In truth, Cao Ren did not even need to give the order.
The Tiger and Leopard elite cavalry were still able to remain calm, waiting for their commander's command.
But among the other cavalry units, faint murmurs and unrest had already begun.
They had all seen it clearly.
The cavalry clash had lasted only a few breaths, yet that short moment was enough for every rider to understand.
Both sides wielded long lances.
The iron cavalry did not dodge or evade. They took the blows head-on and were completely unharmed.
But they themselves did not wear such iron armor. Being struck by iron lances meant injury or death. The difference was absolute.
And the bloody scene left behind by the iron cavalry was already enough to make anyone fall silent.
But for Guan Yu, this counterattack had only just begun.
After bursting out of the dust haze created by the modified smoke pellets, he immediately led his cavalry to turn and charge back in.
When turning, the dust still obscured visibility, and the results of the iron cavalry's charge could not be clearly seen.
But Guan Yu had no doubt that the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could cause the iron cavalry no real trouble.
Elite riders had been selected from Jing and Yi Provinces and Hanzhong.
They were equipped with iron armor jointly forged by Gong'an and Hanzhong.
They were mounted on fine warhorses supplied from Yong and Liang.
More than two years of Jing Province's surplus wealth had been poured into this force.
Only then was it possible to field just over a thousand riders.
Guan Yu still remembered Xu Shu once joking that every iron cavalryman was a heavy weapon of Han.
Guan Yu fully agreed.
Even setting aside the effort behind each rider, just the cost of the armor and warhorse alone made each one priceless.
Man and horse fully clad in iron.
They could not fight for long.
But for this period of time, on this battlefield, they could be called invincible.
Reality matched Guan Yu's expectations.
The first sight after bursting from the haze was over a thousand iron riders brutally hunting down more than ten thousand enemy cavalry.
There were no fancy tactics.
No need for perfect coordination.
They simply slammed into wherever men and horses were thickest.
Like a blade slicing mud.
Like a hot knife cutting snow.
The mixed cavalry scattered in panic, scrambling to avoid the iron riders, only to be trampled beneath iron hooves.
As for the Tiger and Leopard elite cavalry, they had already been ordered by Cao Ren to push forward ahead to "open a path."
Guan Yu rode hard, repeatedly turning his cavalry, striking the Cao cavalry's flank from the west, squeezing them toward the Yu River.
Then the iron cavalry would charge again and smash them in a single blow.
Like a skilled shepherd herding sheep.
For the first time, Guan Yu felt the battlefield could be this effortless and smooth.
He even had time to recall Xu Shu's earlier worry.
Xu Shu had said the iron cavalry might not last a full quarter hour. If they failed to break the enemy within that time, they risked counterattack.
But from Guan Yu's experience now, not even a quarter hour was needed.
Half that time was enough to crush the enemy's will.
At this moment, the iron cavalry slowed their charge to conserve strength, just in case.
But on the battlefield they had ravaged, Cao army morale had already shattered completely.
Even though their numbers still far exceeded Guan Yu's, when faced with pursuit, every man chose to turn his back and flee.
Each only hoped to run faster than his comrades.
A rare smile appeared on Guan Yu's face.
"This battle is enough to establish our might and secure Jing Province."
Whether a thousand iron cavalry could defeat a hundred thousand Cao troops was hard to say.
But at the very least, they had erased the massive gap in numbers.
For Guan Yu, that was enough.
Next would be how he used this supreme sharp blade to carve through the Cao army.
Then, in a voice only he could hear, Guan Yu murmured thoughtfully:
"I wonder if this battle… can shake Ye City?"
News of the iron heavy cavalry's first great victory quickly spread back to Bowang.
In the eighth month, forty-three-year-old Xu Shu stood atop Bowang's city walls.
Looking down at the numerous Cao troops, he regarded them as nothing more than clay chickens and tile dogs.
Gazing east from Jing Province toward Runan and Yingchuan, his spirit soared.
The suffocating gloom of being trapped in Xuchang was gone.
In the ninth month, thirty-two-year-old Liu Xie looked back at the walls of Xuchang one last time.
Without a word, he boarded the imperial carriage that had long been waiting.
Fifteen years earlier, he had issued an edict here to hang Li Jue's head to strengthen the court's authority.
At that time, he had believed the Han's Duke of Zhou had finally appeared, and he had been filled with joy.
Fifteen years later, he followed what he once considered Duke Zhou, Chancellor Cao's "advice," and rode north to avoid the Jing Province rebels.
Since ascending the throne, twenty-four years had passed.
The Son of Heaven had passed through the hands of Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and others.
Sorrow and bitterness had long been pressed deep into his heart, no longer shown on his face.
But after lowering the curtain of the imperial carriage, Liu Xie stared at the faded, slightly whitened fabric, patched in two places.
His shoulders still sagged slightly, and he silently sighed.
"Did Your Majesty dream of Hongnong again last night?"
A gentle yet firm voice sounded inside the carriage.
At the same time, a pair of soft hands rested on Liu Xie's neck, gently pressing to ease his tension.
From returning east from Chang'an, to the great battle at Hongnong, to wandering and finally resting in disgrace in Hedong.
Lost women of the court, lost classics, countless loyal men dead.
Wolves and jackals smiled in triumph.
This was a period of time Liu Xie could never forget.
The calluses on those gentle hands scraped lightly against his skin.
It was not truly comfortable.
But it calmed his heart.
He said softly:
"No. I only saw Xuxian's north gate and remembered how I once believed this gate could become Han's northern palace gate."
The person sat down before him.
A beautiful and plain face.
Touched by wind and frost.
Less softness, more firmness.
It was Empress Fu Shou.
"I have always known that Your Majesty carries the ambition of Emperor Wu," she said softly and seriously.
Emperor Wu had been fierce and bold.
He once hung the head of the King of Nanyue at the northern gate.
He sent envoys to the Chanyu, declaring that if they wished to fight, the Son of Heaven would await them at the frontier.
If not, they should come south and submit to Han.
This was known to all.
After the chaos at Hongnong, when news of Li Jue's death arrived, the wild joy on His Majesty's face was something Fu Shou still remembered clearly.
Hanging rebel heads at the northern gate.
Reviving Han's authority.
This had once been Liu Xie's brief dream.
But only two years later, the affair of the imperial girdle edict was exposed.
Loyal men were slaughtered again.
That dream collapsed instantly.
Now, setting out once more.
How similar it was to leaving Chang'an back then.
Fu Shou continued gently kneading Liu Xie's shoulders, her expression calm.
The carriage fell silent.
So the sounds outside became very clear.
"…How is Liu Bei not a traitor? Using Your Majesty's name to secretly win the people's hearts while not repaying Your Majesty's grace. Now he has taken Chang'an and sealed Tong Pass, enjoying himself without thought of serving the state. He looks loyal, but in truth he is false."
That sentence caused a brief silence outside.
No one replied.
Only the creaking of the carriage wheels could be heard.
Liu Xie tried to rise, but Fu Shou firmly pressed him back down.
Then a young voice outside, as if dragged out through clenched teeth in anger:
"Ridiculous. Those who save Han people are called traitors, while those who slaughter Han people are called loyal?"
Immediately came a warning:
"Watch your words. Watch your words."
The young voice seemed to regret it at once.
"I drank one bowl too many and spoke nonsense. Forgive me."
The outside fell silent again.
Fu Shou said nothing.
But between the creaking wheels, she clearly heard His Majesty whisper:
"Without Imperial Uncle, there would be no Han. How can he be called a traitor?"