Chapter Nineteen: Father
"Drive! Drive!" On the vast land of Xuzhou, a black giant dragon wound its way, speeding over mountains and ridges.
The whole earth shook!
At the "dragon head" position, a general wearing armor suddenly waved his hand, and the entire giant dragon stopped in its tracks.
This mighty dragon is the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, this so-called Cao army's most elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry only has three thousand people, every single one of them is an elite in the military! Even when attacking Lü Bu, Old Cao only brought 1,500 of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.
The remaining 1,500 stayed in Yanzhou, and only with them could Old Cao feel at ease back home!
"Movement ahead!" As the commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, Cao Chun's greatest asset was his awareness. His awareness allowed him to know when to charge into battle, to recognize where ambushes were laid and where the enemy's weaknesses lay.
So although it was imperceptible to the naked eye, Cao Chun still ordered the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to halt!
Xuzhou is a suitable place for planting grains and can be considered as the granary of the world. Similarly, its climate is also very suitable for weeds and forests.
One of the greatest natural enemies of cavalry is forests and tall grass! Once a cavalry unit charges in, as long as there are ambushers, set fires at both ends, haha, then wait for them to die without a place to be buried!
There was a commotion in the woods ahead, and birds hovered without landing. Under the blowing of the wind, the entire forest showed a strange atmosphere!
"Send a team in to investigate!" Cao Chun was Cao Cao's cousin, and it can be said that he inherited his old family's suspicious heart!
But caution on the battlefield is always a good thing!
A team of tiger leopard riders quickly left the main force and marched into the forest!
Before long, someone came back.
"What's inside?!" Looking at the tiger and leopard cavalry returning quickly, Cao Chun frowned, "Didn't they search carefully?" he asked.
"Report to General, there is indeed movement inside!" The Hu Bao cavalry rode over and said.
"Huh?!" Someone was discovered so quickly.
"But...?!" The knight looked embarrassed and said "Not an enemy! But rather, it's our own army!"
"What friendly army?!" Cao Chun was puzzled, pursuing Lü Bu's soldiers and horses, the lord had only sent out this thousand five hundred elite cavalry, how could there be a friendly army?!
"It's Chen Deng of Guangling, Chen Yuanlong!" a small school servant came over and said.
"Chen Yuanlong?!" The blow was struck, and Cao Cao had not yet had time to reward his troops on the White Gate Tower, so Chen Deng currently held no official position.
"Chen Deng and Chen Yuanlong?" From Guangling to Langya, they must be faster than them starting from Xiapi! Ahead is also the route of Lv Bu's army breaking through! Has Lv Bu been caught by Chen Yuanlong?!
When Cao Chun was thinking, Chen Deng had already brought his men
Three thousand remaining soldiers arrived before Cao Chun.
"General Cao Chun!" Chen Deng clasped his fist in greeting.
"Mr. Chen Deng has appeared here, have they encountered Lü Bu's army?!" Cao Chun looked at the incomplete and demoralized troops under Chen Deng's command and knew that they must have already clashed with Lü Bu!
When Cao Chun asked, Chen Deng's face turned red. The army of 15,000 was defeated by less than 2,000 remnants, and in the end, they were completely annihilated. If Lü Bu hadn't let him go, he would probably have been killed too!
"We were just talking about it on paper, and now Lü Bu has broken through our lines!"
"Huh?!" The Chen family of Guangling is a renowned and powerful clan, with over 10,000 private soldiers in their household. This time, Chen Deng has come out, and it's absolutely impossible for him to bring less than 10,000 men!
Even an army of over 10,000 people was defeated. Are there many remaining soldiers under Lü Bu?!
"How many troops does Lü Bu have?" Cao Chun never fought an unprepared battle, and he wouldn't make a move without knowing the true situation of his opponent.
"What! Chen Deng was speechless. Was he supposed to say that the other side originally had only 2,000 people and he sent them a force of 7,000? Now they have nearly 10,000 people?"
If he says it's gone, then Chen Deng really can't take off his hat of incompetence!
Chen Deng was not a person who lied, he wiped out the fact that he had sent 70,000 troops and said "In one battle with Lü Bu, I lost, and Lü Bu still has less than 10,000 men left! All are infantry!" Chen Deng's words were quite reasonable, Lü Bu's army was still left, and there was also a word "also"!
His words are flawless, Lü Bu's army is now left with only 10,000 people, isn't that true?! He lost, this is also a fact, right?! Although half of these 10,000 people were sent by Chen Deng, but you don't ask me why I want to say! This can still reflect that Chen Deng fought hard, it's just not against the opponent!
"Are there less than 10,000?! Are they all infantry?!" Cao Chun's eyes gleamed with severity! In the era of cold weapons, cavalry was the nemesis of infantry!
One thousand cavalry can defeat ten thousand infantry and even annihilate them!
It is said that among Lü Bu's remaining troops, there was a "King of Infantry" named Ding Yuan.
But don't forget, his Tiger and Leopard Cavalry are not ordinary cavalry, but heavy armored cavalry, their impact force can absolutely crush any enemy in front of them into powder. The armor on their bodies is also expensive, these three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry can support Cao Chun's 50,000-strong army.
It's precisely because of the high cost of heavy armor that Cao Cao's army only has these three thousand cavalrymen!
"Mr. Chen Deng, how long has Lü Bu's army been gone?" Cao Chun asked.
"It's already been half a day!" Chen Deng said as he returned, from the time they left the battlefield to running into this forest had taken several hours.
"So be it! Mr. Chen, we'll meet again in Xiapi!" Cao Chun was about to leave on horseback, but his severely exhausted and starving infantry of 10,000 men, who had already fought one battle, were not going to let him go without a fight, and the merit that was delivered right to their doorstep!
Xuzhou has many plains, a cavalry charge can take the life of infantrymen.
"Wait!" Chen Deng suddenly called out and asked Cao Chun, "General Cao, didn't you come from Xiapi?!"
"Yes!" Cao Chun was indeed sent by Cao Cao from Xiapi!
"So, I'd like to ask, does General Cao know any news about my father?" Chen Deng looked at Cao Chun with an expectant face, hoping to hear some news about his father from Cao Chun's mouth.
"What?!". Cao Chun was suddenly stopped by Chen Deng, how could he answer?! Lü Bu broke through the White Gate Tower, almost killing Cao Cao. Many of the civil and military officials who climbed up to the White Gate Tower were killed on the spot, including Chen Deng's father Chen Gui!
"Mr. Chen, I came in a hurry, the lord has orders to break camp and pursue, so I'm not very clear about Mr. Chen's news! Please forgive me!" Cao Chun could only temporarily put it off for now, he'll go see Chen Deng himself when they arrive at Xiaopei.
"Is that so?!" Chen Deng's heart sank, the Chen family of Guangling could be considered the first meritorious minister to offer up Xuzhou, Cao Cao would not possibly neglect them, his old father must be by Cao Cao's side.
In such a conspicuous position, Cao Chun actually said he didn't know and wasn't clear!
Chen Deng had a bad premonition when he recalled Lv Bu's words! Suppressing his anger, Chen Deng forced a smile and said, "Then I'll congratulate General Cao on his triumphant return!"
"So be it, farewell!" The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry gradually moved away under Cao Chun's lead.
Chen Deng's face sank, and his heart was filled with gloom.
"Master, where are we going now? Are we returning to Guangling?" asked the few remaining family members.
"Guangling?!" Chen Deng sneered "No, we won't go to Guangling first, we'll go to Xiaopei!"
"Go to Xiaoyi?!" The family was stunned, they were now defeated soldiers and generals, with no morale at all. What's the point of going to Xiaoyi? They should immediately return to rest and regroup!
"Hmm, go to Xia Pi! Don't you want to see the old master?!" Chen Deng replied.
"Think, think!" The family knew that Chen Deng was in a bad mood now and didn't ask much. The entire army of 3,000 people set off towards the direction of Xiapi.
"Dad, dad, you must be alright!" Chen Deng bit his lip, clenched his fists, and his fingernails scratched the palm of his hand without him even noticing.
