Chapter 83

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As Mei Huan blushed, Yuan Fang immediately guessed the situation, and sneered, "That Liu Bei, he wouldn't be thinking of marrying you, Miss Mi, would he?"

Mei Huan's graceful body couldn't help but tremble, and she looked at Yuan Fang in surprise, her beautiful face turning even redder.

That expression clearly indicated that Yuan Fang had hit the mark.

"You... How did you know?" Mei Huan's voice carried a hint of embarrassment.

"Liu Bei is extremely ambitious. As an outsider, if he wants to establish himself in Xu Province, he naturally needs the support of the local powerful families. Your family, the Mi clan, is one of the three major families in Xu Province. It's not strange that he wants to form an alliance with your family through marriage."

Though Yuan Fang was slightly drunk, his mind was very clear, and he quickly exposed Liu Bei's intentions with just a few words.

Mei Huan sighed softly, "It seems you see everything clearly. I guess Liu Bei meant it that way."

"What about your brother's thoughts?" Yuan Fang looked at Mei Huan intently.

Mei Huan avoided Yuan Fang's gaze and said softly, "During the breakout from Douchang, Liu Bei abandoned my brother in a time of crisis. My brother has long seen through Liu Bei's character and naturally refused, declining the proposal."

For some reason, hearing this, Yuan Fang felt a sense of relief and secretly exhaled.

Mei Huan, however, was very perceptive and noticed the change in Yuan Fang, and smiled, "What, do you hope I marry Liu Bei?"

The young man was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to ask such a question.

Then, he said calmly, "Of course not. Liu Bei is my enemy. If your family, the Mi clan, forms an alliance with Liu Bei, wouldn't you also become my enemy?"

Hearing Yuan Fang's answer, a hint of disappointment flashed in Mei Huan's wise eyes, as if his response was not what she had hoped for.

"So, it seems that the relationship between you and me is only about interests. You just don't want me to marry Liu Bei for the sake of your family's interests," Mei Huan sighed.

Yuan Fang countered, "Isn't Miss also investing in me for the sake of the Mi family's interests?"

"Of course not entirely, I also..."

Mei Huan blurted out, but then hesitated, almost saying more but swallowing the words back.

Yuan Fang looked at Mei Huan curiously, waiting for her to continue.

Biting her lip, her beautiful face flushed, as if the words she had swallowed were hard to say, making her even more embarrassed.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly suppressed her embarrassment and, when she raised her head, had already regained her composed demeanor.

Smiling faintly, Mei Huan said, "Let's not talk about this. What you should be most concerned about now is quickly defeating Gongsun Zan. The situation in the south is critical, and you need to go and rescue. The Mi family has invested a lot in you, and we don't want to see it all go to waste."

"Indeed, we don't want it to go to waste!"

Yuan Fang laughed, a fierce look appearing on his handsome face, "I can tell you that within a few days, I will crush Gongsun Zan's arrogance. Since Miss Mi has come to Pingyuan, just wait and see the show with me."

Mei Huan was secretly amazed, thinking that Gongsun Zan had an army of 40,000, and it would be difficult to defend the city, let alone defeat him in a few days.

Isn't that a bit too arrogant?

But then Mei Huan thought, this Second Master Yuan is cunning and often has unexpected tricks. His current confidence might be well-founded.

For now, Mei Huan could only set aside her doubts and wait to see how Yuan Fang would defeat the enemy.

A few days later.

In the evening, at the ferry on the north bank of the Yellow River south of Pingyuan.

Dozens of merchant ships were docked at the ferry, and the "Mi" family's merchant team was fluttering in the river breeze.

Two thousand Yuan army soldiers disguised as laborers were boarding the ships in an orderly manner.

On the gangway, a brave and robust general, holding a large spear and carrying two iron halberds on his back, stood proudly on horseback.

Soon, more than ten riders came out from Pingyuan City, galloping to the ferry and heading straight for the gangway.

Taishi Ci, seeing Yuan Fang approaching from a distance, spurred his horse forward to greet him, bowing and saying, "Master, my two thousand brave soldiers are all in position, awaiting your orders."

Yuan Fang reined in his horse, glanced at the ships, and nodded, "We shouldn't delay. Let's set out while it's still light."

"Understood!" Taishi Ci responded, turning to leave.

But then Yuan Fang remembered something and said earnestly, "Zi Yi, whether our army can quickly defeat the enemy depends entirely on this battle. Don't let me down."

Taishi Ci's body trembled, and a sense of mission welled up on his heroic face.

He didn't say much, just bowed and said, "Master, rest assured, I will do my best."

With that, Taishi Ci spurred his horse onto the ship. The dozens of merchant ships, carrying 1,700 soldiers and 300 cavalry, slowly left the north bank ferry and sailed east along the Yellow River.

Yuan Fang stood on the gangway, watching Taishi Ci lead the troops away.

Beside him, Yuan Gui couldn't help but say, "Master, Taishi Ci has only surrendered for a few days, and you are entrusting him with such an important task. Isn't that a bit..."

Yuan Fang waved his hand, interrupting Yuan Gui's reminder, and said confidently, "Taishi Ci is a man of honor, and his loyalty is beyond doubt. Moreover, he is very familiar with the Bohai region, having traveled between Liaodong and Donglai for years. No one is more suitable for this task than him."

Seeing that his master trusted Taishi Ci so much, Yuan Gui didn't dare to say more.

As the ships sailed farther away, Taishi Ci also watched the north bank ferry gradually disappear from his sight.

Taking a deep breath, Taishi Ci murmured, "Master Yuan, you trust me so much. I will not let you down in this battle."

Without hesitation, Taishi Ci went to the bow of the ship, ordered the ships to raise their sails, and sailed eastward with the current.

The thirty merchant ships sailed downstream for two days, reaching the mouth of the Yellow River, then turned north and entered the Bohai Sea.

Five days later.

The sea was calm, and the sky was clear.

The thirty Mi family merchant ships slowly sailed on the vast sea.

At the bow of the ship, Taishi Ci leaned on the railing, shading his eyes, and looked westward.

At the horizon, a winding and undulating line appeared faintly in Taishi Ci's field of vision, which was the coastline.

Although these thirty ships of the Mi family were experienced in maritime transport, Taishi Ci still dared not sail too far from the shore to avoid unexpected storms.

Since leaving the Yellow River, Taishi Ci had strictly ordered the fleet to sail close to the coastline, keeping it always within his line of sight.

"Situation on the coast!" The lookout on the mast suddenly pointed west and shouted excitedly.

Taishi Ci's spirits were lifted, and he quickly looked westward. Indeed, he saw more fishing boats near the coast, and even some houses along the shore.

"Haixing City, we've reached Haixing City. Brothers, be alert, quickly change to small boats, and follow me to the shore," Taishi Ci shouted excitedly.

After enduring the hardships of the sea for so many days, Taishi Ci and his troops finally arrived at the designated landing site.

Haixing City was a small coastal town in the east of Bohai County. From this city, it was only a two-day ride to Nanyi City.

Taishi Ci's mission this time was to sneak behind Gongsun Zan's lines by sea and attack his grain storage at Nanyi City, as ordered by Yuan Fang.

On that day, when Yuan Fang and Guo Jia were planning, the word they wrote on the table was the same "sea" character.

If burning the enemy's grain on land was not feasible, then they would come from the sea. Gongsun Zan would never have imagined that Yuan Fang would attack his grain storage at Nanyi City from the sea.

Three hundred cavalry and over a thousand infantry, riding in more than a hundred small boats, quickly sailed toward the shore.

The local fishermen never expected that the Yuan army would appear from the sea. These simple fishermen were stunned when they saw the large number of troops landing.

Taishi Ci, however, had no time to deal with them. After landing, he quickly led his surprise attack force straight to Haixing City.

When the county magistrate appointed by Gongsun Zan was shocked to learn that the Yuan army had appeared outside the city, he had no time to react. Taishi Ci led his cavalry, like a heavenly army, and charged into the city.

The small county had only a hundred soldiers, who were no match for Taishi Ci's elite cavalry. They were quickly killed, and Taishi Ci easily captured the small coastal city.

That day, Taishi Ci took all the supplies from the county treasury, and the thousand soldiers had a big meal and a good rest for the night.

The next morning, before dawn, Taishi Ci led his troops out and galloped along the road to Nanyi City.

From Haixing City to Nanyi City, there were few cities along the way, and the terrain was flat, ideal for cavalry.

Taishi Ci led three hundred cavalry ahead, galloping day and night, bypassing cities without attacking, and covering over a hundred miles.

At dawn, the unprepared Nanyi City finally appeared before Taishi Ci's eyes.