Yan Yan was startled and shouted, "Who is so bold as to be rude to me?"
The man came to the top of the city wall and angrily shouted, "Old thief Yan Yan, others may be afraid of you, but I, Ma Han, am not afraid of you!"
Yan Yan's face darkened. This man was originally a captain patrolling the city of Chengdu. He was punished by him for being drunk and making mistakes. Now that he has been promoted to a general, he must be holding a grudge and will not surrender.
Seeing Yan Yan lowering his head and keeping silent, Ma Han thought that Yan Yan was guilty and sneered, "Hey, old thief, you sold out your master for fame and fortune. Today is the day you die!"
Yan Yan was furious and was about to call him out of the city for a fight, but he saw a horseman galloping past from the side and heading straight for the moat. The man on the horse was drawing a bow and drawing an arrow, with his long beard fluttering in the wind. It was Huang Zhong.
Ma Han didn't care at all that he came on horseback from such a long distance, and laughed, "Another old thief has come. Liu Qi's subordinates are all these old men... Ah—"
Before he could finish his words, there was a scream and he fell on his back. The defenders on the city wall saw an arrow stuck between his eyebrows and pierced through the back of his head. They were horrified and all squatted behind the battlements.
"Han Sheng is indeed a great archer!" Yan Yan was stunned for a moment before clapping his hands in praise.
As a master archer, he thought he did not have such exquisite archery skills. He was able to accurately shoot Ma Han across the moat while riding a galloping warhorse. Huang Zhong's archery skills had reached the level of perfection.
Huang Zhong circled his horse and turned back, holding his longbow in his hand, he snorted coldly: "Such an arrogant person deserves death!"
The two were preparing to gather their troops to attack the city when they saw the city gate open. The county magistrate and his officials came hurriedly and shouted across the moat, "General Yan, this was all done by Ma Han alone. It has nothing to do with us."
Yan Yan appeased the officials, lowered the drawbridge and led his troops into the city. Except for the killing of Ma Han, he did not pursue any responsibility for the others. He sent troops to patrol the security and contact Liu Pan to report the news.
…
Gan Ning had served as a Gongcao in the Shu army and was very familiar with the terrain around Chengdu. He and Zhang He advanced along the river, sweeping the way like autumn wind sweeping leaves.
The two men marched straight to Wuyang, the capital of Qianwei County. The navy occupied the dock as a water fort, while Zhang He set up camp outside the city and put pressure on the defenders, forcing them to surrender.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Zhang Yi, the governor of Jianwei County, planned to surrender. However, at this moment, Liu Gui arrived with 20,000 reinforcements to fight against the enemy in the south.
Zhang Yi said: "The army of Jingzhou is strong and several routes are approaching Chengdu. Liu Qi is kind and treats the soldiers of Yizhou well. It is better to obey the will of heaven and not lose the merit of reviving Han. Resisting stubbornly will only cost the lives of the soldiers and implicate the people."
Liu Qi was furious and said, "Liu Qi has turned the tables and is coveting our lord's foundation. Everyone in Shu is trying to protect themselves. How can we surrender? I have been ordered to resist the enemy, so I will do my utmost to serve you, even if I die!"
Zhang Yi frowned and said, "Liu Qi ordered Gan Ning and Zhang He to lead the troops. They are both brave and good at fighting. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to defeat them."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Hahahaha, Gan Ning was just a bandit on the river back then. Although he turned over a new leaf, his nature is hard to change. He has gone out of Yizhou again. I will definitely destroy this treacherous bandit this time."
Zhang Yi said: "Even if Gan Ning is not to be feared, Zhang He is a famous general in Hebei, so we should not underestimate him."
Liu Qi became more and more disdainful: "Zhang He is a general who has been defeated many times and changed his master three times. He must have gained fame in vain. What's the point of talking about him?"
Seeing that Liu Gui was strongly in favor of war, Zhang Yi could not persuade him any further. He handed over the military affairs in the city and was only responsible for security patrols and calming the people's hearts.
Liu Qi ordered his deputy generals Fu Jin and Xiang Cun to lead the troops to the top of the city to observe the enemy situation. They saw Zhang He's camp set up in the distance with flags fluttering, and faint sounds of fighting could be heard from the camp. They must be training troops.
Fu Jin said: "If we do not fight back against the enemy troops who have entered our territory, we will be sitting there waiting to be killed. I am willing to capture Zhang He and help you defeat the enemy as soon as possible and pacify the territory."
"Great!" Liu Qi was just about to test Zhang He's ability, and laughed: "If General Fu can capture Zhang He, he can also persuade him to surrender. I will make him your general and use him as your hawk and dog to lead the way and defeat the enemy. It will be a great achievement soon."
Fu Jin was overjoyed and led his troops out of the city to fight Zhang He. Liu Gui ordered Xiang Cun to defend the city and come later to provide support. If Fu Jin won, they would capture the enemy camp in one fell swoop and resolve the crisis.
Zhang He was training his troops and waiting for news when suddenly drums sounded from the Wuyang city wall. He saw an army rushing out and heading straight for the camp. He hurriedly gave orders to form a battle array to meet the enemy.
The two armies were deployed, Zhang He drew his sword and mounted his horse, shouting: "Are you coming to surrender?"
Fu Jin laughed and said, "Zhang He, you have surrendered many times, so you judge others by yourself? I have come here to capture you this time."
Zhang He was furious and rushed out with his sword brandished. Fu Jin urged his horse to meet the enemy. The two fought for less than ten rounds before Fu Jin was defeated by the angry Zhang He and was in danger.
Seeing the broadsword flying before his eyes, surrounded by a cold light, Fu Jin realized that the famous general from Hebei was worthy of his reputation. He hurriedly turned his horse and fled for his life, with Zhang He chasing him closely.
Fu Jin fled to his camp, disrupting the formation. The Shu army's center was in chaos, and the Jingzhou army followed closely behind. These were the elite troops of the Hebei army, and their well-trained halberd warriors were like a tiger among a flock of sheep, and were invincible.
Fu Jin heard the sound of horse hooves behind him and Zhang He was getting closer and closer. He shouted in panic: "General Liu, save me, help me--"
Liu Qi saw everything clearly from outside the city and was about to lead his troops to rescue them, but he saw Zhang He raise his sword and behead Fu Jin under his horse, then lead his troops straight to the city gate to charge.
"Retreat!" Seeing the high morale of the Jingzhou army, Liu Gui did not dare to lead the charge and led his troops to retreat.
Zhang He caught up with them. The defenders on the city hurriedly pulled up the drawbridge and fired arrows at them. They could only watch the city gates close. They formed a battle line under the city, urged their horses to challenge them, but seeing that the defenders no longer responded, they had to retreat to the camp.
Liu Qi hurried back to the city and discussed with Xiang Cun: "Liu Qi's troops have entered the city in several routes. The people of Yizhou are panic-stricken and their morale is low. General Fu underestimated the enemy and was defeated again. If we don't take back a city as soon as possible, the morale of the army may be weakened."
Xiang Cun and Fu Jin were equally strong, and Xiang Cun knew he was no match for Zhang He, so he said, "Zhang He is not easy to deal with. It would be better to kill Gan Ning first and break the navy of Jingzhou. Zhang He will be unable to hold on alone and will retreat. Then we can take advantage of the situation to kill him and avenge General Fu."
"This is a great plan!" Liu Qi was delighted and ordered, "General Xiang, guard the city carefully while I get rid of Gan Ning and then defeat Zhang He."
Xiang Cun clasped his fists and said, "The lord has ordered the general to lead the troops to drive out the enemy. I should stay in the center of the army to boost morale. I am Gan Ning, and I can capture this thief."
Liu Qi was also worried about the instability of the military morale in the city, so he sent 3,000 soldiers to Xiang Cun to attack Gan Ning, and he himself sent some troops to bluff and tie down Zhang He's troops.
When Gan Ning was meeting Zhang Yi at the water stronghold to discuss the capture of the city, Zhang He suddenly sent someone to report that reinforcements had arrived in Wuyang, and the defenders were unwilling to surrender, so they had been defeated by him for a while, so they should be more careful.
When Gan Ning heard that the other two armies were about to join forces, the governor of Wuyang, who had originally agreed to consider the matter, changed his mind and shouted, "Which son of a bitch is ruining my plans?"
Zhang Yi was about to sneak into the city to get information when Su Fei came into the tent and said, "An army has arrived from Wuyang. I'm afraid they are not friendly."
Gan Ning snorted coldly, "It must be the reinforcements that have split up to attack our water fort. I will make sure they never return."
Zhang Yi said: "Why not capture this man, persuade him to surrender and release him, no matter how sincere he is, I can blend into the chaotic army and enter the city, and act accordingly."
Gan Ning followed his plan and ordered Su Fei and Shamoke to ambush on the river bank, and then led his troops out of the camp to meet the enemy.