Chapter 67 Liu Liang's Counterattack, Liu Dai's Death

As night deepened, the lights in the Situ residence dimmed.

Wang Yun arranged for Liu Liang and the other two to rest in the west courtyard, and also assigned twenty private soldiers to guard the area outside the courtyard.

Liu Liang entered the room, but did not lie down; instead, he sat cross-legged on the couch.

Zhou Cang frowned deeply: "Brother, Liu Dai is ruthless and vindictive. Having been thwarted today, he'll definitely launch a sneak attack tonight."

Zhou Cang jumped to his feet, grabbing his broadsword: "Then let him come! Perfect timing!"

Liu Liang got up, pushed open the door, and looked at the night view outside the courtyard.

The moonlight was dim, and the stars were sparse; it was perfect weather for murder.

He turned back and asked, "Zilong, have the brothers all made arrangements?"

Zhao Yun said, "As you instructed, Brother, four hundred cavalrymen will be divided into four groups and hidden in the alleys around the Situ Mansion. Another hundred cavalrymen will be mobile, with their horses gagged and their hooves wrapped, and no lamps lit. As soon as Liu Dai's men enter the encirclement, we can surround them within the time it takes to drink a bowl of tea."

Liu Liang hummed in agreement and then looked up at the night sky.

Half an hour later, the night was completely dark.

Suddenly, very light footsteps came from outside the west courtyard wall. It wasn't one person, but a group of people.

The footsteps were kept very low, but they did not escape the ears of Zhao Yun and Zhou Cang.

Zhou Cang gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, while Zhao Yun lowered his spear. Both of them looked at Liu Liang.

Liu Liang raised a finger and placed it to his lips.

The footsteps grew closer.

Through the gaps in the courtyard wall, one could see a dark mass of people gathering, completely surrounding the west courtyard.

The swords and spears gleamed coldly in the moonlight; there were at least three hundred men.

Suddenly, a low shout came from outside the wall, and then the courtyard gate was kicked open.

Liu Dai charged in first, followed by armored soldiers holding torches, who surged in like a tide.

Liu Dai, sword in hand and face full of murderous intent, searched for Liu Liang's figure while cursing.

Then, he froze.

The courtyard was completely empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.

"Search!" Liu Dai shouted.

The soldiers rushed into each room, kicked open doors, and ransacked the place, only to find an open and cold quilt.

"My lord! Nobody's here!"

Liu Dai's expression changed drastically.

"Oh no! We've fallen for their trap! Retreat—"

Before he could finish speaking, shouts of killing suddenly erupted outside the courtyard wall.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves came from all directions.

Liu Dai's men were crammed inside and outside the narrow courtyard walls, making it difficult to even turn around, let alone form ranks.

The first cavalry unit charged out from the alleyway and plunged straight into the flank of Liu Dai's army.

Sparks flew as the horse's hooves pounded on the bluestone slabs.

The cavalrymen lowered their stances, held their lances horizontally, and, using the speed of their charging horses, thrust them in like a knife into tofu.

Liu Dai's infantry were no match for him.

Some were pierced by spear tips, some were knocked away by warhorses, and some turned to run, but no matter which direction they ran, they were all driven back by the sudden cavalry.

Screams, roars, and the clash of weapons blended together.

After the cavalry charged through, they left behind a field of corpses.

Those infantrymen who had narrowly escaped the first wave of attack had barely gained their footing when the second cavalry unit arrived.

This time, the riders used knives.

Using the momentum of the horse, the ring-pommel sword slashed down, killing one enemy at a time, cleanly and swiftly.

Liu Dai's troops were forced to retreat step by step, and were eventually squeezed into a huddle in the open space in front of the Situ Mansion.

Liu Dai stood in the center of the crowd, covered in blood, whose blood it was, no one knew.

"Stay calm! Stay calm!" Liu Dai roared, brandishing his knife.

Nobody listens to him.

In the chaos, a white horseman broke through the formation and arrived.

Zhao Yun's spear moved like a dragon, knocking away two armored soldiers who tried to stop him, and headed straight for Liu Dai.

Liu Dai raised his sword to block, but the spear tip was already right in front of him.

"clang--"

The knife was knocked away, and the spear tip stopped half an inch in front of Liu Dai's throat.

Liu Dai stood frozen in place, his hands raised high, too afraid to move.

"Kneel down," Zhao Yun said.

Liu Dai's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground.

Upon seeing their commander captured, the surrounding soldiers threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground.

Zhou Cang rode over, dismounted, and strode up to Liu Dai.

"Liu Dai, do you recognize me?" Zhou Cang looked down at that face, his eyes almost overflowing with murderous intent.

Liu Dai looked up and saw that dark face; his pupils suddenly contracted.

"You...you're Qiao Mao's..."

"It was me." Zhou Cang gritted his teeth. "Prefect Qiao treated me like family. You sneaked into the camp at night and killed him with a single blow. I wasn't near him that day; if I had, you would have been dead long ago."

Liu Dai trembled all over, then suddenly turned to Liu Liang and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Master Zishan! Lord Zishan, spare my life! I surrender! I'm willing to hand over all the troops of Yanzhou to you! I'm willing to serve you like a slave! Spare my life!"

Liu Liang stood not far away, watching this scene with his hands behind his back, and said calmly, "Third brother, this man is yours."

Zhou Cang twisted his neck, raised his knife, and took two more steps closer to Liu Dai.

Liu Dai's eyes widened in horror: "No! You can't! I'm an official appointed by the imperial court! I'm the governor of Yanzhou!"

A flash of light.

"Whoosh!"

Zhou Cang slashed horizontally, cutting into Liu Dai's left waist and exiting through his right waist.

The force was so great that the blade sliced ​​through flesh and severed the spine, almost splitting him in two.

Liu Dai's upper body slumped to the side, and blood and internal organs gushed onto the ground.

Zhou Cang sheathed his sword, stood there, and stared at the corpse.

Then he tilted his head back and exhaled a long breath towards the night sky.

"Prefect Qiao, may you rest in peace!"

The remaining surrendered soldiers knelt on the ground, trembling, and none of them dared to move.

Liu Liang glanced at them and said, "Those who want to leave, put down your weapons and go on your own. Those who want to stay, put down your weapons and squat over there."

Most people chose to lay down their weapons and run away without looking back.

A few remained squatting in place, but were later taken away by Liu Liang's men.

The grain and supplies were inventoried and loaded onto more than twenty carts.

Liu Liang ordered that all of them be brought back to the camp and used as military supplies.

Wang Yun stood at the gate of the mansion the whole time, watching from beginning to end.

Once everything had calmed down, Wang Yun slowly walked over, the shock on his face not yet completely gone.

"Mr. Zishan...it turns out he was prepared all along."

Liu Liang cupped his hands in greeting: "I have disturbed you, Lord Situ."

Wang Yun, still shaken, said, "Please wait a moment, sir."

He turned and went back to his residence. After a long while, he came out with one person.

It's Diao Chan.

She changed her clothes, still dressed simply, and carried a small bundle in her arms.

Wang Yun walked up to Liu Liang and bowed solemnly.

"Mr. Liu, you saved my life. You protected this mansion. I have no way to repay you..."

Wang Yun stepped aside, giving Diao Chan a pass.

"Although Diao Chan comes from a humble background, she is well-educated and knowledgeable in etiquette, and has some skill in singing and dancing. If you do not mind, sir, I am willing to give her to you as a concubine. I will also prepare five hundred gold pieces as a dowry."