Liu Ye's mind flashed with inspiration.
"Ahem, Zijian, you don't need to overthink this. You're just troubled by the defeat of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, aren't you?" Liu Ye's face showed a sly smile. Straightforward people like Hua Xiong were easy to deal with.
"Does the strategist have a solution?" Hua Xiong's eyes lit up with a hint of surprise.
"It's simple. Tell me, what is the Xiliang Iron Cavalry best at?" Liu Ye grinned. He didn't know how to defeat Xian Deng, but he knew how to mess with Hua Xiong's thoughts. As long as Hua Xiong got confused enough, his previous defeat wouldn't matter. As long as he wasn't afraid of losing and had the resolve to fight again, his troops wouldn't fall apart.
"The Xiliang Iron Cavalry excels at charging and breaking through the enemy's formation, preferably with a large group charging at once to crush the enemy into dust," Hua Xiong said, recalling the times when he and Li Jue led tens of thousands of Iron Cavalry, crushing everything in their path.
"Well, there you go. Now, tell me, did you manage to break through Xian Deng's formation?" Liu Ye continued to lead Hua Xiong on with his deceptive logic.
"No, Xian Deng's resistance was extremely strong. I had a hard time breaking through, especially when they activated their military soul. Even with my killing formation, it was nearly impossible to penetrate. The Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, though extremely intricate, was practically blocked by Xian Deng's sheer power, and then they knocked me flying," Hua Xiong said bitterly. The Iron Cavalry's greatest strength had been crushed.
Liu Ye couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. He hadn't expected Hua Xiong to know such a top-tier formation. Wasn't Hua Xiong supposed to be a bit slow-witted? How did he manage to learn this?
"Strategist Liu? Strategist Liu?" Hua Xiong called out to the daydreaming Liu Ye.
"Don't worry, General Hua. I was just thinking. The Iron Cavalry is best at charging and breaking formations, but you couldn't utilize that strength, at least not against Xian Deng," Liu Ye said with a mysterious air, though he was really just spouting nonsense. His goal was to deceive Hua Xiong, to pull him out of his despair over the previous defeat.
"That's right. I couldn't bring it into play at all. If it weren't for the killing formation, my defeat would have been even worse," Hua Xiong said, his spirit still low.
"Then why don't you increase your impact power? Make the horses run faster, make the soldiers' attacks stronger, and make your charge unstoppable? Even if they hold up a giant shield, wouldn't your charge shatter it and roll right over them?" Liu Ye continued with his nonsense. "If your attack power is high enough, and your charge is strong enough, no matter how tough they are, you'll smash through them."
Liu Ye's rambling was essentially telling Hua Xiong that if he couldn't defeat the enemy, it was just because his attacks weren't strong enough and his charge wasn't powerful enough. To win, all he had to do was hit harder and charge faster. If he still couldn't win, it was because of the same reason—just make the attacks and the charge stronger.
Hua Xiong paused, his not-so-nimble mind struggling with Liu Ye's seemingly logical words. For someone as straightforward as Hua Xiong, Liu Ye's theory made a lot of sense.
"Yeah, why didn't I think of that? Military formations, killing moves—doesn't it all come down to who can cut down the enemy first? If I hit harder, if my charge is unstoppable, then isn't that it? The reason I couldn't break through Xian Deng is that I couldn't smash them apart!" Hua Xiong slapped his forehead, suddenly feeling enlightened.
"Exactly. I heard that the Xiliang Iron Cavalry had reinforced their defenses, so they could fight without wearing armor. But defense alone isn't enough, right? Even if the Iron Cavalry can withstand one wave of attacks, it doesn't mean they can withstand all of them, right?" Liu Ye eagerly elaborated.
Liu Ye was now fully engaged in brainwashing Hua Xiong. Whether this theory was correct or not, who knew? If it failed, it would be because Hua Xiong's attacks weren't strong enough and his charge wasn't fast enough. If it succeeded, it would prove that Liu Ye's theory was right.
Hua Xiong's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Compared to the previous feeling of helplessness, Liu Ye's advice seemed far more practical. Years of battle experience had taught Hua Xiong that Liu Ye's theory made sense. Now, all that was left was to enhance his attack power and the intensity of his charges.
"Thank you, Strategist Liu," Hua Xiong said with great sincerity. "If I ever manage to destroy Xian Deng, I will throw a grand banquet in your honor."
"Great. I'll be waiting for the day you defeat Xian Deng and the day you invite me to your banquet," Liu Ye thought with glee. Straightforward people were indeed easy to handle.
"Du Yuan, inform the brothers! Tell them we have a way to deal with Xian Deng!" Hua Xiong shouted to Du Yuan, his only remaining lieutenant, who had been assigned to him after the suppression of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou. Du Yuan was someone Hua Xiong really took a liking to.
"Yes, Boss! I'll inform the brothers right away!" Du Yuan replied loudly. He spurred his horse and rode off to deliver the news to his comrades.
In that previous battle, Hua Xiong had been defeated, and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry had suffered heavy losses. The entire unit was wounded, and morale was low. But that didn't mean they didn't want revenge. On the contrary, they had a deep grudge against Ju Yi. Until one side fell, the conflict would never end.
"Zijian, I didn't expect you to know the advanced form of the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation. That's impressive," Liu Ye remarked, probing further.
Liu Ye knew some formations, but top-tier ones like this were hard to master without a mentor. Even someone as clever as Liu Ye would struggle to figure it out on his own. Even Jia Xu couldn't grasp it without someone to guide him through the basics.
"Master Li taught me," Hua Xiong said, smiling as he recalled Li You. "But I'm not very smart, so I only know three variations."
"Haha." Liu Ye forced a laugh. He was astonished to learn that Li You not only knew military formations but had mastered them to near perfection. Considering everything Li You had done before, it seemed there was nothing this guy couldn't do.
Liu Ye felt a surge of pressure, realizing that he had overlooked a dangerous figure in their ranks—someone who was capable of excelling at everything without drawing much attention. How could someone like that have such a low profile?
Liu Ye couldn't help but start thinking from Hua Xiong and Li You's perspectives. After all, top-tier military formations were extremely rare and usually kept secret. The fact that Li You had taught Hua Xiong felt suspicious. Thinking back on Hua Xiong's previous actions, it seemed he had a special reverence for Li You!