Chapter 57

That night, it was already the third watch. Huangfu Song, Zhang Fei, and their troops had already set out one after another.

On the city wall, Liu Yao and Tian Feng gazed into the distance, but all they could see was a pitch-black expanse, with no sign of the Yellow Turban camp.

Tian Feng, noticing Liu Yao's furrowed brow, asked, "Is my lord still worried?"

Liu Yao nodded. To say he wasn't worried would be a lie. No matter how good the plan, there was always a chance of something going wrong.

"Haha, my lord, rest assured. The Yellow Turbans are just a mob. How could they have any wise men to see through our plan? After tonight, the Yellow Turbans will surely be quelled," Tian Feng said confidently.

Seeing Tian Feng's confident demeanor, Liu Yao's frown eased. He joked, "Yuanhao, since you're so confident, why don't you go ahead and prepare the victory banquet instead of standing here with me in the wind, to welcome them back?"

"Hahaha, no need for my lord to worry. I've already arranged for my men to take care of it. It shouldn't take long to be ready," Tian Feng replied casually.

Liu Yao couldn't help but roll his eyes. Tian Feng was indeed very confident.

At that moment, a glow of fire suddenly appeared in front of Liu Yao.

"Look, my lord, the fire has started. It seems General Huangfu has succeeded," Tian Feng immediately pointed in the direction of the fire and exclaimed.

Liu Yao, seeing the raging flames, felt a weight lift from his heart. He smiled and said, "It seems everything is going well. Since that's the case, would you like to play a game of Go with me, Yuanhao?"

"I dare not refuse," Tian Feng said casually.

Meanwhile, in the Yellow Turban camp, Huangfu Song and his troops easily infiltrated the camp. The Yellow Turbans had been worn out by Liu Yao's harassment tactics and had lost all vigilance.

"Set the fire," Huangfu Song ordered. His troops immediately began to set the camp ablaze. The trees and tents quickly caught fire, and soon the entire Yellow Turban camp was engulfed in flames.

It wasn't until the fire started that the exhausted Yellow Turbans realized what was happening.

"Fire! Fire! Run! Hurry, put out the fire!" The Yellow Turban camp was thrown into chaos.

"Soldiers, follow me and fight!" Huangfu Song roared, leading his troops into the camp.

On the other side, Zhu Jun, seeing the fire, also led his troops into the camp from another direction. The cries of battle echoed throughout the Yellow Turban camp.

In the main tent of the Yellow Turbans, Bo Cai was sound asleep. He was suddenly awakened by the cries of battle. Before he could understand what was happening, two guards rushed in.

"Bad news, General, our camp is on fire! Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun are leading their troops into the camp!" one of the guards shouted, his face filled with fear.

"What?!" Bo Cai was shocked. He immediately reacted, "Quickly, get my armor. I will go and crush Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun." Bo Cai was furious, and he didn't take Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun seriously at all.

After a short while, Bo Cai, now armored, rushed out of his tent. However, he was stunned by the chaos in the camp. The Yellow Turbans were completely demoralized, fleeing in all directions. The camp was filled with screams and cries of battle.

"Come back! Don't run! Form up and fight!" Bo Cai roared with all his might.

However, Bo Cai wasn't as loud as Zhang Fei, and his voice was drowned out. No one could hear him. Even if someone did, the army's morale was already shattered, and there was no way to regroup.

"Damn it!" Bo Cai cursed.

"Brother Bo Cai," Peng Tuo also ran out of his tent, looking around in fear, "What do we do now?"

Bo Cai knew it was too late to turn the tide. He gritted his teeth and said, "Run. We need to escape quickly and find a safe place."

Peng Tuo nodded quickly and suggested, "Brother Bo Cai, why don't we go to Runan? I still have six or seven thousand troops there. We can rebuild our forces."

Bo Cai's eyes lit up. "Good, let's go to Runan. Let's go quickly." With that, Bo Cai and Peng Tuo, accompanied by their guards, rode their horses towards Runan.

The other scattered Yellow Turbans, seeing Bo Cai's banner moving, also followed in its direction without hesitation.

At that moment, Zhu Jun, who was in the midst of the slaughter, saw Bo Cai trying to escape. He roared, "Bo Cai, don't run!" and spurred his horse to chase after him. However, he was quickly blocked by the fleeing Yellow Turbans. With so many of them, Zhu Jun could only watch helplessly as Bo Cai slipped away.

"Damn it!" Zhu Jun, enraged, turned back and continued to slaughter the Yellow Turban soldiers who were already defenseless.

By this time, Huangfu Song's troops had joined forces with Zhu Jun. Seeing the Yellow Turban soldiers who were no longer capable of fighting, Huangfu Song roared, "Stop! Surrender and kneel, and you will not be killed."

All the Yellow Turbans, hearing this, immediately dropped their weapons and knelt down, no longer resisting.

At that moment, Huangfu Song saw Zhu Jun mercilessly slaughtering the surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers. "Stop! Gongwei, stop killing!" Huangfu Song rode up and blocked Zhu Jun's spear, saving a Yellow Turban soldier who was about to be cut in half. The Yellow Turban soldier collapsed, his eyes filled with fear, and he wet himself.

"What are you doing, Yizhen?" Zhu Jun, seeing Huangfu Song interfere, was furious.

"Gongwei, calm down. Have you forgotten the prince's order? Those who surrender will not be killed," Huangfu Song reminded him.

Zhu Jun was suddenly shaken. He thanked Huangfu Song, "Yizhen, thank you. I almost let my anger cloud my judgment."

Huangfu Song patted Zhu Jun on the shoulder, understanding his feelings. He also wanted to kill Bo Cai and claim a great victory, but the opportunity was gone. It wasn't worth risking Liu Yao's displeasure.

They then began to clean up the battlefield and gather the prisoners, preparing to return to Hui She City. The rest was already taken care of by Liu Yao.

On the other side, Bo Cai and Peng Tuo, accompanied by their guards, fled towards Runan. Along the way, they gathered about thirty thousand Yellow Turban soldiers, which reassured Bo Cai. If they reached Runan, these thirty thousand, combined with Peng Tuo's six or seven thousand, and some additional recruits, they could quickly rebuild a force of over a hundred thousand Yellow Turbans.

Thus, despite the defeat, Bo Cai attributed it to his own carelessness. As long as he could reach Runan, it would be the time for his resurgence.

After a night of arduous travel, Bo Cai and Peng Tuo, along with their thirty thousand exhausted Yellow Turban soldiers, finally reached a point less than fifty miles from Runan. Seeing no pursuers, Bo Cai's heart finally relaxed. He ordered everyone to rest for a while before continuing.

Hearing Bo Cai's order, all the Yellow Turbans, including Peng Tuo, sat down. Only Bo Cai leaned against a tree, frowning, feeling something was off but unable to put his finger on it.