On the city wall of Dengzhou, the garrison commander Cai Rong was on patrol.
"General, a defeated army has appeared outside the city, carrying the banner of Military Governor Zhang!" a sentry reported.
Cai Rong hurriedly climbed the city wall and saw about three hundred people below, all of whom were wearing tattered armor and looked exhausted.
The leader was Zhang Tao, whose left arm was still wrapped in bandages.
"It's the Military Governor!" Cai Rong exclaimed with delight. "Quickly, open the city gates!"
"Wait!"
A rough, booming voice came from behind.
Surrounded by his personal guards, Niu Dejin ascended the city wall. His face was grim as he stared at Zhang Tao below: "Lord Zhang, I heard you were captured by the Yin army. How did you end up here?"
It's because you abandoned me and didn't care if I died that you got arrested!
Zhang Tao inwardly grumbled, then shouted from below the city walls, "General Niu! Wuguan has fallen, and Zhao Muyun has personally led a large army to attack! This humble general fought his way out to deliver this message!"
"Wuguan Pass has fallen?" The soldiers guarding the city wall were in an uproar.
Niu Dejin's expression changed drastically: "How many people did Zhao Muyun bring?"
"At least thirty thousand!" Zhang Tao shouted. "The army is only thirty li away. General, please open the city gates immediately and let us enter the city to assist in the defense!"
Cai Rong said urgently, "General, please open the city gates quickly! The military governor's injuries have not yet healed and he cannot withstand any more trouble!"
Niu Dejin looked at the "defeated army" below the city with suspicion, and suddenly said, "Zhang Tao, why do those soldiers behind you look so strong and healthy? They don't look like a defeated army."
Zhang Tao's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "These are all my personal elite soldiers, naturally stronger than ordinary soldiers. If the general does not believe me, you may lower the basket and bring me into the city to inspect them."
Cai Rong immediately ordered, "Quickly! Lower the basket!"
Niu Dejin grabbed Cai Rong's hand and said, "Wait! Zhang Tao, since you were able to break through the encirclement, why didn't you bring more troops? Three hundred men are far too few."
"General!" Zhang Tao feigned grief and indignation, "Wuguan Pass has fallen, our army has collapsed, and it is already difficult enough to gather these three hundred men! If you continue to be suspicious, General, once Zhao Muyun's army arrives, we will all be dead without a burial place!"
Cai Rong also advised, "General, the military governor is loyal and upright; how could he be treacherous? If we don't open the gate, the soldiers will lose heart!"
Niu Dejin stared at the city walls for a long time, then suddenly sneered, "Loyal and devoted? Zhang Tao, I think you surrendered to Zhao Muyun and came here to trick us into giving you the city."
Zhang Tao was greatly alarmed, but on the surface he angrily said, "Niu Dejin! You were defeated at Lantian, and you only cared about your own escape, abandoning your army. Now you're falsely accusing me of surrendering! What kind of logic is this?"
He turned to the soldiers guarding the city wall and shouted, "Brothers! We were ordered to fight for Fengchao without regard for our own lives. General Niu suffered heavy losses and his army was defeated like a mountain. Instead of rewarding the returning soldiers, he became suspicious of them. Where is justice?"
The soldiers guarding the city walls were mostly local Henan soldiers who already respected Zhang Tao, and they were all moved upon hearing this.
Cai Rong glared angrily at Niu Dejin: "General! The military governor is our former master. Are you trying to bully us like this because you think we have no one else in Henan?!"
Niu Dejin flew into a rage: "Cai Rong! How dare you speak to me like that?"
"How could I not dare?" Cai Rong was also going all out. "You suffered a crushing defeat and lost countless brothers' lives! Now you are also suspicious of loyal and virtuous men. If Dengzhou City falls, it will all be your fault!"
"Insolence!" Niu Dejin drew his sword. "I think you're planning a rebellion!"
"So what if we rebel?" Cai Rong drew his sword as well. "Today I will open the city gates and welcome the military governor into the city!"
The two men drew their swords, and the defenders on the city wall immediately split into two factions.
One faction consisted of Niu Dejin's personal guards, while the other was Zhang Tao's former troops from Henan.
Just then, Zhang Tao shouted from below the city wall: "Cai Rong! There's no need to argue! Since Niu Dejin doesn't believe me, I'll go somewhere else!"
After saying that, he made a move to leave.
Cai Rong cried out urgently, "Your Excellency, please wait!"
He turned to his men and roared, "Open the city gates! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"
"Who dares!" Niu Dejin slashed at Cai Rong with his sword.
Cai Rong raised his sword to parry, and the two began to fight on the city wall.
Upon seeing this, the defending troops were thrown into chaos.
Niu Dejin's personal guards wanted to help in the battle, but Cai Rong's men stepped forward to stop them.
Chaos erupted on the city walls, with shouts of battle rising from all sides.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Cai Rong's trusted lieutenant quietly slipped down from the city wall and shouted to the guards, "Open the city gate! Welcome the military governor!"
Most of the gatekeepers were from Henan and already sympathized with Zhang Tao. Seeing the chaos on the city wall and the deputy general's order, they immediately opened the city gate.
The drawbridge was lowered, and the city gate slowly opened.
Seeing this, Zhang Tao took the lead: "Brothers, follow me into the city!"
Three hundred "defeated soldiers" rushed in.
Upon entering the city, Zhang Tao immediately ordered: "Control the city gates! Send the signal!"
The guards lit three whistling arrows, and a sharp whistling sound pierced the air.
Ten miles away, Zhao Muyun saw the signal, brandished his sword, and shouted: "All troops, attack!"
Five thousand Yin soldiers charged toward Dengzhou City like arrows released from a bow.
At this moment, on the city wall, Niu Dejin had just cut down Cai Rong with a single blow and was about to suppress the rioting army when he suddenly heard deafening battle cries outside the city.
He rushed to the crenellations and saw a dark mass of Yin soldiers swarming in, while at the city gate, Zhang Tao was leading his troops in a fierce battle with the defending soldiers.
"We've fallen into their trap!" Niu Dejin's face turned deathly pale.
The lieutenant cried out urgently, "General, let's go! The city gates have fallen; we can't hold them any longer!"
Seeing the approaching main force of the Yin army, and then looking at the chaotic defending troops in the city, Niu Dejin gritted his teeth and ordered, "Retreat! Retreat from the south gate!"
He fled Dengzhou in panic with more than a thousand personal guards.
When the city's defenders saw their commander flee, they lost all will to fight and surrendered one after another.
Half an hour later, Zhao Muyun rode his horse into the city.
Zhang Tao, covered in blood, brought Cai Rong to see Zhao Muyun.
He knelt on one knee and said, "This humble general has successfully fulfilled his mission and has taken Dengzhou!"
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