Chapter 12: The First General of the Cao Family

  Gong Du this kid, nominally respects Yuan Shao as the master, but in fact only wants to borrow Yuan Shao's name, and openly and honorably make a profit for himself.

  What's the point of keeping this stumbling block that hinders one's great cause!

  Yan Liang's murderous intention had already been formed, and he was ready to draw his sword and kill him on the spot.

  At this time, Xu You on the side secretly shook his head towards him, hinting that he should not take action.

  Yan Liang knew he was wise and had many plans. Since he indicated that he wouldn't kill Gong Du, then he must have his own reasons.

  A fierce killing intent flashed in his heart, Yan Liang's cold expression suddenly retracted, and he burst out laughing: "I thought General Gong also wanted to personally lead the troops, better serve Lord Yuan. I'll let your unit not be incorporated, but this way, it seems a bit unfair to General Liu..."

  Before his words had fallen, Liu Bei hastily said: "I have decided to surrender to the General. The General can reorganize my troops as he sees fit; I will not utter a single word of complaint."

  Liu Bi showed great cooperation and enthusiasm, Yan Liang nodded secretly, thinking that this person was usable.

  At the moment, Yan Liang followed Xu You's intention and reorganized Liu Pi's 4,000 troops who could fight against the Yellow Turbans. As for Gong Du's more than 3,000 soldiers and horses, although they were nominally under Yan Liang's command, in reality they still belonged to their original leader.

  "Mr. Zi Yuan, just now I wanted to kill that disobedient guy Gong Dou, why did you stop me?"

  Yan Liang sent away the two men and turned his gaze towards Xu You.

  Xu You stroked his beard and smiled, "This Gong fellow is disobedient, naturally he should be killed. However, General, if you want to kill him, there are a thousand ways to do it, why must you personally take action and chill the hearts of these Yellow Turbans?"

  Xu You smiled mysteriously.

  Yan Liang saw through his mind, he wanted to show off his skills in front of himself, as the saying goes "show one's hand".

  He slightly raised the corners of his mouth, "It seems that Mr. Zi Yuan has another wonderful plan, Yan Mou is willing to listen carefully."

  "I'm not that divine, just give me a moment to think of a plan, General, please be patient and let me ponder this carefully." Xu You shrugged his shoulders.

  All right, I'll give you time, let me see what ability Xun Yu has.

  Ten days later, north of Ancheng.

  Dust filled the air, a team of infantry and cavalry slowly moved towards Ancheng.

  This infantry and cavalry force was about 10,000 men strong, with 2,000 cavalrymen and 8,000 infantrymen.

  At the very front of the troops, more than 2,000 infantrymen escorted over a hundred carts and wagons, followed by an interval of two or three miles before the main force of 8,000 mixed infantry and cavalry.

  In the midst of the army, a large flag with the character "Cao" fluttered in the wind. In front of the flag stood a middle-aged general wearing black armor and having a national character face, his eyes deeply gazing into the distance.

  That middle-aged general was Cao Ren, a great general of the Cao army.

  Another general who accompanied him was Man Chong, the newly appointed Governor of Ru'nan.

  News of the rebellion by the Yellow Turbans in Runan had already reached the front lines at Guandu. At first, Cao Cao did not pay much attention to this small disturbance by the Yellow Turban rebels, but when he heard that Yuan Shao had sent Yan Liang with a cavalry force to Runan to command the Yellow Turbans there, he realized the gravity of the situation.

  White Horse One War, Yan Liang had already left a deep impression on Cao Cao. After arriving in Runan, Yan Liang would inevitably pose a considerable threat to Xuchang.

  Cao Cao did not dare to underestimate him, and immediately ordered his relatives and generals Cao Ren to lead 2,000 elite cavalrymen from Guandu's main battlefield to retreat southward, join forces with Li Tong and Man Chong who were stationed in Runan, and go to deal with Yan Liang.

  Cao Ren was the first great general of the Cao clan, and he led elite cavalry. Cao Cao's emphasis on Yan Liang can be seen from this.

  Behind the main force, two riders came galloping up, and it was none other than General Li Tong.

  "General Cao, the army is advancing, and the grain and supplies are being transported ahead of time. If we encounter an enemy ambush, won't our grain and supplies all fall into their hands?" Li Tong panted, his face full of worry.

  "This is none of your business, I will take care of it myself." Cao Ren was calm and composed, without a hint of vigilance.

  Li Tong's eyes grew increasingly worried, and he couldn't help but advise again: "General Cao, the Prime Minister has given us instructions before, that Yan Liang is not to be underestimated. General, with this deployment, isn't it a bit..."

  The two words "dai yi" (meaning "in general"), Li Tong didn't dare say out loud.

  Cao Ren smiled faintly: "You want to say that I'm being careless, right? That's correct, I am indeed being careless."

  Li Tong's face showed confusion.

  "General Li, the baggage train is going ahead, this is General Cao's plan to lure the enemy, haven't you figured it out yet?" said Man Chong with a smile beside him.

  Li Tong was stunned for a moment, and suddenly he had an epiphany.

  You Nan's gang of rebels, mostly consisting of the Yellow Turbans, were notorious for their poor military discipline, which was widely acknowledged by the public. What were they best at? Plundering and looting, that's what.

  "Yan Liang had just arrived in Runan and it was impossible to subdue these Yellow Turbans in a short time. When the time comes, those tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans will see the baggage carts and throw Yan Liang's military orders behind their heads, swarming forward to plunder... Hehe..."

  A hint of cold smile appeared at the corner of Man Chong's mouth.

  Li Tong finally understood, and a look of admiration appeared on his face. He bowed to Cao Ren and said: "This general is foolish and really didn't expect General Cao to have laid out such a wonderful plan."

  Cao Ren let out a cold snort, his eyes gazing in the direction of An City. His voice was icy: "This time I will make it up to Chancellor Cao for the loss at White Horse, and let Yan Liang die without a place to be buried!"

  The northern gate of Ancheng, more than 10,000 soldiers and horses came out of the city one after another, advancing along the main road towards Cao's army.

  Xu You's scouts had brought back intelligence about Cao Ren's southern campaign several days prior, allowing Yan Liang to make preparations in advance.

  Yan Liang was well aware of the strength of this number one general of the Cao family.

  Cao Ren's life, except for his last battle in his later years, where he was defeated at the Battle of Ruxu, had almost never known defeat.

  In the past history, Liu Bei was ordered by Yuan Shao to come to Runan to command the Yellow Turban army, and he was also defeated by Cao Ren.

  Such a nearly flawless military record made Yan Liang dare not underestimate him.

  Yan Liang did not intend to fight Cao's army head-on, he originally wanted to expand his forces by tens of thousands and avoid the enemy's sharp edge, directly heading from Runan to Jingzhou, emulating Zhang Lu, forming a temporary alliance with Liu Biao, stabilizing his position in Jingzhou, and then seizing Liu Biao's foundation.

  However, Yan Liang thought that if he went to Jingzhou like this, Liu Biao would still think that he was afraid of Cao's army and escaped to Jingzhou to seek his protection, and would look down on him.

  Yan Liang decided to fight a beautiful battle before leaving, using a victory to show his strength and make Liu Biao dare not underestimate him.

  A lone scout came galloping from the north, interrupting Yan Liang's train of thought.

  "Report to General, Cao's army has been spotted fifteen miles ahead."

  Yan Liang's nerves tensed up instantly, "How many enemy troops have arrived and how are they deployed?"

  Cao Jun had about 10,000 infantry and cavalry, with 2,000 men escorting the baggage train marching in front, and 8,000 infantry and cavalry following closely behind.

  "Report again and investigate further." Yan Liang waved his hand and dismissed the scout.

  Is the supply wagon ahead? Doesn't he worry that I'll take advantage of the opportunity to seize his grain and fodder?

  Cao Ren is well-versed in military strategy, how could he make such a mistake?

  A series of questions quickly emerged in Yan Liang's mind.

  Xu You, who was standing beside him, narrowed his eyes and sneered coldly.

  "Zi Yuan, sir, Cao Ren's military expedition this time is somewhat unusual. What do you think?" Yan Liang asked.

  Xu You stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light: "General, didn't you ask me earlier if I had any clever plans to deal with that GONG fellow? As it happens, I have a plan that can kill two birds with one stone."

  "Killing two birds with one stone?"

  Yan Liang's spirit was shaken, and when he looked at Xu You again, he had already planned the strategy, with a very pleased expression.

  "This old sly one, indeed has a ghostly idea in his heart, looking at his complacent appearance, I'm afraid he's just waiting for me to open my mouth and ask him for advice..."

  Yan Liang saw through Xu You's intentions and did not rush to ask for his advice.

  Killing two birds with one stone, killing two birds with one stone...

  Yan Liang kept repeating the four words in his mind, casting a slanted glance at Xu You's mysterious expression, pondering what kind of evil plan he was concocting.

  At this time, Gong Du came galloping over and excitedly shouted: "General Yan, I heard the scouts have discovered Cao's baggage train. What are we waiting for? General, hurry up and give the order to let us go seize it!"

  Gong shouted loudly, and Yan Liang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he suddenly understood what Xu You's plan of "one stone, two birds" meant.

  Cao Ren was well-versed in the art of war, how could he make such a mistake as to expose his baggage train at the front of the formation? This was clearly intentional, and his goal was to lure our army into attacking.

  By then, the formation was in disarray, and Cao Ren took advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack, winning a great victory.

  Xu You's plan to kill two birds with one stone was to let Gong Du attack and seize Cao Jun's bait, taking advantage of Cao Ren's hands to get rid of this disobedient Yellow Turban bandit general, which is the first bird.

  When Cao Ren and Gong Du were fighting, he could lead the main force of light cavalry to bypass and attack the enemy from the side, and defeat Cao Ren's army in one fell swoop. This is the second bird.

  "You're a sly one, Xu You! Indeed, you have a belly full of evil water, your schemes are sinister and treacherous. Unfortunately for you, thinking I'd take the initiative to ask for your help? Not that easy!"

  Yan Liang saw through Xu You's plan, his mouth slightly slanted, but he pretended to be excited and said: "General Gong's words are reasonable. I will order you to lead your troops immediately to attack and plunder Cao Jun's luggage and grain."

  "I will obey orders."

  Gong was overjoyed and excitedly patted the horse to leave, thinking that he had finally gotten a good deal. He thought that the more than 100 carts of grain and fodder would all be his own, not giving a single grain of rice to anyone else.

  Watching Gong's excited back view, Yan Liang was coldly smiling instead.