Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3855 Seeking for yourself

The clamor of the battlefield outside Jiangling City gradually subsided, leaving only the mingled smoke and blood, heavy and oppressive in the early winter twilight.

The camps left behind by Cao Cao's army when they were defeated have now become spoils of war for Liu Bei's army.

Soldiers busily moved about, collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades, counting the captured supplies and armor, and putting away the still usable tents and supply wagons. The air was filled with a sense of exhaustion and joy after victory.

In the center of the camp, a newly lit campfire dispelled the chill and reflected the faces of the three brothers, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei kicked aside a broken Cao army shield, plopped down on an overturned wooden barrel, grabbed a water pouch, gulped down several mouthfuls, then wiped the water stains from his beard with his sleeve and laughed heartily, saying, "Big brother, second brother! That was a great battle! That Cao Ren bastard will probably have to avoid us from now on! Haha!"

Zhang Fei chuckled twice, but seeing that Liu Bei and Guan Yu didn't agree, he fell silent, scratched his head, and mumbled, "That's right... we've really offended that old scoundrel Cao Cao to the death... won't Sun Quan in Jiangdong be furious? What will happen from now on..."

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes, stroked his long beard, and glanced at the soldiers who were cleaning up the battlefield—soldiers who had originally belonged to Sun Quan's command. Although these soldiers now obeyed the orders of Liu Bei and his two brothers, it would take some time for them to truly be loyal and at ease with him.

The key is these Jiangdong soldiers...

It's really quite unusable.

Even with such advantages, there were still considerable losses.

"Third brother, why worry so much?" Guan Yu said slowly. "Living under someone else's roof is not a long-term solution, and relying on others is not the way of a true man. Now, the land of Jingzhou is a gift from heaven to our eldest brother! In my opinion, when these two tigers fight, one will surely be injured... After this battle, they will be unable to wage war for a long time, which is the perfect opportunity for us to consolidate our foundation and wait for the right time!"

Guan Yu's words, like his long sword, were chillingly sharp.

Guan Yu was proud, so apart from his elder brother Liu Bei, he disdained to be subordinate to anyone.

To some extent, he was even willing to acknowledge Liu Bei as his elder brother because Liu Bei truly regarded Guan Yu as a brother!

True brothers who stand on equal footing, sharing both good times and bad!
Instead of my brothers stepping up when we're suffering, turning their backs and yelling that they're not my brothers when it's time to enjoy the benefits...

Zhang Fei scratched his head.

He didn't really understand these things, but since his second brother said so, then so be it.

Liu Bei remained silent, unconsciously poking at the campfire with a twig, the flickering flames casting shifting light on his weathered face. He listened to his two sworn brothers, his heart, like the winter campfire before him, burning with both burning ambition and a chilling sense of unease about the unknown future.

Yes, how can a man act like someone who depends on others for his life?
Liu Bei put down the branch, raised his head, and looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. These two brothers were, one a paragon of loyalty and unparalleled martial prowess; the other, seemingly rough but actually shrewd, fearless and undaunted. They regarded him as their elder brother and followed him without reservation; how could he possibly let them down?
A complex smile slowly spread across Liu Bei's lips.

That smile held neither smugness nor anxiety, but only a calm acceptance born from a profound understanding of the world...

Liu Bei stood up, brushed the dust off his robes, and spoke in a low but clear voice, carrying a strange calmness and strength: "In this world, who doesn't advance without ever retreating?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the camp that had just been through a bloody battle and was now occupied by them, before looking towards the vast land of Jingchu to the south, which was not yet fully controlled by various forces.

When Cao Cao assassinated Dong Zhuo, did he have a way out? When Sun Quan crossed the river, did he ever think of a way out? Even Fei Ziyuan, when he marched north to Bingzhou and faced the Xianbei cavalry, did he have a way out?

Liu Bei's voice rang out, "Heroes rise from humble beginnings, and great men contend in chaotic times. It's like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you capsize! Today, although we seem to be surrounded by enemies on all sides, it is precisely because of this... that we are no longer hindered and can fight with all our might!"

Liu Bei's voice gradually rose in fervor, "Jiangling is already in our grasp, and the other counties of Jingnan are not necessarily beyond our reach! Let us consolidate our forces, win over the hearts of the people, and take advantage of the conflict between Fei and Cao to make peace in the east… or defend against Sun Quan in the east, and pacify the barbarians in the south. Perhaps we cannot fail to carve out a place for ourselves in this chaotic world, restore the Han dynasty, and establish our own merits!"

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Guan Yu stopped stroking his beard, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and slowly nodded.

Zhang Fei slapped his thigh and laughed loudly: "Brother is right! Why worry so much! We'll meet force with force, and water with water! With Brother leading the way, and with Brothers me and myself here, this land of Jingchu will be ours!"

Looking at his two brothers who had regained their spirits, Liu Bei's smile grew even more resolute.

The road ahead is fraught with peril, with danger lurking at every turn, but since there is no way back, the only option is to move forward and carve out a future for ourselves and for the precarious Han dynasty on this chaotic chessboard!
The flickering firelight cast long shadows of the three figures across the war-torn land, like three resolute symbols branded into this chaotic world, etched into this era of the Three Kingdoms...

……

……

As dusk settled over Xiangyang, the chill of early winter, carried by the damp wind blowing from the Han River, seeped into the very bones.

Cao Zhen stood with his hand on his sword, his brows furrowed, gazing at the fields outside the city gradually swallowed by darkness, feeling as if a huge boulder was pressing on his heart.

Cao Ren had been heading south to Jiangling for several days, and news of him was becoming increasingly scarce. Meanwhile, news of the unfavorable situation in the Heluo region to the north kept coming in like dark clouds, putting immense pressure on this young general who was left to guard the rear.

What will become of the Cao family in the future?

Cao Zhen was clearly not as optimistic as Liu Bei.

Of course, from one perspective, Liu Bei's optimism stemmed partly from the personalities of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei themselves, and partly from the fact that Liu Bei had yet to find a true strategist with a vision encompassing the entire realm. It's not without reason that Guan Yu's intelligence stat, despite years of studying the Spring and Autumn Annals, remained stuck at the 85 mark…

As for Cao Zhen's intelligence, it's even lower than Guan Yu's...

Therefore, Cao Zhen was worried, but couldn't think of any good solution.

Especially given that the advisors in Jingzhou are already starting to lose their loyalty and morale.

"Report!"

A scout rushed up the city wall, knelt on one knee, and said in a hurried and uneasy voice, "General! We've spotted the cavalry of the Flying Cavalry fifty li north of Fancheng! About twenty or thirty riders, all lightly armed and moving swiftly, seem to be the enemy's vanguard scouts!"

"What?!" Cao Zhen's pupils contracted, and his heart clenched suddenly.

The vanguard of the Flying Cavalry has already gotten so close to Xiangyang!

Fancheng is located north of Xiangyang on the Yangtze River!

The appearance of the cavalrymen fifty li outside Fancheng City, what does this mean?
Is a large army about to besiege the city, or is it just a probing reconnaissance mission?

In any case, this is not a good sign.

"Investigate again! Send three more scout teams to keep a close watch on them! Report back immediately if there's any movement!"

Cao Zhen issued a stern order, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Order the commanders of the four gates to immediately increase vigilance! Double the number of soldiers on duty! Load the crossbows, and put the rolling logs and stones in place! Without my order, no one is to approach within a hundred paces of the city gates at night!"

It's no wonder Cao Zhen was so nervous. After all, Fancheng hadn't been fully repaired from the damage in the last attack, and now the Jingbei front was essentially being held up by Xiangyang alone.

Without the support of local indigenous people, the efficiency of city restoration under the old model in Shandong was naturally predictable.

As Cao Zhen relayed his orders, Xiangyang immediately tensed up, like a wild beast that had been pricked with a needle. The number of torches on the city walls increased, the footsteps of the soldiers patrolling became more frequent, and a tense atmosphere, like the impending storm, filled the air.

Cao Zhen dared not be negligent in the slightest, personally inspecting the defenses of the four gates, and even crossed the river to inspect Fancheng.

Cao Zhen carefully inspected the city gate bolts, drawbridge, winch, and various defensive equipment on the city wall. He also summoned his trusted confidants and repeatedly instructed them to be extremely vigilant before returning to Xiangyang.

As night deepened, Xiangyang City, amidst tension and unease, ushered in its darkest hour before dawn.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the northwest of Xiangyang, then quickly subsided.

A smug Cao family confidant, a lieutenant, personally escorted several men to pay homage to Cao Zhen. "General! I've captured a traitor plotting rebellion!"

Several Cao soldiers escorted three bound assassins to Cao Zhen's hall.

"A spy? What's going on?"

Cao Zhen's sharp gaze swept over the three people.

Captain Cao excitedly reported: "General! Last night, following your orders, we set up more sentries and conducted thorough searches. We indeed discovered these few fellows sneaking around, trying to approach the city wall! They had ulterior motives! It took our brothers a great deal of effort to capture them, and we lost two men in the process! They were carrying sharp weapons and flint and steel; they are undoubtedly spies!"

"Whose people are they?" A cold glint flashed in Cao Zhen's eyes.

Cai family?

Weren't the Cai family members wiped out several times before?

Or is it the Kuai family?

"This... I haven't had a chance to interrogate him yet..." the captain said, bowing his head.

"Drag them away and interrogate them separately! Pry their mouths open!" Cao Zhen's voice was icy.

Soon, piercing screams and shouts of torture echoed from the military camp's torture chamber.

Not long after, a military academy officer in charge of the interrogation returned with bloodstains and a somewhat complicated expression. "General! They confessed! They were indeed assassins trained by the Kuai clan! They were ordered to set fire to the north gate of Fancheng to create chaos, and at the same time, to try and break the gate bolts to allow the cavalry outside the city to enter!"

It really is the Kuai family!
Upon hearing this, Cao Zhen was first startled, and then a surge of anger rushed to his head!

Those treacherous Kuai family members, how dare they do such a thing!
They even dared to try and seize Xiangyang by working together from within and without!
"Someone come here!"

Cao Zhen suddenly stood up, wanting to immediately order a massive purge of the city, but just as the order was about to leave his lips, he hesitated...

Cleaning...

Is it useful?
Didn't the Cai family clean it up time and time again before?
They arrested many people and killed many people, but...

After her anger subsided, doubts resurfaced in Cao Zhen's mind.

Cao Zhen waved his hand, signaling the soldiers who had come upon hearing the order to retreat for the time being, and to come back when he had made up his mind.

The vanguard of the Flying Cavalry had just appeared when the Kuai clan's assassins showed up...

Is he really a member of the Kuai clan?
If the Kuai family is captured, will there be other members of the Jingxiang youths who harbor disloyal intentions?
They've all been arrested?
Kill them all?
I'm afraid the city will be in chaos before the main cavalry force even arrives!
Moreover, weren't most of the Kuai clan members already gone? How come Kuai clan assassins have suddenly reappeared? Could it be that these assassins are not from the Kuai clan, but rather from the Flying Cavalry or other Jingxiang gentry?
Was it a feint by the Flying Cavalry?
Trying to demoralize the troops?
still is……

Is there a deeper scheme involved?

Without the assistance of strategists, Cao Zhen's CPU was clearly under immense strain, and even four copper pipes couldn't handle it.

After much deliberation, Cao Zhen decided to "play along" and lure the enemy out to capture them all at once.

A haphazard cleanup might have some effect, but the people of Xiangyang are already in a state of panic, and it could easily make things worse...

Perhaps these assassins were trying to get me to do this!

Cao Zhen pondered for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Cao Zhen summoned his personal guards again, this time much calmer. He said in a deep voice, "Interrogate them again! Find out their name, everything they've done since childhood! Also, have someone light bonfires on the city wall according to what the assassin said!"

The guards, unaware of the situation, still obeyed the order and went.

Cao Zhen stood alone by the window, gazing at the still silent darkness outside the city, a cold smile playing on his lips. Whether this was a trick by the General of the Cavalry or the Kuai clan's lingering malice, he was determined to defend Xiangyang to the last drop of security and not allow any of the enemy's schemes to succeed!
The safety of Xiangyang now rests on his shoulders. He must not, and will never, disappoint his uncle or allow the Cao family's legacy to collapse in his hands.

……

……

On the walls of Fancheng, the night was as dark as ink. Only three bonfires, arranged in a triangular shape, were specially lit near the North Gate, flickering and dancing in the cold night wind, like eerie lights luring moths in the darkness.

Cao Zhen, clad in heavy armor, was hidden in the thick shadows of the city gate tower. His gaze, like that of a hawk, swept across the small area outside the city that was barely illuminated by the firelight, as well as the shadowy edges of the campfires inside the city.

According to the suicide soldier's confession, the three bonfires were a signal. Once lit, the cavalry outside the city would take the opportunity to approach, while the Kuai clan's inside agents inside the city would appear and cause chaos, thus coordinating with the outside to seize the city gate.

Inside the barbican, on both sides of the city gate, and in several locations prone to arson, he secretly deployed his most elite armored soldiers and crossbowmen. Sand and water tanks were also in place.

Cao Zhen was confident that anyone who dared to come would never return!

Time ticked by in the suffocating wait.

As midnight approached, the edge of the area outside the city, outlined by the light and shadow of the campfire, seemed to be stirring!
Several dark figures flashed by like ghosts, and Cao Zhen could even faintly hear a very slight sound, like metal scraping against the ground!
From the shadows of the distant mountains and forests, the faint sound of horses' hooves, seemingly deliberately suppressed, could be heard!
"They're here!" Cao Zhen's spirits lifted, and he whispered the order, "Everyone to your positions! Don't move without my command! Wait for them to get closer!"

Cao Zhen stared wide-eyed at the dark night before him, imagining troop after troop of cavalry soldiers crouching low, stealthily making their way towards the city wall under the cover of darkness.

Meanwhile, Cao Zhen also ordered his men to keep a close watch, remain vigilant, and search for any possible spies or informants, even in the shadows cast by the campfires within the city.

However, the expected sound of siege ladder hooks being pulled up outside the city did not occur...

Meanwhile, the scenes of insiders rushing out to kill the defending soldiers and set fires within the city also did not occur...

The shadowy figures outside the city still seemed to be moving, but the faint sounds never came again.

Inside the city, apart from the tense, suppressed breathing of the ambush soldiers he had arranged, everything was as usual, eerily quiet.

A quarter of an hour, two quarters of an hour...

An hour passed.

The triangular bonfire gradually began to decay due to a lack of firewood.

Outside the city, apart from the howling night wind, there seemed to be no other unusual activity.

Inside the city, the ambush soldiers' legs were getting numb from standing, but they didn't see a single ghost.

Cao Zhen's brows furrowed more and more, and his doubts grew wildly like weeds in his heart.

what happened?

Could it be that the Flying Cavalry had seen through his plan?

Or were the testimonies of those suicide bombers simply fabricated and deliberately misleading?

Or perhaps...

The other party's actions were canceled for some unknown reason?

Various speculations swirled in his mind, making Cao Zhen anxious and uneasy.

He felt like a warrior who had gathered all his strength but missed his target, and he felt uncomfortable all over.

Just as dawn was about to break and Cao Zhen was about to order the lifting of the alert and reassess the situation—

"Report—!!!"

A shrill, terrified scream pierced the deathly silence of the North Gate area like a sharp blade!
A messenger came running from the south of the city, stumbling and crawling, almost using both hands and feet to rush up the north gate tower of Fancheng. His face was deathly pale, and his voice was hoarse and filled with fear, "General...General! Something terrible has happened! Southeast of Xiangyang...Southeast water gate! Warships! There are enemy warships!"

"What?! The southeast water gate of Xiangyang?!" Cao Zhen was struck dumb, turning around abruptly and grabbing the messenger by the collar, almost lifting him off the ground. "Explain yourself! What happened to the south water gate?! What warship? How could there be a warship?! Whose warship is it?!"

The messenger, his face filled with terror, stammered, "I...I don't know! General! I was on duty at the south gate when suddenly...suddenly...the warships appeared! Captain, the captain urgently ordered me..."

Before the messenger could finish speaking, a huge commotion suddenly erupted from the southeast of Xiangyang!

"Buzz—!"

Cao Zhen felt a rush of blood to his head, his vision went black, and his ears were ringing!

He got it!

The bonfires arranged in a zigzag pattern at the north gate of Fancheng, the confessions of the suicide squad members, the shadowy figures lurking outside the city...

It was all a ruse all along!
So it was a feint to the east while attacking the west, or rather, a feint to the north while attacking the south!

Their real target was not the heavily defended north gate of Fancheng, which was heavily fortified by Cao Cao's army!
Instead, it appears safe, relying on the natural barrier of the Han River at the southeast city water gate of Xiangyang!
He had acted like a fool, running all the way here and standing ready, only to be fooled by a feint, which gave the thieves the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on the water gate!
"Quickly! Mobilize the troops! Follow me to Xiangyang!"

Cao Zhen roared, his voice distorted, and he shoved the messenger aside, rushing towards Xiangyang.

You still have time!

Tower ship...

Regardless of how the warships arrived, it takes time for soldiers to board and disembark on them, so there's still time!

in time!
I hope...