Free Web NovelChapter 271: Cao Ren vs. Zhao Yun
Man Chong was both brave and resourceful, something Long Chen deeply appreciated during the Three Kingdoms period.
At that time, Yuan Shao dominated Hebei, and Runan County was Yuan Shao’s hometown, where his disciples and guests were spread across various counties, holding troops and defending themselves.
Runan County belonged to Yuzhou, which was Cao Cao’s territory. If Yuan Shao’s disciples and guests were allowed to develop independently in Runan County, they might secretly plot against Runan and even Yuzhou for Yuan Shao.
This was akin to having spies within one’s household, something no warlord could tolerate, let alone the inherently suspicious Cao Cao!
Thus, Cao Cao was very worried and appointed Man Chong as the governor of Runan.
Man Chong recruited 500 men, captured more than twenty fortresses, and devised plans to eliminate over ten leaders, thus pacifying Runan.
In this battle, Man Chong also captured more than 20,000 households, gaining significant spoils.
Moreover, Man Chong, along with Cao Ren and Xu Huang, once repelled Guan Yu, proving himself to be a capable minister.
Facing Man Chong, Long Chen held nothing back. He spread his arms wide, as if embracing the sun.
Suddenly, a mysterious blue-violet lightning descended from the sky, striking Long Chen’s head.
His golden hair fell, and his black hair spread out, bringing a sudden surge of wild energy.
Long Chen clenched his fists tightly, his face contorted with rage. When he reopened his eyes, they were completely enveloped in purple lightning.
The surface of his Silver Armor Qilin Armor also flashed with lightning, exuding an extremely cool vibe!
"This..."
Cao Hong stared in disbelief, muttering:
"No, it shouldn’t be! The last time I saw him, his strength was nowhere near this level, how... how has he become so powerful!!"
Beside him, Cao Cao frowned deeply, murmuring:
"As expected, this Long Chen must not be allowed to live! Otherwise, he will undoubtedly become my greatest enemy in the future..."
"Master, Yuan Shao is our greatest enemy. Although Long Chen is formidable, how can he compare to Yuan Shao, who comes from four generations of high-ranking officials?!" freēwēbnovel.com
Cao Hong shook his head.
Though he was astonished by Long Chen’s transformation, when compared to Yuan Shao, he leaned more towards Yuan Shao.
Because Yuan Shao’s heritage and status far surpassed that of Long Chen, a rootless and strange man.
Long Chen immediately used the skill [Thunder God’s Aid], causing a million bolts of lightning to fall from the sky like powerful serpents.
These lightning serpents seemed to have eyes, striking only Cao’s troops and sparing Long’s troops.
In an instant, Cao’s army fell into chaos, fleeing in all directions, while Long Chen’s troops shouted, "Heaven is helping us!"
"The master has summoned the Thunder God to aid us. We will surely win this battle!!!"
Grassroots officers in the army proclaimed, boosting morale even more.
Soldiers shouted: "The master is the son of the Thunder God, possessing the power of the Thunder God. With the master here, the world remains!!"
"With the master here, we are invincible!!"
Seeing this, Man Chong was greatly embarrassed. His skill [Gale and Raging Waves] was like a weak splash of water in the face of [Thunder God’s Aid], directly shattered.
Man Chong himself coughed up blood, exclaiming, "It’s impossible! It’s impossible!!!"
Cao Cao, furious, clenched his fists tightly, sternly saying:
"Send out the supervisory troops. Anyone who retreats will be executed without mercy!!!"
Under the threat of severe punishment, Cao’s soldiers had no choice but to fight desperately.
It was as if they were caught between pursuing soldiers and fierce tigers; either way, they faced death. Fighting at least meant their families could receive monetary compensation.
This was also one of Cao Cao’s military policies.
As the battle between Cao and Long’s armies continued, they reached a stalemate.
Though Long Chen’s troops were far fewer than Cao Cao’s, their morale was much higher.
The reason was simple.
First, most of Cao Cao’s army was reformed from the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans. Although trained by Cao Cao, a military genius, the time was too short for them to completely shed their bandit nature.
This weakened Cao’s army’s organizational and cooperative abilities compared to Yangzhou’s army.
After all, Yangzhou’s army was handpicked by Long Chen from Jiangdong, consisting of strong men and upright family members who naturally adhered to discipline and organization, coupled with the generous rewards given by Long Chen.
The soldiers under his command were willing to fight to the death!
Secondly, the banners were different.
The Yangzhou army knew they were fighting for peace and the unification of the world, and with the support of the Han Emperor, their morale reached its peak.
In contrast, Cao’s army, upon learning that they were facing the Emperor’s army, felt a tinge of fear deep down.
Although the Han Dynasty had declined, the people of the Han still considered themselves Han, as the centuries-old influence of the Han Dynasty still loomed over the land.
Thus, Cao’s army could only exert seventy to eighty percent of their full strength, while the Yangzhou army could give it their all, and even more.
Comparatively, the momentum shifted, with Long Chen’s army becoming more and more courageous.
Cao Cao sat on his horse, Jue Ying, whose hooves constantly stomped, reflecting the horse’s inner unease.
Although Cao Cao appeared expressionless and seemed calm, as if everything was under his control, he was actually starting to panic.
As the commander-in-chief and the lord of the entire army, if he panicked, the entire army would fall into chaos.
So even in the face of a deteriorating situation, he had to remain calm.
Such a scene could also be seen later in the Battle of Red Cliff.
While the generals and soldiers were despondent, Cao Cao continued to encourage and motivate the army to rally and restore morale.
This could be called resilience.
It’s the way people respond to adversity, their ability to overcome setbacks, escape difficult situations, and surmount obstacles.
Cao Cao excelled in this area, which was one of the aspects Long Chen admired and feared most about him.
"Cao Ren, I order you to lead ten thousand cavalry to launch a charge from both flanks and tear a hole in Long’s army!!"
Cao Cao said coldly.
The reason Long Chen’s army could confront Cao Cao’s army, which was several times larger, was due to the tightly knit formations of his infantry. Once these formations were broken,
Long Chen’s army would disperse, and then they could win through sheer numbers.
Cao Cao, a formidable hero, quickly identified the weakest point in Long Chen’s army.
Using one’s strengths to attack the other’s weaknesses.
Though Long Chen was fiercely fighting in the midst of the army, his eyes were fixed on Cao Cao’s side.
As a commander, the most important task was to mobilize all parts of the army, making them his limbs, capable of flexible maneuvering.
Seeing a large group of cavalry suddenly charge out from Cao’s army, Long Chen sensed something was wrong.
This was Cao Cao’s move to break through his army’s formation!
Now, he could only hope that Tai Shici’s five thousand cavalry would succeed!
But before that, Long Chen instructed Zhao Yun:
"Zilong, the enemy cavalry’s intent is clear, you must stop their attack!! Hold them off until Tai Shici succeeds in his assault!!"
Zhao Yun, clad in white armor, respectfully accepted the order and led Long Chen’s elite cavalry, the Tiger Guards, out of the encirclement to face Cao Cao’s ten thousand cavalry.
Cao Ren was a renowned general of the late Han Dynasty and a relative of Cao Cao. His skills ranked among the top-tier generals, but his greatest strength was his ability to command troops.
In history, he followed Cao Cao in numerous battles, defeating Yuan Shu, attacking Tao Qian, capturing Lü Bu, and defeating Liu Bei, playing a crucial role in the Battle of Guandu.
After the Battle of Red Cliff, he guarded Jiangling against Zhou Yu’s attack, eventually abandoning the city.
He later commanded the defense of Tongguan, defeating Su Bo and Tian Yin in Hejian, and annihilating Hou Yin in Wancheng.
During the Battle of Xiangyang-Fancheng, he resolutely defended Fancheng against Guan Yu’s siege.
After Cao Pi ascended the throne, Cao Ren was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry, Governor of Jing, Yang, and Yizhou military affairs, and Prefect of Jingzhou, eventually being ennobled as Marquis of Chen.
In the second year of Huangchu, he was appointed Grand General and Grand Marshal, holding supreme military power, which was the pinnacle of his career, similar to Long Chen’s current status.
However, he later suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Wu general Zhuge Jin and died in depression.
Now, Zhao Yun faced the future top general of Wei, Cao Ren, and given the disparity in troop numbers, it was uncertain who would prevail!
However, it was evident that Cao Ren looked down slightly on Zhao Yun.
