Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Something doesn’t feel right.” Chen Xi didn’t stop Liu Ye’s orders. He stared at the chaotic main road of Fann County’s city area and said with an unusual expression, seeming to vaguely grasp something but failing to pinpoint it.

”This county town seems to have no residents. Are they planning to transform it into a fortress?” Fa Zheng glanced around casually and spoke indifferently.

”What?” Chen Xi froze for a moment. His words were unintentional, but Chen Xi caught on instantly, realizing what was wrong.

”Order the entire army to retreat. Ignore the shouting and killing. They’re just trying to lure us deeper into the city.” Chen Xi said to Liu Ye.

”Huh?” Liu Ye was startled before his expression turned pale in horror. Immediately, he ordered everyone to withdraw from Fann County’s city area. The moment Chen Xi spoke, Liu Ye instinctively gathered his spiritual capacity to draw moisture from the air—only to find there was no moisture within the range of his spiritual manipulation!

”All units, retreat. Don’t go deeper into the city. Withdraw from Fann County in teams of fifty!” Liu Ye shouted the order loudly. Soon, Liu Bei’s Army, which had already been charging in, began to regroup and pull back slowly. Not a trace of blood was seen on their weapons and armor!

Liu Bei’s Army was well-trained, and the soldiers who had spread out quickly regrouped. By this time, small flames had already spread sporadically in various corners of Fann County. Even near the eastern gate where they initially entered, wisps of flame started appearing. Thankfully, Zhang Fei swiftly smashed the nearest structure with one strike, extinguishing the fire.

Fortunately, Chen Xi had identified the problem in advance, allowing the soldiers to regroup on the main street and prevent havoc from engulfing the troops.

”Retreat!” By the time the last wave of soldiers left, large portions of Fann County were already ablaze. If they had gone deeper earlier, even if the fire hadn’t killed many, the resulting chaos would have left Chen Xi in a difficult position.

After retreating from Fann County, despite being a considerable distance away, Liu Bei’s Army could still feel the rolling heat waves. Under the raging flames, Fann County was reduced to ash, if not entirely obliterated then left only with ruins.

”What ruthlessness!” Fa Zheng gasped sharply, saying, ”The moisture in the surrounding air had long been driven away, and we completely missed this detail during our march.”

”This isn’t real ruthlessness. If Cheng Yu were the one orchestrating this, he would never evacuate all the civilians. At the very least, he would leave a portion behind.” Liu Ye responded gloomily, his expression dark. ”There’s no need to extinguish the fire now; let it burn. We should quickly pursue Yuan Shao’s Army instead.”

”General, we should retreat. The scouts report that Liu Bei’s Army has steadily withdrawn from Fann County without panic, trampling, or disorder.” Sunzi whispered from within the grass to Guo Yuan.

”Damn it!” Guo Yuan cursed under his breath, anger bubbling in his tone. He had personally watched Liu Bei’s Army enter Fann County, certain that Xun Shen’s strategy would succeed. Yet reality had mocked his expectations, as Liu Bei’s Army managed to retreat steadily despite the inferno!

”How is this possible? With fires raging in all directions, how could they keep their army steady and avoid chaos?” Li Pu muttered tensely. ”Once the fire spreads, the troops should inevitably panic, lose focus, and scatter in disarray. Their Cloud Qi should collapse, leading them all to fragment and flee—escaping would become impossible, resulting in total collapse!”

”Most likely, the enemy discovered the plan ahead of time.” Sunzi hesitated before responding. He wasn’t entirely convinced, as they had seen Liu Bei’s Army still inside the city when the fires were already spreading.

”There’s no other explanation. Withdraw!” Guo Yuan muttered darkly. Unlike other generals, he understood the importance of knowing when to advance and retreat. Recklessness was rare for him, which explained why his overall capabilities were mediocre but he still held sway in his command.

”Report! General, about thirty miles west, enemy troops have been sighted.” While Chen Xi was weighing the options between camping locally or advancing ten miles west to rest, a messenger arrived with new intelligence.

”Hua Xiong, take three thousand cavalry with you for a swift operation. Engage if possible. If not, follow them until nightfall!” Chen Xi turned and ordered Hua Xiong decisively. As for why he didn’t send more cavalry, it was because many of the Iron Cavalry from Xiliang would be ineffective under the cover of night.

”Understood!” Hua Xiong saluted, promptly gathering his veteran soldiers and heading west in pursuit.

”Xun Shen is truly troublesome. The enemy is blatantly avoiding direct confrontation.” Liu Ye sighed in frustration, saying, ”Xiaozhi, do you have any better solutions?”

”Unless we find a way to attack where they’re forced to defend,” Fa Zheng replied casually, ”But burning down an entire county already shows their resolve. Unless they gain absolute certainty of victory, they won’t launch an offensive against us.”

”In that case, we’re unlikely to prompt Yuan Shao’s Army to call for help, thus failing to achieve our objective of isolating Yuan Shao’s forces.” Liu Ye groaned, clearly troubled.

”...” Chen Xi didn’t respond, seemingly lost in thought.

”Zichuan, do you have an idea?” Liu Ye asked when he noticed Chen Xi’s silence.

”Where do you think Xun Shen would withdraw to?” Chen Xi inquired.

”Puyang. The fortified city of Puyang is ideal for defense. His army isn’t significantly smaller than ours. Moreover, Puyang lies on our inevitable path, serving as a key hub for waterway transport.” Liu Ye replied without hesitation.

”Then the current situation is such that Xun Shen refuses direct confrontation no matter what. If we continue following his pace, we’ll waste time in Qingfeng and other areas before finally reaching Puyang step by step!” Chen Xi frowned. To him, this was unbearable—a colossal waste of time.

”Are you suggesting skipping Qingfeng entirely and attacking Puyang directly?” Liu Ye furrowed his brow. ”With Qingfeng blocking our route, advancing directly would be too risky—it’s nothing like the previous Support the King operation.”

”Wrong. My suggestion is to abandon Xun Shen’s rhythm entirely, launch a direct assault on Puyang, feint towards White Horse, enter Jizhou, and overturn everything by seizing Ye City!” Chen Xi abruptly raised his head and declared.

Liu Ye frowned but didn’t dismiss Chen Xi’s wildly unconventional suggestion outright. He understood clearly that continuing to follow Xun Shen’s lead would eventually lead to total subjugation under his tempo, making an all-out charge increasingly difficult.

”In Qinghe, do we possess the chess pieces needed for such an overturn?” Fa Zheng pondered over the suggestion for a long time before asking. Chen Xi’s daring proposal had ignited his adventurous spirit and stirred his restlessness.

”No, but we can create one. The Cui Family of Qinghe is suffocated by the Cui Family of Boling’s dominance. After the aristocratic families split, internal clashes become the most terrifying force!” Chen Xi replied. ”The main family, direct lineage, and clan—all are of paramount importance. A legitimate claim can make countless heroes hesitate!” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian [qidian.com] to recommend votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)