Chapter 421: Surrounded from all sides...
Shen Pei was indeed not Zhang Bao. When it came to planning strategies, even if there were three Zhang Baos put together they might not be as capable as him. However, the situation he faced was even worse than that of Zhang Bao at the time.
Zhang Bao, who was from Julu at that time, had the support of the people around him who were moved by the Yellow Turbans, and his brothers who were in Quzhou, Guangzong, echoed him from afar. If the imperial army had not arrived faster than he had imagined and had not taken a detour, the place of Quyang would have been the retreat chosen by Zhang Jiao for his three brothers.
However, Shen Pei used Xiaquyang as a key fortress to intercept troops from the north. Yecheng, Weijun in the rear, was also facing a huge threat and was unable to provide him with sufficient assistance.
It was not difficult for him to discover that some voices of uncertainty had already appeared among the troops under his command.
The previous defeat of Bohai County had already brought the soldiers' war-weariness to a peak.
Yeah, who wants to face such an opponent?
If this was a relatively evenly matched battle, these soldiers would not feel so desperate.
Even if they could win the current battle, they would only have to face the troops from the eleven states that followed closely behind.
Even in the previous battle, Taishi Ci and Gan Ning they encountered were not the main forces worthy of being called famous under Qiao Yan's command.
Taishi Ci's Shenbi Archery Battalion did have the terrifying shooting power to hit the target from hundreds of steps away, and Gan Ning's navy certainly had the ability to roam around the Juma River, Yishui River and Baiyangdian during his time stationed in Youzhou, but neither of them had the title of "General" nor the title of leading an army.
For the soldiers, whose judging criteria are the simplest, this is their second-best performance.
Then if they encounter Qiao Yan's main force later, wouldn't it be even more difficult to resist?
Another kind of unrest came from the people of Xiaquyang.
As citizens of Jizhou, in the face of foreign invasion, we should join the army and fight to defend our country. At this moment, the reputation of the Han Dynasty has reached its end, and we should have the belief to fight to the death for an inch of land.
But now...
Shen Pei climbed up to the top of the city wall of Xiaquyang.
From the distant Gucheng Mountain to the surroundings of Xiaquyang County, the fields that turned golden due to the autumn harvest have already been harvested and picked. In this wilderness, you can no longer see the figures working among the ridges.
No one knew when it started, but a rumor spread quietly among the military and civilians here.
It is said that the Emperor of Dayong, who was outside Jizhou, was waiting for the people of Jizhou to complete the autumn harvest and pick up the hard-earned harvest from their fields before he began to attack Jizhou.
Perhaps it was the news brought by a traveling merchant who passed through this place from somewhere unknown, or perhaps it was because Jizhou’s defeat in several consecutive wars led to such speculation. In short—
This rumor, which had become difficult to stop here, caused Shen Pei to feel pressure that was no less than the threat posed by the inability to boost morale.
In the perception created by this rumor, although His Majesty the Great Yong has powerful soldiers in his hands, he still has a kind heart towards these stubborn remnants of the previous dynasty and leaves them with a hope of survival. Then, will these Great Yong soldiers who are about to pass through really do any harm to them?
Probably not.
Not only that, as long as they can adapt to the trend of all rivers flowing into the sea as soon as possible and devote themselves to the rule of the new dynasty, they should be able to enjoy the same treatment as other states.
Shen Pei was unable to effectively curb the rumor because he could not give a proper explanation as to why Qiao Yan had chosen such a time to fight.
It's like... this could actually be a fact.
The more Shen Pei thought of this possibility, the more confused he became.
Where is their way out?
From the dual standpoints of the Hebei family and the Han minister, he should have had the belief of fighting to the death when he was stationed in Xiaquyang. However, if he answered this question with his conscience and reason, he could not help but feel that for the people who worked hard in the loess, joining Qiao Yan's army might really be the best outcome for them.
He had also seen the scenery of Bingzhou.
However, at that time, he was representing the newly established Yecheng court in initiating an attempt to win over Qiao Yan, and he had not expected that the expedition to Liangzhou, which was not favored by many people, would actually achieve such a result.
That’s all! There is no benefit in dwelling on these things now.
Shen Pei knew very well that he should not even put too much energy into speculating on the situation in Yecheng at this time, but should devote all his energy to paying attention to the changes in the north.
But he always had an indescribable bad feeling in his heart.
The decision made in Yecheng had not actually reached his ears, so he did not know that Yuan Shao had so decisively killed Guo Tu and Feng Ji as chess pieces to "stabilize" people's hearts here.
He just felt that the fact that the scouts had not come to report for a long time was not good news.
Even though the trenches around Quyang were dug when Zhang Bao was stationed here in the early years, there are still a lot of caltrops and staghorn wood stored in the city that have not been used for many years, which can come in handy in defending the city at this moment. However, if the northern army attacks in large numbers, the possibility of being able to stop them is very slim.
After all, this is... just a county town.
"Sir?" The subordinate who followed him to inspect the city saw that he looked down with a look of disappointment and fatigue, and hurriedly said, "Since there is no news yet, you should find a chance to rest up, otherwise it will only give the enemy a chance to take advantage of you."
The subordinates couldn't help but sigh that if there were still generals who could cooperate with Shen Pei and take over this line of defense, Shen Pei wouldn't have to worry to this extent.
Although he came to the northern defense line to replace Xin Pi, his style of doing things in Jizhou over the past few years and his resolute performance since taking over made his subordinates feel that Shen Pei was truly worthy of the title of Hebei celebrity, and they couldn't help but admire him.
Unfortunately, their situation was really bad, and there was no room for Shen Pei to mediate.
"You are right...right," Shen Pei murmured, "I cannot allow myself to lose my spirit before the enemy arrives."
He turned around and reminded the soldiers guarding the city not to be careless at this moment, and then went back to rest.
But he could never have imagined that the fact that the scouts had not returned to help at this moment did not mean that there had been no unusual movements in the north.
Those businessmen who have almost written seeking profit and avoiding harm into their code of conduct will never miss this last opportunity to make a contribution, and have already deployed countless people in the area between Beiping County and Wuji County.
Yuan Shao was too embarrassed to win over this network of merchants, so he wanted to use it as an excuse to choose a successor for his second son. However, at this time, he became the most suitable candidate to counter the scouts under Shen Pei.
The sudden sound of the enemy attacking the city startled Shen Pei from his sleep. Even though he knew that no matter how powerful the enemy was, it would be impossible for them to capture Xiaquyang City within half a quarter of an hour, Shen Pei still couldn't help but feel a bit anxious as he hurriedly walked.
"Why did we only discover now that the northern troops were moving south? Even if there were no scouts deep into Zhongshan to provide intelligence, there should have been sentries on Gucheng Mountain watching from afar." Shen Pei quickly dressed and went out. Seeing his subordinates rushing up to him, he asked immediately.
The subordinate was bewildered, "Not only are the troops arriving from the north, but also from the west!"
"We were unable to see the exact situation, and by the time we realized that the troops from Changshan had arrived, it was already too late!"
Changshan in the west?
Shen Pei paused.
If the attack is coming from Changshan, it can only be troops coming from Bingzhou!
But there had been no news from Yuan Xi before that.
As the son of Yuan Shao, even if Yuan Xi had been to Chang'an before, he would never choose to surrender to the enemy. It was only possible that the difference in strength between the enemy and us was too great, so Yuan Xi had no time to pass on the message!
This was extremely bad news for Shen Pei, whose situation was already bad.
The moment the defenders of Quyang fought against the enemy coming from the west, the strength of the enemy was clearly revealed to him.
After all, Lu Bu, Lu Lingju and others who came from the north were more proficient in the art of archery and horse riding. The greatest role they could play in this siege was to harass the city walls with a large number of bows and crossbows.
There were a large number of heavily armored infantry coming from the west. Before Shen Pei arrived at the top of the city to supervise the battle, they had already taken over siege vehicles and battering rams from the northern army. While one group of elite soldiers was climbing up to the top of the city, another group was rushing towards the city gate under a rain of arrows.
In Xiaquyang, which had no inner city, the moat surrounding the city was filled in with an extremely skillful manner. Then the siege vehicle passed through and made a teeth-grinding sound when it hit the city gate.
This sound was enough to terrify the defenders in the daytime, and in the darkness of night it carried an aura of murderous determination that would not give up.
With the help of torches that were gradually lit to facilitate the attack on the city, Shen Pei, under the cover of his subordinates, clearly saw that the armor worn by the generals in charge of the siege was much more sophisticated than ordinary armor!
In that split second, Shen Pei went over all the generals who could arrive here in his mind, and finally came to only one conclusion - General of the Eastern Expedition, Qu Yi.
And obviously, Qu Yi was not the only one coming from the west.
There was another group of troops further away supporting them, and one could only vaguely see a general of high rank stationed there.
"Go and carry all the boiling water, golden water, and rolling logs and rocks from the city to the top of the city walls." Shen Pei shouted sternly, "At least hold out until dawn, and immediately inform every household to come and help defend the city."
The west gate was attacked most fiercely, but the northern cavalry, who were not good at siege, were still eyeing the other sides. Shen Pei did not dare to take the risk of mobilizing the soldiers guarding the city on all sides, and could only rely on the people in the city.
But what made him almost utterly disappointed was that when his soldiers who went out to recruit soldiers returned, the number of people following them could even be easily counted.
"...Sir, they said they don't want to fight." The subordinate who received the order to go find someone replied hesitantly, "They said that we only have half of Jizhou and half of Qingzhou, which is less than one-tenth of the enemy's territory. The Emperor of Dayong has the imperial seal handed over by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. Why do they have to make such a meaningless sacrifice?"
"Since the royal army has arrived today and you have not made adequate preparations in advance, this may be a sign that Jizhou should surrender."
When Shen Pei heard this, he felt a darkness before his eyes.
Although he had guessed from previous rumors that when he really encountered a siege, he might encounter a situation where the people in the city resisted fighting, but when he really encountered such a response, he still felt a sense of despair that his last chance was forcibly broken.
"How foolish! They..."
Looking at the orderly siege troops in the dark shadows outside the city, Shen Pei suddenly stopped talking.
Should these people who do not want to fight but would rather hide at home and wait for the outside army to invade really be called confused?
Maybe, not.
But before Shen Pei could come up with an answer, the city gate collapsed with a sound of being unable to bear the heavy weight, as the people blocking the gate were unable to effectively kill the heavily armored soldiers.
Guarding the Bingzhou Xingkou for many years never made Qu Yi, a general born in Liangzhou, neglect the training of his soldiers' skills.
Qiao Yan's previous balance of official positions in the Xiping Qu family also made him realize that if he wanted the Qu family's children to have more official positions than just this, he, as the leader, would have to achieve even greater military exploits!
Since crossing the Taihang Mountains and entering the territory of Jizhou, every siege battle has involved his elite troops and his own hopes of promotion.
In the dim light, the Dayong soldiers, who were always busy eating and drinking, still kept their eyes sharp. At the moment the city gate was knocked open, they did not give the soldiers defending the city a chance to push the gate back. Almost in an instant, they poured into the city like a tide.
The cavalrymen roaming around the periphery followed closely and rushed into the city gate.
The two-pronged advance of Dayong's side had originally put Shen Pei's side at a numerical disadvantage. Now that the city gate defense no longer existed, this numerical disadvantage became even more obvious.
They must leave as soon as possible now!
In this kind of battle in the city, even if it is transferred to the alleys, it will never be their side that has the advantage.
Instead of wasting energy here when the city is broken, it is better to move the position as soon as possible and see if there is any place south of Quyang that can stop the enemy.
But this time, his luck was not as good as in the previous battle in Bohai.
Shen Pei, who was surrounded by soldiers and trying to escape from the south of the city, had not gone far when he saw cavalrymen chasing him from both sides like the wind. However, they were trapped in them in a moment.
The torches in front of him illuminated Shen Pei's sight with a blazing red color, making it difficult for him to see the face of the person opposite him. He only heard a voice coming from the direction of the leader: "Zhao Yun from Changshan is here. Mr. Shen Zhengnan, please dismount and surrender."
Changshan...Zhao Zilong.
Changshan!
Shen Pei suddenly understood how they had managed to break into this place!
But it was obviously too late to understand it at this time.
He understood not only how the enemy had reached the city of Xiaquyang, but also that the popular support and the overall outcome had been completely established in this siege!
Shen Pei's strong and generous power in commanding the troops could not change the minds of the people of Xiaquyang. And if even the people of Jizhou, who had only a vague understanding of the situation under the rule of Dayong, showed such behavior at this time, the people of Guanzhong, who had truly benefited from Qiao Yan's kindness for many years... should be even more so!
It is not surprising at all that the throne of the Han Dynasty was passed on in Sili.
"You guys won."
Shen Pei was silent for a long time, and then uttered these five words with great difficulty.
But when he raised his head and looked at Zhao Yun in the light of the torch, his expression was still solemn, "But the Han has not lost yet."
But whether the Han Dynasty really did not lose is not something that can be determined by Shen Pei's stubbornness.
Zhao Yun obviously had no intention of arguing with him at this moment. He just ordered his men to arrest him immediately and then escorted him back to Xiaquyang.
Shen Peiben also felt that if the siege by Zhao Yun, Qu Yi and others caused harm to the people in Quyang City, he would have a reason to stand firm, and based on the Han position he insisted on, he would denounce the other party as an out-and-out traitor.
But when they returned to the city, the remaining soldiers had no will to continue fighting because of Shen Pei's departure from the city, and they were all captured.
The people in the city hid in their homes and dared not go out, thus avoiding any unnecessary disputes with the Dayong troops when they entered the city.
Although the city had just experienced a change of ownership, there was not much noise at this moment.
Qu Yi and Zhao Yun's subordinates, who had entered the city, had seized ownership of the four city walls and began to clean up the battlefield on the city walls in an orderly manner.
It was obviously impossible for the escaped prisoners in the city to escape after locking the city gates again, so it would not be too late to search them during the day.
They certainly didn't have to make much noise.
Perhaps the only thing that could be considered a farce in this orderly scene was that Lu Lingju was arguing with Lu Bu at this moment about whose subordinates had made a greater contribution in the recent siege around the city.
If Zhao Yun had not caught up with Shen Pei faster, the two of them would have been able to decide the winner by seeing who captured the commander first.
Now I can only rely on my talking skills.
It must be said that this was also due to the fact that Gao Shun, who was captured outside Beiping County before, was still like a sullen man at this time, and had no intention of surrendering just because he was defeated by them. Both of them were people who valued talent and could not bear to kill him, so they could only put their extra energy into the competition for credit between father and daughter.
Zhao Yun watched the scene in front of him helplessly, and did not notice the strange look that flashed across the face of Shen Pei who was captured behind him.
He had interrupted the conversation between the Lu family father and daughter and said, "You two should rest as soon as possible. We have other tasks tomorrow. It won't be too late to decide who is better then."
The two men, one big and one small, raised their weapons and looked at each other provocatively before leaving.
What Zhao Yun said is not wrong. They still have a heavy task to do tomorrow.
Since the action that followed was also a military achievement, they really had the opportunity to determine the pros and cons from it.
The next day, Zhao Yun left a team to guard Xiaquyang to ensure that the place would not get out of control due to their departure. After confirming that there were no more soldiers hiding in the houses in the city, he immediately gathered his troops and left the city.
The two armies that broke through Shen Pei's defense did not march directly south, but followed the advice given by Xi Zhicai when Zhao Yun and others sent troops from Bingzhou. After first dealing with the more troublesome Shen Pei with this surprise attack, they suddenly turned around and attacked Yuan Xi.
Yes, it was at this time that Yuan Xi had not yet received the news that Zhao Yun and others had entered the country from Niuyin Mountain.
His eyes were still on the two passes that were easier to march through.
It is also possible that because Yuan Shang had been captured before, Yuan Xi had to focus part of his attention on the south, waiting for Yuan Shao in Yecheng to make some arrangements for him.
Gao Lan, who was here with him, was feeling rather frustrated because he had been captured by Lu Bu before and Yuan Shao replaced his and Gao Shun's positions. He had lost the spirit he had when he led troops in battle before.
Yuan Xi saw it all, but he really didn't know what words to use to persuade Gao Lan.
I just feel that fortunately, the position they are in is not likely to be the number one target of attack, and Gao Lan’s current condition should not affect the overall situation.
But how can I say it? They were not the first target to be attacked, but because they were a group of troops after all, they were bound to be hit by this sudden attack in this mopping-up operation.
When the news of Shen Pei's capture and the invading army arrived one after another, the army on the other side also arrived.
Yuan Xi finally realized belatedly that Qiao Yan ordered the Bingzhou-direction troops to block the two passes in Taihang Mountain not to prevent them from crossing the border and invading Bingzhou to attack her base camp, but to prevent him from leading his soldiers to retreat into the mountains and escape through the passes between the two states!
In front are the Dayong troops who are coming with a great victory, and behind are the vast mountains that are difficult to escape. This is simply a choice of being surrounded by wolves in front and tigers behind!
He even watched helplessly as Lu Bu, in the battle that had already broken through the city gates, knocked Gao Lan, who was trying to get back at the enemy, off his horse with a single blow of his halberd, causing this pillar of the Hebei court to die on the spot.
Like Shen Pei, he was "invited" to follow the operation, but in this situation where the city was broken and he was captured, it seemed unnecessary for him to feel lucky for having saved his life.
Seeing that this high-spirited army intended to march south immediately after a short rest, passing through the Zhao territory of Jizhou and marching into Yecheng, Yuan Xi felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
My father's situation was extremely bad at this time.
Changshan changed its owner, Zhongshan changed its owner, and Hejian County and Bohai County were unable to be held on by relying on Ju Su's wisdom, which meant that Jizhou was truly only half left at this time.
Unfortunately, they, as sons, have no way to prevent the transfer of power.
Yuan Shang was captured by Cao Cao and others because he rashly sent troops. Then Yuan Xi was besieged and fell into the hands of the enemy because he failed to notice the advance of Zhao Yun and others.
From this perspective, among his father’s descendants, the only one who can still support him is his eldest brother Yuan Tan!
But is Yuan Tan’s situation really as good as Yuan Xi thinks?
The mutinies in Donglai and Beihai put Yuan Tan and Xin Ping in an extremely passive situation.
Jia Xu's march northwards following closely behind made them realize that this old fox not only gave advice to Dong Zhuo in the past, but was also very capable in the war in Xuzhou. In the battle of confrontation on Weishui River, he not only stabilized the counterattacking forces in the direction of Donglai, but also used generals such as Zhang Ren, Yan Yan and Ma Chao in a small-scale assault on crossing the river.
If Yuan Tan had a few capable generals, he might be able to respond to Jia Xu's disruptive attack, but he only had Jiang Qi.
Even this only one was killed on the spot when Ma Chao set fire to the camp while crossing the Wei River at night.
The generals who went north from Xuzhou to Qingzhou almost had the words "Assisting the Governor of Qingzhou in building great achievements" written on their faces.
Under such intimidation, Yuan Tan and Xin Ping could only make a decision to sacrifice their pawns to save their chariots:
Give up the part located south of the Yellow River, retain the natural barrier, and then plan a counterattack.
He also relied on the evacuation of soldiers across the river to preserve more manpower for Yuan Shao.
But what Yuan Tan had not expected was that before he crossed the river, Guo Jia, who was in Yanzhou, had ordered Xu Huang, Le Jin and others to go north to Qinghe County and then to Qingzhou. Just when Yuan Tan had not yet crossed half of the river, he launched a strong attack on him.
The reason why Qinghe County was short of troops was because Yuan Tan transferred them to Qingzhou for support with Yuan Shao's sword as a token of trust. However, the battle situation in Qingzhou did not improve because of this part of the additional troops. Instead, Yuan Tan himself was severely harmed by the emptiness of Qinghe after the transfer of troops.
How could they ignore that Guo Jia, who was in Yanzhou, was once the chief officer of Qiao Yan's Grand Marshal's Mansion. When it comes to his insight into the war situation, he is no less than anyone else.
There was no need for him to head towards that place when the military forces in Henei County were at their peak. It would be better for him to become a sharp blade to cut off the connection between Jizhou and Qingzhou at this time!
Attacking an army when it is halfway across the river has always been the most effective blow to an army.
In the face of such an attack, even if Yuan Shao were here, he might not be able to make any effective response, not to mention that only Yuan Tan was here!
He didn't even care about Xin Ping who was supporting him from behind, and fled north in a hurry with the help of his subordinates.
This group of soldiers, who were supposed to return to Jizhou, either died in the fierce attack by Xu Huang, Le Jin and others, or chose to surrender along with Xin Ping who was still on the ferry in the river at that time.
"It's such a pity that we failed to capture Young Master Yuan." Xu Huang felt extremely regretful.
Fortunately, with the enemy troops they captured in this battle, plus Xin Ping who was captured alive, they were finally able to give an explanation to Guo Jia and Qiao Yan.
However, Yuan Tan was unable to escape.
Yuan Tan knew something about the fighting situation in northern Jizhou.
He also knew that Ju Su was stationed in Lecheng, south of the Hutuo River.
Knowing that he had lost Qingzhou, Yuan Tan might be severely reprimanded by his father if he returned directly to Yecheng, or he might be intercepted on the way before he even got to Weijun. After much thought, he decided that he might as well go and meet Ju Shou first. If he could perform some military exploits by assisting in the battle here, perhaps he could even atone for his sin.
But as soon as he entered Lecheng County to meet Ju Shou, he heard the battle report from Ju Shou's subordinates.
Zhang Liao led more than 10,000 soldiers and marched south!
This governor of Youzhou had almost let Lu Bu steal all the limelight in the previous two years. But when he went to the expedition as the main general, no one should forget that he had been in confrontation with Gongsun Zan for several years. It was he who set an ambush and defeated the tripartite coalition of Gongsun Zan, Kebinen and Tadun, and it was he who rescued Liu Yu from Binhai Road. It was also he who forced Gongsun Zan into a desperate situation step by step. He was undoubtedly a genius in leading troops!
What's more, it's not just Zhang Liao's group that is heading south to attack Lecheng this time!
Gan Ning and Taishi Ci, who had previously sent troops to Bohai County, received Zhang Liao's transfer order and sailed westward down the Zhangshui River on a fleet and turned into the Hutuo River. The moment they joined forces with Zhang Liao, they directly crossed the river with their navy and interrupted Ju Su's intended interception.
The sudden long-range attack from the Shenbi Archery Camp even killed the soldiers who were controlling the crossbows on the city wall at the beginning of the battle.
When the Youzhou troops slowly approached and gathered under the wall of Lecheng County, Yuan Tan's face turned completely pale when he saw this scene.
He thought he had escaped the attack from the troops in Xuzhou and Yanzhou, and had found a relatively reliable umbrella for himself, but in fact he had just jumped from one fire pit into another. Now he could only face his own end in this pursuit with no way to escape.
Ju Su's experience as a cavalry commander in Hebei for many years did make his subordinates feel a stronger sense of belonging to him, and also allowed this county to be held for a few days longer than Shen Pei's Xiaquyang. However, as this city is located in the central part of Jizhou, it has never been included in the ranks of garrison fortresses, and the stored bows and arrows are much less than those in ordinary places, and there will always be a moment when they are used up.
Half a month later, when Zhang Liao and Guo Jia met in Qinghe County, Ju Shou and Yuan Tan were added to the prison cart in the rear.
To be honest, although Zhang Liao and Guo Jia were both old subordinates of Qiao Yan who had followed him when he was still in Bingzhou, they had not seen each other for many years.
Unfortunately, now is not the time to reminisce.
Jia Xu, who was in Qingzhou, only ordered Ma Chao and others to lead the troops, on the grounds that he was "an old man and could not run much".
The three armies immediately took Ju Su, Yuan Tan and Xin Ping and rushed to Weijun.
Zhao Yun and Lu Bu brought Shen Pei, Yuan Xi and Gao Shun to the north of Weijun.
At the same time, Qiao Yan, who was in Hanoi County, was also not idle.
When the summer breeze of mid-August blew across the land of Hanoi, the troops led by Cao Cao, with her permission, rushed towards Gao Gan on the opposite side.
Gao Gan is a big shot, but we have to see who he is being compared with!
No matter how high Yuan Shao's hopes were for him, he knew very well that he would never be able to keep Qiao Yan outside Wei County.
But even now, he had never expected that when urgent reports were sent one after another to this "imperial capital" from all around Yecheng, what he would hear would be such a well-coordinated large-scale invasion.
It seemed as if everything changed overnight, leaving him no room for buffering.
The troops from the north, south and east of Wei County gathered together, and each took one of his sons as a hostage.
To the west is the Taihang Mountains, so there is no need to consider it as a retreat route.
And his few remaining generals and counselors had all been captured by the enemy in the past half month, or were simply dead!
What does he have left?
What was left was a group of mobs who were not capable of serving as a barrier for Yecheng, a descendant of the Han Dynasty who was not capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of being the emperor, and a shaky hope.
Yuan Shao managed to climb up the city wall of Yecheng with one last breath. The road closest to him was exactly that of Qiao Yan's troops approaching Yecheng. The flags of King Yong and the flag with the word "Qiao" on it, representing Qiao Yan's personal expedition, were fluttering in the wind, looking even more ostentatious!
He almost vomited blood again.
This is the real——
They surrounded the city from all sides and the troops were at the gate.
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