Three Kingdoms, Myth

By the time Tai Shi Ci fought his way through the rear camp, the entire encampment was nearly consumed by a blood-red aura, with only a faint sliver of resistance remaining. If it weren't for that last bit of cloud-like energy desperately holding on, Tai Shi Ci might have been overwhelmed and killed in the fray.

With a single strike, he cut down a death soldier, then turned and swung his spear again, knocking aside another who had been preparing to ambush him. Even under Tai Shi Ci's command, his soldiers had suffered significant losses at the hands of the death soldiers before they could reach Gongsun Zan.

"Die!" Tai Shi Ci roared in fury, swinging his twin spears in a frenzy. He slaughtered more than a dozen enemies around him, fully aware that he had to push forward at any cost. If the death soldiers were allowed to fully unleash their power, even Tai Shi Ci, with strength comparable to Lu Bu, would fall here today. With this realization, Tai Shi Ci went all out, wielding every weapon he could seize—swords, spears, halberds—creating a whirlwind of destruction as he tore through the enemy ranks, reigniting a spark of morale among Gongsun Zan's remaining forces.

"General Gongsun, retreat!" Tai Shi Ci shouted as he flung aside the weapons he had picked up and charged forward, reaching Gongsun Zan's side.

By then, Gongsun Zan had regained his senses, fully aware of the grave mistakes he had made. However, he showed no sign of remorse. Seeing Tai Shi Ci coming to his aid, he clasped his hands in thanks and immediately began to withdraw northward.

"These death soldiers are fiercer than the troops selected by Yu Jin in Qingzhou. They are more disciplined, and most importantly, they are utterly fearless!" Tai Shi Ci led Gongsun Zan's remaining troops out through the path he had fought his way in, all the while observing and analyzing the death soldiers.

The more Tai Shi Ci thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Whether he liked it or not, he had to admit that the soldiers Yu Jin had trained since before Fenggao was built had become formidable after more than a year of honing. While Tai Shi Ci was confident that he could defeat Yu Jin if they each commanded a thousand men, he also knew that if they engaged in a full-scale battle, Yu Jin would likely overwhelm him.

But the death soldiers Tai Shi Ci encountered at Jieqiao today shattered his previous perceptions. Even if Qu Yi was not as strong as him, if they each commanded a thousand men, Qu Yi could likely fight him to the death! And there were at least three to five thousand of these death soldiers. They had pushed through the White Horse Cavalry in the morning and launched a night raid on Gongsun Zan's camp by evening. This seemed like far too many of them.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Tai Shi Ci's expression darkened. The death soldiers' overwhelming offensive power and their savage killing intent left him with an unsettling feeling. These elite troops could cause unimaginable destruction on the battlefield. If they could assault a camp with such ease, what was stopping them from launching an assault on a fortified city?

Though Tai Shi Ci's imagination ran wild, his thoughts weren't entirely off base. Historically, Qu Yi's death soldiers specialized in storming fortified positions.

After Qu Yi's death, the death soldiers were handed over to Chunyu Qiong, who, despite inheriting the troops, lacked the courage to lead them in such daring assaults. Instead, he confined their use to bullying infantry in open-field battles, but nothing more.

In fact, the death soldiers were indeed professional-grade assault troops. If their hidden attributes included something like a 25% increase in combat power during assault operations, it wouldn't be surprising—though this was, of course, just a jest.

In history, Qu Yi had stormed nearly every city in Youzhou, except for Yijing, which was impregnable. The name "death soldiers" wasn't earned through boasting; it was forged in blood. Unfortunately, after Qu Yi's death, his death soldiers and the heavily armored spearmen under his command were gradually squandered under the leadership of Chunyu Qiong and Zhang He.

Qu Yi's initial victories were nothing short of legendary, far surpassing the combined achievements of the four great pillars of Hebei. While Gongsun Zan's downfall at Jieqiao was partially due to his own misguided shift toward self-preservation, it was Qu Yi who relentlessly crushed Gongsun Zan, forcing him to the ground and keeping him there. Most notably, from the beginning of his campaign until the end, Qu Yi suffered only one defeat.

Moreover, the death soldiers had an undefeated record against cavalry. Whether it was Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry or the elite forces of the Xiongnu chieftain Yufuluo, Qu Yi's troops crushed them all. The entire northern conquest seemed to be Qu Yi's stage, and it was Qu Yi who ultimately trapped Gongsun Zan in Yijing.

Such an unparalleled string of victories led to Qu Yi's downfall. His pride grew so great that he even stole from Yuan Shao's own household, believing the rewards he received were insufficient.

Remarkably, Yuan Shao didn't become furious and demand Qu Yi's execution after his household was looted. At that time, Yuan Shao was still in his prime, showing wisdom and restraint. Instead, he sought to placate Qu Yi by examining his own actions. But Qu Yi's arrogance only grew, and eventually, Yuan Shao could no longer tolerate it and found an opportunity to eliminate him.

That was how Qu Yi met his end in history, but this time, things were different. Qu Yi, who was once proud and arrogant, had experienced a significant setback when his death soldiers were still untrained. Despite Yuan Shao's urgent orders, Qu Yi's own hubris led him to believe that his half-trained soldiers could still crush the White Horse Cavalry. But in his first battle, he failed, and by his own military law, he should have been executed.

It was Yuan Shao who shielded him from this fate. When everyone else looked down on Qu Yi, Yuan Shao alone handed him his sword and allowed him to continue training his soldiers until they were battle-ready.

Because of this, Qu Yi, in this life, would rather endure humiliation than allow anyone to tarnish Yuan Shao's honor. He could be arrogant with anyone, but before Yuan Shao, he would humbly bow his head. Yuan Shao was the only lord he acknowledged, and if Yuan Shao were to fall in battle one day, Qu Yi would be the first to enter the underworld to pave the way for him!

Sometimes, winning the loyalty of a proud man is simple, but often both sides misinterpret what's needed. In his previous life, Yuan Shao tried to win Qu Yi's loyalty with wealth, women, and luxury, but this only made Qu Yi more arrogant and reckless, leading to his eventual demise.

In this life, Yuan Shao didn't make any overtures to recruit Qu Yi. Instead, when he had no other choice, he opened his heart and trusted Qu Yi, despite his earlier failure. This time, their hearts aligned. Qu Yi no longer harbored any pride before Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao accepted Qu Yi as one of his closest confidants, creating harmony between lord and vassal.