Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

”Charge!” Guan Yu roared, leading his elite Daodao soldiers in a ferocious assault. Within less than a quarter of an hour, the city gates were thrown open, and more than ten thousand troops poured in, advancing directly towards the residence of the prefect.

As Liu Ye watched the gates open, cold sweat dripped down his back. He finally understood why Chen Xi insisted on constantly educating the soldiers about discipline and morale. While it might not lead to absolute obedience, it at least ensured that they wouldn’t fall into complete disarray when it mattered most.

Just a few million coins had been enough to throw the defenders into chaos, especially given their already low morale. It was incredible how quickly a city could be captured under such circumstances.

”This needs to be recorded as a cautionary tale!” Liu Ye wiped the sweat from his brow, hastily pulling out a brush and paper to jot down notes.

Liu Ye estimated that, with the morale as low as it had been, even if Chen Ji had been present, he likely wouldn’t have been able to suppress the soldiers’ urge to grab the money. However, Chen Ji might have been able to intimidate them with his sword, though whether that would have left lasting repercussions was another matter entirely.

When Chen Ji heard that the city had been breached, he didn’t hesitate—he fled immediately. With Guan Yu’s prowess in battle, the chaos among the troops only amplified his effectiveness. Chen Ji knew that if he tried to face Guan Yu, he would likely end up as just another head rolling at Guan Yu’s feet. How he would face Yuan Shu afterward was no longer his concern.

On the other side, Jia Xu was staring at Qiao County, pondering his next move. Honestly, Jia Xu was not keen on attacking Qiao County. They had already gained more than enough from this campaign—carts full of gold, grain, and artisans were continuously being transported back to Taishan. Jia Xu figured that the resources they had gathered would be more than enough to sustain Qingzhou until it was fully rebuilt, so there was no need to waste more manpower on Qiao County.

Because of this, Jia Xu’s plan was to besiege the city without attacking, while sending out troops to loot and gather resources from the surrounding areas, transporting everything back to Taishan.

After Jia Xu explained his reasoning, Liu Bei agreed that the decision to attack or not should be left to Jia Xu, the strategist of the Eastern Front. With Liu Bei’s blessing, Jia Xu sent him off to Pei County to visit the ancestral homeland of the Liu family, dating back four centuries.

The more than thirty thousand troops on the Eastern Front began a gradual withdrawal under the cover of night and fog, moving to capture nearby counties. Only Zhang Fei and Jia Xu remained, guarding an empty camp with three thousand men, challenging the enemy every day.Zhang Fei, with his rough and straightforward nature, didn’t feel the danger in this at all. In fact, he enjoyed it, leading a thousand men to challenge the gates of Qiao County every day. As long as Zhang Xun wasn’t foolish, he wouldn’t come out to face Zhang Fei in a duel.

After more than ten days of this, one day while inspecting the city defenses, Zhang Xun noticed something odd: birds were landing in the enemy’s camp, which struck him as strange. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he couldn’t get a clear answer from any of his subordinates either. Frustrated, Zhang Xun left, scratching his head.

That night, at midnight, a severely wounded man carrying the county seal of Hao County arrived at the city gates. With great effort, he handed the seal and a letter to the guards before being hoisted up into Qiao County. Zhang Xun received the latest report but had to focus on saving the messenger’s life, which he managed to stabilize by dawn. Only then could he ask about the situation.

”What?!” Zhang Xun roared at the wounded man in front of him.

”Hao County, Feng County, Pei County, Zhuan County, Zhuyi, Guyang, Xiao County, and Hong County have all fallen,” the wounded officer, clutching his injuries, struggled to say, even coughing up blood as he spoke.

”How is that possible? Zhang Yide comes to challenge me every day. The entire camp drills daily... drills...” Zhang Xun trailed off, suddenly recalling the birds he had seen landing in the camp earlier. It hit him then—he had never seen anyone come out of the back of the camp!

”Zhang Yide, I will have your head!” Zhang Xun bellowed. ”All troops, prepare for battle! I will take Zhang Fei’s head myself!”

Meanwhile, Zhang Fei watched curiously as Jia Xu sprinkled grain around the back of their camp, attracting even more birds. Some even landed on Jia Xu himself.

Zhang Fei, a man who deeply respected capable strategists, held great reverence for Jia Xu’s abilities, even if he didn’t fully understand what the man was doing.

”Get ready, Yide. The time has come—Qiao County is about to fall,” Jia Xu said, casually tossing the remaining grain into the air before turning to head back to the main camp. ”Remember, when Zhang Xun comes out, all you need to do is retreat.”

”Huh?” Zhang Fei scratched his head, utterly confused.

”Strategist Jia, why would Zhang Xun come out now? I’ve been taunting him for days, and he hasn’t taken the bait. Why now?” Zhang Fei asked, still baffled by the situation.

”Because he’s smart, but unfortunately, he’s a bookworm. It’s a simple matter of turning his own strategy against him. Half-knowledge is sometimes worse than knowing nothing at all. If you understand a military strategy completely, without major flaws in your character, becoming a good commander is simple enough,” Jia Xu explained calmly as they walked towards the front lines. He was confident in their impending victory.

Jia Xu knew that as one of Yuan Shu’s most capable generals, Zhang Xun needed to prove himself in this battle, especially after having been suppressed for so long. Given the opportunity, he would seize it, or else he would be no different from the other defeated commanders.

The most crucial point was the birds landing in the camp. Every military manual stated that when birds land in a camp, it indicates that the camp is deserted. After all, birds instinctively avoid danger. If soldiers were truly drilling everywhere in the camp, the birds wouldn’t land there. This was the simplest proof.

But birds are still just birds. As long as all the soldiers hid in their tents and someone scattered grain around the camp, these brainless birds would naturally create the illusion described in military texts.

Liu Bei’s forces had already completed their attacks and returned, hiding in the camp. And speaking of which, with just three thousand men, would any messenger dare to enter the camp without a plan? There’s such a thing as a death trap, even if the victim doesn’t die…

One thousand coins were all it took to buy a life—simple and effective. The information was real, just a couple of days old. The seal, the wounds—everything was genuine. But it seemed likely that this so-called dead messenger would actually survive and live a decent life afterward.

Jia Xu smiled as he walked away, unhurried and calm. Even in a battle of wits, his strategies would always unfold step by step. Just as Jia Xu and Zhang Fei left the camp, Zhang Xun appeared on the city walls, bow drawn, and unleashed an arrow towards Liu Bei’s now-empty camp with all his might.

Without the ability to project his inner energy, the arrow only flew a few hundred meters before beginning to drop. Still, because it was a high-angle shot, it barely reached the camp, where it landed, startling dozens of birds into flight. Zhang Xun, now enraged, threw down his bow in fury, slamming his fist into the wall.

”Prepare the troops!” Zhang Xun ordered as he stormed down from the walls, determined to take Zhang Fei’s head.