"Heh, they really have the guts to come!" Gan Ning laughed wildly. He immediately pulled out a massive arrow from under his horse's belly, then drew his ten-stone strong bow and fired a signal arrow into the sky, which exploded into a burst of flames.

【This ten-stone strong bow is really not meant for ordinary people without the use of inner energy.】 After shooting the arrow, Gan Ning was clearly out of breath.

There aren't many who can still fight effectively without inner energy, even among those whose inner energy has left their bodies. Not everyone is like Xu Chu, Dian Wei, or Wu Anguo, who can wield weapons weighing hundreds of pounds as if they were toys. This is what true natural strength means.

When both sides have inner energy, a difference of a thousand or eight hundred pounds of strength isn't much. But without inner energy, that difference is enough to kill someone.

For example, when both have inner energy, Gan Ning might need hundreds of moves to determine the winner against Xu Chu. But with the military formation restricting inner energy, Xu Chu could potentially defeat him in just over a hundred moves.

"Heh, were they prepared for this?" Xu You observed the signal arrow, now a burst of flame, with a calm expression.

"Strategist, is it really okay to charge in like this?" Wen Chou asked as he led his troops in a charge, recalling a moment of hesitation.

"It's fine. Charging in will achieve our strategy; the rest doesn't matter." At that moment, Xu You was extremely calm, as if nothing could shake him. His goal was to achieve the strategic objective, regardless of how many would die because of his plan. It simply didn't matter.

"Alright!" Wen Chou glanced back at Xu You and then, without any more doubt, roared as he led the charge.

This was the first time Chen Xi had seen cavalry launching a desperate charge without any prior probing. There was no hesitation; it was as if they had been prepared from the moment they appeared. Shouting madly, they ignored all the crossbows and arrows and charged straight into the heart of Chen Xi's forces.

There were no long-range volleys, no flanking maneuvers, no probing for weak points. All that remained was a world-shaking collision as Wen Chou's cavalry, with him at the forefront, crashed directly into Chen Xi's center.

In that moment, men and horses were sent flying, and blood and flesh splattered everywhere. Yuan Shao's army and Liu Bei's army launched an all-out assault under the walls of Linyi's new city without any probing or hesitation. At that moment, all combat experience was rendered useless. What remained was a clash of iron will and determination.

Shields were shattered, horse necks were twisted, spears were broken, and riders were thrown. From the very start of the battle, Wen Chou fulfilled his vow, fighting to the death without retreat, leading soldiers united by bonds of loyalty and righteousness. In that moment, they fulfilled their oath to the heavens with a frenzied and bloody fight.

"How dare you!" Gan Ning roared, abandoning his original opponent and charging directly towards the cavalry that was about to cut his army in two. His soldiers followed him, shouting battle cries as they moved to block Wen Chou.

The veteran soldiers of Mount Tai, seeing Wen Chou’s charge, instinctively nocked their arrows and fired three volleys. Shields were raised at the front, but the next moment, instead of facing a rain of arrows, they were met with the thunderous roar of charging hooves.

"Boom!" A dull impact rang out as the front-line shield-bearers were sent flying, taking down the archers behind them. Then, countless cavalry charged over them, turning everything under their hooves into bloody pulp.

Crossbows and arrows, the most effective weapons against cavalry, were rendered useless in that instant.

"Kill!" It was unclear which soldier first shouted the battle cry, but the Mount Tai soldiers, who had been intimidated by the overwhelming momentum of the cavalry, threw themselves at Wen Chou’s cavalry with a desperate resolve.

At that moment, both sides abandoned all defense, attacking each other with their very lives. Human blood and horse blood soaked the entire battlefield.

Gan Ning, leading his personal guards, charged madly at Wen Chou. That brief span of time, no longer than a single incense stick’s burn, felt like an eternity to Gan Ning. All he could remember was swinging his broadsword and iron chain wildly, killing every enemy in front of him, charging with reckless abandon. He didn’t know if he had successfully blocked the enemy.

Emerging from the mass of enemy troops, the dark shadows and bloody slaughter gave way to the serene glow of the moon.

"Whoa," Gan Ning reined in his horse. Only a handful of his personal guards and soldiers remained, barely a dozen. The rest lay in the river of blood carved out by the thousands of cavalry.

As Gan Ning turned his horse, he finally felt the excruciating pain throughout his body. His armor was in tatters, and there were dozens of deep wounds, some to the bone. If not for his mastery of inner energy, he would surely have died.

Wen Chou also turned his horse around, his armor equally in shreds, with several deep wounds visible. However, he had come prepared, and with Chen Xi’s forces lacking significant cavalry, the injuries he sustained weren’t life-threatening. But this charge had made him realize something very clearly: in war, he could also die.

From Wen Chou’s charge to the breach of Chen Xi’s forces, only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed. In that brief span, the casualties on both sides were almost equal, but in terms of morale, this was probably the first time Chen Xi had felt a sense of inevitable defeat.

"Kill!" Wen Chou gazed coldly at Gan Ning and the dozen or so remaining soldiers on the other side of the blood river. He had no fear of the now-divided Liu Bei forces. Killing all the small fry present was less exciting to him than killing Gan Ning to avenge his disgrace.

"No!" Chen Xi’s vision darkened. Although he was dazed, his mind was clearer than ever. Wen Chou’s roar made him realize that there could be no further hesitation.

"Beat the drums! Full attack! Stop Wen Chou at all costs!" Chen Xi immediately unfurled his command banner and stood beneath it, drawing his sword and using his seal to rally the troops.

At this moment, Chen Xi could no longer worry about whether the enemy would charge up and kill him. He knew only one thing: if he didn’t stand out now, the morale of his troops would collapse, and this battle would be completely lost!

"Charge!" Chen Xi used everything at his disposal, directly resonating with his spiritual will. This time, what resonated was his desire to survive and the peace of Mount Tai. For the first time, Chen Xi’s army exhibited its true potential.

At this moment, the generals in Linyi’s new city also reacted. Even if it meant abandoning the city, they couldn’t allow anything to happen to Chen Xi. They immediately gave up the defense of Linyi and ordered all their troops to rush out of the city.

"We must block them!" Chen Xi roared as he charged forward.

Under Chen Xi’s leadership, the Mount Tai soldiers clashed once more with Wen Chou’s cavalry. The cavalry remained as fierce as before, and even with the added strength from Chen Xi’s abilities, their relentless attacks continued to break through the formations.

Countless cavalry fell, countless brave soldiers died, but Wen Chou’s cavalry gradually began to slow down…

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