Another foe bows to Cao Cao’s might.

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Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 85.

Last time, Cao Cao decided to go out a-conquerin’ again, this time setting his sights on the region of Hanzhong, which was controlled by Zhang Lu. Zhang Lu sent his brother Zhang Wei (4), along with the generals Yang (2) Ang (2) and Yang (2) Ren (4) to meet the enemy at the stronghold of Yangping (2,2) Pass. So they went and set up a series of camps in front of the pass and waited for Cao Cao’s army.

Cao Cao’s vanguard, led by the generals Xiahou Yuan (1) and Zhang He (2), approached the pass, and when they heard that enemy forces had already camped out there, they decided to set up camp about five miles away. Their men were exhausted from the march, and that night they all settled in for some sweet slumber when suddenly, a fire broke out behind their camp, and enemy forces swept in from two sides. By the time Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He got on their horses, enemy troops had swarmed into their camp, and their army was crushed.

Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He managed to escape, and they ran back to meet Cao Cao, who was marching with the main army.

“You two have been with the army for many years!” Cao Cao said angrily. “How can you not understand that when your troops are exhausted from a long march, you must guard against a raid?! Why were you not prepared?!”

Cao Cao was so angry that he wanted to execute the two losing generals, and these were no third-rate officers. They had been two of his top warriors for a long time, and Xiahou Yuan was his kinsman. Luckily for them, the other officers spoke up in their favor and convinced Cao Cao to spare them.

The next day, Cao Cao personally led his troops toward Yangping Pass. Along the way, he noticed how treacherous the mountainous terrain was, and how thick the woods were. On top of that, he wasn’t sure which was the right path and was worried about an ambush, so he turned around and headed back to his camp.

Once back at camp, Cao Cao said to two of his top generals, Xu Chu and Xu Huang, “If I had known this area was so treacherous, I would not have come here.”

“But we ARE here, my lord,” Xu Chu said. “We must not begrudge the labor.”

The next day, Cao Cao rode out with just Xu Chu and Xu Huang, and the three of them went to scout out the enemy camp. When they made the turn around the foot of a hill, they spotted the enemy camps in the distance.

“Such strong fortifications cannot be taken quickly,” Cao Cao said as he pointed with his whip.

Before he had finished speaking, a cry rang out from behind them, and arrows rained down in torrents as two squads of enemy troops charged toward them. Cao Cao was caught off guard by this surprise attack. Xu Chu, however, was like, yeah, bring it on!

“I will fight the enemy!” he shouted to his comrade Xu Huang. “You defend our lord!”

And so Xu Chu galloped forth with saber in hand to take on the enemy generals Yang Ang (2) and Yang Ren (4). They were no match for him and quickly fell back. The rest of their troops, seeing their commanders running away, said yeah, thanks but no thanks. We won’t run away, but we aren’t going to charge forward to our death either. That allowed Xu Huang and Cao Cao to get away. When they ran back behind the hill, they were met by their own reinforcements.