West Gate and East Gate, Huang Zhong, Taishi Ci and other generals also launched a general attack on Yecheng at the agreed time.

The entire Ye City, inside and outside, was shrouded in deafening cries of killing, as if the end of the world had come.

North Gate.

Forty thousand Chu troops lined up outside the camp, countless eyes were staring at the South Gate, and the soldiers were all eager to fight.

The attacks on the other three gates have all begun. The sounds of killing and drums can be heard clearly here. Everyone can imagine how fierce this siege is.

Only at the South Gate, Liu Bei was slow to order an attack, which made the Chu army soldiers anxious, fearing that they would not get any credit for the capture of Ye City.

"Your Majesty, the other three gates have already taken action. The Wei army should be completely pinned down and unable to split up."

"It's time to let Zhang He take action. We will march into Yecheng in one go."

Xiao Fang pointed at the enemy city with his feather fan and reminded them.

Liu Bei took a deep breath, waved his whip, and shouted:

"Pass the order down and light the signal fire immediately."

"Beat the drums, tell Yide to attack the city."

order.

Three pillars of wolf smoke quickly rose up in the formation and rushed into the sky.

The sound of war drums and trumpets followed.

Zhang Fei urged his horse forward and led 40,000 Chu troops, approaching the north gate in a mighty force.

City head.

Thousands of Wei soldiers became nervous when they saw the Chu army begin to advance.

Zhang He stood with his sword in hand, brows furrowed, staring at the approaching Chu army without saying a word.

"General Zhang, the Chu army is about to attack, you must give the order to prepare to meet the enemy!"

Han Ding, who was standing beside him, saw Zhang He in a daze and urged him to move forward.

As the captain of Yuan Shao's personal guard, he was sent to be Zhang He's deputy general at this time, to monitor Zhang He.

Zhang He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:

"Yuan Benchu, I, Zhang He, am from Hebei first, and then I became your subject, Yuan Shao."

"How can I let the soldiers and civilians of this city be buried with your Yuan family!"

Han Ding was stunned, his face full of confusion.

He had absolutely no idea why Zhang He suddenly said these inexplicable words at the critical moment when the Guanchu army was attacking the city.

How dare you call the King of Wei by his name?

"Zhang He, you——"

"brush!"

Before he could utter a word of questioning, Zhang He's long sword had already swept across.

Heads on the ground!

The Wei army soldiers on both sides were all stunned.

Our own General Zhang actually killed his deputy General Han at this critical moment?

Is this crazy?
Zhang He raised his bloody knife and shouted:
"Raise the Chu flag, open the city gates, lower the drawbridge, and welcome the Chu army into the city!"

"I, Zhang He, am determined to surrender to Chu today!"

(End of this chapter)