NOVPUBLiu Ye gazed at the sparse stars in the sky and the waning moon, thinking it was indeed perfect weather for murder and arson. n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
"Tonight, Cao Meng De shall be annihilated," Liu Ye said with a cold laugh.
It wasn’t that Liu Ye looked down on Cao Cao, but he truly saw no way out for him. The most terrifying aspect of being ambushed from all sides was the continuous surprise attacks that left the enemy disoriented, eventually leading to a point where soldiers didn’t recognize their officers and officers couldn’t find their soldiers, with only defeat and death as their final path. Moreover, the terrain Jia Xu had chosen clearly showed he had no intention of letting Cao Cao escape to the heavens.
Jia Xu folded the map, slowly stood up, and seemed to think that using himself as bait was but a joke. If the twenty thousand Soldiers of Mount Tai were defeated by Cao Cao in less than forty li of terrain, he might as well take his own life.
Jia Xu just wanted to see Liu Xuande’s mettle. In this battle, Jia Xu had calculated six times, and there was no way out, unless a meteorite fell from the sky and destroyed at least two of the ten ambush routes. Otherwise, Cao Cao’s army, already thrown into complete chaos by the ambushes, would find his grave in Xuzhou Pengcheng.
At midnight, Liu Bei appointed Xuu Chu as the vanguard, leading three thousand men to raid the enemy camp. Xuu Chu waved a hundred-meter-long shadow of a dark blade over Cao Camp, clearly indicating an intent only for a fierce assault. He then roared, leading three thousand soldiers straight into the breached camp.
As soon as they charged into Cao Army’s main camp, armies flanked and emerged. Fortunately, Jia Xu had warned Xuu Chu beforehand, so there was little panic. Swinging his great sword, Xuu Chu slew dozens, then turned his horse to protect Liu Bei as they prepared to leave. They didn’t expect that amidst the chaotic drumming, the Xiahou Brothers would appear on both flanks. Xuu Chu faced Xiahou Dun head-on while Wuu Anguo’s great hammer the size of half a man blocked the arrows aimed at Liu Bei.
"Hahaha, finally, a worthy opponent!" Weapons clashing, Xiahou Dun’s hand holding the long spear felt slightly numb, yet his body was thrillingly invigorated.
"Face my sword!" Xuu Chu roared as he swung at Xiahou Dun, with dark Inner Qi surging incessantly from his blade.
"Stop using your hidden arrows to injure people," rumbled Wuu Anguo, wielding his great hammer and cursing in the direction of Xiahou Yuan.
"Wuu Anguo, I never thought I’d encounter you here," Xiahou Yuan said squinting at Wuu Anguo, a top-tier expert who had survived a duel with Lyu Bu at Hulao Pass, unexpectedly appearing in Liu Bei’s army.
"Attack!" Liu Bei was not overly panicked and had prepared for the possibility of Cao Cao’s defense. After being ambushed, his ferocity surged, and wielding his Mighty Sword, he slaughtered Cao Army, protected by his guards.
"Release the arrows!" Cao Cao laughed, "Liu Xuande, you really dared to lead the troops yourself! Seize him for me!"
"Lord, retreat quickly!" Xuu Chu pushed Xiahou Dun back with a slice, left Wuu Anguo to block the arrows with his two great hammers, and covered Liu Bei as they withdrew towards the camp’s exterior.
Despite Liu Bei’s Army’s superior elite status compared to Cao Cao’s, and the fact that they hadn’t penetrated deeply into the camp, it didn’t take long for them to disengage from Cao Camp. At this moment, they could already hear scattered hoofbeats.
"Reinforcements are near, gentlemen, charge!" Liu Bei exclaimed with laughter.
In Pengcheng, Cheng Yu, who had been standing on the city gate, turned and walked downstairs upon hearing the thunderous hoofbeats. Pengcheng had been left to Zhao Yan, and he was ready to lead the army out to envelop Liu Bei in a pincer attack. The outcome hinged on this very night.
"Attack!" Hua Xiong, leading his three thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry, thrust into the rear of Cao Army’s troops surrounding Liu Bei with astonishing momentum. Men and horses were sent flying in an instant, and then with a mighty sweep, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry carved through Cao Cao’s encirclement like slicing vegetables, showcasing the formidable destructive power of the Iron Cavalry at that moment.
"Spearhead Formation, stampede them!" Leading the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, Hua Xiong trampled the Cao Army soldiers who couldn’t even see what was happening. They quickly joined forces with Liu Bei.
"Lord, follow me quickly, and let’s break out!" After reuniting with Liu Bei, Hua Xiong commanded the Cloud Qi of Xiliang Iron Cavalry, swinging the fiery red light frenetically in all directions, pushing back Cao Hong and others who were originally leading troops to attack.
"Rear Army turns Vanguard, retreat!" Liu Bei ordered the messenger, realizing their night raid had failed. What remained to be seen was how the five troops Jia Xu mentioned would obliterate the enemy before them.
"Don’t let Liu Bei escape!" Cao Cao roared, watching as Cheng Yu lit the wood soaked in kerosene that had been prepared earlier. Suddenly, the skies brightened as if day.
"Hmph!" Hua Xiong showed no fear facing Cheng Yu’s approaching army. Despite the revealing red Cloud Qi of the elite Danyang Troops, there was no force more destructive than the Xiliang Iron Cavalry when it came to impact force. Historically, any troops daring to block their path were crushed into dust.
"Break through them for me!" Hua Xiong yelled, and three thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry formed numerous fragmented Spearhead Formations, charging directly at the Elite Troops of Danyang.
Instantly, dozens of Xiliang Iron Cavalry fell, but even more Danyang troops were sent flying. The Great Shields at the front shattered upon impact, and under Hua Xiong’s leadership, the already demoralized Danyang troops were swiftly breached.
"It’s the Xiliang Iron Cavalry!" The Elite Troops of Danyang, having fought alongside the Xiliang Iron Cavalry in the past, immediately shouted warnings and dodged as they made contact. After all, these men never really felt allegiance to Cao Army and had simply been dragged out by Cheng Yu to bolster the ranks. They never expected to encounter Hua Xiong leading the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Only the Xiliang Iron Cavalry itself could withstand the charge of their own ranks; other forces who dared to stand in the way would only be trampled to death.
