Chapter 36: The troops were gone, Lady Zou was lost, and Liu Bei was knocking at the gates—Zhang Ji’s composure had completely shattered.

Wancheng, the Commandery Government Office.

The mansion was festooned with colorful lanterns, filled with a festive and jubilant atmosphere. Zhang Ji sat high in the seat of honor, stroking his thin beard as he surveyed the guests filling the hall, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Today was his wedding day to the daughter of the Zou family, and the noble clans of Wancheng had shown him enough respect to send representatives to offer their congratulations.

"With so many distinguished guests present, it seems Father’s move to form an alliance with the Zou family was indeed the right one," his eldest son, Zhang Yan, remarked with a flattering, smiling face.

Zhang Ji, however, gave a cold snort, unimpressed. "My marriage to the Zou woman is merely the icing on the cake. Do you truly believe they came here to congratulate me out of respect for the Zou family? You are mistaken. They fear my Xiliang iron cavalry; they fear the blade in my hand. They dare not deny me this respect."

Zhang Yan trembled slightly, as if coming to a sudden realization. Zhang Ji sipped his wine and asked casually, "Where is Wenjin’s army? Has there been any military report?"

Zhang Yan hurriedly retrieved a silk scroll from his robes and presented it with both hands. "This report arrived late yesterday. I thought that since you were busy with the wedding, I would present it to you tomorrow. Two days ago, my brother reached Biyang. That scoundrel Liu Bei actually lined up his troops outside the city walls, intending to fight us to the death. My brother claims in his report that within a single day, he will surely crush Liu Bei, capture Biyang, and seize the hundred thousand bushels of grain for himself."

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Zhang Ji’s eyes. He clearly had not expected Liu Bei to have the audacity to meet them in open battle. "This Liu Bei is truly arrogant! Very well, then. I imagine Wenjin has already trampled Biyang by now, and those hundred thousand bushels of grain are already on their way to Wancheng. The grain shortage is resolved, and I can rest easy. Hahaha!"

A heavy burden lifted from Zhang Ji’s heart. The more he thought about it, the more pleased he felt, and he burst into boisterous laughter. Zhang Yan, however, offered a forced smile, a shadow of worry flickering across his brow. After hesitating repeatedly, he lowered his voice. "In recent years, it has always been Wenjin leading the troops abroad, and he has gained the deep devotion of the soldiers. If he wins a great victory in this battle and resolves our grain crisis, his prestige within the army will surely grow even further. If this continues, I fear that the entire army will soon forget who the true commander of our Zhang family forces is..."

The smile vanished from Zhang Ji’s face, and his brows knit together. He understood his son’s implication perfectly: Zhang Yan was worried that the prestige of his cousin, Zhang Xiu, would overshadow his own and that, sooner or later, he would be usurped.

With a sigh, Zhang Ji appeared helpless. "If I do not rely on Wenjin, whom else can I rely on? Your younger brothers are still children, and you cannot ride or lead in battle. How could you command an army and share my burdens?"

Stung by this reminder of his own weakness, Zhang Yan fell silent. Zhang Ji shifted his tone. "That boy Wenjin—I have watched him grow up since he was small, and I understand him. He may be a bit arrogant due to his achievements, but I believe he would not dare to have any illicit ambitions. Do not worry. I am still in the prime of my life and have enough time to build a foundation for you. When that time comes, you will not need to lead the army in person to be a master of a region."

Zhang Ji revealed his inner plans to his son. Zhang Yan’s expression shifted from gloom to joy. "So, Father, you had such deep foresight. It was I who was worrying needlessly; I have made you laugh at my folly."

Zhang Ji stroked his thin beard, his face showing a hint of conceit. "I served under Lord Dong and held power over the Emperor and his officials; I have seen great storms and waves. Do you truly think I am just the brave-but-foolish Xiliang brute the world takes me for? Let me tell you the truth: once I have seized Liu Bei’s grain and stabilized the morale of the army, I intend to use Nanyang as my base, step by step, to crush that hypocritical Liu Biao and move south to take Jingzhou. Jingzhou will be the foundation of our Zhang family!"

Zhang Yan shuddered, the gloom in his eyes instantly swept away. Overjoyed, he began to shower his father with flattery regarding his profound foresight.

***

Zhang Ji patted his son’s shoulder and taught him earnestly, "A meal must be eaten one bite at a time, and tasks must be accomplished one by one. You are the future master of our Zhang family army; you must remain composed. Let us start by crushing Liu Bei and reclaiming those hundred thousand bushels of grain..."

Just as Zhang Ji was lecturing his son, a commotion suddenly broke out among the guests outside the hall, followed by cries of shock. Zhang Ji instinctively raised his head, his pupils constricting. He saw a familiar figure pushing through the crowd and striding toward him.

"Wenjin?" Zhang Ji was stunned when he recognized Zhang Xiu. By all accounts, shouldn't Zhang Xiu be leading his army to attack Biyang? Even if he had achieved a quick victory, it was impossible for him to return to Wancheng so soon! An ominous premonition surged in his heart.

"Uncle!" Zhang Xiu knelt on one knee, his face filled with shame. "This nephew has failed you. I could not take Biyang, and I was... defeated by that Liu Bei!" He found it difficult to speak, the word "defeated" barely squeezing through his clenched teeth.

The hall erupted in an uproar. Zhang Ji’s face paled, and he jumped up, shouting, "You personally commanded eight thousand troops, yet you were defeated by that Liu Bei? Wenjin, you, you..." Zhang Ji’s voice was hoarse, his mind reeling in disbelief as if he had seen a ghost. Who was Liu Bei? A mere mat-weaver and sandal-seller, a stray dog fleeing from Xuzhou! His own nephew was a veteran Xiliang general, brave and skilled in battle, with command capabilities even superior to his own! To be defeated by such a weakling? Zhang Ji could not believe it.

"It was my own carelessness and underestimation of the enemy. I did not expect that Liu Bei to be so cunning and devious..." Zhang Xiu, face burning with shame, had no choice but to recount the entire process of how he had fallen into the trap.

Zhang Ji swayed, falling back into his seat, his mouth hanging open in a gaping circle. "That Liu Bei... he understood the weak points of our army so well and employed such a treacherous scheme?" Zhang Ji gasped for air, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Zhang Xiu sighed, his voice bitter and helpless. "Only now do I recall hearing that while in Rudo, Liu Bei led three thousand troops to crush the combined forces of Yuan Shu and Lu Bu, who had twice his numbers. I suspect that Liu Bei has a brilliant strategist in his ranks, planning and devising for him. Uncle, we have all underestimated Liu Bei and committed the error of arrogance!"

Zhang Ji’s body stiffened again, a new layer of shock added to his eyes. Zhang Yan was the first to recover, urgently shouting, "Wenjin, how many men did you lose?"

Zhang Xiu sighed again and spoke quietly. "In this battle, our casualties were not high, but on the retreat, a large number of soldiers from Nanyang deserted. I brought back fewer than three thousand men. Even my son, Zhang Quan, is now missing and his fate is unknown."

Zhang Ji and his son turned deathly pale. Eight thousand troops, reduced to fewer than three thousand! This could no longer be described as a minor setback; it was effectively the annihilation of his entire force!

"Wenjin, you have truly disappointed us. Five thousand soldiers are gone just like that. We now have less than four thousand men left in total. How are we to maintain our footing in Nanyang? Wenjin, you—"

While Zhang Yan continued to prattle on, Zhang Ji took a deep breath and roared, "Enough!" Zhang Yan trembled and clamped his mouth shut.

***

By now, Zhang Ji had recovered slightly from the shock and regained some of his composure. He understood that blaming Zhang Xiu would not solve the problem; in the current situation, he still needed to rely on him. After silencing his son, Zhang Ji forced himself to remain calm. "Wenjin, what of Liu Bei? Has that scoundrel seized the opportunity to pursue you?"

Seeing that Zhang Ji was not punishing him, Zhang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "Reporting to Uncle, Liu Bei led his entire force in pursuit, and his vanguard has already appeared near Wancheng. When I entered the city, I ordered the gates closed and all troops to man the walls and prepare for battle. We still have four thousand men, and the walls of Wancheng are high and thick; I believe that Liu Bei will not be able to break through anytime soon."

Zhang Ji let out a breath of relief, leapt up, ripped off his wedding robes, and grabbed his sword. "Quickly, to the south gate tower!" With a powerful enemy at the gates, Zhang Ji could no longer care about the wedding feast and intended to personally oversee the defense. The guests in the hall, also shocked by the news of Zhang Xiu’s disastrous defeat, dispersed in a flurry.

Just as Zhang Ji stepped over the threshold, Hu Che'er, covered in dust and blood, stumbled over and knelt before him. "My Lord, this general is incompetent! On the way back while escorting the new Madame, we unexpectedly encountered a general who claimed to be Liu Bei’s subordinate, Wei Yan, leading his troops to intercept us. I was outnumbered and could not fight them off; the new Madame has been abducted by that Wei Yan!"

Zhang Ji stopped abruptly, his body freezing into ice. Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes widened until they seemed to split, and his face twisted... It was bad enough that eight thousand troops had been decimated by Liu Bei. Now, even the daughter of the Zou family he was about to marry had been snatched away by Liu Bei’s subordinate! Zhang Ji had never dreamed that he would lose everything to a mere mat-weaver and sandal-seller—and lose so miserably!

*A deep humiliation!* The words filled his mind in an instant.

"Liu Bei! How dare you humiliate me like this! How dare you—"

Inside the mansion, a roar of bestial fury echoed.

***

South of Wancheng.

Thousands of Liu Bei's soldiers had reached the city walls. Siege camps were beginning to be set up outside the four gates. Inside the main command tent, a layout map of Wancheng was spread out on the desk. Liu Bei had begun discussing with his officers how to take the city.

"Although Zhang Xiu was defeated, Zhang Ji has gathered the remnants of his forces and still has over four thousand men. Furthermore, Wancheng is the most fortified city in Nanyang. If Zhang Ji decides to fight to the death, it will not be easy for our army to take it by storm." Liu Bei gestured to the map as he analyzed the situation, clearly remaining calm and not letting the great victory at Biyang lead to arrogance.

The officers offered their suggestions one after another, but none provided a foolproof plan.

"Jinglue, do you have a good plan for breaking Wancheng?" After hearing everyone's input and finding them lacking, Liu Bei finally turned his gaze toward Xiao Fang. The expectant eyes of the group gathered once more upon their strategist.

Under their gaze, Xiao Fang spoke unhurriedly, "In truth, my Lord, even before the battle of Biyang, I took the liberty of planting a secret piece on the board, which will help you quickly break Wancheng!"

As these words were spoken, a look of joyful surprise instantly welled up in Liu Bei’s eyes.