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

"The Grand Marshal is truly a brilliant strategist, with uncanny foresight..."

Zhao Yun immediately mounted his horse, spear in hand, his gaze fixed on the Wei army fleeing in panic like startled birds, and he couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.

The ambush troops he led along the way were actually all laid in advance by Xiao He.

If Xiao He knew that the national granary's grain supplies were burned, it would be tantamount to cutting off Cao Cao's lifeline. Cao Cao would definitely panic and choose to abandon the city and flee.

He had long been aware of Cao Cao's escape route.

Chencang, located at a strategic transportation hub, was a necessary stop for Cao Cao as he continued his westward escape to Liangzhou.

Xiao He predicted that Cao Cao only had one way to go: to leave through the west gate of Chang'an, flee along the south bank of the Wei River to Chencang, and then from Chencang, through the Longshan Road to Jieting, and finally escape to Liangzhou.

Therefore, at Xiao He's suggestion, Guan Yu set up two routes of elite troops to intercept the Wei army.

One force, led by Ma Chao, bypassed Chang'an and secretly intercepted the Wei army from the south.

The other route was led by Zhao Yun, who personally commanded elite cavalry to gallop westward from the north bank of the Wei River. They secretly crossed the Wei River upstream, quickly landed, and ambushed the enemy in the reeds along the bank.

The situation unfolding before them was exactly as Xiao He had predicted, down to the last detail.

Although Ma Chao inflicted heavy casualties on the Wei army, he was unable to annihilate them all.

This is the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his skills and deliver a crushing blow to the Wei army.

"Han soldiers, listen to my command! Follow me and kill the enemy!"

Zhao Yun let out a sharp roar, his voice as loud as a bell, echoing through the sky.

Then he spurred his horse, spear in hand, and charged into the Wei army with the agility of a dragon.

More than five thousand iron cavalrymen, like a rolling torrent of steel, their hoofbeats shaking the earth.

They pounced on the panicked and disoriented Wei army, instantly scattering them in disarray.

A brutal massacre ensued.

In an instant, the Wei army was slaughtered and routed.

The Wei soldiers were filled with terror and despair. They couldn't understand why the Han army would suddenly attack them.

"Why, why are there still Han troops here?"

Cao Cao's smile, which had been carrying a hint of relief, vanished instantly, replaced by shock and disbelief. He almost dropped the reins.

He never expected that, even though he had already fallen to such a miserable state, he would still be slapped in the face once again.

He originally only wanted to mock Xiao He to boost his own morale and encourage the soldiers.

Unexpectedly, this casual remark turned out to be a jinx.

It was as if Xiao He was his destined nemesis, and no matter how he struggled, he could not escape Xiao He's grasp.

"Your Majesty, it must have been Xiao He who planned this all along. He anticipated that we would abandon the city and retreat westward, so he ordered the Han cavalry to cross the river upstream and lay an ambush here in advance, just waiting for us to walk into the trap."

Jia Xu, standing beside him, spoke in a trembling voice, his voice choked with sobs, revealing the cruel truth.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao gasped, feeling a chill run from his feet to his head. He swayed and nearly fell off his horse.

He gripped the reins tightly, barely managing to steady himself.

At this moment, Cao Cao's mind was in chaos, with various thoughts intertwined.

He didn't understand why he always ended up losing when he clashed with Xiao He.

Why, why on earth!
"Xiao He, it's you again! Do you really intend to wipe me out completely?"

Cao Cao gritted his teeth, his voice filled with grief and resentment.

"Your Majesty, things have come to this. We must retreat westward immediately. If we hesitate any longer, we will all perish here!"

Jia Xu forced himself to remain calm and earnestly tried to persuade him.

The situation was critical, and Cao Cao could not afford to hesitate for even a moment.

He knew Cao Cao's character all too well and feared that Cao Cao might make some rash decision in a fit of anger.

Cao Cao suppressed his grief and indignation, and surveyed the tragic battle scene before him.

His original 20,000-strong army had been routed by the Han army, leaving not a single soldier standing. The soldiers scattered in all directions, utterly demoralized; some had even thrown down their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy.

Jia Xu's meaning was clearly that he should abandon the remaining 20,000 troops and flee to Liangzhou alone.

But this force was his only remaining asset, the elite army he had managed to preserve with great difficulty.

Are you just going to throw it away like that?
For him, this was undoubtedly like cutting off his own flesh, a pain that went to his very bones.

Cao Cao felt a pang of reluctance, gritted his teeth, frowned, and looked on with deep sorrow.

"Swish swish~~"

Just then, dozens of sharp arrows came whistling in like raindrops.

The arrow whistled sharply through the air, as if it were the call of death.

Soldiers on the left and right who had no time to dodge were immediately shot down, screaming in agony.

Upon seeing this, Cao Cao quickly lay down on his horse, pressing his body tightly against the saddle to avoid the incoming arrows.

Looking up, I couldn't help but gasp, feeling a chill run down my spine.

Ahead, over a hundred Han cavalrymen were rushing toward his location.

These Han cavalrymen were all riding white horses and wielding silver spears. They were skilled horsemen and shot arrows with unerring accuracy.

White Horse Cavalry!

This is the White Horse Cavalry, the most elite unit in the Han army, led by Zhao Yun.

They were like messengers of death; wherever they went, the Wei army was crushed like ants.

"Quickly escort me westward!"

The last bit of resentment in Cao Cao's heart crumbled instantly upon the appearance of the White Horse Cavalry.

At that moment, the will to survive occupied his entire mind. He had only one thought in his mind: to escape this dangerous place as soon as possible and save his life.

Cao Cao, surrounded by Jia Xu and others, immediately surrounded him and desperately tried to escape westward.

They brandished their weapons, driving away the Wei soldiers blocking their way, thus clearing an escape route for Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was lucky; he was lucky that when the Han cavalry cut off the Wei army in the middle, they did not cut him off from behind.

That's why he wasn't blocked by the Han army and was able to abandon his 20,000 troops and escape.

The Han cavalry had horses, and Cao Cao, Jia Xu, and others also had horses. Both sides were desperately fleeing, so catching up was naturally not easy.

At this point, Cao Cao, in order to save his life, had already removed all the armor that symbolized his imperial status and disguised himself as an ordinary soldier, fleeing wildly amidst the chaos of the army.

He kept his head down, not daring to look up, for fear of being discovered by the Han army. He bent his body slightly to minimize his visibility.

However, Zhao Yun still keenly noticed the anomaly.

The Wei army didn't have many cavalry to begin with, but on this battlefield, those hundred or so riders were tightly clustered around a general, seemingly intentionally protecting him.

A thought flashed through Zhao Yun's mind:
"Cao Cao?"

He carefully observed the general surrounded by his followers. Although he couldn't see the face clearly, he vaguely sensed from the man's figure and demeanor that this person was Cao Cao.

However, the two riders were already more than sixty paces apart, making it impossible for them to catch up.

Zhao Yun's mind raced, and he immediately put on his silver spear, bent his bow, and nocked an arrow.

His eyes were fixed on Cao Cao, who was running wildly behind him, his hands were as steady as Mount Tai, and his fingers were lightly resting on the bowstring.

"go with!"

With a flick of his finger, an arrow flew from the bowstring, slicing through the sky like lightning, traversing a distance of sixty paces, and accurately striking Cao Cao.

"Ah~~"

Cao Cao let out a miserable scream, and in an instant, the pain went straight to his bones. He felt a sharp pain in his lower back, as if a sharp blade had pierced through him.

His vision went black, and he collapsed onto the horse's back. (End of Chapter)