Tiger Guards

Chapter 287 A Minor Victory

When Cao Cao arrived at the northern outer camp, he saw cavalrymen from Bingzhou rushing back and forth outside the camp, chasing and killing the fleeing soldiers with various large and small cavalry units.

Meanwhile, Cao Ren on the north bank deployed archers and crossbowmen on the embankment, and urged squads of armored soldiers to cross the pontoon bridge.

The defeated soldiers who swam to the north bank were shot dead before they could even reach the shore, regardless of their affiliation.

Furthermore, armored soldiers carrying spears and halberds roamed the riverbank, urging and forcing the routed soldiers to head towards the south bank.

Blood stained the Bian River red, and floating corpses and reed rafts piled up on the surface.

Cao Ren's expression was cold and stern as he surveyed the Bian River, watching the struggling figures bobbing up and down, and the hands reaching out to the surface.

There was no room for retreat at this moment. The soldiers had to be driven to the south bank to join the fighting. Only in the midst of the chaos could Cao Cao be covered to break through the encirclement.

Zhao Ji immediately cleared a space, and the wounded knights gathered around him, then retreated from the battlefield together.

Several knights escorted a messenger on horseback, shouting: "Report! Your Excellency, the soldiers from Hanoi have set fire to the fire rafts on the Sui River, and the soldiers from Chenliu are within fifteen li!"

"understood."

Zhao Ji turned to look at Zhang Zan on the chariot behind him: "Please have General Zhang of Hanoi divide two thousand troops under the command of Zhao Zilong to intercept the Chenliu troops."

The march from Chenliu to here is more than a hundred li.

Even if Xiahou Dun took a shortcut and came by boat and raft first, his army is now exhausted!
Zhang Zan quickly wrote down the military order, and Zhao Ji took out a regular hexagonal copper seal that he carried with him, dipped it in ink, and casually stamped a few characters on the silk book.

He entrusted the silk scroll to a trusted confidant to carry on his person, and dispatched more than ten horsemen to escort him as they broke away from the enemy lines.

At this moment, Zhao Ji turned to look at Yu Jin's camp. Cao Cao's central army, which had arrived here, did not directly participate in the battle, but instead entered Yu Jin's camp to rest and observe the changes in the battle situation.

As Zhao Ji was observing, Wei Yue led several dozen riders over. They all slowed down. What was most unusual about these riders was that they did not hunt for heads, nor did they force surrender or capture prisoners.

Wei Yue removed his face armor and stepped forward, speaking loudly from a distance of a dozen paces away: "Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhao, Cao Cao is about to break through the encirclement. Cao Ren on the north bank is providing full support. Please throw fire on the pontoon bridge!"

Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Ji turned his head to observe the Bian River to the north, where the fire rafts drifting upstream were not proving to be very effective.

Meanwhile, Cao Ren's soldiers continued their assault on the Bian River, with soldiers constantly falling off the pontoon bridge and sinking into the water.

Between the five pontoon bridges were piles of reed rafts, and the Cao army officers and soldiers who had fallen into the water clung tightly to the rafts, struggling to survive.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao's soldiers, having reached the south bank, were able to form shield formations by relying on the earthen dikes built on the south bank, and use crossbow squads to attack passing knights.

Furthermore, some of Cao Cao's soldiers dragged reed rafts onto the embankment to serve as cover.

Zhao Ji glanced at it a few times and felt that it was a tricky situation.

I don't hate the enemy's strong fortifications, but I hate their fearless, relentless spirit of charging forward without fear of death.

Zhao Ji's guards made way, and Wei Yue approached five or six steps before saying, "Yu Jin has gathered his troops and is holding firm, making it difficult for Zhang Wenyuan to escape. Otherwise, relying on Zhang Wenyuan's elite infantry, we could try to storm the enemy forces on the dike."

Relying solely on cavalry would have limited impact.

Even if they manage to break through the enemy lines, using cavalry to defend the dikes and engage in a firefight with the north bank would be extremely disadvantageous.

But the cavalry cannot stop until they have eliminated the remnants of Yu Jin's army.

Zhao Ji observed Cao Cao's army from the north and south, and said to Wei Yue, "After defeating and eliminating Yu Jin's remnants, each side should retreat and garrison both ends to rest and recuperate. I want to see how Cao Cao crosses the river!"

If Cao Cao doesn't come out now, and they keep charging back and forth on horseback, it will only cause the cavalry to waste their energy meaninglessly.

Cao Ren disregarded the morale of his troops and forced his officers and soldiers to cross the river by force; it was extremely unwise for his side to fight against Cao Ren's troops, who had the embankment to provide cover.

The cavalry had lost their stamina, and even if they annihilated the Cao army crossing the river, it would be difficult to effectively intercept and kill Cao Cao.

Wei Yue immediately nodded and warned, "If it gets dark, the Attendant-in-Ordinary must be wary of Cao Cao's night attack."

"clear."

Zhao Ji cupped his hands in greeting, and Wei Yue returned the gesture, raising his hand to put on his face armor before leading his personal cavalry to charge at Yu Jin's remaining troops.

No sooner had Wei Yue left than Zhao Ji led his three hundred or so cavalrymen toward Yu Jin.

Yu Jin gathered the routed soldiers in the northeast corner of the battlefield. Relying on the dike, Yu Jin forcibly reorganized the routed soldiers and formed a combat regiment of a thousand men, which was arranged in an arched, hollow semi-circular formation.

Zhang Liao and Hao Meng were leading their infantry in a pincer attack from two directions, while cavalry groups were also making probing charges to intimidate and frighten Yu Jin's troops.

Meanwhile, the scouts galloped in formation, spontaneously forming five rings and firing arrows into the air above Yu Jin's position, disrupting the command and repositioning of Yu Jin's troops.

As for the other knights, they pursued and captured scattered defeated soldiers. Once they had captured a certain number, they left the battlefield and went to the rear to hand over the prisoners.

Many purple-robed Hunnic knights stopped fighting after capturing a certain number of prisoners, no longer intending to fight to the death.

No one will urge them on; this is how they play.

Even during internal wars among the Xiongnu, they would leave the battlefield once they had captured enough spoils.

Zhao Ji understood the Xiongnu's strategic thinking, and so did Wei Yue. As a result, these Xiongnu cavalrymen, having disengaged from the battle, didn't rush to retreat but instead observed the changing battle from the sidelines.

At the northern outer camp, Cao Cao stood at the ramparts observing the changes on the battlefield, while Cao Ren was determined to save him.

After experiencing such an action that disregarded the lives of officers and soldiers, Cao Ren's troops would instinctively resist such a general in the future.

Even without seeing the actual situation on the Bian River, Cao Cao knew from experience that more people drowned than died in battle.

At this moment, Cao Cao still had fighting spirit. As night fell, Zhao Ji and Lü Bu's armies, which had been engaged in intense fighting, would inevitably become exhausted after nightfall.

While he was pondering, Zhao Ji led more than three hundred cavalrymen to the northeast corner, the only place where the battle was still raging. He dismounted and boarded the chariot, which was already supported by a frame and was extremely stable.

Zhao Ji took a powerful bow and aimed at the figure in Yu Jin's army who resembled a military officer, then shot him dead.

Although it may seem like bullying the weak, the essence of tactics is to avoid disadvantages and use advantages to exploit the enemy's disadvantages.

Therefore, the essence of tactics is to bully the weak with the strong!
He remained expressionless as he unleashed a powerful bow and long arrows, striking the officers and guards standing behind the fourth or fifth rows of soldiers.

On the battlefield, Zhang Liao walked with his halberd, full of energy and high spirits.

Zhang Liao was engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy soldiers in front of him, but he was constantly interrupted by the firing of crossbows from Mount Tai, so he was not having a smooth fight.

The Taishan crossbowmen were the elite and backbone of Yu Jin's forces, numbering about three hundred, who stood on the north side of the embankment, mostly lying prone on the ground to fire.

It was also because of their interference that Zhang Liao and Hao Meng's advance was slow, giving Yu Jin's remaining troops valuable time to adjust their formation.

But soon, the enemy soldiers opposite Zhang Liao gradually lost their discipline, and their cooperation became more instinctive rather than targeted restraint and resistance against Zhang Liao's offensive.

After retreating a few steps and hiding in the shield formation, Zhang Liao saw that the officers on the other side were being hit by arrows one after another, and the morale of the soldiers around the officers was getting lower and lower, and their enthusiasm for cooperation was also rapidly declining.

Zhang Liao turned his head back, but he couldn't see anything through the flag.

He only glanced at it, not daring to look any longer, lest the officials around him become suspicious.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Liao led his personal guards in another charge, this time directly routing two large enemy battle groups.

Before Zhang Liao could pursue the fleeing soldiers, Yu Jin immediately sent two more battle groups of about a hundred men each to hold up the crumbling arched battle line.

Zhao Ji then changed his quiver of arrows. With each shot, even if he missed the officer, he could still cause the enemy to lose a valuable combat unit on the spot if the arrow landed in the crowd.

The knights around him dismounted, took up their bows, and fired arrows at Yu Jin's arched formation.

The rate of fire was higher, and the arrows were more powerful.

After the two hundred-plus men had used up all their arrows, Yu Jin's formation was riddled with holes.

Even the Taishan crossbows behind the dam were suppressed by this long-range projectile attack.

At Yu Jin's old camp, Cao Cao watched helplessly as Zhang Liao and Hao Meng's banners continued to advance and eventually converged, which meant that the stubborn remnants of Yu Jin's forces would either be wiped out on the spot.

Either these elite veterans, surrounding Yu Jin, crossed the dike and fled to the Bian River.

Zhao Ji stopped inspecting the battlefield, dismounted, mounted his horse, and led his troops westward in retreat.

Clear the way and see when Cao Cao will break through.

Intercepting Cao Cao was not a task for one person alone.

Lu Bu's central army is still resting and recuperating, and he sent Wei Yue to deceive people by flying Lu Bu's battle flag... If the fighting continues, Lu Bu, who has the only fresh troops in his hands, will become the master of the final battle.

Therefore, we must retreat, conserve the knights' strength, and leave the toughest challenge to Lu Bu.

Given the intense hatred between the two sides, Lü Bu certainly wouldn't stand idly by and watch Cao Cao cross the river and retreat.

What I need to do is wait until they are at war, gather my last strength, and support Lü Bu from behind Cao Cao, or perhaps even send troops to deliver a blow to Cao Cao.

Now, Zhao Ji is somewhat worried about Zhao Yun and Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang has openly wasted Sui Gu and Yang Chou's energy today. If he withdraws early, even if Sui Gu and Yang Chou have bad intentions, they won't dare to act rashly.

Otherwise, if these two guys turn against us at the last minute... the situation will become even more complicated.

Having finally simplified the complex battle situation, how can we let them regress?

Thus, Zhao Ji gathered some Xiongnu knights who were escorting the prisoners and began to retreat westward.

Cao Ren's troops on the embankment could only watch helplessly as the knights retreated 300 paces away. Some knights would check the Cao soldiers on the ground as they retreated, either trampling them with their hooves or stabbing them with their spears and halberds.

If you are sure the person is dead, dismount and cut off their head. If they are not dead, but only slightly injured, or are feigning death or unconscious, capture them if possible.

Those prisoners who were unable to walk and were difficult to drive away were executed on the spot... In any case, given the treatment they received from Cao Cao, they would have no choice but to die if they went back.

As for those who end up among the common people, given the current drought and food shortage in the Central Plains, even if they voluntarily sell themselves into slavery, no powerful family would be willing to take them.

(End of this chapter)