Ji Han Liu Zhang

October of the fifth year of Jian'an.

Cao Cao has been blocking the Hebei army at Guandu for several months.

Over the past few months, the pressure on Cao Cao has been increasing day by day.

First of all, there was pressure from the frontal offensive of Yuan's army. Yuan's army had 100,000 men and 10,000 cavalrymen, which was twice the strength of Cao Cao's side. Therefore, Yuan's army was on the attacking side. They built earthen hills, dug tunnels, and used imitation thunder chariots to smash and bombard. After this series of moves, Cao's army just barely held on and was not defeated by Yuan's army.

Secondly, there was pressure from the rear. When Yuan Shao was gaining ground, many counties in Yingchuan, Runan and other places betrayed Cao Cao, raised the banner of rebellion and invited Yuan Shao to join them. Even the Yellow Turban bandit Liu Pi in Runan used Yuan Shao's banner in order to obtain an official position in the future Yuan Dynasty.

What put the most pressure on Cao Cao was the problem of logistics and supplies. After more than three months of stalemate, his army was short of food and grass. In addition, Yuan's army sent light cavalry to intercept and kill Cao Cao's grain transport teams. Since Cao Cao had fewer cavalrymen than Yuan's army, he had to strengthen his defenses, but he had no better solution.

As for today, Cao's army camp is beginning to run out of food.

The pressure was so great that Cao Cao wanted to retreat. He intended to retreat to Xu Du and give up defending Guandu.

However, a letter from Xun Yu in Xu Du made Cao Cao give up this idea. According to the letter, Cao Cao's control of the key point at Guandu prevented Yuan Shao from advancing, which was just like the stalemate between Chu and Han in Xingyang and Chenggao in the old days. It was absolutely impossible to retreat at this time. Once retreated, he would be in a disadvantageous position and there would be no recovery.

When Cao Cao saw this, he gave up the idea of ​​retreating to Xu Du. In fact, he knew in his heart that once he retreated to Xu Du, he would give up the chance to defeat Yuan Shao. The only way he could have a chance of defeating Yuan Shao was to die in Guandu and compete with Yuan Shao.

This is exactly what Xun Yu thinks. At the end of the letter Xun Yu handed over, he wrote that with Cao Cao's firm defense, the situation on both sides is becoming clearer and clearer. Perhaps the situation will change significantly soon and the hope of victory will come.

After reading Xun Yu's letter, Cao Cao sighed. He could hold on firmly, but he couldn't see any chance of winning. Therefore, he regarded the last words of Xun Yu's letter as words of comfort, which had no other effect.

However, just when Cao Cao was almost in despair, a man, an old friend of Cao Cao, unexpectedly came to Cao Cao's army.

"Ziyuan." Cao Cao didn't even bother to put on his shoes, he hurried out of the tent and welcomed Xu You into the tent.

As Yuan Shao's trusted adviser, Xu You brought the news that Cao Cao wanted to know most, which was the grain storage point of the Hebei army and the flag signal and password of Yuan army tonight. With these, Cao Cao could easily pass through Yuan army's checkpoints and cut a blow to Yuan Shao's lifeline.

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and crows and magpies flew south.

Tian Feng walked quickly, holding the cane that he usually used to support his body horizontally. With every step he took, it seemed as if a drop of blood dripped from his heart.

"It's so stupid." Tian Feng was furious. Shen Pei, who stayed behind in Yecheng, imprisoned Xu You's family for a trivial matter when Xu You was at the front line, which led to Xu You's surrender to Cao Cao and exposed the grain storage points and flag commands of Cao Cao's Hebei army.

"Hateful." Tian Feng roared in his heart as he took the next step. Although Yuan Shao did not listen to his advice to divide the troops to attack Xu Du, nor did he listen to his advice to heavily guard Wuchao.

But if Xu You had not surrendered to the enemy, Cao Cao would never have known the army's grain storage point. Even if he knew the grain storage point, without knowing the flag signal and password, Cao's army would never have been able to pass the checkpoint.

Arriving at the door of the central army tent, Tian Feng first calmed himself down, and then, without waiting for notification, he lifted the curtain and walked in.

"My dear, what should we do?"

Just when Tian Feng lifted the curtain, he saw Yuan Shao who was ready to greet him in person. As soon as Yuan Shao saw Tian Feng, he asked Tian Feng anxiously, hoping that Tian Feng could give him a solution to the current dilemma.

"Rescue Wuchao." Tian Feng gave an affirmative response.

"Rescue Wuchao?" Yuan Shao repeated, and then he replied doubtfully: "I have already ordered Jiang Qi to lead the light cavalry to rescue it, and I think we can save it..."

At this point, Yuan Shao pointed at Guo Tu and said, "I have discussed with you that we can take advantage of this opportunity to send troops to attack Cao's camp. By then, even if Cao's army takes Wuchao and defeats Chunyu Qiong, they will be homeless."

Zhang He, who was standing by, looked a little gloomy when he heard this. He had just given a suggestion. With Cao's elite troops, sending Jiang Qi alone with light cavalry to rescue them would probably be useless. By that time Chunyu Qiong would be defeated and Wuchao would be burned, and the situation would be disastrous.

But Guo Tu jumped out and said that his plan was not good, and it would be better to adopt the strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao, and send troops to attack Cao's main camp. When the Cao army attacking Wuchao heard about it, they would surely be frightened and lead their troops to rescue Cao's main camp, and the crisis of Wuchao would be easily solved.

Tian Feng leaned his staff on the ground and shouted sternly: "Mingsir, if you follow what you said, the big event will be lost. Among the 100,000 Hebei troops here, not a single horse will be allowed to return to Hebei."

"Why?" Tian Feng gave an explanation: "Cao's army is well-trained. If they attack Wuchao this time, Chunyu Qiong will not be able to defend it, and Jiang Qi will not be able to rescue it. If Wuchao is burned, our army will have no food and will be defeated without a fight."

"And Gongze said that we should attack Cao's camp with a large force. Let's not talk about the tenacity of Cao's camp. Can our army take it? Even if our army takes Cao's camp, how will we deal with it if we have no food? Therefore, Gongze's words are actually a theory of national destruction."

"This..." Yuan Shao was startled by Tian Feng's words. He nodded and said, "We should do as the deputy driver said and send troops to rescue Wuchao. Qu Yi, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Zhang He, all of you should go. We must not let Wuchao be lost."

"Mingsir." Before Qu Yi, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He and others accepted the order, Tian Feng shouted again: "This is a matter of life and death. Mingsir, you should go there in person. How can you sit in the camp and wait for news?"

"Now, only if you go there in person and raise your great banner, the soldiers will die for you and the officers will obey your orders, and only then can Wuchao be saved."

Yuan Shao looked hesitant. Since defeating Gongsun Zan, he had rarely personally led troops on the battlefield. Besides, it was now October, the moonlight was cold, and the north wind was howling. He was also old, so it was a bit difficult for him to lead troops on the battlefield.

In addition, it was hazy in the middle of the night, and the moonlight was faint. When the two armies were fighting, no one could say what unexpected things might happen. Although Yuan Shao's personal guards were valiant halberd warriors, one should always be prepared for the worst.

"A real man should fight to the death on the battlefield." Tian Feng's tone calmed down and he spoke directly.

Yet, these words, which could not have been more gentle, cheered up Yuan Shao's expression. The hesitation in his eyes disappeared, and he gradually became determined. He drew out the sword in his hand, and chopped at the corner of the table: "Whoever refuses to use his life tonight will be killed like this." And under the blade of Yuan Shao's sword, a corner of the table was cut off evenly, fell to the ground and rolled several times, just like a chopped-off head, tumbling on the ground.

Qu Yi, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He and others were shocked when they saw this. They had been under Yuan Shao's command for a long time, so they knew that Yuan Shao was serious about his intentions. If they slacked off tonight, Yuan Shao would kill them without mercy.

After issuing a very intimidating order, Yuan Shao ordered Generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou to lead the light cavalry to rush there, and Qu Yi and Zhang He followed with the elite infantry. Yuan Shao followed the army and rushed to Wuchao.

Wearing golden armor, a golden helmet, and riding a fine horse from the Western Regions, Yuan Shao continued to move forward, surrounded by soldiers with halberds. The moonlight was cold and the fields were freezing, but he only felt his blood surging.

It had been a long time since Yuan Shao had experienced this feeling between life and death. He was filled with emotion. In his early years, he dared to forget about life and death, and confronted the traitor Dong Zhuo in the court. Later, he competed with Gongsun Zan, who had the elite cavalry of Youyan, for Jizhou. He fell into danger several times and jumped between life and death many times before he had the power and status he has today.

But since he ascended to the position of the number one prince in the world, and lived a life of luxury and wealth, Yuan Shao felt vaguely that something was gradually disappearing in his heart. Now that Wuchao was in danger and the army was facing the risk of death, he found what was missing in his heart.

That is the fighting spirit of fearlessness, risking one's life in battle, and daring to be the first in the world.

All along, he has relied on this fighting spirit to win the battles against Gongsun Zan, who controlled the Youyan Iron Cavalry, and the Black Mountain Bandits who had been rampant in Taihang for more than ten years. Even if he failed, he could quickly turn things around.

Yuan Shao regained his fighting spirit and shouted in excitement: "Speed ​​up, speed up, help me to kill this group of Cao's sneaky troops."

Under Yuan Shao's strict orders, the pace of the halberd soldiers quickened a bit, almost moving as fast as the wind, catching up with the speed of the light cavalry.

At this moment in Wuchao, Cao Cao heard the sound of cavalrymen stepping on the ground from the rear. He knew that it was Yuan army's light cavalry rushing to rescue Wuchao. While the enemy reinforcements were about to arrive, they had not yet broken through Wuchao's camp.

Captain Lou Yi rode a fast horse to Cao Cao's side and reported to him: "Mingsir, Yuan's light cavalry is only a few miles away. I'm afraid it won't take a moment for them to attack our rear."

At this point, Lou Yi's words became somewhat anxious: "As long as Wuchao is not taken and reinforcements are coming from behind, our army will be attacked from both sides. The situation is critical. Please go ahead and leave this to me."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing that, Cao Cao glanced at Lou Yi fiercely.

Under the moonlight, Lou Yi saw Cao Cao's expression, which was particularly ferocious, with bloodshot eyes, as if he was a gambler who had put all his chips on the table and was just waiting for the moment when the pot would be opened, but was suddenly pulled away from the table.

Cao Cao shouted, "We'll talk about this after Yuan's army arrives behind us."

After saying this, Cao Cao drew the Qingguang sword from his waist, rode forward, and rushed towards Chunyu Qiong's camp as the commander-in-chief: "This time, we have to fight once and for all. Either you break through this camp, or I will die here. Kill me."

As Cao Cao's banner moved forward, the morale of Cao's army was greatly boosted. As a brave general under Cao Cao, Le Jin was greatly encouraged at this moment. He was courageous and fearless. He ignored the spears stabbing at him and rushed sideways into the opposite Yuan army. He slashed with his ring-handled sword several times, disrupting the formation of Yuan's army.

In an instant, Yuan's army formation showed signs of collapse, and Cao's army followed Le Jin and advanced fiercely.

Finally, Yuan's army could not withstand the attack of Cao's army. They threw down their spears one by one and fled without care.

Seeing this, Chunyu Qiong, who was guarding Wuchao, shouted loudly, using threats and inducements in his words in order to persuade his soldiers to hold on. However, his men had already lost their courage and dared not fight anymore. The desire to flee was like a flood that overwhelmed his men. In a short while, all the more than 10,000 Yuan troops guarding Wuchao fled.

"Fire, fire, fire." Cao Cao shouted loudly.

Taking down Wuchao was only the first step. The second and most important step was to use the firewood he carried to burn the food and fodder in Wuchao's granaries. Only when all the food and fodder in Wuchao was burned, would victory in this battle fall firmly into his pocket.

Under Cao Cao's stern command, the Cao army that defeated Chunyu Qiong's troops began to light torches and burn the granaries in Wuchao. One granary after another was set on fire by the Cao army, and the flames shot up into the sky and could be seen from miles away.

Yuan Shao, who had arrived in person and marched quickly there, also saw the flames. His body couldn't help but tremble slightly, but he gritted his teeth secretly, tried to keep his body steady, and urged his halberd soldiers forward in a stern voice.

Jiang Qi, who led the first batch of troops to rescue Wuchao, was so frightened when he saw Cao's army break through Wuchao and the granaries catch fire. He lost balance and almost fell off his horse. The light cavalry under his command were also unstable.

At this time, a large banner was pushed to Wuchao. Seeing this, Jiang Qi's spirits revived, and the fighting spirit of his soldiers was also ignited.

There was no other reason, because that big banner was the one that would be raised when Yuan Shao arrived in person, but Yuan Shao was still on his way to Wuchao, and this big banner was the one that Yuan Shao ordered his men to deliver to Wuchao at full speed in order to boost the morale of the army.

"Go ahead, drive out Cao's army and save Wuchao." Jiang Qi shouted and led his troops to attack Cao's army, which was at its peak of morale.

Jiang Qi's troops engaged in a melee with Cao's army, and the second batch of Yan Liang and Wen Chou's troops also hurried here.

At this time, most of the granaries in Wuchao were burned down by Cao's army. Jiang Qi was defending the remaining granaries. Yan Liang and Wen Chou immediately joined the battle. They had no intention of killing Cao's army, but prioritized protecting the granaries.

"They are coming so fast." As Yuan's army continued to arrive, Cao Cao looked at the remaining food and grass in Wuchao with a heavy expression. If he could not completely burn down the granary in Wuchao, this battle would not be a complete success.

Cao Cao calculated that the remaining granary could provide food for Yuan's army for three or two days. It was possible that Yuan Shao could stabilize the morale of the army and lead the army back north with the remaining food.

"How hateful." However, Yuan's troops kept arriving. With the situation as it was, Cao Cao knew that he would not be able to prevail tonight. If he did not retreat, he would be in danger when Yuan's troops arrived and surrounded him from all sides.

"Follow me and leave. Yue Jin will take over the palace." Cao Cao gave the order and left Wuchao unwillingly. (End of this chapter)