Chapter 101: The Battle with Yan Liang

Yuan Shu fled in defeat, his army collapsing like a landslide; the tide of defeat quickly became evident.

This man had clearly realized that it was impossible to continue northward to join forces with Yuan Shao.

So, he led his troops southward, attempting to escape back to Shouchun.

Cao Peng had intended to pursue, but the battlefield situation changed suddenly here.

Perhaps because they were too close to Yuan Shao’s territory, and time had dragged on too long.

The troops Yuan Shao sent to support Yuan Shu had already reached the front lines.

Cao Peng took out his telescope and saw an endless stream of cavalry approaching from afar.

The rising dust and wind made it clear that this was a vast force.

Soon, the rapid sound of galloping hooves echoed closer.

The banners fluttered fiercely, emblazoned boldly with the character "Yuan."

Looking at the seemingly endless dragon-like column, Cao Peng estimated by his own method that there were likely over forty thousand troops.

“They are Yuan Shao’s army. It seems they came prepared,” Zhang Liao said.

Cao Peng’s gaze darkened, and he commanded coldly, “Form ranks to meet the enemy. I want to crush them head-on!”

“But General, what about Yuan Shu?” Zhang Liao asked.

Cao Peng smirked and said, “Let Xuande take care of that scoundrel.”

Hearing this, Liu Bei’s heart blossomed with joy, though his expression remained solemn.

“If the General trusts me so, I will not disappoint him.”

Zhang Liao watched Liu Bei’s departing figure with some unease.

“General, are you really going to let Liu Bei go alone? I feel uneasy about this.”

Cao Peng smiled faintly.

“Three thousand troops won’t make much of a difference anyway.

Enough about him; now let’s focus on how to confront the enemy before us.”

Clearly, this Yuan army had noticed Cao Peng’s presence here, but they had no intention of retreating. They probably wanted to test the waters.

And indeed, the situation unfolded exactly as Cao Peng had anticipated.

The opposing commander was Yuan Shao’s son, Yuan Xi, with the general Yan Liang under Yuan Shao’s command.

They held their ground like a towering tree, aiming to intimidate Cao’s forces.

Yuan Xi sat proudly atop a tall steed, looking at Cao’s army with youthful arrogance, and asked Yan Liang,

“General, do you dare to fight?”

Yan Liang laughed heartily.

“This is our first battle against Cao’s forces. I will surely slay their general and boost our army’s morale!”

Yan Liang led several thousand cavalry, breaking from the main force and charging toward Cao Peng.

Cao Peng paid no mind to the small-scale battle about to erupt here.

The enemy sought to uplift their morale, and he was content to use them as a sacrificial flag to signal the start of war.

“Zhang Liao, Zang Ba, form ranks and meet the enemy! Remember, this time we must capture Yuan Xi alive!”

Capturing Yuan Shao’s cherished son in the very first battle would surely inspire the troops.

The messenger galloped swiftly to relay the order.

Cao Peng’s forces split into two formations, ready to face the enemy.

His gaze was calm as still water, gripping his dragon-scale halberd, slowly unfolding his battle array against nearly forty thousand troops.

In truth, he knew that despite their impressive show of force, if their central general was defeated, their grand formation would collapse on its own.

Yan Liang had not expected Cao Peng to truly await him.

Logically, since their mission to intercept Yuan Shu was complete, they should have withdrawn. Yet this man wanted a direct confrontation.

Because they had been fighting on the Hebei front without clashing with Cao Cao, they did not know Cao Peng’s reputation.

Now, Yan Liang gripped his fine iron spear arrogantly and rode forward to challenge.

“Which rat of Cao’s army dares face me in battle?”

Zhang Liao and Zang Ba standing beside Cao Peng immediately prepared to charge out.

Zhang Liao said, “General, this man is so arrogant—let me cut him down!”

Cao Peng wanted to test Yan Liang’s true strength, so he allowed Zhang Liao to engage.

Following orders, Zhang Liao spurred his horse and charged at Yan Liang.

His spear danced fiercely, thrusting toward Yan Liang’s chest.

Yan Liang parried with his iron spear, sparks flying as their weapons clashed.

“Hah!”

“Yah!”

The two generals fought with all their might, nearly evenly matched.

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

Their soldiers behind them shouted loudly to cheer on their champions.

Cao Peng observed the battle carefully.

It seemed that Yan Liang, whose name echoed throughout Hebei and was frequently praised by Yuan Shao, did indeed possess some real skill.

Though neither of them ranked among the absolute top-tier warriors, both were solidly first-rate generals.

Looking at the soldiers each commanded, their morale seemed evenly matched.

Clearly, Yuan Shao’s ability to annihilate Gongsun Zan and become the largest warlord was not without foundation.

Yet Cao Peng thought it through and understood.

Since this was a force led by Yuan Shao’s treasured son Yuan Xi, it had to be elite troops.

Elite troops were all the better.

Today, Cao Peng intended to fight the elite.

Raising an army for a thousand days to fight for a moment, the core of Cao Peng’s forces was the Tiger-Leopard Battalion, a deadly weapon in large-scale warfare!

“Zhang Liao, return!”

Hearing Cao Peng’s call, Zhang Liao reluctantly withdrew, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

“General, this man’s martial skill is extraordinary. He must not be underestimated.”

Cao Peng said, “I will personally slay him!”

Seeing that Cao Peng was serious, everyone was somewhat surprised.

“General, let me do it!” said Dian Wei. He did not want to stifle Cao Peng’s fighting spirit but was reluctant to see his commander risk himself.

Cao Peng waved his hand to stop him.

“Don’t worry—I know my own strength.”

With that, Cao Peng spurred his horse forward.

He gripped his weapon tighter; the opponent was a renowned general throughout the land.

If he could slay him on the spot, Cao Peng’s name would be instantly remembered by all.

Yan Liang looked at Cao Peng charging toward him.

He was somewhat surprised by Cao Peng’s youth.

More surprising was the noble steed beneath him—not an ordinary horse.

Raising his iron spear, he pointed it accusingly.

“Your horse is impressive, but be sensible—hand over your steed, surrender with your troops, and I might spare your life!”

Cao Peng met Yan Liang’s arrogant gaze, clearly seeing that the man did not take him seriously at all.

“Heh.”

Cao Peng took out a Tiger-Leopard Body Refining Golden Pill and placed it in his mouth.

He chose this moment to ingest it, hoping to harness the overwhelming pressure of the battlefield to fully absorb its power.

Having already taken two, which had allowed him to block Guan Yu’s ultimate moves with his Divine Demon Peerless Halberd Technique, now with the third pill, facing a Yan Liang, he was confident of a swift kill.