Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 208 Take action!

The gates of Quanling City were wide open, and as Sun Ce and Xu Chu led three hundred cavalry and three hundred infantrymen into the city, the people who were lying in ambush inside looked at each other in dismay.

Cai Mao frowned and asked, "What should we do now? Should we take action?"

Liu Pan also sighed softly, "Yuan Shikai has made a great name for himself in the north, and he is indeed a man of great reputation. I did not expect that with General Xing as an inside agent, he could still remain so calm and cautious."

"Make a move? There are only six hundred people here, how can we make a move?"
We've trapped these 600 men like turtles in a jar, annihilating their entire army here.

What loss would Yuan's 70,000-strong army suffer? It wouldn't improve our current situation at all. On the contrary, the opportunity that General Xing risked his life to enter Yuan's camp for us has been lost.”

Kuai Yue had no choice but to turn his gaze to Xing Daorong again, "General Xing, at this moment, only your unwavering loyalty to our lord is a testament to your virtues."

He looked around and saw several people nearby.

Kuai Yue dared not entrust Cai Mao, a naval general, with such a crucial task as commanding infantry in land battles to annihilate Yuan's army.

Sun Quan? Although he has proven himself in past battles and Kuai Yue believes in his abilities, his current reputation is not enough to suppress Xing Daorong, whose fame has long been established in Jingzhou and Xiangyang.

Finally, he fixed his gaze on Liu Pan and said:

"Young Master Pan, you will keep an eye on General Xing and lead the troops to keep these Yuan soldiers who are entering the city in check, so as to create the impression that the Yuan rebels outside the city are safe inside, and lure them into the city."

At that time, you only need to adapt to the situation. Whether it is General Xing or this Yuan army, if there is any unusual movement, you should immediately order the army to close the city gates and annihilate all the enemy troops that enter the city.

Since Yuan is being so cautious, we have no other choice but to lay in ambush as many as we can.

Liu Pan had no objection to this, but Xing Daorong was quite resentful that Kuai Yue was so distrustful of him, the greatest contributor to tonight's ambush.

But he had just returned from Yuan's camp and the suspicions against him had not yet been cleared, so he was at the mercy of others and there was nothing he could do about it.

Not long after, when Sun Ce and Xu Chu entered the city, they saw Xing Daorong leading a force of 5,000 men to come and meet them.

In Kuai Yue's mind, this did not include the crossbowmen and large army lying in ambush around them.

With these five thousand men protecting them, even if Xing Daorong's previous words were all lies, and he betrayed the Yuan army at the last minute, revealing the ambush, they were still able to withstand the attack.

The enemy troops entering the city numbered only six hundred, which was more than enough for Liu Pan to handle any unforeseen circumstances. He quickly closed the city gates.

At worst, all they would do is have wasted their time tonight, spending half a day scheming and outwitting, only to wipe out six hundred of Yuan's soldiers.

As the two teams drew closer, shadowy figures appeared in the darkness, and everyone held their breath, awaiting the outcome of their contact.

"Xing Daorong?"

Upon approaching and recognizing the typical robust physique of the leader, Sun Ce immediately recognized him and whispered a call to stop.

Upon hearing the voice, Xing Daorong looked over and saw a figure he knew all too well. He lowered his voice and exclaimed excitedly.

"Sworn brother!"

Liu Pan: "???"

Sun Ce: "."

With the situation extremely tense, Sun Ce had no time to pay attention to Xing Daorong's glib manner of addressing him, and hurriedly asked him the question.

"How is the situation in the city? Has the plan been followed and the situation in the city been brought under control?"

At that moment, Xing Daorong's words, which sounded like he had just seen a relative, almost made Liu Pan's heart leap into his throat, and he nearly drew his sword.

He was staring intently at Xing Daorong's reply, his hand already on the hilt of his sword, as if he would immediately draw his sword and order the slaughter of Xing Daorong and the six hundred Yuan soldiers who had entered the city, should Xing Daorong utter a word of betrayal.

Xing Daorong felt a chill run down his spine as he was stared at by the intense gazes of both Sun Ce and Xing Daorong. His clothes were already soaked with cold sweat, but he pretended to answer calmly.

"Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and the others are all fast asleep in the prefect's mansion. I will be on duty at the city gate tonight. I dare not speak for other places, but at least at this south city gate, everyone here is my man."

Please, sworn brother, quickly send someone to inform our godfather that he should lead a large army in and occupy the city.

Then, my son-in-law will lead the way along a side path directly to the prefect's residence. We will surely be able to catch them off guard and kill Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and the others in their sleep!

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce immediately sent a soldier out of the city, seemingly to deliver a message to Yuan Shu, but then asked him a question.

"I don't know about my unfilial younger brother, Sun Quan."

Upon hearing the name Sun Quan, Xing Daorong quickly smiled and said, "Brother, please don't be offended. It's not that I disobeyed our godfather's orders, but given my status, it would be inappropriate for me to return to the city and kill this villain immediately, as it would easily arouse suspicion from others."

"In that case, it's fine. It's only right that I clean house myself."

The two men, each harboring their own secrets, exchanged knowing smiles as they spoke. Only Liu Pan, who was watching the scene intently and on guard against any unexpected event, had his palms covered in cold sweat as he placed his hand on his sword.

Suddenly, it seemed that Sun Ce's earlier message had worked, as three thousand men led by Cheng Pu had entered the city.

As a result, Liu Pan, who was entrusted with high expectations and was responsible for adapting to changing circumstances, once again found himself in trouble.

To take action or not?

They have a massive force of fifty or sixty thousand men, and with only three thousand of them lying in ambush, they're sure to win. But even if they win, after all that work and effort, is it really just to kill three thousand of Yuan's soldiers?

This thing doesn't bother Yuan Ni at all!
But if they don't take action, Liu Pan might not be able to suppress the current 3,600 people with the 5,000 he brought. What if something unexpected happens?

Looking at Xing Daorong, who was talking eloquently with Sun Ce and seemed unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, Liu Pan felt helpless.

Even if you say that Yuan Shikai didn't fall for the trap, they did indeed have more than three thousand men lying in ambush.

But if we're talking about falling into a trap, what's the use of ambushing more than three thousand people?

Located at the forefront of the confrontation with Yuan Jun, Liu Pan hesitated for a moment. Just as he was getting too nervous and decided to make a decisive move to prevent any unforeseen circumstances,

Unexpectedly, Cheng Pu, who had led his troops, approached Sun Ce and said:

"By order of our lord, Han Dang, Huang Gai, and I will each lead three thousand men into the city to assist the young general."

He then looked at Xing Daorong and said, "General Xing, the lord said that since you have already taken control of the situation, too many people entering the city would be inconvenient."

Now, we, ten thousand men, will follow the general and launch a surprise attack on the prefect's mansion via a side road. As long as we capture and kill Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and the others under the cover of night, Lingling County will be ours for the taking.

He will lead his large army outside the city to congratulate the general on his triumphant return!

Upon hearing these words, Liu Pan stopped drawing his sword once again. He cursed inwardly that Yuan was indeed cunning and treacherous, and that he dared not take any risks himself.

On the one hand, he looked at Cheng Pu and Han Dang's troops, who seemed to be approaching from outside the city, and couldn't help but be tempted.

If the main force of Yuan's army outside the city is too cautious and dares not enter the city, then as soon as Han Dang, Huang Gai and others enter the city, the gate will be closed immediately and all the ambushers will come out.

Indeed, although we could not quell the rebellion of Yuan Shikai in one battle as initially envisioned, we were still able to kill nearly 10,000 of Yuan's troops, which was a great victory that boosted morale.

Thinking of this, Liu Pan watched helplessly as Han Dang's three thousand men entered the city gate, while Huang Gai's troops slowly approached. He felt like a hunter watching his prey fall into a trap, and he dared not make a move.

Meanwhile, Kuai Yue and his men, who were lying in ambush nearby, were unable to communicate with Xing Daorong and Liu Pan in front of the Yuan army entering the city, lest they disturb their prey.

From their perspective as bystanders, since Liu Pan, who witnessed Xing Daorong and Yuan Jun talking on the spot, did not make a move, it seemed that everything was going smoothly.
After all, Liu Pansheng was the lord's son; he couldn't possibly be in league with Yuan and provide cover for Yuan's army, could he?

The continuous influx of Yuan troops into the city, from Cheng Pu and Han Dang to Huang Gai's forces, seemed to further prove this point.

Even Kuai Yue nodded in satisfaction, "It seems that General Xing is indeed loyal and righteous, and has successfully gained the trust of Yuan's army."

We only need to wait a moment, until nearly half of Yuan's army enters the city, then we will immediately close the city gates and send the entire army out to fight.

This sudden attack could catch Yuan's army off guard, and also block the remaining half of Yuan's army outside the city, creating a situation where the many could overpower the few within the city.

"By annihilating half of Yuan's army, our lord's worries about Jingnan will be resolved!"

Everyone exclaimed "Excellent!" as if the situation was unfolding exactly as they had hoped, and everything seemed to be going very well.

However, near the city gate, Xing Daorong and Yuan Jun had ended their standoff and conversation. It seemed that Xing Daorong was leading the group towards a path leading to the prefect's mansion.

But after taking only a few steps, the harmonious atmosphere between the two suddenly turned cold, all because Sun Ce asked a question, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.

"By the way, General Xing, you just mentioned that Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and others are all at the prefect's residence, but I wonder if Liu Pan, the son of Liu Biao, is also there?"

I suspect this man is the least likely to surrender in this city. If we don't eliminate him along with the rest, there will always be future troubles. Perhaps we should also send a contingent of troops to capture and kill him?

Liu Pan: "."

Upon hearing this, Liu Pan, who was pretending to be a lowly soldier beside Xing Daorong, broke out in a cold sweat.

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, fearing that Xing Daorong might betray him at the slightest provocation.

Xing Daorong was also taken aback upon hearing this. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Liu Pan's sword at his waist, which looked as if he was about to draw it at any moment and shout to eliminate the traitor and kill him.

He knew better than anyone that there were nearly 50,000 to 60,000 men lying in ambush near this city gate alone.

Yuan's army hasn't even reached 10,000 men yet. If Liu Pan signals with his sword and the ambush army suddenly attacks, he and his mere few thousand Yuan soldiers will surely die.

Therefore, he could only remain calm and composed and lie to him in a serious manner, saying, "Liu Pan is also in the prefectural governor's mansion. My sworn brother, there is no need to doubt him. Just come with me."

This time, however, Sun Ce did not continue to follow. He merely glanced at Liu Pan, who was always standing beside Xing Daorong with his hand on his sword, with a strange look in his eyes, and said something intriguing.

"You seem very nervous?"

Liu Pan's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and replied, "This is the first time I've followed General Xing on this mission of coordinating from the inside and outside, so I'm naturally nervous."

But please rest assured, General, I would never dare to delay Lord Yuan's important affairs.

But it was too late.

Given the current information asymmetry among the three parties, Sun Ce and his group, knowing full well that there was an ambush here, were already preparing to take action!
Liu Pan knew that Yuan Jun's main force was too cautious to enter, so he was still waiting for Huang Gai's 3,000 men to enter the city.

The people secretly lying in ambush in Jingzhou thought they had reached an agreement and the plan was going smoothly. They waited for more Yuan troops to enter the city before launching a sudden attack.

Information asymmetry leads to time lag, and unexpectedly, Yuan Jun made his move first!

Han Dang's 3,000 troops, who had just passed through the city gate, suddenly turned around and, in coordination with Huang Gai's troops who had just approached the city gate from outside, 6,000 men directly seized the city gate.

Sun Ce and Xu Chu joined forces with Cheng Pu's army, who had entered the city first, before anyone could react.

He thrust his spear directly at Liu Pan's 5,000 men, who had just been leading them into the path.

No one expected that the prey that was lying in ambush would dare to make the first move!

Just moments ago they were talking peacefully, but now Sun Ce, without batting an eye, casually thrust his spear at Liu Pan.

Liu Pan immediately drew the longsword he had been preparing at his waist, seemingly wanting to shout something, but the only response he received was a blood-stained spear tip, the very spear that had pierced his chest.

At this moment, Sun Ce was of course unaware that the person he had stabbed to death was none other than Liu Pan, whom they had just discussed.

The reason for asking was simply because Yuan Shu had mentioned that Liu Pan must be killed tonight, so before taking action, he wanted to confirm Liu Pan's location with Xing Daorong one last time to prevent him from escaping.

After all, he had no idea that Xing Daorong would be in such a predicament after returning to the city, and that he would be being watched. He realized that tonight's ambush was all orchestrated by Xing Daorong.

He simply saw that Han Dang and Huang Gai had arrived at the location where they were coordinating to seize the city gate, and he just wanted to find a pretext to make his move.

Therefore, whether Liu Pan was nervous or not, he had to take action at this moment, since he couldn't really follow Xing Daorong into the alley.

And coincidentally, this young man seemed to be the highest-ranking person among these five thousand people, besides Xing Daorong.

Unlike Xing Daorong, who might still be useful later, now is the time to establish authority. If not him, then who?
Putting aside the fact that Liu Pan died a miserable death, Xing Daorong, who was standing nearby, was almost paralyzed with fear as he witnessed this scene.

When he saw Sun Ce mention Liu Pan and then kill Liu Pan on the spot, how could he not be astonished?

They thought everything was exactly as Yuan Gong had predicted, and that it was all part of his plan!

Seeing Sun Ce charging towards them with three hundred heavily armored cavalry, Xing Daorong was so frightened that he immediately shouted loudly.

"Brother, please spare me! I was forced into this situation!"

My loyalty to Lord Yuan is as clear as day!

"I'm still useful in dealing with them. This place has been ambushed by the Jingzhou army. I can show my sworn brother the way."

"He's all talk and no action, and he never tells the truth."

Sun Ce pressed his spear against Xing Daorong's throat, demanding, "Where are the hidden crossbow formations? If you dare utter another lie, your father will show you no mercy!"

"Xiao Rong wouldn't dare!"

Xing Daorong quickly informed them of the ambush locations of the Jingzhou army.

As a result, Sun Ce, Xu Chu, Cheng Pu, and the other prey that had been ambushed instead charged towards their respective ambush points.

With Liu Pan's death and Xing Daorong's surrender, the five thousand Jingzhou soldiers were immediately leaderless, and Xing Daorong's eyes lit up at the sight.

"Now that things have come to this, why don't you two or three men follow me and die for Lord Yuan?"

Tonight, we will set things right, achieve great things, and make our mark!

Jingzhou soldier: "."

(End of this chapter)