Volume 3: The Land of Jingchu Chapter 357 Jiangling Opens
"Report! There is a fire at the west gate of Jiangling City, there is a commotion at the west gate!"
The urgent report was heard by the siege troops in the general's mansion. After hearing the news, Zhou Yu, Zhang Xiu, and Lu Bu immediately began to gather their troops and report to Baitu at the same time...
Zhou Yu judged that it was impossible for anyone in Jiangling City to take risks and provoke an attack. This did not fit the enemy situation nor the character of the enemy's defenders.
As for Zhang Xiu and Lu Bu, they were prepared to charge at him regardless of whether it was true or not. If they won, they would order the flag on the top of Jiangling City to be changed. If they lost... the worst that could happen was that they would just cover their retreat and come back to rest!
After all, it is an army of 100,000, and they are scattered around Jiangling. The unified command of the commander-in-chief is important, and the independent judgment of each unit is equally important, so this is not considered a violation of orders.
By the time Bai Tu learned the news, Lu Bu's cavalry troops were about to arrive, followed closely by Zhou Yu and Zhang Xiu.
Bai Tu also thought that this was probably because Huang Xu was nervous, so he quickly pulled Zhao Yun to command the central army and pushed forward...
In Jiangling City, there were mainly subordinates of Wei Yan and Huang Zhong, plus a part of the defenders who were instigated by Wei Yan to rebel. However, because Wei Yan controlled Liu Pan and Han Xuan at the first opportunity, most of the defenders in the city did not rebel, and they were also afraid to act rashly at this time!
Wei Yan came all the way to the nearest west gate and threatened Jin Xuan to open the city gate. Before Jin Xuan could hesitate, Wei Yan directly cut Han Xuan in half in front of the city tower and threw his upper body to Jin Xuan, which frightened Jin Xuan, a scholar, to death...
Liu Pan, who originally wanted to be tough, suddenly became silent. Seeing that Jin Xuan was forced to open the gate, Wei Yan changed his previous words of "I just want to leave and go north to see Liu Biao to explain my grievances" and directly set fire to the city gate, and incited the defenders on the spot to control the city gate.
When Lu Bu arrived, the city gate had not been completely closed yet, leaving a gap of two or three people. Seeing this, Lu Bu immediately activated his Wushuang, transformed into "Ghost Lu Bu", and slammed into the city gate, completely knocking the gate open!
If it is locked from the inside, the city gate will also have the support of the people's hearts. Even with the courage of Lu Bu, it is difficult to shake the people's hearts by one person. But if it is not locked... it is just a city gate. Even if there are dozens of people pushing it inside, how can they stop the ghosts and gods under Wushuang?
After Lu Bu took the lead and charged in, the wolf riders behind him also rushed in in large numbers, and the battle of the city wall started directly!
"Hahaha, I didn't ask your name last time, but I remember it this time! Wei Yan, well... a hero emerges from youth!" Lu Bu praised Wei Yan, who had organized the goalkeeping before.
Wei Yan felt a little embarrassed by the praise, so... he raised his chin 35 degrees in an aloof manner.
Lu Bu: ...
Even though the terrain in the city was crowded and the Wolf Cavalry could not exert their full strength, but... without the advantage of the city walls and the commander being captured, most of the Jiangling defenders surrendered.
When Zhou Yu and Zhang Xiu arrived, they were already able to start clearing the battlefield and hunting down the remnants. The central army then went directly into the city and changed the flag.
At daybreak, the walls and towers surrounding Jiangling City had all been covered with "Chu" flags, and the defenders were all troops from the General's Mansion, so there was no sign of chaos from the outside.
Only inside the city wall, there still seemed to be some chaos, but at best "order" had not been fully restored - Liu Pan was captured at the first opportunity, and the army of the General's Mansion had also entered the city, and the defenders had basically lost the strength and will to fight back.
As for the inner city, they had already begun issuing notices to reassure the people and handing over the security of the inner city to the guards...
Bai Tu was in the prefect's mansion, meeting the heroes who had contributed to the capture of Jiangling.
Huang Zhong, Huang Xu, and Wei Yan were all meeting Bai Tu at this time, and Bai Tu was the first to help Wei Yan up and said, "I was able to enter Jiangling so easily this time, not only because of the soldiers' dedication, but also because of Wen Chang's deep understanding of justice! Wen Chang should be credited with the greatest merit for entering Jiangling this time!"
"I dare not take credit for the credit, but I have one favor to ask, and I hope my lord will grant it." Wei Yan put in more strength and continued to bow.
"Oh? What's the matter? Just tell me." Bai Tu had actually expected this.
Not only Bai Tu, but also the other civil and military officials from the General's Mansion, as well as Huang Zhong and Huang Xu, could not help but look at him, as if... they wanted to shut him up.
"General Huang was deceived by a traitor before, so he shot and injured our lord. Now he has turned to the light. I hope our lord will give him a chance to atone for his crime." Wei Yan did not understand the atmosphere as usual.
He was able to build good relationships with the people in the execution squad and the supervision squad with a smile on his face, and at least thousands of military sticks had been beaten on him, but... he could never learn how to communicate with his superiors!
Now that he said this, it is inevitable that there will be a feeling of arrogance. If it were someone with a more stingy personality, there would be room for maneuver, but after hearing this, it is likely to greatly reduce the points for both of them.
"Hahaha, Wenchang is really anxious. Huang Xu told me about this before... Huang Zhong is indeed guilty. Even if he was instigated by Jingzhou Prefecture, he cannot escape the punishment alive. However, considering that the world is not at peace now and you still have some power to use, there is still a chance for you to make up for your sins..." Bai Tu confirmed that Huang Zhong was not without faults, but the circumstances and the times were special, so his merits could make up for his sins.
Huang Zhong heard this and said with tears in his eyes: "I am a sinner who deserves death. My lord has mercy on me and I will die for you. Even if I die, I will repay you with a grass ring and a ring in my hand!"
Upon hearing this, Wei Yan grinned and said, "My lord is wise! Not to mention the four southern counties, even the southern part of Nanjun, General Huang is this... I am willing to sign a military order with General Huang to take Nanjun south of Xiangfan for my lord within a month!" As he said this, he also made a thumbs-up gesture.
"Hmph, you'd better keep a low profile... It's just Jingzhou. Without your military order, the General's Mansion... the Chu army can easily take it." Lu Bu wanted to kick him twice.
When I first entered the city, I felt that Wei Yan was a capable young man, and I was quite optimistic about him. However... when he was inciting the defenders, he was able to speak to people's hearts. Why was his EQ so low when facing his superiors?
Bai Tu didn't care about Wei Yan's flaws, but... he was still a little worried about Wei Yan's "popularity".
There are people in the General's Mansion who are not popular, such as Gan Ning, Ni Heng, and Yu Fan...
However, Gan Ning has a bad temper. Although many people, including Hua who wishes to remain anonymous, are just about to stab him in the back, there are also many people who have a good "compatibility" with him, such as Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin and others who are loyal to him.
Yu Fan's words may not be pleasant to the ear, but he is straightforward and never speaks without a purpose. He always has reasons to argue with someone. For example, he once did not trust Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, but after a series of contacts, the two sides not only lived in peace, but also understood each other...
Ni Heng was unreasonable and argued recklessly, but... Ni Heng neither led troops nor participated in politics, so it was okay to argue.
Wei Yan is more troublesome, as the historical evaluation of him is "good at taking care of soldiers" and "arrogant by nature", that is, he can convince and win the hearts of his subordinates, but is very annoying to his superiors and peers... and he is only seventeen years old after all. Even with Jiang Ling's contribution, it would be difficult for Bai Tu to let him lead an army on his own!
On the contrary, Bai Tu didn't care too much about the "rebellious" things...
