The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy! Quickly clean up the battlefield!"

After issuing a brief order, Zhao Yun gazed at the collected corpses of his fallen comrades, his heart heavy with sorrow.

However, that is how the battlefield is. Generals are bound to die in a hundred battles, and brave warriors may survive after ten years. Unless it is a crushing defeat with overwhelming strength, who can avoid losing a single person?
After calming his mind, Zhao Yun pointed his silver spear northward and spurred his horse to catch up with Ju Shou and his party.

After exchanging greetings, Ju Shou voiced his doubts: "Why is General Zhao here?"

Without hesitation, Zhao Yun replied, “The strategist urgently summoned me, saying that Cao Cao has three hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry under his command, all of whom are extremely brave and cannot be subdued by anyone other than my White Horse Cavalry. Therefore, he ordered me to rush from Bingzhou to Julu overnight. I have been here for three days to investigate the whereabouts of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and today I happened to find Mr. Ju in danger, so I came to his rescue.”

Ju Shou was shocked to hear this: Xin Ping had only mentioned the Battle of Liyang with Zhuge Liang, in a casual conversation, that the three hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had crushed the vanguard of Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan. Yet the strategist was so cautious that he did not hesitate to send General Zhao back to defend the area from a thousand miles away!

What Ju Shou didn't know was that Zhuge Liang, recalling the old story of Changbanpo, was extremely wary of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, which was why he issued this urgent order.

This move may seem overly cautious, but it is actually a precautionary measure.

It was precisely because of this prudence that Ju Shou was able to escape danger today. If he had died at the hands of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry due to momentary carelessness, Liu Bei would have lost a great talent, and Zhuge Liang's reputation would have been damaged.

After exchanging information with Ju Shou, Zhao Yun clasped his hands in a fist salute again: "I still need to keep an eye on the movements of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, so it's inconvenient for me to travel with you. Mr. Ju, take care on your journey!"

Watching Zhao Yun's white horse gallop swiftly by, Ju Shou sighed inwardly: How many righteous men are under the command of the General of the Left!
On the other side, Cao Ren saw Cao Chun leading his army back from afar and thought the mission was accomplished. He shouted in celebration, "Zihe! Did you capture or kill Ju Shou?"

When Cao Chun rode up to him, he staggered as he dismounted.

Tearing off his blood-stained iron helmet, Cao Chun revealed a weary and gloomy face, and hissed, "It's my incompetence! Ju Shou... was rescued by Zhao Yun!"

"Zhao Yun?!" Cao Ren's pupils dilated in shock. "You led three hundred elite cavalry and failed to capture Zhao Yun?!"

"How could I not want to keep him alive? But I was defeated!" Cao Chun spat out his hatred through gritted teeth, slamming his spear into the ground. The shaft still vibrated and hummed. "Who could have imagined! Those old soldiers from Youzhou, whom Qu Yi had nearly wiped out, are even more ferocious than before! The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry's arrows couldn't suppress them; instead, they tore through our formation and broke through! Three hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry against a hundred or so White Horse Cavalry, and our army lost more than twenty men! How hateful!"

Cao Ren gasped.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, composed entirely of elite warriors chosen from among the best, were no match for the White Horse Cavalry?!

Shocked, a thought suddenly flashed through Cao Ren's mind, and he exclaimed urgently, "Wait a minute! How could Zhao Yun be here? He is the governor of Shangdang appointed by Liu Bei!"

Cao Chun nodded in agreement: "That was also my guess, which is why I didn't get entangled with Zhao Yun. I was afraid that Zhao Yun still had a rear guard that hadn't arrived yet. If that were the case, my three hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry would have lost more than twenty men."

"The situation has changed; we must not be careless." Cao Ren suddenly stopped, a thought flashing through his mind: "Is this a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain? Or is there another purpose?"

Immediately afterward, Cao Ren turned to the accompanying military commander and sternly ordered: "Quickly dispatch capable scouts to advance on multiple fronts! First, ascertain the exact number of troops Zhao Yun brought, and whether a large army is following behind; second, investigate the movements of Liu Bei's army in Shangdang and Bingzhou, and whether there are any unusual developments! Furthermore—" Cao Ren's tone became even more stern: "Urgently send this information to the Minister of Works! Especially point out that Zhao Yun and the White Horse Cavalry appeared in Julu, their intentions are unclear, please make a clear judgment, Minister of Works! Also, urgently report this information to Xiahou Yuan at the vanguard, and ask him to be wary of Liu Bei's schemes!"

"Yes, sir!" Sima accepted the order and galloped away.

Cao Ren turned around and looked at Cao Chun, who was somewhat dejected again, and said in a deep voice, "Zihe, this battle was not due to your incompetence. Zhao Yun is a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men. His White Horse Cavalry is renowned throughout the northern frontier and has been on the battlefield for a long time. The fact that the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could even contend with him shows his ability. Moreover, Ju Shou's ability to escape this time was not due to victory or defeat, but to intelligence! The most urgent task is to find out Zhao Yun's intentions and wait for an opportunity to act. Ju Shou is difficult to pursue at the moment, so let's put him aside for now."

Cao Ren's words were clever, intended to tell Cao Chun that the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, having been established only recently, was able to contend with the White Horse Cavalry, which had been famous in the northern frontier for many years, demonstrating that the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry was superior to the White Horse Cavalry.

Upon hearing this, Cao Chun, though unwilling, could only nod slowly.

Looking towards the low hill to the west, one could almost hear the fierce clanging of metal and the thundering of white horses. Zhao Yun's silver spear and the ferocity of the White Horse Cavalry had become an indelible mark in Cao Chun's heart.

Although the confrontation was brief, it served as a wake-up call, making Cao Chun less arrogant and more humble.

However, this was not the only bad news. Xiahou Yuan and Xu Huang, who were pursuing Yuan Shang and his officers' families, also encountered Yan Liang and Wen Chou's interception.

Since being severely beaten by Cao Cao at Baima and Yanjin, and then by Guan Yu, especially after encountering the extraordinary Zhuge Liang, who possessed unparalleled talent, the brilliant strategist Pang Tong, who was second only to Zhuge Liang, the four warriors Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong, who were capable of defeating ten thousand men, and the most trustworthy Liu Bei during their semi-joining of Liu Bei's camp, Yan Liang and Wen Chou's arrogance gradually diminished.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou, who were once arrogant and unfit for important tasks, have now become humble and gentle.

I often think about what to do if I were to face an opponent with the wisdom of Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, and the martial prowess of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong.

The final conclusion was: in terms of strategy, listen to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong; in terms of martial prowess, it's either one-on-one duels or group fights, so be as cautious as possible.

Ever since.

When facing Xiahou Yuan and Xu Huang, Yan Liang and Wen Chou insisted on the following: if they could win, they would win; if they could not win, they would hold their ground; if they could hold their ground, they would hold their ground; if they could not hold their ground, they would feign escape; if they could feign escape, they would feign escape; if they could not feign escape, they would feign surrender; if they could feign surrender, they would feign surrender; if they could not feign surrender, they would fight to the death.

This kind of rogue and shameless combat mentality drove Xiahou Yuan crazy, and he was just about to curse: You are supposed to be the two heroes of Hebei, the former most valued generals of Yuan Shao, can't you have some dignity as generals?
For Yan Liang and Wen Chou, it was a choice: either win the battle and return to Liu Bei to receive his reward, or lose the battle, preserve their strength, and return to Liu Bei to be appeased. The dignity of a supreme general? What was that? Could it feed them?
Seeing Xiahou Yuan's agitation, Xu Huang advised, "Yan Liang and Wen Chou are using this tactic to prevent us from intercepting Yuan Shang and the families of the officers and soldiers of Ye City. General, do not be hasty and be wary of their treacherous scheme."

Xiahou Yuan sneered, "What kind of cunning schemes could two fools like you possibly know? If they weren't so slippery and darting around like eels, I would have already chopped them down!"

Just as he was complaining, Cao Ren's messenger arrived, conveying Cao Ren's message.

Upon hearing that Cao Chun had been defeated by Zhao Yun, Xiahou Yuan was also astonished: "Zihe's three hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were all chosen from the best horsemen and archers in the army, how could they have been defeated?" (End of this chapter)