The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Cao's soldiers were exceptionally brave, a rarity in their time, a fact that Ju Shou had long been aware of.

Before the Battle of Guandu, Ju Shou also strongly advised Yuan Shao: "Cao Cao's army has strict laws and disciplines, and its soldiers are well-trained, far superior to the likes of Gongsun Zan."

Even though Ju Shou had a slight advantage by following the principle of morale when they met again today, he was still deeply moved.

Lu Qian led the charge, his long spear flashing like lightning, and with his sheer bravery, he managed to deflect several large shields. Behind him, Cao Cao's soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave, instantly tearing apart the first line of defense. The infantry followed like tigers, thrusting their spears like a forest. The cavalry on both flanks fired powerful arrows, fiercely suppressing the archers on Ju Shou's side.

Not only that, Lü Qian still had the strength to roar fiercely: "Ju Shou, you rat! Do you dare to come out and fight me to the death?!"

Its roar shook the wilderness, and its momentum was like a madman. If the opponent was slightly less determined, such as Su, he would probably have already fled in panic.

Seeing this fierce momentum, Ju Shou secretly rejoiced: the troops he commanded today were not Yuan Shao's former troops, but Liu Bei's elite forces. Therefore, Ju Shou did not need to pay attention to Lü Qian's wild words and goading. He only needed to focus on issuing orders on the battlefield. As long as Ju Shou did not abandon his army and flee, all the soldiers would obey his orders without fear.

The general is the courage of the soldiers; this has always been the case.

As Ju Shou pointed his command flag, the shield bearers in the front row braced their shields against Cao Cao's fierce attack. In a short while, the gaps were sealed by the steady veterans. From the gaps in the shields, long spears pierced out menacingly, viciously stabbing and killing Cao Cao's soldiers who had charged too aggressively. The archers and crossbowmen in the rear, under orders, fired in an orderly manner, either in volleys or in scatters, to counterattack Lü Qian's cavalry on both flanks.

Although Ju Shou's troops were exhausted from their long journey, they had the advantage of strict discipline and a force that outnumbered their opponents.

Under Ju Shou's skillful command, Lü Qian's fierce offensive was firmly resisted. As time went by, the morale of Cao's troops gradually weakened, and they no longer had the fierce momentum they had shown earlier.

Seeing this opportunity, Ju Shou's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he immediately ordered his brave soldiers: "Cao Cao's right flank is in chaos! Quickly send elite troops to flank and attack from the rear, and make sure to completely crush them!"

Upon hearing the order, the valiant brothers, who were seething with anger, were immediately invigorated. Each of them led three hundred elite soldiers and charged out like a whirlwind from the right flank, heading straight for Cao Cao's army's side.

This shift from defense to offense was swift and decisive!

Caught off guard, Lü Qian's face drained of color, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes: Ju Shou's timing was too perfect!
Conducting is an art, and art has different levels of skill.

If Lü Qian's command was like a tiger pouncing on its prey, using force to overcome skill, then Ju Shou's command was like a spider weaving a web, using skill to exert pressure.

Ju Shou's heart was also filled with turmoil.

How exhilarating it is to command elite troops like this today!

In the past, when Ju Shou commanded Yuan Shao's troops, he often had to accommodate the slow response of his subordinates and could not command them as easily as he would his own arms. Now, as soon as the military order was issued, the soldiers immediately responded and moved. This exhilarating sense of control almost made Ju Shou want to let out a long howl.

As Ju Shou gradually gained a decisive advantage over Lü Qian in command skills, Lü Qian found it increasingly difficult to control the battlefield.

"Don't panic! Fire a volley of arrows from the left flank to suppress the enemy... Spearmen, keep advancing!"

Although Lü Qian roared repeatedly, his military orders were difficult to convey. He could only watch helplessly as his brave brothers, like tigers among sheep, tore apart the right flank of the formation in an instant.

With the right flank in disarray, Lü Qian could no longer control the overall situation. Ju Shou did not give Lü Qian a chance to react and directly issued a military order for a full-scale attack.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Lü Qian made a decisive decision and issued a retreat order. Otherwise, if the formation were further disrupted by Ju Shou, Lü Qian would not have been able to retreat even if he wanted to.

"The thief will leave!"

Seeing that Lü Qian was about to flee, Shi Yong and his brothers rushed their troops in pursuit. Shi Ren, who was hot-tempered, was in the lead and shot an arrow at Lü Qian. Relying on his experience and instinct, Lü Qian dodged to the side and caught the arrow under his arm. He then let out a scream and collapsed onto his saddle.

Upon seeing this, Shi Ren was overjoyed, thinking that Lü Qian had been hit by an arrow, and spurred his horse to give chase.

Unexpectedly, Lü Qian did this on purpose to lure Shi Ren into a trap. Losing to Ju Shou in battlefield command did not mean that Lü Qian would lose to an unknown minor captain like Shi Ren in battlefield combat.

Before Shi Ren could react, Lü Qian had already nocked the arrow tucked under his arm and then fired a shot that struck Shi Ren squarely between the eyebrows.

Shi Ren cried out and fell from his horse, his eyes filled with disbelief. He died without understanding why Lü Qian could deflect an arrow even after being shot.

"My brother!"

Shi Yong was both shocked and furious. He rushed forward to check, but it was too late to stop it. When he tried to chase after Lü Qian, he saw that Lü Qian had already retreated far away and he could not catch up. He felt both resentful and helpless.

Ju Shou, upon learning the news from the rear, secretly admired Lü Qian's bravery and skill, noting that he had managed to use trickery to kill Shi Ren.

Although Ju Shou's troops were exhausted and unable to pursue, they would be defeated again if they encountered reinforcements from Cao Cao's other generals during the pursuit.

With this in mind, Ju Shou then unfurled his flag, sounded the gong to signal a retreat, and ordered everyone to clean up the battlefield. Afterward, they chose a place to set up camp, waiting to rest and recuperate before heading to Nanpi.

The closer they got to Nanpi, the greater the danger became. Ju Shou, entrusted with elite troops by Liu Bei, naturally did not want to lose any of his elite soldiers due to negligence.

the other side.

Lu Qian returned to camp in a sorry state. Although he had killed an unknown captain, Lu Qian had suffered more than a hundred casualties in this battle. Such a high casualty ratio made Lu Qian's anger and resentment hard to contain.

"You old bastard Ju Shou, your military tactics in battle are so skillful!" Lü Qian angrily threw his helmet to the ground, his anger still unabated.

Hua Yan cautiously offered a suggestion: "Now that Liu Bei's reinforcements have arrived, we should quickly inform General Cao and Generals Zang and Zhang to join forces at Nanpi. I have also heard that General Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry is the most elite cavalry under the command of the Minister of Works. With the assistance of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, even Ju Shou will be powerless."

Seeing Lü Qian's furrowed brows, Hua Yan didn't dare to breathe.

After a long while, Lü Qian picked up the helmet from the ground, slowly put it on, and regained his usual composure: "I will follow your plan and issue the document immediately."

Hua Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and wrote a letter and sent an envoy as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Cao Chun, Zang Ba, and Zhang Liao marched north from Qingzhou to Bohai, plundering military equipment, provisions, and laborers along the way. They were not far from Nanpi. After receiving a message from Lü Qian, the three generals did not hesitate and hurriedly urged their troops to enter Nanpi.

During this period, Ju Shou also made contact with Huang Zhong in Nanpi, and subsequently led his troops into Nanpi City to assist Huang Zhong in defending the city.

Simply repelling Lü Qian's harassment could not resolve the crisis of Nanpi being besieged. Ju Shou was also well aware that Lü Qian was not the main force of Cao Cao's troops in the Bohai direction.

However, with the addition of Ju Shou and his two thousand soldiers, the morale of both the army and the people in Nanpi City has been significantly improved. With more than three thousand people defending Nanpi City, the chances of winning the defense of the city are far greater than before.

However, with the arrival of Cao Chun, Zang Ba, and Zhang Liao outside Nanpi City, the atmosphere on the battlefield became increasingly tense. This meant that Nanpi City would face Cao Cao's army's formal measures of cutting off its water and food supplies, as well as a direct assault, whether normal or extraordinary military tactics. (End of Chapter)