Chapter 141 I Laugh at the Chu Bandit for Knowing Nothing of Military Strategy!

Chaos reigned supreme.

Because the five thousand central-vanguard troops under Yu Jin's command had fallen into utter disarray, interlocked in chaotic combat with Liang Gang's forces, heart-wrenching screams echoed continuously.

The sounds of slaughter and battle cries were ceaseless.

In the span of a mere moment, countless lives were lost. Fresh blood spilled, staining the vegetation that had withered under the blazing sun, painting a vivid picture of the cruelty of war.

At the front of the Chu army's formation, Chu Feng's expression was grave. He cast a glance at the left and right flanks; though both wings were locked in close combat, neither had pushed deep into the enemy lines. As for Liang Gang's sector, his combat effectiveness was decent, and he had successfully disrupted Yu Jin's vanguard.

However, Liang Gang's tactical command ability was clearly lacking—inferior to Yu Jin's by a wide margin. Scarcely had the two forces clashed when Yu Jin began a maneuver of encirclement and division.

Without reinforcements, Liang Gang's entire force would inevitably be annihilated within half an hour at most.

Chu Feng frowned. He had originally wanted to wait a little longer, but it seemed time had run out. Reining in his horse instantly, just as he was about to charge forward, Xu Chu beside him spoke up:

"My Lord, as the supreme commander of three armies, you should command from the rear. Leaving the frontline charges and breaking enemy formations to your humble servant will suffice."

Xu Chu said this with utmost solemnity, actively volunteering for the task.

"If we want to win this battle, I must personally slay generals, capture banners, and seize the fleeting opportunity of war, rather than merely directing the army from afar," Chu Feng replied with a stern expression.

When he decided to enter the fray, he never intended to match tactical deployments with Cao Cao. After all, he had only spent a year at most learning how to command an army; how could he possibly be Cao Cao's match?

He had to strike first to seize the initiative if he wanted any chance of victory.

"But My Lord, if you charge into battle yourself, how shall the various generals fight? And whose orders will they follow?" Xu Chu asked with a frown.

These words had been specially enjoined upon him by Lu Meng.

Lu Meng had guessed that Chu Feng intended to lead the charge in person, something he strongly opposed. In his view, for a supreme commander to personally court danger was a cardinal taboo in military strategy.

Of course, a commander personally entering the fray could also inspire the fighting spirit of the entire army. Xiang Yu had been able to win battle after battle as a commander precisely because he personally fought on the front lines and slew enemy generals.

"The left and right wings shall continue to pin down the enemy, while the remaining troops will fight under my commander's banner. What need is there for further command?" Chu Feng explained. His resolve was set; turning to look around, he shouted sternly:

"Soldiers, the Cao army is cruel and slaughters the common people, arousing righteous indignation. Today, follow me to eradicate the traitor Cao and protect our wives and children!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Behind him, several thousand troops surged with monstrous fighting spirit.

"This time, I carry a coffin into this mortal combat, seeking life through death! You shall follow closely in my footsteps, slay their generals, seize their banners, and achieve immortal glory!" Chu Feng shouted solemnly.

With that, Chu Feng slowly raised his great halberd, pointed it far toward the Cao army, and let out a roar:

"When meeting on a narrow path—"

The thousands of men behind him gathered their inner breath and shouted at the top of their lungs:

"The brave shall prevail!"

The sound shook the nine heavens, startling birds into flight in absolute terror.

Even the distant Cao army was taken aback by the thunderous roar unleashed by the Chu forces.

"Charge!"

Spitting out the single word of slaughter, Chu Feng spurred his steed to the fore.

Behind him, Xu Chu and over a hundred Tiger Guards followed closely on horseback, trailed by several hundred elite cavalrymen. These were all of Chu Feng's remaining assets, and he had thrown them all into the fray at this very moment.

Behind the heavy cavalry marched thousands of armored foot soldiers.

At this moment, everyone had only one thing in their eyes: the commander's banner. They all followed closely behind the banner and their lord, plunging into the formation to slaughter the enemy.

There was only a single conviction: to win this battle, drive back the Cao army, reunite with their wives, children, and elderly relatives, and live out peaceful days of joy and harmony.

In the distance, Yu Jin was continuously maneuvering his forces to encircle and annihilate Liang Gang. Watching Chu Feng lead his troops in a fierce assault, Yu Jin narrowed his eyes—it was precisely as he had anticipated.

Fortunately, he had prepared in advance. Turning his head, he saw that Cao Xiu had already led several hundred cavalrymen charging out, an imposing momentum that was by no means inferior to that of the Chu army.

Although Yu Jin was a general who commanded infantry, he knew this cavalry force very well; only elite troops selected from various units could possibly qualify to serve in it.

Even if they couldn't rout Chu Feng, stopping his offensive and sending men to surround and devour him piecemeal would not be difficult.

At this thought, a trace of a sneer appeared on his solemn face. This Chu Feng was nothing special after all; being the commander of three armies, he was actually so contemptuous of the enemy as to advance rashly.

Did he truly believe he possessed the valor of the Overlord of Chu?

Meanwhile, beneath the commander's banner of the central army, Cao Cao stood upon his chariot, watching Chu Feng personally lead the charge—watching as the entire central army threw itself into the assault without reservation—and could not help but be amused.

"Is that it? Just this?"

"Ha, how I laugh at that Chu thief for knowing nothing of warfare!"

"It's one thing for the supreme commander of three armies to take the field himself, but to drag the entire central army out in one go? If he gets surrounded, his only outcome will be total annihilation."

Cao Cao laughed heartily.

This Chu Feng was truly foolishly adorable.

Had he left even a thousand men behind, things would have been troublesome for Yu Jin; after all, even if an encirclement formed, outside reinforcements could still break through to save them. But now, once surrounded, it was a dead end.

"Go, order the left and right wings to lock down Gan Ning and Lu Meng at all costs! Yue Jin, draw another two thousand men from the central army to support Yu Jin, and trap Chu Feng until he dies!"

Cao Cao shouted immediately.

"Understood!" Yue Jin nodded at once.

"My Lord, General Cao Xiu has already led the heavy cavalry to meet them. This cavalry unit has fought for years and is composed entirely of battle-hardened elites; Chu Feng will probably find it extremely difficult even to break through them."

Zhu Ling said with a sneer.

"Chu Feng's cavalry is newly raised, while our cavalry are veterans of a hundred battles. Back when I crushed Tao Qian, this very cavalry chased Tao Qian's forces until they fled in complete panic."

Li Tong also said with a smile.

Guo Jia and Xun You carefully scrutinized the battlefield without speaking. Primarily, having campaigned for many years, they had truly never witnessed Chu Feng's suicidal style of warfare.

To put it nicely, this was called placing oneself in a position of death to subsequently find life.

To put it bluntly, this was simply seeking a burial place where not even bones remained!

"Lord Cao, we must not underestimate him. This man's valor is by no means inferior to that of the Western Chu Overlord. His tactic of seeking life through death is clearly intended to smash through our vanguard in one fell swoop and press directly upon Lord Cao's central army."

Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes, speaking with near certainty.

Chu Feng was definitely not attacking blindly; this assault had only one target: Cao Cao! He wanted to capture Cao Cao—one could only say his audacity was truly immense.

"Hehe, attack my central army?"

"Even with two thousand troops detached, my central army still boasts a strength of eight thousand. With a mere three or four thousand troops, what gives Chu Feng the right to take my central army!"

Cao Cao said with a cold laugh.

His central army consisted entirely of elite veterans of a hundred battles, and moreover, his numerical strength surpassed that of the enemy. Having campaigned for over a decade, if he couldn't even fight a battle like this, what else was he good for?

Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow. Cao Cao was underestimating the enemy!

Beside them, Liu Bei pondered slightly. He wanted nothing more than to see Chu Feng dead, yet he did not wish to see Cao Cao grow too powerful; his heart was caught in deep conflict.

At that moment, the cavalry of both sides was about to collide.

Cao Xiu gripped the long spear in his hand, licked his lips, and glanced at Chu Feng in the distance. Excitement flashed in his eyes; he was going to pierce Chu Feng to death with his own hands.

On the frontline, an overwhelming battle intent blazed in Chu Feng's eyes. The white-maned steed beneath him sensed its master's killing intent and increased its speed, plunging into the enemy ranks in the blink of an eye.

With every sweep and parry of the great halberd in his hands, countless elite horsemen were unseated or split open and slain outright. Not a single enemy general could withstand him for even a single exchange.

At its most fierce, a single sweep of the halberd cleaved a horseman clean in two, chilling the hearts of the enemy.

In the span of a breath, Chu Feng cut down over twenty horsemen. Glancing left and right, he reined in his mount to stand tall, and roared furiously:

"Follow me and kill!"

Cao Xiu: "???"