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Chapter 1003: Outside Dingyang City
Chapter 1003: Outside Dingyang City
September 25, 2017
Not long after the coalition against Dong Zhuo ended, Lu Hai Kong stationed a legion between Shangzhou County and Shuofang Prefecture.
This legion was under the command of Wang Ti. Initially, the legion was stationed near the vicinity of Kucha, a location relatively closer to Shuofang Prefecture.
However, after Lu Hai Kong officially regained control of southern Bingzhou, their defensive focus shifted. Wang Ti's legion began moving towards Shangzhou County, and currently, it had relocated to the vicinity of Dingyang City. Not far ahead was the Capital Commandery.
It could be said that at this moment, Wang Ti was guarding the western gateway to Bingzhou. Anyone wishing to enter Bingzhou from here would have to go through him.
This time, Lu Bu's massive army advanced with great momentum, directly charging towards Wang Ti's legion.
Although they could have taken many detours if they wished, no matter which route they chose, if they couldn't defeat Wang Ti's legion, Lu Bu and his troops would never be able to enter Bingzhou with peace of mind. That army would become a dagger at their backs, ready to strike them down at any moment!
Therefore, from the beginning, they decided to conquer Wang Ti's legion and directly march into Bingzhou.
Some time had passed since Lu Bu's army officially set out. The twenty thousand troops were now approaching the borders of Bingzhou, and not far ahead was Wang Ti's army.
A major battle was imminent. Within Lu Bu's army, pre-battle meetings were frequently held.
Jia Xu and Xu Rong, as advisors and commanders, respectively, analyzed the current situation for Lu Bu.
Whether it was Jia Xu or Xu Rong, their conclusions were similar to Cheng Yu's. They believed that at this time, Lu Hai Kong would focus on stalling and defense, and it was even possible that they hadn't entered Bingzhou yet. Lu Hai Kong might send messengers to negotiate and engage in time-wasting discussions.
Of course, most of these analyses came from Xu Rong. Throughout the process, Jia Xu maintained a state of seeming disinterest and lack of effort, appearing listless all day.
Naturally, Jia Xu's attitude was, to some extent, influenced by Lu Bu's dislike for him.
Regarding Jia Xu, the strategist temporarily assigned by Li Ru, Lu Bu indeed found him displeasing no matter how he looked at him. Especially since he held Li Ru in high regard, Lu Bu had even less favor for Jia Xu.
After all, during their time in Chang'an, Jia Xu, whom Li Ru had praised endlessly, claiming his talents were several times greater than his own, had always been idle, allowing Li Ru to work himself to the bone. Jia Xu never showed any intention of helping.
Under such circumstances, Lu Bu truly couldn't bring himself to respect or tolerate such a person. Lu Bu had a stubborn personality; if he disliked someone, he made it clear on his face. Although he didn't make things difficult for Jia Xu, he didn't give him any pleasant looks either. If it weren't for Li Ru's instructions to consult Jia Xu for important matters, Lu Bu wouldn't even want to see this person.
In this situation, Jia Xu had no intention of showing off his abilities. From beginning to end, he remained indifferent, playing the role of a bystander in the army.
Having a top strategist but not utilizing him, Lu Bu's actions would likely invite criticism if others found out.
However, setting aside his attitude towards Jia Xu, it was quite rare for Lu Bu, with his personality, to repeatedly study Lu Hai Kong's situation before the battle.
On the one hand, it showed that this person's temperament had undergone a certain degree of tempering and growth under Dong Zhuo's command. On the other hand, it also demonstrated Lu Bu's respect for Lu Hai Kong.
Although he appeared arrogant and dismissive of Lu Hai Kong on the surface, in reality, Lu Bu was still very wary of this person who had thoroughly crushed him.
Of course, the more he valued and feared Lu Hai Kong, the more it ignited Lu Bu's ambition to defeat him. It also made him even more dissatisfied with Lu Hai Kong's disregard.
However, if Lu Bu thought that Lu Hai Kong's deployment of elite troops to Youzhou was the extent of his disrespect, he was mistaken. As Lu Bu's army was about to enter Bingzhou, a small cavalry squad of about ten people blocked their path.
This squad of about ten cavalrymen was an ordinary data NPC cavalry unit, led by an equally ordinary data NPC cavalry captain.
It was this very ordinary cavalry squad that directly blocked Lu Bu's twenty thousand troops on the Imperial Highway.
When Lu Bu learned of this situation, he wasn't surprised at first. After all, Xu Rong had predicted that Lu Hai Kong might send someone to negotiate and delay the battle before it began.
So, Lu Bu naturally assumed that this cavalry squad had come for that purpose.
Therefore, when Lu Bu heard this news, he was quite interested. He wanted to see what the almighty Lu Hai Kong would look like when he begged for mercy, even if the messenger wasn't Lu Hai Kong himself.
Despite the cavalry squad of about ten people halting their advance, they didn't approach for negotiations. Instead, they shouted at the front of Lu Bu's formation:
"Listen up, anyone who takes another step forward will be considered an invader in Bingzhou territory. Regardless of your reasons, if you dare take another step, we will treat you as enemies and annihilate you without mercy. I have spoken, and you have been warned!"
After delivering their message, the cavalry squad turned and left without waiting for a response. Lu Bu and his men were left dumbfounded, as the cavalry's words had to be conveyed by a scout due to their soft voices.
From Xu Rong to Lu Bu, no one could have anticipated such a declaration from the ten cavalrymen at this moment.
It was evident that as Lu Bu heard their words, his entire body trembled with surging rage.
The terrifying anger emanating from him caused many of the nearby generals to pale in fear, as they knew that Lu Bu was genuinely enraged.
It was understandable why Lu Bu was furious. He had initially believed that Lu Hai Kong's men were seeking a truce, but they had no intention of negotiating. Instead, they had directly declared war.
The tone of their declaration was not that of equals but rather that of an adult scolding a misbehaving child, "Behave yourself, or I'll beat you to a pulp!"
This stark contrast to Lu Bu's expectations of seeing Lu Hai Kong's men groveling for mercy created a significant psychological gap. At that moment, Lu Bu had only one thought: to charge forward and annihilate them.
Despite Xu Rong's warning about potential deception, Lu Bu's anger had reached its peak, and he paid no heed to such concerns.
Furthermore, with an army of 200,000 under his command and no obvious ambush spots between their current location and Ding Yang, what trickery could they possibly employ? He had nothing to fear. It was time to charge forward.
In the 1619th chapter of the novel, Lu Bu's insistence led to his 200,000-strong army swiftly advancing, reaching the outskirts of Ding Yang City in just half a day.
As Lu Bu's forces arrived, he abruptly handed command to Xu Rong and, in a fit of rage, rode his Qing Zhi, brandishing the Fang Tian Hua Ji. He charged alone towards the city.
Lu Bu, fueled by his fury, exuded an awe-inspiring aura as he approached Ding Yang City. With a casual swing of his halberd, he roared, "I, Lu Bu, am here! Who dares to challenge me?"
Lu Bu's roar was infused with his inner strength, and as he shouted, a faint yet powerful sound wave seemed to ripple through the air, reverberating across half of Ding Yang City.
Lu Bu's temper was notorious, and he had directly challenged the city without any preliminaries.
As Lu Bu issued his challenge, Wang Ti appeared on the city walls with several other generals, their gazes coldly fixated on Lu Bu below.
Wang Ti, recognizing Lu Bu, scoffed with disdain, "Lu Bu? Who are you to challenge us? You're that stray dog who was driven out of Bingzhou years ago. Now that you've kicked out your former master and kissed Dong Zhuo's feet, you've become so arrogant? How dare you come to Ding Yang City and cause a ruckus? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten back to where you came from?"
The Fire Camp's reputation for their taunting skills was well-deserved, as Wang Ti's words further infuriated Lu Bu, causing his forehead veins to bulge.
"You're asking for death!" Lu Bu exclaimed, raising his bow to shoot Wang Ti.
However, Wang Ti was quicker. Before Lu Bu could even draw his bow, thousands of arrows rained down from the city walls, just like the volley that Guan Hai and his men had faced earlier.
As the arrows descended, Lu Bu's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his bow. Unlike Guan Hai, he didn't retreat.
Instead, Lu Bu let out a furious shout, and his inner strength surged, causing his armor to emit a golden glow. With a swing of his halberd, the golden light solidified, forming a protective shield around him. The arrow rain bounced harmlessly off the golden barrier, allowing Lu Bu to effortlessly withstand the attack.
After the arrow rain ceased, Lu Bu casually dismissed his defensive shield and scoffed, "After all these years, you're still so despicable. If you can't win in a one-on-one fight, you resort to ganging up on your opponent. If you can't even do that, you resort to sneak attacks. Now that Dian Wei is gone, do none of you have the courage to face me alone? Fine, come at me together, and I'll take you all on. Or, I'll give you time to fetch Dian Wei and Lu Hai Kong if that's what it takes!"
As Lu Bu finished his challenge, he suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. Before he could react, an arrow whizzed past his ear, barely missing him by twenty centimeters.
Simultaneously, a detached voice echoed, "To deal with a small fry like you, one person is more than enough."
(End of Chapter)
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