Chapter 61

It's September 1st, school has started...

"Report!" A lean, slightly yellow-faced, robust man walked in and bowed to Liu Bei and Chen Xi, immediately dashing Chen Xi's plans to indoctrinate Liu Bei.

"Is the grain and fodder for this escort mission all stored in the warehouse?" Liu Bei's expression turned serious as he saw Yu Jin approach and asked solemnly.

"Eighty thousand dan of grain have all been stored. However, the Zhen family hopes to come and thank Lord Xuande for his assistance." Yu Jin bowed, his expression serious and without a hint of a smile, showing no pride in leading the new army to defeat the Taishan bandits.

Liu Bei glanced sideways at Chen Xi, and seeing Chen Xi nod slightly, he understood Chen Xi's intentions.

"Very well, I will meet the Zhen family, one of the five great merchants of Ji Province." Liu Bei smiled and said, "Wenze, you stay here. Zichuan probably has some matters to discuss with you." With that, he left, understanding from Chen Xi's expression that the Zhen family intended to place their bets on him. Although the aristocratic families were not attracted, the wealthy merchants were still willing to support him.

Chen Xi looked at Yu Jin. Although this man was someone he had promoted from among his subordinates, he had only met him a couple of times. He had given him a conscription order and an appointment letter, then sent him to train the new army with Liu Bei. This rescue mission was a test, and it was clear that Yu Jin had performed exceptionally well, living up to his reputation as one of the Five Fine Generals.

"Wenze, sit there. I want to know if the new army can engage in battle now. Of course, I don't require them to fight regular troops, just to deal with the Taishan bandits, and to gather the defeated Taishan bandits. If there is any rebellion..." Chen Xi smiled coldly and made a gesture indicating no mercy, having already adapted to his position. He understood that in times of chaos, strict measures were necessary.

"If it's just the ordinary Taishan bandits, there's no problem. However, Taishan has four major bandit groups known as the 'Four Bandits of Taishan.' Their bandits are managed in a military-like manner, with formations and strength not much weaker than regular troops. Right now, we can only avoid defeat, but it's difficult to win." Yu Jin spoke frankly, not underestimating the combat power of the Taishan bandits.

"Leave Chang Xi, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yi Li to others. I want you to gather the bandits. I don't want their subordinates to run rampant after we defeat them. As for Zang Ba, I think he has already been defeated." Chen Xi smiled and said.

Just before Chen Xi spoke, Zang Ba had been knocked off his horse by Zhang Fei's spear, likely breaking several ribs. Zang Ba's elite guards, known for their strength comparable to the elite troops of Danyang, were thoroughly defeated by Hua Xiong's troops, who were suffering from psychological disorders. Zhang Fei's occasional strikes further divided Zang Ba's troops into several groups, and Zang Ba was ultimately defeated by Zhang Fei.

To be fair, Zang Ba's command was not weak. Although Hua Xiong and Zhang Fei led 5,000 bandit troops to raid Zang Ba's stronghold, they did not directly defeat Zang Ba's elite guards. Initially, they suppressed Zang Ba's troops, but once Zang Ba appeared and took personal command, the situation quickly turned around.

After that, it was a contest of strength and command, with formations clashing. Hua Xiong and his troops formed a continuous and dense formation, constantly squeezing the living space of Zang Ba's elite guards.

In fact, Hua Xiong's command was quite average. His cavalry could only form a spearhead formation, but they were extremely proficient, able to change formations instantly, even while on the move. This was why Hua Xiong became the cavalry commander of Xiliang, as his formations changed so quickly that there was no chance for counteraction.

Hua Xiong discovered that his new troops, though generally average, had one terrifying quality: they followed orders without hesitation. When a formation change required them to charge into danger, they would do so without hesitation, completing the formation change.

Realizing this, Hua Xiong did not hesitate to use various formations, combining and splitting them, maintaining order amidst chaos. With a smaller number of troops, he managed to cut off Zang Ba's elite guards, losing about 20% of his troops to achieve this goal. Zang Ba's elite guards also lost about 10% of their troops and were completely demoralized.

This scene made Zhang Fei feel a chill, and he looked at Hua Xiong as if he were a god. In ancient times, troops that could lose 10% of their men without collapsing were considered elite. Troops that could lose 30% without fleeing were considered the best of the best. Now, Hua Xiong's troops, having lost 20% of their men, were still highly motivated and continued to slaughter Zang Ba's elite guards, which was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary general.

Zhang Fei did not know that Hua Xiong's troops had been mentally broken by Hua Xiong, their fear of death now less than their fear of Hua Xiong. They followed his orders without question, and morale was irrelevant to them. The high morale in slaughtering Zang Ba's elite guards was solely because Hua Xiong had not ordered them to stop.

Zang Ba was in a daze. To be honest, part of the Taishan bandits were former Danyang soldiers, led by veterans, with combat power rivaling the elite Danyang troops of old, far surpassing the current Danyang troops. Yet, they were now being decisively defeated by the man on the opposite side, who commanded less than a third of their numbers.

Zang Ba's elite guards had been defeated before, when they were united by the Four Bandits of Taishan and when they were defeated by the troops of Xu Province. However, none of those defeats were as clean and decisive as this one. From the moment the opposing side began to change formations, his defeat was like a rolling stone, accelerating until it was unstoppable.

Zang Ba wondered who he had offended, and why someone would send such an elite mountain army to destroy him. Although he was a bandit, his crimes were not as numerous as those of the Yellow Turbans. This elite force, which should have been used to suppress the Yellow Turbans, was now targeting him. With 20% of his troops already fallen, the opposing side remained calm and showed no signs of retreat, while his own elite guards, having lost 10% of their men, were on the verge of fleeing.

Zang Ba knew he had to retreat. The opposing side was too strong, and every time he tried to change formations, they would immediately disrupt his formation. This was an asymmetric battle. In Zang Ba's view, he might have encountered one of the greatest military strategists in the world. He did not exaggerate; he thought his command was not bad, but against the lean, slightly yellow-faced man from Guanzhong, he had no room to maneuver.

Knowing he was doomed to fail, Zang Ba no longer struggled. His goal now was to break through the encirclement, defeat part of the encirclement, gather his troops, and abandon the formation to break through the weakest point of the enemy, the northeast corner. He knew better than anyone that continuing would result in his complete annihilation.

Breaking through was easy, almost as if the enemy was intentionally letting him go. Zang Ba felt a chill, but he had no choice but to charge forward. The enemy had only one person, a rough man with a snake spear. Vaguely, Zang Ba remembered someone, but before he could identify him, the spear came crashing down.