Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 290 Yiling Cave Opens!

Japan and China.

The Han army still did not use siege ladders or battering rams to attack the city.

Siege warfare is a protracted affair, and today's battle at Yiling is merely the first engagement, with a greater emphasis on probing. Both the Han army and Zhu Ran on the city walls understood this.

Therefore, although the Han army outside the city may appear aggressive and murderous, if they were to launch a desperate attack on the city at the first battle, the casualties would be too great, which would reduce the Han army's momentum and halt their advance. If the siege dragged on for a long time, the result would be that the army would be exhausted and their weaknesses would be exposed.

This was precisely the situation Liu Bei faced when he marched east out of Yiling, and also the predicament Cao Zhen, Zhang He, and Xiahou Shang faced when they besieged and captured Jingzhou.

The difference lies in the fact that when Liu Bei marched east out of Yiling, the people of Wuxian, Zigui, and Yiling were not yet loyal, and the city defenses were not yet stable. Therefore, it was not unexpected that Liu Bei's army marched east out of Yiling.

To put it bluntly, the three cities of Wuxian, Zigui, and Yiling at that time were deliberately given to Liu Bei by Sun Quan on Lu Xun's advice to extend the Shu army's supply lines.

Liu Bei's hundred-mile-long encampment was not due to a lack of military knowledge, but rather because Wuxian, Zigui, and Yiling had been captured too easily. He had no choice but to take this precaution against the Wu army and powerful local lords who had allied with Wu secretly seizing his supply lines.

Currently, the defenses of Wuxian and Zigui are so strong that even Zhu Ran wouldn't dare to dream that he could capture two cities in a month. Let alone a month, he would probably be defeated even if given a year.

If that's what he thinks, then the soldiers and people of Wu County probably think the same way.

Such a military miracle would undoubtedly put enormous psychological pressure on Wu's soldiers and cause great panic.

Zhu Ran had already deeply realized this point since the Han army besieged Yiling.

Otherwise, he would not have abandoned the fortresses and camps outside the city.

They would not burn down the Yiling water fortress, but instead send their navy to Jiangling, three hundred miles downstream, in case of unforeseen circumstances, leaving Yiling completely isolated.

The people's unrest and the thoughts of chaos among the people of Jing are what Zhu Ran fears most right now.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun, the pillar of Shu Han, led an army of ten thousand south. The "proclamation" that the Shu army had thrown into the city with catapults in the past two days, and the "reward" on the back of the proclamation specifically targeting the high-ranking Wu army officers who were not from Jingzhou, made Zhu Ran's unease reach its peak.

Therefore, even though he knew that the Shu army was probably just making a probing attack to lure Lu Xun's army, which had already arrived in Jiangling, to come to their aid, Zhu Ran still put himself on high alert and began making various war preparations and mobilizations as soon as Zhao Yun arrived yesterday.

The attack by Shu Han may have been a probing one, but for Zhu Ran, it was a major test.

He must remain calm and, through skillful and orderly command, continuously defuse crises, build the defenders' absolute trust in him and the confidence of the city's soldiers and civilians in victory, proving to them that he is an outstanding commander.

In addition, he also had to prove to the soldiers and civilians in the city that the Shu army outside the city was a bunch of rebels, treacherous bandits, cruel bandits, and violent bandits.

Only a brutal and bloodthirsty enemy can make the option of surrender unattractive, and only then can people of all ranks be united in their hatred of the enemy.

How to do it?
It's about fighting, getting wounded, and dying.

In Jiangling, this is exactly what he did in the face of the Han traitor Cao Wei.

But... now he was facing the Shu army, which called itself "Han". It was the Shu army that had defeated Cao Wei in Guanzhong last year and returned to Chang'an, and captured Bu Zhi and Zhuge Jin alive in Xicheng. It was also the Shu army that had captured Wuxian and Zigui in one month. Moreover... it was the Shu army personally supervised by the emperor of Shu Han, whose martial arts were unparalleled and whose prestige was unmatched since he personally led the expedition.

All of these factors significantly increased the difficulty for him to unite the entire city's military and civilians in their hatred of the enemy and their willingness to share life and death.

As for how much more, human nature is unpredictable, and he cannot know.

But at least, before the Han army launched its attack, a mob had already started an uprising in Wuxian County.

This was something he hadn't anticipated; it was the Shu army's exploitation of the ignorant masses, and also the disastrous consequence of their scorched-earth policy.

There was nothing he could do; the Shu army's surrender with a proclamation was truly unexpected, and even with strict defenses, they couldn't hold out against it.

After all, who had ever heard of anyone using catapults to widely distribute proclamations and offer rewards before attacking a city?
Fortunately, the Han army is now attacking the city with stones. Huge stones are flying into the city, and many innocent civilians are suffering. This indirectly proves the brutality and bloodshed of the Shu army.

Zhu Ran even deliberately ordered his men to remove the cowhide, causing the large boulders launched by the Shu army's inaccurate catapults to fall on the area where the civilians were gathered below the city. Only then did he order his soldiers to comfort the dead and wounded civilians and distribute medicine.

Some soldiers on the city wall were hit by the falling objects, but it didn't matter, or perhaps it was Zhu Ran's intention to do so.

If the deaths of a few soldiers can inspire a shared hatred of the enemy, then it is worthwhile. This is the essence of the saying "love your soldiers like your own children, but use them like mud." Isn't it true that a kind heart cannot command an army?
Even with minimal results, the Han army continued to hurl cannonballs at the walls of Yiling.

Several watchtowers on the city wall, used for observation, archery, and command, were hit by cannon fire one after another, and by this time one of them had fallen.

Due to a shortage of cowhide cloth, Zhu Ran ordered his soldiers to use the cowhide cloth to protect the more important watchtowers, while in front of other more dangerous sections of the city wall, several layers of taut fishing nets were set up to catch boulders and deflect their force.

As for the guards who didn't even have fishing nets, they were always ready to bend down and hide under the thick parapet. This was experience gained from two hours of attack and defense, and they could be considered quite adept at it.

“Your Majesty, it is time,” Zhao Yun said.

Liu Shan didn't know if the time had come or not, but since his fourth uncle said it had, it had come. He quickly nodded slightly, pretending to be serious.

A moment later, Long Xianglang received the order and ran towards the banner with the character "Fu" on the earthen hill.

"Light the fire!" On the high earthen mound, Fu Qian waved his command flag and shouted the order.

The drumbeats of the attack resounded across the earthen hill position.

"—Whoosh!" A ball of flame and a puff of black smoke suddenly appeared on the earthen mound and the slingshot formation. In no time, one fireball after another appeared in full view of everyone.

The raging flames roared in the east wind, so loud that even the Wu soldiers on the city tower of Yiling could hear them.

"Fire?" Zhu Ran was truly taken aback.

"Release!" Fu Qian ordered again.

More than twenty catapults were launched at once.

"call--"

"Whoosh-"

Dozens of streaks of fire flew from the earthen hill towards the sky above Yiling, climbing higher and higher.

The sound of wind breaking and the sound of the sky being torn apart were clearly heard by everyone.

Whether from the Han or Wu dynasties, few had ever seen such a spectacle, and they were all stunned for a moment.

The fireballs left long trails of smoke that lingered in the air, forming a series of chaotic parabolas.

"boom!"

"Boom!"

Huge stones crashed heavily against both the city walls and the surrounding area.

A towering flame ignited, and billowing black smoke rose, carried by the east wind toward Yiling City.

The ignition and the throwing of the stone happened almost in the blink of an eye, leaving Zhu Ran no time to react.

The military order to put away the cowhide and fishing nets had just been issued when earthenware jars filled with flaming oil and huge fireballs crashed into the cowhide.

Just moments ago, the arrows that the Han army shot at the Wu army's cowhide were all soaked in flammable oil, which now became a highly flammable medium and burned directly. The cowhide and fishing nets that the Wu people had spread out almost instantly burst into flames.

"call--!"

The sound of something cutting through the air once again echoed over Yiling!

Tens of thousands of people in Yiling all raised their heads and looked up at the sky.

The fireball appeared in their sight like a meteorite.

Without the cushioning provided by cowhide and fishing nets, the stone cannons and earthenware jars filled with raging oil hurled by the Han army landed squarely on the battlements, watchtowers, and buildings within the city.

The earthenware jar shattered, and the black, sticky, flammable oil splattered everywhere, spreading across the ground and igniting instantly, setting the area inside and outside Yiling ablaze with raging flames and billowing thick smoke.

One after another, earth-shattering, deafening sounds rose and fell, echoing endlessly within the city walls.

On the city wall, most of the Wu soldiers, who had just gotten used to the rhythm of the Han army's slingshots, looked bewildered. It was only when they were surrounded by thick smoke and fire that panic quickly spread inside and outside the city wall.

"Oh!"

First came the sound of sheds being smashed, followed in an instant by the chaotic sound of logs collapsing and rolling.

Zhu Ran's gaze remained fixed on the trail of black smoke, his neck stiff as he turned, finally settling on the mountain of logs piled high behind him.

The shacks were broken and collapsed.

The logs were scattered and broken.

With a roar, flames several meters high suddenly shot up, licking the top of the city wall.

A scorching heat wave hits you, making it hard to breathe.

"Is it that black oil?!" At this moment, Zhu Ran finally woke up, his heart trembling with fear, and he was drenched in sweat.

He was not unaware of the fire attack.

When Cao Wei besieged Jiangling, they also used fire arrows coated with fish oil and kerosene to deal with the cowhide fishing nets that blocked the stone cannons.

But right now, he was seeing a catapult that could throw fireballs for the first time!

It's not that the Cao Wei dynasty couldn't have thought of it, but rather that even if fish oil or kerosene were ignited, it would never have been able to maintain its burning state while flying such a long distance in the air!
This was beyond his previous understanding, and even with his extensive experience in defending cities, he was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Thick smoke billowed into the sky, swirling and gathering into a low-hanging dark cloud that loomed over the city, dimming even the sunlight. The air was filled with the pungent smell of smoke, mixed with various debris and even the stench of burnt flesh and blood.

While Zhu Ran was at a loss, the Wu army officers and soldiers on the city wall were even more panicked and unable to control themselves.

Several cowhide fishing nets that had not yet been removed were ignited by the splashing hot oil, instantly turning into huge fire blankets. The Wu soldiers, screaming in agony from the heat, threw them off the battlements.

Some people were engulfed in flames, writhing and screaming on the walls of Yiling. Others instinctively tried to put out the fire with water, but the water only fueled the flames. The oil and fire spread across the water, causing even greater chaos. Finally, a Wu soldier, covered in flames, jumped off the city wall.

Zhu Ran snapped out of his daze, tried to calm himself down, and began to order the officers and magistrates on the city wall to maintain order.

"Silence!"

"Hold on!"

"Those who flee shall be executed!"

"Get back to your positions!"

Despite the constant shouting and cursing, the soldiers continued to flee. Finally, he gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and with a flash of light, he cut down a soldier who had dropped his weapon and tried to escape from the battlements.

"Anyone who disrupts morale will be executed!"

"Anyone who deserts the battlefield will be executed!"

He sternly repeated the military order.

The guards and officers of all ranks reacted quickly, drawing their swords and cutting down dozens of out-of-control, fleeing soldiers.

The bloody suppression finally halted the collapse temporarily. Wu's soldiers were forced to retreat behind the barricades, their faces filled with fear and despair as they looked at the sea of ​​fire and thick smoke in front of and behind them.

The Han army's attacks did not stop.

On the earthen hill, Fu Qian calmly observed the chaos among the Wu army on the city wall and gave another order.

Under his command, the two catapults, which were well-coordinated in their training and had excellent accuracy, concentrated their firepower and accurately hurled the earthenware urns filled with flaming oil at the two watchtowers on the city wall.

The earthenware jar shattered, and black oil spilled out.

The rocket arrived suddenly and ignited upon contact with oil.

The watchtower was instantly engulfed in flames and thick smoke. Wu soldiers and flag bearers inside fled immediately. Some were unfortunately covered in black oil and turned into human torches. They screamed and jumped off the tall watchtower, breaking their bones in the fall.

Zhao Yun stood beside the emperor, his expression cold and solemn. No matter the scale of the battle, this pillar of the army, renowned throughout enemy states and praised by the late emperor for his unparalleled courage, always took it seriously.

"Your Majesty, the chaos caused by the Wu people on the city walls is far greater than I expected. Perhaps... we can try to attack the city." The power of the raging oil and the chaos on the city walls were truly beyond Zhao Yun's expectations. At this moment, he keenly seized a glimmer of opportunity.

Liu Shan's expression changed, and then he instinctively looked at Fa Miao, Zhang Biao, Zhuge Qiao, Huo Yi and others beside him, only to see that these young second-generation figures also had surprised expressions on their faces.

Sitting on the folding chair, Liu Shan remained silent for a moment before calmly speaking:
"General Zilong, I am not a military man. I am here today merely to observe the battle."

"Whether it is fighting or defending, attacking or retreating, we shall obey General Zilong's orders."

"Opportunities in battle are fleeting. The saying 'a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders' means this. If we were to personally lead the campaign, would we need the generals to consult us every time? What use would the Han Dynasty have for its generals? Today, I need to do nothing but sit here."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun didn't hesitate and immediately summoned his personal guards: "Quickly send orders to Yang Qun and Ma Yu, instructing them to lead their troops to attack the city!"

Beside this great Han military hero, on a folding chair, Liu Shan sat calmly, gazing westward towards Yiling.

Since he personally led the expedition, he had mostly discussed the general strategy with the Prime Minister and generals such as Zhao Yun and Chen Dao before the battle, and rarely commanded the battle himself.

As for the last time he commanded on the Yangtze River, it was simply because Chen Dao was not by his side, it was the inevitable course of events, and Yan Yu did not raise any objections.

After all, in terms of military skills such as seizing opportunities and making on-the-spot decisions, he knew he was no match for any reliable general.

It has been a major taboo since ancient times for the emperor to personally lead an expedition and conduct micro-management.

When Emperor Yang of Sui launched his northern expedition against Goguryeo, he asked Yu Zhi for his opinion on the outcome of the expedition.

Yu Zhi argued that victory was assured, but there was one condition: the emperor could not personally lead the campaign.

Emperor Yang of Sui was displeased upon hearing this and resolved to personally lead the expedition.

And what Yu Zhi feared indeed happened.

The Sui army crossed the Liao River and besieged Liaodong City.

Emperor Yang of Sui issued two edicts on the eve of battle:
The first saying is: "All military actions must be reported and awaited; no one should act arbitrarily."

This is tantamount to seizing the general's command, violating the principle of "a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders."

The first statement is: "If Goryeo surrenders, it should be pacified and accepted, and troops should not be allowed to roam freely." Our king's army is here to comfort the people and punish the guilty, not to kill.

These two edicts from Emperor Yang of Sui became Goguryeo's shield. In the end, of the 300,000 troops who crossed the Liao River, fewer than 3,000 were left behind when they returned to the capital. Emperor Yang of Sui thus became known as one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history.

Similarly, there's the story of Zhu Yunwen, who refused to kill his uncle, and the famous micro-management move of "moving the machine gun five meters to the left."

In front of the earthen hill east of the city, in the Han army's formation, various siege weapons such as ladders, battering rams, and armored vehicles were already ready to be used, and Generals Yang Qun and Ma Yu were eager to fight.

Soldiers yearn for military merit, and their mission is to fight. After their defeat at Xicheng, they were frustrated for months in Fangling. Their previous attempt to annihilate Pan Zhang had not been able to fully demonstrate their abilities, and capturing Linju was even easier.

At this moment, they finally heard Zhao Yun's order to attack, and their spirits were greatly lifted. The war drums suddenly sounded, rapid and powerful.

"Those who aren't afraid to die, follow me to break through the city!" Yang Qun, who was always foul-mouthed, took the lead and shouted loudly.

The Han infantry, who had been preparing for a long time, carried ladders and pushed battering rams, launching an assault on the smoke-filled walls of Yiling.

Fu Qian, who had been conquering one fortified pass after another since the Eastern Expedition, did not launch a direct assault today. Instead, he ordered his soldiers to move the siege towers forward so that the archers on the towers could provide cover fire.

Despite the smoke and flames, the archers on the railing occasionally peeked out and rained arrows down on any Wu soldiers who dared to show their faces.

The catapults with slightly poor aim have all stopped firing stones, while seven or eight catapults with good aim continue to provide suppressive fire.

Under the alternating cover of catapults and siege towers, Yang Qun and Ma Yu in the east of the city, and Zhang Gu and Lei Bu in the south of the city, led Han soldiers to build ladders on the walls of Yiling and launch a fierce attack on the city.

The shouts of battle echoed throughout the eastern and southern parts of the city.

Generals Yang Qun, Ma Yu, Zhang Gu, and Lei Bu, relying on their invulnerable heavy armor, braved arrows and stones to lead their troops in securing ladders to the city walls.

The Han soldiers, carrying broadswords and shields, struggled to climb the ladder.

Protected by his personal guards, Zhu Ran ran and shouted amidst the flames and smoke, his voice already hoarse: "Hold on! Roll the logs! Release them!"

Under the strict orders and supervision of this Right Vice-General, some of the Wu troops managed to hold their ground.

The Wu soldiers lifted the logs with rings of iron nails and rolled them down the ladders, causing the Han soldiers who were climbing to scream and fall.

The iron chains securing the logs rattled.

The log was slowly pulled back and reused.

Scalding hot, foul-smelling molten gold and boiling water were poured down from the city walls from time to time, and screams of agony echoed from the Han army's ranks, slightly slowing down their assault.

This explains why the military has the saying "besiege without attacking, besiege the point and attack the reinforcements." As long as a city is attacked, there will be casualties, and the casualties will be considerable.

However, Yiling is not like Wuxian; it is not a strategic location.

But as Zhao Yun said, the defeat at Yiling served as a warning. If we hesitated and allowed Jiangling to become even more impregnable, then even if uprisings broke out in Jingnan and Jiaobei, we would not be able to capture Jiangling. Within a year, the uprisings in Jingnan and Jiaobei would be suppressed. After all, these rebel armies were a motley crew and could not truly withstand the Wu army.

If this happens, the people of Jingnan will be scattered.

When Guan Yu flooded the seven armies, his might shook the land. Countless people south of the Yellow River eagerly awaited his return, and some even openly fought against Cao Wei. After the loss of Jingzhou, the people of Henan found it difficult to submit to the Han dynasty.

In the original historical timeline, the Prime Minister launched a northern expedition, and the three counties of Longyou rose in rebellion. After Ma Su lost Jieting, all the rebels in Longyou were purged, and the people of Longyou no longer dared to submit to the Han.

The Han army repeatedly stormed the city walls, only to be quelled.

The siege has entered its most brutal phase of attrition.

On and off the city walls, boulders, flames, thick smoke, arrows, rolling stones, and boiling water came and went. Corpses piled up like hills on the city walls, and soldiers would fall from mid-air from time to time. All of this was bloody and tragic.

An hour passed. Although the Han army's offensive was fierce, under Zhu Ran's gradually calming command and his own fierce fighting, many Wu soldiers slowly regained their morale, and the Han army found it difficult to truly gain a foothold on the city wall.

On the earthen hill, Zhao Yun showed neither joy nor sorrow.

"Your Majesty, Zhu Ran is indeed no ordinary man. It seems we should cease hostilities today."

Liu Shan thought for a moment and then said, “General Zilong, since that’s the case, let Anguo display my dragon banner in the west of the city to scare Zhu Ran and see if we can draw Zhu Ran’s main force to the west of the city.”

Zhao Yun glanced at the city wall and gave the order shortly afterward.

This was originally a strategic plan that the emperor and his minister had discussed behind the scenes.

West of the city.

A detachment is also attacking the city.

However, its momentum was clearly not as strong as that of the eastern and southern parts of the city, which had earthen mounds.

The Longxiang, Huben, Yingyang troops and Xiaoshanhu detachment under the command of Generals Guan Xing and Zhao Guang, as the emperor's personal guard and elite troops in field battles, have been resting and observing the battle from the rear today, awaiting orders.

A valiant warrior galloped up and brought the emperor's decree to the banner of the Tiger-General.

Guan Xing and Zhao Guang, who were gathered under the banner, immediately ordered Long Xianglang to raise the battle-worn Golden Guard banner without saying a word.

Seeing the emperor's dragon banner raised high, the emperor's personal guards, namely the Fubing led by Wei Qi, the Longxianglang led by Ji Bazhi, and the Xiaoshanhu detachment led by Liu Tao, were all greatly encouraged.

The detachment responsible for attacking the city from the west was now attacking with even more intense and fierce drumbeats and momentum.

Meanwhile, the Longxiang and Huben troops under Guan Xing and Zhao Guang, along with the Fubing and Xiaoshanhu troops, all donned armor and lined up in formation, following behind the western flank of the city, preparing for a strong attack on the west side of the city.

Inside Yiling City.

Zhu Ji rushed to Zhu Ran's side and said urgently, "Commander, something terrible has happened! In the west of the city, Emperor Liu Shan's dragon banner has been raised! The five or six thousand soldiers waiting in the rear are all fully armored and lined up in battle!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ran frowned deeply.

Taking a deep breath, he first looked at the tall banner bearing the character "Zhao" on the earthen hill not far away, then after a moment looked at the dusty-faced soldiers on the city wall. After much deliberation, he finally spoke:

"No need to panic! In my opinion, that's just a diversionary tactic by the Shu people. It's almost dark, so let's continue to hold our ground!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ji nodded vigorously; in fact, he shared the same thought.

About a quarter of an hour later.

The sky grew increasingly dark.

Just as Zhu Ran was fully engaged in dealing with the frontal offensive, a sudden change occurred within the city. Zhu Ran's trusted lieutenant, who was in charge of guarding the west gate, sent his personal guards to Zhu Ran in the east of the city to report the emergency.

"Report! Right Vice-General!"

"When Liu Shan, the ruler of Shu, raised his dragon banner, a rebellion broke out, and the city was about to be surrendered to Shu!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ran was so enraged that he pounded the wall, his face turning ashen. He quickly summoned his son from the side:
"Zhu Ji!"
"Take your men and quell the rebellion immediately!"

"Regardless of whether they are leaders or accomplices, kill them on sight!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhu Ji immediately accepted the order and led his five hundred most elite household soldiers, like wolves and tigers, to pounce on the western city.

North of the city.

General Liao Shi, seeing the emperor's dragon banner raised in the west of the city and heading towards Yiling from afar, was momentarily stunned for no apparent reason.

He then subconsciously reached for his waist, where the jade pendant he had won in a game of dice a few days ago, or rather, the one bestowed upon him by the emperor, was still hanging.

He summoned his personal guards and gathered a group of surrendered Wu generals from Jingzhou to his side. Under the watchful eyes of the generals, he raised a bowl of cold boiled water.

“You all saw and heard it a few days ago.”

"Where there's a will, there's a way; man can conquer nature!"

"My life, Liao Shi's life, now belongs to the Emperor of the Han Dynasty!"

"Is there any of you willing to join me in capturing Yiling for the Emperor?!"

The surrendered generals from Jingzhou were all slightly taken aback by this situation, then looked at each other, ultimately unsure of what to say.

After a long silence, an old general, around forty years old and a few years older than Liao Shi, asked, "Zhengze, although His Majesty did not say it explicitly, one can imagine that today's battle was probably just a test."

Upon hearing this, Liao Shi straightened his head and became serious:
"I might not agree!"
"We both think this is a test! Then wouldn't Zhu Ran inside the city, and the Wu army under his command, also think this is a test?!"

"But perhaps, this is His Majesty's strategy to seize Yiling in one fell swoop by surprise?!"
"Furthermore, His Majesty's proclamation and reward have already been sent to the city. The hearts of the people of Yiling are with Han, not Wu. Beset by internal and external troubles, this city may well be taken in a single battle! Just like Wuxian and Zigui!"

Upon hearing this, recalling what they had seen and encountered in Wuxian and Zigui, some of the surrendered generals from Jingzhou finally found it reasonable and nodded repeatedly. However, others remained silent after a slight change in expression, clearly not agreeing with this statement.

Liao Shi didn't take it seriously and said again:
"Hmph, so what if it's a test?!"
"I have sworn an oath to His Majesty. I, Liao Shi, am eternally grateful for His Majesty's favor and trust. Those who wish to join me in attacking the city, come with me! The time has come for us, the men of Jingchu, to prove our loyalty to the Han Dynasty!"

He is not afraid of death.

His younger brother, Liao Qian, might be leading an uprising in Jingnan at this moment. If he were to die, his brother Liao Qian would bring glory to the Liao family in his stead.

He believed that the emperor would never treat him unfairly.

Several young officers exchanged glances, a fleeting hesitation in their eyes, before finally clasping their hands in a fist salute: "We are willing to follow the general!"

As some people took a stand, more and more people followed suit, and even the few who had hesitated the most at the beginning silently moved to the end of the line.

Regardless, the fact that the Emperor of Han dared to place these people outside Yiling City today is both a sign of his trust in them and a test for them. If they cannot pass this test, they will likely not have an easy time in the Han army camp in the future.

Thick smoke billowed from the sky, and flames soared into the city. The people in Yiling City were in turmoil, and the Wu soldiers guarding the city walls were also terrified and it took them a while to calm down.

In this way, even if they followed Liao Shi to attack the city, they might not actually die here. Besides, they didn't necessarily have to be the first to charge into battle.

Seeing that all the officers and generals were willing to follow him, General Liao Shi returned to his camp, ascended the command platform, and shouted loudly to his soldiers:

"Jingzhou is the territory of the Han Dynasty! You and I were both born and raised in Jingzhou. We are both people of Jingzhou and people of Han, but definitely not people of Wu!"
"We have been under the command of the Emperor of the Great Han for more than twenty days. We eat and live better than we did in the Wu army. Your Majesty, the Great Han has never regarded us as surrendered people of Wu, but as our comrades-in-arms from Jingzhou!"

"Today, we will reclaim Jingzhou for His Majesty!"
"And for our own sake, to reclaim Jingzhou!"

After speaking, Liao Shi led more than a thousand soldiers from Jingzhou into battle.

"kill!"

Regardless of their purpose, the roars of more than two thousand people merged into a wave of sound, rising and falling. Liao Shi took the lead and led his troops to charge towards the north of the city.

On the earthen hill east of the city.

Just as Zhao, the cavalry commander, was about to sound the retreat, he suddenly heard a great drumbeat from the north of the city, accompanied by deafening battle cries. He couldn't help but move to a better vantage point to look.

Liu Shan also got up, walked to Zhao Yun's side, looked towards the north of the city, and asked after a moment: "Whose troops are responsible for attacking the north of the city?"

Without hesitation, Fa Miao replied, "Your Majesty, it is General Zhaoyi, Liao Shi."

Liu Shan paused slightly and looked at Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun's expression changed, and he seemed to have figured out the key point. He immediately summoned his personal guards and ordered, "Quickly order Anguo and Pijiang to lead the Dragon Soaring and Tiger Ben warriors to reinforce the north of the city!"

Fa Miao, Zhang Biao, Zhuge Qiao, Huo Yi, and other young second-generation figures looked at each other in bewilderment as they watched this scene.

North of the city.

The soldiers under Liao Shi's command wore Wu-style armor and carried Wu army flags on their backs. The only difference between them and the Wu army was that they had red scarves tied around their necks and arms.

At present, this group of "newly surrendered soldiers", led by Liao Shi and his generals, rushed up the city wall of Yiling using ladders. After sacrificing dozens of men, they finally managed to stand on a small open space on the city wall.

Many of the Wu soldiers on the city wall were from Jingzhou. When they saw this group of "Han soldiers" dressed in Wu armor, carrying Wu flags, speaking with the Wu accent and shouting for them to fight, many of them were stunned and dumbfounded.

Zhongli Mu, who was in charge of the northern defense, was so frightened that he dared not break out in a sweat, and hurriedly shouted:

"The one bound in red is a Shu person, kill him!"

Although the ordinary soldiers could see that these people had red scarves tied around their necks and arms, they were too panicked to distinguish them from their own armor and flags.

The familiar Jingzhou accents as these Red Turban Wu soldiers shouted battle cries left many local soldiers and civilians bewildered and at a loss, ultimately leading them to flee in all directions on instinct.

Before long, the north of the city was in complete chaos.

The Wu people from Jiangdong, thinking it was their own people rebelling, ended up fleeing in panic and even killing each other.

"This is a psychological warfare tactic employed by the Shu people! They are not people of my Great Wu!" Zhongli Mu shouted desperately, his voice hoarse, as he parried the slash of a Han soldier in red turbans.

"Look at the red scarf!"

"Those who wear red turbans are all people from Shu in disguise!"

But almost no one paid any attention.

"Report!" Zhongli Mu's personal guards scrambled to Zhu Ran's feet, their voices trembling with urgency, "Commander! There are rebels aiding Shu in the north of the city, and they've already... they've already taken over the city walls!"

Zhu Ran was supervising the battle at the East Gate when he heard the report. He was shocked and all the color drained from his face.

He suddenly grabbed his personal guard's armor: "How many men? Who is in command?"

"I...I don't know!"

Zhu Ran was horrified and immediately summoned Luo Xiu:

"Shihe, you hold this place! I'm going to the north of the city to provide reinforcements!"

Having said that, he quickly selected twenty personal guards:

"Quickly select a thousand men to follow me to rescue the north of the city! Tell them that those wearing Wu armor and bound with red turbans are Shu people!"

Having given the order, Zhu Ran quickly ran across the city wall toward the north of the city. However, as soon as he took a step, he suddenly heard a creaking sound.

Looking down, the north gate of the city suddenly burst open!

Guan Xing, Zhao Guang, Gao Ang, Wei Qi, and Liu Tao were leading the Longxiang, Huben, Fubing, and Xiaoshanhu detachments to the north of the city when they suddenly saw the north gate wide open, and they were overjoyed.

"Kill!" Liu Tao, the commander of Xiaoshanhu's separate division, who was only a little over six feet tall, turned red with rage upon seeing this, raised his arms and shouted, and took the lead in charging towards the north gate of Yiling.

(End of this chapter)