Chapter 52 Liu Bei's 'wishful thinking'

Zhuo County is located 300 miles northwest of Zhongshan City.

Two days ago, the 50,000 Yellow Turban Army led by Cheng Zhiyuan surrounded the city tightly.

After several sieges, both sides suffered losses.

"woooooo"

The charge horn sounded.

On the city wall, Youzhou Captain Zou Jing suddenly shuddered, drew his sword from his waist, and shouted loudly: "Archers, log rollers, kerosene soldiers, all of you, cheer up and let these rebels know how powerful we are."

Thousands of guards on the city wall shouted in response, and their morale was high.

The attacking Yellow Turban Army was getting closer.

"Shoot arrows!!"

Following Zou Jing's order, there was a sound of "whoosh whoosh whoosh".

Countless arrows flew towards the Yellow Turban soldiers outside the city like raindrops.

"Ahhh!"

Waves of screams rang out, and a fierce offensive and defensive battle began.

After an hour's fierce battle, after attacking the city wall several times but failing to gain a foothold, Cheng Zhiyuan had to call off his troops and regroup.

Looking at the Yellow Turban soldiers retreating like a tide, thunderous roars erupted from the city walls.

However, the captain Zou Jing who was guarding the city was looking at the hundreds of soldiers who were killed or wounded, his brows filled with worry.

Before leaving, Youzhou Governor Liu Yan warned him that the Wuhuan were taking advantage of the Yellow Turban Rebellion to seize Shanggu and Daijun.

Although the Yellow Turban rebels deserved to be cut into pieces, the damage caused by the Wuhuan cavalry's incursion into Youzhou would only be greater.

Therefore, he was asked to mobilize the local militia to defend Zhuo County.

But after two days of fighting, Zou Jing felt that he could not defend Zhuo County with only 5,000 men.

"Call Liu Xuande who joined the army the day before yesterday. I have something important to discuss with you!"

Not long after, Liu Bei, who was holding a double-edged sword and looked dignified, and Zhang Fei, who had a leopard head and round eyes and was holding a 10-foot-long snake spear, came up to Zou Jing side by side.

"Greetings, Captain. I wonder why you called us brothers here?"

Zou Jing helped Liu Bei up and pointed at the Yellow Turban Army outside the city: "The rebels are numerous and powerful. They have been attacking for three consecutive days and show no signs of decline. If they continue to consume their strength, I'm afraid Zhuo County will be captured sooner or later."

"Xuan De is a great hero, do you have any plan to repel the enemy?"

Liu Bei frowned slightly, looking thoughtful, but Zhang Fei, the leopard-headed and round-eyed man behind him, spoke directly: "To capture a thief, we must first capture the leader. As long as we rush into the enemy camp and kill Cheng Zhiyuan, the group will be leaderless and will naturally scatter."

"Give me."

Before Zhang Fei finished speaking, Liu Bei shouted, "Yide, stop talking nonsense. Don't I know that to catch a thief is to catch his leader?"

"But the Yellow Turbans have dozens of times more people than us. How can we risk everything on this?"

"We are soldiers serving our country, so we are not afraid of death. But if the attack fails, what about the 50,000 people in the city?"

"Are we going to let these rebels slaughter us?"

Zhang Fei smiled awkwardly, not daring to talk back to the elder brother with whom he had just become sworn brothers.

After scolding him, he clasped his fists and bowed to Zou Jing: "My brother is rude, please don't blame me, Captain."

Zou Jing waved his hand and said, "Yide is extremely brave. He kills the most rebels every time he defends the city. How could I blame such a loyal and brave man?"

"In fact, what Yide said is not wrong, but there are 50,000 Yellow Turban soldiers, which is too many. How can ordinary people kill Cheng Zhiyuan?"

"Not to mention that there are only 500 cavalrymen in the city. If they rush out of the city, I'm afraid..."

"Ugh!!"

"I shouldn't have come to embarrass Xuande in the first place."

"You guys go down!"

Zhang Fei wanted to say something, but Liu Bei glared at him fiercely, and the two brothers then retreated.

Returning to the section of the city wall that the two of them led 300 local warriors to guard, Zhang Fei could no longer suppress his confusion: "Brother, with my cultivation at the peak of the initial stage of Gang Jin, how can those rabble outside the city stop our charge?"

"Let alone 500 cavalrymen, as long as there are 300 people scattered around to surround me, I will have the confidence to kill Cheng Zhiyuan."

"How can we give up such a great achievement?"

Liu Bei patted Zhang Fei on the shoulder and lowered his voice: "The first push is the best, the second is weaker, and the third is exhausted!" "The rebels have been victorious all the way and their morale is high. Now we are facing a head-on collision. With your ability, Yide, you may be able to take the enemy's head among thousands of troops, but it will also be dangerous."

"Brothers like you and me share a deep bond. How can I let you risk your life for so-called merit?"

"So even though I understand the captain's intention, I cannot let you take risks, Yide."

"Wait for another two days, when the rebels' offensive momentum slows down, wouldn't it be more certain for us brothers to fight together and eliminate the rebels for the country?"

Zhang Fei was touched and nodded heavily: "I was too talkative today and almost ruined your plan. I know I was wrong!"

Liu Bei smiled cheerfully: "Why should we be so concerned about trivial matters between brothers?"

"Go and arrange the next wave of defense. Don't show off your ability as a general for now."

"Here!!"

Zhang Fei retreated, and Liu Bei looked at the Yellow Turban bandits outside the city, his eyes filled with a different kind of brilliance.

In fact, there was something he did not make clear to Zhang Fei.

Now, apart from the danger of leaving the city, the bigger reason is: only by turning the tide in dangerous and desperate situations can people remember him, Liu Bei, and make greater contributions.

Two days passed quickly.

Under the repeated attacks of the Yellow Turban bandits, Zhuo County was in danger.

All over the city, both the military and civilians felt a sense of despair that doomsday was approaching.

Early in the morning, the smoke on the city wall dissipated and the morale of the soldiers defending the city was low.

Captain Zou Jing even had a few strands of white hair in just two days.

Seeing that the city wall could not be defended, Zou Jing gave orders with determination in his eyes.

"Let five hundred cavalrymen dismount and guard the city walls. The city walls cannot be lost!"

Several captains at the side hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Captain, these five hundred elite cavalrymen are our only chance to turn the tables. Abandoning the horses and returning to the city is simply a waste of talent. It would be better to..."

"Follow my orders and don't say anything more!"

Several quchang fell silent, and one of them was about to leave when he gave the order.

Liu Bei, who was striding over from a distance, said in a loud voice: "It is a waste to use cavalry as infantry."

"Please give us brothers a chance. I am willing to lead 500 cavalrymen out of the city to kill the bandits and dampen their morale."

Zou Jing's eyes lit up with joy. From the first day of defending the city, he knew that the brothers Liu Bei and Zhang Fei were not simple people.

Because no matter how the Yellow Turban Army attacked, the more than ten-foot-high city wall they guarded was never breached once.

If it was just one day, it could still be said to be a coincidence, but for three consecutive days, even the city walls guarded by his personal barracks were occasionally breached, but Liu Bei and Zhang Fei remained as steady as a rock.

That's why there was the attempt two days ago, but Liu Bei flatly refused, leaving Zou Jing unable to force him.

After all, Liu Bei was a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan and a member of the Han Dynasty. Although it was not known whether it was true or not, Liu Yu once personally called Liu Bei his nephew. Even if it was false, Zou Jing did not want to offend him too much.

I didn't expect that the two brothers would volunteer today.

"Xuan De, are you sure you can capture the rebel's head amidst the thousands of troops?"

"With the current military strength of Zhuo County, we can only hold out for five days at most."

"If these five hundred people cannot accomplish their mission, I'm afraid..."

Liu Bei looked confident: "After a few days of observation, I found that in addition to the attacking bandits, there are many old, weak and sick people in the formation outside the city."

"Just wait until they attack the city, and then launch a counterattack, which will surely bring miraculous results."

"If you don't kill Cheng Zhiyuan, I will issue a military order."

Zou Jing laughed loudly: "How great is Xuande! When you charge later, I will personally beat the drum for you!"

"woooooo"

The attack horn sounded again outside the city. Liu Bei, who had been prepared for a long time, raised the double-edged sword in his hand and said: "The rebels are rampant. We, the loyal and good people of the Han Dynasty, should work together to defeat the rebels!"

"All men must not take a single step back!"

"Success or failure depends on this!"

"Open the city gate!"

"kill!!"

(End of this chapter)