Three Kingdoms: The Peerless Strategist of Wei

Chapter 79 Yuan Shao, you can't escape Young Master Gu's grasp!

Half an hour later, Yuan Shao, who had been carried to bed, slowly woke up.

As soon as he woke up, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "Gu Cheng, Gu Cheng, first you instigated Cao Cao to kill my second son, and now you've devised a poisonous plan for Cao Cao to kill my eldest son. If I, Yuan Shao, don't kill you, I swear I'm not a human being."

Hysterical grief, anger, and curses echoed in the tent.

"My lord, the burning of Wuchao is a fact, and the news of the eldest son's murder has spread throughout the camp. The morale of the soldiers is now wavering."

"Our priority right now is not to avenge the eldest son, but to stabilize morale and prevent the entire army from collapsing," Ju Shou sighed, offering a reminder.

Yuan Shao shuddered, suddenly snapping out of his grief over the loss of his son. He had lost his eldest son, but he still had Yuan Shang, so his lineage wasn't yet dead. With two million bushels of grain burned, his army's supplies were cut off, and his 90,000-strong army would crumble in the blink of an eye. Without the army, it wouldn't just be one son who died. His entire Yuan family would be doomed, destroyed by Cao Cao. "Then tell me, what should I do?" Yuan Shao demanded urgently.

Ju Shou said silently, "The grain reserves in the four prefectures have all been burned. In the short term, the rear will no longer be able to transport grain to the front lines. The situation is hopeless. My lord, it is time to retreat back to Hebei."

Yuan Shao clenched his fists, his eyes brimming with resentment. He recalled how he had sworn an oath in Ye City, vowing to destroy Cao Cao within three months.

What confidence he had once possessed, what high spirits he had displayed! Yet now, he had suffered heavy losses and retreated in disarray to Hebei. Where was his reputation as the greatest warlord under heaven?! "I am not reconciled! How can I be defeated like this by that ugly eunuch? I am not reconciled!" Yuan Shao roared, his voice sharp, "Immediately send an order to Shang'er, instructing him to do everything in his power to gather more provisions and send them to Guandu. I swear I will not retreat until I have killed Cao Cao and that Gu Cheng!"

Ju Shou felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to persuade him again, but dared not speak.

"Was Gu Cheng truly a strategist bestowed upon Cao Cao by heaven, destined to bring about the downfall of the Yuan family?" Ju Shou thought to himself, his eyes dimming.

Guandu City.

Riding on his resounding victory at the burning of Wuchao, Cao Cao returned to the city in triumph. His army was in high spirits, and Guandu was filled with jubilation. Inside the military tent...

Gu Cheng, who was taking a nap in his inner tent, was awakened by the cheers. He yawned and walked out of the outer tent. "It's the middle of the day, can't people even get a good night's sleep? What's all this yelling about?" Gu Cheng rubbed his eyes and complained irritably.

Lu Lingqi rushed over, excitedly saying, "Gu Lang, have you truly opened your eyes? Yuan Shao's grain supplies were indeed all stored at Wuchao, and Cao Cao has already returned in triumph and burned Yuan Shao's grain supplies to the ground!"

"So that's how it is. No wonder they were shouting and getting so excited..." Gu Cheng wasn't surprised at all. He muttered as he sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. "Brother Gu, Brother Gu!" Another excited voice rang out. Before Gu Cheng could even take a sip of tea, Cao Ang burst into the tent, his face beaming with excitement. "Thank you, Brother Gu, for your quick action that allowed my father to burn Yuan Shao's supplies and turn the tide of battle. Please accept my deepest gratitude!" He bowed solemnly to Gu Cheng with gratitude. "Young Master, that's too much of a gesture. Please get up." Gu Cheng quickly helped Cao Ang up and asked with a smile, "I wonder when you plan to counterattack? After defeating Yuan Shao, I'm waiting to go to Hebei and compete with the Zhen family for business."

"Well..." Cao Ang calmed down and said, "Although Yuan Shao's grain supplies have been burned, he still has 90,000 troops. Father intends to observe the situation first before deciding whether to attack."

"What's there to hesitate about!" "If we don't take advantage of the current chaos in Yuan's army and crush Yuan Shao's army in one fell swoop, are we going to wait for him to procure supplies from Hebei and regain his morale?"

Gu Cheng said with dissatisfaction.

Cao Ang was startled and quickly said, "Then Brother Gu, do you mean we should launch a counterattack now?" "Of course!"

Gu Cheng said in an almost commanding tone, "Go tell Cao Cao that tonight they will divide their forces into seven groups and launch a night attack on Yuan's camp. I guarantee he will win this battle!"

The next day, late at night.

Inside Guandu City, 40,000 Cao army soldiers stood in solemn formation.

Every soldier's blood was boiling, their eyes burning with fighting spirit. They knew tonight was the night of decisive victory. The sound of hooves rang out, and Cao Cao's figure appeared in their field of vision. Cao Cao's soldiers immediately gripped their swords and spears, their eyes gleaming with excitement. "General, are we really going to launch a counterattack tonight?" Cao Hong asked from beside him.

"Mr. Gu is right. We cannot give Yuan Shao a chance to breathe!" Cao Cao's eyes were resolute. He drew his sword and pointed it: "Pass on my order to open the city gates, launch a seven-pronged attack, raze Yuan's camp to the ground, and capture Yuan Shao alive."

"Crush Yuan's camp—" "Capture Yuan Shao alive! Forty thousand soldiers, brandishing their weapons, shouted wildly. The gates of Guandu opened."

Cao Hong, Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Yue Jin, Xiahou Yuan, and Li Dian—seven generals under Cao Cao—each led their own troops and poured out of the city gates. "Zilong."

Cao Cao looked at Zhao Yun: "Have you remembered the plan my son-in-law instructed?"

Zhao Yun cupped his hands in greeting: "Rest assured, Minister, I will never let Yuan Shao escape!" "Good, let's set off," Cao Cao said happily.

Zhao Yun spurred his horse forward, leading nine hundred white-horse cavalry, and galloped away.

Instead of charging towards Yuan Shao's camp, he bypassed it and headed further north. "My worthy son-in-law, your strategy is flawless. Tonight's battle will surely help me capture Yuan Shao alive!" Cao Cao gazed at the waning moon, inwardly sighing. Then, his eyes blazed with murderous intent, and he spurred his horse out of Guandu City. Under the cover of night, the various armies approached Yuan Shao's camp. Cao Cao shouted, "Dian Wei, light the signal fires!" The order was given, and three pillars of smoke were immediately lit. The central army...

Seeing the smoke rising behind him, Gao Shun excitedly shouted, "The Vanguard Battalion, lead the way! Follow me and break through the enemy camp gate!" Eight hundred Vanguard Battalion soldiers charged forward.

Seven thousand Cao soldiers followed closely behind, surging forward. Almost simultaneously, along a ten-mile-long battlefront, seven Cao armies launched a simultaneous general offensive against Yuan's camp. The battle cries shook the heavens. Inside Yuan's camp, gongs immediately sounded, waking the sleeping Yuan soldiers.

The already demoralized Yuan soldiers, under the orders of their officers, could only hastily rush towards the camp wall to defend against the enemy. At the camp gate...

Gao Lan, on guard duty, gritted his teeth and shouted, "The time to serve Lord Yuan has come! Defend the camp gate to the death! Don't let a single Cao soldier break in!" The archers hastily fired their arrows, while the infantry, wielding large shields and long halberds, barely managed to drive the troops to the camp gate to block them. Outside the camp.

Cao Jun's repeating crossbow battalion had already launched the first arrow attack. Ten thousand crossbow bolts, like a net from heaven, swept in instantly.

Screams erupted, blood splattered, and the hastily deployed Yuan army was instantly pinned to the ground in droves, suffering heavy casualties. The Trapped Camp pressed forward, their broadswords easily severing the deer antlers outside the camp, advancing directly towards the camp gate. Gao Lan panicked, shouting, "Hold the camp gate shut! Defend to the death!"

The surviving Yuan soldiers could only step over the corpses of their comrades, raise their large shields, and rush to the camp gate, attempting to hold it open. It was all in vain.

Gao Shun commanded the Trapped Camp, forming a fish-scale formation, like a moving iron fortress, and accelerated towards the camp gate. "Boom!" With a deafening roar, the camp gate collapsed, crushing dozens of Yuan soldiers to the ground. The camp gate was breached.

Countless Cao troops, like a torrent, poured into Yuan's camp.

Yuan Jun's already low morale crumbled instantly, and they collapsed without a fight. "Don't retreat! Hold the camp gate! Don't retreat!" Gao Lan brandished his spear, killing several fleeing soldiers. (In the fish-scale formation.)

Hearing the shout, Gao Shun grabbed a crossbow and fired an arrow at Gao Lan. "No!"

Before the word "retreat" could even be uttered, Gao Lan was struck by an arrow in the face.

With a look of despair and glee on his face, he slowly collapsed from his horse. With their commander dead, the Yuan army in the central route crumbled completely.

Cao Cao's army poured into Yuan Shao's camp, advancing straight into the heart of the central army. Simultaneously, on both flanks, six Cao Cao armies broke through Yuan Shao's defenses, wreaking havoc along the way.

The 90,000-strong Yuan army had completely collapsed. Inside the central command tent, Yuan Shao sat listlessly, his face ashen, his fists clenched. "My lord, the left camp has fallen to Cao Cao's forces!" "The right camp has also fallen."

"My lord, the main gate of the camp has been breached by Cao Cao's army, General Gao has been killed in battle, and Cao Cao's army is advancing towards the central command tent!" A scout rushed in, bringing one piece of bad news after another. Each battle report was like a knife cutting into Yuan Shao's heart, causing him extreme pain.

Inside the tent, the advisors, including Feng Ji, were in a state of utter panic and confusion. "My lord, the situation is hopeless. Let's abandon the camp and retreat north to Ji Province!" Ju Shou pleaded desperately. "I, Yuan Shao, have been a high-ranking official for four generations, my name renowned throughout the land, yet today I've been defeated by that ugly eunuch descendant of Cao Cao! Why? Why did Heaven bestow that Gu Cheng upon that Cao Aman? Why didn't it give me, Yuan Shao? Why—"

'

Yuan Shao gritted his teeth and looked up to the sky, shouting in grief and indignation.

Gu Cheng's name echoed in everyone's ears, causing the civil and military officials of Yuan Shao's camp to grit their teeth, filled with both hatred and fear. "My lord, although Cao Cao has Gu Cheng's assistance and indeed won this battle today, you haven't lost yet!" "My lord still has the four provinces of Hebei. As long as you can successfully retreat, sooner or later you can regroup and march south again to avenge today's humiliation!"

"Let's abandon the camp and retreat, my lord!" Ju Shou both advised and earnestly urged.

Yuan Shao, however, refused to listen and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'm not leaving! I'll stay here and live and die with my soldiers in Hebei!" Seeing this, Ju Shou had no choice but to steel his resolve and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Quickly take our lord away by force!"

The guards on both sides stepped forward and forcibly lifted Yuan Shao up.

"Are you rebelling? Let me go! I'm not going anywhere!" Yuan Shao cursed fiercely, but his actions betrayed his true intentions. He only made a token struggle before allowing his guards to carry him away. Ju Shou helped Yuan Shao mount his horse, and with fewer than three hundred riders, they abandoned the camp and fled north in panic. Ninety thousand troops were left behind in Yuan Shao's camp.

As the sounds of battle faded into the distance, Yuan Shao looked back and saw that his camp was shrouded in a bloody mist.

"So what if there are only 90,000 troops? As long as I escape back to Hebei, I can gather another 100,000 sooner or later. Cao Cao, I haven't lost yet!" Yuan Shao secretly vowed, his arrogance rekindling in his eyes. Suddenly...

The guards, who were on the run, cried out in alarm and stopped in their tracks. Shao was startled and quickly looked back into the distance, immediately gasping for breath.

At the crossroads ahead, nine hundred iron cavalrymen stood in formation, blocking his path. A general of Cao Cao, riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, stood proudly at the front of the formation. "It's Zhao Zilong of Changshan, a former general of Gongsun Zan!"

Ju Shou cried out in alarm, his voice hoarse. Yuan Shao's heart skipped a beat, and fear quickly welled up in his eyes. "Yuan Shao!"

Zhao Yun pointed his silver spear and said sternly, "Yuan Shao, Young Master Gu anticipated that you would abandon the camp and flee north, and instructed me to wait for you here. Do you think you can escape Young Master Gu's grasp?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao shuddered, nearly falling from his horse. "Gu Cheng, it's that Gu Cheng again!"

"He even foresaw my abandonment of the camp and my escape north. How could human intelligence be so formidable? What kind of monster is he?"

Yuan Shao's face was ashen, and he muttered to himself, his eyes filled not only with shock but also with deep horror.

"Yuan Shao, when you forced General Gongsun to commit suicide by fire, did you ever imagine that one day you too would be driven to a dead end!" Zhao Yun's sarcastic shout rang out again.

Yuan Shao felt as if his heart was being torn apart, grief and anger burning in his eyes. Just a year ago, he had captured Yijing and forced Gongsun Zan to his death, how powerful and influential he had been! Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, he would suffer the same fate as Gongsun Zan? What a tremendous irony! Zhao Yun, disdaining further words, pointed his silver spear: "Yuan Shao, your cause is lost. Dismount and surrender, save yourself some dignity!" Surrender!

These two words, like knives, immediately pierced Yuan Shao's pride. "Zhao Yun, you dog! What kind of person am I? How could I possibly surrender to that Cao Cao!" Yuan Shao roared in fury, drawing his sword. "Yuan family soldiers, retreat means certain death! Follow me and fight your way back to Hebei!"

Ju Shou drew his sword, shouting in grief and indignation, "Fight to the death for Lord Yuan! Cut a bloody path!" He spurred his horse and charged forward. Yuan Shao, struggling to urge his horse on, also charged. Three hundred of Yuan's personal guards, with nowhere to run, had no choice but to follow Yuan Shao in his charge. "Yuan Shao, you don't want dignity? Then I'll give you dignity," Zhao Yun said, his brow furrowing. He raised his spear and shouted, "White Horse Cavalry, fire!" The command was given, and nine hundred White Horse Cavalrymen unleashed nine hundred arrows in a whistling volley. Men and horses fell, blood splattered everywhere.

In an instant, swathes of Yuan's troops were pinned to the ground. "For Lord Yuan, charge!" Ju Shou, wounded by an arrow, still raised his longsword and shouted hoarsely. *Whoosh!*

The arrow whistled through the air and struck him squarely in the face. Ju Shou let out a scream and collapsed to the ground. "Ju Shou 6—"

'

Yuan Shao let out a cry of grief and indignation. He had no time to grieve for Ju Shou's death, for another arrow whistled through the air and struck his horse squarely in the head. The warhorse neighed in agony and collapsed to the ground.

Caught off guard, Yuan Shao was thrown forward and crashed heavily to the ground.

With several bones broken, Yuan Shao was in excruciating pain, struggling and writhing for a long time before finally managing to get up. A quick glance around revealed that all three hundred of his personal guards had been shot dead.

The few survivors lay sprawled on the ground, groaning incessantly. Yuan Shao's heart sank to its limit. As he shakily raised his head, Zhao Yun, alone on horseback, stood before him. "Men, bind Yuan Shao and take him back to Guandu to be presented to the Minister of Works!" Zhao Yun coldly brandished his spear.

The loyal followers swarmed forward and bound Yuan Shao tightly. "Who dares to be disrespectful to me? Let me go! Get out of my way!" Yuan Shao shouted in shame and anger, struggling desperately, but the followers still managed to bind him tightly. "Back to Guandu!" Zhao Yun spurred his horse and rode off, carrying Yuan Shao southward. The sun rose in the east, and the sky brightened.