SFS Chapter 1243 Two Years of Siege, Broken in Three Days
Chapter 1243 Two Years of Siege, Broken in Three Days
Meanwhile, on the other side of Chang'an, an even more elite force was quietly assembling. Zhang Xiu, dressed in plain clothes, left the city in batches with Jia Xu, Gao Shun, and Zhang Yan, and gathered by the Wei River.
"It's almost time," Jia Xu said in a low voice. "Travel west along the Wei River. We'll enter Yinping in three days. Remember to stay hidden during the day and travel at night, and do not disturb the post stations along the way."
Gao Shun nodded. The soldiers of the Trapped Camp behind him had already changed into light leather armor, carrying ropes, axes, saws, and other items. Even their horses' hooves were wrapped in cotton cloth, making them walk silently. The Black Mountain Army brought by Zhang Yan was even more dressed in short-sleeved clothing, carrying bows and crossbows, with curved swords at their waists. Each of them had sharp eyes, like cheetahs about to dive into the forest.
Zhang Xiu took one last look at the city walls of Chang'an in the distance and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."
The group silently disappeared into the dense forest to the west. Reaching the Wei River, they boarded a small boat that had been prepared beforehand. The boat glided across to the opposite bank and quickly vanished into the twilight. Jia Xu gazed at the swiftly flowing Wei River and sighed softly. Along this journey, Zhang Xiu and his men would have to cross the Motian Ridge and traverse the Desolate Valley; a single misstep could lead to total annihilation. But for the sake of Yizhou, this risk had to be taken.
Two groups, one operating openly and the other covertly, embarked on their respective journeys. Chang'an City appeared outwardly calm, the markets bustling as usual. Only Ma Chao stood atop the city wall, gazing at the southern sky, knowing that a storm sweeping across western Sichuan was brewing. Meanwhile, far away in Chengdu, Zhang Song received a reply while forcing a smile at Liu Zhang's banquet. Upon seeing the words "preserve yourself" in the letter, his tense nerves relaxed slightly, but he immediately gripped the letter tightly, a resolute glint in his eyes. There was still much he could do.
Dust billowed at Yangping Pass. Fa Zheng and Zhang Ren were standing on the watchtower when they received Ma Chao's secret order, gazing at the camp inside the pass that had become somewhat lax due to the long siege.
"My lord means we should get serious now." Zhang Ren gripped his sword, a sharp glint in his eyes. For the past two years, they had been besieging the city without attacking, sending only small groups to harass Liu Zhang daily, deliberately feigning weakness and a loss of momentum, all to lull Liu Zhang into a false sense of security. Sure enough, the renowned general Yan Yan had already been transferred back to Bazhou County in Chengdu, leaving only Leng Bao to guard Yangping Pass—this famous Shu general, though brave, was also impatient, exactly the breakthrough they were looking for.
Fa Zheng stroked his beard and chuckled: "Leng Bao is brave, but he lacks composure. These past two years have worn him down to his impatience, which gives us a perfect opportunity."
The two exchanged a glance, and their plan was decided.
On the first day, just as dawn was breaking, the Xiliang army suddenly broke camp, their flags pulled back, and the camp was gradually emptied. Leng Bao, who was on the city wall, heard the news and climbed up the tower. Seeing that the enemy camp was indeed deserted, with only a few tattered flags remaining, he immediately laughed loudly: "I knew it! The Xiliang army couldn't hold out any longer! Send down the order to strengthen vigilance and not fall for their trick!" Although he said this, the relaxation in his eyes could not be hidden—after two years of stalemate, anyone would think that the other side was already at its last gasp.
The next day, the Xiliang army did not retreat far, but instead arrayed themselves ten miles from the pass. Zhang Ren personally led five thousand cavalry to challenge them, and Leng Bao, as expected, could not restrain himself and led his army out of the pass to meet them. The two armies clashed in the open field. The Xiliang army appeared brave, but gradually weakened in the afternoon, feinting an attack before retreating. Leng Bao pursued for a while, and seeing that the enemy retreated decisively, he became even more convinced that the Xiliang army's fighting strength had declined. He returned to the pass triumphantly, not even bothering to check the defenses of the pass walls.
On the third day, at dawn, the night was as dark as ink. Leng Bao had just finished his shift and was walking towards the barracks, rubbing his sore neck, when he suddenly heard a short, agonizing scream coming from the direction of the gate wall, followed by deathly silence. His heart skipped a beat, and he drew his sword sharply, shouting to his men, "What happened?"
A bodyguard rushed over in a panic: "General, something seems to have happened at the western watchtower!"
Leng Bao led his men up the city wall, only to see the torch on the west watchtower askew and fall. A dark shadow flashed beneath the tower, and several figures dressed in Shu army uniforms darted into the pass. "Spies!" Leng Bao roared, swinging his sword to strike. But the figures were exceptionally slippery, relying on their familiarity with the paths within the pass, they slipped into a secret passage next to the armory—an emergency passage left over from the construction of the fortress, known to very few except for successive commanders.
"Not good!" Leng Bao's scalp tingled. The armory contained half the city's arrows and spears; if it were captured, the city's defenses would be rendered useless. He ordered the secret passage exits sealed off while personally leading the main force towards the armory. Just as they turned the corner, they bumped into a group of "Shu soldiers." The captain leading them clasped his hands and said, "General, the spies have run towards the granary!"
Leng Bao was taken aback. While the granary was important, it was far less deadly than the armory. Just as he hesitated, a deafening battle cry erupted from the north wall, and torches lit up like stars—Zhang Ren's men had already scaled the north wall! "A diversionary tactic!" Leng Bao's eyes widened in fury. Knowing he'd fallen for a trap, he turned to rush back, but his path was blocked by the same "Shu army" he'd come from. A flash of blade, and the leading captain tore off his disguise, revealing Xiliang army armor: "General Leng, stay!"
Street fighting erupted instantly. Leng Bao charged left and right, sustaining several wounds. He finally managed to fight his way out and reach the north wall, only to see Zhang Ren standing on the crenellations, holding a Shu army flag and shouting to the Xiliang army below: "Leng Bao has surrendered! Open the city gates!"
A throng of people surged beneath the city walls. Leng Bao, his eyes blazing with fury, cried out, "I have not surrendered! Zhang Ren, stop slandering me!" But his voice was drowned out by the cheers of the Xiliang army and the panic of the Shu troops. Several soldiers guarding the city gates, already in a state of confusion, actually began to loosen the bolts on the gates upon seeing their commander "surrender."
Leng Bao charged forward like a madman, slicing through the door bolt ropes with a single stroke, and turned to face the pursuing Xiliang soldiers. He knew that once the city gate was opened, everything would be over. Blood dripped down his armor, forming small puddles on the ground. With his last ounce of strength, he held on tightly to the city gate until Zhang Ren's spear pierced his shoulder blade and embedded itself in the door panel.
“General Leng, you’ve lost.” Zhang Ren’s voice rang in his ears. Leng Bao turned his head and saw the “spies” who had crawled out of the secret passage leisurely pouring oil into the pile of arrows—it turned out that they had never intended to raid the armory in the first place, but only wanted to pin themselves down on this path.
The tinderbox crackled and burned, illuminating Leng Bao's face. He gazed at the Xiliang army flag fluttering on the north wall, then suddenly laughed, a laugh so hard that blood gushed from the corner of his mouth: "A brilliant plan... a masterful trap..."
Zhang Ren drew his spear and looked at Leng Bao, who was nailed to the door and bleeding profusely. His tone carried a hint of persuasion: "General Leng, Yangping Pass has fallen, and Liu Zhang is incompetent. Why continue to serve him? Surrender to the Xiliang Army, and I guarantee you will still hold military power and guard a region."
Fa Zheng chimed in, "General Leng is a loyal and righteous man, whom we have always admired. But now that the situation is hopeless, why suffer the consequences of our actions? A wise bird chooses its tree to perch on, and a wise person knows when to yield."
Leng Bao coughed up a mouthful of blood, but his eyes remained sharp as knives. He stared intently at Zhang Ren and Fa Zheng, his voice hoarse but each word resounding: "Bah! You two were originally subjects of Shu, yet you betrayed your master for personal gain, colluding with the Xiliang army. You are a disgrace to Yizhou! I, Leng Bao, was born a subject of Shu, and I will die a ghost of Shu. How could I associate with you traitors!"
"Although my lord Liu Zhang was not a great ruler, he never mistreated the people. You aided and abetted the wicked, inviting wolves into the house; you will be punished sooner or later!" Leng Bao struggled to stand upright, blood trickling down the door. "My Leng family has been loyal for generations; only death can prove our innocence!"
Having said that, he exerted a sudden burst of strength, managing to break free of his pierced shoulder blade, and with his last ounce of power, slammed into a nearby stone pillar. With a muffled thud, Leng Bao collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Zhang Ren and Fa Zheng looked at Leng Bao's body with complicated expressions. After a long while, Zhang Ren sighed and ordered that he be properly buried: "He was a man of honor, don't mistreat him."
Soon after, Ma Chao received a battle report from the front lines and learned that Leng Bao had refused to surrender even at the cost of his life. He simply said, "A loyal and righteous man, what a pity." He then wrote a reply on the letter: "Proceed to Jiange according to the original plan, without delay."
Despite the military order being issued, the morale of the Xiliang army remained unaffected, and the army continued its advance towards Jiange.
The Jianmen Pass is a formidable mountain range, its steep walls piercing the clouds. Pang De's 30,000 Xiliang troops were already arrayed outside the pass. During the day, they unleashed siege ladders and battering rams, their battle cries echoing through the mountains, yet they would only make a feint at the pass before sounding the retreat. At night, the war drums thundered, and torches stretched from the foot of the mountain to its waist, as if a night raid was imminent. This kept the defending general on edge, unable to sleep a wink.
She Yuan, born into the prominent She family of Yizhou, was the younger brother of She Jian, an official in charge of military affairs. He had been well-versed in military texts since childhood but had little experience in battle. Faced with the relentless harassment from a fierce general like Pang De, he had long lost his composure. He wrote letter after letter in his tent, sending them to Chengdu by fast horse, each letter filled with anxiety.
Inside Chengdu, Liu Zhang frowned deeply as he looked at the alliance treaty sent by Zhuge Liang. The tea on the table went cold and was replaced again and again. One moment he thought that Liu Bei's "benevolence and righteousness are known throughout the world," and that leading his army into Sichuan might solve his immediate crisis; the next moment he feared that he was inviting trouble and repeating the mistake of "inviting Dong Zhuo into Luoyang." His fingers traced lines on the alliance treaty, unable to make up his mind.
Just then, letters pleading for reinforcements arrived like snowflakes, stating bluntly that "Jiange is in imminent danger. Pang De's army is attacking day and night, and the walls of the pass are already showing signs of collapse. If reinforcements from Chengdu do not arrive, it will surely fall within three days."
The news caused an uproar at the She family mansion. Upon hearing that his younger brother was trapped, She Jian paced anxiously around the mansion and contacted more than a dozen powerful families in the city overnight, all of whom rushed into Liu Zhang's palace.
"My lord! Jiange is the throat of Shu. If it falls, the gates of Chengdu will be wide open, and Ma Chao's iron cavalry will be at the city gates in less than ten days!" She Jian knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty, I am struggling to hold on at Jiange. If you hesitate any longer, not only will my entire family perish, but the whole of Yizhou will fall into the hands of Xiliang!"
Representatives from other prominent families echoed this sentiment:
"My lord, although Liu Bei is ambitious, he is far away in Jingzhou. The most important thing right now is to defeat Ma Chao!"
"Zhuge Liang said that if we lend him 30,000 troops, he will help our lord defend Yizhou, and will withdraw his troops immediately afterward!"
"General She is right. If Jian Ge falls, our family's century-old foundation will be destroyed in an instant!"
Liu Zhang was sweating profusely under the pressure from the crowd. Looking at the anxious or urging eyes of the officials, and recalling the warning in the letter that "the enemy will be defeated in three days," he finally gritted his teeth, grabbed the vermilion pen on the table, and heavily signed his name on the alliance agreement.
"Pass on my order," Liu Zhang's voice trembled, yet carried a hint of desperate resolve, "to grant Zhuge Liang's request, order Liu Bei to immediately lead his army into Sichuan to join forces with our army against Ma Chao!"
Upon receiving the imperial decree at the guesthouse, Zhuge Liang smiled faintly and immediately took his leave. He rode swiftly back to Jingzhou; the moment Liu Bei had been waiting for had finally arrived.