NOVPUBThe scene flashes back to the moment Juo Yi was prepared to sacrifice himself: drenched in blood, Juo Yi wielded his saber and struck down a White Horse Centurion, charging headlong towards an oncoming blade. With a close slash, the pain jolted Juo Yi’s spirit as he swung his blade once more, chopping off his opponent’s head.
"Puchi!" This time, Juo Yi did not dodge. A saber pierced his abdomen. But at that point, Juo Yi no longer cared to avoid the blows. The Command Banner had fallen, and the defeat of the White Horse Soldiers was inevitable. He slashed fiercely, beheading his foe and laughing heartily! Yuan Shao’s victory was now irreversible; this battle was a certain loss for the White Horse Soldiers!
"Move aside!" Just as Juo Yi was about to be surrounded and slain by the Righteous Followers, Yann Liang charged into the fray, unleashing a blood-colored Light Blade with all his might. Unfortunately, the meter-long Blood Blade had shrunk by more than half after flying just ten meters, but still, it was enough to save Juo Yi’s life.
"Huff! Puff!" Yann Liang gasped for air. Releasing his Inner Qi under such conditions put an enormous strain on him. Had he been in a place devoid of Cloud Qi, that stroke could have carved a blood blade tens of meters long. Yet, in the midst of the military formation, he could only conjure such a small one, and it started to shrink as soon as it was unleashed.
"Attack!" With a mighty rush, Yann Liang grabbed Juo Yi by the collar, spear in hand, scattering the surrounding Righteous Followers. Then, without his trusted aides, he single-handedly charged in another direction – an act even he, Yann Liang, could not sustain for long.
To be honest, Yann Liang never liked the boastful Juo Yi in the past, but today, witnessing his actions in battle, he was impressed. Both for Juo Yi’s capabilities and his loyalty, Yann Liang risked his life to plunge into the heart of the battlefield and rescue him.
"Brother, I am here too!" Wen Chou bellowed, his personal guards charging in behind him, swiftly joining forces.
"Zhengli, from now on, you’re my brother! Even though I never liked you before," said Yann Liang as he hoisted Juo Yi onto his Green Horse, healing him while breaking into laughter, "You did splendidly!"
Juo Yi only managed a feeble grunt in response; he had been purely driven by his fiery blood earlier on, acting alone, but now that he was rescued, who would still seek death?
"Well done!" Wen Chou too laughed heartily by their side, "We’ve been suppressed by these White Horse fellows for so long, this time we must turn them into dead horses!"
"The White Horse Soldiers are doomed! As long as my Heavy Spear and Shield Infantry hold off the first wave of their attack, you cut off their room to maneuver, my Death Soldiers will certainly show them that cavalry without speed are no more than toys!" Juo Yi bragged with laughter. Perhaps such words would have once been met with scorn, but he had now proven his worth on the battlefield!
In fact, the moment the Command Banner fell, the White Horse Soldiers had already descended into chaos. Meanwhile, Gongsun Zan was as if struck by lightning, his vision spinning as he collapsed off his horse. The undefeated elite, who had never known defeat in the cold of the Northern Frontier, saw their Command Banner cut down in that very instant.
At the same time, the entire Vanguard Death Squad burst into action. Juo Yi had done what he promised; leading a troop of three hundred, they plunged with no thought of survival into the dense ranks of the White Horse Soldiers, severing the Command Banner. The rest would now be handled by Juo Yi’s Death Soldiers.
A general who does not fear death, what is there for his soldiers to fear? Juo Yi had taken care of every soldier’s affairs, including his own, before dispatching the troops. And now, Juo Yi had fulfilled his promise—it was time for all the Death Soldiers!
"Kill!" With a roar, the Death Soldiers fought desperately, slashing at the Righteous Followers. They completely ignored the enemy’s attacks, with only one goal in mind—to annihilate all these White Horse Soldiers in front of them!
One cleaved off the enemy’s head, and a blood-eyed Vanguard Death Squad soldier frantically hacked at another foe. Ferocious, insane, and fearless of death, in that moment the Vanguard Death Squad seemed possessed by Ghostly Deities, as the bloody Cloud Qi voraciously eroded the pure white Cloud Qi until the latter was completely engulfed.
Yuan Shao, watching the Vanguard Death Squad return to formation with steel swords in hand after the battle, nodded impressively at Juo Yi. At that moment, he understood what constituted an elite force seldom seen in the world—those ferocious eyes, that evil Qi soaring to the skies, commanding enough presence to make other units take a wide detour. These were Juo Yi’s soldiers, the strongest attack unit known as "Vanguard."
Standing before the Vanguard Death Squad, only half of the Heavy Spear and Shield Infantry managed to straighten their bodies. Their armor was stained with blood, their Great Shields dented, their magnificent stature and resolute expressions proved them to be Juo Yi’s strongest guard unit, known as "Great Halberdiers."
At that moment, Yuan Shao finally understood why Juo Yi always looked at his own troops with a tiger watching lambs. Even if Juo Yi’s men were at the point of exhaustion just standing there, other units could not help but make a detour. This was the aura of might, the elite, the Ultimate Sharp Soldiers forged with the White Horse Soldiers as the whetstone!
"Zhengli, you’ve worked hard," said Yuan Shao respectfully, bowing to the blood-covered and wounded Juo Yi.
"I am honored to have fulfilled my mission!" Juo Yi stated solemnly, then swept a glance over the generals standing behind Yuan Shao, his presence causing all the officers to involuntarily lower their heads in submission.
"Hahahaha, Zhengli, let’s go! Yuantu and the others must have arranged a celebration feast by now," said Yuan Shao, completely unconcerned with Juo Yi’s haughty gaze because he clearly felt Juo Yi’s loyalty. A minister who wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice his own life, what did arrogance matter? Besides, Juo Yi possessed the skill to match his pride, with the White Horse as evidence, heh heh heh...
Yuan Shao, leading the way with Juo Yi, followed by Yann Liang, Wen Chou, and Sheni Pei, and then came the rest of the civil and military officials. At this moment, no one envied Juo Yi because it was only recently that Juo Yi used sheer force to remove the heavy burden from Jizhou’s shoulders—the White Horse Soldiers. The sheer force that only allowed others to look up was enough to make all military generals submit.
Triumphant and returning with a victory, the entire army was rewarded, and especially after seeing the Vanguard Death Squad and the Great Halberdiers, Yuan Shao fully understood the deterrence of an elite corps. Even a half-destroyed Vanguard Death Squad under Juo Yi’s command was enough to make ordinary soldiers instinctively take a detour. He was now even more eager to see the complete Vanguard Death Squad after the army’s formation.
At this feast, the protagonist was Juo Yi, including Yuan Shao himself who was merely a supporting role. When the wine was flowing freely, Juo Yi knelt before Yuan Shao, "My Lord, I request to battle Gongsun. This battle will surely relieve your worries once and for all!"
Yuan Shao laughed loudly, probably too fuzzy from the drink to understand what Juo Yi was saying. Without a second thought, he declared, "I have full confidence in the general’s abilities! Drink up this cup, and then go do as you please! I, Yuan Benchu, will support you with all my might!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
