The night… The river wind howled, striking furiously against the banners, emitting explosive roars. For a time, the entire beacon tower vibrated with this sound.
Yet, the guards stationed here seemed accustomed to such noise. Content, they clutched silk handkerchiefs and porcelain, even dreaming of the massive profits made, fantasizing about buying a few pretty girls upon returning to Shu, ensuring their beds would no longer be cold at night.
Who could have foreseen…
The sound of "thump, thump, thump" footsteps rapidly approached, masked by the flapping of banners.
Until their dormitory doors were kicked open, countless sharp blades and armored soldiers swarmed in…
Lu Meng was still clad in a white robe, a general’s saber in his hand.
The guards of the beacon tower were completely unprepared for this sudden surprise attack… They could only lay down their weapons and surrender.
"Change out of their clothes…"
Lu Meng methodically instructed his soldiers, "Also, find out how many more beacon towers are behind this one? Who are the generals stationed at each beacon tower? And who is the commander of Jiangling city?"
…
With a "clack…" sound, the drawbridge halted…
"Father Marshal, your son has investigated thoroughly. The reason Fancheng is difficult to attack is not solely due to the Wei army… but more so because of the common people. Fancheng is united in military and civilian spirit… almost all the citizens are delivering supplies at the city walls, women serving food and washing clothes for the soldiers… therefore…"
"Gongjin, will His Majesty's 'White Robe Crossing the River' strategy truly break Jiangling city?" Many historians analyze that if Ma Liang had been present, Guan Yu might not have carelessly lost Jingzhou.
"It's one of us! Quickly lower the drawbridge, quickly open the city gates!"
Innumerable Wei soldiers were ambushed in the woods outside Jiangling city…
Then, now… tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands… of citizens, they all surged towards the city gates… the sound of their footsteps was a "rumble, rumble…"
"Enough…" Guan Yu finally spoke, his tightly shut eyes slowly opening. "This Marquis sees it. With the current siege ladders alone, Fancheng cannot be breached. It will take ten days to capture Xiangfan. Ask Mi Fang, Liu Feng, and Meng Da, where are the grain and siege weapons being transported? Did this Marquis not order them delivered within ten days?"
"My son was drowned by you! I'll fight you to the death!"
—"Wife, I've avenged you!"
"Light the torches!" the general on the city wall commanded.
Finally, he turned back to the boat, involuntarily uttering four words:
Guan Yu's expression changed visibly. With a "bang," he slammed his fist onto the table.
Changsha Commandery, outside the port.
The flooding of Jiangling, who knows how many women and children were drowned in the process…
Lu Meng, in the woods, instinctively clenched his fist, pounding heavily on a nearby tree…
Three days later!
"Slow attack? How do we slow down?" Liao Hua asked. "We only have ten days' worth of grain, and the supplies and siege weapons haven't arrived yet! His Majesty is also pressing us. The Marquis wishes to slow down, but can he?"
At this, torches were lit below the city wall, the flames illuminating the faces of every soldier. The front ranks were Guan family soldiers, and behind them were Lu Meng's troops.
The footsteps of several hundred people were a "thump, thump…"
"Oh," Zhou Yu seemed to snap back to attention. He smiled and downed the tea in his cup. "Who says His Majesty… underestimated this 'White-browed Ma'…"
—"Damn the ancestors of the Guan family!"
The footsteps of a few people were a "thump, thump…"
Soon, drums roared like thunder, and countless strong citizens poured out of the city like a tide. The shouts of killing and screams immediately intertwined.
The four city gates of Jiangling city suddenly became restless.
Immediately following…
Therefore, during Guan Yu's northern expedition to Xiangfan and Lu Meng's 'White Robe Crossing the River' period, a crucial strategist was missing.
At this, the entire drawbridge mechanism began to move rapidly. With a "clack, clack" mechanical sound, Lu Meng, ambushed in the thicket, felt his heart leap into his throat.
… Just waiting for the first batch to secure the drawbridge, and they too could charge in.
Ah…
A sound that shook the heavens and earth echoed across this land, which had only recently been submerged by floodwaters.
"Mi Fang and Liu Feng have ruined this Marquis's great undertaking. It seems the military rods applied back then were still too light!"
Liao Hua's voice also came through, "This is because the Marquis flooded Jiangling, defeating the Wei army while also instilling fear in the people of Jingzhou, making them united against a common enemy… Fancheng's people now fear the Marquis similarly… so…"
Zhou Yu's words stunned everyone.
The drawbridge of Jiangling city hung over the moat. Lu Meng's ships had already docked.
"Yes… Prefect Zhou, Jiangling is still occupied by Guan Yu. To go rashly… is too dangerous."
"Prefect Zhou, this… this is not right. Guan Yu has set up dozens of beacon towers in Jiangling. If there's an attack, he'll immediately reinforce? How can Prefect Zhou be so sure? What about Jiangling's return?"
Zhuge Jin remained silent, seemingly listening with great interest to Lu Su's words…
The general on the city wall seemed to recognize many familiar faces and ordered the guards beside him, "They are our own people. Guards of the beacon tower, lower the drawbridge, open the city gates!"
Er…
"Hahaha…" Zhou Yu laughed heartily, "Zijing, you've made another big mistake, casually guessing His Majesty's intentions. Hehe, who says defeating Guan Yu will definitely be the 'White Robe Crossing the River'? Wrong… In fact, what will defeat Guan Yu is public support, the support of Jingzhou and Jiangling!"
Guan Yu changed the topic, "Send people everywhere to collect grain, manufacture weapons locally, and three days from now, we will forcefully attack Fancheng!"
Just then.
Thump, thump…
Speaking of which…
"Yes…" the attendant beside him cupped his fist to interrogate.
Zhou Yu lightly stepped onto a small boat.
"If Prefect Zhou insists on going, why don't we send more soldiers? Although the Jingnan navy is not as good as the Jingbei, it can at least guarantee Prefect Zhou's safety."
Lu Meng's 'White Robe Crossing the River' could deceive the beacon towers, but it couldn't deceive Ma Liang's eyes.
Before Guan Ping could finish speaking…
"Drive these Shu dogs back!"
Speaking of this… Guan Yu directly threw the letter into the nearby fire.
"What do you mean by that, Zijing?" Zhou Yu asked, pouring himself more tea.
Ah…
"Kill… kill them!"
After all, Guan Yu himself had commanded the attack last night, mobilizing almost the entire army, not the "fifty percent" Guan Yu mentioned.
Below the city wall, some guards noticed the approaching figures.
Upon hearing this, Lu Su and Zhuge Jin were both startled. They seemed to suddenly understand something, placing significant importance on Ma Liang's role.
"You are stationed at the beacon towers… this is of great importance, and there is no replacement. The Marquis has no orders, and without reason, how can so many retreat? Humph, retract the drawbridge!"
He didn't know what had happened, but to ensure the overall situation was foolproof, even if it was an overreaction, he had to choose to… seal the gates of Jiangling city.
Instantly, the intense resentment and anger within Jiangling city surged and erupted like a volcano… rushing towards every city gate.
"The commander of Jiangling is Ma Liang. Below the Cai and Kuai families of Jingzhou, there are the Pang, Ma, Xiang, and Xi families. And among the 'Five Ma Brothers,' the White-browed one is the most prominent. If His Majesty underestimates this 'White-browed Ma,' he might suffer a great loss!"
On the other hand, Zhou Yu was somewhat distracted.
—"Shu dogs, is this all you've got! Are you capable or not!"
The Guan family army below the city shouted…
Historically, Ma Liang, in the sixteenth year of Jian'an, after Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang entered Shu, remained in Jingzhou to assist Guan Yu.
…
"Kill…"
"Fight, fight, fight!"
Unlike these Jingnan officials, Lu Su's question was more to the point.
Ma Liang had already seen the hesitation of the "friendly forces" below the city through the torchlight…
…
"The Prime Minister told this Marquis to pay attention to Jiangling's…" Guan Yu's eyes narrowed into a slit. "Whether the northern expedition succeeds or not, as long as Jiangling remains, we can guarantee a safe retreat at any time."
A surprise attack?
They organized themselves in private, this group grew larger and larger… until finally, over a hundred thousand people… and no news leaked out!
"Of course, we must attack, but we cannot rush." Wang Fu suggested, "The Great Wei has governed Jingzhou for so many years, and now it seems… they have won over the hearts of the people. The Marquis's flood of Jiangling has temporarily lost popular support… therefore, a rushed attack is not beneficial. A slow approach might wait for an opportunity!"
This is the power of hatred, the power of common enemy.
This…
Speaking of this…
"Father Marshal, this…" Guan Ping felt this action was inappropriate and quickly reminded his father.
These strong men had been waiting for these words for too long. Every day felt like an eternity! "Reporting to the Marquis, Prime Minister Zhuge has sent a letter!"
Ah… this…
Don't know who struck the drum.
"Gongjin, Gongjin…" Zhuge Jin reminded, "Zijing is asking you a question!"
"Kill the Guan dogs!"
They arrived by fast boat and had no siege equipment. Jiangling city is surrounded by water on three sides… the drawbridge wouldn't lower, and they couldn't even touch the city walls. How could they attack?
"Kill!"
Speaking of this, Zhou Yu slowly stood up… he opened the curtain and walked slowly to one end of the boat. He gazed at the green mountains on both banks and shouted, "The people have the right to choose a more peaceful and comfortable life."
These voices, one by one, came out…
Boom…
"Yes."
"Wife, your husband has been incompetent his whole life. This time, I'm avenging you, no longer incompetent!" Just then, a scholar on the city wall shouted.
"Then what should we do?" Zhou Cang, who was holding Guan Yu's saber, asked with a frown. "We can't just stop attacking because Fancheng's military and civilians are united, can we?"
As screams echoed from the city gates.
"This is bad!"
As soon as this was said…
This night's operation… codename—Revenge!
Numerous cheers erupted from the crowd:
What's going on?
But after the bloody siege battle, Fancheng remained as solid as a rock. Guan Yu still remembered the enemy commander Lu Xun shouting with a smile from the city wall, "General Guan, when is your next siege?"
As for the reason, nothing else, the second siege attack last night had also failed. If the first failure could be excused as "careless underestimation," then this time…
Lu Meng, however, looked at the large "Han" banner on the beacon tower and shook his head slightly.
Zhou Yu gave a signal to the boatman. The boatman steered the small boat slowly towards Jiangling.
The people were filled with righteous indignation and common hatred.
—"A mantis trying to stop a chariot!"
And those captured Guan family soldiers were the first to walk towards the city gates of Jiangling.
Indeed…
And these surviving strong men, they… had once been lost, they had once been helpless. They didn't know why their good days, their happy families, were suddenly washed away by a flood!
A messenger quickly took out a letter from a bamboo tube behind him and handed it to Guan Yu immediately. Guan Yu unfolded it… At first, it was nothing, but as he read further, he started laughing heartily.
…
Lu Xun's words almost provoked all of Guan Yu's pride.
—"And his Guan Yu's flood has already created enemies among thousands of citizens… this battle, from the very beginning, he Guan Yu has lost!
…
Should the revenge for wife and children be taken?
The one speaking was Ma Liang…
"Because," since it came up, Zhou Yu simply sighed, "Because these beacon towers couldn't stop the fall of the eight-hundred-year Zhou dynasty, then they certainly cannot stop the end of the four-hundred-year Han dynasty… Let's go. When I reach Jiangling city, I'll invite everyone for drinks!"
"Who is it?" The guarding general was very alert and raised his hand slightly.
In the darkness of night, countless torches were lit… and countless archers had their arrows nocked.
Lu Su's question was urgent…
Everyone argued, unable to agree…
"Prefect Zhou, His Majesty appointed you as the Prefect of Changsha… now you want to return to Jiangling… this…"
Finally, someone in the city spread a message: this very night, the Great Wei army will launch a surprise attack on Jiangling…
Should they stand and die? Or kneel and live?
"General, look…"
….
The boat stopped by the shore, and many officials gathered around the boat.
But…..