Chapter 998: Taking Daiding Prefecture
Chapter 998: Taking Daiding Prefecture
September 25, 2017
Within the Governor's Mansion of Shanggu County, a radiant light flashed, and Zhang Yan appeared with Zhang Yan and Zhou Cang's figures in the original location.
The sudden shift in space left Zhang Yan and Zhou Cang in awe, but at this moment, Zhang Yan had no time to pay them any attention.
As they landed, Zhang Yan's demeanor changed, and she returned to the same person they had seen the first time.
Zhang Yan wore a smug smile and said, "The Heavenly Balance Scripture is indeed powerful. Thank you. Now, you can return to where you should be."
As she spoke, she closed her eyes, as if operating something, but her smile lasted only briefly before her expression changed.
"What's going on? Why isn't it working?"
'Zhang Yan' was shocked to discover that she couldn't control Zhang Yan at all and couldn't send her back to where she came from.
"Didn't Zhang Jiao give you the item and tell you that once I'm released, you won't be able to take me back?"
Zhang Yan's demeanor shifted, and she regained her original elegant and ethereal aura.
Immediately, the Heavenly Balance Scripture in Zhang Yan's hand flashed with a stream of light, and faintly, a cry of agony could be heard.
"What are you doing? Don't be reckless. If you kill me, your master won't let you off!"
A voice, sweet and carrying a hint of sacredness, emanated from Zhang Yan's body.
Upon hearing this voice, Zhou Cang showed no reaction, but Zhang Yan's face changed instantly. He recognized the voice as belonging to one of Zhang Jiao's direct disciples, the Yellow Turban Saintess from Julu.
Hearing the voice and her words, Zhang Yan immediately realized that this matter was far from simple and might even involve Zhang Jiao. But wasn't Zhang Jiao already dead?
At this moment, Zhang Yan's mind was in a jumble, unsure of what to do.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yan didn't hesitate. She flipped the book and shone it on herself, and a slender phantom flashed and disappeared outside her body.
It was clear that Zhang Yan had successfully expelled the intruder from her body.
After dealing with the issue, Zhang Yan turned to look at Zhang Yan, about to say something, but at that moment, she seemed to sense something. Her eyebrows rose, and with a wave of the Heavenly Balance Scripture, she left the spot.
Zhang Yan and Zhou Cang were left dumbfounded, not understanding what had just happened from start to finish.
As they stood in a daze, footsteps suddenly echoed within the Governor's Mansion, and a young man strode in. Upon seeing the youth, Zhang Yan paused slightly, feeling a vague sense of familiarity but unable to place who he was.
...
After Zhang Yan's departure, Zhang Man Cheng and the others had no idea what had transpired on her side.
In fact, even Zhang Man Cheng's side was unaware that Zhang Yan had fled. At this moment, they were focused on capturing Yang Yuan City.
By the time the news of Zhang Yan's escape reached Yang Yuan City, Zhang Man Cheng had almost completely occupied it.
The capture of Yang Yuan City didn't require much effort from Zhang Man Cheng. With Zhang Yan and her forces voluntarily abandoning the city, the final mopping-up operation was exceptionally easy.
After Zhang Yan's departure, there was hardly any resistance throughout the battle.
The only somewhat formidable resistance came when one of Zhang Yan's four 90-strength generals, Tie Chui, tried to escape but was intercepted by Pan Feng. A fierce battle ensued between the two.
After several dozen rounds, Tie Chui couldn't withstand Pan Feng's giant axe and was ultimately captured with ease.
Aside from this battle, there was virtually no other resistance.
Zhang Yan's so-called ten-thousand-strong army, without Zhang Yan as their pillar, scattered in all directions, leaving Yang Yuan City to Zhang Man Cheng.
The effortless capture of Yang Yuan City was indeed a welcome development, but one of the battle's heroes, Guo Jia, who had been the strategist behind the scenes throughout, couldn't bring himself to feel happy.
On the one hand, his original plan was to capture Zhang Yan and end the campaign in Youzhou with a single battle, but in the end, Zhang Yan managed to escape at the crucial moment.
Zhang Yan's escape was a significant setback for Guo Jia. With her gone, sixty percent of his battle achievements were lost. What could have been a decisive victory, capturing Zhang Yan and ending the conflict, was now reduced to merely capturing Daiding Prefecture.
Although this achievement was already impressive for a novice like him, and Lu Hai Kong's task was only to capture Daiding Prefecture, Guo Jia couldn't be satisfied with this outcome. He knew he could have done better.
However, despite his dissatisfaction, Guo Jia didn't let his emotions get the better of him.
After receiving the news of Zhang Yan's escape, instead of immediately ordering Warlord Zhang Man Cheng to pursue her, he assisted Zhang Man Cheng in stabilizing the situation in Daiding Prefecture.
The enemy had set up three defensive points in this region, forming a single defensive line. They had only captured Yangyuan City, and two more strongholds remained to be taken.
Of course, with the main stronghold of Yangyuan City under their control, the remaining two would be easy targets. However, the forces they had brought were limited, and after capturing these two additional strongholds, they had no extra troops to spare. They needed time to recuperate and wait for reinforcements.
...
The intelligence from the battle at Yangyuan City was swiftly disseminated in all directions.
The first to receive the battle report was Lu Hai Kong, who was not far from Yangyuan City.
Lu Hai Kong's eyes narrowed as he read the report, especially when he reached the part where Dian Wei described Zhang Yan's departure. His eyes grew even more intense.
It was obvious that something was amiss. Recalling the recent changes in Zhang Yan's forces and his past interactions with her, Lu Hai Kong had reason to believe that something significant had occurred within her faction.
Regardless of what had happened within that faction, under normal circumstances, it was of little importance to Lu Hai Kong. What mattered was that they had foolishly joined forces with Dong Zhuo to oppose him. This alone gave Lu Hai Kong sufficient reason to eliminate them.
However, Lu Hai Kong had a vague understanding of Zhang Yan's strength, especially after she obtained the Heavenly Balance Scripture, which had led to a rapid increase in her power over the past few years. He wasn't entirely sure of her current capabilities, but he was certain that she would be a formidable opponent.
...
If someone were to defeat Zhang Yan at this moment, the identity of the mastermind behind it would be intriguing, and it might even be Zhang Jiao.
But Lu Hai Kong quickly dismissed this thought. He was well aware of the system's strict control over someone like Zhang Jiao. If Zhang Jiao were to make a move against Zhang Yan, it would likely result in a heavenly punishment.
If it wasn't Zhang Jiao, then who could it be? This puzzled Lu Hai Kong.
"It seems this play is getting more and more interesting. But whoever is involved, since they've chosen to stand against me, they should be prepared for annihilation."
As he spoke, Lu Hai Kong casually tossed the battle report aside.
...
In the Governor's Mansion of Bohai County, Jizhou, Baron Yuan was in a good mood these days.
Everything had been going perfectly, and the encirclement of the Three Heroes had been successfully formed. For him, to see Lu Hai Kong, who had been a burden, in such a miserable state, was a delightful feeling.
However, this delightful mood didn't last long. The battle report from Yangyuan City soon arrived, shattering Baron Yuan's good mood.
Baron Yuan was aware that Lu Hai Kong intended to attack Zhang Yan, but he didn't think Lu Hai Kong could create much trouble at this time. Like Zhang Yan, Lu Hai Kong's current situation didn't allow him to spare additional troops.
Under these circumstances, Baron Yuan didn't believe Lu Hai Kong could do much to Zhang Yan.
To his surprise, in just one day, Zhang Yan was defeated, and the entire Daiding Prefecture fell into Lu Hai Kong's hands.
Upon reading this intelligence, Baron Yuan was utterly shocked.
"Damn it! Although I didn't have high hopes for those guys, I didn't expect them to be so unreliable, not even lasting a single day!"
Baron Yuan was about to tear up the report in anger, but as he was about to do so, he noticed something at the back of the report.
"Wait, what's this? In the battle of Yangyuan, Lu Hai Kong deployed Zhang Man Cheng, Dian Wei, Pan Feng, and Gao Shun? Has Lu Hai Kong gone mad?"
Baron Yuan froze for a moment, then a smile appeared on his lips.
"Madness! This is perfect madness! Since he's sent a large number of his elite troops here, I want to see how he'll fare against Dong Zhuo's army without them!"
As someone deeply involved with Dong Zhuo, Baron Yuan was well aware of the nature of the army Dong Zhuo had dispatched.
With Lu Hai Kong's elite troops occupied elsewhere, he was certain that Lu Hai Kong would suffer a significant defeat against such an army.
Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo's 200,000-strong army was approaching Shangzhou County, and within a few days at most, a major battle would commence.
Many were watching to see how Lu Hai Kong would respond to this massive army with his elite troops all in Youzhou...
(End of Chapter)
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