Crispy proved up to the task. The army under his command performs admirably and should be able to repel the bandit assault.
Satisfied with the southern security, Shi Difen takes another step to securing the northern borders, this time attacking Yuan Shang's gathered army of 70,000 near Puyang.
Elsewhere, a small force lead by Wei Yan attacks Port Baima where Li Hui is leading a force of 61,000 to defend.
Ignore that. Take out the army in front of us first.
Confident of a swift victory, Shi Difen takes a more aggressive formation.
However, a sudden confusion tactic halted his advance.
Confusion tactic basically disabled 5 bars of maximum control for the enemy, preventing them from using high tier strategies such as 'Like the Wind' which requires 7 bars to activate.
Fall back!
With the enemy in pursuit, a fire strategy was deployed to inflict casualties.
If we can't use higher tier strategies, then we'll use lower ones!
Wanting to further his advantage, he sends Di Bens and another unit to raid the enemy's secondary camp.
His primary force on the mean time held their position against the advancing enemy.
Slowly, Shi Difen's army begins to turn the table.
OK! The confusion tactic wore off! Let's go!
Shi Difen's counterattack broke the deadlock.
But the delayed victory meant there was sufficient time for Yuan Shang's army to recapture the undefended city of Jibei.
Lose a city, destroy a 70,000 strong army. Worth the trade.
The victory also confirmed his fears: Yuan Shang is gaining new talent. Zhuge Liang a brilliant strategist has fought his first battle. A force of 50,000 has occupied Jibei. While Li Hui's army took moderate casualties after successfully defending port Baima.
Crispy has routed the bandit army, though not without taking damage.
Not sure how long we can take this.
The Battle of Xiangyang is finally over, Yuan Shang's force finally surrendered control of the city to Liu Xun, creating a new front for Shi Difen to the south.
The year is 210 AD, nearly two years since he marched from Changan, Shi Difen has controlled most of Central Plains but struggles to break Yuan Shang's resistance from the north. To the south lies Liu Xun, fresh from his hard-earned victory against Yuan Shang. Peace is still a faraway dream.