Xu He, disregarding the advice of his subordinate Wang Ping, led his army across the Mian River and established a camp. Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun reported to Liu Bei: "Allow us each to lead our own troops to meet the enemy." Liu Bei consented, and the two generals set out. On the march, Huang Zhong said to Zhao Yun: "Xu He comes relying on his brute courage. Let us not engage him immediately. When dusk falls and his men are weary, we will split our forces and strike from two sides." Zhao Yun agreed, and each took command of a separate camp. Xu He taunted the Shu forces from the hour of the Dragon until the hour of the Monkey, but the Shu army did not stir. Finally, Xu He ordered his archers forward to shower the Shu camp with arrows. Huang Zhong said to Zhao Yun: "Xu He has ordered his archers to shoot—this means his army is about to retreat. Now is the time to strike." Hardly had he spoken when a report arrived that the rear ranks of the enemy were indeed pulling back. At once, the drums of the Shu camp thundered: Huang Zhong emerged from the left, Zhao Yun from the right. Attacked from both sides, Xu He suffered a great defeat. His soldiers were driven into the Mian River, and countless men drowned. Xu He fought desperately to escape and, returning to camp, berated Wang Ping: "You saw our army in peril—why did you not come to my aid?" Wang Ping replied: "If I had come to rescue you, this camp would have been lost as well. I warned you not to cross the river, but you refused to listen.
This defeat is on your head." Enraged, Xu He wanted to kill Wang Ping. That very night, Wang Ping set fire to the camp with his own troops. The enemy forces fell into chaos, and Xu He abandoned the camp and fled. Wang Ping crossed the Mian River to surrender to Zhao Yun, who presented him to Liu Bei. Wang Ping gave a thorough account of the geography of the Mian River region. Delighted, Liu Bei declared: "With Wang Ping in my service, the taking of Hanzhong is assured." He appointed Wang Ping as a Lieutenant-General and made him a guide officer. When Xu He fled back to Cao Cao and reported that Wang Ping had defected to Liu Bei, Cao Cao flew into a rage and personally led his main army to reclaim the camps on the Mian River. Fearing he could not hold his position alone, Zhao Yun withdrew to the western bank of the river. The two armies now faced each other across the water. Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang came to survey the terrain. Zhuge Liang noticed a strip of earthen hills upstream that could conceal over a thousand men. Returning to camp, he summoned Zhao Yun and instructed him: "Take five hundred men, all equipped with drums and horns, and hide beneath those hills. At midnight or dusk, listen for the signal cannon from our camp. Each time the cannon fires, sound the drums and horns. But do not engage the enemy." Zhao Yun received his orders and departed. Zhuge Liang then concealed himself on a high peak to observe. The following day, Cao Cao's army arrived to challenge the Shu camp, but not a single soldier emerged, and not a single arrow was loosed. The enemy troops returned to their camp.
That night, as the hour grew deep, Zhuge Liang saw the fires in Cao Cao's camp die down and the soldiers settle to rest. He then gave the signal. Zhao Yun, hearing the cannon, ordered the drums and horns to sound together. Panic seized Cao Cao's men, who thought the camp was under attack. But when they rushed out, they found no enemy. As they turned back to rest, the cannon roared again, drums and horns blared, and shouts shook the earth, echoing through the valleys. The enemy forces were kept in turmoil all night. For three consecutive nights, the same alarms caused such confusion and fear that Cao Cao, growing uneasy, struck camp and retreated thirty li to a more open area. Zhuge Liang laughed and said: "Though Cao Cao understands military tactics, he does not understand deception." He then urged Liu Bei to cross the Mian River and establish a camp with their backs to the water. When Liu Bei asked for the plan, Zhuge Liang replied: "Let it be done thus and thus." Cao Cao, seeing Liu Bei's camp positioned with its back to the river, grew suspicious. He sent a challenge for battle, and Zhuge Liang agreed to fight the next day. At dawn, the two armies met before Mount Five Boundaries. They drew up their battle lines. Cao Cao rode out beneath his command banner, flanked by banners embroidered with dragons and phoenixes. After three rolls of the drum, he called for Liu Bei. Liu Bei advanced with Liu Feng, Meng Da, and the generals of Shu.
Cao Cao raised his whip and cursed: "Liu Bei, you are a traitor who has forgotten kindness and righteousness, a rebel against the court!" Liu Bei replied: "I am a scion of the Han imperial house, acting on an imperial edict to punish rebels. You murdered the Empress Dowager, set yourself up as a king, and usurped the Emperor's carriage—who is the real traitor?" Enraged, Cao Cao ordered Xu He to attack. Liu Feng rode out to meet him. As they fought, Liu Bei deliberately retreated into his own formation. Liu Feng, unable to withstand Xu He, turned his horse and fled. Cao Cao then commanded: "Whoever captures Liu Bei shall be made ruler of Western Shu!" With a great shout, the entire enemy army surged forward. The Shu troops fled toward the Mian River, abandoning their camp. Horses, weapons, and equipment littered the road. Cao Cao's soldiers scrambled to seize the spoils. But Cao Cao urgently sounded the gong to recall his troops. His generals asked: "We were about to capture Liu Bei—why did Your Highness order the retreat?" Cao Cao replied: "I saw the Shu army camp with their backs to the river—that was the first suspicious sign. They abandoned so many horses and weapons—that was the second. We must withdraw at once. Do not touch the loot." He then issued a command: "Anyone who takes a single item will be executed on the spot. Retreat immediately!" As the enemy forces turned back, Zhuge Liang raised his signal flag. Liu Bei's central army surged forward, Huang Zhong attacked from the left, and Zhao Yun from the right. Cao Cao's army was utterly routed. Zhuge Liang pressed the pursuit through the night.
Cao Cao ordered his troops to fall back to Nanzheng, but there he saw fires blazing on five fronts. Wei Yan and Zhang Fei, with Yan Yan holding Langzhong, had split their forces and taken Nanzheng first. Alarmed, Cao Cao fled toward Yangping Pass. Liu Bei's main army pursued him to the region of Nanzheng and Baozhou. After pacifying the populace, Liu Bei asked Zhuge Liang: "Why did Cao Cao suffer such a swift defeat this time?" Zhuge Liang replied: "Cao Cao has always been suspicious by nature. Though he is skilled in warfare, suspicion leads to many defeats. I defeated him by using his own doubts against him." Liu Bei then asked: "Now that Cao Cao has retreated to Yangping Pass, his position is isolated. What plan does the Master have to drive him out?" Zhuge Liang replied: "I have already calculated it." He then dispatched Zhang Fei and Wei Yan to cut off Cao Cao's supply lines, and ordered Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun to set fire to the mountains. The four forces, each with their guide officers, set out. Cao Cao, now entrenched at Yangping Pass, sent scouts to reconnoiter. They returned and reported: "The Shu forces have blocked all the paths, both near and far. They have burned every place where wood might be gathered. We cannot tell where their troops are." While Cao Cao was still pondering this, word came that Zhang Fei and Wei Yan were raiding his supply convoys. Cao Cao asked: "Who dares to face Zhang Fei?" Xu Chu stepped forward: "I am willing to go!" Cao Cao ordered Xu Chu to take a thousand elite troops to escort the grain wagons on the road to Yangping Pass.
When the supply officer saw Xu Chu, he rejoiced: "If not for your arrival, the grain would never reach Yangping." He then offered Xu Chu wine and meat from the wagons. Xu Chu drank heavily and became thoroughly drunk. In his drunken excitement, he urged the grain wagons forward. The supply officer warned: "It is already dusk. The road ahead to Baozhou passes through treacherous mountain terrain. We should not proceed." Xu Chu boasted: "I have the strength of ten thousand men—why should I fear anyone? Tonight, under the moonlight, is the perfect time to move the wagons." Xu Chu took the lead, his sword drawn, his horse galloping, advancing with his troops. Past the second watch of the night, as they traveled the road to Baozhou, drums and horns suddenly shook the hills. A force blocked their path. At its head was Zhang Fei, his serpent spear raised, charging straight at Xu Chu. Xu Chu whirled his blade to meet him, but he was too drunk to withstand Zhang Fei. After only a few exchanges, Zhang Fei's spear struck Xu Chu in the shoulder, knocking him from his horse. His men hastily rescued him and fled. Zhang Fei seized all the grain wagons and returned. The generals escorted the wounded Xu Chu back to Cao Cao, who ordered a surgeon to treat his wound. Then Cao Cao personally led his army to engage the Shu forces in a decisive battle. Liu Bei came out to meet him. The two armies drew up in formation. Liu Bei ordered Liu Feng to advance. Cao Cao cursed: "You son of a sandal-seller! You always send your adopted son to fight!
If I called my yellow-bearded son, your adopted whelp would be ground to paste!" Enraged, Liu Feng leveled his spear and charged at Cao Cao. Cao Cao sent Xu He to meet him, but Liu Feng feigned defeat and fled. Cao Cao gave chase. Suddenly, signal cannons roared from the Shu camp, and drums and horns blared from all directions. Fearing an ambush, Cao Cao urgently ordered a retreat. In the panic, Cao Cao's troops trampled each other, and many died. They fled back to Yangping Pass and only then caught their breath. But the Shu forces pursued them to the city walls: they set fires at the eastern gate, raised war cries at the western gate, lit flames at the southern gate, and beat drums at the northern gate. Cao Cao, terrified, abandoned the pass and fled. The Shu army pressed the attack from behind. As Cao Cao fled, Zhang Fei blocked his path ahead, Zhao Yun struck from the rear, and Huang Zhong attacked from Baozhou. Cao Cao suffered a massive defeat. His generals fought desperately to protect him and carve a path of escape. As they reached the border of Xie Valley, dust suddenly rose ahead, and another force appeared. Cao Cao groaned: "If this is an ambush, I am finished!" But as the troops drew near, he saw they were led by his second son, Cao Zhang. Cao Zhang, styled Ziwen, had been skilled in horsemanship and archery since youth. His strength was extraordinary, and he could wrestle wild beasts with his bare hands. Cao Cao had once admonished him: "You do not study books but love only archery and riding—this is but the courage of a common brute.
What is so valuable about that?" Cao Zhang had replied: "A true man should emulate Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, winning glory on the frontier, leading hundreds of thousands of men, and sweeping across the realm. Why should I become a bookish scholar?" When Cao Cao once asked his sons about their ambitions, Cao Zhang said: "I wish to be a general." Cao Cao asked: "And what does it mean to be a general?" Cao Zhang answered: "To wear armor and wield a blade, to face danger without hesitation, to lead from the front; to reward without fail and punish without favor." Cao Cao laughed heartily. In the twenty-third year of Jian'an, when the Wuhuan of Dai Commandery rebelled, Cao Cao ordered Cao Zhang to lead fifty thousand men to suppress them. Before his departure, Cao Cao warned him: "At home, we are father and son; on campaign, we are lord and subject. The law does not bend for personal ties—you must remember this well." Cao Zhang reached the lands north of Dai, fought at the front of every battle, and drove the enemy all the way to Sanggan River, pacifying the entire north. Hearing that his father had been defeated at Yangping, he now came to aid him. Seeing Cao Zhang, Cao Cao was overjoyed: "My yellow-bearded son is here! Now Liu Bei will surely be crushed!" He rallied his troops and made camp at the border of Xie Valley. Someone reported Cao Zhang's arrival to Liu Bei. Liu Bei asked: "Who dares to face Cao Zhang?" Liu Feng volunteered: "I am willing to go." Meng Da also asked to go. Liu Bei said: "You two go together. Let us see who achieves success." Each led five thousand men to meet the enemy.
Liu Feng went first, with Meng Da following behind. Cao Zhang rode out and engaged Liu Feng. After only three exchanges, Liu Feng was thoroughly defeated and fled. Meng Da advanced with his troops, but just as they were about to join battle, chaos erupted in Cao Cao's camp. It turned out that Ma Chao and Wu Lan had struck, throwing the enemy into confusion. Meng Da pressed the attack from both sides. Ma Chao's soldiers, long-rested and eager, now displayed their might with an irresistible force. Cao Cao's troops were routed. Cao Zhang encountered Wu Lan, and after only a few exchanges, he struck Wu Lan from his horse with his halberd. The three armies became locked in a chaotic melee. Cao Cao finally gathered his men and made camp at the border of Xie Valley. Cao Cao's army had been encamped for many days. He wanted to advance, but Ma Chao blocked his path. He wanted to withdraw, but he feared the mockery of the Shu forces. He was caught in indecision. Just then, the chef brought in a bowl of chicken soup. Cao Cao noticed a chicken rib in the bowl, and it stirred a thought in his mind. As he brooded, Xiahou Dun entered the tent to ask for the night's password. Cao Cao, lost in thought, muttered: "Chicken rib! Chicken rib!" Xiahou Dun passed the order to all officers, and they all used "chicken rib" as the password. The chief secretary, Yang Xiu, upon hearing the password "chicken rib," ordered the soldiers under his command to pack their belongings and prepare for the journey home. Someone reported this to Xiahou Dun, who was greatly alarmed.
He summoned Yang Xiu to his tent and asked: "Why are you packing your things?" Yang Xiu replied: "From tonight's password, I can tell that the King of Wei will soon order a retreat. A chicken rib—there is no meat to eat, but it would be a pity to throw it away. Now, we cannot advance to victory, and we fear ridicule if we retreat. Staying here serves no purpose. It is better to return early. Tomorrow, the King will surely order the army home. So I am packing now to avoid the confusion of a hasty departure." Xiahou Dun said in admiration: "You truly understand the King of Wei's mind!" He too began to pack. Soon, all the generals in the camp prepared for the retreat. That night, Cao Cao's mind was troubled, and he could not sleep. He took a steel axe and walked alone through the camp. In Xiahou Dun's sector, he saw soldiers packing their gear. Startled, Cao Cao hurried back to his tent and summoned Xiahou Dun to ask the reason. Xiahou Dun replied: "Chief Secretary Yang Xiu knew in advance that Your Highness intended to return." Cao Cao summoned Yang Xiu and questioned him. Yang Xiu explained his reasoning about the chicken rib. Cao Cao flew into a rage: "How dare you spread false rumors to demoralize my army!" He ordered the guards to drag Yang Xiu out and behead him, and to display his head at the camp gate. Now, Yang Xiu was a man of unrestrained talent who had often offended Cao Cao's sensibilities. Once, Cao Cao had built a garden. When it was finished, Cao Cao went to inspect it.
He said nothing in praise or criticism, but simply took a brush and wrote the character "live" on the gate before leaving. No one understood his meaning. Yang Xiu said: "The character 'live' placed inside the gate means 'spacious.' The Chancellor thinks the gate is too wide." So they rebuilt the walls and made the gate narrower. When they invited Cao Cao to see it again, he was delighted and asked: "Who understood my intent?" His attendants replied: "Yang Xiu." Though Cao Cao praised him, he was secretly jealous. Another time, a box of dried milk arrived from the northern frontier. Cao Cao wrote the characters "one box of milk" on the box and left it on his desk. Yang Xiu saw it, took a spoon, and shared the contents with everyone. When Cao Cao asked why, Yang Xiu replied: "The box clearly says 'one person, one mouthful of milk.' How could I dare disobey the Chancellor's command?" Though Cao Cao laughed, he was inwardly displeased. Fearing assassination, Cao Cao often told his attendants: "I kill people in my dreams. When I am asleep, do not come near me." One day, while napping in his tent, his blanket fell to the floor. A servant rushed to cover him. Cao Cao leaped up, drew his sword, and killed the man. Then he returned to bed. After a while, he rose and pretended to be astonished: "Who killed my servant?" When told the truth, Cao Cao wept bitterly and ordered a lavish burial. Everyone believed that Cao Cao truly killed in his dreams—except Yang Xiu, who, at the burial, pointed at the corpse and sighed: "The Chancellor is not in a dream—you are the one in a dream!" When Cao Cao heard of this, he hated Yang Xiu even more.
Cao Cao's third son, Cao Zhi, admired Yang Xiu's talent and often invited him for discussions that lasted all night. When Cao Cao consulted his advisors about making Cao Zhi his heir, Cao Pi learned of it and secretly invited Wu Zhi, the magistrate of Zhaoge, into his residence to discuss the matter. Fearing discovery, they hid Wu Zhi in a large bamboo chest, claiming it contained silk, and carried it into the mansion. Yang Xiu discovered this and reported it directly to Cao Cao. Cao Cao ordered men to watch Cao Pi's gate. Cao Pi, panicked, told Wu Zhi, who said: "Do not worry. Tomorrow, use a large chest to carry silk inside to confuse them." Cao Pi did as instructed. The watchers searched the chest and found only silk. When they reported back, Cao Cao suspected Yang Xiu of slandering Cao Pi and grew even more hostile. To test the abilities of Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, Cao Cao one day ordered them both to leave the city through the Ye city gate, but secretly instructed the gatekeeper to block their exit. Cao Pi arrived first, was stopped, and turned back. When Cao Zhi heard of this, he consulted Yang Xiu. Yang Xiu said: "You are going out on the King's orders. If anyone blocks you, cut them down." Cao Zhi followed this advice. When he reached the gate and the gatekeeper barred his way, Cao Zhi shouted: "I am on the King's orders—who dares stop me?" He immediately killed the gatekeeper. Thus, Cao Cao believed Cao Zhi to be capable. But someone later informed Cao Cao: "That was Yang Xiu's teaching." Cao Cao was furious and began to dislike Cao Zhi as well. Yang Xiu also prepared a dozen model answers for Cao Zhi.
Whenever Cao Cao questioned Cao Zhi on military or state affairs, Cao Zhi would answer fluently according to the prepared scripts. Cao Cao grew suspicious. Eventually, Cao Pi bribed one of Cao Zhi's attendants to steal the model answers and show them to Cao Cao. When Cao Cao saw them, he roared: "How dare that commoner deceive me!" By then, he had already resolved to kill Yang Xiu. Now, he used the excuse of spreading confusion in the army to execute him. Yang Xiu was thirty-four years old at his death.
A poet of the time lamented: Yang Xiu, brilliant and quick-witted, born into a noble lineage; his brush moved like dragons and serpents, his heart was filled with embroidered brilliance. His words astonished all who heard him, his quick replies outshone every talent. But it was his genius that brought about his death—not this matter of the retreating army. After executing Yang Xiu, Cao Cao feigned anger at Xiahou Dun and threatened to kill him as well, but the other officials pleaded for his life. Cao Cao then dismissed Xiahou Dun with a harsh reprimand and ordered an advance the next day. The following morning, as Cao Cao's army emerged from the Xie Valley border, a force blocked their path. At its head was Wei Yan. Cao Cao tried to persuade Wei Yan to surrender, but Wei Yan cursed him. Cao Cao ordered Pang De to engage. As the two generals fought, fires broke out in Cao Cao's camp. Word came that Ma Chao had raided the central and rear camps. Cao Cao drew his sword and shouted: "Any general who retreats will be executed!" The officers pressed forward with all their might. Wei Yan feigned defeat and fled. Cao Cao turned his army to face Ma Chao, taking a high vantage point to watch the battle. Suddenly, a band of soldiers charged before him, shouting: "Wei Yan is here!" Wei Yan drew his bow and loosed an arrow, striking Cao Cao. Cao Cao fell from his horse. Wei Yan dropped his bow, seized his blade, and spurred his horse up the slope to finish him. But a general burst from the side, crying: "Do not harm my lord!" It was Pang De. He fought with all his strength, drove Wei Yan back, and escorted Cao Cao to safety. Ma Chao had already withdrawn. Cao Cao returned to camp wounded. The arrow had struck him in the mouth, knocking out two front teeth. He urgently summoned a surgeon to treat the wound. Only then did he recall Yang Xiu's words. He ordered Yang Xiu's body recovered and given a lavish burial. Then he ordered the entire army to retreat, with Pang De commanding the rearguard. Cao Cao lay in a felt-covered wagon, surrounded by his bodyguards. Suddenly, word came that fires had broken out on both sides of the Xie Valley hills, and ambushing troops were closing in. Fear seized every man in Cao Cao's army. Truly, it was like the desperate days at Tong Pass, or the peril of the Red Cliffs. What would become of Cao Cao? Let the next chapter reveal his fate.