My Father in Law is Lu Bu

Chapter 730

“Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?” Xiahou Yuan asked.

“I am. But I am more afraid that you all will lose the chance to capture Fanyang if you kill me!” The young man replied.

“A chance to capture Fanyang?” Xiahou Yuan's eyes glinted. Fanyang was now like a turtle shell blocking their path. This spy now said he can give the opportunity to capture Fanyang?

“Then just tell me.” Xiahou Yuan said.

“Who are you? I won't say anything until I see Prime Minister Cao Cao!” The young man was stubborn.

“You don't know him? He is Xiahou Yuan Xiahou Miaocai!” Xiahou Dun said to the spy. He now has a good impression of the spy since the spy was also urging Xiahou Yuan to capture Fanyang. The both of them have the same objective.

“Xiaohou Yuan? The general known for attacking from a thousand li away?” The young man was impressed.

“Hmph! Now you know!” Xiahou Dun said proudly. He felt as though he was praised when Xiahou Yuan was praised.

“If it was not because General Xiahou Yuan providing provisions at the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao would have struggled even with his victory at Wuchao!” The young man sighed. Xiahou Yuan was not only good at surprise attacks but also at delivering supplies.

Wuchao was burned down, causing Yuan Shao to lose his provisions. With this, Cao Cao managed to overturn the situation and win. The way he did this is by offering food to soldiers willing to surrender to him. Of course, the soldiers were about to rebel when Cao Cao himself was about to run out of food. But at this moment, Xiahou Yuan brought provisions over and resolving the situation. Then with the help of Xu You, Cao Cao won every battle after that.

Although the man admired Xiahou Yuan, he still refused to speak.

“The Lord has gone to Bohai. The one commanding the army now is me. If you have anything to say, you can tell it to me directly!” Xiahou Yuan said to the spy.

Cao Cao has gone to Bohai? This was something he expected. The spy nodded. “Alright. Telling you will be the same as telling Cao Cao.” The spy then revealed that there was an internal strife going on at Fanyang and that now was the perfect time to attack.

“Haha! I already told you that there is an internal strife at Fanyang! Otherwise, how could there be sounds of fighting all day long? The screams of those dying cannot be faked!” Xiahou Dun laughed. It seemed that the information he got was merely his intuition.

“How can you prove that the Yuan brothers are having an internal strife?” Xiahou Yuan stared at the young man. This was an important matter. A single lie and he would be dead.

“Why do I need to prove it? The sounds of battle in the city is proof enough!” The young man replied.

“Impossible!” Xiahou Yuan shook his head. How can Xiahou Yuan believe this from just the sound of fighting. Xiahou Yuan was a cautious man. It was impossible for him to just believe this.

When Cao Cao left, he ordered Xiahou Yuan to act according to the circumstances. More importantly, he told Xiahou Yuan to stay calm and not just advance easily. Xiahou Yuan was told to just stall the defenders of Fanyang.

“Brother. Why are you still hesitating?” Xiahou Dun was about to speak up for the spy when Xiahou Yuan quickly shut him up with his eyes.

“General Xiahou Yuan. What if we open the South Gate?” The young man said.

“The South Gate?” This was a tempting proposal. The reason they could not attack the city was because they had to fill the moats and climb the walls. Meanwhile, the enemy could attack from a high position causing heavy casualties. ℞Åo͍𝖇ĘꞨ

If the South Gate is opened, the Yuan brothers would lose their advantage. Xiahou Dun has at least one hundred fifty thousand soldiers but the Yuan brothers did not have that many. On top of that, Wen Chou's heavy cavalry was still in Bohai. Once the South Gate is opened, Fanyan was as good as theirs.

“If General Xiahou Yuan trusts me, the South Gate will be opened immediately. If you don't, then just kill me now!” The young man was very direct. If he fails his task, he would have no face to return to his Lord anyway.

“I want to see the South Gate opened. Otherwise, I will not move my army!” Xiahou Yuan replied after hesitating for a long time. He wanted the spy to first show his sincerity.

“I understand.” The spy took a deep breath. “General Xiahou Yuan. This is my token. As long as you send someone to the South Gate, someone will help you open it.”

“You won't go back yourself?” Xiahou Dun asked.

“Haha. Will General Xiahou Yuan be relieved if I went back?” The spy shook his head and laughed. Xiahou Yuan was a cautious person. If the spy went back, Xiahou Yuan would definitely be unwilling to send troops. On the other hand, the spy needed Cao Cao's men to attack as soon as possible.

Xiahou Yuan nodded. “Men. Get this person a place to rest!” Soon, a few soldiers came and took the spy away. Despite what Xiahou Yuan said, it was simply a place where the spy can be monitored. If the spy were to do anything suspicious, he would be killed.

Xiahou Yuan sent someone on horseback to test the enemy defenses. But there were nobody on the city walls. The scout went to the city gates and gave the token as instructed. He then returned.

“How is it?” Xiahou Yuan asked.

The soldier shook his head. “It is like Fanyang is completely undefended.” The soldier approached the city like it was a casual stroll.

“Just because one person can pass through doesn't mean more can.” One general said. Before this, Xiahou Yuan had already called all the other generals. There were those who voiced their objections. They were the kinds who were more afraid of failing than worried about merits. This is because it would be disastrous if they failed. It was not a risk they were willing to take.

“That's right! General Wu is right! How can we listen to an enemy spy?”

“Hmph! You cowards! If you are so afraid of dying then why did you become a soldier?” One person mocked.

“You…!” The others were angry to hear this and turned around only to see Xiahou Dun. They immediately kept their mouths shut. All of them know that the Xiahou Family is part of the Cao Family. They were all Cao Cao's relatives. Xiahou Dun in particular was someone they did not want to offend. If you offend him, he'd beat you up and you won't even be able to complain.

“If you ask me, as long as the gates are open, it is good enough to charge in! I will take the lead. The rest of you cowards can just sit back and watch! I will even let you have some of the merits!” Xiahou Dun mockingly added.

This generals were all afraid of risks as Cao Cao's territory was already big. In the past, they had nothing to lose but now, they were afraid of losing what they have.

“Who says we are afraid of death?” Someone shouted angrily. If he continued to ignore Xiahou Dun's words, he would really be a coward.

“If you are not afraid, then take your five thousand men and lead the vanguard!” Xiahou Dun said to General Wu with a smile.

“I…” General Wu was about to agree when one of the others pulled him back down. If he recklessly agrees, then he would have to charge into the city. However, he cannot simply say he does not dare to attack. He had to come up with an excuse.

“I, General Wu, would dare to charge and attack. However, General Xiahou also said that if the gate is opened. Right now, the city gate is not open. Do you expect me to use my own flesh and blood to ram the city gates and see which is stronger?” General Wu spoke very logically. He was saying that he cannot have his men die needless deaths since the city gate was still closed.

“Oh. So are you saying that if the city gates are open, you will become the vanguard?” Xiahou Dun asked playfully.

“Of course!” General Wu's back was facing the city. He could not see that the city gates was already open. In his opinion, the city gates would never be open. If it could open, it would have opened a long time ago.

“General Wu! General Wu!” Several other generals nudged General Wu but he ignored them. He thought his companions wanted to tell him to be patient. But right now, he wanted to annoy Xiahou Dun to his death.

“In that case, I hope General Wu can lead the charge!” Xiahou Dun said while clasping his fist.

General Wu turned to look and was completely dumbfounded. The gates to Fanyang City was open. And it wasn't just one gate but four out of the six gates were open. What do he do now? Should he lead the charge?

If he did not go, it would mean that he has broken his word. One cannot joke inside the army. If it was serious, he might be killed on the spot. But at the same time, the city gates were like the mouth of a giant monster waiting for him to walk in. If it was ambush, he and his five thousand men were finished.

In the face of life and glory, General Wu fearfully chose life and looked back at Xiahou Dun pitifully.

Fortunately, Xiahou Dun was a generous scoundrel who would let go of those who gave in. Xiahou Dun then turned towards Xiahou Yuan voiced his intentions to enter the city and fight.

General Wu breathed a sigh of relief hearing Xiahou Dun's words.

Xiahou Yuan did not give Xiahou Dun an immediate answer. He looked at the city wondering if it was a trap. Xiahou Yuan could not figure it out but if he does not send any troops, he might miss a huge opportunity.

After thinking for a long time, he turned to Xiahou Dun. “Yuanrang. You want to fight?”

“Yes, Brother Miaocai! I am willing to be the vanguard!”

“Fine. I will allow it!” Xiahou Yuan nodded. “But!”

“Hm?” Xiahou Dun looked at his brother suspiciously.

“You have to promise me three things!” Xiahou Yuan said.

“Three things?” Xiahou Dun muttered for a while before he carefreely added. “Nevermind three. I will even promise you thirty things!”

“I can only hope so!” Xiahou Yuan rolled his eyes.

“First. You can only take five thousand men!” Xiahou Yuan may want to capture Fanyang but he is more concerned about Cao Cao's foundation. He could not go all in so he only allow Xiahou Dun to take five thousand men. Although there were only five thousand men, they were elites.

“Alright!” Xiahou Dun smiled. Five thousand elites were enough.

“The second condition is you must send scouts every fifteen minutes to report information!” Xiahou Yuan said.

“Every fifteen minutes?” Xiahou Dun frowned. He did not like the hassle but it was fine as long as he get to fight.

“The third condition is that if anything changes and I order you to retreat, you have to withdraw even if it means abandoning the five thousand men!” Xiahou Yuan commanded.

“Alright.” Xiahou Dun agreed very quickly which made Xiahou Yuan frown.

“No. It must be four conditions.” Xiahou Yuan suddenly added. “You must take my guards with you!”

“Aah!” Xiahou Dun wailed miserably. If Xiahou Yuan's guards were following him, they would protect him very strictly and he would not be able to fight as he please.

“Brother Miaocai. Can we please not do this?” Xiahou Dun begged.

“Of course, then don't go!” Xiahou Yuan replied.

“No don't! I will promise you this! Is that enough?” Xiahou Dun helplessly accepted it.

After that, five thousand soldiers were quickly selected. These people were all elites from Yanzhou. They were soldiers who had served Cao Cao and fought through several war with Cao Cao. Some even participated in the Coalition against Dong Zhuo. In other words, they were the cream of the crop.

Xiahou Dun smiled when he saw the five thousand men in front of him. Half of them were Xiahou Yuan's men. This was his brother's concern for him.

“Brothers. In front of you is the Fanyang City that have stopped us for months! It is now about to be captured by us! The gates to the city are open! It is like a woman who has taken off her clothes waiting for us men! Brothers! Are we stilll going to wait?”

There was a burst of laughter.

Xiahou Yuan felt his mouth twitch. This Xiahou Dun could make vulgar jokes even in front of the army. However, it was something that had to be done to raise the morale of the troops.

“Alright. Enough nonsense. Brothers, once we capture Fanyang, we would become heroes. The Prime Minister will not forget our contributions! If we die, the Prime Minister will help raise our children. If we survive, we will obtain high position and salaries! With our military exploits, we can easily take eighteen wives!”

“Hahaha!”

“Brothers! It is time to earn our achievements! Charge!” Xiahou Dun took the lead and charged towards Fanyang City. Though five thousand men seemed like a lot of people, it really was not that much once they split up inside the city.

Xiahou Yuan still felt uneasy and ordered for the spy to be brought back to him. He then asked why there was in internal strife amongst the Yuan brothers.

“I don't know the details.” The spy shook his head.

“If you don't tell me, you will die even if Fanyang falls.” Xiahou Yuan had to know the reason.

“Then kill me. I believe General Xiahou Yuan will give me a quick death. Regardless, a family's disgrace should not be made public!” Although the spy said he would keep silent, he still gave a hint.

“A family scandal? Is it related to Bohai?” Xiahou Yuan frowned as he looked at the spy. The spy nodded.

Xiahou Yuan knew why Cao Cao went to Bohai. This is to find Yuan Shao.

“Are they scared?” Xiahou Yuan seemed to have guessed the answer but he still could not understand. “Isn't Yuan Xi in the city? Isn't he the Commander? How could the internal strife still happen?” Yuan Xi was the current Commander of the Yuan Army. With his ability, there should be no internal strifes. A person as talented as him would be able to surpress this situation. Cao Cao also praised Yuan Xi very much.

“Haha. General Xiahou Yuan. I know you will not believe me. I also won't say much. I will just tell you one thing. The South Gate is the one Master Yuan Xi is in charge of!” The spy said to Xiahou Yuan.

“What?” Xiahou Yuan's eyes grew wide. If this was the case, then Yuan Xi is the one who ordered the South Gate to be opened. This can only mean that Yuan Xi wants to surrender or this is a trap.

“Men!” Xiahou Yuan panicked.

“General!” One subordinate appeared.

“Did Yuanrang send back a letter?” Xiahou Yuan asked.

“Yes, General.” The subordinate replied. Soon, the letter was delivered to Xiahou Yuan. Xiahou Yuan breathed a sigh of relief when the report states that Xiahou Dun's progress was smooth and that there were no ambushes at all. Xiahou Dun was now heading deeper into the city to fight. However, his communication with Xiahou Dun was soon interrupted and there were no news for almost half an hour.

“Could it be…” Xiahou Yuan did not dare to imagine. “Men! Send troops! Send troops immediately!” Xiahou Yuan ordered.

“General. The situation in the city is still unclear. If we move the army, we may get ambushed!” Someone dissuaded Xiahou Yuan.

“Yes, General. There is no news after General Xiahou Dun has entered the city. This must mean that it is an enemy trap! We cannot follow in General Xiahou Dun's footsteps!” Another one added.

Not only did this man fail to dissuade Xiahou Yuan. He made Xiahou Yuan even more panicked.

“No! I must enter the city! If you will not go, I will!” Xiahou Yuan replied to his men. He knew that his men were afraid that the army would be ambushed and be wiped out. However, Xiahou Yuan could not live without his brother.

“Quick! Ready the soldiers and follow me into the city!” Xiahou Yuan ordered. Soon, ten thousand men were deployed. Xiahou Yuan then appointed another general to command the army in his absence. If Xiahou Yuan still does not come out or if his head were to appear on the walls, this general is to take the rest of the army to Bohai to find Cao Cao.

After that, Xiahou Yuan also entered the city with the ten thousand men.

The soldiers were struck dumb. Why was the Commander running off? If it was Yue Jin, Xu Huang or the others, then they would simply be courting death by running off. The other soldiers can be happy since the talent is now dead giving the rest of them a chance for promotion.

But it was another matter since that person is Xiahou Yuan. Xiahou Yuan was Cao Cao's brother and had even once taken the blame for Cao Cao when Cao Cao was implicated with a crime. Cao Cao then somehow managed to save Xiahou Yuan from disaster. It can be said that Xiahou Yuan took the fall for Cao Cao. If Xiahou Yuan were to die, the rest of them would also suffer.

In addition, Xiahou Dun is also there. If the two of them die, the Xiahou Family would be finished. Cao Cao would think the others did this on purpose!

These group of generals all panicked. After thinking for a while, they decided to march into Fanyang as well. If something goes wrong and they did not help, all of them would be dead. In that case, it was better to help Xiahou Yuan even if it was a trap. Soon, Fanyang was flooded with over a hundred and fifty thousand soldiers.

***

“Not good! Cao Cao's army has entered the city!” Someone reported while Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan were still trying to kill each other.

“How is that possible?” Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan could not believe it. Fanyang's walls were dozens of feet tall and also had a moat. It was not possible for Cao Cao to enter the city.

Even though both sides were fighting each other, they did not remove the troops stationed at the walls. This is because they knew that they would be finished once their defenses were gone.

“They came through the South Gate!” The messenger reported.

“The South Gate?” The two brothers sighed with relief. This wasn't the gate they were in charge of so the current problem wasn't theirs. Their eyes then grew wide as they looked at each other. “It's not yours?”

“No, its not mine!” They both shook their heads.

After that, the two of them realized who was in charge of the South Gate. “Yuan Xi?” The two now felt like crying. The South Gate was closest to Cao Cao's main camp. It would suffer the heaviest attacks as Cao Cao tries to capture Fanyang. As that would mean losing more troops, the two brothers refused to be in charge of defending it. They wanted to stay on top of each other. In the end, the job of protecting the South Gate was given to Yuan Xi. They even thought of Yuan Xi as a fool but now, enemy soldiers were pouring through that very gate.

“How many of them are there?”

“Five thousand elites! Our men fell immediately!” The messenger replied.

Both brothers sighed with relief. It was only five thousand men. They still had over one hundred thousand men.

“There is no need to panic. The enemy only have five thousand men. Just push them back.” The brothers said as they started a truce. It was not time to fight each other.

They sent ten thousand men to attack the enemy but then a messenger returned saying that the ten thousand men were dead.

“What? Ten thousand men lost to five thousand?” The brothers were in disbelief.

“The enemy wasn't five thousand. There are at least twenty thousand men!” The messenger replied.

“Twenty thousand?” Yuan Shang gritted teeth. “I will dispatch twenty thousand men! You also send out twenty thousand men! With forty thousand men, we will chase them off!”

“Fine!” Yuan Tan nodded and forty thousand soldiers were dispatched.

“Not good! Not good!” A short while later, a messenger returned. “Cao Cao's army has arrived!”

“How many of them are there?”

“There is a lot! Outside the city is deserted. Cao Cao's entire army is in here!”

The two brothers were now dumbstruck.

“Kill! Kill the Yuan brothers to be become nobility and be bestowed rewards!” The sounds of slaughter could now be heard.

The two brothers looked at each other. Wise people knew when to run, so the two immediately bolted from atop their horse. Fanyang was now in total chaos as the soldiers fought inside the city.

Outside the city, Yuan Xi sighed. “Fanyang is finished. Youzhou is finished. The Yuan Family is not far off.”

“Master Yuan Xi. The fall of Fanyang is not your fault.” Someone tried to console him.

Yuan Xi had escaped while Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan fought each other. He had the gates opened so that he could escape unnoticed.

“Uncle Fu. There is no need to console me. The winner is the king and the loser is the villain. I lost, that is all.” Yuan Xi had no ambitions. He just wanted to live peacefully.

“Dear husband. You must have suffered.” A beautiful woman approached Yuan Xi.

“Zhen'er. I have not suffered. As long as I have you, I have not suffered.” Yuan Xi smiled. “The one that suffered is you. You have to follow me to become a commoner.”

“No, husband. Even the nobles are just people. I will be happy as long as we are together.” Lady Zhen replied.

“I can only hope so.” Yuan Xi smiled bitterly. “Uncle Fu, let's go. We cannot stay here for long. We have to leave now.”

“Yes, Master Yuan Xi. Madam, please enter the carriage.”

Meanwhile, one man was complaining inside another carriage. “Hmph! What noble destiny? What Lady of the World? All of it is a scam!”

“Shu'er. Still your tongue!” A middle aged woman reprimanded.

“Mother. Why are you still cautious about this at this point in time? I thought I could live a life full of glory and wealth by relying on Zhen'er. But now we are becoming commoners! We might as well stay as merchants like in the past! At the very least, we would not need to worry about food!” The man was Zhen Shu, the Zhen Family's only son. The Zhen Family was the wealthiest merchant family in Hebei. Their wealth was not any less than the Mi Family's.

They had thought of staying as merchants selling horses for the rest of their lives. But a wandering fortune teller said that Lady Zhen had the fate of becoming of an Empress. The family was originally neutral and did not help the Yuan Family nor the Gongsun Family. But Lady Zhen also has an engagement with Yuan Xi. Since Lady Zhen had both the engagement and would become Empress, it would mean that the Yuan Family would thrive. Because of this, they abandoned Gongsun Zan and sided with the Yuan Family. After that, they tried to make Yuan Xi the heir to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao was thendefeated at Guandu, Yuan Shang stole power and both Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan fought each other.

The Zhen Family thought the opportunity has arrived. They threw in more money at Yuan Xi. Once Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan were defeated, it would become Yuan Xi's turn to rise.

However, Yuan Xi refused to fight his brothers and wanted to help them. Now, they lost everything and have to even live incognito. Zhen Shu was unwilling to accept this.

“Shu'er. Think of your sister. As her elder brother, you should not make things hard for her.” Matriarch Zhen consoled him.

“Hmph! I will go out to take a breather!” Zhen Shu said before leaving the carriage.

A short while later, Zhen Shu returned screaming. He was being chased by a cavalry.

“Save me! Save me!” How he wished his mother gave birth to him with four legs so that he may run faster with.

“Damn it! Enemy attack!” Uncle Fu saw the enemy cavalry and gritted his teeth. This Zhen Shu was someone who caused trouble every day by using his sister's name. They were supposed to hide and avoid enemies but this stupid Young Master Zhen just led the enemies right to them.

“Protect the Second Lord!” Yuan Xi still had capable subordinates. They manage to set traps in time to get rid of the cavalries. It was fortunate Zhen Shu could run fast otherwise he would have inconvenienced others even more.

“What's going on?” Yuan Xi came out and asked.

“Enemy cavalry! That Zhen Shu brought enemies to us!” Uncle Fu replied. Zhen Shu was standing at the side, not knowing what to say.

“The enemy?” Yuan Xi looked at the enemy cavalry and furrowed his brows. They wore the clothes of the Qingzhou Cavalry. “These are Yuan Tan's men.”

“Don't worry, Young Master. We have already defeated them.” Uncle Fu replied.

“No, you don't understand!” Yuan Xi smiled bitterly. If these were the Qingzhou Cavalry, it would mean that Yuan Tan's main army was not far behind. These were just scouts. If the scouts go missing, others would definitely appear to investigate.

“You all should leave quickly!” Yuan Xi gritted his teeth.

“Young Master. What about you?” Uncle Fu was shocked. Was Yuan Xi not coming with them?

“I will stay!” Yuan Xi shook his head.

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