19- The Enemy Commander, Defeated!
[Hoon-ah, remember this well. A mounted knight can become a hero who fights a hundred men alone.]
[Always grip the horse's body tightly with your legs to stay anchored, and while scanning the ground visible beneath the horse, press forward steadily. Only the finest elite troops will dare to dodge.]
[Horses are sensitive creatures. If they sense your fear, they too will try to flee for their lives. But if you commit to the charge, the horse will also charge forward with you, fighting to survive.]
That was the horsemanship my master had taught me long ago.
The master who had instructed me in martial arts for years so that I might carve a path through this chaotic age and make a name for myself.
In the midst of this frenzied battlefield, those lessons suddenly resurfaced.
With what I had learned then, the "Wanderer Hoon of Wu Commandery" had become "Cao Xiu, general of Cao Cao's army."
"Kuaaak!"
"Hold the line! The enemy numbers less than a thousand!"
And right now, I was Cao Cao's spear!
The figures rushing toward me were simply cut down as I swung my spear in a frenzy. The weapon that had once felt so heavy now moved on its own, swung purely to stay alive. I had already lost count of how many men had fallen to it.
"Young master, are you all right? If you're exhausted, I'll clear the path ahead."
The broad-shouldered officer wielding the crescent blade swept away the soldiers charging at me in a single stroke. The crescent blade was truly devastating when swung from horseback; it could fell multiple men at once.
"Hah, hah!"
I tried to catch my breath by letting the officer take the lead for a moment, but my heart suddenly began pounding like mad. I had only thought of breaking through, yet my body was finally reaching its physical limit.
"Young master, you've pushed yourself too hard. My comrade and I will handle the breakthrough here."
"If it were Lü Bu… could he pierce through this position with ease?"
"Pardon? What are you saying?"
"What about Guan Yu, or Zhao Zilong!"
"Lü Bu I understand, but who are those two… No, that's not the point right now!"
I decided to charge forward once more with my spear. The penetrating power of cavalry far exceeded imagination. We trampled the enemy infantry as we raced straight toward their commander.
That was when it happened.
"Young master, the enemy commander has reacted to us."
"What?"
"Their banners are moving, and I can see the dust from their escort cavalry heading this way."
That meant the enemy commander was not fleeing. He was coming straight at us.
"I think I understand his intent…"
"?"
"Since we've struck deep with only a thousand men, he means to cut me down here and raise the morale of his entire army. It seems our minds are alike."
The enemy also commanded forty thousand troops, yet their commander was aiming for my head—the man who had driven a thousand cavalry into their ranks. If that was the case, the situation had actually become simpler.
I was going to capture their commander, and their commander was riding out to meet me. No doubt he was brimming with the desire for a worthy opponent.
"Young master, then the matter is even simpler. The men here have staked their lives on breaking through because they believe in you. They can handle the enemy commander's personal guard."
"Crescent Blade Captain!"
"?"
I called out to the shorter officer wielding the crescent blade, the one besides the spear-wielding captain.
"The enemy commander is approaching with his guard right before our eyes!"
"Do not worry. I will deal with him!"
He was the man who swung a crescent blade far longer than his own height with ease, cutting down Yuan Shu's soldiers blocking our path.
I entrusted the two captains with the task and gripped my spear tighter, charging forward once more. The horse carrying me panted heavily yet summoned its final strength to run.
Thus we spotted the enemy commander's troops gathered beneath their great banner. As expected, roughly a hundred cavalry moved to block us, while the infantry that had been falling like leaves began to pull back.
This was an open invitation to settle the matter with cavalry against cavalry.
"Cao Cao's dogs, you've come quite far. But you will all die here today!"
A young general in his mid-twenties, looking a few years older than me, shouted toward our forces. Judging by his freshly grown beard, this fellow was the commander in charge here.
"Two captains!"
"Leave it to us! We will strike the enemy!"
At my shout, our three hundred cavalry poured every last ounce of strength into this final clash. At the same time, I charged in and barely dodged a blade flying toward me. When fighting from horseback, many openings appear if you move too broadly. In that split second, I raised my spear.
"Uuaaagh!"
Neigh—!
I did not strike the rider. I struck the horse.
The blade pierced the horse's neck, and the maddened beast thrashed violently. Unable to control it, the rider fell and rolled across the ground, unable to rise.
I had realized it in that instant.
The weakness of cavalry was not the rider—it was the horse!
Recognizing this, I thrust my spear toward the enemy cavalry charging at me.
The first man had his horse's neck pierced. The second tried to dodge upon seeing it, twisting his body. But that created an opening, and I drove my spear into the enemy's leg.
"Kuaaak!"
"If not the horse, then aim for the cavalryman's leg!"
Indeed, one learns by experiencing the battlefield firsthand. Since coming to this world, I had faced things I could never have imagined, yet I cut down the enemies before me simply to survive. That was all there was to it.
"You bastard!"
"!?"
Clang—!
The young general charged straight at me, swinging his spear. Ironically, that very directness made him easier to read.
"So this is what they call a duel?"
"What? A duel? What nonsense is that?"
Ah, the term "duel" was not yet common in this era.
Boom!
"Kuh?!"
Ah, right. We were still in the middle of battle. Letting my mind wander in this situation could truly get me killed.
"You bastard!"
The young general wielded a rather sharp spearmanship, aiming for my throat. But after clashing a few times, I knew.
I could defeat him.
Whatever Three Kingdoms general you might be, I will capture you and make your name known through me!
I raised my spear high and brought it down. He barely blocked with the shaft, but I saw him stagger. The moment he tried to swing back, I moved.
"Young master Yuan is in danger…!"
"?!"
In that instant, my body lurched and collapsed.
"Young master!!!"
My horse, which had been fighting well, suddenly sank to its knees, bringing me down with it. I realized what had happened in that moment.
While I had been trying to duel the enemy commander one-on-one, someone had intervened and shot an arrow into my horse.
"Damn it!"
As the dying horse collapsed, the young general charged toward me. There was only one thing I could do in this situation.
If I fall from my horse, so will you!
Without hesitation, I drove my spear into the chest of the horse he rode.
Purrrk—
The horse could not even neigh properly. It coughed blood, staggered, and fell. Caught off guard, the general also tumbled from his mount.
"Kuaaak!"
Thud thud thud!
The general could not control his thrashing horse and fell. Moreover, his foot was caught in the stirrup, so he could not rise properly.
"I'll finish this—"
The moment I landed from my falling horse and moved to strike his neck, countless enemy cavalry suddenly blocked my path.
Our side's cavalry also rushed forward.
"Young master! Are you all right?"
It was the spear-wielding captain, who had brought a fresh horse. I hurriedly mounted and prepared to fight again.
But then something astonishing happened before us.
"The enemy is retreating! The enemy is retreating!"
"They're falling back!"
The great army was collapsing from the waist down. Of Yuan Shu's forty thousand troops, the ten thousand under the young general's command were fleeing in an instant.
"Pursue them at once and capture that enemy commander—"
"Young master!"
The spear captain grabbed me.
"?"
"This front has already reached its limit. We've barely secured a retreat route. If we chase them, even if we capture the commander, none of us will return alive."
"…"
"Merely wounding their commander and forcing a retreat is already an enormous achievement. Regrettably, this is as far as we go."
"Damn it. I suppose there's no choice."
I heeded the captain's words and prepared to withdraw. We returned without pursuing the retreating Yuan Shu troops, and they did not pursue us either.
Of course, since we had severed their waist, Cao Hong's forces facing the remaining Yuan Shu troops at the front had seized the advantage.
"Young master, our mission is already sufficient. Let us return at once."
"Ah… There's nothing to be done. I understand."
He led me safely back. And by returning after having carved through that massive army, I had distinguished myself in this battle.
Thus, on the first day of fighting, Cao Hong's army achieved a great victory by forcing Yuan Shu's troops to retreat through the efforts of our cavalry.
***
"I report to the Governor of Yan Province. Leading a thousand cavalry, I struck the waist of Yuan Shu's army and attacked their commander, but unfortunately failed to take his head and only forced a retreat."
"Hahaha— I knew you would do it, Wenlie."
Cao Cao laughed loudly and pulled me into a tight embrace as I approached to report.
"Ugh?!"
It was fortunate I had washed and changed into fresh clothes after removing my armor soaked in blood and brains before meeting Cao Cao to report.
"Another warrior has emerged from our clan. You did splendidly."
"I have no excuse. I let the enemy general I had cornered escape."
"Zalie, Zixiao, Miaozai. Did you hear? This fellow truly drove a thousand cavalry into the enemy lines to take their commander's head."
At that, the generals who had fought fiercely today each spoke up.
"It was his first battle, was it not? He simply had no fear. After two or three more engagements, such recklessness will diminish."
Cao Ren was clearly underestimating me, wagging his finger with a look that said, "You're still far from ready!"
"It's already fortunate he didn't make a fool of himself on his first battlefield. He didn't start using formal speech with the common soldiers out of nervousness, did he?"
"Uh, well…"
Cao Cao always asked this. He found it distasteful when subordinates used honorifics with those below them.
"So, how did the others view Wenlie's performance?"
"If he continues fighting like this, he could make a decent assault captain. Thanks to him, today's battle was much easier."
Cao Hong gave a somewhat generous assessment, yet calling me a "decent assault captain"… Did every cavalry assault captain in this world possess such basic skills?
"Now, now, Brother Hong, Brother Ren, aren't you both being too harsh on Wenlie after his first performance? From what I saw, he performed more than adequately as a general."
As expected of Xiahou Yuan. I had always preferred the Xiahou clan over the Cao clan under Cao Cao.
In any case, the first day's battle was naturally a great victory for Cao Cao's army. With this, Cao Cao's forces had fought six battles in Xu Province and won all six.