Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1246 Ren Kui Falls into a Trap and Dies as the City Falls

The following afternoon, the outline of Jiangyou City finally emerged from the dust and smoke. Zhang Yan, leading four hundred Black Mountain Army soldiers, had already changed into the clothing of Shu soldiers and laborers. They mingled with the grain convoy that had supposedly retreated after being attacked. Each of them looked exhausted, pushing creaking grain carts, slowly making their way towards the city gate. The wheels rolled over the stones on the road, making a monotonous sound that complemented their deliberately slowed pace, revealing a sense of wretchedness after surviving a calamity.

Deep in the dense forest, Zhang Xiu and Gao Shun reined in their horses and stood watching the grain convoy gradually approach the city gate. The soldiers of the Trapped Camp had already gripped their swords tightly, waiting for the signal to be lit in the city so they could launch an immediate attack.

At the city gate, Ren Kui indeed came to investigate in person. Clad in armor, his hand on his sword hilt, he looked at the "disheartened" grain carts before him, his brow furrowed: "Weren't you sent to Jiange to deliver grain? Why have you come back?"

Following the pre-arranged script, the lead prisoner replied with a mournful face: "General, we encountered bandits on the way. We fought them for a long time before driving them away, but we are afraid that the remaining grain and fodder will be lost, so we dare not send it to Jiange. We can only come back to ask for your instructions!"

Ren Kui's gaze swept over the grain carts. He noticed that although the sacks were somewhat damaged, they were still full. He then caught sight of some unfamiliar "Shu soldiers" mixed in with the ranks, and his brows furrowed even more: "Who are these people?"

Zhang Yan quickly stepped forward, feigning a simple and honest demeanor: "General, we are from a nearby village and were conscripted to help push the cart. We haven't seen you before, please forgive our ignorance."

Ren Kui wanted to question him further, but several captured Shu soldiers chimed in, saying that they were indeed laborers conscripted along the way. Only then did he lower his guard slightly and wave his hand: "First, pull the grain carts into the city and unload them into the treasury. We'll discuss sending them to Jiange later."

The city gates slowly opened, and grain carts rolled into the city. Zhang Yan mingled in the crowd, her eyes quickly scanning the guards on the city walls and the layout of the streets, secretly memorizing the location of the east gate—the pre-arranged point of attack.

At the very end of the procession, a emaciated man dressed in coarse linen was none other than Jia Xu in disguise. He kept his head down and followed the flow of people into the city, seemingly inconspicuous, yet his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, taking in all the movements within the city.

After entering the city, Zhang Yan, under the pretext of settling the "laborers," led the Black Mountain Army soldiers pushing several grain carts towards the government warehouse, but in reality, they took the opportunity to disperse and lie in ambush in the shadows of the streets and alleys. Jia Xu, on the other hand, avoided the guards and found himself near Meng Da's camp. He said to the guards, "Please inform General Meng that Prefect Zhang has an old friend visiting."

Meng Da was reviewing documents in his tent when he heard "an old friend of Prefect Zhang," and his heart tightened. He had only been in Jiangyou for five days, and his position was not yet secure. Why would Zhang Song suddenly send someone? He gripped the sword at his waist and ordered in a deep voice, "Bring him in."

When Jia Xu entered the tent, Meng Da saw that he was an unfamiliar old man and immediately shouted angrily, drawing his sword: "Who are you? Zhang Song has never mentioned an old friend like you! If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Jia Xu, however, paid no attention. He leisurely walked to the main seat and sat down, stroking his beard. His voice was calm yet carried an undeniable authority: "General Meng, please be at ease. I am Jia Xu. Mr. Zhang Song has made an agreement with you, General, to jointly assist the lord of Xiliang. You have not forgotten this, have you?"

"Jia Xu?" Meng Da's pupils contracted sharply. Although he had never met this man, he had long heard of his name—a ruthless and unparalleled strategist of the Xiliang army. He quickly sheathed his sword, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "So it is Military Advisor Jia. I apologize for my disrespect. But this matter is confidential; why would the Military Advisor come in person?"

“Jiangyou is the key to taking Shu, so we must be careful.” Jia Xu got straight to the point. “I have devised a plan, and I need your cooperation, General. We can take this city tonight.”

A flicker of excitement crossed Meng Da's eyes, but also a hint of concern: "Ren Kui has eight thousand soldiers, and I'm afraid my two thousand men are..."

"General, rest assured." Jia Xu smiled slightly and explained the plan he had already devised in detail, "Ren Kui is greedy. He will surely be tempted by this batch of grain. General, you only need to do this and that..."

The sunlight outside the tent gradually slanted westward, casting long shadows of the two men. Within the seemingly peaceful streets and alleys of Jiangyou City, countless deadly schemes were already lurking, waiting for nightfall to unleash a cataclysmic storm.

As night deepened, Ren Kui paced restlessly in his residence. The daytime incident of the grain convoy's retreat was like a thorn in his heart—the bandits on the Shu Road dared to steal military provisions; if they weren't wiped out, what would become of them in the future? Just as he was pondering this, a personal guard came to report: "General, General Meng Da requests an audience."

Ren Kui frowned and waved his hand impatiently: "Let him in."

Meng Da walked in with a beaming smile, first exchanging pleasantries with clasped hands and saying things like "General, you've worked hard" and "Jiangyou's defenses are solid." Ren Kui listened patiently for a while, but seeing that he was still not getting to the point, he said with a stern face, "General Meng, you can't have come to visit so late at night just to say these things, can you?"

Meng Da then took a few steps closer, a sly glint in his eyes, and lowered his voice, saying, "General, you must be worried about that grain cart convoy during the day, right?"

Ren Kui snorted: "That's right. The bandits are rampant, they even dare to rob military rations. It seems we need to send troops to suppress them as soon as possible."

"Of course we must suppress the bandits," Meng Da changed the subject, leaning close to Ren Kui's ear, "but those dozens of carts of grain... doesn't the general have any other ideas?"

Ren Kui was taken aback: "What are you thinking?"

“Think about it,” Meng Da said with an even more fawning smile, “we can just say that this batch of grain was stolen by bandits, and then send people out to ‘suppress the bandits’ as a show. Wouldn’t this batch of grain then become our private property? We can then slowly raise more grain and send it to Jiange without anyone knowing.”

A glint of greed flashed in Ren Kui's eyes, but he then frowned: "This... I'm afraid it's not appropriate, is it? What if it gets found out..." He had only known Meng Da for a few days, and although he was greedy for money, he dared not take any risks lightly.

"General, rest assured!" Meng Da patted his chest. "In Jiangyou City, besides your eight thousand brothers, there are only my two thousand. If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who will know? In a few days, we'll really go and wipe out a few petty thieves, bring back a few heads to report, and that'll be the end of it. Dozens of cartloads of grain and fodder, that'll be enough for us..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ren Kui couldn't contain himself any longer and slapped his thigh: "Good! Brother, this is a brilliant idea! We'll do as you say! After it's done, I'll give you ten cartloads of grain!"

Meng Da waved his hand and laughed, "General, you jest. What use do I have for grain? It would be more practical to exchange it for gold and silver."

Seeing that Meng Da was also so greedy, Ren Kui completely lowered his guard and revealed a smile of "like-mindedness": "Alright, alright! As you wish! When the time comes, I'll give you 20% of the spoils!"

The two looked at each other and laughed, as if they had already exchanged the grain for chests full of gold and silver.

Taking the opportunity, Meng Da said, "I've heard that the general enjoys wine. Although I've just arrived in Jiangyou and haven't brought much wealth, I have prepared several jars of fine wine from Sichuan. Why don't we drink together tonight to celebrate our... 'happy cooperation'?"

Ren Kui, who was fond of drinking and now had the prospect of unexpected wealth, immediately beamed with joy: "Good! Of course, we should drink the wine! Bring it here quickly!"

Before long, the guards brought over wine jars, and Meng Da personally poured the wine, exchanging toasts with Ren Kui. Ren Kui was in high spirits, and soon his face was flushed, his tongue almost tied in knots, and he kept muttering, "This batch of grain... if converted to money... how much land could it buy..."

Seeing that he was already seven-tenths drunk, Meng Da's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he smiled as he poured him more wine: "General, you have a great capacity for alcohol, have another cup!"

When the wine jar was empty, Ren Kui was so drunk that his eyes were glazed over and his tongue was tied in knots. Meng Da smiled and waved his hand: "There's not much wine here, it's not enough to satisfy our appetites. I have a few jars of my treasured 'Jinjiangchun' wine in my camp, and two musicians from Shu who can sing and dance. Why don't we move to my camp and have a few more drinks?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Kui's face hardened: "Brother Mengda, this is unacceptable! How can women be allowed in the military?" Though he rebuked him, he did not move, and the lust in his eyes was undisguised.

Seeing this, Meng Da quickly smiled and said, "She's just a entertainer to relieve boredom, not a woman. General, you've worked hard, it's alright to relax for a moment." As he spoke, he stepped forward to help Ren Kui, who half-heartedly resisted, and was pulled by him to walk out of the camp.

Seeing this, Ren Kui's dozens of personal guards hurriedly followed behind—their commander was drunk, and they had to be on guard.

As they passed through the barracks, Meng Da took advantage of Ren Kui's unsteady gait, pretending to help him while his fingers swiftly reached into Ren Kui's robes, pulled out the brass command arrow, and slipped it into his sleeve. Upon reaching his own camp gate, he excused himself by saying he needed to "have the musicians prepare," then turned and handed the command arrow to Zhang Yan, who was already waiting in the shadows: "Go quickly to the east gate and proceed according to plan!"

Zhang Yan took the command token, his eyes narrowing, and led three hundred Black Mountain soldiers straight to the east gate. The gatekeeper was Ren Kui's confidant, but upon seeing the token, he frowned: "General, why are you sending unfamiliar faces to deliver this order in the dead of night?" He stared at Zhang Yan and the others, his hand on his sword hilt, refusing to open the gate.

Zhang Yan's heart tightened, knowing that any further delay would expose their secret. She shouted in a low voice, "Make your move!"

Three hundred Black Mountain soldiers pounced like tigers, drawing their daggers hidden under the grain carts and instantly engaging the gatekeepers in battle. Caught off guard, the commander was pierced through the chest by Zhang Yan's spear and died on the spot. The soldiers broke the bolts, and the heavy city gate creaked open. Zhang Yan climbed the city wall, lit three bonfires, and circled the gate three times on each side—this was the agreed-upon signal.

Seeing the flickering firelight in the dense forest, Gao Shun gave the order: "Trap Camp, follow me into the city!" Five thousand armored soldiers rushed into the east gate like arrows released from a bow, stepping into the night.

The sounds of battle at the city gate exploded like thunder, instantly sobering Ren Kui. Before he even stepped into Meng Da's camp, he was startled and stumbled from the shouts. He frantically reached into his robes, trying to grab his command token to mobilize the troops, but found nothing. His face turned deathly pale, and he sobered up completely: "Where's my command token?!"

The two had already arrived at Meng Da's camp. Meng Da abruptly shook off his hand, his face devoid of any flattery, and coldly said, "The command token? I would have sent you to meet the King of Hell long ago! Ren Kui, you have ruined the country with your greed, today is your death day!"

Ren Kui was both shocked and furious. He reached for the sword at his waist, but due to his drunkenness, his legs gave way and he stumbled and fell to the ground. He struggled to get up, but the guards behind Meng Da had already stepped forward and held him down.

"You...you colluded with foreign enemies?!" Ren Kui roared, his eyes bloodshot.

“The lord of Xiliang is far more benevolent than Liu Zhang, who was incompetent.” Meng Da drew his sword, the tip pointing at his throat. “I am merely acting in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people.”

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside the tent, and Ren Kui's personal guards rushed in: "Save the general!"

Meng Da's personal guards immediately rushed forward, and the two sides fought fiercely in the camp. Ren Kui seized the opportunity to break free and stumbled as he ran out, only to be pierced through by Meng Da's sword.

Ren Kui stared in disbelief, then collapsed into a pool of blood, murmuring before his death, "My provisions... my gold and silver..."

Jiangyou City was in complete chaos. Gao Shun's elite Trapped Camp poured in like an iron torrent, joining forces with Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Army and Meng Da's two thousand troops to wipe out the defending forces. Ren Kui's men, leaderless and stunned by the surprise attack, coupled with the loss of Ren Kui himself, mostly chose to surrender. Only a few hundred stubborn resisters were also instantly swallowed up by the Trapped Camp.

As dawn broke, Jiangyou City had already been taken over by Xiliang. Zhang Xiu climbed the city wall, gazing at the city bathed in morning light, and said to Jia Xu, "Strategist's plan is brilliant! We took Jiangyou without lifting a finger!"

Jia Xu gazed in the direction of Jian Ge in the distance and smiled slightly: "The real show has only just begun."

With the fall of Jiangyou, the retreat route of Jiange will be cut off, and the fate of Yizhou will change.