Chapter 45 Surrendering at the Sight of the Wind-The Ruthless Warlord of the Three Kingdoms: Cao Cao’s Trusted Son-in-Law(Whiter and whiter)

The closer they drew to Changzi County, the more perplexed the vanguard soldiers became.

A line of cavalry at the edge of the horizon stretched across the city gates like a black dragon.

It was an imposing sight, and undeniably inspiring.

With such formidable cavalry present, they should have no reason to fear Cao’s forces anymore, right?

For a moment, morale that had been on the verge of collapsing stabilized considerably.

What they could not understand was why such a fierce unit of cavalry should be positioned at the front or on the flanks to resist Cao's army.

Now, blocking the path right beneath the walls of Changzi, didn't they obstruct the passage for the troops to enter the city?

Even stranger was that as the distance closed, the opposing force showed no intention of stepping aside.

Two hundred paces, one hundred and fifty paces, one hundred paces, fifty paces.

Finally.

Someone noticed that the banners snapping wildly on the city walls did not bear the familiar character for "Zhang," but rather "Chen."

Finally.

Someone caught sight of the man mounted on a towering warhorse, brandishing a ferocious halberd—and dangling from it was none other than their own lord!

Elite iron cavalry...

Fluttering banners...

And their captured lord...

That man was... Chen Wudi...

Swish!

The Tiger and Leopard Elite Cavalry drew their bows in unison and shouted as one:

"Zhang Yang has been captured! Those who cast aside their armor and drop their weapons shall be spared! Enter the city in an orderly fashion!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the Shangdang soldiers sensibly discarded their weapons.

Those with armor stripped it off; those without peeled off their outermost red tunics, which marked their allegiance, and filed into the city in an orderly procession.

Not to mention that many of them had been conscripted by force—even those who enlisted voluntarily did so merely to secure a full meal, holding no true loyalty to Zhang Yang.

Having already fought an exhausting battle in both body and mind, and with Chen Wudi explicitly stating that "those who cast aside their armor and drop their weapons shall be spared," they naturally had nothing to deliberate over.

Besides.

In the minds of the rank-and-file soldiers, Chen Cong was the nominal Governor of Bingzhou. It was only right and proper for minor officers to obey the greater authority.

Since Zhang Yang refused to obey, wasn't he now hanging from a halberd?

Even if a few junior commanders felt some lingering loyalty to Zhang Yang, upon seeing their lord captured, they simply abandoned all resistance as well.

In the distance.

Lü Kuang was already startled by the shouts, and seeing the reality before him filled him with utter panic.

Zhang Yang was captured, Yan Liang’s fate was unknown, and the Shangdang army had surrendered at the mere sight of the enemy!

Lü Kuang wished to lead the Yuan army back toward Yecheng, yet he feared Chen Cong would dispatch troops in pursuit.

He intended to follow the crowd and surrender, but could not bear to let go of a heaven-sent military achievement. After all, with the commanding general defeated, if he—as a newly appointed deputy general—could lead the troops back and minimize losses, Yuan Shao would surely bestow a generous reward...

Lü Kuang wailed inwardly for a moment, stealing a glance at Chen Cong from the safety of the crowd.

Ultimately, he made his decision: abandon the infantry and flee eastward with the cavalry alone.

By doing so, although the merit would be significantly reduced, the advantage lay in having a smaller target and swift mobility.

Moreover, the only force Yuan Shao truly treasured was the cavalry.

A mere thousand infantrymen? Yuan Shao had grain, wealth, armor, and men—what shortage of infantry could he ever face?

Only elite cavalry required exorbitant expenses and long-term training before they could be formed into a unit...

Lü Kuang acted immediately, conferring briefly with several cavalry commanders before gathering the horsemen and fleeing south.

"General, look over there."

Chen Cong glanced southwards for a moment before withdrawing his gaze.

Cao Chun cupped his fists: "This subordinate requests two hundred iron cavalry to pursue."

"No need. If they want to run, let them run. Otherwise, Dahui will complain again that I assigned him the route with the least amount of merit."

Only then did Cao Chun remember that there was another army on the eastern front blocking the Yuan army’s retreat.

If those fewer than five hundred flying cavalry ran into Hua Xiong...

With the main general gone and the deputy general also gone, the several thousand remnants of the Yuan army instantly became headless flies.

They simply followed behind the Shangdang army, discarding their armor and weapons, and entered the city in an orderly fashion...

...

"Yuanrang, did you hear something?"

Xiahou Dun once again batted aside three or four miscellaneous enemy soldiers with a swing of his spear, reined in his horse, turned back to look at Cao Ren, and asked doubtfully, "Hear what?"

"Something about Zhang Yang being captured."

Xiahou Dun tilted his head to listen for a moment, and his heart leapt into his throat.

Zhang Yang has been captured!!!

Listening again, it was still Zhang Yang has been captured!!!

At this juncture, the only person capable of capturing Zhang Yang, aside from Chen Cong, was simply unthinkable!

Although Xiahou Dun found it hard to believe from the bottom of his heart that Chen Cong’s advance could be this terrifyingly swift,

he trusted his own ears even more.

If Chen Cong had already arrived, what glory would be left for him?

At present, the only decent merit remaining was the enemy general bringing up the rear of the Shangdang army.

His eldest brother had ordered to "beat the drums and advance slowly," but he never said one couldn't display fierce valor and cut down enemy generals...

Xiahou Dun opened his mouth, glanced at Cao Ren—who still wore a look of intense concentration, straining to listen—and swallowed back his words of explanation.

Without a moment's hesitation, he spurred his horse forward, thrust his spear into the ranks of the Shangdang army, and carved a bloody path through them.

He pursued Zhang Cheng amidst the chaos, pierced him through with a single spear thrust, severed his head to hang at his waist, and only then remounted his steed to return to his own vanguard.

Cao Ren thought nothing of it.

It was merely some obscure, unknown minor general after all. Once he, as the vanguard general, assaulted Changzi and captured Zhang Yang alive, the primary merit would undoubtedly be his. Why would he bother haggling over the trivial credit of killing a mere officer?

Until...

The army grew closer and closer to Changzi.

Robes, armor, swords, and spears littered the landscape everywhere, discarded in utter disarray. The enemy forces ahead had even formed a long, orderly queue.

Cao Ren finally heard that phrase clearly: "Zhang Yang has been captured! Those who cast aside their armor and drop their weapons shall be spared! Enter the city in an orderly fashion!"

Refusing to believe it, he spurred his horse forward to investigate for himself...

"Oh? If it isn't General Nightsoil? Long time no see, I've missed you terribly."

Having spent so much time in Jinyang, Chen Cong felt quite warmly disposed upon suddenly laying eyes on Cao Ren. Dangling Zhang Yang from his halberd, he greeted him enthusiastically: "Take a look, who is this?"

Chen Cong, Zhang Yang, Changzi, surrendered troops...

Cao Ren rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't hallucinating...

Nor was there any need to look for the enemy's great commander's banner; it had long since toppled, carelessly cast aside upon the ground, trampled underfoot countless times...

Cao Ren felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, his temples throbbing relentlessly.

He vaulted down from his horse, grabbed Chen Cong by the collar, and hissed in a low voice: "Chen Zining, you are losing your mind! Eldest brother ordered you to gradually annex the lands north of Huguan, yet advancing greedily is a grave taboo!"

Chen Cong was instantly displeased.

He had offered a warm face, only to be met with a cold backside?

He immediately yanked his arm back, let out a cold snort, and said, "As the Governor of Bingzhou, what is wrong with me dividing my troops into three routes to gradually annex Shangdang? What status do you, Cao Nightsoil, have to lecture me on military strategy?"

Cao Ren roared in a low voice: "Quit your bullshit! Don't take me for a fool—you only had fifteen hundred flying bears and three hundred flying cavalry in your hands, yet this group here easily numbers a thousand! Can those remaining eight hundred cavalry really be split into two separate grand armies?"

Splendid!

That punch-me facial expression was unmistakably the familiar Cao Ren!

Chen Cong casually threw a punch into Cao Ren's waist, making the other man bare his teeth in pain before continuing to bark: "Cao Nightsoil, even if I disobeyed orders, it's certainly not your turn to point fingers—"

Wait...

Chen Cong suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up with a terrifying brilliance as he looked at Cao Ren with schadenfreude: "With such a massive Shangdang up for grabs, you didn't end up empty-handed *again*, did you?"

"I..."

Cao Ren felt like crying without tears, mentally cursing Xiahou Dun eight hundred times over.

And they called themselves best friends!

That bastard must have heard everything clearly just now!

Otherwise, why wouldn't he launch his surprise attack earlier or later, but chose precisely to charge into enemy ranks and slay the enemy general right after Cao Ren called out to him...

Pitifully, he had shamelessly and persistently begged his eldest brother to let him serve as the vanguard general.

Did he end up with nothing left except exhausting, unrewarded toil?!

At that exact moment, Xiahou Dun rode up.

"Oh? If it isn't Dunzi?" Chen Cong pointed at Xiahou Dun's waist. "Decent harvest?"

Xiahou Dun vaulted down from his horse, cupped his fists, and replied, "Not a patch on Zining. I merely conquered Jishi to the north, seized a small town, and lopped off the head of a minor officer before the battle lines. A meager contribution hardly worth mentioning."

Cao Ren: "....."