Chapter 14: Losing Both the Lady and the Troops
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Seeing Cao Ang and Dian Wei lying on stretchers, Cao Xin let out a sigh. When he found them, Cao Ang had already suffered grievous wounds and lay unconscious. Dian Wei, upon seeing him, managed a grin before collapsing to the ground. The injuries on both men were dire.
Cao Ang had three arrows embedded in his body, nine sword wounds, and numerous abrasions. Most critical was an arrow wound to his neck, which had bled profusely. Had it not been for the skill of the Langya cavalry’s physician, who performed surgery, Cao Ang wouldn’t have survived an hour. Though the wound was stitched up, the risk of infection and fever loomed. In this era without antibiotics, his survival was far from certain.
Dian Wei’s state was just as grim. The distinctive Langya armor he wore had been battered to tatters. Thirteen arrows pierced his body, his left brow bone was deformed, five ribs fractured, his right arm and lower right leg both broken—all from blunt force trauma. If Cao Xin hadn’t repeatedly warned Dian Wei before leaving Wancheng not to drink and not to remove his armor while sleeping, the man would never have made it out of the Eastern Camp alive.
“General! General!” Dian Wei called out from the stretcher.
“Old Dian, rest now. Leave the rest to us,” Cao Xin said, grasping his arm.
Dian Wei grinned, “General, I didn’t drink. I even wore two layers of armor to bed. Last night, when I heard the Xiliang army was rebelling, I rushed to protect the Chancellor, escorted him out of the Eastern Camp. The Chancellor and Cao Hong rode north, and I, without a horse, led the Langya infantry north on foot. Along the way, we met Young Master Cao Ang and fought several more battles, cough—”
Dian Wei coughed up blood.
“Enough, Old Dian. You did well. Let me handle what’s left. With the Langya army here, there’s nothing we can’t overcome,” Cao Xin said, patting his shoulder.
“Heh, General, can I have a sip of wine?” Dian Wei asked, craning his neck.
“Damn, you still want wine now? Do you want to die?” Yet seeing his eager look, Cao Xin had someone fetch a jug, let him wet his lips with a small sip—no more.
“A taste for now. When you’re recovered, we’ll drink our fill,” Cao Xin said, putting away the jug. He ordered a squad of Langya cavalry to escort Cheng Yu, Dian Wei, Cao Ang, and a dozen wounded Langya infantry to a nearby village to convalesce. Once they recovered, he would come for them.
Cao Xin rejoined his cavalry, pressing on to drive back the Xiliang troops and gather the scattered Cao army. The farther north they went, the more numerous and ferocious the Xiliang cavalry became—the fighting grew desperate. The Xiliang horsemen were every bit as formidable as his own Langya cavalry, each a hardened warrior. Only superior armor and gear allowed Cao Xin and his men to prevail.
But their numbers dwindled sharply—from over two hundred down to one hundred sixty-six, with over a hundred light cavalry lost, and twelve Langya troopers fallen. After more than ten fierce engagements, Cao Xin and his men arrived near Bowang County, whose city lay not far ahead. After Wancheng’s surrender, the Cao army had stationed troops there.
It was likely that after being attacked, Cao Cao had sought refuge within the city.
“Uncle Six? Uncle Six! It really is you!”
On the road, they encountered three galloping light cavalry. At their head was Cao Xiu, the Commandant of Auxiliary Troops, who shouted in excitement on seeing him.
“Uncle Six, quickly, you must rescue the Chancellor!”
“Where is he?”
“On Bowang Slope!” Cao Xiu yelled, pointing east.
“Lead the way!” Cao Xin turned his horse and charged toward Bowang Slope with his men.
——
Bowang Slope lay a hundred li northeast of Wancheng. In times to come, Liu Bei would set fire here and destroy Xiahou Dun’s hundred thousand strong army—a place of ill omen.
Upon arrival, Cao Xin saw Zhang Xiu leading six or seven hundred Xiliang cavalry in assault against the Cao army on the hillside. The Cao troops numbered over two thousand, mostly poorly equipped infantry, being harried and broken by the cavalry.
Within the Cao ranks flew the banners of Yu Jin and Cao Hong, both commanding resistance, but the Xiliang cavalry were too numerous and their attack too savage—the Cao line was on the verge of collapse.
“Sound the horn!”
“Prepare to attack!”
The clarion of the Langya army resounded across the field.
“Langya men, charge with me!” Cao Xin bellowed, leading the way onto the battlefield. Instantly, chaos erupted on the Xiliang cavalry’s right flank—men and horses thrown into disarray.
“Cao Xin of Langya is here! Xiliang soldiers, surrender now or face death without mercy!” Cao Xin roared, brandishing his iron spear, his voice echoing across the field.
“Damn it, how did Cao Ziyu get here?” Zhang Xiu cursed furiously from among the Xiliang ranks.
“Cao Liu, no—Brother Ziyu, come save me!” cried Cao Hong amidst the chaos, beset by foes, his body covered in cuts and blood, a miserable sight.
Cao Xin thought to himself, well deserved. “Cao Hong, let me ask you—back in the command tent, who let loose that fart?”
“What?!” Cao Hong was stunned, his hand slowing a beat, and a Xiliang soldier struck him in the back. He yelped in pain, “Cao Ziyu, you scoundrel! You care about that now?!”
Another sword landed on him, and he shouted with a dark look, “It was me! It was me! Now save me, damn it!”
Cao Xin laughed heartily, swept aside several Xiliang cavalry with his spear, and dragged the battered Cao Hong to safety.
“Where’s the Chancellor?”
Cao Hong snorted and pointed up the slope.
“Chancellor, do not fear! Cao Xin is here!”
Cao Xin led his cavalry in a fierce attack, shattering the Xiliang formation. Zhang Xiu, seeing the tide turned, cursed and ordered a retreat.
“Cao Ziyu, do you dare to parley?” Zhang Xiu suddenly shouted.
“Zhang Xiu, if you dismount and surrender, for the sake of our friendship, I will plead for your life before the Chancellor,” Cao Xin replied, reigning in his horse.
“Hah! Damn it, I have seven hundred Xiliang iron cavalry—killing you lot is nothing. But tell me, Cao Ziyu, how do you rate the prowess of my Xiliang troops here?”
“Not bad,” Cao Xin replied.
“Haha! My Xiliang army of ten thousand defeated your fifty thousand Cao troops, drove Cao Mengde running for his life—just ‘not bad’? What does that make your army, a pack of wine-sodden gluttons? Hahaha!” Zhang Xiu’s laughter rang out.
The faces of the Cao soldiers around them darkened with shame.
“Your Xiliang men are decent, but compared to my Langya troops, they fall far short. Had I been in Wancheng, would you ever have succeeded?” Cao Xin retorted coldly.
“Hahaha, but that’s just it! Do you know why you weren’t there? Because you fell into my strategist’s trap. He knew the Cao clan was lustful and base, so he let Lady Zou stay at your home. As expected, after you took her in, Cao Mengde began to mistrust you, and as soon as the Jingzhou army marched on Yuyang, he sent you, his own Lu Bu, south to assist. In strategy and cunning, you’re no match for us—do you concede?” Zhang Xiu laughed loudly.
The surrounding Xiliang cavalry brandished their weapons and shouted, gloating.
On the hillside, the faces of Cao Cao, Mao Jie, Cao Hong, and others grew grim. At first, they thought it coincidence—now they saw it was all a plot, and they had unwittingly walked into the enemy’s snare.
“Jia Xu, known as Wenhe, truly has great skill,” Cao Xin said, clapping his hands. “Back then, Jia Xu’s venomous tongue swayed Li Jue and Guo Si—men who had been ready to retire—into killing Wang Yun, plunging Chang’an into chaos and the emperor into exile. You know better than I what became of Li Jue and Guo Si. Now Jia Xu plots for you, and though you have your revenge, you’ve lost most of your Xiliang army and sent Lady Zou to my bed. To lose both troops and the lady—doesn’t that just prove the saying: ‘Jia Xu’s treachery brings chaos to the world, losing both wife and men’? ”
Cao Xin sneered.
“Jia Xu’s treachery brings chaos to the world, losing both wife and men!” the Cao soldiers shouted in unison.
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“Cao Ziyu, spare me your glib tongue. This is not over. Withdraw!” Zhang Xiu snorted, leading the remaining five hundred Xiliang cavalry from the field.
Cao Xin made no pursuit. He had barely a hundred riders left, their mounts exhausted after a day’s forced march. Even if he wished to give chase, he could not.
Once the Xiliang cavalry withdrew, the battlefield was strewn with wounded and corpses—a scene of misery and desolation.
——
“Chancellor, your servant has come too late to the rescue. Please forgive this failure!”
Cao Xin climbed the hillside to present himself before Cao Cao. The Chancellor was in a sorry state—clothes torn, hair and beard disheveled—but, miraculously, not a single wound marred his body. Such fortune was the mark of one favored by destiny.
“Haha, Ziyu, now that you’re here, it’s all right. I’m glad you’re here,” Cao Cao said, sighing at the sight of Cao Xin’s many wounds. He took his arm and said, “Ziyu, I heard everything. It’s my fault—I was too arrogant, underestimated the Xiliang army, and made the mistake of sending you away from Wancheng. The blame is mine alone.”
Cao Cao struck his chest in anguish, breathless with grief.
“Chancellor, you mustn’t blame yourself!”
Cao Hong, Mao Jie, Yue Jin, Cao Xiu, and other commanders hastened to console him. They insisted it was not the Chancellor’s fault—he had simply fallen prey to Zhang Xiu’s treachery. All blamed the traitor Zhang Xiu for his betrayal and perfidy.
Cao Xin offered words of comfort as well, though he felt none were truly blameless.
“Alas, my folly has cost the lives of Zhongde, Zixiu, Dian Wei, Anmin, and tens of thousands of soldiers. How can I return to Xudu and face their families?” Cao Cao gazed skyward, tears at last spilling forth. From the Eastern Camp to Bowang, it had been one calamity after another. Dian Wei and Cao Anmin had fought to the death to escort him from the Eastern Camp. Soon after, Cheng Yu fell behind. As Xiliang cavalry closed in again, they shot down his famed steed Jueying. Cao Ang gave up his own mount and stayed behind, awaiting death... The memory of comrades vanishing one by one on the battlefield filled Cao Cao with grief.
“Chancellor, don’t grieve. Zixiu, Dian Wei, and Master Cheng are all alive. I met them on the road and arranged for them to recover in a nearby village,” Cao Xin said.
“I’m not crying... What? Ziyu, did you say Zixiu, Dian Wei and the others are safe?”
Cao Cao seized his arm, overcome with emotion.
“Haha, all wounded, but alive for now.”
Cao Xin recounted how he and the Langya army had rescued Cao Ang, Dian Wei, and the others, and how he’d rallied thousands of scattered troops who now held firm at the northern camp. The situation was not as dire as it seemed.
“Hahaha! With you, Ziyu, Heaven will not abandon me! Heaven will not abandon me!” Cao Cao laughed to the sky.
[Combat ended]
[Battlefield rescue successful: repelled 3,000 enemies, rallied 5,000 allies, saved 12 commanders. Evaluation: Excellent General. Free attribute point earned: 1]
“Only one point?”
“Add it to agility!”
[Cao Xin]
[Constitution: 100] (Top-tier general) (Superb recovery)
[Strength: 90] (First-rate general)
[Agility: 83+1] (Second-rate general)
[Intellect: 69] (Third-rate strategist)
[Resistance: 65] (Poison, cold, heat, corrosion, aging...)
“I feel even faster,” Cao Xin thought, spotting a horse as black as coal, its coat glossy as satin, galloping across the field. His eyes lit up, and he darted toward it.
“Look how fast the General is!” the Cao soldiers exclaimed in awe.
——
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