Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 586 Showing Merits
white horse.

"Say it again." Sikong Cao Cao leaned forward slightly, looking a little anxious. He asked the messenger who came to report military intelligence.

The herald knelt on one knee, clasped his hands and raised his head, and reported the military situation again clearly word by word.

"Reporting to the Minister of Works, General Guan and General Zhang were engaged in battle with the Wuhuan Hu cavalry. General Guan charged in alone and killed the Wuhuan leader Su Puyan on the battlefield. Another Wuhuan leader, Nanlou, was frightened and dared not fight anymore. He abandoned his army and fled."

"Generals Guan and Zhang pursued the enemy all the way, chasing them northwards, and caught up with the Wuhuan leader Nanlou on the bank of the river. General Zhang drew his bow and shot Nanlou dead with one arrow. The Hu cavalry were so frightened that they swam to the water to save their lives. Generals Guan and Zhang took the opportunity to attack them, killing countless Wuhuan Hu cavalry."

"Good, very good." Cao Cao clapped his hands and sighed, then laughed out loud a few times, with a look of satisfaction in his laughter.

Guo Jia suggested a strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. They pretended to cross the river at Yanjin to lure the Yuan cavalry stationed in Liyang to Yanjin. Then, while the Yuan army's mobile forces were transferred away, they sent an elite division to sneak into Bai Ma, attack and kill the Wuhuan Hu cavalry that besieged Bai Ma, and lift the siege of Bai Ma.

Among these steps, the one that Cao Cao was most worried about was the attack and killing of the Wuhuan Hu cavalry in Bai Ma. The Wuhuan Hu cavalry were famous cavalry in the world, and were often lured and used by the Han Dynasty with gold and silk, and worked for the Han Dynasty as mercenaries. Their combat effectiveness was beyond doubt.

On Cao Cao's side, there were only a thousand light cavalry, and most of his subordinates were infantry, so he used the light cavalry as the vanguard, intending to use the light cavalry to entangle the Wuhuan Hu cavalry, and then the elite infantry would follow up, with the infantry and cavalry cooperating in order to defeat the Wuhuan.

Could Cao's light cavalry hold off the Wuhuan and Hu cavalry until the arrival of the elite infantry? Or could the Wuhuan and Hu cavalry wander around and not engage in a fight with Cao's light cavalry? Or could the Wuhuan and Hu cavalry see that reinforcements had arrived at Baima City and lead their troops away.

Faced with many speculations that might lead to the failure of this operation, Cao Cao, who was leading his elite infantry to the Bai Ma battlefield as a successor, was really unsure.

However, now the Wuhuan leaders Nanlou and Su Puyan have both surrendered, the siege of Bai Ma has been lifted, and this feint to the east and attack in the west has a perfect ending. Cao Cao can finally put his mind at ease.

Although in front of outsiders, Cao Cao always looked confident, but this was just a mask he had to put on to conceal his inner emotions as the commander-in-chief.

"Speed ​​up." Cao Cao gave the order loudly. He looked at the two heroes who had witnessed this battle earlier - Guan Yu and Zhang Liao.

Not long after they started walking, Cao Cao and his group of infantry ran into Guan Yu and Zhang Liao who were coming to greet him.

"Cao Gong." Guan Yu bowed and saluted while riding on horseback.

"Mingsir." This was a greeting from Zhang Liao.

Different titles have different meanings, which made Cao Cao sigh in his heart. Ever since he captured Guan Yu, in order to gain Guan Yu's loyalty, he treated Guan Yu with all his heart, including clothes and food. But now, it seems that he still has not gained Guan Yu's loyalty.

Cao Cao's expression was unchanged. He rode forward, met Guan Yu's horse, shook Guan Yu's hand and said, "The details of this battle were reported by the messenger, and I know everything. In this battle, Yunchang killed the general on the spot and won a great victory."

"In this battle, Yunchang's contribution should be the first. I will immediately submit a memorial to the emperor to commend Yunchang's contribution."

Hearing the word "show merit", Guan Yu's expression was unchanged, neither sad nor happy. He just pulled out the hand held by Cao Cao, bowed and thanked him, saying: "I am a defeated general, but I have been forgiven by Cao Gong. The favor is the same. Cao Gong has been kind to me, so I should serve him. If you say showing merit, it is not my original intention."

"Why are you so humble, Yunchang? You killed the Wuhuan leader Su Puyan in the battle today and made a contribution to the country. This is not to repay me." Cao Cao waved his hands, as if he didn't care about Guan Yu's words, but a hint of loneliness rose between his brows, indicating that he was still in a bad mood.

However, Cao Cao adjusted his mood quickly. He turned to one side and consoled Zhang Liao, who also had military merits: "Wenyuan shot and killed Wuhuan leader Nanlou in this battle. His merits are not small, only second to Yunchang. I will commend him for his merits as well."

"Thank you, sir." Zhang Liao bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Cao's army continued to move forward. Cao Cao arrived at Baima City. Liu Yan, the governor of Dongjun who was guarding Baima City, came down from the tower early, opened the city gate, and personally went out of the city to greet Cao Cao: "Ming Gong."

"Liu Qing has guarded Baima City without any mistakes. He is a meritorious minister." Cao Cao comforted Liu Yan who was guarding Baima City.

Liu Yan heard this and said modestly: "I dare not claim any merit. As the governor of Dongjun, I have the responsibility to defend the territory. Now that Baima City has not been captured by the thieves, I have done my duty."

Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "We held Bai Ma and the enemy could not take us. How can we say that we have made no achievements? Don't be too modest."

After saying this, Cao Cao whipped his horse, urged it to sit down, and entered Baima City. He would rest in Baima City tonight.

At night, the whole area was silent, with only the occasional sounds of insects and birds chirping, which made the place even more quiet. At this moment, the county temple in Baima City was brightly lit.

The best house in the county temple was occupied by Cao Cao, who immediately discussed the next move with his advisers Guo Jia, Dong Zhao and others.

"Although we have not been able to kill all the Wuhuan this time by beheading Nanlou and Su Puyan, the Wuhuan Hu cavalry must be terrified and dare not stay here any longer to help Yuan Shao. They will gradually return north." Dong Zhao said an auspicious words as the opening remarks of the meeting.

Guo Jia smiled and added, "Not only that, Wuhuan leaders Nanlou and Su Puyan were the vanguards of Yuan's army, and both were killed by our army. The prestige of beheading the generals must have shocked the Yuan army in Liyang."

"Hmm." Cao Cao didn't smile at all. He was only worried about the situation that would follow: "In your opinion, can Baima City be defended?"

"No." Guo Jia replied, "If we leave soldiers to defend Baima City, if we leave too many soldiers, we will run out of food and grass, and if we leave too few soldiers, we will be captured by Yuan's army. Moreover, Baima City is close to the terrain and is accessible. It is a place where brave cavalry can gallop. Yuan's army has more than 10,000 brave cavalry, which can isolate the inside and outside. We can't get any news from Baima City. If we can't get the news, we won't have the opportunity to cooperate with the inside. There is no point in leaving soldiers."

"According to Fengxiao's opinion, why don't we guard Bai Ma and lead the army away?" Cao Cao asked.

"That's right." Guo Jia affirmed, "Baima cannot be defended. We should send out the Baima garrison and the common people in the city, fortify the city and clear the fields, and leave it to Yuan's army."

……

Liyang, Yuan's main camp. "Cao's army has arrived at Bai Ma?" Yuan Shao looked confused. Didn't they say that Cao's army was preparing to sneak across Yanjin? How come Cao's army appeared in Bai Ma now?

Yuan Shao did not hesitate for too long as he remembered Tian Feng's advice. The Cao army's gesture of crossing the river at Yanjin was just a pretense. In fact, the Cao army's goal was to break the siege of Bai Ma. The reason they made a move at Yanjin was to lure away the light cavalry in his camp.

With this thought in mind, Yuan Shao hurriedly gave an order: "Quickly recall Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and have them turn directly to Bai Ma to rescue Nan Lou and Su Puyan..."

After issuing the rescue order, Yuan Shao stood up and paced back and forth. Less than a minute later, he issued another order: "Order Zhang He and Chunyu Qiong to lead the elite infantry to rescue Baima City."

Then Yuan Shao continued to pace, and suddenly he sighed with hatred in his voice. Tian Feng had originally put the correct option in front of him, but because of his hesitation, he did not correct the deployment of troops in time, which led to Nanlou and Su Puyan falling into danger. It was too late to regret now.

Feng Ji saw Yuan Shao's regret, and he quickly tried to persuade him, "Mingsir, the Hu cavalry led by Nanlou and Su Puyan are the elite cavalry among the Wuhuan, with a number of more than 5,000. Cao's army will not have so many brave cavalry, so it will be difficult to defeat Nanlou and Su Puyan."

"Once the troops are engaged, it is really difficult to separate them. It is impossible to determine the winner within a day. If we send reinforcements now, we may be able to flank Cao's army while Wuhuan and Cao's army are fighting, and win a great victory."

Putting aside the fact that Yuan Shao fell into Cao Cao's trap of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, Feng Ji only spoke in a positive direction, in order to comfort Yuan Shao's secret regret.

Yuan Shao nodded, with a hint of hope in his eyes: "I hope so."

Tian Feng, who was sitting beside him, started to talk a lot when he heard this. In his opinion, Cao's army had made sufficient preparations, and those who attacked and killed Nan Lou and Su Puyan must be the elite among the elite. The Wuhuan had always been lax, and if they were not careful, they would be taken advantage of by Cao's army. They would probably suffer heavy casualties and even a great defeat.

It was foreseeable that the Wuhuan Hu cavalry, as the vanguard heading south, would encounter setbacks, which would inevitably be detrimental to the morale of the army.

At this point, Tian Feng knew that saying anything would be of no use, so he kept silent. At the same time, he still had some hope in his heart, hoping that Nanlou and Su Puyan would not be defeated too badly.

The reinforcements that needed to be sent had already been dispatched. Yuan Shao suppressed his anxiety and waited for the latest news.

Soon, a figure stepped into the big tent and reported the news about Nanlou and Su Puyan.

"Mingsir, the two Wuhuan leaders, Nanlou and Subuyan, were attacked by Cao's light cavalry. Subuyan was killed in battle, and Nanlou fled with no chance of survival, and was also shot dead by Cao's army."

"Huh?" Yuan Shao couldn't help but let out a surprised sound.

Yuan Shao had many speculations about the outcome of the battle between the Wuhuan Hu cavalry led by Nanlou and Subuyan and the light cavalry of Cao's army. Some speculated that the two armies were locked in a tangle and it was difficult to tell the winner for a while; some speculated that the Wuhuan suddenly bumped into Cao's army and were frightened, causing a small defeat for Cao's army; and some speculated that Nanlou and Subuyan showed their supernatural powers, took out the barbarians' fearless spirit, and fought back to defeat Cao's army.

However, all of Yuan Shao's speculations were now dashed one by one. The result brought by the messenger was something he could not believe and had never thought of.

The dignified Wuhuan leaders Nanlou and Su Puyan were killed by Cao's army. It is known that the Wuhuan Hu cavalry is famous in the world, and they are erratic and difficult to pursue. Even if Nanlou and Su Puyan were defeated, they should be able to escape alive. Unexpectedly, the two of them ended up dead.

Yuan Shao leaned forward and asked in confusion, "How many light cavalrymen are there in Cao's army? Who is the commander? Who killed Nanlou and Su Puyan?"

Facing Yuan Shao's series of questions, the messenger did not hesitate and told him everything he knew: "According to the Wuhuan Hu cavalry who fled to the north bank, Cao's light cavalry numbered about a thousand. As for the commanders, judging from their flags, one was surnamed Guan and the other was surnamed Zhang."

"Su Puyan was killed on the battlefield by a general surnamed Guan, and Nanlou was shot dead by a general surnamed Zhang. In addition, according to the Hu cavalry who were close to Su Puyan, the general surnamed Guan had a red face and phoenix eyes. He rode in alone and killed Su Puyan with one move. His divine power was unparalleled, and he had the demeanor of being able to defeat ten thousand enemies."

"Guan and Zhang?" Yuan Shao looked at his advisers, hoping that they could give an answer.

Xu You stepped forward. He had a wide network of contacts and many secret agents in Xudu. He was familiar with all the generals under Cao Cao's command and said, "Mingsir, the generals with the surname Zhang must be Zhang Liao and Zhang Wenyuan of Yanmen. They were originally brave generals under Lu Bu. After Cao Cao defeated Lu Bu, Zhang Liao devoted himself to Cao Cao."

"As for the surname Guan, I heard that Liu Xuande had a brother whose surname was Guan, given name Yu, and courtesy name Yunchang. Previously, Liu Xuande had retaken Xuzhou, but was defeated by Cao Cao. Although Liu Xuande fled to Hebei, Guan Yu was captured by Cao Cao."

Yuan Shao murmured, "Guan Yu, Zhang Liao." He suddenly felt a little toothache. It seemed that Guan Yu and Zhang Liao were both surrendered generals, but Cao Cao was able to trust and use them, and they brought out such miraculous effects, causing him great losses.

In addition to the casualties of the Wuhuan Hu cavalry, his military morale was also suppressed to a certain extent. After all, the Wuhuan Hu cavalry was known as the brave cavalry. With only 5,000 soldiers against the enemy of Cao's cavalry of more than a thousand, they could not even save two Wuhuan leaders - Nanlou and Su Puyan. It can be seen that the Cao cavalry was very brave and the soldiers under him might feel afraid.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shao glanced around and his eyes stayed on Tian Feng for a moment. He regretted not listening to Tian Feng's advice and fell into Cao Cao's strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. In addition to regret, he felt more ashamed and angry.

Think about how heroic Yuan Shao was. He defeated Heishan, conquered Gongsun, cleared Hebei, and dominated Heshuo. However, this time he led his troops south, and thought that it would be smooth sailing to defeat Cao Cao, a mere descendant of a eunuch, and he could defeat him in a few months.

But he encountered setbacks in the first battle, and was at a disadvantage in the first battle. It was not a small defeat, but a major defeat with heavy casualties. This was a huge humiliation for him, and he was extremely angry: "What a Cao Mengde, he is so hateful."

After saying this in anger in his heart, Yuan Shao suppressed his anger and asked Tian Feng for advice: "My dear, this first battle is not going well. What should we do?"

Tian Feng first comforted Yuan Shao: "Mingsir, our army is powerful and Cao's army is weak. Although we were careless for a moment and were taken advantage of by Cao's army, it will not harm the overall situation. Besides, the only casualties in this battle are the Wuhuan Hu cavalry."

"However, after this battle, we know that although Cao's army is small, it is elite and powerful. We should not divide our forces too much and not give Cao Mengde the opportunity to defeat them one by one. Now we should march south with all our might and overwhelm them. Cao Mengde will be helpless."

Tian Feng's military advice was to put stability first, which is in line with the Art of War. Don't try to gain victory first, but ensure you are invincible. This is also the best strategy for advancing when comparing the strengths of Yuan and Cao, as Yuan Shao is far superior to Cao Cao.

In the case of overwhelming strength, the party with the advantage does not need to play any tricks, but can use its momentum and strength to overwhelm the opponent, not giving the opponent any chance to steal, and a big victory will fall into the hands.

(End of this chapter)