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

Chapter 343 One mistake leads to another; Liu Bei's series of schemes forcefully defeats Cao Chun (2nd update)
The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry of today is not what it used to be. Not only are their armor and weapons superior to those they had when they fought against the White Horse Cavalry, but their numbers have also increased from three hundred to five hundred.

Enraged, Cao Chun personally led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry out, rushing straight towards Huang Zhong's location. Cao Chun himself took the lead, shouting loudly, "Huang Zhong, you scoundrel, do you even recognize the Cao family's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry?"

Huang Zhong already had over a thousand cavalrymen under Qian Zhao's command, and Huang Zhong also selected several hundred more cavalrymen from Nanpi City, bringing the total to two thousand cavalrymen.

Although their individual combat strength was not as good as that of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, their numbers were several times greater.

Huang Zhong was well aware of the power of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and did not confront them head-on.

He immediately ordered his cavalry to disperse and roam, focusing on "harassment" and avoiding direct confrontation.

Whenever the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry charged, Huang Zhong's cavalry would nimbly retreat, advancing again like a tide, and counterattack with their archery skills.

Huang Zhong himself was incredibly skilled at archery, his movements were lightning fast, and his arrows never missed! Even the fierce Tiger and Leopard Cavalry soldiers, who were also adept at mounted archery, could not escape Huang Zhong's divine marksmanship.

In a short time, Huang Zhong shot and killed three fierce Tiger and Leopard Cavalry soldiers, which made Cao Chun feel both pained and angry. He subconsciously thought of his past battles with Zhao Yun and the White Horse Cavalry.

Despite having better weapons and equipment, and fiercer soldiers, they still couldn't gain an absolute advantage.

Meanwhile, the Trapped Camp, which used to be similar in style to the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, was often able to achieve the advantage of defeating the enemy with a smaller force. In comparison, Cao Chun felt frustrated by his inferior skills.

"Old man Huang Zhong, stop dodging! Do you dare to fight me to the death?" Cao Chun grew increasingly anxious as he saw Huang Zhong avoid direct confrontation, and shouted fiercely.

Although the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could fight ten men each, Huang Zhong's cavalry were mobile and agile, constantly losing men as they moved around.

Cao Chun led his cavalry in several charges, but he could not break through Huang Zhong's guerrilla formation. For a time, the two armies were locked in a stalemate, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.

After a quarter of an hour of fighting, shouts of battle rang out again!
It was on the western slope that Liu Bei, having learned of Huang Zhong's arrival, led his besieged troops down the mountain and charged straight at the infantry left behind by Cao Chun.

Although Cao's troops were brave, they were thrown into disarray by Liu Bei's army. Liu Bei personally engaged in battle with his double-edged sword, and in the midst of the chaos, it was difficult to distinguish one another from the other.

The battle devolved into a chaotic melee, with both sides suffering roughly equal casualties and neither gaining the upper hand; the outcome remained uncertain.

Seeing Liu Bei's valiant military strength, Cao Chun felt even more frustrated: rather than saying that Liu Bei was being cut off from water and besieged, it would be more accurate to say that Liu Bei was conserving his strength and preparing for battle. At this moment, he was like a tiger being released from its cage, which made Cao Chun both angry and helpless.

Liu Bei, who encountered Huang Zhong during the battle, was overjoyed to learn that Huang Zhong had captured Xiahou Yuan: "Hansheng is truly my lucky general!"

Originally, Liu Bei's plan did not include the possibility of Xiahou Yuan being captured alive, after all, Liu Bei did not expect that Xiahou Yuan would personally go to repair the deer antlers under such circumstances.

But soon, Liu Bei came up with a good plan to defeat the enemy, so he ordered his troops to shout, "The enemy's main camp has been breached, Xiahou Yuan has been captured alive, and whoever captures Cao Chun alive will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces."

Huang Zhong's sudden arrival had already aroused suspicion among Cao Cao's soldiers, and now, hearing Liu Bei's army shouting, their panic and unease intensified.

On the other hand, Liu Bei's army, thanks to Huang Zhong's reinforcements and the news of Xiahou Yuan's capture, was increasingly in high spirits and gradually gained the upper hand over Cao Cao's troops.

That's how it is on the battlefield; when the two sides are evenly matched, the level of morale often determines the outcome.

With the morale of Cao's troops declining and Cao Chun unable to quickly defeat Huang Zhong with the help of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, even with the assistance of Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and Li Dian, it was difficult to reverse the downward trend.

Upon learning of Xiahou Yuan's capture, Li Dian quickly sought out Cao Chun.

"General, we must not fight any longer. General Xiahou has already been captured, and the main camp may be attacked again. Most of our supplies and provisions are in the main camp. If the main camp is lost, we will be defeated without a fight," Li Dian urged urgently.

Cao Chun's expression changed again.

They were so focused on the fighting that they forgot about the predicament of having no general left to guard the main camp after Xiahou Yuan was captured alive. But now the battle was at a stalemate, and it was difficult to retreat quickly.

In a moment of urgency, Cao Chun made a decisive decision: "Mancheng, return to the main camp immediately. I will hold off Liu Bei first." Although he was helpless and unwilling, Cao Chun understood that the most important military task at present was not to fight Liu Bei, but to ensure that the main camp would not be attacked by Le Cheng's garrison.

And this is indeed the case.

After Huang Zhong went to Xishan, Tian Feng also organized the troops in the city to go out and attack Cao Cao's army camp.

Without Xiahou Yuan present, Cao Cao's main camp was difficult to command effectively. Moreover, most of the Cao Cao soldiers guarding the camp were the defeated soldiers from Xiahou Yuan's previous defeat, and their morale was already low. After Xiahou Yuan was captured alive, the morale of Cao Cao's soldiers was even more dejected.

Before long, Cao Cao's main camp was captured by Tian Feng in one fell swoop!
When Li Dian led his troops back, Liu Bei's army flag had already been raised over Cao Cao's camp.

"Our army is in grave danger!"

Li Dian's face turned pale. The consequence of losing the main camp was that thousands of Cao soldiers would face the danger of food shortage.

"If we cannot retake the stronghold, we will all die. Quickly follow me to break through the stronghold!"

While sending messengers to Cao Chun to send reinforcements, Li Dian launched a fierce attack on the main camp in an attempt to recapture it. He believed that if he could recapture the main camp, he could also take back the grain and fodder inside.

However, having captured the large camp, Tian Feng naturally refused to let Li Dian take it back. He also did not intend to burn the grain and fodder in the camp, but planned to transport them back to the city after defeating Cao Cao's army.

During times of war, grain is of utmost importance. In Tian Feng’s view, any act of burning grain should be punished with the death penalty.

When the news of the loss of Dazhai reached Cao Chun's ears, he was terrified.

"Return to our aid immediately!"

Cao Chun was completely panicked this time.

However, Cao Chun wanted to withdraw, but Liu Bei did not want him to.

After Huang Zhong captured Xiahou Yuan, Liu Bei understood that as long as Cao Chun was held back, victory was assured. With Tian Feng's wisdom and decisiveness, he would surely take advantage of Xiahou Yuan's capture to lead his army in a surprise attack on Cao's main camp.

The fact that Cao Cao's army is now trying to retreat has confirmed Liu Bei's suspicions.

"The day to defeat the traitors is today! Kill!"

Liu Bei personally led his White Feather Army into battle, while the soldiers behind him displayed an invincible and ferocious power.

In contrast, Cao's troops panicked and lost the order to retreat that should have been maintained during the retreat, due to Xiahou Yuan's capture and Cao Chun's order to withdraw.

An army without discipline cannot deter pursuers.

Having been through many battles, Liu Bei deduced from the retreat of Cao's troops that Cao Chun was in a state of panic and confusion. He then ordered his troops to pursue and kill them, and strictly forbade them from looting the armor, weapons, and banners discarded by Cao's soldiers.

Although Cao Chun's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were all elite troops, they were unable to turn the tide when the army was defeated. Faced with Liu Bei's overwhelming power, Cao Chun's troops ended up fleeing in panic.

Before Zhuge Liang could fully make his move, Liu Bei had already decisively defeated the armies of Xiahou Yuan and Cao Chun.

It truly proves the saying: If Cao Cao hadn't come, none of Cao Cao's generals would have been a match for Liu Bei.

They pursued all the way to Cao Cao's main camp, where they found Tian Feng still holding the camp, and Liu Bei's army was in high spirits.

After another round of fighting, Cao Chun saw that the situation was beyond saving and had no choice but to order his troops to retreat towards Nanpi. He thought that if they returned to the main camp in Nanpi, there might still be a chance to turn the tide.

(End of this chapter)