Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 627 The fight between trapped beasts
Jinling City was built on the banks of the Qinhuai River. After Cao Cao moved the capital to Jinling, he expanded the Stone City. The new city stood across the water, with a circumference of more than ten li. It consisted of two interconnected cities, Zi and Luo. It was bordered by Xuanwu Lake to the east, the Qinhuai River to the west, Zhongshan Mountain to the south, and the Yangtze River to the north.

Knowing the city was difficult to breach, Generals Zhang and Xu deployed troops on the west, south, and east sides, and a naval force on the north, totaling 70,000 men. Because the eastern side was close to Xuanwu Lake, the Tang army mainly camped along the mountains and fields on the west and south sides.

The area around Jinling was prone to flooding, with continuous heavy rains causing the waters to swell and the camp to become damp. The soldiers all wanted to move to higher ground, but Zhang Liao initially disagreed. Just then, Cao Cao sent an envoy to surrender, and Zhang Liao adopted Jia Xu's suggestion, agreeing to the strategy of relocating the camp.

On July 21, the weather cleared up a bit. Perhaps Cao Cao's feigned surrender had worked, as the Tang soldiers were becoming complacent. Under the command of their officers, they busied themselves dismantling their camps and preparing to move to a high hill a few miles away to set up camp.

On the city wall, looking at the Tang soldiers below working enthusiastically, Cao Cao looked at Xun Yu and said, "Wenruo, the Tang bandits are lax and easy to attack. I want to lead my elite troops to attack and turn the tide of the current situation. What do you think?"

Xun Yu frowned and said, "The enemy has rashly moved their camp, violating the taboos of military strategy. If the Prime Minister leads his elite troops to attack, observe their weaknesses and then use his troops, he may be able to win in one fell swoop. However, I fear that this is a ruse by the enemy to lure the Prime Minister into a battle in the open field."

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and said, "The enemy has besieged the city for more than sixty days, and the city's food supplies are gradually running low. If we do not send troops now, I will be without food for a long time and will eventually be defeated by the Tang invaders. Moreover, I sent an envoy to feign surrender in order to take advantage of the enemy's laxity. My friend, please do not doubt me. The outcome depends on this battle. I will lead my elite troops to attack, and I will trouble you to stay and guard the city."

"I await the Prime Minister's triumphant return in the city!"

Xun Yu, with a solemn expression, bowed and paid homage to Cao Cao.

"Gather 30,000 elite troops and follow me out of the city for a decisive battle!" Cao Cao waved his hand and ordered his men.

"promise!"

There were 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers in the city, but many of them were old and weak soldiers who were temporarily conscripted. Therefore, Cao Cao had about 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers available for battle.

When Cao Cao mobilized his troops for the decisive battle, the Tang army on the plains moved slowly up the hills like ants carrying food, while the patrolling troops numbered only a few thousand, symbolically defending against Cao Cao's surprise attack.

At noon, seeing that the Tang army's relocation of camp outside the city was halfway complete and their troops scattered across the fields, Cao Cao gave an order, and tens of thousands of Cao soldiers filed out of the city, drums beating and banners waving. To contain the Tang army to the east of the city, Cao Cao ordered Cao Ang to lead 10,000 troops out, while he himself led 30,000 troops to attack from the west and south gates.

"Zihe, lead the cavalry ahead!" Cao Cao said, pointing his whip forward.

"promise!"

Cao Chun whipped his horse and shouted, "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, follow me!"

"Woo!"

With the sound of drums, Cao Chun led his Tiger and Leopard Cavalry out to drive away the Tang soldiers wandering the fields, and then swept away the Tang soldiers who remained in the old Tang army camp.

"Bah!"

Upon seeing Cao's cavalry charging with swords and spears, the Tang army seemed surprised that Cao's army, which had previously surrendered, would come out of the city to attack. They hurriedly abandoned their baggage and felt tents and scattered in all directions, fleeing from camp.

Some Tang generals on guard duty attempted to engage the enemy, but Cao Chun took advantage of their formation and led his cavalry in a charge, hacking and slashing with swords and spears. The Tang soldiers were slaughtered and fled in disarray.

Or perhaps the archers saw Cao Chun leading his cavalry in a surprise attack and hurriedly drew their bows to fire. But before they could even release their arrows, they were met with a hail of arrows, forcing them to dodge in panic.

"happy!"

Cao Chun shot and killed a Tang archer with an arrow, then looked up and laughed.

Cao Chun's elder brother was Cao Ren, and his brother's death in battle filled Cao Chun with rage against the Tang army. He wished he could exterminate all the Tang people to avenge his brother.

"Boom!"

The Cao army's attack alerted the Tang army. The deep beat of drums resounded across the plains as Tang officers shouted and ran, rallying their troops to meet the attack. Although the Cao army's attack was sudden, the well-prepared Tang soldiers did not panic but quickly took their positions at the command of their officers.

For example, Tang soldiers who were relocating their camp were wearing armor and carrying weapons. They abandoned their baggage on the spot and formed ranks under the command of their officers. Their rapid response was remarkable and can be described as that of a strong army.

One of the cavalry units, under Zhang Liao's command, was the first to attack, their horse flags fluttering in the wind.

"Whoosh!"

Ma Chao shot down one of Cao Cao's cavalrymen with an arrow and shouted, "Stop your arrogance! Ma Mengqi is here!"

Soon, Ma Chao's elite cavalry clashed with Cao Chun's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in a fierce battle. On the plains and in abandoned fortifications, the cavalrymen fought one-on-one.

Although Cao Chun's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry was a cavalry force carefully trained by Cao Cao, it was far inferior to the Imperial Guard cavalry directly under Ma Chao's command. Their armor and weapons were comparable, but the size of their horses and the bravery of their riders were simply incomparable.

Therefore, after two or three rounds of fighting, despite Cao Chun's superior martial prowess, he was still repeatedly defeated due to the disparity in overall strength. Fortunately, the majority of Cao's army had now completed its formation and, under Cao Cao's command, continued to advance.

Seeing that the mission was accomplished, Cao Chun led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to withdraw in time and retreat to the side of the infantry.

"Pooh!"

Ma Chao spat and said disdainfully, "I'll let you go this time!"

"Retreat!" Fearing the infantry's crossbows, Ma Chao led his cavalry to retreat slightly, to hold off the approaching Tang infantry.

"Woo!"

At the sound of horns, thousands of heavily armored soldiers pressed forward, their armor thick and heavy, bows and crossbows at their waists, spears and shields in hand. As they advanced in unison, the clanging of armor plates against each other echoed through the ranks, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

Where is Liu Yi?

Xu Chu spurred his horse out of the formation and shouted towards the front camp.

"I am here!"

Upon hearing the summons, Liu Yi quickly stepped out of the formation to respond.

Xu Chu pointed his whip diagonally at Cao Cao's army and said, "The Trapped Camp is my army, which has defeated countless enemies in the past. Now that you are in command of the battle, if you tarnish the prestige of my army, I will behead you first!"

General Liu Yi said fiercely, "Even if you don't say it, I know the might of the Trapped Camp. I will live and die with the army. If the army is disbanded, I will cut myself off from the army."

"it is good!"

Xu Chu glanced at the approaching Cao army, then led his personal guards back to the central army to command his troops to meet Cao's army in battle.

"The will to charge into battle!"

The lead soldier shouted, and the soldiers behind him responded in kind.

"There is no hope of survival!"

Their slogans resounded across the plains, their boldness no less than that of tens of thousands of Cao Cao's troops.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's expression darkened slightly. How could he not know the name of the Trapped Camp?

Since Zhang Yu raised his army, he has selected the strongest and most capable soldiers to fill the elite elite troops, under the command of Gao Shun and Xu Chu, who have repeatedly defeated powerful enemies for Zhang Yu. Now, sending the elite troops to meet the enemy in battle will likely result in a tough fight.

"Send the order to Wenze: his elite troops are well-trained; whether they can defeat the enemy depends on him!" Cao Cao instructed.

"promise!"

In order to gain the upper hand in defeating the enemy, Cao Cao deployed Yu Jin in the front lines. Yu Jin's infantry consisted of soldiers from Danyang, all of whom were fierce and skilled fighters.

"kill!"

The two armies first clashed with arrows, but because both sides' soldiers were heavily armored, the arrows did not cause much damage. After three arrows, the two most elite infantry units fought each other.

"Kill the thief!"

"One slave for every headheaded person!"
To boost the morale of his soldiers, Cao Cao's officers offered high rewards. The Vanguard Camp, however, remained much quieter. Years of combat experience had taught them what they could gain from fighting and the price of desertion; therefore, apart from the sounds of battle and the cries of the wounded, there was no other noise.

While the enemy forces were locked in fierce fighting, Tang generals such as Zhang Liao and Jia Xu stood on the watchtowers of the mountain camp.

"Sir, your wisdom is truly remarkable! You were able to see through Cao Cao's feigned surrender!" Zhang Liao said admiringly.

"You flatter me!"

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Cao Mengde is cunning in his military tactics and fond of using tricks. He first lured Liu Bei to Jiangdong under the pretext of a marriage alliance and then imprisoned him. Now, in order to seek a way out, he might very well feign surrender and then attack us."

As he spoke, Jia Xu turned around and bowed to Zhang Liao, saying, "Congratulations, Commander-in-Chief! Cao Cao has launched his attack as planned. Now, if we follow his strategy, we will defeat Cao Cao today."

"Ok!"

Zhang Liao nodded and smiled, saying, "Let Xu Chu lead the armored soldiers to wear down Cao Cao for a while. When Cao Cao's soldiers are exhausted, we can send Gongming and Zilong to press forward."

Jia Xu's strategy was simple: deliberately neglecting to move the camp, allowing Cao Cao, who had feigned surrender, to launch an attack. In order to defeat Cao Cao, Xu Chu was ordered to lead 5,000 elite infantrymen to meet the enemy and hold off Cao Cao's troops.

Xu Huang gathered 30,000 elite troops, but did not rush to put them into battle. He waited until Cao Cao's troops were exhausted from fighting before sending fresh troops into the battlefield, thus achieving the tactical goal of defeating the enemy in one battle.

Therefore, looking at the situation from the top, Xu Chu's 5,000 troops were fighting Cao Cao's army along the Qinhuai River, with Ma Chao's cavalry providing support on the flank. In comparison, the 5,000 Tang soldiers' formation was very shallow, while Cao Cao's formation was very solid.

Outside the main battlefield, Xu Huang and Zhao Yun each led 15,000 infantry and cavalry, leisurely preparing their formations. They would wait until Cao Cao's army was exhausted before launching their final assault. The troops scattered by Cao Cao's cavalry earlier regrouped under the central banner, ready for any eventuality!

(End of this chapter)