Chapter 18 - I, Lu Bu, Never Regret
Original by Bro Got a Gun, Translated by James
“Sha!” With a slash, Liu Mang killed the enemy in front of him. Blood sprayed all over his face. Had it been before, he would’ve been afraid of the blood. But now, he didn't have the time to think about the blood!
“Gao Shun, I hate you!” Had it not been that Gao Shun was too greedy and decided to swallow two thousand pikemen, how could the formation possibly be destroyed so easily?!
Now without killing the two thousand pikemen, they were instead getting killed first! Fortunately, he was wearing the Aries Gold Cloth. Else, he’d already be dead!
Gao Shun did not speak. Instead, he pointed toward the distant slope.
“What do you mean?!” Before Liu Mang could understand what Gao Shun meant, he suddenly heard a voice. “Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian is here! Chen Deng, prepare to die!”
“Fuck!” Liu Mang finally understood everything. He understood why Boss Lu wanted him to wear the Aries Gold Cloth and stay with the Formation Breaker. All of this was to make him into a bait to attract Chen Deng’s attention!
What a fucking boss! A fucking father in law! Liu Mang was fuming with rage between gritted teeth.
“Break through the archers! Kill Chen Deng!” Zhang Liao rushed forward after giving off a command.
“Sha!” Although the Bing Province Soldiers no longer have their mounts, they are not at all inferior to other troops. Not to mention, there’s also Lu Bu leading the attack.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Chen Deng’s army was left with only archers. Although bows and arrows are strong in long range, they’re nothing in close range!
Blood splattered everywhere. Flesh and Bones were scattered all over. Everywhere Lu Bu’s army went, everyone was killed, not a single survivor! Some archers, having been scared witless, decided to desert and flee.
“Hold out against them! Don’t withdraw!” Chen Deng withdrew his side sword and killed a retreating archer. “All army, fight to the death and wait for our troops to return! Anyone who dared retreat will be like this man!” Chen Deng’s malevolent expression managed to scared a lot of his soldiers. These men, biting their teeth, took out their sidearm, their short swords, and began to engage the enemies.
Archers was already weak against infantries to begin with. And now across from them wasn’t just some regular infantries but rather the dismounted Bing Province Heavy Cavalries. Thus, wherever they go, it was a massacre!
“Mother!” Someone collapsed. This sort of massacre wasn’t something that an average person could stand up against!
Although Chen Deng’s troops have followed the Chen family for a long time, they have never came across this kind of massacring God that is Lu Bu!
“Sha!” Chen Deng once again killed another deserting archer. He wanted them to stop Lu Bu for a moment, just a single moment! The commander of the shielded blade soldiers and the pikemen have already noticed the problem and was already rushing back to aid them!
However, these archers was really scared witless! Lu Bu was like a massacring God from hell! Chen Deng’s killing of deserters not only did not made the soldiers stand up to Lu Bu, it instead evoked their rebellious hearts!
Rushing forward is death! Not going is also death! Fuck it, let’s revolt!
“Sha!” One by one, archers with bloodshot eyes rose in rebellion.
“What are you people trying to do?!” Chen Deng roared “Is this a mutiny?! Have you forgotten your families?! Have your forgotten who you are?!” Majority of these soldiers were the Chen family’s private soldiers, many of whom are settled in Guangling with their families.
Thus, there was still some who have calmed down, not daring to attack Chen Deng.
However, Chen Deng was still fucked! Like the bloody wind, Lu Bu arrived in front of Chen Deng. With a single Ji strike he knocked away Chen Deng’s side sword. “Chen Deng, Chen Yuanlong, has been captured by me. Surrender immediately!”
Like a thunderclap, Lu Bu’s voice resounded through the battlefield.
“Master, master have been captured?” There are soldiers who could not believe that their master have been captured. However, as they looked toward their main army, they noticed that their banner has fallen.
“Defeated! We have been defeated!” With their master captured, how could these private soldiers possibly have the will to continue fighting on?!
“We, we surrender!” Shouted the commander of the shielded blade soldiers. With an agonized expression, he dropped his blade and shield. Just when they were about to annihilate the Formation Breaker, who would’ve expected it to end like this.
“To seize the traitors, first seize the the king!” This was the strategy that Chen Gong gave Lu Bu. First use Chen Deng’s father’s death to set chaos in his mind. Then use the Formation Breaker to defend against the enemies. Due to Lu Bu wearing a golden armor, from afar, he looked not much different from Liu Mang’s golden armor. Thus, he was to become the bait and be placed within the Formation Breaker!
Hence, all of Chen Deng’s attention will be focused toward the Formation Breaker!
Gao Shun deliberately showed flaws to let Chen Deng think that he was close to destroying the Formation Breaker, to let Chen Deng develop a misconception. With this misconception, Chen Deng’s troops brought to annihilation by the Lu Bu soldiers from the two flanks!
From the outset he was already sold? Now, Liu Mang was really afraid of these strategists! No wonder these individuals were able to grasp the whole world! No wonder that Cao Cao was willing to kill Chen Gong even if he was to become infamy because of that!
An strategist that have you in their mind will certainly cause you to be unable to rest or eat in peace!
Liu Mang did not knew that in Xiapi, there’s already an strategist that had him in his mind. This person was not to be inferior to the Old Man Chen in any aspect! This man was the sly genius Guo Jia!
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Cleaning the battlefield, counting the casualties!
The Formation Breaker was pretty much crippled from the engagement! From the seven hundred that it once had, the survivor amounted less than two hundred. Gao Shun did not say anything. However, from from bleak expression, Liu Mang saw pain, sorrow and even dried up tears in the corner of his eyes. This was from a man who even if he was to be killed, he will not frown!
Liu Mang’s heart tightened. He also knew that these fallen Formation Breaker soldiers, many of them died protecting him, blocking the incoming blades and spears with their bodies! However, he knows neither their names nor does he remember their appearance!
Liu Mang took a deep breath. He decided that the next time he comes over, he’ll make sure to equip the Formation Breaker with the best armor! This was the only thing he could do!
From the Bing Province Heavy Cavalry, there was also some fifty casualties! They were, after all, not infantry.
Lu Bu’s two thousand strong army was left in a wretched state. All that was left was some thousand three hundred people! Majority of them wounded!
Fortunately, after capturing Chen Deng, the Chen army surrendered, allowing them to recuperate.
There was still over five thousand pikemen, over four thousand shielded blade soldiers and a thousand or so archers! The Formation Breaker stood against fifteen thousand enemies. Casualties numbered over five hundred. However, for the opponent, their casualties was five thousand! One against ten, worthy to be called the king of the infantries!
“Chen Deng, Chen Yuanlong! Do you have any words to say?!” said Lu Bu as he looked at the Chen Deng who was tied up and kneeling on the ground.
“Humph, slave with three surnames, do with me as you wishes!” Chen Deng did not have the awareness of a captive at all. He remained unyielding.
“Slave of three surnames?!” Lu Bu hated two things the most! One is betrayal and the other is this title! Ever since being called he was called such by Zhang Fei in Hulao Pass, Lu Bu have forever been stuck with this title!
“Chen Deng, did you think that I dared not kill you?!” Lu Bu’s expression was full of murderous intent.
“Haha, so what if you I am to be killed! Even if you killed this Chen Yuanlong, you, Lu Bu, will still not be able to escape! Prime Minister Cao’s army was just behind me. Cao Chun of the Ferocious Cavalry was already sternly waiting! Did you think that you have won just because you have defeated I, Chen Deng?! These hours that you were stopped by me was more than enough for the Ferocious Cavalry to arrive!” Chen Deng sneered.
“Hahahaha!” Lu Bu really hated being threatened. In his anger, he was about to kill Chen Deng. However, Chen Gong who was on the side opened his mouth and said “Although slaves of three surnames was indeed unpleasant to hear, it’s still better than being loyal to one’s father’s killer!”
“Who is loyal to one’s father’s killer? Chen Gong! Neither you or Lu Bu are good men! Lu Bu have said that my father was killed by Prime Minister Cao and now you go on to say that I am loyal to my father’s killer! What a joke! Did you think that I, Chen Deng, was a three year old kid?! Did you expect that I will fall for your stratagem of sowing dissention?!” Chen Deng knew that being captured by Lu Bu was the same as death, thus he decided to curse away.
“Facts speak louder than words!” Chen Gong shook his head, turned around to face Lu Bu and held his fist toward him. "My lord, Gong request that my lord set Chen Deng, Chen Yuanlong free!”
“What?!” Liu Mang was shocked greatly.
“Military advisor, you cannot!” Gao Shun was the first to not agree for a lot of the soldiers of the Formation Breaker died in the hands of Chen Deng’s troops.
“Chen Gong, stop pretending to be kind! Did you think that by doing such I will be grateful towards you?!” Chen Deng ridiculed. “Kill me! Kill me quickly!”
Lu Bu closed his eyes. He thought for a moment before opening his eyes again. He said. “Release Chen Yuanlong!”
“My lord?!” Gao Shun was anxious! If he does not take revenge for his brothers, he will forever be restless and be unable to face those who survived!
“Not only will I release you, I’ll return to you three thousand soldiers including your two generals!” Lu Bu was very generous. Those three thousand soldiers were all people who have families in Guangling. Should he forcely take them away, they will certainly not be willing to fight for him. Thus, he decided to just throw them back to Chen Yuanlong!
“What is it that you want?!” Chen Deng knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
“I do not want anything!” Lu Bu said toward Chen Deng. “I just want you to go and see for yourself Cao Cao’s nature. In the event that you can see through him, then I hope that you will come back and swear loyalty and devotion to me!”
“Swear loyalty to you? Impossible!” Chen Deng refused without any hint of hesitation.
“Don’t reject so fast! I know you will!” Lu Bu refused Chen Deng to refute and untied his ropes. “Your three thousand troops are located at where my garrisons are originally set up at! You can go! Hopefully next time we meet you would’ve come around!” From losing Xiapi, Lu Bu understood a truth. He understood that to fight for hegemony in this world, one requires talent. He currently have only a single Chen Gong, if a Chen Deng joins his ranks, he will be like a tiger that has grown wings!
“You will certainly regret this!” said Chen Deng.
“A lot of people have once told me that before and it was never I, Lu Bu, who ended up regretting!” Lu Bu gave an order and his troops began to march toward Langye.