Thunder, Rain, and the Azure Dragon
The battle had transformed from a short, decisive clash into a grueling war of attrition.
The next day, Cao Ren and Cao Hong personally led their elite vanguard troops in an assault.
Since my uncles were formidable warriors in their own right, they held the upper hand from the very beginning. Yet the enemy’s momentum was incredible.
“Impressive. They’re still maintaining their morale even now.”
“Are these bastards truly possessed? Did someone cast a mass hypnosis on them or something?”
Cao Ang, waiting in the secondary formation, clicked his tongue as he watched Yuan Shu’s army stubbornly hold against the attacks from Cao Ren and Cao Hong.
Since Father had decided on a war of attrition, the goal from here on was to steadily reduce the enemy’s numbers. But those men refused to retreat no matter what.
“Looks like I’ll have to head out again soon.”
I was preparing my spear and waiting for the signal to advance from the secondary line when—
“I simply cannot understand this.”
“Ah, Father!”
“Uncle.”
At some point, Cao Cao had arrived at the secondary command position and was surveying the battlefield.
“Zixiao and Zilian are fighting well. In fact, they seem to be performing even better than usual.”
“Indeed, my lord.”
When Cheng Yu added his agreement from the side, Cao Cao’s eyes grew even sharper.
“Gathering vagrants in this chaotic age, feeding and housing them to create a loyal army? That’s possible. But to amass that much supplies? In Shuchun, perhaps it’s feasible.”
Cao Cao nodded as he spoke.
“However, was Yuan Shu truly capable of such meticulous preparation that he could sustain this level of morale? If he had an army like this from the start, the battles in Xu Province and Qiao County would have been far more difficult.”
After listening to Cao Cao, I replied.
“That was likely the last card Yuan Shu could play. Since his own military talent was lacking, he focused on strengthening his army and went all-in on this gamble.”
This information had come from interrogating the prisoners yesterday. These were holy warriors who had been fed and sheltered until they began to revere Yuan Shu himself as both emperor and some kind of cult leader.
“In other words, once this war ends, Yuan Shu will inevitably be destroyed.”
“Correct, Uncle.”
It was then that it happened.
Plop—
“Hm?”
Plop— plop— plop-plop-plop—
“Ah, rain?”
Sudden droplets fell on my helmet and arms. Before long, a torrential downpour crashed down upon us.
While the vanguard fought with rising fervor, the sudden rain twisted the flow of battle into something strange.
“This is bad. The vanguard’s engagement ends here.”
“My lord, I will immediately sound the retreat drums.”
Qiao Rui must have had the same thought, as he ordered the retreat drums beaten. Both Yuan Shu’s army and Cao Cao’s forces saw their battle abruptly canceled by the fierce rain.
“My lord, this rain will not stop easily. It appears the monsoon front will continue for some time.”
“Damn it! Even the weather has to act up at a time like this.”
As the fighting was suspended due to the rain, the soldiers took shelter in their tents, wringing out their soaked clothes. Meanwhile, from Yuan Shu’s camp, smoke boldly rose even through the heavy downpour.
“Look at that. They’re openly sending up smoke signals in the middle of this rain. What else could it be? That’s the smoke from cooking their meals.”
It was exactly as he said.
“The fact that smoke is rising so clearly even in this downpour means they’re showing us they have plenty of food to spare.”
“The color of the smoke is quite thick. They must have slaughtered some horses and are roasting them.”
“Tsk!”
We had anticipated a war of attrition, but the heavy rain was stretching the campaign even longer. On top of that, we would soon need to carefully monitor our own grain supplies.
No—there was something even more important than grain.
“Uncle, shouldn’t we relocate the camp immediately?”
“Are you worried this place will flood because of the monsoon? There’s no need for concern.”
Cao Cao pointed at the ground amid the pouring rain.
“Although this is flatland, we are positioned along the route from the capital to Shuchun. Subtly, our terrain sits slightly higher than the enemy’s.”
“So if a flood occurs, the enemy will be submerged first?”
“Precisely.”
Having said that, Cao Cao removed his soaked shoes and the red cloak he always wore, spreading them out to dry.
“Maintain strict vigilance and keep watch.”
Thus, the second day of battle came to an end.
But on the third day and the fourth, the rain showed no sign of stopping. As the situation dragged on with no end in sight, even Cao Cao grew restless, constantly biting his thumbnail. The other generals remained motionless except to monitor the enemy camp.
All except for one man.
“General Guan, why have you drawn your weapon?”
“I will go.”
Guan Yu lifted his Blue Dragon Crescent Blade, donned a makeshift straw raincoat, and gathered his soldiers.
“Yunchang, you don’t mean to launch an attack in this rain, do you?”
“Lord Cao, I will return shortly. The generals here should dig drainage ditches and redirect the water flow.”
Guan Yu was truly about to do something insane. With both sides immobilized by the torrential rain, he intended to charge the enemy camp himself and rout them while ordering us to focus on construction work.
“Yunchang, the ground is nothing but mud, horses can barely move, and arrows cannot be fired in this weather!”
“That is precisely why I intend to advance on foot alongside the infantry instead of cavalry.”
Was this not just like Guan Yu?
In actual history, during the joint campaign against Lu Bu, he had broken the riverbank in winter to flood the castle. Even in that dire situation, he had hammered the enemy fortress. During the siege of Jing Province, when floods from the Han River inundated Fan and Xiangyang, he had built rafts and charged through the natural disaster.
Looking at such anecdotes, it was clear that Guan Yu trusted his own bravery and charged forward even in the face of cataclysmic weather. How could I possibly stand by and watch?
“Uncle, I will accompany General Guan as well. I can bring infantry from my own troops.”
“Zilie, even you?”
“We cannot simply sit here staring at each other until the rain stops. From the beginning, Uncle, did you not say we must steadily erode the enemy’s strength through attrition?”
“Mmm…”
“My lord, if that is the case, please send me instead.”
“We will go!”
“Father, this son also…”
At that moment, Cao Cao made his decision.
“I command the following. I grant Guan Yu and Cao Xiu each command of three thousand elite infantry from my personal guard, along with the authority to take an additional thousand men apiece. Enter the enemy camp and make certain they learn exactly who we are. Carve fear into their bones and return.”
“Understood, Uncle.”
“From now on, the rest of you will gather the troops, construct channels for the water, and prepare for the flood. I will personally oversee the operation.”
At Cao Cao’s orders, everyone moved with perfect coordination.
The rain was truly ferocious, and visibility was nearly impossible. But Guan Yu was by my side. Of course I had to go. How could I possibly hold back?
Splash— splash— splash—
“Listen well, all of you who have come to slay the enemy in this insane downpour. After this battle, I will reward you with more than double the compensation given to the other camps.”
A great cheer erupted from behind us. Well, that reward would actually come from my uncle.
“Zilie, your method of raising the troops’ morale is quite impressive.”
“Yes, so let’s go together, Uncle Yunchang!”
Side by side, Guan Yu and I marched toward the enemy camp.
Just as Cao Cao had said, in this torrential rain neither arrows nor proper formations were possible. We could walk forward with absolute confidence. The moment the enemy spotted us, I immediately hurled my spear with all my strength.
Crunch—
The soldier struck by my spear was sent flying and slammed into a wall. I casually walked over, pulled my spear from his corpse, kicked down the wall, and severed every rope tethering the tents.
“All troops, attack!”
At my shout, the soldiers roared loud enough to drown out the rain as they charged the enemy. Yuan Shu’s army had held firm and lived in abundance even amid the downpour, but they could never have expected this.
“S-stop them! Stop the dogs of Han!”
“These bastards are trying to steal what we have! If we are defeated here, the glory of Zhong will vanish!”
They had tried to maintain morale by feeding the men well and constantly brainwashing them even while drenched in rain, but that ended now. In this moment, I would teach the enemy what true terror felt like!
My hands were swollen and numb from the constant rain, and my spear felt heavy, yet I thrust it into every enemy I could see.
Because we had charged straight from the front like true men, the enemy rushed at us immediately. But when they saw Cao Cao’s soldiers before them, drenched in blood with the rainwater running red, they began to waver.
And within the rain-slicked chaos, a monstrous figure twice the size of the average soldier wielded a massive Blue Dragon Crescent Blade, mercilessly carving through the enemy ranks.
Slaaaaaash—
With every swing, several soldiers were sent flying, spraying blood as they fell. The sight was even more terrifying in the pouring rain.
It was as if the heavens, enraged by these traitors, had sent down lightning and rain, and within that storm an azure dragon ran wild, baring its fangs.
“I cannot lose!”
I gripped my spear tightly, smashing every enemy tent in sight and hunting down the well-armored officers one by one, felling them without mercy. The battle in the rain was nothing short of a mad frenzy of violence. The once rock-solid army of Yuan Shu slowly began to crack.
“You bastards! You dare come all the way here without fear?!”
A thunderous voice rang out even through the rain. It seemed the enemy commander had finally appeared. At that moment, Guan Yu flicked the blood from his blade and charged toward the sound.
“Uncle Yunchang, it’s dangerous…!”
When I chased after him, dozens of elite enemy officers swarmed us at once. The instant I blocked their coordinated assault with my spear, Guan Yu used that opening to plunge even deeper into their lines. After sending him forward, I continued blocking the enemy officers with my spear and shouted.
“Run to him now! Go and support General Guan!!”
I would handle the enemies here. And I was more than enough to defeat them.
When the first officer swung his sword, I demonstrated the advantage of the spear’s reach, kept my distance, and pierced his throat in a single thrust, killing him instantly.
Then, one by one, I cut down the officers who floundered in the rain with obstructed vision, turning the ground into a pool of blood.
“Aaaaaagh!”
At that moment, a terrible scream rang out and chaos erupted around us. By the time I had felled yet another enemy officer, Guan Yu was returning from afar.
He had removed the enemy commander’s helmet, and now held the man’s disheveled head like a watermelon. When he raised it high, thunder seemed to strike the ears of every man in Yuan Shu’s camp.
“The enemy general has been slain.”
Guan Yu roared while lifting the severed head of Qiao Rui, Grand General of Zhong. Already thrown into utter pandemonium by the flood and thunder, Yuan Shu’s army no longer cared whether they were Zhong or Han.
And when the rain finally stopped the next day, only one thing remained.
Having lost their commander, the once fanatical holy warriors of Yuan Shu’s army lost all will to fight. Overcome by terror, they began to flee.
What remained was the path to overwhelming victory.