Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 481: The Three Armies Attack
Under the city wall of Lucheng, flags and banners covered the sky, which was a very spectacular sight. There were soldiers stationed around the city, and the situation was very serious.

A tall, dark-complexioned general holding a long sword rode out slowly from the army.

"Captain of the city, I have kept my promise and allowed you a day to think about it. Now that a day and a night have passed, should you also keep your promise and open the gates and surrender?"

A head popped out from the top of the city wall.

"Thank you for your kindness, General Gao. Although I am of humble origin, I know that loyalty is a great virtue and cannot be abandoned. I have followed the general for five years and was one of the first soldiers he recruited to Yanmen. I have fought with him in more than ten battles. The general has treated us very well. I am just a country boy, but I have been honored by the general today. My whole family has not starved to death in the wilderness. How dare I abandon such a great kindness?"

General Gao was slightly angry when he heard this, but he quickly calmed down.

"So, the general was playing a trick on me, Gao Lan, yesterday?"

"I dare not. To be honest with you, General Gao, I have sent messengers to ask for help from all the counties in Yanmen. The general has more than 20,000 soldiers and horses in the entire Yanmen County, most of whom are brave warriors who have fought many battles. Although General Gao is brave, he may not be able to gain an advantage. I advise you to retreat quickly."

Gao Lan suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, do you really think that I am such a fool? I knew yesterday that you sent people to ask for help, but I deliberately did not stop you. Why do you think that was? In just one day, the reinforcements that can arrive in Lucheng are only from Fanzhi, Juyang, and Gangxian. The defenders of other cities may not arrive until tomorrow morning. If Guan Yu was in Yanmen, I would turn around and leave, but now he has sent his troops to the northern desert. Humph, with more than 10,000 defenders in your four cities, if you dare to come to rescue, I will take advantage of the situation to annihilate you in one fell swoop! What's more..."

Gao Lan sneered a few times: "Besides, this is a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Can't you see it? It's really a waste of you to follow Liu He for so many years."

Wu Qin's face turned extremely pale in an instant.

"Oh no, we've fallen into a trap! He must have sent people to take advantage of the opportunity to attack the three cities. Quickly, send someone to notify the guards of the three cities and tell them not to come to rescue..."

He shouted repeatedly from the top of the city wall, which made Gao Lan very happy.

“Hahaha, you idiot, you are such an idiot. My army is here. If I let a nobody like you come and go as you please in my encirclement, how can I, Gao Lan, live up to my lord’s trust? All the troops, listen to my command and attack the city!”

The Jizhou army surrounding the city suddenly displayed an overwhelming force and rushed towards the city wall like a tide.

"Brothers, hold on!"

Wu Qin held a spear and ran around on the top of the city wall, giving orders and fighting in person.

Gao Lan was standing at the bottom of the city wall, watching the battle in front of him with full confidence.

"Haha, I have captured four cities in Yanmen County in one fell swoop. With such merits, I can definitely beat Zhang He. What four pillars of Hebei, is Zhang He worthy of it? Yan Liang and Wen Chou are brave men, Zhang He is a coward and a bandit, and Lu Bu is even more shameless. He actually recognized the master's father Yuan Chenggong as his adoptive father and called the master his sworn brother. He is really shameless. Today I will let the master know who is the number one general in Jizhou!"

In the mountains and forests east of Taiyuan County, a large group of people were hurrying through the grass and trees. The person leading them was none other than Zhang Yan, who was frightened by Liu He.

A person next to him had a worried look on his face. He wanted to say something several times but stopped himself. Finally, he mustered up the courage to approach Zhang Yan.

"General, we have fought against Liu He so many times, and we have suffered losses every time. Why did you listen to Yuan Shao's instigation and attack Liu He's hometown, Langtiao County? Isn't this like hanging yourself? Is it worth it for the little food and grass Yuan Shao gave you?"

"Bah, bah, bah, you good-for-nothing."

Zhang Yan spat at the subordinate.

"We have 110,000 soldiers and 150,000 or 160,000 elderly and weak family members. How long can we keep hiding in the mountains and living on hunting and looting? Three, five, eight, or even ten years, maybe we can hold out, but what about fifteen or twenty years? The surrounding counties and lords will be more and more vigilant against us, and the Yellow Turban Army's former power is becoming less and less, and this power has almost been divided up by a few leaders. It is difficult for us to increase our strength, and sooner or later we will end up being wiped out and annexed."

After hearing this, the subordinate still looked confused.

"But even if we want to go down the mountain, we don't have to provoke Liu He. We can't afford to offend this guy."

"Who else can we mess with if not him? In Youzhou to the north, Liu Yu is an easy guy to bully, but he is attacked every other day by Xianbei and Wuhuan. How can we bear it? In the east, Yuan Shao has many civil and military officials under his command. Although he is not as good as Liu He, he is right in front of us. If we go to attack Jizhou, he can mobilize a large army at any time. There is only Bingzhou. Now Liu He, Guan Yu and other guys are not in Bingzhou. What are we afraid of? If we can't beat Liu He, can we beat his minions who stayed in Bingzhou?" "I have negotiated with Yuan Shao. The four counties of Langtiao County, Yu County, Yangqu County, and Luwei County are all under our management. Hehe, these four places are Liu He's old nests, and they are extremely rich. With such territories, not only will our survival be guaranteed in the long term, but we can also develop our power and strive for greater benefits in this chaotic world."

Having said that, Zhang Yan's eyes no longer had the fear she had towards Liu He back then, but instead she looked eager to try.

"But I still feel..."

"But what buts? You are as cowardly as a mouse. If you are afraid, just get out of here. My Black Mountain Army will not take in trash."

Zhang Yan refuted mercilessly, and the subordinate dared not say anything else.

"This time I will send out 40,000 troops to first capture Langtiao County and then Jinyang City. If Liu He wants to attack me, he must first attack other counties in Bingzhou occupied by Yuan Shao. If Yuan Shao wants to annex me, hehe, by then I will have four cities, and it won't take long for me to develop an army of 200,000. Moreover, these four cities have been built extremely solid by Liu He. Even if Liu He comes in person, I will not be afraid. By then, I will annex the Baibo Army that once humiliated me. I wonder who in the three places of Bing, Ji, and You can compete with me, Zhang Yan."

To the east of Changzi City, Shangdang, there is a dangerous pass standing between a narrow mountain road.

This Huguan Pass is one of the most dangerous passes in the world, with steep cliffs on both sides, which is not much inferior to Yanmen Pass.

And it is at this dangerous pass that a bloody battle is breaking out.

On the city wall, Jiang Huan, wearing armor, was calmly directing the battle. Although there were only 5,000 defenders on the city wall, under his command, the 5,000 soldiers were divided into groups, some shooting arrows, some throwing logs, some killing the enemy on the city wall and removing the enemy's ladders, and some carrying various heavy objects to block the city gates. The defense was in good order, and for a moment, there was no flaw.

Jiang Huan had a calm face and shouted to his soldiers: "Soldiers, Yuan Shao was defeated by the general. Now he dares not attack Yanmen, so he comes to Shangdang to show off his power. Do the Erlangs in Shangdang just want to eat and do nothing? This is simply too much. Treat them well. As long as they drive the enemy away, each of them will be rewarded with 50 coins."

These simple words aroused the fighting spirit of the 5,000 defending soldiers to the extreme.

Not far in front of the pass, Chunyu Qiong, the commander of the 15,000 troops of the Jizhou Army that attacked Shangdang, was also not in a hurry. Seeing that the battle situation was unfavorable, he not only did not change his tactics, but sat in the pergola, drinking wine sip by sip.

"I didn't expect this ginger...what is ginger?"

The deputy general at the side reminded: "General Chunyu, it's Jiang Huan."

"Oh, yes. It's Jiang Huan. This Jiang Huan is quite capable. With 5,000 soldiers, he has defended for most of the day without showing any signs of defeat."

The deputy general said in a flattering tone, "No matter how capable you are, you are still just a nobody. How can you compete with General Chunyu's might? You are one of the best generals in Jizhou. Look, the war is right in front of you, but you remain calm, drinking and chatting. Wow, such a chic demeanor is far beyond the reach of even the famous generals of ancient times."

Chunyu Qiong was very happy to be coaxed.

"Well, that's a good point! With 15,000 soldiers and horses, we can easily take down this broken Huguan Pass. Why should I, the general, help?"

"That's right. Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? When we reach Changzi City and face Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, it won't be too late for the general to take action. I see that it's getting dark now. We have more people, so let's have a round-robin battle. Fight them all night and tire them out."

"Okay, haha, let's do it, you kid, smart!"

Chunyu Qiong was so happy that he drank another full glass.

Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, who were far away in Changzi City, also put on armor and walked hurriedly out of the mansion. At this moment, a soldier ran over and stopped them.

"Reporting to Governor Liu, the general, General Cheng Liang, and two young generals whom I don't know have arrived at the gate of the governor's mansion."

Liu Bei was stunned: "Why is the general here?"

(End of this chapter)