Chapter 52: The Annihilation of the Elite (Part 1)

  Lu County is not like other cities, without high and deep city walls to defend against external enemies. This place is more like Pengcheng at the end of Qin Dynasty, easy to attack but hard to defend. Of course, Gao Shun is not a fool, he did this just to echo with Zhang Liao, waiting for the right time, waiting for the main force to attack Dong'a and other places.

  One thousand infantry and four thousand cavalry were stationed here, the guard was not tight but very strict. Although Lü County is surrounded by mountains on three sides, it was not too difficult for Gao Shun's army.

  "I have followed the lord for many years, but I have never encountered a strong enemy like Cao Xin. Unexpectedly, even Zhang Liao was defeated by his hand..." In the middle of the military account, Gao Shun held a volume of military books in his hands, and a worried expression appeared on his stern face, and he couldn't help but sigh.

  In front of Gao Shun stood a stout and sinister-looking man, who sneered coldly as he spoke: "General, you should be aware that Cao Xin is now planning to attack you..."

  At these words, Gao Shun's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he looked at the man, but there was a moment of silence. "My troops are the elite of the world, I... am not afraid of Cao Xin."

  The fat man shook his head, but under the dim light of the lamp, the sly face of the man suddenly appeared.

  This is Li San.

  "Haha, General, you should think carefully. Zhang Liao's Yan Yun cavalry was also famous, but wasn't it defeated by Cao Xin? Now the whole Yanzhou knows that as long as Cao Xin is here, haha, no one can take advantage of anything."

  Gao Shun furrowed his brow suddenly, "What exactly do you want to say?"

  "Hehehe, nothing much, just want to sell some information and seek wealth and honor."

  "Oh?" He couldn't help but size up the other person, and Gao Shun narrowed his eyes, saying skeptically: "Why should I believe you?"

  "Haha, with the intelligence I have in my hands about Cao Xin's next move, and...". Li San paused for a moment, then said with a mysterious tone: "If the general refuses to listen, I dare to say that the general will definitely die at the hands of Cao Xin... Haha..."

  "What a big tone you have!"

  A loud shout, Gao Shun's furious face suddenly appeared, but Li San also gritted his teeth at this moment and didn't dare to give up.

  At this time, only Gao Shun loudly said: "Don't you know that I have 5,000 soldiers under my command, including 1,000 brothers from the Trap Array Camp who are seasoned veterans! I'm telling you this, if we're talking about elite infantry, there may not be many people in this world who can compare to me!"

  One sentence, a sly smile from Li San, made Gao Shun furrow his brow once again.

  "Haha, I'll say it again, General. Don't forget that Zhang Liao's 5,000 Yan Cloud Riders were defeated, and more than 1,000 of them were killed by Cao's army, with less than 100 riders escaping. Haha, if Cao Pi uses the Fire Ox formation to launch a surprise attack on your camp at night, can you guarantee that you'll be able to retreat unscathed?"

  Gao Shun was taken aback and suddenly heard this sentence, "What? Cao Xin wants to use the Fire Ox Formation!?"

  "That's right. Hehehe..."

  A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and Gao Shun fell silent for a long time, but the more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.

  "This Cao Zhen is truly treacherous beyond compare... but..."

  "General, what I said is true. Cao Xin has just bought several thousand head of cattle from my master's household. Hehehe, for such a major military secret, shouldn't the general give me some benefit..."

  "Alright, you go down first." Gao Shun said with a cold hum.

  "Alas! General? General?! What's the meaning of this?! Alas, I've rendered great service!" Li San was dragged away by two brave warriors, and he immediately cried out in distress.

  After a while, seeing the account calm down, Gao Shun came back and forth for several steps, thinking of Li San's words just now. Although every sentence made sense, if he were Cao Xin himself, he would never use the fire cow plan, because the number of thousands of cows was not small, and every move must have brought a huge response. Can this achieve the effect of a surprise attack?

  But if what Li San said was a lie, then according to recent rumors, there is no suspicious circumstances.

  For a moment, Gao Shun was indeed in trouble.

  "Bring someone over." As soon as he called out, a brave warrior rushed over, and Gao Shun immediately ordered.

  "Notify all brothers to be on high alert for the next few days, and take turns standing guard at night to prevent sneak attacks! Tell everyone that before Master's order is issued, I must defend this crucial pass of Luzhou County!"

  "Yes!" The latter immediately accepted the order and left.

  But at this moment, the master simultaneously put down his heavy heart knot.

  Whether it's true or false, let's just assume it's true. As for the Fire Ox Formation, Gao Shun was naturally not unfamiliar with it. Since the first day he read military books, he had done a detailed study of the Fire Ox Formation. This time, he could be said to have been fully prepared and didn't feel even half a bit anxious.

  As for Cao Xin, Gao Shun also wanted to see what kind of person he was, that could make his own army suffer repeated defeats.

  The other side of this moment.

  The sky has already brightened up, and it's been more than three hours since Li San left. Six hours on horseback to Lu County seems like a comfortable margin.

  At this time, Cao Xin was sitting in the main seat of the great hall of Wu Yan City, under the care of Hua Tuo, examining the wounds on his body.

  "The wounds on the general's body are truly making me ashamed, the severity of the injuries is so heavy yet he can still persist like this, it makes me deeply feel reverence..."

  Cao Xin's body was covered in countless wounds of all sizes, and Hua Tuo exclaimed in admiration.

  A faint smile, Cao Xin didn't mind, only to see the other side finish checking and put on his armor, "It's still Mr.'s wonderful hand that allows Xin to sit here, why does Mr. have to deceive himself hehehe..."

  "General!"

  Just then, when Cao Xing and Hua Tuo were chatting happily, a tiger general strode in from outside the hall.

  But it is typical of him.

  "General, Xu Sanzheng is leading a few brothers who know how to herd cattle in training!"

  When Dian Wei said this, Cao Xin smiled at the same time and asked instead: "Did Li San run away?"

  "They ran away, following the general's orders, and left a batch of horses at the city gate. That kid directly mounted the horse and escaped."

  With a faint smile, Cao Xin said: "It's okay, I was afraid he wouldn't run away. Now it seems that the plan is quite smooth."

  "I don't understand what Cao Xin means," Tian Wei asked loudly, "General, why did you call Xu San to train a cow to run back and forth wildly this early in the morning? Why do you want to deliberately let Li San escape?"

  Cao Xin patted his armor, "This virtual and real way is in the ghostly strategy of military law. Di Wei, don't underestimate Gao Shun. Although he may not be as skilled in martial arts as Zhang Liao, when it comes to marching and fighting, no one under Lü Bu's command is more formidable than Gao Shun."

  "Oh? Then how does the general plan to?"

  Cao Xin smiled faintly and said with a hint of playfulness:

  "You'll know tomorrow!"

  For Gao Shun, Cao Xin had a deep impression. As the only talented general under Lü Bu's command, Gao Shun possessed all the merits of a commander-in-chief. His subordinates, known as the "Trapping Camp", were even referred to by later generations as the "crème de la crème" among elite troops.

  Cao Xin had always thought that the strongest naval force was Gan Ning's Brocade Sails Army, the strongest cavalry was Cao Ren's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and among the infantry, the strongest were undoubtedly Gao Shun's Trap Array Camp and the Southern Barbarian Rattan Armor Troops.

  But Tōji Kōhei has a weakness, while Tsuru no ōkubo does not.

  For the next war, Cao Xin attaches great importance to it. At this moment, the trapped array camp may not be mature enough, but even so, Cao Xin is still preparing for this battle.