Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 94 Who else can support the Han Dynasty? Seize Yangzhou and serve the emperor!
"Cao Cao and Sun Ce are leading their troops to attack!"

Yuan Shunan's voice was trembling, and he felt cold all over.

Lu Bu alone was enough to overwhelm him, and he was forced to retreat to Shouchun; now with the addition of Cao Cao and Sun Ce, he felt that the future was bleak and he almost couldn't stand.

"It's bad enough that Cao Cao is attacking, but the evil thief Sun Ce is also trying to take advantage of the situation. What can we do? What can we do?"

Yuan Shu was completely at a loss and fell on the bed in despair.

Zhang Xiu also had a heavy expression on his face. He had not expected the current situation. He thought the enemies were only Lu Bu, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, but Cao Cao and Sun Ce also joined the battlefield.

It is obvious that these people came here to divide up Yuan Shu's territory.

Moreover, they all had legitimate reasons for their actions. They would not be condemned for attacking Yuan Shu, who usurped the throne. Instead, it would increase their own reputation.

Can Shouchun alone really stop these fierce and ferocious armies?

Zhang Xiu felt a little regretful. If he had known this would happen, he would have abandoned his troops and returned to his hometown in Liang Province instead of surrendering to Yuan Shu and putting his life in danger.

Zhang Xiu suppressed his deep worries, adjusted his breathing, and said to Yuan Shu: "Your Majesty, we are not at the end of our rope yet."

"Although the armies from various directions are approaching the city, they all have ill intentions and are on guard against each other. No one should want to be the first to attack the city and be exhausted by us."

"As long as they don't let down their guard against each other, Shouchun will be safe."

As the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together." It wasn't for nothing that Zhang Xiu stayed with Jia Xu for so long.

After such a long time, he has learned some skills of observing the situation from a distance.

"General!"

Yuan Shu's hope was rekindled when he heard this. He held Zhang Xiu's hand and said sincerely, "You are my only support now. You must defend Shouchun!"

"When the enemy retreats, I will confer upon you the title of King of a different surname, and you will share my wealth and honor!"

He really had nothing practical to offer Zhang Xiu now, so he could only make such empty promises.

Zhang Xiu's face was solemn, and he clasped his fists together: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my best!"

He had no way to retreat. If Shouchun was captured, his fate would not be much better.

The only thing we can do is defend the city!

……

Ten miles away from Shouchun.

The army led by Lu Bu had already advanced to this place and set up camp, facing Shouchun in the distance.

It was now completely dark, but the camp was brightly lit, with teams of soldiers patrolling back and forth and on high alert.

Inside the Chinese army camp.

Lu Bu sat on the commander's seat with a gloomy face. The table in front of him was filled with delicious wine and food, but he could not muster up an appetite.

Although he had already pushed his army outside Shouchun City, he had no idea how to attack Shouchun.

In addition to Yan Liang and Wen Chou, the armies of Cao Cao and Sun Ce were also not far away. If he rashly sent troops to attack, it would certainly benefit others.

But if he didn't fight and just kept wasting time like this, his food supplies would not be able to sustain him.

"It's not right to fight, and it's not right not to fight!"

"How do we capture Shouchun?!"

Lu Bu was extremely annoyed and slammed the table.

The table was instantly shattered by the terrifying force contained in his palm, and the food and wine on it spilled all over the floor.

This scene happened to be seen by Liu Bei who walked in.

Liu Bei was stunned for a moment and asked, "General, why are you like this? Is the food not to your liking?"

Seeing that it was Liu Bei, Lu Bu did not hide anything and said gloomily, "Xuan De, you are here. I am worried about the attack on Shouchun..."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "It just so happens that I have a plan that may help us capture Shouchun without bloodshed. I came here to discuss it with you, General."

"real?!"

Lü Bu was overjoyed when he heard this. He quickly stood up and pulled Liu Bei to sit down at his seat. He asked impatiently, "What's your plan? Tell me quickly!"

He was almost worried to death by the current situation. Taking Shouchun without bloodshed was simply unthinkable.

Facing Lü Bu's eager gaze, Liu Bei did not keep him in suspense and said directly: "The general guarding Shouchun is none other than Zhang Xiu, who was in Wancheng before. If we can persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender, won't it be possible to capture Shouchun without bloodshed?"

Lu Bu thought that Liu Bei would have some brilliant plan, but he didn't expect it to be to persuade him to surrender.

After hearing this, he suddenly felt bored and disappointed and said, "How can this plan work?"

"General, please be patient and listen to me slowly." Liu Bei explained calmly, "Shouchun is Yuan Shu's base camp. It has been operating for many years. The city has abundant food and grass, and sufficient soldiers. If you stay in the city, you can definitely fight a protracted war with us."

"If we attack by force, let alone whether we can capture Shouchun in a short period of time, even if we do, we will certainly suffer heavy casualties, and we will not be able to compete with Sun Ce, Cao Cao and others after the war. The foundation we have worked so hard to build will be wasted on others."

"But if we keep our troops in place and continue the siege, the army's food and fodder will be the first to run out."

"The best strategy now is to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender. This will not only allow us to capture Shouchun at the lowest cost, but also preserve our military strength to face the others who are eyeing us covetously."

Although Liu Bei's analysis was correct, both attacking the city and keeping the troops in place were bad strategies.

But the idea of ​​asking Zhang Xiu to surrender without any words was too frivolous.

Lu Bu shook his head and said, "Xuan De, you are overthinking it. How could Zhang Xiu easily turn against us? If he wanted to abandon Yuan Shu, he would not have rescued him before."

Shouchun seemed to be in danger, but the city was impregnable. With Zhang Xiu guarding the city, they could hold out for at least a year. It was far from being in danger or about to be breached.

If Lu Bu put himself in Zhang Xiu's shoes, he would definitely not surrender or offer the city.

Liu Bei said, "General, you have forgotten that Zhang Xiu killed Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang, his nephew Cao Anmin, and his trusted general Dian Wei. Cao Cao hated him to the core."

"He fled to Yangzhou to seek refuge with Yuan Shu in order to avoid Cao Cao."

"Although Shouchun is strong now, it will eventually fall. Cao Cao's father died in Xuzhou, so he massacred the city of Xuzhou. How could he spare Zhang Xiu?"

"Even if Zhang Xiu eventually falls into Sun Ce's hands, Sun Ce will not make enemies with Cao Cao just for a defeated general. He will most likely hand him over."

"As long as we show goodwill to Zhang Xiu, we may be able to persuade him to surrender."

There were only two options open to Zhang Xiu: either hold on to Shouchun and wait for the city to fall, which would be the day of his death.

Either you surrender the city to Lu Bu and his men, and save your life and property.

Because both Lu Bu and the Jizhou Army worshipped the emperor of Yecheng and regarded Cao Cao as a traitor.

Zhang Xiu's performance in Wancheng was a heinous crime to Cao Cao, and he was his mortal enemy.

But to the emperor in Yecheng, he was a meritorious official who had made great contributions.

Liu Bei knew that Zhang Xiu had no friendship with Yuan Shu and that he came to him just to save his life, so he thought there was a great chance of persuading him to surrender.

"If it is true as Xuande said, Zhang Xiu may not be unwilling to surrender."

Lu Bu felt that what Liu Bei said made sense. He put himself in Zhang Xiu's shoes and thought that if he were in Zhang Xiu's current situation, he would definitely surrender.

Liu Bei added: "In addition, I have always had contacts with the Mi family of Donghai. According to the news from the Mi family, Jia Xu, a counselor under Zhang Xiu, has gone to Yecheng to pay homage to the emperor and has now been canonized as Guanglu Xun. With Jia Xu's pearls and jade in front of him, Zhang Xiu will definitely be shaken."

"That's great!" Lu Bu was overjoyed. All his advisers who went to Yecheng were conferred the title of Guanglu Xun. If Zhang Xiu went there, what official title would he be given?

"But... who should we send to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender?"

Persuading someone to surrender is not about inviting him to dinner, nor is it about writing a letter and expecting others to accept. It is necessary to send someone who is eloquent to Shouchun to have a face-to-face conversation with Zhang Xiu.

"General." Liu Bei stood up suddenly and looked at Lu Bu solemnly, "I am willing to enter the city and persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender!"

Lu Bu was shocked. He was already shocked by Liu Bei's plan to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender, but he didn't expect that even more shocking things were yet to come.

"Xuan De, what did you just say?" Lu Bu was not sure if he had heard it wrong, so he asked again, with a somewhat doubtful tone: "Are you going to go into the city in person to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender?"

Liu Bei nodded seriously, "Yes, I will go into the city alone to negotiate with Zhang Xiu."

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu directly rejected Liu Bei's proposal, "No, this journey is too dangerous."

"If Zhang Xiu refuses to surrender, you will definitely be in danger, and there is a high possibility that he will kill you to boost the morale of the army."

There are many examples of messengers being beheaded throughout history, let alone messengers who are trying to persuade people to surrender.

Some time ago, he killed the envoy sent by Yuan Shu to propose marriage to him, and hung his head on the gate tower of Xia Pi to show his loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei smiled, his expression very calm, "I understand the dangers. But even if there is a cliff thousands of feet ahead, I have to go for it."

Lu Bu felt incredible. Even if Liu Bei successfully persuaded Zhang Xiu to surrender, he would not be the biggest beneficiary.

He had few soldiers and could not occupy much territory.

"Why did you risk your life? What was your reason for going?"

Liu Bei sighed and said with a heavy expression, "Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the country has been in chaos, with the princes fighting for their own interests. Then there was Dong Zhuo's chaotic rule, which led to the decline of the Han Dynasty, the emperor's fall, and few loyal ministers."

"Sun Ce of Jiangdong was ambitious and once secretly kept the imperial seal with his father."

"Yuan Shao of Jizhou, a man of three generations, has received the emperor's grace, but now he is using the emperor to control the princes. He is a traitor to the country."

"Yanzhou Cao Cao is no different from Yuan Shao, and is also a traitor to the country."

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou is a relative of the Han Dynasty. He should have supported the country and punished the rebels. However, he did not send a single soldier to fight against the false emperor."

"Many of the princes in the world are like this."

"The general is a man of righteousness, and I admire him with new eyes."

"Not only did he return Xiaopei to me and save me from danger, but he also took the initiative to respond to the emperor's call and personally led the army to attack Yuan Shu to restore the emperor's reputation. He is truly a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty is now controlled by Yuan Shao and trapped in Yecheng. The imperial edict cannot leave the palace. Although I don't have the courage of the general, I am the only one who can be used. I am willing to take risks and help the general capture Shouchun to repay your majesty!"

"If successful, General, you can annex Yangzhou, use it as a base to slowly expand, and rescue Your Majesty from the hands of the traitor Yuan Shao in the future."

"If that doesn't work, General, you should withdraw your troops immediately and nibble away at the cities you have captured before. Don't let Cao, Yuan, and Sun take them away."

"If Bei unfortunately dies..."

Liu Bei paused, reached into his arms, took out a letter and placed it in Lu Bu's hand.

"If I unfortunately die, please give this letter to my second and third brothers. They will definitely help you in the future."

"I only hope that the general can save the collapsing building and turn the tide."

After saying this, he bowed deeply to Lu Bu.

Lu Bu stood there with a dazed expression. Liu Bei's words took him a long time to come back to his senses.

He looked at the letter in his hand, then looked at Liu Bei, who was ready to die bravely. He felt like something was blocked deep in his throat.

The pair of tiger eyes turned slightly red, and were filled with tears.

"Xuan De..."

At this moment, Lu Bu felt only deep shame!
He attacked Yuan Shu more out of a desire to use it as a military achievement in exchange for a higher official position, and he had selfish motives in this.

Liu Bei was willing to die just to help him capture Yangzhou, so that he could grow stronger in the future, fight against Yuan Shao, and rescue the emperor.

Such virtue made him deeply admire her.

After entrusting his ambition to rescue the emperor and support the Han Dynasty to Lu Bu, Liu Bei strode out of the tent.

Watching Liu Bei's figure gradually disappearing in the night, Lu Bu was deeply moved. If Liu Bei could do this, why couldn't he?
Holding the letter tightly in his hand, Lu Bu's eyes widened and he roared:
"A man born between heaven and earth, how can he live in mediocrity?"

"In today's world, the princes are fighting each other, and treacherous officials and villains are trying to steal power."

"Who else but me can support the Han Dynasty?"

……

After coming out of Lu Bu's tent, Liu Bei found a horse, left the camp alone, and headed straight for Shouchun.

He chose to go at night because he didn't want Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to know.

Otherwise, given their personalities, they would definitely go with him even if they didn't stop him.

Turning his head to take a look at the camp behind him, Liu Bei smiled slightly, his expression determined.

He is a relative of the Han royal family. Even if he is not as brave as Lu Bu, he will serve the emperor in his own way!

……

"Uu——"

Outside Shouchun City, Liu Bei stopped his horse.

His arrival immediately alerted the soldiers on duty on the city wall.

"Who is in the city?"

A general on duty shouted, and the archers behind him had already bent their bows and drawn arrows, ready to shoot at any time.

Liu Bei remained calm, looking up at the defenders on the city wall, and said loudly: "I am Liu Bei, and I am here to negotiate on the orders of General Fenwei Lu Bu. Open the city gates immediately and let us pass!"

"messenger?"

The defender on the city wall was slightly surprised. He didn't expect that after fighting to this point, there would still be room for negotiation.

When the two armies were fighting, they did not kill the envoys, so he did not make things difficult for Liu Bei.

To be on the safe side, the city gate was not opened. Instead, a hanging basket was lowered and Liu Bei was pulled onto the city wall.

……

Shouchun, Zhang Xiu's official residence.

"Lü Bu sent someone to negotiate? Who is the envoy and where is he now?" Upon learning that an envoy had arrived, Zhang Xiu put down his official duties.

"Reporting to the general, the person who came here claims to be Liu Bei, and he is outside the palace right now."

"Liu Bei?" Zhang Xiu's expression changed when he heard the name. "Invite him to the main hall immediately. Don't be rude or disrespectful!"

Zhang Xiu had long heard of Liu Bei's name.

He made some contributions during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and later followed Yuan Shao to attack Dong Zhuo. He fought against Lu Bu on the battlefield with his two sworn brothers, and thus became famous throughout the world.

He once occupied Xuzhou, but was later taken away by Lu Bu.

He couldn't understand why Liu Bei, who should have had a great hatred for Lu Bu, would become Lu Bu's messenger now?
When he walked into the main hall, Zhang Xiu saw Liu Bei who had been brought in.

There were more than a dozen soldiers in armor and holding sharp swords standing beside him in the hall, but Liu Bei ignored them and drank his tea peacefully.

"Good concentration."

After seeing this scene, Zhang Xiu couldn't help but praise it in his heart.

Liu Bei was indeed not an ordinary person as he remained calm in the face of adversity.

Seeing Zhang Xiu walk into the hall, Liu Bei put down the teacup in his hand, stood up and bowed slightly, "Greetings, General Zhang."

"No need to be polite."

Zhang Xiu nodded slightly, walked straight to the main seat and sat down, then asked directly: "Xuan De came into the city alone, why did you come?"

Liu Bei put his hands together and answered frankly: "I came here for your future and life."

(End of this chapter)