Chapter 22: The Battle on the Brink

Yan Liang was a renowned and fierce general of this era, famed far and wide as one of the top figures under Yuan Shao’s command. When Liu Yan, the Prefect of East Commandery, saw that Yuan Shao was now serious about opposing him, he became somewhat fearful and immediately begged Cao Cao for mercy.

Upon receiving Liu Yan’s letter, Cao Cao realized that the true challenge of this battle had finally arrived, and it was time for him to act. The siege of Baima must be broken—this was crucial, for it would determine where the morale would ultimately fall.

This time, Cao Cao summoned all his formidable generals and strategists to gather, their faces solemn. Even Guan Yu, though only a subordinate general, was invited by Cao Cao. After all, according to Cao Cao, they all fought for the Han dynasty—their banners were those of the Han, not the private insignia of the Cao family—thus Guan Yu’s presence was required.

Everyone understood that Yuan Shao was coming in full force, his army vastly outnumbering Cao Cao’s own. Though they had made thorough preparations, Yuan Shao was no mere paper tiger.

Moreover, Liu Biao of Jingzhou was involved in this matter. Though Liu Biao had not personally sent troops to aid Yuan Shao, he joined Yuan Shao in persuading the commanders of Yu Province and the Guanzhong region, urging them to secretly prepare to oppose Cao Cao.

Most of the districts in Yu Province responded to the call of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, while the commanders of Guanzhong remained largely on the fence. This was not a good sign for Cao Cao—if he could not deal Yuan Shao’s forces a decisive blow, those Guanzhong commanders who hesitated would surely side with Yuan Shao. Should that happen, Cao Cao would truly be in dire straits; even though he held the emperor, even though only he could be called the master of a royal army.

“The siege of Baima—Liu Yan has sent his letter. I have decided to send troops to break the siege. Yan Liang, a leading general under Yuan Shao, must be defeated. Victory in this battle is within reach!”

After speaking, Cao Cao’s eyes widened, surveying the strategists before him.

The tone was set; the specifics of the battle would now be determined by their collective wisdom.

After a brief pause, a man stepped forward—over forty years of age, fair-faced with sparse beard, short and slender in stature, but his countenance was lifted, unmistakably a scion of a noble family.

“Gongda, what brilliant plan do you propose? Speak!”

This was Xun You, widely known as Xun Yu’s nephew, but also a proven figure under Cao Cao’s command.

Previously, it was thanks to Xun You’s strategy that Cao Cao was able to flood Xia Pi and capture Lü Bu almost without bloodshed.

Because of this, he stood forward with confidence, and Cao Cao relaxed slightly.

“Minister of Works, Yuan Shao’s army is vast. To confront Yan Liang head-on would be unwise; it would squander the advantage of our capable commanders despite our fewer troops. In my opinion, we should employ the tactic of feinting east to strike west, dispersing Yuan Shao’s forces. First, dispatch a unit to Yanjin, feigning a river crossing to attack Yuan Shao’s rear. Yuan Shao will be forced to divide his forces westward. Then, Minister of Works can send light cavalry to swiftly assault the Yuan army besieging Baima, catching them off guard. We will surely drive Yan Liang back!”

Just a few words, and a strategy to break the siege of Baima was already laid out.

Cao Cao studied the map hanging on the wall for a moment, nodding unconsciously before turning to Guo Jia and the others.

Deciding on a plan was not a matter to be settled with a mere snap of the fingers—a single person’s idea could always have omissions. Generally, if a strategist’s plan was endorsed by several other advisors, it was considered all but certain.

Guo Jia was not one to conceal his talents. Seeing Cao Cao’s gaze drifting toward him, he spoke up without hesitation.

“Gongda’s plan not only accounts for the positions and numbers of our army and Yuan Shao’s, but also considers Yuan Shao’s temperament and thought process. An excellent strategy! I believe Minister of Works should proceed exactly as proposed!”

With this, the matter was settled. The other strategists nodded in agreement—Xun You was indeed talented, and with Guo Jia’s endorsement, the decision was made within just a few sentences.

Watching among the generals, Guan Yu felt a certain bitterness in his heart.

The gap between Liu Bei and Cao Cao was vast—not to mention the warriors, even in terms of strategists, Liu Bei was almost bereft.

Whenever faced with military affairs, Liu Bei would always fret, calculating with his limited troops how best to deploy them. Never had he displayed Cao Cao’s composure and confidence.

At this point, Guan Yu began to adjust his mindset. Following Cao Cao in such a grand battle was itself a form of learning and experience. If in the future he had the chance to return to Liu Bei’s side, he could bring back all the skills he acquired during this time.

With the strategy settled, the next matter was selecting the right people.

It was clear that Xun You’s plan was sound, but the real key lay in choosing the commander for the cavalry tasked with the swift raid against Yan Liang. Yan Liang was a famed general of Hebei, proven in numerous great battles—not someone Cao Cao could defeat by randomly selecting a couple of men. Otherwise, Liu Yan would not have been so desperate for reinforcements.

While strategies could be discussed among the advisors, Cao Cao never delegated the choice of personnel. Just as he insisted on keeping Guan Yu by his side, he had always done the same with other talents before—he had absolute confidence in his ability to place the right people in the right positions.

“We shall act according to this plan. Before dawn tomorrow, we will feign an attack. Once Yuan Shao divides his forces toward Yanjin, I will personally lead the army to break the siege of Baima. Xu Huang will accompany me in the main force, Wen Yuan and Yun Chang will be the vanguard, engaging Yan Liang swiftly—the sooner we repel the enemy, the better!”

Guan Yu, still holding a bystander’s attitude, suddenly found himself assigned as the vanguard against Yan Liang. He was quite surprised—after all, he had not yet rendered any merit for Cao Cao, yet now he was to take the lead in such a critical battle. He could not help but admire Cao Cao’s boldness.

Yet admiration aside, since Guan Yu was now here, and since he had already sent his two sister-in-laws to the imperial palace, he was ready to confront Yuan Shao.

Alongside Guan Yu, Zhang Liao was also named. Originally just a subordinate under Lü Bu, after Lü Bu’s death, Zhang Liao had been retained by Cao Cao and quickly integrated into his ranks.

Guan Yu understood that besides valuing his and Zhang Liao’s abilities, Cao Cao’s decision to send them together as vanguard was also meant to foster camaraderie—after all, both had come from other commanders, and would surely have common ground.