Chapter 111 Unreasonable Trust

As soon as Taishi Ci went into battle and issued his challenge, three Yuan army generals rushed towards him like wolves and tigers!

Yuan Xi then gave the order, and the drums sounded, signaling a full-scale attack!

Not only Taishi Ci, but also the main and deputy generals of Kong Rong's army were stunned.

What happened?

Why are they starting the fight so quickly?

The main general of Kong Rong's army saw that the flags of the three men besieging Taishi Ci indicated that two of them were actually major generals of the Yuan army, and one was a deputy general. Three men besieging their own vanguard, what kind of hatred or grievance is this?

However, the main general of Kong Rong's army didn't have time to react. Yuan Xi's three thousand soldiers had already rushed into Kong Rong's army formation with unparalleled speed, and a chaotic battle began.

This was the plan Yuan Xi had set the previous night.

Since Kong Rong's army was weaker than the Jizhou soldiers, there was no need to waste time at all. They would just come up and show their true colors, and make a quick decision.

The two armies collided instantly, and at the moment of engagement, Kong Rong's army showed signs of defeat.

Several deputy generals of Kong Rong's army were instantly submerged in the torrent of Yuan army cavalry charging.

At that time, Kong Rong was fond of empty talk and reputation. Whoever under his command boasted the most extravagantly would get an official position.

This also led to his generals and officials being of the same virtue, resulting in Kong Rong's army being unable to defeat even the Yellow Turban rebels for many years.

It would be normal if the various warlords had not experienced battle for a long time and could not defeat them during the Yellow Turban Rebellion led by Zhang Jiao ten years ago.

But after ten years of version iteration, heroes rose together. The three outstanding figures of the late Han Dynasty, who had built up great reputations, had already disappeared in the long river of history. Now, the remaining warlords are all outstanding individuals with both literary and military skills.

Kong Rong was an anomaly. He was very unfortunate in battle, only occupying the geographical advantage of Qingzhou, relying on the sea on one side, Tian Kai on one side, and Tao Qian blocking for him on one side, to survive until now.

In Yuan Xi's eyes, Kong Rong was very lucky to have drawn the god card of Taishi Ci, but he didn't know how to make good use of it, only giving him a vanguard position similar to that of a centurion. It could be said that he was wasting natural resources.

Now, he decisively used three major generals to besiege Taishi Ci, and used the army formation to attack Kong Rong's army, so he would never give the other side a chance to turn the tables.

Perhaps for a long time, he would not encounter such an easy target as Kong Rong.

The most depressed person on the field was Taishi Ci.

When the three generals, Zhao Yun, rushed over, he reacted and retreated while firing arrows at the three of them in succession.

As a result, after shooting a quiver of arrows, the other three actually managed to deal with them, either deflecting the arrows with their spears or dodging them. None of them were hit!

Taishi Ci then realized that none of the opponents were mediocre, and they were clearly coming for him!

Due to a momentary lapse in judgment, he shot at the three of them separately but achieved nothing, and had already lost the initiative.

Seeing Kong Rong's army formation being scattered and disorganized, he knew that it was too late to run, so he had to pull out the double halberds from his back and meet the three of them.

Zhao Yun, Zhang He, and Gao Lan instantly surrounded Taishi Ci in the center. Three spears danced up and down, trying to knock Taishi Ci off his horse and capture him alive!

Zhang He and Gao Lan were quite unconvinced at first, thinking that they were using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but as soon as they exchanged blows, they felt that something was wrong.

The two of them shook their spears and stabbed at Taishi Ci's thighs like lightning. Taishi Ci reached out with both hands and managed to catch the heads of the two spears with his double halberds before the spear tips reached his body!

The tips of the two spears trembled and slashed continuously, but Taishi Ci's double halberds seemed to be glued to the spears. After more than a dozen moves, the two men's spears failed to break free from the crescent blades on Taishi Ci's halberds.

However, Zhao Yun finally made his move!

He pointed his spear at Taishi Ci's shoulder. In the midst of his busy schedule, Taishi Ci somersaulted on the horse's back, dodging the stab, and took the opportunity to wrap the reins around Zhao Yun's spear shaft!

Zhao Yun nodded secretly. Although he had held back in this strike, Taishi Ci was still able to find a glimmer of hope in this desperate situation. He was indeed a master.

However, it ended there.

Gao Lan had already taken the opportunity to pull out his spear and stabbed it into Taishi Ci's horse's head.

Taishi Ci helplessly watched his horse fall to the ground with a bang. He rolled off his horse and rolled a few times on the ground. Three spears were already holding his neck, and Yuan army soldiers surrounded him.

He looked back at Kong Rong's army formation, which had been completely defeated, and couldn't help but sigh. He had been thinking of delaying for a day or two, but he didn't expect to be captured in just a few encounters.

How unwilling he was!

Yuan Xi was overjoyed when he saw the three generals succeed in one fell swoop from afar.

Zhao Yun, Zhang He, and Gao Lan joined forces, and even Lu Bu would not dare to take their edge lightly. It would be outrageous if they still couldn't take down Taishi Ci.

The soldiers escorted the tightly bound Taishi Ci back to Yuan Xi's camp. Zhao Yun and the other two rode their horses and broke into Kong Rong's army formation, which caused Kong Rong's army to collapse even faster.

Taishi Ci was escorted by the soldiers, but he was fearless and thought that it was just death. But he found that the young main general of the Yuan army was staring at him with joy, sizing him up and down, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared.

This main general is obviously abnormal, right?

In less than half an hour, Kong Rong's army was completely defeated and fled in all directions.

Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief. This was the normal situation. Two or three deaths out of ten would cause morale to disappear.

The Tian Kai army, which was able to maintain its formation after suffering more than half of the casualties the day before, was abnormal. This showed that Tian Kai was quite capable of governing the army, but unfortunately he was on the enemy's side.

Yuan Xi ordered Zhang He and Gao Lan to lead people to pursue the remnants of Kong Rong's army, and he ordered the soldiers to set up camp on the spot. Then, he asked Zhao Yun to bring Taishi Ci into the main tent.

Seeing Taishi Ci being brought up tightly bound, Yuan Xi hurriedly walked down from his seat and said, "Brother Ziyi, I apologize!"

It's finally my turn to perform this time!

While he was secretly pleased, he came up to untie Taishi Ci.

Taishi Ci was stunned: "Does the general recognize me?"

Yuan Xi laughed and said, "Not only do I recognize you, but I have long admired Brother Ziyi's great name!"

While flattering Tai Shi Ci, he tried to untie the ropes binding him, but after several attempts, the knots only became tighter.

Yuan Xi, sweating profusely, failed to untie the ropes and felt quite embarrassed, muttering, "Who tied these knots? They're so talented!"

"I should appoint him as the Knot-Tying Commandant!"

Zhao Yun spoke up from the side, "I tied them."

Yuan Xi: ...

You have this skill too?

He immediately flattered with a smile, "Please, Brother Zilong, help untie Brother Ziyi."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun stepped forward, pinched the knot, and with a gentle shake, the ropes fell loose.

Yuan Xi secretly wiped his brow and then helped Tai Shi Ci to a seat, humbly saying, "I knew Brother Ziyi was brave, so I had to deploy three generals. It was not a fair victory, please don't blame me."

Tai Shi Ci insisted on not sitting, shaking his head, "General, you are too modest. I would have no chance against any of them. I admit defeat wholeheartedly."

"However, I, Ci, am from Qingzhou, and the Yuan army is harassing my homeland. I cannot surrender, please grant me death."

Yuan Xi, upon hearing this, took a few steps and said with a smile, "Brother Ziyi is staunch and upright, but in war, no one can truly claim innocence."

"If my father hadn't been stationed in Ji Province and Tian Kai and Kong Rong hadn't helped Gongsun Zan attack Ji Province, would we have today's troubles?"

Tai Shi Ci was silent.

Hearing Yuan Xi's self-reference, he suddenly realized something and asked in confusion, "May I ask your esteemed name, General?"

Yuan Xi cupped his hands and said, "Yuan Benchu's second son, Yuan Xianyi."

Tai Shi Ci didn't expect Yuan Xi, a scion of a great clan, to speak so affably to him, a man of humble origins, and quickly returned the greeting, "Forgive my ignorance, I have offended you."

Seeing this, Yuan Xi seized the opportunity, "Brother Ziyi, the Yuan family's victory is now assured, and the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou are causing chaos. Kong Rong has been helpless. As a regional official, shouldn't he fulfill his duty to protect the people?"

"I've heard that whenever Kong Rong is attacked by the Yellow Turbans, he tightly defends the city, completely disregarding the lives of the people outside the city. Is this true?"

Tai Shi Ci was momentarily speechless.

Kong Rong indeed had a reputation for integrity, but it was just that – a reputation. In terms of internal affairs and military matters, Kong Rong was helpless against the Yellow Turbans, almost abandoning resistance and allowing them to plunder the people at will.

Yuan Xi continued, "Now, my brother is about to take Qingzhou and will surely pacify the Yellow Turban bandits, restoring peace to the people of Qingzhou. Wouldn't that be good?"

"If Brother Ziyi comes to serve, I will definitely find ways to fulfill your wishes and try my best to persuade my elder brother not to plunder the people when attacking the cities of Donglai. How about that?"

Hearing this, Tai Shi Ci sighed, "Since you have said so much, if I, Ci, do not surrender, I would be ignorant of what is good for me."

"But I, Ci, have a real and difficult secret."

"My elderly mother and family are currently in Donglai County. If I surrender, my mother will surely be implicated. I cannot be an unfilial person, so please kill me."

Yuan Xi chuckled, "I thought it was something serious. Donglai County is just over a hundred li to the east."

"I'll give Brother Ziyi a few fast horses. Brother Ziyi, go back first and bring your mother and family back, won't you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun raised his eyebrows, and Tai Shi Ci was even more surprised.

He asked in confusion, "Why does the young lord trust me so much?"

"Aren't you afraid that I will leave and never return?"

Yuan Xi smiled, "Because I believe in Brother Ziyi."

"If you leave, I can only blame myself for misjudging people."

"Now that my army is about to move south, I will leave some people here to wait for your return, and then we will meet again."

"This is the Yuan army's token, which can ward off soldiers. Time is of the essence, I will have someone prepare horses for Brother Ziyi."

Tai Shi Ci was stunned for a long time, then knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your trust, I will definitely return as soon as possible!"

Seeing Tai Shi Ci ride away, Zhao Yun couldn't help but say to Yuan Xi, "Are you always accurate in judging people, or are you like this with everyone?"

Yuan Xi smiled, "I can observe the stars."

Zhao Yun thought, that's a bit of a stretch.

Yuan Xi suddenly remembered something and said with great interest, "Brother Zilong, how did you tie that knot? Teach me after the battle."

Zhao Yun was stunned and asked in confusion, "That's possible, but on the battlefield, does the young lord need to personally tie someone up?"

Yuan Xi patted Zhao Yun on the shoulder, "Brother Zilong, there may be some opportunities for you to understand the wonderful uses of this binding."

Zhao Yun: ???

Several hours later, Zhang He and Gao Lan walked in, saying that only a few of Kong Rong's defeated troops had escaped, and the rest had surrendered.

Yuan Xi ordered the generals to scatter the uninjured prisoners into the ranks, and let those who could not fight return home.

Gao Lan spoke up, "On our way back, we encountered the captured Tai Shi Ci, who was holding the young lord's token. What's going on?"

Yuan Xi explained, and Zhang He and Gao Lan were somewhat surprised that such a fierce enemy general was so easily let go.

Is this Second Young Master Yuan really in control of everything, or is he just putting on a show?

That Tai Shi Ci is highly skilled in martial arts. If he joins the enemy again, we will have a hard time dealing with him.

After cleaning up the battlefield that day, Yuan Xi set out early the next morning to meet up with Yuan Tan to the south. Calculating the time, Yuan Tan's army should have encountered Liu Bei's army near Yuling City by now.

Yuan Xi always felt a little uneasy, and only ordered the troops to keep marching.

On the fourth day, Yuan Xi finally led his army back to the place where he had previously fought Tian Kai's army. It was estimated that they would be able to reach Yuling City by tomorrow.