192. The Betrayal At Shouchun

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While he began to feel suspicious, Li Feng below led the 30,000 men to the southern gate, opposite where the battle was going on, and met up with Yang Hong and Yang Dajiang, who had taken control of the southern gate with the help of the Oriole where they begged to help them.

Yang Hong: "General Li Feng how is it? Does Ji Ling notice something wrong?"

Li Feng: "I didn't think so Master Yang Hong, but I suspect that he will notice something soon with how Lei Bo, Chen Lan, and Qiao Rui don't put up much of a fight and how I have disappeared alongside 30,000 men."

Yang Hong: "Then we need to act fast, Lord Lie Fan has sent his cavalries to encircle Shouchun, where in truth they are sent to enter Shouchun through the South Gate, and the generals leading the cavalries have been told of this plan."

Li Feng: "If it's the cavalries under Lord Lie Fan, that means generals such as Xu Rong and Fan Chou will be the ones supporting us, their strength can help us subdue Ji Ling."

Yang Dajiang: "I didn't expect that we would betray Yuan Shu, in the past when we helped him take control of Yu Province I would think that we would continue serving Yuan Shu."

Despite their change in allegiance, Yang Hong, Yang Dajiang, and Li Feng remained loyal to Yuan Shu until his eventual downfall, unlike the traitorous actions of Lei Bo and Chen Lan in the original history.

Xu Rong and Fan Chou became Lie Fan's most esteemed cavalry generals, with Zang Ba, who absorbed their knowledge and tactics, following closely in their footsteps. The trio led the Tian Mao Battalion and the Cavalry Battalion to encircle Shouchun, stationing themselves at the front of the Southern Gate.

Ji Ling who leads the defense of the North Gate, doesn't realize that he will be attacked from the rear. He only thought that the Cavalries would surround Shouchun to cut them off, not expecting there would be a betrayal from his men and they would enter through the South Gate, doing a pincer attack.

Lie Fan's advisors meticulously orchestrated a multifaceted approach to encircle and besiege Shouchun, even if Yang Hong and Yang Dajiang stay loyal to Yuan Shu, they can't see through the strategy.

Yang Hong ordered for the gate to be opened, and some men from the 30,000 men executed the order and opened the southern gate. Li Feng welcomed Xu Rong and Fan Chou who was the highest-ranking general there, telling them that his men were ready to support them.

Xu Rong thanked Li Feng and told him that he had chosen the right side to support, he informed Li Feng there were about 30,000 Cavalry with the Tian Mao Battalion as the cream of the crop around 9,000 men.

So he hoped that Li Feng would lead his men to storm the walls, joined by the other generals that had changed their sides, and leave the soldiers below to him and his units, thanks to Yuan Shu Shouchun expanded and there was more open space for his Cavalry to utilize their mobility.

Li Feng cupped his hand, telling Xu Rong that he understood and then he introduced him to Yang Hong and Yang Dajiang, the two people who orchestrated the insurgency that will happen, managing to recruit 30,000 men under their banner.

Yang Hong and Yang Dajiang cupped their hand toward Xu Rong and the others who returned their gesture. Yang Hong informed them that Lei Bo, Chen Lan, and Qiao Rui were ready in their position, and had managed to recruit some of their closest aides.

Yang Dajiang then told them the shortcuts and passages way they could use to ambush, and possibly cut off Ji Ling soldiers who were stationed below the wall, and lastly where Ji Ling stored his supplies and equipment.

Xu Rong thanked Yang Hong and Yang Dajiang for the information, he then instructed Zang Ba to lead his units and take control of the granary and warehouse, Fan Chou to lead his unit to the east and he will lead Tian Mao Battalion to the west, doing a joint pincer attack coordinating with Fan Chou's unit.

Xu Rong finishes giving his order and asks for the Oriole member to protect Yang Hong and Yang Dajiang, then he leads the Tian Mao Battalion riding his horse to the west, where Zang Ba and Fan Chou follow suit.

Li Feng leads his unit of 30,000 men to the top of the wall from the Southern wall and splits them into two where he would lead the first group to the west wall, while the second group through the east wall led by his confidante.

On the Northern Wall, the battle was still going on fiercely. Unaware of the impending betrayal, Ji Ling defended Shouchun resolutely sometimes joining his men personally, but he failed to anticipate the attack from within. He didn't expect the betrayal of his own generals or Lie Fan's cavalry to breach the city's defenses.

Ji Ling was Yuan Shu's strongest general, and his strength can be said to be on the middle-upper level. Lie Fan's generals such as Dian Wei can defeat him easily, but Lie Fan ordered his generals to not climb the ladder first, to get some time for the others.

Lie Fan: "Jia Xu, how long do we need to wait?"

Jia Xu: "Until these some sign of panic My Lord from the ranks of Ji Ling's soldiers, Shouchun has been expanded thanks to Yuan Shu, so our men need some time."

Xun You: "Rest easy My Lord, the price we have to pay now is nothing compared to the benefit we will receive, thanks to My Lord's ingenuity before, the men we lost now are from the prisoner army that My Lord formed."

Zhuge Jin: "If we want to count by the time, any minute now Ji Ling's soldier will show signs of panic."

After Zhuge Jin finished saying that, Ji Ling's men on the top of the wall who were holding their ground, were attacked from behind. The soldiers at the front hear the commotion at the back, but when they turn their heads they panic as the one attacking them is their comrade.

Ji Ling was informed of this commotion when he wanted to order Lei Bo and Chen Lan to check what was happening at their rear, he saw them killing his soldiers, and leading a band of men moving back to the rear.

From below, he heard the sound of shouts and weapons clashing, when he looked down he saw cavalries storming his men. By the looks of the armor, and the banner that they brought, Ji Ling knew this was Lie Fan's unit.

What he didn't expect was how could Lie Fan's unit enter Shouchun, unless there was a traitor on their side. At this time he knew, that Lei Bo and Chen Lan must have joined Lie Fan's side with their action previously.

This means there is more than one traitor, Ji Ling ordered his men to keep guarding the wall leaving the command to his vice general, and then brought some of his aides to lead their rear as they were pincered right now.

Lie Fan sees this situation from the outside, how Ji Ling's soldier was panicking, allowing his generals to climb the wall, ordering the trebuchet to stop firing, and for the battering ram to speed up its attack.

Dian Wei, Chao Bai, Fang Yue, and Ling Cao climb the ladders one at a time, when Dian Wei reaches the wall first, he uses his strength to keep Yuan Shu's soldier from approaching the ladder, where he is then followed by Chao Bai, Fang Yue, and Ling Cao.

Ze Rong, Zhang Chao, and Zang Hong stayed below, preparing to enter the city through the gate. Inside Shouchun, it was like hell as killing was happening everywhere.

Ji Ling tried to lead his men to regroup, as he knew that they were taken by surprise, but his men were already in chaos and his orders weren't received by his men. The Chaotic situation caused Ji Ling to seek Yang Hong and Yang Dajiang, but he found that they weren't at the location they were supposed to.

He was afraid that Yang Hong and Yang Dajiang would be killed or kidnapped by Lie Fan's men, so when he managed to finally rally his men he tried to push back Lie Fan's cavalry and try to find them.

It was at this time, that Xu Rong and Fan Chou blocked him from his path, Ji Ling seeing them take a defensive stance, knew who they were as he had seen them before at the battle against Dong Zhuo, former Xiliang generals who now joined Lie Fan.

Xu Rong: "Haha Ji Ling where are you going?! You didn't expect this situation to happen right? Haha!"

Ji Ling: "Xu Rong! Fan Chou! Where are Master Yang Hong and Master Yang Dajiang?! If anything happens to the two of them, My Lord will not let you go!"

Fan Chou: "Yuan Shu? Haha, do you really think that Yuan Shu can do anything for us? Your Lord has attracted the ire of everyone in the land, he would be dead before he even managed to see us!"

Xu Rong: "Dreaming of becoming Emperor, only a fool like him thought that he could become Emperor, the only worthy person is My Lord! But he is humble enough to know that this was not the right time, unlike your lord!"

Ji Ling: "Stop talking the two of you! Looks like I have to teach you two a lesson in favor of My Lord!"

Ji Ling after finished saying that, attacked Xu Rong and Fan Chou using his famed War Trident. Xu Rong and Fan Chou received his attack and then attacked Ji Ling together.

Ji Ling's men can't support him, as the Tian Mao Battalion and the Cavalry Battalion under Xu Rong and Fan Chou attacked them, holding them off from helping their general.

Ji Ling was entangled with Xu Rong and Fan Chou, causing the army below the wall to lose its leader. At the same time, the gate was finally breached by Lie Fan's battering ram, allowing his men to enter Shouchun.

Ji Ling who received this news began to panic, as this meant Shouchun would fall any second now. Xu Rong and Fan Chou don't allow him to leave, making him stay to face them with their attack intensified.

Li Feng, Lei Bo, Chen Lan, and Qiao Rui who received the news, began to attack Ji Ling's men on the top of the wall aggressively, saying that the one who surrenders will be spared, while the one who keeps fighting would be killed. Some of Ji Ling's men dropped their weapons, while some continued defending the wall with all of their might.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Three Heroes Who Defeat Lu Bu

Age: 25 (192 AD)

Level: 15

Next Level: 1.588.000

Renown:  605

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 371.700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 906 (+20)

VIT: 578 (+20)

AGI: 563 (+10)

INT: 567

CHR: 93

WIS: 489

WILL: 377

ATR Points: 0