Mythical Three Kingdoms

”I can’t always stay by Lord’s side; if I could independently establish a Military Spirit, I’d be able to withdraw half of the veteran soldiers to form another Vanguard Death Squad. Although the second squad certainly won’t be as strong as the first, with my leadership, it will fear no one,” Juo Yi confidently declared.

Though incredibly arrogant and sometimes thoughtless in action, once Juo Yi truly accepted someone, he would be thoroughly loyal to them. After successfully forming the Vanguard Death Squad, the first thing Juo Yi thought of was Yuan Shao’s safety, the memory of Gan Ning’s raid with a hundred cavalry still chilled him to the core!

Every time he recalled how Gan Ning had almost killed Yuan Shao during the raid, Juo Yi felt immensely cold inside. Because of this, he disciplined all of the officers in charge of guarding the camp that day, including the injured Yan Liang. Since then, he’d been thinking about how to provide Yuan Shao with a protective force.

”General Juo’s concern is sure to please the Lord,” Tian Feng rarely complimented, but he also did not advise giving the Vanguard Death Squad to Yuan Shao. After all, the one led by Yuan Shao could at best match the level of outstanding generals leading the Danyang Troops. However, if Juo Yi were to lead them, Tian Feng believed they certainly would rank among the top five strongest forces in the world!

”What a pity, I haven’t got it sorted out yet,” Juo Yi said irritably, his frankness was well-known, but Tian Feng, equally straightforward, didn’t take particular offense at Juo Yi’s tone. Nothing to make a fuss about.

”Let’s instead think about when Guan Yu at Licheng might make his move, and which route he is likely to take,” Xun Shen suggested.

”...” Juo Yi, Zhang He, and Yan Liang looked at each other; such matters were beyond their knowledge, asking them was the same as not asking at all.

”I believe that when the time comes, we are likely to face not only Guan Yunchang and Guo Fengxiao, but probably also Zhang Yide, Hua Zijian, and Yu Wenze might appear as well. This time, the battlefield is actually in Yanzhou, and our main forces have moved to Wei Commandery, and not the previous Bohai,” Tian Feng speculated after a moment’s thought.

”Let Yuanbo and Gong Yu create some friction at the Qing-Ji border to distract Guan Yunchang. By the way, the provincial and prefecture roads in Mount Tai, Qingzhou, have been completed, we need to reassess their food supply transport speed,” Xun Shen remarked somewhat wistfully, ”Chen Zichuan really is a prodigious talent.”

”Should we also start constructing main roads? The materials used by Chen Zichuan for road construction have not been kept secret, and the Zhen Family has already acquired the sales rights,” Tian Feng pondered, acknowledging that the biggest problem with grain transportation was loss, where transporting one stone might result in only one pint upon arrival. However, the kind of broad and flat provincial roads built by Chen Xi would greatly shorten the transport time.

”Don’t you think the Zhen Family is getting a bit too close to Liu Xuande?” Xun Shen frowned and inquired.

”Somewhat, but can the Zhen Family betray us? The Zhen Family, due to the last exchange, have been thoroughly locked in Jizhou, not just their roots, but the foundation of the Zhen Family’s hundreds of years is locked in Jizhou. If they were to betray the Lord, I might even be pleased—to swallow up the Zhen Family would at least double the treasury!” Tian Feng nodded and then said with a smile.

”That makes sense,” Xun Shen nodded, admitting Tian Feng’s words were indeed reasonable, but couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was amiss. Regrettably, after much thought, he couldn’t pinpoint the issue and had to suppress it for the time being.

Indeed, Juo Yi’s arrogance was backed by his capabilities; his infantry had beaten cavalry, defeated the world’s fastest elite White Horse Righteous Followers in open battle, and when outnumbered, had easily emerged victorious. He remained calm in ambushes and night attacks.

Given this, although Tian Feng worried that Juo Yi might be too conceited in his intention to challenge Lyu Bu with his troops, after considering the strength of both sides, he reassured himself. Even being modest, he acknowledged the prowess of the Vanguard as led by Juo Yi.

Such are the wonders of the world; nobody would have anticipated the existence of such elite forces before the Vanguard shattered the White Horse Soldiers, nor would they have paid any attention to the unknown Juo Yi. In comparison to the fearsome Vanguard who feared not death, within Lyu Bu’s ranks existed an elite force that had yet to have the opportunity to reveal its edge—the Trap Formation.

”Does General Gao have confidence?” Chen Gong had guessed the enemy’s target when Yuan Shao chose to lay siege without attacking and while Liu Bei’s Army stood by idly. He had naturally started making arrangements early on.

”The Vanguard? We have yet to engage, so I am not certain,” replied Gao Shun in a somewhat stiff and old-fashioned manner.

”You’re not required to win, just to block Juo Yi. As long as you block the Vanguard of Juo Yi, Fengxian’s Wolf Cavalry will be sufficient to crush Yuan Shao in extremely short order. Rather than laying out schemes, it might be better to use their plans against them and annihilate Yuan Shao’s forces with the force of thunder!” Chen Gong stated firmly as he looked at Gao Shun,” The outcome of this battle will determine our standing hereafter!”

”Block the Vanguard?” A gleam flashed in Gao Shun’s eyes, then he spoke indifferently, ”No problem.”

”Good, you and General Zhang should prepare first. Once the Black Mountain Army enters Yanzhou, I will notify you where to set up,” Chen Gong said with slightly less confidence.

Truthfully, Chen Gong was quite uncertain whether Gao Shun could hold against Juo Yi. Although he considered Gao Shun a competent general, he definitely did not see him as a match for Juo Yi. In his view, the only one under Lyu Bu who could stand on his own was Zhang Liao. Regarding Gao Shun, who had always served as a garrison commander, attending political meetings without saying a word, Chen Gong had almost no impression.

However, when Chen Gong was analyzing how to confront the crisis lyu Bu, he made an offhand remark, ”If Juo Yi could be eliminated, this battle could catch them off guard and greatly increase our chances of winning,” then Lyu Bu had immediately instructed Chen Gong to relay the message to Gao Shun, since, in Lyu Bu’s memory, Gao Shun had never lost in any elite battles.

”Forget it, I can’t load all the burden on his shoulders; I should make additional arrangements,” Chen Gong muttered with a frown as he watched Gao Shun’s retreating figure.

As soon as Gao Shun left, Zhang Liao approached him, ”Gongzheng, are you going to campaign this time too?”

”Against Juo Yi’s Vanguard Death Squad.” Gao Shun said calmly, without a hint of nervousness.

”Are you confident?” Zhang Liao asked, slightly furrowing his brows. Juo Yi’s achievements with the White Horse Righteous Followers were quite renowned, making him one of the most famous generals of the day, naturally Zhang Liao was somewhat concerned.

”I will annihilate them,” Gao Shun spoke solemnly, his expression as indifferent as if squashing an ant, filled with nothing but coldness.

”Then that’s good,” Zhang Liao sighed with relief. If Gao Shun wore that ’coffin face’, it meant that he was truly confident; otherwise, he wouldn’t speak so assuredly. ”But still be careful, Juo Yi is a good general after all.”

”We are mounting a surprise attack; we won’t lose. The Vanguard is strong on the offense but weak on the defense; they might attack in lieu of defense against ordinary troops, but against the Trap Formation, they can only be swept away in one wave,” explained Gao Shun, unusually talkative.

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