Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

But Liu Feng had no time to catch his breath when an arrow whistled through the wind and struck him just a step in front of his horse, the white feathers at the end of the arrow still trembling.

Liu Feng raised his head.

The Youzhou cavalry had already pressed forward from the flank. Hundreds of cavalrymen charged into the flank of the Han heavy cavalry, their scimitars gleaming in the sunlight. Tian Yu himself charged at the forefront, his face as solid as a rock beneath his iron helmet. He swept his lance across, knocking a cavalryman under Liu Feng's command off his horse. The Youzhou cavalry followed closely behind, their blades flashing, and more than twenty heavy cavalrymen were cut down from their horses in the blink of an eye.

Then the Youzhou cavalry swiftly turned their horses around, showing no intention of lingering in battle. Tian Yu pointed his long spear, and hundreds of cavalrymen withdrew from the Han army's flank like a tide, their horses' hooves tracing an arc across the shallows, widening the distance once more.

Their knives were still dripping with blood, but their bows were already strung again.

Arrows rained down again.

Liu Feng gritted his teeth. He already knew Tian Yu and the Youzhou cavalry's tactics: charge in, slash once, retreat, create distance, fire arrows, charge again, and fire arrows once more. This was the fighting style the Youzhou cavalry had learned from the wolf packs on the grasslands: never engage their prey in direct combat, but instead circle around, tearing at them and drawing blood bit by bit until the prey bled to death.

The remaining hundreds of cavalrymen on the riverbank remained motionless. They stood silently, reining in their horses, bows drawn and arrows nocked, like a hidden barrier, ready to provide cover for Tian Yu's retreat at any moment.

"Form ranks! Move closer to me!"

Eight hundred heavy cavalrymen quickly converged on Liu Feng. The stirrups allowed them to maintain their fighting strength even in the chaos. The riders discarded their broken spears and drew their ring-pommel swords or short halberds. Once the armored heavy cavalry re-formed their ranks, they were as solid as a rock, bleeding but unmoving.

The Youzhou cavalry continued their flanking maneuvers. Arrows flew from all directions, clanging against the heavy armor of the cavalry. Several more Shu Han cavalrymen were hit and fell from their horses, but this time no one panicked, and the formation remained stable.

Liu Feng glanced down at his armor; seven or eight arrowheads were embedded in the plates, none of them piercing through. The arrow wound on his shoulder was still bleeding, warm liquid trickling down his arm armor.

"General!" A guard raised his shield to deflect a stray arrow. "The cavalry will eventually run out of arrows, but the brothers can't just stand there and take the hits!"

Liu Feng raised his head and stared at the cavalry rushing back and forth on the riverbank. Tian Yu's "wolf pack" was regrouping, preparing for the next round of attacks; their quivers were still full, and their horses were still powerful.

We can't keep dragging this on.

Liu Feng suddenly turned his horse around and charged toward the hundreds of Youzhou cavalrymen who were providing cover on the riverbank.

"Form ranks! First, break through the other cavalry force, depriving the enemy of their arrow cover during their retreat."

"Yes, General!" The heavy cavalrymen were now completely obedient to Liu Feng and spurred their horses to follow.

As soon as Liu Feng's heavy cavalry formation moved, another group of Youzhou cavalry fled in the opposite direction like frightened wild beasts, with arrows concealed in front of their chests as they retreated, like the hidden teeth and claws of a fleeing beast.

Meanwhile, Tian Yu personally led his elite cavalry, which then became a covering force. They drew their bows, formed a scattered formation, and unleashed a dense rain of arrows.

Liu Feng had anticipated this. Tian Yu divided his Youzhou cavalry into two groups, intending to alternate between covering and attacking, thus wearing down Liu Feng's heavy cavalry.

Liu Feng saw through everything, yet he held his spear high and swung it around. After cutting a short distance at an angle, the eight hundred heavy cavalry suddenly reined in their horses. The heavy cavalry circled around in an unbelievable way, turning in a different direction like a fish swimming in a river.

Tian Yu's pupils contracted sharply. Such a sudden change of direction during a rapid charge was extremely difficult, even for light cavalry, let alone heavily armored ones. The reason was simple: a horse's hooves have limited capacity to withstand force; forcibly turning the horse's head like this would break even the thickest horn beneath its hooves!

But Liu Feng's cavalry abruptly changed direction, not charging towards Tian Yu, nor towards the reinforcements. Instead, they led their heavy cavalry straight to the shallow waters at the edge of the riverbank—Tian Yu's usual retreat route after each charge.

"Give the order! Form ranks along the riverbank and force Tian Yu to the northwest!"

The eight hundred iron cavalrymen regrouped, no longer in a passive, defensive circle, but in a staggered formation stretching across the riverbank. They spread out along the riverbank as far as possible, like a slowly closing iron gate, forcibly severing the connection between the two Youzhou cavalry units.

Tian Yu immediately saw through Liu Feng's intentions. If this iron wall were allowed to press in, the Youzhou cavalry would be forced step by step into the confluence of the Diao River and the Tuan River in the northwest, losing their room for maneuver.

At that point, the wolf pack will be like dogs in distress.

"Charge west!" Tian Yu brandished his iron spear and led his cavalry towards the junction of the left and right flanks on the west side of the riverbank, which had not yet come together.

Liu Feng personally went to block it.

The chestnut horse charged through the shallow water to the breach, its long spear sweeping across, knocking the two leading cavalrymen off their horses. The heavy cavalry on both sides immediately closed in, their long spears forming a forest, sealing the gap. The Youzhou cavalry crashed into the iron wall; arrows clanged against the armor, swords slashed against shields, sparks flew, but they could not budge the iron barrier.

The heavy cavalry began their advance.

Horses trod through the mud, step by step, pushing backward along the riverbank. The clanging of armor, the splashing of hooves, and the shouts of the cavalry mingled together. Another detachment of Youzhou cavalry rained down arrows, attempting to support Tian Yu. Men fell among the heavy cavalry, horses tumbled from arrow wounds, but the formation never faltered. The fallen were dragged to their feet by their comrades, the wounded horses were pushed to the rear, and the iron wall continued its advance.

The operational space of Tian Yu's Youzhou cavalry was shrinking. They were finally confined to the dense forest behind Qingping Ferry. The trees served as the best shield against arrows for Liu Feng and his heavy cavalry, and another cavalry unit, darting like poisonous bees behind them, finally ceased its movements.

Liu Feng stared at Tian Yu's banner ahead.

Three hundred steps.

The cavalry's quivers were running low. Some reached for their waists, only to find nothing, and could only draw their ring-pommel swords. Others tried to pick up the arrows from the ground, but were forced back by the heavy cavalry's long spears.

Two hundred steps.

Tian Yu sounded the horn, and the hundreds of cavalrymen responsible for providing cover and support finally lowered their bows and arrows. They charged up from the edge of the riverbank, attempting to tear a gap in the Han army's rear.

But Liu Feng had anticipated this, and he left a hundred heavy cavalry to attack from the flank and intercept the reinforcements. The two cavalry forces clashed on the mudflats, with the reinforcements unable to break through and Tian Yu unable to escape.

On the opposite bank of the turbulent river, most of Kou Zun's infantry phalanx had already crossed the river via the pontoon bridge. Liu Feng's reinforcements had arrived!

Tian Yu suddenly reined in his horse. He looked around; the cavalry's horses were panting heavily, their quivers empty. Liu Feng's iron cavalry, however, continued their advance, slow but unstoppable.

The rushing river is right behind us.

Tian Yu took off his helmet.

"Dismount." His voice was very calm, as if he had expected the outcome.

The remaining cavalry dismounted and formed a circular formation, using their horses as a shield. Spears emerged from their bellies, and the last few arrows were nocked and pointed in all directions. The entire movement was swift and efficient; in moments, a circular fortress consisting of horses, spears, and the last few arrows appeared on the riverbank.

Liu Feng raised his hand, and the iron wall stopped. The two armies faced each other. A river breeze blew, carrying the stench of blood.

Liu Feng did not order a full-scale attack. He was waiting, waiting for the infantry led by Kou Zun and Shen Yi to arrive, and also waiting for Tian Yu to run out of arrows.

The riverbank fell silent, save for the neighing of the wounded horse and the sound of the flowing water. A guard rode closer and whispered, "General, the infantry have reached the south bank."

Liu Feng turned around. The infantry had already formed ranks on the riverbank, their spears gleaming in the setting sun, their bowstrings drawn taut, pointing at the Youzhou cavalry responsible for providing support, driving them further and further away from Tian Yu's banner.

Within the circular formation, the cavalry fired their last few arrows. Some began to untie their bowstrings, gripping the bow arms as clubs. Others drew their ring-pommel swords and waited silently behind the horse carcasses.

No one speaks.

Tian Yu stood in the center of the circular formation, gazing at the setting sun. The river flowed behind him, its surface tinged with a rusty red.

Liu Feng raised his hand, his gaze sweeping over the heavily armored cavalry behind him, many of whom were also dead or wounded. Almost every one of them had four or five arrows stuck in their chests and backs. Even Liu Feng himself was no exception.

"Shout it out. Those who surrender will be spared." The guards rode forward and shouted the words of persuasion three times. The sound echoed on the riverbank.

An arrow was shot out, grazed the guard's helmet, and embedded itself in the mud.

Tian Yu lowered his bow and put his helmet back on. He turned and said something to the cavalrymen beside him. Liu Feng couldn't hear him because of the distance. But he saw the cavalrymen stand up one by one, gripping their swords tightly.

Kou Zun approached Liu Feng and said in a deep voice, "It seems that Tian Yu is determined to resist to the end! What should we do, brother?"

Liu Fengrui's eyes gleamed. After this exchange, he realized that Tian Yu was indeed no ordinary person, and the Youzhou cavalry he commanded were also elite warriors. If he could be put to use... he would be a great asset.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Send someone to announce again that Liu Feng, the son of an old friend, requests an audience with Uncle Tian!"