The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 195 A Fire
The scout leader remained silent for a moment before responding:

"I replied yesterday."

Wen Dai stared wide-eyed:

"Then why didn't you give me the letter!"

The scout leader exhaled a breath of stale air and presented a bamboo scroll with both hands.

Wen Dai couldn't wait to open it and take a look.

They were stunned on the spot.

Not a single word was written.

Snapped.

Wen Dai slumped down, his hands hanging limply.

Her face turned red and then pale.

In the end, all that remained was a look of relief.

At this time, the Prefect of Runan went to Nanyang, and the Governor of Yuzhou went to Huainan.

So why is he, the son of the governor of Jiangxia, lacking soldiers and food, and without any help from inside or outside, still arguing about this?
Moreover, the envoy who tried to persuade them to surrender was right about one thing.

If any one of the three passes is breached, the other two lose their purpose in being defended.

The only difference is that the three roads differ in width, and the road guarded by Wuyang Pass is more suitable for the army to pass through.

With this in mind, Wen Dai rallied his spirits and gave the order:

"Go to the pass and ask that Han general if he surrenders now, can he still be ennobled?"

The scout leader quickly accepted the order and left.

A moment later, they returned.

Wen Dai asked impatiently, "What do you mean?"

"The messenger said that the promised date for the title of marquis has passed."

Snapped!
Wen Dai slammed his fist on the wooden table and said angrily:
"How can the world be so unreasonable to demand people's surrender while being so stingy with rewards!"

However, the scout leader calmly said:
“General, I have heard that the Han emperor in Chengdu has always treated those who have returned to the right path with great kindness. Even General Yu Wenze, who was captured after his defeat, is now a high-ranking official in Shu with a fief and a stipend. If you are willing to come to Shu to pay homage, being ennobled is not out of the question.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Dai's expression softened.

But he asked strangely:

How do you know all this?

Snapped.

The scout leader kowtowed and said:

"Please forgive me, General, I have already secretly defected to the Han army!"

Wen Dai was speechless.

It took him a long time to say:
"Then why did you make this trip for me?"

The scout leader said:

"Because the Han army promised that if I could persuade the general to surrender, I would be richly rewarded."

Wen Dai fell silent again.

Now, he was starting to believe that the Han army had already persuaded the other two passes to surrender.

……

In the sixth month of summer in the third year of Zhangwu (1268).

On a bright, sunny day, Mi Wei finally stepped into Wuyang Pass, known as the "Pass of Guanzhong".

Meanwhile, on the battlefield in Huainan, seven hundred miles away.

Sun Quan finally stepped into Hefei, the city he had longed for.

However, the experience of entering the city from here is far inferior to that of Miwei.

Initially, Sun Quan assembled a large army to besiege the city, using every means possible, including burning, flooding, building wells, and digging tunnels.

After two months of intensive efforts, progress was finally made during the hottest days of summer.

Specifically, General Han Dang took the lead, being the first to scale the city walls, and then fought valiantly to carve out a foothold.

Overjoyed, Sun Quan immediately promoted Han Dang to the rank of General of Mighty Valor.

They also boasted that whoever captured Zhang Liao first would be ennobled.

The Wu generals, both old and new, erupted in cheers.

General Zhou Tai, General Sun Shao, General Xu Sheng, General He Qi, General Sun Huan, General Luo Tong, General Xianyu Dan, Liu Shao... rushed into the city in a frenzy.

After that, it was a series of small, incremental breakthroughs.

The generals swarmed forward and finally completely destroyed the defenses of Hefei, then stormed into the city and headed straight for Zhang Liao's residence.

Before Zhang Liao could be found, fires suddenly broke out in various parts of the city.

The fire quickly spread throughout the city and became uncontrollable.

It was clearly premeditated.

After several days, the fire was finally extinguished.

Only ashes remained in Hefei.

Not to mention that Zhang Liao's body was unrecognizable.

Even the soldiers of Wei and Wu were mostly mixed together, making them difficult to distinguish.

Veteran general Zhou Tai and young general Sun Huan, both members of the imperial clan, died on the spot.

Wu's army suffered over a thousand casualties upon entering the city.

However, compared to these personnel losses, Sun Quan had to face an even more serious problem.

Zhu Huan: "Hefei is now an empty city and cannot be relied upon." "The other day, Lü Ziheng sent a letter saying that Zang Ba's army has arrived at Guangling and will cross the river soon."

"Your Majesty, why don't we withdraw our troops before the summer floods recede?"

Click.

Sun Quan stomped on and smashed a charred wooden door.

The residual heat instantly spread from the soles of my feet.

It seemed to be mocking his painstakingly planned battle, which ultimately ended in nothing.

However, how could a mere fire be enough to burn away his ambition?
He suddenly turned his head and gave the order:

"I hereby appoint Lü Ziheng with the title of King's Seal and the Yellow Axe, and as the Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Yangzhou!"

"Add Zhou Ziyu, the Western Commandant of Danyang, as the Zhaoyi Colonel to assist Lü Ziheng in stopping Zang Ba's southward advance!"

However, Zhu Huan, who had been unusually obedient for the past few months, showed hesitation this time.

Sun Quan was immediately displeased:

"Has Hummus lost his courage after losing just two generals and a thousand men?"

"Where has the courage gone that once allowed him to capture a general amidst a sea of ​​soldiers?"

Zhu Huan exhaled heavily and said:

"I have not lost heart, but our army has been fighting for months and is already exhausted and demoralized. We had hoped to boost morale with the spoils of war in the city, but this fire has easily destroyed them... Your Majesty is well-versed in military affairs, and I dare to ask: at this juncture, is it truly possible to continue the northern expedition?"

click
Sun Quan then crushed another piece of charred wood.

Gnashing teeth sound:

"Zhang Liao, you scoundrel! Why did you have to harm me even in death!"

Zhu Huan could only stand there silently with his hands down.

Just as the emperor and his minister were speechless with each other.

Suddenly someone came to report that Zhou Fang, the western commander of Danyang, had crossed the river to seek an audience with the governor, Lü Fan, on his orders.

Sun Quan glanced at Zhu Huan subconsciously, then hurried to meet Zhou Fang.

Upon meeting, he asked without saying a word:
"Ziyu has come to see me in such a hurry, could it be that Danyang has fallen?"

Zhou Fang was taken aback upon hearing this, and shook his head repeatedly:

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, Danyang is unharmed!"

"Lord Lü has personally gone to the river to supervise the naval forces and guard against Zang Ba."

"With us here, we will certainly not allow the northern barbarians to cross the river and plunder!"

Sun Quan finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:
"With Ziheng and Ziyu here, I, the Lone Wing, have nothing to worry about!"

"What brings that little fish here?"

Zhou Fang hurriedly said:

"Yesterday, the Grand Governor sent an urgent letter from Wancheng, saying that a group of troops led by Jia Kui, the Prefect of Yuzhou, had suddenly arrived in Jiashi from the east."

"The Grand Commander determined that a large army would follow, so he ordered General Quan Cong to go north to the Shiting and Guache line to defend against them. Unexpectedly, Zhang Ying, Wang Chong, Zhai Dan and other generals took advantage of the situation to rebel, and General Quan Cong was killed!"

"By the time the letter was sent, the traitorous general had already led the troops from both places to defect to the enemy."

"The vanguard of the Wei army will soon reach Wancheng, or..."

Zhou Fang swallowed hard, looking at Sun Quan, whose face had turned completely dark, with some fear.

"Or what? Speak quickly!" Sun Quan roared angrily.

Zhou Fang: "Or we could head east to Juchao and intercept Your Majesty's carriage on its return journey!"

Click.

Another piece of charred wood was crushed.

But this time it wasn't Sun Quan.

Instead, it was Zhu Huan, the governor of Ruxu.

……

South of Shaopi, on the banks of the Feishui River.

Zhu Ling, dressed in plain hemp, sat solemnly on his horse.

Before him stood tens of thousands of Wei soldiers, all dressed in mourning.

Or sailing a boat on the fertile waters.

Or ride a horse on the riverbank.

The army marched south along the river in a mighty wave, the sound of drums like thunder.

At this moment, everyone has only one goal.

Capture Hefei and seize Sun Quan!
"If Zhang Wenyuan's fire can be successfully lit, it will not only burn away the three generations of fortune of the Sun family in Jiangdong, but also forge a name that will last for ten thousand generations."

"From this day forward, no general outside the imperial family will be able to surpass Zhang Wenyuan."

"To sacrifice oneself for a king..."

"So, even death can be so magnificent and splendid!"

Zhu Ling sighed and looked up at the sky, her face showing no sadness, only boundless longing.

"That's fine."

"If we can't be number one, let's strive to be the 'second best Zhang Liao'!"

Having said that, Zhu Ling spurred his horse and pointed his sword at Hefei.

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(End of this chapter)