Chapter 10: Mr. Li Brings Us a Long-Awaited Victory (Please Keep Reading!)

In Li Yi’s view, Cao Bao was still a person worth winning over, though his strength needed to be curbed first. After all, people only learn to cherish things when they are in dire straits. The reason Cao Bao had not valued his high position as the Chancellor of Xiapi was simply because he had too deep a foundation and enough capital to be arrogant. Now that Cao Bao had been heavily battered by Cao Cao and his confidence was shattered, Liu Bei throwing him an olive branch at this moment would surely yield miraculous results.

"My Lord, prepare yourself. General Zhang’s troops are about to arrive," Li Yi said, lowering his binoculars and reminding Liu Bei, who stood beside him.

Liu Bei was startled, asking with some confusion, "My scouts have not yet returned. How does the gentleman know that Yide is approaching?"

"Scouts? Oh... I just happened to see him on the road; he should be here momentarily."

As he spoke, a scout indeed came galloping up to report. "Reporting to my Lord, General Zhang’s forces have arrived. We await your orders to launch an attack on the Cao army."

Liu Bei and Sun Qian were both astonished. Could Li Yi truly possess the power of foresight? Seeing that even Liu Bei, who usually kept his emotions hidden, wore such a look of shock, Li Yi immediately explained, "My Lord, do not be suspicious. This is not my own ability, but rather the merit of this object."

He handed the binoculars to Liu Bei. Liu Bei took them with half-belief and mimicked Li Yi’s posture, holding them to his eyes. Instantly, the banners blocked the sun and the dust filled the sky; even the command banner marked with the character "Zhang" was clearly visible. Though Liu Bei was usually unflappable in the face of great events, the scene before him still made his mouth hang open.

"This object can reach out a thousand miles with the eye. This is truly an immortal object from an immortal being. You are truly a divine man, sir!"

Li Yi explained, "This was left behind by my master; it is not my own achievement." He was joking, of course—this was a pair of binoculars he had bought for over 20,000, and a high-end one at that. He had spent so lavishly only for viewing scenery while hiking, certainly not for peeping at the pretty widow next door.

"Since General Zhang has arrived with his troops, I request that you order the attack, join forces with General Zhao and General Guan, and strike the Cao army!" Li Yi urged.

Liu Bei quickly composed himself, his expression turning grave as he drew his sword. He turned to his soldiers and shouted, "Soldiers, listen to my command! The Cao army acts against Heaven and morality, slaughtering the living souls of Xuzhou. Today, we shall act on behalf of Heaven—follow me and charge!"

Liu Bei immediately led his army to strike at the rear of the Cao formation. At that moment, Cao Cao was leading his troops in a swift retreat; his mind was entirely focused on the situation in Yanzhou, and he had no defenses prepared for Xuzhou. He had marched for several miles before he was alerted by the sudden roar of drums and thunderous shouts from behind.

"What is the meaning of this commotion?" Cao Cao asked in a deep voice.

"Lord Cao! Lord Cao!" Cao Ren came stumbling over, his expression one of extreme panic. "This is a disaster! The Xuzhou army has returned!"

"What!?" Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was so shocked he nearly fell from his horse. "The men of Xuzhou were just defeated by me; how dare they return?" Despite his shock, he steadied his mind and asked calmly, "Could you see which forces they are?"

Cao Ren recalled the scene and replied, "It appears to be Liu Bei’s forces."

"Liu Bei?" Cao Cao was instantly incensed. "Liu Bei, a defeated general, how dare he ambush our rear!" He was truly furious. He had been attacking Xuzhou, and Tao Qian was already on the verge of collapse. Yet, Liu Bei, who had been perfectly fine staying in Qingzhou, had run over to help Tao Qian attack him. Now that he had spared Tao Qian, this man had the audacity to pursue him.

"Quick! Order the army to turn and engage!" Cao Cao ordered, commanding his troops to turn and fight to the death.

The battle was on the verge of eruption. As the fighting intensified, a force suddenly arrived. The Cao army recognized it as Guan Yu’s. Cao Cao immediately ordered Cao Ren to lead troops to block him. Shortly after, another force appeared—a group of fierce cavalry led by Zhao Yun and Tian Yu. Cao Cao ordered Li Dian and Yue Jin to intercept them. Before long, another force struck from the south: Zhang Fei and Cao Bao. This unit was filled with elite Danyang soldiers, with Zhang Fei, a man capable of fighting ten thousand, acting as the vanguard.

Anxious, Cao Cao ordered Yu Jin, the Commandant of the Trap-Breaking Infantry, to lead his troops against them. Yu Jin engaged but could not secure a victory. As they fought, shouts erupted from outside the lines; the forces of Zhao Yun, Tian Yu, and Guan Yu had all broken through the Cao army's defenses.

Leading their main forces, they charged in. The three prongs of the army arrived simultaneously, catching the unprepared Cao forces off guard, causing them to retreat in disarray. Despite the disparity in numbers between the Cao and Liu armies, the Liu forces were striking the Cao rear; without defenses, it was difficult for Cao Cao to mobilize his troops to resist. Regardless of the number of soldiers or their quality, the most important thing is to be prepared.

Back when Cao Cao was pursuing Dong Zhuo, he encountered Xu Rong on the road. Xu Rong’s forces were similar in size to Cao Cao’s, and although he was the one being pursued, he had prepared in advance. He launched a proactive attack, and by the time his army reached Cao Cao’s, Cao Cao was so ill-prepared that he hadn't even set up his battle lines, nearly leading to the total annihilation of his entire force. Cao Cao’s crushing defeat by Xu Rong was not just because his army was full of green recruits, but more importantly, because he failed to be prepared.

The same was true for today’s battle. Cao Cao had mistakenly believed that after repelling the Xuzhou pursuers, they would not dare to follow, so he abandoned his baggage, traveled light, and left no defenses. Liu Bei’s side, however, was well-fed, rested, and ready for battle. They possessed elite fighters like the Danyang soldiers, fierce cavalry, and commanders like the formidable Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Tian Yu. The Cao army, having failed to prepare, suffered a crushing defeat.

"Lord Cao, the enemy’s momentum is fierce. We should retreat for now and rethink our plans!" Amidst the chaotic fighting, Xi Zhicai found Cao Cao and advised him to withdraw immediately. Such is the nature of war—troops have no constant position, and water has no constant shape. Once the enemy has gained the advantage, it is difficult to win, even if you were the superior side.

Cao Cao, knowing that his troops were exhausted and had been caught off guard, realized there was no heart left to fight. He turned to his men and bellowed, "All soldiers, retreat at once!" He then instructed Cao Hong, "Zilian, turn back and fight to the death as the rearguard. Win me a path to survival!"

Cao Hong obeyed, leading his troops to desperately hold off the Liu forces while Cao Cao led the main body of his army in a lightning-fast retreat to the west. Banners obscured the sun, drums and horns blared in unison, iron hooves thundered, and spears and halberds gleamed. Elite soldiers and fierce generals fought with blood and might.

The two sides fought from noon until dusk. Before them lay ten thousand miles of glowing sunset; in their ears lingered the long-lasting wind. Billowing smoke pierced through the vast rays of light. The cool breeze hit their faces, but could not blow away the腥 sweet scent of blood. The Liu army had won a complete victory—this was the first major triumph for the Xuzhou troops since the disastrous defeat at Tan County.

"Ahhhhhhh...!" Every soldier found it hard to mask their joy, letting out a series of excited roars.