Chapter 60: How Painful It Is

"You... you... this... this... Liu... Liu..." Staring at the massive army before him, Cao Cao stammered as if struck by divine retribution.

He had not marched into Huarong Trail by choice; he had been forced into it.

Could Liu Bei possibly have anticipated even this?

Did Liu Bei possess such extraordinary strategic foresight?

Not even immortals could have foreseen it!

In an instant, the morale of Cao's army plummeted to absolute zero.

Exhausted in body and spirit, tormented by the psychological trauma of turning against their own comrades and the heavy defeats of recent days, all these sufferings erupted at once.

Upon seeing Liu Bei's army, many soldiers simply collapsed to the ground and wailed bitterly, completely devoid of any will to resist.

"Prime Minister, flee quickly!" Jia Xu cried out urgently, fixing his eyes on Cao Cao.

Recovering his wits, Cao Cao snapped into focus, his expression turning resolute. With a fierce roar, he commanded, "Xu Chu, guard me! Everyone else, fend off the enemy!" With those words, he whipped his horse and bolted first.

Jia Xu followed closely behind him.

Xu Chu led his own unit—Cao Cao's personal bodyguards renowned for their fierce loyalty—and hurriedly formed a protective barrier around Cao Cao, fleeing at a gallop.

Zhao Shaojie had no personal friendship with Cao Cao, nor was he the Guan Yu of the romance who would let a wretched Cao Cao pass out of sentiment.

Huang Zhong charged straight toward Cao Cao.

Liu Yan led his forces directly against the main enemy rear.

Zhao Shaojie, bringing up the rear with several hundred men, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Surrender and your lives will be spared!"

Huang Zhong led his vanguard straight at Cao Cao, looking as ferocious as a starving wolf leaping upon its prey. This was Cao Cao himself! To capture Cao Cao alive would secure his fame across the realm!

Though Cao Cao's bodyguards were elite and had been well-fed, the continuous string of defeats had inevitably drained their combat effectiveness and fighting spirit.

As Huang Zhong spearheaded the charge, many of the enemy failed to exhibit their former martial prowess, yet they still displayed dogged resilience, fighting to the death.

Xu Chu fought like a mad demon, his long spear whirling fiercely through the air.

Even with Huang Zhong's men having rested and built up their strength, they were no match for this berserker.

Before long.

Xu Chu and Huang Zhong collided head-on, clashing in fierce combat.

Cao Cao, Jia Xu, and the others immediately pushed forward.

After trading blows for several rounds, Xu Chu looked at Huang Zhong in astonishment. Who would have thought this old codger was so formidable?

However, he had no time for reflection. Catching sight of Cao Cao passing by, and daring not to become entangled in a protracted duel, Xu Chu unleashed a burst of ferocious strength that forced Huang Zhong back, then hurriedly rushed to resume guarding Cao Cao.

How could Huang Zhong let him escape? He immediately spurred his horse in pursuit.

At the same time, Zhao Shaojie descended with several hundred men to cut off Cao Cao's escape route.

Yet Cao Cao possessed formidable martial might of his own; mounted and slashing left and right, he was a force to be reckoned with.

As the two sides engaged in melee, Xu Chu rushed back to cover Cao Cao once more. Without a moment's hesitation, Cao Cao resumed his retreat.

Knowing his own limitations, Zhao Shaojie did not pursue personally, instead sending his troops to hunt them down.

Meanwhile, in the rear, Xu Huang, Man Chong, Cao Chun, and others fought with desperate fury, refusing to retreat a single step if it meant securing Cao Cao's escape. Generals who usually commanded from the center of the army were now personally wielding blades, hacking away at the swarming hordes of enemy soldiers!

Yet they were mortal men and inevitably grew weary; against an army's encirclement, human stamina could only sustain them for so long.

As for the remaining ordinary soldiers, their state was even more pathetic.

Another major reason Cao Cao had kept abandoning and executing men along the march was a severe shortage of food; many soldiers were down to a single meager meal a day. Under such conditions, what combat capability or fighting spirit could possibly remain?

Before long.

Large numbers of soldiers laid down their arms and surrendered.

Only a handful of generals stubbornly resisted.

Gradually, however, Xu Huang and the others showed signs of exhaustion, their fingers barely able to keep a grip on their weapons.

With a sharp *clang*, Xu Huang's long spear slipped from his hands and clattered to the ground, and a gleaming blade was instantly pressed against his neck. Xu Huang let out a long sigh, closed his eyes, and murmured, "Prime Minister, I have done my utmost."

Shortly thereafter, Cao Chun, Cao Hong, and the others were captured one by one.

Clearing the battlefield, Zhao Shaojie was in high spirits. They had captured virtually the entire military and political administration of Cao Cao's southern expedition; such an immense achievement made him feel qualified to be crowned a prince himself.

"What? Is Cao Cao a goddamn psychopath?!" The triumphant mood vanished instantly when Zhao Shaojie heard a report from his subordinates that along the path ahead, countless living men were wedged directly into the mud, some still breathing and crying out in unending agony. Upon inquiry, he learned that Cao Cao had used these human bodies as fleshy cushions to pave the road.

"Damned bastard!" Zhao Shaojie was driven mad with fury. As a man of the modern era, he never imagined he would witness atrocities even more horrifying than the carnage at Wulin.

In a fit of rage, he drew his "Sword of Benevolence," a weapon he had never yet used, intending to hack Cao Cao's captured generals to pieces.

Yet he quickly regained his composure. For one, these men had merely been following Cao Cao's orders; for another, they were crucial figures in Cao Cao's faction, and he lacked the authority to execute them unilaterally.

Swallowing his burning rage, Zhao Shaojie could only order his men to begin rescue operations.

Shortly after.

Huang Zhong returned, looking thoroughly dejected as he reported, "Cao Cao got away; we failed to capture him, but we did catch this man! Xun You!"

Startled, Zhao Shaojie turned his gaze toward Xun You and demanded angrily, "Cao Cao used living men to pave the road, and as an esteemed scholar of the realm, you didn't try to stop him?"

Xun You lowered his eyes in silence, his expression a mask of profound exhaustion and indifference.

Venturing into futile rage, Zhao Shaojie stamped his foot and cursed, "The good days of you aristocratic clans are coming to an end! I will promote universal education so that everyone can acquire knowledge—you won't remain arrogant for much longer!"

At that, Xun You finally looked at Zhao Shaojie with genuine focus and offered a faint, sardonic smile.

...

Elsewhere, although Huang Zhong pursued relentlessly, Xu Chu and the others, catching sight of a path to survival, fought with desperate fury to buy Cao Cao time. They only broke off combat once Cao Cao had vanished deep into the dense woodland.

Initially, Huang Zhong intended to search the woods, but suddenly his scouts reported that over a thousand Cao soldiers were approaching on patrol.

Having brought fewer than a hundred men, Huang Zhong knew he stood no chance in a direct fight. After a hasty perimeter sweep of the forest, during which they captured the hiding Xun You, he regretfully withdrew.

Xu Chu and his remaining guards plunged into the woods and, after searching for a short while, finally located Cao Cao.

Devoid of his horse, his hair disheveled, and his garments tattered and stained with dried blood, Cao Cao gripped a weapon in his hand as he cast nervous glances from side to side, wandering alone like a frightened bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

"Prime Minister!" Having served Cao Cao for many years, Xu Chu had never beheld him in such a wretched state. Unable to hold back his tears, he rushed forward, dropped to his knees, and wrapped his arms tightly around Cao Cao's legs, weeping bitterly.

With a wary expression, Cao Cao instinctively raised his sword, preparing to strike down the approaching figure. But recognizing Xu Chu, he too burst into tears, crying out in profound grief, "Where are Wenwen, Gongda, and Zilian?"

At these words, Xu Chu wailed even louder.

"How agonizing!" Cao Cao dropped his sword, sank to the ground, and embraced Xu Chu.

The few remaining personal guards around them wept uncontrollably as well.

It was precisely this chorus of weeping that attracted a patrolling detachment of Cao's army. Upon coming closer to investigate, the soldiers were utterly horrified to discover it was none other than the Prime Minister himself!

Though still shaken, Cao Cao quickly recognized them as his own men, and his heart settled somewhat. Upon inquiry, he learned that Cao Ren, deeply worried for his safety, had dispatched troops from various counties to patrol the region and provide a rescue escort.

"Why didn't Zxio dispatch men sooner?" Cao Cao sighed heavily. Daring not linger, he immediately departed the woods, picking up the hiding Jia Xu, Chen Qun, and others along the way.

Without pausing to search for anyone else, they pressed on directly toward Jiangling.