NOVPUB"Let’s catch up later, General Juo. It was I who asked our lord to summon you here," Xun Shen emerged from behind the screen, interrupting the reunion between Yann Liang and Juo Yi.
"We greet Strategist Xun," Juo Yi, Yann Liang, and Zhang He all bowed and paid their respects. Whether they liked it or not, they wouldn’t be rude to Xun Shen in public.
"May I ask for what matter Strategist Xun has summoned me and Jun Yi? If it’s about the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, I believe General Yann should have no difficulty defeating the Black Mountain Army," Juo Yi directly questioned without waiting for Xun Shen to speak.
"Heh heh heh, General Juo, please be patient," a hint of a peculiar light flashed in Xun Shen’s eyes. He was slightly displeased with Juo Yi’s forthright questioning.
"The plan was my idea, please allow me to explain it fully," Tian Feng also stepped forward from behind the screen.
"We greet Military Advisor Tian," Juo Yi greeted Tian Feng respectfully.
Compared to Xun Shen, Juo Yi greatly respected Tian Feng. The reason being, when no one else had faith in him, Tian Feng and Yuan Shao still expressed their support. For someone as straightforward as Juo Yi, it was only natural to repay even the smallest kindness with a spring of gratitude. Thus, Juo Yi wholeheartedly supported Tian Feng without question.
Luckily, Tian Feng himself was exceptionally intelligent, so Juo Yi’s blind support rarely led to mishaps. Consequently, Juo Yi’s support for Tian Feng became boundless, essentially backing whatever proposal Tian Feng made.
"General Juo, this redeployment isn’t actually about the Turbans. Zhang Yan fancies that we don’t know his hiding place, but in reality, with the dry weather, setting a fire will smoke him out," Tian Feng explained with a smile. Although Zhang Yan had grown rapidly, he was still too inexperienced. If not for the need to push him towards Yanzhou, Tian Feng would have already flushed out the Black Mountain Army with fire.
"Oh, I see," Juo Yi said, his face lighting up with realization. "If it’s not the Turbans, who is our opponent? The only forces nearby are ours. Could it be that we are to confront Liu Bei?" His eyes sparkled with excitement at the thought, for he relished the challenge of a strong adversary.
"Liu Xuande? To an extent, yes, but he’s not the main focus. Our first goal is to eradicate Lyu Bu, though the best outcome would be to assimilate all of Lyu Bu’s forces, perhaps even the man himself. Our lord is ambitious, I’m sure he can tame this fierce tiger!" Tian Feng nodded before offering his explanation.
After careful consideration, Tian Feng deemed that accepting all of Lyu Bu’s civil officials and military generals would lead to a qualitative leap in Jizhou’s power.
With the Yuan and Liu forces reaching this level of strength, as long as Yuan Shao doesn’t make any foolish moves and his subordinates remain united, they won’t be at a disadvantage in terms of strategy if they utilize the intellect of Xun Shen, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Xuu You, Sheni Pei, and Xin Pi steadily and securely.
However, compared to the lineup of civil officials, Tian Feng acutely felt a shortage in his own side’s military commanders. While Jizhou did not lack competent generals to lead troops into battle, they missed an extraordinary valiant general who could boost morale. Although Yann Liang and Wen Chou were considered Hebei’s fiercest generals, Tian Feng believed there was still a gap between them and the very top few.
In an era where miscellaneous soldiers could crush elite troops simply by exuding high morale, the morale advantage brought by a peerless valiant general could, when the gap between the two sides is negligible, very likely cause a chain reaction that overwhelms the opponent.
It is precisely for this reason that Tian Feng’s plan was to subdue Lyu Bu. Failing that, he would resort to using Liu Bei to kill Lyu Bu and take control over Chen Gong and Lyu Bu’s forces. If that still proved impossible, then he would use Lyu Bu to deplete Liu Bei’s side’s power.
Tian Feng’s merit lay in his preparatory consideration of defeat before victory, crafting his strategies with multiple layers, each with contingency plans. In essence, accomplishing one of the three objectives would satisfy Tian Feng.
Now, as Tian Feng drove the Black Mountain Army into Yanzhou, he also entertained the idea of breaking through to Yanzhou. With Yuan Shu’s only son, Yuan Yao, out of the equation, the areas occupied by Yuan Shu in Yuzhou, Yangzhou, and Jingzhou lacked a successor. Tian Feng pondered whether it was time to establish a connection with Yuan Shu.
When Yuan Shu had a son, Tian Feng believed that the only good way to consolidate the Yuan Family, aside from relying on Yuan Shu’s foolish loyalty to host a Hongmen banquet, was something his lord would never do. But now, with Yuan Yao’s impending death, merging with the Yuan Family wouldn’t be difficult. Once Yuan Shu was heartbroken, he would give up.
It was for this reason that Tian Feng and his people planned ahead. After all, should Yuan Yao truly die, Yuan Shu would have no choice but to ask Yuan Shao to adopt a son for him. The only presentable candidate Yuan Shao had was his eldest son, Yuan Tan. Thus, in practice, there would be little difference from a merger with the Yuan Family. It wasn’t that Tian Feng looked down on Yuan Tan, but compared to the current brilliant and martially talented Yuan Shao, Yuan Tan was far too inferior.
"Fight Lyu Bu?" Juo Yi’s pupils sharply constricted. Due to his forthright nature, he had a good relationship with Yann Liang and Wen Chou and was acutely aware of Lyu Bu’s strength, which was almost inhuman.
"It’s just a precaution, plus when necessary, to defeat him and make Lyu Bu understand the gap in strength between our forces so that we can more easily assimilate him." Noticing Juo Yi’s eagerness, Tian Feng quickly poured cold water on it. He didn’t want the few elite troops under Yuan Shao to be squandered on Lyu Bu – they were the elite of the elite.
"However, if there’s a chance, I must cross swords with Lyu Bu’s Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. Without defeating the best elite cavalry in the world, how can my Vanguard Death Squad take shape!" Juo Yi declared with pride. "Only warriors who have braved brutal battles can forge an invincible army. When the time comes, I want to see just how capable the renowned Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry truly are!"
"Your Vanguard Death Squad isn’t fully trained yet?" Zhang He clicked his tongue. He had personally seen how Juo Yi led the Vanguard Death Squad to rout a Youzhou force several times their number in the midst of a snowstorm.
"Not yet. They’re only in formation. They probably need two more battles of Jieqiao’s intensity to do so. Only after surviving desperate fights and still emerging victorious can they possess the determination to win. The military spirit of the soldiers under my command is still me; it needs to independently emerge," Juo Yi shook his head and said. "As for how to separate out a general’s soul, I’ve studied it for many years without understanding."
Zhang He felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this. When Juo Yi himself led the Vanguard Death Squad, the soldiers were like berserk warriors, fearless in the face of death. But under anyone else’s command, although still a top-tier elite force, they lacked that unstoppable momentum. And now, Juo Yi wanted to refine that unstoppable essence into an independent military spirit for the Vanguard Death Squad.
"If you’re in command of the troops, whether there’s an independent military spirit or not won’t make much difference, right? So why separate it out?" Zhang He asked, puzzled. With Juo Yi’s guidance, he had completely taken control of the Great Halberdiers; at least now, under his leadership, the Great Halberdiers could perform at their peak. Coupled with a Legion Talent, they definitely became the most formidable force in the world today. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
