Chapter 69

Chapter 703: How Can One Fight Without Eating! (3)

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Just as Zhang Fei's troops were setting up their formation on the road, a scout from the Fengjia soldiers returned after investigating the enemy's movements.

"General, the enemy troops are passing ten li away."

The scout reported that the remnants of the Jiang clan were approaching within ten li. Ten li was not a great distance.

Zhang Fei wanted to prepare thoroughly before the remnants arrived. He hoped to form a perfect formation and inspect the soldiers' weapons before engaging the enemy.

After Zhang Fei's efforts, the formation his troops formed was the Anxing formation.

Zhang Fei's plan was to use the archers effectively to break the enemy's morale and engage the enemy troops with the central Fengjia soldiers.

Xun Yu, as a military advisor to Zhang Fei's troops, remained silent and moved separately from Zhang Fei, who was busily preparing.

Xun Yu quietly approached Mo Taigou.

"Prince, may I ask a favor?"

"Of course, if you ask for help now, I will help you without hesitation. After all, we are all in the position of following General Lü Bu. Helping each other is the same as supporting General Lü Bu."

"Your words are wise. That's why I'm saying this... I've heard that the land where the Jiang people live is treacherous. I'm worried that if they are blocked from the front and back, they might retreat into the mountains."

Mo Taigou, who had been listening quietly to Xun Yu, suddenly slapped Xun Yu's back. Xun Yu nearly vomited what he had eaten yesterday.

"Don't worry about that. His Majesty has already sent half of the Gaozhu soldiers to the mountains."

Upon hearing that Gaozhu Wang Mo Taibao was already lying in ambush in the mountains, Xun Yu's expression brightened.

'This is enough. General Zhang's troops number over two thousand, and we have the Fengjia soldiers. The enemy troops will surely be trapped with General Lü Bu's main force coming from behind.'

Xun Yu was confident of a perfect victory. The formation was flawless, no matter who looked at it.

However, there was one thing... Xun Yu had overlooked.

He knew almost nothing about the Jiang clan.

Sun Tzu said that if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

But Xun Yu knew the strategy of his own forces, yet he did not know the strength of the enemy, which was a problem.

* * *

Zhang Fei's troops were all waiting for the enemy with determined faces.

Even if it was an easy battle, someone would surely die, and someone would surely be injured. After being in comfort for a while, it was natural to be tense before another battle.

"They're coming!"

Even without someone shouting, everyone could tell the enemy was approaching. Because a large cloud of dust was rising from a distance.

Soon, the remnants of the Jiang clan appeared. Their appearance was like a herd of water buffaloes fleeing from a fierce predator.

Although thousands of remnants were surging forward, Zhang Fei did not flinch and calmly observed the enemy.

'Which general did General Lü Bu send to lead the pursuit force? The state of the enemy troops is unbelievable.'

Zhang Fei thought Lü Bu's ability to recognize talent was truly remarkable. If Lü Bu had been there, he would have nodded in approval.

Most of the remnants he saw were foaming at the mouth. The pursuit force must have relentlessly chased them, leaving them barely alive.

Moreover, none of them were properly armored. They had discarded anything that hindered their movement.

Few seemed to be carrying weapons. With such exhausted, poorly equipped, and poorly armed enemies, victory was certain.

Zhang Fei inwardly rejoiced but maintained a calm demeanor, showing no signs of agitation as he gave orders.

"Archers, prepare!"

The battle began with the archers, as usual.

"Fire!"

Despite the hundreds of archers aiming their bows, a rain of arrows was unleashed at the surging remnants.

The remnants at the front fell in droves. Without proper armor, the sharp arrows pierced their bodies deeply, causing significant casualties.

But the remnants continued to advance, using their comrades' sacrifices as a stepping stone.

Now it was the turn of the Fengjia soldiers led by Feng Ping.

" Ping, it's your turn!"

Zhang Fei signaled to Feng Ping.

To clash in formation, it was better to take the initiative rather than react passively. However, Feng Ping's experience was too limited to understand the principles of battle.

So Zhang Fei had to guide him step by step.

"Fengjia soldiers, follow me!"

Feng Ping came out with his father's crescent moon saber, intending to show off the saber techniques he had learned from Zhang Fei.

He could not afford to lose this battle. The outcome of this battle was not only about his own honor but also his father's.

Feng Ping, leading the charge, ran towards the remnants of the Jiang clan.

If Guan Dai had seen this, he would have foamed at the mouth and fainted.

Grrrr!

Sparks flew each time the crescent moon saber's blade struck the jagged rocks on the ground.

Feng Ping was dragging the blade of the saber along the ground as he ran, trying to show his strength and bravery by engaging the enemy as quickly as possible.

'The key to this saber technique is maintaining distance!'

Feng Ping understood the core of the saber technique he had learned from Zhang Fei.

Guan Yu's saber techniques had two aspects.

One was the lethal technique using the Manren saber. The technique with the Manren saber had no defensive moves, only attacks... It was the best way to kill the enemy.

But without the Manren saber, even if Zhang Fei could mimic the technique, it would be difficult to master its essence.

The other was the saber technique using the Green Dragon Crescent Moon saber. This was the only technique that allowed Feng Ping to glimpse his father Guan Yu's bravery and martial arts.

The key to this technique was maintaining distance from the enemy. No matter how powerful the attack, it was useless if it didn't reach the target.

Indeed, Guan Yu survived his first battle with Lü Bu thanks to this saber technique and his horse, Changshe.

"Yahh!"

Feng Ping, using his feet as a pivot, grabbed the base of the crescent moon saber and swung it with tremendous force. If someone with less strength had attempted this, they might have dislocated their arm.

In a single strike, several enemies' waists were severed and fell to the ground.

As the force of the swing returned, Feng Ping's body spun like a top. The saber's wind cut through the enemy with even greater force.

* * *

The remnants of the Jiang clan were greatly alarmed by the offensive led by the Fengjia soldiers, but they did not retreat without a fight, even without weapons.

After all, the Jiang clan was considered a match for the Chisha soldiers. They were one step above Zhang Fei's troops. If they had not been exhausted, Zhang Fei's troops might have been the ones retreating.

As the battle intensified and Zhang Fei's troops suffered increasing casualties, the remnants of the Jiang clan began to flee back the way they had come.

Perhaps they thought it was better to face the pursuit force of several hundred archers than to continue fighting Zhang Fei's troops. Maybe they decided to deal with Ying Zhao's archers, who had been attacking their rear, first.

In any case, as the remnants of the Jiang clan turned their attack towards Ying Zhao's troops, Ying Zhao's troops also turned their horses.

In the end, everyone began to advance in the order of Ying Zhao's troops, the remnants, and Zhang Fei's troops.

Ying Zhao did not retreat easily. While urging his horse to retreat, he twisted his body to shoot arrows at the remnants, effectively knocking them down.

It was as if he was goading them to continue chasing him.

Ying Zhao's strategy worked perfectly. The remnants, with their eyes bloodshot, pursued Ying Zhao's troops.

But how could those on foot catch up with those on horseback on flat ground?

'General Lü Bu will be here soon if we just go a little further!'

Ying Zhao felt excited at the thought of trapping the enemy at the entrance to the underworld.

He wanted to see the remnants face Lü Bu and suffer a defeat. This showed that Ying Zhao's character was not entirely good.

As Ying Zhao had calculated, it didn't take long for his troops to lead the remnants to Lü Bu's main force.

Although Lü Bu's troops left Dongguan a bit later, they did not need to carry supplies urgently. Therefore, all of Lü Bu's soldiers were mounted.

Naturally, Lü Bu was at the forefront. Although Guo Jia seemed even more excited than Lü Bu...

"The remnants cannot withstand General Zhang's troops and are fleeing."

"Strange fellows. In such a situation, they should surrender... Whether it's the Chisha soldiers or the Jiang clan, how can they be so oblivious to the situation?"

Lü Bu could not understand why the remnants did not surrender.

In the canyon battle, the Chisha soldiers fought to the bitter end without surrendering, even when the battle was clearly lost.

The same went for the Jiang clan.

Given the current situation, they should have surrendered ten times, a hundred times.

They were surrounded from all sides and had no weapons or food.

Yet they did not surrender, which was puzzling to Lü Bu.

But if he had recalled the stories he had heard from Guo Jia, it would not have been so incomprehensible.

The Chisha soldiers were a storied unit that had fought against the Liang rebels.

After Emperor Wu of Han's campaign against the Xiongnu, their main enemy had been the Jiang people. Neither the Jiang troops nor the Chisha soldiers spared captured enemies. Thus, the concept of surrender did not exist in their minds.

If they were to surrender now, it would only be when they were cornered with a sword at their throats.

Guo Jia could have explained this to Lü Bu again, but he did not. His concern was to charge ahead before Lü Bu.

The intelligent Guo Jia knew his horse could not compare to Lü Bu's Red Hare. So he waited for the right moment and then dashed forward.

"Filial Piety! Guo Jia Fengxiao!"

When Guo Jia placed his name alongside Filial Piety, Lü Bu immediately roared without much thought.

"Roar!"

As a result, Guo Jia's voice was drowned out by Lü Bu's lion's roar.

"Guo Fengxiao, did you dare to covet my position as the vanguard?"

Guo Jia's heart sank when he saw Lü Bu's fierce gaze. But he had his own defense.

"Chasing the remnants is a trivial matter. As a military advisor, how could I burden my lord with such a task?"

This was Guo Jia's logic.

Indeed, the vanguard did not need to personally handle such a minor task. But to Lü Bu, who would rise from sleep for any battle, this was a meaningless argument.

"Do you think I don't know? You want to be the vanguard and make a breakthrough. Do you not know how serious it is to use your position for personal gain?"

Wei Yue and Xuhuang also came to Lü Bu's defense.

"Advisor, this is not right."

"That's true. I will follow your strategy, but I cannot stand by if you covet the vanguard position."

The respect Guo Jia had shown as an advisor was no longer visible. He had overreached and was now in trouble.

"Lord, who will you appoint as the vanguard, then?"

"Of course, it will be me. Who else? Let's go!"