Chapter 31

"Crush Skull Staff?" Zhu Ling was taken aback, "This name seems a bit... "

Zhu Ling smiled but did not continue.

Yuan Fang knew that Zhu Ling was thinking that the name he gave to this weapon was a bit vulgar.

Compared to weapons like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the Eight-Zhang Serpent Spear, and the Heaven-Painted Halberd, the name "Crush Skull Staff" was indeed much more crude and violent.

However, Yuan Fang was not bothered by this. "Weapons are used to kill, and what is there to be elegant about killing? I like this crude name. Crush Skull, Crush Skull, one strike and the enemy's skull is shattered, how satisfying."

In Zhu Ling's mind, a vivid image of a shattered skull and splattered brains immediately appeared, causing her to shiver slightly.

"But the name 'Crush Skull Staff' is indeed domineering. If you like it, then so be it," Zhu Ling said with a smile.

After obtaining a suitable weapon, Yuan Fang began to practice martial arts day and night with the Crush Skull Staff.

After the battle against Dan Jing, Yuan Fang had accumulated considerable combat experience. With his body's recovery ability, he trained for three to four times the amount of time others did, undergoing intense training.

While practicing martial arts, Yuan Fang did not forget to train his troops, manufacture military equipment, and gather boats and rafts, preparing for the crossing of the Yellow River and the attack on Gaotang.

Before he knew it, a month had passed. Yuan Fang's martial arts had advanced from the early stage of Muscle Contraction to the middle stage, greatly increasing his strength and reaction speed, as well as his explosive power.

During this month, the main force led by Yuan Shao defeated the advancing Gongsun Zan at Longcou and then advanced north, reclaiming much of the lost territory in Ji Province.

After defeating Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao did not immediately launch a large-scale attack on You Province but instead led his main force westward, deploying in the Changshan region.

"Why is the lord not advancing north but turning west to Changshan? What is he planning?" Zhu Ling was quite puzzled upon receiving this intelligence.

"What else could it be? Of course, it's to help my third brother," Yuan Fang sneered, his words laced with sarcasm.

Zhu Ling and the other generals' expressions changed slightly. After a moment of contemplation, they suddenly understood.

Changshan was west of the Taihang Mountains, and like Shangdang in Bing Province, it was a region where Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Army operated.

Yuan Shao's advance into Changshan was clearly to take advantage of the gap left by Gongsun Zan and lure Zhang Yan into a decisive battle in Changshan, thereby eliminating the Black Mountain Army and removing the threat from the side. Then, he could focus on dealing with Gongsun Zan.

If Yuan Shao could defeat the main force of the Black Mountain Army in Changshan, then Yuan Xi's path to Shangdang and the invasion of Bing Province would be unobstructed.

Yuan Shao's actions were, of course, indirectly helping his unambitious son, Yuan Xi.

"The lord openly declared that the second and third princes should each take a province and fairly compete in martial strategy, but now he is secretly helping the third prince. This is really..."

Zhu Ling was quite angry but could only sigh, unsure how to criticize Yuan Shao.

Yuan Fang, however, said calmly, "Yuan Xi is strong on the outside but weak on the inside. No matter how much my father supports him, he will never amount to anything. We shouldn't worry about him. What we need to think about now is how to capture Gaotang."

The attention of the generals was redirected back to the present.

"Our boats and rafts are now sufficient for crossing the river, but the supply of arrows is a problem. The people in Ye City are deliberately delaying and have not delivered the arrows," Hao Zhao said indignantly.

There was no doubt that this was due to Yuan Tan's machinations.

However, Yuan Fang showed no concern. After a moment of contemplation, he had an idea.

He did not mention the arrows but turned his gaze to Guo Huai and asked, "What is the current situation with the Yellow Turbans in Qing Province?"

Guo Huai bowed and replied, "My lord, according to our spies, the main force of the Yellow Turbans in Qing Province has entered Yan Province and is now in conflict with the new governor of Yan Province, Cao Cao. The Yellow Turbans remaining in Qing Province, led by the bandit leader Guan Hai, are ravaging the territory of Kong Rong in Beihai."

Yuan Fang nodded slightly. Guo Huai's report matched his previous predictions.

Before long, Cao Cao would subdue the Yellow Turbans and greatly increase his strength.

Although Cao Cao had previously sent envoys to Pingyuan to show goodwill to Yuan Fang, and Yuan Fang had reciprocated, he knew that Cao Cao would eventually become his enemy.

There can only be one sun in the sky, one ruler for the people. This Central Plain can only have one victor.

"Cao Cao's rise cannot be stopped, but Kong Rong will soon be besieged by Guan Hai and will seek aid from Liu Bei. It seems our opportunity is approaching..."

A smile appeared on the corner of Yuan Fang's mouth. He waved his hand and ordered, "Pass the word down. Gather the boats and rafts. Tonight, I will give Liu Bei a surprise."

Before they knew it, it was night, and more than thirty warships had been assembled.

Yuan Fang led five hundred infantry to the northern bank of the river, ordering the soldiers to board the ships and sail to the southern bank of Gaotang.

Hao Zhao, who was in charge of the warships, was startled and hurriedly said, "My lord, attacking the southern bank with only five hundred troops seems a bit presumptuous."

"Who said I was going to attack the landing site? I just want to get close to the southern bank to observe the enemy's naval camp," Yuan Fang said calmly.

Hao Zhao's expression changed again.

Yuan Fang, knowing what he was worried about, said, "Don't worry. In the dark of night, Liu Bei won't be able to discern the situation and won't dare to send ships to attack."

"But even if Liu Bei doesn't attack, he will certainly use bows and arrows, which is very dangerous," Hao Zhao pointed out.

Yuan Fang patted the sides of the ship, where the straw dummies were set up, and said with a cold smile, "I want Liu Bei's arrows."

Hao Zhao was puzzled and did not understand Yuan Fang's intentions but did not dare to disobey. He could only order the ships to set sail, moving toward the southern bank of Gaotang under the moonlight.

This area was downstream of the Yellow River, where the turbulent waters had become relatively calm. The thirty ships, filled with straw dummies, smoothly approached the brightly lit southern bank naval camp.

From a distance of about a hundred steps, the situation of the enemy's naval camp was vaguely visible.

Hao Zhao was on edge, fearing that the enemy would discover their approach, while Yuan Fang remained calm and showed no signs of worry.

When they were about seventy steps away from the enemy camp, Yuan Fang suddenly ordered the ships to beat the drums and shout, creating the appearance of a large-scale attack.

Hao Zhao was startled and exclaimed, "My lord, if we beat the drums and shout, won't we reveal our position?"

"Without revealing our position, how can we lure Liu Bei to shoot arrows?" Yuan Fang said casually, sipping his wine.

Hao Zhao did not understand Yuan Fang's intentions but did not dare to disobey, so he passed down the order.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of war drums rose, and the soldiers on the ships began to shout, shattering the silence of the night.

The sudden noise immediately alarmed the enemy camp, and the sound of warning gongs echoed.

Before long, Liu Bei, who was stationed in the land camp, hurriedly led several thousand elite troops to the naval camp.

On the dark Yellow River, the sounds of drums and shouts came from the night, as if countless warships and enemies were approaching.

"That brat Yuan Fang can't hold back any longer and wants to launch a night attack on our naval camp," Liu Bei sneered, raising his whip and ordering, "It's too dark to discern the enemy's situation. The troops must not act rashly. Quickly gather all the archers to the naval camp and shoot arrows to stop the enemy from approaching."

The order was passed down, and nearly two thousand archers were quickly gathered to the shore of the naval camp. Thousands of arrows shot into the night sky, like a swarm of locusts, targeting the enemy.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of arrows breaking through the air was intense. Hao Zhao and the five hundred soldiers of Yuan Fang's army, knowing that the enemy's arrows were coming, quickly crouched down to avoid being hit.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Countless arrows whistled through the air and embedded themselves in the straw dummies on the sides of the ships. Before long, half of the ship's sides were covered with arrows, resembling a porcupine.

However, not a single soldier was injured.

Hao Zhao, who had been tense at first, gradually calmed down. When he saw the dense arrows on the straw dummies, he was momentarily puzzled but then suddenly realized what was happening.

Hao Zhao rushed into the cabin and exclaimed with great joy, "My lord, so this was all part of your plan!"

Yuan Fang took a sip of wine and smiled slightly. "I just borrowed some arrows from Liu Bei's straw boats. One day, I will return them to him in full."

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