NOVPUBBy the time Taishi Ci charged from the rear camp, the entire camp had almost been completely engulfed by the blood-colored Cloud Qi, with only a tiny bit remaining, barely holding on. It was said that if it weren’t for that last bit of Cloud Qi desperately resisting, Taishi Ci might have been surrounded and killed upon his charge into the fray.
One halberd strike killed a Vanguard Death Soldier; turning around, another halberd blow sent another ambushing Vanguard Death Soldier flying. Even with Taishi Ci personally leading the charge, his men were slain in significant numbers by the Vanguard Death Squad before they could even reach and rescue Gongsun Zan.
"Die!" Taishi Ci roared angrily, swinging his double halberds wildly as he crazily hacked down more than a dozen Vanguard Death Soldiers who were preparing to surround him. He knew he had to accelerate at all costs!
If the Vanguard Death Squad were to fully unleash their power, even his courage and strength, comparable to Lyu Bu’s, would not save him from falling this day. With this realization, Taishi Ci ignited with fervor, using every weapon he had seized—swords, spears, knives, halberds. He wielded five to six kinds of weapons at once, manically striking down any enemy daring to block his path like a whirlwind of steel, somehow lifting the morale of Gongsun’s forces even by a fraction.
"General Gongsun, retreat quickly!" Taishi Ci released the weapons he had snatched up and leaped onto his horse, galloping forward to reach Gongsun Zan’s side.
By then, Gongsun Zan had recovered and was fully aware of the mistakes he had previously made, yet he had no intention of repentance. Seeing Taishi Ci rushing to his rescue, he gave a salute and retreated towards the north.
"These Vanguard Death Soldiers are even fiercer than the Qingzhou Soldiers selected by Yu Wenze, and they respond more rapidly. Most importantly, they’re incredibly fearless in the face of death!" Taishi Ci, leading the remnants of Gongsun’s forces, planned to break out following the path he had carved on the way in. All the while, he gathered information about the Vanguard Death Squad.
At this thought, Taishi Ci’s heart tightened. Regardless of whether he wanted to admit it or not, Yu Jin’s infantrymen, who had been selected from Fenggao before it was established last year and had been trained for over a year, were formidable. Although Taishi Ci was too proud to admit it, he had to acknowledge that if he and Yu Jin each led a thousand soldiers, he could easily annihilate Yu Jin’s force with no pressure, but if they faced each other in a large-scale battle, Yu Jin could similarly annihilate him without strain.
The Vanguard Death Squad Taishi Ci saw at Jieqiao completely overturned his previous views. Even if Juo Yi’s strength was inferior to his, if they were to each lead a thousand men into battle, Juo Yi might well fight him to the death! What was more, there seemed to be at least three to five thousand Vanguard Death Soldiers. A strong push against the White Horse Soldiers by day, and a forceful strike against Gongsun’s Camp by night—could it be their numbers were much more than expected?
With this in mind, Taishi Ci’s expression grew grave. The powerful attack capabilities of the Vanguard Death Squad, along with their frenzied aggressiveness, gave Taishi Ci an ominous feeling. Such elite forces could wreak havoc on the battlefield, even daring to launch surprise attacks on military camps—what’s more, were they also aiming to assault cities?
Alright, Taishi Ci had quite the imagination. Though he was indulging in wild speculation, he actually stumbled upon the true intentions of the Vanguard Death Squad. After all, historically, when Juo Yi was alive, the most frequent action of the Vanguard Death Squad was the assault on cities.
As for after Juo Yi’s death, when the Vanguard Death Squad fell into Chunyu Qiong’s hands—even if Chunyu Qiong were given the courage of a tiger, he would not dare to lead the Vanguard Death Squad in an assault on cities. He might have the guts to bully infantry in field battles, but that was about it.
So, it could be said that the Vanguard Death Squad excelled in surprise attacks, and were practically professional in their field. They might very well have a hidden attribute—something like a 25% increase in combat power during surprise attacks—a jest, of course.
However, looking back in history, aside from Yijing which truly could not be assaulted directly, the rest of the fortresses across Youzhou were basically steamrolled by Juo Yi with his overwhelming force. The name "Vanguard" was not mere puffery. It was rightfully earned through slaughter. Unfortunately, after Juo Yi died, the Vanguard Death Squad and the Great Halberdiers were effectively ruined under Chunyu Qiong and Zhang He’s leadership.
In the official histories, Juo Yi’s initial combat achievements were alarmingly ferocious. He surpassed the combined exploits of the Four Pillars of Hebei by himself. Although it’s true that Gongsun Zan did take a deluded and selfish path of self-preservation following his own defeat at Jieqiao, it was Juo Yi who knocked Gongsun Zan from his peak, beating him into a state of utter submission. The most important thing was that from beginning to end, he only suffered one defeat...
Moreover, the Vanguard Death Squad never lost to cavalry. Whether facing Gongsun’s White Horse Soldiers or the Hun Chanyu Yufuluo’s elite troops, during Juo Yi’s time, anyone who confronted them perished. The struggle for dominance in the north was essentially Juo Yi’s stage, and it was he who eventually besieged Gongsun Zan in Yijing.
In that era, Juo Yi seemed to be blessed by fortune so great that heaven and earth collaborated with him, while Gongsun Zan’s fortune had faded so much that the hero no longer possessed his freedom. These two were complete opposites in their performances.
However, it was precisely Juo Yi’s formidable record that fed his pride, leading to his downfall orchestrated by Yuan Shao. The harmonization was too justified, as Juo Yi’s arrogance reached a level even Yuan Shao couldn’t bear. Can you imagine Juo Yi feeling that Yuan Shao’s rewards were insufficient and secretly raiding Yuan Shao’s own home?
It’s important to note that even after his home was looted, Yuan Shao did not react with rage to the point of killing Juo Yi. At that time, Yuan Shao was in his most wise and martial phase. He even looked inward for fault and appeased Juo Yi, leading to even greater haughtiness. Could Yuan Shao endure it? He found an opportunity and got rid of Juo Yi.
Those were the official historical accounts of the colorful ways in which Juo Yi courted death. However, the present was vastly different. High-pride Juo Yi, who hadn’t yet formed his famed Vanguard, suffered a loss in an early battle. Although Yuan Shao’s urgent orders played a part, Juo Yi’s conceit did as well. He believed his unseasoned Death Soldiers could defeat the White Horse Righteous Followers. Yet, he suffered a defeat right at the start and, following his own military orders, deserved execution.
Yuan Shao shielded him. When everyone else looked upon him with contempt, only Yuan Shao firmly handed him back his sword, allowing him to continue drilling soldiers until the Death Soldiers were accomplished.
Because of this, in this lifetime, Juo Yi, despite his pride and arrogance, would never allow anyone to tarnish Yuan Shao’s glory. He could be haughty towards anyone, but in this life, he would naturally bow his proud head when facing Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao was the only lord he acknowledged. Should the day come when Yuan Shao fell in battle, Juo Yi would undoubtedly proceed to the Underworld Office to expand Yuan Shao’s territory first.
Sometimes, subduing a proud person can be simple, but more often, both parties miscalculate their approach. Just like in the previous life, Yuan Shao tried to secure Juo Yi’s loyalty with money, beauties, luxurious mansions, and fancy chariots, which only made Juo Yi more haughty and irascible, leaving Yuan Shao with no choice but to eliminate him.
In this life, Yuan Shao made no efforts to woo. He simply opened his heart to trust the defeated Juo Yi when there was no other choice, leading to an unexpected bond between them. Juo Yi no longer carried any pride in his heart towards Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao, in turn, came to truly regard Juo Yi as a confidant. Their ruler and subject relationship flourished harmoniously. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
