Chapter 93

(Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend of reading, and don't forget to vote for the Madman amidst your rest, thank you.)

Cao Bao was overwhelmed with shock, and Liu Bei was utterly astonished. The two men looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

At this moment, Yuan Fang should be pinned down by Gongsun Zan's army on the front line of Pingyuan, struggling to survive. How could he possibly lead his troops to attack Langya?

Unless that boy Yuan Fang had defeated Gongsun Zan, how could he have the time to come south to relieve the siege of Zang Ba?

How could this be possible?

The one leading the attack on Pingyuan was not Dan Jing or Tian Kai, but Gongsun Zan himself. Even the mighty Yuan Shao had many fears and had fought with him multiple times with mixed results.

Such a formidable figure, leading over 40,000 troops from Youzhou, how could that boy Yuan Fang, with only over 10,000 weak soldiers, possibly defeat Gongsun Zan?

This question echoed in the minds of Cao Bao, Liu Bei, and all the generals in the tent.

At this moment, the scout entered again, bringing a second shocking piece of intelligence:

Gongsun Zan had been defeated by Yuan Fang, suffering heavy losses and fleeing back to Youzhou in disgrace.

Another thunderbolt of shocking news struck the tent.

After a deathly silence, the tent erupted into a cacophony of shock and horror.

This piece of intelligence shattered all doubts, and they finally no longer questioned the cruel and shocking reality:

The White Horse Gongsun Zan had indeed been defeated by Yuan Fang.

And it was a crushing defeat!

"Liu Xuande, didn't you guarantee that that boy Yuan Fang would not be a match for Gongsun Zan? What's going on now?" Cao Bao asked in shock.

"This... it doesn't make sense. How could Gongsun Zan, Bo Gui, be defeated by that little bandit Yuan Fang? It doesn't make sense..."

Liu Bei stammered, his face full of embarrassment and astonishment. He racked his brains but could not figure out the reason.

At this moment, Zhang Fei, equally shocked, suddenly jumped up and shouted, "So what if that little bandit Yuan Fang defeated Gongsun Zan? He only brought over 10,000 troops. We have 40,000 elite soldiers under our command. Why should we fear that boy!"

Zhang Fei's bold outburst immediately calmed the shocked crowd.

Guanyu also stroked his fine beard and said proudly, "Dongwu can be captured at any time. As long as we divide our troops and station them north of Dongwu to block Yuan Fang's reinforcements, we can capture Dongwu in a few days. Then, with the momentum of our victory, we can advance north and defeat that little bandit Yuan Fang in one fell swoop. Then, Qingzhou will be ours."

Zhang Fei's outburst and Guanyu's confidence calmed Liu Bei's nerves.

His eyes darted around, and the grayish-white on his face quickly regained confidence. He nodded and said, "Yun Chang is right. Although that little bandit Yuan Fang has defeated Gongsun Zan, his troops must be exhausted. There's no need to fear him."

Hearing the words of the three brothers, Cao Bao's emotions gradually stabilized. After careful consideration, he found that what the three brothers said made sense.

Seeing Cao Bao still hesitating, Liu Bei sneered, "General Cao is the first general of Xu Province. Are you afraid of that young upstart Yuan Fang?"

Liu Bei's words were clearly meant to provoke Cao Bao.

Cao Bao's body trembled, and his hesitant expression suddenly turned resolute.

He jumped up, snorted coldly, and said disdainfully, "I, Cao Bao, would never fear an unknown upstart. Pass the order down. Leave 20,000 troops to continue the siege. I will personally lead 20,000 troops to station north of the city to block that little bandit Yuan Fang. I want to see what skills he has to cross my iron wall!"

...

Two days later, 15 li north of Dongwu City.

Yuan Fang led 14,000 infantry and cavalry, finally arriving before Dongwu City was captured. The camp was set up, and the threat to the besieging Xu Province army was formed.

Before Yuan Fang arrived, Cao Bao had already personally led 20,000 troops to set up camp 7 li north of the city, protecting the rear of the besieging army.

The two armies were a few li apart, forming a standoff.

In the main tent, Yuan Fang and Guo Jia were drinking and discussing strategies to defeat the enemy.

"Dongwu City has been under siege for a long time and could be captured at any moment. We must defeat the Xu Province army quickly," Yuan Fang said firmly, well aware of the situation in Dongwu City.

Guo Jia took a sip of wine and smiled, "Master is right. With Zang Ba's ability, he has held out for so long, and he is probably reaching his limit. I have a plan that can help Master defeat the Xu Province army quickly."

Guo Jia has a plan!

Yuan Fang's eyes lit up, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face. He then asked Guo Jia about the plan.

Guo Jia continued to drink his fine wine, calmly and slowly explaining his plan.

After listening, Yuan Fang nodded slightly and sneered, "Fengxiao, your plan is truly devious."

Guo Jia smiled and said self-deprecatingly, "Warfare is full of deceit. My plan is not particularly clever, but there are no particularly clever strategists in the Xu Province army. This plan should be enough to deal with the likes of Cao Bao and Liu Bei."

Yuan Fang laughed heartily and happily adopted Guo Jia's plan. He then issued orders to summon over a dozen officers, including Taishi Ci, who were familiar with the terrain of Dongwu.

When everyone was gathered, Yuan Fang gave orders, instructing them to cross the enemy lines at night and enter Dongwu City to inform Zang Ba that the reinforcements had arrived.

Furthermore, Yuan Fang ordered them to tell Zang Ba that he would lead the entire army to launch a surprise attack on the eastern encampment at midnight the next day, using a signal fire to coordinate with Zang Ba to launch a coordinated attack from inside and outside the city.

After giving the instructions, the dozen officers left with determination.

"Zi Yi, stay a moment." Yuan Fang kept Taishi Ci alone.

Taishi Ci bowed and said, "Does Master have any other orders?"

Yuan Fang smiled mysteriously and called Taishi Ci closer, whispering a few words in his ear.

"Is Master planning to..." Taishi Ci's face showed surprise, suddenly understanding Yuan Fang's intention.

Yuan Fang smiled without speaking, tacitly confirming Taishi Ci's guess.

Taishi Ci understood and bowed solemnly, "Master, rest assured. I will not fail you."

After saying this, Taishi Ci bowed and left.

That night, Taishi Ci and over a dozen officers rode out of the camp on fast horses, using the cover of darkness to secretly cross the Xu Province army's lines and head towards Dongwu City.

The Xu Province army's lines were not so easy to cross. Soon after Taishi Ci's light cavalry entered the enemy camp's range, they encountered a patrol of the Xu Province army.

A fierce battle was inevitable.

The Xu Province army's patrol consisted of over a hundred soldiers. Taishi Ci, outnumbered, could not resist. After a bloody battle, over half of his dozen subordinates were dead or wounded, and the rest were captured by the enemy.

Although his subordinates were all captured, Taishi Ci, relying on his martial arts skills, broke through the enemy's blockade and headed towards Dongwu City alone.

The enemy could not stop Taishi Ci and had to give up. They quickly sent the four or five captured Yuan army soldiers to the main camp for interrogation.

...

In the main tent, Cao Bao sat with a frown, his face dark.

Liu Bei, sitting beside him, appeared calm, as if he had expected something.

Outside the tent, the sounds of torture rose and fell. His subordinates were brutally interrogating the captured Yuan army soldiers.

After half an hour, the sounds of torture finally subsided.

A bloodstained bodyguard entered the tent and bowed, "General, the interrogation is complete. They were ordered to inform Zang Ba in Dongwu City. At midnight tomorrow, Yuan Fang will lead his entire army to launch a surprise attack on our eastern encampment, using a signal fire to coordinate with Zang Ba to launch a coordinated attack from inside and outside the city."

Cao Bao's expression changed, and he waved the bodyguard away, looking at Liu Bei, "Xuande, that little bandit Yuan Fang plans to launch a coordinated attack from inside and outside the city. How should we respond?"

"Haha~" Liu Bei suddenly stroked his beard and laughed, his laughter filled with sarcasm.

Cao Bao was momentarily confused, not understanding why Liu Bei was laughing.

After his laughter subsided, Liu Bei snorted, "I had already guessed that that little bandit Yuan Fang would try to break our army quickly through a coordinated attack from inside and outside the city. Fortunately, our vigilance was tight, and we captured his messenger. This time, we can use his own plan against him."

Cao Bao's spirits lifted, and he asked urgently, "How do we use his plan against him? Xuande, speak quickly."

Liu Bei, with a confident expression, said calmly, "It's simple. Tomorrow night, we will concentrate our main force and hide in the eastern encampment. When that little bandit Yuan Fang launches his surprise attack, we will catch him off guard and crush him in one fell swoop."

Cao Bao suddenly understood, nodding repeatedly, "Xuande's plan is excellent. Good, we will follow your plan."

Immediately, Cao Bao issued orders to secretly transfer the troops concentrated in the north to the eastern encampment.

"Little bandit Yuan Fang, do you think that by defeating Gongsun Zan, you can change your fate of destruction? Hmph, tomorrow night will be the time for me, Liu Bei, to take revenge and avenge my humiliation. I will make sure you come but do not return..."

The grayish-white on Liu Bei's face twitched, and a cold, sinister smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.