Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3793 Blood-Soaked Lonely City, Flags Cold, Sunset Glows on the Fading Drumbeats
The autumn sun offered no warmth, its cold rays illuminating the carnage beneath Luoyang City.

Han Hao immediately positioned himself slightly ahead of the central army, clad in heavy armor, his brow furrowed, staring intently at the Cao army troops swarming towards the Luoyang city walls like ants.

The thunderous war drums and mournful bugle calls mingled with the deafening shouts of battle and the dying wails, assaulting our eardrums.

Han Hao issued commands from time to time, and the guards behind him waved the command flags in their hands. The messengers ran around shouting and turning his instructions into waves of specific attacks.

"Forward shield bearers, advance! Cover the archers and crossbowmen as they advance fifty paces to suppress the city walls!"

"Left flank ladder, quick! Follow the battering ram!"

"Right-wing shield truck, beware of fire! Splash water! Splash water quickly!"

Han Hao's voice gradually became hoarse from constantly shouting amidst the noise of the battle.

He was a general.

At least that's what Han Hao himself believes; his life, everything he has, is on the battlefield...

As for the rest, Han Hao felt it had little to do with him.

As a general under Cao Cao, Han Hao believed that the key to success lay in eight words: "Orders must be obeyed, and loyalty is paramount."

Even Han Hao realized the current decline of Cao Cao's army...

Han Hao shook his head slightly to clear his mind of the distracting thoughts, then glanced at the city wall, observing the defenders' response.

The cavalry resisted tenaciously and systematically. Logs and stones fell with a deathly whistle, and arrows rained down, specifically targeting the unprotected archers and laborers pushing the siege equipment.

Several shield wagons were ignited by oil canisters precisely thrown by the defending troops, instantly turning into raging torches with billowing black smoke. This ignited nearby Cao army soldiers, who screamed and rolled to the ground...

"This is Huang Hansheng..."

"Is the Sima family still in command?"

Han Hao stared at the city wall and muttered to himself.

The defenders' counterattack was highly organized. Was this due to the general Huang Zhong, or Sima Yi, who had dealt heavy blows to Cao Cao's army several times and had fought against Han Hao?
Can they really work together that well?

Why didn't they fight each other for power, or undermine and bicker with each other?

"call……"

Han Hao let out a long breath.

These cavalrymen always seemed to be able to predict the key areas of Cao Cao's attack and promptly mobilize troops to provide support.

On the city walls, besides the familiar yellow banner, banners bearing the characters for "date," "du," and "Sima" also fluttered in different locations. Clearly, the civil officials and strategists were not entirely uninvolved, but rather coordinating and directing operations. This seamless, unified command made Han Hao feel uneasy. Cao Cao's offensive appeared fierce, but it was like waves crashing against rocks—powerful yet ultimately unable to shake the foundation.

The battle situation was unpredictable, and Cao Cao's army once gained the upper hand.

After paying a heavy price, an elite force of Cao Cao's army finally broke through a section of the city wall by virtue of its numerical advantage. Dozens of fierce soldiers shouted as they climbed the walls of Luoyang, cut down the flags of the defending army, and drew cheers from Cao Cao's army behind them.

"Good! Push forward! Expand the breakthrough!"

Han Hao's spirits lifted, and he immediately ordered the follow-up troops to advance.

However, before Cao Cao's troops could follow up, the situation on the city wall changed drastically.

Huang Zhong, his hair and beard bristling, looked like a fierce tiger. He led a troop of armored soldiers and charged in like a whirlwind. With a flash of swords, Cao Cao's warriors who had scaled the city walls fell like wheat being harvested.

Huang Zhong himself was unstoppable, wielding his greatsword like a wheel, crushing the foothold that Cao Cao's army had just established. The remaining climbers were either killed or forced to jump off the city wall, either dead or wounded.

Han Hao was stunned for a moment...

Something seems wrong.

It's not a problem that ordinary Cao army soldiers couldn't defeat the valiant Huang Zhong, but...

Han Hao closed his eyes, carefully recalled the previous events from his memory, and then his heart sank.

When the Cao army soldiers who had scaled the city walls saw Huang Zhong personally coming down to fight, their faces did not show the resolute determination to fight to the death, but rather an undisguised fear, and their movements hesitated for a moment...

That moment of hesitation determined their fate.

Because of hesitation, they failed to form an effective formation. Without a formation, they could not resist the attack of Huang Zhong and others, and thus collapsed before the follow-up troops could arrive.

This is not right!

Although Cao Cao's elite troops suffered heavy losses in the series of battles, Han Hao sent out veterans from Qingzhou this time!

Logically speaking, these veterans from Qingzhou shouldn't have acted like this...

Back when they were fighting against the two Yuan brothers, these Qingzhou soldiers, while not exactly invincible, were not so hesitant even after they had already stormed the city walls.

"Pass on the order!" Han Hao took a deep breath, trying to boost morale. "Whoever first captures Luoyang will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and promoted three ranks! Whoever slays a general and captures the flag will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces! And granted a fief!"

The order was loudly relayed, just like the battle against the two Yuan brothers back then, and the reward was even increased significantly.

However, the anticipated frenzy did not materialize.

The Cao army soldiers in front responded and continued to climb and fight, but Han Hao keenly sensed that the temptation of "a thousand pieces of gold" and "being granted a title of nobility" did not seem to truly ignite the flames in their eyes, nor did it inspire their fighting spirit!
The responses seemed more like indifference...

To Han Hao, it sounded like a low muttering mixed with weariness and doubt.

Despite the hefty reward, there don't seem to be as many "brave men" as one might expect.

This feeling of weakness contrasted sharply with his memory of the Cao army soldiers' joy at receiving rewards and their eagerness to fight when he was fighting against Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Why is this so?
Han Hao was filled with doubts.

Something is wrong, very wrong.

However, he was only a general on the battlefield, and he only focused on the level of combat tactics.

As the battle progressed, Han Hao discovered that it wasn't just a matter of the soldiers' willpower; even the execution by junior officers was compromised.

He saw a group of Cao troops not far away who should have been advancing to provide support, but under the leadership of their commander, they were dawdling and making excuses to avoid the arrows shot from the city wall, and were reluctant to enter the dangerous area.

Meanwhile, the military academy officers overseeing the battle from a distance only gave a few symbolic shouts and did not urge the troops to move forward sternly.

A surge of anger rose within him, and Han Hao roared, "Supervisory team, advance! Anyone who hesitates, retreats, or cowers in the face of battle will be executed!"

Under Han Hao's urging, the heavily armed and well-equipped supervisory team finally charged forward, using their gleaming blades and sharp arrows to force the slow-moving soldiers and officers to their feet.

Faced with the direct threat of death, the sluggish team finally let out a desperate cry and was forced to launch another desperate charge against the city wall.

This time, they charged with extraordinary ferocity, even approaching the base of the wall at one point.

However, the defenders seemed to have anticipated this, as a dozen large cauldrons suddenly appeared on the city wall, and scalding hot molten gold poured down like a waterfall!

"ah--!"

A bloodcurdling scream, so shrill it was almost inhuman, suddenly rang out.

The Cao army soldiers, who were drenched in scalding hot liquid, suffered cuts and bruises, letting out painful screams. Some even collapsed from convulsions due to poisoning.

Those who were lucky enough to avoid being directly drenched were also vomited incessantly by the indescribable stench, their formation instantly collapsed, and they scrambled backward to escape, leaving behind only a mess and their comrades writhing in pain.

"No retreating! Go back! All of you, go back!"

The commander of the supervisory team, while shouting and driving away the Cao army soldiers, tried to cover his nose to block out the stench of the gold-staining liquid. His eyes were filled with utter disgust as he hurled insults at the retreating Cao soldiers, especially the wounded covered in filth and reeking of foul odor. "A bunch of useless trash! Fools! You're afraid of this? Charge! Those who disobey will be executed!"

"Get out of here! You stink! Don't get my nails dirty!"

"No retreating! Even if you're injured, you're not allowed to retreat!"

"Idiot! Just die over there! Don't come over here and stink!"

This merciless insult ignited long-suppressed resentment.

"Are you even human?!" A squad leader, his face scalded and covered in filth, suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes glaring at the supervising squad leader. "Our brothers are risking their lives to fill this gap! And you're enjoying yourself in the back! Now you won't even give us a way out?!" "That's right! If you're so capable, why don't you go and fight yourselves!"

"I quit! I'm going to die anyway!"

Angry roars erupted from the routed soldiers, and some even raised their weapons, aiming them at the supervising officers.

Conflict is imminent!
Not far away, another Cao army unit responsible for flank protection was led by a military commander who coldly watched the commotion unfold. His face was expressionless, and he neither stepped forward to quell the disturbance nor made a sound to stop it, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him.

Nobody likes the supervisory team.

Even the supervisory team itself doesn't like being supervised.

So the Cao army academy on the flank glanced at it a few times and then simply turned their faces away, pretending not to see it.

Han Hao happened to witness this scene and felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew the root of the problem...

However, he was merely a general, and could only focus on the battlefield before him.

"Stop it, all of you!"

Han Hao roared and led his personal guards into the conflict, forcibly separating the two groups of people who were about to turn their weapons against each other.

His gaze swept over the soldiers, who were covered in filth, wounded, and filled with anger and despair, and then he glanced at Xiahou, the captain who was still defiant and cursing to himself.

Han Hao understood that the soldiers were in the right; the harshness and inhumanity of the supervisory team had exacerbated the conflict. However, military law was paramount, and rioting on the battlefield, especially resisting the supervisory team, was a serious crime that could not be tolerated.

In order to maintain order within the army and Cao Cao's authority, he had to make ruthless decisions.

Everything is for the sake of ensuring that orders are carried out.

"Making a scene in front of the enemy lines, resisting law enforcement, is tantamount to rebellion!" Han Hao's voice was as cold as iron, devoid of any emotion. "Take down all these troublemakers! Execute the ringleaders on the spot! As a warning to others!"

Under the blades of the guards and Han Hao's unquestionable authority, the angry soldiers were forcibly suppressed.

Several officers and soldiers who led the resistance were dragged out, and despite their struggles, curses, and pleas, they were beheaded on the spot.

The bloodied human head was held high, intimidating all the discontented soldiers.

After dealing with the soldiers, Han Hao turned to Xiahou, the captain, and ordered him to retreat with his personal guards.

Upon returning to the command post, Han Hao addressed Xiahou, the squad leader who had been overseeing the battle, in a stern voice: "Your supervision was ineffective, inciting unrest; you are also guilty! Remove yourself from your squad leader post, receive twenty strokes of the cane, and be transferred to the rear camp for further service!"

This was the most 'mild' punishment Han Hao could give within his authority.

However, this "gentleness" did not earn Xiahou's gratitude...

The fierce battle continued until sunset, and Cao Cao's army gained nothing except more corpses and broken weapons left under the walls of Luoyang.

As the sound of retreat rang out, the exhausted Cao army withdrew like a receding tide, leaving behind only a scene of devastation and the lingering stench of blood and burnt flesh in the air.

With a heavy heart, Han Hao went to the central command tent to report the battle situation to Cao Cao and apologize.

"This humble general has failed in battle, neglecting to capture Luoyang and suffering heavy losses. I beg the Prime Minister to punish me!"

Han Hao knelt on one knee, holding his helmet in his arms.

Cao Cao sat upright behind his desk, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. He simply waved his hand, his voice tinged with weariness: "Yuan Si, you've worked hard. Luoyang is a fortified city, and its commander is no mediocre man. It's understandable that it hasn't fallen in a day. I know the soldiers are fighting bravely. Go back and rest, reorganize the troops, and we'll fight again tomorrow."

There was no reprimand, nor even much questioning about the details; this 'tolerance' only made Han Hao feel more uneasy. He silently bowed and withdrew from the tent.

However, just as he stepped out of the central command area and prepared to return to his own tent, he witnessed a scene that ignited his fury...

The Xiahou squad leader, who had been dismissed and flogged by him during the day, was still wearing his squad leader's uniform and was gathered with several officers from the Xiahou family. They were pointing in Han Hao's direction and laughing and talking loudly without any restraint.

"Hey, you incompetent fools! All you do is take your anger out on our own people! If you're so capable, why don't you storm Luoyang? So many lives have been wasted, and we haven't even gotten close to the battlements..."

Shh, keep your voice down, someone's coming...

The reinstated Captain Xiahou even deliberately spat in Han Hao's direction, his face full of mockery and disdain.

Han Hao paused, his fist clenched tightly, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

Xiahou was dismissed from his post.

That's right.

Han Hao's order was 'executed'...

However, he was reinstated to his original position.

Because another command was also executed.

"Orders must be obeyed," there's absolutely no problem with that.

And what would allow him to be reinstated...

Han Hao turned his head slightly and looked towards the central command tent.

Loyalty, only loyalty.

So in the end, Han Hao said nothing and just walked past them expressionlessly, as if he hadn't heard those harsh words.

His heart was ice-cold.

By strictly enforcing the law, I am only maintaining superficial order. At a higher level, surname and kinship are the true "laws." Even if I, a general from another clan, see the problem, what can I do?

The military order he painstakingly tried to maintain, even at the cost of being branded as "harsh on his soldiers," appeared utterly pale and laughable in the face of deeply entrenched kinship privileges.

Exhausted and filled with deeper worries, Han Hao disappeared into the shadows of the camp.

The outcome of tomorrow's battle is uncertain.

But what can he do?

Perhaps, it's just 'loyalty'...

……

……

In another instance, the issue of loyalty also appears to have arisen.

However, Cao Pi felt that the problem was not with Cao Cao's army, but with the Flying Cavalry...

Inside the council hall of Ye City, which originally belonged to Yuan Shao but was later renovated by Cao Cao, the crackling of burning charcoal could not dispel the chill that permeated the space between Cao Pi and Chen Qun.

Cao Pi, clad in military attire, his young face flushed with excitement, practically pointed at the hanging map of the area surrounding Ye City, his voice brimming with barely suppressed elation: "Changwen! Did you see that? The changes at the Flying Cavalry camp! The Wei clan has gone south, their whereabouts unknown! Now only Zhao and Zhang's forces remain outside the city! Scouts report that yesterday, at the foot of the earthen mound west of the city, the two armies' cavalry were lined up facing each other, bows and crossbows pointed at each other; if not for the restraints of their respective officers, they would have almost come to blows! This morning, two patrol teams even fought fiercely on the banks of the Zhang River over a water source, until blood was drawn! Is this all a lie?"

Cao Pi stared at Chen Qun, speaking rapidly: "That's exactly it! The Fei rebel army is approaching! First, the Wei family was forced to leave, and the remaining two will inevitably fight for merit and power! Moreover, with the Wei family gone, there's no one to mediate, which is why the two have clashed! This, this is truly a godsend! If our army takes advantage of their internal strife and sends elite troops to provoke conflict, causing the two factions to kill each other, we can severely damage the General of the Cavalry, lift the siege of Ye City, and then even if the Fei rebel army arrives, they will be difficult to deal with! At that time, Father can maneuver and secure victory in one fell swoop!"

Chen Qun, still dressed in his neat official robes, his face calm and composed, slowly stroked his beard. His gaze wasn't fixed on the agitated Cao Pi, but rather on the gray sky outside the window. His voice was steady and unwavering: "Your Highness, calm down. Zhao Zilong, Protector-General of the Northern Regions, is steady and prudent; Zhang Wenyuan, a veteran general under the General of the Cavalry, is no fool. Both are seasoned warriors; how could they, over a trivial matter of water and patrol, do something so foolish as to give their enemies ammunition against them at the gates of an enemy city, in front of a large army? This matter is far too… coincidental."

"A coincidence? A trivial matter?" Cao Pi almost sneered. "The commotion outside the city is no trivial matter! It's about the position of Protector-General of the Northern Regions! Zhang and Zhao are vying for it, neither willing to yield! If it's not internal strife, are they putting on a show for me? Does a show require a real standoff? Does it require both sides to fight until heads are broken, corpses litter the ground, and men and horses are bleeding?! Changwen, you're being far too cautious! Opportunities are fleeting! If we wait for them to calm down, or wait for the Fei bandits to send mediators, we'll miss our chance!"

Chen Qun turned to face Cao Pi, his eyes sharp: "Your Highness, that is precisely why we must be so cautious. The General of the Cavalry is bogged down beneath the fortified city, exhausted and unable to mount a proper attack. This may be a deliberate feigned weakness to lure us out of the city for a field battle. Our forces are inherently weaker than the elite General of the Cavalry; we can hold out by defending the city, but if we rashly venture out, we will fall right into their trap. The safety of Ye City rests on Your Highness's shoulders; we must be extremely careful."

"No, no!" Cao Pi waved his hand and said, "Defending the city is not about sitting and waiting to die! We mustn't miss this opportunity! Zhang and Zhao are already locked in a bloody, life-or-death struggle! There must be a lot of resentment among their soldiers! Now, we only need to guide the situation to make them kill each other! This doesn't require many troops, yet we can reap the benefits! It's not like we're mobilizing the entire city's troops; what does it have to do with the safety of Ye City? Changwen is too cautious, far too cautious!"

The two of them each held their own opinion and the argument continued.

Cao Pi, young and ambitious, firmly believed this was a golden opportunity to break the deadlock and prove his abilities. The key was the rumor that the General of Chariots and Cavalry was approaching, meaning this opportunity would only be available for a short while...

Chen Qun, a seasoned strategist, always felt that the bait of "internal strife" was too tempting and that there must be a trap hidden behind it. He preferred to miss the opportunity rather than make a mistake.

Ultimately, their argument ended without resolution.