Tiger Guards

Chapter 284 Breaking Through the Second Stronghold
After noon, except for the southeast and southwest directions where fighting was still ongoing, Han Meng and Gao Shun took up camp to rest and recuperate their officers and soldiers.

The Cao army in each camp did the same, making the most of their time to rest and eat.

"The enemy is coming!"

Shi Huan was eating when he heard shouts. He grabbed his wheat cake, got up, and quickly went to see what was happening. He saw Hebei soldiers with khaki shawls over their shoulders.

Upon seeing that they were soldiers from Hebei, Shi Huan's officers and men looked surprised.

"Bang the drum!"

Shi Huan shouted, and under his imposing presence, the officers under Liu Dai's command immediately scattered and called to their soldiers.

Like other Cao Cao's troops, their core veterans were from Liangpei and Jiyin, while the lower-ranking soldiers came from Qingzhou.

Because Shi Huan and Han Hao often supervised the various armies, they had a high level of influence among the Qingzhou soldiers.

Even so, after fighting for most of the day and with two camps lost, the Qingzhou soldiers were already showing signs of fatigue.

Shi Huan crouched down at the base of the ramparts, peering through the holes he had carved out.

This Hebei soldier was a typical Hebei heavy infantry. The front row consisted of shield-wielding spearmen, followed by squad leaders with halberds, and then a close-following troop of archers.

Shi Huan observed carefully, then grabbed a trusted officer beside him: "Pen and ink!"

"Here!"

The officer, without suspecting anything, crouched down and ran to a nearby tent to fetch pen, ink, and coarse silk.

A guard handed over a shield, and a silk scroll was laid on it. Shi Huan immediately wrote down his opinion, took out his private seal, and stamped it on: "Quickly deliver this to Lord Cao!"

"Here!"

The trusted officer took the silk scroll and was about to leave when Shi Huan grabbed his cloak from behind: "Take a few more men with you."

"Yes!"

The officer responded and called to several guards to hurry along. They jumped into the tunnel in front of the eastern camp, slid into the trench, and ran quickly towards the eastern cavalry camp.

Zhang He rode in front, holding his spear horizontally in his right hand, using his horse's speed to slow the advance of the entire army.

As they approached the outer fortifications abandoned by Cao Cao's army, Zhang He reined in his horse and remained still. Heavy infantry advanced slowly from both sides of him, as if Zhang He were retreating.

The Hebei heavy infantry advanced steadily, and the defending troops would fire arrows every fifty or sixty paces, but the Hebei soldiers advanced in an orderly manner.

Even if there are wounded soldiers, those who can move should move with the main force to protect themselves with the shield formation and avoid being trampled and injured.

If they are too weak to move, they will crouch down and wait for specialized soldiers to come and rescue and carry them.

War has always been a game for the brave.

Shouting or disrupting order after being shot or injured will only harm yourself and others.

"The people of Hebei are indeed formidable."

Cao Cao was observing the situation, no longer concerned about Lü Zhao in the southwest corner or Zhu Ling in the southeast corner.

Yu Jin's camp was directly to the north, so he had even less to worry about.

While observing Zhang He's offensive, Cao Cao was distracted by observing the southwest corner; he hadn't expected Lü Zhao to be such a capable fighter.

Perhaps it wasn't that Lü Zhao was capable of fighting, but rather that Sui Gu and Yang Chou were unwilling to give their all.

Zhang Yang rarely joins forces with Zhao Ji and Lü Bu, which shows that he is determined to use the war to wear down his unruly subordinates Sui Gu and Yang Chou.

During the break-in period, it's normal for sparks to fly and for many people to die.

However, the more Sui Gu and Yang Chou refused to launch a full-scale attack, the greater the losses their troops suffered in this continuous confrontation.

The lower-level officials and soldiers naturally harbored resentment. Once this resentment erupted, it was uncertain whether Sui Gu and Yang Chou would lead them to turn against Zhang Yang, or whether Zhang Yang would use the heads of Sui Gu and Yang Chou to quell the resentment.

Zhang Yang's personality was not suited to this chaotic world, but with Zhao Ji and Lü Bu by his side, they did not mind taking action to eliminate potential threats to Zhang Yang.

Eliminating the hidden dangers under Zhang Yang's command and maintaining the stability of Zhang Yang's group would naturally benefit Zhao Ji and Lü Bu.

Strategically, they need Zhang Yang to continue to exist, and emotionally, they also need Zhang Yang as a mediator.

While Cao Cao was preoccupied with these matters, the silk scroll sent by Shi Huan was delivered to him.

As the Protector of the Army, Shi Huan's military status in the camp was second only to Cao Cao, but his overall status was not as high as that of Chief Clerk Wang Bi.

Shi Huan would participate in all of Cao Cao's core military discussions.

Now Shi Huan proposes to invite Cao Ren to assist in the battle, and Shi Huan is pessimistic about the development of the war.

Could it be that Chunyu Qiong's release of fire rafts upstream would prevent Cao Ren from crossing the river?

Thinking this way is to underestimate Cao Ren and overestimate Bianshui.

Cao Cao held the silk scroll in deep thought. He must have a way to help Cao Ren cross the river, but not today, not during the day, and certainly not now.

Cao Ren's crossing of the river certainly boosted the morale of the entire army.

However, this fresh force intervened in the battle early, and even if they repelled Zhao Ji and Lü Bu, they were unable to pursue them from a distance.

Shi Huan believed that the time had come for Cao Ren to come to the aid of the enemy. Once Shi Huan's camp fell, Lü Zhao's troops in the southwest corner would be caught in a pincer attack and would naturally collapse.

Wen Ji's cavalry is not good at defense, so there is still a chance to deploy them to support Cao Ren's crossing of the river.

If Shi Huan's camp is defeated, Wen Ji will have a hard time escaping.

Without the assistance of Wen Ji's thousand-odd cavalry, it would be difficult for Yu Jin's Taishan and Jibei troops to successfully support Cao Ren's crossing of the river. However, if Wen Ji were to be mobilized to the north now, it would directly affect the morale of Shi Huan's camp.

Cao Cao turned to observe the north. If Wen Ji's thousand cavalry reached the riverbank, Yu Jin would have to divide his forces to assist in the battle and cover Cao Ren's crossing. This would reduce the number of troops defending Yu Jin's main camp and would also lead to a fierce open battle with Zhang Liao.

If the war drags on, Lü Bu will send troops to help.

If Cao Ren's assistance fails, not only will the loss of Cao Ren and Yu Jin's three armies be a problem, but it will also shake the morale of the entire army.

Cao Cao was somewhat unsure of himself. He used himself as bait, intending to lure Zhao Ji and Lü Bu and then defeat them.

Chief Clerk Wang Bi stood silently to the side. As the chief clerk, he was not very knowledgeable about military affairs and dared not express his opinion on such a matter concerning the survival of the entire army.

Cao Cao placed his hands on the railing, tapping them lightly with his fingertips. Compared to the expected great victory, a safe retreat was another kind of victory.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Lu Bu and Zhao Ji are both unpredictable and ruthless. If there are no external enemies, they will inevitably fight each other."

Wang Bi remained silent, looking deep in thought.

Cao Cao increasingly felt that it was better to temporarily retreat and let Zhao Ji and Lü Bu fight amongst themselves than anything else.

He immediately turned his head and said, "Order Wen Ji to send troops north to coordinate with Yu Wenze to help Zi Xiao cross the river and join the battle!"

"Here."

Wang Bi responded immediately and drafted the military dispatch order on a small table nearby. After confirming that it was correct, he affixed his seal and sent it to the corresponding army for execution.

In that short time, Zhang He's Hebei soldiers approached the camp and engaged in fierce fighting with the defending troops across the walls.

At this moment, Zhao Ji's cavalry stepped forward again, throwing grappling hooks to snag the fences and antlers, and then using their horsepower to begin destroying the fortifications.

With previous experience, this time, under the cover of Zhang He's troops, the speed of destruction was even faster!

Zhao Yun once again led more than 500 cavalrymen to charge forward. Before Zhao Yun could get close, some Qingzhou soldiers who were preoccupied with family matters saw Wen Ji leading a thousand cavalrymen away from the camp to the north, and immediately turned around and left.

The Qingzhou soldiers who ran first jumped to the entrance of the trench, crawled through the ramparts, and escaped along the trench. Those who reacted slowly climbed over the ramparts or moved away from the deer antlers and fled to the Wenji empty camp a hundred paces to the west.

There were still some auxiliary soldiers in Wenji's camp who were taking care of the horses, but these men could not stop the fleeing soldiers.

Once the Qingzhou troops reached a certain size, their courage grew so great that they attacked the guards and officers, forcibly breaching the fortifications.

After entering the camp, these Qingzhou soldiers would open the gates of the trenches and passageways, letting their comrades who had come through the trenches and passageways into the camp.

Zhao Yun led his cavalry to charge into Cao Cao's camp, where they were putting up a fierce resistance. Shi Huan gathered three or four hundred men and retreated to a corner, where they put up a difficult resistance.

At this moment, Xu Chu, unable to contain himself any longer, led his fellow villagers and soldiers out of the camp to come and meet them.

Seeing this, Zhao Ji turned to Gao Yanglong and said, "Order Jia Tong to attack."

Gao Yanglong remained silent, but picked up the flag representing the Thousand Riders of Jiatong and shook it vigorously from side to side, then pointed it diagonally forward.

As he waved his flag, Jia Tong's knights quickly mounted their horses and charged forward, overwhelming Jia Tong and rushing in through the opening in front of him.

The two attacks by herds of horses destroyed almost all of their traps.

Jia Tong's troops were mostly cavalrymen. The elite cavalry charged forward in formation, while the scouts followed, hurling arrows at every Cao army soldier.

Zhang He also led the Hebei troops forward to fight Xu Chu. With both sides losing the cover of their camps, officers and soldiers were constantly being knocked down and trampled by both sides.

Corpses and wounded soldiers fell one after another, struggling and screaming, their cries drowned out by the shouts of killing and the sound of horses' hooves trampling.

The drummers following behind the infantry on both sides beat their drums rapidly, pushing forward as much as possible in an attempt to overwhelm and break through the enemy's brave frontline warriors.

In the camp, Zhao Yun recognized Shi Huan, who was loudly giving orders and directing the soldiers. He didn't know Shi Huan either. He hung his lance on the hook, took out his bow and arrow, and shot an arrow.

At this moment, Shi Huan turned sideways and swung his arm, striking Shi Huan squarely in the shoulder socket. Shi Huan was immediately protected by his personal guards.

Seeing how highly regarded he was, Zhao Yun pointed to where Shi Huan was and shouted, "Throw your spears!"

Dozens of local cavalrymen drew their short spears, charged forward, and threw their spears with one arm, instantly killing a large number of Cao Cao's soldiers.

Shi Huan's personal guards ignored his struggles and dragged him toward the entrance of the passage, stabbing and stabbing him with their swords, carving a bloody path through him.

That's how it is when you break through an enemy lines; the path is often stained red with blood by friendly forces in front of you.

During the breakout, Zhao Yun caught sight of Shi Huan's personal guard, who was wearing silver armor. Before Zhao Yun could fire, arrows from all directions converged on the man, injuring seven or eight people around him. The guard was struck by more than ten arrows and fell to the ground.

Even so, protected by its excellent armor, it wasn't completely dead and was still struggling to crawl towards the entrance of the tunnel.

Zhao Yun fired an arrow, which pierced the man's buttocks. The man shuddered violently, but several more arrows were shot at him, and he gave up struggling.

After glancing at him, Zhao Yun led his fellow villagers' elite cavalry out of the camp and turned to attack Xu Chu's flank.

Xu Chu was strong and powerful. He wielded a long-handled broadsword and fought fiercely, and the Hebei soldiers struggled to resist him.

Zhao Yun appeared from the flank and shot an arrow that struck Xu Chu on the back of the neck, but it was blocked by the neck guard and failed to penetrate.

Xu Chu was shocked and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, the Qingzhou soldiers who had fled into the cavalry camp were still in shock. Seeing that they were about to be surrounded again, they turned around and fled to the northeast corner without thinking.

The auxiliary soldiers in the camp were also infected by the panic and fled in droves, which was difficult to stop.

"Shi Huan has misled me!"

Cao Cao punched the railing, and at that moment some stray arrows were already flying towards him. Cao Cao led Wang Bi to retreat and leave the conspicuous high platform.

However, the military officers responsible for observation could only remain on the platform with their shields.

(End of this chapter)