"Does this count as a victory?"
Watching the cavalry's dust, clearly visible where the river bent, Liu Cheng could hardly contain his wild delight. He immediately turned to ask his temporary military advisor.
"No." Gazing at a development far beyond his expectations, Jiang Gan was clearly a little dazed himself, but he immediately gave a fair assessment. "But we probably won't lose today."
"Then we've won!" Liu Cheng burst out laughing.
From last night's sleeplessness to his loss of composure just now, all the tension, dread, and unease of an entire day were swept away.
In this battle, he appeared to be the attacker, but in reality, Yao Xiang was trying to seize the initiative against him. And this detached force of his... it was more than just a detached force. From his supposed personal cavalry guard to the various troops summoned at short notice today, everything had been cobbled together. Even Xingyang City had been won through a bluff. Yet Yao Xiang could do nothing to him. If that was not victory, what was?
Besides, the fighting had gone on this long without his troops collapsing at the first touch. Instead, through their deployment, the valor of Generals Liu and Gao, and a little bizarre luck, they had seized the tactical initiative. His aim of testing the troops had been fully achieved.
If that was not victory, what was?!
Liu Cheng was overjoyed, but Yao Xiang's face darkened. Next, it would be his turn to lose his composure and struggle to fend off trouble on every side.
Was Yao Xiang a great general?
Who knew? But compared with Liu Cheng, he clearly had two strengths. First, he was physically vigorous and dared to fight on the front lines himself. Put him in one of those sophisticated games of later