Tiger Guards

Chapter 290 Agile Figure
"Yuan Rang!"

Xiahou Dun's remaining thirty-odd cavalrymen escorted him into the northern outer camp.

Cao Cao saw Xiahou Dun fall from his horse through the fence, his face, beard, and robes stained with blood.

Supported, Xiahou Dun, still slightly conscious, lifted his leg and pushed off the ground, quickly heading towards the gate.

The deer antlers at the gate were quickly moved away, and the gate was lifted to reveal a gap.

Archers on both sides of the camp drew their bows and fired rapidly, driving back the Bingzhou knights who had pursued them.

Fortunately, it was already dark, and the officers and soldiers of the outer and northern camps could not see the scene of Xiahou Dun's entire army being wiped out.

However, the garrison troops in the northern camp and the officers and soldiers of the central camp could see Xu Chu's troops in the southern camp and Zhu Ling's troops in the southeastern camp transporting wounded soldiers outwards.

Not only wounded soldiers, but also weapons that were useful for combat, as ordered by Zhao Ji, were transported outside the camp and stored.

The central army camp had many wounded soldiers. The wounded, who had been given simple bandages, were used to fill the defensive line. They could only watch helplessly as those wounded soldiers, limping and supporting each other, headed southwest.

The more seriously wounded soldiers could only lie in the barracks and leave their fate to chance, and a strange atmosphere gradually arose.

Le Jin, sitting on a stretcher, patrolled the camp and saw the scene outside: "This is a psychological warfare tactic by the enemy! They have come from afar and have experienced the battles of Shangdang and Zhengding. How could they possibly have medicine to cure their wounded soldiers?"

Only a handful of officers voiced their agreement, further dampening morale in the camp.

Cao Jun lacks a tradition of rescuing the wounded.

Soldiers had no guaranteed escape route, so they were often unwilling to fight to the death in the face of battle, and could only be suppressed by cruel military law.

Fearing that soldiers might desert or betray their cause, they also devised cruel measures to punish the families of those involved.

This led to Cao Cao's soldiers generally being afraid to get injured, as being injured was worse than death for them.

When they went out to fight, if there was an opportunity to plunder, Cao Cao's officers and soldiers would rush to kill and loot, as this was their only chance to change the fate of their families.

In the northern camp, Wang Lang silently observed the group of wounded soldiers walking together in the distance.

He had discovered that the Chenliu and Qingzhou soldiers in his camp were showing signs of instability, and that the Qingzhou soldiers who had fled into his camp were actually the same group of people as the Qingzhou soldiers who were assigned to him in his camp.

The defeated general Lu Zhao limped over, leaning on his spear. He had cut his calf while fleeing.

To protect himself, his calves were wrapped in layers of bandages, making them appear swollen and stiff.

Looking towards the southwest where the wounded soldiers were evacuating, Lu Zhao's back was soaked with sweat. Suddenly, he turned to look at Wang Lang, and the two of them looked at each other with fear in their eyes.

If this drags on any longer, and the Qingzhou soldiers, who have the numerical advantage in the camp, reach a consensus, then they will be in danger.

Because of their different hometowns and backgrounds, Wang Lang didn't even dare to trust Lu Zhao at this moment.

If they retreat to the north bank, will Lu Zhao be able to keep his head when Cao Cao investigates his crimes?
No one knew whether Cao Cao would pursue the matter after the retreat.

But clearly, Lu Zhao didn't want to gamble.

Being captured might be Lu Zhao's only way out.

Given the losses Cao Cao suffered in this battle, whether he could even return to the north bank was a question. Even if he managed to evacuate safely, he would lose control of western Yan Province.

In other words, Chenliu would be freed from Cao Cao's control.

Wang Lang's thoughts shifted, and he forced a smile at Lu Zhao, who returned the smile.

Lu Zhao did not have the power to instigate a mutiny. The largest number of soldiers in the camp were from Qingzhou. If the Qingzhou soldiers suddenly mutinied and tried to take their heads, they would have to join forces to fight back in order to survive.

Whether it's breaking through the siege, negotiating with the Qingzhou soldiers, or surrendering with them under certain conditions, their cooperation is essential.

The battles gradually subsided, with only Chunyu Qiong upstream still releasing batches of fire rafts.

The fire rafts drifted downstream, crowding each other and blocking the water's surface, no longer hindering Cao Ren's crossing.

Relying on the south bank dike, the timber that Cao Ren had set up camp on the north bank also began to be moved to the south bank, forming an arched semi-circular camp outside the dike.

With this protrusion, he had the confidence to help Cao Cao cross the river.

Campfires were lit everywhere, and Lü Bu moved to the lower reaches of the Bian River on the south bank to observe Cao Cao up close and wait for Cao Cao to break through the encirclement.

Before Cao Cao could devise a counterattack plan, two more armies carrying torches approached the battlefield from the west upstream.

Chunyu Qiong probably figured things out. Instead of waiting for Cao Cao to break out from him, he led more than 5,000 Hebei soldiers in two separate formations, heading along the Bian River.

Upon hearing that Cao Ren had crossed the river to join the battle, the more than two thousand Yanzhou soldiers who remained at Zhao Ji's camp, in order to avenge Zang Hong, followed Chunyu Qiong in setting out with torches.

This nearly 8,000 fresh troops, armed with fire, crushed Cao Cao's last will to fight.

Don't be fooled by the poor performance of the more than two thousand Yanzhou soldiers when they were attacked at Baima. They were on the march and were caught off guard by the sudden attack, which allowed Cao Ren to succeed.

Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, what kind of scenes haven't these Yanzhou soldiers, mainly young and strong men, seen?

What put Cao Cao in an even more difficult position was Chunyu Qiong's four or five thousand men. Chunyu Qiong was his old friend and colleague, although Cao Cao somewhat looked down on him. However, today, the Hebei troops under Han Meng and Zhang He had achieved extremely fierce results, capturing camps defended by equal numbers of soldiers in a single battle.

Deterrence is earned through battle. With the remarkable achievements of Han Meng and Zhang He, Chunyu Qiong's troops were in high spirits, which in turn suppressed the morale of Cao Cao's army.

If Xiahou Dunle's troops do not move, these eight thousand men will not dare to leave the camp at will.

As a result, Xiahou Dun rushed to reinforce, but was defeated by Zhao Ji's 5,000 infantry and cavalry in one battle. How could the troops in the camp possibly hold out?

The defeat of Xiahou Dun was equivalent to adding 8,000 fresh troops to the allied forces of Zhao Ji and Lü Bu, while Cao Cao's side lost 5,000 to 6,000 men.

The fluctuations in morale amplified the impact of changes in troop numbers.

The three miles from the northern outer camp to the bank of the Bian River were the lifeline that determined the survival of Cao Cao and his forces.

If Cao Cao were to abandon his army and flee, several hundred knights would be enough to get him into the arched camp built by Cao Ren before Zhao Ji and Lü Bu could react.

But then?

There are still five camps left, with more than 10,000 garrison troops. Are we just going to hand them over to Zhao Ji and Lü Bu to be incorporated into their ranks?
If they insist on leading their troops out of the camp to fight, their current morale does not allow it.

Once they leave the camp, they will almost certainly collapse and retreat before the battle begins!
The more troops that leave the camp, the stronger the charge of these routed soldiers will be against Cao Ren's camp!
It is highly likely that they will break through Cao Ren's army, and the number of Cao soldiers who drown will be countless!
But if we don't leave, and the enemy's reinforcements arrive... then nobody should leave!

While Cao Cao was weighing his options, Zhao Ji arrived outside Xu Chu's camp and threw Xiahou Dun's battle flag into the camp. His accompanying knights also reined in their horses and threw various captured battle flags of Xiahou Dun's troops into the camp.

Under the torchlight, the garrison inside the camp had already given up resistance, and even the knights outside the camp dared to get close to the ramparts.

Xu Chu arrived at the gate and, standing between two low deer antlers, asked, "Are you Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhao?"

Perhaps due to a shoulder injury, or perhaps due to low morale and exhaustion, Xu Chu's voice was low and he sounded very tired.

As he inquired, he also saw Zhao Yun.

Zhao Ji, who was near Zhao Yun, spurred his horse forward and said, "It is I. Originally, the emperor should have personally led the expedition against Chenliu, and all the armies would have surrendered at the mere sight of him, so that there would not have been such a bloodbath and so many officers and soldiers killed or wounded. It was the ministers in the court who misled the emperor and changed his itinerary, which led to this bloody battle."

Zhao Ji gripped his riding whip and pointed to his chest: "I know there is no food in the Central Plains. After the battle, I will report my achievements to the Emperor and then lead the officials and soldiers of Bingzhou to withdraw from the Central Plains. If the general trusts me, he should immediately open the camp gates and dispel the misunderstanding between the two armies."

Xu Chu nodded, feeling a little more at ease, and said, "I am ultimately bound by the title of lord and servant to Lord Cao. Please forgive my army for not being able to follow you in attacking Lord Cao."

"General, your words are a bit far-fetched. As far as I know, Cao Cao attacked Ruying this winter and spring. Ruying was forcibly seized by Cao Cao, and that's why you led your clan and troops to submit to him. It can't be considered a relationship of mutual understanding between ruler and subject; it's more like coercion."

Zhao Ji showed no mercy to Xu Chu, saying, "Given Cao Cao's character, he is about to abandon his army and travel alone. I can certainly fulfill this request of yours, General."

Xu Chu's face, which was already pale from blood loss, turned red at this moment, and he remained silent for a long time.

A moment later, Zhao Ji noticed that the black horse beneath him was stamping its hooves in place, appearing somewhat impatient.

Xu Chu then asked, "I wonder how the Attendant-in-Ordinary intends to deal with us?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji raised an eyebrow: "The Central Plains is a land of constant warfare, and in my opinion, it is not a paradise. If the general is willing, he may move his troops to Taiyuan with me; if he is attached to his homeland, I will not force him."

Xu Chu, a native of Qiao County in Pei State, was renowned throughout Qiao, Pei, Ru, Ying, and parts of Huainan. Did he never consider cooperating with Cao Cao before?
He didn't have this idea, but didn't his fellow townsman Cao Cao?
It wasn't until Cao Cao had both Ru and Ying provinces and was poised to unify Yu Province that Xu Chu finally sent an envoy to submit.

Ultimately, Xu Chu preferred a free and unrestrained life, to be a powerful and influential general who enjoyed his own power and influence.

However, with the continuous annexation and squeezing by various forces, Xu Chu no longer had the space to remain neutral and live his own comfortable life behind closed doors.

Cao Cao conquered it first, so they just surrendered to Cao Cao.

If Yuan Shu had grown powerful, Xu Chu would have chosen Yuan Shu over destruction or submission.

Compatibility between ruler and subject?
It was all driven by self-interest. Xu Chu's allegiance to Cao Cao was partly out of necessity and partly a deliberate gamble.

If Cao Cao's personal charisma was truly that high, and he was admired by Xu Chu, Xu Chu wouldn't have waited until this year to join Cao Cao.

These are fellow townsmen from the same county; who doesn't know who they are?

Seeing that Zhao Ji had left him room to maneuver and allowed him to surrender under certain conditions, Xu Chu no longer insisted and said to his men, "Open the camp gates and welcome the Duke of Shizhong into the camp!"

At that moment, several dozen riders from Xu Chu's camp galloped in from the south, carrying torches. One of them shouted, "Lord Attendant! The guilty general Zhu Ling is late!"

Zhao Ji reined in his horse and waited. Xu Chu and the other leaders watched as Zhu Ling spurred his horse to a distance of about thirty paces from Zhao Ji, then leaped down and trotted quickly to Zhao Ji. He bowed deeply and said, "This sinful general, Zhu Ling, pays his respects to the Duke of the Palace Attendants!"

Unlike Xu Chu, Zhu Ling took the initiative to bring people to see Zhao Ji before Zhao Ji even entered the camp, making a very good impression.

Xu Chu watched all this, feeling utterly speechless.

There was nothing they could do; Zhu Ling's entire family had long been wiped out by the powerful generals on Gongsun Zan's side.

Zhu Ling, all alone, only needed to consider the safety and whereabouts of his subordinates; other weaknesses, such as his family, could no longer bother him.

As for morality... siding with the Attendant-in-Ordinary who was ordered by the Emperor to suppress the traitors was a righteous act of morality!
As for why they surrendered late, there was nothing they could do; it was Chen Guo's army that attacked them.
Didn't you see? Zhu Ling's troops have been passively resisting the whole time!

(End of this chapter)