Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1285 Breakout
After hearing this, Sun Quan looked at Zhuge Jin in surprise. Zhuge Jin said, "I was defeated several times by Pang Tong, the military advisor of Liu Bei's army. I was too ashamed to face you, Your Majesty. So I have been storing a lot of firewood and kerosene in Chaisang City, hoping to perish together with Liu Bei's army."

"I never thought that Your Majesty would bring troops to rescue us, so I didn't have time to use the plan of burning the city. But now the situation is still unfavorable. Please leave first. After I lure Liu Bei's army into the city, I will set it on fire!"

After Sun Quan heard this, his heart was bleeding. Why didn't you tell me this plan earlier? Half of the last 20,000 soldiers from Wu that I brought with me died in vain?
But Zhuge Jin did this, Sun Quan could not say anything, he could only sigh: "Zi Yu is really my right hand, I don't have the spare energy to give Zi Yu more troops and food, this is all my fault."

Zhuge Jin was deeply moved and choked up as he said, "I am really incapable of doing this, and I have caused the Wu Kingdom to decline to this point. I will die to repay the king!"

Sun Quan said in a deep voice: "You and I, the king and his subjects, have not reached the end of our rope yet. We should protect ourselves and survive so that we can counterattack in the future."

"But the strategy of burning the city can only burn some civilians. If Liu Bei's army retreats outside the city, won't it be completely useless?"

Zhuge Jin heard this and replied, "A gentleman deceives others with his own tactics. Liu Bei is like a fierce tiger, both of them are practicing benevolence and righteousness. When he saw the fire in the city, he would definitely send soldiers to put it out."

"Then Jin will come to cover the retreat, and the king can withdraw calmly. At the same time, Jin can block the city gate and block Liu Bei's army in the city!"

Sun Quan said, "Isn't this a complete copy of the Battle of Yecheng?"

"Didn't the Wei army fail when they used this method to deal with the Jin army?"

Zhuge Jin said: "Your Majesty is wise. I have also carefully analyzed the course of the battle of Yecheng."

"There are three main reasons why the Wei army failed to burn the city."

"First, the troops are weak and cannot stop the Jin army."

“Second, there was civil unrest in the city and it was impossible to control the area where the fire started.”

"Third, the Jin army had already responded and used equipment to put out the fire."

"And Liu Bei's army on the other side does not have these three things. Moreover, Chaisang is backed by the Yangtze River. As long as we block the land route and damage the city gate, Liu Bei's army will have nowhere to escape!"

Sun Quan was overjoyed when he heard this and said, "Okay, let's prepare the warships first. When the fire starts in the city and the city gates are destroyed, we will watch Liu Bei's army burn to death in the city!"

Liu Bei endured the pain and said to his generals: "I have beaten Sun Quan so badly that he has lost his courage. His generals have also been killed. He is now hiding in the city. It is a good time to attack the city!"

"Gather the troops overnight and attack the city tomorrow morning!"

Chen Shi listened, hesitated for a moment, and said: "The military advisor is still in a coma. Why don't we wait until he wakes up and hear what he says before making a decision?"

After Pang Tong was shot in the face by Ma Zhong, he was brought back by his followers for emergency treatment. Although the doctors tried their best to treat him, his injuries were very serious and he remains unconscious.

Liu Bei snorted, "The enemy is right in front of me, I can't wait any longer!"

"Right now, our army has completely gained the upper hand, and the Wu army is frightened. As long as I personally go to the battlefield, Chaisang will be defeated in no time!"

Chen Shi, Feng Xi and others heard this and had to obey the order. The two of them came out to organize the troops. Feng Xi sighed, "This time it was really tragic."

"Although several generals died on the other side, we also lost Zhang Nan on our side, and the lord's military advisor was wounded by arrows. Does Wu really have no strength left?"

Chen Shi said in a deep voice: "No matter what, Chaisang will be fought sooner or later, not to mention that there is Sun Quan on the opposite side."

"As long as Sun Quan is killed, the land of Jiangdong will become the territory of Hannan. By then, once the lord's foundation is established, there will be a bright future ahead."

"So this battle is very crucial. We can only take a gamble."

Feng Xi said: "I am afraid that Sun Quan will escape by water.

Chen Shi said: "The king has already made arrangements. General Guan and his lieutenant General Zhou Cang are coming over by water. Only one in ten of the Wu army's naval commanders are left. If Sun Quan escapes by water, he may not be able to get past Zhou Cang's barrier."

After hearing this, Feng Xi thought that this was the only way. Success or failure would depend on tomorrow's siege.

The next morning, war drums sounded in Liu Bei's camp. Soldiers pushed siege equipment out of the camp and rushed towards Chaisang City. The Wu army on the city wall rained arrows in an attempt to stop Liu Bei's army from approaching.

Under the leadership of Chen Shi and Feng Xi, the soldiers of Liu Bei's army, some holding shields and some using battering rams for cover, approached the city in less than half a moment. At that time, some soldiers had already pushed rafts into the moat, and then found a way to connect the rafts to allow the soldiers and equipment to pass through.

They were obviously not as skilled as the Jin army. The rafts spun and capsized, and many equipment and soldiers fell into the water. But Liu Bei personally supervised the battle, and the soldiers continued to cross the moat. After paying a heavy price, they finally put a lot of equipment on the top of the city wall.

With a shout, the soldiers of Liu Bei's army climbed up to the top of the city wall using ladders. The Wu army on the top of the city wall took out their spears and stabbed desperately. The two sides fought for the top of the city wall and fell into an extremely brutal and bloody battle.

Apart from the military advisor Zhuge Jin, the only general with a name on the Wu army side was Zhu Ran. The two of them led their troops to resist on the top of the city, and sacrificed a steady stream of lives.

The attack and defense lasted for most of the day. Zhuge Jin saw that the casualties on the Wu army side were almost half, and knew that there was no point in fighting any further, so he was about to order a retreat. At this time, the spies over there reported that a navy of Liu Bei was rapidly approaching on the Yangtze River north of Chaisang!
Zhuge Jin was startled. He quickly found Zhu Ran on the top of the city wall and said, "Liu Bei's navy is coming. Take the king away first!"

Zhu Ran shook his head and said, "Military Advisor, I ordered the killing of Zhang Fei. Liu Bei's revenge must be on me." "If I leave with the king, Liu Bei's army might abandon the city and chase the king, so I have made up my mind to live and die with Chaisang."

"Military advisor, don't worry about me. Let's retreat with the king first."

Zhuge Jin stamped his feet and said, "Hey, it's already this time, and you are still so stubborn. Liu Bei wants to kill you as soon as possible. Don't you know what the end will be?"

"Well, I'll go talk to the lord first!"

He went down the wall to find Sun Quan, and when they met, he said, "My lord, hurry up, Liu Bei's navy is trying to cut off our retreat!"

"Jin is here to cover the retreat for my lord. Please rest assured, I will do my best to burn Liu Bei to death in the city!"

Sun Quan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I will wait for the military advisor on the river. Military advisor, don't fight to the death. Once the fire is set, find a way to retreat!"

Zhuge Jin said: "Your Majesty, please be careful on the river. Liu Bei's navy is not weak. If I cannot retreat, Your Majesty should leave immediately and do not hesitate because of me!"

Sun Quan held Zhuge Jin's hand, nodded silently, and then strode towards the dock. Seeing this, Zhuge Jin hurriedly said, "Zhu Ran doesn't want to leave."

Sun Quan turned around and said, "Since he has made his decision, I will respect his opinion."

Zhuge Jin watched Sun Quan go away, sighed in his heart, then turned around and headed towards the top of the city again.

At dusk, Liu Bei's army finally climbed to the top of the city wall. Feng Xi went up to the city wall and saw that the Wu army in the city was fleeing in all directions. Several gates in the city had been opened. There were woods outside Chaisang City. The Wu army was desperately trying to break out of the city.

Feng Xi was puzzled. Why didn't the Wu army escape by water?

Later, a spy came to report that the Wu army's naval vessels at the dock had already left. He burst out laughing, thinking that the Wu army was leaving in such a hurry that they even left their own people behind.
At that time, the city gate was opened. Liu Bei endured the pain in his ribs and rushed into the city with his men. After meeting Feng Xi, he heard that Sun Quan had escaped by water. He could not help but sneer and said, "Sun Quan, you still don't dare to fight me!"

"I want to see if he can escape Zhou Cang's navy's search!"

"Come on, follow me to the dock. I want to wait for Zhou Cang to arrive, and then we can go to the water to hunt down Sun Quan together!"

After he finished speaking, he led his men to the dock. Feng Xi quickly advised, "Your Majesty, you must not do this. The water is dangerous, and your Majesty is injured. It is best for you to rest."

Liu Bei snorted coldly: "It's just a minor injury, why bother about it?"

"It's a pity that Zhang Nan died in this battle, otherwise..."

At this time, the two men were walking and talking, and they had already arrived in Chaisang City, but they heard three trumpet sounds in the distance, and fires were lit everywhere in Chaisang City.

Seeing this, Feng Xi's face changed drastically and he said, "Oh no, we've fallen into Wu's trap!"

"The other party is setting fire to the city and wants to burn us to death here!"

There was a strong wind at the time, and the fire quickly spread through the streets, spreading to many houses in the city. Many people in the city were affected and they all fled from their homes, shouting and wailing, blocking the streets.

Liu Bei's army wanted to move, but was overwhelmed by the chaotic people. Seeing this, Feng Xi hurriedly said to Liu Bei: "My lord, we can't reach the dock. Turn around quickly and avoid the fire through the city gate first!"

Seeing the common people and soldiers mixed together and trampling on each other, with those falling to the ground either dead or maimed, Liu Bei could not help but roar: "Sun Quan, you are so despicable and shameless that you actually took advantage of the common people!"

He turned his horse around, drew his sword, and raised it high, "Listen, people of Chaisang, I am Liu Bei, the King of Hannan!"

"I promise to help you all escape today. Please don't get confused. Soldiers go left, civilians go right. Let's escape the city together!"

"I, Liu Bei, promise to personally escort you out of the city safely!"

After hearing this, the people gradually quieted down. They thanked Liu Bei one after another and followed him. The chaos in the city suddenly stopped. Liu Bei rode in the middle of the road, leading the soldiers and the people towards the south gate through which he had entered earlier.

As they were almost at the city gate, they heard a commotion outside the gate, followed by shouting and fighting. When Liu Bei and Feng Xi heard this, they knew that something had happened again. Sure enough, the spies reported that the Wu army that had previously broken through into the woods had turned back again and blocked the south gate. Now they were fighting with Chen Shi who was guarding the city gate, obviously trying to stop everyone from leaving the city!

Liu Bei finally understood and said bitterly: "The Wu army is imitating the Wei army's burning of Yecheng."

"This guy Sun Quan is indeed Cao Cao's good son!"

Feng Xi said in a hoarse voice: "The Jin army was able to put out the fire in Yecheng. I didn't think it was a big deal at the beginning. Now Chaisang is much smaller than Yecheng, and it is impossible to put out the fire. I don't know how the Jin army did it."

"The most urgent task is for the king to leave the city as soon as possible, otherwise if the fire gets bigger, it will be dangerous!"

(End of this chapter)