The sides of the official road were lined with bushes.
“General Zhang, the Xuzhou troops have turned into bandits, Cao Song’s convoy was attacked, and only Cao Song and one warrior fled this way… a total of one horse, two people!”
An armored soldier reported, his words carrying a very thick Bing Province accent.
The one addressed as General Zhang was Zhang Liao, Zhang Wenyuan, a general under Lu Bu’s command in the Bing Province army.
This time, upon receiving military orders, he led over twenty Bing Province wolf riders in secret to Langya Commandery with a single purpose: to intercept Cao Song.
Zhang Liao was meticulous in his planning, choosing an ambush point on the necessary route from Langya Commandery to Yan Province. He had initially harbored doubts, as he only had twenty-odd riders, and this was the territory of Tao Qian, the Governor of Xuzhou!
But now… the situation had unfolded beyond his expectations. Cao Song’s convoy had been plundered by the Xuzhou generals escorting them, and only Cao Song and one warrior had escaped!
This… was a stroke of good fortune!
Zhang Liao narrowed his eyes, as if the task had suddenly become much easier.
“No need for nonsense, just intercept and kill! Remember, be swift!”
Under the moonlight, the crescent halberd in Zhang Liao’s hand carried a chilling gleam, and his eyes blazed with ferocity…
“Yes, sir…” the armored soldiers acknowledged and prepared to charge.
But at that moment… continuous rustling sounds reached Zhang Liao’s ears. The keen-eared general immediately sensed that besides themselves, there were others ambushing in the nearby grass!
“Wait… everyone, fall back!” Zhang Liao hastily called back his men.
Indeed, just then, the same black attire, the same sharp blades, the same bushes… over twenty assassins in black suddenly charged out. Zhang Liao was certain these were not his men, but… their objective was clear… it was also for “Cao Song”!
“It seems… there are quite a few who desire Cao Song’s life!” Zhang Liao muttered…
Meanwhile.
Swish, swish, swish…
Chilling glints flashed. These over twenty assassins were well-trained. Their weapons resembled spears, but with a sharp sickle attached to the spearhead, named the sickle-spear… Dozens of these sickles hooked the legs of Cao Ren’s warhorse, and in an instant… the warhorse, Cao Ren, and Cao Song all fell from their mounts.
“Damn it, there’s an ambush here too.” Cao Ren sighed…
Cao Song’s face also darkened. Looking at the sickle-spears surrounding them, he knew he might not escape this ordeal today.
“My son Mengde, Father… I’m afraid I won’t be able to return!”
At this moment, tears welled up in Cao Song’s eyes.
Who would have thought that someone would become greedy upon seeing wealth;
Who would have thought that the one who became greedy was the Xuzhou general sent by Tao Qian to escort the convoy;
Who else… else… else could have imagined that someone would dare to plunder his convoy, the convoy of a former Grand Commandant, and set up so many ambushes along the way!
Possessing a treasure invites disaster? Thinking back now, the “possessing a treasure invites disaster” mentioned by that young man had all come true. But who would have believed it half an hour ago?
… At this very moment, Cao Song could only shake his head repeatedly.
The world truly has no selling of regret medicine. If he had known the current situation, he would have discarded the gold and silver valuables and fled with Cao De along the small path with Zixiao. Perhaps, with the convoy acting as bait, they might have escaped this calamity.
Alas… alas…
“Old Master, get behind me…” Cao Ren shielded Cao Song, tore a piece of coarse cloth from his waist, and covered his nose and mouth…
Anyone with combat experience knew that in close-quarters combat, blood splatter was inevitable. If it affected one’s vision, it would be disastrous.
However, Cao Ren’s actions were met with utter indifference by the enemy.
“Haha, I never thought Cao Aman’s cousin, General Cao Ren, would also be buried with Old Master Cao, hahahaha!”
Cao Ren… they recognize me?
Cao Ren was slightly taken aback. He tried to recall who amongst the black-clothed figures sounded familiar. However… his opponents gave him no such time.
“Kill, leave no one alive!”
“Damn it, come on!” Cao Ren’s eyes glared angrily. Without further ado, the two sides were already mortal enemies!
In an instant, Cao Ren alone withstood the assault of over twenty men!
Fortunately, the over twenty men before him were not particularly strong in martial prowess. In normal times, Cao Ren could handle ten of them without breaking a sweat.
But now… having just traveled day and night for seven hundred li in a desperate rush, and having broken through the earlier battle, he was already exhausted. After only a few exchanges, he fell into a disadvantage.
Cao Song, on the other hand, was powerless to help. It seemed his fate was sealed from the beginning, with nothing left but to… await death.
Finally, Cao Song’s heart hardened.
“Zixiao, don’t mind me, you go first…”
“Old Master, you…” Cao Ren felt a sense of foreboding.
“Zixiao! It’s like this, your staying here is useless. We will both die, but if you can break through and escape, at least… at least Mengde will have one more brother, and someone to discuss matters with in the future!” Cao Song pleaded repeatedly…
In Cao Song’s view, his era had ended, and now it was his son Cao Cao’s era.
The world could do without him, Cao Song, but as long as there was an opportunity, he, Cao Song, would preserve every brother who could help his son!
“Old Master… you…”
“Ah.” Cao Song responded. His eyes held panic and confusion, but more than that, they held tenderness and reluctance…
He looked at Cao Ren, and through Cao Ren, it was as if he saw his son Cao Cao. This once mischievous and reckless young man had now… grown up and should be forging his own great achievements.
As a father, he should not be a burden to him!
“My old bones can’t escape, but… I…”
In an instant, a sharp glint flashed across Cao Song’s cloudy old eyes. He coldly faced the group of black-clothed men. “At least, I can stall for time for you!”
While speaking, a black-clothed assassin swung a saber towards Cao Ren’s back, shouting as he chopped, “Die!”
“Hurry and go!”
Cao Song picked up a wooden stick from the ground, rolled himself aside, and swung the stick towards the black-clothed assassin.
Ultimately, due to his advanced age, as he struck the opponent, he was thrown to the ground by the force.
“Old Master…” Cao Ren cried out.
But Cao Song quickly got back up, his clothes in disarray, his eyes bloodshot, and he roared as he engaged the thieves once more.
Disheveled and appearing to have gone mad.
“You want to intercept me, Cao Song? First, weigh whether you have the ability!”
“Come and die!”
A somewhat weathered voice echoed through the heavens and earth, striking a chord in the hearts of Cao Ren, every black-clothed assassin, and the observing Bing Province elites.
At this moment, Cao Song seemed to have returned to his glorious past!
For twenty years, the world knew Cao Song as shrewd and experienced, having served as Commander of the Sili, Grand Herald, Grand Minister of Agriculture, and Grand Commandant, wielding immense power!
The world also knew him as well-read, the most outstanding student of the Imperial Academy, and a former Doctor of the School of Classics!
But few knew that even when he was observing the mourning period for his adoptive father Cao Teng, he had already authored military works such as "On Defense." In his youth, Cao Song was also skilled in martial arts!
This was quite in line with the characteristics of Han dynasty civil officials: skilled in writing to bring peace to the realm, and capable of riding into battle to settle affairs.
In layman's terms, he was a man who could fight on horseback and govern off horseback, knew his wife when in bed, and his shoes when out of bed – a truly iron-blooded man!
If Cao Song were twenty years younger, he wouldn’t claim to be able to fight twenty men, but he could certainly handle three to five ordinary thugs!
“Zixiao, you must go!”
“What this old man can do is leave more hope for Mengde!”
“Zixiao, tell Mengde to prioritize the bigger picture and not rush to avenge his father. Also… also…”
“That young man’s mention of ‘possessing a treasure invites disaster’ shows his extraordinary wisdom. Tell Mengde to entrust him with important tasks and consult him on matters!”
Each word of entrustment, like a final farewell, was enough to bring tears to one’s eyes.
Under the moonlight, it was hard to imagine a white-haired old man fiercely and fearlessly charging at over twenty stout assassins, even though… the wooden stick in his hand had long since broken!
He was using his own flesh and blood to carve out a bloody path for Cao Ren, and to preserve another spark of hope for his son, Cao Cao!
A parent’s love for their child is a far-reaching plan. If one had not witnessed it firsthand, it would be utterly unimaginable that an old man in his twilight years would do such a reckless thing!
But this…
This was precisely forging the unyielding spirit and backbone that had been passed down through generations of the Cao and Xiahou clans!
…
…