132. Burning the Bridges

Cao Hong felt that he was surrounded. From the moment he breached the stockade of the White Roar camp, he had realized it. Now, apart from the soldiers of the Upper Recruitment Battalion, he could no longer see a single halberdier. He did not know if he had taken a wrong turn, ventured too deep, or if the enemy had cut him off from his allies.

A battlefield involving hundreds of thousands of people is exactly like this; it is fragmented into dozens or even hundreds of skirmishes. If you are lucky, the enemy is weak and you are strong; if you are unlucky, the enemy is strong and you are weak. Clearly, Cao Hong’s luck was not holding up well. However, he had no choice but to keep fighting his way forward.

"The Child Embraces the Heart," "The Whirlwind Breaks the Path," "The Pipa in the Arms," "Fire Piercing the Clouds"—every move was lethal. "The Ambush from All Sides," "Stealing the Peach from Beneath the Leaves," "The Flood Dragon Leaves the Water," "The Vicious Wolf Tears the Heart"—every strike was soul-shattering.

Cao Hong pushed his "Grass-Cutting Spear Technique" to its limit. Wherever he passed, blood rained down, and no one could withstand a single blow. The soldiers of his Upper Recruitment Battalion were equally fierce; with every swing of their hook-blades, heads rolled, and with every advance or retreat, the enemy was left disemboweled. At this moment, Cao Hong and his battalion were like gods of death, reaping the lives of the Black Mountain bandits.

Just as he was in the heat of battle, a group of bandits clad in lamellar armor and wearing yellow turbans blocked his path. At their head was a gaunt, hollow-cheeked man, looking like a drug addict, who rode toward him wielding a long-handled saber with a blank expression. Behind him stood a soldier carrying a banner with a massive character for "White" written on it. The man was none other than the Black Mountain bandit leader, White Roar.

Cao Hong saw at a glance that the man’s cultivation was merely at the peak of "Refining Qi into Spirit." While he was a standout at that level, he was still a realm below Cao Hong. Seeing him charge, Cao Hong sneered, thinking, "Seeking death!" He prepared to spur his horse forward to cleave the man’s head off, but suddenly noticed the yellow-turbaned bandits ignoring the strikes of the Upper Recruitment Battalion, instead thrusting their halberds directly at his mount. Meanwhile, White Roar brought his saber down in a heavy, overhead chop.

The importance of a horse in the era of cold steel was self-evident. A horse provided speed, height, and the leverage to easily decapitate an opponent—the top of the head being the most difficult area to defend. Moreover, the horse’s immense charging power allowed a warrior to rampage through the ranks. To put it hyperbolically: with a horse in hand, the world is yours.

The Huns rose to power in the early Han Dynasty thanks to their horses, and Emperor Wu of Han defeated them by utilizing the same. If a general lost his horse, he would almost certainly die in the chaos. This remained true even if his side was winning, because soldiers instinctively huddled around a mounted general for protection and morale. If the general lost his horse, he would be swallowed by the melee, and without soldiers rallying to him, his death would be imminent.

Both Cao Hong and White Roar understood this. Thus, Cao Hong guarded his mount, while White Roar ordered his men to cut it down. Judging by their practiced movements, this was not the first time they had employed such a tactic.

However, nothing in this world is absolute. Losing a horse might be fatal for an ordinary general, but for Cao Hong—a king of mercenaries and a top master of martial arts—it was not so dire. In his past life, he had spent his entire career fighting on foot.

Without hesitation, Cao Hong threw his horse-spear, piercing three of the armored bandits in front of him. He then leaped from his horse, drawing his nameless sword, and cut down two more Black Mountain bandits in mid-air. Landing, he sprang forward again, his sword sweeping horizontally toward White Roar’s throat.

White Roar never expected Cao Hong to abandon his mount so easily. He attempted to change his downward strike to block the horizontal slash, but as Cao Hong’s precious sword touched the long-handled saber, it sliced the shaft in two before shearing off White Roar’s head.

The saber in White Roar’s hand was not the reinforced horse-spear used by Cao’s officers and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry; it was merely a rigid wooden pole, lacking the resilience of bound bamboo strips, oiled hemp, and fish glue. Against Cao Hong’s sharp blade and superior application of force, it snapped instantly.

By the time Cao Hong grabbed White Roar’s head, his own horse had finally been pierced by the bandits’ halberds. However, those bandits never got the chance to pull their weapons back, as they were all cut down by the Upper Recruitment Battalion.

Cao Hong seized White Roar’s horse, took up his spear and sword, and tied the bandit leader’s head to his waist. He continued to lead his men forward, but as he had reached the center of the camp, the overlapping tents obscured his view, making it impossible to see the Cao army’s banners. His only path to survival was to fight his way into the city of Shouzhang.

He lost track of how many he had killed. Just as only a few dozen of his Upper Recruitment soldiers remained, the rear of the enemy ranks fell into sudden chaos. A government force bearing the banner of "Liu" charged in from behind the bandits. Before long, they linked up with Cao Hong, and these soldiers fanned out to protect him and his remaining men. The leader of this group was not Liu Dai, the Inspector of Yanzhou whom Cao Hong had met at Suanzao, but a man of nearly forty with a resolute face, a sturdy build, and a high-quality steel saber.

Although it was not Liu Dai, his features bore a striking resemblance. Cao Hong called out, "Many thanks for the reinforcement, General! May I ask your name?"

The man replied, "I am Liu Yao, courtesy name Zhengli, younger brother of Yanzhou Inspector Liu Gongshan."

Cao Hong was momentarily stunned. He recalled that this was the man who had succeeded his uncle’s friend, Chen Wen, as the Inspector of Yangzhou, only to later be defeated by Sun Ce.

"So it is Brother Zhengli. I am Cao Hong, courtesy name Zilian, the younger cousin of the Dongjun Governor, Lord Mengde," Cao Hong replied.

Cao Hong remembered Liu Yao not because he became the Governor of Yangzhou, but because he was the former master of Taishi Ci, a fierce general who had fought Sun Ce to a draw. That was Cao Hong’s deepest impression of him, and he had only just learned that this man was Liu Dai’s brother.

Liu Yao said, "Lord Bao and I saw your army’s flags from the city walls. We realized the bandits intended to intercept your grain supplies, so we sallied out to assist."

Cao Hong said, "I see. Since you were on the walls, do you know where my cousin’s command flag is? I must join him."

Liu Yao pointed to the right. "Over there. Your cavalry is incredibly valiant; they have already scattered the bandits at the East Gate and are turning back to support the supply train. The commander is holding the line, covering the rest of your troops as they enter the city."

"Many thanks! I shall join him immediately!" Cao Hong said, preparing to spur his horse away.

"Take me with you!" Liu Yao replied. Leading his troops alongside Cao Hong, they charged to the right. With Liu Yao’s arrival, the pressure on the Upper Recruitment Battalion lessened significantly, and their offensive power increased. These men were freaks who fought harder the more their comrades fell; now, they were unstoppable. They soon linked up with Cao Cao.

Cao Cao’s armor was drenched in blood. Beside him, Dian Wei had already exhausted his small throwing halberds, and his two main short halberds were caked with gore. Liao Hua was in a similar state.

Cao Hong called out to Cao Cao, "Elder Brother, the bandits are aiming for our grain!"

Cao Cao, having just cut down several bandits, laughed, "I have long been aware! Zihe is returning to strike the main force of the bandits raiding our supplies. As long as we save thirty percent of the grain, we can enter Shouzhang."

Liu Yao was shocked. "Lord Cao! We have over ten thousand soldiers in Shouzhang, but the grain was plundered during our retreat. The city is destitute. Your arrival is a blessing, but if only thirty percent enters the city, it will not last long!"

As they spoke, another wave of bandits attacked. The Upper Recruitment Battalion, Cao Cao’s men, and Liu Yao’s troops fought them back. With the forces now evenly matched, they found a moment to converse. Dian Wei added, "My Lord, with ten thousand extra mouths to feed, thirty percent of the grain will only last ten days."

Cao Cao laughed heartily. "Ten days is enough! Have you not heard of 'breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats'?"

The group paused in thought. Only Cao Hong realized the reference. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the Qin general Zhang Han had besieged the territory of the Western Chu Overlord, Xiang Yu, at Julu. Xiang Yu led his vanguard to the rescue. When the situation turned dire, he crossed the Zhang River, sank his ships, and smashed his cooking cauldrons, signaling to his soldiers that there was no retreat. This galvanized them, and they fought with such ferocity that they defeated the massive Qin army despite being outnumbered.

Juye was within the territory of Shanyang Commandery in Yanzhou, and the story of "breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats" was widely known there, even by women and children. By using this method here, Cao Cao not only inspired his soldiers to fight with a shared hatred for the enemy, but also instilled a will to fight to the death in the local populace. This ability to adapt to circumstances proved that Cao Cao was a rare military genius.

At this, Cao Hong shouted, "Brilliant! Julu is within the same commandery as our Shouzhang, less than five hundred miles away. Xiang Yu’s spirit still lingers here. Let us use this ancient prestige to urge our men to fight to the death! Why should we fear this rabble of thieves?"

Cao Cao laughed, "Zilian truly understands my heart!"

The others finally realized his intent. Liu Yao led his troops forward to cover the Cao army’s entry into the city, while Cao Hong and Cao Cao remained outside with the vanguard, holding the line within three hundred paces of the walls to repel the enemy.

A moment later, Cao Chun arrived with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and a large group of porters surrounding the supplies. Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun’s halberdiers guarded the rear. Under the command of Cao Ang and Ren Jun, the porters discarded a portion of the supplies every few steps to stall the bandits. These discarded items were mostly grain, along with a few tents and cooking pots.

The Qing and Xu Yellow Turbans were, after all, a mob of refugees. Seeing the grain, they instinctively slowed their pace to scavenge. The scattered remnants of the Black Mountain bandits joined in, and soon, the Black Mountain rebels, the Yellow Turbans on the flanks, and the several thousand elites led by Zhang Rao and the other three generals were all fighting over the food on the ground, having lost all desire to pursue the army.

The Cao army’s porters, halberdiers, and cavalry entered the city of Shouzhang in an orderly fashion. Liu Yao’s troops entered last, and the city gates were immediately slammed shut, the drawbridge raised.