The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 41 Capturing Two Generals in One Battle: Yu's Valor Unmatched in the Three Kingdoms
A general is the courage of his soldiers.

Guan Yu's valiant charge into the enemy lines alone not only terrified Liu Dai, Wang Zhong, and other bandits, but also inspired the courage of the young men on his side.

"Guan Yu is truly a divine being!"

"With Sima here, even if the enemy outnumbers us twenty to one, what is there to fear?"

"We have all received great kindness from General Zuo. If we only dare to wave flags and shout slogans, how can we face General Zuo in return?"

"Since Commander Guan is a general who is willing to risk his life, how can we hesitate? We should fight to the death!"

"."

All of a sudden.

Shouts rose from both the city walls and the ground below.

Even more daring and ambitious individuals teamed up to petition Zhuge Liang for permission to launch an attack.

Morale is high, the time is ripe.

Zhuge Liang was secretly alarmed. With a wave of his feather fan, he issued a series of military orders, ordering people to light fires to send messages and commanding able-bodied men to attack.

One hundred men were stationed below the city walls, another hundred on the walls, and two hundred able-bodied men who had received military orders, some carrying banners and others wielding swords and spears, charged straight into the enemy ranks with thunderous shouts.

The bandits were all shocked.

Guan Yu alone disrupted their formation, and no one could stop him.

Two hundred more men are coming; Guan Yu might even cut down the central army banner!
Wang Zhong felt a chill run down his spine: "Chief Secretary Liu, the enemy is fierce and cannot be fought head-on. We should retreat for now!"

Hear the words.

Liu Dai shouted sternly: "How can you flee when facing the enemy in battle? General Wang, are you afraid of death?"

Wang Zhong was both ashamed and angry.

So what if I'm afraid of death?

Ants still live in vain, let alone humans?
If I were not afraid of death, how could I have lived until now?

Wang Zhong lost his temper: "Liu Changshi, if you are not afraid of death, you can personally intercept Guan Yu; I will then flank Guan Yu from the rear and cut off his retreat. Guan Yu will be in grave danger if he cannot coordinate with either side."

With just one sentence, Liu Dai was completely dumbfounded.

Should I personally intercept Guan Yu?
I'm not Xu Chu!

Seeing Liu Dai's cowardice and stubbornness, Wang Zhong couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

True.

As the Chief Clerk of the Minister of Works, Liu Dai was far more knowledgeable in military strategy and tactics than Wang Zhong. He was eloquent in discussing military strategy and tactics and could even discuss them with Cao Cao.

but.

Being able to discuss military strategy is not the same as being able to use it effectively.

At this moment, Liu Dai was just like Ma Su at Jieting.

There are no major problems in terms of military strategy alone; the major problems lie in prestige and courage.

If it were Cao Cao who came today, given Cao Cao's prestige, Wang Zhong would absolutely not dare to disobey or hesitate in the slightest.

Let alone facing Guan Yu alone, even if Guan Yu and Zhang Fei came together, Wang Zhong would still have to bite the bullet and charge forward.

Charging forward means death, retreating means death.

Since death is inevitable, is it acceptable to die for Cao Cao?
Liu Dai was different.

Although the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of Works was one rank higher than the official, his prestige was such that Wang Zhong could at most bow and scrape, but not repay him with his life.

Furthermore, Liu Dai lacked the courage to sacrifice his own life to create an opportunity for Wang Zhong to break through the city, and it was even less likely that he would expect Wang Zhong to repay him with his life.

Historical records state that when Liu Bei defeated Liu Dai and Wang Zhong, he said to them, "Even if you send a hundred men, they can do nothing to me; but if Cao Cao comes himself, who knows!"

It can be seen.

"withdraw!"

Liu Dai gritted his teeth, but ultimately lacked the courage to face Guan Yu directly. He glared at Guan Yu resentfully, then turned his horse and rode away.

Wang Zhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Your life is your own.

If the green hills are left, there is no need to worry about no firewood.

however.

Zhuge Liang tricked Changlu's troops into going to Xiaopei, so how could Liu Dai and Wang Zhong just withdraw as they wished?
From the moment the fire broke out on the city walls.

Liu Dai and Wang Zhong had already fallen into Zhuge Liang's control.

"I am Xiahou Bo, a captain under the Left General. You traitors have fallen into their trap!"

With a loud shout, Xiahou Bo led two hundred White Feather Soldiers out, cutting off Liu Dai and Wang Zhong's retreat! "An ambush?"

Liu Dai and Wang Zhong's expressions changed drastically.

At the beginning, Liu Dai and Wang Zhong both had doubts about the troop deployment in Xiaopei: since Liu Bei was in Xiaopei, how could Xiaopei be short of troops?
However, because Guan Yu nearly killed a general and seized the flag by charging into the enemy lines alone, Liu Dai and Wang Zhong were so intimidated by Guan Yu that they didn't have time to think about the reasons behind it.

It wasn't until they encountered Xiahou Bo's ambush that Liu Dai and Wang Zhong realized what was going on.

"If you had followed my plan earlier and found a strategic location to set up a camp and confront them, you would never have fallen into the ambush!"

Wang Zhong was both angry and resentful when he thought of Liu Dai quoting Cao Gui's theory on morale and insisting on "going all out and bringing the army to the city gates in one fell swoop".

Liu Dai was both ashamed and angry after being blamed by Wang Zhong.

When Cao Cao learned that Liu Bei had "usurped the governorship and incited the people," he originally intended to personally come to Xuzhou to capture Liu Bei.

As the Chief Secretary of the Minister of Works, Liu Dai believed that Liu Bei was as down on his luck as a dog and could be manipulated at will.

He then requested to enter Xuzhou, citing reasons such as "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut" and "The Minister of Works should prioritize Yuan Shao."

Liu Dai is so eager to improve!
[It is estimated that Liu Dai of Pei State was related to Lady Liu, the birth mother of Cao Ang.]

however.

Human beings' greatest flaw is their arrogance.

Even in his most destitute state, Liu Bei was still a tiger, not someone that Liu Dai could easily subdue.

not to mention.

Liu Dai's opponents were: Guan Yu in his prime and Zhuge Liang in his full hindsight.

In this state, Guan Yu possessed the bravery to take Yan Liang's head from among ten thousand soldiers as easily as taking something out of a bag.

In this state, Zhuge Liang possessed the profound experience and rich combat skills of a fifty-year-old.

Zhuge Liang dared to let Xiahou Bo take away all two hundred White Feather soldiers because he was well aware of Guan Yu's martial prowess and courage, as well as Liu Dai and Wang Zhong's talent and courage.

If you know yourself and your enemy, how can you not be victorious?
Neither Wang Zhong, who was filled with anger and hatred, nor Liu Dai, who was filled with shame and anger, had any chance to turn the tide when they were attacked from both sides by Guan Yu and Xiahou Bo.

Wang Zhong was the first to be hit and was cut down by Guan Yu.

If Guan Yu hadn't used the back of his sword, Wang Zhong would have been decapitated.

Having survived, Wang Zhong knew that Guan Yu had shown mercy, so he immediately knelt down with his hands on his head, allowing the strong young men who followed him to bind him.

When Liu Dai saw Wang Zhong being cut down, he turned pale with fright and whipped his horse, wishing that his warhorse had wings so it could soar into the sky.

Upon seeing this, Guan Yu aimed an arrow at Liu Dai.

Liu Dai cried out in pain and fell off his horse, pressing hard on the arrow wound in his shoulder and howling in agony.

For a moment.

Wang Zhong and Liu Dai were captured one after another.

The rest were terrified and dared not fight again.

Except for a few who managed to escape by running fast, most of them wisely surrendered.

"Strategist, we've caught a big fish."

Guan Yu excitedly pushed Liu Dai in front of Zhuge Liang.

With Liu Dai, the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Works, in charge, Wang Zhong seemed insignificant.

"I am Liu Dai, the Chief Clerk of the Minister of Works! A scholar may be killed but not humiliated!"

Liu Dai was filled with shame and indignation. "I am from a prestigious family in Pei State, and I am the Chief Secretary of the Minister of Works. I am not a big fish!"
“Commander Guan, you must not be rude.” Zhuge Liang ordered someone to untie Liu Dai’s ropes, and bowed respectfully, saying, “It was our ignorance of your esteemed presence that caused you to suffer such injustice.”

Although Guan Yu did not understand Zhuge Liang's intention, he wisely remained silent.

Instead, he stood silently behind Zhuge Liang, holding the hilt of his sword to prevent Liu Dai from attacking Zhuge Liang.

Liu Dai was slightly taken aback.

I didn't understand Zhuge Liang's intention.

"May I ask who you are?" Liu Dai returned the greeting.

Zhuge Liang said gently, "Zhuge Liang, the military advisor and general under the Left General, and the hermit of Langya, greets you."

Zhuge Liang?
Who did this person come from? I've never heard of him before.
Liu Dai glanced around and asked, "May I ask if General Zuo is in the city?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and waved his fan: "I dare not deceive the Chief Clerk. The Left General arrived in Pingyuan several days ago."

Liu Dai exclaimed in surprise, "Since General Zuo has already arrived in Pingyuan, why are you all flying General Zuo's banner in Xiaopei?"

　At the beginning of the month, I'm asking for monthly votes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)