“Throw the rolling logs!”
“Drop the rolling stones!”
“Where’s the boiling oil? Hurry up!”
As the Han soldiers below the city began to climb the siege ladders, the siege officially commenced.
The Han soldiers were smashed and fell off the ladders, but new Han soldiers quickly filled their places. Rolling logs and stones were thrown down from the city wall, and commoners then transported new ones up.
The battle was a test of whether the Han soldiers could replace their fallen comrades faster, or if the commoners inside the city could transport supplies more quickly.
“Swordsmen and axemen! Cut down the Han siege ladders for me!”
Zhang Xin, armed with a spear in one hand and a short axe in the other, moved along the city wall, carefully observing for opportunities. As soon as one arose, he would go up and chop at the siege ladders a couple of times.
If a Han soldier occasionally managed to climb onto the city wall, Zhang Xin would also arrive in time to kill him.
The battle continued until noon, when all of the Han siege ladders were destroyed, forcing them to retreat.
“Victory!” Zhang Xin stood on the city wall and shouted loudly, “The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise!”
“The Azure Heaven is dead! The Yellow Heaven shall rise!” The Yellow Turbans on the city wall followed suit, shouting, “Victory! Victory! Victory!”
Seeing the Han army retreat, the commoners below the city quickly brought up food and then skillfully transported the corpses from the city wall down to the ground.
Zhang Xin sat on the city wall, holding a bowl of soup noodles, and looked at the Han army camp outside the city, his brows deeply furrowed.
He had just asked the head of the commoners, and the defensive supplies in the city were almost exhausted. If the Han army attacked again, it would be the most brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Zhang Xin estimated that, given the combat quality of the Yellow Turbans, once it devolved into hand-to-hand combat, this city would last at most three days.
“It’s time to leave,” Zhang Xin sighed deeply.
The reason he joined the Yellow Turbans in the first place was because Zhang Bao had cured his illness when he was at his most desperate and had given him a meal.
In return for the favor, he had once thought of changing the fate of the Yellow Turbans.
Unfortunately, the general trend was irreversible.
Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Zhang Xin had gone to Zhang Jiao and told him that Tang Zhou was untrustworthy. Zhang Jiao, however, became furious and almost had him executed as a sacrifice.
If Zhang Bao had not heard the news and pleaded for him, he might have already died.
Subsequently, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when Zhang Bao was choosing a garrison location, he chose Lower Quyang.
Zhang Xin then advised, “Lower Quyang is surrounded by water on three sides. While it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is also difficult for our army to launch attacks. If the Han army sends a force to garrison along the river, our army will be trapped like a turtle in a jar!”
As a result, Zhang Bao sent him to guard the city wall.
This was because Lower Quyang was the hometown of Zhang Jiao’s three brothers.
After Tang Zhou’s betrayal, the imperial court captured and killed Zhang Jiao’s entire clan. Zhang Bao was determined to take Lower Quyang to avenge them.
After these two incidents, Zhang Xin no longer held any hope for the Yellow Turbans. He only wanted to repay Zhang Bao’s life-saving kindness and then slip away.
“Earlier, when Dong Zhuo and Guo Dian attacked, I held them off for you.”
“Now, Huangfu Song’s army is attacking, and I have held out for you for more than ten days.”
“My life-saving debt is repaid. I want to live, so I won’t be buried with the Yellow Turbans.”
Thinking of this, Zhang Xin looked at the sun; it was almost Shenshi (3-5 PM).
The Han army showed no intention of continuing the siege. Instead, they sent soldiers to chop wood everywhere, seemingly unable to launch another attack today because of the destroyed siege ladders.
Zhang Xin called over a close soldier and said, “You watch from the city wall. I’m going down into the city. If the Han army makes any moves, report it to me immediately.”
“Understood,” the close soldier replied.
Zhang Xin descended from the city wall, mounted his horse, and skillfully arrived in front of a small courtyard, knocking on the gate.
The courtyard gate opened, and a woman of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight appeared before him.
The woman’s name was Liu Hua, from Hejian. According to her, she was from a scholarly family.
Because she had lived a comfortable life and taken good care of herself, she looked no different from a woman in her early twenties.
Liu Hua had originally married a husband, and they had two sons. Their life was affectionate and harmonious.
But unforeseen circumstances struck. The plague two years ago took her husband’s life.
At the beginning of this year, Liu Hua took her two sons home to visit relatives. Unexpectedly, they encountered mountain bandits. Because of her rather good looks, she was fortunate enough to survive.
But both of her sons were killed.
It was then that Zhang Xin happened to pass by and rescued her. From then on, he kept her by his side, housing her in this small courtyard.
Although Zhang Xin’s current body was only sixteen years old, it housed a soul of over thirty, and Liu Hua’s age was just right for him.
Upon seeing Zhang Xin, Liu Hua was very happy.
“General, you’re back? Are you hurt?”
“I’m just a Little Commander of the Yellow Turbans, what general are you talking about?” Zhang Xin reached out and pinched Liu Hua’s face, leading his horse into the courtyard. “Don’t worry, your man is very capable. A mere Han army can’t hurt me.”
“But in my heart, you are a great general,” Liu Hua closed the courtyard gate and looked at Zhang Xin with a smile.
Zhang Xin laughed heartily, “After all these years, besides that scoundrel, you’re the best at making things up and making old Zhang happy.”
“Alright, quickly go boil some hot water. I want to bathe.”
After washing away the dust of battle, Zhang Xin walked out of the bathroom and saw Liu Hua squatting by the well, washing vegetables. Her tight clothes accentuated her round buttocks, so he walked over and lifted her into his arms.
“General, I’m cooking,” Liu Hua lay in Zhang Xin’s arms, gently punching his chest with her small fists.
“Cooking what?” Zhang Xin laughed loudly, “Aren’t you the best delicacy?”
“It’s not dark yet…”
“I can’t hold it in!”
Afterward, Zhang Xin closed his eyes slightly, his hands gently caressing Liu Hua’s body, feeling the delicate touch at his fingertips.
Liu Hua lay in Zhang Xin’s arms, breathing softly.
“General is getting more and more formidable now.”
Zhang Xin’s old face flushed, remembering their first time… He quickly changed the subject.
“Hua Jie, later you go and pack up the valuable items in the house and make some dry rations. I will take you out of the city tonight.”
“Are we finally leaving?” Liu Hua looked up at the sound of his words, a look of pleasant surprise on her face.
She was the daughter of a scholarly family and naturally did not want Zhang Xin to be a rebel. If Zhang Xin had not told her that he would leave the Yellow Turbans after repaying his debt of gratitude, she would have rather died than submit to him.
“Yes,” Zhang Xin nodded.
“But with the imperial army besieging the city, how are we to get out?” Liu Hua asked.
“The Han army is using the ‘surround three, leave one open’ tactic. They haven’t deployed forces at the west gate,” Zhang Xin said. “We can exit from there.”
“Aren’t you afraid of encountering an ambush?” Liu Hua worried.
‘Surround three, leave one open’ refers to surrounding on three sides, leaving one opening, to entice the enemy to abandon the city and flee, and then setting up an ambush on the inevitable escape route. It’s a classic tactic.
It was common, but also very effective.
Liu Hua had studied and had some understanding of this.
Zhang Xin said, “Not far outside the west gate, there’s a small path that leads directly into the mountains. We can go into the mountains to take temporary refuge.”
“Will the west gate guard let us pass?” Liu Hua asked again.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged everything,” Zhang Xin said with a smile. “He said he’d come with us, so we can look out for each other on the way.”
“I’ll go pack now.”
Seeing that Zhang Xin had considered everything, Liu Hua had no more doubts in her heart. She kissed him on the face and said, “Once we’re out of the city, you should return to my hometown with me. My father has some prestige in our area. At that time, I’ll ask my father to get you a position as a hundred-stone official in the county, how about that?”
“Then I thank you, older sister.”
Zhang Xin looked at Liu Hua’s tender, luscious red lips and kissed her fiercely.
“Mmm… stop it, I still need to pack things…”
“We’ll pack after we’re done.”
“A Xin, A Xin!” A voice came from outside the courtyard, interrupting Zhang Xin’s actions.
The Han army was attacking again?
Zhang Xin’s heart jolted.
No, my soldiers wouldn’t call me A Xin. Only Zhang Bao’s personal guards would call me A Xin.
Could it be that the news of me preparing to escape has leaked?