frightfiction Chapter 186 Guan Ping's Plan to Capture Lucheng
Chapter 186 Guan Ping's Plan to Capture Lucheng
Upon learning that the Shu general who defeated them was Guan Yu's son, Jiang Wei's eyes instantly showed less hostility and more admiration.
The Han Dynasty was a vast and populous land, and every year some remarkable stars emerged. In the past two years, the most dazzling stars have been Guan Yu and his son.
Guan Yu first flooded the seven armies at Xiangfan, shaking the entire land with his might. Then, when he was defeated at Maicheng, he swept his tail like a dragon and became the master of Jiangdong.
The thought of this reversal of fortune is thrilling, let alone experiencing it firsthand. Jiang Wei dreamed of being as powerful as Guan Yu, so naturally he had to take a second look at his idol's son.
Guan Ping said nonchalantly, "Let's go, let's try to get to Lucheng before dark."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Bao's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "We are at least seventy or eighty li away from Lucheng. It is already late afternoon, and there are only four or five hours left before dark. The key is that the road is so muddy. It is a bit unrealistic to reach Lucheng before dark, isn't it?"
The distance was not a problem, nor was the amount of baggage, but the roads washed out by the torrential rain were too difficult to travel.
Guan Ping laughed and said, "Arriving at midnight is fine, arriving before dawn is fine too. Instead of worrying about that, let's think about how to take Lucheng. Do you have any good suggestions for attacking Lucheng?"
Zhang Bao pondered for a moment and said, "The news of our victory over Ma Zun should not have reached Lucheng yet. Why don't we change into Wei army uniforms and banners, and have Shangguan Zixiu and Jiang Wei lead us to raid the city?"
"Or we could just throw Ma Zun's head into the city to demoralize the defenders, and then either persuade them to surrender or launch a full-scale attack. Tanzhi, which do you think is better?"
Guan Ping laughed and said, "It's all good. Anyway, it will be dark by the time we get to Lucheng. Let Shangguan Zixiu and Jiang Wei try to break into the city first. It would be best if they could break through. If they can't, then we'll use the second method."
Zhang Bao: "..."
So you already had a solution, then why did you ask me?
Guan Ping was also a pragmatist. He immediately turned around and ordered the army to lower the Han army's battle flag, raise the Ma Zun battle flag, and disguise themselves as Wei soldiers to rush towards Lucheng.
As for the fact that neither the Han nor Wei armies brought spare clothes and the two sides could not wear uniforms, Guan Ping was not worried at all about whether the defenders of Lucheng would notice the flaw.
First of all, the roads were muddy, and both the Han and Wei armies were covered in mud after passing through, making it difficult to distinguish one from another based on their clothing.
Secondly, at the current speed, it will definitely be dark by the time we get to Lucheng. What can we possibly see in the dark?
With this in mind, Guan Ping led his army forward, trudging through the mud and shallow waters, for nearly six hours, finally arriving at the city of Lucheng around midnight.
The defenses in Lucheng are not very strong tonight; the number of garrison troops is less than half of what it was last night.
The reason was simple: a heavy rain during the day made the roads muddy, and the garrison commander Han De believed that the Shu army must be stuck on the road and would not come over in the short term, so he divided the garrison into two squads.
His idea wasn't wrong; rain would delay the arrival of the Shu army, and it would also delay the arrival of their own reinforcements.
In other words, the defending troops originally only needed to hold out for three days, but with the heavy rain, they might have to hold out for more than five days. Even a god couldn't withstand five days and five nights without sleep.
Therefore, it is especially important to ensure rest while defending. You can't afford to exhaust yourself before the Shu army even arrives, can you?
Han De's idea was correct, but he never dreamed that Guan Ping would act unpredictably, coming from the direction of Ji County instead of Qishan Road.
Guan Ping led his troops to the city walls, had his White Feather Soldiers change into Wei army uniforms, and personally carried the horse-shaped battle flag, escorting Shangguan Zixiu to the city gate in preparation for a surprise attack.
Shangguan Zixiu, being astute, arrived at the city gate and abandoned his submissive demeanor, adopting the typical arrogant attitude of a corrupt official. He raised his head and shouted, "Listen up, people on the city wall! I am Shangguan Zixiu, a county official under Prefect Ma Zun. I have been ordered by the Prefect to reinforce Lucheng. Tell General Han De to come out and answer me."
Han De was already asleep. Tonight, it was his eldest son, Han Ying, who was on night duty. Han Ying received the news and quickly came to the city tower to check. Holding a torch, he looked around for a moment and said, "General Shangguan, why are you so late?"
Shangguan Zixiu retorted, "Nonsense! Didn't you see how heavy the rain was during the day? The roads were so muddy, how could I possibly speed up?"
"Hurry up and open the city gates so I can go in. Also, boil some hot water for the brothers to take a hot bath, otherwise they'll all fall ill tomorrow."
Han Ying and Shangguan Zixiu were officials from the same prefecture, so they naturally knew each other. Just by hearing the voice, she knew it was Shangguan Zixiu himself, and couldn't help but curse inwardly, "That scoundrel who relies on his master's power."
Shangguan Zixiu was Ma Zun's confidant and often used Ma Zun's name to bully others, so he wasn't very popular. Han Ying disliked him a lot.
But even if you can't stand them, they've come to help, so you can't just turn them away. What if they go back and complain to Magistrate Ma Zun?
As for whether Shangguan Zixiu would lead the Shu army to raid the city, Han Ying didn't even consider that possibility. Firstly, Shangguan Zixiu was indeed Ma Zun's confidant, and secondly, they came from the direction of Ji County, so how could they be the Shu army?
Therefore, Han Ying ordered the city gates to be opened.
Guan Ping stood behind Shangguan Zixiu and waited until the drawbridge was lowered and the city gate was fully opened before stepping in, passing through the barbican and entering the inner city.
Upon entering, they found Han Ying already waiting at the city gate. Seeing them, she smiled warmly and said, "General Shangguan, I've been waiting for you for so long! It's wonderful that you've come."
Han Ying was pondering how to hand over the city's defenses to Shangguan Zixiu so he could go back to sleep when Guan Ping suddenly punched him in the stomach, causing Han Ying to bend over in pain.
Guan Ping didn't stop there. His right hand shot out like lightning and grabbed Han Ying's throat tightly. Guan Ping was a powerful man. His strength was almost enough to split mountains and rocks. His hands squeezed Han Ying like a vise, making her eyes roll back and almost suffocate.
At the same time, the White Feather Soldiers behind her quickly stepped forward, grabbed Han Ying's arms to control her, and then put several sharp steel knives to Han Ying's neck. If Han Ying moved even slightly, her head would fall to the ground.
Upon seeing this, Guan Ping roared, "The Han army has arrived! Those who surrender will not be killed!"
The incident happened so suddenly that by the time the garrison reacted, Han Ying had already been brought under control.
The nearby garrison looked at Han Ying, now a prisoner, bewildered and at a loss. Guan Ping, however, slapped Han Ying awake and asked, "Do you want to die or live?"
The burning pain on her face brought Han Ying back to her senses quickly. Before she could catch her breath, she shouted impatiently, "I want to live! Everyone, listen to my command! Lay down your weapons and surrender!"
He no longer had time to think about why Shangguan Zixiu was mixed up with the Shu army; at this critical moment, saving his own life was the most important thing.
As for the idea of preferring death to surrender, and ordering the defending troops to drive the Shu army back?
What a joke! Now that the Shu army has entered the city, how could they be easily driven out? If we really do that, we don't know if the Shu army can be driven back, but we're doomed.
The fall of Lucheng is a foregone conclusion; there's no need to drag ourselves into it further.
Besides, the soldiers and civilians of Liangzhou were not Cao Cao's direct subordinates, so there was no need for them to risk their lives for Cao Wei.
With this in mind, Han Ying decisively chose to surrender, and the nearby garrison soldiers, upon receiving the order, laid down their weapons and knelt on the ground.
Seeing this, Guan Ping escorted Han Ying straight to the county government office, shouting, "Brothers, follow me! Kill anyone who resists along the way!"
Zhang Bao, who had been waiting outside the city in case of unforeseen circumstances, saw that his plan had succeeded. He left a thousand men to guard the prisoners and led the remaining thousand men into the city, climbing the steps to the city tower and quickly taking control of the city wall.
Lucheng was not a big city, only a few miles from south to north. Guan Ping did not run far before arriving at the county government office.
At the same time, Han De, who was already asleep, rushed out upon hearing the noise and bumped into Guan Ping at the door.
Before the fighting even began, Han Ying cried out in a tearful voice, "Father, let's surrender now that the city has fallen!"