"With Shan County taken, You Chu deserves first merit."
Inside the county yamen, Zhang Fei sat at the head seat and spoke in a tone that made it clear this was not a suggestion.
Behind Zhang Ji, You Chu instantly froze in disbelief.
Under the sudden weight of envious glances from every direction, he felt slightly dazed.
First merit… me?
What did I even do?
As the thought drifted through his mind, the events of the day replayed themselves one by one.
Zhang Ji had already explained the situation at Shan County very clearly before the attack.
If General Zhang Fei wanted to break the city quickly, there were only three possibilities.
Either the Cao army came out to fight.
Or an insider opened the gates.
Or siege engines were completed in half a day.
The latter two were unrealistic, which meant the general's real plan had always been obvious.
He intended to lure the enemy out.
That was why Zhang Ji, after watching Zhang Fei loudly declare he would take the city quickly while simultaneously ordering siege equipment that clearly required several days to build, understood what the general truly intended.
What they lacked was someone to push the situation forward.
The moment Zhang Ji reached that conclusion, You Chu stepped forward.
After all, what did "pushing things forward" really mean?
It meant convincing the defending general that his situation was desperate, provoking him into abandoning the safety of the walls and launching a night raid to destroy the siege equipment and kill the craftsmen.
To You Chu, that sounded almost embarrassingly straightforward.
He had taken the imperial examinations in policy essays. Persuasion and rhetoric were literally his specialty. For once, his scholarly skills actually matched the job description.
The rest was simple.
Outside Shan County, he loudly delivered a grand speech, praising Zhang Fei's victories, proclaiming the inevitability of Han restoration, and describing the terrifying power of the siege machines under construction while politely advising the defenders to consider their options carefully.
Meanwhile, as evening fell, Zhang Ji lit torches across the camp and divided over a thousand men into two groups.
One group made a show of arrogance inside the camp, shouting and laughing as though victory were already guaranteed.
The other group, led by Zhang Ji himself, held a mock banquet directly within sight of the city walls, splashing water onto the ground and pretending it was wine while loudly toasting one another.
Even then, the defending general of Shan County still hesitated.
Until he caught the faint scent of alcohol drifting through the night air.
That single detail erased the last of his doubts.
The carefully planned night raid walked straight into Zhang Fei's waiting trap, and Shan County changed hands before dawn.
As for that smell of wine…
That had been You Chu's idea too.
He had borrowed distilled spirits from the army physician, soaked cloth in it, and placed it upwind of the city.
The liquor was strong and sharp, and even though most of the scent dispersed in the night wind, only a trace needed to reach the city to complete the illusion.
Thinking back on it now, You Chu knew the success of the plan owed much to Zhang Ji's coordination and Zhang Fei's military instinct.
Still.
This was the first real military merit in the history of the You family.
The smile on his face refused to stay hidden. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to run home, fall asleep, and brag about it to his father in a dream.
After declaring the merit settled, Zhang Fei turned to the four captured generals kneeling before him, their hands bound.
He showed little interest in the commander Feng Kai. Supposedly the man had served as a guard commander alongside Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, and Zhang He during Red Cliffs, yet Zhang Fei could not recall a single achievement or reputation attached to him.
So he chose the simplest solution.
"Do not untie him. Send him to my lord."
Feng Kai tried to speak, but Fan Jiang and Zhang Da did not give him the chance. They dragged him out immediately, clearly intending to find a courier.
That left the remaining three generals.
Zhang Fei's tone turned almost conversational.
"Wei Xu, Hou Cheng, Song Xian. I did not expect our next meeting to look like this."
All three had once been capable officers under Lü Bu. Back in Xuzhou, when Lü Bu and Liu Bei had briefly been on friendly terms, Zhang Fei had known them well enough.
Later Lü Bu betrayed everyone in sight, ended up trapped at Xiapi, and died at White Gate Tower.
These three had been among those who mutinied, tied up Lü Bu, Chen Gong, and Gao Shun, and surrendered to Cao Cao to save themselves.
Zhang Fei had assumed he would never see them again.
Yet here they were.
Wei Xu burst into tears instantly.
"Lord Zhang! General Zhang! Please spare the lives of your old acquaintances from Xuzhou!"
Hou Cheng and Song Xian kowtowed repeatedly.
"I always knew Third General Zhang was unmatched in valor. Our falling out back then was only because Lü Bu was reckless. Please judge fairly!"
"Yes, Third General! The idea to leave the city tonight was also something we urged. We dare not claim credit, we only beg for a chance to serve under your command!"
Zhang Ji felt disgust rise in his chest.
But when he turned, he saw that Zhang Fei's expression had already changed completely.
The general personally pulled the three men to their feet.
"Lü Bu was unreliable. Everyone knew it."
Then his expression shifted again, this time into something resembling awkward hesitation.
"As for serving under me… you know my two elder brothers both act by principle. For men like you…"
He left the sentence unfinished.
Wei Xu hurriedly wiped his face and forced a smile.
"In that case, please remember our past friendship and simply give us horses. If we head east, we will request transfer at once. We would never obstruct your army."
Zhang Fei nodded slowly, looking unconcerned.
"That is simple enough. Though I hear the three of you received many rewards under Lord Cao…"
"I have a chest of gold hidden in the city. I will present it to you!"
"Third General, I also have a fine horse in my residence. It was once Lü Bu's mount!"
"I have a beautiful concubine hidden as well. She would suit you perfectly!"
Zhang Fei's face lit up with delight.
"Then it is settled."
Once the items were handed over one by one, Zhang Fei ordered three horses brought out. Under the tense gaze of the three men, he allowed them to leave after extracting repeated promises that tonight's events would remain secret.
The moment they were free, they mounted and fled as if chased by ghosts.
Only after they had put a long distance between themselves and Shan County did the three begin talking again, relief flooding their voices.
"I always thought Zhang Fei was a straightforward man. Who would have guessed…"
"Well, back in Xuzhou Liu Bei looked impressive but had nothing. Of course they acted upright then. Look at them now."
"As they say, it is easy to share hardship, hard to share wealth…"
"Exactly. Just like when we first left Bingzhou together…"
The speaker abruptly stopped, realizing he had said too much, and quickly changed the subject.
"So where do we go now? After this defeat, we will surely face punishment."
"What defeat?" Wei Xu sneered.
"Feng Kai ignored our advice and insisted on leaving the city, which led to disaster. What does that have to do with us?"
"We fought our way out through bloodshed just to deliver intelligence on Zhang Fei's army to the commander at Yique Pass. That is loyalty to the Chancellor's old kindness."
Song Xian visibly relaxed, though another worry soon followed.
"That sounds good. But none of us are wounded. That might be suspicious…"
"Find some sharp stones later and make the wounds ourselves. Easy enough."
Just like that, their despair transformed into cheerful confidence.
Back in Shan County, Zhang Ji stood behind Zhang Fei watching the three riders disappear into the distance.
"General… are you planning to use them to take Yique Pass?"
Zhang Fei did not answer.
The earlier slyness on his face had vanished, replaced by something quieter, touched with memory.
He sighed softly.
"Gao Shun and Chen Gong… those were true men of loyalty."
Then he turned to the spoils left behind by the three defectors.
"The gold chest and the woman, send both to the rear for my elder brother to decide."
He waved at Fan Jiang and Zhang Da, clearly eager to be rid of such troublesome items. Matters like these were best thrown at strategists and elder brothers.
"As for this horse…"
He glanced toward You Chu.
"Zhongyun. From today onward, this is your mount."
Zhang Fei spoke casually, entirely unimpressed. Hou Cheng's claim that the horse had once belonged to Lü Bu was obvious nonsense. It was just a decent You-Bing warhorse, nothing more.
Compared to his own Qinghai steed, it was nothing special.
You Chu's face lit up with pure delight, and for the first time he felt genuine excitement about the eastern campaign.