Chapter Thirty-Two: Dare to Gamble?

  Although Yan Liang had recently acquired the seven counties of Xin Ye and possessed over 10,000 troops, several thousand of the newly recruited Jingzhou surrendered soldiers were not yet loyal and could not form an effective fighting force. In battles against Cao's army, he still relied on his original 5,000 infantry and cavalry.

  If he were to fight alone against Cao Jun, Yan Liang would have nothing to fear, and his 5,000 infantry and cavalry would be enough to secure victory.

  The key is that behind Yan Liang there was also Liu Biao with an army of 100,000.

  If he were to lead a large army north to resist Cao, and Liu Biao suddenly betrayed him, taking advantage of the situation to send troops north to retake Xinye, would he not fall into a desperate situation with enemies on all sides.

  To prevent Liu Biao from causing trouble, Yan Liang must have left enough elite soldiers and horses to guard Xin Ye, so the forces available to deal with Cao Hong will be extremely limited. Moreover, there is also Cai Yang who came from Runan, who cannot be underestimated.

  Xu You was clever and quickly understood Yan Liang's intention.

  "It seems that our situation is indeed unfavorable, this battle is not easy to fight." Xu You's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, as if his confidence was somewhat insufficient.

  The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became a bit heavy.

  Suddenly, Yan Liang burst out laughing loudly and wildly.

  Xu You was taken aback, a look of suspicion flashing across his face, but he couldn't understand how Yan Liang could still manage to smile in such an unfavorable situation.

  "Cao Hong has arrived, I was worried he wouldn't come. Everyone says my situation is unfavorable, but I want to fight a victorious battle for them to see, so they can know the ferocity of Yan Liang!"

  Yan Liang's tone was heroic and his knife-like face was filled with determination, exuding strong self-confidence from head to toe.

  Such confident momentum deeply infected Xu You, causing his tightly furrowed brow to gradually relax, and a look of admiration for Yan Liang to flow out between his eyebrows.

  No hesitation, no delay, Tian Yanliang decided on a grand plan to defend XinYe that very day.

  To guard against Liu Biao, Yan Liang left behind Xu You and Zhou Cang, leading nearly 7,000 soldiers to defend Xinye, and ordered Liu Bi to lead an army of 1,000 to advance and garrison in Huayang City east of Xinye, holding out without fighting, resisting the troops from Runan led by Cai Yang.

  Yan Liang himself led Wen Ping, leading two thousand elite infantry and cavalry, going north to battle Cao Hong's army of four thousand.

  The next day dawned.

  Huang Yueying got up very early, or rather she had a sleepless night, and what lingered in her mind was the thrilling scene of lying in Yan Liang's arms, killing wildly.

  She always felt that her daughter's family was thinking of such things, and it was a bit indecent. She tried to restrain herself from thinking about it several times, but she found that all her efforts were in vain.

  Her mind was as tangled as a ball of twine, so she got up early and decided to ask for leave from Yan Liang, the better to get away from this rough and boorish warrior who disturbed her peace.

  When she pushed open the door, she was surprised to find that the entire Taishou Mansion had been heavily guarded, as if preparing for a great enemy.

  The sound of footsteps echoed, and Yan Liang, clad in silver armor and red robes, strode forth with an air of heroic grandeur.

  Huang Yueying's heart suddenly became nervous again, but she made a great effort to appear calm and composed.

  "Huang Niang started so early, I wonder if she slept well last night?" Yan Liang smiled slightly.

  Huang Yueying's haggard expression clearly showed that she was not well-rested, but she forced a faint smile and said, "The general has taken good care of me, I have rested very well. I'm afraid my father will worry, so I was thinking of finding the general to bid farewell."

  Yan Liang nodded and said: "Ben Jiang is also going to lead the army out of the city, so I'll send you off for a while."

  As soon as Yan Liang said he wanted to lead his troops out of the city, seemingly preparing for battle, Huang Yueying's heart suddenly filled with suspicion.

  The Huang family is a prominent clan in Jingzhou, with a well-informed network. The news of Liu Biao's alliance with Yan Liang had already reached Huang Yueying by last night.

  Now Yan Liang is about to lead the army out again, Huang Yueying is guessing in her heart, could it be that the alliance has changed and Liu and Yan are going to start a war again? If so, won't Jingzhou have to go through the suffering of war again.

  With a suspicious heart, Huang Yueying left Taishou's mansion, mounted her horse and rode alongside Yan Liang.

  "Does the general plan to fight with someone this time he leaves the city?" Huang Yueying finally couldn't help but ask, her curiosity getting the better of her.

  "It's nothing much, just Cao Hong leading his army from Wan city southward, and Yan certain wants to go and get rid of him."

  Yan Liang's tone was light and casual, without a hint of urgency, as if he didn't take Cao Hong seriously at all.

  That calm and composed demeanor made Huang Yueying feel somewhat unbelievable.

  "Cao Hong is in front, and Liu's 100,000-strong army is behind, eyeing us like a tiger. The general's situation looks very unfavorable, but the general seems not to worry at all." Huang Yueying's tone seemed to be subtly ridiculing Yan Liang for pretending to be calm.

  Yan Liang's heart skipped a beat when he heard her words.

  Huang Yueying's judgment of her own situation is so clear, and her insight is indeed extraordinary.

  "She's really an unusual woman, interesting..."

  Yan Liang secretly admired her, but on the surface, he remained calm and said, "It seems that Miss Huang doesn't think much of me. In your opinion, how should I resolve this predicament?"

  Yan Liang had a plan in mind and wouldn't really ask for advice from a mere woman, he just wanted to see how much insight Huang Yueying actually had.

  "The lady dare not speak rashly, she only fears that General will be blamed." Huang Yueying modestly declined again.

  Yan Liang smiled and said: "Miss underestimates Yan Liang's capacity, but it doesn't matter."

  Huang Yueying pondered for a moment, then said: "General, your troops are weak and few. If you leave too few soldiers in Xinye, they will not be enough to defend against the siege of Xiangyang. If you leave more soldiers, however, they will still not be enough to resist Cao's army. In my humble opinion, this predicament has no solution."

  Judging from common sense, Huang Yueying's analysis is also reasonable. She can analyze to this extent, which is not easy.

  She didn't know yet that this man in front of her liked doing things beyond reason.

  "According to what you said, no matter how hard Yan Certain struggles, it's all a dead end." Yan Liang sighed.

  Huang Yueying remained silent, though she hadn't explicitly stated it, her implicit meaning was already clear.

  Yan Liang coughed lightly and said faintly, "Miss's judgment is too pessimistic. Can't I just guard Xinye with the main force of troops and then use a small force to defeat Cao Jun's southern invasion?"

  "Cao Hong is a veteran general of the Cao family, and General thinks that using the weak to defeat the strong might not be too easy." Huang Yueying's mouth curled up with a skeptical smile.

  Yan Liang sneered, "Does the young lady look down on me too much? Even if Cao Hong is strong, can he be stronger than Cao Ren? Doesn't the young lady know that I defeated Cao Ren in Runan?"

  "This time and that time are different, the people thought that General could defeat Cao Ren in Runan, more than half of it was because Cao Ren underestimated the enemy. Now that General's prestige is renowned, Cao Hong will certainly not dare to underestimate the enemy again. The general wants to use the old trick again, but I'm afraid it will be even more difficult."

  At this point, Huang Yueying's attitude was very clear, she firmly believed that Yan Liang would definitely lose.

  Yan Liang had to admit that her words were indeed reasonable. The victory of Ru Nan was due in part to his own clever tactics, and Cao Ren's underestimation of the enemy could not be denied.

  But can the outcome of victory and defeat be decided just by her paper talk?

  Yan Liang smiled and said: "Miss's insight is really admirable, I wonder if Miss dare to make a bet with me."

  "Make a bet? Bet on what?" Huang Yueying was momentarily bewildered.

  "As for this crisis in Xin Ye, can Yan certain smoothly get through it?" Yan Liang uses his old trick again, and is setting up a trap for Huang Yueying.

  Anyone with talent must have a certain degree of self-confidence, and Huang Yueying is no exception, despite being a woman.

  Seeing Yan Liang dare to challenge her judgment, she took a deep breath and said: "If the general has this interest, the commoner will certainly accompany him, but I don't know what the general wants to use as a bet?"

  A faint, imperceptible smile flitted across Yan Liang's mouth.

  He gazed at Huang Yueying's elegant face, saying slowly: "If Yan Mou loses, I'm afraid his life will be forfeited, let's make it a bet. But if the young lady loses, she'll have to marry me, Yan Liang. Does the young lady dare to take the gamble?"

  As soon as she heard this, Huang Yueying's heart was greatly shocked, and her normally calm and pretty face suddenly turned bright red to the roots of her ears.