Reborn Liu Bei: I'll lead this Three Kingdoms to victory!

(Summer of the third year of Jian'an, in Xiangping City, Liaodong)

The 50,000-strong Goguryeo army, like a moving black cloud, slowly pressed in from the northern mountain pass. I stood on the top of Xiangping City, observing the enemy formation with a newly polished glass lens—this was the prototype of a "telescope" made by craftsmen according to my description. Although the magnification was not high, it was enough to see the enemy's formation clearly.

"Mainly infantry, with about five thousand cavalry, and siege equipment... only simple ladders." I handed my glasses to Zhuge Liang beside me. "Kongming, what do you think?"

The ten-year-old child stood on tiptoe to take a look: "Teacher, their formation is loose, and the flags of each unit are different—it looks like a hastily assembled coalition."

"Good eye." I put my glasses back on. "Last year, King Bogu of Goguryeo suppressed several tribes. Most of these soldiers are conscripted tribal troops, so their morale won't be high."

Xu Shu hurriedly climbed the city wall: "My lord, General Tian Yu's 30,000 Youzhou troops have arrived 30 miles north of the city, but according to your orders, they will not show themselves for the time being."

"Let him hide." I pointed to the Goguryeo army that was beginning to set up camp below the city. "When their siege is thwarted and their morale is low, then we'll launch a surprise attack from behind—that'll be a real surprise."

Zhang Fei asked in a deep voice, "Brother, we only have eight thousand troops defending the city. Can they withstand an attack by fifty thousand?"

"Defending a city isn't about numbers." I patted the city wall. "Xiangping City is three zhang high and two zhang thick. Gongsun Du has managed it for many years, and its defenses are excellent. Moreover..."

I turned and headed down from the city: "We have a secret weapon."

Inside the city's drill ground, a hundred craftsmen were assembling thirty strange machines—wooden frames covered with cowhide, shaped like giant bows but placed horizontally, with iron-tipped wooden poles over ten feet long piled up beside them.

"What is this?" Guan Yu frowned.

"An improved ballista." I stroked the cold, mechanical structure. "A traditional ballista has a range of three hundred paces; this one can reach five hundred. The key isn't the range—"

I gestured for the craftsman to demonstrate.

The winch turned, and three powerful bows were strung side by side. The craftsman placed a specially made giant arrow inside: the shaft was hollow, filled with gunpowder and caltrops, and the arrowhead was covered with oilcloth.

"Light it, fire!"

The giant arrow whistled through the air, arcing through the air before landing on the target range three hundred paces away.

boom!

Flames exploded, barbed wire flew everywhere, and the straw man instantly burst into flames.

The entire room fell silent.

"This is called 'Thunderbolt Arrow'," I said calmly. "The gunpowder formula was improved by Hua Tuo's apprentice from an alchemy recipe. It's not very powerful, but it's enough to scare people."

Zhuge Liang's eyes lit up: "Teacher, that voice..."

"Yes, the sound is more terrifying than the destructive power." I nodded. "Warhorses are afraid of fire and loud noises. If dozens of these were fired when Goguryeo cavalry charged, their formation would be thrown into chaos."

Zhao Yun seemed thoughtful: "So, my lord intends to..."

"Let's hold out for three days." I looked at the densely packed tents outside the city. "Wait until their morale is worn down, until they think we only have the strength to defend the city..."

"Tian Yu's 30,000 troops attacked from the rear, the White Horse Cavalry launched a surprise attack from the city, and with these 'Thunderbolt Arrows'—" I laughed, "that should be enough to give an army of 50,000 a run for their money."

That night, at the Goguryeo camp.

I took Zhuge Liang and ten personal guards, changed into Goguryeo soldier uniforms, and infiltrated the enemy camp—using the waist tag of a surrendered soldier from Gongsun Kang's army.

"Teacher, it's too dangerous," Zhuge Liang whispered.

"Dangerous, but necessary." I lowered my voice. "How can we formulate a counterattack plan without seeing the enemy's true strength with our own eyes?"

The camp was more chaotic than expected. The various tribes had carved out their own territories, and the Buyeo and Okjeo soldiers almost came to blows over water. In the central command tent, the Goguryeo commander-in-chief, General Baqi, was drinking, surrounded by several tribal chiefs.

"The Han army has only eight thousand defenders; we can take it in one fell swoop tomorrow!" Baqi laughed loudly. "After capturing Xiangping, the treasures and women will be yours to claim!"

"General," a Buyeo chieftain frowned, "I've heard that the Han general Liu Bei is quite skilled in warfare..."

"Liu Bei?" Baqi sneered. "A straw sandal seller who gained three provinces by sheer luck, thinks he's something special? My 50,000 troops could drown him with a single spit from each of them!"

In the shadows outside the tent, I silently memorized this face.

The siege began the following morning.

The first wave involved driving Han prisoners and surrendered Liaodong soldiers to serve as human shields—a vicious but effective tactic. The defenders on the city walls couldn't bring themselves to fire arrows.

"Release the arrows." I stood on the city wall, my voice icy.

"My lord, those are..." Xu Shu hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"I know." I looked at the wailing crowd being pushed forward, "but if the city gates fall, tens of thousands of people inside will die. Weighing the two evils—"

I closed my eyes and waved.

Arrows rained down.

Amidst screams, I turned to the messenger and said, "Write down the names of all the fallen prisoners of war. Their families will receive triple pay after the battle. Now... fire the Thunder Arrows."

Thirty ballistae fired simultaneously.

The massive, fiery arrows struck the Goguryeo army's ranks, the explosions deafening. Horses neighed in terror, and the formation crumbled. The charge halted abruptly.

The siege continued until noon. The Goguryeo army suffered three thousand casualties but failed to reach the city walls.

The next day, they learned their lesson and drove the civilians ahead while the infantry carried ladders behind them.

"Pour in the hot oil," I ordered.

Boiling tung oil poured down, followed by rockets. The area beneath the city walls instantly turned into a sea of ​​fire.

tragic.

Zhuge Liang's face was pale, but he stood there, gritting his teeth. I pressed his shoulder: "Remember this scene. When you command the army in the future, every order you issue could determine the life or death of thousands—so you must be extremely cautious."

"But teacher..." the child's voice trembled, "those people..."

"So we have to win." I stared down at the city walls. "If we win, we can protect more people. If we lose, what's below the walls today will be the fate of all the people in the city tomorrow."

On the third day, the morale of the Goguryeo army was noticeably low. Baqi personally supervised the battle and beheaded several retreating centurions, but the offensive had already weakened.

As dusk fell, dust rose from the northern horizon.

Tian Yu's 30,000-strong Youzhou army has arrived.

"Open the city gates!" I drew my sword. "White Horse Cavalry, charge into battle with me!"

The city gates swung open. Zhao Yun led the charge, and five hundred white horses surged forth like an avalanche. At the same time, war drums thundered from the city walls, and Tian Yu's army stormed into the enemy camp from the rear.

A pincer attack from both sides.

The Goguryeo army was thrown into chaos.

I led my personal guards straight to the central army—the objective was clear: to capture Baqi.

Amidst the chaos of battle, the golden wolf banner stood out conspicuously. Baqi was organizing his personal guards to resist; seeing me arrive, he raised his sword to meet me.

"Liu Bei!" he roared, "Come and face your death!"

I didn't reply, and spurred my horse forward. Guan Yu suddenly appeared from the side, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade flashing like lightning—

Baqi's head flew up.

With their commander killed in battle, the Goguryeo army completely collapsed.

The pursuit continued into the night. Of the 50,000 troops, over 10,000 died in battle, 20,000 surrendered, and the rest scattered.

Post-war inventory showed that our army suffered fewer than 3,000 casualties.

"My lord, what should we do with the prisoners?" Tian Yu asked.

"Take them all back." I wiped the blood from my face. "Road construction, mining, land reclamation—five years of labor reform. If they behave well, they can become citizens."

"What about Goguryeo..."

"Send an envoy," I sneered. "Tell him that Baqi has trespassed on our territory and has been executed. If the King of Goguryeo still wants to talk... let him come to Xiangping in person to discuss it."

Ten days later, the Goguryeo envoy arrived, trembling with fear.

Bo Gu didn't come, but he sent ten thousand taels of gold, three thousand warhorses, countless ginseng and deer antlers, and... Gongsun Kang's head.

"My king was misled by treacherous instigators and has now executed the traitor Gongsun Kang." The envoy prostrated himself on the ground, "We wish to form an eternal alliance with the Celestial Empire and never invade its borders again."

I looked at the unwilling face inside the wooden box and remained silent for a moment.

"Go back and tell Bogu," I said slowly, "Liaodong is now part of our Han territory. If even one soldier from Goguryeo crosses the border again..."

I paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"I will go to Pyongyang myself and get to the bottom of this."

The messenger scrambled away.

At the post-war debriefing meeting, Zhuge Liang presented his "Analysis Report on the Liaodong Campaign"—a full fifty pages, covering everything from tactics and logistics to morale and international relations.

"Teacher, I have a question," he said finally. "We won a great victory in this battle, why not press our advantage and take down Goguryeo in one fell swoop?"

I countered with, "And then what?"

"..."

"Goguryeo is mountainous and barren, and its people are fierce. To occupy it, we need to station a large army, and to govern it, we need a large number of officials." I pointed to the map. "We are already struggling to digest Liaodong. If we take Goguryeo, we will be overwhelmed."

"That..."

"Keep him alive." I laughed. "With an external threat, the people and soldiers of Liaodong will need our protection even more. With a neighbor who makes a mistake, we have a reason to 'speak up' at any time—that's called 'controlled tension'."

Xu Shu smiled wryly: "My lord, you're treating state affairs like a pet cat... giving it a lash and then feeding it a treat."

"The analogy is good." I stood up. "Now, let's get down to business."

Everyone fell silent.

"With Liaodong pacified, the next three things are to be done."

"First, establish the Liaodong Governor's Office, with Tian Yu temporarily serving as governor. Relocate 100,000 people and build Liaodong into the granary and warhorse base of the northern frontier within three years."

"Secondly, screen Gongsun Kang's former subordinates; those who are usable will be retained, while those who are suspected will be relocated to Qingzhou for dispersed resettlement."

"Third..." I looked westward, "It's time to deal with the Yuan family's affairs."

Just then, a fast horse galloped into the government office.

"Report! Urgent news from Ye City! Yuan Shang has poisoned Yuan Tan and declared himself Governor of Ji Province! Yuan Tan's generals Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan have led 30,000 troops to defect to Cao Cao!"

There was an uproar in the hall.

I laughed.

"Look, the time has come."

Outside the window, the first autumn rain in Liaodong began to fall.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Yellow River, the death knell for the Yuan family finally tolled.