My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 605 Just give up when you’re ready
A north wind swept across the plains, carrying withered grass, as a thousand light cavalrymen clad in leather armor slowly advanced along the western horizon.

The leather armor of these cavalrymen gleamed a dark yellow under the rising sun, and scimitars and short bows hung beside their saddles. Their hooves kicked up fine dust as they trod across the plain.

Surrounded by his personal guards, Sun Ce walked at the front, a cold smile playing on his lips as he looked at the slightly panicked Cao army cavalry in the distance.

Then, Sun Ce looked back at his cavalry, who had already formed their ranks, and immediately gave the order.

"Wu Yu!"

"The humble position is here!"

A tall, thin man in his thirties immediately accepted the order.

"You will lead two hundred men to flank Cao Cao's army from the north and intercept them. If Cao Cao's troops come out of their camp to attack the rear of your troops, ignore them. I want you to launch a full-scale attack on Cao Cao's rear."

"Here!"

Wu Yu was Wu Jing's cousin and Sun Ce's uncle. He followed Sun Jian in his campaigns in the Central Plains and was familiar with cavalry warfare. He was one of Sun Ce's capable cavalry officers.

"Sun Xia!"

"The humble position is here!"

Another burly man rode out on horseback, bowing respectfully from his horse. This man was Sun Jian's cousin, and also a veteran of many battles, having served in the Sun family's old guard.

"You will lead two hundred men to raid from the south. After three drumbeats, I want to see you break through Cao Cao's left flank."

Sun Xia immediately responded, "Yes, sir!"

"Liu Shan!"

"The humble position is here!"

Liu Shan was a cavalryman recruited by Liu Feng in Hedong. He is now the cavalry captain and has been promoted to a mid-level officer.

Sun Ce continued to issue orders: "You shall lead your troops forward to the south side of the main camp. If any Cao army comes out of the camp to provide reinforcements, you shall stop them. Within three drumbeats, if any single person on horseback charges into the enemy ranks, you shall bring your head to me."

"Here!"

Liu Shan immediately accepted the order.

Although Liu Shan only had a hundred men under his command, Cao Cao's cavalry in the camp numbered over a thousand, not to mention the infantry who were also there to support him. It seemed that Sun Ce's mission was extremely unreasonable, sending Liu Shan to his death.

However, considering Liushan's geographical advantage, as long as the camp gate is blocked, there's no need to worry about the enemy breaking out for a while. Sun Ce wasn't telling him to block it indefinitely; he was just instructing him to maintain the three-beating of the war drums.

Sun Ce nodded in satisfaction and then ordered, "The rest of you, follow me and charge forward to crush the enemy cavalry!"

"Here!"

The garrison leaders responded to the order and dispersed, each returning to their respective positions.

"Blow the horn! Beat the drums!"

Sun Ce slowly loosened the reins and strode forward amidst the sound of drums and gongs.

The Left Guard Army's cavalry formation split into four groups, encircling Cao Cao's cavalry.

Although Cao's cavalry was outnumbered, they were not afraid at all. They stretched out their lines, using thickness to gain width, in an attempt to prevent the Left Wing Army's cavalry from launching a surprise attack and cutting off the battlefield.

War is imminent between the two sides.

"Form a goose formation!"

Sun Ce raised his spear high, the tip of which flashed coldly in the wind.

A thousand cavalrymen quickly deployed behind them, the left flank thrusting forward like the head of a goose, the right flank spreading out in an arc, the rustling of leather armor mingling with the snorting of warhorses, creating a chilling atmosphere.

The five hundred cavalry on the other side, however, went against the grain, charging straight at them in a wedge formation. The sound of their hooves rolled across the wasteland like muffled thunder, and their spears and sabers flashed in their hands.

When they were a hundred paces apart, both sides released their arrows almost simultaneously.

Arrows whistled through the air, some embedding themselves in leather armor with dull thuds, others grazing the horses' necks and falling into the grass.

The arrows rained down even more heavily on the left flank of the Left Army's cavalry, instantly felling more than a dozen riders in the front ranks, creating a gap at the tip of the wedge formation. But the remaining four hundred or so riders did not falter at all, using their momentum to charge straight into the center of the Left Army's cavalry, attempting to kill the general, seize the flag, and reverse the tide of battle.

The two sides were closing in on each other, and there was no time to fire a second volley of arrows. The knights threw down their bows and arrows, replaced them with lances from their sacks, and tucked them under their arms.

On the contrary, the two cavalry units flanking from the left side of the army played to their advantage, continuously launching volleys at Cao Cao's cavalry while encircling and closing in.

These projectiles not only caused Cao Cao's army to lose more than ten cavalrymen, but also disrupted their originally orderly formation.

The next moment, the vanguard of Cao's cavalry had already collided with the first rank of the Left Guard cavalry.

There was no clanging of metal as I had imagined, only the muffled sound of bones breaking and the horse's pitiful neighing.

Under the cover of his personal guards, Sun Ce, at the very front, used his lance to knock down the two Cao soldiers charging at the front. However, the lance shaft was cleaved in two by the Hu cavalry behind him with their sabers, revealing white wood shavings at the break.

Sun Ce immediately threw away the broken spear and replaced it with a spare lance.

A Cao soldier charged into the ranks of the Left Army, and with a dull thud as leather armor clashed against leather armor, his scimitar cleaved open the collarbone of a Left Army soldier. Blood sprayed onto the horse's mane and instantly froze into dark red ice beads.

The momentum of the hedging was exhausted within thirty steps.

Because both sides were in tight formations, there was no common occurrence of passing through each other. Instead, the surviving cavalrymen were squeezed together, with horses colliding shoulder to shoulder. When their forelegs were off the ground, the soles of their hooves were exposed, which could easily crush a person's skull.

A Left Guard knight tumbled off his horse and, before he could even get up, was trampled by three warhorses, the sound of his ribs breaking under his leather armor like bamboo snapping.

In his final moments, he swung his saber, slashing the hoof of the enemy's warhorse, causing the Cao soldiers and their horse to fall over.

The casualty figures on both sides continued to rise. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, more than a hundred people had been killed or wounded. But Cao's good luck came to an end.

The left flank and rear flanking forces were in position. Instead of charging directly, they unleashed a barrage of arrows at the flanks and rear of Cao Cao's army.

The morale of Cao's army plummeted under the long-range firepower, which shocked and angered Cao Chun in Zhao Wei's main camp.

However, he had no choice at this moment. He only had about two hundred riders with him. Even though he couldn't wait and was galloping towards the south gate of the camp, it would still take at least a cup of tea's time to rush into the battlefield.

"hateful……"

Cao Chun was furious, but he didn't utter a single word. Watching his elite cavalry being slaughtered by Sun Ce's Left Guard Army, Cao Chun bit his lower lip until it bled.

In the end, Cao Cao's elite cavalry could no longer hold out and began to collapse in retreat.

Wu Yu and Sun Xia's forces began to remobilize, launching a pincer attack on Cao Cao's army from two directions. In the end, only about two hundred of Cao Cao's troops managed to escape; the rest were either killed in battle or captured.

After controlling the key passage between the north and south camps, Sun Ce began to clean up the battlefield. In the distance, the infantry of the Left Guard Army was speeding towards them, and with Sun Ce's cavalry providing cover ahead, they could advance at full speed without any worries.

Only then did Cao Chun arrive at the South Gate.

Although he was burning with anger, Cao Chun did not act rashly.

At this time, the area outside the camp was filled with Sun Ce's cavalry. Going out of the camp at this time would inevitably result in heavy casualties, which is something a wise person would not do.

Cao Chun mustered his troops, ordered the cavalry to dismount and rest, mobilized the infantry to guard the camp walls, and began to assemble archers. At this point, any attempt to leave the camp would require the cover of archers. Without driving back the left flank's cavalry, let alone mounted archery, even a simple charge could inflict heavy casualties on Cao's army.

Soon, a battalion of Wei-branded Left Guard infantry arrived and took over Sun Ce's cavalry defenses. Sun Ce's cavalry then retreated to the rear to rest.

Looking at the infantry outside the camp, Cao Ang lost all desire to fight.

With the arrival of the Left Army, the battlefield began to calm down.

Although sporadic sounds of fighting still lingered, the three parties had generally begun to disengage.

At this time, Cao Cao's army occupied most of the area of ​​Zhao Wei's main camp, killing and capturing seven or eight thousand people.

The Shu army in the south also occupied three-fifths of the area, beheading more than 700 and capturing more than 1,900, achieving a victory with nearly half of its own forces.

The Hanzhong army in the north achieved fewer victories, but still beheaded more than 500 people, though they captured only more than 600 prisoners and occupied less than a third of the camp area.

Overall, the Allied forces killed or captured more than 10,000 people, while their own casualties were negligible, making it a glorious victory.

If the Left Guard Army hadn't arrived in time, Cao Cao's army would have faced a complete and utter victory.

The appearance of the Left Curtain Army forced the Allied Forces to retreat.

It wasn't that the Allied Forces were afraid of the Left Army, but rather that their forces had already been dispersed. If they didn't regroup in time, and were to encounter a surprise attack from the Left Army, there would only be one outcome: turning victory into defeat, or even a crushing defeat.

The retreat of the allied forces gave Zhao Wei's army a chance to catch its breath. Most of the thousands who fled gathered near the Left Army.

Zhao Wei, along with Pang Le and over a thousand personal guards, charged directly towards Lu Xun's command flag. The remaining soldiers of Zhao Wei's army in the camp, having escaped from their desperate situation, gathered towards the west of the camp as if granted a pardon.

Cao Ang stood on a high slope outside the camp, watching as a clear boundary was drawn between the allied forces and Zhao Wei's army, as if it had been cut apart by an invisible blade.

Sima Yi quietly approached Cao Ang and whispered his advice: "My lord, the opportunity has been lost. This is a dangerous place, and we should not stay any longer."

Cao Ang sighed deeply. He knew perfectly well that what Sima Yi said was true, but he was unwilling to accept it. It was as if a pent-up anger was pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

This could have been a complete victory; the allied forces could have swallowed Zhao Wei whole.

"Withdraw."

Cao Ang glanced at the Left Army, which was arrayed in the distance and approaching step by step. He also saw that Huang Quan of the Southern Camp had begun to organize his troops and then slowly withdrew from the Southern Camp. There was no sign of him sending reserves north to join Cao Ang in attacking Sun Ce and Wei Yan's forces.

It is clear that the Shu army did not want to fight at this moment, but rather wanted to withdraw while they were ahead.

The situation was even worse for the Hanzhong army in the north, as the appearance of the Left Guard Army actually caused a disturbance among the Hanzhong army.

Seeing this, Cao Ang clearly realized that he had to withdraw his troops.

At this moment, Cao Ang felt no joy whatsoever; instead, he was filled with lingering fear and trepidation at having survived a calamity.

Although Cao Ang was far less capable than Cao Cao in military affairs at this time, he could still see the situation clearly.

The Left Army was clearly well-prepared, otherwise it would have been impossible for them to arrive at the battlefield so quickly. So who was the Left Army's target?
Then it's just me.

Cao Ang was merely relieved that Zhao Wei was too weak; his 40,000 troops, defending a fortified camp, couldn't even hold out for two hours. If the enemy had been more resilient, he would now be caught in the crossfire. Even if he managed to break through, he would likely pay a heavy price.

At Cao Ang's command, the sound of retreat rang out on the battlefield.

Cao Cao's various units had already broken off contact with Zhao Wei's army, and Zhao Wei's army had been completely demoralized and disorganized. They were incapable of even harassing the enemy, let alone pursuing them.

Soon, the allied forces withdrew from Zhao Wei's camp like flowing water, then formed a battle formation on the east side of the camp and slowly retreated, while the Zuo Mu army opposite them showed no signs of pursuing.

"General, aren't we going to give chase?"

Wei Yan couldn't help but say, "The enemy force numbers no more than 30,000, and they are exhausted from a long battle. Now is the perfect opportunity to defeat them."

Lu Xun shook his head, a hint of regret in his eyes: "The art of war says, 'Do not pursue a desperate enemy.' Although they have fought for a long time, their military discipline is still strict and their formation is orderly. They should not be underestimated."

"So we just stand by and watch them leave?"

Wei Yan's face was flushed, and his brows were full of anger: "Even if we can't defeat the enemy, we can still win a great victory in the current battle."

Lu Xun, however, felt that Wei Yan was too optimistic; only 12,000 men had arrived at the battlefield. Cao Cao's army had arrived extremely suddenly, and although Lu Xun had made many preparations, he was still caught off guard.

In the rush, only 12,000 troops arrived at the battlefield first, with the rest taking another hour or two to arrive. If Liu Zhang of Chengdu were to send troops to harass them, the deployment of additional forces would likely take even longer. Moreover, Cao Cao's army had indeed been fighting for a long time and was suffering from great exhaustion. But the Left Guard army, having traveled all night, was hardly in good condition either.

Furthermore, Lu Xun had another concern: Zhao Wei's army, which was already as easily frightened as a startled bird. With such a burden on the battlefield, Lu Xun thought long and hard, and ultimately decided to let this opportunity pass.

After all, an incompetent general can lead to the downfall of an entire army.

Lu Xun did not want to be implicated by Zhao Wei and suffer a defeat.

After much hesitation, Lu Xun decided to cease hostilities and wait for another day.

With Lu Xun ceasing hostilities, the allied forces retreated even faster.

In just half an hour, the allied forces had retreated several miles and began to withdraw.

Except for leaving behind cavalry and vanguard soldiers as the rearguard to provide cover, the other soldiers retreated towards the new capital along the route they had come from.

"General."

Sun Ce cupped his hands in greeting to Lu Xun: "Cao Cao's elite cavalry have suffered heavy losses. May I pursue them a little further?"

Lu Xun, however, was determined and firmly refused: "Bo Fu, please calm down. Cao Cao's army is elite. Who knows if they will ambush us on their retreat? Pursuing them rashly would be too risky."

Although Sun Ce had a fiery temper, he was not incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. Lu Xun's words were extremely reasonable, and although he was confident that he would not fall into a trap, he could not use that as a reason.

In fact, there were quite a few generals under Lu Xun who wanted to pursue him. In addition to Wei Yan and Sun Ce, Huang Zhong, Ling Tong, Zhang Nan and others also wanted to pursue him. Only Lü Meng and Wen Ping remained calm.

After subduing his generals, Lu Xun ordered Sun Ce's troops to cover the battlefield to prevent Cao Cao's army from launching a counterattack. He also arranged for Wei Yan and other generals to enter the main camp and incorporate the remnants of Zhao Wei's army.

Lu Xun himself led his personal guards to welcome Zhao Wei.

(End of this chapter)