Chapter 828: Battle Resumes

"This is human nature," Chen Xi picked up the conversation, looking dissatisfied. By this point, if he hadn’t figured it out, he would be a fool. He spoke in frustration.

"Everyone tries to avoid danger, thinking that if just one person doesn’t step up, it won’t make much of a difference. As a result, no one steps up," Lu Su said, his tone full of helplessness.

"Exactly. The formation is good, but in the end, it’s still people who control it," Jia Xu said with a mischievous smile, drawing his sword as if preparing to charge into battle with Liu Bei. But the moment Liu Bei charged forward, Jia Xu promptly sheathed his sword and turned back to continue chatting with Chen Xi and the others.

"How is this possible?" The sight of Guan Yu’s strike splitting the entire Xuanxiang Formation in half left Yuan Shao’s advisors on the war chariot utterly shocked.

"Quickly, order the soldiers to hold off Liu Bei's forces!" Shen Pei reacted first, shouting orders to the nearby messengers.

"What happened? How could this situation arise?" Xu Shou frantically asked Tian Feng, confused about how things had gone from being in their favor to this chaotic state. No matter how the Xuanxiang Formation shifted, it shouldn't have been broken by a single attack from a military force like this!

"Forget about what happened! Stop Liu Bei's army first; we can figure out the cause later! They’ve already broken through that gap!" Xu You, also flustered, called out. Despite his panic, he still understood the urgency of the situation. "Lord, retreat!"

"Retreat?" Yuan Shao finally snapped out of his daze. Looking around, he saw that the Xuanxiang Formation had indeed been split in two.

Yuan Shao’s eyes narrowed as he carefully assessed his forces. Though the formation had been shattered, the main body of his army hadn’t suffered significant losses. The Xuanxiang Formation, despite its apparent chaos, still had internal cohesion. In other words, the army’s real losses were minimal in terms of soldiers and morale!

"Send my command: the entire army is to push forward! If Liu Bei wants to fight, I will fight him! I want to see what Liu Xuande is truly capable of! Give the order: full assault!" Yuan Shao barked, his spirits rising as he glanced at Shen Pei and the others.

Xu You had no sway over the military, so no one heeded his panicked words. As for Xu Shou, he was still in shock over how his formation had been broken and never considered fleeing. The soldiers of Hebei were fierce warriors, among the finest even without formations.

Xu Shou had refrained from deploying the upgraded Liuding Liujia Formation—a more advanced version of the Xuanxiang Formation—not only because it was difficult to manage but also because formations like the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, evolved from Xuanxiang, greatly amplified the strength of soldiers, sometimes even creating effects akin to military talents. However, if such formations were broken, it would mean total disaster.

Being the cautious person he was, Xu Shou didn’t want to gamble on the enemy not knowing how to counter his formation. Better safe than sorry. Using the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation could lead to extreme advantages, but if the enemy had someone familiar with it, it could lead to their swift defeat—a risk Xu Shou wasn’t willing to take.

The original Xuanxiang Formation only served to confuse the enemy’s eyes, and its boost to the soldiers’ strength wasn’t significant. It only appeared so effective because it empowered the most elite Xian Deng Guards. If the boost had been applied to ordinary soldiers, breaking through it wouldn’t have been impossible.

Of course, there were trade-offs. Once the Xuanxiang Formation was destroyed, the confusion it caused was relatively mild, and as long as there was effective command, the situation could quickly be restored. For seasoned commanders like Tian Feng, Xu Shou, and Shen Pei, reorganizing the troops after such a breakdown was far easier than forming the Xuanxiang Formation in the first place.

Xu You was left feeling scorned by the four commanders who knew how to lead troops. His earlier panic had been a result of Xu Shou’s shocked expression, which had misled him into thinking they were doomed the moment the formation was broken.

Though Yuan Shao’s army had fallen into brief disarray, they quickly regrouped under the command of their officers to hold off the enemy.

One thing hadn’t changed: Yuan Shao’s forces were still divided into two groups—one large, one small. This was unexpected for Xu Shou, who had predicted that the enemy could break the formation but hadn’t anticipated that it would be done in such a manner.

As soon as the Xuanxiang Formation was broken, Sun Guan and his troops took advantage of the chaos, launching a counterattack. They joined forces with Guan Yu’s army, which had broken through from the outside, opening up a breach in the enemy lines and pressing the attack on Yuan Shao’s soldiers.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun, aided by Liu Bei’s elite Tiger Guards, also broke through the encirclement. Once free, Zhao Yun circled back to launch a harrying assault on the scattered Yuan Shao forces, mowing down their outer defenses with rapid arrows.

"Zhao Yun!" Qu Yi finally arrived with the Xian Deng Guards after reassembling his troops, glaring at Zhao Yun with eyes burning with fury.

Zhao Yun glanced at Qu Yi nonchalantly and immediately turned away, not bothering to engage. The White Horse Cavalry wasn’t meant for head-on confrontation with a unit like the Xian Deng Guards. With a casual turn of his horse, Zhao Yun led his cavalry in another direction, leaving Qu Yi with nothing but dust and a rain of arrows.

"Let’s go to the front. The final outcome won’t be decided by the White Horse Cavalry," Qu Yi muttered bitterly as he watched Zhao Yun’s retreating figure. With a deep breath, he suppressed his anger and refocused.

Qu Yi’s frustration with the White Horse Cavalry was at its peak. It wasn’t that he couldn’t defeat them; as far as he was concerned, they were fragile soldiers that even peasants with pitchforks could take down. Their only advantage was their speed, which was, admittedly, maddeningly fast—fast enough to drive anyone crazy.

Qu Yi returned to the frontlines with the Xian Deng Guards and soon clashed with Guan Yu’s elite Dao-wielding soldiers, venting all his pent-up frustration from chasing Zhao Yun on them. The Xian Deng’s superior combat strength quickly began to suppress Liu Bei’s forces, and as the Xian Deng launched a fierce countercharge, Yuan Shao’s troops were emboldened, turning the tide of the battle in their favor.

"These Hebei warriors are truly fierce!" Liu Bei, flanked by Wu Anguo for protection, watched the battle with admiration. "Anguo, lead my personal troops to the front. Let Yuan Shao see what we’re made of!"

Wu Anguo hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Xu Ding return, he ordered Xu Ding to lead Liu Bei’s personal troops into battle while he remained by Liu Bei’s side, wielding his giant iron hammers. Wu Anguo knew his own limitations—he wasn’t a commander; he was a bodyguard.

Once Xu Ding led Liu Bei’s personal troops into the fray, the fierce battle reached a momentary stalemate. Liu Bei’s forces, bolstered by the addition of his personal troops and Guan Yu’s elite soldiers, managed to hold the Xian Deng Guards at bay, though just barely.

"What terrifying combat prowess!" Lu Su watched the central battlefield with disbelief.

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