Chapter 62: The Man on the Mountain Summit

Lü Bu withdrew, but before leaving, he boasted that he would one day avenge his humiliation by slaying Chen Cong with his own hands.

With the main force of Xiliang approaching, the coalition warlords had no mood left for their boisterous drinking. A brief strategic discussion was held. Then, with a grand gesture, Yuan Shao announced the previously agreed triple promotion and an additional rank, conferring upon Cao Cao the title of General Who Conquers the West and the right to establish his own official headquarters.

As for Chen Cong, who had been the first to breach the city, not a word was mentioned, nor was there any sign of the promised ten thousand gold coins.

After a round of insincere congratulations, everyone dispersed.

As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined; nothing in the world is wholly good or bad.

The coalition’s victory at Sishui Pass was undoubtedly a boon. From that moment on, there was a clear, unobstructed path between the coalition and Luoyang; the initiative now lay entirely with the warlords—they could attack or defend at will.

But therein also lay the danger.

With the Xiliang army now exposed on the open plain, a single step back would send them tumbling into an abyss. Having lost the protection of the strategic pass, if the Xiliang army were to retreat, the coalition could easily press forward, harrying them relentlessly, gradually wearing down their forces with little effort.

Under such circumstances, Dong Zhuo would surely fight with desperate ferocity!

Yet, among the eighteen coalition warlords, each harbored his own ambitions; none wished to be the unlucky soul upon whom the demon’s wrath would fall.

They were already embroiled in heated arguments over something as simple as rotating the city’s defenders. As for launching an assault on Hulao Gate, fighting a decisive battle in the open, slaying Dong Zhuo, and rescuing the emperor—these lofty goals were not even mentioned.

...

On the way back to camp, father-in-law and son-in-law rode side by side, with Xu Chu trailing behind at a distance, keeping watch.

After a bout of delays, the eastern sky was beginning to pale.

“Why provoke Lü Bu, Zining? The man is a fierce and formidable warrior; if enraged, he will fight with unmatched ferocity. Wouldn’t this only bring unnecessary hardship?”

Chen Cong rolled his neck, stretching his shoulders and arms.

He replied earnestly, “Father-in-law often says that in war, truth and deception are intertwined. What appears weak is strong, and what appears strong is weak. Now Lü Bu must think I am too timid to fight. If we attack his camp tonight, he will surely be unprepared.”

Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction. His tireless instruction was finally bearing fruit.

At least this troublesome son-in-law now understood the art of war.

That was a promising sign.

But!

“I’d like to hear your plan for the raid. Do you know where the enemy stores their provisions? Do you know the size of their forces? The layout of their camp? How many men will you take, cavalry or infantry? Where will you break in and break out? If the battle goes awry, how will you withdraw and regroup?”

Before Chen Cong could ponder these questions, Cao Cao raised his hand to cut him off.

He gave his conclusion plainly: “Don’t even think about it. It can’t be done.”

Chen Cong was puzzled. “But why? We took Sishui Pass and father-in-law has already been made General Who Conquers the West. If you defeat Xiliang’s main force, Old Yuan will have no choice but to name you Grand General.”

“Grand General, my foot,” Cao Cao muttered.

He continued, “As the saying goes, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled. Was Sun Jian not in our shoes once? Do you really think Yuan Benchu’s intentions are so pure? General Who Conquers the West, the right to open your own headquarters—such grand titles! Dong Zhuo holds power in Sili, so what ‘West’ am I meant to conquer? I’m just being set up as the vanguard to do Yuan Shao’s dirty work.”

Chen Cong clicked his tongue inwardly.

This was not the overconfident, reckless “villain Cao” of his memory.

“Father-in-law, have you ever heard this saying?”

“Speak.”

“When power is in my hands, I can assign responsibility however I wish. As the General Who Conquers the West, could you really be forced into a predicament by a mere Governor of Bohai?”

Cao Cao suddenly started, realizing that, often, the cleverest minds are the most prone to overthinking.

He felt so manipulated by Yuan Shao only because he placed too much value on the title. But it dawned on him: Yuan Shao could confer the title, but had no authority to strip it away.

Looking at it again—must the General Who Conquers the West be the first to march out and conquer the west?

Not necessarily.

His own forces were small and weak; he could simply focus on recruiting troops before confronting the traitor. As long as he did not explicitly refuse to fulfill his role, no one could use his office to coerce him.

Moreover, as a general with the right to open his own headquarters, if others truly demanded that he engage Dong Zhuo in battle, would it be excessive to recruit ten thousand soldiers on the spot?

You cannot expect the horse to run and deny it its fodder.

“Hahaha! Zining, your words have woken me from a dream—I was being too narrow-minded.”

“And the matter of raiding the camp?”

Cao Cao shot him a glare. “Absolutely not! If, after you’ve seen the ferocity of the Flying Bear Troops, you still wish to raid their camp, I won’t stand in your way.”

Flying Bear Troops...

Chen Cong’s ears were calloused from hearing about them.

“How do they compare to regular Xiliang cavalry?”

“As different as mud and clouds!”

Chen Cong was speechless. So, all his provocation of Lü Bu had been for nothing?

Hopefully, it would not come back to haunt him.

After all, he had never seen the wrath of the Tiger of Jiuyuan in full fury.

...

...

The next day, at noon.

War drums thundered atop the city walls as the warlords gathered.

Across from them—

The Xiliang army advanced in seven battalions, arrayed layer upon layer.

At the front, infantry wielded swords and shields; behind them, elite archers awaited orders; war chariots formed the center, and four-story siege towers stood at the rear. On both flanks, massive city crossbows and catapults were too numerous to count, while burly men carrying scaling ladders stood ready.

On either side, tens of thousands of armored soldiers held long spears and wore short swords at their waists, poised to support the main force.

Twenty thousand ironclad cavalrymen formed two wings, each man armored and armed with lances and longbows.

Behind them, eight thousand elite cavalry lingered, their full might obscured by distance.

In the center, the most elite troops stood clad in heavy armor, each a robust warrior, armed with spears, swords, halberds, axes, and crossbows, arrayed in tight formation. Their banners blotted out the sky, the fearsome character “Dong” snapping in the wind.

At the heart of it all, a war chariot drawn by four horses; atop it, a man as imposing as a mountain, clad in black armor and a golden helmet. Behind him, a row of fierce generals stood shoulder to shoulder—even Lü Bu himself, standing at his side, could hardly draw more attention.

“Zining, do you still wish to raid their camp?”

Chen Cong felt a chill down his spine and forced a smile. “You jest, father-in-law. Yesterday I was merely speaking in jest.”

If he truly attempted it...

Perhaps Chen Cong’s fast horse might carry him to safety, but any soldier who followed would surely never return.

This Xiliang army before them was utterly unlike the one within Sishui Pass.

Everywhere he looked, nearly every man was armored.

And what of that Flying Bear Troop, its numbers and strength still hidden at the rear?

He recalled how Cao Cao had once spent nearly a hundred thousand gold to raise a force of ten thousand men—of whom five thousand, the old and weak, remained behind in Qiao County, while the other five thousand, barely half armored, were already considered elite.

No wonder that, even with the wealth of Luoyang and the backing of Guanzhong and Xiliang, Dong Zhuo was stingy with his rewards.

To maintain an army of this caliber, even mountains of gold and silver would not suffice!

“Dong Zhuo...” Yuan Shao stood atop the tower, hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the massive siege engines, his fists clenched tight.

He could not tell if it was hatred or envy that filled him.

No matter how he denigrated him, he could not deny that the hated butcher of Xiliang was the man who now stood at the very pinnacle of the age.

Dominating all, looking down upon the world!

“Mengde, have you any plan to break the enemy?”

Cao Cao walked up beside Yuan Shao and clasped his hands in salute. “There is no clever plan—simply keep the gates closed and hold the fortress, avoiding a direct clash.”

Yuan Shao exhaled heavily and looked at Cao Cao.

“Dong Zhuo has brought his entire force to bear. Without capturing Hulao, how could he possibly retreat?”

“Then we must fight to the death.”

In such a contest between attack and defense, where could one find clever schemes? If Cao Cao could truly repel the enemy single-handedly, Dong Zhuo would not now hold sway over the realm.