Chapter 46

In the city of Gaotang, Yuan Fang was calmly making preparations for the decisive battle.

At a distance of over ten miles, in the large camp of the Qingzhou army, Tian Kai and Liu Bei were still eagerly waiting for news from the northern bank of the plain.

They thought that by uncovering Yuan Fang's trick today, Yuan Fang had no more tricks up his sleeve and would either choose to protect the plain or have to protect the city of Gaotang.

"Xuande, what do you think? Will that young Yuan Fang go to save the city of Pingyuan?" Tian Kai asked.

Liu Bei answered without hesitation, "Of course he will go to save Pingyuan."

"Why?" Tian Kai asked curiously.

Liu Bei stroked his short beard and slowly said, "If that young Yuan Fang abandons Pingyuan, he will be trapped south of the Yellow River in this isolated city of Gaotang, ultimately unable to escape death. If he goes to save Pingyuan, he still has the hope of retreating to the Qing River, avoiding putting himself in a dead end."

Tian Kai nodded slightly, deeply agreeing.

Liu Bei then smiled and said, "Now we just need to wait for the right moment. Once that young man really sends troops to save Pingyuan, we will launch a major attack and take Gaotang in one fell swoop."

Just as he finished speaking, a scout rushed in, reporting that several days ago, nearly seven thousand of Yuan's troops had crossed the river from the area around Qiancheng County downstream, heading to the northern bank.

"What!" Tian Kai was greatly shocked and jumped up.

Liu Bei was also stunned, his grayish-white face now showing surprise instead of confidence.

Tian Kai snatched the intelligence, read it carefully, and could not help but stamp his foot and exclaim, "That young man is so cunning, actually crossing the river downstream. He really went to the northern bank. Xuande, Xuande, you fell for his feint, causing this office to miss a great opportunity to attack the city."

Tian Kai complained and threw the silk scroll in front of Liu Bei.

Liu Bei, with a face full of embarrassment, picked up the intelligence and read it for a long time, his face turning red and black, clenching his teeth and fists, unable to suppress his shame and anger.

Gaotang was actually a deserted city!

That young Yuan Fang had actually used a few old soldiers and brooms to easily deceive him, making his 20,000 troops retreat.

Thinking back to that day, when he faced the empty city and analyzed the situation to Tian Kai with great seriousness, Liu Bei felt a deep sense of shame.

"Yuan Fang, you dare to play such a trick on me, Liu Bei—" Liu Bei gritted his teeth in hatred, wishing he could tear Yuan Fang apart.

After a moment, he suppressed his anger, and a hint of disdain appeared on his grayish-white face.

"Ha, the petty tricks of that young Yuan Fang ultimately did not escape our notice."

Liu Bei sneered, threw the intelligence aside, and said, "Lord Tian, there's no need to be angry. There are 10,000 troops of the young general on the northern bank. I believe Yuan Fang will not be able to lift the siege of Pingyuan in the short term. Now that it has been proven that Gaotang is an empty city, we can launch an attack with greater confidence. It's not too late to do so now."

Tian Kai's anger was barely suppressed. He threw the order arrow and shouted, "Order the entire army to attack at dawn tomorrow, flatten Gaotang, and kill all the enemies in the city, leaving no one alive!"

Successfully calming Tian Kai's anger, Liu Bei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and silently vowed, "Yuan Fang, you have repeatedly humiliated me. Do you really think I, Liu Bei, am easy to provoke? This time, I want to see what skills you have to turn the tide of defeat..."

The next day, 20,000 Qingzhou troops set out en masse, advancing towards Gaotang with great momentum.

Apart from Guan Yu, who remained behind, Zhang Fei and Taishi Ci also joined the army.

The 20,000 Qingzhou soldiers had all learned that the enemy in Gaotang was few, almost like an empty city. They were ready to charge into the city and wreak havoc.

As the first rays of dawn rose, 20,000 troops were already arrayed to the south of Gaotang.

This time, the enemy city did not open its gates, and there were no old soldiers performing the water-sprinkling act. The few thousand Yuan troops seemed to have all taken up positions on the city walls.

Tian Kai scanned the enemy city and sneered, "The enemy is also smart, knowing that the same petty tricks cannot be played twice."

Liu Bei, standing beside him, also looked pleased and clasped his hands, saying, "I congratulate Lord Tian in advance on the great victory in recapturing Gaotang."

Tian Kai laughed three times, his face gradually showing a proud expression. He raised his whip and pointed it slightly at the city wall, shouting, "All troops, attack! Flatten Gaotang for this office!"

The order from the governor was passed down, and various flags in the Qingzhou army rose and waved like waves.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dozens of oxhide drums sounded almost simultaneously, the deafening drumbeats rising like thunder.

After the first drumbeat, the 20,000 Qingzhou soldiers were solemn, each gripping their weapons tightly.

After the second drumbeat, 5,000 soldiers of the vanguard began to carry ladders and push siege engines, steadily advancing towards the southern gate of Gaotang.

The 15,000 soldiers of the rear guard shouted and roared, their cries rising like a tide, cheering on the vanguard.

In the center of the army, Tian Kai and Liu Bei, seeing their troops with such high morale, could not help but feel a sense of pride.

Liu Bei's eyes shot out fierce glares, and he said with disdain, "Yuan Fang, you took my Pingyuan and seized my Gaotang. This time, it's finally my turn to counterattack."

As the Qingzhou army advanced with great momentum, the city of Gaotang appeared disorganized, with few soldiers.

Over a thousand Yuan troops were scattered along the city walls, the weakness of the defenders contrasting sharply with the strength of Tian Kai's attacking army.

Seeing the enemy's weakness, the morale of the Qingzhou army grew even higher, their shouts almost filling the space between heaven and earth.

In a moment, the 5,000 vanguard troops had approached the moat.

Just as the Qingzhou army was about to fill the moat and launch a major attack, the tightly closed southern gate of Gaotang suddenly creaked open, and the suspended drawbridge was unexpectedly lowered.

The sudden change in the enemy city surprised everyone from Tian Kai and Liu Bei to Zhang Fei and Taishi Ci, and even the entire army.

With the city gates wide open and the drawbridge lowered, could it be that the few thousand defenders were actually planning to counterattack?

With only a few thousand troops, even if they did attack, it would be like courting death.

Liu Bei was only surprised for a moment, then his expression returned to normal. He coldly snorted, "The enemy knows they cannot hold the city, so they are trying to break out and fight to the death. It's not worth worrying about."

Tian Kai nodded slightly and prepared to order the rear guard to be ready to counter the enemy's breakout.

At this moment, under the watchful eyes of countless people, something that surprised everyone happened.

From the open city gates, the enemy did indeed come out, but it was not the 2,000 dying Yuan troops they had imagined.

Only one man on horseback emerged.

A tall, slender figure, clad in silver armor, riding a white horse, and wielding a heavy iron staff, slowly rode out of the city and reached the drawbridge.

The young general who had emerged alone was none other than Yuan Fang.

The young general, with his staff and horse, stood tall before the drawbridge. The 5,000 Qingzhou soldiers charging forward were momentarily stunned by Yuan Fang's imposing presence, stopping in their tracks and forgetting to shout.

"Yuan Fang? Didn't he lead his troops to save Pingyuan? How could he be here?" Tian Kai exclaimed in surprise, looking at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was also stunned and could not explain the strange events unfolding before him.

According to the intelligence, Yuan Fang should have led the main force to save Pingyuan. But in just a few days, how could he have come here?

Could it be that he defeated Gong Sunxu and lifted the siege of Pingyuan in such a short time?

Impossible, absolutely impossible! Gong Sunxu had over 10,000 cavalry and infantry. How could Yuan Fang defeat him so easily!

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Yuan Fang, with his staff and horse, looked at the shocked enemies opposite him, and a cold, murderous smile slowly spread across his lips.