Chapter 43

Gongsun Xu was in unbearable pain, but the pain in his heart was ten times heavier than that in his body.

As the son of the noble Gongsun Zan, he had been defeated and severely injured by a lowly illegitimate son of the Yuan family, falling off his horse.

Shame, immense shame!

Gongsun Xu was about to curse, but a drop of blood slid down the skull-crushing staff and splashed onto his face.

The scent of blood was filled with a chilling aura of killing intent, which made Gongsun Xu's heart tremble. He swallowed the curses that had risen to his lips and dared not make a sound.

"Quite a sensible fellow," Yuan Fang sneered.

He had already prepared to strike Gongsun Xu's head with his staff if Gongsun Xu dared to be insolent.

Clearly, this young master of the Gongsun family was quite sensible.

In that case, it would be better to keep him alive for future use rather than kill him.

Yuan Fang then ordered his guards to bind Gongsun Xu and escort him through the battlefield, making sure every resisting Youzhou soldier saw their young master captured.

Seeing Gongsun Xu captured, the last resistance of the Youzhou army finally collapsed.

The remaining soldiers, in a state of panic, either fled in all directions or fell to the ground, begging for mercy from the Yuan army.

Amidst the overwhelming defeat, a group of Youzhou soldiers continued to fight bitterly.

Yuan Fang scanned the battlefield and saw that in the midst of the battle, Yan Liang was wielding a large saber, locked in a fierce duel with an enemy general clad in silver armor.

Both were extremely skilled, their blades creating a dazzling blur, and no soldier dared to approach within several yards.

At a glance, it was clear that this was a battle between experts.

"The enemy general who can match Yan Liang must be Zhao Yun."

With this thought, Yuan Fang spurred his horse, dragging Gongsun Xu, and galloped forward.

Pointing the skull-crushing staff at Gongsun Xu's head, Yuan Fang shouted, "Zhao Zilong, if you don't retreat, I'll smash Gongsun Xu's head open!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun's body trembled. He glanced sideways during the intense battle and indeed saw Gongsun Xu being threatened by a young general with an iron staff.

Zhao Yun was greatly alarmed. Concerned for Gongsun Xu's life, he launched a few fierce attacks to force Yan Liang back, then took the opportunity to retreat from the battle.

Yan Liang, still eager to fight, wanted to continue the battle with Zhao Yun and was about to charge again.

Seeing this, Yuan Fang shouted, "Zizheng, stand down!"

Yan Liang was startled. Although he was filled with the desire to fight, he dared not disobey Yuan Fang's order and had to retreat to Yuan Fang's side.

Zhao Yun stood with his spear, and upon seeing Yan Liang obey the young general's command, he immediately deduced that this young general must be the commander, Yuan Fang.

"Rumors say that Yuan Fang is weak and incapable, just a waste of space, but I didn't expect him to capture the young master and display such presence. It seems the rumors are false..."

Zhao Yun was secretly alarmed, his brows slightly furrowed, and he shouted, "Yuan Fang, do not harm my young master."

Yuan Fang then lowered his skull-crushing staff, looked directly at Zhao Yun, and smiled slightly. "Zhao Zilong, you are a valiant warrior, but Gongsun Zan is stubborn and cannot properly use your talents. Why not join me, Yuan Fang, and we can fight together to carve out a new world."

Everyone was shocked by these words, no one had expected Yuan Fang to try to persuade Zhao Yun to surrender on the battlefield.

Zhao Yun was also startled, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

Having fought on the battlefield for a long time, Zhao Yun had never encountered someone like Yuan Fang before.

This attitude and demeanor truly made Zhao Yun look at him with new eyes.

Surprised as he was, Zhao Yun replied calmly, "I appreciate General Yuan's regard, but General Gongsun has treated me well. How can I betray him in battle? I can only respectfully decline General Yuan's offer."

Yuan Fang nodded slightly, as he had expected. Zhao Yun had politely refused his offer.

Zhao Yun's martial skills were unparalleled, and his sense of righteousness was boundless. If he could be persuaded to surrender with just a few words, he would not deserve the praise of future generations as the brave Zhao Zilong of Changshan.

Yuan Fang understood this well. The attempt to persuade him on the battlefield was just a test. If Zhao Yun had surrendered on the spot, it would have made him doubt the legendary Zhao Yun's reputation.

"Good refusal, very good, ha-ha—" Yuan Fang not only did not get angry but laughed heartily.

Yan Liang and the others were puzzled, wondering why their young master was so happy when Zhao Yun had refused to surrender.

Zhao Yun was even more surprised, thinking, "I refused his offer, and he is not angry but happy. This young man is so deep and unpredictable, truly extraordinary."

Amidst the surprised gazes of everyone, Yuan Fang's laughter suddenly stopped, and his handsome face turned stern.

Yuan Fang's skull-crushing staff pointed at Gongsun Xu's head again, and he said coldly, "Zhao Zilong, tell Gongsun Zan to stop provoking me. If not, he will have to prepare to collect his son's body."

Zhao Yun's brows furrowed, standing with his spear, unsure of what to do.

Gongsun Xu, bound to the horse, could not help but shout, "Zhao Yun, quickly go to Youzhou and ask Father for help. Please save me quickly!"

"Shut up, or I'll beat you!" Yuan Fang shouted angrily, moving the skull-crushing staff down and striking Gongsun Xu's mouth.

A cry of pain echoed as Gongsun Xu's mouth was smashed, several teeth broken, and blood spurted from his mouth.

Gongsun Xu screamed in pain, thoroughly intimidated by Yuan Fang's ruthlessness, and dared not utter another word.

Zhao Yun's heart tightened, and he urgently said, "I will convey General Yuan's message to my lord. Please show mercy and do not harm my young master."

Yuan Fang was satisfied and said calmly, "If your young master is sensible and does not seek trouble, I will not harm him."

With the situation now hopeless, Zhao Yun had no other choice but to trust Yuan Fang's promise.

"Young master, please endure for a few days. I will return to Youzhou and report to my lord," Zhao Yun bowed to Gongsun Xu and turned his horse to leave.

Yan Liang was anxious and said, "Young master, how can we let this fellow go so easily?"

As he spoke, Yan Liang was about to pursue.

Yuan Fang, however, stopped him and said meaningfully, "Zhao Yun is an extraordinary warrior. It would take more than a thousand moves to defeat him. We cannot keep him here. Let him go; he can deliver a message to Gongsun Zan."

Historically, Zhao Yun had fought his way in and out of Cao Cao's camp seven times, showing great courage and skill. It would be better to show him some respect rather than force him to stay.

Watching Zhao Yun's retreating figure, Yuan Fang murmured with a smile, "Zhao Zilong, this matter is not over. A general like you, I, Yuan Fang, will not let go of easily. We will meet again..."

The bloody battle ended.

Yuan Fang's surprise attack had resulted in the killing of three thousand enemies, the capture of two thousand, and the capture of Gongsun Zan's son, Gongsun Xu, along with countless flags, drums, and weapons. It was a great victory.

In addition, the five hundred Youzhou cavalry sent by Gongsun Xu to the riverbank, cut off from their main force, had all surrendered to Yuan Fang.

The addition of five hundred cavalry increased Yuan Fang's cavalry to seven hundred.

Seven hundred cavalry, in the Central Plains where horses were scarce, was a formidable force.

After the victory, Yuan Fang ordered Yan Liang to clean up the battlefield outside the city, while he met with Hao Zhao and rode straight into Pingyuan.

"I never expected the young master to lead the main force back across the river. However, with the young master gone, I am worried that Gao Tang on the south bank will be vulnerable to Tian Kai's attack," Hao Zhao said, both pleased and concerned.

Yuan Fang, however, smiled and said, "Don't worry. I left a secret plan before I left, which will be enough to repel Tian Kai. However, we cannot stay here for long. Let the soldiers rest tonight, and I will cross the river back to Gao Tang tomorrow morning."

As they spoke, they entered the main hall.

Hao Zhao suddenly remembered something and smiled, "I almost forgot. While the young master was away, someone came from far away to visit. Unfortunately, they were trapped in the city. Now that the young master is back, I'm sure you will want to see this person."

With that, Hao Zhao ordered someone to bring the person in.

"Someone came to visit me?" Yuan Fang's curiosity was piqued, and he wanted to see who it was.

Soon, light footsteps were heard, and someone walked out from the back hall.

When Yuan Fang saw the person, his expression changed, and he looked surprised.

"It's you..."