Overthrowing Wei: Starting with Cao Cao's "I'd rather betray the world than surrender

As dawn broke, bugles sounded at the drill ground outside Runan City. The torches used for nighttime military drills had not yet been completely extinguished, and the newly formed soldiers were already in formation.

The prisoners and able-bodied men from the fortified village were reorganized into their respective units. Although they still looked somewhat nervous, under the command of the captain, their steps gradually became more orderly, and their formations were much more stable than a few days ago.

Lu Ding stood on his horse at the front of the formation, quietly watching these people. He didn't say much, only occasionally nodding or whispering a few instructions.

Xu Huang stood at the front, his armor plates neatly aligned, and a long axe slung over his shoulder.

Li Tong, on the other side, organized the troops, occasionally shouting at several soldiers whose ranks were lax.

Xu Chu stood beside Lü Ding, silent, like a still stone.

Guo Jia watched for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Although the soldiers are new, they are not disorderly. It seems that Runan has indeed put in a lot of effort in reorganizing the army these past few days."

Lü Ding said, "We still need to see blood."

Guo Jia nodded and said nothing more.

Before long, the two armies left Runan City.

Xu Huang led his troops north out of Liang territory, while Li Tong headed south to Yangcheng. Lü Ding and Xu Chu traveled in the middle, with several hundred cavalrymen providing support from behind.

The terrain in the southern border of Liang Kingdom gradually rises and falls, with hills and low mountains stretching endlessly, and the official road winding through the forest.

The villages are sparse, many fields have been abandoned, and occasionally a few fortified villages can be seen standing alone in the fields.

As Xu Huang's troops marched into the afternoon, a scout suddenly rode back at full speed, bowing and reporting: "General, there is a valley three miles ahead. The entrance to the valley is narrow, and we suspect that bandits are hiding there."

Xu Huang reined in his horse and looked into the distance. The valley, nestled between two low ridges, had a narrow entrance and was indeed an ambush site. He turned to look at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia, mounted on his horse, was also surveying the valley. After a while, he asked, "How wide is the valley entrance?"

The scout replied, "No more than twenty paces."

Guo Jia nodded, then asked, "Are the slopes on both sides passable?"

"You can walk on it, but the road is narrow."

Guo Jia smiled and said, "That's enough."

Xu Huang asked, "Fengxiao, do you have a plan?"

Guo Jia said, "The Liang Kingdom has rolling hills, and the rebels will most likely choose such places to hide. If they see that the government troops are numerous, they may not dare to come out; but if they think that we have few troops, they will most likely take the initiative to attack."

Xu Huang nodded: "Then let's feign weakness."

Guo Jia shook his head.

"Simply showing weakness is not enough."

As he spoke, he drew several lines on the ground with his riding crop.

"Send a hundred men into the valley first to lure the thieves out."

"The main force will not enter the valley for the time being, but will only block the valley entrance."

"Then split into two teams and go around the slopes on both sides."

"Wait until the bandits rush out of the valley, then attack them from the flanks and rear."

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Xu Huang.

"In this way, the thieves will have nowhere to escape."

Xu Huang couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this.

"A good plan."

Soon, a team of over a hundred people was dispatched, slowly approaching the valley along the official road. At the same time, two smaller teams of a hundred people each quietly bypassed the valley by circumventing the slope and disappeared into the forest.

The Yellow Turban rebels had been lying in ambush in the valley for some time.

The bandit leader, Huang Sheng, lay prone behind a rock and saw that the government troops numbered only about a hundred. A cold smile appeared on his face.

"As expected, it was just a small group of government troops."

Someone nearby whispered, "Should we make a move?"

Huang Sheng snorted coldly: "Let them in."

The hundred or so people quickly entered the valley. Just as they had gone a short distance in, Huang Sheng suddenly waved his hand.

"kill!"

Hundreds of bandits suddenly rushed out from both sides of the hillside, their shouts deafening.

The government troops seemed to be taken aback, their formation broke down, and they retreated out of the valley.

Huang Sheng was overjoyed upon seeing this.

"Chase!"

The bandits swarmed down and rushed toward the valley entrance.

However, just as they rushed out of the valley, the horn suddenly sounded.

Smoke and dust suddenly rose outside the valley.

Xu Huang had already led his troops into battle formation.

"Enter!"

The government troops suddenly pressed forward, shields clashing and spears thrusting out in unison.

The bandits had assumed the government troops numbered only a hundred or so, but when they suddenly saw the large army blocking the valley entrance, chaos ensued.

Huang Sheng then realized something was wrong and shouted, "Retreat back into the valley!"

However, it was too late.

Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted from both sides of the hillside. The two groups of government troops who had previously circled around had rushed out from the flanks and rear, blocking their retreat.

The bandits were immediately trapped between the valleys. Xu Huang charged into the fray, his long axe sweeping across, and a bandit soldier was instantly cut down.

Another bandit roared and thrust his spear forward, but Xu Huang dodged to the side and swung his long axe down, the blade cleaving from his shoulder to his chest and abdomen.

The surrounding bandits paused for a moment, but Xu Huang did not stop. He raised his long axe again and felled several people in succession, his whole body like a tiger entering a pack.

Taking advantage of the situation, the government troops pressed forward, advancing with shields and spears, gradually forcing the bandits back into the valley.

Seeing that he was surrounded by enemies, Huang Sheng's expression changed drastically. He gritted his teeth, raised his knife, and charged at Xu Huang.

The two clashed weapons, and a loud "clang" resounded. Huang Sheng was so shaken that he staggered back several steps.

Xu Huang, however, had already stepped forward.

The long axe flipped over and fell.

Huang Sheng raised his knife to defend, but only managed to hold out for a moment before the knife was knocked away.

The next moment, the axe landed on his shoulder, and Huang Sheng screamed and fell to the ground.

When the surrounding bandits saw their commander about to be killed, their morale immediately collapsed.

"The leader is dead!"

"Run!"

However, the valley was narrow, and government troops were on all sides, leaving no way to escape. In less than half a quarter of an hour, the shouts of battle gradually subsided.

Guo Jia rode at the mouth of the valley, watching this scene with a relaxed expression.

He said softly, "Truly a valiant general."

The battle in the valley ended quickly.

Xu Huang ordered his men to inventory the battlefield. The corpses were dragged to the side of the valley and piled up, while the prisoners were forced to kneel in a row. Many had already dropped their weapons and were just trembling with their heads down.

Before long, a captain strode over, clasped his hands in greeting, and reported: "General, the bandit leader is dead, and most of the remaining bandits have been captured. In the valley, more than three hundred heads were taken and more than eight hundred prisoners were captured."

Xu Huang nodded, glanced at the terrain in the valley, and said in a low voice, "This place is good for an ambush, but unfortunately they used it in the wrong place."

After he finished speaking, he dismounted and personally walked to Huang Sheng's corpse to take a look. After confirming that it was the real Huang Sheng, he ordered, "Keep the head safe, and take the rest of the men back."

At this time, Lü Ding had already arrived with his cavalry.

He stood at the mouth of the valley and looked into the valley. He saw the government troops gathering prisoners. The soldiers were lined up in orderly formation, and there was no trace of chaos.

After watching for a while, Lü Ding said, "This battle was fought cleanly and efficiently."

Guo Jia smiled and said, "The bandits are a rabble, and they naturally can't hold their own against a fierce general like General Xu."

Xu Huang cupped his hands and said, "Thanks to Fengxiao's plan."

Guo Jia waved his hand but said nothing more.

After a while, Lü Ding suddenly asked, "Any news about the other group of bandits?"

Guo Jia looked up at the distant mountains and said softly, "If I'm not mistaken, they've probably already heard the news."

Just then, a scout suddenly came galloping from the south.

Before the man even dismounted, he shouted, "Report! Traces of enemy troops have been spotted in the direction of Yangcheng!"

Everyone's gaze turned to the southern mountains.

Guo Jia smiled gently.

"It seems that General Li's side is also going to see bloodshed."