Chapter 32

Yecheng did not provide additional arrows, so Yuan Fang took matters into his own hands, ensuring they were well-provisioned.

Liu Bei was like a cash machine for Yuan Fang, who had already taken both men and cities from him. This time, Yuan Fang was about to take arrows from him again.

Outside the ship, arrows continued to rain down like locusts, but Liu Bei was completely unaware of Yuan Fang's scheme and continued to shoot arrows without hesitation.

Before long, the right side of the ship was completely covered with arrows, causing it to tilt to one side. Yuan Fang then ordered the ships to turn around and continue receiving arrows on the other side.

After more than half an hour, the other side was also covered with arrows, and the ships regained their balance.

Yuan Fang looked at the densely packed arrows on the ships and sneered, "It's time to return with a full load. Order the ships to head back to the north bank."

"Hai!" Hao Zhao excitedly went to relay the order.

The ships, now loaded with arrows, quickly retreated northward, the drumming and shouting abruptly stopping.

Yuan Fang, still not satisfied, ordered the soldiers on the ships to shout in unison, "Thank Liu Xuande for the arrows."

The five hundred soldiers, now understanding the plan, were overjoyed and shouted towards the opposite bank.

"Thank Liu Xuande for the arrows—"

"Thank Liu Xuande for the arrows—"

The mocking shouts pierced the night, reaching the southern bank.

On the shore, Liu Bei was still on high alert, nervously watching the water and urging his soldiers to continue shooting arrows.

Zhang Fei also led several thousand troops from the land camp to provide support but saw no sign of enemy ships.

Gradually, Liu Bei began to feel a hint of doubt. Suddenly, his large ears twitched, as if he had heard something unusual.

Furrowing his brow, Liu Bei quickly ordered the archers to stop shooting.

As the whistling of arrows ceased, the "thanks" from Yuan's army became clearly audible.

Liu Bei's soldiers were all puzzled, not understanding the meaning.

Liu Bei was initially confused but then suddenly realized what had happened.

In an instant, his pale face flushed with shame and anger, his fists clenched tightly.

"Damn it, that little brat Yuan Fang tricked me into giving him tens of thousands of arrows..." Liu Bei gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with fury.

Zhang Fei, hearing Liu Bei's curses, was stunned for a moment before suddenly understanding.

Zhang Fei immediately flew into a rage, his eyes blazing, and shouted, "Brother, that little brat Yuan Fang has mocked us so much. It's an unbearable insult. Please order me to cross the river and I will personally behead that little brat to avenge you."

Zhang Fei's outburst woke up the surrounding officers and soldiers, who now realized that their lord had been tricked into giving away tens of thousands of arrows.

Liu Bei felt humiliated, glared at Zhang Fei, and silently blamed him for shouting out the truth.

However, Liu Bei quickly regained his composure and sighed, "I also want to cross the river and retake Pingyuan, but the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou have not been subdued yet. Governor Tian ordered me to strictly defend Gaotang and not to engage in battle. I have no choice."

"But, Brother..."

"There's no need to say more. Let's return to camp."

Liu Bei, feeling humiliated, did not want to stay any longer and rode back to the main camp without listening to Zhang Fei's further words.

While Liu Bei was still seething with resentment, Yuan Fang had already led dozens of ships back, fully loaded.

At the northern bank's water camp, Generals Guo Huai and Zhu Ling were anxiously waiting, hearing the loud drumming and the interwoven arrows on the river, worried about Yuan Fang's safety.

When they saw the warships returning, Guo Huai and Zhu Ling breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to the pier to welcome them.

As the ships, now covered in arrows like porcupines, entered the camp, both Guo Huai and Zhu Ling, being wise and brave generals, suddenly understood and their faces lit up with joy.

"So, Young Master used this method to trick Liu Bei into giving tens of thousands of arrows!" Zhu Ling exclaimed with joy.

Guo Huai also sighed, "I never thought that with a simple trick, Young Master could obtain tens of thousands of arrows without needing reinforcements from Yecheng. Your strategy is truly beyond our comprehension."

The two generals praised and hurried to greet Yuan Fang's ship.

"Young Master, we've arrived at the shore. Everyone is excited, and I could hear them praising your brilliant plan from far away," Hao Zhao said excitedly.

Yuan Fang, however, smiled faintly and then did something unexpected.

He tore open his shoulder armor and tightly wrapped it with white bandages, making it look as if he had been bandaged.

"Young Master, what are you doing?" Hao Zhao was surprised and confused.

"Once we disembark, tell everyone that I was hit by a stray arrow that pierced through the ship's wall and struck my left chest, causing a serious injury."

As he spoke, Yuan Fang grimaced and leaned on Hao Zhao, pretending to be injured.

Hao Zhao, not knowing Yuan Fang's intentions, did not ask further and helped him stagger off the ship.

Seeing Yuan Fang's condition, Guo Huai and Zhu Ling were shocked and quickly rushed to support him, asking what had happened.

Yuan Fang's brows were furrowed, and his eyes were tightly shut, looking in great pain.

"During the arrow borrowing, Young Master was hit by a stray arrow, causing a serious injury. We must quickly take him back to camp," Hao Zhao lied for Yuan Fang.

The two generals were even more shocked and hurriedly carried Yuan Fang back to the main camp.

Along the way, the soldiers, seeing their young master injured, were all shocked, and the news quickly spread throughout the camp.

Hao Zhao and others carried Yuan Fang into the main tent, and Zhu Ling, unaware of the truth, hurried to call for a doctor.

At that moment, Yuan Fang suddenly jumped up, standing before them, looking as healthy as ever.

Zhu Ling and the others were stunned, looking at the fully recovered Yuan Fang, completely bewildered.

"Young Master isn't injured?" After a while, Zhu Ling finally managed to say, both surprised and relieved.

Yuan Fang smiled, "To be honest, this injury is a ruse. You few know, but don't reveal it to anyone else. Spread the word that I was indeed seriously injured by an arrow."

Zhu Ling, Guo Huai, and Hao Zhao, three trusted generals, were all stunned.

"Young Master, what is the purpose of this?" Guo Huai asked, puzzled.

At this point, with his trusted generals, Yuan Fang no longer needed to hide his plan and explained it in full.

The Yellow Turban rebels were ravaging the Beihai region. Based on historical knowledge, Yuan Fang predicted that Kong Rong would be unable to resist and would send envoys to Tian Kai and Liu Bei for help.

According to the original history, Tian Kai and Liu Bei would leave Pingyuan to rescue Kong Rong in Beihai. However, now that Yuan Fang had captured Pingyuan and was threatening Gaotang, Tian Kai would not dare to send Liu Bei to rescue Kong Rong.

If Liu Bei did not send troops, the ten thousand enemy soldiers in Gaotang would make it impossible for Yuan Fang to cross the Yellow River and capture Gaotang with only ten thousand troops.

Therefore, Yuan Fang pretended to be seriously injured to make Liu Bei feel confident enough to leave Gaotang and go to Beihai to rescue Kong Rong.

Then, Yuan Fang could take advantage of the situation and cross the Yellow River to capture Gaotang.

After hearing Yuan Fang's explanation, the three generals finally understood and were filled with admiration and joy.

"Your plan to borrow arrows was brilliant, and then to pretend to be injured to make the enemy underestimate you is another brilliant move. This double strategy truly makes us bow in admiration," Guo Huai said, filled with respect.

Hao Zhao and Zhu Ling also expressed their admiration, unable to find the right words to convey their feelings.

Hearing the praise from his three trusted generals, Yuan Fang felt a sense of satisfaction but did not show it, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.

Lying down on the bed, Yuan Fang said, "From today, I will pretend to be injured. You must prepare secretly. Once Liu Bei falls for the trap, we will cross the Yellow River and capture Gaotang."

"Hai!" The three generals responded in unison.

That day, Yuan Fang wrapped himself in bandages and pretended to be injured, handing over all military affairs to his subordinates.

The news of Yuan Fang being injured quickly spread, causing unrest among the soldiers.

However, Generals like Zhu Ling used various methods to calm the troops and secretly prepared for the river crossing.

Seven days later, the spies Liu Bei had placed on the north bank reported the news of Yuan Fang's injury to the Gaotang camp.

At that time, Liu Bei was still seething with anger over being tricked by Yuan Fang into giving away tens of thousands of arrows. This unexpected news lifted his spirits.

"That little brat Yuan Fang tricked me into giving him arrows and was seriously injured. This is truly a case of evil begetting evil. Ha ha~" Liu Bei held the intelligence report and laughed heartily.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, standing nearby, also smiled, feeling a sense of relief.

"Brother, since that little brat is injured, why don't we take the opportunity to cross the Yellow River and retake Pingyuan?" Zhang Fei urged.

Liu Bei's laughter subsided, and he fell silent.

Attacking north to retake Pingyuan was not impossible, but once Pingyuan was recaptured, it would reopen the connection with Gongsun Zan.

At that time, Gongsun Zan would constantly send people to interfere in Qingzhou affairs, and Liu Bei would always be Gongsun Zan's pawn.

"Having that little brat Yuan Fang in the middle, cutting off the connection with Youzhou, might not be a bad thing. I can take the opportunity to go to Beihai to rescue Kong Rong. Kong Rong is a renowned scholar, and if I can ally with him..."

After a long moment of contemplation, a cunning look flashed in Liu Bei's eyes.

In an instant, he put on a serious and generous expression and said, "We must prioritize important matters. Kong Rong, the governor of Beihai, has been surrounded by the Yellow Turban rebels and has repeatedly asked for our help. If I don't go to his aid, I will lose my reputation for righteousness. I have decided to send an urgent letter to Governor Tian, requesting his permission to go to Beihai to rescue Kong Rong."