On the night of the 25th of December, in Xiapi, inside Hou Cheng's residence.
Although the outside world was freezing cold, as a general, Hou Cheng's residence was naturally well-equipped.In the banquet hall, several warm stoves were burning brightly.Hou Cheng's face was gloomy as he sat with Song Xian and Wei Xu, exchanging cups and drinking wine.
A few days ago, Hou Cheng had recovered his prized horse, Wu Yun Ta Xue, and had planned to celebrate. But instead, he was severely punished by Lü Bu, who was in a bad mood.If it were a normal time, he might have tolerated it, but now was not the time for such things. Once the flood receded or the city walls collapsed, Cao Cao's army would immediately break into the city!
At this critical time, Lü Bu was still throwing his weight around, making Hou Cheng feel extremely aggrieved.Even though Song Xian and Wei Xu kept trying to calm him down, after a few more cups, Hou Cheng couldn't hold back his growing anger!
"Bang!" He slammed the wine cup onto the table.Hou Cheng gritted his teeth: "Lü Bu is really pushing us too far! If it weren't for our brothers' support, Xiapi would have long since changed hands!""Is it really such a big deal to drink a little wine? We get punished for something so trivial!""This time, I can't take it anymore!"
Song Xian quickly warned: "Be careful, Hou! There are so many eyes in the city watching your residence!""If someone reports that we're secretly drinking, we'll be in serious trouble!"
Of the three, Song Xian was the most cautious.With Lü Bu having established such a reputation for himself, hearing Hou Cheng speak out like this, he immediately tried to intervene."What are you afraid of? Not to mention that there are spies in the city, but my residence is filled with trusted soldiers. Who would dare to talk?"
Wei Xu, with a gleam in his eyes, responded: "Is Hou really just speaking out of frustration, or is he truly unable to bear it anymore?"
With Wei Xu's words, Hou Cheng, who was still slightly drunk, instantly became alert!"Of course it's not just frustration! Everyone knows how bad the situation is in the city!""Instead of waiting for the city to fall and dying alongside Lü Bu, we might as well act first and surrender the city! Once Cao Cao enters, whether or not we're rewarded, at least we'll survive!"
"Do you two agree?"
A glint flashed in Wei Xu's eyes: "Hou, what's your plan to act?"
Hou Cheng didn't want to die with Lü Bu, and Wei Xu felt the same.Given the chance to survive, no one in their right mind would let it go to waste!
After thinking for a moment, Hou Cheng spoke: "For the past few days, Cao Cao's army has surrounded us without attacking, and the city walls are barely holding up. Lü Bu is holed up in the city lord's mansion drinking and enjoying himself!""We can secretly send someone out to communicate with Cao Cao, and at midnight, we can open the East Gate!"
"By the time Cao Cao's army rushes in, we'll have inside help, and the fall of Xiapi will be certain!"
Song Xian spoke cautiously: "I've heard that Cao Cao never hesitates to kill. It's been over two months since he brought his army to Xu Zhou, and we've already killed many of his men!""What if he refuses to negotiate with us? The city walls won't last much longer, and once they collapse, Cao Cao can still bring his army into the city."
Hou Cheng frowned: "What do you suggest? Should we just sit here and wait to die?"
Wei Xu answered: "Song is wrong! The enemy can break the city any time, but if we act earlier, Cao Cao will be relieved sooner!""Also, he knows the strength of our Bingzhou troops. Without our help, even if the walls fall, Cao Cao will need to lose a few thousand more men to fully subdue the city!""With our inside help, Cao Cao will definitely lose fewer men! He's no fool; he will make this deal!"
"Yes, yes! Wei Xu is right!"Hou Cheng's mood improved, "There are only five thousand troops left in the city. The Xu Zhou soldiers are useless. Once the city falls, they'll panic and won't follow Lü Bu's orders!"
"The remaining two thousand Bingzhou soldiers, we control at least half of them! Only Gao Shun's Xian Zhen troops will still listen to Lü Bu!""Even if it's one thousand against one thousand, we may not defeat Gao Shun, but at least we can delay until the reinforcements arrive!"
At first, Hou Cheng had only been venting his frustration, but after discussing it, it seemed easy to give up the city and survive.
Wei Xu nodded: "Tonight, it's my turn to guard the East Gate. I'll go there first and send a trusted death warrior to deliver the message to Cao Cao."
"As it nears midnight, you two should gather your men and head to the East Gate!""We'll either live or die tonight!"
Hou Cheng turned to Song Xian, his voice cold: "Song, we're already on a tiger's back!"
"If you're willing to join, we'll survive together!""If you still hesitate, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
As soon as Hou Cheng finished speaking, two of his personal guards, who had been standing in the hall, immediately came over.
Seeing the murderous intent in Hou Cheng and Wei Xu's eyes, Song Xian hesitated for a moment, then grit his teeth and replied: "Let's do it! Since Lü Bu is so heartless, don't blame us for being ruthless!"
Neither Hou Cheng nor Wei Xu were good people, and now that they had heard their full plan, if Song Xian didn't join them, he would surely die in Hou Cheng's residence tonight!
The most important thing was that Song Xian, though weak in character, had his own grievances with Lü Bu, and now, with no way out, he was ready to take action.
Hou Cheng grinned: "Good brother! I knew I could count on you!"
"Let's move quickly, before the night drags on!"
Plans decided, Hou Cheng and Song Xian immediately ordered their trusted subordinates.Wei Xu left the residence and made his way toward the East Gate!
A quarter of an hour later, inside the Xiapi city lord's hall,Lü Bu and Chen Gong were seated across from each other when suddenly, Gao Shun rushed in.
"Report, my lord! Hou Cheng and Wei Xu have already started their move!"
Lü Bu nodded: "Has the city been properly arranged? And what about those traitors, where are they?"
Gao Shun cupped his fists: "Everything in the city has been arranged. I personally ensured that no one will notice!"
"After Wei Xu left Hou Cheng's residence, he went straight to the East Gate. If nothing unexpected happens, he's likely trying to contact the enemy outside."
"Hou Cheng and Song Xian are acting separately. They're gathering their trusted subordinates. Though they're trying to be secretive, our scouts are already watching them. They won't escape our control!"
Lü Bu slowly stood up: "In that case, let's proceed according to plan."
"Once the East Gate opens, let's give Cao Cao's army a big surprise!"