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Chapter 633: A Battle Beyond Comprehension
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 06:43:10 +0000 UTC"Is he sending his troops to die?" Chen Xi asked in confusion.
"Fish Scale Formation—are they planning a head-on clash?" Guo Jia was equally puzzled. However, unlike military generals who might rush headlong into a fight without thinking, Guo Jia furrowed his brows as soon as the enemy changed their formation.
"Something unusual is always hiding something sinister," Chen Xi said with a sneer. "They really think they can bait us with such a minor trick?"
"Do you know what they're trying to do?" Guo Jia asked in surprise.
"Of course I don't! If I did, would I need to guess?" Chen Xi rolled his eyes. He, too, was curious about what the opposing commander was trying to accomplish. From what they had observed so far, the enemy's troop command was quite capable.
"You'd better be cautious. I have a bad feeling about this. The opposing commander has shown excellent skills so far. You wouldn’t want to get outplayed and end up boosting his reputation," Guo Jia said after carefully observing the battlefield for a while.
"A head-on clash with a Fish Scale Formation... He really has no retreat and can only dive deeper into battle. Does he truly have that much confidence?" Chen Xi frowned.
Seeing that Guo Jia remained silent, Chen Xi recalled an old saying, "The most important aspect of war is to prevent your opponent from achieving what they want before you accomplish your own objectives." With that thought, Chen Xi felt more certain about his next steps.
Having settled his thoughts, Chen Xi wasted no more time. "If they want a head-on clash, I won't give it to them! I want to see what the opposing commander is really planning."
"That’s a more prudent strategy, though it doesn’t quite seem like your usual style," Guo Jia nodded in agreement.
"Send orders to the front line. Form square formations for defense and suppression. Do not let the enemy breach our ranks. Slowly press them to death!" Chen Xi ordered the messenger.
Very quickly, Liu Bei's army stopped engaging Yuan Shao's troops in a direct confrontation and began forming square formations. They grouped together, advancing towards Yuan Shao's forces in an almost perfectly synchronized manner.
In an instant, the offensive and defensive positions of the two armies reversed. While Liu Bei's forces had initially been suppressing Yuan Shao's army, they were now being pushed back by Yuan Shao's more aggressive assault.
However, upon closer observation, it was clear that while Yuan Shao's forces surged forward like raging waves, Liu Bei's army stood as firmly as a cliff in the ocean. No matter how the waves crashed, they shattered against the cliffs, which stood tall and unyielding.
Jiang Qi, observing the situation, realized he had been too hasty. Had he waited to minimize casualties, Yuan Shao's forces and Liu Bei's army would have been locked in a stalemate. Once his secret weapon was deployed, it would have been difficult for Liu Bei's troops to retreat.
"I wasn’t ruthless enough. I shouldn’t have rushed to form the Fish Scale Formation. I thought the enemy would eagerly bite, but instead, they switched to defense, slowly pressuring my troops. Is the opposing commander mad? I haven’t even revealed my full threat, and they already refuse to attack!" Jiang Qi muttered, half blaming himself for his impatience and half wondering if the enemy commander had lost his mind.
After all, Yuan Shao's forces were clearly inferior to Liu Bei's in terms of overall performance. Yuan Shao's initial goal had been to delay, while Liu Bei's army should have sought a quick victory. But now, the situation had flipped, with Yuan Shao's army launching a strong offensive and Liu Bei's troops on the defensive.
"It looks perfectly fine, doesn’t it? Could they be stalling on purpose to provoke my suspicion?" Chen Xi frowned, voicing his concern.
"No idea," Guo Jia replied with a bitter smile. The current battle was becoming increasingly hard to understand.
"Whatever. Whether or not they have some hidden trump card, I’ll crush them first! No matter what tricks they have, this time I’ll smash them to pieces. I want to see what else they’ve got up their sleeve!" Chen Xi said coldly. "Send word to my commanders: deploy Zhao Yun’s left and right divisions, Guan Yu’s saber troops, and Xu Chu’s Tiger Guards. Launch a full assault and break them!"
Meanwhile, the fierce battle between Guan Yu and Yan Liang had been a stalemate, with neither able to gain the upper hand. Both were content with just trying to wear the other down, killing if possible, but primarily aiming to stall. After the peak of their battle, they began paying more attention to their respective army’s situation.
When Liu Bei’s forces pushed into Yuan Shao's camp, Yan Liang desperately fought to hold Guan Yu in place, fearing that Guan Yu’s return would boost Liu Bei's army’s morale. Similarly, when Jiang Qi drove Liu Bei's troops out, Guan Yu slashed at Yan Liang with all his might, not wanting him to stabilize Yuan Shao's defensive lines.
Thus, both Guan Yu and Yan Liang continued exchanging powerful strikes with their large blades, while also keeping an eye on the overall situation. Through this, they both gained a better understanding of the opposing armies.
It wasn't until Xu Chu smashed through the camp walls with three powerful strikes that Yan Liang cursed under his breath. He immediately tried to rush back to rally his troops for a counterattack, but Guan Yu wasn't about to let him go. The two clashed again, blade against blade. However, as Yuan Shao's army regained some ground, Yan Liang's anxiety eased.
Not long after, Xu Chu arrived, shouting from a distance, "General, Commander Chen orders you to return to the main force!"
With a final, powerful strike that forced Yan Liang back, Guan Yu turned his horse and departed, completely unconcerned about Yan Liang retaliating.
Sure enough, Yan Liang, seeing Guan Yu retreat, didn’t make any attempt to attack. Xu Chu stood nearby, and while he wasn’t planning to ambush him, Yan Liang knew that if he tried anything, Xu Chu wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate.
As Guan Yu and Xu Chu left together, Yan Liang hesitated for a moment before also retreating. After Yan Liang had moved far enough away, Xu Chu turned to Guan Yu with a look of admiration and gave him a thumbs-up.
"General, you are truly formidable," Xu Chu said, his face full of respect.
Guan Yu remained silent. To be more accurate, he had no idea what Xu Chu was even talking about.
"The way you turned around earlier was incredibly commanding," Xu Chu said, sounding deeply impressed. "That level of confidence was astonishing."
Guan Yu didn’t reply, maintaining his usual stern and dignified expression, but cold sweat had already soaked through his inner armor.
When Guan Yu had seen Xu Chu approaching earlier, he hadn’t thought twice before turning to leave. Now that he thought about it, Xu Chu didn’t have the internal energy to handle someone like Yan Liang. If Xu Chu tried fighting Yan Liang without internal energy, he’d better train until he reached Dian Wei’s level first!
On the other side, Yan Liang had also come to his senses, letting out a long sigh. "Guan Yun Chang truly is a hero of this era!" he exclaimed before putting the matter aside and returning to his forces to await Jiang Qi's orders.
"It’s nothing," Guan Yu said, his face still cold and aloof. In truth, Guan Yu’s stoic expression never changed, and Xu Chu had never even considered that Guan Yu’s actions had been purely instinctive, without any deeper thought.
"Commander Chen has ordered us all to lead our personal troops and prepare. I’ll lead the charge, you’ll break the enemy ranks, and Zilong will crush their morale," Xu Chu said, his tone becoming serious as he shifted to discussing the battle plan.
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