Chapter 1101: Pincer Attack

Ma Chao’s personal guards had lost over 700 men, while the Xianbei elite cavalry had suffered nearly 3,000 casualties. In the brief span of a tea break, the frenzied bloodshed on the battlefield had already claimed thousands of lives.

Both sides had lost more than 10% of their forces within a short time. However, as they turned their horses for another charge, the difference in morale became apparent. Ma Chao’s personal guards, their eyes red with fury, were filled with madness, while the Xianbei soldiers were gripped with fear. As Ma Chao charged again, over a hundred Xianbei soldiers broke ranks and fled.

Roaring and galloping forward, Ma Chao’s soldiers followed their commander with a fanatical spirit, crashing into the Xianbei forces once more. This time, the fight was even easier. Under Ma Chao’s leadership, his troops rolled over the Xianbei forces, pushing them back with overwhelming force.

From a bird’s-eye view, one could see Ma Chao’s blood-soaked forces clashing with the gray and white Xianbei army. The Xianbei soldiers were gradually overwhelmed by the blood-colored tide, which ultimately broke through their ranks, causing them to flee.

Ma Chao drove his spear through Duan Qiliang, felling him from his horse. At this point, Ma Chao had realized that flashy techniques were useless in battle. On the battlefield, one strike should be lethal, without the need for a second. Simplicity and brutality were key.

Without pausing, Ma Chao turned his horse and continued the slaughter. He understood that the Xianbei army was so vast that even if he managed to break through the vanguard, the rear might not even know that he was there.

After killing Duan Qiliang, Ma Chao had his best chance to escape with his troops. However, after a brief moment of calm following the killing spree, Ma Chao had a realization. He knew that the strategy devised by Cao Cao must have encountered some unforeseen problem.

As for the possibility of Cao Cao’s defeat, Ma Chao hadn’t even considered it. He had immense respect for the wisdom of strategists, and he knew that the likes of Xun You, Xun Yu, and Zhong Yao were unmatched in their intellect. There must have been some unforeseen event.

At the same moment Ma Chao thought of this, he remembered the horrifying scene he had witnessed at the Xianbei royal court—it had been completely razed. If the Xianbei had received word of this and decided to retreat, it was not impossible.

“Xun You, Xun Yu, and Zhong Yao are all formidable strategists. They’re not inferior to anyone…” Ma Chao thought, a hint of unease rising in him, though he also felt somewhat reassured.

“They won’t let the Xianbei retreat easily. That means they’re waiting for an opportunity,” Ma Chao reasoned, his mind slowly piecing things together. After having been outwitted by Fa Zheng once, Ma Chao had grown more responsible, and, perhaps most importantly, he had learned to think things through.

“Should I take a gamble?” As this crazy thought crossed Ma Chao’s mind, his heart raced.

“Brothers, are you ready to fight?!” Ma Chao reined in his horse, turning to look at his remaining soldiers.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” Their scattered voices quickly merged into a unified shout.

“Good! Follow me, and after this battle, we will share the glory. Anyone who dies in battle, I will personally care for their families!” Ma Chao shouted, then spurred his horse southward, taking a deep breath. “Victory will be ours!”

With a thunderous roar, Ma Chao charged toward the Xianbei central army like a tiger descending the mountain, with over 6,000 of his loyal guards following closely behind, utterly convinced that Ma Chao would lead them to victory.

Meanwhile, Cao Ren and Ma Teng were engaged in low-intensity skirmishes with Kebineng and Mohutuo. By this point, Kebineng and Mohutuo had realized that the enemy didn’t want them to retreat easily, but neither did they want to commit significant forces to a full attack.

With this understanding, Kebineng felt somewhat at ease, maintaining a slow, steady pace as they retreated towards the grasslands. He knew that chaos was the real enemy—once disorder set in, no matter how large his army was, they would all be buried here.

As for the low-level skirmishes, which claimed around a hundred lives a day, Kebineng could still tolerate such losses. He had considered launching a fierce counterattack, but now was not the time to deal a heavy blow to the Cao army.

Thus, Kebineng patiently held back, waiting for the right moment to reveal his fangs when they reached the grasslands.

On this particular day, as usual, Cao Ren led his forces in another skirmish against the Xianbei army and once again emerged victorious. Despite these small victories along the way, the overall situation remained unchanged.

These minor victories looked good on the surface, but in reality, they had done nothing to shift the balance of power. Kebineng cautiously tightened his rear defenses, refusing to be lured into any traps, no matter how large a weakness the Cao forces showed. He moved his troops like a slow, methodical march, advancing step by step.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiu, who had intercepted the Xianbei army’s flanking forces near the Great Wall, quickly pursued the main Xianbei army, his cavalry moving swiftly to catch up with Cao’s troops.

When Cao Ren saw Zhang Xiu’s cavalry approaching, he wasn’t surprised. However, his expression grew serious when he saw that Zhang Xiu’s iron cavalry had suffered almost no losses.

Since Chen Xi had introduced stirrups and saddles, Cao Cao’s forces had quickly adopted them, and Zhang Xiu had made sure to equip his cavalry with them as well.

With stirrups and saddles, archers had their hands free, and for shock cavalry, it opened the door to employing unconventional tactics.

Furthermore, Zhang Xiu had received advance intelligence from Hu Che’er, which had given him an advantage. Despite the Xianbei deploying nearly 20,000 troops, Zhang Xiu had intercepted and defeated their vanguard. Then, with Zhang He’s forces arriving to harass them from the rear, the Xianbei had been crushed almost instantly.

Indeed, Zhang He had come with the intention of looting. After witnessing Lü Bu’s prowess firsthand, the shadow that Guan Yu had cast over him had mostly dissipated, and he was eager for revenge. Hearing about the major battle on the western frontier, Zhang He had come to claim his share.

Zhang He, knowing that Cao Cao was unlikely to lose, had come to gather horses and expand his own wolf cavalry in preparation for eventually taking down Guan Yu.

As it happened, Zhang He hadn’t encountered fleeing Xianbei soldiers but had stumbled upon a force of 20,000 Xianbei, over half of whom were mounted.

Naturally, Zhang He wanted to swallow them whole. However, with only 3,000 elite Bingzhou cavalry at his disposal, he wasn’t sure he could win. Moreover, these elite troops had been a gift from Gao Gan, so he didn’t want to expend them carelessly.

Therefore, Zhang He had kept his forces 20 miles behind the Xianbei, occasionally flying into the air to track their position, determined that these Xianbei troops would be his.

Zhang Xiu had not expected Zhang He to be lurking just 10 miles behind him. When Zhang He saw Zhang Xiu engage the Xianbei, he immediately increased his speed. Just as Zhang Xiu had clashed with the Xianbei vanguard, Zhang He’s forces closed in from the rear, biting at the Xianbei’s tail.

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