Chapter 857: Wisdom in Knowing Others, Clarity in Knowing Oneself

"This is truly devious," Xu Sheng remarked as he inspected the horse traps. "Should I order my men to fill them in?"

"Leave them. We will hold this position and wait for Advisor Liu to finish constructing the pontoon bridge before we advance," Yu Jin said, his face expressionless. "The enemy likely set this up as bait to lure our cavalry into an attack after crossing the river."

"Heh, with the skill level of the enemy over there, and with Lord Chen and his advisors, there’s no chance they’ll fall for this," Mi Fang commented dismissively.

In truth, if Liu Ye hadn’t been prompted by Chen Xi’s subtle hint to suddenly decide to assault the opposite bank, there was indeed a high chance that the army could have fallen into the trap. Even if they didn’t, if they had crossed in smaller waves, Xun Shen’s signal towers could have triggered a piecemeal crossing, turning the whole endeavor into a drawn-out mess that could have exhausted Liu Ye’s forces.

After clearing out the two camps, Yu Jin immediately set up defensive positions, ordering Mi Fang and the others to cross back to retrieve the Qingzhou forces for reinforcement, while also sending word to Liu Ye to continue constructing the bridge and prepare for a full crossing.

With Yuan Shao’s forces no longer obstructing them from the opposite shore, Liu Ye’s pontoon bridge construction sped up significantly. Soon, the bridge extended across the river, and large numbers of troops began crossing the Yellow River.

It was only then that Xun Shen learned of Liu Ye’s successful crossing. He had waited anxiously for the warning signals from his fire towers, but none came. Concerned, he dispatched scouts, only to discover that Liu Bei’s forces had already made a large-scale crossing.

"Advisor, what do we do now?" Chunyu Qiong asked, unlike the more eager Guo Yuan, who was always itching for a fight. During his time in Chang'an, Chunyu Qiong had personally witnessed the prowess of Liu Ye and Hua Xiong, and although Xun Shen might not gain the upper hand, Chunyu knew that facing either one could be deadly.

"Hold the Puyang line. There is no need to engage them directly. Just hold and wait for reinforcements," Xun Shen said calmly, showing little panic at Liu Ye’s successful crossing. For him, it was always just a matter of time and not the deciding factor.

"Advisor, Guo Yuan requests permission to engage." Guo Yuan saluted Xun Shen with a bow and added, "It's only natural to meet the enemy head-on. Allowing them to advance unchecked will severely damage our morale. A battle, even if lost, is better than retreating without a fight."

"Very well, take 5,000 men and let Sun Zi assist you as your deputy. Test the waters, but do not engage too deeply. Discuss all matters with Sun Zi as necessary," Xun Shen nodded, appreciating Guo Yuan's boldness despite not saying much more.

Guo Yuan swirled his cloak dramatically and left immediately, while Sun Zi gave a respectful bow before following him out.

"Sun Zi, be cautious on the battlefield. Liu Ye is not an opponent to be taken lightly. If you suffer losses in the first engagement, retreat immediately," Xun Shen called after Sun Zi to warn him.

"I will do my best to advise General Guo. If necessary, I will withdraw westward," Sun Zi responded calmly.

"Good." Xun Shen nodded, knowing that Sun Zi, an exceptionally talented civil servant, did not require too many instructions.

Once the two had left, Chunyu Qiong scoffed. "Those two really think they can stop Liu Ye and Hua Xiong? I bet they can’t even handle Yu Jin."

Xun Shen cast a casual glance at Chunyu Qiong. "Prepare to receive reinforcements from the central region. If the Xiahou brothers arrive, send them to Ji Yin. If the Xiliang Qiang tribes arrive, have them follow us."

Chunyu Qiong, embarrassed, said no more. He admitted that Yu Jin and Hua Xiong had beaten him into submission, and the task Xun Shen assigned him now was more to his liking—safe and profitable, fitting his abilities perfectly.

"What if both the Xiahou brothers and the Xiliang Qiang arrive at the same time?" Chunyu Qiong asked, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"If they both come, don’t worry about it. They will naturally make the right decision. They’re guests, after all. We won’t place the burden of the battle entirely on them," Xun Shen replied nonchalantly, before turning his attention back to his defensive fortification plans, ordering the craftsmen and soldiers to continue their work.

Xun Shen had never thought it would be easy to defeat Liu Bei after becoming suspicious of him, which is why he had chosen defense from the beginning, unlike the aggressive strategies favored by Ju Shou and Tian Feng.

[Let’s take it slow and see what you're really capable of before I make my move.] Xun Shen thought, placing a warm jade chess piece onto the central position of the board in front of him, which was against traditional etiquette. [Wenruo, I’m curious to see how much you’ve grown over these years. Don’t let me be right about you!]

After Chen Xi’s army crossed the Yellow River, the enemy soldiers strangely retreated and consolidated their positions rather than launching a mad assault as Liu Ye had predicted. They instead took a very cautious defensive stance, clearly waiting for reinforcements.

Had Liu Ye not spread out scouts widely after crossing the river and discovered the small fire beacon towers set up by Xun Shen on the opposite bank, he might have doubted his initial guesses.

"Report, General! Yuan Shao's forces have come to challenge us!" After crossing the river, Yu Jin, acting as the vanguard, received the report of Yuan Shao’s forces nearby.

Yu Jin immediately reorganized his troops from their marching formation into a defensive phalanx, one that would make it difficult for the enemy to attack, and began advancing at a steady, unhurried pace toward the reported location.

When Guo Yuan saw Yu Jin's army forming a dense spear wall in front of him, he was momentarily stunned.

"General, the enemy is extremely cautious. We should test them and retreat if needed. Their scouts likely cover a span of 30 miles, and after receiving word of our attack, their commander advanced unexpectedly. This is not what we anticipated," Sun Zi advised gravely.

Guo Yuan said nothing in response, but seeing the well-disciplined formations of Yu Jin’s troops, he had to admit that Sun Zi was right. Originally, he had hoped to ambush the vanguard, but after being spotted by the scouts and now facing such a heavily fortified formation, he realized that any attack would be futile.

"General, should we send someone to issue a challenge?" Fan Lin, one of Yu Jin’s officers, asked, eager for the chance to claim glory by defeating the enemy generals.

"No need. Ready the spears and archers. Push forward and overwhelm them," Yu Jin commanded calmly. At his signal, the rear troops began beating the war drums, and the entire formation surged forward in a unified charge toward Guo Yuan’s forces.

Yu Jin knew his limitations. He didn’t possess the overwhelming martial prowess of Hua Xiong or Zhang Fei. Leading charges from the front wasn’t his strength. But when it came to battlefield command, he was confident that he could match anyone. That’s why, early on, he had assembled a personal unit of 500 elite soldiers, trained specifically for capturing enemy generals and breaking their banners.

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