NO_NAME
patreon
Chapter 638: The Real Target
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 06:43:47 +0000 UTCA series of urgent drumbeats followed, and the ground trembled as if it was truly the sound of ten thousand horses galloping. Yuan Shao's reinforcements had finally appeared, not from the left flank where Chen Xi had been guarding against, but from the rear.
"They've finally arrived. I was getting impatient. I prepared so many strong crossbows and ballistae, and now, at last, Yuan Shao's Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry has shown up! We took such a big risk, almost lost the battle, but we've finally hooked the fish we wanted!" Guo Jia slowly stood up and said.
The reason Chen Xi insisted on attacking Tian Feng's main camp was not out of anger. To be honest, if it was merely for revenge against Zhang He, after analyzing that Tian Feng had left and Yan Liang was holding the fort, Chen Xi would never have launched such a bold assault.
Even if he wanted to get revenge, Chen Xi would have waited for Tian Feng to return and relax his guard before launching a night attack, rather than leading a direct confrontation with Yuan Shao's army. Chen Xi wasn't that reckless.
In fact, when Chen Xi first mentioned attacking Yuan Shao's forces, it was more of an impulsive remark, made in the heat of the moment. However, Guo Jia believed that they had to launch a full-scale assault on Yuan Shao, with reasons so compelling that even Chen Xi had to agree, leading to their decision to face Yuan Shao's forces head-on.
"Yes, they've finally arrived. If they hadn't shown up, this battle would have been fought in vain," Chen Xi said with a smile. From the beginning, their target wasn't the soldiers in Tian Feng's camp, nor was it Yuan Tan, Yan Liang, or Jiang Qi. Their real target was Zhang He, specifically Zhang He's elite Wolf Cavalry.
After Lü Bu's departure, Guo Jia, with his keen understanding of human nature, quickly grasped Lü Bu's intentions. That's why Guo Jia had only made passing remarks about teaching Lü Bu a lesson if given the chance, rather than talking about killing him.
Guo Jia had already understood that Lü Bu would eventually abandon Yanzhou as a gift, and it would be handed over to them. Therefore, the logical next step was to drive Yuan Shao out of Yanzhou to pave the way for their future actions.
The greatest threat in taking Yanzhou would undoubtedly be Yuan Shao. Even if Xun Yu, who was currently in Chenliu, learned of this, he could only watch silently. No matter how wise he was, without the corresponding strength to back up his strategies, Yanzhou would ultimately be divided between Liu Bei and Yuan Shao.
Since that was the case, there was nothing more to say. Before Yuan Shao could react, they had to strike hard, making Yuan Shao dizzy with defeat. By the time he realized what was happening, Liu Bei would have already devoured most of the territory. Of course, this was the ideal scenario. It was unlikely they would be able to take everything. For future considerations, Chen Gong would likely inform Yuan Shao's forces after a few days, allowing them to reclaim some of Yanzhou's land.
If there was one significant advantage Yuan Shao had over Liu Bei, it was the number of cavalry under his command. Even if they were delayed by a few days, with Zhang He's large cavalry force stationed in Yanzhou, their faster speed compared to infantry would allow them to seize a significant portion of the land from Chen Xi and Guo Jia.
With this in mind, after determining that the ambush on Zhao Yun was carried out by Yuan Shao's cavalry, Guo Jia decided to use their own army as bait to lure out Yuan Shao's hidden cavalry in Yanzhou. Only by eliminating this threat could they secure a decisive advantage in the upcoming actions.
As the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes." First, Jiang Qi's command abilities exceeded expectations, and then the special weaponry meant to counter the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was used against Liu Bei's forces. The battlefield became chaotic, and a single misstep could have led to defeat.
But no matter how chaotic it became, everything eventually fell back into place according to Guo Jia's plan. Zhang He had finally arrived. Though he had come from an unexpected direction, he had still shown up, and that was enough.
At that moment, under the puzzled gazes of Zhang He and Yan Liang, a large banner bearing the character "Guan" was raised from what had previously been the vanguard, now the central army. Chen Xi and Guo Jia, stationed in the center, were overjoyed. The reason they had allowed Chen Chi to command earlier was not only to train him but also to deceive the enemy.
As Zhang He appeared, the entire army shifted. The center of the formation was turned over to Guan Yu, with both flanks consisting of Guan Yu's personal cavalry. The Tiger Guard, who had been leading the charge, were now positioned at the rear of the new formation.
Chen Chi, who had been ordered to equip his forces with crossbows and ballistae in the rear, now found himself transformed into the central guard, following behind the new rear army, which had now become the front line—a force entirely composed of archers!
Unfortunately, Zhang He had approached from the wrong flank, making Zhao Yun's earlier maneuver to the left side redundant.
"Charge from both flanks! All archers in the front, target their soldiers!" Guan Yu, now commanding the central army, issued the new orders.
The reason the army was able to adjust positions without falling into disarray was that Guo Jia and Chen Xi had held back Guan Yu's cavalry and the archers in the rear. They had been waiting for this moment, and these three units were specifically prepared to deal with the cavalry!
Zhang He led his charge toward Liu Bei's forces, but before he could even close the distance, the archers in the rear unleashed a volley of arrows at his troops.
This was followed by a torrent of bolts from the powerful crossbows and ballistae. Chen Xi had brought all the equipment he could muster for this battle, deploying more than eight thousand crossbows for the first time in a single engagement!
Arrows rained down like a storm, and on the slippery ground, already wet from the earlier downpour, Zhang He's Wolf Cavalry was thrown into disarray.
At the same time, the cavalry units that had been lying in wait on both flanks charged out, their goal now clear: to cut Zhang He's forces in half and ensure that at least half of Yuan Shao's cavalry would be annihilated by Liu Bei's forces.
"Charge!" Zhang He roared as he led his men toward Liu Bei's army. The moment he saw the archers in the rear reveal their weapons, he knew that Yuan Shao's forces had fallen into a trap. The enemy's goal had never been to capture the camp—they had always intended to wipe out his cavalry!
"Kill!" Sima Ju and others led their cavalry in a fearless charge, determined to cut through Yuan Shao's army and split it in two, even if it meant their deaths.
The Wolf Cavalry moved at incredible speed, and instead of searching for weak points to exploit, they charged directly into Liu Bei's archers. With no close-combat weapons, Liu Bei's forces suffered heavy casualties. However, this battle also marked the beginning of the end for the first Wolf Cavalry that Yuan Shao had acquired from Bingzhou.
Previous Chapter | | Next Chapter
