Chapter 210: Ju Yi's Capabilities

By the time Gongsun Zan led his troops to the battlefield, Yuan Shao's forces had already taken their positions. Ju Yi commanded the heavily armored spearmen in the front, followed by thousands of death squads armed with broadswords and strong crossbows.

"Yuan Benchu, come out and face me!" Gongsun Zan rode forward, preparing to issue a challenge.

Thud! The sound of a crossbow bolt striking the ground echoed. Ju Yi coldly stared at Gongsun Zan, showing no need for words. Those who lived would write today's history, and the dead would simply become part of the earth.

Gongsun Zan glared at the bolt embedded near his horse's hoof, then raised his head to glare at Ju Yi, who stood at the forefront of the troops. "Hmph, is this all Yuan Benchu's courage amounts to? He doesn't even have the guts to come out and face me?"

Ju Yi remained silent, and the entire front line was equally quiet. They were there to kill, not to talk. They had no interest in responding to such provocations. Their only goal was to annihilate the enemy.

Faced with the cold and emotionless stares and the silent, murderous formation of soldiers, Gongsun Zan couldn't help but frown. With a cold snort, he turned his horse around without any hesitation.

"Order the left and right flanks to attack! I will show Yuan Shao what real power is!" Gongsun Zan commanded Yan Gang angrily.

"Yes, sir!" Soon after, the sound of drums filled Gongsun Zan's camp, followed by the earth-shaking sound of galloping hooves. The familiar battle cry, "Where justice goes, life and death follow; Heaven bears witness, with the White Horse as proof!" echoed, and the White Horse Cavalry surged forward like a tidal wave.

Ju Yi looked at the approaching White Horse Cavalry with cold indifference, feeling a calm resolve in his heart. As he expected, the proud Gongsun Zan sought the perfect battle, leading a cavalry charge. But for Ju Yi, who had prepared thoroughly, this was just another opportunity.

Each soldier of the Da Ji Shi (Great Halberd Soldiers) knelt down under the command of their squad leaders, watching the approaching white cloud of dust. They crouched behind their large shields, waiting for Ju Yi's command.

In that moment, as Ju Yi crouched down, he felt an overwhelming sense of calm. The thunderous hoofbeats of the White Horse Cavalry seemed to slow down in his perception, each thud like a distant rumble of thunder.

Ju Yi silently watched the White Horse Cavalry draw closer and closer. He waited, counting down from a hundred paces to seventy, then to fifty. The White Horse Cavalry's arrows began to rain down, but the barrage was neutralized by the shields and heavy armor of the Da Ji Shi. The soldiers remained unmoved, crouched behind their shields.

"Attack!" At thirty paces, Ju Yi suddenly sprang up, hurling his only short spear forward. In the next instant, the soldiers slammed their shields into the ground and braced their spears against the shield, creating a slight incline—exactly as planned.

Thud, thud, thud! Eight hundred short spears flew out, taking down at least three hundred White Horse Cavalrymen. The cavalry's formation faltered, and as the Da Ji Shi collided with the disordered front lines, many soldiers were thrown aside. However, the cavalry's formation, already disrupted by the spears, became even more chaotic.

At that moment, Ju Yi unleashed his hidden trump card. Three thousand crossbows fired simultaneously into the White Horse Cavalry's ranks.

After releasing their only volley, the death squads discarded their crossbows without even checking the results. Drawing their broadswords, they charged forward, just as they had been trained. The Da Ji Shi, with their large shields, slowed the cavalry's advance, while the death squads hacked down the cavalrymen who had lost their momentum.

"Charge!" Yuan Shao shouted as he saw the White Horse Cavalry fall into disarray. He unleashed his hidden force of one thousand heavy cavalry—most of whom could only ride ten kilometers before their horses would collapse under the weight of their armor. Led by Yan Liang and Wen Chou, these super-heavy cavalry units finally sprang into action, gaining speed with every stride.

They crashed into the center of the White Horse Cavalry, and the once-invincible formation crumpled like paper, unable to hold even for a second before being smashed apart by the heavy cavalry.

"Kill!" Yan Liang, frenzied with battle fury, poured his inner strength into every strike. Despite the suppression of the White Horse Cavalry's aura, which hindered most of his abilities, his loyalty to Yuan Shao and his sheer bravery drove him to lead Ju Yi's heavy cavalry straight into the heart of the enemy formation.

Seeing the black-armored cavalry tear through the White Horse Cavalry, Ju Yi knew his goal had been achieved. With a roar, he decapitated a White Horse Cavalry officer and led the death squads in a ferocious assault, further disrupting the enemy formation.

"Master, quickly order the archers to fire in Ju Yi's direction!" Shen Pei shouted, recognizing that as long as the Da Ji Shi held their ground, the White Horse Cavalry would remain trapped, their mobility completely neutralized.

"Fire!" Yuan Shao roared, then turned to Feng Ji. "Yuan Tu, command this battle! Only by leading from the front can we crush the White Horse Cavalry before Gongsun Zan can react! Charge!"

With that, Yuan Shao drew his sword and bellowed, "All generals, follow me into battle! Today, we will defeat Gongsun Zan! Charge!" He spurred his horse forward, leading the charge into the fray.

With Yuan Shao personally entering the battle, the morale of his troops soared. Even the Da Ji Shi fought with renewed vigor, further shrinking the already confined space in which the White Horse Cavalry could maneuver.

"Our lord does not fear death! What do we have to fear? Kill! Kill! Kill!" Ju Yi roared as he beheaded a White Horse Cavalry commander and continued his advance toward the enemy's command banner.

"Master, this is bad! Quickly order the White Horse Cavalry to retreat!" Tian Kai shouted urgently. In just a few minutes, Gongsun Zan's once-proud White Horse Cavalry had been thrown into disarray, and he had yet to recover from the shock.

"Get out of my way!" Gongsun Zan, his eyes bloodshot with rage, kicked Tian Kai aside. He was determined to kill Yuan Shao, believing his White Horse Cavalry to be invincible—how could they be stopped by just eight hundred Da Ji Shi?

In his fury, Gongsun Zan led his troops into the fray, cutting off the White Horse Cavalry's retreat and sealing their fate. The once unstoppable cavalry, the fastest in the world, was now caught like a trapped animal, completely losing its mobility.

Even though the White Horse Cavalry were known for their bravery and battle prowess, and despite their experience, they could not turn the tide. The death squads' broadswords were far more suited to close combat than the White Horse Cavalry's sabers. Moreover, the death squads, fighting under the leadership of their squad leaders, displayed far greater combat effectiveness than the dismounted cavalry.

Fueled by sheer determination, Ju Yi hacked his way through the enemy ranks. His black armor was now soaked in blood, but he finally saw the command banner of the White Horse Cavalry.

"Ju Yi!" Yan Gang, enraged by the sight of his proud White Horse Cavalry reduced to such a state, charged at Ju Yi with his saber raised.

Ju Yi didn't dodge. He took the hit head-on, then grabbed Yan Gang's saber with his left hand. With a powerful swing of his own sword, he decapitated Yan Gang. Before the surrounding White Horse Cavalry could react, Ju Yi summoned all his remaining strength, throwing his sword with all his might and cutting down the enemy's command banner.

"Hahaha..." Ju Yi laughed, blood pouring from his mouth. He had no intention of leaving the battlefield alive. With the command banner of the White Horse Cavalry down, his mission was complete. "Master, in the next life, I will repay you for your kindness!" With those words, he drew the saber embedded in his waist and charged back into the fray, determined to fight to the last breath.