My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Xiahou Ba was dumbfounded.

In fact, he was aware of the importance of the port.

Before he took office, Cao Cao warned him that Gukou was the maritime gateway to Jixian. If the Chu army launched a surprise attack on Youzhou by sea, they would surely sail up the river from Gukou and take Jixian directly.

Because of the importance of Gukou, Cao Cao appointed him, a member of the imperial clan and the second son of Xiahou Yuan, to guard it.

However, he also learned ten days ago that Cao Cao had secretly dispatched spies to the coastal areas of Ji Province to closely monitor the coastal waters in order to prevent the Chu army from launching a surprise attack from the sea.

Xiahou Ba therefore deduced that if Liu Bei knew that their defenses were so tight, he would certainly not dare to repeat the old trick of launching a surprise attack at sea.

Since that's the case, there's no threat to Gukou City, and guarding it here would be a waste of time and utterly meaningless.

That's why he felt annoyed and wanted to request permission to go to Yijing to serve.

What he saw before him was completely beyond Xiahou Ba's comprehension, leaving him utterly bewildered.

Were all the spies along the coast of Jizhou blind?
Such a large fleet sailed north along the coastline without giving any warning?
One person's eyes are one thing, but along the coastline stretching for hundreds of miles, hundreds of spies have gone blind?

Surprisingly, not a single person reported this to Cao Cao, and not a single warning document was sent to Gukou.

Xiahou Ba was plunged into endless astonishment and confusion.

While he was in a daze, the Chu navy had already sailed into the port and rushed toward the dock.

The soldiers guarding the city were thrown into chaos, and screams erupted everywhere.

Xiahou Ba then realized what was happening, quickly composed himself, and shouted:
"Quickly send a messenger to Yijing to report an urgent matter to the King!"

"Order all gates to close immediately and raise the drawbridges!"

"All soldiers, ascend the city walls and prepare for battle, immediately—"

The sound of gongs blared from the city wall, and the Wei soldiers, numbering less than a thousand, began to scatter like headless flies.

The Chu navy had already landed, and thousands of Chu soldiers poured out of the ships like a tide, quickly flooding the dock.

Fifty or sixty ships gradually docked, and nearly ten thousand Chu soldiers rushed ashore.

Flags bearing the character "Chu" have been raised over the land of Youzhou.

Before long, tens of thousands of Chu soldiers marched in formation toward the south gate of Gukou.

Xiahou Ba glanced at the Chu army's formation and couldn't help but gasp.

The Chu army's naval raid this time brought not only infantry, but also a large number of siege weapons such as siege ladders and battering rams.

Once the Chu army landed, they didn't need to spend time building them; they could simply unload these siege weapons from the ships and use them immediately.

They came prepared.

Looking at the number of Chu troops, they were a vast, endless mass, probably numbering at least ten thousand.

A tenfold advantage in troop strength!

Morale soared, siege weaponry was fully prepared, and the army outnumbered the enemy tenfold…

The Chu army had a clear advantage.

Seeing this formation, Xiahou Ba began to feel a little uneasy, and his palms, which were tightly gripping his sword, were already damp with sweat.

outside the city.

The Chu army advanced to within a hundred paces of the city and arrayed themselves for battle.

Central Army Department.

Lu Xun, Guan Ping, and Zhu Huan stood side by side.

"General Tanzhi, the soldiers are in position. General Tanzhi, please give the order on how to fight this battle."

Lu Xun smiled and bowed to Guan Ping.

In terms of status, Guan Ping was Guan Yu's son, which could be considered "royal relatives".

In terms of military rank and title, Guan Ping was slightly above Lu Xun.

Although Liu Bei issued an edict ordering Lu Xun to take command of this naval expeditionary force, Lu Xun, mindful of Guan Ping's status, voluntarily offered to relinquish his position as commander.

Guan Ping returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said solemnly:
"His Majesty has decreed that we shall all obey your orders in this battle, Boyan. How dare I issue orders?"

"Besides, it was you, Boyan, who successfully brought us to Gukou on this sea voyage. You should be in charge of this battle."

"Give me your orders, and I will follow your lead."

Although Guan Ping was of noble birth, he lacked his father's arrogance. He kept Liu Bei's edict firmly in mind and knew Lu Xun's abilities, so he was willing to play a supporting role.

Lu Xun then stopped refusing and turned his gaze toward Gukou City, his domineering aura as a commander suddenly rising.

"Today's siege will be primarily carried out by infantry."

"Xiu Mu, I order you to command the infantry and launch a fierce attack on the south gate of Gu City. Within one hour, at all costs, breach the city!"

"Tanzhi, I trouble you to lead your cavalry to make feigned movements around the other gates, so that the defending troops will not know the true strength of our army and will think that we have another large army to attack the other three gates, thus disrupting their morale and dividing their forces!"

Lu Xun acted swiftly and decisively, issuing two orders in quick succession.

Guan Ping and Zhu Huan accepted the order and immediately went their separate ways.

War drums sounded.

Zhu Huan led 10,000 Chu troops and launched a thunderous attack, with dozens of military formations of various sizes sweeping towards Gu City.

The siege has begun.

It was a standard siege battle, with no new tactics.

The two sides first exchanged long-range fire with bows and crossbows. The Chu archers had the advantage and quickly suppressed the Wei troops on the city wall.

The Chu infantry advanced to the city walls, ladders were placed against the ramparts, and soldiers surged forward, vying to scale the walls. Battering rams bombarded the city gates and the old, weak points of the walls. Meanwhile, the Wei army on the city walls, after the Chu army approached, bombarded the Chu soldiers scaling the walls with flying stones and logs.

The highlight lies in Xiahou Ba's command ability.

This second-generation member of the Xiahou clan possessed military leadership skills that were no less than his father's. He managed to make less than a thousand Wei soldiers appear as if they were three thousand.

Although the Chu army launched a fierce attack, they were unable to breach the city walls in a short period of time.

Seeing that the situation was gradually stabilizing, Xiahou Ba finally sat down and took a few deep breaths.

"How exactly did the naval forces of the pseudo-Chu manage to sneak into our Youzhou without our knowledge?"

"Forget it, I can't worry about that now. In any case, I have to hold the pass until the king's reinforcements arrive."

"In this battle, I will prove to the King that I am capable enough to restore the Great Wei and avenge my father..."

Xiahou Ba's thoughts were racing, and confidence gradually ignited in his eyes.

Just as he caught his breath, stood up again, and was about to continue commanding his soldiers, several riders galloped up along the city wall.

"Reporting to General Xiahou, dust is flying outside the north gate, it seems that the Chu army is launching a large-scale attack."

"Reporting to General Xiahou, Chu cavalry has been spotted outside the East Gate. Judging from their size, there seem to be over ten thousand of them."

"Reporting to the General, something has also been discovered outside the West Gate..."

The scouts tumbled off their horses and cried out in alarm.

In an instant, Chu troops appeared at the other three gates, seemingly numbering forty to fifty thousand, besieging the city.

Xiahou Ba was startled and quickly turned around to look at the other three sides.

Sure enough, outside the northwest and east gates, dust and fog obscured the sky, indicating that at least ten thousand people were attacking.

Including the Chu army attacking the south gate, the number of Chu troops that landed was at least 40,000.

How can a battle be fought with 40,000 against 1,000?
With only a thousand men, he was already struggling to hold off the Chu army in front of him. How could he possibly spare any more troops to guard the other three gates?

Xiahou Ba froze, and the confidence on his face vanished in an instant.

Along the city line, the Wei army, which had initially stabilized its morale, was now intimidated by the Chu army's momentum, and its morale immediately plummeted.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm unwilling to fight to the death, but the Chu army is simply too large, and I cannot make a pointless sacrifice..."

Xiahou Ba let out a long sigh, like a deflated balloon, his spirit completely gone.

After taking a deep breath, Xiahou Ba gritted his teeth:

"All troops, listen to my command! Abandon the city immediately and break out through the west gate!"

Xiahou Ba knew his own limitations.

Even if he had three heads and six arms, he couldn't possibly stop the 40,000 Chu troops who besieged the city with just a thousand men.

Abandoning the city and fleeing to preserve one's usefulness is the only wise choice.

The soldiers guarding the city walls were as if they had been granted a general amnesty.

So a thousand Wei soldiers abandoned the south gate and followed Xiahou Ba toward the west gate.

The city gates opened, and the drawbridge was lowered.

Xiahou Ba spurred his horse and charged forward without hesitation.

More than a thousand Wei soldiers, desperate to survive, had no choice but to follow him out of the city.

Dust billowed ahead, and the Chu cavalry appeared and disappeared intermittently.

Xiahou Ba gripped his spear tightly, ready for a bloody battle and a desperate breakout.

Just as the two armies were about to engage in battle, the dust and fog in the sky suddenly descended.

As the dust settled, the Chu army finally saw clearly.

Xiahou Ba was stunned.

Ahead lay a field of tree branches, and a mere hundred or so Chu cavalrymen sped away into the distance.

How did tens of thousands of Chu soldiers suddenly become a hundred cavalrymen?

Xiahou Ba's eyes darted around like shuttles, and suddenly his heart skipped a beat.

Fell into a trap!
The Chu army outside the west gate was not ten thousand at all, but only a hundred or so cavalrymen.

These hundred or so Chu cavalrymen tied tree branches to their horses' tails, and as they galloped back and forth, they stirred up clouds of dust, thus creating the impression that tens of thousands of Chu troops were attacking.

If this is true for the West Gate, then it is certainly true for the North Gate and the East Gate as well.

The purpose of the Chu army's move was to create a false impression, making him mistakenly believe that tens of thousands of Chu troops were besieging the city, thus frightening him into abandoning the city and fleeing.

"Damn it, I've been tricked by the Chu bandits!"

Xiahou Ba stamped his feet and cried out in despair. He hurriedly turned his horse around, wanting to fight his way back to Gukou.

It's too late.

Above the West Gate, the Chu-character flag had already been raised.

The tide has turned, and the loss of the fortress is a foregone conclusion!

"Xiahou Ba, Xiahou Ba, you are truly incredibly stupid! You are destined to become a traitor to the Great Wei!"

Xiahou Ba was filled with self-reproach and wished he could slap himself a few times.

After wallowing in self-pity for a while, Xiahou Ba could only let out a long sigh and weakly crack his whip:
"Go to Yijing immediately and apologize to the King." (End of Chapter)