Chapter 68

Seeing Kong Rong about to fall, Taishi Ci frowned and quickly supported him, saying, "Minister Kong, with the enemy at hand, how can you show fear!" He whispered fiercely, firmly supporting Kong Rong.

Taishi Ci's stern words jolted Kong Rong awake, and the fear on his face instantly turned to anger.

The phrase "show fear" from Taishi Ci seemed to carry a hidden sarcasm, which was extremely grating to Kong Rong's ears.

He abruptly pushed Taishi Ci's hand away and said in a deep voice, "I, Kong Rong, would not change my expression even if Mount Tai were to collapse before me. How could I be afraid? Do not speak nonsense!"

Taishi Ci, who had meant to give a helpful reminder, was taken aback by Kong Rong's retort and his frown deepened.

Kong Rong straightened his armor, took a deep breath, and mustered his strength to stand by the parapet again.

At this moment, the Yuan army's formation surged like waves, and Yuan Fang rode his horse, wielding his club, straight to the city gate.

Raising his skull-crushing club, Yuan Fang pointed at Kong Rong and shouted, "Kong Rong, Zang Xuan has already surrendered to me, and Tao Qian cannot save you. If you know what's good for you, surrender the city quickly!"

Kong Rong, enraged and humiliated, burst out in a tirade, "Zang Ba, you lowly bandit, instead of serving the court, you have turned to the traitor Yuan Fang. How dare you still have the nerve to boast in front of me, Kong Rong! Truly shameless!"

The famous scholar's words were sharp, reducing both Zang Ba and Yuan Fang to nothing.

Zang Ba, humiliated, was furious and wanted to tear Kong Rong apart.

"You self-righteous old man, I see you are courting death!"

Yuan Fang was also furious, hung his skull-crushing club, and drew his bow, aiming an arrow at Kong Rong on the city wall.

Seeing this, Taishi Ci on the city wall urgently said, "He is about to shoot an arrow, Minister, be careful, quickly take cover."

But Kong Rong stood proudly with his hands behind his back, unafraid, and sarcastically said, "A hundred paces away, if this traitor can hit me, he would be a divine archer. I doubt he has that skill."

Seeing Kong Rong standing tall and unmoving, Yuan Fang knew he was underestimating his archery skills.

At a distance of over a hundred paces, the target had shrunk to the size of a finger. In the world, there were only a few who could hit such a target at this distance.

Zang Ba, standing nearby, also looked worried, thinking, "When the young master hit me, it was only a few steps away. Now, shooting Kong Rong from a hundred paces, the difficulty is immense. If the young master misses, he will be mocked by Kong Rong, and our army's morale will be damaged..."

Under the skeptical gazes of many, the corners of Yuan Fang's mouth curled into a slight sneer.

His brows furrowed, and his mind focused. Yuan Fang felt a tickle in his right eye, and the tiny pupil instantly appeared.

The fine pupil contracted sharply, and Kong Rong's figure was rapidly magnified in his vision, clearly visible in a few breaths.

The arrow, gleaming with a cold light, aimed at Kong Rong's detestable face.

"Die!"

His finger released, and the arrow shot out like a meteor.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the arrow pierced the air, heading straight for Kong Rong's face.

"Be careful!" Taishi Ci shouted, quickly pushing the indifferent Kong Rong to the side.

Taishi Ci, with his exceptional martial skills, saw the danger in Yuan Fang's arrow at a glance. Despite his quick reaction, he was still a half-step too slow.

Just as Kong Rong's body began to fall to the side, Yuan Fang's arrow arrived like lightning.

"Ahh~"

A terrible scream, the arrow grazed past Kong Rong's face, piercing his ear.

In intense pain, Kong Rong fell to the ground, his right ear shot off, blood gushing, instantly turning his face a bloody red.

Outside the city, Zang Ba was greatly surprised, never expecting Yuan Fang's archery skills to be so formidable. If not for Taishi Ci's intervention, Kong Rong would have been killed on the spot.

The more than ten thousand Yuan army soldiers, seeing their young master's divine shot, were greatly encouraged, their cheers shaking the heavens.

The morale of the Yuan army soared to its peak due to Yuan Fang's arrow.

The thousand or so remaining Beihai soldiers, already low in morale, were further demoralized by seeing their minister wounded, almost on the brink of collapse.

Kong Rong, lying on the ground, was both shocked and in pain, wailing and forgetting his status as a minister, his mind filled with agony.

A man of his stature, a descendant of a sage and a famous scholar, who usually lived in luxury, had never suffered such a severe injury.

Yuan Fang's arrow instantly shattered Kong Rong's will, the pain making him unable to stand.

Below the city, Yuan Fang hung his bow, pointed his skull-crushing club at the enemy city, and shouted, "Attack the city, take Duchang for me! Those who enter the city first will be heavily rewarded!"

With Kong Rong hit by an arrow, the enemy's fighting spirit was already broken. Even Taishi Ci could not turn the tide. It was the perfect time to attack the city.

A thunderous shout echoed, and over a dozen ox-hide drums roared, the booming sound shattering the sky.

"Brothers, charge! Take Duchang for the young master!" Zang Ba, his blood boiling, raised his spear and shouted.

Four thousand Taishan soldiers surged forward in a tidal wave, their battle cries shaking the heavens as they rushed towards Duchang.

Behind the Taishan army, Yan Liang and Zhu Ling also charged, leading thousands of Yuan army soldiers towards the enemy city.

Over ten thousand Yuan army soldiers, fueled by their long siege, charged towards the enemy city with all their might.

Bridges were laid, and hundreds of shield-bearers crossed the moat, rushing to the city walls.

Hundreds of ladders were set up, and the Yuan army soldiers, braving the arrows from the city walls, climbed the enemy city with reckless abandon.

Along the city walls, the Yuan army swarmed like ants, launching a full-scale assault on Duchang.

Yuan Fang, on horseback with his club, urged the troops to attack the city with all their strength. Today, he was determined to take Duchang, which had been under siege for nearly a month.

The soldiers fought bravely, and soon several breaches were made, and they charged onto the city walls.

Seeing this, Yuan Fang shouted excitedly, "Charge onto the city walls, capture the old traitor Kong Rong alive!"

"Capture Kong Rong alive—"

"Capture Kong Rong alive—"

The roaring calls echoed through the sky, shaking the enemy's morale.

The remaining thousand Beihai soldiers completely collapsed, no longer daring to fight, either kneeling to surrender or fleeing into the city.

Seeing the situation was hopeless, Taishi Ci had no choice but to help Kong Rong onto a horse, leading over a hundred personal guards towards the east gate, hoping to break through the encirclement.

On the way, Kong Rong finally came to his senses from the pain and shouted, "Where are you taking me?"

"Duchang cannot be held. I will help you break through the encirclement, perhaps you can escape with your life," Taishi Ci said without turning back.

Hearing the word "break through," Kong Rong felt a chill.

Previously, Liu Bei had led two thousand troops to break through, but Yuan Fang had almost annihilated them, and even Mi Zhu had fallen into Yuan Fang's hands.

Now, with only over a hundred men, how could Taishi Ci hope to protect him and break through? It was a pipe dream.

If he was lucky, he might be captured alive; if not, he could die in the chaos.

At this moment, the cry "Capture Kong Rong alive" echoed in his ears, further dissuading him from breaking through.

"Breaking through is a matter of life and death. Yuan Fang wants to capture me alive, perhaps he fears my status as a descendant of a sage. If I surrender, I might only be mocked, and eventually, I will be sent to Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao, as the head of the Yuan family, is of high status, and serving him would not tarnish my reputation..."

Thinking this, Kong Rong changed his mind and quickly reined in his horse.

Taishi Ci, seeing him stop, was shocked and turned his horse, anxiously saying, "The enemy will soon break into the city. How can you stop, Minister?"

"If you want to break through, go alone. I will not take the risk." With that, Kong Rong turned his horse and headed towards his residence.

"Minister—" Taishi Ci was greatly alarmed, calling out several times, but Kong Rong did not look back.

With no choice, Taishi Ci sighed and led over a hundred personal guards towards the east gate.

Kong Rong, on the other hand, rushed back to his residence, roughly bandaged his ear, then removed his armor and changed into the attire of a scholar, returning to the main hall.

He forced himself to calm down, sitting upright and holding a copy of the Analects of Confucius, pretending to read it calmly.