Chapter 43: 4 faces embattled

"Third brother, don't pursue him any further!" Liu Bei and Guan Yu caught up with Zhang Fei, who had snatched a spear and was intent on chasing down Lu Bu. They swiftly intervened to halt his pursuit.

"Brother, Lu Bu took my weapon!" Zhang Fei clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Don't rush, Lu Bu will return after these killings. I'll wait here to prepare our forces. When he comes back, we'll have the advantage," Liu Bei remarked as he gazed in the direction of Lu Bu's departure. Some couldn't fathom why Lu Bu continued his relentless attacks, especially when Bai Ma Yi had already fallen, and Gongsun Zan's tenuous grasp on Bai Ma Yi was doomed. Lu Bu's actions appeared increasingly desperate, baffling many.

"But there are so many allied forces; they might be wiped out by Lu Bu!" Zhang Fei grumbled, his irritation evident. He harbored resentment not only toward Lu Bu but also toward the other princes in the alliance, who seemed slow to respond. In his eyes, Lu Bu should have been cornered long ago.

"Enough of your complaints; focus on preparing the troops," Liu Bei retorted firmly.

"I understand."

...

Lu Bu, having broken through the White Horse Righteousness, couldn't afford to relax. On the vast battlefield, he observed troops and horses converging from all directions, realizing the dire situation he was in.

"I'll get you for this, Hu Zhen!" He swore silently, instructing Gao Shun to lead the army to keep pace with him. He surged ahead, searching for Hua Xiong, who had pursued the Northern Navy.

"General!" Hua Xiong, seeing Lu Bu approaching, beheaded a Beihai general and saluted.

"I'm taking command!" Lu Bu wasted no words, taking the command flag from Hua Xiong and scanning the battlefield. The Northern Navy had been routed, but the North Sea Minister's banner was conspicuously absent; Kong Rong wasn't present.

Lu Bu launched into a relentless assault, decimating the Northern Navy piece by piece. Fang Caixiong's Xiliang Iron Cavalry charged ferociously, but under Lu Bu's command, they operated like a disciplined army. Their coordinated efforts swiftly overwhelmed the enemy, piercing through their lines with ease.

After two rounds of relentless assaults, the Northern Navy was utterly defeated. Rather than pursuing further, Lu Bu directed his forces toward the Bingzhou army. He originally hailed from Bingzhou and understood their tactics and habits. In the heat of battle, Lu Bu couldn't afford to consider the sentiments of his fellow villagers. He merged the defeated Northern Navy and Bingzhou army into one cohesive force, disregarding their prior affiliations.

Lu Bu then slowed his advance, trailing behind the combined forces of the two defeated armies. Occasionally, he pushed them forward, allowing them to head in their intended direction. A group of troops ahead, led by Bao Xin, Minister of Jibei, noticed this unusual development.

"Gong Zu, what's happening here?" Bao Xin rushed forward to inquire after seeing the three of them.

"That Lu Bu is ruthless. He defeated Bo Gui earlier, and when I tried to aid him, we were ambushed by Lu Bu's forces," Tao Qian explained with a hint of guilt. They had covered more than ten miles in their escape, leaving Kong Rong and Zhang Yang's units behind.

"Yuncheng, Lu Bu may appear fierce, but he's nearing exhaustion after defeating Bo Gui, Beihai, and Bingzhou. If we retreat now and allow him to chase, we'll lose credibility with the world's heroes," Zhang Yang argued. Though the situation was dire, they couldn't let Lu Bu dismantle the alliance so easily.

Bao Xin agreed, knowing that Lu Bu's true strength was waning. He directed the Jibei Army to prepare for battle, but the terrain wasn't favorable. They were beyond the narrow confines of Hulao Pass, and spreading their forces too thin risked weakening their formation. Instead, they sent messengers to summon reinforcements from Qiao Mao and Yuan Yi, the two prefects, hoping to join forces and capture Lu Bu together.

"Here!" The general promptly dispatched messengers for reinforcements, while Bao Xin organized the Jibei Army into formation.

Meanwhile, the scattered armies that Lu Bu had been driving forward were becoming disorganized, making it challenging for them to heed Bao Xin's orders.

"Your Majesty!" The general overseeing the formation found himself in a predicament as the defeated troops surged toward him. It was a dilemma—fighting against his own comrades risked disrupting their formation, but not fighting would leave their formation vulnerable to being overwhelmed by these routed soldiers.

"Attack!" Bao Xin's decisive command resonated. He had experience from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, knowledge of military strategy, and battlefield exposure.

"Whoosh, whoosh!" Arrows flew through the air, descending with a piercing shriek. Fragments of the retreating army were struck down. Finally, the routed soldiers either regained their senses or succumbed to fear, scattering in different directions.

Meanwhile, Lu Bu, riding on his horse, frowned upon witnessing this scene. He recognized that not all the members of the coalition were mere pushovers. Stopping now would mean getting trapped. Instead, he decided to send a signal for a temporary ceasefire and instructed his troops to follow the dispersing defeated army. Concurrently, he used cavalry to harass Bao Xin's forces, disrupting their attempts to block his path.

As Lu Bu maneuvered to break through the encirclement, another horn sounded ahead. The coalition forces were converging toward his direction, but this time, only two generals stood in his way. If these two proved as resolute as Bao Xin, Lu Bu anticipated a tough battle ahead.