363 348. Battle Of Jixan

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Kuai Ye and Ju Shou actually also have the same thoughts as Guan Yu, but in the rules of war, they should accept the request for parley, especially since Liu Bei had the reputation of being virtuous and kind, so his army should also possess somewhat similar manner with Liu Bei because they also represent Liu Bei in the eyes of other Warlords.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei hearing this become silent, and seeing that two of them became silent both Ju Shou and Kuai Yue take this as a sign that they accepted their decision.

So after a discussion between the two of them, it was decided that Ju Shou would be the representative of Liu Bei's Army with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both guarding him with 20 cavalry riders.

After the decision was made, Kuai Yue ordered a soldier to raise a white flag to accept the parley request from Liu Biao's Army, and not long both sides immediately sent out their representatives.

From Liu Biao's side, it was Cai Mao accompanied by two generals named Lu Gong and Huo Jun with 20 cavalry riders as well. Lu Gong was a veteran that has served Liu Biao for a long time, in the novel ROTK he was the one who mortally wounded Sun Jian.

As for Huo Jun, he is a young general that in the original history who led his force guarding Jiameng Pass for Liu Bei defending it against Zhang Lu's Army, and when Liu Bei finally controlled Yi Province Huo Jun was made the Governor of Zitong and was further promoted to the rank of Major-General.

Unfortunately, three years after he served as a government officer, he passed away young and Liu Bei lamented his death, where Liu Bei personally attended Huo Jun's funeral in Chengdu and lodged near the tomb for several days.

Both sides meet in the middle between the two armies, and Ju Shou sees Cai Mao and greets him respectfully like they never become adversaries, Cai Mao of course returns his greeting albeit not as respectfully as Ju Shou.

Ju Shou: "Now General Cai Mao no need for such a disrespectful attitude, it was your side who requested a parley, and we accepted your request and this is how you reciprocate us?"

Cai Mao: "Humph! Yes, it was us who requested a parley, but it doesn't mean I would be polite with people who overthrew My Lord unlawfully and even persuade his son to go and betray his father!"

Zhang Fei: "Hey you pig headed moron! It was you and your clan's fault that all of this is happening! If you had just kept your greedy claws away, maybe Big Brother wouldn't have done all of this!"

Cai Mao: "You?! A buffoon who only could have other think for him just stay silent! Now Ju Shou I will tell you our reason for a parley and it would be that we would like to start the battle tomorrow!"

Ju Shou: "That's the reason General Cai requested a parley? Here I thought that you would threaten for us to surrender or boast about something, well then since the attacker side decided to attack tomorrow we would gladly accept this extra time to prepare."

Hearing the sarcasm in Ju Shou's tone, Cai Mai could only seethe in anger and didn't respond to his bait, because he knew that if Ju Shou suddenly decided to attack them, it would be them who lost the battle.

Cai Mao then without saying can't part in words turns around alongside his party, and heads back to his army. Ju Shou seeing this could only shake his head and return back to Jixan alongside his party.

Cai Mao who was on his way back, asked both Lu Gong and Huo Jun about their assessment of both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and if they could take them on.

Lu Gong and Huo Jun both looked at each other for a moment and both truthfully told Cai Mao that they couldn't take either one of the two one on one, they could feel the oppressive aura radiating from both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Listening to this Cai Mao could only shake his head in disgust at the two of them, even though they were angered by Cai Mao's action they decided to swallow the bitter pill as they knew that their clan depended on the Cai Clan now, especially since Liu Biao lost Xiangyang.

So a day passed by for both sides, In the early morning of the day both sides prepared their army to enter their formation, especially Liu Biao Army which was being instructed by Cai Mao due to them resting all day yesterday.

Cai Mao was standing on a platform that was made the previous night, and beside him stand an advisor named Wang Can. In the original history, he was known for his calligraphy and was a skilled scholar. Later, he joined Liu Biao and persuaded Liu Cong to surrender to Cao Cao after Liu Biao died.

His peers praised him for his eidetic memory and for writing the Records of Heroes which was a primary source for Pei Songzhi's Annotations of the Records of the Three Kingdoms.

Wang Can previously persuaded Cai Mao to not be hasty and not rush things but was ignored by Cai Mao and there was nothing he could do.

Even though he had become one of Liu Biao's top advisors alongside Pan Jun, his position was as stable as Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang who had the Kuai Clan as their backer, so he and Pan Jun could only bow down to Cai Mao and the Cai Clan's authority.

Cai Mai: "Advisors Wang, what plan of attack do you suggest for us to use for today's offense?"

Wang Can: "General Cai, I suggest that we used a combined use of cavalry hit and run tactics, alongside a turtle wall formation for the infantries, with the Archers inside each formation to fire their arrows."

Cai Mao: "Hmm, is this tactic really reliable? I have never heard of such weird combined tactics. What makes you suggest for this tactic to be used?"

Wang Can: "It's because I could identify that Ju Shou has prepared the Eight Gate Formation for us, it was a very complex defensive formation that incorporate many defensive formations, and it was an adaptive formation to their enemy's attack, so that's why I propose such tactics to combat against the offensive power of the formation."

Cai Mao: "I have heard of this formation before, and not many have managed to break through the formation either by brawn or mind, I think we could try your suggestion but it's a very risky gamble for us."

Wang Can stayed silent for some time, he knew that what Cai Mao said is correct but there was nothing they could do but gamble, he excelled at governing and political matters but the military did not so much.

Even though he recognizes the formation, he doesn't have the intelligence and enough talent in the military to deduce the Eight Gate Formation.

Seeing that Wang Can was silent, Cai Mao could only grit his teeth and decided to use Wang Can's proposed strategy and hope for the best.

Since the plan of attack had been decided, Cai Maogive the order for his army on what formation to be used and their plan of attack to his commanders, and after an hour passed by everything was ready.

Cai Mao receiving reports that everything was ready, gave the order for his army to attack, and the battle at Jixan finally began.

Liu Biao's Army advanced toward Liu Bei's Army that has already lying in wait with the Eight Gate Formation, Ju Shou and Kuai Yue seeing that the attack had begun gave the order for the war drum for the first gate of the formation to be opened.

Liu Pan show as assigned as the General for the first gate hearing the war drum for his unit, began to open the gate and ordered his men to prepare themself for the incoming attack, and when Liu Biao's Cavalry arrived sooner than their infantry compatriots, Liu Pan's unit was ready.

Even though they were ordered to do a hit and run attack, it proved impossible since the money the cavalries came in contact with Liu Pan's unit, Liu Pan's men suddenly like a wave encircled the cavalries and forced them to enter the first gate of the formation.

They were like being swallowed by an ocean, they couldn't do anything not even resist, and could only follow willingly being forced to enter the formation.

The Cavalry Commander panicked seeing that they were forced to enter the formation, and before he could order his men to mount a counterattack to leave the formation, he heard a war drum sound and suddenly saw that the formation shifted at a rapid speed and they were trapped from all sides.

Before he could react, he and his men were attacked from all sides. Spears was coming toward them from their left and right, causing him to lead his men to keep going forward whenever there was a way for them to keep riding while trying to counterattack.

Seeing what happened right before their eyes, Cai Mao curses loudly while Wang Can could only close his eyes in frustration, he knew that his strategy wasn't the best one he could pick, but he didn't expect that it caused half of their cavalry to be immediately trapped.

Back on the battlefield, the Cavalry Commander was trying his best to find a way out but he didn't realize that the more deep he went the more trapped he and his units was.

Ju Shou and Kuai Yue seeing that the battle was slowly but surely turning in their favor, ordered for another war drum to be sounded and Zhang Fei who was leasing the fourth gate hearing his code, led his set of elite infatries and cut the advance of Liu Biao's trapped cavalry unit.

Seeing the sudden appearance of a battalion of infantries, the commander was caught by surprise, and when he ordered his cavalry to spear right through them, they were met with a heavy set of makeshift fences that was put by Zhang Fei's infantries.

This caused some of the horses that hit the wall to be injured, including the horse of the cavalry commander. This causes him and several of his unit to fall from their horse and before they can stand up, Zhang Fei and his infantries stab them repeatedly killing them. While all of this was happening, Liu Pan and his unit at the first gate of the formation came into contact with Liu Biao's infantries who were using the turtle formation.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Three Heroes Who Defeat Lu Bu

Age: 30 (197 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 825

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 936 (+20)

VIT: 598 (+20)

AGI: 583 (+10)

INT: 587

CHR: 96

WIS: 509

WILL: 397

ATR Points: 0