Chapter 91: Fighting Until No One in the World Dares to Claim Supremacy (Seeking Monthly Votes)

The tenth year of Jian'an, April;

——Gu Chen officially led his army to campaign against Xu.

At the same time, Liu Bei also mobilized his troops from Jingzhou, intending to attack Yuzhou and Yangzhou.

But Cao Cao had long been prepared for this.

Sun Ce mobilized his troops simultaneously, intending to block Liu Bei's path in the Jiangdong region.

At such a time, those Jingzhou noble clans under Sun Ce's command played a major role.

Not only could they allow Sun Ce's strength to grow ever stronger.

They were also simultaneously restricting Liu Bei.

With Jingzhou only recently pacified, it was impossible for Liu Bei to send out all his forces.

If any accident were to occur in Jingzhou, with these noble clans who knew Jingzhou so well present, it was highly likely that Jingzhou would easily change hands.

This was something Liu Bei would absolutely not accept.

Perhaps Liu Bei was truly a bit too overconfident; he had originally thought to directly resolve Sun Ce first, which would not only eliminate his worries in the rear but also allow him to continue strengthening his own power.

But Zhuge Liang stopped him.

With the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, Jiangdong was definitely not so easy to plot against.

Helpless, Liu Bei had no choice but to leave Guan Yu to garrison Jingzhou.

As for himself, he led his troops to campaign against Yuzhou.

The momentum of the world shifted, and the great war began once more!

The one garrisoning Xuchang was, of course, Cao Ren.

Since the Battle of Chenliu in the past, Cao Ren was no longer that obscure minor general, but had thoroughly become a world-renowned general of city defense.

He stationed forty thousand troops within Xuchang.

In the surrounding outskirts, he relied on the terrain to form twelve linked camps.

Even Gu Chen had to admit that Cao Ren was absolutely one of the world's top generals for city defense.

But what could that do?

As far as Gu Chen was concerned.

As long as Cao Ren could not mend the cracks in the hearts of the people, he was destined to be unable to stop him.

The hearts of the people in Yingchuan had completely scattered.

Cao Cao's move to relocate the capital, whether to the Yingchuan noble clans or the common people.

Had already confirmed that they considered Cao Cao to have abandoned them.

And furthermore, was Gu Chen's momentum not currently overwhelming?

Under these circumstances, how could Cao Ren possibly stop Gu Chen?

The tenth year of Jian'an, June;

Gu Chen successively led his army to break three of the Cao army's major camps, killing nearly ten Cao army generals in a row; the Cao army feared Gu Chen like a tiger.

News spread continuously, and Yingchuan was shaken with terror.

Deserters appeared one after another in various camps.

And the numbers were growing larger.

Cao Ren could only use harsh measures to suppress the deserters.

The tenth year of Jian'an, August;

Gu Chen broke five more camps, continuing to close in on Xuchang.

At the same time, he had Xun Yu write a "Letter of Surrender" to intensify the panic among the Yingchuan soldiers and people.

But Cao Ren was indeed worthy of being a general whose name would go down in history.

Even though Gu Chen's offensive was already this fierce, he did not lose his footing in the slightest.

He had never thought that he could stop Gu Chen with a mere twelve camps.

Cao Ren had always greatly admired Cao Cao.

And Gu Chen was a figure to whom even Cao Cao had given the highest evaluation; how could he underestimate him?

He was not flustered at all, merely coordinating the three armies within Xuchang, attempting to use every method to stop Gu Chen.

He even came up with hook-and-sickle spears.

Specifically used to counter the elite cavalry under Gu Chen and Ma Chao.

And Cao Cao, naturally, would not remain idle in the rear.

He was likewise attempting to break the deadlock.

Not only did he have Lu Bu move from Jizhou and follow Cao Ren's arrangements, he even sent the blueprints for the thunderbolt catapults to Sun Ce to assist Sun Ce in campaigning against Jingzhou.

As for himself, he personally rushed to Yuzhou and Yangzhou to guard against Liu Bei and stabilize the hearts of the people.

He left all matters of Pengcheng to Cao Ang.

In Cao Cao's eyes.

Compared to Gu Chen, Liu Bei was naturally the easier one to resolve.

If he could repel Liu Bei, he would definitely stabilize the hearts of the people.

The winds and clouds of the world were rising everywhere.

October;

The appearance of the hook-and-sickle spears did indeed have an impact on Gu Chen.

But he was by no means a mere martial brute who only knew how to charge and kill.

Upon noticing the recent drought, Gu Chen immediately adopted the tactics of Tian Dan of the Warring States period, forming a fire-oxen formation, and once again dealt a crushing blow to the Cao army.

In a few months' time, he had completely broken through the twelve linked camps established by Cao Ren.

He led his army to strike toward Xuchang.

At the same time, just at the end of October.

Liu Bei set foot in Runan.

Following the strategy of his new military advisor Pang Tong, he sent Zhao Yun to lead five thousand troops disguised as a Cao army grain transport unit to burn the Cao army's granaries.

He took several cities in succession, his momentum overwhelming.

The speed of the offensive was only slightly checked when Cao Cao personally arrived.

November;

Cao Chun led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to cut off Gu Chen's Yangyao grain supply line, obstructing Gu Chen's offensive.

They even encountered the Qiang cavalry under Ma Chao's command.

The two sides engaged in a great battle.

Both sides suffered casualties, with neither gaining the upper hand.

It was not until Gu Chen personally led his army to arrive that Cao Chun was defeated and fled.

Gu Chen did not directly attack Xuchang.

Xuchang was a vital stronghold, and it contained forty thousand garrison troops; it was by no means so easy to break.

He chose to rest the three armies and re-plan the grain supply lines.

He even utilized once again the classic tactics passed down through generations of Gu Shizi.

Various "miracles" appeared one after another.

Such as a stone tablet suddenly appearing in Luoyang, claiming "Xuchang falls, Luoyang rises";

Or a baleful star appearing, a sign of Xuchang's defeat and demise;

All sorts of rumors emerged one after another, continuously draining the Cao army's will to fight.

Even Gu Yi had to remark, "My ancestors were truly too steady."

But after thinking about it carefully, he felt relieved.

Gu Chen was never a genius who surpassed his peers from a young age.

——On the contrary, it was the exact opposite.

The experiences he had from childhood to adulthood destined his personality; how could he possibly become overly arrogant?

This style of fighting truly made Cao Ren feel despair.

Only now, when personally playing against Gu Chen.

Did Cao Ren finally understand why Cao Cao had made the decision to relocate the capital back then.

Gu Chen had no flaws!

He was impeccable in every aspect.

Whether it was the building of his foundation; his judgment of the war situation; or even his mastery over the hearts of the people;

And everything else, Gu Chen was simply impeccable.

For the ambitious warlords who lived in the same era as him, this was absolutely a despair-inducing thing.

How on earth was one to defeat such a person?

This strategy of Gu Chen's indeed had too great an impact on the Cao army.

Cao Ren racked his brains day and night, and his supervision of his soldiers had reached its peak, fearing the occurrence of opening the gates to surrender.

The only good news was that Cao Cao had blocked Liu Bei's offensive in Runan.

Although it was only a minor victory, Cao Ren still seized this opportunity to boast of it as a great victory, hoping to boost the morale of the army.

But it still could not change the overall trend.

At the same time, Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu also soundly defeated the vanguard of Sun Ce, led by Zhou Yu, in Jiangxia.

They beheaded thousands of enemy troops.

This halted Sun Ce’s pace in attacking Jingzhou.

November;

Gu Chen personally led an army of one hundred thousand to officially launch an attack on Xuchang.

Xuchang, however, was a heavily fortified town.

Attacking such a stronghold, no matter how valiant Gu Chen was, was destined to offer little help; it relied solely on the bravery of the soldiers.

After five full consecutive days of fierce assault, the army finally broke into Xuchang for the first time.

But Cao Ren had long been prepared for this.

He distributed the hallucinogenic "Five Minerals Powder" to his soldiers.

Using this substance to incite the bloodlust of his troops, he finally drove Gu Chen’s army out.

Under these conditions, all of Xuchang was like a meat grinder.

Countless heroic souls met their end inside and outside the city of Xuchang.

Gu Chen had not expected Cao Ren to have such methods, but seeing those soldiers who had consumed the "Five Minerals Powder" completely devoid of human fear,

he had no choice but to lead his army in retreat.

In fact, Gu Chen had heard of this "Five Minerals Powder"; he only knew that long-term use would lead to an early death, but he had not expected it to have such an effect.

This ultimately allowed Cao Ren to seize the opportunity.

Although he had not defeated Gu Chen at all—it could even be called a crushing defeat,

as the Cao Army suffered heavy casualties in this battle,

and was even breached by Gu Chen’s army,

Cao Ren still boasted about it extensively, simply wanting to thoroughly stabilize the morale of his troops.

This did indeed have some effect.

After all, to the Cao Army soldiers who knew nothing of the truth, they had indeed managed to drive Gu Chen back this time.

But Cao Ren did not let his guard down.

As one of the great generals whose name would be passed down through history, Cao Ren’s military prowess was beyond doubt.

After Gu Chen’s army retreated, he immediately ordered water to be poured over the city walls.

Utilizing the weather, he turned the entire city of Xuchang into an ice fortress.

But Gu Chen was completely unconcerned by this.

After this battle, he had a more profound assessment of Xuchang.

If he were to continue such a fierce assault, even if he could eventually take Xuchang and occupy all of Yingchuan,

the casualties would be far too heavy for Gu Chen.

In Gu Chen’s eyes,

Cao Ren had no chance of victory.

Consuming Five Minerals Powder could indeed stimulate the combat power of the Cao Army, but the damage after the drug wore off was irreversible.

Cao Ren would be defeated and perish sooner or later.

But Gu Chen needed to consider the casualties of his own army.

Based on Cao Ren’s characteristic of never leaving the city to fight, as well as the current weather, Gu Chen almost immediately reached a judgment.

—He decided to dig a tunnel!

When everyone heard this decision from Gu Chen, they were all stunned.

How much manpower would it take to dig a tunnel in this season?

But Gu Chen’s answer was very simple.

"War is a matter of deception; only by using the unexpected can one achieve victory."

Cao Ren would absolutely never imagine that Gu Chen would dig a tunnel during this winter season!

Although this matter was arduous and troublesome, compared to the casualties of a frontal assault,

it would definitely be much better.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately fell silent.

No one could question the surprise attacks of the Gu Shizi, nor would anyone dare to!

Gu Chen had never been a hesitant person; after carefully analyzing the feasibility of this plan, he immediately began to implement it.

On one hand, he gathered soldiers and laborers

to burn the earth and dig the tunnel.

On the other hand, he personally attracted Cao Ren’s attention at the front lines.

Although he continued to attack the city, Gu Chen did not strike with full force as before.

Under normal circumstances,

Cao Ren might have sensed something unusual.

But in the current situation, Cao Ren only felt that Gu Chen was afraid of his Five Minerals Powder army, which made Cao Ren feel immensely glorious.

He had actually held off Gu Chen?

Even he himself found it hard to believe.

Yet the facts were right there, leaving him no choice but to believe it.

The most eye-catching battle of Yingchuan, under these circumstances, inexplicably reached a stalemate.

This was indeed beyond everyone’s expectations.

Jingzhou.

Sun Ce’s offensive against Jingzhou had never ceased, but it was almost entirely blocked by Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu.

"Strategist..."

"The situation in Yingchuan has changed; will it affect the overall situation?"

In the main tent, Guan Yu stroked his beard with one hand and looked at Zhuge Liang, asking, "I intend to lead troops to reinforce Yingchuan and lend Young Master Gu a hand."

"General, you must not."

Zhuge Liang immediately shook his head and said earnestly, "Though the General is valiant,"

"compared to Young Master Gu, I fear you are still a step behind."

"The current situation appears to be a three-sided battlefield."

"In reality, if one side changes, it will certainly affect the situation of all three."

"How can the General leave Jingzhou at such a time?"

Hearing this, a flash of resentment crossed Guan Yu’s face, though he did not say anything more.

If he asked himself, he truly could not reach the level of Gu Chen.

But such words were inexplicably grating to someone as extremely proud as him.

"Moreover, if my calculations are correct, Sun Ce will definitely launch an all-out attack on Jingzhou soon."

Zhuge Liang suddenly spoke again.

Hearing this, Guan Yu was finally intrigued, his eyes immediately sharpening: "That mere peddler of death, having been defeated several times, still does not repent and dares to invade again?"

"General," Zhuge Liang shook his head leisurely and said sternly, "Now that the battlefields of Yingchuan and Runan are in a stalemate,"

"for Sun Ce,"

"if he can win a great victory at this time, it will certainly boost the morale of his troops on all sides."

"Based on my understanding of Zhou Yu,"

"he will definitely offer a plan to Sun Ce to invade!"

Hearing this, Guan Yu was silent for a moment before nodding slowly.

He then bowed to Zhuge Liang and said, "Please, Strategist, just devise the plan; I will certainly ensure that the invading enemy never returns!"

Things did not deviate from Zhuge Liang’s prediction.

How could Zhou Yu give up such an opportunity?

Just a few days later,

Sun Ce led his army again, following Zhou Yu’s strategy.

He sent Lu Meng to lead three thousand death squads with excellent swimming skills to dive and sink the Jingzhou patrol boats, seize control of the Hanjin Ferry pontoon bridge, step into Jingzhou once more, and strike directly at the Yunmengze granary to cut off Zhuge Liang’s supply line.

The great battle between the two sides began again.

Zhuge Liang remained completely calm, changing the supply route to the Jingshan Ancient Road to stabilize morale.

Subsequently, the two sides began to slaughter each other throughout the entire Jiangling region again.

Sun Ce had clearly made up his mind this time.

He had brought almost all his elite forces.

And most crucially—

The impact of Gu Chen being blocked at Xuchang was simply too great.

It even provided a certain level of encouragement to the soldiers under Sun Ce, and their combat power was naturally extraordinary.

Looking at Zhuge Liang’s side,

although Liu Bei had left behind quite a few troops, there were not many true elites.

This was destined to affect the overall situation.

Although Zhuge Liang repeatedly devised strategies to influence the offensive of Sun Ce, he was ultimately unable to completely drive Sun Ce back to Jiangdong.

News continued to spread.

The changes in the three-way conflict completely altered the direction of the wind.

It allowed Cao Cao, whose situation was originally precarious, to truly and gradually stabilize the morale of his army.

Yet Cao Cao still dared not lower his guard.

He always felt that with the ability of Gu Chen, it was impossible for him to be so incompetent.

If he could truly be blocked by Gu Chen in this manner.

How could he have moved the capital in the first place?

Cao Cao sent envoys several times to warn Cao Ren never to relax.

Cao Ren also listened to Cao Cao, continuously sending out scouts to gather intelligence.

But who could have imagined that in the dead of winter, Gu Chen would choose to dig tunnels?

This was also the fundamental essence of a brilliant strategy.

That is, to do things that others would not even dare to think of.

Gu Chen did not care in the slightest about the battles on the four fronts, but instead proceeded with his own plan in an orderly manner.

He set the exits of the tunnels at three locations: the Cao Army's granary, armory, and stables.

These were the locations he had clearly scouted over this period of time.

Gu Chen never engaged in meaningless attacks.

And he would never give up any opportunity.

And just in the eleventh year of Jian'an, in the second month;

The tunnels were finally completely opened.

Xuchang.

The dark night was heavy, and the moon hid its form.

Hearing the sounds of exclamations coming to his ears, Cao Ren could not help but wake up from his dream.

A nameless fire rose instantly.

He barked fiercely, "What has happened?"

Cao Ren had not rested well for many days, and only recently, feeling that Gu Chen was truly at his wit's end, had he been able to sleep soundly.

Being disturbed like this, how could he not be angry?

The words had just left his mouth.

Outside the door, a scout immediately rushed in and knelt directly before Cao Ren, his face full of panic: "General!"

"It's on fire! Our granary, armory, and stables are all on fire!"

This sentence exploded in Cao Ren's ears like a thunderclap in a clear sky.

He was completely stunned.

He was somewhat unable to react.

But the next moment, his expression changed abruptly, and without caring for anything else, he immediately rushed out of the room.

It would have been better not to go out.

The moment he stepped outside the room, he saw the firelight that looked like a scorching sun.

The originally dim and lightless night sky was now completely illuminated by the fire.

The most intense of which—

Was his granary.

As the capital once designated by Cao Cao, the city of Xuchang had countless stores of grain and fodder.

Although some were later moved away by Cao Cao.

But for this battle, the granaries in Xuchang still held hundreds of thousands of shi of grain, enough for the army's needs for several years.

And in order to prevent Gu Chen's strategy of cutting off the grain supply to Xuchang and besieging the city, Cao Ren—

Had moved all the grain and fodder into the city.

Now, this grain had become the most "effective accomplice" to this great fire.

Cao Ren was completely stunned.

The light of the great fire was reflected in his pupils.

Vaguely, he seemed to see the scene of Xuchang city being breached.

He saw Gu Chen marching north again, completely shattering their dream of the Cao clan inheriting the Mandate of Heaven.

Accompanied by the shouts in his ears and the sound of warhorses running wildly in fright, all these images were so real!

The next moment, he suddenly regained his senses.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Cao Ren immediately gathered his troops and once again distributed "Five Minerals Powder" to them.

Gu Chen would definitely come to attack the city.

No matter what, he could not let Gu Chen enter Xuchang city easily.

Cao Ren's thoughts were incredibly clear at this moment.

He understood that Xuchang city could no longer be defended.

But he had to lead the army back!

In such a crisis, the ability of a general was fully manifested.

Cao Ren could neither reveal his intention to retreat.

Nor could he fail to prepare for the retreat.

And Gu Chen, as expected, led his army to attack directly.

This battle naturally needed no further explanation.

Under the influence of the raging fire, the morale within the city had completely collapsed, and the defending troops had no heart to resist.

Gu Chen killed his way into the city with almost no effort.

And what he faced next were those "Five Minerals Powder" troops of Cao Ren.

This time, Gu Chen did not retreat in the slightest.

He even led his army to charge directly.

But this greatly stimulated the medicinal effects of the Five Minerals Powder, making these troops have no fear at all, completely reduced to mindless beasts.

It was under these circumstances that Cao Ren.

Led his subordinate army and retreated from Xuchang.

Before leaving the city, he looked at the fire that seemed capable of burning the heavens, his body trembled inexplicably, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Gu Chen naturally would not let Cao Ren retreat safely.

Although the troops he left behind were brave.

They eventually had a time when their strength would be exhausted.

And most importantly, these people were now mindless; without the support of those who were sober, Gu Chen truly had too many ways to lead them into the sea of fire and eliminate them.

Just after slaughtering these people.

Gu Chen only left the wounded and the weak to control the fire, and then personally led his troops to continue the pursuit.

He successively beheaded over ten Cao Army generals and annihilated nearly twenty thousand enemies.

He drew ever closer to Cao Ren.

But just at this time, Lu Bu attacked.

Although Lu Bu was unwilling to face Gu Chen, he had no choice at this moment.

Cao Cao had long since handed him over to Cao Ren.

Abandon Cao again?

Where in this vast world could he stay?

How would Gu Chen spare his life?

No matter what, he had to help Cao Ren block Gu Chen's offensive.

But the outcome was ultimately without any surprise.

As early as when he was in Bingzhou, Lu Bu was no longer a match for Gu Chen, let alone facing the current Gu Chen.

Gu Chen set an ambush at Xihua.

He beheaded Lu Bu before the battle lines, declaring Lu Bu's crimes of "disloyalty and unfilial piety" to restore the moral standards of the world.

His subordinate Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry were either killed or surrendered.

Upon hearing the news, Cao Ren could only retreat again, abandoning Chenliu and heading to Chenxian.

Attempting to use the stronghold of Chenxian to block Gu Chen again.

But he was ultimately blocked by Gu Chen twenty miles outside of Chenxian.

The great Cao Army general Cao Ren died before the battle lines.

All of his subordinate troops surrendered.

The Chen state stronghold of Chenxian did not dare to face Gu Chen at all and surrendered upon hearing the wind.

The news spread rapidly across the world.

In an instant, the four directions were shaken with fear.

The talented lords from all four corners of the world trembled at the mention of Gu Chen’s name, and the Cao Army, in particular, could hardly muster the heart to resist.

A single battle fought until no one in the world dared to claim supremacy again.

——————

"In the second month of the eleventh year of Jian'an, Gu Chen attacked Xuchang.

He openly deployed scaling ladders and battering rams to the west of the city, while secretly dispatching death squads to tunnel three hundred zhang through the earth, reaching directly beneath the armory.

At midnight, the earth split and fire erupted, burning the granaries, destroying the weaponry, and scorching the warhorses; the crimson flames lit the sky as bright as day.

Cao Ren ordered his soldiers to consume Five Minerals Powder and fight to the death, but the stench of burning flesh filled the city, and soldiers trampled one another at the gates in their flight, piling up in heaps.

Gu Chen took advantage of the chaos to breach the city, pursued the fleeing enemy for fifty li with his spear held horizontally, beheaded twenty thousand, and piled their armor like a mountain.

Cao Ren retreated to defend Chenliu and sent urgent dispatches summoning Lu Bu to gallop from Weijun for reinforcements.

Lu Bu led the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry south by starlight, only to fall into an ambush at Xihua.

Gu Chen personally led his elite cavalry to charge the formation, slew Lu Bu on horseback, and hung his severed head upon the gate to rectify the morals of the world.

The Bingzhou brave cavalry wept, laid down their armor, and perished in the Ying River.

Upon hearing of Lu Bu’s death, Cao Ren was struck with terror, abandoned Chenliu, and fled to Chenxian.

Gu Chen surrounded him in the field with an eight-sided fire-ox formation; even with his armor scorched red, Cao Ren still shouted, "How could the foundation of my Cao clan be destroyed by a mere brat!" He was ultimately pierced through the chest by a hail of arrows and died, and the elders of Chenxian welcomed the royal army with food and drink.

That night, a comet swept over Yecheng, and the ancestral temple of the Cao clan in Xudu collapsed for no reason.

The Grand Historian says: "In the past, Han Xin secretly crossed Chencang, yet that was not as intellectually peerless as Gu Chen’s burning of Xuchang; Xiang Yu broke his cauldrons and sank his boats, yet that is hard to compare to Cao Ren’s foolish loyalty in consuming the powder.

Observing Gu Chen beheading Lu Bu under the moon and executing Cao Ren before the formation, he is truly the blazing flame of the Yan Han that incinerates all villains."

From then on, the children of the Central Plains all sang: "Better to meet a white tiger than to encounter Young Master Gu; the Green Dragon Crescent Blade cannot block his cold gleam."

—— "Book of the Yan Han, Biography of Gu Chen"

(End of chapter)