Original by Bro Got a Gun, Translated by James
In front of Liu Mang and over the vast plains was the countless Cao troops with their spears sticking out, their bright armor dazzling in the wind and their war horses neighing, ready to engage!
Although Liu Mang have came to this era, he yet to experience the actual assembly of a large army. And now, with the view in front of him, Liu Mang was totally frightened. Back in Xiapi, the majority of the Cao troops was besieging the gates and only few managed to get in the city and fight against Liu Mang and his troops. Later, although Yu Jin and Xiahou Dun’s armies arrived, Liu Mang managed to convert their targets to Wei Xu and Song Xian! Thus, he have never once seen the assembly of a large army!
Liu Bu and the rest of them, on the other hand, was acting much more normal. Covered in the golden Poseidon Scale, Lu Bu was glittering under the sun’s ray. Holding the trident in his hand, he appeared even more impressive. Although he wasn’t riding the Red Hare, his mount was still impressive looking horse.
“I suspect there must be at least ten thousand enemies in front of us!” Liu Mang was speechless. In his school, five thousand people could cover the whole sports field. With this many people, they certainly covered more than a single sports field!
“Fifteen thousand or so!” Lu Bu briefly stated the amount of men Chen Deng have.
“Fifteen thousand?!” Liu Mang began to think that this Lu Bu was crazy. He had only some two thousand troops! And now, he was planning to use these two thousand troops to fight against fifteen thousand! Was that not a sign of an idiot?!
Even if all of your subordinates were elites, you can’t fight one against ten! Hell, did you think that they were all Chen Zhen’s and Ip Man’s?!
[TL; google them if you don't know who they are.]
“Hehe!” Lu Bu did not respond to Liu Mang. He chuckled and rode his horse forward.
“All army! In formation!” Gao Shun raised his hands and waved it down.
”Arrange formation! Arrange formation!” The seven hundred some Formation Breakers quickly arranged themselves into formations. Although Liu Mang knew neither of the arts of war or the arts of formations, he could tell that the Formation Breakers have arranged themselves like a huge turtle! Countless shields have arranged into a strong defensive line. Within this defensive line, gleaming in the sunlight was blades.
If the fifteen thousand people on the opposite side instill fear into one’s mind, then the current Formation Breaker, the seven hundred people in perfect formation like a single person, was like a giant!
On the other side, the enemies in red too stopped moving. They began to separate into different groups.
From that large army comes a group of men riding horses.
Leading was a scholarly man, on his sides was a couple armored generals.
“Master, in the front is the Lu Bu army!” A general spoke to the scholar in white.
“Oh?!” said the scholar indifferently. He began to run his eyes over the Lu Bu army, Zhang Liao’s Bing Province Soldiers, Gao Shun’s Formation Breaker and that person in the golden armor.
Isn’t that person in the golden armor Lu Bu?!
“Word of mouth had it that within horses, Red Hare, with men, Lu Bu. Now that I saw, he’s nothing extraordinary!” A general on the side spoke up. “The Lu Bu army currently have but a few thousand people! Seeing our large army, instead of taking shelter, he dated to engage us head on. What arrogance! Master, this general asks to be the vanguard! I shall fetch that insignificant Lu Bu’s head!”
Chen Deng too was confused. What exactly was this Lu Bu thinking?! Having once worked for Lu Bu, he knew of the prowess of the Formation Breaker and the Bing Province Soldiers.
The Formation Breaker was said to be the king of infantries! Although the Formation Breaker numbered but eight hundred, they could rival five thousand!
The Bing Province Soldiers were the Bing Province Armored Calvary. Although they no longer have their horses, they were still soldiers who have been through hundreds of battles!
However, even with these, they cannot possibly win against fifteen thousand! Not to mention, from Prime Minister Cao, it was learned that Lu Bu’s army lacked provisions. According to calculations, he should have ran out of food for a day now!
Perhaps there is a trap?! Chen Deng’s overly suspicious personality caused him to be unable to see through the Lu Bu on the other side.
“Let’s go! We shall try the Marquis of Wen!” Being unable to see through Lu Bu’s mindset, Chen Deng could only try him out!
Cao Cao was hiding something from me? Chen Deng glanced at the Formation Breaker and the Bing Province Army. Didn’t Cao Cao said the Lu Bu army ran out of provisions and have staved for a day?! However, no matter how you look at them, they looked to be completely healthy, without any signs of starvation! “Marquis of Wen, if you have something to say then say it!”
If there was something that Chen Deng was unable to let go of then it would be his Chen family’s growth and his father Chen Gui.
“Oh righteous emperor! I, Lu Bu, is inferior! Oh how inferior!” Who says Lu Bu doesn’t know how to scheme? He just never bothered to!
“Stray dog, it goes without saying that you are inferior to my master! What is there to lament about?!” One of Chen Deng’s general already didn’t like Lu Bu for he disdained Lu Bu for being called the number one general under heaven.
“Yuanlong, make sure to close your family’s cage properly so that your dogs won’t randomly bite people!” Had it not been for the fact that Lu Bu wanted to see the Chen Deng’s expression after finding out what happened to his father, he would’ve already killed that man instead of saying this!
“Step down!” Chen Deng was eager to know the information regarding his father. “Sorry to show such a disgraceful scene to the Marquis of Wen! Perhaps the Marquis could inform this Chen Deng of the news of his father?!” Chen Yuanlong wasn’t dumb, the only thing that Cao Cao could try to hide from him would be information regarding his father!
“Well then, seeing Yuanlong’s sincerity, I guess I shall tackle the difficult job of informing you the news! Chen Gui, your father, have already passed away!” Seeing Chen Deng’s marvelous expression, Lu Bu wanted to laugh but had to held his laughter back!
“Impossible! Impossible!” Chen Deng eyes were wide open, his expression showing a refusal to accept the news. “Lu Bu, Deng have treated you with courtesy. Why must you deceive Deng?!” asked Chen Deng.
“What, did you, Chen Yuanlong, see this Lu Bu as the kind of person who speaks of false words?!” Lu Bu’s expression also grew colder.
“Not only did your father passed away, he died at the hands of your devoted Prime Minister Cao!” declared Lu Bu word by word.
“You’re lying! Lies!” Chen Deng was no longer calm and collected. Although Chen Gui might have died, he can’t possibly die at the hands of Cao Cao! Chen Gui dying will not benefit Cao Cao one bit! Cao Cao cannot be that stupid!
“Believe what you want!” Lu Bu didn’t want to bother explaining. “All you have to do is go ask Cao Aman what your father said before he died and everything will make sense!”
“Humph! Regarding this, I will certainly ask the Prime Minister. However, Marquis of Wen is best to return with me to meet the Prime Minister too!” Chen Deng have made up his mind. He was determined to make Lu Bu stay. Lu Bu was too big of a threat. Just by himself, he have caused Chen Deng to have be unable to sleep properly at night. On top of that, there’s his army! Thus Chen Deng was not going to let Lu Bu walk away alive!
“What, you wanted to make me stay?! Then come!” Lu Bu sneered.
“If that’s the case, then I shall meet you on the battlefield!” CHen Deng also didn’t expect Lu Bu to surrender just like that. He was about to return to his army after saying those words.
“To stand in front of I, Lu Bu, did you think that you can come and go as you please?!” Said Lu Bu coldly. “It’s better for you to remain here!” With a clap of his legs, the large horse Lu Bu was on rushed out like the wind.
“You dare!” The generals by Chen Gong’s side cannot bear it any longer. In their view, they considered Lu Bu to be simply a handsome exterior with a hollow inside. To dare rush forward alone!
The Formation Breaker that was originally like a tortoise shell suddenly opened a gap. Like a giant black tortoise opening its mouth, the vanguard pikemen were swallowed into the formation.
A hundred, two hundred, three hundred, five hundred, a thousand, two thousand!
The giant black tortoise have swallowed a total of two thousand people!
“Close formation!” Gao Shun gave orders again. The gap that was open was once again closed.
“Kill them!” said Gao Shun without a hint of emotion.
“What?!” The general who was swallowed by the black tortoise was dumbfounded. The gap have closed. Their two thousand men was enclosed within the circular formation. Blocked by shields on all sides, their escape route was completely blocked.
“Seven hundred men swallowing two thousand?! Boss Gao, what appetite you have. Careful not to choke yourself!” Liu Mang was roasting from the side.
Gao Shun gave Liu Mang a white eye, without absolute confidence, he wouldn’t do such a thing!
The general who led the two thousand men inside the formation tried to force his way out to no avail. He bit his teeth and said “Brothers! The Lu Bu army wanted to swallow us! A mere seven hundred men wanted to swallow two thousand of us! What great appetite! He is seeking for self destruction! Brothers, follow me and kill the enemies!” They were going to risk their all because if they don’t then they really might die here.
“Ah?” Chen Deng too found out what the Formation Breaker have done. “What appetite. Since you want to swallow my soldiers, I’ll send you more to swallow! Transmit my orders, have the right flank shielded blade troops engage the enemy!”
Eight thousand pikemen, Gao Shun could still resist them. After all, the shielded soldiers are the nemesis of pikemen. However, when encountered with similar type shielded soldiers, it’ll be difficult then. For the opposing side too have shields and could also form formations to directly clash upon Gao Shun’s Formation Breaker. Once the Formation Breaker have been broken up, then they’re as good as dead!
“Turn!” Gao Shun gave orders again.
The whole Formation started moving. Like a top, the rotate around. Each rotation faster than the last and with each rotation came foul wind and bloody rain.
Ever since Chen Deng’s shielded blade soldiers appeared, the Formation Breaker began to suffer casualties. With every clash there would be soldiers of Formation Breaker vomiting blood. This was caused from the impact injuring the internal organs. Whenever someone left the formation, someone else will replace him, maintaining the rotation of the formation.
With pikemen on the inside and shielded blade soldiers on the outside, the Formation Breaker was about to reach their limits!
One by one, the soldiers of the Formation Breaker fall. One by one, the fallen soldiers were replaced by new soldiers only to fall again.
Soon, over two hundred men was lost within the formation.
“Humph! And here I thought you had such wondrous appetite! Seems like you can’t swallow all of them after all! If you can’t swallow them, then spit up what you have swallowed!” Chen Deng sneered. “The left flank shielded blade soldiers, join the fray and send them to hell!”
The right wind shielded blade soldiers also moved. The Formation Breaker, in the end, cannot take on all the enemies. Liu Mang cried. Fuck! In the end, I still cannot escape from death! Boss Lu, you fraud! I sent you food, weapon and armor and in the end you just have to fuck with me like so!
“Sha!” Gao Shun also joined the fray. There wasn’t enough people to rotate!
Seven hundred against eight thousand plus the shielded blade soldiers. That’s thirteen thousand! Brother, did you think you’re some kind of god?!
“Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian, just wait for me to kill you!” Chen Deng’s eyes were glittering. He saw the golden armored man within the Formation Breaker and suddenly got frightened. “That’s right! Lu Bu! Lu Bu! Fighting up till now was only the Formation Breaker’s Gao Shun. Where’s Lu Bu and Zhang Liao?! That golden armored man inside the Formation Breaker did not move at all. This isn’t Lu Bu’s style!
“Haha, Chen Deng, were you looking for this Lu Bu? Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian is here! Chen Deng, prepare to die!” From Chen Deng’s flanks suddenly appeared a group of troops. Wasn’t this Lu Bu leading them?!
So, actually, as it turns out that the Formation Breaker swallowing two thousand pikemen wasn’t because they were arrogant and conceited. Rather, it was a performance for Chen Deng. Their goal was for Chen Deng to believe that victory was within his grasp, for him to continue sending out troops! First it was the right flank shielded blade soldiers. Then it was the left flank shielded blade soldiers. Now, both of his flanks were unprotected. All he have left was the archers in the middle of the army. Although they numbered two thousand, they cannot stand up to Lu Bu and the Bing Province Soldiers that he’s leading. Not to mention there’s Zhang Liao there too!