My Three Kingdoms is not right

The military order was swiftly relayed. Within a quarter of an hour, 1,500 Imperial Guards had formed ranks outside the camp.

Liu Xun stood on his horse at the front of the formation, but was somewhat stunned.

Just now, a system notification appeared before his eyes:

[System notification: Player is detected commanding the battle, and their strategy value is greater than the enemy general's intelligence.]

[Would you like to spend 10 Strategy Points to draw a Secret Strategy?]

Strategy value? Liu Xun had never figured out the mechanism of this value. He originally thought it was an attribute value similar to martial prowess.

However, it is now used for judgment.

If your stat is higher than your opponent's intelligence, you will receive a [Strategy Pouch].

My current intelligence level is 60, which means that Zhao Shu's intelligence level is less than 60... He doesn't seem very smart.

interesting!

Of course I want to try it out, so I'll choose to have it done.

Gacha pulls are the most fun!

[Congratulations to the player who obtained the "Capture the King, Capture the Thief" strategy!]

[The "Capture the King to Capture the Thief" strategy is in effect: Greatly increases the probability of capturing the enemy's commander upon defeating them. (Valid only for this battle)]

Liu Xun didn't care much about capturing the enemy's commander, Zhao Shu.

A nobody I've never even heard of.

But then I thought, if I were to face a famous general or a great figure in the future, this secret plan would be incredibly valuable!

Imagine how spectacular it would be if Zhuge Liang launched his Northern Expeditions and immediately used the "capture the king to capture the thief" tactic against Sima Yi!

Putting aside his random thoughts, Liu Xun brought his mind back to the battlefield.

His gaze swept over the young yet resolute faces.

Most of these soldiers came from good families in Xudu. After more than a year of rigorous training and the baptism of the Battle of Wancheng, they faced an enemy force that outnumbered them many times over, yet none of them showed any fear.

Liu Xun said loudly, "Lü Bu has colluded with bandits from Mount Tai to attack our army from both sides. The enemy coming from the east, Zhao Shu and Li Zou, is nothing but a rabble. Although they claim to have four thousand men, they are actually bandits from Pengcheng who only joined Lü Bu last year. Their soldiers are poorly equipped and their discipline is lax."

"We are the Emperor's personal army, trained in Xuchang and having fought the bloody battle of Wancheng," he raised his voice. "Today's battle is not just about winning, but about winning spectacularly! Let the world see what a true royal army is!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the fields.

Liu Xun nodded in satisfaction, pointing his spear forward: "Let's go!"

Thirty miles away, Zhao Shu and Li Zou were leading their troops at full speed.

These two bandit groups were only incorporated into Lü Bu's army last year. Although they were given the title of colonel, they were still bandits in nature. Now that they heard that the main force of Cao Cao's army was tied down outside Xiapi by Lü Bu, they wanted to take the opportunity to go south and make a fortune. If they could cut off Cao Cao's supply lines or disrupt their rear, it would be a great achievement in front of Lü Bu.

"Sister Li," Zhao Shu said, licking her chapped lips as she rode on her horse, "I've heard that Cao Cao's army has a lot of supplies. If we can succeed this time, it will be enough for us sisters to live happily for half a year."

Li Zou chuckled, "Lu Bu looks down on us, but this time we'll show her how powerful our Taishan Granny is!"

Just then, a scout rode up to report: "Report! Enemy troops, about two thousand strong, have been spotted five miles ahead and are already in formation!"

Li Zou was unconcerned: "Who cares where they came from? A mere two thousand men are nothing to us. Pass down the order: the entire army must accelerate and crush them in one fell swoop!"

However, when they reached a distance of three miles, they gradually slowed down.

In the open field ahead, a well-disciplined military unit stood silently.

Shields stood like a wall, spears like a forest, archers positioned at the rear, and cavalry on both flanks. The entire army was utterly silent, save for the banners fluttering in the wind.

What alarmed Zhao Shu the most was that aura. It was an aura that no other bandits, county soldiers, or even Lü Bu's Bingzhou cavalry possessed.

Cold and inhuman.

"Where...where did these soldiers come from?" Li Zou also sensed something was wrong.

Zhao Shu gritted his teeth: "Who cares! We outnumber them, let's charge!"

"kill!"

The four thousand soldiers charged forward all at once, shouting and yelling, creating quite a spectacle.

But the Imperial Guards remained silent.

Xu Huang stood at the front of the formation, expressionless as he watched the approaching enemy troops. Until the enemy cavalry were within two hundred paces.

"Archers!" Xu Huang raised his right hand.

With a "whoosh," three hundred crossbows, supervised by Ma Jun, were raised simultaneously.

"put!"

Arrows pierced the air, swarming towards the enemy cavalry like locusts.

The bandits at the forefront were immediately thrown into disarray. These light cavalrymen were mostly dressed in leather armor, and faced with the specially made crossbows of the Imperial Guards, they were almost completely unprotected.

"Don't stop! Charge forward!" Zhao Shu roared.

The bandits pressed on despite their fear, but their pace had slowed.

Finally, he broke through the hundred-step mark.

Xu Huang waved his arm, and the war drums thundered.

The first three rows of shield bearers crouched down, while the pikemen at the rear stepped forward, their four-meter-long spears pointing diagonally forward.

"Hold on!"

The vanguard of the bandits, light cavalry, dared not charge into the hail of spears and scattered in disarray.

The Imperial Guards remained completely still.

"Attack from both flanks!" Liu Xun, who had a clear view from behind the lines, decisively gave the order.

Sun Shangxiang and Sun Yi each led a hundred cavalrymen to attack from both flanks. Although these cavalrymen were young, they were well-trained and charged straight into the enemy's flanks in a wedge formation.

The bandits were already in disarray, and this flanking attack caused them to collapse immediately.

"Don't panic! Form ranks! Form ranks!" Li Zou shouted desperately, but to no avail. These bandits were incredibly brave when they were winning, but once they suffered a setback, they fought each other individually and even began trampling on one another.

Just then, a cloud of dust rose from the northeast.

Zhao Yun led two hundred elite cavalrymen like sharp swords piercing into the enemy's rear—she had already circled around to the flank, waiting for this very moment.

"Zhao Zilong of Changshan is here! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The silver-armored girl on her white horse, spear in hand, galloped forward, unstoppable in her path. The bandits, already demoralized, collapsed completely upon seeing their rear cut off.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Zhao Shu turned his horse around and tried to flee.

An arrow pierced the air and struck her horse squarely in the hindquarters. The warhorse reared up in pain, throwing Zhao Shu to the ground.

Sun Shangxiang put away her bow and raised her chin triumphantly: "Trying to run? Did you ask me first?"

The battle lasted less than an hour from start to finish.

Of the four thousand bandits, over eight hundred were beheaded, fifteen hundred were captured, and the rest scattered and fled. Their commander, Zhao Shu, was captured alive, and Li Zou was trampled to death in the chaos.

Fewer than 100 soldiers were killed or wounded in the Imperial Guard.

Liu Xun rode his horse to survey the battlefield, but seeing the dejected prisoners and the corpses strewn all over the ground, he felt little joy.

As for Zhao Shu, who was bound hand and foot, he didn't even bother to glance at him.

This is the difference between a well-trained regular army and a rabble. The Imperial Guards are disciplined and work in perfect harmony; while the bandits, though seemingly fierce, are actually a disorganized mob that crumbles at the slightest setback.

"Gongming," he summoned Xu Huang, "take stock of the spoils of war and treat the wounded. Hold the prisoners in custody for now, and deal with them after the battle."

"promise!"

Zhao Yun returned on horseback, his silver armor stained with blood, yet his expression remained calm: "Your Highness, the threat on the eastern front has been eliminated."

Liu Xun nodded: "You've worked hard. Order the entire army to rest for two quarters of an hour before returning to Xiapi."

He looked westward. There, the decisive battle beneath the walls of Xiapi should have already begun.

I wonder how the battle is going on Cao Cao's side?

……