Chapter 139: Deliberate Retreat

Page 1 of 3

Tens of thousands of soldiers clashed in a fierce battle across the wild expanse.

On one side were twenty thousand Cao troops led by Xiahou Yuan; on the other were thirty thousand Yuan troops under Yan Liang.

Two generals who ranked among the finest of their age were locked in a desperate struggle to the death.

On a distant mountaintop, Liu Xie stood with a telescope in hand, watching the battle unfold below.

At his sides stood Gao Shun and Zhao Yun.

As he observed the fighting, Liu Xie remained calm, without the slightest flicker of emotion.

“Your Majesty, the battle is fierce. At present, neither side has gained the upper hand. It seems we need not intervene yet,” Gao Shun said softly as he watched the fighting below.

“Indeed. We still need to determine what this battle is truly about. If they have laid a trap for us, it would be troublesome,” Zhao Yun added, immediately exposing the hidden danger.

That was precisely what concerned Liu Xie as well. He feared that the enemy had deliberately set a snare to lure him into taking the bait.

For now, however, nothing seemed to have changed. They could let the two armies continue fighting.

Meanwhile, in the mountainous region on the opposite side of the battlefield, nearly ten thousand cavalrymen stood ready for action.

At their head was the Cao army’s great general, Xu Chu.

Xu Chu had no telescope, so he could only peer vaguely into the distance. Reports arrived one after another from the scouts he had dispatched.

“Someone come here. What is the situation? Have you received any word of the Wolf Shadow Guard?” Xu Chu asked, growing impatient.

“Reporting, General. There is still no movement around us, and we have found no trace of the Wolf Shadow Guard,” one of his men replied as he hurried over.

In truth, these men had also arrived in secret, following Xiahou Yuan’s army from behind the entire time. Their task was not to take part in this battle.

They were here specifically to deal with the Wolf Shadow Guard.

Indeed, the reason the Cao army had attacked Yan Liang’s forces this time was to lure the Wolf Shadow Guard into the open. Once they appeared, Xu Chu’s eight thousand cavalrymen would strike and destroy them.

Xu Chu had been ordered to come here several days ago, but even now there was not the slightest sign of the Wolf Shadow Guard.

It was as though they did not exist at all.

He had sent men searching in every direction, yet they had found no clues.

“What sort of force is this Wolf Shadow Guard?”

“Is it truly impossible for me to find them?”

“Just how formidable are they in battle?” Xu Chu had never fought the Wolf Shadow Guard himself.

Still, he had often heard of their strength.

As a fierce warrior himself, Xu Chu held such reputed power in utter disdain.

Page 2 of 3

He dreamed of nothing more than crossing blades with these men.

The fierce battle between Yan Liang and Xiahou Yuan continued below. But after they had fought for a long while, Xiahou Yuan suddenly ordered his army to withdraw.

Seeing his opportunity, Yan Liang immediately gave chase without a second thought.

On the distant mountain, Liu Xie continued watching. Zhao Yun and Gao Shun, however, grew animated at the sight.

“Your Majesty, the Cao army is retreating. They may be losing,” Zhao Yun said urgently.

Liu Xie merely shook his head. “Do not worry. They will not be defeated.”

“If I am not mistaken, another army must be nearby—and it is certainly one of Cao Cao’s armies.”

At these words, Zhao Yun and Gao Shun exchanged puzzled looks.

They did not understand what Liu Xie meant by another army.

“Then, Your Majesty, are we going to leave this battle alone?” Gao Shun asked quietly.

Liu Xie shook his head. “We have already aided Yuan Shao and temporarily preserved his two great generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou.”

“That alone gives Yuan Shao a tremendous advantage.”

“Do not forget that Yuan Shao must lose this battle.”

“We did not come here to fight on Yuan Shao’s behalf. We came to maintain the balance of power.”

“If necessary, we can help Cao Cao fight Yuan Shao.”

“But judging from the present situation, there is no need for us to aid Cao Cao.”

Indeed, as far as Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were concerned, the difference between them was considerable.

If neither side received outside assistance, Yuan Shao could never defeat Cao Cao.

Thus, as long as Liu Xie did not intervene or aid Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao would gain no real advantage.

More importantly, they had come here to preserve the balance of the battlefield.

They had not come to help Yuan Shao defeat Cao Cao.

So long as the overall balance of the war could be maintained, they need not take part in any of the other battles.

“Then, Your Majesty, what should we do now? Simply remain here?” Gao Shun asked.

Liu Xie raised the telescope again and watched for a long while before replying, “There is no need to hurry. Let us continue observing.”

From the current situation, it appeared that Xiahou Yuan had lost all momentum and suffered a crushing defeat.

Page 3 of 3

But in truth, Liu Xie did not see it that way.

For a time, the two armies chased and fled, fighting their way across dozens of miles.

Yet after fleeing that distance, the retreating army no longer seemed so intent on escape.

“As expected, they were deliberately falling back,” Liu Xie said at last, finally seeing through the ruse.

Just as he had predicted, after Xiahou Yuan led his army a considerable distance away, they suddenly wheeled around where they stood.

Then they launched a counterattack against Yan Liang’s pursuing forces.

“Your Majesty, Xiahou Yuan really was retreating on purpose. It seems Yan Liang is in danger once again,” Zhao Yun said, his expression and Gao Shun’s filled with excitement.

At the same time, they felt deeply fortunate that they had not rushed out too early.

Otherwise, they might have found themselves in unforeseen trouble.

“Reporting!” At that moment, a soldier came running toward them and shouted his report.

“Your Majesty, we have discovered a large number of Cao troops in the mountains opposite us—more than eight thousand men, all elite light cavalry.”

“Their commanding general is Xu Chu,” the soldier continued.

Hearing this, Zhao Yun and Gao Shun felt a chill run down their backs.

They now understood that the eight thousand light cavalry led by Xu Chu had indeed been sent for them.

Had they charged out earlier, they would have fallen into a desperate situation.

Fortunately, Liu Xie had kept them from acting rashly.

“Yuan Shao has already enjoyed more than enough advantages. Now it is time for them to taste defeat as well.” Liu Xie lowered the telescope in his hand.

This time, they had no intention of taking part in the battle.

“Your Majesty, are we truly going to do nothing? What of the battle below?” Zhao Yun asked softly.

Liu Xie smiled faintly and shook his head. “We will not participate in this battle.”

“But I never said we would do nothing at all.”

“Order the Wolf Shadow Guard to disperse and circle around. We are going after Xu Chu.”

Indeed, they had no intention of involving themselves in the struggle between Xiahou Yuan and Yan Liang.

But they would not let Xu Chu, who had been hiding nearby in preparation to ambush them, off so easily.