Under the dark night sky, two dark waves were closing in on each other. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be the forces of Huang Xin and Gongsun Fan, approaching each other for an inevitable battle.
Huang Xin gazed at the countless torches not far ahead and grinned triumphantly. "The enemy is just ahead. Everyone, charge forward and leave none alive!"
"Charge!" The army behind him roared in unison, raising their weapons and rushing forward.
Seeing the scene before him, Gongsun Fan was initially startled but quickly reined in his warhorse. Although he had rehearsed countless times in his mind the scenario of battling Huang Xin, this was his first time commanding such a large-scale battle, making him feel uncertain.
"Young master, do not worry; I will protect you!" General Yan Gang, noticing Gongsun Fan's discomfort, stepped forward to shield him.
Emboldened, Gongsun Fan waved his hand and ordered, "All soldiers, form up and prepare to meet the enemy!"
Following Gongsun Fan's command, the infantry formed a shield wall to block the enemy's charge, while archers behind them readied their bows and arrows to pin down the enemy.
Due to the significant loss of cavalry in the previous battle at Eagle's Beak Pass, most of Gongsun Fan's current forces were infantry and archers, with only a few cavalrymen.
Seeing this, Huang Xin ordered a direct assault, intending to break through the center of the enemy formation and forcibly tear through Gongsun Fan's defenses.
Huang Xin led the charge on horseback, spearing a nearby squad leader with his lance. However, his expression changed immediately.
The squad leader held two torches, and upon closer inspection, it became clear that everyone in Gongsun Fan's forces held two torches, creating the illusion of thirty to forty thousand troops when there were actually fewer than twenty thousand!
"Not good! It's a trap!" Huang Xin hesitated for a moment and quickly turned his horse around, but it was already too late.
The armies clashed, and it soon became apparent that the opposing forces were nothing but a ragtag band!
Gongsun Fan laughed heartily, "Huang Xin! Don't think you're the only one who can use tactics. Today, I'll show you the might of this general!"
As soon as Gongsun Fan finished speaking, battle cries erupted from both sides of the battlefield. Generals Qu Dan and Shan Jing led five thousand troops each, launching a pincer attack on Huang Xin's forces.
With the ambush backfiring, Huang Xin's forces found themselves under attack from three sides, and within less than an hour, they began to break. Seeing the chaos, Huang Xin could only order a retreat to the south.
"Young master! The enemy is retreating south!" Yan Gang, raising his broadsword, was about to request to pursue them, but Gongsun Fan waved him off. "Let them go. Quickly regroup the troops and head towards Youyou Beiping!"
"Yes, sir!"
The remnants of Huang Xin's forces, having suffered heavy losses, were demoralized and had no will to fight. Huang Xin himself had sustained several wounds and looked utterly defeated, a far cry from his arrogance an hour earlier.
"Damn it! Once the king's reinforcements arrive, we'll crush Gongsun Fan's forces!" Huang Xin gritted his teeth, glancing back at the battlefield with a bitter look before turning away.
Having delayed Gongsun Fan's retreat by an hour, Huang Xin had completed his mission to some extent.
Gongsun Du was personally leading tens of thousands of reinforcements, pursuing Gongsun Fan's forces. It was expected that by the next morning, the two armies would meet within Liaoxi territory.
"Too bad you won't live to see that day." Thinking they had evaded pursuit, Huang Xin ordered a halt, but soon thousands of troops arrived, led by none other than Gongsun Zan's advisor Guan Jing.
After instructing Gongsun Fan on how to break Huang Xin's blockade, Guan Jing had headed south with a dozen men to meet Liu Bei, who was coming to reinforce them from Yuyang.
Liu Bei had planned to return and deal with the rebels Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun, who had rebelled shortly after he left. Fortunately, Guan Jing arrived in time.
A robust warrior, as strong as a black bear, stepped forward and roared, "Surrender, traitors! If you don't, I will split you in two!"
"Mercy! We surrender!" Huang Xin's soldiers, already demoralized, threw down their weapons and surrendered.
Huang Xin, clutching his bleeding wound with one hand and holding his spear with the other, laughed bitterly. "Even if I die, you won't escape this vast Youyou Beiping Prefecture!"
With that, he thrust his spear at Zhang Fei, who had been itching for a fight. Zhang Fei, eager to battle, raised his steel spear and met Huang Xin head-on.
The outcome was evident; Huang Xin stood no chance against Zhang Fei. After exchanging just a couple of blows, Huang Xin was knocked to the ground.
"Well done! General Yide is indeed formidable!" Guan Jing praised.
Zhang Fei chuckled, "This guy's martial skills are lacking. I didn't even use my full strength to kill him; it wasn't satisfying!"
Liu Bei, noticing Guan Jing's frown, asked, "Is there something still worrying you, Master Guan?"
Guan Jing nodded. "Huang Xin's last words make me uneasy. Is there something we've overlooked?"
...
"Strange, weren't the rebel forces from Yuyang and Wuhuan attacking Youyou Beiping? Why is it so quiet?" Near the city of You Beiping, Guan Yu and Gao Lan led reinforcements, intending to deal with the rebels first.
But to their surprise, the area around Youyou Beiping was calm and peaceful, with no signs of an attack.
"Which lord's troops do you belong to, and why have you come to Youyou Beiping?" The guards on the city walls, thinking it might be a threat, shouted down.
Guan Yu frowned and replied, "We are under the command of Governor Qin Longyang of Jicheng, here at the request of your advisor Guan Jing, to aid Youyou Beiping. Weren't the rebel forces from Yuyang attacking Youyou Beiping?"
"You must be mistaken. The rebels from Yuyang never set foot in Youyou Beiping. They headed towards Liaoxi several days ago," replied the guard.
Gao Lan suddenly realized the situation and pulled Guan Yu aside. "Not good, the supposed attack on Youyou Beiping was a ruse to draw Gongsun Fan and his troops back to defend the city. Gongsun Du intends to deal with them in Liaoxi!"
"Then Gongsun Fan's forces might already be engaged in Liaoxi. Let's go!" Guan Yu also understood and quickly led the troops towards Liaoxi.
In the area around Liaoxi's Suizhong, Gongsun Fan's forces, having narrowly escaped, raced through the night without stopping.
Exhausted and starving, many soldiers had collapsed or died of hunger. Though they longed to rest, they couldn't stop due to the pursuit of Gongsun Du's troops.
"Tell the soldiers that we are approaching Youyou Beiping Prefecture. Have them hold on a bit longer!" Gongsun Fan urged.
Qu Dan interjected, "Young master, we can't go any faster. The men have marched all night and can't outrun the enemy cavalry."
"But..." Gongsun Fan hesitated, seeing the fatigue in his men's eyes. He reluctantly agreed, "Fine, rest here and await Guan Jing and Liu Bei's reinforcements. Governor Qin Longyang's troops should arrive soon as well."
"Yes, sir!"
Relieved, the soldiers dropped their armor and collapsed, exhausted and starving. Huang Xin's forces had intercepted their provisions, and their own supplies were long gone.
Half an hour later, Guan Jing arrived with Liu Bei to join Gongsun Fan. As soon as he arrived, Guan Jing hurried to find Gongsun Fan, "Young master, we must leave immediately; the longer we stay, the more dangerous it becomes. Gongsun Du is still chasing us, and we must leave now!"
"Report!" Before Gongsun Fan could give the order, a scout arrived with urgent news: "Young master! Many enemy troops, tens of thousands of them!"
"From which direction?"
"From the direction of Youyou Beiping, likely the rebels from Yuyang!"
Guan Jing immediately understood the meaning of Huang Xin's words. Gongsun Du had planned to trap them in Liaoxi. Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun had feigned an attack on Youyou Beiping to lure them into the trap!
"We're in trouble!" Guan Jing murmured. "Gongsun Du's forces will catch up with us within an hour. Hurry, have the soldiers prepare! Our survival depends on when Governor Qin Longyang's reinforcements arrive!"
At that moment, Guan Yu's forces had just reached Youyou Beiping Prefecture and would not arrive in Liaoxi until noon at the earliest. Gongsun Du, on horseback and in full armor, looked every bit the formidable warrior.
If he could wipe out Gongsun Fan today, the road to Youyou Beiping would be wide open. Then, it would be on to Jicheng and the entire Youzhou region!
Riding alongside Gongsun Du was strategist Xi Zhicai, whose eyes gleamed with cunning as he glanced at Gongsun Du.
...
"Cai Mansion..." At this moment in Luoyang, Qin Longyang looked up at the gold-inlaid plaque above the gate, facing a grand and luxurious mansion. Qin Longyang and Liao Hua knowingly stopped at the entrance.
Cai Yan turned around in confusion, looking at him, "This is our humble abode. Why did you stop, General Qin?"
Qin Longyang smiled kindly, "It's my first visit; I mustn't neglect etiquette. I'll first present my card and wait for the Grand Academician's permission before entering."
Cai Yan returned his smile sweetly, her affection for him growing. Since he had said so, Cai Yan had no choice but to enter the mansion with Zier.
The maids left at the door whispered to each other, seemingly discussing the unfamiliar gentleman.
"Madam! Miss, she..." The steward of the Cai Mansion, Wang Fu, stumbled in front of Lady Cai, almost tying his tongue in knots from anxiety.
"What about Miss?" Lady Cai thought something might have happened to her precious daughter and asked urgently.
Wang Fu took a breath and replied, "Miss is back, and she brought a young man with her."
"A...young man?" Lady Cai was first taken aback, then smiled, "Which young man from Luoyang is it?"
"No... he seems unfamiliar; he doesn't appear to be from Luoyang," Wang Fu added.
"Not from Luoyang?" Lady Cai was puzzled again, "This silly girl brought home a suitor from another place?"
Though she spoke in jest, if Cai Yan had indeed secretly pledged herself to someone outside her parents' knowledge, it would have been considered a grave act of unfiliality at the time.
Lady Cai, though understanding, was still quite upset and hurried to the study, interrupting Cai Yong, who was writing.
"Oh, if you have something to say, just say it; why are you taking my brush? You've ruined a good piece of calligraphy," Lady Cai snatched away Cai Yong's brush, leaving a long ink stain on the white rice paper, much to his dismay.
Lady Cai, annoyed, said, "All you care about is your calligraphy! Your precious daughter is about to cause an uproar!"
"What? What's Yan'er done now?" Cai Yong asked, puzzled.
"What's she done? Go see for yourself! She's brought home her fiancé! And he's from out of town!" Lady Cai huffed, tossing the brush onto the desk and storming off, leaving Cai Yong bewildered.
"Out... of town fiancé?" Cai Yong's mind went blank, unsure whether to focus on "out of town" or "fiancé."
It took him a moment to snap out of it, "Oh! That little rascal! I'll break her legs!"