Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 673 - 638

Soon after, a series of rapid drumbeats could be heard, and the ground itself seemed to tremble. The true thunder of thousands of horses charging was upon them, and it was not from the left wing that Chen Xi had been anticipating, but instead, the reinforcements for Yuan Shao’s Army appeared on the side guarded by the rear army.

"They’ve finally come. I’ve been so impatient waiting for them. I’ve prepared so many heavy ballistae, and now at last Yuan Shao’s Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry has arrived! I took such a great risk, nearly lost the battle, but finally I’ve caught the fish I wanted!" Guo Jia slowly stood up and said.

Previously, the reason Chen Xi insisted on targeting Tian Feng’s Stronghold was not out of a momentary impulse, and to be honest, if it were merely to retaliate against Zhang He’s previous actions, once he had deduced that Tian Feng had left, and Yan Liang was strictly defending, Chen Xi would definitely not have brazenly launched an attack.

Even if he wanted to return the favor of the past encounter, Chen Xi would have chosen to launch a night raid after Tian Feng had returned and let down his guard, rather than confronting Yuan Shao’s Army head-on with a large force like now. Chen Xi was not so foolish.

In fact, Chen Xi had blurted out in a moment of anger that they should beat Yuan Shao’s Army to let off steam. Clearly, this was a rash declaration, but Guo Jia genuinely believed that the entire army must go to fight Yuan Shao.

The reason for this was so compelling that even Chen Xi had to admit it was valid, and finally, he decisively led his forces to confront Yuan Shao’s Army head-on.

"Yes, they’ve come at last. Had they not, this battle would have been in vain," Chen Xi said with a smile. From the very beginning, his target was not the soldiers of Tian Feng’s Stronghold, nor were it Yuan Tan, Yan Liang, or Jiang Qi, but rather Zhang He, or to be precise, the elite Wolf Cavalry under Zhang He’s command.

After Lyu Bu had left, Guo Jia understood his intentions in a flash, based on his insight into the human heart. This is why Guo Jia only talked about showing Lyu Bu a lesson if the opportunity arose, rather than killing him outright.

Because Guo Jia had realized that Lyu Bu would cast aside Yanzhou as a gift, and that gift was meant for them. Thus, it was only natural to push Yuan Shao out of Yanzhou and prepare for their next move.

Without a doubt, Yuan Shao was the foremost competition for Yanzhou; as for Xun Yu in Chenliu, even if he became aware of this, he could only retract his attention helplessly. No matter how wise you are, without the necessary foundational strength to utilize that wisdom, the piece of cake that is Yanzhou would only be shared between Liu Bei and Yuan Shao.

Given such circumstances, there was nothing more to say. While Yuan Shao was still oblivious to the news, they would give him a dizzying blow, and by the time he found out, Liu Bei would have already cleaned up the spoils. Of course, that was the ideal situation; completely cleaning up was impossible. With future plans in mind, Chen Gong would definitely inform Yuan Shao’s Army within a few days, thereby inevitably allowing Yuan Shao’s Army to gain a portion of Yanzhou’s lands. Stay updated through novelbuddy

If one were to compare Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, one aspect that could not be overlooked was the number of cavalry. Even if a few days were to pass, with a considerable force of cavalry stationed in Yanzhou under Zhang He’s command, the faster-moving horsemen would most certainly snatch away half the land from Chen Xi and Guo Jia’s hands, and after all, Bingzhou and Yanzhou shared extensive borders, making the transferral of troops an easy task.

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Because of such considerations, once Guo Jia had determined that the cavalry attacking Zhao Yun were from Yuan Shao’s forces, he immediately decided to use his own army as bait to break this hidden elite of Yuan Shao’s cavalry in Yanzhou. Only by doing so could they snatch away an absolute advantage in the upcoming actions.

There’s a saying, "Man’s plans cannot match Heaven’s." First, Jiang Qi’s command abilities came unexpectedly. Then, the tactics specially prepared for dealing with the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry were fed to Liu Bei’s Army. The battlefield was thrown into chaos, and even a moment’s inattention could lead to defeat.

Despite the chaos, everything eventually reverted to Guo Jia’s grand plan, and Zhang He finally arrived. Although his approach was from an unexpected direction, his arrival was all that mattered.

The next moment, under the puzzled gazes of Zhang He and Yann Liang, a great banner bearing the character "Guan" rose from what had been the vanguard but was now the central army. Chen Xi and Guo Jia, stationed at the central army, were ecstatic. The reason they had previously put Chen Chi in command, aside from training him, was to confuse the enemy.

As soon as Zhang He appeared, the whole army shifted. The central army, now led by Guan Yu, turned around, with the left and right wings composed of the cavalry that Guan Yu had first dispatched. The Tiger Guard Army, which had been at the forefront of the charge, became the rear of the new battle formation.

Chen Chi, originally ordered by Chen Xi to equip the rear with heavy crossbows and ballistae, turned once more, following behind what had been the rear and now became the central guard. The previously unused rear army became the new vanguard, so luxurious that the entire vanguard and central guard were comprised solely of archers!

Unfortunately, it had been estimated that Zhang He would break out from the left wing, rendering Zhao Yun’s oblique left charge utterly useless.

"Flanks, attack! All crossbowmen in the vanguard prepare, aim to injure the soldiers!" Guan Yu, commanding from the central army, issued a new order.

In retrospect, the reason the whole army could execute such a large-scale rotation without falling into disarray was that, no matter how perilous the situation, Guo Jia and Chen Xi had not utilized the cavalry from Guan Yu’s own guard on either flank, nor the archers who had been strictly holding the rear. They had been waiting for this moment; these three divisions were purely intended to counter the cavalry!

Zhang He shouted his battle cry and charged towards Liu Bei’s Army, but before he could reach the front, the patiently awaiting rear archers let loose a volley in response to a signal twang, sending countless arrows towards Zhang He’s forces.

Soon after, a deluge of bolts from heavy ballistae rained down. Chen Xi, who had held back all of his equipment, used more than eight thousand crossbows for the first time in a battle!

The moment truly was like a rain of arrows. With the ground already slippery from an earlier downpour, Zhang He’s Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry were sent tumbling in utter disarray under the relentless barrage.

The cavalry who had been lying in wait on both flanks also launched their assault at this time. Their original purpose had been partly to block and partly to flank the enemy, but none of that mattered anymore. Their current purpose was to cut right through the disordered ranks of Zhang He’s forces, ensuring that at least half of Yuan Shao’s cavalry could be annihilated by Liu Bei’s Army.

"Charge!" Zhang He roared as he rushed towards Liu Bei’s Army. The moment the enemy’s rear forces exposed their weapons, he realized that Yuan Shao’s entire army had been outmaneuvered, that the enemy had not intended to attack the camp at all, but rather to destroy his several thousand cavalry!

"Kill!" Sima Ju and others led their cavalry fearlessly into Yuan Shao’s Army, resolved to split the enemy forces in two, even if it cost them their lives!

The Wolf Cavalry were incredibly fast. Instead of seeking weaknesses to exploit, this time they crashed directly into Liu Bei’s archers, aiming for long-range damage without any close-quarters weaponry. Liu Bei’s forces suffered heavy losses in an instant, but this marked the beginning of the end for Yuan Shao’s first Wolf Cavalry from Bingzhou.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)