Can I get to the other side?

"Cao Cao and Sun Ce also led their troops to attack!"

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

Just one Lu Bu was already too much for him to withstand, and he had to huddle in Shouchun after being beaten; now Cao Cao and Sun Ce were added to the mix, and he only felt that the future was gloomy, and he could hardly stand.

"Cao Cao comes to attack, but Sun Ce's villain also wants to take advantage of it. What should we do? What should we do?"

Yuan Shu was completely confused and fell down on the bed in despair.

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

Obviously, these people came here to carve up Yuan Shu's territory.

Moreover, they were all well-known, and their crusade against Yuan Shu, who had arrogantly proclaimed himself emperor, would not be condemned at all, and would instead increase his own reputation.

Can Shouchun really be able to withstand these tiger and wolf warriors?

Zhang Xiu regretted a little. If he had known this, he would have lost his troops and returned to his hometown of Liangzhou, instead of surrendering to Yuan Shu and risking his life.

Suppressing the deep worries in his heart, Zhang Xiu adjusted his breathing and said to Yuan Shu: "Your Majesty, we are not at the end of the road yet."

"Although armies from all walks of life are approaching the city, they all have evil intentions and are wary of each other. No one should want to take the lead in attacking the city and be consumed by us."

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

As the saying goes, those who are close to Zhu are red. Zhang Xiu has not been with Jia Xu for so long in vain.

After such a long time, he also learned some skills of waiting and watching the situation.

"General!"

Hearing this, Yuan Shu ignited hope again, held Zhang Xiu's hand, and said with great sincerity: "You are my only support now, I must protect Shouchun!"

"When the enemy troops retreat, I will make you a king with a different surname and share the wealth with me!"

He really has nothing practical to show for it now, so he can only make such empty promises.

Zhang Xiu looked solemn and clasped his fists heavily: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will do my best!"

He has no way out. If Shouchun is breached, his end will not be much better.

We can only defend the city!

…

Shouchun is ten miles away.

The army led by Lu Bu has advanced to camp here, facing Shouchun far away.

It was completely dark now, but the camp was brightly lit, and teams of soldiers were patrolling back and forth, keeping tight security.

Inside the Chinese army camp.

Lu Bu sat on the commander's seat with a frown on his face. The table in front of him was filled with good wine and food, but he couldn't work up his appetite.

Although he had already pushed the 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 are also not far away. If he rushes to send troops to attack, he will definitely take advantage of others;

But if he doesn't fight and continues to consume like this, his food and grass will not be able to sustain it.

"It doesn't matter if I fight, it doesn't matter if I don't fight!"

"How on earth should we capture Shouchun?!"

Lu Bu was extremely agitated and slammed the table.

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

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

Liu Bei was stunned and asked: "Why is the general like this? Is the food not to your liking?"

When Lu Bu saw that it was Liu Bei, he did not hide anything and said with a gloomy expression: "Xuande, 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 be able to capture Shouchun without any bloodshed. I am here to discuss with the general."

"real?!"

Lu Bu was overjoyed when he heard this. He hurriedly got up and pulled Liu Bei to his seat. He couldn't wait to ask: "What's the plan? Tell me quickly!"

He was almost worried to death by the current situation. Taking Shouchun without a single blow was unthinkable.

Facing Lu Bu's eager gaze, Liu Bei did not show off and said directly: "The general who guarded Shouchun was Zhang Xiu from Wancheng before. If he can persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender, wouldn't it be possible to capture Shouchun without a single blow?"

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

After listening to it, he suddenly felt dull 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 in business for many years. There is plenty of food and soldiers in the city. If you can't defend the city, you can definitely defeat it." Fight a protracted war with us.”

"If we attack by force, let alone whether we can capture Shouchun in a short time. Even if we capture it, we will definitely lose our troops and generals. After the war, we will not be able to compete with Sun Ce, Cao Cao and others. The foundation we have worked so hard to build will be in vain to benefit others."

"But if we stand still and continue the siege, the army's food and fodder will be the first to be unable to hold on."

"Now the only best option is to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender. We can capture Shouchun at the minimum cost and preserve our troops to face the other people who are eyeing him."

Although Liu Bei's analysis was good, whether it was to attack the city or to stand still, it was always a bad idea.

But asking Zhang Xiu to surrender with empty words is too childish.

Lu Bu shook his head and said: "Xuande, you are thinking too simply. How could Zhang Xiu change sides easily? If he wanted to abandon Yuan Shu, he would not have rescued Yuan Shu before."

Shouchun seems to be in danger, but the city is impregnable, and with Zhang Xiu defending the city, it can hold on for at least a year, and it is far from being in danger and about to break the city.

Lu Bu thought about it in his shoes. If he were Zhang Xiu, he would definitely not surrender and offer the city.

Liu Bei said: "The general has forgotten that Zhang Xiu killed Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang, his nephew Cao Anmin, and his confidant general Dian Wei. Cao Cao hated him to the core."

"He fled to Yangzhou to join Yuan Shu, just to avoid Cao Cao."

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

"Even if Zhang Xiu falls into the hands of Sun Ce in the end, how can Sun Ce turn against Cao Cao for a defeated general? He will most likely be handed over by then."

"As long as we show goodwill to Zhang Xiu, we may not be able to persuade him to surrender."

There were only two ways to go before Zhang Xiu, either hold on to Shouchun and wait for the city to fall, which would be the day he died.

Either surrender to Lu Bu and the others and still save your life and fortune.

Because both Lu Bu and the Jizhou army served as the emperor of Yecheng, and regarded Cao Cao as a traitor.

Zhang Xiu's record in Wancheng was a heinous crime to Cao Cao, and he was his life-and-death enemy.

But to the emperor here in Yecheng, he was a hero who had made great achievements.

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

"As Xuande said, Zhang Xiu may not be unwilling to surrender."

Lu Bu felt that Liu Bei's words made sense. He thought again. 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, the counselor under Zhang Xiu, has gone to Yecheng to meet the emperor, and has now been canonized as Guanglu Xun. With Jia Xu Zhuyu in front, Zhang Xiu will definitely be shaken."

"It's so good!" Lu Bu was overjoyed. When his advisers went to Yecheng, they were all canonized as Guang Luxun. If Zhang Xiu went, what kind of official title would he be granted?

"But... who should be sent to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender?"

Persuading surrender is not about treating guests to a meal, and it is definitely not about writing a letter and people will happily accept it. It is necessary to send eloquent people to Shouchun to talk to Zhang Xiu face to face.

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

Lu Bu was startled. Liu Bei's plan to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender had already shocked him. Unexpectedly, he was even more shocked later.

"Xuande, what did you just say?"

Lu Bu wasn't sure if he heard correctly, so he asked again, with a somewhat surprised tone: "You want to go to the city in person to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender?"

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

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

"If Zhang Xiu refuses to surrender, you will definitely be in danger, and you may even be killed by him to strengthen the morale of the army."

There are many examples of beheading envoys throughout the ages, let alone envoys who persuaded people to surrender.

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

Liu Bei smiled, his expression very indifferent, "Bei naturally understands the dangers involved. But even if there is a cliff ahead, Bei has to go for it."

Lu Bu felt puzzled. Even if Liu Bei succeeded in persuading Zhang Xiu to surrender, the biggest beneficiary was not him.

He didn't have many soldiers and horses, so he couldn't occupy much territory at all.

"Why did you put yourself in danger? What was the reason why you had to go?"

Liu Bei let out a long sigh and said with an extremely heavy expression: "Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the world has been in chaos and the princes have been divided. Dong Zhuo has also caused chaos in the government, resulting in the decline of the Han Dynasty, the emperor's troubles, and few loyal ministers."

"Sun Ce from Jiangdong was very ambitious and once secretly hid the imperial seal with his father."

"Yuan Shao of Jizhou, the fourth and third prince, has received all the favors from the emperor, but now he is holding the emperor hostage to order the princes. He can be called a national thief."

"Cao Cao of Yanzhou is no different from Yuan Shao. He is also a national thief."

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou was a clan member of the Han Dynasty. He was supposed to support the country and attack the traitors. However, he did not send a single soldier to attack the puppet emperor this time."

"There are so many princes in the world like this."

"But the general knows the righteousness, which makes Bei look at him with admiration."

"Not only did he return Xiaopei to me, he saved me in times of crisis. He also proactively responded to the emperor's call and personally led an army to attack Yuan Shu to rectify the emperor's reputation. He is truly a loyal minister of the great Han Dynasty!"

"Now your majesty is under the control of Yuan Shao and is trapped in Yecheng. The imperial decree does not leave the palace. Although Bei does not have the courage of a general, this body is still useful. I am willing to put myself in danger and help the general win Shouchun to repay your majesty!"

"If successful, the general can annex Yangzhou and use this as a basis to gradually grow stronger and rescue His Majesty from the traitor Yuan Shao in the future."

"If it fails, the general will quickly retreat and eat away at the city that was previously captured. Don't let Cao, Yuan and Sun take it away."

"If unfortunately you die..."

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

"If Bei unfortunately dies, please give this letter to my second and third brothers, general. They will definitely help the general in the future."

"I only hope that the general can help the building before it collapses and turn the tide before it falls."

After that, he bowed his head to Lu Bu and bowed to the ground.

Lu Bu stood there with a dull expression. Liu Bei's words made him unable to recover for a long time.

He looked at the letter in his hand, and then at Liu Bei, who was ready to die generously in front of him, as if something was blocked deep in his throat.

A pair of tiger eyes turned slightly red, with tears in them.

"Xuande..."

At this moment, Lu Bu felt nothing but deep shame!

His crusade against Yuan Shu was more to use it as a military exploit in exchange for a greater official position, and he had selfish motives in it.

Liu Bei was willing to die just to help him seize Yangzhou so that he could grow stronger in the future, compete with Yuan Shao, and save the emperor.

Such virtue deeply impressed him.

After entrusting Lu Bu with his ambition to rescue the emperor and help the great man, Liu Bei strode outside the camp.

Watching Liu Bei's figure gradually disappearing into the night, Lu Bu was deeply touched. If Liu Bei could do this, why couldn't he?

Squeezing the letter in his hand, Lu Bu's eyes widened and he roared angrily:

"A man was born between heaven and earth, how can he do nothing?"

"In today's world, the princes are fighting each other, and the rebellious ministers and traitors are stealing power."

"Who else but me could help the Han Dynasty?"

…

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

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

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

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

He is a clan member of the Han Dynasty. Even if he is not as brave as Lu Bu, he must use his own way to serve the emperor!

…

"Uu——"

Outside Shouchun City, Liu Bei reined in his horse and stopped.

His arrival immediately aroused the vigilance of the soldiers on duty on the city wall.

"Who is under the city?"

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

Liu Bei's face did not change, he looked up at the defenders on the city wall and said loudly: "I am Liu Bei. I have entered the city for negotiations on the orders of Fenwei General Lu Bu. Open the city gate as soon as possible to let him go!"

"messenger?"

The guard on the city wall was slightly shocked. He didn't expect that at this point in the fight, there would still be room for negotiation.

The two armies fought without killing the envoy, so he did not embarrass Liu Bei.

To be cautious, they did not open the city gate, but put down a hanging basket and pulled Liu Bei up the city wall.

…

Shouchun, Zhang Xiu's official residence.

"Lü Bu sent someone to negotiate? Who is the envoy? Where are they now?" Zhang Xiu, who learned that the envoy had arrived, put down his official duties.

"Back to the general, the person who came here claims to be Liu Bei, and he is outside the house at this time."

"Liu Bei?" Zhang Xiu's expression changed when he heard the name, "Invite him to the main hall quickly, don't be rude!"

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

He made some contributions during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Later, he followed Yuan Shao in his crusade against Dong Zhuo and fought with two sworn brothers in front of Lu Bu, thus becoming famous all over the world.

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

He couldn't understand why Liu Bei, who was supposed to have a huge grudge against Lu Bu, became Lu Bu's envoy now?

When he walked to the main hall, Zhang Xiu saw Liu Bei who had been brought in.

There were more than a dozen soldiers wearing armor and holding sharp swords standing in the hall, but Liu Bei turned a blind eye to them and drank tea peacefully.

"Good concentration."

Seeing this scene in front of him, Zhang Xiu couldn't help but praise it in his heart.

If there is no surprise here, this Liu Bei is indeed no ordinary person.

Seeing Zhang Xiu walking into the lobby, Liu Bei put down the teacup in his hand, stood up and slightly cupped his hands, "I've met General Zhang."

"No need to be polite."

Zhang Xiu nodded slightly, walked straight to the main seat and sat down, and then asked straight to the point: "Xuande entered the city alone, why did he come?"

Liu Bei folded his sleeves and answered calmly: "I'm here for the general's future and life."