I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 380 Lu Bu Strikes!

Lu Bu, who had been anxiously waiting for orders to go into battle, was overjoyed when he heard Yuan Shu say this.

"That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask! I humbly request that Your Excellency allow me to lead the troops into battle! Surely the spoils cannot all go to the infantry, leaving none for our cavalry?"

"Hahahaha!"

Yuan Shu laughed loudly, "Very well, very well, then I'll give you that opportunity. Listen, I order you to lead a thousand elite cavalry, ignore the other Xianbei troops, and charge straight at Tan Shihuai! See his central banner? Charge there! If you can capture Tan Shihuai alive, that's best. If you can't, bring back his head!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's eyes widened.

"Is Your Excellency willing to give this credit to Bu?"

Yuan Shu laughed loudly.

Are you so sure you can get this credit?

"If Your Excellency desires a live one, then I will bring you a live sandalwood tree!"

Lu Bu took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and said loudly, "If I cannot fulfill your orders, I will bring my head to you!"

Yuan Shu nodded.

"Very well! Then I will wait for Fengxian to achieve great merit! If that is indeed the case, I will definitely petition the court to appoint you as a general and grant you the title of marquis!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Lu Bu's eyes lit up. After bowing, he quickly left.

He knew Yuan Shu's expectations of him, and he also knew what kind of army Yuan Shu had entrusted to him. To be honest, even if he were to charge into ten thousand Xianbei cavalry, he would have the confidence to fight his way in and out seven times.

There was nothing he could do; after all, he commanded a thousand elite cavalry.

The tallest and strongest warhorses, the sturdiest armor, the sharpest longswords, and the finest food.

Even the warhorses were covered in a special layer of armor to protect their massive bodies from arrows.

They train their troops for a thousand days, only to have them charge into battle for this one short time.

Yuan Shu watched from afar as Lü Bu led his elite cavalry away from the army formation and charged towards the direction of Tan Shihuai. He felt somewhat worried, but he still chose to trust this peerless general and the thousand elite cavalry he had trained.

In this era, on this continent, no cavalry force could defeat its own thousand elite cavalrymen when their forces were equal.

Yuan Shu has that kind of confidence!
Tan Shihuai was unaware that Lü Bu had his eye on him. As the battle became increasingly stalemate and shifted in a direction that was increasingly unfavorable to him, he was filled with anxiety.

He now regrets leaving too many troops in Qiangyin County.

Leave two or three thousand men to surround them, and bring the rest with you. That way, you'll still have some fresh troops to commit.

Or perhaps we shouldn't have listened to those high-minded opinions in the first place; we should have mobilized the entire population, conscripting the last 30,000 able-bodied men and launching a fierce final battle.

But now, apart from the thousand elite cavalry of the Great Chanyu personally under his command, he has no other troops that can be deployed to the battlefield.

The longer it goes on, the more exhausted the soldiers will become, and the harder it will be to gain the upper hand. Should we really let the Great Chanyu personally lead the last elite troops into battle?
He hasn't been on the front lines for almost five or six years. If he were to get involved, it would truly be the final battle.

If we win, great; if we lose...

He might not even have a chance to escape.

Honestly, the higher the position of a leader, the less willing he is to personally risk his life and fight arrows. He cherishes his life so much that he is still hesitating about what the best course of action should be.

He was completely unaware that a young Han general was leading an elite cavalry charge toward him.

Lu Bu's path was not smooth sailing; it was fraught with obstacles. He had to fight and charge forward to achieve victory. Along the way, he faced numerous Xianbei cavalry who blocked his way and launched attacks.

The Xianbei cavalry roared and howled as they attacked Lü Bu, as fierce and cruel as tigers and wolves.

But faced with all this, Lü Bu and his thousand elite cavalry showed no fear or hesitation. They used their finest weapons to charge and fight their way through, and anyone who dared to stand in their way would be met with a crushing blow.

The Xianbei cavalrymen who were blocking the way quickly realized that something was wrong.

This Han cavalry was fast and fierce in battle. Their movements on horseback were agile and varied, and their armor was even more durable. Overall, they looked like a huge, cold, and hard war chariot, rumbling and rolling forward without hesitation.

They were like mantises before a chariot, trying to use their fragile bodies to withstand the rumbling steel vehicle, only to be crushed and reduced to dust. Lü Bu couldn't even remember how many people he had killed. He wielded the long sword that Yuan Shu had specially forged for him, charging towards anyone he saw. With a single strike, he could sever half of a Xianbei cavalryman's body, his internal organs spilling out onto the ground, leaving him utterly dead.

Or many people shot arrows at him directly, but he either dodged them or they were blocked by his armor, so they couldn't hurt him at all.

He gripped the horse's belly tightly with his legs, his body pressed as close as possible to the horse's curves, and together with his thousand comrades, they galloped toward the location of Commander Tan Shihuai's banner like a ruthless war machine, crushing and crushing any obstacles in their path.

Not long had passed from when they set off until they came into Tan Shihuai's field of vision. Compared to the noisy and chaotic battlefield, their appearance was not particularly conspicuous, so Tan Shihuai did not notice them at first.

By the time Tan Shihuai noticed, the Han cavalry were already very close to his location.

The cavalry broke through the last layer of Xianbei cavalry and charged straight toward Tanshihuai, like an arrow released from a bow, only stopping when it hit its target.

Tan Shihuai, who had noticed the cavalry after receiving a report from his subordinates, frowned. Looking over, he saw that the cavalry had somehow broken out of the bloody battlefield and were heading straight for him.

He was startled, and his body trembled for no reason. He felt as if he were being watched by some ferocious beast, and he had not experienced that feeling of a cold wind running down his back for a long time.

How many years ago was the last time I experienced this?
Although he was old, his sense of smell was still sharp. Realizing the ferocity of the Han army, he immediately ordered his personal guards to attack the Han cavalry.

He had few troops left, and the appearance of this Han cavalry was aimed at him. Tan Shihuai was well aware of this, but out of consideration for the battlefield and his trust in his personal guard cavalry, Tan Shihuai did not move his position.

He was well aware that if he, as the commander-in-chief, were to change positions, it would severely shake the morale of the army. At this point in the battle, it was all about one breath and one belief, and he himself and the banner that represented his continued existence were the source of the Xianbei army's belief.

If he wavers, the battle will be lost.

Therefore, he could not allow himself to back down under any circumstances, he could not allow the flag to move backward with him, and he could not allow even the slightest possibility of shaking the morale of the troops.

So he ordered his most elite and trusted personal guards to launch the attack.

These were his old guard, his loyal followers, whom he had trained himself. They were all dressed in armor, making them the best-equipped Xianbei cavalry and one of the important sources of Tan Shihuai's power and prestige.

He had once ordered this army to make a long march to kill disobedient traitors and intimidate all those who refused to obey orders. Therefore, Tan Shihuai had complete confidence in this army.
In the past, they could defend their rights; now, they can also defend their lives and their victories.

This strongest Xianbei army launched an attack on the Han army's elite cavalry.

But what they didn't know was that they were facing the strongest army among the Han cavalry.

As soon as the two armies clashed, swords flashed and blood splattered everywhere.

Tan Shihuai had full confidence in his army, but something seemed amiss from the very beginning of the battle.

In Tan Shihuai's view, his personal guard cavalry should have carried out a one-sided massacre of the Han cavalry, and should have simply cut them off from their horses and quickly defeated them.

However, the actual situation that appeared before him was a bloody battle between the two sides, with each side killing the other, and the Han cavalry even having the upper hand.

They wielded their swords, slashing and charging, repeatedly charging and fighting the Xianbei cavalry with cavalry tactics and individual skills no less than those of the Xianbei cavalry, until they finally cut down the Xianbei cavalry.

His elite cavalry, which was invincible on the grasslands, seemed not so powerful in the face of this Han cavalry, and seemed not enough to contend with them.

Gao Jian, who was standing next to Tan Shihuai, had figured it out.

He certainly knew just how elite and formidable the army that Tan Shihuai had personally trained was, and how terrifying it was. Many Xianbei tribal chiefs obeyed his orders because they feared Tan Shihuai's military might.

He once believed that this cavalry was invincible, and that even the Han army was no match for them.

But he realized he was wrong. This cavalry seemed to be no match for the Han army. The Han cavalry was extremely elite and skilled in cavalry tactics. They were even very proficient in fighting on horseback. Their fighting ability was extremely strong. The two cavalry charged and fought repeatedly. In the end, Tan Shihuai's personal guard cavalry numbered less and less.

collapsed!

It's completely collapsed!

We're no match for them!
Gao Jian panicked and quickly looked at Tan Shihuai.

"Great Chanyu! The situation is dire! Retreat! Get out of here immediately! Otherwise, that Han cavalry will be attacking!"

He knew very well that Tan Shihuai had no more troops to use, and only fifty-odd personal guards left. If that Han cavalry attacked, everything would be over!
Tan Shihuai's expression remained unchanged, but his trembling lips and pale face betrayed him, revealing his panic and fear to Gao Jian. Although he remained defiant, all he had left was stubbornness.

"I won't leave! I can't leave! What will happen to the army if I leave? They are the strongest warriors! I can't abandon them!"

(End of this chapter)