Dian Man was shocked. Could it be that Zhang Fei's previous injury was just a deliberate trick by Liu Qi, who secretly transferred him to attack Lantian
However, he was a young and inexperienced man who was not afraid of tigers. He had always been dissatisfied with veteran generals like Zhang Fei. Today, when they met, he spurred his horse forward to fight.
The two horses crossed each other. Zhang Fei's snake spear was extremely long. Before his iron halberd could reach the opponent, the spear head hooked the small branch of the halberd. Under the huge force, the halberd flew out of his hand.
This iron halberd can be used for both attack and defense. If one uses the small branch to hook the opponent's weapon, one can counterattack with the other hand. However, if one is not as strong as the opponent, one will end up making things worse and be defeated.
Although Dian Man held the iron halberd with all his might, he was far inferior to Zhang Fei. He knew he was no match for him at the first sight.
Seeing that Zhang Fei was feigning illness and launching a surprise attack, he did not dare to fight again. He urged his horse to go straight to the small path on the slope beside him. When he reached a dense forest, he abandoned his horse and went into the mountain.
When the Han army chased halfway, they had already lost sight of the Cao army. Zhang Fei ordered them to retreat and surrounded the Cao army to persuade them to surrender.
Liu Xiong asked in confusion: "General, why don't you chase after Dian Man? Isn't that letting the tiger go back to the mountain?"
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Tiger? I think he is just a sick cat."
Liu Xiong frowned and said, "If Dian Man escapes, he will definitely return to Chang'an to report the news. The defenders are prepared, so it may not be easy for you to attack the city."
Zhang Fei said: "I still have great use for this man. If Dian Man doesn't return to Chang'an, who will lead the garrison to fight?"
He ordered Liu Xiong to capture the prisoners, and Zhang Fei personally led his troops to the interior of Lantian Pass. At this time, the defeated army had fled back, and everyone inside the pass was shocked.
Zhang Fei rode his horse to the gate and shouted, "Dian Man has escaped. Open the gate quickly. If you are killed by me, I will kill you all."
The main forces inside the pass fled with Dian Man. Seeing that their commander had fled, Cao's army was attacked from both sides at Lantian Pass. The Han army treated the prisoners well, so after a little hesitation, they opened the gate and surrendered.
Dian Man crossed mountains and ridges and escaped from the Qinling Mountains through a small path. He fled to Lantian on foot with only more than a hundred personal guards. He did not dare to stop and changed horses to go to Chang'an to report the news.
Du Xi was shocked when he heard the news, and discussed with Xiahou Mao: "Liu Qi is using tricks again, Zhang Fei is feigning illness to take Chang'an, who can stop him?"
Xiahou Mao cursed, "You and your father are both reckless. The Prime Minister ordered you to guard the pass, but why did you insist on going out to fight? Now that you have lost Lantian Pass and betrayed the Prime Minister's trust, if you still have a bit of courage, you should commit suicide to apologize. Why did you come to see me?"
Dian's face turned red. He roared, picked up the halberd, and chopped at his own neck. Several personal soldiers hurriedly pulled him back and knelt down to beg for mercy.
Du Xi rushed over after hearing the news and hurriedly advised: "Zhang Fei's detour around the mountains was unexpected and not his fault. I hope the general will forgive him for now and wait for him to make meritorious deeds to atone for his sins."
"How can we let him go after he lost Lantian Pass and endangered Chang'an?" Xiahou Mi was furious and ordered his men to behead him.
Du Xi advised again: "Considering that his father and son are loyal to the lord and the prime minister loves them very much, please think twice. It is easy to get three armies, but it is difficult to get a general. Zhang Fei attacked Lantian by surprise, aiming at Chang'an. Now the army has been dispatched and it is too late to return for reinforcement. There is no general in the city to lead the troops. Why not order him to defend the city? If he wins, his merit will atone for his crime. If he loses, he will be punished for both crimes. If the prime minister asks about it in the future, he can explain it well."
Speaking of the situation in Guanzhong, Xiahou Mao's heart sank, and he said, "I will allocate another 20,000 elite soldiers to you. You must stop Zhang Fei in Lantian and wait for the army's support."
Du Xi hurriedly advised: "General, you must not do this. There are people who can match Zhang Fei's courage. Chang'an is strong and has sufficient money and food. It can defend itself. Why send troops?"
Xiahou Mao said angrily: "If we do not meet the enemy troops in our territory and allow them to reach Chang'an, the front army will surely be in chaos and Guanzhong will be in danger! In the past, Liu Qi took the initiative to fight against the Prime Minister in Nanyang to protect Jingzhou. This is what is called the army of pity will win!"
He ignored Du Xi's advice and ordered Dian Man to lead 20,000 elite soldiers to Lantian to meet the enemy. Du Xi recruited soldiers from the vicinity of Chang'an and captured all the young and strong men and brought them into the city to defend the city.
At the same time, he sent fast horses to inform Xiahou Ba and Xu Huang, asking them to return to Chang'an as soon as possible for support. Chang'an was the foundation of Guanzhong. Once the city was lost, even if Xiahou Yuan won, it would be difficult for him to continue advancing.
Dian Man received the order and left the city, leading his troops to Lantian. He discussed the defense of the city with the county magistrate, mobilized the servants and laborers in the city to repair the city, prepared ash bottles, rolling logs, etc., and vowed to live and die with the city.
Zhang Fei led his troops to Lantian and ordered Fu Rong and Hu Ji to lead an army each to surround the city on three sides, while Liu Xiong led his troops to cut off their food supplies.
This time, Dian Man knew shame and became braver. He let Zhang Fei, Wang Shuang and Fu Rong curse and challenge him in turn, but he just stayed there and waited for the army to rush back to support Chang'an.
Zhang Fei did not send troops to attack the city. Instead, he sent soldiers every day to persuade the defenders to surrender and undermine their morale. He only left the north gate open for them to escape.
Seeing that Dianman was determined to defend the city, he simply changed into a soft towel and Confucian robe, and went to the foot of the city every day to drink and paint. Sometimes he drank until he was drunk, and sometimes he painted the scenery of the Qinling Mountains in the distance, and returned home with great pleasure.
Seeing Zhang Fei being so arrogant and oblivious to the people around him, some of the defenders in the city could not help but ask for a fight. Dian Man had a gloomy face and tried his best to appease them, telling them not to make a big mistake out of impulse at this time.
After another two days, there was still no sign of Cao's army, so Zhang Fei simply called Wang Shuang, Fu Rong, and Hu Ji over. The four of them set up a table at the foot of the city and drank, played finger-guessing games, and competed in martial arts, as if they were in their own home.
"This is too much bullying, how can we tolerate it?" Dian Man finally couldn't hold back anymore and prepared to go into battle.
Being blocked at the doorstep and allowed to eat and drink like this, even if he managed to stop Zhang Fei, he would be ridiculed by people all over the world if the news got out. Not only would it damage Dian Wei's reputation, but how could he still have the face to lead the troops
The county magistrate hurriedly advised: "General, don't be impulsive. This is Zhang Fei's plan! Previously in the Central Plains, this thief pretended to be drunk and defeated Liu Dai. Now he is using the same trick again. Don't pay any attention to him."
Dian Man sneered, "Liu Dai and his ilk are nothing but mediocre people. When I was in Xuchang, I studied military tactics with the prince and learned a lot. How could I not know that Zhang Fei was drunk and luring the enemy? Now I am going to make him suffer the consequences and regret it forever."
When they arrived at the top of the city wall and watched, they saw Zhang Fei drinking another seven or eight dou of wine and lying drunk in front of the tent. Wang Shuang soon got drunk as well. Although Fu Rong and Hu Ji were still sober, they were also tipsy and unsteady on their feet after being urged to drink by Zhang Fei.
After watching the Han army return to the camp, Dian Man called several deputy generals and ordered them to raid the camp at three o'clock in the morning, burn Zhang Fei's main camp first, and wait for the other two camps to rescue, then send out ambush troops, making it difficult for Zhang Fei to defend both ends.
After dark, Dian Man personally led his troops out of the city and headed straight for the Han army camp. As expected, he saw that the defense was lax, so a thousand men surrounded the camp and set fire to it. With the help of the spring breeze, the fire spread instantly.
The flames shot up to the sky, illuminating the Lantian County. Dian Man was not in a hurry to charge into the camp. He only ordered his men to shoot arrows from a distance and beat drums and shout.
Sure enough, soon the Han troops from the east and west came to support. The camp was in chaos. Torches were lit to send out signals. The defenders on the city beat drums to cheer, and the ambush troops in the city came out.
Dian Man shouted first, led his troops to charge into Zhang Fei's camp through the gap, and headed straight for the central army tent.
I saw a fire on the tent and people moving around. Just as I got close, several soldiers came out in a hurry, carrying a huge body. The person on the tent was sleeping like a dead pig and snoring loudly.
"Zhang Heizi, where are you going?" Dian Man was overjoyed when he saw that it was Zhang Fei. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become famous. He urged his horse forward and swept his iron halberd towards the guards.