I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 327 Who are the heroes of this world? (5k)

Yuan Jun quickly rushed south towards the direction Cao Ren had broken out of, and was about to overwhelm him.

Cao Ren charged forward with a ring-pommel sword until the blade broke in two, apparently due to being caught somewhere. He then drew a lance from the side of his horse, suddenly turned around, and led the Cao army that had just managed to break through the encirclement back into battle.

Just as Yuan's soldiers were in a state of confusion, Guan Yu and Yue Jin suddenly rushed out from the east and west gates and attacked Yuan's camp!

"Cao Cao is not trying to break out!"

Ju Shou only then realized Cao Cao's intentions!

"He wants to defeat us under the city walls!"

"Boom~~~"

Thunder rumbled in the north!

A large army appeared; it was none other than Cao Cao, who charged out from the north gate!

Cao Cao, dressed in a red robe, was flanked by Dian Wei and Xu Chu, who stayed by his side at all times. Cao Chun and Cao Ang, as his deputies, protected Cao Cao's flanks and continued to advance towards Yuan's army!

Cao Cao rode on the Shadowless Horse, galloping as if on flat ground, his body not swaying at all!
A general is like Mount Tai, unmoved and steadfast!
Just now, most of Yuan's army's attention was diverted to the south gate to block Cao's army that was trying to "break out," leaving Yuan's army's defenses at other city gates extremely weak!
Guan Yu and Yue Jin were both valiant generals, and they quickly broke through the enemy forces at the city gate and rapidly advanced towards the south gate!

Cao Cao came from behind and, upon reaching the south gate, positioned himself at the very front, ensuring that all Cao and Yuan soldiers could see him.

"Charge! Whoever takes Yuan Shao's head will be enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households and rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold!"

Cao Cao knew perfectly well that Yuan Shao was not there!

But he wanted his soldiers to know that in this battle they were facing Yuan Shao, that they were going to defeat Yuan Shao, and that Yuan Shao would ultimately be the one to lose!
With Cao Cao's promise, all of Cao's soldiers were greatly encouraged!

This Cao army was originally Cao Cao's elite force, consisting of young men and strong men who surrendered after Cao Cao quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou!

For these young men, without Cao Cao, they might still be bandits, or they might have starved to death by the roadside long ago!
They always felt grateful to Cao Cao.

Moreover, even now, Cao Cao's army still doesn't consider themselves traitors to the Han!

They were all honorable Han soldiers! The elite troops of the Han Dynasty who protected their homeland!
The Yuan army on the other side is the real rebel army!

Therefore, the morale of Cao Cao's army remained high!

Gou Li country lives and dies, how can we avoid misfortune and good fortune?
The banner of the Han Dynasty still flies high atop the city walls of Xuchang!
The Emperor of the Han Dynasty was watching them from behind!

Today! It is time to take Yuan Shao's head and present it to the Emperor!
Cao's army surged forward!

Cao Ren, Guan Yu, and Yue Jin were like three sharp knives, slashing towards Yuan's army!

Even if there's a breach, it still leaves a mark on it!
Cao Cao, too, risked his life and personally stepped forward!
Dian Wei and Xu Chu's personal guards were like two meat grinders, always clearing a space whenever Cao Cao approached!
By this point, even the commander-in-chief had broken into the enemy lines, which shows that there was absolutely no strategy or method involved!
But Cao Cao's army lacked discipline, and so did Yuan Shao's army!

At the beginning, Yuan's army was completely drawn to the south. Subsequently, the garrison forces at several city gates suffered devastating blows, forcing Yuan's army to return to the south in small groups, frantically searching for their units and footholds.

But now, before they could even establish a firm foothold, Cao Cao's army charged in, and they couldn't receive any effective orders to form ranks and defend against Cao Cao's forces.

Seeing this, Ju Shou stopped insisting and ordered a retreat.

They pushed all the way to the banks of the Ying River, where Ju Shou finally set up camp with his back to the water, waiting for Yuan Shao.

……

At this moment, Yuan Shao was still happily playing the game of "fishing" with Zhang Liao.

Yuan Jun witnessed firsthand how Zhang Liao and his soldiers went from being full of confidence and murderous intent to being incompetent and furious. Sometimes they would even chase each other for miles to vent their anger, clearly indicating that they were on the verge of collapse!
In just a few more days, Yuan Shao was confident he could completely cripple Liu Miao's elite troops, rendering them useless. This would allow him to engage in a decisive battle with minimal losses, ultimately securing the victory in one fell swoop!

But at that very moment, news of Cao Cao arrived from Xuchang.

Yuan Shao's first reaction was not to rush back to Xuchang, but to look in the direction of Wuyang with a half-smile, towards Liu Miao's camp.

"This is the opportunity you've been waiting for? How boring!"

Even if Cao Cao defeats Yuan Shao's army, what then?
Having experienced the Luoyang riots of that year, Yuan Shao was all too aware of Cao Cao's current predicament.

The emperor and his officials were Cao Cao's support, but also his hindrance.

Now, Cao Cao has no way of breaking out of Xuchang.

If Cao Cao wanted to break through the encirclement, there was only one possibility: to take the emperor and his officials hostage and escape together.

But if Cao Cao really led such a cumbersome army, where could he go?

Now Yuan's troops are stationed in all directions.

The only direction Cao Cao could choose was south, where Liu Miao was located.

The only way for Cao Cao to succeed is if Liu Miao also launches an attack at this time, thus gaining support.

In response, Yuan Shao couldn't help but sigh, "You two seem to underestimate me."

"Why do you think I chose to station my troops in Kunyang? Isn't it because this land between the rivers allows me to defend against attacks from both the north and south?"

"Mengde, you've been utterly betrayed by Liu Miao!"

With Ju Shou blocking Cao Cao at the Ying River, Yuan Shao was able to deploy his troops at his leisure.

Even when Cao Cao left the city, Yuan Shao thought it was just a caged bird hopping around and wouldn't cause any real trouble.

Yuan Shao ordered Guo Tu to lead troops to Dingling downstream to guard against Liu Miao's sudden breakout. He also ordered his soldiers to remove the pontoon bridge over the Kun River to prevent Liu Miao's army from launching a surprise attack. At the same time, he ordered Zhang He and Gao Lan to go north to quell Cao Cao's rebellion.

"Cao Cao was indeed quite capable. But his insatiable nature was what ruined him."

Yuan Shao shook his head, seemingly in regret.

"If he relies on the walls of Xuchang to hold out, then there is nothing I can do about him."

"Now that I'm out here, I have nothing more to say."

Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment, but still handed a tiger tally to the two men.

When Zhang He and Gao Lan saw the tiger tally, even the two of them could hardly remain calm: "This..."

"Take it. If Liu Miao really attacks, I have my own countermeasures."

Seeing that Yuan Shao didn't seem to be testing them, Zhang He and Gao Lan accepted the tiger tally: "Here you go!"

"Go and tell Mengde not to make any more futile struggles."

"If he can open the city gates and hand over the emperor and his officials, then I might spare his and his family's lives out of consideration for our past friendship!"

Zhang He and Gao Lan took Yuan Shao's military tally to the rear army and transferred a group of soldiers away.

Each of these soldiers was accompanied by three attendants and each pulled a chariot. Judging from the chariot tracks on the ground, it was clear that they were quite heavy!
Yuan Jun's heavily armored cavalry!
Unlike Liu Miao, who revealed such a powerful weapon from the beginning, Yuan Jun's heavy cavalry had been resting and recuperating, and were in high spirits!
Upon receiving the transfer order, he didn't utter a single word and immediately followed Zhang He and Gao Lan to the north!

Xuchang.

After relieving the siege of Yuan Shao's army, Cao Cao did not rush back to the city, but instead set up camp south of Xuchang.

Guo Jia, standing beside Cao Cao, asked, "My lord, is this truly the way to go?"

"..."

After a fierce battle, Cao Cao's arms were exhausted and trembled slightly from time to time.

But Cao Cao's eyes remained deep and unwavering, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"What else can we do now?"

Cao Cao looked up at the sky and said, "Zhongshan suddenly moved the battlefield from Nanyang to Kunyang. Although I cannot guess the whole story, it must be related to me in some way."

"Zhongshan, you want to use me as a pawn!"

However, Cao Cao did not denounce Liu Miao as treacherous.

"Even without Zhongshan's trick, I would still fight Yuan Shao to the death!"

"So, rather than saying he used me as a tool, it's more accurate to say that everything was within his expectations."

Cao Cao chuckled lightly: "Although I don't know what he's up to, he definitely has his own plans."

"Perhaps at this very moment, he has already launched a major attack on Yuan's camp and captured Benjamin Butler alive!"

"..."

Guo Jia was speechless.

He felt that Cao Cao was perhaps overestimating Liu Miao.

But when Guo Jia saw Cao Cao's wrist, which was beginning to tremble slightly, he still didn't say anything.

Faced with such a battle, what reasons did both the soldiers and Cao Cao need to continue fighting?

The soldiers and generals of Cao Cao's army relied on Cao Cao himself.

Cao Cao's reliance has now clearly shifted to Liu Miao.

Guo Jia could only sigh, "Let's hope so!"

After Cao Jun was freed, he immediately sent soldiers to contact the surrounding counties to see if there was any support they could provide.

pity.

The surrounding counties, both inside and outside the city, have long since all come under the Yuan family's control!

Even some of the staunch loyalists who had supported Cao Cao after Lü Bu took control of Yan Province, as well as the gentry of Yingchuan, abandoned Cao Cao at this time and chose to support Yuan Shao.

These aristocratic families were all intelligent people.

Since they were intelligent, they could naturally see that Cao Cao was at his last gasp.

No one believed Cao Cao still had a chance of winning at this point, and naturally no one would be foolish enough to get involved with him at this time. "Hmph."

Upon hearing this news, Cao Cao merely snorted, a sound that seemed to be mockery, helplessness, and even regret.

"Order Zixiao to attack and capture the surrounding fortified villages and county towns."

"Many of them have been rats for who knows how long."

“I used to coax them because I wanted to use them, but now I think it would have been better to follow Zhongshan’s example and kill them all early on.”

At this point, Cao Cao had lost all interest in distinguishing right from wrong.

He wants money! He wants food!

Politics and checks and balances were all thrown to the back of Cao Cao's ears!

Because those are things that only a living person can consider.

Now, Cao Cao's concern is how to survive!

As the capital of the Han Dynasty today.

It served as a gathering center for the gentry of Yingchuan.

This land is incredibly rich!
When Cao Ren led his army to conquer a fortified village, the spoils made Cao Cao no longer have any scruples!

Cao Chun and Cao Ang were both dispatched by Cao Cao, and countless supplies of grain and provisions were quickly transported back to Xuchang and then to Cao Cao's army camp.

Hearing the scholars' curses, even Cao Cao laughed, "I really do resemble Dong Zhuo now!"

At the same time, Cao Cao was also curious: "When Zhongshan did this, was he also cursed like this? But why didn't I hear it?"

Guo Jia, who had visited Jiangdong several times, was certainly qualified to speak on this matter.

"Because General Liu killed too many people."

Cao Cao burst out laughing.

"Well done, Liu Zhongshan."

"Having actually done all those things, I realized he's incredibly hard-hearted! Who exactly said he was just a soft persimmon who indulged in sensual pleasures?"

"Himself..."

"..."

With countless provisions filling the Xuchang treasury, the morale of Cao Cao's army visibly rose significantly.

However, as Cao Cao's scouts saw a large number of Yuan troops crossing the Ying River, Cao Cao knew that his act of plundering was probably coming to an end.

"Liu Zhongshan, you mustn't let me down!"

Spring has arrived.

Thunder rumbled intermittently amidst the layers of clouds, but looking up, there was no trace of lightning or thunder.

The sky gradually pressed down, getting closer and closer to the earth.

This oppressive atmosphere, this suffocating feeling, made everyone unusually silent, sometimes even unable to breathe.

【Cao】

【Yuan】

South of Xuchang city, two lines of defense stood clearly separated.

Cao Cao looked up and saw that Yuan Shao's banner was not there. He felt both disappointed and amused.

"Yuan Benchu, do you really think that Zhongshan is a greater threat than me?"

Cao Cao rode his steed, Jueying, and leisurely swept his gaze across the Yuan army opposite him.

In some places where the flags were not clearly visible, Cao Cao, riding his Shadowless Horse, simply broke away from the battle formation, leading only a dozen or so personal guards to wander around in front of the two armies.

Even so, Yuan's army still dared not attack.

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

Yuan Jun's soldiers also knew that although Cao Cao was currently trapped in Xuchang, Yuan Jun's army had never defeated Cao Cao in a direct confrontation!
On the contrary, Cao Cao's previous killing of Yan Liang and Wen Chou had left a great shadow on Yuan's army. Even Zhang He and Gao Lan did not dare to step forward. They simply stared at Cao Cao and let him watch the flags in front of the two armies without making any move.

Cao Cao looked around for a while and was somewhat disappointed to find that not only was Yuan Shao absent, but even an old acquaintance like Chunyu Qiong was missing.

"If Zhongshan is unreliable, this battle might be my last. These heartless people don't even know to come and see me off."

But just as a look of dejection appeared on his face, Cao Cao burst into laughter again: "Indeed, it was better for me to come to you! You'd better hold on!"

When Cao Cao returned to his camp, instead of beating the war drums, he ordered music to be played!
My axe is broken, and my halberd is chipped. The Duke of Zhou's eastern expedition brought four kingdoms to his rule. Alas, my man, so destined for obscurity!

My axe is broken, and my chisel is chipped. The Duke of Zhou's eastern expedition brought chaos to the four kingdoms. Alas, my people, how pitiful!

My axe is broken, and my flintlock pistol is chipped. The Duke of Zhou's eastern expedition brought siege to the four kingdoms. Alas, my people, what a terrible loss!

……

……

"Bin Feng: The Broken Axe"
This is a song sung by the soldiers to celebrate their victory and express their gratitude to the Duke of Zhou after he led his eastern expedition to quell the rebellion!
Cao Cao is now openly playing this piece in front of the two armies, and his intention is self-evident!

"Even at this point, does Cao Cao still want to label us as traitors to the Han dynasty?"

Zhang He and Gao Lan were helpless against Liu Miao, after all, Liu Miao was a legitimate member of the Han imperial family who was addressed as the Imperial Uncle by the emperor, had been implicated in a secret plot by Dong Cheng, and was recognized by Liu Bei as a loyal subject of the Han dynasty.

But regarding Cao Cao... Zhang He and Gao Lan only wanted to ask one question: Why?
"Cao Cao probably has no backup plans, but he's just going all in! Prepare to attack!"

Zhang He and Gao Lan did not hesitate.

Most importantly, Cao Cao is now facing away from the city, making it the perfect battlefield for heavy cavalry to charge!

Use heavy cavalry to crush them! If we're lucky, we might even be able to take Xuchang!

The heavily armored cavalrymen who had been conscripted began to put on their heavy armor piece by piece.

Yuan Jun's heavy armor was much heavier than Liu Miao's heavy armor, requiring two people to help him put it on and taking much longer.

When Cao Cao saw that there had been no movement from Yuan Shao's camp for so long, his heart sank.

When Cao Cao saw steel monsters slowly emerging from the gap in the middle of Yuan Jun's army formation, his emotions completely erupted!
"Yuan Shao actually used these cavalry here?"

Cao Cao was no longer disappointed.

Instead, it's excitement!

"Liu Zhongshan, I've attracted all these people here for you! You'd better do what you need to do as soon as possible!"

Looking at the heavily armored cavalry that he both admired and feared, Cao Cao was not alarmed at all; on the contrary, he was eager to try!
"I also want to see if these supposedly invincible heavy cavalry are truly unbeatable!"

Cao Cao placed his heavily armored infantry at the forefront.

Hundreds of heavily armored figures stood on the ground, deeply rooted in the soil, forming the first line of defense with their flesh and blood.

The second barrier consists of warriors wielding halberds and great axes.

A forest of steel stood before the army formation, silently awaiting the heavily armored cavalry who were about to charge.

Even the most invincible heavily armored cavalry could be skinned alive by these soldiers, hindering their advance.

The third layer consisted of specially selected short but fierce-looking shield-bearing soldiers.

These men were originally part of Yue Jin's vanguard battalion.

When it comes to courage, Cao Cao always believed that they were the best in the world!

Faced with the heavily armored cavalry that everyone avoided, a type of soldier that had become legendary on the battlefield, Cao Cao did not choose to try to escape, but instead confronted them head-on!

Cao Cao leisurely watched the heavily armored cavalry opposite him, who had already accelerated.

"When I learned that I could not form the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, I began to try to find a way to counter heavy cavalry."

"I have never believed that anything in this world is invincible!"

Cao Cao stared at the hooves of the heavily armored cavalrymen, at the mud they had trodden through.

"After Zhongshan developed his own heavy cavalry, he gave me the armor of Yuan's army."

"Although the armor is indeed flawless, it is still a warhorse! And a warhorse needs to run! And if it needs to run, it is impossible to completely cover its limbs!"

"Slow down their speed with heavily armored infantry."

"Use sharp warriors to break their formation."

"Then have the Vanguard Shieldbearer sever its horse's leg!"

Cao Cao stared intently at the front line where the two armies were about to clash!
Although!

Although Cao Cao knew that the key to victory or defeat in this battle lay with Yuan Shao and Liu Miao.

But how could Cao Cao be content to play a supporting role?
"Yuan Benchu, Liu Zhongshan!"

"I want to tell you all that, in the end, there is only one hero in this world: Cao Cao!"

　Let's see if we can post a 10,000-word chapter before 6 PM. If not, it might be a little later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)