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By the banks of the Bian River, the allied forces of the eastern warlords and Dong Zhuo's army clashed fiercely, each fighting for every inch of ground.
"We must not retreat!" Cao Cao declared solemnly, meeting Bao Xin's questioning gaze. "At Suanzao, everyone acts on their own selfish motives. If we retreat now, morale will collapse, and discipline will shatter! I had hoped that by upholding justice against tyranny, we would strike swiftly and achieve victory in one decisive blow. Yet the other lords hesitate and refuse to advance, even slandering one another in the face of a powerful enemy—utterly disappointing the people of the realm! If we retreat after only a brief engagement, we will surely be held accountable..."
Bao Xin's expression darkened as he nodded. Indeed, the situation was as Cao Cao described. If they retreated now, they might preserve their own forces, but they could never return to Suanzao.
If they went back, Liu Dai would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to pin the blame on them. Under military law, the punishment would be death. The only alternative would be to lead their troops back to their respective territories. While this would allow them to preserve their strength and evade Liu Dai's schemes, in the future, whenever the failure of the Suanzao alliance was discussed, someone would surely say, "Ah, it was that incompetent so-and-so who retreated first, causing the collapse..."
Moreover, escaping immediate consequences did not mean escaping them forever. If someone later dug up the past, it would be hard to justify their actions. One might claim it was a tactical feint, while another would accuse them of cowardice in the face of battle...
Besides, Liu Dai had indeed been unable to gather the promised 150,000 dan of provisions. Yet, leveraging his authority as a provincial governor, he had forcibly demanded Zhang Miao launch the campaign with only 30,000 dan...
In the end, it was Cao Cao who stepped forward, volunteering to lead the vanguard and thus relieving Zhang Miao of the pressure. Moved by Cao Cao's resolve, Bao Xin also committed his own troops, joining Cao Cao in marching toward Chenggao. Yet now, they found themselves blocked by Xu Rong's forces under Dong Zhuo's command.
At this point, retreating was no longer a viable option. But could they instead dig in and hold their ground?
That was even less realistic. Their current position faced the Bian River, with open terrain all around. Aside from the small hillock beneath their feet, there were no defensible positions. While the phrase "fighting with one's back to the river" sounded heroic, history showed that only a select few legendary commanders could pull it off—most who tried ended up decapitated.
Furthermore, Dong Zhuo's forces were watching them from all sides. Would they really be given the time to calmly set up camp?
Thus, the only choice was to advance!
Only by completely crushing the enemy forces blocking their path could they buy themselves more time and space!
Even if this was a trap, they had to step in and stir the waters violently—let it be a fight to the death!
Even if they were destined to lose, they would make sure the world witnessed their unwavering will and courage in the pursuit of righteousness!
Bao Xin surveyed the battlefield ahead, then glanced at the flanks. Raising his hand, he gestured and said, "The left flank borders the river, with too many marshes and mudflats, making cavalry charges difficult. Thus, Dong Zhuo's forces will surely strike from the right..."
As the Chancellor of Jibei, Bao Xin commanded more troops than Cao Cao and had more military experience. Therefore, he was the de facto leader of this allied force.
Cao Cao agreed with his assessment. Dong Zhuo's central army had been steadily retreating, clearly intending to exploit the terrain of their encampment—both to wear down the allied forces' morale and to stretch their formation thin. Once the allied assault slowed, Dong Zhuo's right flank would cut through and divide them, leaving their vanguard and rear isolated and doomed to defeat.
But if they could breach Dong Zhuo's defenses before this strategy took effect, fortify the right flank with anti-cavalry barriers to hold off the assault, and then have Bao Xin's central army break through the camp and encircle Dong Zhuo's right wing—then it would be Dong Zhuo's forces facing annihilation.
"Then we fight!"
Bao Xin personally took command of the central army, waiting for the moment to strike. Cao Cao went to oversee the right flank's defenses, while Wei Zi and Cao Hong led a detachment to hold the left.
Victory or defeat hinged on this one move!
The war drums thundered, signaling the battle's escalation into its fiercest phase.
At the front lines, Bao Tao, overseeing the assault, heard the drums amidst the chaos of clashing steel and war cries. Turning back, he saw the flags atop the hill shifting to signal a full advance. Glancing at Dong Zhuo's retreating forces, he frowned, grabbed a nearby soldier, and ordered him to summon reinforcements. Then, raising his ring-pommeled sword high, he roared:
"The day to crush the traitors is upon us! Five taels of gold for every enemy head! A hundred taels for the first to scale their walls! Advance or die—no retreat! Kill! Kill! KILL!"
His personal guards echoed his cry, raising their blades and unleashing a deafening battle shout. Morale surged as they charged headlong into Dong Zhuo's lines.
A squad leader in Dong Zhuo's front ranks barked orders, struggling to keep his men in formation while thrusting his spear through the gaps between shield-bearing infantry. Suddenly, his weapon met resistance. Without hesitation, he gripped it tighter and drove it forward with all his might...
A Jibei soldier, hacking at the shield wall in an attempt to break through, suddenly felt a cold pierce in his chest. Looking down, he saw a spear embedded deep. With a scream, he clutched the shaft and followed it to the grinning Dong Zhuo soldier on the other end. Ignoring the blades raining down on him, he mustered his last strength and hurled his own sword at the spearman.
The squad leader saw the blade flying toward him but couldn't dodge—his comrades pressed too tightly around him. Desperate, he raised an arm to block, but too late. The sword struck his face, and he collapsed with a howl.
The Jibei soldier, now kneeling in a pool of blood, saw his enemy fall. A faint smirk touched his lips as he muttered something unintelligible before toppling over...
Bao Tao deflected a sword strike with his small shield, then countered with a slash that severed an enemy's arm. Without pausing, he scanned the battlefield, spotted a weak point in the enemy formation, and led his guards in a furious assault.
Clad in heavy armor and wielding superior weapons, Bao Tao and his elite guards were like a steel wedge, splitting Dong Zhuo's shield wall wide open. More allied troops poured through the breach, fracturing the enemy formation into fragments. The exposed spearmen and archers behind the shields stood no chance.
Then, someone in Dong Zhuo's ranks broke and ran.
Like a dam bursting, the entire central front collapsed, swallowed by the tide of the eastern alliance's onslaught...
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After the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao emerged victorious.
At the celebratory banquet, as the leader, he naturally had to give a speech.
"This victory is first owed to the brave soldiers at the front... and to all of you..."
Beside him, Xun Yu coughed twice and reminded quietly:
"You should thank Fengxiao first..."