Chapter 54

That night, Bo Cai was drinking alone in his tent, feeling gloomy.

"General, General Peng Tuo has arrived with his men," a guard ran in.

Bo Cai's face lit up, and he said, "Oh, he's really here. Hurry, invite him in."

Before the guard could leave, Bo Cai stopped him, thinking for a moment, he said, "Wait, I'll go to welcome him personally. You quickly prepare a banquet for me; I want to treat General Peng well." With that, he ran out of the tent.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Peng Tuo walking towards him, followed by a brave-looking Yellow Turban general.

"Ha, Peng Tuo, you've finally come. Come in quickly; I've already prepared a banquet for you," Bo Cai said with a laugh.

"Bo Cai, you don't look too good," Peng Tuo said sarcastically, not even looking at Bo Cai as he walked into the tent. Two tigers cannot coexist on one mountain. In this area, the two most powerful Yellow Turban forces were led by Bo Cai and Peng Tuo. Therefore, they openly competed and secretly vied for dominance, each wanting to be the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan. Their relationship was not good.

Bo Cai's face darkened at Peng Tuo's words, but he quickly suppressed his anger. After all, he still needed Peng Tuo's help and couldn't afford to have a falling out. He followed Peng Tuo into the tent.

After they sat down, Bo Cai spoke first, "I wonder how many men General Peng has brought this time."

Peng Tuo raised his head and held up four fingers, "Four ten-thousand, I've brought forty thousand men this time."

"Forty thousand? I'm afraid that's not enough," Bo Cai said, somewhat worried. After all, his own ten thousand men had been completely defeated by Liu Yao's mere ten thousand. Peng Tuo's forty thousand might not be enough either.

Peng Tuo glanced at Bo Cai with disdain, "Hmph, your men are too weak, that's why you were defeated by Huangfu Song and the others. My forty thousand men are true elite forces. No one in Runan can resist them. If I were there, I would have wiped them out completely."

"You..." Bo Cai was furious. He had already been humiliated by Peng Tuo twice today. If not for needing his help, he would have cut Peng Tuo in half long ago. He then sneered, "The one leading the relief force to Changshe is the Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yao. He has a very formidable black-faced general. Be careful, don't let your ship capsize in a shallow stream."

"Governor of Youzhou?!" Peng Tuo was startled, but quickly regained his composure, saying arrogantly, "So what if he's the Governor of Youzhou? He's just a teenager. Who knows if the stories about him defeating the Wuhuan are true. The Great Virtuous Teacher is too cautious. I can crush such a kid with one hand." Peng Tuo was confident. He had been victorious in Runan and had never faced defeat, so he had become arrogant.

"As for his general, there's no need to worry," Peng Tuo pointed to the Yellow Turban general behind him and said confidently, "This is my top general, Liu Bi, Liu Taichu. He is very skilled. With him, no one can stand against us."

Bo Cai was startled to hear this, not expecting Peng Tuo to have such a capable general. He felt a bit envious. He then sneered, "Then I'll leave it to you, Brother Taichu." No matter whether Liu Bi won or lost tomorrow, it would be beneficial to him. If Liu Bi won, it would mean Changshe could be easily taken. If he lost, it would humble Peng Tuo's arrogance. He had long been annoyed by Peng Tuo's face.

"Alright, tomorrow morning, I'll give you five thousand men. Go and break the morale of that Liu Yao, let him know the might of Peng Tuo. I want him to be so scared that he wets his pants when he hears my name. Hahaha," Peng Tuo laughed maniacally.

"Yes, General, I will do my best," Liu Bi said confidently. He was very confident in his own skills and had never been defeated, so he no longer took anyone seriously.

Only Bo Cai looked at the two of them with disdain.

The next day, Liu Yao was discussing the matter with Tian Feng when he was summoned to the meeting hall by Huangfu Song's men.

The two hurried over and also sent for Zhang Fei and the others.

In the hall, Liu Yao looked at the worried Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun and asked, "General Huangfu, what has happened? Why did you summon me so urgently?"

"Your Highness, last night, a scout reported that another Yellow Turban force has arrived, about thirty thousand strong, under the banner of Peng," Huangfu Song said.

"Oh, the Peng banner? Could it be Peng Tuo? Wasn't he in Runyang? Why has he come to Changshe?" Liu Yao asked, puzzled.

Tian Feng thought for a moment and said, "Your Excellency, it's likely that Bo Cai, realizing he couldn't defeat us, sent a request for help to Peng Tuo."

"Hey, Liu Yao, you little brat, and you two cowards, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, your grandpa Liu Bi is here. Come out and fight!" At that moment, a loud shout came from outside, reaching everyone's ears.

"What's going on?" Huangfu Song shouted at the men outside.

"Your Excellency, it's the Yellow Turban rebels. They are challenging us," a Han soldier replied.

"Oh? I didn't go to them, but they came to us. How interesting. Do the two of you want to come with me to the city wall to watch?" Liu Yao sneered.

"How can I refuse?" Huangfu Song felt more confident seeing Liu Yao's calm demeanor.

The group went to the city wall and looked down, seeing a Yellow Turban general on horseback, followed by over ten thousand Yellow Turban soldiers, shouting insults.

"Hey, you rats, if you have the guts, come down and fight your grandpa Liu Bi for three hundred rounds," Liu Bi shouted continuously.

"Hmph!" Huang Zhong snorted. He respected Liu Yao the most and couldn't tolerate anyone insulting him. He immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow, which whizzed past Liu Bi's head without harming him. If not for Liu Yao's order, that arrow would have taken Liu Bi's life.

Liu Bi was already drenched in cold sweat. But he didn't think he had dodged the arrow; he blamed it on Huang Zhong's sneak attack. He continued to shout, "Hey, rats, using sneak attacks. What skills do you have? Dare you come down and fight me?"

"Ha ha." Liu Yao looked at Liu Bi as if he were a clown. He knew that Liu Bi would eventually surrender to Liu Bei and die protecting him. His skills were only third-rate, yet he dared to be so arrogant.

He then looked at the people around him and said coldly, "Who wants to go down and make this man shut up forever?"

Before Liu Yao finished speaking, Zhang Fei stepped forward and said sincerely, "Your Excellency, I made a mistake last time. Let me make up for it this time."

"Alright, Yide, take my token and lead a thousand men from the assault camp to meet the enemy," Liu Yao said, handing Zhang Fei his token.

Zhang Fei took the token and said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Excellency!" Then he went to prepare.

Soon, Zhang Fei had his troops ready. The gates of Changshe slowly opened, and Zhang Fei led a thousand men out to face Liu Bi's Yellow Turban forces.