Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 248 A Decisive Battle Between Kings: Liu Bei Defeates Yuan Shao (Seeking Follow-up and Monthly Tickets)
Subconsciously, Yuan Shao thought of Liu Bei's solo raid on Ye City.

Although coming for Yuan Shao sounds absurd, no one expected Liu Bei to suddenly appear in Ye City.

If the speculation is true
Yuan Shao was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. When he looked at Feng Ji again, Feng Ji's face was also deathly pale!

"Immediately recall troops to the central command!"

In the Deer Intestine Mountain, Liu Bei was hiding with eight hundred White Feather soldiers.

Feng Ji's base-stealing tactic was quite good, and although he was an enemy, Liu Bei still highly praised him.

Liu Bei was also very skilled at the tactic of raiding enemy bases.

Last time, when 20,000 men fought against hundreds of thousands in Xiaopei, they were essentially using the tactic of raiding the enemy's base.

All of Liu Bei's plans tonight are merely bait, ultimately serving one purpose: to steal his base!

Yuan Shao thought he had successfully raided Yuan Shao's base, so he launched an attack with almost his entire army, leaving only two thousand infantry and cavalry to guard the central command tent.

Two thousand infantry and cavalry may seem like a lot, but compared to others...

Compared to Yuan Shu, two thousand men are enough to defend the home.

Compared to Liu Bei, the expanded 800 White Feather Soldiers were not something that a mere 2,000 infantry and cavalry could stop!

Even though Yuan Shao's two thousand men were said to be incredibly strong and wielded large halberds, they were no match for Liu Bei.

Liu Bei knew this, and so did Yuan Shao, which is why Yuan Shao hurriedly sent people to recall troops to the central army.

However, Liu Bei did not intend to give Yuan Shao time to reassign his troops back to the central army.

"Bo Fu, do you dare to follow me into Yuan Shao's camp?" Liu Bei had a double-edged sword at his waist and a long spear on his shoulder. His horse, Qingzhui, stuck out its tongue and squinted, showing its arrogance.

Sun Ce, unable to contain himself any longer, exclaimed excitedly, "What is there to be afraid of?"

Liu Bei laughed loudly, pulled down the visor on his helmet, and his deep voice came from within the visor: "Then follow me into battle!"

At this time, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Yuan Shao's banner was still faintly visible.

As Liu Bei pointed his spear, eight hundred White Feather soldiers emerged from Deer Intestine Mountain, roaring down towards Yuan Shao's central command tent.

Liu Bei, riding a swift horse, personally led the charge, directly into the enemy ranks.

The halberdiers who were the first to be hit were so frightened by the sudden appearance of the armored cavalry that they dared not move. They were lifted high by the long spears and then fell heavily back down.

"Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, Liu Bei is here! Anyone who dares to stop me shall die!"

After a loud shout, another halberd-wielding warrior, unable to dodge in time, was slain.

The halberdiers, startled, hastily formed ranks, but their formation was no match for the speed at which the white-feathered soldiers moved in and out.

As Liu Bei shouted his name, he charged into the enemy lines, heading straight for Yuan Shao's central command tent. Wherever he went, no enemy could withstand him.

Hearing the shouts of "Liu Bei is here, who dares to fight?", Yuan Shao was shocked, and Feng Ji, Xin Ping, and Xin Pi also turned pale.

"Liu Bei actually dared to charge into my central command tent! How despicable!"

Although he knew that Liu Bei was brave and extremely daring, Yuan Shao was still terrified when he actually saw Liu Bei in full armor, spear in hand, charging into battle.

"My lord, take cover from the arrow!"

Xin Ping, with his sharp eyes, tackled Yuan Shao to the ground, and a sharp arrow flew over Yuan Shao's head.

Then they saw Liu Bei riding his green horse straight towards the commander's banner. Feng Ji, Xin Ping, Xin Pi, and the halberd-wielding soldiers quickly surrounded Yuan Shao in layers.

"My lord, retreat immediately!"

The brothers Xin Ping and Xin Pi quickly helped Yuan Shao up, intending to cover his retreat.

Yuan Shao was still furious about the arrow he had just received, and he shouted, "A true man is willing to fight to the death in battle, how can he avoid the enemy's sharp edge! Bring me my halberd!"

Encouraged, the surrounding halberdiers all roared and fought to the death.

Upon seeing Yuan Shao, who was surrounded by layers of halberdiers, Liu Bei laughed loudly and shouted, "Yuan Shao, come out! Let's settle this once and for all!"

At this moment, Yuan Shao was emboldened by anger and wanted to fight Liu Bei, but Xin Ping and Xin Pi held him back.

To fight Liu Bei to the death?
My lord, you've gone mad, but we haven't!

"Master, Yuan Shao has returned with his troops!"

Sun Ce, with his sharp eyes, spotted Yuan Bing hurrying back to the central command tent.

"Just in time!"

Liu Bei turned his horse around, abandoning Yuan Shao and charging straight at the oncoming Yuan soldiers.

It was none other than the two generals, Wang Mo and Guo Zu.

The two men were originally Yuan Shao's central army guards. After being sent by Feng Ji to raid Liu Bei's main camp, they remained on the outer perimeter of the vanguard.

After receiving Yuan Shao's order to transfer him, he hurriedly returned.

Seeing Yuan Shao being fiercely protected by halberdiers under his banner from afar, the two were greatly alarmed.

If Yuan Shao were to die, the two of them would certainly perish as well.

"Who goes there? Wang Mo does not kill nameless nobodies!" Confident in his martial prowess, Wang Mo charged towards Liu Bei first.

Liu Bei shouted in response: "Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty, Liu Bei is here!"

what?
Wang Mo's mind went blank for a moment.

Liu Bei?

What's Liu Bei doing here?

Liu Bei actually charged into the central army?

However, this momentary malfunction caused Wang Mo's body to come into close contact with Liu Bei's spear.

Looking into the cold and domineering eyes beneath the black mask, Wang Mo suddenly felt a sense of relief: I am now the first person to die in a one-on-one duel with Emperor Liu Bei.

Wang Mo was killed by Liu Bei in one round, which terrified Guo Zu so much that he dared not fight Liu Bei and only dared to drive his infantry and cavalry forward.

However, how could these ordinary soldiers possibly withstand Liu Bei's heavily armored cavalry and White Feather soldiers?

In a short while, Wang Mo and Guo Zu's troops were scattered and broken. Liu Bei laughed and turned around, shouting his name as he drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

With each arrow fired, a halberd-wielding warrior fell to the ground.

Those shouts of "Emperor of the Great Han, Liu Bei is here!" struck the Yuan soldiers present like a hammer blow, deeply etching the six words "Emperor of the Great Han, Liu Bei" into their memories.

In front.

Chunyu Qiong, who was directing the army's fierce attack, was stunned and exclaimed in disbelief after hearing the scout's report: "Liu Bei has launched a surprise attack on the central camp? How is this possible!"

Looking at Guan Yu and his men, who were arrayed like tortoise shells, Chunyu Qiong finally understood why they had stubbornly resisted even though they had clearly withdrawn their troops.

This is not a withdrawal of troops; it is clearly an attempt to create an opportunity for Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on the central command tent!
They're taking turns raiding each other's bases!
"Zhang He, Gao Lan, return to reinforce immediately!"

Chunyu Qiong dared not be overconfident and hurriedly sent his most capable generals, Zhang He and Gao Lan, back to the central army to provide reinforcements.

Before Chunyu Qiong could fully recover from the shock of Liu Bei's surprise attack on the central camp, he saw that the Lingyan Army, which had originally adopted a defensive posture, had actually begun to charge outwards!
"Meng Dai, is it? You had a good time beating me just now!" "If it weren't for creating an opportunity for our elder brother, you wouldn't even dare to make me withdraw my troops!"

Zhang Fei was the first to charge, heading straight for Meng Dai's banner.

His generals, including Duan Wei, Hu Zhen, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, Hua Xiong, Wang Fang, and Li Meng, also clamored for revenge.

Zhang Fei's Lingyan Army originally belonged to Lü Bu's command and was one of the two most formidable battalions among the ten battalions of the Lingyan Army.

After being frustrated for so long, I can finally hold my head high!
Meng Dai had only managed to hold off Zhang Fei's attack because of the advantageous terrain of his camp. Now, facing Zhang Fei's fierce assault, Meng Dai, without the advantage of the camp's terrain, was almost powerless to resist.

Following Zhang Fei were four battalions: Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, and Taishi Ci.

All the soldiers were holding back their anger and used their most ferocious fighting methods.

Those who were far away were shot dead by arrows, and those who were close were killed by spears.

Without the advantage of terrain, no army in the world today can truly confront the Lingyan Army head-on!
On Chunyu Qiong's side...

The four battalions of Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Dian Wei, and Xu Chu also began their counterattack.

Guan Yu remained in place, watching the battlefield.

On Guan Yu's right, Yang Xiu could no longer suppress his doubts: "Lord Guan, are we really not going to reinforce His Majesty? If we get entangled with these Yuan soldiers for too long, I'm afraid His Majesty might be in danger."

Although Wang Ling on the left did not speak, there was also worry in his eyes.

Guan Yu gently stroked his magnificent beard with his left hand and said, "There's no need to worry. You know nothing about His Majesty's martial prowess. Do you really think that my third and fourth brothers and I acknowledged His Majesty as our sworn brother simply because he is older?"

"The principles of propriety, righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, and trustworthiness that are widely circulated in the Lingyan Army, among which the meaning of 'martial arts' is created by His Majesty himself. You can carefully comprehend them."

Yang Xiu and Wang Ling were both taken aback, recalling the martial interpretation of the four virtues of propriety, righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, and trustworthiness: that is, if you can take action, don't use words; you must be brave and wise, and subdue others with force.

Ren (仁) means that by holding the legs or shoulder blades, one can split a person in two.
The meaning is that with arms crossed, one can cut bones with their hands;

The art of concealing a sickle or other sharp weapon within the sleeve or clothing allows one to attack the enemy unprepared.
Wisdom means using sunlight, shadows, and other means to conceal one's form and strike unexpectedly;

The word "信" (xin) refers to using words or tone of voice to disrupt the enemy's movements and throw them off balance in battle.

At first, neither Yang Xiu nor Wang Ling took it seriously.

There are many versions of the scriptures in this era. People from aristocratic families like Yang Xiu and Wang Ling have seen more outrageous interpretations than this, some of which even involve gods, ghosts, demons, witches, and immortals.

Upon hearing Guan Yu's words, Yang Xiu and Wang Ling couldn't help but re-examine the meaning of the martial interpretation of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness.

Yang Xiu took a deep breath and said, "It is said that Confucius was so strong that he could lift the gate of the country, but he refused to make a name for himself by force; it is also said that Confucius used his strength to lift the gate of the city. I thought it was just hearsay, but now I realize how little I really know about the Analects."

Just then, Guan Yu's phoenix eyes suddenly snapped open, and his red steed galloped away like lightning. In just a few breaths, Guan Yu had already reached Chunyu Qiong's banner.

The Green Dragon Crescent Blade was like a roaring green dragon, and no one could withstand its attack. The Red Rabbit leaped high into the air, directly jumping over several people and landing in front of Chunyu Qiong.

"Guan Yu?"

Chunyu Qiong was utterly shocked.

In particular, Guan Yu had just broken through his own personal guards as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, and had fought his way to the front without anyone being able to stop him!
Is that human being?
Chunyu Qiong's eyes reflected that towering figure, as majestic as Mount Tai.
Before Chunyu Qiong could react, Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade had already slashed down heavily.

"General Chunyu was... was... was beheaded?"

The Yuan army soldiers around Guan Yu were all astonished to see Chunyu Qiong's head in his hand.

Han Meng's hands, gripping the weapon, trembled violently.

Han Meng, who considered himself a fierce warrior, first encountered Zhao Yun, who killed Han Xun, Gongsun Du, and Zhao Rui.

At this moment, Guan Yu charged all the way from hundreds of meters away to the banner and killed Chunyu Qiong in front of all the soldiers!

This has exceeded Han Meng's understanding of what a fierce general is!

The exaggerated story of beheading a general amidst a vast army as easily as taking something out of a bag—is this really true?

Han Meng knew of Chunyu Qiong's martial prowess; in a real fight, it would take three Han Mengs to match Chunyu Qiong.

But now, Guan Yu has broken through the many guards and fought his way to his banner, where he killed Chunyu Qiong. Chunyu Qiong, with his martial prowess, didn't even have a chance to defend himself!
Is this really something a human could do?

In Han Meng's eyes, a genius was merely someone who could meet Guan Yu.

With a clang.

Han Meng's weapon fell to the ground, and he then knelt down to surrender, his fear turning into submission to Guan Yu.

Not only were Han Meng and the others astonished, but Yang Xiu and Wang Ling behind them were equally astonished.

Just moments ago, I saw Guan Yu stroking his magnificent beard and saying, "You know nothing of His Majesty's martial prowess." Then, I saw Guan Yu charge towards Chunyu Qiong's banner, cutting melons and vegetables with ease, and behead Chunyu Qiong.

The two suddenly realized that they knew nothing about Guan Yu's martial prowess.

The two found it hard to imagine that Guan Yu, the governor of Yu Province who would scribble with Yang Xiu, could possess the martial prowess described in folk tales, beheading generals amidst a vast army as easily as taking something out of a bag.

With such martial prowess, why would someone need to study literature?
Don't be such a bully!

The two recalled once again the military commentary on benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, as well as anecdotes about Confucius.

Could this be the true Confucian scholar?
Chunyu Qiong was killed by Guan Yu, and Meng Dai was also caught up and killed by Zhang Fei. With the two supervising officers of Yuan Shao's army dying violently, the Yuan army soldiers could no longer contain their fear and began to collapse.

And on the other side.

Even with Zhang He and Gao Lan returning to help, they couldn't stop the White Feather Soldiers from charging in.

Zhang He tried to fight Liu Bei, but after receiving a spear thrust from Liu Bei, he dared not fight him again. Liu Bei's words, "This spear thrust takes thirty years to prepare, can you withstand it?" echoed in his ears for a long time.

Under his command, Yuan Shao was so astonished by Liu Bei's bravery that he could hardly express it.

Even Zhang He couldn't defeat Liu Bei, yet I actually wanted to fight Liu Bei?

Feng Ji's face turned pale and then red. The main responsibility for today's crushing defeat lay with him. He didn't know how Guo Tu would ridicule him when he returned to Dangyin City!
Feng Ji wanted to die standing up, but he didn't have the courage to raise his sword against Liu Bei, so he could only silently lower his head and remain silent, as if trying to hide his existence.

Xin Ping then advised again, "My lord, let's avoid the enemy's sharp edge for now!"

This time, Yuan Shao did not insist on the saying, "A true man is willing to fight to the death in battle, how can he avoid the enemy's sharp edge!" After silently watching Liu Bei charging left and right with high spirits for a while, Yuan Shao slowly retreated under the cover of his halberdiers.

Liu Bei had no intention of killing Yuan Shao. Even if Xin Ping hadn't knocked Yuan Shao down, the arrow would have at most hit Yuan Shao's helmet. Seeing Yuan Shao retreating, he didn't pursue him.

Liu Bei still needs Yuan Shao to plunder the powerful clans and wealthy families of Hebei once more, so that he can better govern the land after he gains control of Hebei.

Without Yuan Shao in Hebei, it would be extremely difficult to govern Hebei in the future. At present, Liu Bei has not yet found a suitable governor of Ji Province.

Zhang He and Gao Lan were still considering whether to stop Liu Bei or retreat with Yuan Shao, but they soon abandoned this concern because news of Chunyu Qiong's death came from the vanguard.

Seeing the army ahead begin to collapse, the two were even more horrified and dared not stop Liu Bei any longer, each heading towards Yuan Shao's direction.

now.

Heading towards Yanjin.

Cao Cao led 20,000 Qingzhou soldiers on a rapid march of over 60 li in one night, only to run into Yuan Shao's army, which was beginning to collapse.

"Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou, has led 50,000 troops from Qingzhou to come and assist us!"

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

(End of this chapter)