Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Arriving outside Xudu, Cao Cao and his companions gazed into the distance, only to see rising clouds of smoke and dust in the distance, like dark clouds rolling across the horizon, a terrifying sight. Beneath the dust, a faint glimpse of what appeared to be a massive cavalry force, speeding towards Xudu at lightning speed. Cao Cao couldn't help but exclaim, "Xiliang! It truly is Xiliang!" He sighed, "The Xiliang cavalry is truly magnificent!"

At this moment, Cao Cao's heart was filled with anticipation. At this critical moment, the arrival of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry undoubtedly gave him immense hope. He secretly mused that if the Western Liang Iron Cavalry could dispatch 70,000 or 80,000 men to assist, it would be sufficient to confront Yuan Shao's main force. This way, he could focus solely on dealing with Liu Biao and Yuan Yao, and the pressure on him would be greatly reduced. If he could hold these three lines of defense, he might be able to turn the tide of this battle and avert danger.

Xun You, standing by, seemed to have read Cao Cao's thoughts and whispered, "My lord, the Western Liang cavalry are known for their bravery and skill in battle. If we can gain their full support, our chances of victory will greatly increase. However, I wonder how many troops they have brought this time."

Cao Cao was slightly startled, then took another closer look. Although the force was impressive, it didn't seem to be very large. But he quickly gathered his composure. After all, the cavalry was getting closer. When the army was still a hundred paces away, they halted in formation. Only one cavalry unit was advancing straight ahead. Cao Cao braced himself and said, "Here they come!" He quickly stepped forward to greet them.

Leading the way was a young, exceptionally brave general, none other than his son Cao Ang. Another young general, with a face the color of a red date and a short beard under his chin, looked quite impressive. On the other side, a female general, clad in helmet and armor, was agile and heroic.

Before Cao Ang reached his father, he reined in the reins, dismounted, and quickly walked over to his father. He bowed respectfully and called out, "Father, I'm back." Cao Cao was overjoyed and said repeatedly, "Well, well, well, my son looks much better now." Cao Ang stretched himself briefly to show how well he was doing. He said, "I'm well now. It's my fault for worrying about you, father." Then he turned and said, "Come, let me introduce you. This is General Wei Yan." Upon hearing this, Wei Yan stepped forward to the front of the battle line, bowed, and shouted, "Greetings, Your Excellency, the Minister of Works!" Cao Cao smiled and replied, "General Wei, you've traveled hard. A banquet has been set up in the city. Join me for a feast later."

At this time, Ma Yunlu stepped forward with confidence, bowed gracefully, and said, "Greetings, Uncle Cao." Cao Cao looked at his son and knew in his heart that this was the young lady from Xiliang. However, he still pretended not to know and turned to ask Cao Ang, "Zixiu, who is this?" Cao Ang hurriedly introduced, "Father, this is Ma Yunlu, the beloved daughter of Uncle Ma from Xiliang and the sister of Ma Chao, the Prince of Liang." Cao Cao carefully examined her with the eyes of a father looking at his daughter-in-law, his heart filled with joy and satisfaction, and he kept saying, "Very good, very good."

Cao Cao knew that the dispatch of reinforcements from Xiliang, and the sending of Ma Chao's sister, at such a critical moment, must have held profound significance. Wei Yan also appeared remarkable, presumably a skilled warrior. He pondered how best to leverage Xiliang's strength to gain an advantage in the impending battle. He warmly invited everyone into the city, engaging them in conversation as they walked, his words revealing warmth and concern, an effort to forge closer bonds and lay the foundation for their shared struggle. Upon entering the city, Xudu was festooned with lights and a banquet was prepared, ready for everyone to take their seats.

Cao Cao took advantage of the moment when everyone was talking happily and called over Cao Ang. He leaned over slightly and whispered, "Zi Xiu, how many troops have arrived from Xiliang this time?" Cao Ang knew his father was very concerned about the number of troops, so he immediately replied softly, "2 Xiliang cavalry."

Cao Cao was stunned when he heard this, a trace of worry crossing his face. He frowned slightly and whispered, "Why are there only 2 troops? With the war on three fronts, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, and Yuan Yao coming at us with such force, these 2 troops are probably just a drop in the bucket. Will there be any reinforcements later?"

Cao Ang shook his head helplessly and said, "Father, before I left, I discussed with the Western Liang forces, and these 2 cavalry are the maximum force they can currently mobilize. Western Liang is vast, with many areas requiring garrison. Furthermore, Liang Wang Ma Chao is far away on the grasslands, and many matters need to be coordinated. It will be difficult to send more reinforcements in a short period of time."

Cao Cao's expression was solemn, lost in thought. While the 2 Xiliang cavalry were elite, they were indeed somewhat underrepresented in the face of such a complex and severe battle situation. He knew that he couldn't pin all his hopes on these 2 men. He had to re-evaluate his strategic deployment, rationally deploy forces, and find a way to defeat the enemy.

After a moment's thought, Cao Cao, fearing his son would notice something was amiss, patted Cao Ang on the shoulder and said, "Zixiu, it's truly remarkable that Xiliang has sent these 2 cavalrymen to help us. We can't blame them. Next, you and I will work together to figure out how to maximize the effectiveness of these 2 cavalrymen. At the same time, we must rely on our own strength to hold our various defenses."

Cao Ang nodded firmly and said, "Don't worry, father. I will do my best to help you deal with this crisis." Cao Cao looked at his son's resolute expression and felt a little relieved. He took a deep breath and secretly made up his mind that no matter how difficult the situation was, he would lead his soldiers to fight their way out.

At the banquet, everyone toasted each other, and the atmosphere was cheerful and lively on the surface, but Cao Cao was still weighed down by the heavy burden of war. He looked at Wei Yan and Ma Yunlu at the table and pondered how to use the 20,000 Xiliang cavalry to the best effect.

Cao Cao raised his glass to Wei Yan and said, "General Wei, I have long heard of your bravery. This time Xiliang has joined hands with our army, and I hope that you will make great efforts on the battlefield." Wei Yan hurriedly stood up, clasped his hands together, and said loudly, "Don't worry, Lord Sikong, I will do my best to serve you and will not let you down!" Cao Cao nodded slightly, his eyes revealing appreciation.

Afterwards, Cao Cao looked at Ma Yunlu again and said with a smile: "My dear niece Yunlu, I am very grateful that you have come here from afar this time. I believe that in Xiliang, you are as capable as any man." Ma Yunlu stood up and responded gracefully: "Uncle Cao, you are too kind. Although I am not talented, I am willing to do my part to fight against Yuan Shao." Cao Cao's heart moved, and he thought to himself that this woman was generous and decisive. If she could be used well, it might have unexpected results.

After the banquet, Cao Cao summoned Xun You, Guo Jia, Cao Ang, and others to his tent to discuss strategies for defending against the enemy. Cao Cao said gravely, "We have only sent 20,000 cavalrymen from Xiliang, and the situation remains dire. Everyone, how should we deploy these 20,000 cavalrymen?"

Xun You stroked his beard, pondering for a moment before saying, "My lord, Yuan Shao leads the coalition forces this time, possessing the greatest strength and posing the greatest threat. We can deploy 10,000 of the Western Liang cavalry on the front lines facing Yuan Shao, leveraging their mobility and impact to disrupt Yuan Shao's offensive rhythm. The other 10,000 can serve as a mobile force, ready to support the other two lines of defense."

Guo Jia nodded slightly and added, "Xun Gong is absolutely right. However, Yuan Shao will undoubtedly be aware of the strength of the Western Liang cavalry and will be prepared. We can first send a small force of cavalry to feint an attack to test Yuan Shao's defensive arrangements. Then, when the time is right, we can launch a full-scale attack with 10,000 cavalry. As for Liu Biao and Yuan Yao, our army can take advantage of the terrain, hold their camps, deplete their food supplies, and then launch a counterattack when they are exhausted."

Cao Ang also actively suggested: "Father, I think General Wei Yan is a brave warrior. We should let him lead 10,000 Xiliang cavalry to attack Yuan Shao's army head-on. I am willing to lead another 10,000 cavalry with Miss Yunlu as a mobile force, ready to obey orders at any time."

Cao Cao listened to the crowd's plans, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. He knew every decision hinged on the outcome of this great battle; a single misstep could lead to total defeat. After much deliberation, Cao Cao finally made up his mind and said, "I will do as you say. Xun You and Guo Jia, you two will assist me in coordinating the overall situation and developing a detailed battle plan. Zixiu, you must maintain close communication with Miss Yunlu and be ready to provide support at any time. General Wei Yan, the Yuan Shao army is now in your care. Act with caution and inflict inflict heavy damage on the enemy!" Everyone accepted the order in unison and dispersed to prepare.

The next day, before dawn, the thick darkness still enveloped the earth. Silence reigned, yet within Cao Cao's tent, the atmosphere was tense. First, urgent news arrived from Dongjun. The Xiahou brothers had sent a request for assistance, claiming Yuan Shao's offensive was fierce and they were struggling. Shortly thereafter, a hurried report arrived from Yingchuan, reporting that the Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei brothers, along with a general named Zhao Yun, were too ferocious, forcing their own forces to retreat, leaving their morale low.

Upon hearing this news, Cao Cao was terribly anxious. The situation was so dire that he knew he could no longer sit idly by. He immediately discussed countermeasures with Xun You and others. Believing Yuan Shao to be a serious threat, he decided to personally travel to the front lines in Dongjun to supervise the battle and boost morale, hoping to turn the tide.

However, Cao Cao was deeply concerned about the battle in Yingchuan. After all, he knew the abilities of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, all of whom were exceptionally brave and strategic. If anything went wrong in Yingchuan, the consequences would be disastrous.

Just as Cao Cao was in a dilemma, Guo Jia spoke up, "Since you are going to Dongjun, you must not neglect the defense of Xudu. Have you forgotten about Lü Bu? Lü Bu is a man of wicked ambition and unpredictable behavior. If you leave Xudu, you must guard against him taking advantage of the opportunity to cause rebellion. In my opinion, it would be better to have the emperor issue an edict himself. First, explain the pros and cons to the emperor. Explain that Liu Biao, a relative of the Han Dynasty, has rebelled against the emperor, an act of great treason. First, put him in a moral position. Then, ask the emperor to issue an edict, ordering Lü Bu to Yingchuan to fight Liu, Guan, and Zhang. With Lü Bu's ability, he should be able to easily defeat the Liu, Guan, and Zhang brothers. This way, we can both lift the siege of Yingchuan and prevent Xudu from being left empty, which would give Lü Bu an opportunity to exploit."

Cao Cao listened to Guo Jia's plan, pondered it for a moment, and felt it was a brilliant idea. With the emperor's edict, he could not only gain the upper hand morally, but also cleverly leverage Lü Bu's power to counterbalance Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, while also ensuring the safety of Xu Du. Cao Cao immediately sent someone to the palace to explain the current situation in detail to the emperor and implore him to issue an edict.

Upon learning of this, the emperor realized the dire situation and that his own position would be precarious if Cao Cao were defeated. Therefore, under the persuasion of Cao Cao's envoys, the emperor weighed the pros and cons and ultimately decided to issue an edict condemning Liu Biao's treason and ordering Lü Bu to immediately lead his army to Yingchuan to assist Cao Cao in resisting Liu Biao's attack.

After Cao Cao had arranged matters in Yingchuan, he led his generals and hurried to Dongjun. Along the way, Cao Cao was anxious and constantly urged his troops to speed up. He knew that the battle in Dongjun could not be delayed, and the Xiahou brothers were struggling on the front lines. He had to arrive as soon as possible to stabilize the army and formulate a strategy to defeat the enemy.