Chapter 14

In the Governor's Mansion of Pingyuan County.

In the spacious hall, eight huge torches were lit on each side, casting a warm and bright light.

In the center of the hall, two thick candles, as thick as a child's arm, were lit on either side of the table. Under the flickering red light, the man with a pale face behind the table was intently reading a letter in his hand.

It was a square face, weathered by time, with deep-set eyes that glinted with an indeterminate light.

This man was none other than Liu Bei, the newly appointed Governor of Pingyuan and a classmate of Gongsun Zan.

After scrutinizing the letter for a long time, Liu Bei turned his gaze to a man on the left and asked, "Yun Chang, what do you think? Is Yuan Shao's eldest son's letter credible?"

The man kneeling there was nine feet tall, with a robust build and a fiery red face, like a burning flame. It was Guan Yu.

Upon hearing Liu Bei's question, Guan Yu opened his half-closed phoenix eyes, stroked his long beard, and slowly said, "I have long suspected that Yuan Fang's claim of ten thousand troops was just a bluff. Now, with Yuan Tan's letter, it confirms my suspicions."

"Hmm, Yun Chang's words are reasonable."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, "Now that we know the true strength of Yuan Fang's forces, how should we deal with him, Brother?"

"In my humble opinion, we should take the initiative and lead a light force directly to Geling City. We can catch that boy off guard."

Guan Yu's tone was arrogant and extremely confident, showing no regard for Yuan Fang.

Liu Bei pondered for a moment and nodded, "We suffered a great defeat at the Battle of Jie Bridge and need a victory to boost our morale. Since the Yuan brothers are fighting among themselves, we can take advantage of this situation."

"Brother, you are wise," Guan Yu praised, bowing.

Liu Bei smiled slightly and said, "Yi De is leading troops outside, so this surprise attack will have to be led by you, Yun Chang. How many troops do you need?"

"Three thousand will suffice," Guan Yu answered without hesitation.

Liu Bei's expression changed, his brows furrowing slightly, as he felt that Guan Yu's request for only three thousand troops was somewhat overconfident.

However, Guan Yu said proudly, "Yuan Fang's boy has only two thousand ragtag troops. Yuan Tan's letter also mentions that Zhu Ling will follow his orders and will not obey Yuan Fang at a critical moment. With three thousand elite troops, I can easily crush that boy."

Guan Yu was confident, and his confidence was not without reason.

Liu Bei pondered for a while and then said happily, "To deal with a boy leading troops for the first time, we indeed don't need too many troops. Since Yun Chang has such confidence, I will assign you three thousand elite troops. Set out at night and head straight for Geling."

Guan Yu stood up abruptly, bowed, and said resolutely, "There's no time to waste. I will go now. Brother, stay in Pingyuan and wait for my good news."

Guan Yu took the military token and strode out with his head held high.

Liu Bei personally saw him off at the gate, watching Guan Yu's imposing figure as he left, a smile forming on his lips.

"Yun Chang will surely win. If I can win this battle, Gongsun Bo Gui will surely be pleased and will likely increase my troops. Hehe..."

...

A hundred miles away, in Geling City.

In the main tent, Yuan Fang was studying military strategy.

"Master, you are truly insightful."

Hao Zhao, full of admiration, burst in, bowed, and said, "Just now, the scouts reported that indeed a force of over three thousand enemies is advancing from the southern path towards Geling. Master, your plan to use their strategy against them has succeeded!"

"Indeed, Liu Bei, you have come."

Yuan Fang remembered that historically, Yuan Tan and Liu Bei had a close relationship. When Liu Bei fled from Xu Zhou, Yuan Tan had even welcomed him a hundred miles outside the city.

Slam!

Yuan Fang threw the scroll onto the table and waved his hand, ordering, "Pass the order to gather all troops for battle. Quickly send for Zhu Ling to bring his three thousand troops to the main camp. Remember, tell him to bring all four hundred archers."

"Understood!" Hao Zhao excitedly accepted the order and left.

The atmosphere in the main camp quickly became tense. The military officers gathered their troops, organized their equipment, and sharpened their weapons, ready for battle.

Half an hour later, Zhu Ling arrived with his three thousand troops.

Upon entering the tent, Zhu Ling asked curiously, "Second Master, why have you summoned me so urgently? What urgent military situation is there?"

"My scouts have reported that Liu Bei has sent a force to threaten Geling City. I suspect they plan to launch a night attack on our camp, so I have asked Wen Bo to come and assist."

Since Zhu Ling was not yet a trusted subordinate, Yuan Fang could not give him orders in a purely commanding tone.

Zhu Ling, hearing this, asked doubtfully, "None of the sentries east of Geling have reported any enemy approach. How did Second Master obtain this information?"

"Liu Bei has some military talent. If he plans to launch a night attack, he won't choose the main road. My scouts discovered the enemy on the southern path," Yuan Fang explained.

Zhu Ling understood the situation and secretly admired Yuan Fang's meticulousness, as he had even guarded the small paths, something he himself had not considered. Liu Bei might send troops through these paths.

Impressed, Zhu Ling suddenly thought of something and asked, "How can you be sure that the enemy will attack our camp outside the city rather than directly attacking Geling? If our troops are all gathered here, and the enemy attacks Geling, what will we do?"

"Rest assured, I guarantee the enemy will attack my camp," Yuan Fang said confidently.

"But—"

"Wen Bo, there's no need to say more. Just follow my orders."

Yuan Fang interrupted Zhu Ling's question and said decisively, "If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility."

The matter was not yet resolved, and Yuan Fang did not rush to inform Zhu Ling about Yuan Tan secretly communicating with Liu Bei and revealing their military situation.

"How can Second Master be so confident?"

Zhu Ling was deeply moved by Yuan Fang's calm and confidence, though he still had doubts, he did not ask more and followed the orders.

Five thousand troops gathered silently in the southern camp. Yuan Fang calmly gave orders to Zhu Ling and Hao Zhao, secretly deploying the five thousand troops.

As night fell, the darkness deepened.

Outside the camp, in the forest, over three thousand men crouched, hiding in the underbrush.

Guan Yu, with a face like a burning flame, stood with his hand on his sword, stroking his long beard, and looked at the brightly lit enemy camp with a disdainful gaze.

In his field of vision, the enemy camp was quiet, and Guan Yu could even see the enemy guards at the camp gate yawning out of boredom.

"Yuan Fang, that boy, is indeed a novice in military affairs, completely unprepared."

A mocking smile formed on the corner of Guan Yu's mouth. The veins on his hand, gripping the Green Dragon Saber, bulged, and a fierce and arrogant aura surged on his grim face.

The wind rose, and dark clouds obscured the moon, making the night as dark as ink.

The timing was perfect.

Guan Yu mounted his horse, pointed his long saber forward, and shouted, "Follow me to attack the enemy camp, crush the enemy, and behead the Yuan boy to boost our morale!"

As he spoke, Guan Yu spurred his horse and charged out of the forest.

The thousands of Liu Bei's troops, crouching in the forest, rushed out and followed Guan Yu, charging towards the enemy camp with great momentum.

The three thousand Liu Bei's troops were unstoppable, quickly reaching the camp gate.

The Fanyang troops guarding the gate were shocked and scattered, and the Liu Bei's troops broke through the camp without much effort.

Guan Yu led the charge, riding like the wind, heading straight for the main tent.

After charging for about twenty steps, Guan Yu suddenly felt something was amiss.

Looking around, all the tents he passed were empty, with no sign of any enemy, like an abandoned camp.

"Even if the enemy was caught off guard, there should be some soldiers fleeing in panic. Why is there no one except the guards at the gate?"

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Guan Yu's heart. He vaguely realized that he might have fallen into a trap.

Just as Guan Yu hesitated, he suddenly heard the sound of cannons from all around the camp.

With the rumbling sound, countless figures emerged from the darkness, like ghosts from the underworld, surging from all sides towards the Liu Bei's troops that had entered the camp.

The three thousand Liu Bei's troops, who had been anxious, were instantly plunged into the depths of fear by the sudden appearance of the enemy ambush.

"How is this possible? Yuan Fang is just a young boy, how could he see through my ambush plan? This is impossible!"

Guan Yu was shocked, his red face twisted in horror, and his arrogant dignity made him unwilling to believe this astonishing fact.

In the darkness, Yuan Fang, mounted on his horse, smiled coldly.

Zhu Ling, by his side, exclaimed in surprise, "The enemy has indeed come to raid the camp. Second Master, you are truly insightful!"

At this moment, Zhu Ling was deeply impressed by Yuan Fang's foresight, unable to contain his excitement.

Zhu Ling was also a capable general, and for Yuan Fang to receive such high praise on his first battle, he felt a sense of pride.

However, he did not show this pride, only smiled faintly, pointed with his whip, and said in a stern voice, "Liu Bei has come to deliver his head. How can we not accept it? Order the archers to fire, shoot them down!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of war drums rose to the sky.

In the next breath, six hundred archers, already in position, released their arrows almost simultaneously.

In the sound of countless birds taking flight, countless arrows, like locusts, tore through the night, whistling towards the panicked enemies.

PS: Thank you to blueck, the Charter of Glory, the Reflection of Glory, ddfbreak, and Huo Hui Hui for your support.

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