156 Seeking Help at Qu'e

Ever since the raid on Wuchao, Su Ming and his men had remained deep behind the Yuan army's lines. Consequently, the intelligence they gathered regarding the frontlines was scant indeed.

Due to this lack of information, Qu A was utterly unable to determine to whom the approaching cavalry unit belonged.

Although Qu A possessed exceptionally keen hearing—lying flat on the ground, he could detect the sound of distant hooves from miles away—he could not distinguish whether the rumbling came from the Cao army or the Yuan army. Therefore, Qu A could only hide behind a blue-gray boulder beside the mountain path, sticking his head out for a cautious peek. Only after verifying the identity of the incoming cavalry could he decide on his next course of action.

At that moment, a troop of black-armored cavalry was galloping along the main post road, churning up rolling clouds of dust. Right in the center of the cavalry formation fluttered a military banner bearing the character "Cao".

This troop was none of other than the Leopard Cavalry, the most formidable unit among Cao Cao's elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Leading them was the prominent general Cao Hong.

Su Ming had been ordered to set fire to Wuchao. The supplies at Wuchao were indeed burned to ashes, but Su Ming and the troops under his command had completely vanished. They seemed to have evaporated into thin air, leaving not a single trace of news behind.

How anxious Cao Cao was! After all, Su Ming was not merely a premier general under his command; he was also his beloved eldest son! With his son missing, how could a father not worry?

A few days prior, Cao Cao had dispatched Cao Hong with three thousand Leopard Cavalry to search along the route. Yet, despite searching for several full days, they had found no news of Su Ming whatsoever. Today, Cao Hong had led the Leopard Cavalry out yet again to search. If he failed to find Su Ming this time, Cao Hong would have no face left to return and meet Cao Cao.

Qu A possessed extraordinary eyesight. If only he could fly, his vision would scarcely fall short of a hawk's. From afar, Qu A spotted the fluttering "Cao" banner, and upon closer inspection, he realized that the leading general was an acquaintance: Cao Hong.

Having always served closely by Su Ming's side, Qu A naturally knew Cao Hong. Although Qu A was naturally reclusive and not particularly close to Cao Hong, they certainly recognized each other's faces.

Realizing they were his own people, Qu A finally let out a sigh of relief. Running into Cao Hong meant that half of his mission was accomplished.

Without hesitation, Qu A scrambled out from behind the boulder, climbed atop it, and waved his arms wildly, shouting, "General Cao Hong! General Cao Hong! Cao Hong..."

Qu A's voice echoed through the valley, and before long, a sharp-eyed soldier spotted his position. Pointing toward Qu A, the soldier said to Cao Hong, "General, there's a monkey shouting at you over there."

A monkey?

Why did that soldier say Qu A was a monkey?

Throughout these past few days, Qu A had been operating along the edges of mountain forests. To avoid detection, he had draped himself in a homemade "ghillie suit." What was this homemade ghillie suit? It was an outfit crafted from leaves, vines, and various wild plants, designed purely for camouflage. Moreover, atop Qu A's head sat a verdant cap woven from fresh grass. Viewed from a distance, he looked nothing like a human being; anyone would easily mistake him for a wild monkey inhabiting the mountain!

Hearing a soldier claim that a monkey was calling him, Cao Hong thought to himself, What kind of nonsense is that? Can a monkey speak human words?

"Are your eyes just there for decoration to watch yourself pee?" Cao Hong scolded the soldier beside him. "Look closer, that's a person!"

However, Cao Hong could only vaguely make out that someone was shouting at him; he could not clearly discern who it was. Thus, Cao Hong spurred his horse and galloped toward Qu A's location.

"You—are you Qu A? Where is our Young Lord?" Cao Hong asked immediately upon recognizing him.

In the past, Qu A had been inseparable from Su Ming, constantly shadowing him. Seeing only Qu A and no sign of Su Ming, Cao Hong could not help but feel a rising sense of dread.

"The Young Lord is in Yecheng! We have captured Yecheng!" Qu A answered succinctly.

Cao Hong: "???????"

Upon hearing this piece of news, Cao Hong was struck dumb with astonishment. One must remember that when Su Ming set out, he had only brought eight hundred men of the Camp Breaker Battalion with him! Taking Yecheng with a mere eight hundred men was utterly unimaginable. Such a military achievement was so explosive that it defied belief throughout the annals of military history.

"What? You took Yecheng?" Cao Hong asked in utter disbelief, nearly swallowing his tongue.

Qu A nodded and continued, "Not only did we take Yecheng, but the Lord also killed Yuan Shao."

"Ouch!" Upon hearing this, Cao Hong let out a sharp cry of pain.

Why did he cry out? Because he was so utterly shocked that he accidentally bit his own tongue.

Burning Wuchao, seizing Yecheng, and slaying Yuan Shao—each of these three feats could be counted as an exceptionally classic campaign. Yet when linked together and accomplished by a single person, it was a feat so earth-shattering that it had rarely been seen in five thousand years of Chinese history.

At that moment, profound regret flooded Cao Hong's heart. His intestines turned green with remorse.

Originally, Cao Cao had intended for him to accompany Su Ming on the mission to burn Wuchao. At that time, Su Ming had claimed that cavalry was inconvenient for the operation, requesting Zhang Liao and his eight hundred men of the Camp Breaker Battalion instead.

Now, every single one of the three monumental deeds accomplished by Su Ming was worthy of being recorded in history books as a classic textbook example for future generations of generals to study. Originally, Su Ming was the protagonist, and he, Cao Hong, should have been the supporting actor. Never had he imagined that this role of the supporting actor would instead fall to Zhang Liao, Zhang Wenyuan.

The chance to leave one's name in the annals of history had just been snatched away by Zhang Wenyuan like that!

"Ah!" Cao Hong gnashed his teeth, looked up at the sky, and wailed, "Wenyuan! Wenyuan, you have robbed me of my destiny!"

After composing his emotions slightly, Cao Hong asked with eager anticipation, "Quickly, tell me what you all have experienced these past few days!"

Tell a story? Did Qu A have the time to tell stories now?

"General Cao Hong, there is no time! I don't have the leisure to tell you all this right now!" Qu A said anxiously. "Zhang He is leading an army of fifty thousand elite troops to besiege Yecheng, and the Lord has only eight hundred men defending the city! I have been sent under orders to request reinforcements. Quickly, take me to see the Prime Minister!"

Because Qu A had been raised by tigers in his youth, he actually suffered from a mild form of social anxiety. In fact, when speaking in crowds, he would occasionally stutter. But now, with the crisis looming and urgency gripping him, Qu A's speech was remarkably fluent without a single stammer.

Hearing that Su Ming and his eight hundred men were surrounded in Yecheng by Zhang He's fifty thousand elite soldiers, Cao Hong was panic-stricken as well.

"Quick! Give this brother a horse! I am taking him to see the Prime Minister at once!" Cao Hong commanded hastily.

A nearby soldier promptly dismounted and handed his steed over to Qu A. Then, whipping his horse into a frenzy, Cao Hong galloped back with Qu A in tow. They had to make every second count to reach Cao Cao and beg for reinforcements; if any misfortune befell Su Ming, no one could bear the responsibility.