Chapter 27

Danzheng's eyes were filled with arrogance, as if Yuan Fang and his seven thousand troops were no match, and crushing them would be as easy as a wave of his hand.

Raising his battle saber, Danzheng shouted loudly, "Attack, crush the enemy!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dozens of oxhide drums thundered, the sound of the attack horns echoed through the sky, the formation changed, and the banners waved.

Except for the two thousand rear troops led by Liu Bei, the six thousand front troops from Youzhou, under Danzheng's command, moved forward with a roar, like an impenetrable wall of bronze and iron, advancing towards the Yuan army.

Faced with the advancing enemy, the Yuan army immediately became tense.

In the formation, Yuan Fang stood firm, calm and composed, showing no fear in the face of the powerful enemy.

A hint of a mysterious sneer crept onto the corners of his mouth.

The Youzhou army's formation advanced in an orderly manner, and in the blink of an eye, they were five hundred steps away.

Beside him, Zhu Ling, gripping his spear tightly, whispered, "Young Master, the enemy's morale is high, and their formation is orderly. This battle will be very difficult."

Yuan Fang, however, smiled faintly, "Don't worry, I have already ordered Guo Boji to lead two hundred cavalry to flank the enemy."

Zhu Ling was taken aback, only then realizing Yuan Fang's secret plan, but his worry did not completely dissipate.

Using cavalry to flank the enemy was a good tactic, but Guo Huai only had two hundred cavalry, which was far too few.

This small number of cavalry would hardly be able to shake Danzheng's army, let alone the two thousand troops led by Liu Bei in the rear.

Zhu Ling clenched his teeth, though he lacked confidence, he was determined to fight to the death, ready to die on the battlefield with Yuan Fang.

Just as Zhu Ling was resolved to die, a sudden change occurred in the northeast.

A sky-obscuring cloud of dust rose, like a sandstorm, rushing towards the side of Danzheng's army.

Only cavalry could create such a momentum.

When the dust cloud approached, the soldiers of both the Yuan and Youzhou armies were shocked.

The momentum of the dust cloud was overwhelming, suggesting that thousands of cavalry were charging.

Zhu Ling's body trembled, his eyes filled with surprise, and he looked at Yuan Fang with an incredulous gaze, seeking an answer.

After all, Guo Huai only had two hundred cavalry. How could two hundred cavalry create the momentum of thousands?

Yuan Fang smiled without speaking, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger. He raised his saber and shouted, "Brothers, our main reinforcements have arrived. Prepare to crush the enemy to the last man."

The originally tense Yuan army soldiers, unaware of the situation, seeing the dust cloud and hearing Yuan Fang's shout, truly believed that thousands of their own cavalry had suddenly arrived.

The morale of the seven thousand soldiers was instantly ignited, and their fighting spirit soared.

"Kill—"

"Kill—"

The excited soldiers waved their weapons and roared, the cries of battle shaking the earth.

Five hundred steps away, the Youzhou army was truly trembling, their faces full of panic, their arrogance gone, replaced by fear and confusion.

"How is this possible? How could Yuan Fang suddenly have thousands of cavalry? How is this possible?"

Danzheng was also terrified, facing the sudden arrival of thousands of enemy cavalry, he was at a loss.

In the sandstorm, Guo Huai, galloping on his horse, sneered, thinking to himself, "Young Master is truly wise. This brilliant plan will surely terrify the Youzhou army."

Admiringly, Guo Huai glanced back, his eyes sweeping over the horse tails tied with branches.

Not just his horse, but every horse in the two hundred cavalry he led had a large branch tied to its tail.

It was these branches sweeping up the dust that created the overwhelming dust cloud, making the Youzhou army, unaware of the truth, mistakenly believe that a large force of Yuan cavalry had arrived.

"Quick, quick, send the signal flag, order Liu Bei to lead the rear troops to support my flank," Danzheng shouted in panic.

In the front army, the signal flag waved rapidly, giving orders to the rear troops led by Liu Bei.

At this moment, Liu Bei's face also changed, stunned by the sudden arrival of thousands of "cavalry" from the Yuan army.

Even the arrogant Guan Yu beside him showed a change in expression, not expecting such a sudden turn of events.

Seeing the signal flag waving, Guan Yu said solemnly, "Brother, Danzheng has sent a signal, calling us to fill the right flank and block the enemy cavalry."

Liu Bei, however, remained silent, his eyes filled with a complex expression.

After a moment's hesitation, Liu Bei gritted his teeth and said, "The enemy has thousands of cavalry, and we are not prepared. We are no match. Pass the order to retreat quickly."

These two thousand troops under Liu Bei were his core forces, and at a critical moment, he was unwilling to risk his men's lives for Danzheng.

Guan Yu immediately understood Liu Bei's intention and immediately passed the order to retreat the entire army towards the plain.

Liu Bei, however, shook his head and said, "The plain is too close. If the enemy wins, they will surely pursue us to the plain. If we retreat to the plain, we will surely be defeated. We must change direction and retreat south to Gaotang City."

Guan Yu was initially taken aback but quickly understood Liu Bei's meaning.

Thus, Liu Bei's two thousand troops suddenly retreated, heading south in a hurry.

The sudden retreat of the rear troops immediately caused chaos and panic in Danzheng's front troops, their already wavering morale collapsing even further.

"F Liu Bei, you big-eared traitor, how dare you disobey my orders and retreat in the middle of the battle!" Danzheng shouted in anger and fury.

Danzheng was extremely angry, but it was too late.

The Youzhou army, having lost their fighting spirit, began to disintegrate, fleeing without a fight.

Five hundred steps away, a fierce killing intent appeared on Yuan Fang's face.

The time had come; there was no more to wait!

Yuan Fang raised his battle saber and shouted fiercely, "All troops, attack—"

With a long cry, Yuan Fang spurred his horse and charged forward.

Zhu Ling roared and followed closely behind, his spear whirling like the wind.

The seven thousand Yuan army soldiers, like a flood breaking through a dam, surged forward in a torrent.

The main Yuan army charged from the front, a thousand cavalry attacked from the side, and the rear troops retreated in the middle of the battle. This overwhelming pressure was enough to crush the remaining will of the Youzhou army.

The army's defeat was like a collapsing mountain!

"No retreat, hold your ground, those who disobey will be executed—" Danzheng shouted in anger and fury, trying to suppress the chaos.

Unfortunately, the Youzhou army, their morale shattered, paid no heed to his commands and fled for their lives.

Danzheng executed several men but could not stop the retreat. When he looked up, the Yuan army was already surging towards them like a tidal wave.

The two armies clashed, and blood splattered high into the air like a waterfall.

Men and horses fell, and the cries of the dying filled the air. The frenzied Yuan army mercilessly crushed the fleeing Youzhou army.

Yuan Fang galloped like the wind, his saber sweeping in all directions, reaping heads effortlessly.

His martial arts had reached the stage of muscle contraction, his strength and reaction time had reached a new level, and his explosive power had greatly increased. Slaying these Youzhou soldiers was as easy as slicing vegetables.

In the blood mist, Yuan Fang charged through the battlefield like a man in a realm of his own.

In the chaos, Danzheng was filled with shame and anger. Facing the surging Yuan army, he knew the situation was hopeless, and he had truly been defeated.

A general under the great Gongsun Zan, the Governor of Yanzhou, who had fought many battles, had been defeated by a mere youth.

Overwhelmed with shame and anger, Danzheng scanned the battlefield and found the "Yuan" banner.

Wherever the banner went, the young enemy general was slaughtering his soldiers. It could only be Yuan Fang.

Infinite rage surged in his head, his eyes bloodshot, and he roared, "Yuan Fang, you little thief, how can I, Danzheng, be defeated by you? Prepare to die—"

With a roar, Danzheng spurred his horse and charged directly at Yuan Fang.