Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1273 Three Refusals and Three Withdrawals: Yizhou Changes Hands

As they were talking, Liu Zhang appeared at the camp gate, holding the heavy seal of the Governor of Yi Province in his hands, his face as pale as paper. He walked up to Liu Bei, raised the seal high, and said with a resolute tone, "Lord Xuande, I know I am incompetent and unable to protect our ancestral land. Today I entrust Yi Province to you, only asking that you treat the people well and not let them be slaughtered by Ma Chao. Please accept this seal!"

The surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly, and all eyes were fixed on Liu Bei. The civil and military officials of Yizhou held their breath, as if even the wind had stopped, waiting for him to extend his hand.

But Liu Bei took a step back, avoiding the seal, and said in a more serious tone than before: "Ji Yu! You and I are both members of the Han imperial family. I am helping you defend the city for the greater good, not for the position of governor!" He pointed to the arrow marks on the city wall, his voice resounding, "Look at the brothers on the city wall. They are sacrificing their lives to protect Yizhou, not to let me, Liu Bei, seize your territory! Let this matter not be mentioned again!"

Having said that, he turned and left, the dust on his armor billowing in the wind, his back view resolute and without a trace of hesitation. As he reached the camp gate, he didn't forget to turn back and give a final instruction: "Keep a close eye on the seal of office, guard Chengdu well! I'm going to patrol the city."

Watching his retreating figure stride towards the city wall, Qiao Zhou and the students stood frozen in place, tears mingling with sweat as they streamed down their faces. Liu Zhang, holding the imperial seal, stood before the empty camp, his fingers trembling slightly. In the end, he still couldn't pass on this hot potato.

On the city wall, Liu Bei gazed intently at Ma Chao's camp outside the city, his eyes deep and thoughtful. He knew that at this moment, rejection carried more weight than acceptance. In those eyes fixed on him, there was something beyond mere awe—a trust that meant entrusting one's life and fortune to another.

The southwest wind blew again, whipping up the banners atop the city walls, making them flutter and rustle, as if echoing this silent contest. Chengdu's fate, through repeated concessions and steadfastness, had already quietly tilted towards the one who consistently said "no."

The Xiliang army's offensive grew increasingly fierce. Siege ladders swarmed the city walls like an impenetrable ant colony, and the muffled thuds of battering rams hitting the city gates shook the earth. Chengdu's city bricks crumbled under the repeated impacts, and the arms of the defending soldiers were already raw and bloody from being rubbed raw by bowstrings; it was clear that they could not hold on any longer.

At this moment, Liu Bei changed his tactics, ordering Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong to take turns leading troops, opening the city gates and launching a proactive attack. These three fierce generals were all exceptional warriors, charging through the Xiliang army camp as if it were empty. Zhang Fei's spear swung like a windmill, unmatched within a few feet; Zhao Yun's silver spear blossomed like pear blossoms, shattering armor wherever its tip touched; and Huang Zhong's archery was unerring, felling Xiliang standard-bearers one after another.

Although Ma Chao was brave, he was ultimately the commander of an army and could not personally engage in battle every time. This offensive-defense tactic disrupted the Xiliang army's siege, forcing them to divide their forces for defense, and slowing down their offensive.

But as May arrived in the blink of an eye, the hearts of the civil and military officials of Yizhou were once again filled with anxiety. Seeing that Liu Bei frequently sent his generals out of the city to seek opportunities for battle, they privately speculated: "Liu Jingzhou is probably not going to be able to hold out. He is testing the waters for retreat, but he is too proud to say it directly." Fear spread like a plague, and even the most composed old ministers began to secretly pack their valuables.

On this day, Liu Zhang, holding the seal of the Governor of Yi Province, led all the civil and military officials to kneel in front of Liu Bei's camp. Behind him, a dark mass of officials stood, each with a desperate plea on their face.

"Lord Xuande, I beg you!" Liu Zhang crawled a few steps on his knees and raised the imperial seal above his head. "Yizhou is already yours. If this stalemate continues, the entire city's inhabitants will die with me! Please accept it!"

Liu Bei looked at the seal of office, his brows furrowed: "Ji Yu, why did you do this..."

"We also beg Liu Yuzhou to take over Yizhou!" The civil and military officials of Yizhou behind him kowtowed in unison, their foreheads hitting the ground with loud thuds. "Only you can save Chengdu!"

Just as Liu Bei was about to refuse again, he saw Pang Tong, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong and others also come out of the camp and kneel on one knee in front of him.

"My lord," Pang Tong said loudly, "the people of Yizhou are of one heart and mind; it is the will of Heaven. If you refuse again, you will be going against the will of the people! Please accept the seal of office, my lord, to bring peace to the land!"

Zhang Fei shouted, "Brother! Don't hesitate any longer! If we wait any longer, our brothers will bleed to death!"

Looking at the dense crowd below the city, and then at his loyal subordinates beside him, Liu Bei's eyes flashed with a struggle, which ultimately turned into a long sigh. He bent down and slowly took the heavy seal of office. It was cold to the touch, yet it felt as if he held the lives of thousands of people in his hands.

"I, Liu Bei, hereby swear," he raised his seal of office, his voice echoing throughout the camp, "that I will treat the people of Yizhou well, protect the borders and ensure their safety. If I break this oath, may I be forsaken by Heaven and Man!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the civil and military officials of Yizhou erupted in thunderous cheers, and many wept with joy. Liu Zhang slumped to the ground, a bitter smile of relief on his face.

The wind outside the camp carried the smoke of battle, causing Liu Bei's battle robe to flutter wildly. He knew that by accepting this seal of office, he had taken on a heavy responsibility, and it would completely rewrite his own destiny and that of Yizhou. Meanwhile, Ma Chao outside the city was probably unaware that the outcome of this protracted war had already been decided at this very moment.

In late May, the wild grass at the foot of Chengdu's city walls had turned black from being soaked in blood. The soldiers guarding the city looked at the endless Xiliang camps outside the city, their eyes filled with only numb exhaustion. Liu Bei summoned his civil and military officials in his mansion. On the table lay a worn map, with the place names of Shu Commandery, Guanghan, and Bazhou circled in red—except for this isolated city, the surrounding area had long since fallen into Ma Chao's hands.

"Gentlemen," Liu Bei's voice was hoarse but unusually calm, "Chengdu has held out to this day to the limit. Ma Chao's army is at its strongest and has no intention of retreating. In my opinion, it would be better to make peace with him, abandon Chengdu, and move the capital to Bazhong County."

A deathly silence fell over the tent, then a low murmur broke out. The veteran officials of Yizhou looked at each other, their ancestral homes and lands all located there. How could they bear to abandon their roots? But then they thought again: the months of bloody battle had terrified them. If Liu Bei was willing to take them away, they could still maintain their wealth and status elsewhere, which was better than dying at the hands of the Xiliang army after the city fell.

"My lord," a white-haired chief secretary said in a trembling voice, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid Ma Chao won't agree. He's besieged Chengdu for so long, all for the sake of taking it in one fell swoop. How could he let us escape unscathed?"

Liu Bei raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his gaze sweeping over the map of Bazhong County: "What Ma Chao wants is the heartland of Yizhou, the name of Chengdu. If we retreat to Bazhong, we'll give him the territory his army can reach, and he'll have no reason to refuse. As for peace talks, I'll handle that myself."

Pang Tong nodded in agreement: "Bazhong has a strategic location, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and with the remnants of Yan Yan and Pang Yi's troops stationed there, it is enough to establish a foothold. Temporarily avoiding the enemy's sharp edge and planning for the future is a good strategy."

The civil and military officials of Yizhou debated for a long time. Some were reluctant to abandon their ancestral property, while others worried about being hunted down by the Xiliang army during the migration. However, looking at Liu Bei's resolute eyes and thinking about the new lord's steadfastness and responsibility over the past few months, they finally suppressed their doubts. Now that Liu Bei was the ruler of Yizhou, he was not going to abandon everyone and escape alone, but rather to lead everyone to find another way to survive.

"We... are willing to obey your orders, lord." Finally, Liu Zhang sighed and was the first to express his opinion. Seeing this, the others also bowed and agreed.

Liu Bei stood up, gazing at the deepening twilight outside the tent, a resolute glint in his eyes. Abandoning Chengdu was no easy task, but compared to having the entire city's soldiers and civilians make pointless sacrifices alongside him, this was the most realistic choice. He knew the journey would be arduous, but as long as the people's hearts remained united, the mountains and rivers of Bazhong would eventually provide them with a new world.

The wind outside the tent still carried the smell of gunpowder, but it seemed to have lost some of its suffocating heaviness. The lights of Chengdu flickered in the night; this isolated city, which had held out for months, was about to find its new home.

On this day, the wind carried the scent of ripe wheat on the walls of Chengdu. Liu Bei stood by the battlements, gazing at the golden waves of wheat rolling in the open fields outside the city, and suddenly said to Zhao Yun beside him, "Zilong, go into battle one more time."

Zhao Yun gripped his silver spear tightly, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Does our lord intend to launch a surprise attack on the Xiliang camp?"

"No." Liu Bei shook his head and pointed to the distant field ridge. "Go to that wheat field and find a sheaf of ripe wheat. Don't linger, just take it and come back."

Although Zhao Yun was surprised, he bowed and accepted the order: "This subordinate obeys."

A moment later, the gates of Chengdu creaked open again, and Zhao Yun led dozens of cavalrymen out like a white rainbow, heading straight for the wheat field outside the city. Upon seeing this, the Xiliang army immediately sent a small squad of cavalry to intercept them, but Zhao Yun knocked down the centurion in charge with a single spear thrust. As his silver spear flew, no one could get close to him.

He rode his horse across the wheat field, casually plucking a full ear of wheat, the awns still glistening with morning dew. The Xiliang cavalry pursued him relentlessly, but his personal guards held them off. Zhao Yun reined in his horse, glanced at the heavy ear of wheat in his hand, changed direction, and charged back to the city gate like an arrow released from a bow.

On the city tower, Liu Bei watched him return safely, took the sheaf of wheat, and ran his fingertips over the plump grains. Suddenly, he said to the civil and military officials beside him, "Look at this wheat. It should be harvested when it is ripe. If it is left on the stalk, it will only be destroyed by the wind and rain."

The crowd was puzzled for a moment, but then they saw Liu Bei place the ears of wheat on the table, his gaze deep: "Chengdu is now like this ripe wheat. If we continue to defend it, we will only perish. I want these ears of wheat so that everyone will remember that only by knowing what to choose and what to discard can we survive."

The veteran officials of Yizhou looked at the sheaf of wheat, then at the waves of wheat outside the city, and suddenly understood something. Yes, even crops know when to harvest when ripe; their confinement in this isolated city, their desperate defense of a besieged city, wasn't it also a sign of their deep-seated obsession?

The winds of early June carried the sweltering heat of the battlefield. The Xiliang army's siege drums beat fiercely, and arrows flew like locusts over the city walls. Just as tensions were running high, a white flag suddenly flew up from the city wall, its fluttering white flag standing out starkly against the swirling dust.

An uproar erupted in the Xiliang army ranks. Pang De reined in his horse, his brow furrowed—how could the defending troops, who had fought to the death just the day before, suddenly surrender? He raised his hand to signal a halt to the attack, his eyes fixed on the city wall.

A moment later, a basket was lowered from the city wall, its rope creaking as it descended to the front lines. Pound's personal guard stepped forward, untied the knot, and took something out of the basket. It was heavy in his hand—a full sheaf of wheat, the awns still covered with a little dirt, the grains so plump they seemed to be able to squeeze out gold.

"What does this mean?" Pound stroked the wheat stalks, his eyes full of doubt. The garrison neither surrendered the city nor delivered a letter of surrender; what was the meaning of sending a sheaf of wheat?

Just then, a clear and melodious shout came from the city wall, piercing through the clamor of war drums: "Brother Ma Chao, come to the front of the battle for a chat!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liu Bei standing on the city wall, his clothes fluttering in the wind.