Liu Bei POV

*Sou* *Sou* *Sou* *Sou*…

Spread out!!

The soldiers adhered the order to disperse as best as they could but the dense rain of arrows still fell many.

“Xuan De, what are you doing!” Zi Long dragged me down my horse by the collar as she exclaimed.

“Don’t move, stay!” Zi Long’s voice resounded in me.

I was utterly shocked by the black rain that was falling down and could only sit motionlessly on the ground.

All that was reflected in my eyes was Zi Long’s figure as she spun her silver spear and danced about, deflecting and cutting down all incoming arrows which were so fast I couldn’t even see their movements clearly. All incoming arrows were cut down with no exception and landed benignly in pieces.

“Xuan De! Are you alright?!” Ben Chu asked from the other side.

“Un, still good!” I twisted my neck as I yelled back, and saw that Ben Chu was swinging her sword left and right, and saw that even her horse was unscathed as well.

“Tian Yuan Hao! Are the others alright?!”

“I’m good! Feng Ji got hit by an arrow!”

“M, my lord! It was just a scratch!”

On the other side of Ben Chu, I saw Tian Feng and Shen Pei holding on to Feng Ji as they hid behind the s.h.i.+eld columns in the chaos, all of them looking fl.u.s.tered.

“Kuh!” A rare click of the tongue came from Ben Chu as she looked about, “Where did the arrows come from?!”

“My lord, looks like something happened at Guo Tu’s side!”

“Guo Tu!!” Ben Chu roared and pulled the reins as she charged toward the rearguard.

Tian Feng wanted to stop her but she didn’t say anything as she slowly retreated while carrying Feng Ji who had an arrow in her leg, and commanded the troops as she did so.

Even if Ben Chu changed… Looks like there are some she can never win over huh.

I wonder what feelings Ben Chu has as she sets out to quell a mutiny.

At this time, the wave of arrows has ended. And Zi Long, who had been blocking the arrows all this while for me hurriedly slapped the me who was in a daze.

“Xuan De, let’s take this chance and retreat back to Liyang. The troops we raised in Ye city should not die here.” Zi Long said as she mounted her horse and reached out her hand, “And I can’t let Xuan De get hurt.”

…

I looked at myself, and saw that I was basically lying on the ground helplessly, and looked at surroundings and saw that many amongst the few hundred men I brought were injured.

That’s right, what can I possibly do when I’m like this? I’ll only be a hindrance.

I’m of no help to this battle whatsoever. Perhaps it might actually be better if I didn’t go.

As I thought so, I reached out to take Zi Long’s hand.

*Rumble*…

Just then, tremors came from an area which should have been devoid of any troops.

An ominous feeling filled my heart as I looked over instinctively…

At the far right of the front lines, a large Cao cavalry unit was preparing to charge in a different direction from where the battlefield was, and at its head was–

Meng De?!

“… Zi Long.” I withdrew the hand I had extended to Zi Long.

“Un? Xuan De, what are you doing?! Hurry up! We’re getting out of here!”

“… Zi Long, we’re going after Ben Chu.”

“Eh? Xuan De, what are you–” i Long was baffled and stared at me for a long while before swallowing back the rest of the sentence, “Eh! You’re really troublesome, you know! Unit leader, retreat with all our men first!”

As she said so, she pulled me up her horse and made me sit behind her.

“Grab on tight! Don’t fall!” Zi Long yelled as she pulled on the reins and the horse galloped off in the direction where Ben Chu went.

I thanked her softly and tightly wrapped my arms around Zi Long’s waist.

Meng De POV

My capable generals should be pinning down Zhang He and Gao Lan at the back.

I ordered Xiahou Dun to launch a surprise attack with the troops from Yingchuan on one side, and Zhang Xiu and her troops from Qing state who I managed to convince in time on the other side, thereby completing a surround on the Yuan army.

And on the other side, Ben Chu should be preoccupied with Guo Tu.

Guo Tu is a greedy woman who likes inciting conflict and an incessant flatterer. She is the sort of disloyal subordinate that is easy to convince. Using her heavily is one of Ben Chu’s rare personnel mistakes.

And right ahead was the supply cache Ben Chu told me of– Wu Chao.

Hai~ Ben Chu, you’re still not my match when it comes to tactics. Though you tried very hard, you still can’t overcome the causes of your defeat today which have festered for a long while now.

And in this conflict, I will not hold back, just as you have wished for.

“Big sis, is it really alright to raid Wu Chao with just this small cavalry unit?!”

The only one who came along with me was my younger cousin Cao Hong. I wanted to bring Cao Ren along as well but she had not yet returned from her suppression of Liu Pi.

“It’ll be fine,” I laughed as I swept my hair back and nodded, “Intel has reported that the one guarding Wu Chao is an old officer Dun Yu Qiong who was formerly stationed in Luoyang. That man is strong but when I worked with him in Luoyang, I found him to be arrogant and though he was good at leading shock troop units, he is poor at defending a fort.”

“But Yuan Shao should know that we will raid Wu Chao right?”

“Wen Chou and Yan Liang have both died in combat. Ju Yi was wrongly executed. Zhang He and Gao Lan are currently occupied.” I said as I swung the reins, “Who else in Yuan Shao’s camp can stand before us Cao sisters?!”

I may have said a little too much but that was the truth.

“The battalion on the right! Wield your torches and break the gates of Wu Chai!”

“Yes!!” The subordinate general of the right battalion yelled in acknowledgement and hastened his horse towards the encampment that was by now not too far away.

As long as I can burn down Wu Chao, Ben Chu will be finished.

And after this, I will probably never have a chance to chat with Ben Chu and Zi Yuan together again.

It’s a little sad but I have to put aside my personal feelings for the sake of the world.

Ah!—-

A horrifying roar of rage came from the front and forced me to throw aside all other stray thoughts.

Not too far away, the cavalry in the vanguard were stopped and scattered about. And most importantly, the gates of Wu Chao were not yet open.

“B, big sis!! Look at that person!”

I looked ahead when I heard my little sister’s trembling voice and saw a tall woman wearing a set of red plate armour. As she swung her glaive, she yelled out and drove back my troops, making them unable to even touch Wu Chao’s gates.

Was this person– Yan Liang?!

I was completely stunned.

As expected, one shouldn’t say too much of oneself.