Chapter 144: Wherever Cao Peng Passes, Not a Single Flower Survives

Ye city was captured by Cao's army.

All factions within the city that refused to surrender were purged by the Brocade Guard.

However, a fish always managed to slip through the net and escape from the city.

This slippery survivor, riding a swift horse, galloped all the way.

Finally, after riding through the entire night, he arrived at the location where Yuan Tan was stationing his troops.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

The sentries guarding the camp's outpost spotted the approaching horse and rider from afar.

The man hurriedly shouted back, "I am a garrison soldier from Ye city! I have crucial military intelligence to report to Young Master Yuan Tan!"

When this man was brought before Yuan Tan, Yuan Tan was busy discussing with his subordinate generals how to attack Yuan Shang.

Seeing this disheveled soldier shouting that Ye city had fallen, Yuan Tan hurriedly asked him what had happened.

His first reaction was that Yuan Shang must have played some trick; he never even considered the direction of Cao's army.

Therefore, after hearing the full account of the events, his expression gradually turned angry.

"This Cao Peng has a lot of nerve! Does he really take us for mud dolls?"

Yuan Tan was hopping mad with rage, and his subordinate generals also found it utterly bizarre.

Such a thing was something they had never even heard of, let alone witnessed.

To dare to lead a mere five-hundred-man force on a deep, solitary thrust into the heart of Jizhou!

Even if he could occupy the city temporarily, what of it?

The surrounding area was entirely filled with Yuan forces. With an army of nearly one hundred thousand pressing forward, even if Cao Peng were the God of War reincarnated, he would inevitably be ground into dust.

"Quickly, assemble the troops at once! Forget about Yuan Shang for now, and counterattack Ye city!" Yuan Tan roared angrily.

The generals felt that Yuan Tan was perhaps overreacting a bit.

Even if Cao Peng were allowed to frolic in the city for a few days, what difference would it make? They could still encircle and wipe him out just the same.

Besides, they had already reached the critical juncture of driving Yuan Shang out of Jizhou.

To order a full army retreat at this moment—wasn't that simply giving Yuan Shang a chance to catch his breath?

Yet, even though they thought this way in their hearts, no one dared to voice any advice.

Ever since Yuan Shao executed Tian Feng, there was no longer anyone within the Yuan army who dared to speak out with righteous admonitions.

Yuan Tan's arrogance and obstinacy were even worse than Yuan Shao's, and no one wanted to gamble with their own lives.

In truth, none of them knew the real reason why Yuan Tan was in such a rush.

The genuine reason for his urgency was the Zhen family!

To be precise, it was the women of the Zhen family.

He had gone to great lengths to force the Zhen family to come to Ye city and submit to him.

This was not only for the immense wealth and support they brought, but also because he had heard that the five daughters of the Zhen family were each more beautiful than the last.

Especially Zhen Mi, who truly looked like an immortal fairy descended from the highest heavens.

He had once been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Zhen Mi's glorious countenance.

That single chance encounter had caused him to yearn for her day and night, almost to the point of obsession.

Unfortunately, by that time Yuan Shao had already decided to marry her to Yuan Xi.

No matter how burning his lust was, Yuan Tan could only suppress it in his heart, not daring to show it.

But things were different now. Yuan Xi was dead, and their old father Yuan Shao was also dead.

Under such circumstances, wouldn't Zhen Mi be firmly within the grasp of his own palm?

Yet before he even had the chance to taste this delicacy, he received the news that Cao Peng had led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to capture Ye city.

How could he not be anxious?

He had indeed caught wind of certain rumors concerning Cao Peng.

Legends of Cao Peng circulated widely among the circles of young elites in Jizhou.

When Cao Cao wanted to take Lady Zou, Cao Peng snatched her first and poached her right from under his nose.

When Cao Cao wanted to seize Diaochan, Cao Peng once again intercepted her.

And just recently, word had spread that Cao Cao had set his sights on Empress Fu and Noble Consort Dong, though the exact details of what transpired remained unclear.

At any rate, those two women were reportedly settled by Cao Peng right inside his own estate.

Now, this fellow had arrived in Ye city.

Wherever this master of poaching wives passed, the women of the Zhen family would probably be unable to escape his demonic clutches.

Thinking of this, Yuan Tan grew even more frantic in his heart. He hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quickly! Let the main army follow behind, and have me lead the light cavalry a step ahead!"

Meanwhile, as Yuan Tan was leading his army in retreat, Yuan Shang's forces were stationed not far away.

Watching the retreating enemy army, Yuan Shang felt a sudden wave of relief wash over him.

"I can't believe they actually retreated. If they had kept fighting, we surely would have been driven all the way to the Liaodong region!" The speaker was Guo Tu, standing right beside Yuan Shang.

Guo Tu had once again realized that merely relying on glib words and political scheming was ultimately futile in the face of absolute strength.

Ever since arriving in Jizhou, Guo Tu had constantly been devising plans for Yuan Shang on how to seize the right to inherit Yuan Shao's grand position.

And those plans had indeed yielded some results.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Guo Tu immediately became Yuan Shang's chief sycophant!

He had even forced Shen Pei and Feng Ji into defecting to Yuan Tan.

He had originally thought that with his strategic support, Yuan Shang would be able to crush Yuan Tan and ultimately unify the realm.

Yet, reality dealt him a brutal slap in the face.

After all, Yuan Tan was the eldest son, and in the absence of a will left behind by Yuan Shao, Yuan Tan naturally commanded the strongest support.

Fewer and fewer people were willing to follow Guo Tu and Yuan Shang.

Such a completely mismatched military struggle had nearly cost Yuan Shang and Guo Tu their lives.

They had resisted persistently, only to be continually driven to the fringes of Jizhou, and this time they had almost been pushed out to that distant Liaodong territory.

Yet at this very moment, Yuan Tan had withdrawn his troops.

They found this outcome almost too incredible to believe.

Because just a few days prior, a man in a black robe had come to pay a visit and told Yuan Shang that this exact thing would happen.

At the time, Yuan Shang had dismissed that prediction as a mere joke.

Never had he expected that it would turn out to be the absolute truth.

"My lord, that man in the black robe has come to seek an audience!" a messenger reported from outside Yuan Shang's tent.

After exchanging a glance with Guo Tu, Yuan Shang spoke up, "Let him in!"

Moments later, the black-robed figure strode directly into the tent.

"I was not wrong before, was I? I said Yuan Tan would definitely pull back his troops."

Guo Tu cupped his fists and said, "Sir is truly a person of great talent, but may I ask which faction you actually represent?"

The black-robed man smiled and said, "I did indeed forget to introduce myself earlier. My name is Man Chong, and I am the Commander of the Brocade Guard under General Cao Peng."

The moment those words were uttered, the air in the tent instantly froze into utter stillness.

Yuan Shang drew his sword without hesitation, resting the sharp blade right against Man Chong's neck.

He shouted harshly, "My feud with that Cao Peng is irreconcilable! How dare you still show your face here?!"

Man Chong showed not the slightest bit of fear toward the blade pressed against his throat.

Instead, he chuckled and said, "Young Master Shang, why fly into such a rage? Could it be that you no longer wish to inherit Yuan Shao's grand position?"

These words seemed to carry a strange, magical spell, instantly altering Yuan Shang's expression.

"What... what do you mean?" Guo Tu asked from the side.