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

Zhang He was stunned.

He had expected that the Chu army would send troops to reinforce Yanjin after it was attacked.

But it can't have come so quickly, can it?

We've only been attacking Yanjin for less than half an hour!

Zhao Tong's urgent messenger, having left Yanjin City at this time, would have arrived with Chu reinforcements no more than ten li away.
Moreover, the reinforcements that came were not ordinary troops, but nearly five thousand cavalry!

Zhang He was dumbfounded, his face filled with horror and astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

Suddenly, a chilling guess echoed before his eyes like a thunderclap:

Cao Chong's plan to launch a surprise attack on Yan Jin has been exposed!
Only in this way can we explain why Liu Bei's iron cavalry reinforcements arrived so quickly.

Unless Liu Bei had anticipated that Cao Cao would send troops to bypass the Neihuang defense line, cross the river on the ice, and launch a surprise attack on Yanjin.

Only in this way could Liu Bei send cavalry ahead of time to reinforce Yanjin.

Only in this way could these five thousand Chu cavalry arrive just in time.

Cao Chong's plan was ingenious and flawless.

To cover his surprise attack, Cao Cao even abandoned the attack on Neihuang and led 90,000 troops north, creating the illusion that he had abandoned the rescue of Liyang.

Even with the act going on this far, how could Liu Bei possibly see through it?
"Xiao He!"

Zhang He blurted out that name.

In the Chu army, besides that extraordinary genius, who else has this ability?

"Yes, it must be Xiao He, that sorcerer must have seen through Cao Cangshu's scheme!"

"I should have known! This man is incredibly shrewd; he has seen through so many of Cao Cangshu's schemes. How could this time be any different!"

Zhang He, suddenly awakened, gritted his teeth, his heart filled with remorse.

Just as he was in shock and disbelief, the Chu army's iron cavalry charged in like a whirlwind, kicking up clouds of dust.

The ground beneath their feet trembled, and the thunderous roar of iron hooves shook the Wei army, waking them from their siege.

When they turned around and saw the dark mass of Chu cavalry attacking from behind, their high morale plummeted to rock bottom.

"The Chu cavalry! The Chu cavalry are attacking!"

"Our escape route is about to be cut off, what should we do?"

"Why are there so many Chu soldiers here?"

Terrified screams rose and fell.

The Wei soldiers who were climbing the city walls suddenly lost their will to fight and slid down the ropes, turning around and fleeing in a panic.

Before Zhang He's order to retreat was even issued, the Wei army's fighting spirit had already collapsed.

"Heaven has forsaken my Great Wei, Heaven has forsaken the King of Wei, alas..."

Zhang He let out a long, helpless sigh, then turned his horse around and shouted:
"Retreat! The entire army must retreat to the north bank of the Yellow River! Retreat immediately!"

A metallic sound suddenly arose.

The eight thousand Chu soldiers, like startled birds, retreated from the city walls in a tide, abandoning their armor and fleeing towards the frozen surface of the Yellow River.

It's too late.

The Wei army fled quickly, but how could they outrun the Chu army's iron cavalry?
Just as they retreated from the city walls, five thousand iron cavalrymen, like a sharp sword, crashed down amidst the swirling snow.

The screams of soldiers, the sound of limbs being torn apart, the clanging of weapons, the wailing of warhorses…

In an instant, the sound resounded throughout the south bank of the Yellow River.

Hundreds and thousands of Wei soldiers, like paper, were knocked to the ground by the Chu cavalry and their heads were mercilessly reaped.

Eight thousand Wei soldiers were thrown into chaos and fell to their deaths in a single encounter, their cries of agony echoing through the air.

"Grand Commandant Xiao, you are truly a divine being..."

Deng Ai was filled with admiration for Xiao He and rode his horse wildly, killing his way through the enemy lines.

Having learned Zhao Yun's spear technique, he fired like raindrops, reaping the lives of Wei soldiers as easily as slicing vegetables and chopping melons.

Since receiving Liu Bei's orders, he led five thousand cavalry south from Liyang, crossing the frozen river back to Baimadu.

Then they followed the south bank of the Yellow River westward all the way to Yanjin.

He dared not rest along the way; when he was tired, he would chew on flatbread, and when he was thirsty, he would grab a handful of snow to eat, running for a whole day and night.

At that moment, he finally arrived just in time.

With a great victory in sight, he didn't hesitate and led five thousand iron cavalry to launch a rapid attack on the Wei army.

Five thousand iron cavalry.

Even on the open field, eight thousand Wei soldiers in formation might not be a match for five thousand iron cavalry.

Moreover, at this time the Wei army was focused on attacking Yanjin and its flanks were completely undefended. They had no idea that the Chu cavalry would attack from the east.

In this situation, the eight thousand Wei soldiers were naturally as fragile as paper, and were easily routed by him.

Deng Ai was a ferocious warrior with bloodshot eyes, killing countless Wei soldiers with his spear.

Amidst the chaos of the enemy ranks ahead, a Wei general suddenly came into view.

The Wei general's martial arts skills were mediocre, but his long sword was extremely sharp, and he was slicing through his own cavalry with ease.

"You scoundrel Wei, how dare you be so arrogant!"

Deng Ai's eagle eyes narrowed, and with a thunderous roar, he spurred his horse and charged forward, spear in hand.

In an instant, Deng Ai cut through the chaotic army and stood in front of the Wei general.

Holding a blood-red spear, imbued with the power of thunder, he thrust upwards with lightning speed.

The Wei general looked disdainful and swung his long sword backhand.

Swords and spears clashed!

"Crack!"

The silver spear, as if made of mud, was instantly severed.

Deng Ai's expression changed drastically.

Under normal circumstances, a short weapon like a sword is no match for a weapon like a spear, the ancestor of all weapons.

But the long sword in the hand of the Wei general in front of him had easily cut his silver spear in half.
It can cut through iron like mud!
Deng Ai suddenly remembered that Cao Cao had two treasured swords in his life, one of which was named "Yitian" and which he always carried with him.

The other one was named "Qinggang," and was worn by Xiahou En, his nephew from the Xiahou clan.

Could this young enemy general before me be Xiahou En, and the sword he holds that can cut through iron like mud be Qinggang?

"Chu dog, I'll take your life—" Xiahou En, who had severed the spearhead with his sword, thought Deng Ai was just an ordinary Chu knight. He roared disdainfully and continued to slash at Deng Ai with his sword.

The two riders passed each other, and the Qinggang sword slashed towards Deng Ai's face.

After a moment of surprise, Deng Ai quickly recovered and immediately executed a bridge pose, leaning his body nimbly backward.

The sharp edge of the Qinggang sword swept across his forehead.

The blade swept across his face like a knife, leaving a bloody mark on his forehead.

"Such a sharp sword, it must be the Qinggang Sword..."

Deng Ai gasped.

As the two horses passed each other, Deng Ai suddenly straightened up, drew his sword from its sheath with lightning speed, and slashed out with a backhand.

Xiahou En's expression changed drastically.

He clearly hadn't expected the Chu cavalryman to be so fast. He abandoned his spear, dodged the sword, and drew his sword to counterattack. The three movements were completed in one go, as fast as lightning.

Xiahou En thought to himself, "This is bad!" and tried to parry with his sword, but it was too late.

"Crack!"

The long sword swept past the back of her neck.

Xiahou En's head flew into the air, and his body crashed to the ground beneath his horse.

The Qinggang sword also slipped from his hand and stuck in the snow a few steps away.

Deng Ai breathed a sigh of relief, but his face was still shaken. He touched his forehead and found it was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

After calming himself down, he rode forward and picked up the sword from the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the sword hilt was indeed engraved with the characters "Qinggang".

At that moment, a Wei soldier, oblivious to everything, rushed towards him from the opposite direction.

With a thought, Deng Ai slashed down with his Qinggang sword.

"Crack!"

With a pleasant cracking sound, the Wei soldier who rushed forward was sliced ​​in two, head and blade severed.

"It truly is a sword that can cut through iron like mud!"

Deng Ai's eyes widened, and a look of wild joy flashed across his face.

I really made a huge profit from today's battle.

Five thousand iron cavalrymen decisively defeated eight thousand Wei soldiers, killing countless enemies and lifting the siege of Yanjin. This was a great achievement.

Killing Xiahou En, a general of the Xiahou clan, is another significant achievement.

Crucially, they also seized a Qinggang sword, which could cut through iron like mud.

This sword was once a treasured sword in Cao Cao's collection!

What a bumper harvest!

"That felt great, that felt great, hahaha—"

Deng Ai laughed wildly with excitement, spurred his horse, brandished his sword, and charged into the enemy ranks once more.

Sword rises and falls, sword rises and falls...

The Wei soldiers were as fragile as paper under Qinggang's sword, and were cut down in droves.

Deng Ai charged forward relentlessly, unstoppable, like a god of death, reaping the lives of the Wei army with frenzy.

Five thousand iron cavalrymen rolled forward, crushing the Wei soldiers.

Even Zhao Tong, who was inside Yanjin City, was greatly encouraged. He opened the city gates and led his less than 700 garrison troops out to fight.

From Yanjin City to the ferry, the short stretch of plain less than three hundred paces long was stained red with snow.

Like a frightened bird, Zhang He disregarded his subordinates and spurred his horse to flee, escaping across the ice and onto the north bank of the Yellow River.

Countless Wei soldiers' corpses stretched northward from Yanjin City, across the frozen Yellow River, and onto its north bank…

Before the last rays of the setting sun disappeared behind the mountains, the Chu soldiers had gathered on the shore, raising their arms and shouting wildly to celebrate their great victory.

Two young men, Deng Ai and Zhao Tong, also gathered among the soldiers.

"Shizai, why did your reinforcements arrive so timely? My messenger had only just left Yanjin for about ten miles. How did you manage to arrive like a divine army?"

While Zhao Tong was overjoyed, his eyes also revealed deep confusion.

"I wasn't some divine intervention; it was our Grand Commandant Xiao who was incredibly insightful and saw through Cao Cao's treacherous scheme..."

Deng Ai then smiled and recounted the whole story.

Zhao Tong suddenly realized, and couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration:

"Grand Commandant Xiao is truly a divine man; every move Cao Cao makes is within his expectations."

"Now look what happened, Cao Cao tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead."

The two looked at each other and laughed.

As soon as the laughter subsided, Deng Ai pointed his silver spear towards Liyang and said with delight:
"Guards! Quickly ride forth to Liyang and report the victory to the King and the Grand Commandant!"

"Also, send Xiahou En's head to Liyang and present it to the King!"

A messenger rode off on horseback, heading straight for Liyang.

...

Inside the royal tent at Liyang Ferry.

Liu Bei was pacing back and forth in front of the sand table, his eyes occasionally glancing at the location of "Yanjin" on the sand table.

The ministers in the tent also had a hint of anxiety in their eyes, more or less.

Deng Ai led his cavalry away, and about three days have passed, but there has been no result yet.

Although Liu Bei and his ministers had unwavering faith in Xiao He's wisdom, they were still somewhat anxious at this moment.

Only Xiao He remained calm and composed, savoring the wine in his cup.

Sudden.

The tent flap was lifted, and Guan Xing burst in excitedly, holding a bloody human head aloft.

"Your Majesty, Deng Shizai has brought good news!"

"Deng Shizai decisively defeated Zhang He at Yanjin, beheading four thousand enemy soldiers and killing the enemy general Xiahou En in battle. His head is here!"

Inside the large tent, an instant uproar erupted. (End of Chapter)