Chapter 889: Yuan Shao's Defeat and Escape

For no apparent reason, Yuan Shao suddenly turned his head, tears streaming down his face. Wen Chou, suppressing his urge to turn back and fight, grabbed Yuan Shao and charged forward without looking back. Both of his brothers were already dead; his goal now was not revenge, but to protect Yuan Shao and break through the encirclement.

After Ju Yi’s death, the vanguard launched a furious assault on Liu Bei’s forces, with not a single soldier retreating. They fought until the very last soldier fell. The once invincible vanguard of the north, along with Ju Yi, the man who had created this legend, fell together on this battlefield.

Zhao Yun gazed at the bow in his hands. The enmity between the White Horse Cavalry and the vanguard had finally ended. Only two members of the White Horse remained, while the vanguard was entirely annihilated. From this point on, there would be no mention of the White Horse or the vanguard.

[If possible, I would have liked to lead the White Horse and face you in a fair battle. But sadly, the White Horse has already disappeared, so I could only use this treasured bow, given to me by General Gongsun, to end it all.]

Zhao Yun slowly wrapped the precious eagle bow, which had accompanied him since the Battle of Hulao Pass, in a silk cloth. He likely wouldn’t need to use this bow again.

"Full-scale charge!" Guan Yu glanced at the now-calm Zhao Yun and gave the final order. What remained was chaos and pursuit; the rest of the battle was no longer as significant.

Hua Xiong turned his horse and led the Xiliang iron cavalry once again into battle with Yuan Shao’s Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. Countless Wolf Cavalry soldiers fell. In the brutal combat, some fled, some fought to the death, while others surrendered or perished in defiance—showing the full spectrum of human nature.

On another front, Xu Shu and Wei Yan, who had been lying in wait after witnessing Hua Xiong’s blindingly violent charge, finally made their move when Yuan Shao broke through Guan Yu’s encirclement.

A bit earlier, about a quarter of an hour after Gao Lan cut through Liu Bei’s army, Wei Yan and Xu Shu, leading their elite troops, cautiously approached the battlefield. Wei Yan was shocked at the chaotic scene and immediately prepared to charge in and protect Liu Bei.

"Wait!" Xu Shu grabbed Wei Yan. "Wait a little longer. Although our army is at a disadvantage, there has been no collapse. The movements are still orderly. Strategist Jia and the others must have a plan; otherwise, it wouldn’t look like this."

"Wait? What if something happens?" Wei Yan exclaimed in shock. The battlefield below was in chaos. Were they supposed to wait until the entire army collapsed before stepping in? By then, their small force would be useless!

"Nothing will happen. I saw General Wu An, and he hasn’t moved. That means the Lord still has reserves, and Jia Xu is waiting for the right moment," Xu Shu replied calmly. His greatest strength was detecting weaknesses, and such a glaring one in Liu Bei’s army could not escape his notice.

Although Wei Yan was hesitant, he had been deeply impressed by Xu Shu’s performance at Qinghe. After a moment of deliberation, he decided to trust Xu Shu. However, his concern for Liu Bei remained, so he lay hidden on a small hill, watching the battle unfold. What he witnessed was a brutal spectacle.

"Is that really General Hua?" Wei Yan felt as though his jaw would drop. The Xiliang cavalry’s crushing charge completely dazzled him.

Even the elite vanguard, feared throughout Hebei, was being battered by the Xiliang cavalry. Although not entirely crushed, much of the cavalry was engaged with Yuan Shao’s rear forces.

With their banners in sight, Wei Yan immediately recognized the charge leader as Hua Xiong, though the ferocious assault left him shaken—it was completely different from the Hua Xiong he had once met at Mount Tai.

"It can only be him," Xu Shu remarked. He had only encountered Hua Xiong once in Yingchuan and wasn’t familiar with how he fought. Watching Hua Xiong now, he could only marvel at the strength of Liu Bei’s army.

"Let’s charge out!" Wei Yan said excitedly. With Hua Xiong leading the rear assault, a two-pronged attack would ensure Yuan Shao’s defeat.

"Gather the troops!" Xu Shu nodded, knowing it was the right moment. However, by the time Wei Yan had assembled his forces, Xun Chen, leading Yuan Shao’s reinforcements, had arrived.

Wei Yan, who had been ready to charge, was held back by Xu Shu, who had spotted a better opportunity. In the chaos of the battle, neither side could afford distractions. Otherwise, Wei Yan’s troop movements would have been detected long ago.

In fact, many soldiers on both sides had noticed Wei Yan’s forces. Liu Bei’s men recognized them as reinforcements, while Yuan Shao’s soldiers either fled or were unable to report to their leaders.

Wei Yan remained patient until Yuan Shao’s army finally broke through Guan Yu’s encirclement. As soon as he realized the moment had arrived, he was about to shout and charge in, but Xu Shu quickly pulled him back and whispered something in his ear. Xu Shu then led his troops forward to block Yuan Shao’s path, while Wei Yan led his personal guard to the front.

At the same time, Chen Xi, who had been lying in ambush on the western flank, launched his attack. His forces advanced smoothly, and if not for some issues that required Xu Sheng and Mi Fang to land and deal with, they might have arrived as early as Hua Xiong.

Breaking through the encirclement was Yuan Shao’s last chance to retreat north. With all the preparations in place, if they couldn’t capture at least half of Hebei, all the effort would have been for nothing. For Yuan Shao, this was a life-or-death situation.

This was an absolute objective. Whether Yuan Shao withstood Liu Bei’s assault or broke through Guan Yu’s encirclement didn’t matter—there were still countless other encirclements waiting for him.

Unless Yuan Shao somehow summoned a meteor, like Emperor Guangwu did, there was no way he would escape unscathed from this battle.

Chen Xi and his strategists had planned every contingency. Even with multiple fronts and a hastened northern campaign, they still had enough strength to sweep Yuan Shao into the pages of history.

Although Mi Fang wasn’t skilled in leading troops, he was more than capable of attacking a weakened enemy. As Xu Sheng led a large force to charge, Mi Fang also emerged with his personal guard.

Wei Yan and Xu Sheng attacked from the left and right, forcing Gao Lan and Zhang He to counterattack. Their bodyguards sacrificed themselves to hold back the enemy long enough for Yuan Shao’s forces to retreat toward the northwest. Staying longer would only guarantee their destruction.

"Die!" Just as Yuan Shao broke through, Wei Yan, who had been lying in wait, leapt up from the ground and swung his large blade toward Yuan Shao.

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