I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 494: The Courage of a Reckless Man
"I told those rebels that the prince's illness requires rest. The prince just needs to speak softly and there is no need to worry."

"What can I do?" Liu Duan asked urgently.

He had been tortured for so long and was very anxious.

"Wu Fang is now using money and women to win over his confidants. He will slaughter the common people who are coerced by him, even if they show some resistance in words. He has also established the law of collective responsibility, encouraging the people to report each other."

"Now Hefei City seems to be stable, but in fact it only needs someone who can lead the people to rise up in resistance and cooperate with the army outside the city!"

Liu Duan heard the name of the army outside the city and asked hurriedly: "Can you contact the outside of the city?"

The doctor shook his head and said, "Wu Fang has many local tyrants under his command. They know every part of the Hefei city wall very well. Under the watchful eyes of his trusted aides, it will be difficult to get out of the wall."

Liu Duan had just heard that the other party wanted him to be the leader of this city. Now that he heard that the school affairs department in the city had lost contact with the rebel army, he gritted his teeth and said, "If there is a chance to escape this cage, I will lead the people to fight back against the rebels!"

"Your Excellency must first agree to Wu Fang's request. The imperial army is approaching, and Wu Fang needs your Excellency to help him calm the people... Your Excellency only needs to do this..."

……

Time passed, and it had been nearly a month since Huang Zhong led his army to the city of Hefei.

During this period, the rebels in the city still stayed away from the city walls, and Huang Zhong mobilized civilians from Jiujiang, Lujiang and other places, and finally transported wood from afar to build arrow towers higher than the walls of Hefei, as well as trebuchets and other siege equipment...

That day, outside the city of Hefei, Huang Zhong summoned all the generals again.

He got straight to the point and said, "I'm sure you've all seen clearly in recent days that the rebels entrenched in Hefei County are deliberately stalling for time and want to keep the army outside the city of Hefei."

"I don't know whether the rebel is waiting for another rebellion somewhere else or someone to rescue him, but I will never let him have his way!"

"The day before yesterday, with the support of Lujiang's former Minister of Rites Zhou Gong Huizhong, another batch of siege ladders were delivered."

"Yesterday, the school official of the city's school affairs department risked his life to spread the news that there might be changes in the city tomorrow, and we can take the opportunity to attack the city!"

After explaining this, Huang Zhong said, "The rebels are just a mob. They only rely on the city walls. Tomorrow I will personally go to the city to supervise the battle. We must defeat them in one battle!"

After he finished his announcement, Duan Wei suddenly stepped out and asked, "General, is the news from the school official credible?"

Huang Zhong replied: "The identity documents and other documents are all real and cannot be faked. Even if they are fake, the siege equipment is complete now, and the mob in the city is so chaotic that we can't let them succeed!"

Upon hearing this, Duan Wei bowed and returned to his seat without wasting any words.

After unifying his thoughts with the generals, Huang Zhong selected a group of brave warriors from the army with a generous reward to take the lead in attacking the city...

The next day, Huang Zhong led his troops and prepared to attack the city, just like in the previous days.

Under Wu Fang's order, the rebels defending the city were guarding the city walls to prevent the Han army from attacking. But the wolves had been coming for several days, and it was impossible for the rebels defending the city to remain unaffected.

Huang Zhong stood in the temporary vanguard camp, waiting.

Suddenly, he heard a noise in the city, and the sound was getting louder and louder!
He acted decisively, drew his sword, and shouted, "Whoever reaches the top of the city wall first will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with a thousand gold coins!"

The brave warriors who had been prepared for a bloody battle were all carrying swords and shields, and crossbows on their waists. Upon hearing Huang Zhong's order, they immediately rushed to the city wall with ladders under the cover of Han archers. Hefei was trapped both internally and externally, but the rebels on the city wall were the most elite, basically composed of the troops of nearby powerful people. Facing the attack of the Han army, they were able to organize a counterattack.

Rolling logs, stones, clods of earth...the rebels were not completely unprepared.

Huang Zhong watched as the elite troops he had sent out died on the way up without even having a chance to fight the enemy. Although he knew that a merciful army cannot be used, this was a necessary sacrifice if they were going to attack the city. But this scene still made him grit his teeth and swear in his heart that he must not let those traitors go!
Seeing that the first batch of brave warriors had been forced to retreat, Huang Zhong immediately ordered: "Attack again!"

After giving the order, Huang Zhong turned around and said to Duan Wei, "I heard a commotion in the city. This is a good opportunity. Prepare another batch of elite soldiers from Xiyuan, all wearing double layers of armor. If we are defeated again this time, I will lead the army to attack the city myself!"

"Otherwise, if we fail to capture the city today, the people in the city will inevitably be massacred by the rebels!"

"After I leave, you will command the army!"

Upon hearing this, generals such as Duan Wei and Lu Bu who were present all looked at Huang Zhong in shock.

There was no need for other things in a siege. The defenders were in a commanding position and could use their armor to inflict damage to people in many ways. A wall about ten meters high was enough to give stones and rolling logs a potential energy that even warriors could hardly resist.

"General, think twice!" Duan Wei advised immediately.

What kind of commander would do this on the first day of a formal siege?

Isn't this chaos?

With Duan Wei's temperament, he would never do such a thing, and he also didn't understand why Huang Zhong would take this risk.

However, Lu Bu looked at Huang Zhong, who was determined and fearless, and suddenly he felt heroic. He laughed and said, "General, from now on, I am willing to be called your general!"

"Count me in, we will take this city today!"

"A real man should be like this! Since the general has gone ahead, how can I lag behind!" Taishi Ci also stepped forward.

Duan Wei:?
He just felt greatly shocked - he had arrived at Xiyuan Army at about the same time as Taishi Ci and much earlier than Lu Bu, but he still couldn't understand why Lu Bu and Taishi Ci joined Huang Zhong in making trouble.

Moreover, looking at the three people with high morale...should he say something?
After thinking for a while, he said, "I'm here to support you all!"

Huang Zhong and others knew that they needed a steady person to command the central army, so that even if something unexpected happened to them, the army would not be in chaos.

Huang Zhong and his men did not waste any time and went to prepare immediately. They and their personal soldiers all wore two layers of armor and did not carry shields. Most of them held knives, but a few held guns.

The second group of pioneers also retreated.

But it was visible to the naked eye that the defensive strength of the city wall had weakened, and there were fewer stones and wood that could be thrown down. It was impossible for the rebels on the city wall to be unaffected by the riots in the city.

At this time, Huang Zhong, Lu Bu, and Taishi Ci led their elite troops to approach the city wall again under the cover of the Han army's archers. After two rounds of fighting, the Han army's archers were still able to rotate, while the rebels were already somewhat powerless, and some of them could not even penetrate a layer of iron armor.

Nothing can boost morale more than seeing a general charging at the front and fighting alongside his soldiers.

Huang Zhong found a ladder and climbed up at a very fast speed, ignoring the arrows nailed to his helmet and armor. When he heard a shout, he looked up suddenly and saw several rebels on the wall trying to poke him with spears - it turned out that he had already climbed up!
Huang Zhong immediately drew out his sword to block the spear that was coming straight at his face, and the rest was left to his two layers of iron armor. Then Huang Zhong took two steps at a time, ignoring everything else, and directly jumped over the city wall.

Facing the threat of the spear, although Huang Zhong only held a knife, he was not afraid at all. Relying on the solidity of his iron armor, he occupied a space on the city wall by himself. Immediately, the elite soldiers behind him caught up!
In this battle, the officers and soldiers of Xiyuan led the charge and Hefei city was captured in one day!
(End of this chapter)