Chapter 859: Confusion

Chen Xi had a throbbing headache, while Liu Ye and Fa Zheng stared at each other with no clear solution in sight. In situations like this, Chen Xi knew he had to step up.

"Ahem, listen to me. Whether the enemy is trying to delay us or force us into battle, we should continue advancing at our current pace and adapt to any changes accordingly," Chen Xi coughed lightly, drawing their attention to himself. Honestly, he didn’t have a great plan either, but at this point, any plan was better than none.

"That works," Fa Zheng opened his mouth as if to argue, but then switched his stance and agreed with Chen Xi’s suggestion.

"Very well, in that case, we’ll stick to our original plan. We’ll continue advancing at our usual speed and increase the range of our scouts," Liu Ye nodded. At this point, Chen Xi’s method seemed as good as any.

Thus, after crossing the Yellow River, Chen Xi and the others advanced calmly, as if they were completely disregarding the fact that they were in Yuan Shao’s territory, proceeding slowly toward their intended target.

Along the way, Liu Ye’s forces faced constant harassment—be it the sudden noise of drums and shouting at night or random crossbow bolts fired into their camp under the cover of darkness. The aim was clearly to slow their march.

"Ignore it. Since we’ve already decided not to change our pace, let’s stick to it. Don’t worry about what the enemy is trying to do—let’s just focus on what we need to do," Chen Xi insisted. It wasn’t that he felt embarrassed, but this tactic of wearing down the enemy was too childish.

With Chen Xi’s orders, Liu Ye no longer paid much attention to the enemy’s tricks and adapted accordingly. Although Xun Shen was indeed trying to restrict Liu Ye’s movements, just as Liu Ye had predicted earlier, Xun Shen was still within the realm of normal human strategies. Against such schemes, Liu Ye wouldn’t easily fall into a trap.

Thus, Liu Ye broke Xun Shen’s night raids by setting up scattered camps, used decoys to lure Yuan Shao’s troops into ambushes, and even employed fire tactics to dismantle Xun Shen’s attempts at psychological warfare.

However, these moves were of little consequence to either Xun Shen or Liu Ye. Xun Shen neither significantly delayed the advance of Liu Bei’s army nor provoked them into recklessly attacking Yuan Shao’s garrisons near Fancheng.

"Liu Bei’s army is not being led by Liu Ye…" Xun Shen sighed after analyzing the results of his probes. Based on his previous encounters with Liu Ye, by now, Liu Ye should have already sent the Xiliang Cavalry as the vanguard to strike directly at Yuan Shao’s main camp in Fancheng.

"Liu Ye isn’t the strategist? That’s good news!" Chunyu Qiong laughed heartily. Having suffered losses at Liu Ye’s hands before, he knew well of Liu Ye’s prowess and was eager to avoid facing him again.

"It might not be good news," Xun Shen frowned slightly. "The commander is likely Chen Zichuan. Only then would Liu Bei feel at ease. This man is too low-key, making it hard to gauge his depth. But I must admit, they’ve chosen the most suitable approach for themselves."

"Send word to the soldiers near Fancheng. Have the centurions prepare for flexible maneuvers," Xun Shen calmly gave his orders after a moment of contemplation. Honestly, unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to face Liu Bei’s forces head-on.

"Understood!" Guo Yuan and Chunyu Qiong had no objections to Xun Shen’s change in orders. They immediately bowed and left.

Soon after, Liu Ye noticed something strange: the frequency of the harassment from Yuan Shao’s army had decreased. This change made Liu Ye more cautious. After discussing with Chen Xi, they expanded the range of their scouts once again, to prevent any surprises from Yuan Shao’s forces, while continuing to advance steadily toward their target.

Once the scouts’ range was extended, Liu Ye received alarming information—Yuan Shao’s forces were converging near Fancheng in large numbers. Some groups numbered over a thousand, while others had only two to three hundred, but they were all marching toward Fancheng, day and night.

"What’s that guy up to?" Chen Xi asked Liu Ye, perplexed.

"I’m not as curious about what Xun Shen is planning as I am about why you’re so certain this is a feint," Liu Ye responded, answering a question with another question.

"I asked the scouts. They spotted these troops from a distance, and none of them dared get too close," Chen Xi replied casually. "The ones who did probably didn’t make it back. Such strict formations are clearly designed to deceive. Of course, there’s also a chance they’re using reality to conceal a feint."

Chen Xi’s words made Fa Zheng roll his eyes. He was now convinced that Xun Shen was indeed trying to deceive them, aiming to mislead them into making the wrong judgment.

"Let’s march at full speed!" Fa Zheng suggested. "If the situation changes and reinforcements arrive for the enemy, we won’t have the same freedom to move as we do now."

"Hmm, but what’s the enemy’s ultimate goal? Are they trying to provoke us into speeding up our march to fight them head-on, or are they trying to lower our morale and slow us down?" Chen Xi pondered aloud. "I think that’s the biggest question here."

"…," Fa Zheng was speechless and didn’t respond. If they knew the answer to that question, they wouldn’t need to waste so much time debating—they could have already made the best decision.

"I think… I’ve figured it out," Liu Ye suddenly raised his head. "I believe this is the key to Xun Shen’s strategy. I was stuck in a dead-end before, but now that I’ve stepped back, it’s starting to make sense. This whole plan feels like something I would’ve come up with for myself."

Fa Zheng thought deeply and then looked at Liu Ye. "Are you saying the enemy’s goal is simply to drag us into their tempo? Whether we speed up or slow down, increasing our scouting efforts benefits them either way. Why does this strategy feel a bit like something you would do?"

"I believe that’s Xun Shen’s talent. If my talent is to think from the perspective of others, then Xun Shen’s talent is to think using other people’s mindsets. That would explain why the battles with him have become progressively more difficult," Liu Ye said with a frown.

"Two plans set in motion simultaneously… So, the enemy is prepared with two different responses based on how we act?" Chen Xi mused, frowning. He didn’t find Xun Shen’s talent particularly terrifying, but it was certainly troublesome.

"I suspect he’s waiting to adapt. If we grow impatient from their harassment and rush our march, the Xiliang Cavalry will likely be sent as the vanguard. In that case, Xun Shen might abandon Fancheng entirely and launch a full-scale attack on our rear forces!" Liu Ye, having escaped from his earlier deadlock, once again adopted his calm, calculating demeanor.

"Hmm, then let’s disrupt his plan and achieve our own objectives," Chen Xi said, rubbing his chin as he looked up, his mind already forming a new plan.

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