Chapter 65: I, one of the majestic Eight Steeds, am being played with like this by a mere country bumpkin? Rather than killing him, it is better to put his uselessness to good use!

"What did you say? Say it again!"

Liu Biao leaped down from his horse, rushed up to Wen Pin, and roared almost at the top of his lungs.

This time he was truly shocked, his composure completely shattered, losing the unshakeable dignity expected of a lord.

With a heavy sigh, Wen Pin had no choice but to recount the full sequence of events behind the disastrous defeat at Rang County.

Liu Biao's last shred of wishful thinking vanished into thin air.

He staggered back half a step, his figure frozen in a momentary trance of sheer disbelief.

Beside him, Kuai Yue and Cai Mao both turned pale with fright, their faces twisting as if they had seen a ghost.

Neither of them had expected that Wei Yan would simply abandon Rang County and flee.

What shocked them even more was that Wei Yan's abandonment of the city was actually a ruse to lure the enemy in!

He had done so only to turn back and launch a counterattack, burning Rang County to the ground and leaving not a single piece of armor behind for Zhang Yun!

This outcome exceeded everyone's expectations, plunging them into a daze of profound shock, temporarily unable to accept such a stunning reality.

"No!"

"How could the enemy forces possibly burn down the entire city of Rang with mere fire arrows?"

Cai Mao was, after all, the head of the Jingzhou military, and he still possessed the most basic common sense, instantly spotting the flaw in Wen Pin's account.

Wen Pin had no reply to offer.

For this was precisely what had puzzled him, and all the way from Rang County to this place, he had failed to figure it out.

"Wen Zhongye, you just said this was the scheme of that Xiao Fang?"

"How can you be certain that Xiao Fang was among the enemy forces in Rang County?"

Recovering from his shock, Kuai Yue suddenly stepped forward and demanded sharply.

Wen Pin then faithfully recounted how, during his skirmish with Wei Yan, the latter had mentioned Xiao Fang.

Kuai Yue rolled his eyes a few times, then suddenly trembled.

After a long sigh, he murmured:

"So he was actually in Rang County all along. No wonder he could pull off such a treacherous scheme! This man is truly cunning and resourceful, with an endless stream of wicked tricks!"

Cai Mao was stunned and hastily asked:

"Yidu, what on earth did that country bumpkin do to burn down the entire city?"

Taking a deep breath, Kuai Yue was reluctant yet forced to deduce the truth of the matter:

"Judging by this, he must have anticipated that the force led by Zhang Ziying was merely a bait detachment, and resolved to use their own strategy against them to crush them in one fell swoop."

"That is why he went to Rang County, ordering Wei Yan to abandon the city and flee. Before retreating, he must have hidden flammable materials such as tung oil and firewood all over the roofs of the houses within the city."

"In this way, once the enemy outside the city shot their fire arrows, every single house in the city would be ignited, causing the entire blaze to engulf the settlement."

"This man is truly..."

Having revealed the truth, Kuai Yue momentarily did not know how to continue.

After all, the person whose strategy Xiao Fang had seen through was none other than himself.

"This Xiao Fang is indeed full of miraculous plans and unfathomable depth!"

"I never imagined that such an extraordinary talent was hidden within our Jingxiang region..."

Awakened to the reality, the straightforward Wen Pin voiced his astonishment without reservation.

This heartfelt and unthinking exclamation struck Kuai Yue's heart like a sharp needle.

The so-called premier strategist of Jingxiang had failed once again, losing to a mere impoverished scholar from the countryside!

Even though he fancied himself a refined scholar of great poise, how could he possibly remain calm any longer, and how could he not feel a surge of humiliation and anger?

Wen Pin's casual praise of Xiao Fang sounded to him now like a deliberate mockery, as if implying that he was inferior to a country bumpkin and unworthy of being the top strategist of Jingxiang.

"What miraculous plans and unfathomable depth? They are nothing more than insidious and despicable dirty tricks!"

"Wen Zhongye, you marched over ten thousand of the lord's troops straight into that country bumpkin's trap, and yet you still find it in yourself to praise that fellow surnamed Xiao. What on earth are your intentions?"

Cai Mao, beside himself with fury, turned on Wen Pin with dissatisfied accusations.

Left speechless by the verbal assault, Wen Pin twitched the corners of his mouth, utterly at a loss for how to retort.

Seeing this, Kuai Yue rolled his eyes slightly and let out a sigh laden with subtle reprimand.

"That Xiao Fang is indeed treacherous, but in this battle at Rang County, had I been present, I would never have allowed you to enter the city so easily."

"Wen Zhongye, since you knew Wei Yan was abandoning the city to flee, you should have foreseen that there must be deceit afoot. Why did you enter the city on your own accord without seeking the lord's permission, thereby walking right into Xiao Fang's trap?"

In just a few sentences, Kuai Yue smoothly shifted the responsibility for the crushing defeat away from his own flawed strategy and onto Wen Pin and the others for acting on their own initiative.

Meanwhile, Liu Biao, still immersed in shock and disbelief, had already harbored hidden resentment toward Kuai Yue in his heart.

Hearing Kuai Yue's words, Liu Biao abruptly raised his head and glared fiercely at Wen Pin:

"Degui makes complete sense. Why did you not report this to me and instead willfully take it upon yourself to occupy Rang County?"

With a helpless expression on his face, Wen Pin could only smile bitterly and explain:

"At the time, this subordinate sensed something amiss with the enemy forces and advised General Zhang to camp outside the city, seeking the lord's permission before entering."

"Unfortunately, General Zhang was eager for military glory and ignored my advice, insisting on entering the city first."

"As the deputy commander, I had no choice but to follow orders."

Liu Biao was stunned.

It was only then that he remembered his own nephew was the primary commander, while Wen Pin was merely the deputy.

If anyone was to be blamed, it was his own incompetent nephew; how could he shift the blame onto Wen Pin?

Finding it inappropriate to chide Wen Pin further, Liu Biao wanted to turn his anger upon his embroidered-pillow of a nephew instead.

"Where is Ziying? Where is Ziying?"

Only now did Liu Biao notice that Zhang Yun had not returned alongside Wen Pin to report on the outcome.

"General Zhang, he..."

Hesitating and stopping short, Wen Pin did not know how to reply.

Sensing a premonition of disaster, Liu Biao widened his eyes and demanded urgently:

"Where is Ziying? What has happened to him? Speak quickly!"

Paper cannot wrap up a fire; the truth could no longer be concealed.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Pin had no alternative but to quietly reveal the grim news that Zhang Yun had failed to break through the encirclement and had been captured by Liu Bei's forces.

It felt like a thunderclap exploding directly overhead.

Liu Biao felt his head buzzing, a wave of dizziness instantly clouding his vision, and he staggered back a few paces, barely able to keep his footing.

"My lord!"

Crying out in alarm, Cai Mao and the others rushed forward together to steady Liu Biao.

The dignified Governor of Jingzhou, a distinguished scion of the Han imperial lineage, was being repeatedly defeated in battle by Liu Bei, a mere grassroots member of the same clan wielding forces from barely half a commandery.

First he had lost his brother-in-law, and now even his own nephew had been swallowed up by the disaster!

Liu Biao's psychological defenses completely crumbled.

Even with his reputation as one of the Eight Jun, styling himself as a refined and elegant literati whose expression would not change even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, how could his state of mind not shatter entirely at this moment?

"Xiao Fang!"

"It is the insidious scheme of that country bumpkin that first killed my third brother, and now has claimed the life of the lord's nephew!"

"If Liu Bei did not have this scoundrel plotting for him, how could he repeatedly humiliate us?"

Furious to the point of roaring, Cai Mao cupped his hands toward Liu Biao:

"My lord, our Jingzhou boasts a hundred thousand armored soldiers; what does it matter if we have lost this ten thousand and odd troops?"

"Mao begs the lord to issue the command so that we may immediately lead our forces north, straight to Yuyang to fight a decisive battle against that big-eared thief!"

"Mao will surely trample Yuyang to the ground, personally execute Liu Bei and that Jingzhou traitor Xiao Fang, and avenge Deshun and Ziying!"

This passionate outburst completely detonated Liu Biao's fury.

Shoving the others aside, he unsteadily straightened his back, the scholarly ease on his face completely twisted into extreme rage.

"Zhuge Xuan, you truly have found a fine son-in-law!"

"Good, good, very good, exceptionally good!"

"Do not blame me for casting aside past friendship; I shall exterminate both Xiao Fang and your entire Zhuge clan!"

Driven to absolute fury, Liu Biao drew his sword and pointed it toward the north:

"Pass down the order: the entire army marches north, straight for Yuyang!"

"In this battle, if I do not slay Liu Bei and Xiao Fang, I swear I shall not withdraw my troops!"

...

Inside the prefectural office in Yuyang City.

Liu Bei had already prepared a banquet to welcome Xiao Fang back in triumph.

While Xiao Fang leisurely sipped fine wine, Zhuge Liang vividly recounted the entire process of how Xiao Fang had burned Rang County and decisively defeated Zhang Yun.

Within the official hall, gasps of admiration and astonishment echoed continuously.

"Burning Rang County—Jie Lue, this strategy of yours is truly a stroke of divine inspiration!"

"No wonder you predicted victory within five days; it turns out you had a wondrous plan long settled in your chest!"

Fully enlightened, Liu Bei could not help but slap the table in admiration, cheering repeatedly.

"Did you all see that? I told you long ago, just trust the strategist!"

Zhang Fei, chin tilted upward, proudly boasted to the crowd.

Zhang Xiu and the others were thoroughly convinced.

Then, recalling something else, Zhang Fei asked:

" Elder brother, didn't the strategist say they also captured that fellow Zhang Yun alive?"

"Why don't we just chop off his head and send it to Liu Biao? That might just scare that old codger to death on the spot!"

Liu Biao's smile subsided slightly.

Whether or not to execute Zhang Yun remained undecided, and furthermore, cutting off Zhang Yun's head to frighten Liu Biao was hardly his style.

Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Fang, who had remained silent until now, suddenly chimed in:

"It would be a waste to kill Zhang Yun. Better to put his uselessness to work and use him to break Liu Biao in one fell swoop!"