Tiger Owl

Chapter 201 The Decisive Battle of Jiangxia
Dark clouds hung low, and the river breeze swept across a vast plain. The thunderous sound of war drums rang out as ten thousand Cao soldiers, armed with shields and spears, slowly approached the Yuzhang army's position.

The dense shields completely covered the soldiers' bodies, rendering the Yuzhang army's arrows ineffective. Not far from Cao's infantry were three thousand cavalrymen led by Gao Shun, who, armed with long spears and riding fine warhorses, closely followed the infantry formation.

This will be the first wave of attack launched by Cao's army against the Yuzhang army. One mile away, Cao Ren led 20,000 troops to march slowly. Opposite them, 35,000 Yuzhang troops were lined up and waiting, with spearmen, crossbowmen, and fire oil battalions arranged in order.

Xu Shu stared intently at the approaching 13,000 infantry and cavalry of Cao Cao's army. The two armies were now only 500 paces apart. At this moment, the enemy's drums sounded loudly, like an iceberg cracking open. The 3,000 cavalrymen behind them, led by General Gao Shun, charged fiercely towards the Yuzhang army.

Xu Shu shouted, "Archers, prepare for battle!"

"Woo--Woo--"

A deep horn sounded, and five thousand crossbowmen stepped forward. The tips of their crossbow bolts gleamed coldly in the air. As the enemy cavalry swept in like a storm, the five thousand crossbow bolts were unleashed in a volley, a dense rain of arrows raining down on the cavalry.

The cavalrymen dodged as they ran, but their horses continued to be hit by arrows and fall, rolling on the ground along with their riders.

After firing only two volleys of arrows, nearly four hundred cavalrymen fell to the ground, but the rest of the cavalry still managed to reach their destination.

"Back off! Back off!"

The crossbowmen quickly retreated, and the spear infantry battalion stepped forward, raising their spears in a dense, forest-like formation.

Cao Cao's cavalry charged into the infantry camp in an instant, rampaging through the camp like ferocious beasts.

Just as Cao's cavalry charged into the infantry camp, the second and third infantry battalions of the Yuzhang Army launched their attack simultaneously. The crossbowmen reappeared, raising their crossbows and firing rapidly at close range at the cavalry. In an instant, arrows rained down like a dense storm, bombarding the cavalry and causing Cao's cavalry to fall in droves.

Ten thousand Cao troops also arrived, and after a few charges, they broke into the infantry camp of the Yuzhang Army. The two armies engaged in a bloody battle on the vast plain.

At this moment, Cao Ren saw that the entire Yuzhang army had been mobilized, so he sneered and ordered, "The army, march out and fight!"

A low horn sounded across the plains, and two infantry units of ten thousand men each went into battle. This was Cao Ren's rich combat experience: he first used cavalry and ten thousand soldiers to disrupt the Yuzhang army's formation before his twenty thousand main force appeared.

Two 10,000-strong formations, like two giant carpets, undulated and ran across the open field. Each Cao army infantryman held a round shield in one hand and a ten-foot-long spear in the other. This was an elite infantry force that Cao Ren had trained for more than half a year. It was originally intended to deal with the Yuan clan's army, but unexpectedly, the final opponent was the Yuzhang army.

The two Cao army formations advanced forward in a solid, dense formation, like a battering ram fiercely striking the Yuzhang army's position.

"Throw oil!"

At the command of strategist Xu Shu, the war drums of the Yuzhang army thundered, shaking the heavens, and two hundred medium-sized catapults were launched at once, hurling two hundred incendiary bombs into Cao Cao's square formation.

Flames raged throughout Cao Cao's army formation, and countless soldiers cried out in agony as they were quickly engulfed by the flames, causing chaos to erupt within the formation.

Zhao Yun led 15,000 troops and charged forward. Zhao Yun thrust out his spear, blood spurting like arrows. His spear flew like pear blossoms, cutting a bloody path through the enemy. Wherever Zhao Yun passed, corpses lay strewn about.

The two infantry units were locked in a fierce battle, and the Yuzhang army discovered the weakness of Cao's formation and attacked from both sides. However, the two thousand cavalrymen who returned fought back fiercely to protect the two flanks. Despite several attacks, the Yuzhang army was unable to break through the dense defensive cavalry.

From the air, along the long battlefront, the Yuzhang Army and Cao Cao's army were locked in fierce combat. Despite the fact that Cao Cao's army had far more combat experience than the Yuzhang Army, the Yuzhang Army, with its superior equipment and high morale, fought a bloody battle with Cao Cao's army.

Just then, a deep horn sounded from the distant plains, like a storm sweeping across the land or thunder rumbling in the mountains. "Advance! Advance towards Cao Cao's army!"

Taishi Ci brandished his spear and spurred his horse into a gallop, the white warhorse's mane flying.

Behind him, banners fluttered in the wind, thousands of troops galloped across the plains, three thousand cavalrymen roared forward, the rolling hooves kicking up weeds and dust that covered the sky and blocked the afternoon sun. The murderous aura was like a storm on the wasteland, sweeping towards the rear of Cao's army.

Behind them were 17,000 infantrymen, running alongside the cavalry.
Cao Ren's worst fears finally came true. He had originally planned to defeat his opponent one by one, but unexpectedly, it turned into a pincer attack. He suddenly realized that he had underestimated his opponent and that he had been careless. Those who underestimate their opponents are bound to lose.

"Order General Gao Shun to lead the cavalry to hold off the rear cavalry, and order Yu Jin's troops to meet the enemy forces from the north!"

Cao Ren remained calm in the face of battle and redeployed his troops, but he already realized that defeat was imminent.

Their enemy's fighting strength was no less than theirs, but their forces numbered nearly twice as many. How could they not be defeated?
Cao Ren immediately ordered his personal guards, "Immediately notify all commanders and tell them to look for an opportunity to retreat north."

The two cavalry forces clashed violently and engaged in fierce combat. Yu Jin led 8,000 troops and 17,000 infantrymen from the Yuzhang Army in a fierce battle.

The numerical superiority of the Yuzhang army began to show, and Cao's army was gradually weakening, with signs of defeat already appearing.

Xu Shu keenly sensed this and immediately ordered, "Sound the war drums!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The war drums of the Yuzhang Army sounded, a command to urge them into battle, and the final blow. The morale of the 50,000 Yuzhang soldiers soared, and they launched a fierce attack on the enemy.

Yu Jin's army finally couldn't hold out and was the first to retreat north, followed by Cao Ren's army and Gao Shun's cavalry.

Cao's army suffered a crushing defeat, and the Yuzhang army pursued and slaughtered them, causing Cao's soldiers to cry out in despair and kneel down to surrender.

Gao Shun's cavalry were responsible for covering the rear, but they could not stop the enemy's relentless pursuit and had to fight and retreat.

Cao Jun's army escaped through Anlu County but was unable to enter the city, while the Yuzhang Army cavalry had already stormed into the city first.

Cao Ren had no choice but to lead his remaining troops northward and flee towards Pingjing Pass.

In this battle, more than 6,000 of Cao's 30,000 soldiers were killed and more than 15,000 surrendered. Cao Ren was left with only more than 8,000 men. The cavalry suffered the worst, with 3,000 cavalrymen going into battle, and Gao Shun only leading less than 500 cavalrymen to follow.

The key to this disastrous defeat was Gan Ning's decisive dispatch of reinforcements. In particular, Xu Sheng's fleet and Wei Yan's warships completely blockaded the Han River, preventing the enemy's 50,000 reinforcements from crossing the river. As a result, Cao Ren was isolated and helpless in Jiangxia County and ultimately could not withstand the attack of the 50,000-strong Yuzhang army.

Cao Ren dared not linger and led his remaining 8,000 troops back to Pingjing Pass, where they were subsequently defeated and forced to retreat back to Xiangyang.

This surprise attack initially proved successful but ultimately ended in defeat, forcing Cao Ren to retreat from Jiangxia County. Cao Ren was filled with regret and didn't know how to explain it to the Prime Minister. In the end, he had underestimated the enemy's determination to defend the salt source and the importance of warships in the south.

(End of this chapter)