Chapter 373: My Lord, Yecheng has been taken, let’s go in! The destiny is with Liu, not Yuan, I will go first!
The Wei army soldiers around were all stunned.

What's going on?

Zhang He, one of the Four Pillars of Hebei, a famous general of Wei and the pillar of Yecheng, is actually going to betray the King of Wei and surrender to the King of Chu?

The soldiers were dumbfounded, looking at each other, not knowing what to do.

Zhang He drew his bloody knife again and said sternly:
"Yuan Shao has gone mad. He wants to drag us Hebei people to be buried with him. If we don't surrender to Chu, he will kill all of us in Yecheng!"

"Those of you who are willing to surrender to Chu with me, open the city gate immediately. Those who are unwilling to surrender can leave on their own!"

"If anyone dares to stop me from surrendering to Chu, don't blame me for not caring about the friendship between fellow countrymen!"

This powerful shout completely woke up the Wei army soldiers.

Thousands of Wei soldiers exploded in an instant.

Their hearts and courage were shattered, and those who were unwilling to surrender to Chu dropped their weapons and fled.

Most of the remaining Wei troops had long lost their will to fight and were extremely disappointed with what Yuan Shao had done. They had long wanted to surrender to Chu.

Now that Zhang He took the lead, the soldiers naturally cheered and followed him.

While they lowered the flag with the Chinese character "Wei" on it, they raised the flag with the Chinese character "Chu" on the top of the city wall. The tightly closed city gates slowly opened and the drawbridge slowly descended.

The gate to Yecheng was now unobstructed.

Zhang He personally went down to the city wall and stood respectfully at the city gate to welcome Liu Bei into the city.

Outside the city, the Chu army that was rushing towards the city were all surprised and delighted to see the king's flag on the top of the city wall changed.

"Prime Minister Xiao is truly a god. Zhang He really did open the city and surrender as promised!"

"Soldiers of the Great Chu, follow me into the city!"

Zhang Fei laughed loudly and urged his horse to go forward.

Tens of thousands of Chu troops poured into Yecheng through the wide-open city gates like a tide.

Central Army Department.

When Liu Bei saw the Chu army entering the city, a huge stone in his heart fell to the ground.

The breakthrough of the north gate means that Yecheng has been taken.

This capital of Wei State, the heart of Jizhou and the essence of Hebei, has finally been taken into his possession as he wished.

Now that Yecheng has been taken, the next step is to sweep Jiyou. Wouldn't it be as easy as autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves?
"My king, the north gate is open, please enter the city."

Xiao Fang, who was standing beside him, pointed his feather fan into the distance and interrupted Liu Bei's heroic thoughts with a smile.

"Okay, let's go into Yecheng!"

Liu Bei whipped his horse and laughed, then rode out.

After a while.

Protected by a group of personal guards, Liu Bei crossed the suspension bridge and finally jumped into the north gate of Yecheng.

"I, the guilty minister Zhang He, pay my respects to the king!"

Zhang He, who had been waiting for a long time, knelt down hurriedly to greet Liu Bei when he saw him coming.

Liu Bei quickly jumped off his horse, helped Zhang He up, stroked his shoulder and said comfortingly:

"Junyi, you are wrong!"

"You were a general under Yuan Shao at that time. It was only natural for you to be my enemy. What crime did you commit?"

"Today you are able to submit to me, open the city gates and help me recapture Ye City, and you are a meritorious minister!"

After hearing Liu Bei's comforting words, Zhang He's heart gradually settled down. The words "a meritorious minister" were like a reassurance to him.

All worries and concerns disappeared at this moment.

"I have wasted half my life, and today I finally met a wise master!"

"I, Zhang He, will go through fire and water for the king without hesitation!"

Zhang He bowed again with great emotion, expressing his determination to fight to the death.

Liu Bei nodded in satisfaction, then helped Zhang He up again, pointed his whip forward with a smile:

"Jun Yi, you lead the way, let's take over Yecheng completely!"

Zhang He put away his generosity and his fighting spirit was rekindled. He immediately jumped on his horse and led his troops to charge out.

Liu Bei followed behind, urging the endless stream of Chu troops to pour into the main street of Yecheng like a tide and rush towards the pseudo royal palace.

...

The south gate of Yecheng.

The fierce fighting continues.

The sound of killing was like thunder, arrows covered the sky, and soldiers from both armies fell down every moment.

The city walls were densely packed with Chu soldiers, all of whom were scrambling and climbing towards the top of the city walls recklessly.

More than 8,000 Wei soldiers, under the command of Ju Su, put up a desperate resistance.

Ju Su used his outstanding command ability and his prestige in the hearts of the Wei army to successfully make up for the weak point of the Wei army's low morale.

Faced with the powerful offensive of the Chu army, the Wei army miraculously held on. After fighting for more than half an hour, not a single Chu soldier was able to climb to the top of the city wall.

The Chu army's offensive was gradually showing signs of fatigue, indicating that it had reached the end of its strength.

The South Gate must be defended.

"The Chu army's fighting spirit has faded. They should withdraw in half an hour at most."

"I have managed to defend the South Gate for the king, but I wonder how the battles at the other gates are going?"

"I have attracted the main forces of the Chu army to the south gate. The pressure on Zhang He and his men will be much less. They should be able to hold on..."

Ju Su's thoughts raced as he looked towards the other three gates.

The Wei soldiers on both sides, seeing that the Chu army's offensive was gradually subsiding, all breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as fortunate as if they had returned from a near-death experience.

Just when everyone thought they had survived this disaster.

Suddenly someone pointed to the north gate and exclaimed in a trembling voice:

"North Gate, something happened at the North Gate!"

"Why, why is the Chu flag raised on the city wall?"

Ju Su trembled all over when he heard this voice, and he turned quickly to look towards the north gate.

Under the setting sun, the flag flying above the north gate was replaced by the Chu flag. The king's flag was replaced on the top of the city wall. Could it be that the north gate had been breached by the Chu army?

The Wei army, which had just breathed a sigh of relief, was suddenly terrified and fell into panic.

The fall of the North Gate meant that the Chu army had already marched into the city in large numbers, and the fall of Ye City was a foregone conclusion!

Then what's the point of these people fighting here for so long?
Even if they guarded the South Gate, what would be the use?

The Wei army was in chaos. The morale, which had been boosted with great difficulty by defending the South Gate, plummeted to the bottom in an instant.

“The North Gate has been lost?

"This doesn't make sense. The North Gate is guarded by Zhang He, a famous general of the Wei Dynasty. Isn't he better at commanding troops than me?"

"With him guarding the north gate, how could he fail to defend it?"

Ju Su's voice was trembling and hoarse, and he was so shocked that he was stunned and his body was shaking slightly.

This sudden and heavy blow shattered all his composure and calmness.

Although he was used to many storms, he was completely confused at this moment.

On the two wing walls, deserters from the north gate soon fled along the walls to the south gate.

"Report to Minister Ju, Zhang He killed Han Ding and led his troops to surrender to Chu on the battlefield!"

"He opened the city gate and let the Chu army in!"

"The north gate has been lost, and the Chu army has invaded Yecheng!"

Kneeling on the ground, the defeated soldiers at the North Gate who were loyal to Yuan Shao reported the devastating news to Ju Su in tears.

Ju Su's head buzzed and he felt dizzy and unsteady on his feet.

Zhang He betrayed his country on the battlefield and surrendered to Liu Bei?

One of the Four Pillars of Hebei, the only remaining famous general of Wei, the general entrusted with an important task by Yuan Shao...

At this critical moment of life and death, he turned against Liu Bei and dealt the Wei State the most fatal blow?
Ju Su was so shocked and stunned that he felt dizzy. He thought his ears were broken and that he was having an illusion.

Suddenly, the conversation with Zhang He that day emerged in my dizzy mind.

That was the last conversation between the two before leaving the palace after Yuan Shao issued an edict to implement the system of collective responsibility.

At that time, he felt that Zhang He's tone was not right. It was not only despair about the predicament in Yecheng, but also seemed to contain some dissatisfaction with Yuan Shao.

Yes!

He must have been resentful of Yuan Shao, and from then on he began to think about betraying Yuan Shao and joining Liu Bei.

So after that day, he must have secretly surrendered to Liu Bei and agreed to open the north gate to let Liu Bei's army enter the city on the day of the battle.

As for Chu's current fierce attack on the South Gate, it is only a feint, a tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, only to draw his attention to the South Gate and buy time for Zhang He's rebellion.

The commander of the Chu army outside the city must not be Liu Bei himself.

At this moment, Liu Bei had probably led the Northern Camp Chu Army and charged into Ye City!

The cruel truth is now revealed before our eyes.

Ju Shou was not angry, nor did he curse Zhang He, nor did he make any moves to redress the situation by deploying troops.

Because he has no more troops to deploy!

Once the North Gate was lost, it would mean that Yecheng had been lost.

Any struggle is meaningless.

"Yuan Benchu, ah Yuan Benchu, I, Ju Su, have tried my best!"

"It's a pity that God wants to destroy you and our Great Wei——"

Ju Su looked up at the sky and let out a lament of sorrow and despair.

The collapse begins.

The loss of the north gate and the tragic news that the Chu army had entered Yecheng became the last straw that broke the camel's back for the Wei army.

The morale of the 8,000 Wei troops collapsed. They no longer had the courage to fight and abandoned their positions one after another, abandoning their weapons and weapons and fleeing towards the city.

The Wei army on the south gate line was completely defeated.

The Chu army, which was originally at the end of its strength, took advantage of the situation to launch another massive attack. Countless Chu soldiers climbed up to the top of the city wall continuously.

A flag with the word "Chu" on it had actually been raised above the South Gate.

"Minister Ju, the situation is hopeless. We can no longer defend the South Gate. Let's retreat."

The guards' eyes were filled with despair, and they begged in a sobbing voice.

Ju Shou came back from his trance and cried out in grief, looking at the completely collapsed defense line and gave a bitter smile.

"The Chu army is everywhere. We can't escape. Where can we escape to?"

The guards were speechless, as anxious as ants on hot pan, and at a loss as to what to do.

Ju Shou smiled bitterly, and a ferocious look reappeared on his face.

He drew his sword and shouted in anger:
"My fellow men of Wei, fight to the death for Wei, fight to the death for the King of Wei!"

Instead of running away, he leaped towards the Chu soldiers who were climbing up the city wall and slashed at them like a madman.

Seeing this, the bodyguards had no choice but to follow suit and kill.

An unknown amount of time had passed, but when Ju Su could no longer wield the bloody sword, he looked around and found that more than a dozen of his personal guards had been killed or injured.

The Wei troops on the city wall were either killed or escaped, and were already captured by the Chu army.

The city gate was even broken open, and tens of thousands of Chu troops poured into Yecheng from the south gate like a flood.

The flag with the word "Wei" on it was cut off by a knife and fell on his face.

Ju Su no longer waved his bloody sword, but just stood stiffly where he was, watching the "Wei" flag fluttering down at his feet.

"Yuan Benchu, I, Ju Su, have fulfilled my duty as a minister, but fate is with Liu, not Yuan!"

"It is impossible to defy fate. I will leave first!"

After a helpless and desperate cry to the sky, Ju Su used up his last bit of strength and angrily slashed the bloody sword across his neck.

Blood gushed out and the sword fell to the ground.

Ju Su fell to the ground with a bang.

(End of this chapter)