Chapter Thirty-Six: The Warlords Defeated

As Cao Cao watched the twenty thousand cavalry charging swiftly toward them, a sudden doubt arose in his heart. In his estimation, none of the warlords—save for the four great lords at the forefront—possessed such a formidable force.

Just then, the glow of the setting sun illuminated the banners of the cavalry, and fluttering in the wind was a large character: "Luo."

Cao Cao’s eyes widened sharply. "Disaster!" he shouted. "Change formation! Defend the rear!"

Hardly had the words left his lips when the twenty thousand cavalry began their charge. Splitting into two wings and kicking up clouds of dust that blotted out the sky, they bore down upon the rear of both the Cao and Yuan Shao armies.

The Cao troops only had time to hastily form a defensive line, while Yuan Shao’s forces were caught completely off guard.

Led by Luo Ang, the first ten thousand cavalry smashed into Yuan Shao’s ranks, cutting down the bewildered soldiers in swaths. Yuan Shao, discovering the chaos at his rear, turned deathly pale. "What is happening?" he cried.

Before he could finish, his rear-guard, shattered by Luo Ang’s main force, began to flee toward the front, trampling and scattering the ranks ahead. Seeing the opportunity, Guo Si led his Xiliang army in a fierce frontal assault, crashing directly into the Yuan Shao lines. Already in disarray, the Yuan Shao forces could not withstand the onslaught; their formation was instantly shattered by the Xiliang iron cavalry.

The Xiliang army surged forward, slaughtering their opponents in a frenzy. Yuan Shao’s army suffered heavy casualties, and their front lines fell into total chaos.

Meanwhile, Xu Chu led the other ten thousand cavalry in a direct collision with the Cao army’s hastily assembled defense, tearing it apart. Hua Xiong, seizing the moment, led the Xiliang iron cavalry in a relentless follow-up attack. Gongsun Zan, seeing the peril of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, attempted to intervene but was pinned down by the charging Li Jue, leaving him unable to even protect himself.

By the time the sun had fully set, the armies of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had been completely routed. Seeing the dire situation, Gongsun Zan hastily led his troops in retreat. The Xiliang and Luo Ang’s forces, their killing intent soaring, pursued them relentlessly, leaving the coalition of the three warlords strewn with corpses and rivers of blood.

***

The other warlords were rushing toward Luoyang in a feverish hurry, terrified that they would arrive too late to claim any of the spoils. Among them, Yuan Shu was the most frustrated.

Yuan Shu, who held himself in high regard and harbored immense ambition, found it unbearable that his own troops were somehow leading the pack. Just then, his scout came galloping back.

Yuan Shu frowned, pulled on his reins, and asked irritably, "Who reached Luoyang first? It couldn't be Sun Jian, could it?"

The scout, looking panicked, shook his head and cupped his hands. "It—it is a disaster! The armies of Sun Jian, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Zan have been ambushed by the enemy. They have been routed and are fleeing, suffering catastrophic losses!"

Yuan Shu and his men were stunned, unable to believe that Cao Cao and the others could be defeated by Dong Zhuo’s forces. Yang Dajiang was the first to recover, asking urgently, "Are you saying all four warlord armies have been routed? How is that possible?"

"I dare not lie," the scout replied. "It is the truth!"

Yuan Shu regained his composure, a malicious smile of schadenfreude crossing his face. "Heaven has eyes indeed!" he muttered. "If I cannot have it, no one else shall!"

Remembering something, he asked, "Where is Dong Zhuo’s army now?"

"They are chasing down the remnants of the four armies!" the scout replied.

Yuan Shu’s expression changed instantly. He ordered, "Pass the word! Turn the vanguard into the rear guard! Retreat immediately!"

Yang Dajiang was shocked. "My Lord, you cannot! If you retreat, the others will surely follow, and all our efforts will have been in vain!"

"At a time like this, who cares about that?" Yuan Shu retorted. "Those four armies are finished; to stay is to wait for death!" He turned to Ji Ling. "Pass the order to retreat!"

"Yes!" Ji Ling acknowledged, galloping off.

Before long, Yuan Shu’s army shifted from an advancing formation to a retreat, turning tail and fleeing toward Hulao Pass, abandoning all their heavy supplies.

The other warlords soon received the dire news: the armies of Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, and Sun Jian had been ambushed and crushed beneath the walls of Luoyang, and were being hunted down by Dong Zhuo’s forces. Panic ensued. Upon hearing that Yuan Shu had already fled, they concluded that staying was a death sentence and turned their own armies around to escape.

***

The eighteen warlords cast aside their armor and weapons, abandoning even their heavy supplies as they clogged the main roads in their flight.

Cao Cao and the other three warlords retreated until they reached a small village thirty miles west of Hulao Pass, where they stopped to regroup. Sitting together, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Yuan Shao, and Gongsun Zan remained silent, the atmosphere heavy with gloom.

Yuan Shao exclaimed indignantly, "I never expected us to be defeated! Luo Ang is truly despicable and cunning! I will not rest until he is dead!"

Unlike the agitated Yuan Shao, Cao Cao spoke calmly. "War is a game of deception. It was merely a clever stratagem; there is nothing despicable about it. Zicheng is truly a renowned general of our age; we were simply too careless. I never imagined Dong Zhuo would place him in command of this battle!"

Just then, one of Yuan Shao’s officers rushed in. "My Lord, disaster! The other warlords have all fled!"

Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan, and Sun Jian were startled.

"Our defeat has terrified the rest of them into flight," Cao Cao remarked with a frown.

"A bunch of cowards!" Yuan Shao cursed.

Cao Ren strode into the tent and reported to Cao Cao, "My Lord, scouts have just returned. They say Luo Ang has ceased his pursuit and returned to Luoyang!"

Cao Cao’s eyes brightened. He turned to the other three. "Gentlemen, it is too early to call the outcome of this war! The enemy has won a great victory and surely believes we are scattered and broken, no longer a threat. They will not be on their guard! This is a heaven-sent opportunity to turn defeat into victory. If we raise our troops and pursue them now, we can catch Luo Ang by surprise! If we win, it will surely boost the morale of the others, bringing them back to complete our great cause. Expelling Dong Zhuo and restoring the Han will be within our reach!"

His eyes burned with intensity, his fighting spirit undiminished.

The others looked at one another in silence. Seeing this, Cao Cao declared angrily, "You may deliberate as you wish. I shall lead my troops first. I hope you will put our great cause above all else!"

With a salute, he turned and strode out of the tent, followed by Cao Ren.