The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 188: Cao Cao's First Battle with Yuan Benchu, Guan Gong's Might at Baimajin

Hebei.

However, when Yuan Shao heard that the battle in Qingzhou was not going well, he was furious and confiscated Gao Lan's military power and replaced him with Zhang He.

At the same time, he formulated a battle strategy and ordered Yan Liang to attack Bai Ma first and cut off the Ji River and Pu River.

To prevent Yanzhou and Xuzhou from establishing close ties and uniting to fight against Yuan.

Here, Yan Liang received an order from Yuan Gong and personally led his troops to attack Baimazin.

At that time, Liu Yan, the governor of Dongjun, led his troops to garrison Bai Ma.

Yan Liang was a brave general who was the first to ascend the battlefield. As soon as he received the order, he launched a fierce attack on Bai Ma.

Liu Yan could not hold on and hurriedly asked Yingchuan for help.

Sending three letters for help in one day only proves that the war on the front line is urgent.

Cao Cao was on dispatch in Xu County, Yingchuan. He had not yet received any urgent reports from the front line, but he did receive two other urgent reports.

One is that Lu Bu led his troops north from Runan to Chen to fight against the enemy for the country.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao could not help but curse:
"Chendi is not a battlefield."

"I am in a very tense battle with Yuan Shao. If Lü Bu is interested in helping Henan, he should lead his troops to the front."

"What can we do if the rebels arrive in Chen? Do they want to take advantage of my battle with the Northern Yuan to rob the emperor?"

The Minister of the Chancellery Xun Yu advised from the side:

"Lü Bu has the courage of a tiger, but not the strategy of a hero, and he does not have the guts to rob the emperor."

Cao Cao said again:

"We can't just leave him in the court of Chen. If anything goes wrong, Xuande and I will both suffer."

After a slight pause, he sighed with a feeling of disappointment. Is Lu Bu really stupid or just pretending to be stupid?

Although they summoned Lu Bu to raise an army in the name of the emperor, how did you actually go to the emperor?

Could it be that Lu Bu thought that we summoned him to protect the emperor?
The State of Chen was in Yuzhou. As long as Cao Cao and Liu Bei were there, no one else could touch the emperor.

"What is the other document?" Cao Cao asked.

"Something has changed in Runan!"

When Xun Yu told Cao Cao the news, he was shocked again.

"Yuan Shao instigated Liu Pi to rebel, and many counties in Runan rose up to fight against the imperial court."

This is different from the story in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms where Liu Pi died to save Liu Bei.

Historically, Liu Pi was a powerful Yellow Turban Army in Runan.

Because Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu both came from Runan, they had a strong influence on this place.

When Yuan Shu was in power, the Yellow Turbans of Runan followed Yuan Shu.

After Yuan Shu was defeated, Yuan Shao could still easily incite the local leaders to rebel despite the distance of 108,000 miles.

Cao Cao frowned and said:
"Ru'nan is our rear base in Henan. If there is rebellion, it will be a great disaster."

Runan is the second largest county in the country, with a population well over one million.

The local Yellow Turban bandits took advantage of the terrain and hid in the mountains, making it extremely difficult to eliminate them.

Therefore, when dividing Yuan Shu's territory, Li Yi advocated that Runan be given to Cao Cao and Lu Bu.

However, neither Cao Cao nor Lu Bu were able to solve the Yellow Turban problem in Runan in recent years.

It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s just a thankless task and no one is willing to do it.

"...Now is the perfect time to order Lu Bu to lead his troops back to Runan to quell the rebellion."

"Lü Bu is a brave man, good at fighting, and even if he can't pacify, he can suppress."

Xun Yu suggested to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao nodded and said, "This is the best plan. If Lu Bu cannot go to the front with me, he should stay in Runan."

Cao Cao thought to himself that the reason why Runan was able to launch a rebellion at this time was probably because they took advantage of the opportunity when Lu Bu led his troops north.

When Lu Bu was here, Liu Pi and others were afraid of his bravery and were relatively well behaved.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Lu Bu left, Yuan Shao fanned the flames and the entire Runan immediately got out of control.

"Just do as Wen Ruo said!"

Cao Cao immediately drafted a letter and submitted it to the court, reporting the rebellion in Runan.

Lu Bu was originally the governor of Runan, so it was reasonable to ask him to quell the rebellion.

"What else do you have to report to me?"

Seeing that Xun Yu opened his mouth and seemed to hesitate to speak, Cao Cao continued to ask.

"…It's not a big deal."

Xun Yu bowed his head slightly, "I just heard that Ni Heng is dead."

"Hey! How did he die?"

Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately asked more questions.

"Because Ni Heng spoke disrespectfully to Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia, he was killed."

It turned out that Huang Zu was entertaining guests on a large boat.

Ni Heng was also there, so Huang Zu asked Ni Heng:
"I heard that Henan has many talented people. You first went to Xuzhou and then to Yingchuan. Who are the talented people here?"

Ni Heng replied:
"Kong Wenju of Xuzhou and Yang Dezu of Xu County are quite talented and knowledgeable."

"Besides these two, there are no other characters."

Huang Zu then asked, "How is he like me?"

Ni Heng replied, "You are like the gods in the temple. Although you are worshipped, it is a pity that your power is ineffective!"

Huang Zu was furious when he heard this, "Do you think I'm a puppet?"

So he ordered his men to hold down Ni Heng's head and beat him with a whip.

Ni Heng was beaten till his skin was torn and blood and flesh were flying everywhere.

Ni Heng was a famous scholar in the world, and Huang Zu did this just to humiliate him in public.

Unexpectedly, Ni Heng was a stubborn man who refused to beg for mercy and instead kept cursing:

"Dead Forging Tin Lord! Dead Forging Tin Lord!"

Huang Zu was furious and ordered his men to hang Ni Heng on the boat.

It turns out that Huang Zu worked as a blacksmith in his early years.

What Ni Heng said was actually exposing Huang Zu's shortcomings.

It is similar to scolding Liu Bei for weaving mats and selling shoes, and Cao Cao for being a eunuch and ugly.

All the guests on the boat hated Ni Heng.

So they took out a rope and strangled Ni Heng to death on the boat.

Although Ni Heng was killed, Huang Zu was still furious and ordered his guests to take turns spitting on his corpse.

When Ni Heng's good friend Huang She heard the news, he rushed to the boat barefoot to rescue people without even having time to put on his shoes.

By the time Huang She arrived, Ni Heng had already been drowned in saliva.

Huang She fell to the ground crying and asked Huang Zu:

"He has extraordinary talent, so Cao Yanzhou and Liu Xuzhou did not kill him."

"How can my lord kill Zhiya?"

Huang Zu gritted his teeth and said:
"This kid called your father the Dead Duanxigong, why don't you kill him?"

But afterwards, Huang Zu regretted it.

In this era, killing celebrities would have serious consequences.

Otherwise, why didn't Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Liu Biao kill him?
So he ordered people to collect Ni Heng's body and bury it on the edge of Parrot Island.

When Cao Cao heard this story, he knew that Ni Heng had been harmed, and he applauded and celebrated:

"The corrupt scholar's sharp tongue is killing himself!"

"This kid cursed both Xuande and me, so his death is not a pity."

"It's Liu Biao. I heard that Yuan Shao sent an envoy to Jingzhou."

"And Liu Biao has not yet responded to our Henan Province. Will he send troops to help us?"

"If we allow Liu Biao to cause trouble, it may be disadvantageous for Xuande and I to conquer Hebei."

Xun Yu advised:
"Liu Biao is like a dog guarding the door. Now Yuan Shao has not been pacified yet, and he wants to use his troops in Jianghan."

"It is like abandoning one's confidants and following one's brothers and sisters."

"After Hebei is pacified, we can discuss the affairs of Jingchu, and Jianghan can be pacified in one go."

Cao Cao followed his advice, and suddenly someone reported that Yan Liang led his troops to attack Bai Ma.

Liu Yan, the governor of Dongjun, could not hold out and begged Cao Gong to send troops to rescue him as soon as possible.

Cao Cao was shocked:
"I didn't expect Yuan Shao to move so quickly!"

Then he turned around and said to Xun Yu:

"Baima is an important town on the Yellow River. We must not lose it."

"According to the agreement between me and Xuzhou, we can send someone to invite Yunchang to come and help us break the siege of Baima."

After careful consideration, Cao Cao decided to personally lead his troops north to relieve the siege of Bai Ma.

On the one hand, I am closer, and on the other hand, the white horse is indeed very important.

Although Liu Bei was busy with the war in Qingzhou, he still used the water route to transport a lot of food, fodder and equipment.

Helped Cao Cao to get a big revenge.

"Wen Ruo can guard the house for me, then I can go to the battle without any worries."

Cao Cao left Xun Yu to guard Yingchuan, while he personally led his troops north to relieve the siege of Bai Ma.

Guan Yu also received a letter from Cao Cao asking for help, and hurriedly discussed it with Xun You.

Xun You was specially reserved by Li Yi for Guan Yu.

Guan Yu sometimes gets carried away in battle, so he needs a counselor like Xun Yu or Xun You who can remain calm in the face of major events.

"The siege on Bai Ma is very urgent. Since Cao Gong is asking for help, we must help him."

Xun You said seriously.

Guan Gong followed his advice and led his troops to Bai Ma overnight.

After about five or six days' march, Guan Yu and Cao Cao's troops met up at one place.

Cao Cao admired Guan Yu's talent and had long wanted to fight alongside him.

Since the two armies had joined forces, Cao Cao set up a banquet and invited Guan Yu to the banquet on the pretext of discussing the solution to the siege of Bai Ma.

The banquet was filled with food and wine, and all the soldiers were starving.

But before Guan Yu arrived, the generals did not dare to pick up their chopsticks.

At this moment, a report came from outside:
"General Guan is here!"

Cao Cao was overjoyed and brought civil and military officials to meet him.

The two sides greeted each other and asked Guan Yu:
"Yun Chang is always on time. Why is he late today?"

Guan Yu replied:

"My mount is sick and cannot grow fat. Also, my body is quite heavy and the horse cannot carry me, so I am late."

When Cao Cao heard this, he turned around and looked at the horse under him, and it was indeed thin.

After Guan Gong got off his horse, he took a salt brick from the horse bag and put it in the trough for the horse to lick.

He also personally prepared medicine for it to take.

When Cao Cao saw this, he couldn't help but blurt out:

"It's just a sick horse. Just hand it over to the groom for care."

"The general's body is worth thousands of gold, why do you treat it like this?"

Guan Gong said calmly:
"You are wrong, Lord Cao. As the saying goes, the merits of a great general cannot be ignored."

"This horse has been with me in battle for many years and has made great contributions. Today, it has fallen ill. I know that it will not live long."

"I really couldn't bear to abandon it, so I just kept it by my side to look after it."

It turned out that Guan Yu knew that the horse would not live long.

But this horse has the same fiery temperament as its owner. It would rather die on the battlefield than recuperate in the stable.

Guan Yu felt pity for its loyalty, so he continued to ride it and took it to the battlefield.

When Cao Cao heard this, he also sighed.

I thought to myself that even Yunchang was so affectionate and loyal to his horses, let alone to people?
No matter how well I treat him, I'm afraid he will only side with his General Liu.

We are working together today, so it would be great to leave a good impression on him.

Then he said to Guan Yu:

"General! I see. I want to gather all the best horses in the world."

"How about giving one to the general?"

When Guan Gong heard this, he stood up straight, threw back his sleeves, bowed to Cao Cao and said:

"Thank you, Mr. Cao!"

It turns out that Guan Gong does not love gold, silver, or treasures, nor does he love his beautiful wives and concubines.

Not to mention that it was given to him by Cao Cao, even if it was given to him by Liu Bei, Guan Yu would at most give it to his servants.

But if he were to be given a good horse, it would enable him to kill the enemy more efficiently in battle, thus repaying Liu Bei's kindness.

This is what is meant by, rouge is given to a beautiful woman, and a BMW is given to a hero.

So Cao Cao said, "Please come in, gentlemen."

He left the banquet and went to the stable to choose a good horse himself.

He called the groom and told him to select a good horse.

The groom nodded in response to the order and looked around.

Countless grooms were busy coming and going, some feeding grass, some giving water.

So he ordered the groom to lead one to the east and one to the west, and selected a total of ten good horses.

The colors are all different and the quality is excellent.

Cao Cao was also a famous horse appraiser in the late Han Dynasty. After looking at all the horses, he just shook his head.

"Although the horse is good, it is not worthy of Yunchang's heroic spirit."

After thinking for a while, he said:
"You can pull my claws and fly to me."

The official was shocked when he heard this and knelt down and said:
"Mr. Cao, the Yellow Flying Lightning Claw is a famous horse in the world, you can only meet it by chance, but not by searching for it."

"If I were to give it to someone else now, I'm afraid..."

It turned out that Cao Cao had two peerless horses, one was named Jueying and the other was named Zhuahuang Feidian.

As we all know, one shot in the Wancheng love story killed three virtuous people.

The three wise men refer to Cao Ang, Dian Wei, and Jueying Ma.

Since the death of Jueyingma, Zhuahuang Feidian is currently the best horse in Cao's camp.

Normally, Cao Cao himself seldom rode a horse, and there were many generals in the camp who were greedy for it.

Now Cao Cao actually wanted to give it to a guest general for no reason. How could this horse breeder not be shocked?

"A BMW is for heroes, no need to say more, just bring it quickly."

Cao Cao also had his own considerations.

First of all, he has the temperament of a romantic scholar in his bones.

He thinks it is very cool and handsome to give a supercar as a gift when meeting someone.

Secondly, buying horse bones for a huge sum of money.

Cao Cao also hoped to attract more heroes by giving away horses.

Especially when the battle in Hebei is won in the future and Yuan’s inheritance is divided up.

As Liu Bei was a descendant of the imperial family and a relative of the Yuan family, he was able to digest the Yuan family's legacy better than Cao Cao.

All Cao Cao can do now is to buy as many hot searches as possible and try hard to package himself.

The groom did not dare to disobey the order, so he stopped the horse and replied to Cao Cao:
"Lord Cao, the horses are here!"

Cao Cao personally led the horse to Guan Yu and asked:

"Yun Chang, do you think the horse in front of you is a good one?"

Guan Gong stood still, opened his eyes, and stroked his beard with his left hand.

"What a good horse! What a good horse..."

Guan Yu praised it almost without thinking.

This horse is ten feet long from head to tail, eight feet high on the ground, and has a face like a brick.

Its ears are like cut bamboos, its eyes are like bright pearls, and its four hooves are all yellow.

He is really tall and majestic, with a dignified figure.

The hissing and chirping is like seeing the mountains through the purple mist.

There is a poem praising:

The hooves are covered with gold and the claws are like frost, the body is like lightning and the aura is like sharp rays.

The neighing is louder than the roar of a lion or a dragon, and a horse soars beside the Martial Saint.

Guan Yu couldn't help but shout again:
"Good horse! Good horse!"

Guan Yu was really pleased with this fine horse. He raised his sleeves and bowed to Cao Cao:
"Thank you, Mr. Cao!"

When Cao Cao saw that Guan Yu was so concerned about a horse, he felt quite sad.

Although this horse is precious, Cao Cao is not reluctant to give it up.

"It's just a horse, why thank me!"

Cao Cao stretched out his hand to lift Guan Yu up, feeling mixed emotions.

He then invited Guan Yu to the table to discuss how to lift the siege of Bai Ma.

Guan Yu had obtained a good horse and wanted to test its strength. He was eager to make a contribution, so he immediately asked for permission:

"Guan is willing to lead our elite troops to Bai Ma to drive back Yan Liang's troops."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled:

"Although General Yunchang is brave and valiant, Yan Liang is a famous general from Hebei, and most of his troops are elite troops of Yuan's army."

"It cannot be taken lightly. This matter still needs to be considered in the long run."

Guan Yu stared and asked:
"Could it be that Lord Cao underestimated Guan?"

Xun You on the other side advised:
"General Guan, Cao Sikong is right. We can take a long-term view of the siege of Bai Ma."

"You shouldn't be so reckless."

Seeing that his family members said so, Guan Yu's mood of asking for battle calmed down a little.

Cao Cao noticed Xun You and had long heard that he was the nephew of Xun Yu. Wen Ruo had praised his talent several times.

Cao Cao had wanted to summon him to his side several years ago.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei got there first. What a pity! What a pain!
"You must be Xun Gongda, your uncle has praised your talent many times."

"The siege on Baima is very intense now. I wonder what advice Mr. Gongda has?"

Cao Cao deliberately mentioned Xun Yu, seemingly trying to get close to Xun You.

Xun You didn't care much about it and was only focused on offering suggestions to resolve the siege.

"Yuan Shao has a large army and many men. It will be difficult to take him if we attack him by force."

"We might as well use the strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking the west to divide their forces."

Cao Cao then asked, "I would like to hear the details."

"We can first lead our troops to Yanjin, build boats, and repair equipment."

"Pretend to cross the river and attack Yuan Shao's rear, so that Yuan Shao will divide his troops and move westward."

"Then use the light cavalry to march quickly and attack Yan Liang's army at Bai Ma."

"The siege of Bai Ma can be lifted."

Cao Cao listened quietly, thought for a while, and said, "What a good plan."

So he followed the advice and ordered Xiahou Dun to lead the main force to Yanjin, pretending to cross the Yellow River.

He led his elite troops and rushed to the Bai Ma battlefield with Guan Yu.

……

Hebei's intelligence system is superior to Henan's.

The armies of Cao Cao and Guan Yu marched rapidly towards Bai Ma.

At this time, Yan Liang was besieging Bai Ma when suddenly a soldier came to inform him of an urgent military report.

Yan Liang sat in the tent and ordered the soldier to report.

"Report! General, something bad has happened. We have received military reports from the front line."

"Cao Cao is leading his army to relieve the siege of Bai Ma!"

hiss……

Upon hearing the news, Yan Liang was also quite shocked.

Didn’t they say that Cao Cao went to Yanjin?

Why is the white horse coming?
"How many people did Cao Cao bring with him?"

"Most of them are light cavalry, with less than 10,000 soldiers."

Yan Liang felt relieved, this was not surprising.

If Cao Cao had brought the main force here, it would indeed be a brilliant plan to conceal the truth.

So much so that even Hebei’s intelligence system was deceived.

It turned out that he had only led a small number of troops, intending to make a feint to the east and attack in the west in order to break the siege of Bai Ma.

At that time, a deputy general was standing beside him and advised Yan Liang:

"General, since Cao Cao is not in Yanjin, you might as well inform the lord first."

"How about sending more troops to reinforce Baima?"

Yan Liang waved his hand and refused decisively.

"No need, this is not Cao's main force."

"I have enough troops to defeat them with just one of my own troops. Why would Lord Yuan bother to send reinforcements?"

It’s not that Yan Liang is simply conceited.

But he was thinking that Yuan had clearly stated this before the war.

Whoever takes Cao Cao's head will be granted the title of Marquis of 5,000 households and a reward of 50 million yuan.

If you kill Cao Cao, you can enjoy this reward alone.

If Lord Yuan asks for reinforcements first, doesn't that mean he will have to share the title of a thousand households and tens of millions of dollars with others?
So long before going on the expedition, Yan Liang asked Yuan Shao not to send anyone to him.

He was able to defeat Cao Cao by leading the army alone.

With this in mind, Yan Liang immediately gave orders to gather 8,000 soldiers and prepare to leave the camp.

He stood up, put on his armor, mounted his horse, picked up his sword, and was about to leave the camp.

All the generals were shocked and asked:
"We are now surrounding Bai Ma, and our soldiers are risking their lives. We will be defeated any day. Where are you going, General?"

A hint of pride flashed across Yan Liang's face, and he snorted:
"It's no wonder that a white horse was destroyed."

"Cao Cao came here to die on his own initiative, and beheading him is the greatest achievement."

That’s right, he is one of the best tough guys in Hebei.

While being surprised at Cao Cao's sudden appearance, he also realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As long as he suddenly appeared in the battle and killed Cao Cao, the battle of Yanzhou would basically be over.

This is definitely a decision that will go down in history.

Therefore, Yan Liang did not plan to escape, but decided to lead his troops and engage in a head-on battle with Cao Cao.

The generals could not understand Yan Liang's decision.

I remembered what Ju Su had said before, "A person with a good character is narrow-minded and can't be trusted alone, even if he is brave and valiant."

Ju Shou believed that Yan Liang was too stubborn and unfit to lead the army alone.

When General Ju said this to Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao did not listen.

But the soldiers have been living with Yan Liang for many years, how could they not know what kind of person their leader is?

So, they advised:
"General, Cao Cao is only ten miles away from our army."

"Why not just wait here for Cao's army to arrive?"

"Why should we go to the distant and take the initiative to attack Cao's army?"

Everyone felt that there was something wrong with the strategic deployment set by Yan Liang.

Since our intelligence system has already detected that Cao Cao is leading his troops to rescue us.

Then we can make full use of this time difference, leisurely deploy our troops and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.

The time left was even enough for them to set up two more ambush points.

"As the Art of War says, therefore, roll up your armor and march, do not stop day or night, double your speed and march at the same time, and fight for advantage over a hundred miles."

"Then capture three generals, the strong ones first, the tired ones last, the rule is to capture eleven."

"Most of our troops are infantry now. It would be unwise to attack rashly."

"I hope General Yan will think twice!"

"...I hope General Yan will think twice!"

All the generals and soldiers dissuaded Yan Liang from taking the initiative to attack.

Infantry can only run one-tenth of a hundred miles at most during a forced march. Even if light cavalry attacks, the consumption of a hundred miles is still considerable.

What's more, Yan Liang's main force was mostly infantry, and because they were fighting a siege, they were not allocated too many cavalry.

In other words, if Yan Liang had given up waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out and instead chose to take the initiative to attack.

They had to run at least five miles, which was a drain on the soldiers' physical strength and spirit.

Secondly, if Yan Liang took the initiative to attack, it would mean that he would have to engage in a battle with Cao Cao.

As a result, Yan Liang's army had no way to deploy their troops.

Of course, Cao Cao couldn't set up his battle formation.

But the problem is that Yan Liang’s army could have formed a battle formation.

Just wait here patiently, set up your formation, and wait for Cao Cao to come.

Why waste our institutional advantages?

Yan Liang disagreed and scolded the generals:

"You youngsters, how could you know the tactics of war?"

"I have fought with Lord Yuan for many years. Am I not as knowledgeable about military affairs as you guys?"

In Yan Liang's opinion, it's bullshit to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out. I want to be like Huo Qubing.

The target is the elite of Cao’s army!
Of course, Yan Liang did not make the decision rashly.

There were two main considerations for him to take the initiative.

First, what if Cao Cao didn’t come for me and just ran away?

Although there was a high probability that Cao Cao was coming for Bai Ma, Yan Liang did not want to take the chance.

Second, if Cao Cao arrived at Bai Ma, the Bai Ma defenders would take the initiative to attack and cooperate with Cao Cao from inside and outside to attack him.

Even if I set up a battle formation, it would not be difficult to capture Cao Cao.

Both considerations were due to the worry of not being able to catch Cao Cao.

In Yan Liang's view, Hebei's victory over Henan is a foregone conclusion.

Hebei had many famous generals, but they did not get enough credit just for defeating Henan.

Now that God has given Cao Cao to me, how can I not seize this opportunity?
Just like when Guanjun Hou led 800 Yulin cavalry to face the Huns camp, if Huo Qubing had the slightest hesitation.

It is impossible for anyone to behead so many people that he would be the most meritorious in the army and be granted a title of nobility.

Now, if Cao Cao was killed, he would also be granted the title of Marquis of a Thousand Households, and the title would be Marquis of Five Thousand Households, which was even more extensive than the fiefdom of Marquis Guanjun that Huo Qubing had.

What God does not take, is to be blamed.

A real man has only today to make a name for himself. Why hesitate?
So he led 8,000 infantry and cavalry and took the initiative to attack.

The remaining troops will continue to besiege Bai Ma and not let anyone go.

Over there, the armies of Cao Cao and Guan Yu were marching towards Bai Ma when suddenly a scout came to report.

We encountered a large army ahead.

Cao Cao immediately ordered his troops to meet the enemy on the spot, and at the same time sent someone to find out who the general was.

The army camped on the slope, and Cao Cao led Guan Gong to the slope to inspect the enemy situation.

At that time, the scouts came back and replied that they were Yan Liang's horses.

Cao Cao thought to himself that since he had come in person, he could not afford to lose this battle, otherwise the siege of Bai Ma would be difficult to resolve.

Then he raised his whip and pointed at Yan Liang's army formation in the distance. The army had clear flags, spears and swords, and looked strict and powerful.

"The Hebei troops are so majestic!"

Guan Gong thought to himself that although the Hebei soldiers were strong, they were much inferior to the Xuzhou soldiers.

He said arrogantly:

"In my opinion, it is just a clay chicken and a clay dog."

Cao Cao raised his whip and pointed again:
"Under the banner, the man in embroidered robe and golden armor, with a sword and a horse, this must be Yan Liang."

It turned out that Yan Liang was known for his bravery and had defeated many famous generals.

Therefore, he is very conceited, looks down on others and has a hot temper.

For this attack, Yan Liang rode in a yak-covered chariot, and his guards followed on horseback on both sides.

The yak-covered chariot was a symbol of status and position. With Yan Liang's current position in Yuan's camp, he was certainly qualified to ride in this chariot.

Guan Gong raised his eyes, his eyes twitched, a hint of joy flashed across his face, and he said to Cao Cao:
"When I look at a good face, it's like inserting a sticker to sell one's ears!"

This was not just Guan Yu's bragging, but when he discovered that Yan Liang was actually riding a chariot and his specific location was captured by our army.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Cao Cao laughed and said:

"Yun Chang, there is no joking in the army."

"Besides, Yan Liang is a famous general from Hebei Province, he should not be underestimated!"

Guan Yu said vigorously:
"Although I am not talented, I am willing to take his head from among the thousands of soldiers and make contributions to the allied forces!"

"nice!"

Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately ordered his soldiers to make way for Yunchang to charge into the battle line.

It is worth mentioning that in history, when Cao Cao used Guan Yu to kill Yan Liang, he was actually not conflicted.

What do you mean?
In the minds of many people, Cao Cao was afraid that if he used Guan Yu to achieve success, he would leave him.

But what many people don’t know is that in history, both Cao Cao and Guan Yu knew that Liu Bei was in Yuan Shao’s military camp at that time.

Yes, you heard that right.

Guan Yu himself knew that Liu Bei was with Yuan Shao.

From Guan Yu's perspective, he was actually more hesitant and difficult to decide than in the novel.

The question is, should I repay Cao Cao's kindness first, or go find my big brother immediately?
Guan Yu finally chose the former.

In his own words,

——"I know very well that Cao Gong treats me well, but I have received the kindness of General Liu and sworn to die with him. I cannot betray him."

"I will not stay. I will leave only after I have done something useful to repay Cao Gong."

When you first hear Guan Yu say this, you will feel that Guan Yu is loyal and is ready to die for Liu Bei at any time.

But if you consider the situation at the time, it will be even more shocking.

Because Guan Yu knew that Liu Bei was with Yuan Shao, he clearly stated that he wanted to go find Liu Bei.

That is to say, he surrendered to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao's mortal enemy.

In other words, after Guan Yu said this, there was a great possibility that he was killed by conspiracy.

This is Guan Yu. I came to understand and told Cao Cao directly my true thoughts.

If you don't agree, you can kill me. I'm loyal enough and will never lie to you.

You have treated me well, and I will repay you with merit before I leave.

I know your feelings, but since I met Lao Liu before, let’s continue our relationship in the next life.

What was Cao Cao’s reaction to this?

The original words were, "Serving the lord without forgetting his roots is a righteous man in the world. When will he leave?"

Cao Cao's romantic literary temperament broke out again. Not only did he not kill Guan Yu, the potential threat, but he also affirmed his loyalty.

He also asked when Zhang Liao and Guan Yu would leave.

Zhang Liao replied that Guan Yu would leave after he had made a contribution.

Unlike the image of Guan Yu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao sent Guan Yu into the first battle after knowing about it.

If you want to leave after making a contribution, then I will help you.

In this matter, both Cao Cao and Guan Yu behaved uprightly and honestly.

Including when Guan Yu left, the history books clearly stated that he "fled to the First Lord's army."

At that time, the reaction of Cao's soldiers was to chase after them.

But Cao Cao stopped them and said, "They each serve their own master, so don't chase them."

To be honest, Cao Cao was really kind in this matter.

With a horn sound, Yunchang rode out of the formation on his horse like lightning.

Yan Liang led the army in the central camp, and when the scouts reported that they had encountered Cao's troops, he ordered his men to form a battle formation on the spot.

Flags covered the sky and swords and spears were like a forest.

The Hebei army is strong and powerful.

Suddenly, dust was flying in the distance.

A horse came galloping in a cloud of dust, with its yellow hooves making winds and cutting through the sky like lightning.

The general on horseback was nine feet tall and had a beard two feet long.

Her face is as red as a date, and her lips are as red as rouge.

Almond-shaped eyes and drooping eyebrows.

He is really handsome and majestic.

The long sword in his hand flashed with a cold light, which made people shudder.

When the soldiers from Hebei saw Guan Gong coming to attack them, they immediately formed a battle formation to block him.

Guan Gong's eyes opened wide, his eyebrows stood up straight, and he charged straight into the enemy camp.

All I could hear was a series of screams of “Ah ...

Guan Gong was like a god descending from heaven, and the Hebei army was like waves breaking apart.

No one could stop him, and he was killed by Guan Gong's horse.

Yan Liang was still under his flag. When he heard the noise in front of him, he stood up to see.

He saw a tall horse, holding a long sword, heading straight for his car hood.

Yan Liang was greatly shocked, and thought to himself, who could have defeated my army?
Just as he was about to go to the hood of the car to get the spear, Guan Gong's claws flew out from under his crotch at lightning speed and were already close to him.

Yan Liang only felt that the sky was covered with clouds and mist. When he looked up, he saw Guan Gong approaching him.

Huang Zhua Feidian let out a long roar that shook the sky.

Guan Gong summoned up his divine power and chopped it down with one blow of his sword.

The bullet hit Yan Liang's neck right in the middle. Before Yan Liang could even shout, blood was already gushing out from his neck.

The steel knife in Fang's hand fell to the ground, and the body rolled in front of Yunchang's horse.

General Guan pulled the reins of his horse, sheathed his sword, and saw blood dripping from the blade.

He held the knife in his left hand, suddenly dismounted, took out a small knife, cut off Yan Liang's head, and hung it on the horse's neck.

He jumped on his horse, drew his sword and rushed out into the battle, charging back to the camp.

The Hebei soldiers had not yet recovered from their shock. When they saw Guan Gong riding away, they shouted in surprise:

"General Yan! General Yan! The thief general killed General Yan!"

Yan Jun shouted loudly, and Guan Gong rushed back to the formation.

Everyone on both sides was frightened and no one dared to fight, so the enemy was in chaos without even fighting.

When Cao Cao saw that Guan Yu had succeeded, he hurriedly ordered his soldiers to rush down the mountain and fight with Yuan's army.

Guan Yu was not here, so Xun You took over the charge of the Xuzhou soldiers and saw that Cao's army had already rushed down the mountain.

He also ordered the Xuzhou army to charge.

The Cao army joined forces with the Xuzhou army and took advantage of the chaos in the Hebei army to charge forward.

At one time, the death toll was innumerable.

A lot of horses and equipment were looted.

When Guan Gong rode his horse up the mountain, both the soldiers in Cao's camp and those in Xuzhou bowed and congratulated him, praising his bravery.

Cao Cao also sighed:
"The general is truly a god!"

Poems as proof:

The yellow claws flew like lightning and came with an earth-shaking momentum, and Yan Liang was the first to shock the three platforms.

The cold light of Qinglong Yanyue flashes, and the heroic soldiers of Hebei mourn.

……

(End of this chapter)