Mythical Three Kingdoms

If others may not have considered the possibility of the navy crossing the Yellow River, how could someone like Xun Shen overlook it? He vividly remembers how Gongsun Zan transported supplies to Youzhou back in the day. If sea routes could be navigated, why not the Yellow River?

Previously, Xun Shen had thought about suggesting to Yuan Shao the development of a navy, but upon realizing there were no capable naval commanders, skilled shipbuilders, or sufficient time, it was clearly an unattainable idea.

It was during this period that Xun Shen’s apprehensions about Liu Bei grew significantly, and he stopped trusting intelligence from others, choosing instead to independently verify information. This shift was one of the reasons Yuan Shao gradually reduced his confidence in Xun Shen, who often seemed full of thoughts he was unwilling to share.

To ascend from nothing to a point where he was on par with them in military strength, while still having the energy to develop commerce, agriculture, and nurturing prosperity — this situation was anything but ordinary. What’s lacking in Ju Shou and Xuu You’s intelligence reports is an overarching disparity in their comprehensive capacities.

[Those who eat their lord’s provisions must serve their lord loyally.] Xun Shen sighed quietly before ordering Guo Yuan and others to prepare defenses. As for Cao Cao’s assistance, though Xun Shen greatly feared him, he wasn’t about to show it under these circumstances.

The next morning, a fleet appeared downstream on the Yellow River. However, it was not the navy personally commanded by Gan Ning, but a vice army led by Xu Sheng and Mi Fang. Gan Ning’s main force remained across the Yellow River, engaged in a standoff with Yuan Shao’s army.

At the same time, a group of well-equipped heavy crossbow operators from Qingzhou had already gathered along the riverbank, distinct from the Xiliang Iron Cavalry known for their aggressive tactics.

”Greetings, General Yu.” Xu Sheng clasped his hands in salute. Gan Ning had quickly elevated him, and Mi Fang, without excessive ambition or greed, had smoothly facilitated Xu Sheng’s rise to become Gan Ning’s deputy after Taishi Ci’s departure.

”Wen Ze, it has been a long time.” Mi Fang smiled warmly, without Xu Sheng’s rigidity. Even Yu Jin, who was renowned for his seriousness, exchanged a friendly smile with Mi Fang. The Mi Family, known for their integrity as official merchants, earned the goodwill of the military leaders, especially considering Mi Fang and Mi Zhu’s meticulous management of logistics and supplies, ensuring fairness without corruption.

”But where is General Gan?” Yu Jin raised an eyebrow and asked. He and Gan Ning didn’t share a particularly good relationship due to Gan Ning’s unrestrained character contrasting sharply with Yu Jin’s rigidity. Naturally, Yu Jin also didn’t have much rapport with someone like Fa Zheng.

”General Gan has already successfully led his forces across the Yellow River. In the area east of Yangping near Eastern Wuyang, he has clashed multiple times with Yuan Shao’s troops. Our lord personally led the army across the river, achieving victory in every battle!” Mi Fang said cheerfully.

On the first day Gan Ning led his navy to Chiping, they unexpectedly forced a crossing of the Yellow River. Attacking Yuan Shao before he was prepared, they fought a fierce battle and established their position firmly.

Subsequently, Liu Bei’s army continued to stream across the Yellow River. The two sides no longer stared at each other across the river but engaged in corps-level battles. Several consecutive engagements showcased Liu Bei’s brave soldiers and fearless generals, achieving victory after victory.

Yuan Shao, on the other hand, faced relentless misfortune. First, he underestimated Gan Ning’s audacity, allowing Gan Ning to violently cross the Yellow River and breach the first line of defense. Then, Zhu Ling, tasked with defending Qinghe, lost the initiative due to carelessness and was subsequently defeated by Wei Yan, who captured Ling County. He was later outmaneuvered by Xu Shu, forcing a retreat to Ganling to await reinforcements.

In this predicament, Yuan Shao issued orders reprimanding Zhu Ling and reassigned Xin Pi, whose focus had wavered due to his brother Xin Ping’s death, to Qinghe for defensive coordination. Simultaneously, Yuan Shao started pulling back his defensive lines westward to shorten supply routes, relieve logistical pressure, and deploy more troops.

However, Yuan Shao’s actions did not completely reverse the unfavorable situation; they only made the decline appear less severe. In truth, Yuan Shao found it puzzling — why were his soldiers no weaker than Liu Bei’s, why was his strategic planning and maneuvering no less astute, yet he suffered repeated defeats?

But these setbacks did not shake Yuan Shao’s resolve. For a leader commanding thousands of battle-hardened generals, the past losses were not a catastrophic blow.

As the strategic withdrawal continued toward Eastern Wuyang, Yuan Shao’s forces finally reached their peak. During a battle prior to Eastern Wuyang, Liu Bei gained some advantages, but also incurred significantly higher losses than before. Factoring in changes to logistics and supply lines, the situation was nearly balanced, half a dozen to one-sixth in favor. One must admit that Ju Shou’s Spiritual Talent in direct conflicts was exceptionally powerful.

Meanwhile, the situation in Qinghe completely shifted toward Liu Bei’s favor. Xu Shu overwhelmed the Yingchuan veteran strategist. No matter what plans Xin Pi formulated, they all fell apart under Xu Shu’s seemingly unremarkable tactics from Xin Pi’s perspective.

At this point, Xin Pi no longer had the face to speak disparagingly of Xu Shu as a mere fledgling. Six consecutive defeats culminated in Xu Shu’s decisive advance to Ganling, where his force of five thousand soldiers, combined with thousands of surrendered captives, encircled the two thousand defenders stationed inside Ganling City, achieving an almost miraculous feat.

Now even the densest of minds could recognize the terrifying prowess of the seemingly frail young man outside the city walls. At least, Xin Pi had abandoned any hope of defeating him — the opponent seemed invincible, crushing everything in his path!

This explained why, despite having two thousand defenders, Xin Pi allowed Xu Shu to encircle them with half that number, choosing only to fortify the city and await reinforcements. The collapse in morale was evident; consecutive defeats were devastating in their psychological impact. Moreover, Xu Shu’s methods of victory differed entirely from Liu Bei’s approach to defeating Yuan Shao, sealing Xin Pi’s fate.

Compared to the large-scale engagements between Yuan Shao’s and Liu Bei’s armies, Qinghe’s battles were more like testing skirmishes. Yet, each time Xin Pi formulated plans, Xu Shu either fully or partially saw through them, pretending to fall for the trap and subsequently luring Xin Pi’s troops into engagements.

In Xin Pi’s eyes, Xu Shu was falling for traps each time, but in practice, Xu Shu disregarded the traps and directly overwhelmed Xin Pi’s forces with brutal confrontation. As previously mentioned, no strategy could avoid the decisive clash, and Xu Shu’s actions continually undermined Xin Pi’s confidence.

This kind of relentless psychological blow was unmatched, crushing both commander and soldiers alike. After three such defeats, Xin Pi completely abandoned any thought of outmaneuvering Xu Shu.

First, Xin Pi attempted to deploy a Natural Formation. However, for Xu Shu, such formations were amateurish at best. Xu Shu quickly identified critical flaws and obliterated the formation in a way that caught Xin Pi completely off guard.

Following that, Xin Pi attempted to organize troops for a direct confrontation with Xu Shu. The results were predictable — Xu Shu exploited a vulnerability in the connection between Xin Pi’s central army and his flanks, dispatching Guan Ping to dismantle the right wing. After penetrating the defense, the entire army crumbled, with Wei Yan pursuing them relentlessly.

By this stage, Xin Pi had fully realized he was no match for Xu Shu. He planned a calculated retreat toward Ganling, but while withdrawing his troops, Xu Shu exploited yet another flaw, leading to a bloody massacre. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.