Chapter 478: Parting with a Handshake

Several days later, when Gongsun Xun led forty thousand cavalry, attempting to circle around Honggou to strike Chenliu via Guandu, he was unexpectedly thrown into some confusion by the absurdity and inevitability of history.

It turned out that that night, after he had traveled north of Wuchao Marsh and was only half a day's distance from Guandu, as they made camp for the evening, the scouts sent ahead returned with a report: at Guandu, there were indeed five connected encampments — one large and four small — waiting in readiness long beforehand!

Among them, above the largest encampment at the rear, visible from afar across Honggou, flew what was unmistakably Cao Cao's own banner!

In other words, Cao Mengde had long been prepared. Not only had he erected ramparts at Guandu in advance, but after Gongsun Xun attempted to circle behind him, he had immediately become alert, and then without a word moved directly from the southern bank of the Pu River to Guandu.

This seemed to declare the premature failure of Gongsun Xun's flanking maneuver, and it also made Gongsun Xun ponder a few things more deeply. Yet, the more he thought, the less he felt there was truly anything amiss between himself and Cao Cao.

It must be said, unlike the Battle of Guandu in history, Gongsun Xun's confidence was clearly greater than Yuan Shao's. He firmly remembered the allusions from his mother's lips that had nearly worn calluses on his ears, and without the slightest hesitation, he launched this campaign with exceptional resolve. Correspondingly, Cao Cao had also obtained an army vastly different from the one in history, far exceeding his own actual strength, allowing him to deploy a comprehensive defense.

However, the course of the campaign always converged by different paths, yet was undeniably so.

For instance, the first phase of the campaign, the Battle of Baima-Yanjin on the northern bank of the Pu River, was fought on the exact same battlefield where the historical Battle of Guandu erupted... Was this a coincidence?

Of course not.

Because in this era, between the Central Plains and Hebei, there were only five fords on the Yellow River where a large army could cross at leisure: Yanjin, Baima, Puyang, Qinting, and Cangting! And setting out from Yecheng, the two nearest fords were Yanjin and Baima. Further east, Puyang was a renowned city under heaven, a fortified stronghold — was he, Gongsun Xun, supposed to ignore the near road and forcibly cross the river to assault Puyang City, garrisoned by Yue Jin?!

What if they couldn't take it even after a year of fighting?!

There was no alternative. Yecheng was the political and economic center of Hebei, a result naturally produced by four hundred years of Han political and economic development. The two nearest fords were also objective realities. To forcibly struggle against the objective products of the era would only indicate that Gongsun Xun had water in his brain — there was no second explanation!

Therefore, there was no issue whatsoever with the battle at Baima and Yanjin — at the very least, no issue in terms of battlefield selection!

By the same logic, Guandu was the shielding point for the heartland of the Central Plains, the indispensable strategic point facing north and west from the Central Plains region. As long as Cao Cao's territory remained in the Central Plains, as long as he still harbored the slightest intent to resist, there was no reason for him not to erect ramparts at Guandu... Otherwise, it wouldn't be a matter of water in the brain.

Thus, the second phase of the campaign inevitably had to unfold in the Guandu area!

This was dictated by the objective geographical and human conditions of the late Han, the necessary path for anyone seeking to destroy a regime established in the Central Plains from north to south after Dong Zhuo had emptied the surroundings of Luoyang.

Not only that, if one were to substitute Guandu with the strategic pass of Honggou, many would understand that in history, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu had also confronted each other here for four long years!

In fact, after personally leading troops through this route, what Gongsun Xun found especially absurd, yet suddenly illuminating, was far more than just this!

For example, he discovered that if he were to confront Cao Cao ahead at Guandu, his grain transport route would have to pass through the passage north of Wuchao Marsh, right beneath his feet at this moment... This was likewise a geographical inevitability!

What else? Was he supposed to forcibly pass south of Wuchao Marsh, right under Cao Cao's nose?

In truth, sitting by the shore of Wuchao Marsh, Gongsun Xun had already gained a much fuller understanding of certain so-called historical details:

In another timeline, what Xu You secretly informed Cao Cao of could never have been that Yuan's army grain was stockpiled at Wuchao, because Wuchao was an unavoidable route. Cao Cao could not have been unaware that it was Yuan Shao's grain supply line, nor could Yuan Shao have placed his army's lifeblood — the military grain — beyond the main force's field of vision and left it unmoved all along.

The military intelligence that Xu Ziyuan reported must have been that a new batch of army grain was being escorted by Chunyu Qiong, passing through Wuchao at that moment!

As for the trigger of Xu You's defection at the time, it was not necessarily that Yuan Shao had reprimanded him and imprisoned his family, for that was merely the cause, not the timing. The true timing, the thing that truly gave Xu Ziyuan the confidence to defect, must have been the top-secret battlefield development that the grain was 'passing through' Wuchao — not the static battlefield condition that the grain was 'stockpiled' at Wuchao!

Even more absurdly, after a moment's thought, Gongsun Xun realized that if he were blocked by Cao Cao at Guandu and then wanted to leverage his cavalry's mobility to circle around and outflank, the only option was to follow the suggestion of the already-dead Xu Ziyuan: go through Huanyuan Pass to outflank Yingyin and Xuchang in Yingchuan.

Of course, Gongsun Xun's mental activity was built upon his understanding of the battlefield geography after personally traversing it once, and also upon his mother's words. What he did not know was that his own mother, a mere dabbler, had an absolutely superficial understanding of the Battle of Guandu as well.

In another timeline, the true Battle of Guandu lasted over a full year. Cao Cao had personally erected ramparts at Guandu as early as the twelfth month of the previous year, engaging in a large-scale standoff with Yuan's army. Yet, midway through, he still turned back to eliminate Liu Bei at Xiapi, quell the rebellion in Runan, and prevent Yuan Shao from sending cavalry to outflank him (there was a reason Yuan Shao did not heed Xu You's advice — a previous large-scale outflanking attempt had failed). Finally, after both sides had held out for an entire year and their troops were pushed to the absolute limit, Cao Cao suddenly succeeded in his penetration.

Conversely, if the battle between Gongsun Xun and Cao Cao were still to be named the Battle of Guandu, the campaign had in fact already lasted at least half a year!

Because at noon the next day, when Gongsun Xun led his great army past the confluence of the Pu and Ji Rivers and personally arrived at the so-called Guandu area, he was stunned to discover that the five permanent, solid ramparts standing in the Guandu area could never have been built temporarily after the outbreak of hostilities. They must have taken at least half a year to construct, and very likely construction began the moment the Son of Heaven arrived in Nanyang.

For a moment, not only Gongsun Xun and his subordinate generals, but even Jia Xu solemnly stroked his beard, speechless.

It must be said, the place where Cao Cao erected his camp was not the ford of Guandu on Honggou itself, but a crucial crossroads slightly north of the ford, which should more accurately be called the Guandu area. The terrain here was flat, bounded by Mangshan to the west, linked to the Bian River to the east, with Honggou slanting across behind it. It was a vital communications hub roughly thirty to forty li wide. Setting out from here, south led to Yingchuan, east to Chenliu, and southeast to Chen Commandery.

In other words, once past this point, given the magnificence of the Hebei cavalry, they could freely gallop deep into the heartland of the Central Plains, outflanking and dividing at will. At that point, unless Cao Cao could conjure a million troops, it would be impossible to establish a comprehensive defensive line... However, that being said, if they could not occupy this place, how could they possibly gallop freely through the Central Plains?

And to occupy this place, the only option was to dislodge the Cao army ramparts before them. Yet for Gongsun Xun, who had hurried here with only forty thousand cavalry, how could such solid ramparts be easily breached?

The five ramparts — one large, four small — were all strictly guarded, with shadows of men moving about, clearly containing no small number of soldiers.

"Cao Mengde was long prepared!" After a long moment, Tian Chou, the most senior among the accompanying generals, frowned and spoke. "No wonder Mr. Zibo's words showed little optimism for this outflanking maneuver, yet he voiced no opposition... He must have long guessed that Cao Cao would be prepared at such a critical location, but shifting the battlefield here was an inevitability. Your Highness, now that things have come to this, should we also erect ramparts and confront him head-on here? Then let Cheng Zhennan exit Huanyuan Pass to face Sun Bofu, and Zhong Yongzhou exit Wuguan to threaten Nanyang, striving for a multi-front war to seek a breakthrough."

Beneath the White Horse Banner, Gongsun Xun sat on his horse, swept his gaze over the somewhat agitated Cao army main camp, and remained unexpectedly silent.

"In truth, this is also inevitable," Tian Yu, seeing this, could not help but interject. "To strike directly at Cao Cao's heartland, Guandu is the necessary route. Cao Mengde had no reason not to prepare here. And since this place has been effectively abandoned since Dong Zhuo's chaos, lying beyond the various passes around Luoyang that Cheng Zhennan controls, and instead close to Cao Cao's own heartland, it is only natural that he made preparations here. Your Highness need not be troubled."

Gongsun Xun shook his head, then suddenly let out a snort of laughter: "I am not shocked by this... Since things have come to this... Since Guandu cannot be avoided, then we shall decide the battle here and defeat him! As Zitai (Tian Chou) said, on one hand we erect ramparts, on the other we send men to circle through Huanyuan Pass and probe Sun Ce's position there..."

"Your Highness!"

Just as the generals were about to assent, Xun Gongda, who was at Gongsun Xun's side, suddenly reined his horse forward and whispered a warning. "Please look at the banners in the enemy camp."

Gongsun Xun's heart stirred sharply... It must be said, his earlier dazed stare at the Cao army's main camp was not because he felt defeated by Cao Cao's early preparations! In truth, after receiving the scouts' report the previous evening and thinking through certain matters, he had long been fully mentally prepared for a prolonged standoff here. And Jia Xu's earlier remonstrance had made him resolve even earlier to be ready to destroy Cao Cao at any cost!

He had just been staring fixedly at the Cao army's main camp purely because, out of battlefield experience and intuition, he felt something was off about the enemy's encampment. But after looking for a long time, he still couldn't figure out what was wrong. Coupled with the thought — lingering from last night until now — that a protracted standoff at the Battle of Guandu was unavoidable, he had finally been about to agree to Tian Chou's suggestion and erect ramparts on the spot.

And now, Xun You's reminder instantly put him on alert.

"The banners... The rear main camp has the great Cao-character banner and the Son of Heaven's staff of authority!" Cheng Lian shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed into the distance. "It is Cao Cao, no mistake! And Cao Cao, after all, had a shorter route than us and didn't need to cross the river, so it's reasonable that he arrived before us... And the banners on the four forward camps are Zhu, Huang, Chen, and Lu respectively... This Zhu..."

"Zhu can only be Zhu Zhi, one of the Four Oxen, Sun Ce's second-in-command!" Tian Yu picked up the thread. "And Huang is either Huang Zhong, one of the Four Tigers, or Huang Gai, one of the Four Hounds. As for Chen and Lu, they should more likely be Lu Dai and Chen Dao; Lu Bu or Lu Qian is quite unlikely!"

"Then there is a problem here!" Gongsun Xun suddenly burst into enlightened laughter on his horse. "If Cao Cao personally led a great army to reinforce, what virtue or ability do the four guest generals Zhu Zhi, Huang Gai, Chen Dao, and Lu Dai possess to separately occupy the four forward camps? Where is Lu Su? Shouldn't he hold a camp alone? Even if Lu Su remained to guard the Pu River in the name of the army's overall second-in-command, what of generals like Liu Ye, Liu Pan, Cao Ren, and Zhou Tai? As long as even one of them arrived with Cao Cao, they would surely be given sole command of a camp, wouldn't they?"

The generals were instantly roused.

"Your Highness and the military advisor mean... only the four forward camps are real, and the great camp at the rear is empty? Cao Cao didn't come?!" Yuwen Heita swallowed hard and asked with effort.

"It must be so!" Tian Yu also grew excited. "This place connects to Chenliu on the left and Yingchuan on the lower right. Therefore, the four forward generals — two belonging to Sun Ce, two belonging to Liu Bei — perhaps precisely match the responsibility of garrisoning this place, and in principle should be sufficient to guard against a surprise attack... But how could those fellows imagine that our army could mobilize forty thousand cavalry in a single flanking raid? So that great camp at the rear must be a bluff; perhaps it's just a fake staff of authority and banner, and the camp is filled entirely with civilian laborers!"

"Perhaps that is so, and perhaps Cao Cao truly did rush here ahead of time with his remaining ten-thousand-odd cavalry, or perhaps he can only arrive by nightfall and merely sent Cao Chun or Cao Ren, or Cao Hong, ahead with the staff of authority to take over the main camp." Gongsun Xun gave a cold laugh. "But why not put it to the test? Wenyuan (Zhang Liao), Juzheng (Cheng Lian)!"

"Your subordinate awaits orders!"

"Your subordinate is here!" The two generals Zhang and Cheng stepped forward excitedly.

"You two shall be the vanguard, each leading five thousand cavalry, dividing into left and right wings to bypass the four forward camps and strike directly at the great camp to the rear!"

"Aye!"

"Aye!"

"All remaining troops, prepare for battle! Spears uncased, blades unsheathed, arrows nocked! If the forward camps dispatch troops to intercept, then the rear great camp is undoubtedly empty. At that moment, except for the White Horse Volunteers and the Xiongnu cavalry, the entire army shall immediately advance on its own initiative, with the destruction of the enemy and the seizure of the camp as the priority! Captains Liu and Zhang (Yufuluo, Xubu Juzi) shall lead their own Xiongnu horse archers to screen my left and right."

The generals roared their assent. Yufuluo, who had previously erred at Suanzao, naturally had nothing to say, and Xubu Juzi dared not speak further.

A summer noon, the blazing sun overhead, clouds scattered high, the incessant drone of cicadas — everything was so restless and stifling. But a moment later, when ten thousand cavalry surged forth and iron halberds thrust out left and right, all of this was instantly suppressed, so much so that it gave one the illusion that the entire world had suddenly fallen into utter silence!

Zhang Liao and Cheng Lian, the two generals, set out simultaneously from both wings, circling left and right to strike directly at the Cao army's rear great camp. The ferocity of the cavalry almost instantly shook the plains, pressing right up to the enemy camp... And at that very moment, almost simultaneously, the outer two of the four forward camps — the camps where the Huang and Chen banners flew — threw open their gates, and countless infantry swarmed out, attempting to exit the camps and cut off these two cavalry forces.

Without needing Gongsun Xun to issue another order, the four generals Tian Chou, Tian Yu, Yang Kai, and Yuwen Heita, already fully prepared, immediately followed the earlier command, each leading their own troops, and fiercely surged forward on the left and right to attack these two units.

Meanwhile, Yufuluo and Xubu Juci immediately led the Xiongnu cavalry forward, spreading left and right to shield Gongsun Xun’s main formation while also keeping watch on the two camps in the center that still showed no movement.

Beneath the White Horse Banner, Gongsun Xun, having now grasped what was happening, shook his head and laughed at the sight, but could not help turning to Xun You beside him and offering praise: “Wenhe strikes straight at men’s hearts; Gongda improvises endlessly in the face of battle… Could any stratagem under Heaven surpass that of my two military advisors?”

Jia Xu naturally said nothing more.

Xun You, however, unhurried and composed, answered from horseback: “Mere stratagems can, in truth, be broken by sheer force; and sheer force can, in turn, be blocked by the sacrifice of lives… Your Highness, I do not know when Cao Mengde will arrive, but he cannot be far. This battle may not succeed.”

Gongsun Xun first nodded slightly, then shook his head slightly: “Forget him. Matters have reached this point. We have already seized the moment of opportunity and committed our main strength — what use is there in thinking further of him? No matter what, even if we cannot break the enemy’s ramparts, we must slaughter a few of those cattle and dogs to consecrate a strategic point as vital as Guandu.”

Xun You and Jia Xu exchanged a glance at these words and both fell silent.

Battle erupted abruptly as thirty thousand cavalry surged forth — truly a force to topple mountains and overturn seas. Faced with such a sight, after a moment of dazed shock, within the main Cao camp — the largest encampment at the very rear — Cao Ang, whose wedding had been delayed by the fighting, could not help looking toward his uncle, who was not much older than himself: Cao Chun, commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, who had only arrived here yesterday afternoon.

And Cao Chun’s face was equally ashen — whether from fear or from fury, it was impossible to tell!

The truth was, just as Xun You had cautioned and Gongsun Xun had surmised, the main Cao army had not yet arrived.

In fact, although the Cao forces had detected the Yan army’s movement from the Punan main camp and immediately judged that the enemy was likely circling toward Guandu, they had somewhat misjudged Gongsun Xun’s resolve and speed… They could never have imagined that Gongsun Xun would come so quickly, and in such numbers.

This was not because they lacked combat experience, nor because they were not clever enough, and still less because they underestimated Gongsun Xun. Ultimately, they lacked awareness and understanding of cavalry operations at this scale.

In the past, Xiahou Yuan, leading a few thousand cavalry, could often cover five hundred li in three days or a thousand li in six — but that was only a few thousand cavalry. So they had never known that even an army of tens of thousands, when composed entirely of cavalry, and when that cavalry force temporarily cast aside all baggage and attempted a forced march, could move at a terrifying speed!

Returning to the present: at this very moment, the four forward camps held only eighteen thousand men, a mixed force of combat troops and auxiliaries. In the rear camp where Cao Ang was stationed, there were only Cao Chun’s three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry — the rest of the camp was filled entirely with civilian laborers! If they could draw a bow without their arms trembling, it would be a blessing from Heaven!

The imperial staff was genuine — Cao Cao had sent Cao Chun ahead with it to exercise authority over the four commanders Zhu, Huang, Chen, and Lü, and to steady morale. The great banner bearing the character ‘Cao’ was likewise no forgery; this very rampart was where Cao Ang had been permanently stationed, tasked with both transporting provisions and overseeing the fortification of the camp… Of course, the primary reason was that Cao Zixiu was on excellent terms with Sun Ce and was about to marry a daughter of the Sun clan. This location, linking Chenliu and Yingchuan, not only had Sun clan reinforcements garrisoned nearby, but Yingchuan to the south was precisely where Sun Ce’s main strength lay — so Cao Ang’s presence here was the most fitting arrangement.

“Zixiu.” Upon the command platform of the main camp, Cao Chun, fully armored, gazed into the distance at the battle unfolding beyond the ramparts. After only a moment’s thought, he turned, breathing heavily, to his nephew beside him — his mind clearly made up. “Your father and your uncle Zixiao, with the main army, will likely not arrive until nightfall… I was wrong. I did not heed your father’s instructions. I truly should not have shut the gates to face them.”

Cao Ang quickly nodded: “Then what is to be done?”

“What talk of ‘what is to be done’?” Cao Chun shook his head at the question, but then suddenly reached out and gripped his nephew’s hands tightly, giving him a definitive answer in the process. “Zixiu, today you must remember one thing: your uncle Miaocai can die; you and I, of course, can also die. But I must die before you can die! And after you die, this camp still must not be lost! Do you understand?”

With these words, without waiting for Cao Ang’s reply, he released his grip, mounted his horse right before the command platform, cracked his riding whip, and shouted orders for the entire three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to move out — their target precisely the banner bearing the character ‘Zhang’ on the left flank, where the assault was fiercest!

For a moment, Cao Ang, left standing where he was, could only nod somewhat dazedly toward his uncle, who never once looked back, signifying that he acknowledged the order.

————I am the dividing line of the First Battle of Guandu————

“Cao was encamped south of Pu… Observing that Xun was marching west, he knew he intended to make for Guandu, and so he consolidated his forces and moved west to reinforce and protect them. Midway, fearing that the Hebei cavalry were too numerous and that he might not arrive in time, he sent Cao Chun ahead with ten thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry bearing the imperial staff. Before his departure, he instructed him: ‘I know well Gongsun Wenqi. He is decisive in the use of troops, but he cherishes his soldiers’ lives and is unwilling to undertake storming operations. Guandu already has ramparts. When you arrive, use the laborers to densely plant banners and flags within, open all four gates, and array the troops before the lines. Meet him face to face and speak only of the past events at Qiaoxian. When he sees the thick ramparts and high walls, and fighting troops thrust forward, he will surely be suspicious and not dare to attack.’ Chun had just reached the Guandu camp, and before he could act, Xun suddenly arrived with a hundred thousand cavalry — iron horses and golden spears, their might overawing all directions. Chun was greatly terrified, yet still hesitated, not daring to come out from the ramparts. Xun saw this and laughed, then turned to his attendants and said: ‘This must be a deception.’ Thereupon he launched the entire army in a fierce assault.” — Records of the Heroes of the Late Han, by Wang Can

PS: Happy Qixi Festival, everyone! As for those without a wife or husband, you might try a *** family bucket, or get a cat… Just personal experience — though I don’t have a cat.

(End of Chapter)