Mythical Three Kingdoms

After Yuan Shao and Liu Bei’s armies arrived in Yanzhou, both quickly dispatched their civil officials and military generals, gathering them together.

The two began camping and setting up their military camps without any reservations. By the time they’d reached this level, common strategies were already ineffective. Merely penetrating the layers of scout squads was headache-inducing enough for anyone plotting an ambush.

On the first day of arriving in Yanzhou, neither side issued a challenge letter. Instead, they focused on camping and organizing their camps. Soon, sprawling military camps stretched across dozens of miles, stationed on opposite banks of the Yellow River. During the night, the lights from the opposing side flickered endlessly.

Historically, wars involving over 400,000 well-trained troops from both sides were exceedingly rare, and when Yuan Shao and Liu Bei positioned their formations to stare each other down across the Yellow River, the Feudal Lords of the realm, excluding Yuan Shu, fell silent.

Powerful—this was the shared impression of the other Feudal Lords. Armies numbering in the hundreds of thousands, fully equipped, sprawling across the two riverbanks of Yanzhou’s Yellow River—this moment brought home to them the realization that all their past struggles were mere jokes. The overlord would be decided between these two figures on the banks of the Yellow River!

”Yuan Shao’s army has set up a remarkably stable camp,” Liu Bei remarked during the day as he stood atop a high slope, observing the layout of Yuan Shao’s main camp through a transparent crystal telescope he held. However, in reality, this insight was of little use. Given the scale of their forces, even if one fully understood the layout, engaging head-on would still require considerable strength!

”This must be Ju Shou’s handiwork in designing the camp,” Lub Su estimated and commented. ”He’s seamlessly integrated concepts of formation diagrams into the military camp. In this setup, even if the whole army were asleep, the Cloud Qi wouldn’t dissipate—a truly exceptional method. Still, the Yellow River will prove advantageous for us tomorrow.”

”It’s merely average,” Chen Xi remarked on tiptoes, observing briefly before losing interest. ”Honestly, it doesn’t feel as refined as the camp we created based on Wen Ru’s formation diagrams. While theirs is a Death Formation, it’s still inferior to ours.”

”It’s not that the other side is inferior to us; it’s simply a matter of different priorities. Their camp design emphasizes dispatch, defense, and power accumulation, while our camp focuses entirely on thickening the Cloud Qi,” Jia Xu explained languidly, opening his black fan halfway as the early summer sun shone fiercely.

”That’s because they don’t trust their troops! On our side, it’s more relaxed—if our Cloud Qi is thick enough, the battle will depend on individual ability,” Chen Xi retorted, showing signs of stubbornness lately.

”True,” Jia Xu conceded, then added, ”Still, the point is not to underestimate the other side. Their camp has clear advantages in troop dispatch.” Nearby, Guo Jia chimed in, ”By the way, given the opportunity, prioritize eliminating Ju Shou. If we don’t take him out, it’ll be a major headache, so no matter the strategy—hit him hard right away.”

For the first time, Guo Jia openly expressed in Liu Bei’s presence the intention to kill someone, albeit an enemy. Yet, his blatant approach naturally commanded the utmost attention from everyone present.

”As long as Ju Shou remains alive, the opposing side effectively benefits from a full Legion Talent state. Also, this Legion Talent still impacts groups like ours as well,” Guo Jia stated solemnly, referring to intelligence he had accidentally acquired in Jizhou.

The room fell silent as Chen Xi pinched the bridge of his nose and said, ”Does that mean the opposing force of 250,000 troops is all enhanced with Legion Talent?”

”That’s about the gist of it. However, Ju Shou’s Spiritual Talent only allows empowerment for one specific type. That said, my understanding comes from hearsay. Ju Shou’s Spiritual Talent likely consumes substantial spiritual capacity, and even our spies haven’t seen it utilized firsthand,” Guo Jia explained, as if trying to console the group, though his underlying meaning was already clear.

”Leave Ju Shou to me! If he can empower 250,000 troops, I’ll empower 500,000. Who’s afraid of who? But Fengxiao is right—given the chance, eliminate Ju Shou first!” Chen Xi proclaimed, adopting a serious demeanor. He understood Guo Jia’s reasoning—that Ju Shou might empower multiple types. Regardless of whether Ju Shou’s enhancement could boost similar-level figures, this ability posed an undeniable threat!

”I’ll assist when the time comes. Although mine isn’t Legion Talent, if the goal is merely to cast fog across the river, my Spiritual Talent’s disruption range will suffice,” Lub Su joined in, revealing his expertise. Despite resenting cold conditions, Lub Su had quickly mastered control over his Spiritual Talent after using it initially.

”This shouldn’t be too difficult. When the time comes, we’ll strike together and freeze them directly into ice sculptures,” Chen Xi remarked bluntly. While his output of spiritual capacity was indeed capped due to human limitations over a given timeframe, he had the backing of a think tank comparable to Cao’s Five Plotters—a crucial advantage in the opening move!

”Yuan Shao’s army is indeed formidable,” Guan Yu muttered coldly, narrowing his phoenix eyes in disdain. Across the river, he could sense Yann Liang, who was busy shoveling soil, glaring right back at him.

”Their cavalry is plentiful, and they have many fine horses,” Zhao Yun commented with a slight tinge of envy. Even if he commanded all the cavalry under his banner, the combined total barely surpassed 10,000. Meanwhile, across the river, even the Wuhuan Cavalry numbered over 20,000.

Having come from the White Horse Soldiers himself, Zhao Yun never considered the Wuhuan Cavalry true cavalry. To him, they were simply horse suppliers—whether in direct combat or harassment attacks, failing to achieve a one-to-ten kill ratio would be outright disgraceful.

Similarly, even the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry viewed the Wuhuan Elite Cavalry as inferior counterparts. The distinction wasn’t merely about riding horses—just as the elite Xiliang Iron Cavalry outclassed the Qiang Cavalry, even if both appeared similar on the surface.

”Zijing’s presence feels so refreshing,” Chen Xi said as he edged closer to Lub Su, appreciating the cooling attributes of Lub Su’s Spiritual Talent—it was the perfect countermeasure to the sweltering early summer sunlight. Soon after, Guo Jia and the others also moved closer, visibly enjoying the respite.

”What an excellent Spiritual Talent—so refreshing. It’ll be much easier to beat the summer heat moving forward,” Guo Jia exclaimed excitedly, closing his fan while letting the conversation drift off-topic.

Jia Xu remained expressionless, seemingly indifferent to Chen Xi and others’ banter. Yet instinctively, he took a step forward to bask in the cool aura near Lub Su—the equivalent of enjoying artificial air conditioning.

”You lot…” Lub Su gritted his teeth and growled, ”Get out of my space!” As he spoke, a wave of cold swept through the air within five steps around him, cooling the water vapor into a mist.

Unfortunately, this effect lasted only an instant. The others hadn’t yet felt inconvenienced before Lub Su himself began shivering uncontrollably. Having grown up near the coast amidst a warm and humid climate, Lub Su detested the cold. Even in Mount Tai during winter, he frequently resorted to layering thick blankets to stay warm.

”Tsk tsk tsk, if you can’t tolerate the cold, why go out of your way to do this? You were comfortable, and so were we. Now look at the mess you’ve caused!” Chen Xi remarked casually, snagging Zhao Yun’s white silk cloak and tossing it to Lub Su. If Lub Su froze for much longer, he likely wouldn’t be able to contribute further—opting instead to retreat to his tent wrapped tightly in blankets. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian.com for recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.qidian.com to read.)