My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 777: Cao Hong and Xu Chu Died Protecting Their Master

"Prime Minister, hurry up! I will lead the pursuers away!"

When Cao's army was in chaos, Cao Cao was protected by Xu Chu and escaped, but he was still chased by Zhao Yun, Ma Chao and other enemy generals.

The cavalry under Ma Chao's command were still shouting slogans to chase and kill, helping their comrades to identify the direction of Cao Cao's escape. After Xu Chu found that something was wrong, he gave that reminder just now.

Anyway, he had already run away, even if Cao Cao was forced to run away at first and was not willing to do so. But at this point, it was impossible to save the situation.

There was no need for Xu Chu to tie Cao Cao to his horse's back with brocade and force him to run, as that would make him stand out. So Xu Chu took out his knife and carefully cut the brocade on Cao Cao's body on his horse's back, then gently poked Cao Cao's horse's buttocks, causing the horse to run in the other direction in pain.

Cao Cao, whose hands and feet were freed, ran all the way in a daze, holding the reins tightly. Most of the guards also protected Cao Cao and continued to move.

"The one wrapped in red brocade is Cao Cao! The old man with white hair and beard protected by Xu Chu is Cao Cao!" The cavalry of Ma Chao's army that was chasing behind had not yet reacted to the change in the enemy situation, so they were still shouting the same slogans and continued to surround and rush forward.

Xu Chu originally wanted to continue protecting the prime minister and retreat, but after hearing these words, he suddenly had an idea and stopped retreating. Instead, he gathered hundreds or even thousands of his personal guards, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, around him to cover the rear and block the enemy, then turned around and rushed in the direction of Zhao Yun and Ma Chao.

"Xu Chu is here! You bastards, don't even think about hurting the Prime Minister! The Prime Minister has already moved to General Cao Hong's camp! You don't stand a chance!"

Ma Chao was also hot-tempered, and he was obsessed with hunting down Cao Cao, which would not only allow him to establish his career, but also avenge his defeat and escape. Now, he suddenly heard that Cao Cao had successfully escaped, and that he had mistakenly chased Xu Chu, so Ma Chao could not help but get even angrier, and immediately charged towards Xu Chu with his spear.

Xu Chu brandished his heavy sword, swung it around like the wind, and tried his best to block and strike hard, but after only a few moves, he fell into a disadvantage.

Ma Chao had fought with Xu Chu in the Battle of Tongguan a few years ago, and he knew how powerful Xu Chu was, so when he fought again this time, he was more cautious at the beginning. He despised his opponent strategically, took his opponent seriously tactically, and used all his strength from the beginning.

However, he soon discovered that Xu Chu's martial arts seemed to be more powerful than before, but the sophistication of his moves was greatly reduced. He almost relied entirely on inertia and brute force to fight, and could no longer control his movements freely.

After five or six moves, Ma Chao calmed down and finally realized the reason: during the battle of Tongguan, he had used both spear and sword to cut Xu Chu's finger with the "hand-drawing" sword-drawing sneak attack technique. It must be because of that old injury that Xu Chu's martial arts skills declined.

(Note: If you have forgotten the first fight between Ma Chao and Xu Chu, you can go back and review Chapter 545, which is the Battle of Tongguan in the book. It was in that chapter that Xu Chu had his finger joints cut off by Ma Chao's swordplay.)
A warrior with damaged knuckles, even if it's just one or two fingers or one or two joints, will have his control over the weapon greatly reduced.

Perhaps his arm strength is still strong, but his martial arts moves will definitely become more and more rough.

This is because many powerful moves cannot be retracted once they are used, and the moves rely more on inertial acceleration.

To put it bluntly, it is like some fighting games in later generations, where although some characters have powerful moves, the pre-swing/after-swing of their moves are too long, and when they encounter masters of the same level, they will be very passive.

Compared to his heyday a few years ago, Xu Chu at this moment also has an obvious problem of "longer attack time".

After only seven or eight moves, Xu Chu was in danger and suffered two wounds from Ma Chao. If Xu Chu's body was not still flexible and he had not instinctively tried his best to avoid the fatal wounds every time, he would have died twice in such a short period of time.

Seeing that the opponent was still as fierce as a mad tiger despite being injured, fighting for his life with every move, Ma Chao became a little anxious. Although he wanted to fight back with Xu Chu, he was not willing to waste too much time on the opponent. Hunting down Cao Cao was the most important thing now.

Xu Chu risked his life to buy time, which made Ma Chao a little anxious, and his tactics became impatient.

At this moment, a feather arrow flew through the air. Xu Chu heard the sound of the wind and instinctively tried to dodge, but the sword in his hand became more and more unruly.

Ma Chao was completely unaware and continued to attack with all his strength, instantly piercing Xu Chu's shoulder with one spear.

Ma Chao was startled and quickly drew out his spear, then stepped back slightly, still a little confused.

Did he kill Xu Chu by joining forces with others? Wouldn't that be a bit unfair? He could kill Xu Chu fairly with at most twenty more moves.

Ma Chao had always been proud and arrogant, so he was naturally unhappy about having his credit for the kill taken away from him, and instinctively didn't want to go up and finish off the enemy.

Fortunately, the others were calmer than him. Zhao Yun rode his horse quickly and quietly, reminding them calmly, "This is not a duel. There is no such thing as an unfair victory. A quick victory is the right thing to do. Don't delay the pursuit of Cao Cao. If you don't kill him quickly, I'll do it for you."

As Zhao Yun spoke, he stepped forward with his spear in hand, apparently intending to give Ma Chao only a few seconds to think.

Zhao Yun also had the arrogance of a famous general, but he was calmer than Ma Chao and knew what to prioritize. This was not a one-on-one duel, and in the chaos of the battle, the enemy general who blocked his pursuit must be killed as quickly as possible.

Ma Chao also came to his senses, and hesitated for just two or three seconds. He did some psychological preparation and confirmed that Xu Chu was definitely beyond saving. His shoulder socket was pierced and he was bleeding profusely. Even if his heart was not stabbed, the edge of his lung was very likely injured.

As time went on, even if he didn't die from blood loss, he would be choked to death by his own blood as the alveoli gradually became soaked with blood. Of course, Ma Chao didn't understand these medical principles. He had just been fighting for a long time and had rich experience in this area. He could basically tell whether the enemy could survive just by looking at his injuries.

"Xu Chu, you are a loyal and brave man. Although you and I serve different masters, we have no personal hatred. Even if I hadn't shot that arrow just now, I would have been able to kill you within thirty moves! Now I will give you a quick death. If you want to blame someone, just blame you for obstructing us from hunting down Cao!"

After Ma Chao finished his polite remarks, he raised his spear and stabbed Xu Chu to death through the chest. Then he drew his spear with a look of disappointment and continued to chase and fight in the direction where Cao Cao was suspected to be fleeing.

Zhao Yun also said nothing, but led his cavalry to break through from another direction and attack Cao Hong's camp from both sides.

……

Unfortunately, due to Xu Chu's delay, Zhao Yun and Ma Chao had lost track of Cao Cao's escape.

Xu Chu's quick-witted words before his death did mislead Zhao Yun and others. They all thought that Cao Cao had indeed fled to Cao Hong's camp.

In fact, even if Xu Chu hadn't been there, this speculation was reasonable. Because Xiahou Dun stayed in Yecheng to guard the rear, and now on the Guantao battlefield, apart from Cao Cao himself, the most trusted and highest-ranking person in Cao's army was Cao Hong.

According to common sense, when Cao Cao encountered a sudden change and his army was scattered, he dared not trust anyone, so turning to Cao Hong to ensure his own safety was absolutely the right choice.

Zhao Yun and Ma Chao chased in the wrong direction, which eventually led to the escape of Cao Cao, who was lightly armed and had a small following.

However, Cao Cao was alive, and the pressure Cao Hong faced became unusually great.

The pressure from Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao all poured towards Cao Hong's main troop camp, and the offensive was like a tide, one wave higher than the other.

Cao Hong soon found himself in a state of being caught in a dilemma, with his defense lines collapsing everywhere. Moreover, he was surrounded by four generals and could not even break out.

After about another hour of bloody fighting, the sounds of shouting and fighting on the chaotic battlefield where hundreds of thousands of people gathered gradually became quieter. Large groups of Cao's soldiers collapsed and scattered, or were surrounded and forced to surrender. Cao Hong's camp was completely overwhelmed by the enemy.

After all, Cao's army had more than 200,000 men on the Guantao battlefield, while Liu Bei's attacking army had only 90,000 men in total. This was a battle in which the minority attacked the majority, so it was impossible to completely annihilate the enemy's main force.

Half a year ago, when dealing with Zhang He, we were able to annihilate most of his troops, because Zhang He's total force was slightly less than Zhuge Jin, Zhou Yu, and Ma Chao, so it was possible to fight an encirclement and annihilation war. Now, we are using the minority to encircle the majority, and it is impossible to encircle them. The current situation is similar to the situation when Yuan Shao collapsed during the Battle of Guandu twelve years ago. At that time, Yuan Shao's main force was also defeated, but most of them fled, and they were able to return to the team one after another later, so that they had the strength to fight the later Battle of Cangting.

It's just that Cao Cao today has replaced Yuan Shao twelve years ago. This moment is so similar to that moment.

In the end, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Taishi Ci, and Zhang Liao worked together to completely annihilate and encircle Cao Hong's troops, and severely damaged Cao Cao's remaining generals.

Within one day, of the 220,000 Cao troops, 80,000 were killed, captured, or forced to surrender on the battlefield.

There were also about 60,000 to 70,000 Cao soldiers who were injured, trampled, or escaped - of course, Zhuge Jin had no way of knowing this number at the time, it was just a rough estimate later.

Only the last 70,000 to 80,000 people had their organization relatively intact, and they eventually withdrew from the battlefield thanks to the delay of friendly forces.

In other words, the temporary loss of troops in Cao Cao's camp reached an astonishing 140,000. If the subsequent 60,000 deserters and wounded soldiers could return to the team, theoretically the direct permanent loss would be only 80,000.

But in fact, everyone knows that only a small number of Cao's soldiers who escaped will continue to return to the team and work for Cao Cao, while most of them will simply change their identities or become bandits.

Of the 220,000-strong army, only 80,000 were left with intact combat power after one day, and the main camp was destroyed. It was a tragic defeat.

Cao Cao was unable to gain a foothold in Guantao County and fled back to Wei County upstream overnight. His miserable state was similar to that of Yuan Shao after the Battle of Guandu - or perhaps, similar to Cao Cao's own miserable state after the Battle of Chibi in history, except that the Battle of Chibi obviously could not happen again in this time and space.

After escaping back to Wei County, Cao Cao had someone do a rough count of the troops' organization overnight and estimated that only 80,000 people withdrew as a whole. He did not know the proportion of the rest who were killed, injured, or fled.

So in Cao Cao's view, what he saw was that he lost 140,000 people in one day. The psychological blow was extremely heavy.

"The way of heaven is unpredictable! The way of heaven is unpredictable! Twelve years ago, I pushed Benchu into a desperate situation like this. I didn't expect that twelve years later, Liu Bei and Zhuge Jin would be able to force me like this! Since the destiny was with me back then, why did I become so fickle and let the people of the world suffer for nothing all these years!"

After learning that he had lost so many troops, Cao Cao could not help but drink to relieve his boredom, cry and laugh loudly, and even began to curse the sky.

In his opinion, destiny shouldn't change so much, letting so many people see hope and work hard for it, causing so much killing? Why not just let everyone know who destiny is from the beginning? That way, others wouldn't have to struggle in vain and kill so many people in vain.

After crying and laughing for a long time, Cao Cao's rheumatism became worse and he almost fainted. He was forced to rest under the care of the military doctor and took some tranquilizers.

The next day, Cao Cao did not wake up until almost noon, and the house was filled with a strong smell of medicine.

Cao Cao felt that he could not move his fingers properly and felt distressed, knowing that his wind disease had worsened.

After that headache, I recovered for a while and was able to pick up the sword again. This time, I'm afraid I'm completely out of shape.

I'm afraid that in this lifetime I can only touch the scabbard of the sword I carry with me, and I will never be able to use it again.

Historically, whether it is Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, or Liu Bei, the health of these people has a lot to do with psychological pressure and whether the war situation goes smoothly.

Yuan Shao was in good health before the Battle of Guandu, but he became depressed after losing the battles of Guandu and Cangting. Liu Bei's mentality and health were completely different before and after the Battle of Yiling. As for Cao Cao, his health deteriorated sharply after he was frightened by Guan Yu's might and wanted to move the capital.

By now, Cao Cao was obviously shocked by the disastrous defeat of his army of hundreds of thousands in the Battle of Guantao and could hardly control himself.

The doctor and the attendants helped Cao Cao change his clothes and wash himself, and gave him some porridge, soup and medicine. After Cao Cao had recovered his breath, he remembered to inquire about the situation of his civil and military officials.

Last night he only knew that the army had suffered a lot of casualties, but he had no way of counting which of his trusted aides and generals had died and which had escaped.

Now that a night has passed and the dust has settled, we should have some idea of the whereabouts of many important people.

"Is anyone there? Is Gongda back? If he is, let him come over and report back!" Cao Cao thought for a moment and ordered the attendant who was serving the medicine to call Xun You over. He just wanted to find Xun You to get the overall situation.

However, the attendant looked at the doctor timidly, and the doctor also gave him a pleading look, so the attendant did not dare to leave immediately.

Cao Cao could not help but get angry and almost drew his sword, but his hands were shaking and he could not lift the sword at all. He had to give up and asked sternly, "Are you afraid that I can't bear the bad news?"

The attendant and the doctor immediately knelt on the ground, saying they dared not. The attendant explained, "I dare not lie, but... Military Advisor Xun has not returned to Wei County, and I don't know where to find him."

Cao Cao felt a growing dizziness and headache, and cold sweat dripped down his face. "Gongda... Could it be that he has suffered the same fate as Ju Shou? I am so sad!"

At that moment, Cao Cao felt a sense of fatal powerlessness coming over him. He fell back onto the bed limply, unable to move his limbs.

Almost instantly he thought of the time twelve years ago when he defeated his old buddy Yuan Shao and Yuan Shao's military adviser Ju Su was also captured in the chaos at Guandu.

Is Xun You's fate similar to that of Ju Su?
However, he did not kill Ju Shou in these years. He could not use him, so he just put him under house arrest. Later, he died of old age and illness. Liu Bei always cherished his reputation. If he had captured Xun You, he would not have killed him. At most, he would have put him under house arrest and made him a rich man. He was harmless.

Considering Xun You’s age, it’s unclear how many years he can live if he is kept under house arrest.

It took Cao Cao a long time to digest the bad news that Xun You might have been captured. After he breathed a sigh of relief, he ordered his attendants to find a civil servant who had escaped back to Wei County with him to report the situation.

Seeing that the prime minister's psychological endurance was still good and he was already angry, the attendant did not dare to delay and quickly called for someone.

Cao Cao didn't waste any words and asked directly in an annoyed mood: "Among the generals and military staff, which ones didn't make it back? Which ones are confirmed to have died in battle?"

"Reporting to the Prime Minister... It has been confirmed that General Xu Chu was killed by Ma Chao and Zhao Yun. In addition, General Cao Hong also died for his country. Military Advisor Xun's whereabouts are unknown in the chaos. He may have been captured...

Fortunately, Generals Cao Xiu, Li Dian, and Le Jin were able to withdraw their troops successfully. Some of them were slightly injured, but nothing serious happened."

Cao Cao had been numbed by grief, and now he finally "heard the second shoe dropping", which made him feel relieved.

"Twenty years ago, during the Battle of Chenggao, Zi Lian traded his horse to save me. Now he finally died for me... I am so sorry for him!

Fifteen years ago, in the battle of Wancheng, Zixiu and Dianwei died trying to save Gu, but now it was Zhongkang who suffered the same fate...

In addition, Gongda's situation is just like Ju Su's at Guandu. Could it be that fate has really abandoned me? How can my fate be determined by fate? I will not accept this! "

(End of this chapter)