With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 191, Cao Cao fell into the trap.
After nightfall, Cao Cao ordered his soldiers to eat their fill early and prepare for an attack, while Dian Wei, along with several scouts, quietly sneaked into Yuan Shao's camp to gather intelligence.

Xu You was pondering how to ensure his safety.

Staying by Cao Cao's side would obviously be very bad; we must get away as soon as possible!

Xu You observed the battlefield, his mind racing. Soon, his gaze fell on the earthen slope to the east.

Xu You's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly went to Cao Cao's side.

Cao Cao was lying on the ground with his eyes closed, as if he were asleep. At first glance, he looked very relaxed.

"Mengde, Mengde."

Xu You called out softly twice before Cao Cao slowly opened his eyes.

Xu You couldn't help but admire Cao Cao; even at this critical moment, he remained so calm and composed, lying here resting.

"What's wrong?" Cao Cao glanced at Xu You and asked.

"Mengde, have you noticed the earthen slope to the east? There are several arrow towers and sentry towers on it, which are in our way. I plan to take some men over there and eliminate those targets."

Cao Cao did not answer immediately, but continued to look at him calmly.

Time seemed to stand still. Xu You felt a little uneasy under their gaze and pretended to be angry, saying, "What's wrong? Don't you believe me?"

Cao Cao smiled and said, "Ziyuan, you're overthinking it. If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have come to Wuchao with you."

After a while, Dian Wei returned. Dian Wei had years of experience hunting in the mountains and was extremely agile. When he was sent to scout out the enemy, he was like a tiger or leopard darting through the forest, and it was not easy to detect his whereabouts.

Dian Wei said, "My lord, the Yuan army's camp is extremely poorly defended, and its number is nearly ten thousand."

With five thousand against ten thousand, Cao Cao was still very confident.

"Are you sure it's Chunyu Qiong who's stationed here?"

Dian Wei said, "I dare not get too close. Although I did not see Chunyu Qiong himself, I am indeed using Chunyu Qiong's name."

Dian Wei didn't know many characters, but he could still see the character "淳" clearly, even though it was so conspicuous on the flagpole.

Xu You also said, "Mengde, don't worry, my intelligence is accurate. Chunyu Qiong is indeed stationed here. Don't you know him? He loves drinking and often violates military regulations, which has led to him being reprimanded by Yuan Shao."

Cao Cao nodded, looked up at the night sky. There was no moon tonight, the night was as dark as ink, visibility was very poor, and there was a wind blowing. It was perfect weather for murder and arson.

Xu You pleaded again, "Mengde, please don't hesitate any longer. That earthen slope is high up, and the watchtowers and sentry towers on it are too obstructive."

Cao Cao wasn't in a hurry. He waved his hand and said, "Wait a little longer. We'll make our move when it's late at night."

And so, another full hour passed, and Xu You was getting impatient. Cao Cao finally called Dian Wei, Xu Huang, and the others to his side, gave them a few careful instructions, and then had them take a few dozen men and follow Xu You as they sneaked over.

With midnight fast approaching and Gao Lan, who was quite far from Wuchao, was getting impatient.

Gao Lan anxiously urged Zhang He, "Yi, our lord ordered us to set up an ambush on the outskirts, but you told us to stay put here. We've been waiting for so long and haven't done anything."

Zhang He's resolute face remained completely calm as he said, "Cao Cao is very vigilant. If we get too close, he will easily notice us. Let's be patient and wait a little longer."

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Gao Lan asked impatiently.

Zhang He looked at him quietly, and after a moment of silence, said, "We'll go over when Cao Cao makes his move."

Gao Lan stared wide-eyed in surprise, "Won't it be too late to go over after Cao Cao makes his move?"

Zhang He said, "I've already calculated the distance from here to Wuchao. Half an hour is enough to get there. Although I don't think Chunyu Qiong's 10,000 troops can stop Cao Cao's 5,000 men, they should be able to hold out for half an hour without any problem."

Gao Lan snorted, "If Chunyu Qiong heard you say that about him, he would fight you to the death."

Zhang He sneered, "If he wants to fight me to the death, he'll have to survive Cao Cao's clutches first."

Zhang He was always calm and collected. Although Cao Cao only brought five thousand men, they were the elite of the elite, the best of the best, and their combat power was absolutely terrifying.

As for Chunyu Qiong, he can only pray for his own good fortune and focus on surviving first!

Zhang He had no selfish motives; he only cared about the timing of his move!
The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind!

Zhang He never dreamed that, despite his already secretive actions, there was a mysterious army silently operating behind him.

Gan Ning carried his broadsword to a tree. Liu Xie was leaning against the tree trunk. The surrounding woods were densely packed with people, and there was no light at all. You would never notice anyone there unless you looked closely.

"Your Majesty," Gan Ning called out in a low voice.

"Xingba, you're back. How are you?" Liu Xie's voice rang out in the darkness.

Gan Ning said, "It was pitch black. I was almost at Yuan Jun's side when, good heavens, there were tens of thousands of ambushes. They were all standing still three miles in front of us. These people are really patient."

Liu Xie laughed, "Don't underestimate Yuan Shao's men. They have quite a few capable people. Since they're not in a hurry, we shouldn't be either."

"Your Majesty, I just went over there and those Yuan soldiers kept complaining. It's not pleasant to be bitten by mosquitoes in the woods. Fortunately, Your Majesty was prepared and had us all wrapped... yes, wrapped our legs in leggings."

The term "leg bindings" was a bit of a mouthful for Gan Ning, and he couldn't quite pronounce it fluently for the time being.

Liu Xie nodded slightly and said, "There are the most mosquitoes at night. Besides, there are all kinds of insects in the mountains and fields. If you don't have any protection on your legs, you might get bitten."

Xu Huang and his men all carried bows and arrows, and their archery skills were quite good, especially Xu Huang, whose arrows never missed.

Approaching a watchtower, with a whoosh, Xu Huang shot an arrow that struck Yuan Bing, piercing his neck on the spot.

"No, someone attacked!"

One of Yuan's soldiers cried out in alarm, but before he could finish speaking, Dian Wei hurled a small halberd at him and shot him dead!

Dian Wei was not only brave in battle, but also had a knack for throwing hidden weapons with perfect accuracy. He always carried twelve short halberds at his waist and rarely missed.

The group acted decisively, showing no mercy even when it alerted the enemy.

Enemies inside the arrow towers and watchtowers screamed as they fell heavily from their heights. "Enemy attack! Someone is ambushing us!" The shouts from the earthen slope finally attracted the attention of Yuan's soldiers in the main camp, and some began to gather and rush towards the earthen slope.

Naturally, some people also rushed to Chunyu Qiong's camp to report to him.

Chunyu Qiong really drank quite a bit tonight. Anyway, he felt that he was the bait, so drinking a little wouldn't hurt.

It would both entice Cao Cao and satisfy his interests, so why not?

Chunyu Qiong was quite dismissive of the report.

As Yuan Jun climbed the earthen slope and began to surround them, Xu You seized an opportunity to turn and leave. Dian Wei rushed over and said, "It's dangerous here. You should stay with me."

Without saying a word, Dian Wei shielded Xu You by his side.

Xu You was so anxious he could only stare wide-eyed. He couldn't just run away in front of Dian Wei, could he? Xu You was both anxious and angry, but there was nothing he could do.

Dian Wei and his men did not return immediately, which puzzled Xu You.

Cao Cao remained inactive, quietly observing the reaction of Yuan's army's main camp.

"My lord, how is it? Can we make our move now?" Xiahou Yuan asked anxiously.

Cao Cao discovered that there was enemy activity on the earthen slope, but Yuan's army did not react quickly enough and seemed unprepared.

This is very much in line with Chunyu Qiong's style: carefree and easygoing. When he was the Commandant of the Western Garden in Luoyang, Chunyu Qiong had very poor military discipline, and Cao Cao knew him quite well.

If Yuan Jun's reaction was swift and decisive, Cao Cao would suspect a trap.

Unfortunately, Cao Cao was unaware that Chunyu Qiong was simply playing himself tonight. At Liu Bei's suggestion, Yuan Shao wanted him to remain true to his nature, drinking and being as carefree as he always was, just like he always was.

Therefore, Cao Cao thought he had observed very carefully, but he still fell into the trap.

However, Cao Cao was still clever. He sent Dian Wei and Xu Huang with men to clear the obstacles on the earthen slope, and also to use them to attract Yuan Shao's army, further dispersing the enemy's forces.

In this way, the number of troops in Yuan's camp was reduced by a lot. Seeing that the time was about right, about a third of the men rushed up the earthen slope. Cao Cao quickly mounted his mount, drew his long sword decisively, and shouted, "Soldiers, follow me and kill!"

Cao Cao took the lead and charged out.

Xu Chu, Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Liao, and others, along with thousands of Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, surged into Yuan's army camp like a raging torrent of steel.

The outermost Yuan soldiers had no time to react before they were knocked to the ground by warhorses and hacked to death by swords and spears.

The gleaming swords and spears in Cao Jun's hands flashed with a blinding cold light, mercilessly wielding them in the night sky. They were like vengeful demons, frantically reaping the lives of Yuan Jun's troops.

"Don't linger in battle, quickly set fire to the supplies!" Cao Cao shouted as he wielded his sword to kill the enemy.

The haystacks and grain stacks were at the rear of the camp. The men continued to charge forward, shouting battle cries. Yuan's army was scattered and could hardly resist.

Xu Chu, Zhang Liao, Xiahou Yuan, and others were like tigers descending from the mountain, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry was unstoppable, sweeping away all obstacles.

The group charged forward at breakneck speed, their momentum fierce, causing Yuan's soldiers to scream in agony as blood and flesh flew everywhere.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry charged forward with overwhelming force, sweeping away Yuan's troops with unstoppable momentum, causing their morale to crumble rapidly.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry accelerated, the riders brandishing their swords and spears, using the momentum of their horses to hack and slash.

Yuan Bing screamed in terror as his flesh and blood flew everywhere. If he was even slightly slow, he would be knocked to the ground and his body would be brutally crushed by the iron hooves of the warhorses. One by one, the once vibrant lives became so fragile and vulnerable in front of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

Everywhere there were scenes of blood and flesh flying everywhere, and one-sided massacres were taking place everywhere.

Although Chunyu Qiong wanted to lead his men to meet the enemy and try to stop Cao Cao, he underestimated the formidable fighting power of Cao Cao's army.

Cao Cao led from the front, and Xu Chu, Xiahou Yuan, and others were all fearless warriors. With everyone united and roaring, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry displayed their fighting prowess to the fullest, turning the places they passed into a blood-red hell.

As time ticked by, the battlefield grew increasingly tense and brutal. The sounds of clashing weapons filled the air, and blood and severed limbs splattered everywhere.

Seeing Yuan Jun being swept away and thrown into chaos, Chunyu Qiong kept shouting, "Stop them! Stop them!"

But these few thousand Cao soldiers were Cao Cao's elite troops, and they were no match for him. Before long, they broke through Chunyu Qiong's defenses and rushed toward the place where the grain was stored, getting closer and closer.

Xiahou Yuan cleaved the head off a Yuan soldier with a single stroke. Seeing a burning brazier not far away, with pine resin burning hot, Xiahou Yuan rushed over and used his broadsword to lift the brazier high into the air, then hurled it at a haystack in the distance.

Some of Cao's soldiers lit torches and charged madly at haystacks and grain stacks, and even Yuan's army tents. They wouldn't let anything that could be set on fire go.

However, after Xiahou Yuan lit a haystack, the fire subsided after only a short time on the surface, revealing a lot of yellowish-brown material inside.

After spurring his horse closer, Xiahou Yuan took a closer look and immediately burst into curses, "My lord, we've fallen into a trap!"

Xiahou Yuan used his broadsword to pry open a bag, and dust immediately flew up. He rushed to the next haystack, which was in the same state.

Before long, the other soldiers also discovered the problem.

Only the surface layer was made of hay and grain; inside, it was filled with bags and bags of soil. Whether it was a haystack or a grain stack, it was all fake.

Chunyu Qiong organized his troops from the rear again and charged forward once more. As they drew nearer, Chunyu Qiong let out a triumphant laugh, "Cao Cao, everyone says you are exceptionally clever, but who would have thought that you would fall into a trap like this!"

Cao Cao stared at the dust-filled scene ahead, his facial muscles twitching in waves.

Dian Wei also brought Xu You over. Cao Cao, mounted on his horse, looked down at Xu You and gritted his teeth, saying, "Xu You, tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Xu You was also terrified, his whole body trembling.

Only now did he realize how treacherous the plan was. He had only thought of luring Cao Cao over, hoping to escape in the chaos, but he never expected that he would be unable to escape.

This is troublesome!
Xu You's face turned ashen, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He immediately begged for mercy, saying, "Mengde... I had no choice. Yuan Shao captured my family, and I had no other option."

Cao Cao's face grew increasingly frightening, his eyes chillingly cold. Just as Xu You finished speaking, Cao Cao spurred his horse forward and, with a soft thud, mercilessly plunged his sword into Xu You's heart.

Cao Cao was furious. Although Xu You died after struggling for a short time, the current situation made Cao Cao's mood plummet to freezing point!
(End of this chapter)