Chapter 110: Two days later, Xuzhou was captured without a single drop of blood shed.

Liu Bei was furious and shouted sharply, "You scoundrel, you are courting death!"

"Fire!"

At Liu Bei's command, the archers and crossbowmen immediately popped their heads above the battlements, drawing their bows and aiming at Cao Peng's army.

Cao Peng would not give him the chance. He immediately reached for the Treasured Carved Bow strapped to his Red Hare horse. This bow was the very one that had belonged to Emperor Xian; after Cao Cao had taken it, he never returned it and eventually bestowed it upon Cao Peng. Having inherited the strength of Lu Bu, Cao Peng felt a divine force when he grasped the weapon.

He drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and let it fly.

The arrow whistled through the air with such ferocity that the soldiers on the city walls were too terrified to even attack. The shaft struck the wall directly behind Liu Bei, leaving a bleeding scratch across his face.

Cao Peng held up a finger and gestured toward him. He could have struck Liu Bei with that shot; had he not been considering the value of keeping Liu Bei alive to serve as a "leek" for future harvesting, he would have killed the long-eared thief right then and there.

Liu Bei, still in a state of shock, slowly regained his senses. He realized that Cao Peng had intentionally spared him. Yet, pretending not to notice, he crouched behind the battlements and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Fire!"

The soldiers atop Xuzhou finally loosed their arrows. However, Cao Peng remained calm. He raised his hand slightly, and the well-trained troops behind him immediately raised their black shields. There was only the clattering sound of arrows striking metal, as the volleys failed to inflict any substantial harm on Cao Peng’s forces.

"Retreat!"

A direct assault on Xuzhou was impossible; it would take too long and cause too many losses. Liu Bei had already sent messengers to contact Yuan Shao; if he remained deadlocked here and Yuan Shao decided to stab him in the back, he would be ruined.

Dian Wei rode up to Cao Peng and urged, "Let me lead the brothers in one more charge! We cannot retreat!"

Cao Peng patted his shoulder. "Rest assured, I have a plan."

During the withdrawal, Zhao Yun, riding his white horse, glanced back at Liu Bei atop the city walls. His impression of the man had hit rock bottom. It was truly a case of the reputation being far better than the reality. While the average soldier might not have understood the significance of Cao Peng’s shot, top-tier warriors like Zhao Yun and Dian Wei certainly did.

Cao Peng had deliberately spared Liu Bei's life, yet Liu Bei showed no gratitude, frantically ordering his men to keep attacking. Such a treacherous, ungrateful wretch, yet he spoke constantly of benevolence and morality. It was truly nauseating.

Like Zhao Yun, Guan Yu had also realized that Cao Peng’s shot was intentionally off-target. Although Guan Yu’s face was naturally crimson, he felt a slight heat of shame; he found his eldest brother’s act of returning evil for good truly disgraceful.

Zhang Fei, however, was a simple-minded brute who noticed nothing. He clapped and cheered, watching Cao Peng retreat under the barrage of arrows. He immediately grabbed his Serpent Spear, clamoring to charge out of the city to capture the enemy. Liu Bei stopped him at once. He was joking—managing to repel Cao Peng was a stroke of fortune; he dared not let Zhang Fei sally out to engage in open combat. That would be playing to his own weakness while attacking the enemy's strength.

On the other side, Cao Peng’s army moved beyond the range of Xuzhou’s archers. Following his orders, they encamped on the spot, encircling the city completely. Cao Peng further ordered Zhang Liao, Zang Ba, and Dian Wei to each take ten thousand men and station themselves in separate positions.

Cao Peng gave no further orders, which left everyone somewhat puzzled. There were only two logical paths: attack or retreat. By camping here, once the provisions ran out, even retreating would be difficult. Yet Cao Peng acted as if nothing were wrong. After lighting a campfire, he sat down with Zhao Yun, drinking wine and eating roasted skewers.

The beautiful maiden Gongsun Yue arrived as well. Once seated, she immediately spoke up for Cao Peng, voicing her indignation. "That Liu Bei is so shameless! Brother Cao Peng intentionally spared him, yet he returns evil for good!"

Cao Peng smiled. "Yue'er, do not be annoyed. I spared him today to give him a chance; next time, I will not be so lenient."

Compared to Liu Bei’s treachery, Cao Peng’s magnanimity made Zhao Yun think that perhaps even a true gentleman could be no better than this. "Anmin, you possess such a grand heart; I truly admire you!" As he spoke, Zhao Yun raised his wine bottle in a toast to Cao Peng. This was the Erguotou spirit exclusively brewed by Cao Peng, and even Zhao Yun, who rarely drank, found it irresistible. Cao Peng smiled and clinked his flask against the bottle.

Everything was understood without words. Zhao Yun joining him was a foregone conclusion; one could tell from their interactions that Zhao Yun addressed him by his courtesy name, meaning he had already accepted him as a brother in his heart. As for the long-eared thief, he had long since been cast aside in Zhao Yun’s mind.

"However, Anmin, I believe we should either harden our hearts and storm Xuzhou, or we should retreat first. Being stuck in this limbo is a grave taboo in warfare." Since he considered Cao Peng his brother, Zhao Yun spoke his mind.

Cao Peng laughed. "Zilong, do not worry. Wait two more days, and we shall take Xuzhou without spilling a drop of blood."

Zhao Yun was naturally skeptical. Xuzhou was a location easy to defend and difficult to attack. Back then, Cao Cao had battled repeatedly against Liu Bei and Lu Bu, expending immense effort before finally securing the city. For Cao Peng to claim he could take it in two days without a fight—no one would believe such a thing.

"Do not wear that look. Just set your heart at ease, keep your eyes open, and watch. I will let you witness a miracle in two days. Then you will know that following me was the best decision of your life."

Since Cao Peng had put it this way, Zhao Yun could say no more; he would wait and see. He was, after all, very curious to see if Cao Peng could really pull off such a feat.

Days passed one by one. During this time, Liu Bei even mocked Cao Peng, thinking him utterly foolish. By neither attacking nor retreating, and remaining camped around Xuzhou, the Cao army would surely collapse on its own once their provisions were exhausted. Of course, he was also deeply worried that Cao Peng might become desperate and launch a full-scale assault, which would undoubtedly result in a brutal battle.

Cao Peng’s claim that he would take Xuzhou without a fight in two days had also reached the ears of Dian Wei, Zhang Liao, and Zang Ba. Though the three held Cao Peng's tactical prowess in high regard, no matter how much they racked their brains, they could not imagine how he would achieve such a thing.

Everything remained unchanged until two days had passed, when they received Cao Peng’s order: launch the assault on Xuzhou!