150 Vowing to Defend Ye City

Outside the city, Zhang He, Tian Feng, and others were discussing how to launch an attack, while inside the city, Su Ming and his commanders were deliberating on how to defend it.

Defending Ye City was far easier said than done.

With only eight hundred men of the Camp of Trapped Warriors and the private soldiers of the Xu family inside the city, the total number was barely three thousand. Attempting to hold Ye City with just these three thousand men was somewhat unrealistic.

"Within a day at most, Zhang He will be able to gather an army of fifty thousand outside Ye City. Even if they need another day to build siege engines, by the third day at the latest, they will launch a fierce assault on the city."

"Once the prominent aristocratic families within the city realize our numerical inferiority, they will undoubtedly act as fifth columnists, launching a pincer attack against us from the inside alongside Zhang He."

"With our mere three thousand men, I fear we won't even be able to hold out for a single day!" After saying this, Zhang Liao cupped his hands toward Su Ming and continued, "I implore the Young Master to evacuate through the east gate and temporarily avoid the enemy's sharp edge. Leave the defense of this city to me, Zhang Wenyuan."

In Zhang Liao's view, it was already a miraculous feat that their isolated vanguard force had managed to kill Yuan Shao. Now, trying to defend Ye City against an encircling army with only the Camp of Trapped Warriors and the Xu family's private guards was sheer daydreaming.

The private soldiers of the Xu family possessed virtually no combat capability whatsoever. Once Zhang He assembled his forces and they beheld the massive disparity in numbers, they would undoubtedly be frightened out of their wits. Furthermore, one had to remember that they were not merely facing an external threat from Zhang He; they were plagued by internal troubles as well!

Although Su Ming had manufactured the illusion of ample troop strength to temporarily cow the powerful local clans within the city, true strength and feigned strength could be hidden in peacetime, but once battle commenced, the truth would inevitably be exposed. If those aristocratic families discovered that Su Ming's forces were actually meager, they would likely murder Su Ming and welcome Zhang He into the city.

Zhang Liao was utterly loyal and resolute; he understood that remaining in Ye City meant becoming a turtle in a jar. Yet, Ye City had been captured with such immense difficulty; it could not simply be surrendered without a fight. Therefore, Zhang Liao proposed that Su Ming leave first, while he himself stayed behind to hold the city.

Su Ming's identity was unique—he was Cao Cao's son! No matter what, Su Ming could not die here. As for Zhang Liao, since he was willing to stay and defend the city, he had already prepared himself to die.

An earthen jar inevitably breaks at the wellhead, and a general inevitably dies facing the battle line. Zhang Liao had long since seen through this truth.

Before the battle had even begun, Zhang Liao was urging Su Ming to flee. Could Su Ming run? Naturally, he could not!

Let alone Zhang Liao urging him to leave, even if Cao Cao himself ordered him to run, he could not do so. To flee on his own without loosing a single arrow or swinging a single blade—would he not then become known as "General Long-Legs Su the Runner"?

Su Ming knew that Zhang Liao was utterly loyal and was only offering this suggestion out of genuine concern for his safety. Su Ming stepped forward, patted Zhang Liao on the shoulder, and consoled him, "Wenyuan, matters are not yet so desperate."

"Ye City is no ordinary city; it is the premier stronghold in the northern territories, boasting towering walls and deep moats. Though Zhang He has numerous troops, he may not necessarily be able to breach it."

Hearing these words, Zhang Liao wore a bitter expression and continued his persuasion, "Young Master, if we faced only external threats, Ye City could still be defended. But do not forget, we have internal troubles too!"

"If the powerful clans within the city are not properly handled, their threat will far outweigh that of Zhang He outside."

Before Su Ming could reply, Taishi Ci stepped forward first and declared, "General Wenyuan, why fear such aristocratic families? My lord, grant me a troop of soldiers, and I will go and slaughter every last one of these prominent clans! That will save them from stirring up trouble behind our backs."

*Crack!* Su Ming delivered a heavy slap to the back of Taishi Ci's head. This reckless brute knew nothing other than kill, kill, kill. If problems could be solved purely through slaughter, Su Ming would have butchered these aristocratic lineages the moment they captured Ye City.

"Put your minds at ease. Since I dared to enter this tiger's lair of Ye City, I have no shortage of methods."

"Forget about a mere Zhang He; even if Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun came all together, they still wouldn't be able to take Ye City!" Su Ming declared with supreme confidence.

Before anyone else could speak, Taishi Ci cupped his fists, dropped to one knee, and said, "My lord, just give the order!"

Following Taishi Ci's lead, Qu Yi also dropped to one knee, cupping his fists in agreement, "Please give the order, my lord."

At this moment, the duo of Taishi Ci and Qu Yi harbored a blind, devout admiration for Su Ming. Whatever Su Ming said, the two of them believed. If Su Ming claimed Ye City could be defended, they believed it could be defended. Indeed, even if Su Ming claimed that feces tasted exactly like meat, the two of them would have believed it.

Upon seeing the two brothers kneeling on one knee, Zhang Liao thought to himself: *Very well! I won't say another word!*

*I, Zhang Wenyuan, shall accompany my lord to the death this time!*

With that, Zhang Liao also dropped heavily to one knee with a dull thud.

His intention was crystal clear: he was waiting for Su Ming to issue the command!

There was nothing left to say; they would simply fight to the bitter end.

"Wenyuan, at midnight tonight, light several bonfires at the south gate and create some sounds of battle. You must give the impression that the south gate has fallen," Su Ming instructed, issuing his first order to Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao cupped his fists and accepted the command: "This subordinate obeys."

Next, Su Ming turned to Taishi Ci and commanded, "Take two hundred men, disguise yourselves as Zhang He's soldiers, raise Zhang He's banners, and raise havoc within the city. Kill everyone you encounter—commoners, nobles, merchants, regardless of who they are—and set fires everywhere. While killing and burning, shout out slogans about the city being massacred."

Taishi Ci scratched his head in utter bewilderment and asked, "My lord, instead of going out to fight Zhang He, what is the point of slaughtering people inside our own city?"

Su Ming glared fiercely at Taishi Ci and retorted angrily, "You know nothing!"

"With merely the men we have in our hands, holding Ye City is impossible. Even if the aristocratic families in the city behaved themselves and refused to act as Zhang He's fifth columnists, we still couldn't hold it."

"There is only one way to defend Ye City, and that is to turn the entire populace into an army."

"With Ye City lost, and both Yuan Shao and Yuan Xi dead within its walls, it is entirely reasonable for Zhang He to believe there were internal traitors and fly into a rage, ordering a general massacre of the city."

"By staging the fall of the south gate and making it look as though Zhang He's forces have broken into the city to slaughter the commoners and nobility, we will convince the city's residents and these aristocratic clans that once Zhang He captures Ye City, he will undoubtedly massacre them all."

"For the aristocratic families, Prime Minister Cao ruling Ye City might indeed harm their interests; however, if Zhang He enters the city, they will all surely die."

"They are perfectly capable of weighing the relative importance of their wealth versus their lives. As long as we make them firmly believe that Zhang He's entry means annihilation, they will proactively help us defend the city."

Upon hearing this thorough explanation, Taishi Ci was finally enlightened.