Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1016: Unexpected Surprise
Seeing Cai Mao leading his troops to retreat, Guan Ping and others cheered: "Brother, the enemy is dying. Haha, let's catch up and kill them all."

"That's right, let's just chop off the old villain Cao Cao's head in one fell swoop. Hey, that would be really satisfying."

Cheng Yang looked very excited.

Liu Zheng pursed his lips and said, "Why do I feel that Cao's army's retreat is a little strange... The two armies haven't really fought each other yet. It's only been a short while since they started fighting, and they still have the advantage in numbers. If they suddenly retreat, I'm afraid it's a trick."

"Brother, what kind of trick can this be? Cao's soldiers are all cowards and not worth mentioning. If we don't chase them now, it will be too late."

Cheng Yang urged anxiously.

"Hmm..." Liu Zheng held his chin and pondered for a moment.

"Well... we have to chase him, but we can't take risks lightly."

He then shouted, "All troops, listen up. Slow down the pursuit and don't really catch up with the enemy. If the enemy stops running, fight them head-on. If you encounter an ambush, withdraw immediately."

The people at Hulao Pass were very surprised to see the 20,000 cavalrymen following Cao's 50,000 infantrymen at a leisurely pace.

The Princess of Wusun tilted her head and said, "Eh? Your Majesty, you are obviously cavalry chasing infantry, how come you can't catch up?"

Nan Duohe said hurriedly: "Your Majesty must have a clever plan to deal with the rebels."

Liu He smiled slightly and did not answer. Instead, he looked at Zhuge Liang and said, "Kong Ming, do you think Zheng'er's behavior is appropriate?"

Zhuge Liang bowed and said, "Your Highness, you should play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. You should make full use of the flexibility of your cavalry to avoid the risk of being ambushed and besieged by the enemy's large forces. You should advance and retreat in moderation and be prepared for both offense and defense. This is the best strategy."

"Yes, Your Highness is so young, yet he is able to respond to situations so well. He is truly a genius in the army."

Xun You, Liu He's military strategist, also praised him highly.

Liu He felt somewhat proud. Since the last battle in Yuzhou, Liu Zheng's various attributes had improved by leaps and bounds. After returning to Luoyang, Liu He, Guan Yu, Xun Yu, Cui Jun, Zhang Yong and others had instructed him in person, summarizing his insights, experiences and lessons from several battles one by one.

This child has a very strong comprehension. In a short period of time, he has improved his command to 72 points and his intelligence to 84 points. He also has the ability to stand on his own, which makes Liu He extremely pleased.

He was happy, but Cao Cao frowned.

"Hmm? That kid doesn't seem to have fallen into the trap?"

Guo Jia looked at Liu Zheng's pursuers and said, "I thought that young people would be greedy and reckless, but I didn't expect that this boy may look rough but is actually very thoughtful. I underestimated him. No wonder Liu He sent such a young man as a vanguard. This man has some outstanding qualities."

"Under the current situation, the original plan is no longer feasible. In my opinion, since the enemy has such insight and strategy, they will definitely prepare to launch a full-scale attack when they are sure there is no ambush. If we want to achieve the initial goal of a narrow victory, we should order Cai Mao and Huang Zhong to form a battle array on the spot and fight with the enemy, while the reinforcements will continue to stay put to avoid alerting the enemy."

Cheng Yu's suggestion was immediately recognized by Cao Cao.

"Okay, let's follow Zhongde's plan."

Liu Zheng was leading the cavalry and kept a distance of more than a hundred steps from Cai Mao's army. However, the 50,000 infantry in front suddenly stopped.

"Stop!" Liu Zheng immediately stopped the entire army.

Cai Mao and Huang Zhong turned around and attacked back at the same time, and the 50,000-strong army also turned around and rushed towards Liu Zheng and others.

Seeing this, Liu Zheng shouted excitedly: "Haha, it's just as I expected. Brothers, the enemy didn't set up an ambush. They just wanted to make a surprise attack. Come with me and kill them happily."

After saying that, he brandished the glittering cold jade spear and rushed into the camp set up by Cao's army.

These 20,000 imperial guards rushed out of Hulao Pass with great momentum, but they had been holding back for a long time and had not fought much. They were just playing the game of chasing each other, which really bored them. Now they can finally let go and fight. These soldiers are howling, afraid that they will not be able to grab the credit if they are slow. Huang Zhong stared at Liu Zheng with bloodshot eyes, as if he wanted to eat him alive: "Little thief, I want to see if you can block a few of my arrows."

From a hundred steps away, he drew his bow and arrow again, aiming at Liu Zheng.

Just as he was about to shoot, a messenger suddenly ran over and said, "General Huang, the lord has ordered that we cannot fight with all our might in this battle. Although we must win, we cannot win too easily, and we must not kill the enemy's main general."

Huang Zhong then remembered Cao Cao's instructions before the battle, and was filled with resentment. He had no choice but to put down his longbow, pick up his phoenix-beak sword, and charge into the enemy army.

Liu Zheng and others, however, were completely unaware of Cao Cao's order. They only saw that Cao's army seemed to have mediocre morale and were not very motivated to fight. It was also very common for a commander of an army of 50,000. However, in Liu Zheng's eyes, this was also expected. After all, Cai Mao was not a top general.

Therefore, he and Guan Ping and others fought without any worries and had a great time.

"Divide!" Liu Zheng shouted, and 20,000 cavalrymen immediately separated to the left and right and encircled the two wings of Cao's army.

"combine!"

The two imperial guards turned into two sharp arrows, shot their bows left and right, and rushed into Cao's camp at the same time. In a blink of an eye, they had scattered Cao's army.

"Hey, it's refreshing. It's really refreshing." Liu Zheng just felt that the battle was very enjoyable.

The many Western Regions envoys at Hulao Pass were stunned.

"Your Majesty's prince is truly invincible."

"Your Majesty's cavalry is unrivaled in the world. This is truly an eye-opener for us ministers."

"We no longer have any doubts about the might of the Han Empire."

Cao Cao watched the battle for a while, then murmured, "Hmm... I think the enemy has begun to despise us. In a little while, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan will each lead 10,000 soldiers to repel the enemy and rescue Cai Mao and Huang Zhong. Then my plan will be accomplished."

"My lord, you have made a thorough consideration. If this happens, Liu He will certainly underestimate our army. I am afraid he will send one or two of the generals such as Guan, Cheng, Zhang, and Gao to lead the army out of the pass for a decisive battle. That will be the time for our army to win."

Cheng Yu's words gave many soldiers more confidence. Once this plan succeeded, it would be just a matter of time for them to take control of Luoyang and establish their rule in the Central Plains.

However, at this moment, two figures suddenly emerged from a wild jungle not far away without anyone noticing.

When these two men saw the battlefield ahead, instead of being afraid, they seemed extremely excited and happy. To be precise, they saw Cao's army.

"Haha...Brother Wenchang, we found it, we finally found it, the lord...the lord is just ahead..."

Dian Wei was extremely excited and cheered, and the person next to him was Wei Yan.

Wei Yan's eyes were shining brightly at this moment. "Those who survive a great disaster will surely have good fortune in the future. I, Wei Yan, saved Dian Wei from the army and escaped to this place. Humph, how can the lord not make more use of me?"

He quickly noticed the battle situation in front of him and began to wonder, "Hmm? Those seem to be the troops from Jingzhou. Our army is clearly at a disadvantage, so why is the lord's army in the rear not moving?"

He thought for a moment, and suddenly slapped his thigh: "Ah, I understand. The lord has always been cautious and suspicious. He must be afraid that Liu He has set an ambush, so he dare not act rashly. Well... they would never have thought that Dian Wei and I would escape here. If the two of us suddenly rush out, we might be able to accomplish unparalleled feats. By then..."

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He immediately patted Dian Wei and said, "General Dian, look, it seems that our two generals Cai Mao and Huang Zhong from Jingzhou are fighting with the cavalry under Liu He. Those cavalry are all wearing armor, and they are obviously the elite in Luoyang City. Our Jingzhou infantry are obviously no match for them."

Dian Wei took a look at the battle situation and also called the battle together: "That's right, what are we waiting for? Let's go up and help."

Without saying a word, the two of them rushed over, regardless of the fatigue from the long journey.

(End of this chapter)