Chapter 151: Su Ming's Brilliant Scheme Defends Ye City

Zhang Liao and Taishi Ci could not help but give Su Ming a thumbs-up, thinking to themselves that the young master's strategy was simply brilliant! How on earth did they fail to come up with such a plan?

Not only was their young master unmatched in martial prowess throughout the world, but when it came to tactical scheming, there were probably very few under heaven who could rival him.

With this strategy put into play, let alone a mere Zhang He, even if four Zhang Hes were to attack simultaneously from all four city gates, they would still fail to take Ye City.

Zhang Liao and Taishi Ci had both stood up after receiving their orders, but Qu Yi was still kneeling on the ground.

Qu Yi thought to himself: both of them have been given assignments, why is there no task for me?

"My lord!" At this thought, Qu Yi called out, meaning to remind the lord not to forget about him.

Hearing Qu Yi's call, Su Ming instantly understood what he meant.

The reason Su Ming had delayed in assigning a task to Qu Yi was not because there was nothing for him to do.

On the contrary, Su Ming had the most crucial and important mission of all reserved for Qu Yi.

"Qu Yi, come here!" Su Ming beckoned to Qu Yi, calling him to his side, then picked up his brush to write a letter, which he handed over to Qu Yi.

To whom was this letter written by Su Ming?

This letter was a plea for reinforcements addressed to Cao Cao.

Although Su Ming was confident in his ability to hold Ye City, defeating Zhang He ultimately required assistance from Cao Cao.

"Right now, Zhang He must have blockaded the main highways, as well as every route we could use to send requests for reinforcements to Prime Minister Cao."

"Qu Yi, your speed in the mountains and forests is unmatched. Therefore, delivering this message is a task that only you can accomplish."

"The lives of all of us rest in your hands. The sooner you deliver this letter, the less danger we will face and the greater our chances of victory will be," Su Ming instructed earnestly.

Qu Yi cupped his fists in salute and replied, "My lord, rest assured!"

"I will personally deliver this letter into the hands of Prime Minister Cao."

Having said that, Qu Yi turned around and strode briskly out of the military tent.

"Junior brother, where are you going?" Taishi Ci reached out and grabbed Qu Yi by the arm.

Qu Yi raised the letter in his hand and said, "I'm going to deliver the letter!"

Taishi Ci urged, "At least eat something before you leave, won't you? If you go on an empty stomach, you won't even have the strength to scale mountains and cross ridges, right?"

Qu Yi waved his hand in refusal and answered, "There is no time to lose, I'll skip this meal!"

"I'll just pack some dry rations and eat along the way!"

Qu Yi was decisive and swift in his actions; once he decided to move, he would set off immediately without wasting a single minute.

That night.

Everything was proceeding precisely according to Su Ming's plan. Zhang Liao lit a massive fire at the South City Gate right on schedule.

As the blaze raged, Taishi Ci led a troop of soldiers through the city, cutting down everyone they encountered without mercy.

A commander dealing with war cannot afford misplaced mercy.

In order to hold Ye City, sacrificing a portion of the commoners, merchants, and influential aristocratic clans was a necessary price they were willing to pay.

Taishi Ci matched Zhang He almost identically in height and build.

The only difference was that Taishi Ci's complexion was somewhat darker, while Zhang He's was fairer.

This was easily resolved; Taishi Ci simply applied a layer of white flour to his face.

Though their facial features differed, who could possibly discern such details in the dead of night?

Wielding a spear identical to Zhang He's, riding a white horse identical to Zhang He's, and flying Zhang He's banners, Taishi Ci led his troops on a rampage of slaughter through the city, cutting down at least a thousand people.

Among those killed, the majority belonged to the powerful aristocratic clans, alongside a small number of merchants and ordinary citizens.

Throughout the entire night, Ye City remained in total chaos.

Flames and the sounds of battle echoed from every direction. The aristocratic families did not dare to venture outside, choosing instead to gather their retainers and guards to secure their own residential compounds.

Meanwhile, outside Ye City, within Zhang He's main camp.

"Report!" A scout dashed frantically to see Zhang He, and upon reaching him, immediately announced, "General, for reasons unknown, a massive fire has broken out at the South Gate of Ye City."

Upon receiving this news, Zhang He hurriedly summoned his military strategist, Tian Feng, to deliberate.

When Tian Feng arrived, Zhang He asked him, "Strategist, a great fire has broken out at the South Gate of Ye City. Do you suppose the influential clans within the city saw that we have arrived?"

"Could it be that they have spontaneously organized troops to attack the South Gate, intending to welcome us into the city?"

Before Zhang He's voice had even faded, Tian Feng repeatedly shook his head and retorted, "Impossible!"

"These aristocratic families are nothing more than weathercocks; it is true that they tend to side with the stronger faction."

"Right now, the lord is dead, and we have yet to engage the enemy forces inside the city. Without figuring out which side is stronger and which is weaker, these aristocratic clans will never casually take a side."

"In my view, this is most likely a trick orchestrated by the enemy forces within the city. They deliberately set a fire at the city gate to create the illusion that the gate has fallen, in order to lure the General into leading an assault."

"If the General takes the bait, the ramparts will unleash a hail of arrows, and our army will inevitably suffer heavy casualties."

"The General must bear only one principle in mind: until the main body of our army arrives, we shall only surround the city and never attack. We must not fall for this enemy ruse."

After Tian Feng's thorough explanation, Zhang He also felt it made complete sense.

He thought to himself that thanks to having Mr. Yuanhao as his strategist, he might genuinely have fallen into the trap tonight.

Gradually, the sky began to grow bright.

The city was permeated with the stench of blood and the scent of residences reduced to ashes by the fire. During the previous night, seven or eight medium-sized clans within Ye City had been wiped out entirely, down to every last member.

The Gao family of Ye City.

The Gao clan was also a prominent and powerful family within Ye City.

Their clan was led by Gao Gan, a nephew of Yuan Shao, who had been dispatched by Yuan Shao to Bing Province to serve as the nominal Inspector of Bing Province.

Why was he called the nominal Inspector of Bing Province?

Because Bing Province belonged to Yuan Shao in name only; the territory actually controlled by Yuan Shao accounted for merely a tenth of the province.

The vast majority of Bing Province's territory remained in the hands of local warlords such as Ma Teng and Han Sui.

Gao Gan, serving as the Inspector of Bing Province, was essentially sent there by Yuan Shao to keep a wary eye on Ma Teng and Han Sui.

With Gao Gan transferred to Bing Province to assume his post, the head of the Gao household in Ye City was now Gao Gan's brother, Gao Rou.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!" A younger member of the Gao family rushed back to the estate and reported to Gao Rou, "Uncle, I have found out what happened last night."

"Last night, it was Zhang He who broke into the city!"

"Yuan Shao has been slain, and the Third Young Master Yuan Xi has also been killed. Zhang He claimed there must be an inside man within the city, and he has declared that he will massacre the city, executing every single person inside to avenge Yuan Shao."

"Last night, eight major clans in the city were slaughtered, and countless commoners and merchants lost their lives."

Upon hearing this, the expression on Gao Rou's face instantly shifted.

Especially upon hearing that Zhang He intended to massacre the city and put everyone to death, panic gripped him even more deeply.

In ancient warfare, massacres of captured cities were by no means rare; back in the day, Cao Cao had subjected Xuzhou to three separate massacres.

With Ye City falling inexplicably, Yuan Shao dying inexplicably, and Zhang He seeking to vent his fury through a massacre, the scenario was entirely plausible.