Chapter 51: Guan Yu defeated Cao’s army with a small force, and the whole world was shocked

When Yang Biao met Liu Bei that day, he was completely relieved after understanding the situation in Nanyang.

He also went to personally check on the loyal and brave guards under Liu Wu.

After seeing the training and fighting of the Loyal and Brave Guards, Yang Biao could not help but take a deep breath and felt relieved by the strength of the Loyal and Brave Guards. At the same time, he envied Liu Wu for being able to train such an elite army.

On the second day, Yang Biao and Zhao Yun quietly led two hundred loyal and brave guards and headed towards Xu Du in disguise.

The captain-level commander Niu Mang, who came from the Beiwei Army, would lead a hundred Mongolian cavalrymen to lurk outside Xu Du, ready to support Zhao Yun, Liu Xie and others at any time.

……

Outside Bowang City, flags covered the sky.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei arrived with an army of 10,000.

“Report to the general, Cao’s vanguard is less than a hundred miles away from Bowang.”

The scout Pegasus came to report.

Listening to the scout’s report, Guan Yu frowned and said:

“Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan arrived so quickly.”

“Haha, second brother, Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan are clearly here to die.” Zhang Fei laughed loudly, but he was not nervous at all.

Guan Yu listened to Zhang Fei’s laughter, but shook his head and said in a deep voice:
“Third brother, this time Cao Cao sent 40,000 troops as the vanguard, and also appointed Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Xiu, and Li Dian as generals. We must not take it lightly.”

“We are sending out troops this time without the consent of Big Brother, Zihao, Zilong, Yuanzhi, Xianhe and the others. We must not be defeated, otherwise, we will not be able to raise our faces when we return.”

Guan Yu’s words stopped Zhang Fei from laughing. He also knew the pressure they were facing this time.

“Second brother, you decide how to fight. I’ll listen to you.” Zhang Fei quickly said to Guan Yu, and decided to follow Guan Yu’s orders.

Seeing his third brother Zhang Fei’s cooperation, Guan Yu nodded, then narrowed his eyes slightly, and a sense of arrogance and fighting spirit burst out of him, saying:

“They don’t understand, but Guan is confident that he will win this battle.”

Hearing Guan Yu’s words, Zhang Fei, Guan Ping, Zhou Cang, Liao Hua and other generals were suddenly shocked.

“Where are Guan Ping and Zhou Cang?”

“I am here!” Guan Ping and Zhou Cang heard Guan Yu calling and immediately bowed and stepped forward.

“You two lead a thousand people to immediately gather the things used to defend the city, repair the city walls, and fight against Cao’s army!” Guan Yu ordered loudly.

“promise!”

Guan Ping and Zhou Cang immediately bowed and led their men away.

Guan Yu directly ordered the remaining troops to set up camp in front of Bowang City.

Zhang Fei looked at Guan Yu’s order and realized that Guan Yu seemed to want to fight Cao’s army head-on first.

No hesitation.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led the army to set up camp in front of the city.

Within a few days.

From the northeast, a large mass of Cao’s troops swept in, only ten miles away from Bowang City.

It was Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Xiu and Li Dian who were the vanguard generals, leading an army of 40,000.

“Report to the general, Guan Yu is leading nearly 10,000 troops to the front of Bowang City to meet the enemy.”

Cao’s scouts quickly came to report.

After hearing the scout’s words, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Xiu and Li Dian looked at each other and could see the surprise and suspicion in each other’s eyes.

“Guan Yu has only 10,000 soldiers and horses, but he dares to fight against our 40,000-strong army? Although Guan Yu is very arrogant, he is not stupid. Could he be scheming?” Cao Hong said in surprise.

Hearing Cao Hong’s concerns, Xiahou Yuan looked at the scout and asked:

“Can we find other troops of Liu Bei around Bowang?”

The scout did not dare to neglect it and quickly confirmed: “Reporting to the general, there are scouts of our army within dozens of miles of Bowang City, and no other troops have been found.”

“No other troops of Liu Bei? It seems that Guan Yu wants to fight us head-on. What does he rely on? Relying on the sharp weapons used by his soldiers? Does he really think that he can defeat our 40,000 troops just by using sharp weapons? Ridiculous!” Xiahou Yuan could not help but sneer.

Yes, the army under Liu Wu was equipped with sharp weapons that could cut iron, and Cao’s army knew this before they set out on the expedition.

In fact, Cao Cao knew about it at the end of last year and got a sample.

This is also one of the reasons why Cao Cao was eager to capture Nanyang when the ice and snow melted.

He couldn’t bear to see Wancheng’s strength continue to grow.

However, with 40,000 troops under their command, Cao Hong’s four generals were not afraid of Guan Yu’s 10,000 troops.

Even if Guan Yu’s army is equipped with weapons that can cut through iron, the weapons will have some advantages in a fight. However, when two soldiers fight, it is not about chopping at the opponent’s weapons, but at the vital parts of the person.

Even if the weapons collided, it didn’t mean that Cao’s weapons would be unusable immediately.

With a four-fold numerical advantage, and the fact that Cao’s army is composed of elite soldiers who have experienced the baptism of war, they will definitely not be afraid of Wancheng’s new recruits who have only been recruited for a year and have not seen blood.

“The army should set up camp and take a rest first. The soldiers are tired after the bumpy journey.” Li Dian said at this time.

Listening to Li Dian’s words, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Xiu all nodded.

They all understand military affairs, so naturally they won’t commit the biggest military taboos.

However, just as Cao Hong ordered the army to set up camp and prepare to let the long-distance army rest, scouts came riding in.

“Report to the general, it’s bad, it’s bad, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are leading a large army to attack us, and they are less than five miles away.”

The anxious voice of the scout rang out, and the faces of Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Xiu suddenly became ugly. Guan Yu actually came to kill them?
He is quite courageous.

“Pass on my general’s order, form a battle formation, and meet the enemy!” Cao Hong shouted loudly and issued a military order.

“promise!”

Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Xiu and Li Dian all bowed and mobilized their troops.

Cao Hong had very little time to get his army into formation. Almost before Cao Hong ordered all troops to assemble and the army had adjusted its formation, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led the massive Wancheng army to attack.

“I am Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang. Where are Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan? I am here to take your heads!”

There was a loud shout and everyone’s attention was drawn to it.

Guan Yu stood on a high slope, his Red Hare’s hooves galloping in the wind, but he stood still like a pine tree. He was wearing a green battle robe and holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade. The blade light was as clear as the cold moon, reflecting his cold red face. Ten thousand elite troops, holding spears and swords, formed a neat and swift battle formation, and their morale surged.

“Soldiers, follow me to charge into battle and defeat the enemy!” Guan Yu’s sharp and loud voice resounded through the battlefield like thunder. As he gave the order, Guan Yu rode on his Red Hare, leading the way, as fast as lightning, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, with overwhelming power.

“Soldiers, follow me, Zhang Fei, and kill Zhang Yide. Today is the day to achieve great success!” Zhang Fei exuded a tyrannical and powerful aura, and his voice was as loud as thunder.

The soldiers of Wancheng who followed Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were originally very nervous. However, seeing how powerful the two men were and thinking of their fame and achievements, they could not help but become excited.

Will be the courage of the soldiers.

The morale of the Wancheng army immediately soared.

“Kill!”

Compared to the soaring morale of the Wancheng army soldiers, the Cao army became nervous and panicked when they saw Guan Yu and Zhang Fei coming to attack them.

The fame of Generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei reached its peak during the Battle of Guandu.

Guan Yu, in particular, killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou, passed five passes and killed six generals, and was invincible.

“Kill!”

The soldiers of the two armies soon came into close combat. Although Cao’s army was overwhelmed by the momentum of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, they were unwilling to be outdone when fighting with the Wancheng army. In front of the formation, Cao’s army had flags flying and infantrymen were like a forest.

When the two armies met, earth-shaking shouts of killing broke out instantly, and the clang of weapons colliding and the neighing of horses intertwined. Guan Yu took the lead, and his Green Dragon Crescent Blade turned into a silver lightning and slashed towards the enemy. Wherever he passed, Cao’s soldiers fell one after another, and no one could stop him.

The Wancheng army behind him followed closely, with spears like a forest and swords like rain. With their sharp weapons that could cut through iron, they actually broke the Cao army’s formation into pieces.

However, when Cao’s army felt the sharp weapons of the Wancheng soldiers, they immediately remembered that before the battle, the general had instructed them to avoid a head-on collision with the Wancheng soldiers.

Cao’s army immediately stopped engaging in a head-on clash with the Wancheng army’s weapons, and instead relied on their rich experience in battlefield fighting to engage in a fight with the Wancheng army’s soldiers.

On the battlefield, screams were heard and smoke and dust were billowing. Soldiers from both sides shuttled through the flashing swords and shadows, and life and death were only a matter of seconds. Guan Yu rushed bravely, and every swing of his sword was accompanied by the fall of the enemy. Although he seemed to be possessed by the god of war, omnipotent and invincible, Guan Yu still clearly felt that Cao’s army was large in number and had many brave men. After the initial panic when facing the sharpness of the iron-cutting weapons, they gradually stabilized their position and began to organize a counterattack. For a time, the battlefield fell into a stalemate. Seeing this, Guan Yu frowned.

Guan Yu understood that he had to fight quickly and decisively at this time, otherwise the Wancheng army would inevitably be defeated.

“I am Guan Yu. Anyone who stands in my way will die. Cao Hong, take your life.”

Guan Yu shouted loudly, and immediately a squad of thirty elite cavalrymen gathered around him. These were the most elite cavalrymen in the army, and most of them were from Liu Wu’s loyal and brave guards.

A cavalry squad of thirty men rode their horses with Guan Yu and quickly circled to the flank of Cao’s army. They suddenly launched a surprise attack and attacked the flag of Cao Hong’s central army.

Guan Yu, however, wanted to capture the bandit and the leader and behead the main general of Cao’s army.

This sudden attack was like a tiger descending from a mountain, unstoppable. Cao’s flank was instantly breached by Guan Yu. Cao Hong was horrified when he saw Guan Yu coming to kill him, and he immediately withdrew his horse.

The commander withdrew from the battlefield, and the morale of Cao’s army dropped sharply.

Guan Yu took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. The morale of Cao’s army, which was already unprepared and hastily fought, plummeted and they were defeated one after another.

“Haha, Xiahou Yuan, fight with me, Zhang Fei.”

On the other side, Cao Hong’s troops were in chaos, leaving a vacuum in Xiahou Yuan’s troops. Zhang Fei, leading his men, rode his Black Whirlwind and broke through Cao’s army at some point, like a sharp arrow shooting straight at Xiahou Yuan’s troops.

Xiahou Yuan had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat.

Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan both retreated, and the morale of Cao’s army plummeted. They retreated backwards. Because of Li Dian’s support, Cao’s army did not lose all their weapons, but they looked in a miserable state.

“Don’t chase the poor bandits!”

Guan Yu stopped Zhang Fei who was about to lead a large army to pursue the victory.

“Second brother, now is a good time to pursue the victory, why don’t you pursue it?” Zhang Fei said rather unhappily.

“Look at the soldiers behind you!” Guan Yu said to Zhang Fei while stroking his beard.

Zhang Fei then looked back and saw the battlefield in a mess. Not only were there broken limbs and wounded soldiers from Cao’s army, but there were also wounded soldiers from Wancheng army everywhere.

The soldiers of Wancheng were covering their wounds with excited expressions on their faces.

He seemed to be excited that he could defeat Cao’s army, which was several times larger than his own, in a single battle.

“Most of these soldiers are on the battlefield for the first time. They are not as good as Cao’s army. If we hadn’t relied on the sharpness of our weapons and the two of us who just charged into the battle array and captured the enemy and the leader, and scared away Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan, causing Cao’s army to retreat, we would have been defeated.”

“Cao’s army is not in chaos. Let’s withdraw. The purpose of this battle is to boost the confidence and morale of the soldiers. It has been achieved. We cannot continue to fight.”

Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard and explained to Zhang Fei.

“This…yes!” Although Zhang Fei wanted to continue the pursuit, he also felt that what Guan Yu said made sense.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led the army and took advantage of the long journey of Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan’s army, which had not yet established a firm foothold, to inflict a small setback on Cao’s army. They then decided to stop while they were ahead and retreat towards Bowang City.

“Damn it, damn it, it’s so embarrassing. An army of 40,000, 40,000 strong, was actually defeated by Guan Yu’s 10,000 new soldiers. How can I face my elder brother?” Cao Hong led Cao’s army to form a battle formation, ready to meet Guan Yu’s pursuit. When he received the news that Guan Yu led his army to withdraw, he was immediately furious.

Generals Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian and others looked unhappy, but they had to admit that they were actually defeated by the new soldiers led by Guan Yu.

They were all veterans of the battlefield, and it was clear from the first fight that most of the soldiers in Wancheng were new recruits who were on the battlefield for the first time.

Yet, they were actually repelled?
“General Zi Lian, don’t be angry. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are indeed first-class warriors. Generals like Yan Liang and Wen Chou did not avoid their sharp edge and were beheaded. It is not shameful for us to avoid their sharp edge for the time being.”

“And since Guan Yu doesn’t dare to pursue us, it means that he is also afraid of our 40,000 troops and is not invincible!”

Zhang Xiu comforted Cao Hong.

Hearing Zhang Xiu’s comfort, Cao Hong’s expression immediately relaxed a little.

In fact, just now on the battlefield, facing Guan Yu’s unstoppable attack, he thought of the tragic deaths of Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and looking at Guan Yu’s mighty momentum, he decisively retreated.

“Guan Yu has only 10,000 new soldiers. He will not be able to withstand the attack of my 40,000 troops. Rest for a night, and then march to Bowang tomorrow to defeat Guan Yu and atone for his sins!” Cao Hong quickly adjusted his mentality and said loudly.

“Yes!” Generals Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Xiu and Li Dian all agreed in unison, their eyes filled with hatred. They had just arrived in Nanyang County and had suffered their first setback. If this were to get out, they would be laughed at.

revenge!

They take revenge!

The night was peaceful, and Guan Yu did not launch a night attack, causing the soldiers Cao Hong had ordered to be on guard to wait in vain.

The next day, after breakfast, the entire army immediately set out for Bowang City.

At this time, Guan Yu had already led his army into Bowang City.

Cao’s army attacked in large numbers.

The siege of Bowang City broke out directly.

The flames of war began to burn in Nanyang County.

Guan Yu in Bowang City faced off against Cao Hong’s 40,000-strong army, which temporarily attracted the attention of Liu Biao in Xiangyang, Sun Quan in Jiangdong, Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, and high-ranking officials in Bingzhou.

Hanzhong is close to Nanyang. If Cao Cao captures Nanyang County again, Zhang Lu will certainly be worried again.

Liu Biao of Xiangyang was also concerned about the Battle of Nanyang because it was related to his understanding of the strength of Wancheng and the subsequent impact if Cao Cao captured Nanyang County.

Of course, in addition to Liu Biao in Xiangyang, the Jingxiang families such as the Cai family, the Kuai family, the Pang family, the Huang family, the Ma family and other big families were all extremely concerned about Liu Wu’s strength in the Battle of Nanyang.

Pang Tong has arrived in Xiangyang and has approached the big families such as the Cai family, the Kuai family, the Pang family, the Huang family, and the Ma family. The big families were eager to see Liu Wu’s strength and whether they would accept Liu Wu and cooperate with him, or what.

As for Gao Gan of Bingzhou, Zhuge Liang also arrived in Jinyang. Gao Gan sent scouts. He wanted to see whether Liu Wu could really fight against Cao Cao. If he could, or even entangle Cao’s army, he would agree to send a large army directly south to Guanzhong to make Cao Cao lose an arm.

Although Sun Quan of Jiangdong shouted loudly, the prerequisite for Jiangdong to send troops to Hefei and the Central Plains was that the Wancheng army would not be defeated by Cao Cao in one blow. As long as Liu Wu could resist Cao Cao, or even entangle Cao Cao, they would send troops. They would not release the eagle until they saw the rabbit.

Outside Bowang City, spies and scouts from Liu Biao of Xiangyang, Sun Quan of Jiangdong, Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, and Gao Gan of Bingzhou gathered to collect information on the military strength of Wancheng.

Cao Hong commanded an army four times that of Guan Yu and attacked Bowang City from three sides, but Bowang City was a small city after all.

On the sixth day of Cao’s fierce attack, Cao’s army broke down the southern city wall, and a large number of Cao’s troops rushed into the city.

Guan Yu had no choice but to lead his army to break out from one side and flee towards Wancheng.

After defeating Guan Yu, Cao Hong was overjoyed and would not sit back and watch Guan Yu and Zhang Fei escape. This was a great opportunity to surround and hunt down Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

In the evening, as the sun was setting, the sounds of pursuit from behind were deafening. Cao’s army was chasing very closely and without any vigilance, and unknowingly they chased them to a place with lush branches and leaves.

Guan Yu, who was leading his troops to flee, suddenly reined in his horse.

“Boom!” “Boom!”

The mountain fires all over the sky turned into fire dragons, sweeping towards Cao’s army in the middle from all directions.

“How is this possible? How is this possible!” Cao Hong exclaimed in disbelief as he looked at the sudden wildfires around him.

The surrounding area was filled with flammable branches and hay. At this moment, Cao Hong understood that he had fallen into Guan Yu’s trap.

“This is Guan Yu’s plan. Soldiers, the Cao army is at its end. Kill!” Guan Yu, riding on his Red Hare, shouted in the light of the fire with a grim expression on his face, like a god of war.

“Kill!”

The soldiers under Guan Yu, who were originally in a miserable and desperate state, suddenly revived with full health and rushed towards the Cao army that was burning.

That night, the Bowang area was filled with flames and sounds of fighting.

The 40,000 soldiers of Cao’s army were either burned to death or killed, and less than 30% escaped. Two great generals of Cao’s army, Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Xiu, died in the fire and chaos.

Guan Yu burned Bowang, defeated Cao’s army with a small force and killed two of Cao’s generals in the battle. The news spread to all parts of the world at an extremely fast speed.

(End of this chapter)