The White Horse was in dire straits. Cao Zhi, riding with Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, led reinforcements at full speed.
Outside White Horse City, the two armies faced off. Yuan Shao’s forces were well-formed and brimming with confidence. Yan Liang, clad in heavy armor, wielding his long blade, rode his prized steed back and forth at the front, radiating arrogance. On the Cao side, the atmosphere was tense. Cao Zhi, in the center of his troops, furrowed his brows, flanked by the calm and steadfast Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao.
Yan Liang spurred his horse forward, his voice thundering:
“Yan Liang of Hebei is here! Cowards in the Cao camp, who dares face me?! Kneel if you lack courage, and I will spare none of you!”
A ripple ran through the Cao army. One general, unable to suppress his anger, stepped forward.
Li Zheng shouted:
“Cease your arrogance! Li Zheng of Mount Tai is here to take your head!”
Yan Liang sneered:
“A nameless officer comes to die?”
Li Zheng, enraged, lunged with his spear. Yan Liang feigned a flaw; Li Zheng’s strike missed, and the great blade of Yan Liang sliced horizontally with tremendous force.
Yan Liang: “Die!”
Li Zheng let out a horrified scream as he was cleaved in two, blood splattering across the ground. The Cao soldiers gasped in shock.
Another general, Song Xian, red-eyed with fury, charged out:
“Yan Liang! Return my brother’s life!”
Yan Liang laughed coldly:
“Another fool eager to die. Perfect—let me stretch my limbs!”
Song Xian, more skilled, fought Yan Liang for five rounds, but remained at a disadvantage. Each swing of Yan Liang’s blade sent jolts through Song’s arms.
Yan Liang: “Enough playtime—off with you!” With a swift, precise maneuver, he disarmed Song Xian and beheaded him with a single strike, tossing the helmet toward the Cao lines.
Yan Liang roared, filled with uncontested arrogance:
“Ha! The Cao camp is full of such trash? Not a single one can withstand me! Who’s next?!”
The Yuan troops cheered, while the Cao army’s morale plummeted. The generals looked on in fear.
Next to Cao Zhi, Xu Huang’s face darkened. Unable to bear it, he gripped his battle axe and charged:
“Yan Liang, cease your madness! Xu Huang of Hedong is here!”
Yan Liang’s eyes narrowed:
“Oh? Xu Gongming? Finally, someone of substance. Your head deserves my full attention!”
The clash began. Blades and axes collided with deafening metallic clangs. Strength met strength. Ten rounds passed with neither side yielding.
The Cao soldiers held their breath, hope rekindled.
“General Xu! Strike him down!” “Yes! Do it!”
Cao Zhi clenched his fists. But Zhao Yun, standing nearby, shook his head, eyes sharp.
“Master,” Zhao Yun whispered, “Xu Huang’s axe is forceful, yet Yan Liang’s blade is heavier and extends with persistent strength. Within fifty strikes, Xu Huang will expose a weakness.”
Indeed, after forty rounds, Xu Huang’s energy waned, his swings slowed slightly. Experienced in battle, Yan Liang seized the moment, accelerating his blade like a storm.
Yan Liang: “Xu Gongming, this ends now!”
Xu Huang barely blocked; a blow grazed his armor, sparks flying. His shoulder and arm were cut deeply, blood soaking his tunic. Unable to continue, he retreated.
Yan Liang, intoxicated with victory, raised his blade and horse high, shouting:
“Who else dares?! Under Cao Mengde, not a single one can match me?!”
The Cao camp fell silent. Despair spread. Even Xu Huang had failed—who could stand against him?
At this moment, Zhang Liao suggested leading a strike, but Cao Zhi held him back. Zhang Liao’s strength could hold Yan Liang at bay but not defeat him, which would hurt morale. Zhao Yun, however, though lesser-known, was the perfect candidate.
Cao Zhi turned to Zhao Yun earnestly:
“General Zilong… this fiend insults our army… I… I can rely only on you.”
Zhao Yun’s gaze shifted from the haughty Yan Liang to the young Cao Zhi. He saw trust and expectation in the master’s eyes, recalling the life-saving favor and recognition Cao Zhi had shown him.
Zhao Yun bowed calmly, voice steady yet charged with impending fury:
“Master, I shall repay your life-saving grace. The head of this beast shall be my first offering to you. Wait here, and I will return.”
This was not for Cao Cao, but a personal oath to repay Cao Zhi—a timeless demonstration of loyalty and valor.
He lifted the reins; his white steed surged forward, the contrast striking against the retreating Cao soldiers and the brazen Yuan army. All eyes focused on the white-armored, silver-clad newcomer.
Zhao Yun charged, lance poised, white robe and silver armor gleaming—a lightning strike toward Yan Liang.
Yan Liang, seeing a seemingly nameless officer, sneered:
“Cao camp has no one worthy? Sending a pale youth to die? Speak your name—I do not strike unknown ghosts!”
Zhao Yun’s eyes froze, his voice ice-cold:
“Changshan, Zhao Zilong.”
Yan Liang frowned, unfamiliar, more disdainful:
“Zhao Zilong? Never heard of him! Looks like Cao Zhi’s men are all…”
Before Yan Liang could finish, Zhao Yun’s lance struck. He was not here to parley, but to avenge his benefactor. His horse accelerated, the spear’s silver tip flashing like a cold star, aimed precisely at Yan Liang’s throat.
Yan Liang was caught off guard, unable to fully block. Zhao Yun twisted the spear like a serpent, piercing Yan Liang’s heart.
Yan Liang: “You…!”
With a muffled thud, his arrogance and surprise froze eternally. He fell from his horse, a cloud of dust rising.
The battlefield was silent. Both Cao and Yuan soldiers stared in disbelief. The feared Yan Liang had been killed in a single decisive strike by a previously unknown white-armored officer.
A moment later, thunderous cheers erupted from the Cao camp. The Yuan army, leaderless and stunned, collapsed in chaos.
Zhao Yun returned, holding Yan Liang’s head, casting it before Cao Zhi, bowing once more:
“Master, your command fulfilled.”
Cao Zhi, overcome with emotion, leapt from his horse and clasped Zhao Yun’s arm tightly:
“I have found Zilong! A gift from heaven! I shall never forget this!”
Taking a deep breath, controlling his trembling, Cao Zhi’s eyes sharpened. For the first time, he gave orders as a true commander:
“Drums! Full assault! The enemy general is dead, morale shattered—strike now!”
He looked to Zhang Liao: “Lead the cavalry to their right flank!”
“To the bowmen: advance and provide covering fire!”
His gaze fell on Zhao Yun with respect:
“General Zilong, take your rest or hold the front to strike fear into their hearts!”
At that moment, Cao Zhi was no longer merely a son in his father’s shadow. On the battlefield, through his judgment and Zhao Yun’s valor, he held the army steady and commanded with authority.
The drums thundered. The Cao army surged like a flood, crashing upon the chaotic and panicked Yuan forces.
With their general slain and facing the white-armored warrior, no one dared resist. Yuan troops collapsed, routed, and suffered massive casualties.
The siege of White Horse was lifted.
This victory was not only Zhao Yun’s legendary “single spear against Yan Liang” but also the young commander Cao Zhi’s—who, in a moment of crisis, issued decisive orders that won the army’s complete confidence.