Chapter 53

（Last week for the rankings, please give recommendations and add to your collection, Yanzi bows in gratitude)

The generals' expressions changed, all showing a look of sudden realization.

"Wenbo, tell me, would Kong Rong really surrender to me?" Yuan Fang looked at Guo Huai.

"About this..." Guo Huai hesitated for a moment, "May I speak the truth, sir?"

Yuan Fang waved his hand, giving him a stern look, which naturally meant that he was asking nonsense, and of course, he only wanted to hear the truth.

Guo Huai cleared his throat and then said, "I will speak frankly, then. If the one besieging the city today were the eldest or third son of the Yuan family, Kong Rong might really surrender. But for you, sir, I fear that a person of high status like Kong Rong would never surrender to you."

Guo Huai knew Yuan Fang's character and dared not lie, speaking frankly about his judgment.

Yuan Fang nodded slightly, a mocking smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, tacitly acknowledging Guo Huai's speculation.

Zhu Ling, standing beside him, suddenly realized and hurriedly said, "Sir, do you mean that Kong Rong is feigning surrender?"

"Whether it's a feigned surrender or not, we'll know soon enough."

Yuan Fang snorted coldly, his eyes suddenly filled with a fierce killing intent, and he shouted, "Generals, listen to my command!"

...

The next day, the sky was just beginning to lighten, not yet fully bright.

Duchang City, South Gate.

Two thousand fully armed soldiers from Beihai stood nervously in front of the city gate, Liu Bei and his two brothers, clad in armor, stood solemnly.

Behind the three brothers, the plump Mi Zhu looked quite awkward in his slightly small armor.

Hoofbeats sounded, and Kong Rong galloped over, his face grave, his eyes filled with unease.

"Xuande, I have sent people to the enemy camp, lying that we will surrender from the West Gate soon. I believe Yuan Fang has fallen for it, and all his troops have been moved to the West Gate. The time is right; you should take this opportunity to break out from the South Gate," Kong Rong said earnestly.

Liu Bei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, saying, "Rest assured, Lord Kong, we will soon bring reinforcements to lift the siege on Duchang. Please hold on."

With that, Liu Bei ordered the city gate to be opened and led the two thousand troops out of the city while it was still not fully light, stealthily heading south.

Kong Rong climbed onto the city wall, watching Liu Bei and his group depart, his uneasy face gradually showing a glimmer of hope. He murmured, "Liu Xuande, I hope you do not disappoint me. My reputation depends entirely on you."

Liu Bei, once out of the city, galloped south without stopping.

The two thousand troops, using the cover of darkness, crossed the gaps between the Yuan army's camps, rushing for seven or eight li.

The two thousand troops, with their horses' hooves wrapped and soldiers' mouths muffled, moved silently like a ghostly army, quietly heading south.

At the front of the column, Liu Bei was on high alert, his eyes sharp, constantly watching the road ahead.

With a sense of unease, he led the troops through the gap between the two Yuan camps outside the South Gate, not encountering any of Yuan Fang's patrols.

Liu Bei's tense face gradually relaxed, and a hint of relief appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Brother, we haven't seen a single Yuan scout on the way. That boy Yuan Fang has indeed been deceived by our feigned surrender. He must still be waiting at the West Gate for Lord Kong to surrender," Zhang Fei called out excitedly, his rough words filled with mockery.

Liu Bei also sneered, "Although that boy Yuan Fang is cunning, he is still too inexperienced. He really thinks that a person of Lord Kong's status would surrender to him, a bastard of the Yuan family. What a joke."

Liu Bei's words made Mi Zhu and Zhang Fei burst into laughter.

Even the usually taciturn Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said proudly, "If we can borrow troops from Governor Tao today, I will personally kill that boy."

The brothers' spirits soared, their confidence, which had been repeatedly shattered by Yuan Fang, was restored.

As they talked and rode, they had already traveled seven or eight li, leaving Duchang City and the Yuan army's encampment far behind.

Liu Bei and his two brothers, along with the two thousand Beihai troops, relaxed, believing they had escaped the encirclement and saved their lives.

However, they were completely unaware that on both sides of the road, pairs of fierce eyes were staring at them from the trees, like predators eyeing their prey.

Yuan Fang, mounted on a white horse, stood with his staff, his eagle-like eyes coldly watching the enemy pass by, a mocking smile on his lips.

Beside him, Guo Huai was also excited, unable to resist bowing and praising, "Sir, your judgment of Kong Rong is truly divine. Kong Rong is indeed feigning surrender, secretly planning to break out from the South Gate."

The surrounding generals, including Yan Liang, were not only in awe of Yuan Fang but also filled with a fierce desire to kill, their blood boiling.

Outside the forest, half of the two thousand enemy troops had already passed, making it the perfect time to strike them in the middle.

The moment had come; there was no time to waste.

Yuan Fang's eyes opened wide, and he fiercely swung his skull-crushing staff forward, shouting, "All troops, attack! Cut off and kill these fleeing enemies, exterminate them all!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More than ten large ox-hide drums suddenly sounded, the deafening drumbeats shattering the morning tranquility, scaring birds into flight.

"Kill!" Yan Liang roared, brandishing his weapon, leading the charge on horseback.

The three thousand Yuan troops hidden in the forest suddenly appeared, like divine soldiers descending from the heavens, surging towards the enemy on the road.

At almost the same time, on the other side of the forest, Zhu Ling also led another three thousand troops, surging out of the forest.

Six thousand Yuan troops, hidden in ambush, fiercely attacked the fleeing enemy.

On the road, Liu Bei, filled with relief and satisfaction, was discussing plans to counterattack Qingzhou and defeat Yuan Fang with his brothers.

Suddenly, the drumbeats and battle cries erupted, and countless enemies from both sides of the forest surged in like a tidal wave.

A sudden change occurred!

Liu Bei was shocked, his expression changing instantly. All his relief and satisfaction vanished, and his face turned pale with horror.

Not only Liu Bei, but also Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Mi Zhu were all taken aback.

The two thousand Beihai troops were in a panic, their formation quickly falling apart.

"What... What are Yuan troops doing here?" Liu Bei shouted in panic.

"Bad, it must be that boy Yuan Fang who saw through our feigned surrender and set a trap for us," Mi Zhu was the first to react, shouting in alarm.

Liu Bei suddenly realized, waking up to the fact that their feigned surrender had been seen through by Yuan Fang.

Liu Bei was both shocked and ashamed, never expecting to be humiliated by Yuan Fang again.

The ambush troops from both sides quickly closed in, and the bloodthirsty soldiers, wielding their weapons, mercilessly cut down the panicked Beihai troops, reaping heads.

In just a moment, the two thousand Beihai troops were screaming and fleeing in all directions.

The defeat was inevitable.

Seeing this, Guan Yu roared, "Third Brother, protect the Elder Brother! We must fight our way out and create a path of blood!"

At this point, even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were invincible, knew that they could not turn the tide of defeat and could only focus on protecting Liu Bei and escaping the encirclement.

The two brothers immediately led a dozen cavalrymen, surrounding Liu Bei in the center, and charged south, desperately trying to break through the encirclement.

The sudden change left Guan Yu and Zhang Fei so focused on protecting Liu Bei that they left Mi Zhu behind.

Without the protection of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Mi Zhu was quickly intercepted by the Yuan troops and trapped in the encirclement, unable to break free.

"Liu Xuande, save me! Don't abandon me..." Mi Zhu shouted in terror.

From a distance, Liu Bei heard the cries for help and turned back, only to find that Mi Zhu had been left behind.

Liu Bei was startled and immediately wanted to turn back to save Mi Zhu.

However, Guan Yu sternly shouted, "The enemy is too dense. If we go back to save Mi Zhu, we might be surrounded. Elder Brother, we can't afford to worry about him now."

Liu Bei's body trembled, and he remained silent for a few breaths. Then, he gritted his teeth, turned his head, and charged forward, ignoring Mi Zhu's cries for help.

In the chaos, Mi Zhu saw Liu Bei moving further away, completely ignoring him, and felt both shocked and angry.

Abandoned, he could only rely on himself, desperately urging his horse to charge and try to break through the encirclement.

At this moment, Yuan Fang, riding his horse, charged over from the side.

Although Liu Bei had two tiger generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, protecting him, intercepting Liu Bei was not easy. However, Yuan Fang, closely observing the situation, noticed that Mi Zhu had been left behind by Liu Bei.

Although he did not know who Mi Zhu was, Yuan Fang guessed that since he was traveling with Liu Bei, he must be an important person.

With this in mind, Yuan Fang let out a low whistle, spurred his horse, and charged straight towards Mi Zhu.

Mi Zhu, with low martial skills, suddenly felt a killing intent and turned back to see Yuan Fang's imposing figure already in front of him.

Before Mi Zhu could even raise his weapon, Yuan Fang's arm shot out, grabbing him like a small chicken and dragging him off his horse.

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