Chapter 147: The Army of Reform

Witnessing such a formidable display, Wen Chou and his soldiers were left utterly stunned. Such an army, and such soldiers, were a sight they had never beheld before. Although they had caught a glimpse of the Wolf Shadow Guard when they came to his rescue previously, that occasion had been far too hurried. The Wolf Shadow Guard had vanished almost as quickly as they appeared, and coupled with the mortal danger he had been in, he had not paid them much heed.

But now things were different. Having observed them from such close quarters, he began to gradually realize just how truly terrifying the Wolf Shadow Guard were. Moreover, rumors had already reached them that the Wolf Shadow Guard had spent months maneuvering through the mountains against tens of thousands of Cao Cao's troops. A mere few hundred men had managed to entangle themselves with Cao Cao's massive host deep in the mountains, and now they were emerging completely unscathed, every single one of them escaping safely. One could easily imagine the extraordinary might of these men; their fearsome reputation was certainly no empty boast.

"These people are simply too powerful."

"Even without seeing them fight, the heroic aura emanating from each and every one of them is overwhelming."

Even Wen Chou's soldiers could not help voicing their amazement in continuous murmurs.

Wen Chou nodded with utmost solemnity. "Indeed, it is my first time witnessing such an army. Very well, it is time for us to attend to our own affairs. As for the Wolf Shadow Guard, let them go where they please."

As the Wolf Shadow Guard rode far away, completely vanishing from everyone's field of vision, Wen Chou and his men resumed their mission. In truth, their purpose in coming here was quite simple: to deal with Cao Cao's forces in the mountains.

Meanwhile, Liu Xie, having emerged from the mountains, led the Wolf Shadow Guard southward all the way. It was only after galloping for several dozen miles that they halted to rest temporarily.

"Your Majesty, those appeared to be Wen Chou's troops just now. What could they possibly be doing over there?" Gao Shun asked with curiosity, having also spotted Wen Chou's army.

"They are likely heading after Cao Cao's forces," Liu Xie replied. "After all, Cao Cao had over twenty thousand men gathered in the mountains, creating quite a stir. Once Yuan Shao's side received word of this, they were bound to send forces to encircle and suppress them."

True to Liu Xie's expectations, shortly after their departure, the Cao troops pursuing them from the mountains were intercepted by the army led by Wen Chou. A fierce and bloody battle subsequently erupted between the two sides.

As for Liu Xie and his Wolf Shadow Guard, they had already evacuated their former location and continued their march southward.

"Enough, the mission for this excursion has been accomplished; it is time for us to return."

"At most, within a year, Cao Cao will pacify the north and turn his armies southward," Liu Xie continued. "We must make the most thorough preparations before they march south."

With that, after a brief respite, the Wolf Shadow Guard pressed on southward under Liu Xie's leadership. After traveling for over a decade of days, they finally returned safely to Jingzhou.

Although Liu Xie had achieved his objectives, Cao Cao's situation was far from favorable. Inside the main Cao camp at Guandu, gazing at the three formidable generals—Xu Chu, Cao Hong, and Xiahou Yuan—who had barely escaped with their lives after a bitter struggle under Wen Chou's siege, Cao Cao wore an expression of extreme grimness.

Through the reports of the three generals, he learned that the nearly thirty thousand troops they had dispatched had accomplished nothing other than hunting down Liu Xie's Wolf Shadow Guard. Yet the reality now was that of the thirty thousand sent forth, over ten thousand had been lost.

And Liu Xie? He was completely unscathed, having allowed the entire Wolf Shadow Guard to slip away, only to stumble into Wen Chou and suffer an ambush midway. One could say their casualties this time were exceptionally heavy due to the Wolf Shadow Guard.

In the past, Cao Cao might have flown into a rage, but now he could not even muster the energy to be angry. Instead, a profound sense of helplessness washed over him. He no longer knew what to say. In the very beginning, he had harbored immense confidence, believing he could easily annihilate the Wolf Shadow Guard, and convinced that Liu Xie was helpless and could be crushed with effortless ease. But now, he realized he could do no such thing; the Wolf Shadow Guard were simply too formidable.

"My lord, in this humble subordinate's view, we should not dwell on such matters at present," Xun You stepped forward, his expression severe. "We ought to defeat Yuan Shao as swiftly as possible and pacify the north. Once that is achieved, no matter how formidable the Wolf Shadow Guard may be, we shall possess an army of a million strong, and they will be powerless to stir up any major trouble."

"Xun You is right; our focus at present must remain centered on Yuan Shao," Cheng Yu also stepped forth to persuade. "As long as the territory we control is vast enough and our soldiers and horses are numerous enough, then regardless of how powerful their Wolf Shadow Guard might be, how could they ever stand as match against our million-strong army?"

Hearing these words, Cao Cao drew a deep breath, his complexion gradually turning stern and resolute.

"What you say is correct. We must pour our heart and soul into dealing with Yuan Shao. Once Yuan Shao is subdued and our strength is sufficiently immense, there will be no need to fear any Wolf Shadow Guard."

Having figured this out, Cao Cao's attitude grew exceptionally firm.

Meanwhile, back in Jingzhou, Liu Xie lost no time in summoning all his ministers to deliberate on new countermeasures. The civil and military officials stood in neat rows on either side as Liu Xie sat high upon the imperial throne, gazing down at each individual with overwhelming majesty.

"To resist the future southward invasion of Cao Cao's forces, I hereby announce the thorough reform of our armies!" Liu Xie declared. "Starting from this day forth, specialized military forces shall be established across Jingzhou and Yizhou. These shall include large-scale cavalry, massive archer formations, shield arrays, infantry formations, spear arrays, and broadsword arrays. The troop strength of each independent army shall be no less than fifty thousand men."

From the moment Liu Xie returned to Jingzhou, he initiated a comprehensive military reform. At present, the combined land forces of Jingzhou and Yizhou totaled nearly 1.4 million men. He began screening them separately from this massive pool, concentrating those with unique advantages in cavalry and archery into dedicated units, while grouping together those skilled in using long spears, bows and arrows, broadswords, and shields. Everything was classified with utmost precision.

Gathering these specialized soldiers together, he forged reinforced military divisions. Furthermore, every single army was personally commanded or trained by Liu Xie, the Wolf Shadow Guard, and other prominent generals. Naturally, alongside these land forces, the naval navy also underwent significant restructuring and reform.

In the wake of these changes, a wave of fervent training swept across both Jingzhou and Yizhou. Multiple large-scale military bases conducted training operations simultaneously.

For a time, while Cao Cao and Yuan Shao clashed fiercely in the north at the Battle of Guandu, Liu Xie down south was likewise engaged in frenzied training in preparation for the battles to come. Moreover, to support the training of various specialized armies, Liu Xie ordered the major production bases in Jiaozhou to ramp up their output, manufacturing abundant military equipment and ordnance for the soldiers.

Simultaneously, Jia Xu was far from idle. He led the common people and construction corps in extensively mining mineral resources and developing agriculture, securing a more than adequate logistical foundation for the impending wars. In the end, the massive granaries across the various bases in Jiaozhou were all stuffed to the brim.