The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

In Chang'an, besides the Bingzhou army and the surrendered soldiers from Xiliang, a third organized armed force has suddenly appeared.

In Lü Bu's military tent, the matter was mentioned several times, with some expressing dissatisfaction. However, Lü Bu was busy with the battle outside the city and, confident in his strong and well-equipped army, did not take this new army seriously.

Wang Yun breathed a long sigh of relief. He felt that he finally had an army that could counterbalance Lü Bu.

However, he breathed a sigh of relief too soon.

Just as Sun Ce's troops were fully trained, Zhou Yu visited him again.

In the same study, Wang Yun's demeanor was more composed than before. He sat upright in the main seat, slowly sipping his tea without even lifting his eyelids.

"What brings you here today, Gongjin?"

Sun Ce stood behind Zhou Yu, his brows furrowed, clearly displeased with Wang Yun's attitude toward Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu, however, seemed not to notice him, maintaining his gentle and refined demeanor as he cupped his hands and said, "I have come to request merit for Bo Fu. In the days of defending the city, Bo Fu has led from the front and achieved considerable success, and deserves to be rewarded."

Wang Yun put down his teacup, making a soft sound.

"Young man, do not be impatient for quick success." He finally raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Sun Ce. "I have witnessed your bravery, Bo Fu. However, the laws of the court have their own rules. To bestow titles upon you one after another is unreasonable and will hardly convince the people."

Zhou Yu showed no disappointment; instead, he smiled and continued, following Wang Yun's lead: "Lord Situ is absolutely right; it was our oversight. Since Bo Fu's reward is against the rules, how about... extending the benefit to his family?"

Wang Yun's eyebrows twitched.

"Oh?"

"Bo Fu's maternal uncle, Wu Jing, is currently the Prefect of Danyang. However, this appointment was bestowed privately by Yuan Shu, and it is neither legitimate nor proper. If we could obtain an imperial edict to formally recognize his position as Prefect of Danyang, Prefect Wu would surely be grateful for the Emperor's grace and would guard the Jianghuai region for the court."

He needs Sun Ce as a weapon to balance Lü Bu, and he must pay a price for that.

Zhou Yu plotted to force him to abdicate, leaving him no room to refuse.

Furthermore, it was just the governor of Danyang, and since it wasn't really under his control anyway, he could just give it away. However, Zhou Yu's increasingly demanding attitude still made Wang Yun feel resentful.

After a long silence, Wang Yun squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.

"allow."

Zhou Yu's smile deepened, and he pulled the still somewhat resentful Sun Ce to bow deeply to Wang Yun.

"Lord Situ is a man of great wisdom and righteousness. We are deeply grateful."

Under Jia Xu's command, the Xiliang army demonstrated remarkable resilience.

They abandoned their offensive and instead set up camp outside the city, felling trees to build siege engines such as ladders and battering rams, showing that they were determined to wear down Chang'an to the end.

Lu Bu's patience was being worn down little by little. He excelled at charging into battle and the exhilarating thrill of taking the head of a general from among thousands of soldiers, not at this kind of monotonous and tedious city defense day after day.

His temper also became increasingly irritable.

Lu Bu once again decimated the Xiliang army's siege echelon, returning to his camp covered in blood.

He took off his heavy armor, intending to have a hearty drink, when Zhang Liao walked in with a solemn expression.

"My lord, the army physician said that most of the wound medicine sent from the manor is old stock and not very effective. Today, more than a dozen of our seriously wounded brothers did not make it."

Lu Bu stopped pouring the wine.

"What?"

"And..." Zhang Liao lowered his voice, "Today's provisions arrived half an hour late again. The rice was mixed with a lot of sand, and much of the meat was rotten. The brothers are all complaining."

"Bang!"

The earthenware jar filled with wine was slammed to the ground by Lü Bu and smashed to pieces.

A surge of anger erupted from his chest, burning his eyes until they turned bloodshot.

Wang Yun!

It's that old scoundrel again!

He could no longer contain himself. He grabbed the halberd lying to the side, strode out of the military tent, and headed straight for the Situ Mansion.

At the Situ residence, Lü Bu disregarded the servants' attempts to stop him and kicked open the door to Wang Yun's study.

Wang Yun was discussing matters with several court officials when he was startled by the loud noise. He saw Lü Bu, who exuded a murderous aura, and a flash of fear crossed his face, which quickly turned into fury.

"Lu Bu! How dare you be so disrespectful!"

"Insolence?" Lü Bu's halberd slammed heavily on the ground, cracking the bluestone floor. "I ask you! Why did you withhold my army's rations and medicine? My soldiers shed blood for your Chang'an on the city walls! And you stab them in the back!"

Faced with Lü Bu's questioning, Wang Yun remained calm. He leaned on the table, slowly stood up, and put on a look of deep sorrow.

"Fengxian, what are you saying! The entire city is besieged and supplies are scarce. I have done everything in my power! Everyone in the manor is sharing weal and woe with the soldiers, tightening their belts to survive. As the commander-in-chief, instead of understanding the court's difficulties, you are here roaring. What kind of behavior is this!"

His words sounded very dignified and respectable.

Lu Bu's chest heaved; he was seething with anger, yet he couldn't utter a single word. He only knew how to charge into battle; he had never heard of these intricate political maneuverings.

"Fine...fine 'sharing weal and woe'!" Lü Bu laughed angrily, glancing around at the officials who were now silent with fear. "All I know is that if this continues, the blood of the men of Bingzhou will be shed dry!"

After saying that, he said no more, gave a heavy snort, turned around and left.

Inside the study, Wang Yun was trembling with anger and swept the bamboo slips off the table to the ground.

"You brat! You brute!"

The rift between him and Lü Bu was irreparable.

Inside the inn, however, the atmosphere was completely different.

That night, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu appeared in front of Xun Hao and Guo Jia's courtyard.

"Gentlemen, how have you been?" Zhou Yu cupped his hands, a meaningful smile on his face.

Guo Jia leaned against the doorframe, his peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed, scrutinizing the two people in the courtyard. "What brings you here at this hour?"

Zhou Yu looked at Xun Hao and said sincerely, "Chang'an is already doomed. Wang Yun is stubborn and self-willed, and Lü Bu is brave but lacks strategy. The two are at odds with each other, and the city will fall sooner or later. If we stay here, we will only be buried with others. Rather than waiting to die, we should join forces to fight our way out."

Guo Jia and Xun Hao, who was standing beside him, exchanged a glance and both saw the understanding in each other's eyes.

"What a coincidence. Brother Fengxiao and I had the same idea."

Their eyes met, and no words were needed.

It hits it off.

"But now that the four gates are surrounded and the Xiliang army is powerful, how do we escape?" Sun Ce asked the most crucial question with a furrowed brow.

"If you can't leave, then fight your way out." Guo Jia's words suddenly changed the atmosphere in the courtyard.

"How should we fight?" Zhou Yu asked.

Guo Jia's lips curled up. He glanced at Xun Hao, who nodded slightly, before slowly speaking, "The Xiliang army numbers in the tens of thousands. Their food and supplies are enormous. They must be stockpiling their provisions and baggage in one place, heavily guarded. If we propose a feasible plan to burn their grain, they will find it hard to refuse."