Chapter 879: The Decisive Battle Part 4

As soon as Gan Ning landed, he viciously swung the Hengjiang Iron Chain, yanking out the spearhead that had pierced through Ju Shou's back. With a swift motion, he whipped the chain, creating an opening in the halberdier formation before quickly retreating.

"My Hengjiang Iron Chain is a flexible weapon, not something as easily deflected as an arrow," Gan Ning sneered as he leaped onto his horse. He mocked Ju Shou’s understanding of martial arts, knowing that the most dangerous thing in the world isn’t ignorance but arrogance!

The immense mental power of a top strategist like Ju Shou meant that even legendary generals like Guan Yu and Gan Ning had to approach him with caution, especially within ten steps. A single moment of carelessness could see them dragged into a dangerous situation.

As for arrows, honestly, unless you're someone like Fa Zheng who brings disaster upon himself, top strategists are almost immune to such projectiles. This is precisely why Gan Ning opted to use the Hengjiang Iron Chain instead of a broadsword—his mission, assigned by Guo Jia, was to assassinate Ju Shou.

The chain’s ten-meter length made it difficult to wield, but it was also the best way to avoid a desperate counterattack from Ju Shou. After all, getting too close, even for Gan Ning, would have been dangerous.

As someone who had used the Hengjiang Iron Chain numerous times on the Yangtze River, manipulating the chain like a whip to make it curve was not a challenging feat for Gan Ning. The earlier straight thrust had been nothing but a distraction to deceive Ju Shou.

Ju Shou mistakenly believed he had deflected the chain, unaware that the chain could still be controlled. In the moment when Ju Shou used his mental power to divert the chain to the left, Gan Ning capitalized on the momentum, curving the chain and driving it straight through Ju Shou’s chest.

The bizarre attack of the Hengjiang Iron Chain caught Ju Shou’s personal guards completely off-guard, leaving them no time to react and ending Ju Shou's life.

As Ju Shou fell, the soldiers of Yuan Shao’s army, who had previously been so focused, experienced a sudden drop in strength. The mental boost they had been receiving, which had pushed their abilities to the limit, vanished in an instant, returning them to their normal state.

"Ju Shou is dead," Guo Jia said, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he looked at Jia Xu. "The rest is up to you. I've completed my task."

With that, Guo Jia collapsed onto the chariot. The gamble had a fifty-fifty chance, but Guo Jia had ended Yuan Shao’s greatest advantage. The 150,000 troops of Yuan Shao, who had previously fought with the strength of elite soldiers, were now severely weakened. The loss of Ju Shou and his mental powers had plunged them into a deep abyss.

"The rest is in my hands. You should rest; we are definitely going to win," Jia Xu said calmly. "Yuan Shao probably never understood why his Hebei elites were able to hold their own against our Taishan warriors."

"What a terrifying mental ability," Lu Su commented, watching the light that had surrounded Yuan Shao's army gradually fade. "But it’s over now."

"Order the central army to charge—this is a fight to the death! Don’t look back, don’t think ahead, just break through everything in your path!" Jia Xu issued his final command as the last bit of light disappeared. From that moment on, the control of the battlefield would be left to Lu Su.

With Ju Shou’s death, the morale that Yuan Shao had raised by charging into battle began to plummet. This was not because the soldiers realized Ju Shou had died, but due to the chain reaction caused by his death. The mental boost that had strengthened Yuan Shao’s forces dissipated, and the entire army’s strength dropped by a significant margin.

"How can this be?" Yuan Shao had yet to fully comprehend what had happened before Shen Pei, eyes bloodshot, spotted Ju Shou’s body lying in a pool of blood. Shen Pei went berserk. Although he had always disliked Ju Shou’s stubbornness and aloofness, thanks to Yuan Shao’s mediation, Shen Pei had gradually come to accept Ju Shou as an indispensable ally. Now, that ally had fallen.

"Shen Pei, retreat now!" Yuan Shao, having suffered two devastating blows, suddenly became calm and pulled Shen Pei back. He realized that the once impenetrable halberdier defense had begun to crumble after Ju Shou’s death.

"No! I must kill them!" Shen Pei shouted angrily. "We still have more than 100,000 troops! We can crush Liu Bei's army!"

Slap! Yuan Shao slapped Shen Pei hard across the face, snapping him back to reality. Yuan Shao scolded, "Shen Pei! Have you forgotten Gongyu's plan? What did they sacrifice for? What are we fighting for? Only by completing Gongyu’s strategy can we stand victorious for eternity and truly avenge them!"

At that moment, Yuan Shao, in his grief and fury, revealed the same imposing aura he had when he once pointed his sword at Dong Zhuo. This fearless spirit instantly sobered Shen Pei.

Wiping the blood from his lips, Shen Pei cast a hateful glance toward Liu Bei’s army. His previously scholarly demeanor turned cold and calculating. In that instant, he took up the unfinished strategy Ju Shou had left behind.

"Lord, deploy the left and right divisions in waves to block Liu Bei’s army. Even if they break through this line, they must be trapped in layers of resistance," Shen Pei suggested with a cold determination.

"Good. Order Wen Chou and Lü Kuang to launch the intercepting attacks in waves!" Yuan Shao ordered calmly, retreating as he spoke. The halberdier line also began to compress and retreat, shielding Yuan Shao as they fell back.

As Yuan Shao’s central army began to withdraw and the command banner pulled back, the morale of Yuan Shao’s troops dropped sharply. At the same time, Liu Bei’s forces seized the moment to intensify their attack.

With the shift in momentum, Guan Yu surged forward, breaking through Yuan Shao’s central defensive lines. Liu Bei's army rallied and began to chase down Yuan Shao, realizing that this battle would only end with Yuan Shao’s defeat.

"Lord, order 10,000 troops from the rear to flank Liu Bei’s army. Our vanguard cannot achieve our objective alone," Shen Pei advised as he fought while retreating.

"Deploy Zhao Rui to lead 15,000 troops and flank Liu Bei’s rear," Yuan Shao ordered without hesitation. Shen Pei was the only strategist left by his side, and Yuan Shao trusted him completely.

"Pull reinforcements from the rear to strengthen the front lines! Break through Yuan Shao’s central army at all costs!" Lu Su stood up and ordered as Yuan Shao’s command banner retreated. Lu Su knew that the battle had reached its critical point.

Jia Xu glanced at Lu Su, surprised by the scholar’s bold decision. He hadn’t expected someone so outwardly gentle and refined to make such a daring choice. It seemed that even Lu Su had a heart for taking risks.

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