Chapter 50: A desperate predicament
Five full days had passed since Liu Bei began his assault on Pei County.
Taking a city was an immensely time-consuming undertaking. Usually, an army relied on encirclement, cutting off the enemy's supply lines and forcing them to surrender once their food ran out. All-out assaults were rare.
Cities were easy to defend and difficult to attack. Taking one by force required at least several times the number of soldiers defending it, as well as horrific casualties. More often than not, the gains were not worth the losses.
Pei County had a full six thousand defenders. Liu Bei's hope of taking it with five thousand men was little different from a dream.
But he had signed a military pledge. Even though he knew his chances of taking Pei County with five thousand men were all but zero, he had no choice but to attack and fight for that sliver of hope.
Thus, on his first day outside Pei County, Liu Bei personally commanded a fierce assault under cover of darkness, hoping to seize the city by surprise. The result, however, fell far short of his hopes.
Not only had his army of five thousand lost nearly two thousand men, but many of the survivors were wounded. He had been forced to rest his troops while considering his next move.
He had spent four full days pondering it.
Liu Bei's Mountain Character Camp was stationed at the foot of a mountain ten li outside Pei County. Alongside it stood Yuan Shao's army of fifty thousand, there to oversee his operations.
A dark mass of tents covered the hills and plains, making an imposing sight from afar.
At that moment, Liu, Guan, and Zhang stood on a small hill within the camp, gazing toward distant Pei County.
"Five days have already passed..."
Liu Bei sighed, an unshakable gloom hanging over his face.
The crushing pressure of his military pledge had denied him a single peaceful night's sleep these past few days. Every time he thought of it, anxiety burned through him like fire.
How could I possibly take Pei County?
Beside him, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei saw his distress. Though they worried for their eldest brother, neither could think of a better solution.
Unable to bear it any longer, Zhang Fei said anxiously, "Eldest brother, we ought to find a way to escape, and quickly! With the few men we have left, how could we possibly take Pei County?"
A battered remnant of an army, five days, and a city to capture.
It was nothing but a tale from the Arabian Nights!
Liu Bei smiled bitterly. "We can't escape. Someone in the camp is always watching us. The moment we try to leave, Yan Liang and Wen Chou will know."
"Yuan Shao didn't send those two here as ornaments."
If escape had been possible, Liu Bei would have fled long ago.
The trouble was that there was no opportunity at all. Yan Liang and Wen Chou kept a relentless watch on them, even sending men to check on them every day.
With precautions like those, how could they escape?
And once discovered, Yan Liang and Wen Chou would immediately lead their army in pursuit. How could the three of them withstand tens of thousands of soldiers?
A fierce glint flashed through Guan Yu's eyes. "Then let's go all the way. Set fire to their provisions, baggage, and camp before we flee! We'll see whether Yan Liang and Wen Chou chase us or put out the flames first!"
Provisions and baggage were an army's lifeblood. If the food burned, the entire army might collapse. He refused to believe Yan Liang and Wen Chou would disregard that.
Liu Bei rejected this suggestion as well, shaking his head. "I went to have a look. They've already taken precautions. It won't work."
It was not as though he had never considered this plan. He had made a special trip to inspect the provisions and baggage the other day, only to discover that the patrols and guards around them were three times the usual strength.
Clearly, they were guarding against an attempt to burn their supplies.
"Those two damned bastards!"
Zhang Fei seethed at this, but had nowhere to vent his anger. He could only slam his fist into a nearby pine, leaving a deep impression in its trunk and making the whole tree shake.
"I'd rather lead an assault and die on the battlefield than be executed under their blasted military law!"
"Eldest brother, let me lead the attack tomorrow! If I take the city, we'll remain brothers in this life. If I fail, we'll be brothers again in the next!"
Zhang Fei held Yan Liang and Wen Chou in utter contempt.
Rather than die at their hands, he would sooner fall in battle!
Guan Yu also spoke in a grave voice. "Eldest brother, I'll go with third brother! If we live, we live. If we die, we die! What is there to fear?"
Faced with his two brothers' requests to fight, Liu Bei fell silent.
Was this truly their last resort?
Liu Xuande, oh, Liu Xuande! The blood of the Han Dynasty flows through your veins, yet a mere Pei County has driven you to the end of every mountain path and river course!
How bitterly ironic!
Bitterness filled Liu Bei's heart, along with self-reproach.
If he had not coveted the immense rallying power of an imperial decree and secretly sought out the Son of Heaven, how could he have fallen into Yuan Shao's trap and landed in such a predicament?
His own death did not matter. What shamed him most was dragging his two brothers to their deaths with him.
With a long sigh, Liu Bei turned toward the camp, leaving behind only a weary remark. "Let me think of another way."
The final moment had not yet arrived. He did not want Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to lead an assault themselves, for that was no different from sending them to their deaths.
If that moment truly came, he would not cling to life either.
"Eldest brother, stop hesitating!"
Zhang Fei called after him, "Just let second brother and me lead the attack! We might actually take it!"
"Besides, dragging this out won't solve anything. It's not as though Lü Bu will obediently hand Pei County back to us!"
At those words, Liu Bei stopped in his tracks.
He abruptly turned to Zhang Fei, his eyes blazing with sudden light. "Yide, what did you just say?"
Zhang Fei froze, then scratched his head. "I said, let second brother and me lead the attack. We might actually take it."
"Not that! The next part!"
"Dragging this out won't solve anything. It's not as though Lü Bu will obediently hand Pei County back to us?"
"Yes! Exactly! That's it! That's it!"
Liu Bei slapped his thigh, his face alight with excitement, and could not help bursting into laughter.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both jumped.
They exchanged a glance, each seeing the worry in the other's eyes.
Had eldest brother... lost his mind?
Only after a long while did Liu Bei draw a deep breath and suppress his excitement. His eyes shone as he said, "Yun Chang, Yide, I have a plan!"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were even more bewildered.
Zhang Fei in particular wore a strange expression. "Eldest brother, you aren't really planning to ask Lü Bu to return Pei County to us, are you?"
"Why not?"
Liu Bei showed no sign of joking. He said solemnly, "Lü Bu may be fickle and thoroughly contemptible, but he has no ambition to carve out an independent domain. He could even be called loyal to the Han Dynasty and His Majesty."
"Otherwise, why would His Majesty personally have made him Marquis of Wen?"
"His Majesty is now under Yuan Shao's control. If I tell Lü Bu of His Majesty's circumstances and use that to form an alliance, asking him to help me through this crisis, he may well agree!"
This was the way out he had devised!
Chapter 51: Diao Chan
Zhang Fei's words had given Liu Bei a new line of thought.
Why did he have to take Pei County by force?
He could blaze another trail entirely!
If he could persuade Lü Bu to return Pei County, their current predicament would unravel like bamboo beneath a blade, without costing them a single soldier!
"Will that work?"
Zhang Fei was dumbfounded. He had never imagined that his offhand remark would become something his eldest brother actually intended to do!
But Liu Bei had already made up his mind. He told Guan Yu, "Yun Chang, I'll write a letter as soon as I return. Choose a few trustworthy soldiers and have them ride at full speed to Xiapi to deliver it to Lü Bu."
"Whether we live or die hinges on this!"
Liu Bei decided to gamble on his judgment of character. He believed that, given Lü Bu's disposition, he would be willing to help once he learned of the Son of Heaven's circumstances and Liu Bei's own predicament!
Fortunately, Xiapi was not too far from Pei County. If the soldiers traveled day and night, five days would be enough for a round trip.
"Very well!"
Guan Yu said nothing more and nodded firmly.
Though he looked down on Lü Bu and did not believe such a fickle scoundrel would willingly return Pei County, he would carry out his eldest brother's orders.
Xu Province was a hub of waterways and roads, with a thriving population and flourishing trade. Since ancient times, it had been a prize contested by military commanders of successive dynasties, and the various regional lords coveted it as well.
Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shao all looked upon it with hungry eyes.
But after Lü Bu defeated Liu Bei and seized Xiapi, he had made it his base, stationed his troops there, and brought all of Xu Province under his control.
Inside Xiapi, at the commandery governor's residence.
Lü Bu had held a banquet at his residence that day, inviting the many generals under his command. The place was bustling with merriment.
"Today is my birthday, and every one of you must drink your fill! If there's any wine left over, I won't let you leave!"
"Hahahaha!"
At the banquet, a martial-looking man laughed as he addressed his generals.
He stood eight chi tall, with thick brows and large eyes. His features were imposing, and heroic vigor radiated from him.
He was none other than the current lord of Xu Province-the Might-Exerting General, Lü Bu, Marquis of Wen!
As he spoke, Lü Bu raised a wine jar and drank deeply. Soon he had drained every last drop. Wiping his mouth, he laughed. "Now that hits the spot!"
"Bravo! What a capacity for wine, General!"
"Your capacity is as vast as the sea, General!"
Before you continue