Chapter 106: Xu Huan (Second Update, Seeking Recommendations!)

  Seeing the distant battlefield, Lü Bu's heart was filled with excitement and anger. With a wave of his halberd, he shouted: "Follow me, cut down the generals, seize the flags, and take Yang Feng's head."

  "Yes!" Cao Xing and others responded in unison, releasing their horses to gallop wildly.

  The war drums sounded loudly, accompanied by the rumbling of horse hooves, and killed towards Yang Feng's rear camp.

  Niú Fǔ, who was struggling in the midst of the battle, was overjoyed and felt the vibrations beneath his feet. He listened to the sound of horse hooves getting closer and closer, knowing that his life had been saved. The reinforcements had arrived, he would not die, and his merits were already recorded in the merit book. What a great achievement! Niú Fǔ couldn't help but smile as he thought about it. Summoning all his strength, he shouted loudly: "Beat the drums and inform all soldiers that His Majesty has arrived with reinforcements!"

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!" The stirring sound of war drums echoed through the battlefield, spreading the news of the arrival of reinforcements to every soldier's ears. The Western Liang army and the He Dongjun soldiers heard this, their morale soared, and they launched another wave of attacks, charging towards the Yellow Turbans with a loud roar. The Yellow Turbans, on the other hand, were greatly demoralized, and their troops were in disarray. The imperial court's reinforcements had arrived, and Guo Tai's 10,000-strong army was certainly not to be underestimated, while the combat strength of these 5,000 elite cavalrymen was also too powerful.

  The Yellow Turbans' front line began to waver.

  Yang Feng's heart was racing with anxiety, and like the other Yellow Turban generals, his fear of cavalry had reached its peak. He didn't know if Guo Tai had been defeated or surrendered. If he had been defeated, then the emperor's 5,000 elite cavalry must have incredible combat power, far exceeding his previous understanding. It was difficult to estimate how much chance they would have in the future. If he had surrendered, the trouble would be even greater. Once Guo Tai turned against them, it would be a disaster, and Yang Feng would certainly not escape unscathed.

  Yang Feng made a decisive decision, ordering the contraction of the defensive line while sending out scouts to gather information about Guo Tai.

  The war drums sounded, and the Yellow Turbans retreated like a tide, backing up against the waters of the Si River, forming a dense battle array.

  Niu let out a sigh of relief, only to feel his arms go limp and his legs turn soft. He plopped down on the ground, panting heavily, without even the energy to speak. After a bitter fight that lasted half the night, he was now desperate for a good sleep.

  It's not just Niu Fu, Hu Chi'er and Xu Huang are no exception. After a fierce battle for half the night, they were already on the verge of collapse, relying solely on their last breath to hold on. Now that the Yellow Turbans have withdrawn from the battlefield, they also wanted to take advantage of the situation to counterattack, but they were so exhausted that they couldn't even lift their legs, watching helplessly as the Yellow Turbans ran past them.

  Zhang Liao and Li Jue reined in their warhorses, slowly withdrawing from the battlefield while maintaining a charging distance. However, they also knew that neither the horses nor the men would be able to fight again for some time.

  With no more threat of death, everyone was crushed by a mountain-like fatigue.

  Lü Bu galloped his horse, and the Guandao in his hand had not yet seen blood, when he saw the Yellow Turbans retreat from the battlefield, gather their formation and defend. He was furious and scolded loudly: "Bandits are bandits, they can't fight, but they run faster than Red Hare!" Although angry, Lü Bu also knew that with his thousand or so men charging into the densely guarded array of ten thousand people would be no different from seeking death, so he reluctantly gave up the attack.

  "It is the general's prestige that is too great, and it has broken the Yellow Turbans' courage. As soon as they see the general's battle flag, they are defeated." Zhang Liao changed horses and came to meet him, and from a distance he heard Lü Bu's complaints.

  "Wen Yuan, you rascal, how did you run to our front? Want to steal credit?" Lü Bu's mood was bad, and he shouted in a bad tone: "What does the emperor's military order say? Do you dare to disobey it?"

  Zhang Liao accompanied with a smile: "The general misunderstood, how dare I disobey the imperial edict? It was Jia Shizhong who feared that Your Majesty would suffer losses, so he ordered me to rush to Anyi first and ask General Niu to come out of the city to respond."

  It is said that it was Jia Xu's idea, Lü Bu became even more enraged: "Are you a person of Liangzhou or Bingzhou, how can you listen to his words?"

  Zhang Liao did not refute it and just smiled and dropped it.

  In the midst of shock, Yang Feng received news from Guo Tai that he had not been defeated and had not surrendered. At the same time as feeling relieved, Yang Feng also regretted it. Niu Fu was already exhausted and on the verge of collapse. Lü Bu was strong, but his forces were too few. If they had just a little more time, they could have annihilated Niu Fu and possibly even heavily damaged Lü Bu. Now, however, due to misjudging the situation, they had let a great opportunity slip away, fighting for half the night in vain and losing thousands of men and horses.

  But regret is useless, that's how things are on the battlefield. Once an opportunity is lost, all you can do is sigh in admiration. Yang Feng was also a seasoned general, so he rallied his spirits and worked to reinforce their defenses while preparing to retreat across the river.

  In the end, they could only follow Xun Yu's plan. At this thought, Yang Feng felt very depressed.

  At noon, Liu Bian rushed to the battlefield and Niu Fu and others went to meet him. Before they could speak, Liu Bian said to Niu Fu: "The general disregarded his own safety, fought outside the city, and held back Yang Feng, he is a meritorious minister."

  Niu Fu was overjoyed and hastily humbled himself with a few words: "To eat your salary, to solve your worries, is the duty of a minister."

  Liu Bian laughed: "Jia Xuan has a plan, General Zong has bravery, Liangzhou produces talented people! In the past, someone suggested that the imperial court abandon Liangzhou, fortunately Yu Xuan and others had insight and strongly advised against it. Now it seems that Yu Xuan has merit, otherwise, you would have become the mighty enemy of the Great Han."

  The cow was stunned and didn't know how to respond. He was a military general, good at chopping people with his knife, but debating wasn't his strong suit.

  "Yang Feng is now trapped, what should be done with him next?" Liu Bian spread out his hands and smiled: "Everyone can express their own opinions, I will choose the best one to follow."

  Everyone looked at each other, then started talking in a cacophony of opinions. Some suggested launching a strong attack to capture Yang Feng and the others all at once, while others suggested temporarily retreating back to Anyi to regroup. Liu Bei remained silent, finally looking at Zhang Liao and saying: "Wenyuan, what's your opinion?"

  "Your Majesty, a strong attack would be insufficient with our current military strength, and the losses would be too great. It would also harm your benevolent virtue. Withdrawing back to Anyi might be suitable, but there is also the risk of 'releasing the tiger back to its mountain'. After Yang Feng and others have rested and recovered, they will surely return with a vengeance, and Hedong will still not know peace."

  Liu Bian nodded.

  Zhang Liao continued: "I think that while persuading to surrender, we should also gather boats, set up a floating bridge, and prepare to cross the river and pursue, annihilating the enemy in the process of marching."

  Liu Bian nodded again. Zhang Liao was indeed his classmate, and they were in harmony without prior discussion. He asked Niu Fu: "General Niu, find a few people who are familiar with the local terrain."

  Niu Fu pushed Xu Huan in front of Liu Bian, smiling: "Your Majesty, Xu Huan is a local official, ask him about the geography and people's feelings, it couldn't be more appropriate."

  "Xu Huan?" Liu Bian was shocked, looking at the young man in front of him with bloodstains still on his face that hadn't been wiped clean, and he could hardly believe his eyes: "Are you Xu Huan, Xu Gongming?"

  Xu Huan was somewhat nervous and stiffly made a bow, his voice dry as he said: "I report to Your Majesty, the humble commoner is Xu Huan."

  The second update, seeking recommendations, seeking collections!