Volume 1 Chapter 35: The Wealthy Cao Hong (Seeking Bookmarks)

  Thank you for the rewards from Fu Hongxue and Froce!

  Into the night.

  Fifty li north of XinYe is Cao's camp.

  Cao Hong's 4,000-strong army had finished setting up camp, and by now the moon was above their eyebrows. Most of Cao's soldiers were resting.

  The Chinese military headquarters was still brightly lit, with drums and music filling the air.

  In the center of the grand tent, a group of beautiful courtesans with light and thin clothes were dancing elegantly to the rhythm of drums and music, their clothes loose and open.

  Seated at the top, Cao Hong held his cheek with one hand and savored the fine wine, narrowing his eyes to appreciate the beautiful scenery in front of him.

  The generals under his command were also drinking and laughing loudly, their faces flushed as they pointed at the dancing camp followers.

  In the army, setting up camp prostitutes was a common practice. Cao Hong came from a wealthy family and had always been fond of luxury and pleasure. Now he arranged for camp prostitutes to perform striptease in his tent to entertain his generals.

  Just as the wine was getting stronger, the curtain was suddenly lifted and someone rushed in with the wind.

  The cold wind blowing in through the tent awakened the drowsy crowd, and they all looked towards the entrance at the same time. When they saw who had entered, they were immediately shocked and stared with their mouths agape.

  "Manbo Ning! You... you're still alive?" Cao Hong also jumped in fright, calling out in a trembling voice.

  The person who enters is exactly Manchong.

  He glanced at the group of naked camp prostitutes in the tent, his face iron-green with rage: "General Liefeng, on the eve of a great battle, you are watching naked women frolic in the camp - what kind of discipline is this!"

  Cao Hong's body shook and his face immediately showed a look of fear.

  When Man Chong was the magistrate of Xu County, he was known for his strict enforcement of the law. Initially, Cao Hong's relatives broke the law, and Man Chong had them all arrested. Cao Hong interceded on their behalf with Man Chong, but Man Chong refused to give him any face and insisted on handling the matter according to the law.

  Later, Cao Hong had no choice but to go and plead with Cao Cao. Man Chong found out about this and before Cao Cao arrived, he hastily executed all the lawbreakers ahead of schedule.

  From then on, Cao Hong did not say anything openly, but in his heart he was extremely wary of Man Chong.

  Now Man Chong suddenly appeared and openly rebuked Cao Hong in front of the generals. Cao Hong was afraid in his heart and hurriedly waved his hand to signal those camp followers to retreat.

  The disheveled camp followers retreated with a swish, and the various generals in the tent all looked somewhat displeased. Cao Hong didn't bother to pay much attention, and had all the generals withdraw together before smiling and inviting Man Chong to take a seat.

  "I heard that after the battle of Ru Nan, General Bao Ning went missing and his whereabouts were unknown. How did he suddenly appear here?" Cao Hong asked curiously.

  Man Chong then told Cao Hong in detail how he was captured, how he refused to submit, and how Yan Liang entrusted him with the task of seeking a peaceful settlement.

  "So it was actually Bao Ning who was captured by Yan Liang, I thought you had died in battle." Cao Hong's expression of fear and apprehension gradually faded away, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

  Man Chong didn't care about these things, and said seriously: "The troops brought by Yan Liang this time are only two thousand. Now Liu Biao has sent a large army to attack Xin Ye, Yan Liang is in a precarious situation, and he wants to make peace with the general. I think Yan Liang's army must be in a state of panic at present, which is a great opportunity given by heaven. Why doesn't the general mobilize all his troops and launch a surprise attack on the enemy camp at night? We can definitely win this battle."

  "How could this be? How did Bao Ning know that Liu Bei was attacking Yan Liang?" Cao Hong's face showed a suspicious expression.

  Man Chong then told him what Wen Ping had said in the camp.

  Cao Hong shook his head and said, "The Prime Minister had given me a secret order before he left, instructing me not to underestimate the enemy. How can I determine that Yan Liang's army is in disarray based on just a few words you overheard?"

  Cao Hong's one sentence made Man Chong speechless.

  He knew that Cao Hong was suspicious of him because he had been captured, so he did not dare to trust him lightly.

  Man Chong also wanted to use the opportunity to assist Cao Hong in defeating Yan Liang and make a name for himself, thereby washing away the shame of his previous capture and regaining the trust of the Cao family.

  However, at present, he has no conclusive evidence to support his judgment.

  After a moment of contemplation, Man Chong said: "General, isn't it that you want conclusive evidence? If I produce evidence that will convince you, will you adopt my plan?"

  Cao Hong had a feud with Man Chong, but not with Li Gong. If he could really defeat Yan Liang in one move, it would be a great revenge for his brother Cao Ren's shame and would also make Cao Hong famous, so why wouldn't he do it?

  Cao Hong paused for a moment before saying, "If it's really like that, I'll send troops."

  The corners of Man Chong's mouth curled up with a hint of a smile.

  The next day dawned.

  Ji Xian sent back intelligence early in the morning, and Yan Liang's army did indeed do as Man Chong had said, breaking camp and heading south, retreating twenty li to show their sincerity.

  In the afternoon, Cao Hong led his army to Yan Liang's abandoned camp and planned to set up camp there, pressing step by step.

  Not long after the order was passed down, Man Chong rode up on horseback and exclaimed excitedly: "General Zi Liang, the evidence is conclusive, it's time to send out the troops!"

  "Evidence? Where is it?" Cao Hong asked skeptically.

  Man Chong jumped off his horse and pointed to the small pits around him, saying: "The evidence the general wants is these military stoves left behind by Yan Liang."

  "Army Stove?"

  Cao Hong looked around and his expression became increasingly bewildered. He was stunned for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

  "We have just ordered someone to carefully count the military stoves, and the total number of stoves is only enough for over a thousand people to cook meals. This means that the situation in XinYe must be very urgent, forcing Yan Liang to secretly withdraw troops to support them. This also means that Yan Liang currently has no more than a thousand soldiers under his command. General, isn't this enough to make him determined?"

  A single remark from Man Chong thoroughly awakened Cao Hong.

  His military ability was not as good as his elder brother Cao Ren, but he also studied the art of war and had some ability. How could he not understand the importance of what Man Chong said?

  Yan Liang originally brought only two thousand soldiers and horses. Now that he has lost another thousand, it seems that Man Chong's conjecture was entirely correct.

  A heaven-sent opportunity is the time to use troops.

  Cao Hong's expression suddenly became resolute, and he shouted loudly: "Pass on the order to prepare for battle. Tonight, the whole army will feast, and we'll launch a surprise attack on the enemy camp under cover of night. I myself will behead Yan Liang and bring his head back as an offering to my brother's spirit!"

  The night is like ink pouring down.

  Five hundred cavalrymen stood solemnly on the west bank of the Xiao River, with only the sounds of wind and water in their ears, the fields were so quiet that it was frightening.

  Yan Liang halted his horse and drew his sword, gazing intently at the brightly lit enemy camp on the opposite bank.

  The moon hides and appears, time passes minute by minute, second by second, but the night remains as silent as death.

  The cavalrymen behind him gradually began to get restless, and their iron-like will was quietly worn away with the passage of time.

  Only the iron tower-like body in front of him remained still, as steady as a great mountain.

  Yan Liang's calmness gradually calmed down the restless emotions of the knights.

  "Since following General Yan, no matter how powerful the enemy is, we have always been invincible. This time will be the same, right?"

  The knights comforted themselves in their hearts like this.

  The wind has risen and the cold air is getting heavier.

  Yan Liang's eyes, sharp as a knife, suddenly moved.

  The big camp on the other shore finally showed some unusual movement.

  A faint shout of killing rose, under the illumination of flames, it seemed that there were several shooting stars shot out from the camp, which was the glow of arrows.

  Immediately afterwards, the sound of war drums and the sound of horse hooves suddenly rose, countless black shadows emerged from the night and attacked the main camp.

  That was the most violent attack launched by the 4,000-strong Cao army against Wen Pin's 1,000-strong infantry.

  "Cao Hong, you've fallen into our trap again." A cold smile appeared at the corner of Yan Liang's mouth.

  Whether Wen Ping revealed intelligence or so-called reduction of troops, it was actually Yan Liang's plan to lure the enemy.

  The goal is only one, that is, to make Cao Hong mistakenly believe that the situation in Xinye is critical, and Yan Liang's army has already been disordered, so as to lure him to lead all his troops to come and attack the camp.

  The weak can defeat the strong, only by using surprise tactics to gain victory, how could Yan Liang have forgotten this point?

  Seeing Cao Hong had fallen into their trap, Yan Liang did not hesitate at all and immediately ordered the entire army to march northward along the banks of the River Si.

  The river flows from north to south, and the terrain on its eastern bank is relatively flat, so both armies set up their camps on the east bank of the river.

  Yan Liang deliberately waded across the river to avoid Cao's scouts, and approached Cao's army from the west bank. He marched swiftly along the way, but did not encounter a single Cao scout.

  As dawn broke, the shadow of Cao's great banner finally appeared on the opposite bank of the river.

  Yan Liang ordered his troops to march stealthily and take advantage of the darkness before dawn to sneak behind Cao's camp, then cross the river.

  At dawn, Yan Liang and his men marched swiftly for over a watch, and finally appeared silently behind Cao's army.

  In sight, Cao's army was quiet and had no defense at all.

  At this moment, almost all of Cao's army was attacking the large camp of Yan Liang in the south, and only about 500-600 Cao troops were left to guard the camp.

  Yan Liang took a deep breath, leaped out with his sword held horizontally, and shouted loudly: "Brave warriors of the Yan family army, now is the time to achieve great merit! Follow me and we will slaughter all of Cao's troops!"

  "Kill Cao's rebels!" "Kill Cao's rebels!"

  Five hundred knights, hot-blooded and boiling, simultaneously let out their loudest roar.

  The long sword slashed forward with a flourish, and five hundred iron cavalry thundered out.