East of the Yu River and north of Duyang, the plains stretched one hundred and twenty li from east to west and two hundred and seventy li from north to south.
Just as Guan Yu had predicted, this dry, open plain became the battlefield both Cao and Liu forces wanted.
For Cao Ren, using one's strengths to strike the enemy's weaknesses was basic military doctrine. And both sides' strengths and weaknesses were obvious.
So what if Liu Bei had taken Guanzhong? Yong and Liang were bitter and cold. Chang'an was in decline. All of it required long-term rebuilding.
Chancellor Cao, however, held Ji, Yan, Xu, Qing, and other provinces. Eight out of ten people under Heaven lived in his lands.
With abundant troops, using numbers to overwhelm the few and strength to crush the weak, victory was the natural result.
Thus, after surrounding Duyang, Cao Ren's first move was to personally lead his army straight toward Bowang behind Duyang.
What he did not expect was to run straight into Guan Yunchang head-on.
From the moment they came into sight, to blades meeting, to full-on life-and-death slaughter, there was no polite exchange. It was as if the cautious probing of the past half year had all been an illusion.
Cavalry charged. Infantry formed ranks. Spears rose like a forest. Arrows fell like rain.
Xiahou Yuan rose slightly in his saddle, straining to observe the battlefield.
As a supervising commander, Xiahou Yuan knew the Cao army's composition inside and out.
Mixed infantry and cavalry, using numbers to press for a quick victory. Cao Ren had said it clearly. Kill Guan Yunchang and Jing Province would collapse on its own.
Though Jing Province and Hanzhong were linked through Fangling and Shangyong, the roads there were harsh and moving troops was difficult. The Cao commanders understood this better than anyone.
After all, when they themselves had controlled northern Jing, they had also considered attacking Hanzhong through Fangling and Shangyong.
From what Xiahou Yuan could see now, Guan Yu truly lived up to his reputation. His response was to commit his cavalry in full.
Using the mobility of cavalry to counter the slower advance of mixed infantry and cavalry.
Xiahou Yuan could also tell that these warhorses included mounts from You Province and Liang Province. Given Jing Province's geography, assembling such a cavalry force was no easy feat.
Still, he shook his head slightly.
People truly could not be measured by a single yardstick.
At Baima, Guan Yunchang had ridden straight into ten thousand men to kill Yan Liang, like an unmatched duel god.
In the Jing-Xiang campaign, he had relied on naval supremacy. They even said that fleet was still showing off on the Yangtze.
And now, this cavalry in front of him, while not terrifyingly fierce, moved with discipline and order. It was respectable.
But four thousand cavalry, at best, could only hold off Chancellor Cao's great army for a short time. Winning was pure fantasy.
Guan Yu's cavalry was not as elite as the Cao army's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Nor did he have infantry to support them. The most reliable method now would be—
"Cavalry, assemble. Bite the enemy's tail and strike."
"Infantry, form ranks. Advance on Bowang."
Cao Ren issued the orders coldly. The commands spread in all directions and were carried out without hesitation. Cavalry units from every formation surged forward, gathering beneath the central banner.
As a commander, Cao Ren knew his forces well. Once assembled, the cavalry numbered about twelve thousand, including nearly three thousand Tiger and Leopard elite riders, far superior to Guan Yu's cavalry.
These were Chancellor Cao's most precious assets. To ensure victory in this battle, crush the enemy's momentum, and intimidate and bind Jiangdong, they had been brought out.
Twelve thousand against four thousand, with three thousand true elites included. Only now did Cao Ren feel truly secure.
The battle unfolded exactly as he expected.
At the first clash, nearly a hundred of Guan Yu's cavalry were unhorsed and killed in a single exchange.
A rare smile appeared on Cao Ren's face. He immediately urged his cavalry to pursue, determined to kill Guan Yu here.
Before the campaign, Chancellor Cao had instructed him to capture Guan Yunchang alive.
But in Cao Ren's heart, he had already made his decision.
He would kill Guan Yunchang in Jing Province and avenge Cao Zilian.
The Chancellor's wishes were a private matter. Cao Ren's will was now made public through his orders.
"Pass my command. Whoever kills Guan Yu will be granted a marquisate of five thousand households."
This was not the first time Cao Ren had crossed blades with Guan Yu.
At Nan Commandery, he had lost to Zhou Gongjin, with Guan Yu supporting from the side.
At Fancheng, Guan Yunchang had slipped out of the city and struck north at Wan. Though he had resolved to take Wan at all costs, once the Han River flooded the north bank, the effort had ended without result.
Two battles, two defeats, yet neither could be considered a full, clean confrontation.
Now, watching Guan Yunchang flee ahead of him, Cao Ren felt a surge of pleasure rise from deep in his chest.
So what if you are a man who can face ten thousand? So what if your navy is unmatched?
Trying to survive by cavalry alone is the greatest joke under Heaven.
You won once by luck and think cavalry can be trained as fast as a navy?
For a moment, Cao Ren even regretted his earlier order. He should have captured Guan Yu alive, spoken words to stab at his heart, then killed him. Only then would his hatred be satisfied.
Guan Yu retreated north. Cao Ren personally led the cavalry in relentless pursuit.
Xiahou Yuan, trailing at the rear of the infantry, watched the chase stretch farther and farther ahead. Unease crept into his heart. Then he mocked himself.
No matter what, Cao Zixiao was a veteran general. Though the twelve thousand cavalry varied in quality, the three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were truly elite.
With such a force, who could stand against them?
Still, a faint sense of worry lingered.
Though he deliberately avoided thinking about the defeat in Guanzhong, he remembered it more clearly than anyone.
Chang'an had fallen in half a day. To this day, it remained a mystery. What he had vaguely seen when following Liu Bei into Chang'an, he still could not explain.
The Minister of Finance had guessed it might be some modification of the thunderbolt catapults. That was why, under Chancellor Cao's orders, the army besieging Duyang had rushed to build thunderbolt engines.
But the results were disappointing.
If Chang'an could fall in half a day, then these twelve thousand cavalry—
Xiahou Yuan's heart trembled.
Cao Ren had no time for such thoughts. In his mind were only Cao Zilian's death and his defeats at Guan Yu's hands. They lay just ahead, as if one more stretch of the arm would grasp them.
So Cao Ren reached out.
And grasped a handful of smoke.
It was clearly summer and the sun shone brightly. Yet ahead, a thin but lingering haze rose from the flat ground, like a hundred households cooking at once.
He watched Guan Yu charge straight into it. In just a few breaths, only the sound of hooves remained. The general in green robes was gone.
This was no ordinary sight. Alarm bells rang in Cao Ren's heart.
Without orders, the entire cavalry slowed to a halt. No one wanted to rush blindly into that strange haze.
Cao Ren narrowed his eyes, unsure what to do.
He tilted his head to listen.
Then he realized something was wrong.
The hooves inside the haze were not fading.
They were growing louder.
And sharper.
As if iron-shod hooves were striking the ground.
Before Cao Ren could understand, a single iron-clad rider burst out of the haze.
Iron mask. Iron armor. Iron barding on the horse.
Cold light reflected off the armor, and Cao Ren's heart sank halfway.
What kind of monster was this?
But it was not just one.
As the haze thinned, more iron cavalry emerged.
On the battlefield, quickly estimating numbers was a basic skill. With one glance, Cao Ren judged there were only a little over a thousand of these iron riders.
And they were charging straight at his ten thousand-plus cavalry.
Decisions on the battlefield were made in an instant.
Cao Ren roared and urged his cavalry forward.
He did not know how strong these iron riders were. But he knew one thing.
If cavalry did not run, they were no different from infantry.
The head-on collision came in moments.
The dust raised by over ten thousand riders completely dispersed the strange haze.
When Cao Ren turned his head, he saw a road paved with flesh and blood in just a few breaths.
Infantry and Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Organs and severed limbs. Warhorses and soldiers.
All torn apart and scattered together.
Flesh smashed into iron.
Iron hooves crushed bone.
Who won was obvious at a glance.
The iron cavalry, now stained red and no longer clean, carried an even colder killing aura. They calmly turned in formation to face the pierced Cao cavalry once more.
In Cao Ren's mind, only one thought remained.
Run.