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"The traitor Dong's army has already crossed the river at Yinping Crossing?!" Wang Kuang, inside the main tent, clutched the urgent dispatch delivered by fast horse, his eyes darting about, momentarily at a loss.
Yinping Crossing was upstream from Mengjin; both were fords across the Yellow River.
The Yellow River, also known as the Great River, ran east-west in the Luoyang area. From west to east, the nearby fords were Yinping Crossing, Xiaoping Crossing, Mengjin Crossing, and Wushe Crossing.
Now that Dong Zhuo's army had actually crossed the river at the upstream Yinping Crossing, Wang Kuang's current stationing at Mengjin had essentially lost its purpose.
At any moment, striking an enemy while they were half-crossing was the best way to rout them and the most common tactical method near rivers. But now that Dong Zhuo's forces had already crossed the Great River, his presence here meant constant danger of being attacked from both sides.
Thinking of this, Wang Kuang immediately went to the watchtower within the camp, climbing up to observe the Dong army camp across the river.
He saw a Dong banner flying high within the enemy camp, with many soldiers moving about. It didn't look like an empty camp at all.
This…
If it were completely empty, that would be one thing. He could either cross the river to attack directly or go to Yinping Crossing to engage. But now, it wasn't like that. He was caught in a dilemma.
Advance?
Retreat?
Go block the road from Yinping to Henei?
Stay here to defend against the Dong forces on the opposite bank?
The excessive choices made Wang Kuang hesitate…
××××××××××××
Li Su stopped Lü Bu, saying, "We are only for a feint attack! We've already passed Yinping. If we encounter the enemy soon, why does the Marquis of Wen press ahead so recklessly? What if we fall into an ambush?"
Lü Bu gave Li Su a sidelong glance from under his eyelids, then turned to look at the sky. "If there's no attack, how can it be called a feint attack?"
"..." Li Su was so choked he nearly jumped. "Marquis of Wen! Our forces are still meager. How can we afford losses? If we ruin Senior Official Li's grand plan, how will we face the consequences?" This was only two thousand men, though a thousand were cavalry. But you, that scoundrel Lü Bu, can't act like you have twenty thousand!
Mentioning Li Ru made Lü Bu hesitate slightly.
Though in terms of martial prowess, ten Li Rus combined probably couldn't beat one of Lü Bu's hands, for some reason, Lü Bu always felt somewhat uneasy whenever he saw Li Ru.
But to have Lü Bu give up this hard-won opportunity to lead troops out, just putting on a show, doing nothing but going out for a stroll, completing a feint attack mission without actually doing anything, then returning to that stifling Luoyang City… such a mundane affair would drive Lü Bu mad.
"You lead the rear troops at a slower pace. I'll lead my own troops ahead. If the enemy is few, I'll break them. If the enemy is numerous, I'll avoid them. The Bingzhou wolf cavalry gallops and wheels, swift as the wind. They are meant to hunt in the wild. How can they turtle up at the rear?" Lü Bu fell silent for a moment but ultimately followed his heart, choosing to advance and meet the enemy. However, he no longer demanded Li Su also speed up, arranging for him to follow behind instead. After speaking, without waiting for Li Su to say more, Lü Bu left Li Su behind, spurred his horse to the front to lead his troops, and with a roar, led the old Bingzhou veterans charging away.
Li Su chased after him, shouting, "Marquis of Wen! Marquis of Wen! This… Alas!"
Seeing Lü Bu galloping farther and farther away, Li Su sighed deeply. He then ordered the camp to be set up right there, advancing no further.
The troops he had brought were not many to begin with, and they were far from the main force of Chancellor Dong Zhuo. Appearing as a flanking army, their most important task was naturally to attract the attention of Henei's Wang Kuang, forcing him to disperse his forces…
But it absolutely did not include the responsibility to engage Wang Kuang's army head-on!
If they fell into an ambush, got surrounded, and suffered defeat, the impact wouldn't be limited to just their own flanking force. This Lü Bu, what on earth is in his head?!
Unlike the complaining Li Su, Lü Bu simply hadn't thought that far.
Back when Lü Bu fought the Xiongnu and Xianbei and other Hu people in Bingzhou, which battle wasn't fought against a numerically superior enemy? Which time wasn't he leading troops alone deep into enemy territory? Which time wasn't he surrounded by Hu forces?
So when Li Su mentioned danger, Lü Bu didn't really take it to heart at all.
The main reason was that Li Su simply didn't understand Lü Bu, had no idea about the agony and repression in Lü Bu's heart during this period.
To truly act as a feinting flanking force, doing nothing, gaining nothing, then returning empty-handed?
Lü Bu was unwilling.
The wind howled, the sound of hooves like the beat of a war drum, pounding in his heart.
Suddenly, a scout from the front galloped back to report: about twenty li ahead, a force of troops was marching towards them. No banners displayed. Numbers around four to five thousand.
"Any cavalry? Did they spot you?" Lü Bu asked.
"Reporting Marquis of Wen: about five hundred cavalry, the rest infantry. When your subordinate returned, the enemy troops showed no change. No enemy scouts were seen either. They likely have not detected us." Scouts were always the cleverest soldiers, skilled in stealth and reconnaissance. If the commander was slightly careless or forgot to send out scouts, they might be observed without even knowing it.
"So careless, haha." Lü Bu threw back his head and laughed. He then ordered, "All troops, dismount and prepare for battle!"
The vanguard Lü Bu led this time consisted entirely of cavalry, most of them his original troops, with some from the former Luoyang Northern Army, now also under Lü Bu's command—a thousand riders in total.
At Lü Bu's command, the soldiers all pulled on their reins, dismounted, and took out some roasted beans from their saddlebags to feed their horses, tossing a few into their own mouths as well. They chewed alongside their mounts with crunching sounds while adjusting the straps on their horses.
After long gallops, saddle girths and stirrup straps would loosen somewhat. To prevent them from suddenly coming loose at a critical moment during an attack, they were usually checked and tightened before combat.
Twenty li of road. Lü Bu planned to teach this group of blind fools who had stumbled into him a lesson. Whether they had displayed banners or not, which force they belonged to—it definitely, absolutely was not a friendly one.
Marching without sending out more scouts—if that's not seeking death, what is?
Regarding control of attack distance, cavalry utilization, and timing, Lü Bu, having fought Hu people in Bingzhou for a long time, was all too familiar.
When this force, head down in their march, suddenly noticed an enormous dust cloud towering ahead and, in panic, began to prepare to meet the enemy, Lü Bu had already led his men charging right up to them.
Looking at the opposing troops who had no time to set up barricades, whose battle formation was still crooked and not fully arranged, Lü Bu gave a scornful smile. He hung his Sky Piercer halberd horizontally across his saddle, grabbed his specially made strong bow from his side with his left hand, and with his right, scooped up three arrows, nocking them onto the bowstring. Twang, twang, twang—a rapid series of shots!