Gan Ning’s speed was very fast because he knew that if Yuan Shao’s men reacted and enough of them left the tent, they would quickly form a cloud Qi, turning his raid into a suicide mission. Hence, there was only one requirement this time, speed, speed so fast that he would be gone before ninety percent of the camp had time to react!
"Yuan Shao, meet your demise!" Gan Ning, spotting a man holding a Precious Sword walking out of the Central Army Tent, felt a surge of joy. He understood immediately that this was the target of his fantasies, the one he had not even dared to hope to encounter!
With unstoppable momentum, the Horizontal River Iron Chain flew towards Yuan Shao. If this strike hit, it would kill Yuan Shao, but even as the attack was about to hit, Gan Ning didn’t detect the slightest fear in Yuan Shao. The Overlord’s presence was fully displayed before Gan Ning’s eyes!
"Thud!" Yuan Shao was not fearless, but he was acutely aware of what he represented, and he also knew that Yann Liang would undoubtedly protect him.
"Who goes there?" As Yann Liang flicked away Gan Ning’s Horizontal River Iron Chain with his Long Spear, a surge of blood-red Qi erupted from him. He lunged at Gan Ning with his spear, intending to delay him just enough for the army to capture Gan Ning alive!
"I am Gan Xingba, the Naval Admiral! Yuan Shao, meet your demise!" Gan Ning sneered. He wielded a Mystical Weapon, not a Long Spear; something that could turn corners. With a flick of his hand, the tip of the Horizontal River Iron Chain thrust towards Yuan Shao, "Yuan Benchu, meet your demise!"
"Bang!" Just as the tip of the Horizontal River Iron Chain was about to pierce Yuan Shao, Yann Liang, in a desperate move, grabbed it with his hand, preventing Gan Ning from killing Yuan Shao.
"Damn it!" Gan Ning shook the chain, delivering a wide arc strike at Yann Liang’s chest. Much to his surprise, it was blocked by Yann Liang’s Long Spear, but it also allowed Gan Ning to retract his Horizontal River Iron Chain!
From the initial exchange, Gan Ning could tell that Yann Liang was unwell, but his strength was a true Inner Qi Manifestation. With Yann Liang’s protection, it was impossible for Gan Ning to take down Yuan Shao. Even if they fought, Yann Liang could hold his own for over a hundred moves despite his illness. In that amount of time, his own men would have been slaughtered.
"Watch the arrow!" Although Gan Ning was daring, he was not foolish. An instant later, a crossbow appeared in his hand, firing at Yuan Shao, "Yuan Shao, meet your demise!"
As the arrow shot forth, Yann Liang threw himself to the rescue, his Long Spear sweeping up a wall that blocked the arrow. But the ease with which the spear-tip could have been shattered by the arrow took him by surprise. At this moment, Gan Ning had already notched another arrow, not aiming at Yuan Shao but instead firing at the Command Banner!
"Boom!" A faint sound as the Command Banner snapped at the impact. Without hesitation, Gan Ning threw all the kerosene bags from his horse’s back, shook his Horizontal River Iron Chain to pierce all of the kerosene bags, and then struck a rock on the ground. A spark ignited, instantly creating a fiery barrier between them. Yann Liang, unsure of the situation and protective of Yuan Shao, did not dare to charge out rashly. Seizing the moment, Gan Ning turned and fled!
He came in haste and left in haste. Yuan Shao’s camp might have seen fewer than a hundred deaths, but after Gan Ning’s retreat, the entire camp was in chaos. Torches were raised, voices roared, and the fire was promptly extinguished, but the chaos disrupted the entire camp.
"Hahahaha!" Gan Ning, with his hundred riders, stopped a mile away and laughed uproariously. The raid had achieved almost nothing in terms of casualties, removing only a Command Banner and losing several hundred cattle and horses, but it was a significant blow to Yuan Shao’s Army’s morale. With a hundred riders raiding the camp, they were not slaughtering the enemy soldiers, but rather killing their morale!
After a single strike, they retreated without losing a man, heavily demoralizing the enemy troops. Yuan Shao’s soldiers, originally triumphant over Gongsun Zan, saw their morale plummet after Gan Ning’s surprise attack, making Yuan Shao’s hopes for a swift withdrawal mere fantasy!
To ensure the safe return of Yuan Shao’s troops, who were now skittish from the ambush, they had no choice but to proceed with extreme caution, which consumed far more time than a rapid march. Food supplies, ah! It was a blow to their vulnerable flank.
Gan Ning was unaware of the great trouble his spontaneous action had caused for Yuan Shao; he was basking in the pride of having severely smacked Yuan Shao’s face. With this feat, he now had something to boast about upon his return.
Bragging about burning the enemy’s provisions was completely off the table since they barely engaged with most of the enemy forces—what was there to boast about? As for the current situation, Gan Ning could go back and brag about how his hundred men fought tens of thousands of Yuan Shao’s troops.
"Let’s go! We’re off to find Ziyi! Hahaha, I’m the man who led a hundred to fight tens of thousands!" Gan Ning said arrogantly. He reined in his horse, looked back at his men, and of course, he could see that most of them were smudged with smoke and their horses had taken quite a loss, yet there were no casualties among the troops!
Everyone knew Gan Ning had charged in first, followed by his soldiers torching the place. Gan Ning had exchanged blows with Yann Liang, then promptly withdrew. Most of Gan Ning’s men had barely crossed paths with Yuan Shao’s soldiers. However, if they had lagged for the duration of a tea break, Yuan Shao’s troops, having recovered from the shock, would have had sufficient time to wipe out Gan Ning and all his men without exception!
Gan Ning’s men laughed and joked as they returned. Despite charging in with the resolve to face death, all they had done was toss a few kerosene bags. They hadn’t even had time to charge before Gan Ning led them out. Naturally, they found this mission quite odd, but the thrilling sensation of skirting the line between life and death left them with an invigorating feeling known as exhilaration.
Meanwhile, Yuan Shao sat with a dark expression at the head of the tent, poring over the tallied losses. Thirty-one military tents were damaged; his own forces suffered 71 casualties, 11 of whom were trampled to death, and over 300 cattle and horses had been captured. The losses weren’t significant; one could even say they had made some gains, but the blow to their morale was far too severe!
"Are you saying these horses were originally ours? These are the same people who set fire to Gongsun’s routed troops’ provisions in Handan?" Yuan Shao roared.
"Yes, our army’s marks are still on the horses and wagons," Fengg Ji replied with his head bowed.
"Damn it! Order someone to find Gan Xingba alive!" Yuan Shao bellowed angrily, but then his tone shifted, "Tell him I need a brave warrior like him, a courageously meticulous and unmatched valiant general! Let him know there’s no future with Gongsun Zan, and that I, Yuan Shao, welcome him any time!"
"My lord is wise," Sheni Pei sighed. Yuan Shao was doing exactly what he had prepared to suggest; he didn’t seem concerned about the losses and instead turned his attention to that awe-inspiring general.
"Wise, my foot! Withdraw immediately under the cover of night! We don’t have much time! Without sufficient provisions, if we are on the verge of collapse and the enemy seizes the opportunity to deliver us a thunderous strike, our defeat will be absolute!" Yuan Shao said helplessly. [Such a promising situation, and to think it was spoiled by that man named Gan Xingba. Why aren’t such valiant warriors on my side? Though Hebei has numerous fine generals, we desperately lack warriors with such boldness and meticulousness!]
"Have Zhou Ang come down to admit his fault!" Yuan Shao added finally, looking utterly resigned. After all, a promising situation had gone to waste, and now even his own retreat was in jeopardy. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote and support it on Qidian ). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)