Chapter 54

Chapter 688: Dang Yugi vs. Red Silk Army (2)

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The Red Silk Army scouts underestimated Lü Bu, who was riding his horse, Red Hare, as he charged through the red earth.

But they soon realized their mistake.

"Here comes Lü Fengxian!"

Despite being just one rider, the sight of Lü Bu on Red Hare was overwhelming, like an avalanche of earth.

Still, these were no ordinary scouts; they were worthy of the Red Silk Army's name. Though intimidated by Lü Bu's momentum, they chose to confront him rather than retreat.

"Take his head in one fell swoop!"

The scout leading the charge raised his sword high and shouted, then aimed his spear at Lü Bu.

The other scouts followed suit, charging at Lü Bu with their spears.

Lü Bu and the scouts passed each other, and with each pass, the eerie sound of slicing and the sight of scouts falling, bleeding, filled the air.

Swish!

The last scout, whose neck was cut by the crescent blade, clutched at his throat, trying to stop the bleeding, but blood gushed out between his fingers.

Lü Bu swiftly decapitated all the scouts and continued to charge toward the Red Silk Army's vanguard.

Seeing Lü Bu in action, one corner of Juying's mouth curled into a smile.

"It's been a long time since I've seen someone with real skill. Is this the Lü Bu, known as the bravest under heaven? Hmph! If he hadn't met the Red Silk Army, he might have lived a bit longer..."

"General, show us your prowess."

One of Juying's subordinates urged him on.

Juying, feigning reluctance, drew an arrow from his quiver. The arrow was as large as a spear, fitting for his massive bow.

Juying's bow bent as if it would break.

The arrow, thick like iron, whistled through the air and flew straight at Lü Bu.

'Is this all you've got...?'

Lü Bu inwardly sneered as he saw the enemy general shoot from nearly a hundred paces away.

But Lü Bu was soon taken aback. A hundred paces is over four hundred steps. According to Lü Bu's knowledge, there were fewer than ten archers in the world who could shoot that far. Yet the arrow from the Red Silk Army's vanguard had indeed flown a hundred paces and aimed to pierce Lü Bu.

Even deflecting it with his crescent blade, Lü Bu's wrist tingled.

'Is this what you've got?'

Juying's archery skills ignited Lü Bu's competitive spirit. He planted his crescent blade in the ground and picked up his bow.

* * *

When Juying's bowstring whistled again, Lü Bu also released an arrow.

Juying's arrow cut off a feather from Lü Bu's helmet, but Lü Bu's arrow knocked off Juying's helmet.

Juying's eyes widened in shock.

'What incredible archery!'

Juying was amazed by Lü Bu's archery skills. He was a commander of the Red Silk Army, equal in rank to other commanders but second only to the leader, Chizong Wang. However, his skills were not inferior to Chizong Wang's.

Juying was known as "Yuan Sha's Juying" because no one could match his range in archery.

"Give that man a few more holes to remember us by!"

Without waiting for Juying's permission, one of his subordinates shouted, and the scouts drew their bows.

"Red Hare, their welcome is a bit rough. How shall we respond?"

In response to Lü Bu's words, Red Hare's neigh grew louder.

Neigh!

As Red Hare lifted his front hoof, an arrow pierced the spot where it had been.

If Red Hare had been slower, his hoof would have been pierced.

But the incredible part was what happened next.

Red Hare began to run in a zigzag pattern.

"That mad horse is showing off! Aim for the horse first!"

The Red Silk Army's arrows rained down, but Red Hare dodged them all, severely demoralizing the scouts. In that short moment, the scouts had given their all, and Lü Bu had made their archery skills seem trivial with his horsemanship alone.

But Lü Bu had only avoided disaster thanks to Red Hare, a famous steed.

The Red Silk Army's archery skills were something Lü Bu had to take seriously. Their true value was shown in the clash with Dang Yugi.

The 3,000-strong Red Silk Army vanguard clashed with Dang Yugi's few hundred men. Arrows flew back and forth, and disappointingly, Dang Yugi's archers suffered dozens of casualties in a single engagement.

The Red Silk Army also lost many archers, but the shock to Dang Yugi, especially Lü Bu, was significant.

'Just a few archers from Guanxi can match Dang Yugi’s skills...'

But he had to admit that Dang Yugi was not a regular army.

Of course, this didn't mean he was willing to give up the victory. Neither Lü Bu nor Dang Yugi were willing to do so. Moreover, Guo Jia, the strategist of Lü Bu's army, had prepared a countermeasure.

However, it wasn't time for Guo Jia's strategy to unfold yet. Lü Bu continued to engage Juying's unit with just a few hundred men.

Lü Bu continuously drew his bow.

Snap!

"Kyaah!"

The rapid succession of arrows caused the Red Silk Army archers to scream. Lü Bu's miraculous archery skills felled many scouts, but Dang Yugi also suffered significant losses.

More than half of the troops were killed in the engagement with the Red Silk Army.

'Huang Boshun must have been confident in these men to boast so much.'

Lü Bu rarely praised his enemies. He believed he could defeat any opponent. But he instinctively knew that the Red Silk Army was not an easy opponent.

Even Juying's scouts, who led the vanguard, moved in a disciplined manner, and their archery skills were on par with Dang Yugi's seasoned archers.

With similar skills but vastly outnumbered, continuing the fight would not benefit Lü Bu.

But Lü Bu was not unaware of this. In terms of battlefield tactics, he was on par with any famous general or strategist. In a war of attrition, Dang Yugi, with fewer troops, would be at a disadvantage.

Lü Bu repeatedly engaged in battles to assess the Red Silk Army's skills and tactics.

The sacrifice of over two hundred men would not be in vain if it helped perfect Guo Jia's strategy.

"Scatter and regroup with the main force!"

Lü Bu had more than enough strength to continue fighting, but he had gained what he needed and could no longer afford to let Dang Yugi suffer more casualties.

Guo Jia led the rest of Dang Yugi's forces, excluding those led by Lü Bu.

They were more like spearmen than archers. While they could shoot, their archery skills were inferior to those Lü Bu had taken with him.

But Guo Jia had a plan. It was simple: to separate the supply unit from the guard unit.

To do this, they needed to create chaos.

However, the Red Silk Army had ten thousand troops, while Dang Yugi's forces numbered only two thousand.

Guo Jia's plan was something the Red Silk Army could not predict.

* * *

Chizong Wang, seeing the smoke rising from Lü Bu's rear, quickly called back the scouts.

Juying slowed the army's advance, regrouped with the main force, and rode alongside Chizong Wang.

"General, did you call me back just because of the smoke?"

Juying, though annoyed, did not question Chizong Wang. Chizong Wang nodded.

"The enemy is burning straw to obscure our vision with the smoke."

"The enemy's vision will be obscured as well. In that case, we have the advantage."

While large and brave men are often thought to lack strategy, Juying was different. He had a good understanding of military tactics and could assess the terrain.

Chizong Wang understood what Juying was implying.

"We have traveled this road dozens of times. We know the terrain like the back of our hand. We can navigate to our desired location with our eyes closed. Even if our vision is obscured, the enemy will be in the same situation, so we have no disadvantage."

"That's true. Moreover, our Red Silk Army's archery skills are unmatched. Even if the enemy tries