My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 230 This world-destroying blow, can you withstand it? Cao Cao: There's no way to avoid it, my life is over~~
Fire Bull Formation?
Xu Chu's eyes were filled with confusion.

He was just an ordinary man, not well-read, so naturally he had never heard of the story of the Fire Ox Formation.

How could Cao Cao not know?

The moment the fire oxen appeared before him, the history of Tian Dan's restoration of his kingdom and the fire ox formation's great victory over the Yan army immediately flashed into his mind.

Over the years, he had suffered repeated defeats at the hands of Liu Bei, enduring countless humiliations, which had left a shadow in his heart.

Despite outwardly appearing confident of victory, the light cavalry raider was inwardly quite nervous.

It is feared that Jia Xu and Cao Chong's joint plan will be exposed by Xiao He, resulting in their failure.

He was completely relieved when his iron cavalry charged more than seventy paces into the Chu camp, believing that victory was assured.

Who would have thought that at this very last moment before the battle, something unexpected would happen.

Liu Bei actually deployed the Fire Ox Formation to resist his 30,000 iron cavalry!
Why are there so many oxen in the Chu camp?
In such a rush, how could the fire ox have been released so quickly?

Unless the Chu army was prepared in advance and was just waiting for him to rush to their door!
This means that someone in the Chu camp must have already seen through Jia Xu's plan!

"Xiao He?"

The name instantly popped into Cao Cao's mind.

Could it be that the country bumpkin saw through Yang Xiu's false information?
Did I expect he was faking illness?

It was also speculated that he intended to emulate Xiang Yu's Battle of Pengcheng, using cavalry to penetrate deep into the heart of Xuzhou and launch a surprise attack on the Chu army's main camp.

Countless questions thundered through Cao Cao's mind.

Every question made him feel as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"Wenhe and Cangshu's plan was so ingenious, yet he still managed to see through it?"

"He actually used the Fire Ox Formation, which hasn't been used in hundreds of years?"

What kind of monster is he?

Cao Cao trembled all over, a chilling fear rising from the soles of his feet and instantly enveloping his entire body.

Just as he was stunned and horrified, the fire bull was already charging closer.

Xu Chu panicked and shouted:

"Lord Wei, the Chu army's fire oxen are about to charge forward, what should we do?"

Cao Cao's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly shouted:

"This fire ox formation is incredibly powerful; even with a million iron cavalry, we cannot withstand it. Immediately order the entire army to scatter and take cover; do not charge again!"

Cao Cao finally came to his senses.

He no longer expects to break through the Chu camp, nor does he expect to defeat the 80,000-strong Chu army in one fell swoop, and he fantasizes about recovering Xuzhou.

The only hope now is to avoid the 25,000 cavalry being annihilated by the Chu army's fire oxen.

If those 25,000 cavalrymen are wiped out, he will have completely lost his trump card to turn the tide.

After that, the balance of power on the Central Plains battlefield will be completely reversed.

Liu Bei was really going to overpower him.

"Lord Wei has ordered the entire army to immediately scatter and evade, and to quickly relay the order to the Liaodong army, instructing them not to confront the fire ox formation head-on—"

Even the commoner Xu Chu realized the urgency of the situation and shouted hoarsely.

Upon receiving the order, the Wei cavalry, whose morale was greatly shaken, hurriedly reined in their horses and turned around.

It's too late.

With 25,000 cavalrymen already at full speed, they couldn't possibly stop in the blink of an eye.

Before the order could reach the vanguard, eight hundred fire oxen, with a devastating momentum, plunged headlong into the cavalry ranks.

A cloud of blood shot into the air.

Countless Liaodong cavalrymen, like paper, were sent flying by the blades on the horns of the fire oxen, or knocked over by the oxen that were driven mad by pain...

The fallen warhorses and soldiers were then trampled into a bloody mess by the onrushing bulls.

People and horses were thrown into chaos, and there was a cacophony of wails and howls...

The five thousand Liaodong cavalry at the forefront were crushed and scattered in the blink of an eye, with countless dead and wounded.

"All troops, listen to my command! Scatter and take cover! Scatter and take cover!"

In the chaos, Bei Yan turned his horse and fled, shouting hoarsely.

The earth-shattering sound of iron hooves, the resounding impacts, and the screams of men and horses drowned out his shouts.

"Duke Wei clearly said that the Chu army was completely unprepared and that this battle could be won easily. Why is that?"

"Cao Cao, oh Cao Cao, you've ruined me!"

Looking at his own soldiers who had been killed or wounded, Bei Yan gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

Just then, a fire bull roared and charged towards them from the side.

There is no way to avoid it!

Bei Yan's expression changed, and he hurriedly raised his knife to slash at the charging bull.

With one slash, a knife struck the bull's back, and blood gushed out immediately.

The fire bull, in pain, did not retreat; instead, it charged even more fiercely.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Bei Yan's enormous body flew into the air and crashed heavily a few steps away.

Just as he was spinning and hadn't recovered his senses, countless fire oxen came charging towards him.

"Ah~~~"

A scream rang out, and Bei Yan, who had just landed, was instantly trampled into a pile of mud...

Five thousand Liaodong cavalrymen were almost completely wiped out in the blink of an eye.

Then it was the Wei cavalry's turn.

One after another, these "blood oxen" trampled over the corpses of the Liaodong people and charged into the Wei cavalry.

At this time, the Wei army had just begun to scatter, and most of the cavalry were still crowded in the middle, unable to get out of the way.

They could only stare wide-eyed, their faces filled with terror, as the blood-stained fire bull crashed into their flesh and blood.

Another chorus of wails and howls erupted as the more than 20,000 Wei cavalrymen were utterly crushed by the fire oxen, leaving not a single one standing...

Chu Camp.

Looking up at Xiao He on the upper floor, his mouth also opened slightly.

To be honest, he knew the Fire Ox Formation was powerful, but he didn't expect it to be this powerful.

Twenty to thirty thousand enemy cavalry were routed in the blink of an eye, suffering heavy casualties.

No wonder this fire ox formation enabled Tian Dan to lay the foundation for the restoration of his kingdom in a single battle.

Let alone the flesh and blood of the Wei army, even the strongest defensive Crescent Moon Formation would probably be rendered useless against this Fire Ox Formation.

Xiao He was only slightly surprised.

Deng Ai and the Chu soldiers standing in front of the camp wall all gasped in astonishment, speechless.

The formidable power of the fire ox formation terrified the entire Chu army.

After a moment of stunned silence, cheers and shouts of joy erupted.

Seeing the 30,000 Wei troops utterly destroyed and routed in an instant, the thousands of Chu soldiers roared with excitement. "Military Advisor Xiao, you are truly a celestial being!"

Deng Ai sighed and looked up at Xiao He on the watchtower.

At this time.

To the west of the camp, dust and mist rose in a cloud of smoke.

Zhang Liao led over two thousand elite cavalrymen back to the main camp in a great hurry.

At this moment, his face was solemn and anxious, and he was prepared for the enemy cavalry to break through the camp and for him to fight a bloody battle to resist them.

"Xu~~"

Zhang Liao suddenly reined in his horse and looked out of the camp with surprise in his eyes.

When the Wei army broke into the camp, they didn't see anything, but instead encountered a scene of utter carnage, with Wei soldiers falling to their deaths and horses collapsing, their cries of agony echoing through the air.

"What...what's going on?"

Zhang Liao asked in surprise, as if he had witnessed the most unbelievable scene of his life.

Deng Ai rode closer and laughed loudly:

"General Wenyuan, you arrived a step too late and missed the moment when the strategist used the fire ox formation to defeat the enemy cavalry."

"Fire Bull Formation?"

Zhang Liao stared wide-eyed and looked ahead carefully. Sure enough, he saw hundreds of severely wounded oxen lying on the ground.

Then his body jolted, he gasped, and turned sharply to look up at Xiao He on the watchtower.

Upon seeing Zhang Liao arrive, Xiao He laughed loudly:
"Wen Yuan, you've come at the right time. Immediately lead the Tiger Cavalry out to sweep away the enemy forces and completely crush them."

After a moment of distraction, Zhang Liao suddenly realized what was happening.

The surprise in his eyes transformed into fierce fighting spirit, and he raised his long sword:
"Tiger Cavalry, heed my command! Follow me and crush the Wei army!"

With the camp gates wide open, over two thousand elite Chu cavalry, under the command of Zhang Liao, surged out of the camp like a tidal wave, their fighting spirit soaring, and charged towards the routed Wei army.

Zhang Liao takes over the battlefield!

At this point, the five thousand Liaodong cavalrymen were basically wiped out.

The more than 20,000 Wei cavalry that followed were also mostly wiped out by the fire oxen, with fewer than 10,000 surviving.

More than 10,000 cavalrymen, still five or six times the number of Chu cavalry.

In a direct confrontation, even the elite Tiger Cavalry would be no match for the Wei cavalry.

However, the current situation is that the surviving Wei army has already been scattered and is in a state of morale collapse, fleeing in panic.

In this state, what use would a million cavalry be, let alone ten thousand?

Zhang Liao charged into the enemy ranks, his long sword flashing wildly, and in an instant, he cut down seven or eight riders.

The Tiger Cavalry pounced on them, reaping the lives of the Wei cavalry who had already been scattered, as easily as cutting vegetables and melons.

There were screams and howls, and not a single survivor was left...

Zhang Liao charged forward, heading straight for Cao Cao's location.

To avoid attracting attention, Cao Cao did not display his banner as the Duke of Wei during this battle.

Zhang Liao, who had once been his subordinate, was extremely familiar with the Wei army and recognized the hundreds of Tiger Guard cavalry at a glance.

That was Xu Chu commanding the Wei Kingdom's imperial guards, existing solely to protect Cao Cao.

With the Tiger Guard cavalry here, how could Cao Cao not be present?

"Tiger Cavalry, heed my command! Follow me and capture Cao Cao alive!"

Zhang Liao brandished his long sword and let out a long roar.

"Capture Cao Cao alive!"

"Capture Cao Cao alive!"

Two thousand elite warriors roared in unison, their voices shaking heaven and earth.

Ahead, Cao Cao, protected by the Tiger Guard cavalry, had just barely escaped the onslaught of the Fire Oxen Formation and narrowly escaped death.

Looking back, the more than 20,000 cavalrymen had been scattered and were in complete disarray.

Cao Cao felt a surge of grief and indignation.

Another defeat...

In this battle, not to mention the 5,000 Liaodong cannon fodder, Wei cavalry also lost nearly 10,000 cavalry.

What a truly crushing defeat!

"Cao Pi, Cao Pi, if it weren't for you, you blind fool, driving Xiao He away, how could I have suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of that big-eared thief!"

"Hateful, hateful~~"

Cao Cao gritted his teeth and directed his anger at Cao Pi.

"Lord Wei, it's that traitor Zhang Liao who's attacked!"

"We must retreat immediately; we are no match for him!"

Ignoring Cao Cao's grief and indignation, Xu Chu shouted hoarsely.

Cao Cao looked back and saw thousands of iron cavalry sweeping towards him like a torrent.

That flag with the character "Zhang" was clearly visible.

The shouts of "Capture Cao Cao alive!" could be heard clearly.

"Zhang Liao, you traitor!"

Cao Cao gritted his teeth as if they were about to explode, his eyes bloodshot from staring.

Xu Chu, however, disregarded Cao Cao's anger and ordered his Tiger Guards to escort Cao Cao as he fled north.

Despite his cursing, Cao Cao's actions betrayed his true intentions, and he obediently followed the Tiger Guard cavalry in a hasty retreat.

Behind him.

Seeing that Cao Cao was about to flee, Zhang Liao quickly hung up his long sword and shouted:
"Tiger Cavalry, charge into battle with mounted archery!"

More than two thousand elite cavalrymen hung their swords, drew their bows, and unleashed a barrage of arrows.

Arrows rained down on Cao Cao like a swarm of locusts.

Xu Chu frantically brandished his sword, desperately protecting Cao Cao.

The Tiger Guards on the left and right also brandished their swords to deflect the incoming rain of arrows.

The distance was too close, and the rain of arrows was too dense. Even if Xu Chu and his men did their best, they could not provide an impenetrable defense.

A sharp arrow pierced through their swords and headed straight for Cao Cao.

"Lord Wei, be careful!"

Seeing that he couldn't stop them in time, Xu Chu could only raise his voice in alarm to warn them.

Upon hearing the warning, Cao Cao instinctively leaned forward, his upper body quickly collapsing onto his horse's back.

"puff!"

There was a muffled sound.

Cao Cao was struck by an arrow in his raised left buttock.

(End of this chapter)