Three Kingdoms, Myth

"Did you capture Cao Cao?" Gan Ning asked Chen Dao and Wei Yan.

"No, we didn't," the two replied, cupping their hands toward Gan Ning.

"Keep chasing! We've been killing all night and just managed to kill a guy named Cao Chun. Before I could order the capture of that small unit, Xiahou Yuan interrupted! These bastards keep breaking through! Which one is Cao Cao anyway?!" Gan Ning was frustrated. He and Tai Shici had spread out their forces to capture prisoners, but after all this time, he still didn't know who he had killed.

"General Guan recognizes Cao Cao. Let's continue slaughtering the Cao soldiers. Capturing many soldiers is also a great achievement," Wei Yan suggested respectfully. Despite being close in age to Gan Ning, he greatly admired Gan Ning's strength, abilities, and courage.

"Fine, let's capture prisoners..." Gan Ning buried his head in his horse's mane. "Damn it, I don't know what Cao Cao looks like! How am I supposed to catch him? The only Cao soldier I recognize is the one I blinded, Xiahou Dun. The rest could run right past me, and I wouldn't know!"

"General Gan, you said you blinded Xiahou Dun's left eye?" Chen Dao asked.

"Yeah, I hit him in the left eye. He plucked it out and ate it—what a savage!" Gan Ning rubbed his face against the horse's mane before lifting his head.

"But I saw him just now. His face was covered in blood, but he had both eyes intact," Chen Dao said, horrified.

"He's a warrior of the highest caliber. Who knows if he just shoved someone else's eye into his socket? What a freak!" Gan Ning quickly pieced it together, shuddering at the thought. "That's disgusting."

"What should we do now?" Wei Yan and Chen Dao looked to Gan Ning.

"The army's in chaos, spread out all over the place capturing prisoners. We should do the same. If General Guan, with more regular troops and knowing Cao Cao's face, lets him escape, I'll lose all respect for him!" Gan Ning replied in his typically blunt manner.

"General Guan will not make any mistakes. If Cao Cao faces him head-on, there will be no escape from death," Wei Yan said firmly. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "General Gan, you mentioned encountering Xiahou Yuan. Why didn't you chase him down?"

"I was chasing Xiahou Dun. Xiahou Yuan is Tai Shici's target. Tai Shici is furious right now. He managed to shoot Xiahou Yuan through the chest, but Xiahou Yuan's personal guards mostly took the hit. So, I left Xiahou Yuan to Tai Shici and came after Xiahou Dun. As you saw, after losing one eye, Xiahou Dun somehow became stronger than me," Gan Ning sighed as he recalled the earlier events.

"Indeed. Even though Xiahou Dun ambushed us, that one strike swept both of us aside. He grabbed someone, who might have been a Cao general, and smashed the ground with such force that dust flew everywhere. I can't match his strength," Chen Dao said gravely.

"It doesn't matter. They're all doomed. They're heading toward the direction where General Guan's ambush lies in wait. Our military achievements have slipped away," Gan Ning said with a sigh.

"Surrender, and you won't be killed!" Gan Ning shouted.

The fleeing Cao soldiers hesitated for a moment but continued to run for their lives, driven by the fear that Liu Bei had ordered their complete annihilation. The rumor of a massacre had become a key motivator for their desperate resistance.

"..." Gan Ning was left speechless for a moment before charging into the scattered Cao forces, capturing stragglers as he went.

Elsewhere, Xiahou Dun was galloping with Cao Hong towards Pengcheng. Just as they neared the city, Xiahou Dun suddenly veered left.

"Why are we turning here?" Cao Hong asked, confused as he clung to Xiahou Dun.

"We need to regroup with the strategist!" Xiahou Dun kicked a soldier off his horse and threw Cao Hong onto it.

"Are you alright?" Cao Hong asked, seeing Xiahou Dun's bloodied face.

"I won't die. I encountered the two strategists during the breakout. I told Xiahou Yuan to protect the lord while I led Gan Ning and Tai Shici away. Now that they haven't caught up, we must hurry to regroup with the strategist," Xiahou Dun wiped the blood from his face, his remaining eye gleaming red.

"Good. I bought Bainan a lot of time. He should be fine now. Let's hurry and regroup," Cao Hong said as they sped after Xiahou Yuan's trail.

"Zihe is gone," Xiahou Dun said mournfully.

"What?! How is that possible? The strategist's disguise should have made them overlook or ignore that small group!" Cao Hong exclaimed in shock.

"He ran into Gan Ning! In the chaos, Zihe and Gan Ning started fighting. By the time I got there, it was too late. I had to lead Gan Ning away, and I let Xiahou Yuan go to protect the strategist's group," Xiahou Dun said. Though lacking a strategist's mind, his loyalty drove him to make the right decision. If he hadn't drawn Gan Ning away, the Liu Bei forces would have continued to gather and overwhelm them.

"Gan Ning..." Cao Hong's eyes filled with rage.

"We must quickly rescue the lord. I fear Tai Shici may soon realize the truth!" Xiahou Dun said no more, urging his men to pursue Xiahou Yuan.

Meanwhile, Qin Shao, having bought time with Cao Hong's delaying actions, arranged his troops into a wedge formation for a desperate charge at the final ambush.

Qin Shao felt fortunate. Thanks to the civil settlements Cao Cao established in Yanzhou, the people had a slim chance of survival. Because of this, the soldiers of Yanzhou were fiercely loyal to Cao Cao. It was similar to Liu Bei's troops, who, after being pushed to the brink, fought with renewed vigor. For them, Cao Cao had given their families a chance at life.

"One more ambush remains ahead! Soldiers, fight to the death! Our fate will be decided here!" Qin Shao roared as he raised the Yitian Sword high.

"We'll follow the lord to the death!" the soldiers echoed, their voices fierce.

Humans are inherently prone to follow, and with Cao Cao having given these soldiers a lifeline, they were deeply loyal to him. The old saying, "A drop of water in need should be returned with a spring in deed," echoed true for them. Even with Cheng Yu's spiritual boost, they wouldn't have been so loyal if not for Cao Cao's great kindness.

With their loyalty and the belief that Liu Bei would slaughter them without mercy—something reinforced by the brutal actions of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun—the soldiers, red-faced and roaring, merged into one voice: "We'll follow the lord to the death!"

"Forward!" Qin Shao, disguised as Cao Cao, shouted as he led the charge toward Pengcheng. Even if they were to die here, they would drag their enemies down with them. Five thousand soldiers, unafraid of death, could hold the line for at least an hour.

As Qin Shao's voice rang out, the Cao army erupted in a cloud of blood-red mist. The desire to live and the will to repay their benefactor merged, and with a tragic resolve, they charged toward Pengcheng.