Three Kingdoms, Myth

After taking the medicine, Tai Shi Ci, wielding his Fangtian Halberd, charged towards Yan Liang. The halberd's energy wasn't particularly powerful, but with Yan Liang already seriously injured, he could hardly defend against it.

"Retreat!" Yan Liang cried out in agony, turning his horse and fleeing.

Tai Shi Ci chased after him for several hundred meters but soon realized that due to the speed of his horse and his being alone, he couldn't continue. Reluctantly, he stabbed the Fangtian Halberd into the ground.

His soldiers, inspired by Tai Shi Ci's leadership, were ready to continue the pursuit and finish off Yan Liang. But Tai Shi Ci held them back, turning his horse towards the direction where Gongsun Zan had retreated. After only a few hundred meters, he coughed up a large mouthful of blood. The slight flush that had returned to his face vanished instantly, and the wounds he had barely managed to suppress started bleeding again.

"Retreat immediately!" Tai Shi Ci ordered his soldiers. There was no way the medicine could have taken effect so quickly. Although he acknowledged that Chen Xi's medicine was indeed effective for blood loss and depleted vitality, it was impossible for it to work instantaneously. His earlier display of strength had been nothing but a bluff.

See, this is what's called battlefield intelligence. Tai Shi Ci understood that when heavily injured and alone, it was crucial to leave his enemies with the impression that he had recovered and create the illusion of an invincible miracle drug that could instantly heal him. His act had fooled Yan Liang, who genuinely believed that such a miraculous medicine existed.

"General, please dismount. We'll apply more medicine and bandages, and then you can take another dose of the powder. After that, if you eat some tiger or leopard meat to replenish your strength, you'll be fully recovered within half a month," the medical officer advised, realizing what had happened when Tai Shi Ci vomited blood. He had been skeptical of the medicine's rapid effect from the beginning—while effective, it wasn't that miraculous.

"Hurry up," Tai Shi Ci dismounted and sat on the grass, allowing the medics to quickly treat him. They applied a hemostatic herb powder to his wounds—Chen Xi only knew two types of herbs for stopping bleeding: Tienchi and Imperata Root. Since he had never seen Tienchi in person, he placed more trust in Imperata Root, which was abundant in the mountains.

After applying the external medicine, the medics bandaged Tai Shi Ci's wounds and then boiled some of the medicinal powder in water, which Tai Shi Ci quickly downed. With these treatments, both Tai Shi Ci and the medics were reassured. Even though they weren't well-versed in advanced medical techniques like changing dressings or adjusting bandage tightness, their basic methods were enough to save many lives. Despite the simplicity of these treatments, they hadn't yet managed to train many medical personnel.

Though his face was still pale, Tai Shi Ci felt much better after the treatment. With some rest and plenty of food over the next ten days, he would be well on his way to recovery. The regenerative abilities of a top-tier internal energy master were not to be underestimated.

"Put out the fire. Let's move!" After resting for a while and eating a rabbit caught by one of his soldiers, Tai Shi Ci felt a surge of strength returning to him. At least now, he could perform external energy attacks, ensuring his safety in battle.

On the other side, when Yuan Shao saw the massive wound on Yan Liang, he was scared half to death. Fortunately, Yan Liang assured him that it was a minor injury and that he would recover within a month, but Yuan Shao still summoned a doctor to treat Yan Liang and provided him with the best food and care. Then, he sent others to continue the pursuit of Gongsun Zan.

"Big Brother, how did you end up like this?" Wen Chou exclaimed upon seeing Yan Liang wrapped up like a mummy.

"Don't even ask. I always thought Gongsun Zan didn't have any real experts, but this time I met one. If I hadn't dodged quickly, I would have been cut in half. By the way, Little Brother, be careful not to trade injuries with him. We can't afford it. That guy has some kind of medicine that heals him instantly!" Yan Liang warned Wen Chou.

"Don't worry, Big Brother. You rest up—I'll go avenge you!" Wen Chou nodded, not even questioning the logic of Yan Liang's statement. If there was a medicine that could heal instantly, then they would just overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers.

"What? White Horse Yi Cong lost?" Gan Ning grabbed a fleeing Gongsun soldier by the collar and asked, first stunned, then overjoyed. "Our strategist truly is unmatched! Boys, let's go avenge Gongsun Zan!"

After traveling a few more miles and encountering another fleeing Gongsun soldier, Gan Ning was shocked by the news. "What? The main camp was taken? Weren't they crushing Yuan Shao all this time?"

This information left Gan Ning dumbfounded. Even with his boldness, he understood the implications. It meant that Gongsun Zan was finished—the entire army had been defeated. How was he supposed to turn the tide with only three hundred men against tens of thousands? How could they rescue anyone with that kind of force disparity?

"Boss, maybe we should retreat?" one of Gan Ning's lieutenants, a former river pirate, suggested quietly.

"Call me Captain! Not Boss! I'm no pirate—I'm a naval warlord! Retreat? Hell no, we'll wait for our chance! If Gongsun Zan's lost and we didn't even show up, how am I supposed to explain that?" Gan Ning retorted, glaring at his subordinate.

"Yes, Boss!" the lieutenant snapped to attention.

"..." Gan Ning glanced at the lieutenant and ultimately gave up on further correcting him. "So, what should we do? We haven't achieved anything, and the battle's already over. We can't just let our three hundred men fight Yuan Shao's victorious army head-on!"

As he said this, Gan Ning suddenly had a thought—why not? A battle of three hundred against tens of thousands sounded thrilling! His eyes lit up as he turned to his men. If they couldn't win a direct fight, why not go for a sneak attack?

"Report, Boss! I caught a Yuan Shao supply soldier while hunting!" a small soldier rushed up excitedly.

"Good job! Let me think... what did our strategist's book say again? Oh, right—let's go burn their supplies!" Gan Ning exclaimed, growing more excited by the second.

A group of fearless, audacious water bandits, led by Gan Ning, hid in a patch of grass. When Yuan Shao's supply convoy passed by, they sprang out and quickly took down the soldiers.

"Hurry up and change into their uniforms," Gan Ning ordered, watching as his men dragged the Yuan Shao soldiers' bodies into the grass and swapped into their armor, laughing all the while.

Disguised as supply troops, Gan Ning and his men soon arrived at the granary in Handan. The officer overseeing the supplies stood at the gate and questioned Gan Ning, "Did you encounter any problems on the way?"

"Ha, just a few of Gongsun Zan's deserters," Gan Ning replied dismissively. He wasn't even pretending—his disdain for Gongsun Zan was genuine. How could someone lose such a massive advantage and still expect Gan Ning to respect them?