Insufficient balance

  A torrent of Western Liang cavalry swept in like a tidal wave, carrying immense momentum as they crashed into the waiting Yellow Turban army. In an instant, a dazzling splash erupted, bodies flew through the air, warhorses whinnied in despair, and the cold glint of blades bewildered the dark sky. Crimson blood stained the icy beach red, and at this moment, life was cheaper than a stray dog's.

  "Right!"

  Ma Yue exerted himself and struck the spearhead of the heavy halberd with one knife, finally blocking the thunderous stab that came rushing. In the midst of the intersecting horses, Ma Yue's icy steel knife lightly swept across the neck of the Western Liang cavalryman, blood splashing everywhere, head flying up. A tearing pain came from his left shoulder, and Ma Yue immediately felt that the left half of his body had become numb, this forceful strike having ruptured the sword wound that had not yet fully healed.

  One slash killed the Western Liang cavalry, and Ma Chao didn't even have time to catch his breath before another Western Liang iron cavalryman galloped up, his heavy blade slashing horizontally towards Ma Chao's throat.

  "Clang!"

  Ma Yue's steel knife and the Xiliang cavalry's horse-cutting knife clashed again in a straightforward and unadorned manner. The Xiliang cavalry's horse-cutting knife was knocked aside, and Ma Yue was also thrown off his horse by the massive counterforce. In any case, this was still Ma Yue's first time riding a horse, and under such intense impact, he could no longer hold onto the horse with his legs.

  At that time, stirrups had not yet appeared, and cavalry warfare could only rely on clamping the horse's belly with both legs.

  Ma Yue fell off his horse and another Western Liang cavalryman galloped towards him, the massive hooves were about to trample his face, Ma Yue let out a wolf-like howl and made a desperate leap forward, barely avoiding the fatal stomp. The massive hooves were only inches away from his body, if he had reacted any slower, his chest would have been trampled into a bloody crater.

  Ma Yue flipped over and got up, and suddenly opened his eyes to see that there was not even a single Western Liang cavalryman in front of him. There were only the rolling yellow dust rising into the sky, blocking out the weak sunset. He turned around in shock, and saw that the Yellow Turban army behind him was still surging forward, their cries of killing shaking the heavens. The ferocious Western Liang iron cavalry was like a thousand fierce horseflies charging into the nest of billions of marching ants, already submerged in the ocean of Yellow Turbans...

  The mighty Western Liang Iron Cavalry displayed astonishing lethality, with large numbers of Yellow Turbans being pierced by sharp long spears, split in two by swift horse blades, and having their skulls trampled by iron hooves. The blood that flowed from them dyed the entire White Dragon Beach red, but the Western Liang Iron Cavalry was unable to break through the Yellow Turban army's formation because it was too densely packed.

  Countless Yellow Turbans fell to the ground dead, yet more of them howled and charged forward. It was not that they were particularly brave or oblivious to the fear of death; it was simply that they had no way to retreat, with death awaiting them either way. Why not fight the government troops to the bitter end? At this moment, they were no longer peasants who had taken up arms, but desperate fugitives fighting for their lives.

  The bleak cold wind blew more and more urgent, the last ray of sunlight had been obscured by dark clouds, the sky had unknowingly started to drift with icy snowflakes again, the earth was in a state of deep gloom.

  When the officers and men standing on the north side were about to solidify into a thousand-year-old statue, the rolling White Dragon Beach finally subsided. The ferocious Western Liang Iron Cavalry brought dozens of times the casualties to the Yellow Turbans, but they themselves were also bitten by the endless Yellow Turbans like ants.

  Dong Zhuo, under the protection of Xiliang's valiant generals Hua Xiong and Xu Rong, killed his way out of the swarm with a bloody road, withdrawing from the battlefield in disarray. Less than 500 cavalrymen were able to follow him, most of whom were exhausted and heavily injured.

  ……

  On White Dragon Slope, Yellow Turban bandits' array.

  Ma Yue wiped away the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, took a deep breath of cold air, and let out another long howl: "Aaaaah~~"

  "Ahhh~~~~"

  Tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans responded frantically, forgetting their shapes and screaming. This time, the number of Yellow Turbans who could crawl out of the pile of dead bodies was reduced by nearly half, but those who survived had become different from before. The killing intent in their eyes became more intense, and the iron fact was placed in front of them: as long as they dared to risk their lives, the Great Han army was not invincible!

  Ma Chao stood with his halberd, proudly standing in front of the formation. A strange aura was churning in his chest, the morale of the government army had been defeated, and the morale of the Yellow Turbans was rising. If Zhu Huan chose to engage in a decisive battle at this time, even if he could ultimately win, he feared that his 5,000 elite Northern Army would be almost annihilated.

  He is the last famous general of the great Han Dynasty, will he choose to perish together with the Yellow Turban bandits?

  ……

  He let out a long sigh, and Zhu's expression eased up, looking around him said: "Wow, able to single-handedly turn the tide of battle with his own strength, deciding the outcome of this war, how formidable! Everyone, remember this person, if he is not eliminated, one day he will become a great threat to our Han court."

  Dong Zhuo's face was filled with chagrin, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of jealousy and hatred. Sun Jian and Liu Bei, on the other hand, simultaneously revealed an extraordinary expression in their eyes, gazing deeply at the majestic figure standing at the forefront of the enemy lines in the distance. To be able to receive such praise from Zhu Huan, even as enemies, was truly no easy feat.

  Zhu Ling extremely reluctantly looked towards the direction of Baidi for the last time, and said in a low voice: "The enemy's momentum has already formed an advantage, and it is late at night. It is not suitable to fight again today. Pass on the order... retreat!"

  "Waaahhh..."

  In the midst of the mournful horn sounds, the government army began to slowly retreat. When that piece of crimson tassel disappeared beyond the horizon, Ma Yue could no longer hold on and his legs gave way as he knelt down in the dust. A huge sense of relief echoed in his mind - what was meant by "nine deaths and one life"? This was truly nine deaths and one life!

  He didn't die under the arrows of the government army, nor did he die under the iron hooves of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry. He survived!

  Pei Yuanshao rushed over like a wolf, ready to give Ma Yue a bear hug. Unexpectedly, he stepped on empty air and fell down in front of Ma Yue like a dog. This iron-like man couldn't help but burst into tears of joy, roaring: "The government army has retreated! Damn it, the government army has retreated! We won, we won!"

  "We won!"

  "We won!"

  First, hundreds of Yellow Turbans cheered, then more and more joined in, until finally all the Yellow Turbans on Baidi Plains were cheering. The immense joy of being reborn after a calamity brought tears to the eyes of these peasants as they hugged each other, cheering and jumping for joy.

  Among the chaotic Yellow Turbans, Liu Bei's expression was complex as he turned to Du Yuan beside him and said, "Boqi is indeed worthy of being a descendant of a noble family, with some of Ma Fubo's style."

  Du's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness as he said, "After this battle, Ma Boqi's prestige in the army will likely surpass yours, Commander. Given time, I fear that the three armies will only obey Ma's orders and not your commands."

  Liu Bi's expression turned gloomy, his two thick eyebrows furrowed tightly, and the gaze he cast at Ma Yue became increasingly complex.

  ……

  The Xī-è - Bái Lóng Tān battle, the Yellow Turban bandits Zhao Hong and Liu Bi's two large groups suffered heavy casualties. At the beginning of the internal conflict, the two armies combined had nearly 100,000 people, but by the time they came to Wàn City to surrender to Zhang Mancheng, there were less than 30,000 people left. Among them, some escaped, some were killed, some surrendered and beheaded by government troops, and some died in internal conflicts. More died in the fierce battle of Bái Lóng Tān, with Dong Zhuo's Xī Liáng Iron Cavalry alone causing at least 10,000 casualties to the Yellow Turban bandits.

  On the government side, except for Dong Zhuo's Western Liang Iron Cavalry which suffered heavy casualties, other units almost had no casualties.

  ……

  The night was deep, and the lights in the mansion of the governor of Wan City were shining brightly. Zhang Mancheng, the great leader of the Yellow Turbans from Nanyang, was hosting a banquet to entertain various leaders, both big and small. It was not only to celebrate the defeat of the government army but also to mediate between the two families of Zhao Hong and Liu Bi. At this moment, the atmosphere at the banquet was harmonious and joyful, but secretly, they were still plotting against each other, with undercurrents surging.

  When people mentioned Ma Chao's heroic performance at Baidi, Zhang Mancheng was moved and said: "I didn't expect that there would be such a heroic figure in the Huangjin Army of Nanyang. Hurry up and call him to see me!"

  Liu Bi stood up from his seat and bowed to Zhang Mancheng, saying: "General, I'll go call him now."

  ……

  Wan Cheng city south, Liu Bian's military camp, Ma Chao is packing his luggage.

  At the Battle of Baidi, he single-handedly turned the tide and changed the outcome of the entire campaign. He not only saved Liu Bei's life but also rescued almost the entire Nanyang Yellow Turbans! Now, he no longer owes Liu Bei a favor and can finally leave with a clear conscience. It is indeed time to leave now, following this incompetent Liu Bei will only lead to destruction together with the Yellow Turban bandits.

  To survive in the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms, it's best not to get too involved with the Yellow Turbans. This is an era dominated by landlords, powerful families, and aristocratic clans. Being a rebel will lead to no good end! The best choice is to become a warlord like Cao Cao, or at least find a powerful warlord to rely on.

  So when Ma Jue had the opportunity to distance himself from the Yellow Turbans, he chose to leave without hesitation!

  "Big brother, are we really leaving?" Chen Da looked at Ma Yue with doubt, "What about Sister Yan? Aren't we taking her with us?"

  Chen Gan, although still underage, had already discovered the ambiguous feelings between Liu Yan and Ma Yue.

  "That's not what you should be worried about, take good care of your brother and don't get lost on the way!"

  Ma Yue's eyes were cold and indifferent, he was not the Overlord of Western Chu, so he didn't have the qualifications to indulge in romantic feelings! Moreover, he didn't have any emotions towards Liu Yan. Now his only concern was to quickly leave Liu Bei's military camp, sever all ties with the Yellow Turbans, and then find a safe place to settle Chen Dang and his brothers, fulfilling Chen Shu's dying wish.

  After finishing these two things, Ma Yue had the time and mood to think of ways to make himself more comfortable and enjoyable. He was not used to owing people favors, it was like not paying back debts.