Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1255 Chengdu Shocked, Reinforcements Arrive in Mianzhu

As the sun rose high in the sky, the enemy's offensive gradually weakened. The commander-in-chief looked at the piles of corpses and staggering soldiers below the city walls, and slammed his whip hard, but ultimately did not order another charge. In their first attempt, they failed to get even half a step closer to the city walls, and were instead stunned by the united strength of the soldiers and civilians of Mianzhu Pass.

"Withdraw!" With a wave of the command flag, the army retreated like a tide, leaving behind only a mess.

Dong He leaned against the battlements, watching the enemy's retreating figures, his chest heaving. An old soldier beside him handed him a bowl of water and laughed, "Sir, we won the first round!" He took the water and looked at the cheering crowd on the city wall. Some soldiers patted each other on the shoulder, some civilians fed water to the wounded, and sunlight shone through the smoke on their faces. Every person's exhaustion was wrapped in a tough spirit.

He knew this was just the beginning, but at this moment, every brick and every person at Mianzhu Pass was saying: it won't be easy to get through here.

At the foot of Mianzhu Pass, in the military tent, the generals, having been held back at Mianzhu Pass, summarized the day's losses. Jia Xu shook his head: "A frontal assault would result in too many casualties. We need to weaken their morale first. Tomorrow, we'll cut off their water supply, then suppress them with a rain of arrows, causing chaos within the pass."

The next day at dawn, the Xiliang army acted according to plan. Pang De led his men to build a dam upstream of the moat, cutting off the water flow; Zhang Ren commanded archers to fire fire arrows at the city walls, forcing the defenders to keep their heads down. Inside the city, soldiers braved a hail of arrows to move rolling stones, while civilians lined up at the wells with buckets of water. The wells quickly ran dry, and panic gradually spread among the people.

Standing atop the city wall, Dong He surveyed the densely packed Xiliang army below and listened to the complaints emanating from within the city, his expression grave. He ordered wooden shields to be erected on the city wall to deflect the rain of arrows, and then summoned his generals, declaring, "Hold out for three days! The Chengdu reinforcements will surely arrive! Anyone who dares to disrupt our morale will be executed without mercy!"

Inside the governor's mansion in Chengdu, Liu Zhang was playing chess with his advisors Qin Mi, Li Hui, Xu Jing, and Liu Ba. Soft music drifted from outside the tent, creating a tranquil scene. He picked up a chess piece and smiled, saying, "Although Ma Chao has breached Yangping Pass, he may not be able to cross Jiange. Wu Yi and Wu Lan are guarding the pass, while General Yan Yan is providing support in Bazhong. With them forming a defensive triangle, even if there's any movement, we have the composure to handle it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a guard rushed in, kneeling with a sealed document in his hand: "My lord, urgent report from Mianzhu Pass! Lord Dong He says there's been an incident in Jiangyou, and Fei Guan and Peng Yang are leading troops to reinforce Jiangyou. Mianzhu Pass is poorly defended, and we request reinforcements!"

Liu Zhang's chess piece fell onto the chessboard, disrupting the entire game. He frowned and said, "Jiangyou is far behind Jiange, how could things suddenly change? Could it be a misrepresentation?" Qin Mi took the document and examined it closely, his brows furrowed: "The sealing wax is genuine, and the handwriting is indeed Dong He's, but... it came too suddenly."

Xu Jing frowned first: "Dong He is not the only garrison commander of Mianzhu. Fei Guan and Peng Yang are both capable commanders in defending the city. Even if there is an emergency, the commanders should jointly report it. Why did Dong He send it alone?"

Qin Mi stroked his beard and agreed: "Lord Xu is right. In Jiangyou City, General Ren Kui is stationed and Meng Da is assisting him. If the Xiliang army really broke through Jiange, Jiangyou should have sent the warning first. Why did it skip Jiangyou and instead send the urgent message from Mianzhu first? This matter is strange."

Li Hui also said, "Although Dong He is loyal and cautious, he is not the highest-ranking general in Mianzhu. It is hard to say whether the sudden dispatch of the letter by him is a trap set by the enemy to deliberately confuse our army's judgment."

Liu Ba was even more cautious: "We might as well send scouts to Jiangyou and Mianzhu to investigate whether Ren Kui and Meng Da are safe and sound, and what Fei Guan and Peng Yang are doing in Mianzhu. If Jiangyou is safe, then the urgent report from Mianzhu needs to be questioned; if Jiangyou has fallen, then Dong He's letter is probably the last cry for help in a desperate situation."

Liu Zhang was in a state of utter confusion upon hearing this. He made a decisive decision: "Let's do as Liu Ba says. Quickly dispatch four scouts. Two to Jiangyou to investigate Ren Kui and Meng Da, and two to Mianzhu to inquire about Fei Guan and Peng Yang. At the same time, send a reply to Dong He to inquire about the movements of Fei Guan and Peng Yang, and whether Jiangyou has fallen. The reinforcements shall postpone their departure until the scouts report back."

On the afternoon of the third day, a second urgent report pierced through the smoke and dust, reaching Liu Zhang's desk. The edges of the letter were soaked with blood, and Dong He's handwriting was hasty and hurried, each word filled with anguish: "Generals Fei Guan and Peng Yang, on their way to reinforce Jiangyou, were ambushed by the Xiliang army at Luoyan Slope. Almost all eight thousand soldiers were wiped out, with only a few deserters managing to return with the news. Now, Mianzhu Pass is isolated and without reinforcements. Please, my lord, send reinforcements immediately!"

A deathly silence fell over the governor's mansion. Qin Mi's hand, clutching the letter, trembled slightly: "Fei Guan and Peng Yang's entire army wiped out? This... how is this possible? They were heading to Jiangyou, how could they be ambushed halfway there?"

Li Hui frowned deeply: "If Generals Fei and Peng were ambushed, what about Jiangyou City? Where are General Ren Kui and Meng Da? Why is there no news of them? Has Jiangyou also fallen?"

Liu Ba interjected, "What's even stranger is Jiange. If Fei and Peng set off from Mianzhu to Jiangyou, then the Xiliang army that ambushed them must have come from the direction of Jiangyou. This means that the enemy had already broken through Jiange and captured Jiangyou, otherwise they would never have been able to circle around to the rear of Jiangyou to set up an ambush! But Jiange was guarded by Wu Yi and Wu Lan, how could it have been lost so easily?"

Xu Jing sighed, "And then there's Bazhou County. Prefect Pang Xi and General Yan Yan are stationed there. If Jian Ge had truly fallen, they couldn't have been completely unaware. Why haven't we received a single battle report yet?"

The advisors spoke one after another, their doubts piling up. Liu Zhang listened, sweat beading on his forehead, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table: "Then... is this urgent report credible or not?"

Just as he was hesitating, Liu Zhang suddenly stood up: "No! This matter is too suspicious. Immediately summon Lei Tong, Zhang Yi, Zhang Yi and others back to Chengdu. We will make a decision after verifying the facts!"

On the morning of the fourth day, Dong He's third letter, written in blood, arrived. This time, the letter was almost completely soaked in blood, the ink and bloodstains mixed together, making the writing illegible: "The Xiliang army first used prisoners to lure us into opening the gates, but fortunately we saw through their scheme. Now they have begun a full-scale attack, raining arrows and stones, causing many sections of the city walls to collapse, and more than half of our soldiers have been killed or wounded! Mianzhu Pass cannot hold out! My lord, send reinforcements immediately!"

Attached to the end of the letter was half a bloodstained token of the garrison commander of Mianzhu Pass, which Dong He clearly included to prove its authenticity.

Liu Zhang held the blood-written letter, his fingertips icy cold. Just as he was about to speak, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the mansion, and a guard stumbled in: "My lord! Urgent report from Bazhou County! It was jointly sent by Prefect Pang Xi and General Yan Yan!"

All eyes turned to the document. Yan Yan's handwriting was strong and powerful, yet it revealed his anxiety: "Jiange fell three days ago, and the fates of Generals Wu Yi and Wu Lan are unknown. Jiangyou is under siege. I intended to lead troops to its aid, but I was ambushed by the Xiliang general Wei Yan in Bazhou County. After several fierce battles, I was held back and unable to escape! Jiangyou is in grave danger. I implore my lord to send reinforcements immediately, or it may be lost!"

The letter was unaware that Jiangyou had fallen, and the words were filled with concern for Jiangyou.

Upon seeing this, no one in the governor's mansion questioned it anymore. Qin Mi said in a trembling voice, "So that's how it is... With Jiange lost, Jiangyou will surely fall. The ambush by Generals Fei and Peng was precisely the enemy's doing after they captured Jiangyou! And the letter that came from Bazhou County at this time was probably written several days ago, which also confirms Dong He's authenticity. General Yan is tied down by Wei Yan, and Bazhou is too busy to take care of itself. Thus, Mianzhu is in grave danger..."

Li Hui interjected, "Dong He's urgent report is absolutely true! Mianzhu Pass is now an isolated city. Once it falls, the gateway to Chengdu will be wide open!"

Liu Zhang's face turned ashen. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Quickly! Issue my orders! Lei Tong is to be the commander-in-chief, Xu Jing the strategist, and Zhang Yi, Zhang Yi, and Ma Zhong the deputy commanders. They are to immediately lead 30,000 elite troops to reinforce Mianzhu! There must be no delays along the way. They must arrive before the pass falls!"

When Lei Tong and his men received the order, they were already fully prepared to depart. Lei Tong gripped his spear tightly: "Rest assured, my lord, even if it costs me my life, I will defend Mianzhu!"

Xu Jing rolled up the map and said in a deep voice, "Since the enemy has been able to capture Jiange and Jiangyou, it is doubtful whether Mianzhu City has fallen. Generals, do not delay. The army will march straight to the walls of Mianzhu City!"

Lei Tong, clad in heavy armor, stood at the front of the battle formation, gazing at the 30,000 soldiers behind him, and said in a deep voice, "Mianzhu is the gateway to Chengdu. To lose Mianzhu is to lose Yizhou! Today, follow me into battle; there is no turning back!"

Zhang Yi, Zhang Yi, and Ma Zhong each led a squad, following closely behind. As the column reached the territory of Xindu, they saw refugees, young and old, their cries echoing through the air. An old man grabbed the reins, sobbing, "General, hurry! The fighting at Mianzhu Pass is fierce day and night; Lord Dong can't hold on much longer!"

Xu Jing reined in his horse and said, "General Lei, the people's morale is wavering. We must speed up our march and send scouts to explore the road ahead, guarding against ambushes." Lei Tong nodded and immediately divided his troops: "Zhang Yi will lead a thousand cavalry as the vanguard to clear obstacles; Zhang Yi and Ma Zhong will protect the supplies at the rear; the strategist and I will be in the middle, marching day and night!"

As the army marched towards Guanghan, scouts reported: "Western Liang cavalry have been spotted ahead, seemingly gathering intelligence on our movements." Lei Tong's eyes sharpened: "It seems they were prepared. Military Advisor Xu, what do you think..."

Xu Jing said, "Speed ​​is of the essence in war. There's no need to get entangled with the scouts. Just break through. As long as we can join forces with the Mianzhu garrison, our strength will double, and we can stabilize our position."

Lei Tong nodded, drew his sword and pointed it forward: "Brothers, charge through this final stretch and join forces with Dong He!"

The army set off overnight, marching day and night. Meanwhile, atop the city wall of Mianzhu Pass, Dong He leaned on his broken spear, watching the Xiliang army regroup below. Fewer than two thousand soldiers remained behind him, yet not a single one retreated. He knew reinforcements might be on their way, but the pass before them depended on themselves. Hold on, just a little longer…

Inside the commander's tent of the Xiliang army camp, the candlelight flickered in the wind, reflecting the ashen faces of the generals. Pang De said in a rough voice, "This Mianzhu Pass is as hard as a rock! That brat Dong He is impervious to reason. We've been attacking for days, losing so many brothers, and we haven't even managed to break a decent breach in the city wall!"

Zhang Xiu slammed his spear into the ground, the shaft digging half a foot into the soil, and said in a deep voice, "I led the Black Mountain Army in three night raids, but he detected them all in advance. The rolling stones and arrows from the city walls were already waiting, and we lost two hundred brothers in vain. That old fellow is more meticulous than a hair; all his tricks of luring the enemy or feigning defeat are useless."

Zhang Ren frowned, looking at the map spread out in the tent: "The city's defenses are already strong, and the defensive equipment is plentiful. We've been constantly bombarded with arrows, logs, and molten gold. If Fei Guan and Peng Yang hadn't underestimated the enemy and fallen into an ambush, losing the main force of Mianzhu, we probably wouldn't even be able to get close to the city walls right now."

"Outrageous!" Xu Huang, enraged by what he heard, slammed his helmet to the ground, the clanging of armor shaking the tent flaps. "I've fought half my life and never seen such a formidable pass! Once we break through, I'll cleave Dong He in two to pay tribute to our fallen brothers!"