NOVPUB```
Taishi Ci, with a great effort, carved a bloody path and led Gongsun Zan out of the encirclement. He could no longer concern himself with Gongsun Zan’s infantry; the entire camp was essentially consumed by the blood-red Cloud Qi, and the situation had deteriorated to the point where the entrapped infantry completely lost the chance to fight back.
"Yann Liang, where is that scoundrel Gongsun Zan?" Juo Yi roared. He, too, had been slaughtering in a frenzy, and after the routed soldiers fled back, he noticed Gongsun Zan had disappeared.
"Wen Chou, did you kill Gongsun Bogui?" Yann Liang yelled in another direction.
"Where is Gongsun Bogui?" Wen Chou was stunned, then turned his head toward Juo Yi and asked. In an instant, all three men were taken aback.
"Cease fire! Spare those who surrender!" Juo Yi, momentarily startled, then quickly came to his senses.
With the rustling sound, Gongsun’s Army, already on the brink of collapse, now laid down their weapons en masse as if hearing the voice of salvation.
"Whoever knows where Gongsun Zan has gone, step forward, and you’ll be rewarded with ten thousand coins!" Juo Yi continued to bellow, intent on thoroughly uprooting his enemy.
"Went to the north." "He walked toward the north!" "He ran toward the north!" The voices were chaotic, but they all conveyed the same message: Gongsun Zan had fled north.
"Yann Liang, you gather the surrendered soldiers. I will go finish off Gongsun Bogui. Vanguard Death Squad, follow me!" Juo Yi turned to give his commands to Yann Liang without any hesitation, and Yann Liang, showing no dissatisfaction, understood that the most straightforward and quickest way to conquer a candid and straightforward leader was to show him just how strong you were!
Having said that, Juo Yi took eight or nine hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers who still had combat power and headed north, intent on eliminating Gongsun Bogui - that was his objective.
"Wen Chou, go inform our lord that we have thoroughly routed Gongsun’s Army. Brother Juo has taken his men to pursue that wretched Gongsun Zan." Seeing Juo Yi in pursuit, Yann Liang was not very worried; he believed that Gongsun Zan, already crippled by Juo Yi, stood no chance of turning the tide.
Yann Liang giving orders to Wen Chou came naturally – how could directing a younger brother be unnatural?
"Alright, big brother, quickly gather the surrendered soldiers. We will organize a cavalry pursuit of Gongsun Zan in a moment. I can forgo credit for the achievement, but if Gongsun Zan’s head is presented to our lord, he will undoubtedly be most pleased!" Wen Chou laughed heartily, turned his horse, and galloped back to Yuan Shao’s camp - a grand victory indeed!
Inside the central tent, Yuan Shao roamed back and forth with some anxiety. He trusted Juo Yi’s capability, but Gongsun Zan was no pushover either. The sounds of battle from the distance Gongsun’s Camp had already reached him. He was not afraid of losing troops but feared an accidental loss of his generals. Now rethinking it, he acknowledged that agreeing to let Juo Yi go into battle wounded was indeed rash. n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
"Report!" Wen Chou charged into the camp on his horse, heading straight for the central tent, nearly getting shot by a volley of arrows ordered by the gatekeeper Guan Jing. However, since he was recognized, Guan Jing’s anger over Wen Chou’s disregard for military discipline was held back due to his urgent expression, and he decided to postpone any reprimand for later.
"Speak!" Yuan Shao, hearing Wen Chou’s voice, rushed out of his tent. His elation was evident on seeing Wen Chou galloping toward him; there wasn’t a hint of annoyance. Wen Chou’s actions were proof enough of the night’s victory.
Reining in his horse, Wen Chou dismounted and bowed to Yuan Shao, "Great victory! General Juo has launched a fierce attack on Gongsun’s Camp, directly crushing Gongsun’s Army. Our forces have now occupied Gongsun’s Camp. Gongsun Bogui has fled alone, and General Juo, leading hundreds of soldiers, has already gone in pursuit of Gongsun Bogui, who escaped to the north!"
"Hahaha!" Yuan Shao burst into laughter. "They have lived up to expectations, to everyone’s expectations! How could we let Zhengli go into battle wounded? Pass on my orders, the whole army is to pursue!"
Shen Pei, Feng Ji, and others also rejoiced at this news. Regardless of whether Gongsun Zan had fled alone, the enemy was surely defeated. With the enemy’s camp taken, they couldn’t hold on. Juo Yi’s capability to command troops was too astonishing. No wonder he had been so arrogant before – the man had the right to be proud!
```
"Lord, send orders to all local defense forces in Jizhou to launch a full-scale attack on Youzhou. Whether or not we can slay Gongsun Bogui this time, we must create a fact! By pushing Gongsun Bogui to join forces with Liu Bo’an, Youzhou will inevitably fall into chaos," Fengg Ji’s eyes flickered with cunning, as Juo Yi’s strength was astonishingly formidable—it was possible that they could strike directly at Gongsun Zan’s actual ruling territory! Since that was the case, they might as well use the momentum of a grand victory to force Youzhou into internal disorder and decide the outcome in one battle!
"Good!" Yuan Shao exclaimed joyfully, "Yuantu, draft the orders quickly, and send them to the four directions. This time, I must show Gongsun Bogui the full extent of my ability, Yuan Benchu!"
After finishing his declaration, Yuan Shao whispered to Shen Pei, "Zheng Nan, draft the ennoblement documents swiftly and prepare the official dispatch for Zhengli’s marquisate request!"
"Yes!" Shen Pei’s eyes betrayed a hint of envy, but he couldn’t really say much. Juo Yi’s performance this time was simply too astounding, his military exploits were heaven-defying. Truthfully, ninety percent of the people present had been picking up merits following Juo Yi, as he alone had incapacitated Gongsun Zan.
That night, Taishi Ci, protecting Gongsun Zan, headed north. They immediately took the water route along the Zhang River. The cold of late autumn had almost no effect on a master like Taishi Ci. However, Gongsun Bogui, who had previously been robust, was struck by the chilling autumn wind, and in just one night, he fell gravely ill from the cold, alternating between bouts of chills and fever.
[Damn it, what on earth happened? How did my White Horse Righteous Followers collapse out of nowhere, and how was the camp breached!] Taishi Ci, washing his face with the icy river water, was utterly puzzled. He still couldn’t understand how Gongsun Zan had suddenly fallen. Wasn’t he full of vigor, drinking with him just the day before?
Taishi Ci was now thankful for the habits instilled by Chen Xi; regardless of whether you liked it or not, every soldier had to be prepared with three days’ worth of dry rations for combat. Well, that was just to say, five steamed buns were definitely not enough for three days. Of course, if there was no fighting, it would probably suffice.
Because of these five steamed buns, though, Taishi Ci’s men were worn out but managed to regain some combat strength after eating a bun and drinking some water.
After Gongsun Zan fell ill, Guan Jing panicked at first, but Taishi Ci assured him there was no need to worry. He had medical soldiers in his ranks—yes, the so-called medical troops. As long as his men brought back the wounded, these medics would use strong alcohol to disinfect the wounds, then bandage them up with alcohol-soaked hemp cloth, and finally, pour down a bowl of the all-curing medicinal powder mixed with water, and they should be fine!
Many who were slashed to the point their intestines spilled out were stitched back together with sewing needles by his medics, bandaged up, fed medicine on time, and a good number were saved. A mere cold was no big deal!
You would not underestimate the battlefield medical techniques developed by our military strategist, would you? Taishi Ci was quite displeased with Guan Jing’s doubts. If that was the case, then let the facts speak for themselves!
With no other options, Guan Jing had to accept it since Gongsun Zan was already delirious. In desperation, he went along with the medical approach.
"General, I’ve already administered the medicine to General Gongsun. Based on prior cases, he should wake up very soon," the head of the medical soldiers confidently stated.
If Chen Xi knew his medical soldiers were messing around like this, he would definitely slap them to death. Gongsun Zan was suffering from a cold, not from excessive blood loss, for heaven’s sake. All those medicinal powders were for replenishing blood and vital energy; were they trying to overdose Gongsun Zan?
All the medicinal powders Chen Xi had prepared were for treating those cut up on the battlefield, since usually after a battle, wounds consisted of cuts and punctures that caused bleeding. Chen Xi collected medicines that could replenish blood and vital energy, dried them, and ground them into powder, purely to deal with excessive blood loss among the troops. Now someone was using it to treat Gongsun Zan’s cold; this could potentially be lethal!
"Oh, that’s good. Don’t skimp on it, feed him more," Taishi Ci trusted the medicine immensely—it had saved tens of thousands and even he consumed it when he had to stay awake all night. Gongsun Zan’s minor illness was nothing to worry about.
As expected, after a dose of the medicine, Gongsun Zan, who was previously pale, soon began to look rosy and healthier.
Taishi Ci, wearing a proud expression, looked at Guan Jing. Their divine medicine could cure hundreds of ailments; when taken during a fight, it even made you feel a surge of strength. How miraculous! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it and send in your monthly votes at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
