Chapter 30

"Lord, how can you do this!" Zhu Ling could no longer contain his resentment and angrily threw Yuan Shao’s letter to the ground.

Hao Zhao’s expression changed, and Guo Huai’s body trembled, his eyes flashing with surprise.

That was Yuan Shao’s own handwriting, and Zhu Ling had publicly thrown it on the ground, which was a blatant act of disrespect to Yuan Shao.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Yuan Fang, unsure of how he would handle the situation.

After all, Yuan Fang was Yuan Shao’s son. If Zhu Ling dared to show disrespect to his father, Yuan Fang, as a son, should at least reprimand him.

After his initial anger, Zhu Ling quickly calmed down, realizing he had been too agitated. He hurriedly clasped his hands and said, "I was momentarily agitated and showed disrespect to Lord. Please forgive me, Young Master."

Yuan Fang stood up abruptly and walked step by step toward Zhu Ling.

Everyone in the tent held their breath, thinking Yuan Fang was about to take action.

However, Yuan Fang casually stepped on Yuan Shao’s letter with his foot.

Amid the astonished gazes of everyone, he patted Zhu Ling on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Wenbo, there’s no need to be angry. We now have soldiers, food, and territory. Why should we care about others’ so-called rewards? We will carve out our own path and make certain people regret it."

His unexpected actions and bold words stunned everyone in the tent.

Yuan Fang was telling Zhu Ling and the others that they were now his subordinates, fighting for his cause, and he, Yuan Fang, would naturally protect them.

Though he did not say it outright, his intentions were clear.

Zhu Ling was deeply moved by Yuan Fang’s courage and ambition, his eyes filled with excitement and admiration.

After a moment of shock, he clenched his teeth and declared, "I understand, Young Master. I will follow you through fire and water."

Yuan Fang nodded slightly and turned his gaze to Hao Zhao and Guo Huai.

The two of them also recovered from their shock and hurriedly clasped their hands, saying in unison, "We are willing to follow you to the death, Young Master."

With the loyalty of these generals, Yuan Fang’s confidence grew. With their allegiance and the territory he already controlled, he felt even more determined.

"Liu Bei has retreated to Gaotang, gathering his defeated troops and amassing over three thousand soldiers. Tian Kai is also sending reinforcements to Gaotang. In my opinion, we should take advantage of the situation and force our way across the Yellow River before their reinforcements arrive, and capture Gaotang in one fell swoop," Zhu Ling said, pointing at the map.

Guo Huai, however, said, "Gaotang is a well-fortified city. Without thorough preparation, it might not be easy to capture it with just our ten thousand troops. Moreover, gathering boats and rafts to cross the river will take time, and by then, Tian Kai’s reinforcements might have already arrived."

Each general had a valid point.

Yuan Fang stared at the map, analyzing the suggestions of his generals, and recalling the historical memories of Qingzhou in his mind.

"Yellow Turban rebels, Liu Bei, Tian Kai, Kong Rong..."

Yuan Fang silently repeated these names, his gaze moving across the various counties of Qingzhou. Gradually, the fragmented memories in his mind began to form a clear plan.

After a long moment of contemplation, Yuan Fang’s lips curved into a smile, and he waved his hand. "A siege would be too costly and not a wise choice. Let’s wait. If my guess is correct, a perfect opportunity will soon present itself."

A perfect opportunity?

Zhu Ling and the others were all taken aback, looking at each other with puzzled expressions.

Although they couldn’t understand what Yuan Fang meant by a "perfect opportunity," they had been deeply impressed by his judgment in previous battles and did not ask further.

The military council concluded, and Yuan Fang ordered the generals to intensify the training of the troops, gather boats and rafts, and prepare the necessary equipment for the river crossing and the attack on Gaotang.

After the meeting, the generals bowed and left.

As Zhu Ling was about to leave, he happened to encounter Yuan Gui carrying something heavy into the tent.

"Young Master, this is the weapon the blacksmith has crafted for you. It’s ready. Please try it out," Yuan Gui panted, presenting the weapon.

Zhu Ling took a closer look and couldn’t help but show a look of surprise.

What Yuan Gui was holding was not a weapon at all, but a solid iron staff.

Yuan Fang’s eyes lit up, and he rolled up his sleeves, grabbing the iron staff with one hand.

The heavy weight immediately tensed his arm muscles.

"Hmm, not bad, it’s indeed heavy."

Yuan Fang praised, then grabbed the iron staff with both hands and performed a few staff movements.

The iron staff whistled through the air, and Yuan Fang’s movements were noticeably slower than when he wielded a spear or sword, clearly due to the weight of the staff.

Zhu Ling moved closer and asked curiously, "Young Master, do you plan to use this iron staff as a weapon?"

"Here, catch." Yuan Fang threw the iron staff to Zhu Ling and asked with a smile, "What do you think, Wenbo?"

Zhu Ling reached out and felt the iron staff, surprised by its extraordinary weight. He quickly grabbed it with both hands, almost losing his grip.

Zhu Ling was even more curious and weighed the iron staff, which was at least ninety pounds.

"This iron staff weighs at least ninety pounds. It’s very heavy, but it’s not easy to wield. To use it in battle, you would need to rely on the explosive power of your muscles to defeat the enemy in a few strikes. Young Master, you can’t really be serious about using this iron staff as a weapon, can you?"

Zhu Ling was greatly surprised. Generals usually preferred weapons like spears, swords, and halberds, and only a few used axes or maces. He had never seen anyone use an iron staff like Yuan Fang.

Yuan Fang took back the iron staff and said calmly, "When I killed Dan Jing, I relied on my explosive power to knock him off his horse and cut him down. I was inspired by that battle to create this heavy iron staff. On the battlefield, using explosive power to kill the enemy by surprise is a perfect tactic."

After killing Dan Jing, Yuan Fang’s sword was severely damaged. At that time, he had wanted to forge a durable weapon, and this heavy iron staff was created for that purpose.

Zhu Ling understood Yuan Fang’s intention but warned, "Young Master, if you want to win by strength, that’s fine, but explosive power, though very strong, can also cause great harm to the body. It’s fine once or twice, but if used too often, it could lead to irreversible damage. At that point, it might not be worth it."

"No problem, I know my limits," Yuan Fang said, a sly smile flashing in his eyes.

Zhu Ling, of course, didn’t know that Yuan Fang had been injected with a biochemical virus from the future, giving him an extraordinary ability to recover from physical damage.

Using a heavy weapon and relying on explosive power, even at the cost of bodily damage, to deliver a fatal and unexpected blow to the enemy was a tactic tailor-made for Yuan Fang’s body.

Seeing Yuan Fang’s confidence, Zhu Ling thought to himself, "Young Master is a martial arts prodigy. If he is so confident, he must have his reasons. Why should I worry?"

With this in mind, Zhu Ling no longer worried and said, "If that’s the case, there’s no problem with Young Master using this iron staff as a weapon. However, the name ‘iron staff’ sounds a bit dull. Perhaps we should give it a more impressive name."

A scene flashed through Yuan Fang’s mind:

His ninety-two-pound iron staff whistled through the air, smashing an enemy general’s head to pieces, brains splattering...

After a moment of thought, Yuan Fang held the iron staff horizontally and said with a smile, "From now on, this iron staff will be called the ‘Skull-Crushing Staff’."