Several dozen miles away, Yuan Shao commanded his main army from camp.
Inside the central tent, Yuan Shao met with his strategists, Guo Tu and Ju Shou, discussing their next moves with unshakable confidence.
Yuan Shao, proudly twirling a wine cup, said:
“Yan Liang is the bravest of all! By now, he must have crushed White Horse and cleared the way for our army to cross the river. Send orders—speed up the transport of supplies! Soon, we march on Guandu!”
Guo Tu flattered:
“My lord’s military insight is unmatched. General Yan is like a bear and tiger combined; capturing White Horse will be like taking candy from a child!”
At that moment, urgent, even panicked, hoofbeats and shouts echoed outside the tent.
A scout rode in, nearly tumbling from his horse, voice hoarse and desperate:
“My lord! Disaster! Urgent news from White Horse! General Yan Liang… has… been slain in battle!”
“What?!” The tent fell silent. Yuan Shao’s confident expression froze into utter disbelief.
He jumped to his feet, overturning the table:
“Nonsense! Yan Liang… how could he… who killed him? Was it Cao himself?!”
The scout kowtowed repeatedly:
“Not Cao Cao! The one who killed General Yan is a white-robed officer—surname Zhao, given name Yun, styled Zilong. I only… only saw it once, and he pierced through General Yan!”
“One strike?!” Gasps filled the tent.
Guo Tu cried sharply:
“Zhao Yun? I’ve heard the name! A nameless youth—how could he slay such a general? Something’s amiss!”
Ju Shou, though shocked, remained calm. He seized the key point:
“Wait! You said Cao Cao was present? Then who commanded the White Horse forces? Under whose banner did such a warrior serve?”
The question was critical. All eyes turned to the scout.
He recalled the battlefield: the cheering from Cao troops, shouting Zhao Yun’s name, and even chanting “Master’s brilliance!”
“Master’s brilliance?” Yuan Shao paused.
The scout remembered the crucial detail:
“Yes! The general’s banner was not ‘Cao’ alone, nor Xiahou—it bore both the characters ‘Cao’ and ‘Zhi’! The commander must be… Cao Zhi!”
This news stunned Yuan Shao and his strategists even more than Yan Liang being slain by an unknown officer.
Yuan Shao’s face twitched in disbelief:
“Who? Cao Zhi? That boy, who only knows poetry and scholarly pursuits?!”
He could not accept it: his top general, defeated by a mere “boy” and an unknown subordinate! The humiliation was unbearable.
Guo Tu, feeding Yuan Shao’s anger, tried to rationalize:
“Surely this is some trick by the boy Cao Zhi, or General Yan underestimated an ambush—he could not have been killed in direct combat by a nameless soldier! My lord, this is cunning, not failure!”
But Ju Shou’s expression darkened. He saw something deeper.
Slowly shaking his head, he spoke gravely:
“My lord, this is no mere trick. To slay a general in front of the army, not by ambush, is extraordinary. Zhao Yun killed Yan Liang in a single strike—his bravery may even rival Yan Liang’s! And more astonishing… Cao Zhi, barely of age, dared to appear on the front lines, recognizing and entrusting such a peerless warrior, maintaining composure in battle… His courage and judgment are far beyond a mere scholar. If Cao Cao had sent him to lift White Horse’s siege, we—”
Ju Shou’s words hit Yuan Shao like a bucket of cold water. Anger shifted to a mix of astonishment, being underestimated, and a subtle, uneasy respect for the heir apparent.
Breathing heavily, Yuan Shao finally erupted:
“Investigate! Find out! Who exactly is Zhao Yun, and that Cao Zhi… that Cao boy—I swear we will avenge this humiliation!”
### Yan Warlord Campaign – Yan Chou
Meanwhile, Cao Cao’s main army moved to Yanjin to confront Wen Chou’s forces.
Wen Chou, fierce and resolute, resisted all direct attacks. Cao Cao, following strategist Xun You’s advice, feigned retreat, abandoning supplies to lure Wen Chou’s troops into an ambush.
As Wen Chou pursued, hidden forces struck, meeting stubborn resistance. Generals Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin attacked from the flanks.
Wen Chou, composed under pressure, commanded his elite Hebei troops to fight fiercely. Though Cao Cao held the ambush advantage, Wen Chou’s army had numerical superiority and formidable strength, creating a brutal stalemate, with one side almost breaking.
Cao Cao then commanded:
“Xu Chu, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Yue Jin, Yu Jin—strike together! End him swiftly!”
The battlefield erupted: Xu Chu directly engaged, Xiahou Yuan supported with archery, Cao Ren, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin attacked from the flanks. Even Wen Chou’s valor could not withstand the coordinated assault.
Finally, after prolonged combat, Xiahou Yuan spotted a weakness and shot Wen Chou in the shoulder. Stunned, he was struck down by Xu Chu’s blade and fell from his horse.
Cao Cao’s method of overwhelming the enemy, though effective, exacted a high cost: casualties were heavier than expected, multiple generals were wounded, Xu Chu was exhausted and bloodied.
Afterward, Yanjin was left a chaotic battlefield, corpses strewn everywhere. Cao Cao’s expression held no joy, only gravity.
To his strategists, he sighed:
“Wen Chou’s courage is extraordinary. Without the sacrifice of my men, we would have suffered. So many lost to kill just one general—the Hebei elite are truly formidable.”
At that moment, a courier arrived, windblown, face flushed with excitement:
“Report! Chancellor, White Horse is victorious!”
Cao Cao paused:
“White Horse? Zhang Liao and Xu Huang repelled Yan Liang?”
The courier shouted excitedly:
“Not just repelled—he was slain! The siege is lifted! Our army is pressing the advantage!”
Cao Cao jumped:
“Slain Yan Liang? By Zhang Liao and Xu Huang together? Such a feat?!”
The courier continued, silencing the tent:
“The one who killed Yan Liang was not Zhang or Xu—it was a newly enlisted officer under Cao Zhi, Changshan Zhao Zilong!”
“Zhao Zilong? Who is that?” Blank stares followed.
The courier, voice rising:
“Zhao Yun charged alone into the midst of ten thousand troops! In a single strike, he slew Yan Liang, whose head now hangs atop White Horse!”
“One strike?!” Even Cao Cao could hardly believe it. His strategists and generals were stunned.
The courier added:
“Our losses are minimal! Cao Zhi now commands Zhang Liao and Xu Huang to pursue and expand the victory!”
The tent fell deathly silent. The contrast was astonishing: at Yanjin, Cao Cao personally led his top generals, ambushing Wen Chou, suffering heavy casualties for a hard-won victory. At White Horse, young Cao Zhi, with an unknown subordinate, defeated Yan Liang in a single strike, sustaining minimal losses.
Guo Jia recovered first, smiling meaningfully:
“Chancellor, not only is White Horse relieved, but Cao Zhi’s keen insight and daring leadership have uncovered such a peerless warrior… truly a gift from heaven, the future is secure!”
Cao Cao’s expression was complex—astonishment, pride in his heir, and deep contemplation. He waved the courier away and stood before the map, gazing at White Horse and Yanjin.
A mix of relief, pride, and a subtle sense of being overshadowed by a rising star swelled in his heart—the young generation casting a new light over the battlefield.