Three Kingdoms: Wolong's brother-in-law, tricking Liu Bei into seizing Jingzhou

The Han army dared not lay siege to the city for seven days.

Today, just when they learned that Cao Cao was defeated in Chencang and secretly ordered them to abandon Lueyang and retreat south, the army suddenly surrounded the city.

There is no need to guess, Liu Bei must have learned the news of the great victory in Chencang and concluded that it was not Cao Cao's main force in the city, but only these 10,000 people.

That's why Liu Bei dared to besiege the city.

Liu Bei now wants to keep them in Lueyang and not let any of them escape back to Jicheng to join Cao Cao.

"boom!"

Yan Xing punched the battlement with his fist, stamped his feet and sighed:

"Berming, ah, Berming, I've said before that your plan may not be foolproof."

"Now it seems that your plan has been discovered by Liu Bei."

"We, more than 10,000 people, will be trapped to death in Lueyang City by Liu Bei's 300,000-strong army!"

Cheng Gongying's heart skipped a beat and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

The cold wind touched his face and he shivered violently.

"Damn it! Such a perfect plan was actually discovered by the big-eared thief!"

"Why, why is this happening?"

Yu Jin, the "old minister" of the Qin State, pounded the battlements with his fists, gnashed his teeth, and his face was burning with resentment.

Yan Xing took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:

"You two, it's useless to say anything now that things have come to this."

"The Han army has just begun to besiege the city. We should gather all our troops and lead them to break out immediately. Perhaps we can fight our way out!"

"If the Han army completes the siege and sets up camp, and Lueyang is surrounded like an iron barrel, we will be unable to escape!"

"General Yu, give the order quickly!"

Cheng Gongying suddenly became alert and said anxiously:

"Yan Ming's words make sense. General Yu, we should break out of the encirclement before the Han army completes the siege."

"Even if we can't save 10,000 soldiers, at least we can break through the siege and save our lives!"

The two of them looked at Yu Jin.

As a minister who made great contributions to Cao Cao, Yu Jin was nominally the commander of the 10,000 troops in the city.

Whether to abandon the city or not, to fight or to flee, all must obey Yu Jin's orders.

Yu Jin looked towards the outside of the city, but was in a state of indecision.

Although the Han army camp had not yet been set up, tens of thousands of Han soldiers had already gathered and were on standby, blocking the road out of the city and heading south.

Moreover, there was dust and fog billowing around the Han camp, and it was obvious that the Han cavalry were galloping back and forth.

If we break out by force, it will be a life-and-death battle.

"No, we cannot break out. We must defend Lueyang and wait for His Majesty to come and rescue us!"

Yu Jin struck the battlement with a decisive fist.

This decision surprised Yan Xing and Cheng Gongying.

"General Yu, are you crazy? His Majesty ordered us to abandon the city and retreat south. How dare you disobey His Majesty's order?"

Yan Xing took the lead and questioned harshly.

"Yes, the Han army has 300,000 soldiers. Even if we have an ice wall, we can temporarily stop the Han army."

"But in a month at most, when the weather gets warmer, the ice wall will melt."

"When 300,000 Han troops attack, how can we resist with only 10,000 people?"

Cheng Gongying followed suit by stating the pros and cons and asking questions in a stern voice.

Yu Jin, however, looked determined and pointed outside the city.
"Look at the situation of the Han army outside the city. Even if they haven't set up camp yet, it will be difficult for us to break out."

"Breaking out by force will only lead to death and annihilation of the entire army!"

"Your Majesty's order is for me to protect these 10,000 troops. If I rashly break out and the entire army is wiped out, how will I explain to Your Majesty?"

Yu Jin revealed his motive.

To put it bluntly, he did not have the courage to take the risk of breaking out. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to play it safe and retreat to hold on to Lueyang City first.

The hope of breaking out rested on Cao Cao leading his army to rescue.

"General Yu, you are confused!" Yan Xing said anxiously, pointing to the south:

"Our purpose of holding on to Lueyang was to contain and confuse the enemy and buy time for Your Majesty to launch a surprise attack on Chencang."

"Now that the battle of Chencang has been lost and our army has suffered heavy casualties, it is meaningless to hold on to Lueyang any longer."

"We can only retreat back to Jicheng and rely on the Wei River to stop the Han army. Otherwise, His Majesty would not have ordered us to abandon Lueyang and retreat southward."

"If we were trapped in Lueyang, Your Majesty would never risk the destruction of the main force and lead the army to rescue us."

"General Yu, if you insist on holding on to Lueyang and not withdrawing, we, with more than 10,000 men, will be like abandoning your pawns!"

Yan Xing’s words were straightforward enough.

Cao Cao could not and would not dare to risk the destruction of his main force to save us just for the three of us and ten thousand soldiers.

If you don’t give up on breaking out, you’re just waiting for death!

Yu Jin remained silent.

After a while, he struck the battlement with his fist again and said resolutely:
"I have followed Your Majesty for many years. I don't believe that Your Majesty would abandon me, Yu Jin, and I also don't believe that Your Majesty would watch our 10,000 soldiers die here!"

"I have made up my mind. I will hold on to Lueyang and wait for your Majesty to come to rescue me. We will work together from inside and outside to defeat the big-eared thief!"

Yan Xing became anxious and wanted to persuade him again.

Yu Jin drew his sword and said sternly:
"I am the commander-in-chief. My orders have been given and cannot be changed."

"Whoever dares to shake the morale of the army again will be punished by military law!"

The words of persuasion that were about to come out of Yan Xing's mouth were blocked back.

Cheng Gongying originally wanted to persuade Yu Jin, but he had to shut his mouth.

There is no way, after all Yu Jin is the commander-in-chief of the three armies.

Since the commander-in-chief had asserted his authority, the other two naturally did not dare to question it any further.

The two looked at each other and sighed secretly.

So the 10,000 Qin troops in the city were trapped in Lueyang, watching the Han army setting up camps on all sides outside the city.

Within two days, three large camps were set up, with antlers densely placed outside the camps and trenches and earthen walls built one after another.

The city of Lueyang was thus surrounded and turned into a dead city with no escape possible.

...

Han camp, inside the imperial tent.

"Your Majesty, our army has completed the siege of the city. Please give the order to attack the city. We will raze Lueyang to the ground!"

Zhang He volunteered generously and with full confidence.

Ma Chao also leaped up and said proudly:

"Your Majesty, please give the order to attack the city. I will cut off the heads of Yu Jin, Yan Xing and Cheng Gongying and present them to Your Majesty!"

At this time, the strength of the Qin army in the city had become clear, and the Han emperor and his ministers also knew that the three generals of Yu Jin were defending the city.

Yan Xing and Cheng Gongying were former generals of Han Sui, and they already had grudges against the Ma family.

When Ma Chao fought with Cao Cao in Longxi, it was Han Sui's former subordinates such as Cheng Gongying who turned against him and stabbed him in the back, causing his defeat and retreat from Longxi.

At this time, Ma Chao naturally wanted to rush into Jicheng immediately and kill Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing with his own hands.

All the generals were brave and all of them were eager to fight.

"Although the enemy army is only 10,000, Yu Jin and others are all veteran generals of the Qin State, and Lueyang City is also protected by the Ice Armor. Even if our army attacks from all sides, it may not be able to capture it, and it will only result in the loss of soldiers' lives."

Liu Bei was much calmer than the other generals and continued:

"Instead of wasting the lives of our soldiers, it is better to surround the enemy city without attacking and wait for the weather to warm up and melt the ice armor."

"If we attack again then, we will be able to crush you with ease!"

The emperor had spoken, and the generals had to temporarily suppress their impulsive desire to fight.

Liu Bei turned his gaze to Xiao Fang and asked:

"Prime Minister, what do you think of my siege strategy?"

There was a gleam of amusement in Xiao Fang's eyes.

"Although Lueyang City is as strong as an ice armor, as the saying goes, even the strongest fortress is easiest to break through from the inside."

"I have an idea. Perhaps we don't have to wait until spring and the weather turns warmer. We can break through Lueyang in a few days." (End of this chapter)