Chapter 706: Defeat Leading to Victory

“Damn it, it seems I won’t be able to annihilate them today,” Chen Xi’s expression darkened as he repaired another patch of cloud cover, only to see Xu You tear another hole in the clouds ahead. Even though Chen Xi’s spiritual energy was thousands of times greater than Xu You’s, the limitations of his own endurance prevented him from completely sealing off the sky.

“Kongming, it looks like your strategy won’t be able to finish them off. I’ve already become the bait; whether we can wipe them out depends on today!” Chen Xi roared at Zhuge Liang, who stood beside him.

“I never asked you to be the bait, and I even suggested you stay with me! How did you end up getting pierced through?” Zhuge Liang retorted, his face darkening at Chen Xi’s outburst.

Zhuge Liang hadn’t expected the enemy to break his plan with such a simple tactic. Although he had mentioned that even without moonlight, their army could still see at night, while Yuan Shao’s troops would be blind without it, he hadn’t anticipated the simplicity of the method.

However, if things continued like this, even if they managed to wipe out over 20,000 enemy soldiers, they wouldn’t achieve their goal. What’s more, with the enemy following the moonlight, Wen Chou’s elite cavalry would likely escape, making it impossible to achieve a total victory, only a mere rout at best.

“You idiot, can’t you create a few gaps? Blocking them is less effective than confusing them. If they’re following the light, open up several holes in the clouds and let their army fall into complete disarray. If we can’t destroy them all, we should at least take out as many as possible,” Fa Zheng quickly suggested. As he spoke, two small gaps appeared in the clouds.

“I’ll handle it. You two order our troops to quickly subdue Yuan Shao’s soldiers,” Chen Xi said hastily. “And Kongming, order the rear guard’s medics to treat the wounded soldiers. The rest, follow me in pursuit of Yuan Shao’s forces.”

The moonlight that filtered through the gaps in the clouds threw Yuan Shao’s army into confusion. By this time, the army had completely lost its cohesion, having already collapsed into chaos. Following the beams of light, Yuan Shao’s forces split into several scattered groups.

Unfortunately, the cavalry followed their instincts and charged in a single direction, not confused by the starlight shining through the gaps in the clouds. Nevertheless, the situation left Xu You trembling with rage.

“Retreat! Forget about them. If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to leave at all!” Xu You gritted his teeth and ordered Wen Chou.

By now, Xu You was out of options. Behind them, Liu Bei’s soldiers were already blocking groups of tens of Yuan Shao’s soldiers with only three or five men. Some had even pulled cavalry off their horses and mounted them to pursue the fleeing cavalry. If this continued, the entire Yuan Shao army would be trapped here without exception.

Wen Chou gritted his teeth, no longer hesitating. His sharp eyes took in the situation—his soldiers were charging blindly like headless chickens, some driven mad by the darkness and the sound of battle, drawing their swords and slashing wildly at those around them, friend or foe.

This was the epitome of a complete military collapse. Xu You had calculated everything but hadn’t considered that Liu Bei’s soldiers could truly fight at night, while his own troops were rendered blind in the darkness.

This small difference led to Xu You’s failure being so complete. What could have been a full retreat ended in a crushing defeat.

After a night of bloody battle, Liu Bei’s army emerged victorious, capturing nearly ten thousand of Yuan Shao’s soldiers and thousands of fine horses. Yuan Shao’s forces had been reduced to a small contingent led by Wen Chou, who retreated to Chiping, relying on the city’s defenses to repel Chen Xi’s counterattack.

“Phew...” Chen Xi gazed at Wen Chou atop the walls of Chiping and felt a growing hatred for cavalry.

Most of Yuan Shao’s soldiers who were killed last night died not in direct combat but due to the pitch-black darkness that caused panic and trampling. The cavalry, despite being blind, managed to escape, but many soldiers were trampled to death by their own horses.

“How many of our soldiers were lost?” Chen Xi, mounted on his horse, turned to ask the quartermaster who was tallying the casualties below the walls of Chiping.

“We lost over 3,600 men, most of whom died under the walls of Linyi’s new city. Another 1,300 were wounded, but most of the injuries are minor,” the quartermaster reported quickly to Chen Xi.

The danger before the counterattack was still fresh in Chen Xi’s mind, and the loss of over 3,600 men weighed heavily on him, especially since most had died under the iron hooves of the enemy cavalry in the first wave. As for the counterattack, fatalities were rare, and most injuries were due to accidents.

“Ensure that the families of those who died in battle receive full compensation. Survivors of the first wave who fought bravely against Yuan Shao’s army should be promoted one rank, and the compensation for the fallen should be doubled,” Chen Xi said after a moment of silence.

“For those who fought alongside Xingba against Wen Chou’s cavalry, survivors should be promoted two ranks, and the compensation for the fallen should be doubled. Allow one of their children to take a civilian position of equal rank,” Chen Xi continued as the quartermaster noted down his orders.

“Many bones must bleach for a general’s success,” Chen Xi sighed as the quartermaster left, noticing Fa Zheng approaching on horseback.

“Yesterday was truly dangerous,” Fa Zheng remarked, glancing at Chen Xi before turning to look at the figures atop the city walls. “Xingba sustained dozens of wounds, some of which have reached his internal organs, and you nearly died under the hooves of those horses.”

“I wouldn’t have,” Chen Xi said quietly.

“That’s an impressive confidence. Despite the danger yesterday, I never saw you panic,” Fa Zheng said, still facing the city walls.

“...” Chen Xi murmured, but he didn’t respond. Was it really confidence? No, he didn’t trust that he wouldn’t fail, but rather that as he stood in the rain of arrows, without making any move, the arrows would naturally veer away when they came within ten steps of him.

At that moment, Chen Xi knew that it wasn’t just a celestial being or a hidden master protecting him, but the will of millions of people.

“At least I know whether what I’m doing is right or wrong, and that’s enough,” Chen Xi said calmly.

“Hey…” A bandaged left hand landed on Fa Zheng’s shoulder. “Xiaozhi, I just heard you badmouthing me.”

“Xingba, are you alright?” Chen Xi glanced at Gan Ning.

“I won’t die. The wounds are severe, but with my inner energy, I’ll recover in just over ten days. But it’s a shame about my old brothers; they followed me through thick and thin, only to fall in this battle,” Gan Ning said, a hint of sadness in his voice, though he didn’t seem deeply grieved. For him, dying in battle and being wrapped in a horse’s hide was the fate of a soldier.

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