Chapter 100

Yuan Shao was hit by an arrow, and the imperial army suffered a great defeat, fleeing in all directions in a panic!

"Kill Qin Feng!"

"Kill Cao Cao!"

"Kill Yuan Shao!"

"What great Three Marshals of Han, they are all nonsense, chase them!"

Under the night sky, the earth had become the sky, and the countless torches were like stars. They instantly outshone the stars in the sky, turning the world upside down.

What a "Yellow Turbans chasing the imperial army at night"!

The imperial army fled westward in disarray, like stray dogs and fish escaping through a net. The Yellow Turbans pursued them from the east.

This chase lasted from around three in the morning until noon.

Six hours of chasing left the imperial army exhausted, with soldiers panting.

The Yellow Turbans were also out of breath.

"Keep going, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop!" Zhang Jue spurred his horse and shouted excitedly, urging them not to stop.

However, cavalry was a minority, and the infantry could no longer run.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan said, "Lord, the soldiers are already exhausted and must rest. If not, even if we catch up, we will have no strength to fight."

Zhang Jue agreed and ordered the entire army to rest on the spot.

On the side of the imperial army.

Qin Feng led the way, and when it was light, Cao Cao saw the banners and came to join.

As soon as they met, Cao Cao started cursing, "Fool Yuan Shao, not listening to our advice, leading to this defeat."

"Where is Yuan Shao?" Qin Feng frowned and asked.

"Didn't see him." Cao Cao shook his head, thinking it would be better if he were dead.

The two of them ran together, with the Yellow Turbans chasing them from behind. There was no time to gather the scattered soldiers.

When the sun was high, a Qin army scout reported, "Lord, the Yellow Turbans have stopped chasing and are resting on the spot."

Qin Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He and Cao Cao ran another twenty miles before starting to gather the scattered soldiers.

At noon, the scattered imperial army gathered in one place, and the injured Yuan Shao also arrived. They set up camp in a place called Feixiang. In fact, there was no camp to speak of, just a lone central tent surrounded by dispirited and scattered soldiers.

In front of the tent, Cao Cao rubbed his temples, trying to muster some energy, and said to Qin Feng, "Zijin, fortunately, you and I and Benchu have safely retreated, but Benchu has lost half his troops. Now we only have twenty thousand left."

The surrounding officers and generals sighed, "The enemy has two hundred thousand, ten times our number. How can we fight this battle?"

Just as Qin Feng was about to speak, a scream came from the tent. A moment later, a military doctor came out, and he asked, "How is General Yuan's injury?"

The military doctor was very tired and bowed, saying, "General Qin, although General Yuan was hit by an arrow, fortunately, it did not injure his bones or muscles. He will be fine after some rest. I will prepare the medicine now, please excuse me..."

Qin Feng then ordered the officers to return and comfort their troops. He and Cao Cao entered the main tent.

Inside the tent, they saw Yuan Shao sitting on a simple bed, bare-chested, with his right shoulder wrapped in bandages. His face was pale, and he was holding his wound. Liu Bei was comforting him.

Seeing that he was unharmed, Cao Cao's face darkened, and he complained, "Yuan Shao, look at you, not listening to our advice, acting on your own. The night attack failed, and you lost troops and officers. How can we resist the Yellow Turbans now? When the court learns of this, they will certainly punish us. Now no one can stop the Yellow Turbans, and the counties will be in danger. This is a major issue, the three northern provinces will not be safe, and the emperor will be furious. Our lives are in danger!"

Qin Feng's eyes twitched, thinking Cao Mengde was right. If the north fell before Huangfu Song arrived, they would have to bear the blame.

People like Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, with their deep backgrounds, could rise again even if they were temporarily dismissed. But Qin Feng, with no background, would be unable to recover if he were dismissed. His future would be much harder due to the stain on his record.

However, Qin Feng remained calm and observed the situation.

Yuan Shao was very embarrassed, shaking his head, his handsome face flushed. He said, "I am injured and cannot lead the army. Since this is the case, why not let Mengde take my place? What do you think?"

Liu Bei, a commoner, was disappointed at not having achieved any merit, but he didn't care, saying, "General Yuan's suggestion is reasonable."

Cao Cao thought, "Now you think of me, what were you doing before?"

In fact, Cao Cao did not want to take over Yuan Shao's mess. However, since Yuan Shao was injured and could not command, and Cao Cao was the highest-ranking officer left, if he refused now, it would be another crime. Even if he didn't want to, he had to.

Thus, Cao Cao became the commander. He had no authority to punish Yuan Shao, and it was not in his nature to blame him, so he let it go, saying, "The situation is critical. What are your suggestions?"

Qin Feng remained calm.

Liu Bei thought, with twenty thousand imperial troops against two hundred thousand rebels, and no supplies, the battle was already lost. They should retreat. So he said, "The enemy is overwhelming. We should retreat for now."

While Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were thinking, Qin Feng said calmly, "We cannot retreat."

Liu Bei sneered inwardly, understanding why Qin Feng did not want to retreat. It was because he feared taking responsibility. He asked, "General Qin, our army has suffered repeated defeats. If we don't retreat, we will be annihilated."

Qin Feng snorted and suddenly became righteous, saying, "We are soldiers. Even if we suffer repeated defeats, we must fight on. We will resist to the death, and even if we die, it will be a glorious sacrifice. We are loyal to the country, and even in defeat, we are honored!"

"Repeated defeats, yet still honored in defeat?"

Liu Bei immediately understood, his face twitching. He thought, "Well done, Qin Zijin, turning repeated defeats into repeated battles. Even in defeat, you are honored. Such a righteous distortion of facts, you really thought of it!"

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who were worried about the court's punishment, showed a hint of relief.

Cao Cao immediately said, "Brother Zijin is right. We will fight hard, leading from the front. Even if we suffer repeated defeats, as long as we have a breath left, we will continue to resist! For the court, for the Han dynasty, we are willing to die!"

Yuan Shao slapped his thigh, "Write the memorial like this! Ow~."

Thus, Cao Cao wrote a memorial, describing their repeated battles and loyalty to the country, their willingness to sacrifice, and their determination to continue fighting. The image of a loyal and brave hero leaped off the paper in Luoyang.

Qin Feng breathed a sigh of relief and signed the memorial with Yuan Shao.

Liu Bei's eyebrows twitched, thinking, "These three are too shameless. They turned a series of defeats into loyalty and determination to resist! Such rhetoric, only Qin Zijin could think of!"

In fact, Qin Feng was not very literate, but he had seen a lot in his past life. The story of repeated battles was well-known, and it was perfect for this situation, to deceive the Han Lingdi, who was like the Empress Dowager.

Liu Bei thought, if such a memorial was sent, not only would they not be punished, but with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's backgrounds, they might even be rewarded. "Too despicable, too shameless!" He secretly cursed Qin Feng again. However, he had to admit that Qin Feng's success as a commandant was not accidental, and he had a lot to learn.

After sending the memorial, Qin Feng, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao were still troubled. Since they had to fight on after repeated defeats, they could not retreat. How could they lead twenty thousand defeated troops against two hundred thousand victorious Yellow Turbans?

Yuan Shao, having no idea, looked at Qin Feng, who had repeatedly defeated the Yellow Turbans, and said, "Brother Zijin, do you have any good ideas?"

Qin Feng, having extricated himself from the blame for the defeat, became more flexible in his thinking and had an idea.

However, before he could speak, Cao Cao, inspired by Qin Feng's idea of turning defeats into battles, thought of a brilliant plan. He said, "If we do this, we will surely turn defeat into victory. Then, the court will not only not punish us but will reward us for our achievements!"

Yuan Shao was startled, saying, "Mengde, although we can avoid the blame for defeat, our lives are at stake. If we lose again, we will die. You must think carefully."

Everyone agreed, they could not lose again. If they did, they would all die at the hands of the Yellow Turbans, even without the court's intervention.