Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

After Zhang Xun’s army dispersed, Zhao Yun, who had been hiding in the rear camp, finally seized the opportunity. He cautiously advanced with his troops before launching a fierce attack. Simultaneously, Sun Guan also opened the city gates and charged out, while Zhang Fei, after circling around, led his thousand cavalrymen into the fray.

Caught off guard and besieged on three sides, Zhang Xun’s forces were quickly routed. Only a few thousand managed to escape towards the east, the path left by the three attacking armies. After this battle, Zhang Xun’s forces were so depleted that they could no longer even mount effective harassment operations.

”Why not pursue them further?” Zhao Yun asked, puzzled, as he reined in his horse after seeing Jia Xu signal to halt the chase.

”There is no need,” Jia Xu replied calmly. ”We must leave Yuan Shu intact to keep Liu Biao and Cao Cao in check. After this battle, the balance of power among these three factions will ensure that they continue to fight each other for some time.”

Meanwhile, on Chen Zichuan’s side, the tunnels had already been dug. Due to the large number of grave robbers enlisted, they had managed to dig five tunnels, each just large enough for three people to crawl through, with the smallest tunnel requiring a person to hunch over as they moved.

”Manze, it’s up to you now. Make sure everyone has a hearty meal tonight. Tonight, we take Pingyu and cut off Yuan Shu’s escape route!” Chen Xi solemnly distributed the tasks.

”I will not fail you, military advisor,” Yu Jin said, clasping his hands in a salute.

”Zijian, prepare the cavalry. As soon as the gates are opened, charge in and wreak havoc. Whether it’s setting fires or looting, as long as we can defeat the enemy, all means are permissible. Tonight, only the victors will write the history,” Chen Xi turned to Hua Xiong, giving him final instructions. He was not about to let any softheartedness jeopardize the success of the night raid, knowing full well that Qiao Rui’s thirty thousand troops were no joke.

”Understood!” Hua Xiong stood up and saluted.

”Mengkang, Wenhou, you two each lead five hundred cavalrymen. As soon as the gates are breached, head straight for Pingyu’s treasury and granary. Don’t let Qiao Rui burn them down. You two figure out who will guard which location, and you don’t need me to tell you the routes, right?” Chen Xi said with a smile. After all, they had been spying on the city from the hilltop for quite some time, and it would be strange if they didn’t know where the treasury and granary were by now.”Understood!” Wu Dun and Xu Ding stood up, clasped their hands, and bowed.

”Good, I’ll be here waiting for you to capture Pingyu, the capital of Runan!” Chen Xi raised his cup, toasting the others, before downing it in one gulp.

That night, Yu Jin led five hundred soldiers, divided into five groups, into the tunnels. Chen Xi sighed inwardly; this would be the last time they could use tunnels like this. Defending against them was far too easy once their existence was known.

[I wonder how Liu Ye and Jia Xu are doing. Given their capabilities, capturing the seats of Chen and Pei counties shouldn’t be a problem.] Chen Xi thought as he gazed up at the stars.

[It’s chaos in the world. Plans can never keep up with changes. We need to speed up the Qingzhou campaign. This battle was a stroke of luck, but with these resources, we might be able to reclaim Qingzhou by this time next year. It seems we can push things forward a bit. Once we fully control a fertile region, we’ll finally have the foundation to vie for the world.] Chen Xi assessed the situation in Qingzhou, letting out a long sigh of relief as he finished.

Chen Xi quickly calculated the overall situation in the land, comparing the strengths of the various factions. Finally, he felt completely at ease. As long as nothing unexpected happened next year, he would no longer need to tread the lonely path of kingship and conquest. He had spent two years reaching this point, where he could finally say that he had barely achieved his initial goal!

After crawling out of the well, Yu Jin carefully surveyed the surroundings. As expected, this area was deserted; after all, the possibility of being hit by a random stone from the trebuchet was high. Anyone who didn’t want to die had temporarily moved to stay with friends or relatives elsewhere in the city.

”General, our men are ready,” a squad leader whispered as he approached Yu Jin.

”Good, let’s move out,” Yu Jin whispered back.

Quickly, five hundred men split into groups of one hundred, while the rest remained hidden among the deserted houses. These were all Yu Jin’s personal guards, known for their discipline and exceptional training.

Yu Jin led a hundred men toward the city gates, moving with a boldness that bordered on arrogance, knowing they were disguised in Yuan Shu’s armor. As expected, the gate commander mistook Yu Jin for a shift leader coming to relieve the watch.

”I didn’t expect you to arrive so early today!” The gate commander didn’t suspect a thing.

”Changing the guard!” Yu Jin ordered, speaking in a slightly awkward Runan accent.

”That accent…” The gate commander frowned, about to ask where Yu Jin was from, but before he could, Yu Jin’s personal guards, who had been positioned in a crescent shape, ready to block the gate, suddenly drew their blades and rushed at their pre-selected targets.

In mere seconds, the sound of blades slicing through flesh filled the air, and several screams echoed in the gateway, alerting the guards in the gate tower. But it was already too late. Yu Jin and his men swiftly hacked through the gate’s locking mechanisms and pushed open the gates of Pingyu.

”Hahaha, kill them all!” Hua Xiong laughed heartily, spurring his horse and charging in first. As soon as he entered the city, he threw a torch into one of the houses and shouted, ”Capture Yuan Yao alive!” before charging deeper into the city.

”What’s going on? Why is there chaos in the city?” Qiao Rui, who was drinking and enjoying himself, glared angrily at the messenger who had come to report.

”General, it’s bad! The Taishan army has already entered the city! General Xun is leading troops to stop them, but with the confusion of the night and the unknown strength of the enemy, we can’t mount a proper defense!” The messenger quickly relayed everything he knew.

Before the messenger finished speaking, Qiao Rui heard the distant cry, ”Capture Yuan Yao alive!” which instantly sobered him up. In this city, anyone could die, but Yuan Yao couldn’t. Yuan Yao was Yuan Shu’s only son, and Qiao Rui knew that if Pingyu fell, he might be demoted, but if anything happened to Yuan Yao, he would definitely lose his life!

”Quickly, notify Xun Zheng to gather troops to protect the lord’s family! If the situation becomes untenable, evacuate the lord’s family immediately! I’ll go hold off the enemy!” Qiao Rui declared heroically before grabbing his sword and rushing out.

”You lot, set fires everywhere and create chaos! The rest, follow me!” Hua Xiong shouted, cutting down anyone who blocked his path. He then ordered some men to start fires, leaving the task of breaking up the enemy’s forming ranks to himself.

Upon receiving Qiao Rui’s orders, Xun Zheng, though surprised by Qiao Rui’s loyalty, knew that there was no time to waste. He understood the Taishan army’s strength all too well from previous encounters. In the current disarray, engaging the Taishan army head-on was a death sentence. So, he planned to evacuate the Yuan family as quickly as possible. If they lost Yuan Shu’s family, no amount of heads would be enough to atone for it!