Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Wen He, although our army is more elite, being deep within the encirclement makes it nearly impossible to break out of the situation. Furthermore, the more desperate the circumstances, the stronger Yuan Shao’s forces’ morale grows, and it becomes increasingly difficult for us to turn the tide. If you’re worried about the safety of the Central Army, I will personally protect you when the time comes,” Liu Bei said gravely.

”That’s not the issue. It’s just that our army hasn’t reached the point where we need to deploy the last two units of reserve troops from the Central Army,” Jia Xu shook his head and replied. ”Although Gao Lan’s tactics are indeed brutally aggressive and have inflicted significant casualties on our forces, it hasn’t escalated to the extent of encirclement. Moreover, we must preserve one reserve unit for a specific task. Now is not the time!”

Liu Bei cast a deep look at Jia Xu. ”Fine, I trust you. Pass my orders: the Central Army shall form a phalanx!”

Now regaining his composure, Guo Jia chuckled lightly, ”Zijing, don’t worry. This is merely the midgame in this match; we are still far from the end. Yuan Shao’s generals and civil officials haven’t all arrived, and we still have at least three major armies yet to join the fray!”

On the other side, Zhao Yun, leading a small contingent of his Personal Army, was locked in a stalemate with Zhang He and Gao Lan. Strangely enough, when there was only Zhang He, Zhao Yun’s force of several thousand cavalry was evenly matched with him. Yet, even with Gao Lan’s addition of six thousand elite troops, the outcome remained evenly poised!

”You’ve crossed spears with this monster before?” During another round of clashing, Zhang He and Gao Lan simultaneously pulled back their mounts, looking at Zhao Yun, who once again emerged unscathed, filled with unease. Despite their increased strength and combat prowess, it seemed to have little effect on the opposing side. How was this possible?

”Save your breath. I’ve encountered him several times already. Although he’s incredibly strong, as long as we don’t recklessly throw our lives away, he can’t easily take us down,” Zhang He inhaled deeply and said. ”Furthermore, haven’t you noticed? Since you joined as reinforcements, their morale didn’t waver.”

”Now that you mention it, that does seem odd!” Gao Lan said solemnly. ”Is that a Legion Talent?”

”It likely is. The first time I faced him on the battlefield, I noticed this abnormality—his legion seems to maintain a bizarre state. There’s no fluctuation in morale, no panic, regardless of the attacks they endure, and their combat power remains steady,” Zhang He explained.

”You’re suggesting that I take on Liu Bei while you stall him?” Gao Lan looked at Zhang He and asked.

”Exactly. That’s precisely my point. Their legion doesn’t know the concept of disintegration or loss of morale. The only meaningful approach is annihilation. Dragging out the fight is pointless!” Zhang He replied gravely.

On ancient battlefields, the significance of numbers and quality was undeniable, but there was one constant factor—morale. In situations of soaring morale, hundreds could defeat thousands. But throughout his encounters with Zhao Yun, Zhang He distinctly recognized one alarming truth: Zhao Yun’s Legion Talent likely immunized his troops from morale collapse!

To deal with a legion immune to morale collapse, annihilation was the only method Zhang He could conceive. However, annihilating a force of over four thousand cavalry on the battlefield was nothing short of a fantasy. As long as they didn’t break apart, the ultimate outcome remained uncertain!

For this reason, the actual number of combatants didn’t fundamentally matter in such a scenario. It was evident that Zhao Yun’s legion had locked their morale. Unless Zhao Yun was eliminated, his forces would never crumble. But attempting to eliminate Zhao Yun? Zhang He thought it was nothing but a foolish dream.

”Alright then, I’ll deal with Liu Bei while you stall him!” Gao Lan responded decisively without further hesitation.

”General Zhao, General Zhang has sent us to assist you!” Just as Gao Lan prepared to lead his troops elsewhere, there was a distant roar, and a massive wave of Yellow Turban soldiers clad in leather armor and wielding Long Spears, led by Bai Rao and Yu Du, charged forward. Meanwhile, Zhang Yan headed off to assist Sunx Guan and others.

”Boom! Boom! Boom!” A barrage of Crossbow bolts sounded explosively as Black Mountain Army’s Vice Commander Yu Du brandished a Great Sword and roared with fury, charging toward the enemy.

Although the Yellow Turbans were driven to desperation, their ten years of constant battle instilled a fearless tenacity in every member when necessary. As fellow Yellow Turbans, the Black Mountain Army refused to be looked down upon by the now-leaderless Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou!

Indeed, the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans had paid their dues. The deaths of their two prominent leaders years ago had earned them societal acceptance. Qingzhou Yellow Turbans were Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, while Black Mountain Yellow Turbans were Black Mountain Yellow Turbans. Relying on another’s legacy was never the mark of real men.

This was why, upon their surrender years ago, many Minor Canal Commandants among the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans laid down arms and returned to farming, whereas none among the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans did the same. The more downtrodden they were, the more they clung to their dignity!

Bai Rao, Yu Du, Yang Daxian, and others led Infantry surging forward from all directions. Those assembled within Liu Bei’s Regular Army formations wielded Long Spears and wore Leather Armor, but even more followed behind them—tens of thousands of civilians holding agricultural tools.

One could not deny Zhang Yan’s terrifying influence within the Black Mountain Army. Though Ruub Suu’s orders were for him to support the Rear Army, upon learning about the decisive confrontation between Yuan Liu’s forces, Zhang Yan immediately mobilized the Yellow Turbans who had migrated from Black Mountain, forming a force of tens of thousands.

Zhang Yan knew his actions would undoubtedly violate some taboos, but seeing his old followers clothed and fed, none of it mattered. The vow he once made had been fulfilled—death was now inconsequential. Finally, he understood why the two former Canal Commandants of Qingzhou Yellow Turbans had gone to their deaths with such peace.

The addition of tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans to the battlefield failed to turn the tides completely but managed to sink their teeth into Yuan Shao’s forces, preventing the situation from worsening.

At the Vanguard, Guan Yu led his forces alongside Xuu Chu’s Tiger Guard, fiercely holding back Juo Yi’s Vanguard troops. With their retreat route cut off, the morale of Liu Bei’s vanguard plummeted drastically. If not for Gan Ning activating his Legion Talent to stabilize his elite troops, Juo Yi might have already broken through the Central Army in one overwhelming surge.

By this time, Yuan Shao himself led the remnants of his Central Army Elite, along with Rear Army forces under Hann Ju’s command, forming another legion to press forward. This explained why Yuan Shao’s forces fought with increasing ease and momentum as their morale rebounded!

[Using Legion Talent to restore our combat power consumes my energy! At this rate, I won’t have any strength left for battle! Damn that Jia Wenhe, why hasn’t he sent reinforcements yet!] Gan Ning cursed internally, feeling the drain on his power as the Horizontal River Iron Chain he wielded began to lose its earlier speed and ferocity.

Amid Gan Ning’s furious thoughts, both sides suddenly noticed the ground trembling violently. The vibrations grew more pronounced, causing all combatants to instinctively turn their eyes toward the rear of Yuan Shao’s forces.

”Shift defense positions! Prepare to defend!” Tian Feng screamed desperately. The sudden appearance of a fully organized cavalry force made Tian Feng finally understand the ominous foreboding he’d sensed earlier!