Chapter 18: Cao Cao's Great Battle with Lü Bu

  Here is the translation:

  Now, speaking of which, he returned to Xuzhou and entered the city to see Tao Qian. He presented his letter and said that Cao's army had retreated. Tao Qian was overjoyed and sent someone to invite Kong Rong, Tian Kai, Guo Yu, and others to a grand meeting in the city. After the banquet, Tao Qian asked Guo Yu to take the upper seat and bowed his hands to the crowd, saying: "I am old and weak, but fortunately, I have received a letter from Han Xingwang advising me to surrender. Han Xingwang is a member of the imperial family with great virtue and talent, capable of leading Xuzhou. I am willing to retire and let Han Xingwang take over Xuzhou!" Guo Yu saw this and said: "Now, the king and General Li have ordered me to come and persuade you to surrender for the sake of righteousness. But if we take it without reason, the world will think that Han Xingwang is unrighteous." Kong Rong also said from the side: "Now, the Han dynasty is in decline, and the world is turned upside down. It is time to establish merit and build a foundation. Xuzhou is rich and populous, with over a million households. Han Xingwang should take it, and cannot refuse!" Guo Yu said: "Now, our king values righteousness above all! I dare not accept this order." Chen Deng also advised from the side: "Tao Qian is old and weak, unable to manage affairs, so please do not decline." Guo Yu said: "Why not give the state to Yuan Shu, who has four generations of three dukes and is revered throughout the land? He is nearby in Shouchun." Kong Rong said: "Yuan Shu's grave is dry bones, what is there to rely on? Today's matter, heaven does not grant it, and regret cannot be pursued." Guo Yu insisted on refusing. Tao Qian wept and said: "If you abandon me and leave, I will die with my eyes open!" Tao Qian repeatedly pushed and pulled, but Guo Yu would not accept. Originally, Li Yu had also thought that Tao Qian might give up Xuzhou, but although they could get Xuzhou, how could the great army pass through? Fighting on two fronts, they would have to let Liu Bei's army take the brunt of it. So Li Yu and Liu Bei, Guo Jia, Chen Gong, and others repeatedly discussed not taking Xuzhou, in order to gain the hearts of the people throughout the world! To spread the name of righteousness throughout the world! Which is more valuable than getting Xuzhou, gaining the hearts of the people throughout the world!

  But Cao's army retreated, and Cao Ren continued to say that Lü Bu's power was great, and there was also Cheng Yu as his assistant. Yan Province and Puyang had already been lost, and the three places of Juancheng, Dong'a, and Fan County relied on Xun Yu and Chen Qun's plan to defend the city. Cao saw this and said: "I think Lü Bu is brave but has no strategy, so there is no need to worry." He ordered his army to set up camp and rest, and then discuss further plans.

  Lü Bu knew that Cao's army had retreated and had already passed through Dang County. He summoned his deputy generals Xue Lan and Li Feng and said: "I have wanted to use you two for a long time. You can lead an army of 10,000 soldiers and firmly defend Yan Province. I will personally lead the army and go forward to defeat Cao." The two men agreed.

  Cheng Yu saw this and urgently entered to see Lü Bu, saying: "General, you are abandoning Yan Province, where do you want to go?" Lü Bu said: "I want to station troops in Puyang and form a tripod-shaped situation." Cheng Yu saw this and advised: "General, you are wrong. Xue Lan will definitely not be able to defend Yan Province... This place is 180 miles south of here, and the road to Mount Tai is treacherous. We can ambush elite soldiers of 10,000 people there. When Cao's army hears that they have lost Yan Province, they will certainly advance quickly, and when they pass halfway, we can capture them with one blow."

  Lü Bu did not take Cheng Yu's words seriously and said: "I am stationing troops in Puyang, I have a good plan, you don't know it!" He did not use Cheng Yu's words and instead used Xue Lan to defend Yan Province.

  Cao's army marched to the treacherous road of Mount Tai. Xun You said: "We should not advance for now, I'm afraid there are ambushes here." Cao laughed and said: "Lü Bu is a person without strategy, so he ordered Xue Lan to defend Yan Province and went to Puyang himself. How could there be ambushes here? Order Cao Ren to lead an army to surround Yan Province, and I will advance to attack Lü Bu quickly."

  Cheng Yu heard that Cao's army was approaching and presented a plan, saying: "Now Cao's army has come from afar and is tired, it is advantageous to fight quickly, we cannot let them recover their energy." Lü Bu still did not listen to Cheng Yu's plan and said: "I have been riding alone across the sky, why should I be afraid of Cao? Wait for him to set up camp, and I will capture him myself."

  But Cao's army was approaching Puyang, and they set up camp at the foot of the mountain. The next day, he led his troops out and deployed them in the field. Cao stood under the banner at the gate, gazing out at Lü Bu's approaching army. In the circular formation, Lü Bu rode out first, with many strong generals lined up on either side: Hao Meng, Cao Xing, Wei Xu, and Hou Cheng. Lü Bu's army was 50,000 strong, and the drumbeats shook the earth. Cao pointed at Lü Bu and said, "I have no past grievances with you, why did you seize my cities and counties?" Lü Bu burst out laughing and said, "The Han dynasty's cities are for everyone to share, how can you monopolize them?" He then ordered Hao Meng to ride out and challenge Cao's army. Yu Jin rode out to meet him. The two horses clashed, their spears raised high. They fought over 30 rounds, with neither side gaining the upper hand. Xiahou Dun galloped out to assist, but Lü Bu's formation was solid, and Hou Cheng and Cao Xing intercepted and killed him. Enraged, Lü Bu charged out of his formation, spear in hand, and chased after Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin. They fled, and Lü Bu pursued, cutting down Cao's army, which retreated 30-40 li. Lü Bu then withdrew his troops back to camp.

  Cao retreated for a while, returned to the camp and discussed with his generals. Yu Jin said: "I went up the mountain today to observe, west of Puyang, Lü Bu has a camp, with not many soldiers. Tonight he will think that our army is defeated and fled, and must not be prepared, we can lead the troops to attack him; if we get the camp, Lü Bu's army will surely be afraid: this is the best strategy." Cao followed his words, brought Cao Hong, Li Dian, Mao Jie, Lü Qian, Yu Jin, and Dian Wei, six generals, selected 20,000 cavalry and infantry, and set out at night from a small road.

  But Lü Bu was rewarding his troops in the camp. Cheng Yu said, "The west camp is a crucial place, if Cao Pi suddenly attacks it, what will we do?" Lü Bu didn't think much of it and said, "He lost one battle today, how dare he come!" Chen Gong advised, "Cao Pi is an expert at using troops, we must guard against him attacking us off guard." Lü Bu then ordered Wei Xu and Hou Cheng to lead troops to defend the west camp.

  But Cao's army arrived at the west camp at dusk, and suddenly entered from all sides. The soldiers in the camp could not resist, and they scattered and ran away. Cao took over the camp. When it was almost midnight, Wei Xu and Hou Cheng led their troops to arrive and kill them. Cao personally led his troops to welcome them, and met Wei Xu, Hou Cheng, and three armies fighting together. As the sky brightened, a loud drumming sound shook the earth, and someone reported that Lü Bu had led his rescue troops to arrive. Cao abandoned the camp and ran away. Behind him, Wei Xu and Hou Cheng chased after; in front of him, Lü Bu personally led his troops to arrive. Yan Xin and Yue Jin fought against Lü Bu but could not gain the upper hand. Cao had no choice but to head north. Suddenly, a group of soldiers emerged from behind the mountain: on the left was Cao Xing, and on the right was Hao Meng. Cao ordered Lv Kan and Cao Hong to fight them, but they were unsuccessful. Cao had no choice but to head west. Suddenly, another loud shout shook the earth, and a group of soldiers arrived: Cheng Yu personally led his troops to block their way. The soldiers fought to the death, and Cao took the lead in charging into battle. As soon as the drums sounded, arrows shot towards them like rain. Cao could not advance, and had no plan to escape, so he cried out loudly: "Who can save me?" In the cavalry team, a general jumped out, it was Dian Wei, holding two iron spears, shouting loudly: "My lord, do not worry!" He flew off his horse, inserted the two spears into the ground, took ten or more short spears in his hand, and said to the people around him: "When the enemy comes within ten steps, call me!" Then he opened up his footsteps and advanced under the hail of arrows. Lü Bu's army chased after with dozens of cavalrymen. The people around cried out loudly: "Ten steps away!" Dian Wei shouted again: "Call me when they are five steps away!" The people around cried out again: "Five steps away!" Dian Wei then flew forward, throwing his spears and killing one person per spear, without missing a single shot, instantly killing over ten people. Everyone ran away in panic. Dian Wei got back on his horse, holding two large iron spears, charging into the enemy group and killing them off. Cheng Yu's soldiers could not resist, and they all escaped. Dian Wei scattered the enemy army and rescued Cao. The other generals followed later and searched for a way to return to their camp. As the sky darkened in the evening, a loud shout rose up from behind, Lü Bu rushed forward on horseback, holding his spear and shouting: "You rebels cannot escape!" At this time, everyone was exhausted and dispirited, looking at each other's faces, each wanting to escape with their lives.

  At this time, all the fleeing souls emerged, and in the midst of their hasty retreat, a large army arrived from the south. It was Xiahou Dun leading his troops to provide reinforcements, cutting off Lü Bu's escape route and engaging him in a fierce battle. The fight continued until dusk, when heavy rain poured down, causing both sides to withdraw their armies and disperse. Cao returned to his camp, heavily rewarding Dian Wei and promoting him to the position of Leading Military Colonel.

  Lü Bu arrived at the camp and discussed with Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu suggested: "In the city of Puyang, there is a wealthy family named Tian, with thousands of servants, and it is a giant household in the county; we can order him to secretly send someone to the camp to write a letter saying 'Lü Bu, the Marquis of Wen, is cruel and inhumane, and the people are very resentful. Now he wants to move his troops to Linyang, but only Hou Cheng is left in the city. We can advance our troops at night, and I will respond from within.' If Cao Cao comes, we will lure him into the city, set fire to the four gates, and ambush outside. Even if Cao Cao has the talent of a great hero, how can he escape this?" Lü Bu followed his plan and secretly ordered Tian's messenger to go directly to Cao Cao's camp. Cao Cao was still hesitant after his recent defeat, when suddenly it was reported that Tian's messenger had arrived, presenting a secret letter. The letter read: "Lü Bu has already gone to Linyang, the city is empty. I hope you will come quickly, and I will respond from within. When you see the white flag with the word 'righteousness' on top of the city wall, it will be the signal." Cao Cao was overjoyed when he saw the letter and said: "Heaven has helped me to get Puyang!" He heavily rewarded the messenger and immediately gathered his troops. Xun Yu suggested: "Although Lü Bu is not clever, Cheng Yu has many plans. But I'm afraid there's a trick in it, we must be careful. When you go, you should divide your army into three teams: two teams will ambush outside the city to respond, and one team will enter the city, only then can we be safe." Cao Cao followed his advice and divided his army into three teams, arriving at the foot of Puyang City.

  Cao Cao first went to observe, saw the city's flags and banners erected everywhere, with a white flag with the character "Yi" on the west gate corner. He was secretly delighted in his heart. On that day at noon, the city gates opened, and two generals led their troops out to battle: Hou Cheng in the front and Hao Meng in the rear. Cao Cao immediately sent Yu Jin to ride out and directly attack Hou Cheng. Hou Cheng could not resist the enemy, turned his horse around, and fled towards the city gate. Yu Jin chased him to the drawbridge, but Hao Meng also could not stop him, and they both retreated into the city. Among them, there were soldiers who took advantage of the chaos to come see Cao Cao, saying they were messengers from the Tian family, presenting a secret letter. It roughly said: "Tonight at the first watch, when the drums sound on the city wall, you can advance your troops. I will surrender the gate." Cao Cao ordered Xiahou Dun to lead his troops to the left and Cao Hong to lead his troops to the right, while he himself led Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, Yue Jin, and Yu Jin, four generals, into the city with their troops. Li Dian said: "My lord, please stay outside the city, let us go in first." Cao Cao angrily shouted: "I won't go myself, who will dare to move forward!" He then led his troops directly into the city.

  It was around the first watch, and the moonlight had not yet risen. Only the sound of blowing conch shells could be heard from the west gate, and suddenly a shout arose. The fire torches on the gate were lit in disorder, and the city gate was wide open. Cao's troops rushed in, competing to be the first to enter. They went straight to the provincial government office, but there was no one on the road. Cao knew he had fallen into a trap and hastily turned his horse around, shouting "Retreat!" A loud cannon shot rang out from within the provincial government office, and fierce flames erupted from all four gates; drums and horns sounded together, and the shouts were like a raging sea. Hou Cheng emerged from the east alley, and Hao Yong emerged from the west alley, attacking Cao's troops from both sides. Cao fled towards the north gate, but Wei Yan and Cao Xing appeared on either side of the road, killing another wave of soldiers. Seeing that he could not escape, Cao hastily ran to the south gate, where Cheng Yu led his troops to block him. Dian Wei was furious, gritting his teeth as he charged out. Cheng Yu's soldiers were unable to withstand the attack and retreated out of the city. Dian Wei killed his way to the drawbridge, but when he turned around, Cao was nowhere to be seen. He turned back and re-entered the city, running into Li Dian at the gate. Dian Wei asked Li Dian, "Where is our lord?" Li Dian replied, "I have been searching for him in vain." Dian Wei said, "You go outside to urge on the rescue troops, I will enter to search for our lord." Li Dian left, and Dian Wei killed his way into the city, searching everywhere but unable to find Cao. He then killed his way out of the city moat, running into Yue Jin. Yue Jin also asked Dian Wei, "Where is our lord?" Dian Wei replied, "I have gone back and forth twice, searching in vain." Yue Jin saw this and said, "Let us kill our way in together to rescue our lord!" The two of them reached the gate, but the fire cannon on the city wall rolled down, blocking Yue Jin's horse. Dian Wei charged forward through the smoke and flames, killing his way into the city once more to search for Cao everywhere.

  But Cao saw that Dian Wei had killed his way out and was surrounded by enemy troops, unable to escape through the south gate. He turned towards the north gate, but in the firelight he suddenly collided with Lü Bu, who was charging forward on horseback with his halberd at the ready. Cao covered his face with his hand and whipped his horse into a gallop, rushing past Lü Bu. Lü Bu chased after him from behind, striking Cao's helmet with his halberd and asking, "Where is Cao?" Cao pointed backwards with one hand and said, "The man on the yellow horse up ahead is him." Lü Bu heard this and abandoned Cao, chasing after the other man instead. Cao turned his horse around and fled towards the east gate, where he ran into Dian Wei. Dian Wei protected Cao, killing a bloody path through the enemy troops until they reached the city gate, where the flames were intense. The defenders on the city walls were pushing down bundles of firewood, covering the entire area in flames. Dian Wei used his halberd to clear a path and charged forward, riding his horse through the smoke and flames to escape first. Cao followed close behind. Just as they reached the gate, a burning beam fell from above, striking the hindquarters of Cao's warhorse and causing it to collapse to the ground. Cao used his hands to push the beam away, but his arms and beard were burned in the process. Dian Wei turned his horse around to rescue him, just as Xiahou Yuan arrived on the scene. The two men together rescued Cao, charging through the flames to escape. Cao mounted Yuan's horse, while Dian Wei cleared a path and they fled. They fought their way out until dawn broke, when they finally returned to their camp.

  At this time, Cao's army of 100,000 men had already lost four or five tenths, and the morale of the entire army was low!

  The generals saw Cao Cao return safely, and they all bowed down to the ground to ask for his well-being. Cao Cao laughed loudly and said: "Today I was deceived by a trivial plan, but tomorrow I will surely take revenge!" Xun Yu asked Cao Cao: "My lord, can you quickly come up with a plan? Otherwise, it will be difficult to turn the tide of defeat." Cao Cao smiled and said: "Today we just turned the tables on them. We spread false rumors that I was injured by fire and have died. Lü Bu will surely lead his troops to attack our camp when he hears this news. I will ambush my troops in the mountains of Ma Ling, wait for their army to cross halfway, and then strike. Lü Bu can be captured!" Xun Yu heard this and said: "My lord is indeed a brilliant strategist!" So they ordered the soldiers to wear mourning clothes and pretend that Cao Cao had died in battle. Someone soon came to report to Lü Bu in Puyang, saying that Cao Cao had been burned by fire and had died in his camp. Lü Bu did not listen to Cheng Yu's advice, but instead led his troops to attack Ma Ling Mountain. When they approached Cao Cao's camp, a drum sounded, and the ambush was launched from all sides. Lü Bu fought hard to escape, losing many soldiers and horses; he retreated back to Puyang and firmly defended himself without coming out.

  It was the year of the locust plague, and all the grain was eaten. In the entire region east of the pass, every peck of grain cost 50,000 coins, and people were eating each other. Cao's army ran out of food, so he had to retreat back to Juancheng for a temporary stay. Lü Bu also led his troops out to garrison in Shanyang to search for food. As a result, both sides temporarily ceased hostilities.

  But Tao Qian was in Xuzhou, and at the age of 63, he suddenly fell ill. He summoned Chen Gui and his son Chen Deng to discuss matters. Chen Deng said: "The Cao army has left, only because Lü Bu raided Jiyuan, and next spring they will surely come again! At this time, the lord should have made early preparations!" Tao Qian also felt that it was reasonable, so he sent someone to Xiaopei to prepare the troops to defend against Cao: on the other hand, he invited the civil and military officials of Xuzhou to discuss who would take over after his death. The civil and military officials of Xuzhou learned that Tao Qian was seriously ill and did not dare to be slow, so they quickly came to Xuzhou to discuss matters. Tao Qian asked the civil and military officials to enter the inner chamber. After asking about their well-being, Tao Qian said: "I have invited you all here, not for other matters, but because my illness is critical, and I may not be able to survive; I hope that you will take care of my family's city and pool, and assist my son in succeeding me, so that I can die with my eyes closed!" Chen Deng saw this and said: "You have two sons, which one do you want to pass the throne to?" Tao Qian said: "My eldest son is Shang, and my second son is Ying. Neither of them is capable of taking on the responsibility. After I die, I hope that you will teach and guide them, so that my eldest son can take charge of state affairs and my second son can take charge of military affairs. Chen Deng and his father can assist him!" Chen Deng said: "How can one person bear the burden of assisting a young lord?" Tao Qian said: "I recommend someone who can be your assistant: he is from Beihai, named Sun, with the courtesy name Gongyu. This person can be entrusted to take charge." With that, Tao Qian pointed to his heart and died. The crowd mourned!