Chapter 32: The Snipe and the Clam Grapple? Who Is the Old Fisherman?

Chen Gong, in the camp, heard that Lü Bu led three thousand cavalry in pursuit and had departed; he was greatly alarmed, for Lü Bu had taken too few troops, and if they were surrounded, the losses would indeed be enormous.

Although relying on Lü Bu's personal bravery to break out poses no problem, not everyone has a Red Hare horse and a Heaven-Piercing Halberd, right? These three thousand iron cavalry are Lü Bu's last cavalry unit; if they are all lost, it will be a fatal blow to Lü Bu's military force.

Thus Chen Gong urgently ordered Zang Ba, Wei Xu, Hao Meng and others to raise the camp's 15,000-strong army, then summoned Gao Shun and instructed him.

"General Gao Shun, I worry that the lord may meet with mishap; this is the enemy's scheme. I must take men to meet the lord, and this main camp will be left to you to guard. General, remember to hold out no matter what until I and the lord's main army arrive."

Gao Shun's expression turned solemn, and he said in a low voice.

"Sir, rest assured; with me, Gao Shun, I will certainly keep this main camp free of worry."

Chen Gong clasped his hands toward Gao Shun, then immediately led several of Lü Bu's senior generals out to fight.

Moreover, the Xiahou brothers leading forty thousand troops behind Liu Bei's army also captured some of the routed soldiers who had fled from Liu Bei's forces; these routed soldiers said that Lü Bu had led all the personnel from the main camp out to do battle at the mountain base with Liu Bei's main army, and Liu Bei's troops had already been completely routed.

At this moment, Xiahou Dun's eye in this time-space had not yet been blinded; this can also be counted as the effect of the butterfly-wing flap of this time-traveling Liu Bei force.

Upon hearing that Liu Bei had suffered a great defeat, Xiahou Dun instantly rejoiced; he and Xiaoyuan and a few others discussed and decided to let Xiaoyuan and Li Dian lead thirty thousand men to take down Lü Bu's remnant troops, while Xiahou Dun himself would lead five thousand men to seize Lü Bu's main camp, and Che Zhou would go to open the gate of Xuzhou.

Cheng Yu felt it was rather hasty, but the Xiahou brothers, asserting their authority as commander-in-chief, pressed him and kept saying that opportunities must not be missed, making it seem that if they failed, Cheng Yu would be made to take the blame.

Cheng Yu knew the Xiahou brothers were Cao Cao's most trusted subordinates, so with resignation he sighed and obeyed their decision.

When Lü Bu and his party reached the mountain-foot river valley, they discovered that the Snow Dragon Cavalry ahead had vanished into the mountain forests; shortly after, Chen Gong arrived from behind, panting, and said to Lü Bu:

"Lord Wen, the situation here is wrong; although the water level is low in spring, who says the river is almost dry? Moreover, this cavalry came and went hastily, without any will to fight; clearly they are not here to fight us to the death."

Although Lü Bu's intelligence was a bit low, he finally sensed something amiss at this moment, but suddenly shouts of killing arose from behind, as Xiaoyuan led thirty thousand Cao troops to surround them.

Lü Bu gripped his spear tightly, reined his horse, turned, and shouted loudly.

"How dare you, villains! Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry warriors, follow me to cut down these miscellaneous troops!"

Zhang Liao and the other brave generals also took the lead, charging toward the Cao Cao troops that had come to pick up the scraps; from afar, Xiaoyuan saw this momentum and found it somewhat unbelievable.

Wasn't this supposed to be a unit that had just finished fighting and was now a remnant? How does it look so vigorous? Are Liu Bei's troops really that useless?

Carrying great doubts, Xiaoyuan also personally drew his blade and went forward to meet them.

Liu Bei, meanwhile, stood on a hillock holding a homemade monocular telescope to watch the battle below, while Jia Xu squatted nearby, boiling a pot of hot tea.

"Hey! Strategist, come quick and see—Lü Bu's troops are fierce; a single charge has already put over thirty thousand Cao troops on the verge of collapse; such formidable soldiers are truly a pity."

Liu Bei, while muttering to Jia Xu, opened the system and began analyzing the data of these mighty men.

Watching that man wave his halberd, repeatedly sending several Cao Cao junior officers flying into the air, and whose appearance was extraordinarily flamboyant, the system's voice sounded slowly.

"Lü Bu, martial 100, intellect 20, politics 50, leadership 82, health 99."

Liu Bei grinned, "This intellect! He might be a distant cousin of Dian Wei."

Then Liu Bei looked at that thin, middle-aged handsome man wielding a sword; Chen Gong was currently enjoying the slaughter, and even Wei Xu, who was protecting Chen Gong nearby, felt his eyelids twitch. As strings of data appeared, the system's voice sounded again.

"Chen Gong, martial 71, intellect 96, politics 80, leadership 83, health 85, loyalty to Lü Bu 88."

"This three-surname household slave has some charm! It actually makes a strategist with intellect 96 so loyal to him; Chen Gong may not show it, but he also wields a fine sword, his martial ability being surprisingly high."

At this moment, Zhang Liao and Xiaoyuan were locked in combat; both were masters of the blade, so their back-and-forth was quite enjoyable, and Zhang Liao would occasionally, in the gaps of their clash, cut down a few foot soldiers, making Xiaoyuan shout in anger.

"Zhang Liao, martial 96, intellect 88, politics 80, leadership 95, health 98, loyalty to Lü Bu 80."

"Xiaoyuan, martial 95, intellect 79, politics 74, leadership 92, health 95, loyalty to Cao Cao 99."

Liu Bei stared at Zhang Liao's attribute data, lost in thought; this reinforcement-obsessed maniac's stats are excellent! No, such talent under Lü Bu, a fellow with intellect 20, would surely be buried; we must find a way to poach him!

After all, this is the renowned Zhang Babai!

Liu Bei then looked at a white-faced military officer surrounded by two big-bearded rough fellows; this fellow wields a long spear with mighty vigor!

"Li Dian, martial 92, intellect 85, politics 72, leadership 91, health 99, loyalty to Cao Cao 95."

"Wei Xu, martial 81, intellect 40, politics 50, leadership 62, health 99, loyalty to Lü Bu 70."

"Zang Ba, martial 88, intellect 50, politics 61, leadership 72, health 94, loyalty to Lü Bu 77."

"Hao Meng, martial 80, intellect 40, politics 65, leadership 77, health 95, loyalty to Lü Bu 68."

It seems that among Lü Bu's so-called Eight Healthy Generals, only Zhang Liao and that Gao Shun might have some ability, while the rest are just simple-minded fellows.

On the battlefield, the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry had already broken through the Cao army's formation; the Cao army then regrouped into a defensive formation, but under Lü Bu, this fellow with heaven-defying martial prowess, the Cao army collapsed at the first touch.

This is Lü Bu's simplest tactic: relying on his peerless martial prowess to lead his iron cavalry to cut through them; this is often the simplest yet most effective tactic, and Lü Bu evidently directed all his fury at this group of Cao troops led by Xiaoyuan.

Looking at the fierce battle in the valley at the foot of the mountain, Liu Bei coldly sneered in his heart, without cease, 'The snipe and the clam are fighting? Then you, Cao Cao, think you can become that old fisherman?'