Gan Ning covered his face, while Taishi Ci, even as wine spilled over himself, remained oblivious—was this supposed to be war? Such incompetence!
"The strategist probably guessed how incompetent Governor of Youzhou’s men are," Gan Ning muttered under his breath, hardly able to bear the sight outside the city.
"Should we take the Governor of Youzhou with us now?" Taishi Ci said with a twitching face, "A single incompetent general could spell doom for an entire army!"
"Too useless," Gan Ning looked down in disdain at the Youzhou Army, already rushing into the gates and trampling over each other, "If they were my men, I would kill a tenth of them first, then begin training. The state’s money is really wasted on raising such riffraff!"
"However, I think we should rather focus on how to leave when the time comes. You’ve sent your ships to gather the majority of our forces; I have no confidence in leaving safely by land," Taishi Ci expressed helplessly, then remembered his mission. Compared to rescuing Gongsun Zan from thousands of troops, saving Liu Yu from a few hundred seemed effortless, though escaping would prove more challenging.
"Let’s play it by ear; it might turn out to be effortless," said Gan Ning, famously optimistic and felt no pressure, "When the time comes, we’ll seize a few horses, bind the Governor of Youzhou quickly, and flee. It won’t be easy for Gongsun Bogui to find us."
Listent to the chaotic footsteps and roaring below, Taishi Ci knew Liu Yu was beyond help. His men were too useless; they weren’t even at the level of miscellaneous soldiers but rather lambs to the slaughter.
Suddenly awakened by the cries outside, Liu Yu, who had been resting in the Prefectural Governor’s Office, sat up abruptly.
"My lord, what’s wrong?" Liu Yu’s concubine, feeling a chill breeze, opened her eyes and saw Liu Yu getting up and rubbing his eyes.
"It seems there’s the sound of fighting outside?" Liu Yu said as he put on his shoes and went out without his coat.
"My lord, disaster has struck!" As soon as Liu Yu stepped outside, he heard his old servant’s miserable cry.
"What is so urgent?" Liu Yu asked with dissatisfaction.
"It’s terrible, my lord! Gongsun Zan’s subordinate general, Zou Dan, has led his troops in an attack!" the old servant shouted.
"He’s asking for death, daring to provoke me with just a thousand men right under the nose of my grand army. Has Gongsun Bogui lost his mind?" Liu Yu sneered, feeling even more disgusted with Gongsun Zan.
"My lord, Zou Dan has already routed the large force led by General Yan," the old servant said in terror, "You must escape this place quickly!"
"What, how is that possible?" Liu Yu was shocked. How could his ten thousand elite soldiers, led by the great Yan Rou, be defeated by a nobody like Zou Dan? "Where is Yan Rou!" Liu Yu bellowed.
"My lord, I’m afraid General Yan has already fallen victim; you must depart this place quickly!" the old servant said, panic-stricken as the shouts of battle drew nearer, "The few hundred troops led by Zou Dan are not far from here!"
"A few hundred?" Liu Yu paused, then his face lit up with excitement, "Merely a few hundred troops; why such panic? Bring me my armor; I will show Gongsun Zan that his petty schemes are worthless!"
"Master, this won’t do!" Liu Yu’s old servant advised loudly; more aware than Liu Yu of the stark difference between the pampered Protectors under his command and the battle-hardened iron soldiers under General Gongsun Zan!
"Stand aside!" Liu Yu, his complexion unchanged, pushed his servant aside and strode towards the main hall, beginning to order his guards to secure the main gate. In his view, if Gongsun Zan dared to make a move in Zhuo County, the reaction of the common people would soon lead to Gongsun Zan’s capture and delivery before him.
"General, the entrance to Liu Yu’s residence has been blocked by a large number of Protectors. I’ll lead my team to charge and eradicate them!" A Military Marquis saluted Zou Dan, and perhaps before tonight they had not acknowledged this general left in charge of the rear, but after this night, all the soldiers who witnessed this were awed by Zou Dan’s commanding presence.
"Hmph, take the front gate?" Zou Dan glanced coldly at the entrance to Liu Yu’s residence, possibly manned by five or six hundred Protectors, and sneered twice, "Smash down this courtyard wall, we’re going in to capture Liu Yu alive!"
"As you command!" The Military Marquis saluted and quickly knocked down the outer wall of Liu Yu’s residence, then led his men charging in. A mere courtyard wall, not on par with the walls of a city, how could it withstand the assault of a great army? A clear-minded Zou Dan would not bother with the foolish idea of attacking the front gate!
The Protectors at the gate had almost no time to react before they were ambushed from front and back. As a member of the Imperial Family, being the only class of people who could be ennobled for merit without military accomplishments, Liu Yu had no clue about commanding troops. His men, crowded by the gate with him in the center, were directly enveloped in Zou Dan’s pincer attack. The Protectors around him were unable to fight back and could only be slaughtered.
Zou Dan frenziedly butchered the group of Protectors, unmoved by their wails of agony.
As pressure continued to mount, the hundreds of Protectors were quickly slain by Zou Dan and his subordinates, leaving only a bloodsoaked Liu Yu standing among the dead.
"You can’t kill me!" Liu Yu, looking into Zou Dan’s crazed eyes and momentarily petrified by the splattered blood, suddenly regained his senses, his body shaking like a sieve as he screamed in terror.
"You can’t kill me, this is insubordination, I am a Han Imperial Kinsman, I am the Great Han’s Imperial Uncle, you can’t kill me!" Liu Yu shouted in terror as he saw a blade swinging toward him.
Clang! With a flick of his hand, Gan Ning casually deflected Zou Dan’s strike.
"Taishi Ci..." Zou Dan’s eyes blazed with fire as he glared at Taishi Ci, "To think I regarded you as ally forces, why are you preventing me from killing Liu Yu? And you, Gan Xingba, how dare you act like that before! Formation! Seize these three men, dead or alive!"
In a desperate battle, Zou Dan’s valor seemed to transcend, as an imposing aura emanated from him, instilling reverence in his subordinates.
Gan Ning raised an eyebrow, looking at Zou Dan with a hint of admiration. Regardless of previous acquaintances, the fact that Zou Dan could face his aura head-on without flinching was a testament to his unwavering will.
Gan Ning had no idea that when Zou Dan stepped forward alone in the face of Yan Rou’s threat to General Gongsun, and everyone else feared, he had, in fact, let go of life and death. Had Zou Dan’s strength reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining to Gang at that moment, he would have already been at the Inner Qi Manifestation Rank.
"Quick, seize the rebel Zou Dan!" Liu Yu, as if he had just come to his senses, berated Gan Ning and Taishi Ci after seeing himself swiftly brought into the courtyard, his previous facade of unrivaled benevolence now embarrassingly clear.
"Ziyi, may I kill this fellow?" Gan Ning turned his head to look at Liu Yu, and the murderous intent that flashed in his eyes made Liu Yu tremble like a sieve; he immediately ceased speaking to save his life.
"Brother Zou, please inform General Gongsun that I have fulfilled what he asked of me." After speaking, Taishi Ci grabbed one of Liu Yu’s arms, Gan Ning grasped the other, and together they exerted force, taking Liu Yu with them and bounding away from the site. However, whether Liu Yu could withstand such a mad escape, or if it would make him vomit his guts out, was uncertain. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian ) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)