Choked by that rebuke, Cai He was left speechless for a moment.
His face flushed red, then turned white, and he could not force out a reply.
“I, Wei Yan, have talent in war and command, but because I was born poor and once offended you, your Cai clan has suppressed me at every turn and never put me to proper use.
I have long been sick of watching you pampered fools of the Cai clan cover all of Jing Province with one hand.
Today I am joining Lord Liu Bei, and I am going to overturn your Cai clan.” Wei Yan stopped pretending and laid everything bare.
The resentment he had built up over many years poured out in full at that moment.
Cai He stood there trembling from head to toe, stunned and completely at a loss.
Outside the city, Zhang Fei was hidden in the darkness and had already clearly seen the beacon fire rise above the tower of East Gate.
Once the beacon fire rose, it proved that Wei Yan had succeeded in taking the gate.
“That Xiao He really knows how to judge people.
The Wei Yan he recommended really can handle a major task.” “Even if he is not some immortal, he has to be at least half one.” Zhang Fei clicked his tongue in loud admiration, then swung onto his horse and pointed his snake spear toward East Gate.
He immediately shouted the order.
“All troops, follow me and charge in one breath.
Kill your way into Xiangyang.” One man and one horse shot forward at once.
Three thousand soldiers of Liu Bei’s main force surged out of the darkness and rushed like a tide toward the wide-open East Gate of Xiangyang.
Their battle cries shook the air like thunder.
By the light from the wall, Wei Yan quickly spotted the battle flags bearing the character Zhang, and excitement slowly rose on his face.
Cai He, on the other hand, was consumed by panic and trembling all over.
Everyone in Jing Province knew what kind of explosive temper Zhang Fei had.
Back then, several brothers of the Cai clan had feared Liu Bei.
They had even tried to use a banquet hosted by Liu Biao as a chance to assassinate him.
The attempt had failed, and Liu Bei had escaped on a pretext, but the grudge had been set ever since.
If he ended up in Zhang Fei’s hands, how could anything good come of it?
Cai He’s eyes darted around, and he noticed that Wei Yan’s attention was fixed outside the city and his guard had slipped.
With a sharp motion, Cai He yanked out his sword and knocked aside the blade at his neck.
Then he cut down a soldier with one stroke, seized a warhorse, and galloped along the wall toward North Gate.
“You still think you can run?” Wei Yan’s eyes narrowed, and the sword in his hand flew out at once.
The blade struck squarely into Cai He’s back.
With a scream, Cai He tumbled from the horse and crashed hard to the ground.
When he struggled to get up, Wei Yan had already strode forward and pulled the sword from his back.
Blood poured out like a spring.
Cai He let out another scream, the pain so intense that he nearly fainted.
“I originally meant to hand you over to Lord Liu Bei for judgment, but you refused to know your place.
Since you are the one seeking death, I will grant it to you.” Wei Yan raised the bloody sword and brought it down hard.
Cai He was terrified and quickly looked up, crying out, “Wei Yan, Wei Yan, listen to me, listen to me…” His plea broke off halfway.
Cai He’s head rolled to the ground.
Looking at Cai He’s severed head, Wei Yan let out a long breath.
The resentment buried in his chest for years was finally released in this moment.
A bold, relieved laugh rang out from the top of the wall.
Wei Yan then strode to the front of the wall and raised Cai He’s head high for the Jing Province soldiers gathered below to see.
His voice carried clearly across the scene, firm and sharp.
“I have killed Cai He and decided to offer this gate and submit to Liu Bei!” “If any of you still have even a trace of hot blood in your veins and refuse to surrender to Cao Cao Army, then follow me and submit to Liu Bei.” “If anyone wants to avenge Cai He, I, Wei Yan, will be waiting right here!” Wei Yan hurled Cai He’s head down from the wall and stood there with his blade across his body, proud and unmoving like an iron tower.
The Jing Province soldiers below immediately erupted in an uproar.
The Jing Province soldiers below, formerly loyal to the Cai clan, lost all will to fight the moment they saw that Cai He had been killed, and they scattered in panic.
Those who did not want to surrender to Cao Cao Army dropped to one knee in dark clusters, shouting passionately that they would follow Wei Yan and submit to Liu Bei.
Just like that, more than four thousand Jing Province soldiers at East Gate of Xiangyang collapsed without a fight.
A moment later, Zhang Fei led three thousand of Liu Bei’s troops into East Gate of Xiangyang like a flood.
The men poured through the gate in a solid wave, but what they found inside was not the battle they had expected.
“Your subordinate Wei Yan greets General Zhang Fei!” The waiting Wei Yan stepped forward and saluted with clasped hands.
Zhang Fei looked past him suspiciously, his eyes falling on the orderly ranks of Jing Province soldiers standing on the main street.
“Wei Yan, didn’t you only have five hundred men under you?
Then what is this?” He had expected that after breaking through the gate, he would still have to fight to drive back the Jing Province troops who had seized it.
Instead, there was no sign of slaughter at all, only more than three thousand Jing Province soldiers standing in formation beneath Liu Bei’s banners.
“Reporting to General Zhang Fei, not all the sons of Jing Province are cowards who fear death.
Many admire our lord and refuse to surrender to Cao Cao Army.
This subordinate…” Wei Yan then explained in full how he had killed Cai He and persuaded the defenders of East Gate of Xiangyang to surrender to Liu Bei.
After hearing it, Zhang Fei finally understood and slapped Wei Yan on the shoulder with a loud laugh.
“Wei Yan, you’ve really got some skill.
No wonder that Xiao He said you had the talent of a great general.
He was right after all.” Xiao He?
Wei Yan’s eyes flickered, and he quickly asked, “Do you mean the strange talent Sun Qian mentioned, the one our lord recently gained, that Xiao He who even recognized a nobody like me?” “Who else could it be?” Zhang Fei nodded firmly, his face full of respect.
“That Xiao He’s schemes are hard to measure.
He not only saw that you, Wei Yan, are a great man of this age, he was also the one who offered my elder brother the plan for this Raid on Xiangyang.” “And more than that, he even predicted in advance that Liu Biao would die of illness and that Liu Cong would surrender to Cao Cao Army…”