Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 276 Flying General
Even after Yuan Shao withdrew his troops, Liu Bei persisted like a leech.

They didn't attack, but slowly followed behind Yuan Shao's army.

Currently, Yuan Shao has the advantage in military strength on the battlefield, but in reality, neither side can do anything to the other.

Yuan Shao could not defeat Liu Bei in a short time, and Liu Bei could not break through Yuan Shao's army formation with cavalry alone.

Although there were armored cavalry, it would be suicidal for a small number of cavalry to charge into a large army formation, especially since Yuan Shao had already set up carts to block the way from the beginning.

However, things changed when Dong Zhuo's troops were about to arrive.

Yuan Shao's attack on Liu Xie was now a foregone conclusion, the key being that Liu Xie himself was right there.

All the troops in the capital region, even if it was just to make a show of force, had to pursue Yuan Shao. The number of pursuers would only increase, and if Yuan Shao didn't run away, he really wouldn't be able to escape.

Although he felt frustrated, Yuan Shao was not the kind of person who couldn't accept defeat.

"The entire army retreated to Chenggao..."

Yuan Shao made this difficult decision: "Abandon the baggage train, and have the crossbowmen cover the rear!"

In fact, everyone knew that what needed to be abandoned was not the supplies, as the supplies were in Xiaopingjin and had not been taken with them in the first place.

What we had to abandon were the more than seven hundred corpses of the Yuan clan members.

Yuan Shao was actually quite considerate; he planned to flee with Xu You.

Xu You initially refused, saying, "Let me stay here, you may go..."

It wasn't that Xu You was being magnanimous, but rather that he knew that lying flat on his back wouldn't kill him immediately, but if he were jostled around a bit, who knew which internal organs the short halberd would be thrown into.

But Yuan Shao insisted: "Our clansmen have passed away, and abandoning their remains is a last resort. But Ziyuan grieved because of me, how can I abandon him? Endure the pain, and we will be saved when we reach Chenggao..."

He then ordered his soldiers to lift Xu You onto the carriage.

Xu You cried out in pain, but Yuan Shao ignored him and began to flee with his carriages and horses.

Although Chunyu Qiong was unwilling to attack Liu Xie, he was very proactive in protecting Yuan Shao's retreat. He and Yuan Shao were old friends who had worked together in the underworld in Luoyang and usually addressed each other as brothers.

Protected by Chunyu Qiong, Yuan Shao rode ahead on horseback eastward.

Wu Kuang also evacuated; he was from Chenliu, so of course he had to flee to Chenliu.

Yuan Shao's men numbered about seven hundred elite soldiers who were tasked with covering the rear, guarding the previously set up roadblocks and using crossbows to intercept them.

This should be Yuan Shao's last loyal follower in Luoyang, and also one of his most reliable subordinates.

The wagons carrying the remains of Yuan family members were also dragged to the middle of the road by these assassins, forming a wagon formation.

Liu Bei did not pursue them directly, but stopped two hundred paces from the chariot formation.

He did not want to use cavalry to charge the crossbowmen who had set up a wagon formation.

The crossbow was probably the weapon these suicide soldiers were most proficient in. They would indeed have a hard time fighting against regular troops on the front lines, but they were certainly good at using crossbows to defend chariot formations.

Liu Bei rallied his troops, and the scene returned to how it was when Liu Bei first arrived, with Liu Bei still standing under the banner that read "Blood for Blood".

The only difference was that the opposing force had decreased from seven thousand to seven hundred.

……

Soon after, Lü Bu led his cavalry to the scene. He saw Liu Bei confronting Yuan Shao's chariot formation and then saw the Crown Prince's entourage. He quickly stepped forward to pay his respects to Liu Xie.

Lu Bu's cavalry was a mixed bag, including cavalry from Bingzhou, cavalry from Liangzhou, and a rather strange group of cavalrymen carrying shields and halberds led by Gao Shun.

"General Liu... how have you been? Do you know where Yuan Shao is?"

Lu Bu wasn't surprised to see Liu Bei there, but he glanced at the banner a few more times—people these days rarely saw banners, but vertical banners were common.

It seems that Lü Bu has made some progress over the years; at least he knows how to address people by their official titles.

“The traitor Yuan just attacked the Crown Prince’s banner and is now running east. I am blocked by the chariot formation and cannot pursue him.”

Liu Bei dismounted with Liu Xie and looked at the troops led by Lü Bu: "It's great that Fengxian has come here. Please break through the chariot formation and pursue eastward. It would be best to take Chenggao Pass before Yuan Shao."

Chenggao Pass is the name given at this time; in fact, this place also has another name—Hulao Pass.

Hulao Pass is a vital passage between the capital region and the Guandong region. Inside the pass is Chenggao County, and outside the pass is Xingyang.

"How could a mere chariot formation possibly stop General Liu's elite troops?"

Lu Bu looked at Liu Bei's troops and felt that they were somewhat different from his own cavalry, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

“I must protect the Crown Prince… Although the Crown Prince is intelligent and brave, he is only eight years old. Does Fengxian intend to send the Crown Prince to the battlefield?”

Liu Bei then flattered Lü Bu, saying, "Besides, I'm not as brave and skilled in battle as Fengxian. This kind of chariot formation might be no match for Fengxian, but it's quite troublesome for me. My troops aren't good at breaking formations..." "Ahem... General, you flatter me..."

Upon hearing Liu Bei's praise, Lü Bu smiled slightly: "Why isn't Guan Yu here?"

"Sigh, my brother is good in every way, except that he's a little slow on the road..."

Liu Bei deliberately sighed and continued to praise Lü Bu: "Fengxian's advance is incredibly swift; he can be called a flying general of our time. He will surely be able to chase down and take the head of the traitor Yuan!"

"Ah? Hahaha... General Right has a good eye for talent, I'm off!"

Lü Bu, having received praise from Liu Bei, laughed heartily and led his troops forward: "Left charge and fire! Break through the formation!"

Lu Bu's elite cavalry was indeed very powerful, and they were indeed more suited to dealing with chariot formations than Liu Bei's troops.

These cavalrymen had dealt with various non-Han peoples for many years, and most of them were skilled in archery while on horseback.

Of course, the usual method is to shoot from the left while riding a horse at full gallop – that is, to shoot the arrow from the left while riding a horse at full gallop.

There aren't many people who can shoot from both sides with their bows drawn in both directions.

Liu Bei knew that Dong Zhuo could shoot left and right while riding at high speed, but he had never seen it with his own eyes—Dong Zhuo was extremely skilled in martial arts, but he rarely went into battle after he rose to a high official position.

Lu Bu's archery skills were the best Liu Bei had ever seen, without exception.

Lu Bu took the lead and charged ahead, first moving forward along the left edge of the road, then moving to the right in an arc when he was a few dozen paces away from the chariot formation, facing the enemy on his left while running.

In a single breath, he fired three arrows from his large bow, each hitting the enemy in the head—the enemy was hiding behind a vehicle, with only his head showing.

This skill is truly divine archery.

The men behind him were also skilled horsemen and archers. Liu Bei didn't recognize them, but he could guess that they were Wei Yue, Wei Xu, Hou Cheng, and others.

Although they didn't have Lu Bu's skills, they were quite accurate and fired arrows continuously at a very fast rate.

Yuan's elite troops were also firing back with crossbows, but their rate of fire was significantly different from that of Lü Bu's forces.

Lu Bu and his elite troops' rapid archery skills stood out in this small-scale battle.

Lu Bu himself was unerring with his arrows, killing with every strike. He was also at the forefront, while the troops behind him fired at an extremely high rate, which effectively provided suppressive fire.

Although Yuan Jun's elite soldiers were not afraid of death, they still had to hide when necessary. As a result, they were pinned down by the rain of arrows and could not aim properly—they could peek out to fight back, but they really did not have time to aim.

Gao Shun was clearly not skilled in mounted archery; he and Zhang Liao each led several hundred men and followed behind Lü Bu's mounted archers.

After Lü Bu suppressed Yuan's elite troops with two volleys of arrows, Yuan's army may have adapted to Lü Bu's tactics, but at this moment Gao Shun and Zhang Liao moved together.

Under the cover of arrows rained down by Lü Bu's main force, the two suddenly launched a charge, quickly reaching the front of the chariot formation. They then abandoned their horses and leaped behind the chariots.

Liu Bei then realized that the strange cavalrymen led by Gao Shun and Zhang Liao were not actually cavalrymen at all.

These are elite infantrymen on horseback. Riding horses is purely for speeding up the charge; these are the elite soldiers specifically tasked with breaking through enemy lines.

After leaping over the chariot formation, Gao Shun stood at the forefront with a shield in one hand and a short spear in the other, while Zhang Liao, wielding a halberd, charged left and right, resulting in a one-sided massacre.

The battle ended quickly; Lü Bu's troops broke through the chariot formation in just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Lu Bu turned to look at Liu Bei, and Liu Bei, being very sensible, gave him a thumbs up.

Lu Bu may not have seen this gesture before, but he obviously understood it, and laughed heartily as he led his troops eastward.

Gao Shun seemed to say something to Zhang Liao, who turned to look at Liu Bei. But by then, Lü Bu had already led his army eastward, so Zhang Liao mounted his horse again and chased after Lü Bu.

"This one looks pretty impressive..."

Even Liu Xie could tell that Lü Bu's troops were no ordinary force.

"Phew... thankfully, Lu Bu doesn't have any intention of becoming my enemy yet..."

Liu Bei shook his head in relief and called to Zhang Fei, "Clean up the battlefield."

"Brother, are you no longer pursuing Yuan Shao?"

Zhang Fei glanced at Lü Bu's retreating figure, seemingly intending to challenge him.

"Actually, we can't catch up... Since Yuan Shao abandoned the corpses, he will surely flee day and night on lightly equipped, fast horses, and we can't leave Luoyang for too long..."

Liu Bei shook his head: "Let Lü Bu go and make a name for himself. Let's collect the remains here first."

Whether it's an enemy or a foe, the corpse must be buried; this is basic human morality. Liu Bei didn't think much of it.

(End of this chapter)