Charge Is the Duty of a Commander!
I accepted Cao Cao's spear and led a thousand cavalrymen straight toward the Yuan Shu army.
As Cheng Yu had warned, the force Yuan Shu had brought up from Shuchun numbered a staggering forty thousand.
Forty thousand on paper, but when you looked from the soldiers clashing with Cao Hong's troops in front all the way to the rearmost units, the column stretched endlessly. It was a true massive army.
Thinking back on the wars of this era, tens of thousands were the baseline. At times you saw armies of a hundred thousand, even a million. So let's stay optimistic.
The vast majority of the enemy were infantry. We were elite cavalry striking at their flank.
“The enemy is before us! All units, prepare to charge!”
“Yes, General!”
The thunderous momentum of our galloping cavalry and the title of “General” they used for me sent a surge of strength through my shoulders. At that moment, I felt like I could pierce through anything.
I raced toward the countless Yuan Shu soldiers visible ahead. Off to the side, I caught sight of Cao Hong's troops desperately holding the defensive line. They were firing arrows to cover us and deliberately drawing every enemy eye onto themselves.
The five thousand defenders under Cao Hong were now fighting more aggressively than ever against the forty thousand Yuan Shu troops advancing from Shuchun. While their attention was fixed there, we had to inflict as much damage as possible.
“All units, chaaaaarge!”
Shields rose before my eyes and spearheads leveled. If I fell here, I wouldn’t even have time to scream before being trampled to death.
I gripped the stirrups tightly with both legs, pressing my thighs hard against the horse’s flanks so I wouldn’t be thrown off. Then, with the fearless momentum of our charge, I swung my spear at the enemies rushing into view.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!
An enormous crash rang out, ringing in my ears for an instant. The sound of horses slamming into the enemy defensive line was utterly deafening. These living battering rams didn’t stop after the first impact; they kept driving forward with raw power.
Yuan Shu Army ———→ ←——— Cao Hong Army
(Cao Xiu’s Cavalry Striking the Flank)
While Cao Hong engaged the Yuan Shu forces head-on, our cavalry strike against their flank had landed perfectly with the first blow.
“Kuaaaagh!”
“Guhk!”
Every time I swung my spear, Yuan Shu soldiers spat blood and collapsed. There was no need to aim precisely.
Though heavy, the spear had an iron shaft. A simple swing could shatter several bones at once.
“Capture the enemy commander! Fifty taels of gold to whoever brings me that bastard’s head!”
Amid the chaos, orders to kill me rang out. I didn’t know who had shouted it, but if I saw him, he was dead.
I hadn’t come here to play games. I was fighting to survive.
Shiiiing—
“Tch?!”
A flash of light appeared before my eyes. I reflexively twisted my head. In that split second, a long spear had already risen to the level of my face. If I had been distracted even a moment longer, it would have pierced straight through my skull and knocked me from the saddle.
“You dodged—?!”
Thud!
I thrust my own spear into the Yuan Shu soldier who had dared to stab at me. His shabby armor barely covered his torso, leaving plenty of gaps. I drove the spear clean through him, then yanked it free. Blood sprayed as he collapsed.
Without pausing, I continued swinging the heavy spear at the Yuan Shu soldiers rushing me—stabbing, smashing heads, knocking them down one after another.
I no longer felt fatigue. My head and chest burned so hot I fought like a vengeful demon.
“Young master, it’s dangerous!”
“!?”
Slice—
Splaaash—
“Ugh!”
A cavalryman who had suddenly called out from behind charged forward and cleaved the Yuan Shu soldier in front of me in half with his crescent blade. The spray of blood splattered across both me and my horse.
“That one is the enemy commander! Kill the commander!”
“Grab his horse and drag him down!”
“There aren’t many of them! Don’t fear them just because they’re cavalry!”
The Yuan Shu officers whipped their soldiers into a frenzy, tightening the encirclement. But the officer who had saved me moved again.
“You bastards! Not a chance!”
Though short in stature, the cavalry officer had a stocky, muscular build like a seasoned athlete. He stood before me and mercilessly cut down every soldier who charged. That unassuming short general was single-handedly mowing through the Yuan Shu infantry.
Watching his valiant fight reminded me once more: well-trained cavalry possessed terrifying power, capable of fighting a hundred conscripted infantry at once.
“Young master!”
“…Ah!”
I had been momentarily lost watching another man’s battle in the middle of combat. When I snapped back to reality, more soldiers were rushing me again. I gripped my spear tightly, drove it through one man’s throat, then smashed the head of another who was staggering and vomiting blood, knocking him to the ground.
“Damn it, we’re in the middle of a battle!”
Besides the short, valiant general leading the charge, another cavalry officer rode up, rescued me, and shouted.
“Lord Wenlie, if we keep charging like this we’ll eventually be surrounded and worn down to nothing. We must form ranks and stay together!”
“Is it even possible for cavalry to regroup in the middle of this?”
“Stop the charge immediately and order them to cluster up and fight! The wounded will naturally fall back inside the formation while those who have caught their breath will rotate out to the front!”
“V-very well!”
“All units, form ranks! Do not charge recklessly—gather together!”
With my permission, the officer swiftly reorganized the scattered cavalry. Though we had charged bravely, we still only numbered around a thousand. Following his command, they hurriedly clustered around me, their armor and spearheads already drenched in blood.
Even though forty thousand enemies now glared at us, every man’s eyes still burned with life.
Our morale was more than sufficient. We could fight once more.
I tightened my grip on the spear from within the reformed cavalry formation. The two cavalry officers positioned themselves on either side of me, guarding my flanks as we cut into the enemy.
“You pathetic whelps! You think numbers alone mean anything?!”
The short, broad-shouldered officer wielding a crescent blade roared with a voice that shook the battlefield even in front of forty thousand troops. The other officer continued giving me precise advice while fighting like a machine, striking only at vital points with masterful spearwork.
I was truly fortunate to have these men with me.
“Young master, you are the commander here. Please give the order.”
“Wait… just a moment…”
After that fierce clash, I finally had a chance to catch my breath. Now I needed to think.
If we simply charged like living battering rams again, we would eventually be crushed by sheer numbers. So how could we win? One thousand against forty thousand… how…?
Let’s think.
We are cavalry. Cavalry means mobility and destructive power. And it wasn’t just me—two incredibly skilled warriors stood at my sides. The cavalry under my command were Cao Cao’s elite, more than a match for conscripted infantry.
“Young master!”
“I have two ideas!”
“What are they?”
“The first is to retreat immediately, find another weak point in the Yuan Shu army, strike, and withdraw again—continually stabbing at their flanks. That way we can utilize our mobility to support Uncle Hong’s forces.”
“Then should we open a path from the rear with arrows?”
“The second idea—earlier someone kept aiming at me and ordering my death. That man must be the general commanding this army, right?”
In any war, in any era, one truth remained absolute.
No matter how strong or numerous an army, the battle ends the moment you take the enemy commander’s head.
“His voice reached all the way here, so he must be nearby. My guess is that massive banner straight ahead.”
Amid the densely packed Yuan Shu soldiers, an enormous army standard stood out clearly.
“If we take that bastard’s head, I believe the entire army will retreat on the spot. What do you think?”
“Hmm… charging cavalry all the way there…”
“With at least four hundred… no, three hundred cavalry, it might be worth attempting.”
The spear expert looked reluctant, but the short, solidly built crescent-blade officer saw potential, saying three hundred riders would be enough to try.
“My uncle and our lord, Governor of Yan Province Cao Mengde, gave me this spear and ordered me to return with an enemy general’s blood on it!”
“Then we shall assist you. It seems feasible.”
“Young master, if you are determined to move, aim for the right side. That direction is closer to General Zalie, so he will be able to coordinate with our movement.”
I nodded at his words.
“Are the left and right deputy generals ready to follow?”
“Yes? Deputy generals?”
“From this moment on, you two are my deputy generals. We’ll sort out official titles later!”
I would lead from the front.
And by capturing the enemy commander, I would charge the forty-thousand-strong army once more with our cavalry.
I had made my decision.
This time, I would definitely take the enemy general’s head and seize the momentum of victory.
I attack in order to survive.
Wasn’t that common sense for any warrior?
“All units… CHARGE!!!!”
With Cao Cao’s spear held high, I charged toward the massive enemy force once again.