Chapter 496: Staking Life on Imperial Favor, Ever Underestimating the Foe (Continued)

It is said that by the last day of the ninth month, after nearly half a year of grinding warfare — especially after the setback in Xuzhou — those among the Central Plains coalition high command who still retained some spirit had, almost universally, reached a resolve to stake everything. Because at this stage, without the resolve to gamble it all, they could only sit and wait for death!

Sun Ce leading seven armies to raid Yecheng was precisely a product of that mindset.

In truth, Cao Cao had sounded out Xun Yu and Liu Bei behind him about this operation. He did not directly lay out the specific battle plan, but his absolute determination at this moment unquestionably won the full support of the latter two... otherwise, the operation might never have been launched.

Yet resolve was one thing, and determination another. The problem was that even with a readiness to die, one could still fall into utter despair — as was the case for Huang Gai, who arrived north of Wuchao Marsh to find the place completely deserted.

Objectively speaking, Huang Gongfu’s false-defection ploy was in fact exceedingly ingenious, because his true strategic aim this time was neither to annihilate the enemy nor to gain Gongsun Xun’s trust, so he had no need to worry whether Gongsun Xun would see through his feigned defection... His goal was to seize Gongsun Xun’s attention, thereby buying as much time as possible and masking the plan for the Central Plains coalition’s real killing stroke — Sun Ce’s seven armies, of which Huang Gai himself was unaware, but which had by now already reached the north bank of the Yellow River.

To use a thoroughly inappropriate and ill-timed analogy, Huang Gongfu was essentially putting himself out there as bait, to draw attention... If Gongsun Xun truly believed him, so much the better — he might even inflict some damage. And if not, then throwing his own hundred-odd pounds onto the battlefield to buy time for the main force and the surprise raiding column would be even better.

The problem now, however, was that Gongsun Xun had instead tricked him into going north of Wuchao Marsh, and then simply ignored him!

Huang Gongfu truly did not fear death; in fact, he had come with a heart already resolved to die. But what drove him to despair was that, having staked everything and prepared to sacrifice everything, at the final moment he had lost all value... Or rather, at this very instant, this Sun-family general who did not fear death was, for a time, utterly terrified. What he now desperately feared was that by the time he reached the real battlefield, he might not even make it in time to join the fight.

Wuchao Marsh lies northeast of Guandu. At this time of year the water was shallow, making it merely a swamp roughly fifteen or sixteen li in circumference including the mire — neither large nor small. The only thing to note was that the Ji River passed through the center of the marsh, dividing it into north and south... So the strategy Huang Gai and Cao Cao had initially agreed upon was quite reasonable: Huang Gai would lead three thousand troops in a feigned defection, arriving first on the supply road north of Wuchao Marsh, while Cao Cao would halt his thirty-thousand-strong main force at the southeastern corner of Wuchao Marsh, separated by a river. Meanwhile, Cao Ren would hold the main camp with his troops while secretly massing forces on the easternmost edge of the Guandu battlefield to provide support.

If Gongsun Xun trusted Huang Gai, the false defection succeeded, and Gongsun Xun was deceived into moving south, then Cao Cao would immediately advance north to the south bank of the Ji River to see if he could strike while the enemy was mid-crossing, coordinating with Huang Gai as much as possible to secure a minor victory.

And if the false defection succeeded but Gongsun Xun used his troops cautiously, preferring only to wait in the prearranged ambush site north of Wuchao Marsh, then Cao Cao, upon reaching the Ji River and seeing no enemy troops, would feign discovery of the ambush and immediately withdraw. Huang Gai’s life or death, success or failure, would then be left to Heaven and his own devices.

As for if the false defection failed and Gongsun Xun distrusted Huang Gai from the start, then there was even less to say — Huang Gongfu would simply sound the drums and advance, launching a suicidal assault to die repaying the kindness of the Sun father and son, while Cao Cao, separated by the whole of Wuchao Marsh, would decisively retreat!

In this scenario, the intended battlefield at the northeastern corner of Wuchao Marsh, where Gongsun Xun and Huang Gai would be, was roughly forty li from the Guandu front line — that is, from Cao Ren’s position. Cao Cao would be situated between the two, about fifteen li from Huang Gai and the presumed Gongsun Xun main force, but with the Ji River, a major river that severely slowed cavalry advances, lying between them. He would be twenty-five li from Cao Ren... This was a safe distance, allowing him to receive support from Cao Ren — who would cross the Yin Ditch on the eastern boundary of the Guandu battlefield in front of the main camp’s flank — before Gongsun’s cavalry could cross the river and catch up, mass his forces, and then slowly and calmly return to camp.

But the problem now was that Gongsun Xun and his main force had never appeared north of the Ji River at all... Instead, they had marched directly out of camp eastward, and appeared south of the Ji River!

Or to put it bluntly: at around noon, Cao Cao had just led his thirty-thousand-strong main force to a halt at the southeastern corner of Wuchao Marsh, preparing to await word from Huang Gai. Before he had even caught his breath for a quarter of an hour, dust clouds surged up from due west, and the ground trembled for a time — clearly countless cavalry, all bearing down on this very spot!

To put it plainly, Gongsun Xun did not know whether he should trust Huang Gai, nor did he wish to speculate about what other hidden machinations lay behind this battle. And having already resolved to end this protracted war, he likewise had no desire to fight on a battlefield predetermined by someone else, much less to exploit so-called historical knowledge for battlefield opportunism. Thus, following the military advice of Jia Xu and Xun You, regardless of whether Huang Gai was truly defecting or Cao Cao was plotting against him, he suddenly led his main cavalry force directly out from south of Wuchao Marsh, seeking to cut off the retreat route of Cao’s main army. This was the true “completely safe plan”!

Because Wuhuan, Xiongnu, and Xianbei cavalry were difficult to replenish for the moment, after that battle the Yan Army’s main camp retained only about thirty-five thousand cavalry in its establishment. Yet at this time, after breakfast, they had poured out in full force, easily crossing the already partially dried-up Yin Ditch and entering the dense forest area on the eastern bank to lie in ambush. Once Cao’s army arrived on the battlefield and the Yan cavalry had scouted the enemy’s situation, they again surged forth in full strength, racing eastward along the southern shore of Wuchao Marsh. As soon as the tens of thousands of cavalry cleared the forest screen east of the Yin Ditch and emerged onto the open plain, they saw in the distance Cao’s great formation halted beside the marsh.

On the open plain, with no cover or concealment, the Yan cavalry spread across the skyline, sweeping in in great swaths. Cao Mengde naturally saw them clearly as well, and he was three parts startled, three parts furious — and then, unexpectedly, three parts delighted. Startled, of course, because the Yan army had made a surprise move and was lying in wait here. Furious because the Yan army, though clearly not superior in numbers, was relying on its sharp cavalry to disregard his own thirty thousand elite infantry and charge straight at them. As for his delight, it was naturally because since Gongsun Xun had launched such a surprise maneuver, it was likely that all his cavalry were here, which meant that, strategically speaking, his own grand plan of drawing away enemy reinforcements for Sun Ce — or acting as a diversion — had, on some level, been accomplished.

On an open plain, infantry facing cavalry must certainly withdraw, but they must do so with a deliberate strategy. And to be honest, Cao Mengde was still very confident this time that he could extricate himself unscathed.

This was because the thirty thousand infantry sortied this time were all elite troops of the Southern Army, with a very high proportion of armored soldiers, renowned commanders and fierce warriors filling every unit, and extremely strong organization. Moreover, after that bloody battle, having completely lost their own large formations of organized cavalry, the Southern Army had made extensive preparations to counter the Yan cavalry — great shields, long spears, bows and crossbows. These thirty thousand troops were entirely equipped for anti-cavalry warfare.

With such preparations, it was not impossible to fight while retreating, successfully alternating covering maneuvers as they pulled back.

And once they had fallen back a dozen or so li and drawn near the Guandu main camp, once darkness fell, with wheeled catapults providing cover from across the Yin Ditch, and with the Guandu battlefield being such a hedgehog’s nest, everything would be manageable no matter what!

Before that, however, they absolutely had to keep their formations steady!

In fact, although these thoughts were complex, Cao Mengde had already gamed them out in his mind. Now, the moment the thought arose, he made a prompt decision and ordered the entire army — eight battalions — to each form defensive squares and look to their own protection, while still requiring them to maintain overall order and provide mutual cover.

Which eight battalions?

Liu Bei’s subordinate general Zhou Tai, leading three thousand Danyang troops;

Wen Ping, leading five thousand Jiangxia troops;

Li Tong, leading five thousand Runan troops;

Chen Wu, leading three thousand Lujiang Black Armor;

Xu Sheng, leading three thousand Jiujiang Plain Armor;

And finally, Cao Cao’s own main force of eleven thousand, divided into three: he himself commanded three thousand Pei and Liang armored troops along with the army’s remaining two thousand cavalry in the center, while his two deputy commanders, Du Xi and Mao Jie, each led three thousand troops to form battalions on the two wings!

Eight battalions of troops: Li Tong and Wen Ping on the eastern side, Cao Cao and his two deputies in the center, and the three commanders Zhou Tai, Chen Wu, and Xu Sheng on the west. All were classic infantry defensive squares, yet they appeared somewhat hollow in the center — shield-and-spear men on the outside, archers and crossbowmen in the middle and rear. Then all eight battalions together were roughly arrayed into a large formation resembling a nine-square grid, facing the Yan cavalry directly.

Among them, it is worth noting that the three Huainan commanders who would bear the first brunt worked in tacit coordination. Before Cao Cao’s orders even arrived, Chen Wu and Xu Sheng had on their own initiative shifted slightly forward on the two flanks, while Zhou Tai in the middle pulled back slightly. Together, the three commanders set up a concave formation over a hundred paces deep.

The Yan cavalry came charging at full speed, the vanguard led by Tian Yu and his troops. Tian Guorang, being young and full of spirit, and having experienced that battle several months ago, could not help but somewhat underestimate the field combat prowess of the Southern infantry... So although he guessed Cao’s army’s intent at a single glance, he still ordered the cavalry not to slow down, but to charge forward and trample them. He clearly believed that the enemy had hastily formed ranks, so their lines were bound to be unsteady, and that caught off guard by a sudden attack, their morale would be panicked. Perhaps, relying on the intimidating shock of a cavalry charge, they could be broken in one rush and he could achieve an extraordinary feat!

However, the three formations facing him — the troops of Zhou Tai, Chen Wu, and Xu Sheng — were precisely the three units Liu Bei relied on most and his most elite forces. Not only were they fully armored, but most were veterans. Now, the outer troops were all equipped with great shields and long spears, and the inner troops all equipped with bows and crossbows. Facing the Yan army’s tens of thousands of cavalry sweeping down on them like an overwhelming tide, they showed no fear!

Tian Yu led his troops valiantly forward, already passing parallel to the Chen and Xu formations on his left and right, and charged to within just over a hundred paces of Zhou Tai’s battle line — only to find the enemy still utterly motionless. He was greatly alarmed in his heart... It must be understood that the effect of cavalry charging heavy infantry lies more in intimidation. To truly close in, trample, and engage in hand-to-hand combat requires finding the right angle to circle around and charge the rear, or simply waiting until the enemy’s formation is scattered before plunging in to slaughter. Charging heavy infantry equipped with long spears and great shields head-on is no different from suicide... As a veteran cavalry commander, how could Tian Guorang not understand these principles?

Thus, greatly alarmed, he had no choice but to veer sharply right in front of Zhou Tai’s position. His three thousand cavalry likewise had to split in two, flowing like water around a stone to either side, seeping into the interior of Cao’s great formation.

And at that very moment, from the crude command platform piled up from miscellaneous objects in the very center of the formation, Zhou Youping of Jiujiang, habitually taciturn, suddenly gave an order consisting of only a single word:

“Loose!”

The personal guards beside him immediately shook the great banner upon hearing this. At once, not only the Danyang troops under Zhou Tai’s command, but also the Huainan Upper Armor on both flanks, all loosed their arrows together!

Arrows rose like locusts, then fell like rain!

Countless Yan cavalry who had boldly charged forward were now caught in the gaps of Cao’s great formation. Suddenly subjected to intersecting volleys from two sides, they fell from their horses in droves, suffering grievous casualties!

In truth, as armored riders produced by the Yecheng region, these horsemen’s combat skills and armor were beyond reproach. Their own chances of being struck by an arrow were not great, and even if someone was hit, it was difficult to inflict a fatal wound on the spot.

The problem, however, was that the horses beneath them presented far too large a target and simply could not be shielded... As for iron horse armor of the sort Gongsun Xun’s mother had spoken of — the so-called “Iron Pagodas” — it was not that Gongsun Xun lacked them. He had tried to produce them, but even with the economic strength of the Nine Provinces of Hebei, he had only managed to make five hundred sets. And for this campaign he had not even brought them, leaving them instead at Yecheng... As for ordinary Yan cavalrymen, even officers, if their mounts were exceptional, at most they would fit the horse’s head with a chamfron, and even that might be made of leather.

Thus, returning to the scene before them, this engagement truly bore out the saying — to shoot the rider, first shoot the horse!

Under the concentrated volleys of Cao’s army, what caused large-scale casualties among the Yan troops was not the arrows themselves, but injuries from falling off horses and trampling by their own cavalry and warhorses.

Tian Yu had no time for shock or regret, because as soon as that first wave of arrows fell, his own warhorse let out a neigh, struck directly by an arrow and maddened with pain. It stumbled and threw Tian Guorang into one of the corridors between Cao’s army’s formations. Out of a northern rider’s instinct, Tian Yu immediately struggled to his feet and tried to leap onto a riderless horse, only to find his left leg completely numb and unable to exert any force. He instead fell to the ground again, horrified.

Fortunately, several dozen of his trusted personal guards were still beside him. Seeing this, they practically threw their lives away to halt their horses, and taking advantage of a gap between volleys, helped their general onto a warhorse.

As Tian Yu mounted, he glanced around and saw that in just the corridor where he was, the dead and wounded numbered no less than a hundred. Even more horrified, he immediately, heedless of all else, shouted his orders at the top of his lungs:

“Break out from the flanks at once! Break out at once!”

Having said this, he dared not delay. He immediately bent forward, hugging the horse’s neck, and with his personal guards protecting his great banner, fought his way out toward one flank.

At this moment, the disparity between the various Southern Army battalions became apparent.

Among them, Liu Bei’s core elite — the Danyang troops and the Huainan Upper Armor — showed both discipline and a refusal to let a tactical opportunity slip. Zhou Tai’s central unit merely sent its frontline spearmen forward to finish off those Yan riders who had fallen to the ground without horses and the wounded, not wasting precious arrows on another volley that was bound to yield insufficient kills. Meanwhile, Xu Sheng and Chen Wu on the flanks, without the slightest hesitation, seized the moment when the Yan cavalry were fleeing past the rear of their formations to loose another volley eastward, again inflicting considerable casualties.

In contrast, when faced with the same tactical opportunity, the two battalions of Mao Jie and Du Xi — one loosed its arrows too early, the other too late — failing to form the same tacit, intersecting fields of fire with Xu Sheng and Chen Wu ahead of them.

From another perspective, however, Tian Yu would hardly be grateful for these two men’s poor coordination. His subordinate cavalry had suffered grievous casualties, and he himself had barely escaped with his life, one leg fractured. He was already filled with remorse, rage, shame, and indignation... As soon as he had fled to a safe distance, he gritted his teeth and summoned his personal guards to find him wooden splints and rope. While immobilizing his injured leg itself, he also had them lash him firmly to his warhorse, to demonstrate his resolve to fight to the bitter end.

By this time, the rest of the Yan cavalry’s main force had also arrived on the scene. Seeing Tian Yu’s pitiful state, they naturally would not take further reckless risks. They merely spread out toward both wings, encircling and surrounding Cao’s great formation, watching and waiting for an opening.

Even so, there were still small units eager to distinguish themselves who tried to probe forward, only to retreat in disarray... It was not until a short while later, when white horses like clouds from the western side of the battlefield escorted a White Horse Banner — a banner that caused sixty or seventy thousand men of both the northern and southern armies to fall silent in awe — cantering lightly forward, that the entire army hurriedly reorganized, pulled back slightly, and assumed a posture of enveloping Cao’s army from three and a half sides from the west. Then the commanders of each unit flocked to gather beneath the banner.

Gongsun Xun arrived at the front, gazed out at this hollow-within-hollow great formation of Cao’s army, and was momentarily shaken. Almost instinctively, he turned to look at Xun You, whose military acumen was the most outstanding.

The habitually taciturn Xun Gongda studied the scene seriously for a while, then could not help but sigh and, uncharacteristically, speak at length: “Though Liu Xuande, who understands cavalry, undoubtedly assisted as an advisor in this, the fact that Cao Mengde, after a single defeat, can deploy such a large formation specifically tailored against cavalry is enough to show that in military strategy, he is a rare genius under Heaven.”

Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, then gazed at the clearly differentiated archers, crossbowmen, shield-bearers, and spearmen inside and outside the enemy formation, narrowing his eyes as if deep in thought.

And just at that moment, the wounded Tian Yu finally arrived, his face flushed crimson, and he bowed his head in apology directly from horseback:

"Your servant lost troops and suffered damage, only boosting the enemy's morale. There is truly nothing I can say. I only beg that Your Highness judge my offense of reckless advance after this battle, and allow your servant the chance to fight to the death in this engagement, to repay the state!"

"Well said." Gongsun Xun came back to his senses, his expression calm as ever, as if he did not take it to heart at all. "All merits and faults must wait until after this battle. If I execute you now, it will only raise Cao Cao's morale further. First devote your full strength to the fight, and we will speak of other matters afterward... Tell me, how did you break this leg?"

Tian Yu grew even more ashamed and indignant, yet still, before the assembled generals, the many central army staff officers, and the sworn retinue, he recounted in detail the full process of his reckless advance and the losses suffered. And Gongsun Xun was exceptionally meticulous, even clarifying the firing sequence and effect of the five battalions under Zhou Tai, Xu Sheng, Chen Wu, Mao Jie, and Du Xi.

After gaining a rough understanding, Gongsun Xun remained lost in thought and was in no hurry to attack for the moment. Then, when he turned his head to glance at the woods behind him on the road, which screened the moat and the Guandu main camp from view, he suddenly whispered something to Xun You. He immediately summoned Wang Xiang forward and, right there on horseback, had him write out a military order that sounded utterly ordinary to the surrounding generals. After a brief read-through, he even personally added a stroke—something he rarely did—then had Jiang Gan personally deliver it back to the main camp. After that, he was about to immediately lay out tactics and organize the assault.

But just at that moment, a lone rider suddenly galloped out from the great Cao army formation ahead, beneath Cao Cao's own banner. Reaching the front, he cast aside his lance and ring-pommel saber onto the ground, then continued forward... drawing bewildered glances from the assembled Yan army generals.

This time, Gongsun Xun instinctively looked toward one of the accompanying army strategists—it was Jia Wenhe.

And Jia Xu immediately understood his meaning:

"He must be coming to see whether all the famous cavalry commanders at Your Highness's side have assembled!"

Gongsun Xun let out a dry laugh. He was about to refuse, but then a thought stirred in his heart. Instead, he directly spoke his assent to the messenger, who had already come to a halt before him under the watch of Yan army riders: "Tell your lord: no bows or crossbows allowed. We shall meet a hundred paces apart before the lines, speaking from a distance. There is no need to ride close and reminisce."

The messenger, having no chance to speak, immediately nodded and turned back, returning to his own great formation.

And indeed, a short while later, Cao Mengde personally led several dozen riders out from the formation, halting at a safe distance of merely twenty or thirty paces before Zhou Tai's lines. Zhou Tai also deliberately opened a gap to provide cover. Gongsun Xun shook his head for a moment, then personally led several dozen riders forward... The two sides stood over a hundred paces apart, barely at the edge of ordinary arrow range, facing each other from afar.

Come to think of it, this was actually the first time the two old friends had met face to face since parting that day at Mengjin... The men remained, but circumstances had changed; old kindness was now new enmity. For a moment, neither knew how to begin.

"Meng De."

Just as Cao Cao was counting the banners of those famous Yan army cavalry commanders before the lines, Gongsun Xun suddenly spoke, though it seemed he was merely making conversation. "Did you come up with this formation against cavalry yourself? Or did Xuande devise it for you?"

"Naturally, I came up with it myself." Seeing that virtually all the renowned Yan cavalry officers were present, and recalling the earlier intelligence that Xu Rong's banner had appeared at Huan Yuan Pass, Cao Cao felt greatly reassured. He responded directly with a light laugh. "So? Can Wenqi's cavalry break this formation?"

"Whether I can break it, you will naturally find out soon enough." Under the midday sun, Gongsun Xun reined in his horse and answered easily. "However, if you truly devised it alone, then it is just as Gongda just sighed—your talent in military affairs can rightly be called a prodigy of the age!"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes slightly and did not reply.

"Still, I am truly curious," Gongsun Xun continued to ask casually. "How did you find the nerve to come out and fight me to the death? Even if you are a prodigy of the age, have you ever bested me even once in half a lifetime? If it truly comes to an unspeakable end, how could I bear it in my heart?"

"Wenqi!" Cao Cao, seated on his horse, let out a sigh, then shouted his reply from afar. "Those words are absurd! When have men like you and I ever lost our ambition because of strength or weakness, or because of personal ties? Back then, when Dong Zhuo was so powerful, were we not the first two to raise troops and declare war? I still remember—after you killed Dong Zhuo, you stood before Weiyang Palace, gesturing boldly and pointing out the realm. At that time, Zhu Gongwei questioned you, and you actually said that you had been thinking of that day ever since you bound up your hair and began to study..."

"Those were my true words!" Gongsun Xun laughed aloud, cutting him off.

"Then I also have a true word!" Cao Cao shouted back with all his might. "You must listen well today!"

Gongsun Xun was momentarily curious.

"This battle!" Cao Mengde straightened his body forcefully on horseback and declared with all the volume he could muster. "From the day I learned you were opening military farms in Yan territory and roughly understood your wolfish ambition, I, Cao Mengde, have thought of it day and night—no more, no less, a full twelve years of waiting! This day next year, for the sake of the friendship we shared since we came of age, I will personally write a funeral elegy for you, to comfort your departed soul!"

The surrounding White Horse riders and the generals behind him all erupted in fury, but Gongsun Xun threw his head back and laughed heartily. Only after his laughter subsided did he raise his voice in reply: "Meng De! You wish to kill me, yet I, from the bottom of my heart, have always been reluctant to kill you. I truly cherish your talent and treasure our old friendship—so much so that I see you as a comrade in overturning the old order and establishing a new governance! Sometimes, I have not failed to imagine it: you as my Prime Minister, Xuande as my Left Chancellor, the three of us together ushering in a golden age..."

Cao Cao was slightly taken aback.

"But you and I are both men contending for the realm. Now that the war has reached this point, who can still tolerate the other?" Gongsun Xun continued to sigh aloud. "So, Meng De, you truly put me in a difficult position. For if you die, I, Gongsun Xun, will surely be wracked with grief..." At this, Gongsun Xun could not help but pause, gazing at the sky for a moment. Then, before the other could speak, this lord of one-half of the realm suddenly turned solemn and declared sternly: "Yet if you, sir, live a single day more, I shall not know peace for a single day!"

With those words, Gongsun Xun wasted no more breath. He directly drew his blade from its scabbard, raised it high, and turned his horse to ride back.

Before him, the thousands of White Horse riders and the officers of every unit, seeing this, also drew their blades in response, shouting "Ten thousand victories!" without end. In an instant, nearly the entire Yan army roared "Ten thousand victories!" in unison, their voices shaking the wilderness and rocking the enemy lines!

Cao Cao gazed at the other man's retreating figure, standing still and silent for a moment. But after only a brief pause, he too immediately drew the Qinggang sword from his waist. Reining his horse back toward his formation, he began shouting "Ten thousand years!" without cease.

————I am the dividing line that shouts "Ten thousand years!"————

"...By the end of the ninth month, the Grand Ancestor had set an ambush with tens of thousands of cavalry at Wuchao Marsh, while Cao, with all his infantry, abruptly formed a battle array—long spears and great shields on the outside, bows and crossbows within, eight battalions arrayed separately, hollow centers interlocking. The elite riders from below Ye could not advance even an inch. The Grand Ancestor came before the formation, gazed upon Cao's army array, and sighed: 'This man is truly a prodigy of the age! Therefore, if this man does not die, I shall not know peace!'" — New Book of Yan, Volume 27, Hereditary Houses, Part Two

PS: This time it's a scheduled post...

(End of Chapter)