Chapter 35: Battle at Luoyang
Page (1/3)
The various armies of the Allied Forces had only just entered Hulao Pass when news arrived from Sishui Pass: Sun Jian’s army had also broken through, and he was now leading forty thousand troops in a mighty advance toward Luoyang.
The news threw all the warlords into a panic.
“Why should Sun Wentai be allowed to claim the first victory?” someone shouted.
The others immediately echoed his words. They summoned their officers and soldiers, made preparations, and prepared to march on Luoyang.
Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Zan had armies whose training and logistical support far surpassed those of the other warlords. Their forces therefore set out first, leaving the armies of the others behind.
To everyone, the fall of Hulao Pass and Sishui Pass meant that the time had come to seize the fruits of victory. No one intended to show anyone else courtesy, and no one was willing to wait. After all, each man wanted to be the first to enter Luoyang and claim the greatest rewards and the greatest merit.
As the four leading warlords raced toward Luoyang, scouts arrived with word that the city was in chaos. Under Hua Xiong’s protection, Dong Zhuo’s forces had hurriedly departed Luoyang.
The warlords were greatly excited. Luoyang now seemed to them like a beautiful woman lying upon a bed, with only the question of who would arrive first and take possession of her.
The armies led by Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Zan—more than a hundred thousand men in all—advanced almost side by side, and none could shake off the others.
Cao Cao glanced at Yuan Shao’s and Gongsun Zan’s armies in the distance and said to Cao Ren, “Remember this: once we enter the city, do not concern yourself with the treasury, Dong Zhuo, or anything else. Make straight for the imperial palace and rescue the emperor!”
Cao Ren cupped his fists. “This officer will obey!”
Two days later, an unbroken range of mountains appeared before Cao Cao.
Cao Cao looked ahead and said, “We have reached Mang Mountain! Once we cross it, Luoyang will be just beyond.”
Mang Mountain lay east of Luoyang, which stood at the mountain’s western foot.
At that moment, a lone rider came galloping from the front toward Cao Cao.
Recognizing him as one of his scouts, Cao Cao immediately reined in his horse. Cao Ren halted as well.
The scout raced up to Cao Cao and abruptly pulled his horse to a stop. He reported urgently, “Disaster, my lord! Sun Jian was ambushed beneath the walls of Luoyang and suffered devastating losses. His army has been routed!”
Cao Cao was startled. Several thoughts flashed through his mind, and he hurriedly gave an order. “Quickly, pass the word down. The army is to halt its advance!”
Cao Ren immediately dispatched messengers, then turned to Cao Cao in confusion. “My lord, why are we stopping?”
Cao Cao said angrily, “We became too complacent. We have fallen into Luo Ang’s scheme to lure us deep into an ambush! Send men to inform Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. Tell them to stop!”
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
Cao Ren acknowledged the order and immediately sent officers to deliver the message.
Cao Cao waited in place for quite some time, yet Yuan Shao’s and Gongsun Zan’s armies showed no sign of stopping.
Just then, the officers sent to deliver the warning came galloping back and reported, “My lord, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan have ignored your warning!”
Cao Cao frowned. “They must still think I am afraid they will seize the first victory, and that I am deliberately trying to deceive them.”
“My lord, they have already gone too far!” Cao Ren pointed into the distance.
Cao Cao looked up and saw that Yuan Shao’s and Gongsun Zan’s armies had already crossed the low rise at the foot of Mang Mountain and vanished from sight. He furrowed his brows, unsure what to do.
At that moment, earth-shaking war drums and waves of battle cries rang out in the distance.
Cao Cao and the others all changed expression at the sound.
Cao Cao made his decision at once. “The entire army will advance! We are going to rescue Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan!”
With that, he led the entire army forward.
Before long, Cao Cao’s forces reached the top of the low rise.
There, Cao Cao saw with astonishment that a great battle had already erupted across the plain between them and the towering city of Luoyang.
Dong Zhuo’s Western Liang army, led by the two fierce generals Guo Si and Li Jue, was charging violently from the front. They had already broken through Yuan Shao’s and Gongsun Zan’s formations. Meanwhile, Hua Xiong, who should have been withdrawing, had appeared on the flank of Yuan Shao’s army with the Western Liang heavy cavalry. They plunged into Yuan Shao’s ranks and slaughtered them mercilessly.
“What a Luo Ang,” Cao Cao exclaimed. “What a move!”
As he spoke, he drew his sword, raised it high, and shouted, “Brothers, we cannot let the enemy have his way! Charge with me!”
The moment his voice fell, horns sounded.
Cao Cao led his cavalry toward Hua Xiong’s Western Liang troops.
The cavalry rode at the front, with the infantry behind them, and together they crashed into the Western Liang army.
The sudden strike from Cao Cao’s forces disrupted Hua Xiong’s assault formation. He promptly abandoned his attack on Yuan Shao’s army and turned to hold back Cao Cao’s troops.
The two sides became locked in a chaotic melee.
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
Once Yuan Shao had recovered his breath, he detached part of his forces and sent them to attack Hua Xiong from the side.
In an instant, Hua Xiong found himself trapped between enemies in front and behind.
The two armies battled fiercely across the open plain.
Dong Zhuo’s forces had originally intended to rout the Allied Forces in a single stroke, but Cao Cao’s sudden arrival had disrupted their plan and forced the battle into a stalemate.
For Dong Zhuo’s side, this situation was clearly highly unfavorable. Behind these three warlords stood the allied armies of many others. Once those reinforcements arrived, not only would the carefully devised strategy of luring the enemy deep into an ambush fail, but Dong Zhuo’s and Luo Ang’s forces around Luoyang might even suffer total annihilation.
Cao Cao understood this perfectly. Thus, when he saw that Hua Xiong’s Western Liang army could not be defeated in a single blow, he repeatedly issued orders for his troops to draw inward and adopt a defensive posture, leaving the enemy no opportunity to exploit.
Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan saw Cao Cao’s tactics from afar and quickly understood his intention. They followed suit, pulling in their forces and taking up defensive positions, facing the enemy in a drawn-out standoff.
Guo Si, Li Jue, and Hua Xiong launched one fierce assault after another, yet they could not shake their opponents’ lines in the slightest. Their anxiety mounted, and under its influence, their attacks became even less effective.
The battle was now developing exactly as Cao Cao had anticipated.
“My lord, the other warlords have arrived!” Cao Ren shouted excitedly when he saw troops appearing behind them beneath the glow of the setting sun.
Cao Cao turned and indeed saw roughly twenty thousand cavalry entering his field of vision. His face lit up with delight.
“Now is the crucial moment,” he told Cao Ren. “Order every unit to hold its line firmly! Once the reinforcements arrive, we will shift from defense to offense and destroy the enemy in a single stroke!”
Cao Ren excitedly cupped his fists and acknowledged the order, then immediately passed it down.
The morale of Cao Cao’s soldiers soared. They held their lines with renewed determination, and the Western Liang army’s attacks became increasingly disordered and ineffective.
Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan had evidently noticed the arrival of the reinforcements as well, and the morale of their forces rose sharply.
Gongsun Zan led his White Horse Retainers in a small counterattack, routing one of Li Jue’s cavalry units and sending it fleeing in all directions.
The twenty thousand cavalry that had appeared behind the Allied Forces came racing toward them at extraordinary speed. They seemed poised to launch an attack.
Cao Cao watched them approach, a puzzled expression crossing his face. He murmured, “Whose cavalry are these? How can they be moving with such ferocity?”
Page (3/3)