Outside Yuncheng – Yuan Shu’s Central Army
At this moment, Yuan Shu was clearly furious.
He paid no regard even to Zhang Miao and Yufuluo, issuing orders directly without giving them any face.
“Your general accepts the command!”
Li Feng’s expression was resolute as he cupped his fists and shouted respectfully:
“If I fail to take Yuncheng, I shall return with my head for punishment!”
“We accept the command!” Seeing this, Zhang Miao and Yufuluo quickly stepped forward and acknowledged the order as well.
“Ji Ling!” Yuan Shu’s anger eased slightly as he continued:
“Go reorganize the retreating troops.”
“Anyone who disrupts morale—execute them!”
“Yes, my lord!” Ji Ling responded solemnly.
Yet his heart was heavy.
Xun Zheng had been one of his most capable deputies.
Now he had died in battle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Moments later, the war drums of Yuan Shu’s army thundered once more.
On the city walls, Pei Yuanshao’s expression changed upon hearing the drums.
If Yuan Shu launched another full-scale assault, he did not know how much longer he could hold out.
Yuncheng only had five thousand defenders.
It was not a major fortress.
Although the earlier defense had been successful, there were already hundreds of wounded and dozens killed.
The losses seemed small.
But that was only because the city had not yet been breached.
After such intense fighting, many soldiers were exhausted.
The coming battle would be a true test of endurance—a brutal struggle fought in blood.
He could only hope that his lord’s reinforcements would arrive soon.
Only then could he truly relax.
Thinking this, Pei Yuanshao glanced up at the sun as it began its descent toward the western horizon.
“Report!” A young officer hurried over, excitement written all over his face.
“General!”
“Our lord has personally led twenty thousand brothers into the city through the north gate as reinforcements!”
“What did you say?” Pei Yuanshao’s eyes widened.
He had expected reinforcements.
But he had never expected them to arrive this quickly.
Nor had he expected Zhang Jing himself to lead them.
After all, Yuncheng was not a major stronghold.
If it were not meant to be defended, orders for withdrawal would have arrived before Yuan Shu’s army reached the city.
But no such order had come.
That meant there was only one option:
Hold the city.
Facing an army of more than a hundred thousand men, he knew he could not withstand endless waves of assaults forever.
Reinforcements had always been part of the plan.
That was why he had remained calm in the face of Yuan Shu’s advance.
Even so— This good fortune had arrived almost too suddenly.
“It’s true!” The young officer nodded vigorously.
“Our lord is already inside the city.”
“He should reach the south gate within a short while!”
“Good.” Pei Yuanshao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Then he spoke with renewed determination:
“Return to your post.”
“Continue gathering defensive equipment.”
“Yuan Shu intends to attack again.”
“We must put on a magnificent defense.”
“Rest assured, General!” The officer saluted and hurried away.
After the officer left, Pei Yuanshao looked down at his own hands and frowned slightly.
“I wasn’t even wounded?”
Suddenly, he felt he had missed a golden opportunity to impress his lord.
If he had known Zhang Jing would arrive so quickly, then when fighting Xun Zheng, he should have dueled him for three hundred rounds before finally killing him.
That would have made for a much more impressive performance.
“Pass down my orders!” Pei Yuanshao quickly pushed those thoughts aside and spoke with renewed vigor.
“All men are to return to their assigned positions.”
“Those whose injuries are not serious are to endure a little longer.”
“And tell the brothers some good news!”
“Our reinforcements have arrived!”
“And our lord himself has personally led them here!”
“This battle will be our victory!”
“Tell every man to keep his spirits high!”
“Yes, General!”
The messenger shouted his acknowledgment and rushed off.
Soon, Pei Yuanshao’s words spread throughout the city.
The Qihuo Army soldiers erupted into cheers.
Their earlier exhaustion seemed to vanish completely.
Some time later, Yuan Shu’s army launched another attack.
This time, the number of troops committed to the assault was more than double that of the previous wave.
However, they faced a Qihuo Army whose morale was soaring.
Combined with the fact that Yuan Shu lacked heavy siege equipment, the attackers gained little ground.
Instead, they suffered significant casualties.
As evening approached and the sun sank toward the horizon,
Zhang Jing, accompanied by his central guard, ascended the walls of Yuncheng.
Pei Yuanshao immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said:
“Pei Yuanshao pays his respects to my lord!”
Upon seeing Zhang Jing arrive, Pei Yuanshao quickly stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and cupped his fists respectfully.
His expression was somewhat nervous as he said:
“This subordinate learned of Your Lordship’s arrival but failed to come out and welcome you from afar. I beg Your Lordship’s forgiveness.”
“Yuanshao, rise at once!”
Ignoring the dirt and blood staining Pei Yuanshao’s body, Zhang Jing stepped forward and personally helped him up.
His face was full of approval.
“I’ve already heard about the battle before Yuncheng.”
“Not only did you hold the city, you even slew the enemy vanguard general.”
“You’ve done very well.”
“I, Zhang Yuheng, was not mistaken about you.”
“If, because of my arrival, You had abandoned the battle and left your post to greet me, that would have been the real crime.”
“You remained loyal to your duty.”
“You deserve merit, not punishment.”
At this point, Zhang Jing deliberately put on an angry expression.
“Or does Yuanshao think that I, Zhang Yuheng, am a man who cannot distinguish right from wrong?”
“My lord, please see clearly!” Pei Yuanshao’s face changed immediately.
He hurriedly cupped his fists and replied nervously:
“This subordinate would never dare think such a thing!”
“Enough.” Zhang Jing patted him on the shoulder, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“I was only joking.”
“I remember all of your achievements.”
“Once this campaign is over, I will reward merit accordingly.”
“Thank you, my lord!” Pei Yuanshao’s face immediately brightened.
He once again saluted respectfully.
“This Yuan army’s siege is truly amateurish.”
Looking at the enemy reinforcements gathering outside the city, Zhang Jing spoke calmly:
“They have no trebuchets or catapults.”
“With only arrows and scaling ladders, how could they possibly take a fortified city?”
“Fighting this way is bound to result in heavy losses.”
“Yuanshao, remember this.”
“When the day comes that you command an army and besiege a city yourself, never imitate Yuan Shu’s foolishness.”
“When facing a strong fortress, you can besiege it and strike at its reinforcements.”
“You can divert water and flood the city.”
“You can first capture the surrounding smaller cities.”
“Or simply surround the fortress without attacking.”
“Any of those methods are better than filling the moat with your soldiers’ lives.”
In Zhang Jing’s eyes, war was, in many ways, a zero-sum game.
Weakening the enemy strengthened oneself.
And strengthening the enemy weakened oneself.
Yuan Shu, however, clearly lacked such strategic thinking.
He still viewed the Qihuo Army as the same old Yellow Turban rabble.
He had committed the cardinal sin of underestimating his opponent.
Of course, from Yuan Shu’s perspective, there was little reason to take the Yellow Turbans seriously.
“This subordinate shall remember Your Lordship’s teachings!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face flushed red with excitement.
He saluted loudly.
To him, Zhang Jing’s words carried another meaning.
His lord was hinting that one day he too might command an army of his own and conquer territory in Zhang Jing’s name.
………………
Outside Yuncheng
“General Li, the enemy reinforcements have arrived!”
A junior officer reported respectfully to Li Feng.
“The battle is turning against us.”
“Should we report to the lord and request a temporary withdrawal so the army can regroup?”
“Very well.” Li Feng looked toward the newly raised command banner atop Yuncheng and nodded slowly.
“Tell me.”
“Have any of you heard of a Yellow Turban commander with the surname Zhang?”
The officers exchanged looks and fell into thought.
Finally, one of the younger officers stepped forward.
“Reporting to General Li.”
“Zhang is a very common surname among the Yellow Turbans.”
“There are more than ten leaders and regional commanders bearing that surname.”
“The current leader of the Yan Province Yellow Turbans is Zhang Yuheng, son of Zhang Rao.”
Li Feng was momentarily speechless.
After a pause, he waved his hand.
“Send word to the central army.”
“Whether we fight or withdraw shall be decided by our lord.”
Before the battle, Li Feng had indeed vowed to take the city or die trying.
But those had merely been words to boost morale.
Persisting in a hopeless endeavor despite knowing it was impossible was the behavior of a fool.
Just like Xun Zheng personally leading the assault earlier.
For a commanding general, that had been an extremely risky decision.
Unless one possessed absolute confidence in one’s martial prowess.
Clearly, Xun Zheng’s confidence had exceeded his ability.
Li Feng had no intention of making the same mistake.
“Yes, General!” A messenger officer saluted and hurried away.
The other officers quietly breathed sighs of relief.
They had already suffered one defeat.
Army morale was low.
And now they still couldn’t break through the city’s defenses.
In their opinion, withdrawing to regroup was unquestionably the correct decision.
…………….
Yuan Shu’s Camp
After repeated persuasion from Zhang Miao and the others, Yuan Shu finally abandoned his stubborn insistence on continuing the attack.
His expression dark and gloomy, he issued the order:
“Pass down my command.”
“The army will withdraw ten li.”
“Once our trebuchets and other siege engines are completed, we shall return and attack this city again.”
“When that day comes, we will wipe away this humiliation in a single stroke.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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