He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 94 Taking the Initiative

"Immediately blockade Xiapi and investigate! I want to see how many heads these assassins have that I can chop off!" Liu Bei had been bullied to the point of being unable to protect his men even in his own stronghold. How could he possibly survive in the martial world?

At this moment, Lu Wan heard the noise and opened her heavy eyelids.

When Liu Bei saw that Lu Wan had regained consciousness, he was overjoyed and excitedly asked, "Wen Yuan, how are you feeling now? Do you feel nauseous?"

Although Liu Bei didn't know what a concussion was, as an old soldier with rich life experience, he knew that a blow to the head could cause dizziness or even vomiting, which was a serious condition that required immediate medical attention.

Lu Wan replied weakly, "It's okay, it's just that my head hurts a little."

Guan Yu then asked, "Wen Yuan, have you had any arguments with anyone lately? Do you remember what the person you argued with looked like?"

"No, I haven't had any conflicts with anyone. Ugh, my head hurts so much, can I take a nap first?"

"Alright, alright, you rest first, we won't bother you anymore." After saying that, Liu Bei dismissed all the irrelevant people and ordered that more security be provided to all high-ranking officials. Then he left with everyone.

Lu Suo can rest now, but the others shouldn't even think about sleeping. All the high-ranking officials of Liu Bei's army in Xiapi held an emergency meeting. With such a big mess, the first priority was to hold people accountable, and the first person to be held accountable was the Chancellor of Xiapi. However, Chancellor Zang Ba of Xiapi was not present at the moment, so naturally, they couldn't find anyone to blame him.

The next one to be dealt with is the Commandant of Xiapi. Maintaining order in Xiapi is of paramount importance, yet someone injured the Chief of Staff of Xuzhou right under his nose without him noticing a thing. If he can't catch the culprit afterward, there's no point in taking any more action. He failed to even fulfill his most basic duties, proving he's unsuitable for the position.

Then there were Lu Wan's personal guards, especially Chen Zi, who, as the head of Lu Wan's security force, actually thought that Lu Wan would be safe if she stayed at home. When the incident happened, he was actually sleeping at home. Liu Bei originally intended to give him a good dressing down, but considering that he had fought a bloody battle in Xuyi and that Lu Wan himself had not died, he only demoted him and sent him back to the army to continue to hone his skills.

Chen Zi had no intention of protesting the punishment, as he felt it was due to his own shortcomings. During his time as Lu Wan's bodyguard, Lu Wan had treated him very well, even getting Zheng Xuan to officially register him as a disciple. This meant that Chen Zi could attend Zheng Xuan's lectures whenever he had time, although he couldn't publicly declare himself Zheng Xuan's student. However, being able to study under Zheng Xuan was already a great favor to Chen Zi.

Now that his benefactor is in trouble and he did nothing, Chen Zi has no face to protect Lu Wan anymore.

The next step is to discuss how to counter such assassination attempts. Although Liu Bei is unlikely to resort to retaliatory assassinations, we cannot simply swallow this loss and pretend nothing happened.

Liu Bei immediately expressed his contempt for such tactics: "I never expected that even though our army has already signed an alliance with Cao Cao, he would still dare to do such a despicable thing. Is this what a gentleman should do? I plan to first reprimand Cao Cao and then immediately suspend trade with him. What do you all think?"

"My lord, please reconsider. Given Cao Cao's methods, he won't leave any evidence even if he harms someone. It seems that the culprit might be someone else who wants to turn our army against Cao Cao."

This really reminded Liu Bei: Was it really Cao Cao who did this? Could it be other warlords trying to sow discord? Or could it be other opposition figures lurking in the shadows of Xuzhou?

Liu Bei pondered carefully who might have such a motive, and then he became somewhat frustrated, as there were simply too many potential suspects. Leaving aside those within the province, even with Liu Bei's current string of victories and soaring prestige, there were still many opponents within Xuzhou. These people were merely hiding; the day Liu Bei could no longer win, these people would emerge and stir up trouble.

It's even harder to say about the external forces. From minor figures like Liu Xun and Huang Zu to major figures like Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, none of them wanted to see Liu Bei and Cao Cao reach a reconciliation. They would certainly not let go of any opportunity that could both weaken Liu Bei's strength and cause Liu Bei and Cao Cao to fight each other.

Wait, something's not right. Liu Bei suddenly realized a crucial piece of information: the alliance between Liu Bei and Cao Cao was conducted in secret, without any public announcement, and their trade was carried out only at the grassroots level. This meant that others at most had this speculation but didn't actually know the news. Therefore, if someone wanted to sow discord, they should have used other methods, such as deliberately leaking the information to the people of Xuzhou, letting public opinion force Liu Bei to officially declare that he and Cao Cao were not allies.

This shows that the person who orchestrated this incident must have been very familiar with the relationship between Liu Bei's army and Cao Cao's army. No one except the high-ranking officials of Liu Bei's army and Cao Cao's army would know such a person. In the end, isn't it still Cao Cao?

Liu Bei could only temporarily put aside his idea of ​​causing trouble. As long as the captain caught the murderer, the rest would come to light.

Early the next morning, the citizens of Xiapi City sensed that the atmosphere in the city was a bit strange. The city gate guards, who usually let people through with a quick glance at their credentials, became very strict. Even when it came to manure carts, the guards would stir a spoonful of the contents inside to check for anything.

The number of soldiers patrolling the streets has increased several times, and they will come up to check anyone they spot. If there are any suspicious items or behaviors, they will arrest them on the spot.

The identity information of all the residents in the inns in the city was also checked, and people were randomly selected to answer questions about their personal information. Anyone who could not answer or spoke haltingly was invited over for tea without saying a word.

Under such a vigorous investigation, the entire city of Xiapi was in a state of panic, with everyone asking each other what had happened. For a time, all sorts of rumors circulated throughout Xiapi: some said Liu Bei's treasures had been stolen by a powerful thief; others said a high-ranking official had been murdered; still others claimed that Cao Cao had attacked again and that Cao Cao's spies in the city should be found immediately. In short, all sorts of rumors were circulating.

Soon, Cao Jun's newly established intelligence station suffered another devastating blow, with several members arrested. The quality of the personnel this time was noticeably lower than the previous ones; they gave away the names of others even before being tortured.

The so-called twelve volumes of confessions, each containing the names of brothers.

Soon, these spies, like insects exposed after a stone is lifted, were laid bare in the sunlight and quickly lost their vitality. Thus, Cao Cao's intelligence network in Xiapi suffered another major blow, even more severe than before, because all his intelligence operatives knew Xiapi was a dangerous place and preferred to resign rather than go there.

Soon, the results of the interrogation of these people were also placed on Liu Bei's desk, and Liu Bei smacked his lips as he read them.

On one hand, Liu Bei marveled at Cao Cao's formidable intelligence capabilities. The last attack on their intelligence network in Xiapi had wiped them out, yet in just a few months, they had rebuilt it. On the other hand, he was secretly alarmed, realizing that Cao Cao's true intention wasn't to assassinate Lu Wan, but rather to instigate her defection.

This act of trying to take food from someone else's bowl completely enraged Liu Bei. He immediately ordered the blockade of all merchants traveling to Yanzhou and strengthened the defenses at the border between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, forbidding anyone from passing through without permission.

The biggest victim of this incident, Lu Guan, was forced by Liu Bei to take a break. He was not allowed to go to work unless there was a major event such as Yuan Shao attacking.

That's how it was. Lu Wan had dragged it out until today before she finally discussed the future development direction of Liu Bei's army with Guan Yu in detail. There were even many ideas she hadn't mentioned yet. Guan Yu quickly and forcefully sent Lu Wan back to rest.

After seeing that Liu Bei's army's defenses were becoming more and more complete, the bandits on the mountain could no longer hide and pretend they didn't see anything. Since the enemy was going to block the gate, what was the point of continuing to deceive themselves?

As for surrendering, many bandits supported it, but this attitude was purely feigned, a pretense of conversion that would later lead to regret, and could not be taken seriously. Liu Bei's army also knew that most of these people surrendered because they wanted to take advantage of the situation to escape and continue causing trouble.

Liu Bei's army wouldn't give them that chance. After the bandits were wiped out, everyone would be sent to Pei State for corvée labor. Tian Yu was sending twelve letters a day to Liu Bei requesting supplies and resources. Luckily, there was a large pool of laborers here, so they were sent over directly. So how could they possibly let the bandits slip through the cracks so easily?

However, their leader clearly did not agree with surrendering, because this time Liu Bei's army's slogan was to kill only the bandit leader. Although the others who had not committed too many heinous crimes would be investigated, at least they would not lose their lives.

The stronghold Xu Sheng was in charge of was originally composed of a group of defeated soldiers. Upon returning, they would certainly be branded as deserters by Liu Bei. Furthermore, they themselves knew the extent of their wicked deeds, so none of the bandits' leaders were willing to surrender. It was either a breakout and escape or a final battle with the government troops; there was no third option.

While the bandits plotted for the future, Xu Sheng and Shan Fu were also figuring out how to wipe out the group on the mountain. Now, Xu Sheng had almost become a laughing stock in the anti-banditry team; everyone said he was a fool who couldn't even eat when God fed him. This made Xu Sheng afraid to even read his colleagues' letters every day; he just kept studying maps.

The mountain is not high, but it has a unique structure. There are four high points in total, with the highest point being the one closest to the north. The rest gradually decrease in height. Xu Sheng numbered these four high points on the map as A, B, C, and D, with the highest point being the D-point.

"So the mission this time is to first feign an attack to attract the bandits' attention, then send elite troops to attack up the mountain via a side path, establish a foothold on the mountaintop, and then provide support to the main force from a high vantage point."

Because he served as Xu Sheng's strategist, Shan Fu's reputation suffered somewhat, but he didn't care; after all, his real name wasn't Shan Fu. Now, he was advising Xu Sheng on his next move: "This is a risky move. If these bandits have sent out sentries on the mountain, the attacking force could suffer heavy losses. Abandoning a fortified camp and instead engaging in a siege battle is hardly a sound military strategy."

"I know that, but how much grain does Xuzhou have left? Every day we stay here, the people of Xuzhou have to drop what they're doing and deliver grain to us. The people of Xuzhou have suffered so much these past two years, and I don't want to add to their burden."

Xu Sheng was from Langya in Xuzhou and knew the current living standards of the farmers in Xuzhou. The entire city of Xuzhou was just barely holding on by sheer willpower. If these scoundrels weren't dealt with quickly, and if there were any emergencies elsewhere that required the troop to be redeployed, all the previous efforts would be in vain.

"My mind is made up. I will get rid of these worms for the people and prevent them from harming people again."

Dan Fu understood Xu Sheng's determination and stopped trying to dissuade him. Instead, he focused on refining Xu Sheng's plan: "General, I know your ambition and I understand your domineering nature. Very well, I agree to this attack, but you must be careful with casualties. If the casualties are too high, the troops must be withdrawn."

"In addition, the primary target of this attack should be Hill D, as it is the most treacherous and the bandits' defenses there are the weakest. Attacking from there will be the most effective way to achieve a surprise attack."

Xu Sheng nodded, agreeing with this assessment. Therefore, the next focus would naturally be on attacking Dingdian. Xu Sheng summoned all his mid-level officers and began assigning tasks.

It was another early morning, and while the bandits were still groggily getting up to find something to eat, the bandits on guard at the village gate began frantically banging on a copper gong. The bandits scrambled for their weapons, climbed the village wall, and peered out. The dense crowd and the billowing dust behind them filled everyone with a sense of dread.

What are the officers and soldiers doing? Are they going to risk their lives because reinforcements have arrived?

Xu Sheng rode at the front, beckoning to his men. One of his riders ran to the front of the camp and shouted, "General Chariot and Cavalry's reinforcements have arrived! You have half an hour to open the gates and surrender, or our army will attack!"

He was met with a fierce rain of arrows, but the bandit leader still believed he could escape and make a comeback, so he chose to continue fighting against Liu Bei's army.

The brave knight did not fall to the rain of arrows; he was fully clad in heavy armor, and Xu Sheng had even specially selected two extra sets from the inventory for him to wear. Seeing that negotiations had broken down, the knight immediately turned his horse and returned to Liu Bei's army.

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