Tiger Guards

Chapter 281 The decisive battle breaks out
Zhang He stayed up all night, and it wasn't until the fourth watch that he slightly relaxed his vigilance, ordered his soldiers to start boiling water, and the whole army ate.

Five miles to his north, Cao Cao's army camp lit all the prepared fuel at midnight, and the campfires were blazing and connected.

Zhao Ji, Lü Bu, and Zhang He were worried about a night attack by Cao Cao's army, and Cao Cao's army was also worried about them launching an attack in the middle of the night.

At night, Cao Cao's army split into two halves, preparing for battle in the first and second halves of the night respectively.

Cao Cao stayed up all night, not only because he had to fight against Lü Bu, but also because of the sudden rise of Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji spent more than half a year in this campaign, with only a two-month rest period during the large-scale military training in Jinyang. The rest of the time he was constantly on the move and engaged in battle.

In particular, the fact that Gao Gan and Yuan Xi were annihilated and captured by Zhao Ji, and that they escaped unscathed after clashing with Yuan Shao, was even more terrifying than the annihilation of Bai Bo and the subjugation of the Xiongnu.

As for the Xiongnu soldiers, Cao Cao, at his level, naturally understood their true nature and didn't care much about them.

Yuan Shao also had no shortage of battle-hardened troops. Although the death of Qu Yi and the defeat at Yi River in winter had damaged the morale of Yuan's army, Cao Cao still did not have the confidence to completely turn against Yuan Shao.

Zhao Ji and his Bingzhou troops are a strong army that has been tested by Yuan Shao. How can we be careless?
In particular, Zhao Ji was very generous, transferring nearly three thousand cavalry to Lü Bu during their first meeting.

This kind of mentality is what Cao Cao fears most.

For the sake of victory, Zhao Ji didn't care about the three thousand cavalry!
Right now, the entire Cao army camp can't even muster three thousand cavalry!

Therefore, if the battle is lost, how many of the nearly 40,000 soldiers in Cao Cao's camp will be able to escape?
Surrounded and at a disadvantage, Cao Cao was exceptionally calm and conservative.

As dawn broke, Chunyu Qiong's troops, who were defending Zhao Ji's left flank and the north, took the lead in moving, pushing various prepared reed rafts and wooden rafts to the banks of the Bian River, ready to release fire rafts at any time to block Cao Ren from crossing the river to reinforce them.

On Zhao Ji's right flank, Zhang Yang to the south immediately released wooden rafts to form a stable pontoon bridge, followed by the release of reed rafts, which were piled up in layers.

As soon as Xiahou Dun sends his troops south, the soldiers left behind by Zhang Yang will set fire to block Xiahou Dun's fleet.

If Xiahou Dun wanted to provide support, he could only march on foot.

This would cause Xiahou Dun's reinforcements to arrive at the battlefield exhausted. If they had the strength to arrive, they would not have the strength to fight, and they might not even be able to withdraw smoothly.

As dawn broke, Han Meng led his troops out of the camp and advanced towards Cao Cao's main camp in formation.

Upon seeing Han Meng's move, the thousand cavalry of the Jiatong tribe, who were stationed near Han Meng's camp, followed closely behind.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Ji, Zhao Yun, Wei Xing, and Xu Huang each led a thousand cavalrymen out of the camp, leaving only two thousand Yanzhou soldiers to guard the camp.

Zhang Yang's group in the south left only about 300 people to set fires, while the remaining 12,000 or so people set off together.

In the eastern part of the battlefield, Lü Bu also joined forces with the Chen army, marching in separate routes and approaching Cao Cao's camp.

On the north bank of the Bian River, Cao Ren also took action, deploying troops on the north bank embankment.

On a watchtower erected overnight, Cao Ren surveyed the battlefield with an exceptionally serious expression.

Cao Jun's scouts on the perimeter did not engage in combat, thus their roaming range was compressed.

Zhao Ji urged his horse to gallop lightly, its hooves pounding the grass in the fields, causing large clumps of dew to rise.

They sent five cavalrymen in a single unit straight into Zhang He's camp.

Zhang He stood at the gate and had a cavalryman deliver a military order, which he announced to the crowd: "The Attendant-in-Order has ordered that Colonel Zhang's troops participate in the battle this afternoon, and clear the camp to accommodate the wounded soldiers!"

"Order!"

Zhang He responded loudly, and the cavalryman, seeing this, immediately turned his horse around and went back to report.

A motorcade of over 300 people, mainly military doctors and apprentices, was heading towards Zhang He, with vehicles carrying various medicines and medical equipment.

The same messenger conveyed the message to Zhang Yang and Lü Bu, who also had military doctors in their armies, unlike Zhao Ji who placed such importance on them.

Zhang Yang was the first to receive the order and dispatched a team of military doctors to Zhang He's camp to await further instructions.

Chen Guobing marched alone, and when he approached the battlefield, he joined forces with Lü Bu to form a battle formation.

General Yue led over a hundred cavalrymen to see Lü Bu: "May I ask, Lord Meng, how will our army participate in the battle?"

Chen Guobing was also mainly an infantryman, a typical mixed force of heavy infantry and crossbowmen from the Central Plains.

Looking at the Cao army camp shrouded in smoke, Lü Bu said, "General, when attacking the southeastern camp of Zhu Ling, do not rush. Wait until I break through the fortifications of Yue Jin in front of him, then you can launch a fierce attack on Zhu Ling."

The task wasn't difficult, so Yue readily agreed, but then asked with slight doubt, "Does Lord Meng doubt the strength of our army?"

"Cao's army has fought countless battles, and the soldiers are resilient and determined."

Lu Bu, in his prime and focused on the battle, was free of distractions and confidently analyzed: "Breaking through the enemy's strong camp is my responsibility, along with Zhao Yuansi's. Although the Chen army is well-trained, they have never experienced bloody battles. If they are suddenly struck hard, they will inevitably be in danger of collapsing."

Lu Bu turned to look at Le Jiu and said, "Don't cause me any trouble. Just distract Cao Cao's detachment. I owe the King of Chen a favor, so I won't deliberately deplete Chen's troops."

"You will finally understand."

Yue replied in a deep voice, saying that although what Lü Bu said was unpleasant, it was the truth.

Chen Guobing was good at defense and was generally not adapted to the current high-intensity fighting and casualties.

They are not even comparable to the Liang soldiers who have gone through bloody battles during this period. When the Liang soldiers defended Ge Township, they had already eliminated the new recruits who were not adapted. The Liang soldiers who have survived are now fighting with blood and fury.

Lu Bu watched Yue Jiu's departing figure, then turned to Gao Shun: "Yuan Chang, you will lead the Vanguard Camp to attack first, and the Liang troops will also be under your command. I order Wei Xu and Song Xian to each lead five hundred cavalry under your command."

"I will finally understand!"

General Gao Shun stepped forward and bowed. Song Xian, Wei Xu, and three Liang soldiers' captains stepped forward and stood on either side of Gao Shun to salute Lü Bu. Their personal guards brought horses, and the men mounted and returned to the front lines.

Lu Bu then looked at Zhang Liao: "Wen Yuan, lead your troops and join forces with Hao Meng to set up an army on the south bank of the Bian River to prevent Cao Ren from crossing! If Cao Cao breaks through the encirclement and crosses the river from the lower reaches of the Bian River, I will hold you responsible!"

Zhang Liao and Hao Meng stepped forward, bowing deeply with their hands clasped in greeting: "Yes, sir!"

The night before, horses were distributed, and Lü Bu provided them with three hundred horses and more than five hundred riders, making the two men very confident.

Watching them leave, Lü Bu turned to his cousin Wei Yue and said, "Yang Zu, you lead your troops and await orders. Once you receive my command, you will join the battle when the opportunity arises."

Wei Yue limped out of line, cupped his hands, and said, "Understood."

There's no need to assign Wei Yue any specific combat tasks. As the battlefield situation changes, Wei Yue will naturally find suitable opportunities to demonstrate his abilities.

Today, Wei Yue and Lü Bu are wearing the same armor and cloak, and their faces are very similar. At a critical moment, Wei Yue will take the initiative to raise Lü Bu's battle flag to confuse Cao Cao's army.

Drums resounded throughout Cao Cao's main camp, and in the somewhat quiet morning, troops were deployed from various smaller camps to reinforce the outer fences.

The north wind is blowing, and the smoke is moving south.

Cao Cao climbed the highest watchtower in the central army camp; he didn't need to make any detailed defensive arrangements.

The first step in this battle is to use the outer defensive fortifications to wear down the enemy's strength, and then retreat to a small camp to hold the position and continue to wear them down.

He focused on the eastern front, mainly because he was traumatized by Gao Shun in the Battle of Puyang.

Now his elite infantry commander Yue Jin is guarding that spot. If the enemy's elite infantry attack first, Yue Jin will be able to gain some advantage.

As for Zhao Ji and Zhang Yang on the western front, Cao Cao was not too worried.

Zhao Ji's main force consisted of cavalry, and he was very worried about open field battles; but in this defensive battle, Zhao Ji was willing to waste his cavalry to charge the fortified camp.
Therefore, the main force attacking on the western front was Zhang Yang's troops in Hanoi. During the five or six years of chaos, Zhang Yang remained in Hanoi and did nothing, which shows that the Hanoi troops were not all that great.

Although Zhang Yang's group from Taiyuan replenished their ranks with more than two thousand knights, what good was that?

At the southwest corner of Cao Cao's camp, Zhang Yang led his officers and soldiers to the front of the battle line. His vanguard of more than 3,000 infantrymen had already formed ranks and brought more than 500 chariots with him.

The soldiers pushing the cart were exhausted, so they rested on the spot and quickly ate their dry rations.

The vehicles were transferred to the officers and soldiers of the vanguard. Only about a hundred vehicles were converted into battering rams and armored vehicles. The rest were piled up with firewood and straw to be used to burn Cao Cao's fences and fortifications.

Zhao Yuan served as a Martial Valor Commandant under Zhang Yang, and Zhang Yang has now added more than two hundred knights to Zhao Yuan's ranks.

He mingled among a group of captains and lieutenants who had been tempered by war, his eyes looking around with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Although he was filled with passion and enthusiasm, he didn't know what he should do.

There were no envoys sending insults, nor any answers given on the battlefield.

Zhao Ji rode in a chariot, seated under a crimson and purple canopy, and gradually approached the front of the battle formation.

Behind him, four thousand-strong cavalry units dismounted to rest and feed their horses, while only knights maintaining military discipline and order moved about.

Han Meng's troops also pushed more than two hundred vehicles to arrive, and on Zhao Ji's left flank, they would attack from the northwest corner of Cao's army camp.

Han Meng's light troops pushing the carts also retreated, and the entire army rested and recuperated on the spot.

Even if the emperor himself were to come here now, he could not stop this battle from breaking out.

"Report~!"

The cavalry came from behind, but did not dismount. They reined in their horses in front of Zhao Ji's chariot. The men and horses were tired, but they shouted excitedly, "The rebels in Chenliu have not made any unusual moves!"

"Understood, send someone else to investigate."

"Here!"

The cavalry responded and retreated to the rear of the formation, while another group of cavalry, carrying two small crimson and purple flags, mounted their horses and rode westward.

They don't need to go far; they can wait about seven or eight miles away. Zhao Ji has plenty of horses, and scouts are passed around layer by layer like this.

While the soldiers were resting and recuperating, Zhang Yang's cavalryman rode up lightly, carrying a silk scroll signed by Zhang Yang, and handed it to Han Shu.

Han Shu stepped forward and handed it to Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji picked it up and read it. After seeing that there were no Cao troops in the area thirty li south of the Sui River and fifty li wide from east to west, Zhao Ji took out a silk scroll that he had written earlier and handed it to Han Shu.

Han Shu immediately handed the order over to his own messenger and accompanied Zhang Yang's messenger to deliver the message.

Zhao Ji successfully delivered the silk scroll to Zhang Yang, who turned to look at the vanguard captain Sui Gu: "Attack!"

"Here!"

"Bang the drum!"

Almost simultaneously, Han Meng also saw the long banner waved by Zhao Ji's central army. He immediately mounted his finest horse from the west, brandished his spear, and shouted, "Beat the drums! Kill the enemy!"

On the eastern front, Gao Shun calmly observed Cao Cao's defenses. After confirming that there were no problems, he drew his sword and pointed it diagonally: "Trap Camp, advance!"

Seven hundred-man commanders of the Vanguard Camp, clad in heavy armor and adorned with brightly colored ribbons and insignia on their backs, shouted and shoved the vehicles forward.

Facing Gao Shun, Yue Jin, who was defending this section of the fence, took deep breaths and his eyes widened: "Crossbowmen!"

He knew very well that archers could hardly inflict fatal damage on the infantry.

(End of this chapter)