The Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Tan, intercepted Guo Jia's...

Chapter 90: With no other options, it's better to seek refuge with Yuan Qingzhou.

"Xunyang?!"

Zhang Xun almost jumped up. Xunyang, located to the flank and rear of Lu'an, was an important stronghold connecting the rear.

"How did it get lost? Did Liu Bei divide his troops?"

"No...it's not Liu Bei!"

The sentry was deathly pale and incoherent.

"It was a... strange cavalry! They first lured the enemy under the city walls, and when our army attacked, they ran away, and... and suddenly they all sprawled on their horses. When our army thought they had fallen off and gave chase, they suddenly turned around and fired arrows, each one hitting its mark! While our army was in disarray, another infantry force seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and capture the city! The defending general... the defending general is dead!"

"Lying on horseback? Turning around to fire an arrow?"

Zhang Xun was dumbfounded; this unheard-of battle tactic was completely beyond his comprehension.

He suddenly realized what was happening, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head:

"These aren't Liu Bei's troops! If Liu Bei had such elite cavalry and tactics, he would have already swept across the Central Plains! This is...this is Yuan Tan's Qingzhou cavalry! Is it Zhao Yun, or Zhang He?!"

He originally scoffed at Yuan Tan's cavalry, after all, how strong could the cavalry of the Central Plains be?

Could they be stronger than Lü Bu's Bingzhou cavalry?

Could they be stronger than Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry?

Now that the problem has truly come to pass, he realizes that there is no such thing as a person with an undeserved reputation.

At this point, Zhang Xun finally understood!

His opponent was not just Liu Bei!

Liu Bei's fierce attack on Liu'an was merely a feint to draw his attention!

The real killer move was that Yuan Tan personally led the main force of Qingzhou, which landed on the southeast coast and carried out a strategic flanking maneuver with astonishing speed and unprecedented tactics, directly penetrating his heartland and weak point!

"Yuan Tan! You're such a ruthless schemer!"

Zhang Xun was both shocked and furious, and slammed his fist on the battlement.

He finally realized how dangerous the situation he had found himself in:

With Liu Bei pinning them down in front and Yuan Tan hollowing out their rear, key points on their flanks lost and their supply lines cut off.

Lu'an has become a dead end!

"Quickly! Issue the order! Abandon Lu'an and retreat the entire army towards Hefei! Join up with Prefect Liu's main force!"

Zhang Xun gave the order in a hoarse voice. At this moment, he could no longer care about Liu Xun's taunts; saving his own life was the most important thing.

……

Hefei, the inner residence of the prefect.

The faint sounds of string and wind instruments drifted from inside the mansion, mixed with the coquettish laughter of women.

Zhang Xun, who had fled in defeat, stumbled into the inner hall with the help of his personal guards, only to be stopped by several guards.

"General! General Zhang Xun requests an audience with urgent military intelligence!"

The guards shouted loudly.

After a long while, the door to the inner room finally opened with a creak.

Liu Xun was disheveled, his face flushed, and he reeked of alcohol, clearly having been forcibly dragged out of a brothel.

Behind him, one could still glimpse the panicked figure of a maid.

Liu Xun's eyes blazed with fury, not because of military matters, but because his refined mood had been disturbed.

Without even glancing at the disheveled Zhang Xun, he turned to the guards and gave them a harsh order:

"Drag those lowly maids out and give them as a reward to the brothers on night watch! Get out!"

After finishing his "household chores," Liu Xun, still tidying his disheveled robes, staggered drunkenly to the main hall.

The strategist Liu Ye and the surrendered general Zhang Xiu had also rushed over upon hearing the news, standing below the hall with furrowed brows.

"Zhang Xun?"

Liu Xun let out a hiccup, glanced sideways at Zhang Xun kneeling on the ground, and spoke with a tone full of sarcasm.

"My great General Zhang, weren't you in Lu'an fighting against Liu Bei, that weaver of mats and seller of sandals? What happened? You were herded back like a duck, and you've come to this state."

Zhang Xun's face turned purple, and he suppressed his humiliation and anger, banging his head on the ground, his voice hoarse:

"General! This humble general is incompetent. Liuan... Liuan is no longer defensible! Yuan Tan's army landed at Ruxu, and Juchao, Shiting, Shucheng, and Xunyang have fallen one after another! This humble general... this humble general was caught off guard!"

Now that Hefei's surrounding defenses have been completely lost, the armies of Yuan Tan and Liu Bei are closing in from the east and south, and will soon be at the city's gates, my lord!

"What?!"

The drunkenness and mockery on Liu Xun's face froze instantly.

"Yuan Tan? Wasn't he in Qingzhou?! How could he be here?! Liu Bei... how could Liu Bei possibly have the ability to conquer so many cities in succession?! Zhang Xun! Did you suffer a defeat and are now spreading alarmist rumors to deceive me?!"

"Every word I have said is true! The scouts can attest to it! The routed soldiers can attest to it!"

Zhang Xun raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

"Yuan Tan's military tactics are cunning and unpredictable; his cavalry's fighting methods are unprecedented. Our army... is truly no match for him!"

Liu Xun stood there dumbfounded, as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water from head to toe, and was now mostly sober.

The territory he depended on for survival crumbled in just a few days!

He suddenly swept the wine pot and cups off the table, scattering shards everywhere!

"Useless! You're all useless! What use are you to me?!"

Liu Xun's gaze swept over Zhang Xun, then suddenly fixed on the silent Liu Ye, and he hissed:

"Liu Ziyang! Don't you pride yourself on your wisdom and resourcefulness? Now that things are like this, what plan do you have?! Speak!"

Liu Ye remained calm, as if he had already anticipated today's situation.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

"My lord, Ye has no other choice."

"What did you say?!"

Liu Xun couldn't believe his ears.

Liu Ye said frankly:

"Yuan Tan has been plotting for a long time, and Liu Bei has launched a full-scale attack. Both sides are formidable forces, and they are also combining orthodox and unorthodox tactics. Our forces in Hefei are scattered, and external reinforcements (Lü Bu) are hard to come by. The people are restless. As the art of war says: if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if twice, fight them."

The enemy outnumbers us two to one, their morale is soaring, while we, fresh from defeat, are terrified. Though our city walls are fortified, we lack the will to defend it from within, and we have no troops to send reinforcements from without. To fight is to be defeated; to defend is to perish.

He paused, then slowly began to speak:

"For the sake of all the people in the city, for the sake of the lives of the soldiers, I dare to suggest that if we open the city gates and surrender now, we may be able to save our lives, or even..."

"shut up!!!"

Liu Xun flew into a rage, his finger trembling as he pointed at Liu Ye, and said sternly:

"Liu Ziyang! You...you dare to persuade me to surrender?! I have treated you well, yet you dare to undermine morale and boost the enemy's spirit! Have you been colluding with Yuan Tan all along?! Guards! Drag this traitor out and execute him!!"

The guards on either side were taken aback, but seeing Liu Xun acting like a mad tiger, they dared not disobey and stepped forward to seize him.

"My lord, please calm your anger! Spare his life!"

Zhang Xun was shocked and rushed forward to stop the guards.

Although he also resented Liu Ye's outspokenness, he knew even more that killing the strategist at this moment would be tantamount to cutting off his own arm, and would also chill the hearts of all those who were still watching.

He desperately tried to signal to Liu Ye with his eyes, and growled:

"Ziyang! You've had too much to drink! You're talking nonsense! Get out of here right now!"

Liu Ye gave the two of them a deep look, his face expressionless.

He straightened his clothes, bowed to Liu Xun and Zhang Xun respectively, then turned and disappeared into the night outside the door.

He knew that he could no longer stay here.

Looking at the empty doorway and the mess on the ground, Liu Xun sobered up considerably.

"Good...good! What a Yuan Xiansi! What a Liu Xuande! You want to seize my Lujiang and take my life?"

He glanced again at Zhang Xiu, who remained silent to the side, and said angrily:

"Zhang Xiu, this matter seems to have started because of you. Do you have any ideas?"

Zhang Xiu was speechless. He was, after all, a regional warlord, yet he was being insulted like this by a mere commoner. But now that he was under someone else's roof, he could only slowly say:

"Now, all we can do is hold on."

Liu Xun nodded and immediately gave the order:

"Issue an order to the entire city! Burn all houses and provisions outside the city walls, implement a scorched-earth policy! Concentrate all troops and provisions in Hefei! Conscript all able-bodied men from the city to the city walls! I, Liu Xun, will fight Yuan Tan and Liu Bei to the death right here in Hefei! If you want my territory, you'll pay with your lives!"