Lu Bu and Zhang Liao personally covered the retreat, leading the Bingzhou Wolf Riders as they slowly withdrew. After both forces had engaged, Lu Bu realized that there was little point in continuing the battle under these circumstances, given the effects of Guan Yu's army's morale-boosting abilities.
"Lu Bu isn't in much of a hurry, is he?" Guo Jia sighed as he watched Lu Bu's forces retreat. It was clear that his thick cloud formation was meant to overwhelm Lu Bu with sheer numbers.
"All forces, regroup and withdraw," Guan Yu ordered, as his army began to sound the retreat with the clanging of gongs, while he took charge of the central forces to cover their retreat.
After returning to camp and assessing the casualties, Guan Yu was devastated. Not only had Zhang Fei been severely injured, but the losses among the regular soldiers, as well as the elite Dao-wielding soldiers and Xu Chu's Tiger Guards, left him heartbroken.
"Double the compensation for the families of the fallen soldiers. Since this was due to my poor decision-making, I will personally cover half of the compensation," Guan Yu declared, deeply pained by the heavy casualties. While Lu Bu had shown some mercy to the three of them, he had spared no quarter for their troops. Both the Bingzhou Wolf Riders and the following infantry had inflicted significant losses on Guan Yu's forces.
"I also made mistakes this time," Guo Jia said calmly, still reflecting on how Lu Bu had managed to dominate Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Xu Chu all at once. Could such a person even be human?
"Let's focus on stabilizing the camp first. We completely underestimated Lu Bu's strength. At this point, he's probably as formidable as Xiang Yu. As long as he wants to fight, his nearly ten thousand Wolf Riders can unleash the combat power of a hundred thousand elite soldiers in battle," Guan Yu sighed. When it came to morale, Lu Bu was practically a monster. This was the terrifying aspect of the warrior ethos: the ability to raise morale to unparalleled heights, leading fearless soldiers who could break through enemy lines and crush any opposition.
"Stabilizing the camp won't be too difficult," Guo Jia sighed, now fully aware of the challenge Lu Bu posed. The warrior ethos was all about boosting morale, charging forward with unmatched bravery, breaking enemy formations, and killing enemies. The general was invincible, and the soldiers were fearless, routing the enemy head-on.
Historically, the warrior ethos had been largely relegated to the dustbin of history after the Spring and Autumn period, as the strategist ethos became dominant. However, Xiang Yu had emerged like a bolt of lightning, proving that no matter how well a strategist planned, no matter how carefully armies were surrounded and outmaneuvered, Xiang Yu could break through with sheer force, teaching the strategists a harsh lesson.
Cut off his supply lines? Xiang Yu would simply defeat you and take your supplies. Block his retreat? He would confront you head-on and crush you. Surround him on all sides? He would break through your encirclement with devastating force.
Twenty-eight cavalrymen charging through the famous "Ten Traps and Ambushes" formation, defying all odds—if not for Xiang Yu's own pride leading to his downfall, it remains uncertain whether Han Xin, the pinnacle of the strategist ethos, would have outmaneuvered Xiang Yu, the pinnacle of the warrior ethos, or if the reverse would have occurred.
In the aftermath, the warrior ethos was revived from the ashes of history. Xiang Yu's incredible strength demonstrated that the warrior ethos was not without merit. In particular, when a general was extraordinarily powerful, the warrior ethos could outperform the strategist ethos.
In the current situation, Lu Bu had Chen Gong as his strategist, who could neutralize many of the tactics that would otherwise undermine the warrior ethos, allowing Lu Bu to fully unleash his martial prowess. This was why Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Liu Bei had all suffered embarrassing defeats at Lu Bu's hands.
In a direct confrontation, the strategist ethos would be overrun by the warrior ethos. However, if a battle dragged on, the warrior ethos could not withstand the schemes of top strategists. But in this case, Chen Gong's schemes were neutralizing those of the strategists, forcing everyone to face Lu Bu head-on. In such a scenario, it was a headache for anyone.
"I'll write the battle report. I'll describe what happened here without adding personal bias, and let our lord make his own judgment," Guo Jia sighed, having recognized that defeating Lu Bu would require either driving a wedge between him and Chen Gong or finding a way to pin down Lu Bu. Otherwise, they would have to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.
"You write it. No need to cover for me—just tell it like it is. This wasn't entirely your fault; I simply underestimated Lu Bu," Guan Yu sighed deeply. "Yide!"
"Second Brother," Zhang Fei sighed, "I understand, but I'm still not satisfied with him!"
"Show some restraint. Everyone has their struggles," Xu Chu said, forcing a grin. From now on, if anyone suggested dueling Lu Bu, Xu Chu would be furious—that man was truly a monster.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both nodded. No matter their personal feelings, when someone reached a certain level of strength, even as an enemy, they had to acknowledge it. Regardless of Lu Bu's flawed character, his unparalleled martial skills were something all three of them had to respect after experiencing them firsthand.
"I suggest we summon Zilong and Shuzhi from Xuzhou," Guan Yu said, turning to Guo Jia. He wasn't willing to accept such a defeat; after all, they had gained nothing from this campaign, and returning empty-handed wasn't something Guan Yu could accept. Besides, Taishan's supplies were sufficient to support a prolonged campaign.
"That sounds reasonable," Guo Jia nodded, glancing at Zhang Fei. He agreed with Guan Yu's suggestion—Zhang Fei still needed tempering, not in terms of martial prowess, but in terms of maturity.
Guo Jia drafted a request to transfer Zhao Yun and Chen Dao from Xuzhou, explaining that Xuzhou would be vulnerable, and with Zhang Fei severely injured, he would need time to recover.
After reading the letter, Liu Bei handed it to Chen Xi. After skimming through it, Chen Xi didn't know how to react. Zhang Fei had gone to duel Lu Bu, and while he knew from the start that Zhang Fei wouldn't win, the gap in strength was far too great. Three against one, and they still lost—had Lu Bu consumed some divine elixir?
Chen Xi shook his head in frustration. He had always known Lu Bu would be difficult to deal with, but he hadn't expected it to be this tough.
Now, Chen Xi finally understood why, despite Cao Cao's vast number of ministers and generals, he had been forced to stay holed up in his cities against Lu Bu. Cao Cao didn't have many soldiers, but Lu Bu only had around ten thousand men!
"What do you think, Zichuan?" Liu Bei asked, seeking Chen Xi's opinion.
"We need to take a long-term view," Chen Xi replied, sighing.
If Zhao Yun and Chen Dao were transferred to Yanzhou, they would need a new commander. It would either have to be Liu Bei himself or Chen Xi. After all, Zhao Yun was the highest-ranking commander in Xuzhou's defense zone, on par with Guan Yu. Even if Zhao Yun didn't mind taking orders from Guan Yu, for the sake of the other officers, they would need someone of higher rank to command.
In all of Taishan, the only people on par with Guan Yu were Zhao Yun and Gan Ning. Among the civil officials, only Lu Su was equal to Guan Yu in rank, while Chen Xi outranked him slightly. If they truly transferred the commanders from both the northern and southern defense zones to deal with Lu Bu, the odds were high that Chen Xi would be the one to take command as the figurehead.