mtl008 Chapter 795 The War of Founding the Nation (5)
Chapter 795 The War of Founding the Nation (5)
Despite the complete annihilation of the Tiger Cavalry and the loss of more than half of the Leopard Cavalry's men, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry finally managed to halt the Han army's offensive momentum.
Cao Ren knew that the opportunity was fleeting and there would be no second chance if he did not seize it in time. He was also unwilling to let the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry sacrifice themselves in vain. Therefore, as soon as the Tiger Cavalry fell, he ordered the army to launch a full-scale attack to suppress the momentum of the Han army.
When the military order reached the front lines, Cao Zhang handed over command to Xiahou Shang, while he himself led over a thousand elite cavalry as the vanguard, relentlessly attacking the Han army.
Cao Zhang, wielding his halberd, charged into the formation, slaying several men before heading straight for Zhang Fei. As he charged, he roared, "You ring-eyed thief, why are you running? If you've got the guts, fight your grandpa Cao for three hundred rounds!"
Cao Zhang was the most skilled warrior among the second generation of Cao Wei, with combat prowess comparable to Xu Chu.
Born into a privileged family and possessing exceptional combat skills, he was correspondingly arrogant. He considered himself second only to heaven and earth, and he respected no one except his father, Cao Cao. He even showed little respect to Cao Pi.
He was like this in ordinary times, and even more so on the battlefield. He was like a god of death descending to earth, taking no one seriously. He even often shouted that he wanted to compete with the five tiger generals of the pseudo-Han.
Now that the opportunity has finally arrived, Zhang Fei in front of him keeps retreating, so he decisively provokes him with words.
Zhang Fei was indeed provoked. It's one thing for your father to call me a bandit with ring eyes, but who do you think you are, a junior?
However, Zhang Fei was no longer a young man in his twenties. Although he was angry upon hearing this, he did not lose his mind and rush to fight like he did when he was young. Instead, he retorted sarcastically, "You little yellow-bearded thief, this is a battlefield. Do you think you're wearing open-crotch pants and peeing in the mud? Are you stupid?"
Now it was Cao Zhang's turn to be provoked. He led his personal guards in an even more frenzied charge, wielding his halberd with incredible speed and power, displaying the same bravery as Lü Bu in his prime. No one could withstand a single blow from him.
Seeing his soldiers being slaughtered, Zhang Fei finally couldn't hold back any longer and charged forward on his horse, swinging his spear and sweeping it across Cao Zhang's face, shouting, "You little yellow-bearded thief, didn't you want a one-on-one fight? Your grandpa Zhang will give you that chance."
Cao Zhang was overjoyed at the sight and quickly swung his halberd to meet the attack. The two clashed, sending sparks flying, and both were forced back several steps by the opponent's powerful force.
Zhang Fei was slightly startled and couldn't help but think to himself, "What great strength! This kid is no ordinary person."
Cao Zhang was also shocked, his hand aching and his heart filled with surprise. But his snarling mouth continued to mock him relentlessly: "I didn't expect that the dignified Third Master Zhang is only this level. It really disappoints this junior. It seems that you are really old. Now it is the world of us young people. Why should an old man like you not stay in your coffin but run to the battlefield to make a fool of yourself?"
These words were quite vicious, though they contained no profanity, they were all aimed at the heart. Enraged Zhang Fei, he charged forward again with his spear, roaring, "You yellow-bearded little thief, your foul mouth stinks more than your father's foot binding cloth! Today, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your father, no matter what!"
Cao Zhang retorted sarcastically, "How do you know how smelly my father's foot bindings were? Have you ever smelled them?"
"Damn it..." Zhang Fei completely lost his temper. He never expected that he, who had never lost an argument in his entire life, would be rendered speechless by a junior. He was so angry that he went berserk on the spot, brandishing his spear and fighting Cao Zhang again.
Although he really wanted to send Cao Zhang flying with a single spear thrust, it was just a thought. Cao Zhang's martial arts skills might not be as good as his, but he was young after all. He was only thirty-three years old this year, and his physical strength and energy were at their peak.
Although Zhang Fei was more powerful, he was old after all, and his physical strength and energy were not what they used to be. It was normal that he could not defeat Cao Zhang in a short time. Also due to his physical condition, the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him.
Seeing Zhang Fei struggling, Guan Ping, who was further away, rushed to his aid. He ran to the vicinity and shouted, "Cao Zhang, what kind of skill is it to bully an old man? If you have the guts, fight me for three hundred rounds. Your third uncle will help you."
Zhang Fei roared without turning his head, "Get out of my way! You think I'm too old?"
Guan Ping: "..."
Am I wrong? Why can't I say it?
Although Zhang Fei refused to admit he was old, Cao Zhang had no desire to play with him anymore. After forcing Zhang Fei back with a single halberd strike, he decisively turned and charged at Guan Ping, shouting, "Guan Ping, you're right. It's not honorable to win by bullying the elderly. Today, let's settle our score."
He had a grudge against Guan Ping. Before his death, Cao Cao transferred him to Guanzhong. After arriving in Guanzhong, he clashed with Guan Ping. For more than a year, they had fought each other at Jieting. However, since they were both generals, they had never met, let alone fought, despite fighting for more than a year.
Today, Cao Zhang finally had the chance to fight Guan Ping, so he naturally wanted to have a good match with Guan Ping and avenge the humiliation of being blocked at Jieting. Therefore, he decisively abandoned Zhang Fei and charged towards Guan Ping.
Although Zhang Fei was furious at the words "even if you win, it's not a fair victory," he knew that now was not the time to act out of spite. Moreover, he was proud of his status and unwilling to join Guan Ping in the attack, so he abandoned Cao Zhang and charged forward.
Cao Zhang then brandished his halberd and slashed at Guan Ping, cursing as he fought, "Hey, you've even brought the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Looks like your father knows he's dying and is starting to make his final arrangements."
Guan Ping said speechlessly, "Now I finally know why your father dislikes you and why your brother can't stand you. Has your stinking mouth been soaked in a cesspool?"
This hit Cao Zhang where it hurt, and Cao Zhang angrily cursed, "You're the one who's disliked by your father! Take this halberd! This is the halberd that Lü Bu used back then. Your Green Dragon Crescent Blade is nothing compared to him."
Guan Ping remained silent; there was really nothing he could say about this.
After Lü Bu's defeat, his signature weapon, the halberd, naturally became Cao Cao's spoils of war, and it's understandable that Cao Cao would give it to his son, who was the most powerful warrior.
So even though he had never seen Lü Bu's halberd, he believed Cao Zhang's words. Moreover, he didn't have the habit of engaging in verbal sparring, so he decisively calmed his mind and began to fight for his life.
Guan Ping and Cao Zhang were evenly matched in martial arts and age, both at the peak of their lives, and neither could defeat the other in the short term.
Therefore, Cao Zhang had to deal with Guan Ping's attack with all his might, so he had no chance to speak, and his foul mouth was finally shut up.
Seeing how brave the two men were, the soldiers on both sides also unleashed an unprecedented fighting spirit, charging towards each other ruthlessly like a pack of mad beasts.
While the battle raged fiercely on the main battlefield, other areas were also busy.
After Cao Zhang and Xiahou Shang's cavalry raid on the left and right flanks of the Han army failed, Cao Ren ordered Zhu Ling and Qian Zhao to each lead 30,000 infantry to attack the left and right flanks of the Han army.
Zhu Ling led his army to the battlefield but was blocked by Liu Feng's wooden box formation. Zhu Ling was not afraid at all. He moved wooden planks and put them on the wooden boxes to form a ramp. He ordered the swordsmen and archers to run up to the top of the boxes in pairs and start shooting arrows to kill the Han army.
At the same time, he ordered other infantrymen to clear obstacles such as long spears and bamboo poles stuck in the wooden boxes, and directed the army to advance steadily and methodically.
Zhu Ling was a former general of Yuan Shao. After surrendering to Cao Cao, he followed Cao Cao in his campaigns and his status was once above that of Yu Jin. However, he was not part of Cao Cao's inner circle and was never given important positions.
Having served as Yu Jin's superior, his command abilities were certainly not lacking, at least superior to Liu Feng's. Before long, he had Liu Feng in disarray, even forcing Liu Feng into a series of defeats.
At the same time, Qian Zhao also clashed with Liao Hua on the opposite side. Liao Hua's wooden boxes did not have barbs like spearheads or bamboo poles. Qian Zhao led his army into the wooden box formation and engaged in a fierce battle with Liao Hua between the boxes.