"Boom, boom..."
The great banner with the character "Wen" fluttered in the wind, and fifty thousand heavily armored cavalry approached with the force of the earth.
Clang...
When Wen Chou's army of fifty thousand men charged, they did not find the meticulously prepared Cao soldiers, nor the renowned Dragon Swift Cavalry that shook the nine prefectures, but… the lazily stationed guards on the city wall.
They did not draw their bows, nor did they unsheathe their long sabers or battle halberds… they simply stood straight on the city ramparts, as if stunned, or as if they had given up resistance.
"Haha!"
Wen Chou laughed. Yes, facing this army of fifty thousand heavily armored cavalry? Ordinary people would surely be stunned!
Just as he thought this.
"Report… General, vast amounts of gold and silver, provisions, antiques, and calligraphy scrolls have been piled up below the city wall… piled… piled into a small mountain! Impossible to count."
As he reported, the scout's voice was full of excitement, his eyes almost narrowed into slits.
After all, Wen Chou’s cavalry had followed him from a very early stage. They had plundered together, and had been outlaws together. Even now, as the formidable Iron Blood Heavy Cavalry that instilled fear in the northern regions, their bandit nature had only been buried, never lost!
Hearing the scout’s voice…
Countless heavily armored knights’ eyes shone with an extreme brilliance as they looked up towards the Nanban City below.
Supplies everywhere!
Gold and silver everywhere!
And grain, and Wuzhu coins! Calligraphy and paintings! Antiques!
This was not the main point. The main point was that, as former bandits, they were extremely sensitive to the value of goods… any single item piled below the city wall…
Could be worth tens of thousands of coins… or even enough to exchange for a year, or even several years of grain!
Enough to return to their hometowns and live as wealthy gentlemen.
Why serve as soldiers? Wasn't it just for the meager pay and the grain? Now… before their eyes lay piles of gold. This was a great opportunity to change their lives and turn their fortunes around.
The most, most, most, most crucial point was…
The guards on the city wall appeared listless and negligent, not even holding weapons? Were these lambs to the slaughter?
Under the allure of this dazzling wealth, and in front of these lax and incompetent Cao camp soldiers, almost all the Yuan camp soldiers had the same thought: to grab a piece of the pie…
And then… become rich in one go!
"What are you hiding in your chest?"
Just then… Wen Chou’s voice rang out, startling all the armored soldiers, and the scout as well.
Instantly, the scout became nervous.
"It's… it's gold!"
The scout took out the gold from his heavy armor and held it in his hand for Wen Chou to see, thinking to himself… would General Wen Chou punish him severely?
However…
He was overthinking.
"Hahahahaha…"
Wen Chou burst into laughter. These fifty thousand heavy cavalry were originally bandits, and wasn't Wen Chou himself also from a bandit, robber background?
Only a bandit could truly understand a bandit.
"Hahaha…" Wen Chou was still laughing. "Stuff more in, fill it up… haha, with so much money, it's a waste not to take it!"
This…
Haha…
As Wen Chou’s words fell.
These heavily armored knights had no more reservations. One by one, they eagerly charged towards Nanban City below…
The vanguard dismounted and desperately stuffed the gold and silver, antiques, and calligraphy scrolls into their chests.
The rear guard saw the voracious appetite of the vanguard and immediately felt indignant.
Why should all this gold and silver be taken by the vanguard? Why?
For a moment, almost all the Yuan army's heavy cavalry dismounted!
However…
Gold, silver, precious calligraphy, and rare antiques were limited. On the other hand, the pots and pans were plentiful… everyone wanted gold and silver, and everyone disdained the pots and pans. As a result, a scramble ensued!
These people were bandits…
What "first come, first served"?
What "traditional etiquette"? In their hearts, it was nothing… to fight for gold, they started cursing, started physical altercations, started fighting!
Military discipline, military orders, military law… in the hearts of these men of the greenwood, what was more important than "money first"?
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea…
The entire fifty thousand heavily armored cavalry began to riot. All the armored soldiers dismounted, their formation almost completely dissolved… The Cao army had not attacked, they had already started fighting amongst themselves on a small scale.
Robbing money, robbing grain, robbing jewelry!
These knights, blinded by money!
Not one of them realized that while they were enthusiastically scrambling for gold and silver, on the city wall… the Cao camp soldiers’ eyes were already glowing with green light!
This was a green light radiating with endless killing intent.
…
"Heh heh…" On the city wall, Zhang Liao chuckled, "Just as Young Master Lu predicted, Wen Chou’s cavalry is indeed a force of wolves and tigers, but they are also bandits and robbers without any bottom line. A small trick, and they will collapse instantly!"
Hearing this…
Cao Xiu nodded and added…
"Commander Lu is adept at attacking hearts. He has completely grasped the minds of Wen Chou's fifty thousand heavy cavalry…"
Speaking to this point, Cao Xiu slowly raised his hand.
His next words became even more serious and meticulous.
"The opportunity has arrived…"
Yes…
The opportunity had indeed arrived!
Zhang Liao and Cao Xiu exchanged glances…
With a "whoosh," they turned almost simultaneously and headed downstairs. The accompanying deputy generals, not understanding the reason, hurriedly asked.
Zhang Liao waved his hand.
"Why ask? Didn't you just clamor to mount your horses and kill the enemy? Now is the time to mount and kill! Why are you all standing there stunned?"
Huo…
As Zhang Liao spoke, all the armored soldiers were stunned. Then… their eyes focused. They looked at the enemy below Nanban City with no semblance of formation… and then looked at themselves. This was a chance to achieve great merit!
"Mount up, kill!"
Cao Xiu wasted no more words. Raising his battle halberd… he immediately ordered the Dragon Swift Camp knights!
At this moment…
The Dragon Swift Camp knights had long been impatient. One by one, they grabbed the weapons hidden nearby, put on their armor… rushed down the city wall, and were about to mount their horses… to kill the enemy and earn merit!
The enemy formation was in disarray…
With the decline of one and the rise of the other, the morale of the Cao army naturally soared. Even the Tiger Cavalry, Leopard Cavalry, and the original defenders of Baima City Fort straightened their spirits.
Pathetically…
Even though a large number of troops had been withdrawn from the city wall in an instant.
However…
The Wen Chou cavalry outside the city noticed nothing. They were still quibbling over… who had picked up more gold? Who had suffered a great loss!
…
"Boom, boom!"
In an instant, the city gate opened wide… countless cavalry charged out from the city gate.
"Kill… kill…"
"Kill!"
The earth-shattering roars echoed from within the city gate.
Close, so close!
The Cao army, with soaring morale, charged towards the enemy, with Zhang Liao and Cao Xiu leading the way… setting an example!
And the distance between them was too close…
"Kill…"
The increasingly resonant sound shook the heavens. Before Wen Chou’s army could react, the Cao army had already charged!
This…
Suddenly, Wen Chou was dumbfounded!
He had just prepared to raise his spear to organize his soldiers to resist, but… he suddenly found his body as if frozen. He tried to mount his horse again, only to discover… he had stuffed so much gold and silver into his body that his heavy armor was completely filled. Now… his entire weight must be over four hundred jin!
With such weight? How could he mount his horse? How could he wield his long spear? How could he face the enemy?
Greed!
Everyone has greed, let alone Wen Chou, who was from a bandit background!
Logically speaking… as a top general of Hebei, he naturally did not lack this amount of money, but… he was used to it. Since he was a mountain bandit, a bandit, casually grabbing a handful of benefits had long been commonplace.
The price for this… was that he could not mount his horse now, and could not even move…
"It's bad…"
Wen Chou cried out. He desperately threw the gold and silver from his heavy armor, but there was too much… and it was too fragmented. How could it be thrown out all at once?
Of course… he was not the only one in such a predicament!
Almost every Yuan camp heavy cavalry had their armor filled with gold and silver!
Facing the enemy?
Too wishful thinking… How could the Cao army give them this opportunity?
"Ah… ah…"
Cries of agony had already begun…
Countless steel battle halberds were like cutting melons and vegetables… wherever their sharpness swept, only piles of corpses were left…
"Ah…"
Another group of knights, their armor shattered by battle halberds, with countless gold and silver spilling into the blood, looked so dazzling, yet so bloody and terrifying!
Just then.
"Hee-haw…"
The warhorse neighed to the sky. A red-faced man with a long beard rushed towards Wen Chou first, followed closely by others.
The generals of the Yuan army had one characteristic: wearing opulent attire… in the chaos, a single glance was enough to see the enemy general's appearance!
"Da da da…"
The familiar sound of horses' hooves echoed again, as if… these hooves were stepping on the same spot, the sound like thunder, shocking everyone.
"He… he…"
Wen Chou saw the approaching general, the long beard, the red face… however, this familiar-looking strong man was not holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, but… a battle halberd!
At this moment, Wen Chou's expression froze suddenly!
But before he could even throw out the gold and silver from his armor… a steel battle halberd chopped down from above.
Wen Chou instinctively raised his spear to block…
"Clang…"
The steel battle halberd and the long spear clashed fiercely in the air, emitting sparks. Then… under the horrified gaze of all the Yuan army soldiers, the steel battle halberd chopped straight down!
"Crack…"
Wen Chou's long spear was actually knocked aside by this battle halberd…
"No…"
Wen Chou's eyes widened, and before he could even cry out, he was suppressed by the battle halberd, the spear pushing down, and was cleaved into two halves, sent flying far away.
His body separated…
Blood splattered, and almost everyone around was stained by the blood!
Wen Chou, the foremost general of Hebei… could not withstand a single blow of the halberd!
Simple, brutal!
Such a violent scene…
Instantly stunned all the soldiers, including the Yuan camp soldiers and even the Cao camp soldiers.
The Yuan camp soldiers were shocked by… the opponent's martial arts? How could it be so domineering? With a single move…
While the Cao camp soldiers were shocked by the fact that Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang… had abandoned the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and used this steel battle halberd. The destructive power of a single blow from this halberd was more than ten times that of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade?
Of course…
These were not the main points.
The main point was that the enemy general was dead, and next…
"Kill… kill! Kill!"
Cao Xiu and Zhang Liao raised their battle halberds and roared with crimson eyes, cheering madly for Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang…
"Wind! Wind! Wind!"
All the Cao camp soldiers were evidently inspired. They tore open their throats, shouting desperately, and plunged their steel battle halberds into the hearts of the enemy…
Facing such an enemy cavalry that couldn't even mount, couldn't even resist… the slaughter was simply too easy, too enjoyable!
Furthermore, with Wen Chou's death, even if some of the enemy managed to mount their horses and fight back desperately, the death of General Wen Chou caused their morale and spirits to plummet to the bottom!
Bloodlust…
Under the scorching sun, whether it was the Dragon Swift Cavalry, or the Tiger Cavalry, Leopard Cavalry… at this moment, they were all completely bloodthirsty!
The Yuan army was more numerous, almost more than double that of the Cao army, but… at this moment, the morale boosted by beheading the enemy general caused the inherent ferocity and courage in every Cao soldier to erupt!
In the battlefield…
No one could see what anyone looked like?
Their clothes, pants, and armor were all stained with the enemy's blood. No matter who it was, they only recognized the clothes, not the person!
– Slaughter…
– This was a slaughter below Nanban City!
…
Meanwhile, Guan Yu, after splitting Wen Chou into two halves with his steel battle halberd, calmly dismounted, drew his saber from his waist, and cut off half of Wen Chou's head!
He weighed it, it was quite heavy…
Then, he hung the head on his horse’s neck, and picked up the steel battle halberd again…
He couldn't help but shake his head…
"What a divine weapon that can cut iron like mud!"
"Exhilarating, this halberd was truly exhilarating!"
He sighed repeatedly…
At this moment, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade truly felt less appealing!
Thinking of this, his eyes turned cold, and he picked up the steel battle halberd again, charging into the enemy formation…
– "Guan is here, you dogs, die!"
This time's merit would be enough… to leave the Cao camp, right?
…
– "Report… the enemy is in rout!"
– "Report, the enemy still has over thirty thousand cavalry… fleeing towards Hebei…"
Scouts continuously reported the battlefield situation to Cao Xiu and Zhang Liao.
Although the fighting here was fierce, in reality… the enemy killed by the battle halberd was at most a few thousand. More enemies were trampled by horses, or died in self-inflicted stampedes while fleeing!
Fifty thousand men…
Even if they were carrying gold and silver and their movements were clumsy…
It would still take more than a day and a night to annihilate them completely!
But…
The Cao army was truly tired!
Cao Xiu and Zhang Liao could both see it. Even though their morale was high… they could not hide the fatigue on their soldiers' faces!
Yes…
Just two days ago, they had marched hundreds of miles at full speed, from Xudu to Baima City Fort to fight against Yan Liang's army. This time… strictly speaking, they had rested for less than a day. Even with a great victory, they could not hide the weariness on their faces.
Of course, this also made Cao Xiu and Zhang Liao feel a sense of lingering fear!
Such a great victory, how hard-won it was!
The Cao army… was at the end of its tether!
This battle was extremely perilous!
– "Do not pursue! We have already achieved a great victory!"
Cao Xiu commanded loudly…
Hearing this, Zhang Liao's expression first froze, then he nodded… he looked meaningfully at Cao Xiu, and both of them grinned, revealing a knowing smile.
"General Cao wants to give some credit to the Vanguard Camp and the Spear Camp, is that it?"
"Hahaha… I can't hide anything from General Wen Yuan," Cao Xiu chuckled…
Zhang Liao nodded.
"Our merits are already significant. In terms of human relationships, we should give some credit to General Gao Shun and General Le Jin!"
Speaking of this…
Zhang Liao sighed with emotion, not because of… giving credit or anything.
But… because of the thrill of this battlefield!
The thrill of Lu Yu’s ghost-possessed deployment!
– "As expected, in the battlefield, what is most difficult to resist is never swords and spears, but the greed in people's hearts!"
– "Hebei Heavy Cavalry? In the end, they are just a bunch of bandits and robbers!"
– "Wen Chou? At most a bandit leader. We overestimated them!"
Speaking to this point…
Zhang Liao waved his hand and shouted.
– "Retire! Victory march!"
…
…
North of the Yellow River, the Yuan army camp, the main army tent.
"Play music, dance!"
Yuan Shao's mood was exceptionally cheerful. He had just received an urgent report stating that Cao Cao's army had abandoned Baima City Fort and was retreating to Yanjin with the civilians… Wen Chou's army was in hot pursuit and was about to catch up!
And this intelligence, for Yuan Shao, was undeniably of utmost importance!
The current situation was that he, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao were in a standoff across the Yellow River!
Yuan Shao occupied the north bank of the Yellow River at Liyang, while Cao Cao occupied the south bank at Yanjin and Baima… the two sides' defense lines faced each other across the river.
Because of this…
For Yuan Shao, the urgent task was to open up a base area on the south bank of the Yellow River. This would allow the advancing troops to seize advantageous positions and serve as support for the overall offensive.
And Cao army abandoning Baima City Fort…
This was like giving Yuan Shao a base area on the south bank of the Yellow River for free…
How could Yuan Shao not be overjoyed?
Furthermore, the second point… Cao army fleeing with civilians, in Yuan Shao's view, was simply foolish…
How fast could ordinary people run?
The Cao army, burdened by them, would inevitably be slow in its movements. And Wen Chou led fifty thousand heavy cavalry. Where they passed, wouldn't they crush the Cao army into powder and grind them into ashes?
The more he thought this way, the more Yuan Shao felt like a "clever little ghost," with everything under control!
And at this moment…
Also present in the main army tent was one person – the big-eared, long-armed one, with the halo of "benevolence and righteousness" above his head, and carrying the bloody letter of the "Emperor's Edict" in his arms, who else could it be but Liu Bei, Liu Xuande!
"Xuan De, perhaps in another hour or so, the urgent report of Wen Chou's army crushing Cao Cao's forces will be delivered…"
"At that time, your brother intends to lead the army from Liyang to advance towards Yanjin, and jointly attack Cao Cao with Wen Chou from two directions. How about taking revenge for your blood feud and the hatred of your wife for you?"
In a favorable situation…
Yuan Shao began to habitually show off.
Uh…
Liu Bei felt a bit awkward after hearing this… His blood feud with Cao Cao was still somewhat understandable, but… the hatred for his wife, this… this was a bit…
Inevitably, Yuan Shao's words made Liu Bei feel quite uncomfortable. Who knew… how Cao Cao would treat his two wives after his defeat at Xiapi?
Huu…
Thinking of this, Liu Bei sighed – "Cao Mengde, Cao Mengde… please… have some shame! Let go of… let go of my two wives!"
However…
Compared to this, Liu Bei was more worried about Yuan Shao!
It seemed that the last time Yan Liang attacked Baima, Yuan Shao had made such bold claims. At that time… they were still playing music and dancing, weren't they? But now…
Liu Bei couldn't help but feel a hint of doubt.
Who would have thought…
His expression made Yuan Shao furious!
With a "bang…" Yuan Shao slammed his fist on the table. "Does Xuan De think? My Hebei's foremost general Wen Chou leading fifty thousand heavy cavalry? Cannot defeat his Cao Cao?"
An extremely cold voice came out…
Instantly, the atmosphere in the entire tent turned grim, tense, and filled with the scent of gunpowder.
As the saying goes, a commoner's rage can lead to bloodshed within five steps.
If Yuan Shao, whose mind was as small as a little finger, got angry, it would be more than just bloodshed within five steps!
"Duke Yuan misunderstands…"
Liu Bei reacted extremely quickly. He deliberately smiled, "I was just lost in thought just now. Actually… I was thinking that next time… we will admire this singing and dancing, and taste this fine wine and liquor, probably in… Xu Du city!"
"Besides, General Wen Chou is the foremost general of Hebei? With him in command? Who can compete? If he is defeated, I, Liu Bei, will smash my head to death in front of Duke Yuan? How about that…"
Xu Du city? Taste fine wine?
Liu Xuan De smashing his head to death in front of himself…
Hearing this,
"Haha…"
Yuan Shao laughed heartily. He beckoned to the dancers who were so frightened they dared not continue singing and dancing, and roared, "Continue the music! Continue the dance! Let it be a celebration for my brother Xuan De's words!"
Who would have thought…
Just then… it was so coincidental!
"Report… Report… Report…"
A notification came from outside the tent!
Immediately following, a scout prostrated himself and said:
– "My Lord…"
– "It's bad, it's bad! General Wen Chou was beheaded below Nanban City, and our army of fifty thousand heavy cavalry… suffered a great defeat! Now… now they are fleeing in panic towards the Yellow River! But… but along the Yellow River, Cao Cao has ambushed a troop of infantry… each holding strange weapons, it seems… it seems they were prepared!"
As he spoke…
Cold sweat dripped from the forehead of this armored soldier. His face was even paler than paper.
…
…