Chapter 8

(Listen! The Grandmaster has arrived! Another major supporter has stepped up, this support is truly top-notch, no words can express it, let's shake hands.)

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When the Battle of Jie Bridge first began, people did not have high hopes for Yuan Shao. After all, Gongsun Zan and his Youzhou army were too renowned, almost invincible in the north. Last year, in the Battle of Dongguang, he defeated the 300,000 Yellow Turbans with just 30,000 troops, earning him a reputation that shook the world.

At that time, Yuan Shao had just taken control of Ji Province, with many tasks to undertake. Apart from his illustrious name, he was generally considered inferior to Gongsun Zan in military matters. Even Yuan Shao himself did not deny this; otherwise, he would not have entrusted the important position of Bohai Governor to Gongsun Fan, Gongsun Zan's cousin, to show his submission and good will. If it were not for Gongsun Zan's large-scale invasion of Hebei, with his troops directly threatening Yuan Shao's stronghold, Ye City in Wei County, Yuan Shao would have genuinely preferred to avoid this formidable adversary.

Due to his lack of confidence, Yuan Shao led the central and rear armies to slowly advance south from Guangchuan (present-day Zaoqiang, Hebei), while he sent Qu Yi with the vanguard to Jie Bridge to engage Gongsun Zan. This was originally just a probing engagement, but it was completely unexpected that Gongsun Zan would suffer a crushing defeat, retreating to his fortifications for defense. If it were not for Qu Yi's unexpected death, it is easy to imagine that Gongsun Zan would have been defeated even more severely.

The immense joy completely overshadowed the sorrow of losing a major general. Yuan Shao immediately accelerated his march, heading to the front lines at Jie Bridge to launch a general offensive on Gongsun Zan's Youzhou army camp while capitalizing on the victory.

Ma Han joined this chaotic battle under such circumstances.

At this moment, Ma Han was leading dozens of scouts, stopping at the edge of a forest, watching from a distance.

It was nearly noon, and both armies had already formed their battle lines near Jie Bridge, each sending their vanguards to conduct probing attacks. At this point, thousands of infantry were already engaged in a chaotic melee. The cavalry of both armies were harassing and charging the enemy on the flanks.

The battle entered a stalemate. Suddenly, a large red banner of a military司马 (military司马) emerged from the left flank of the Youzhou army, with over a hundred cavalrymen surrounding it, charging towards the right flank of the Ji Province army.

On the banner, a large "Liu" character was particularly prominent. Among the Youzhou army, there was only one military司马 named Liu—Liu Bei.

Ma Han immediately fixed his gaze on the three cavalry generals under the banner: the central general was wearing a helmet and armor, holding a long spear; the general on the left also held a spear, but it was exceptionally long, about a quarter longer than a regular spear, reaching an astonishing four meters, or eight feet in Han measurements. The general on the right held a nine-foot-long, narrow-bladed saber, which gleamed silver in the sunlight—clearly an iron-handled long saber.

On either side of the "Liu" banner were smaller blue banners with "Guan" and "Zhang."

Liu, Guan, and Zhang! Indeed, the three brothers from the Peach Garden had taken the field.

Liu Bei was positioned among the cavalry, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei protecting his flanks, surrounded by over forty mounted attendants. On the flanks were nearly fifty mounted archers, the elite of Liu Bei's nearly thousand private troops.

Liu Bei was currently a 别驾司马 (vice-commander), commanding over a thousand troops, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei serving as 军侯 (military officers). However, among these thousand troops, only about a hundred were cavalry, the rest being infantry. These hundred cavalrymen were the only elite force Liu Bei could muster. As the battle reached a critical moment, it was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his capabilities, and Liu Bei, who was skilled at seizing opportunities, naturally would not miss this chance to showcase his strength.

The forty attendants formed a small wedge formation, with the fifty mounted archers scattered behind them. They charged from south to north, sweeping past the enemy's flank. The hundred cavalrymen moved like the wind, their weapons slicing down, and arrows flew like locusts. The Ji Province soldiers, caught off guard, fell like grass being cut, a large number of them collapsing along the outer edge of the formation.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, wielding their sabers and spears, rode swiftly, slicing through the right flank of the enemy formation. Their blades shattered bones, and their spear tips tore through flesh, turning armor and wooden shields into fragments. The forty attendants, armed with spears and lances, used the momentum of their horses to thrust their cold blades deeply into the enemies' armor, wooden shields, and unprotected bodies...

The fifty mounted archers were a formation Liu Bei had modeled after Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers. However, qualified mounted archers were rare, and even with Gongsun Zan's capabilities, he only had about a thousand White Horse Volunteers. Liu Bei had to expand his recruitment, and most of his fifty mounted archers were Wuhuan and Xianbei people, barely forming a combat-effective unit.

The nomads indeed had a natural advantage in mounted archery. Almost every arrow they shot brought down an enemy. After three rounds of charging, each rider had fired about ten arrows, and the number of Ji Province soldiers killed by them was no less than a hundred, with twice as many injured.

The sudden and fierce attack caused panic among the Ji Province soldiers, leading to more deaths and injuries from the chaos of people pushing and trampling each other.

The small cavalry force's impressive performance greatly boosted the morale of the Youzhou army, who cheered loudly.

On a four-zhang-high tower temporarily built on the south bank of the Pan River, the Youzhou army's commander, Gongsun Zan, clad in heavy armor and wearing a large cloak, stood at the top, watching the battle. Seeing this, he could not help but praise, "Xuande is indeed extraordinary, once again establishing a great merit for our Youzhou army."

Due to Liu Bei's outstanding performance, after the Battle of Jie Bridge, Gongsun Zan rewarded him by recommending him to be the Governor of Pingyuan, giving him control of an entire commandery. For a long time afterward, Liu Bei was known as "Liu Pingyuan" or "Liu Shiyi," truly having a territory to build his own base.

Liu Bei's bold move had succeeded.

As time passed, the seemingly invincible three brothers from the Peach Garden slowly showed signs of fatigue. First, the mounted archers, after firing nearly twenty arrows, had exhausted most of their strength. They had to conserve some energy to avoid being taken advantage of by the enemy, effectively losing their ability to sustain combat. On Liu Bei's order, the mounted archers gathered and dispersed, covering each other as they retreated to their own lines.

Next, the light cavalry, after rapid and intense charges, not only lost a significant amount of physical energy but also saw their horses become exhausted. After a few rounds of charging, they had achieved remarkable results in killing the enemy, but at the cost of a significant loss of energy.

In this small elite force, only Guan Yu and Zhang Fei remained as fierce as ever, while the rest of the attendants were at the end of their strength.

Liu Bei, panting heavily, looked around and was quite satisfied with their performance. The objective had been achieved, and it was time to withdraw.

"Yunchang, Yide, retreat!"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who had just warmed up, heard the order to retreat. Despite their reluctance, they knew that military orders must be followed, especially since they were fine, but their horses were exhausted. They had no choice but to retreat.

However, the Ji Province army was not to be underestimated. With this small cavalry force causing chaos on the right flank, how could the central and rear armies of the Ji Province army remain idle? Just as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were about to turn back, dozens of banners appeared from the central and rear armies of the Ji Province army, swiftly moving to encircle them.

The dozens of banners belonged to three groups, totaling about three hundred cavalrymen, led by three generals. Their banners were marked with "Yan," "Wen," and "Zhang."

Ma Han's eyes narrowed. Among these surnames, while "Zhang" was common, "Yan" and "Wen" were quite rare and had specific connotations in Yuan Shao's army. Could the generals be...

At this moment, the Ji Province cavalry, with their well-rested horses, quickly intercepted the dozen or so cavalrymen under Liu Bei who were halfway through their retreat, including Zhang Fei, who was covering the rear. Seeing their third brother surrounded, Liu Bei and Guan Yu, who had already escaped the encirclement, immediately turned back without hesitation to rescue him, plunging into the Ji Province army's encirclement.

"Yan Liang of Xiangguo."

"Wen Chou of Yingchuan."

"Zhang He of Hejian."

"Will you not dismount and surrender immediately?"

Ma Han heard this from a distance and smiled brightly. Indeed, it was them. This would be an interesting spectacle.

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