Chapter 45

On the southern bank, Gaotang City.

To the southeast, flags obscured the sky, and the armor and weapons of the soldiers were like a dense forest. Twenty thousand soldiers from Qingzhou marched forward in a mighty surge.

In the distance, the outline of Gaotang City was already visible.

A cold smile appeared on Tian Kai's lips as he muttered, "You, Yuan Fang, dared to lead your troops to save Pingyuan right under my nose. I will capture Gaotang and make you unable to handle both fronts."

With a cold laugh, Tian Kai raised his whip and ordered the army to accelerate, advancing towards Gaotang.

Behind him, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Taishi Ci urged their troops to move quickly. Only Guan Yu, by order, led a small contingent to defend the main camp.

A few days ago, Tian Kai and Liu Bei received intelligence that Yuan Fang had left Gaotang at night with a large army, likely heading to the northern bank to save the besieged Pingyuan City.

Upon hearing this news, Tian Kai and Liu Bei were overjoyed, believing they had a golden opportunity. They quickly decided to mobilize their entire force of twenty thousand to attack the city.

Tian Kai and Liu Bei were both confident that with ten times the enemy's strength, they would surely recapture the important stronghold of Gaotang today.

Inside the city, Zhu Ling and Guo Huai anxiously awaited news from the northern bank.

No news had yet come from the north, but scouts reported that the Qingzhou army was advancing in large numbers.

The two generals were startled and quickly mobilized two thousand troops to defend the city walls.

Climbing to the top of the wall, they looked out and saw a dense mass of enemy soldiers approaching Gaotang like a flood.

Zhu Ling's brows furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Tian Kai is indeed taking advantage of the situation to attack. With ten times the enemy, this battle will be tough."

Guo Huai nodded slightly and gritted his teeth, "With the situation as it is, we can only follow the young master's secret plan."

They exchanged a glance and quickly made the necessary arrangements.

The soldiers along the wall followed orders, quickly lowering all the flags and hiding behind the parapets. Two thousand soldiers were not allowed to show their heads or make loud noises.

Then, the four gates of Gaotang were opened, and a few old soldiers slowly walked out, sweeping the ground and sprinkling water at the city gates.

At first glance, Gaotang City appeared to be an unguarded, empty city.

Zhu Ling and Guo Huai, along with the other soldiers, crouched behind the parapets, nervously waiting for the enemy to approach.

The rumbling of footsteps gradually faded as the twenty thousand Qingzhou soldiers stopped a few hundred steps away. Twenty thousand pairs of eyes were wide open, and the Qingzhou soldiers were stunned by what they saw.

Tian Kai, who had been confident of victory, was now filled with surprise and confusion.

In his field of vision, the walls of Gaotang City were devoid of any flags or human figures. Only a few old soldiers were casually sweeping the ground and sprinkling water at the city gates, completely ignoring the approaching Qingzhou army.

It seemed as if all the Yuan troops in Gaotang had withdrawn, leaving behind an empty city.

Such a scene could not help but shock Tian Kai.

"What's going on? What trick is Yuan Fang playing?" Tian Kai's face was full of doubt as he turned to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei's ashen face was also clouded with suspicion. The scene before him was completely unexpected.

"What trick is this boy, Yuan Fang, up to?" Liu Bei's thoughts raced as he pondered the strange situation.

At this moment, Zhang Fei could no longer contain himself and shouted, "What's so strange? This must be Yuan Fang's trick. Let's just charge into the city. What are we waiting for?"

Tian Kai hesitated and asked Liu Bei, "Xuande, what do you think? Should we attack or not?"

Liu Bei's brows furrowed deeply. After a moment of contemplation, a disdainful smile appeared on his lips, and his eyes sparkled with a deep understanding, as if he had seen through everything.

"Yuan Fang may seem incompetent, but he is actually full of cunning. He must be deliberately creating the illusion of an empty city to lure us into attacking. I believe he has not gone to save Pingyuan but is hiding in the city, ready to ambush us."

Liu Bei spoke with a sarcastic tone, revealing his judgment.

Tian Kai was enlightened and nodded repeatedly, "Xuande is right. If not for your insight, we would have fallen into that boy's trap."

Praised by the governor, Liu Bei stroked his short beard, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"Now that we're not attacking, when will we attack?" Zhang Fei asked anxiously.

Liu Bei replied calmly, "We can attack from both the north and the south. Why rush? Once Pingyuan falls and the Yuan troops' morale is shattered, we can take advantage of the situation to capture the city."

"Right, Xuande is correct. Pass the order to retreat the entire army," Tian Kai, convinced by Liu Bei's judgment, immediately ordered the army to withdraw.

Thus, the twenty thousand Qingzhou soldiers, who had come with such a fierce momentum, retreated without firing a single arrow.

On the city walls, Zhu Ling, Guo Huai, and the two thousand Yuan soldiers watched the retreating enemy, all of them stunned.

Only when the enemy was completely gone did the Yuan soldiers' tense nerves relax. After the shock, they were filled with overwhelming joy.

"The enemy has retreated, they really retreated?" Zhu Ling's face was full of surprise, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Guo Huai was also overjoyed and exclaimed, "I never thought the young master's empty city strategy would be so effective. We didn't lose a single soldier and managed to scare off the enemy."

"The young master's strategy is truly remarkable. This empty city strategy is brilliant," Zhu Ling also praised with excitement.

In the city, the Yuan soldiers were immersed in endless joy, deeply impressed by Yuan Fang's wisdom.

The next night, Yuan Fang led seven thousand victorious troops across the Yellow River and entered Gaotang City.

In the main hall of the military office, Zhu Ling and Guo Huai excitedly reported to Yuan Fang how the empty city strategy had successfully repelled the enemy.

Yuan Fang couldn't help but feel relieved. He knew that the empty city strategy was a risky move, and any mistake could have had disastrous consequences.

If they had faced someone like Yan Liang, he would have attacked the city without hesitation.

Fortunately, Yuan Fang knew that Liu Bei and Tian Kai had some intelligence. His empty city strategy was designed to use their intelligence against them, making them overthink and misjudge the situation.

"Initially, we had doubts about the young master's strategy, but now we must admit that the young master's wisdom far surpasses ours. We truly admire the young master," Guo Huai said with a sigh.

Yuan Fang smiled but said nothing.

Beside him, Yan Liang laughed heartily, "The young master's empty city strategy is not only brilliant. This time, I followed the young master to save Pingyuan, and we not only defeated the enemy but also captured Gongsun Zan's son, Gongsun Xu."

Hearing this, Zhu Ling and Guo Huai were even more astonished, never expecting Yuan Fang to achieve such a glorious victory.

Their respect and awe for Yuan Fang grew even more.

Faced with the admiration and praise of his generals, Yuan Fang couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, but he remained calm.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Fang declared loudly, "Tian Kai and Liu Bei are only temporarily confused. They will soon realize they have been tricked. I predict they will mobilize their entire army to attack Gaotang again tomorrow. Prepare yourselves. Tomorrow, we will fight them to the death!"