"General, the problem is that the White Horse Cavalry at that time wasn't led by Zhao Zilong! Now the commander is Zhao Zilong, and that's a completely different situation, just like how Bingzhou Wolf Riders are completely different with or without Lü Bu!" It was clear that this military supervisor named Li Zheng was a sensible person.
"Don't worry. If a few hundred of our heavy infantry could withstand the first charge of over ten thousand White Horse Cavalry, then my Cao family's three thousand elite soldiers, arranged in the Eight Gates Golden Lock formation, should have no problem stopping just three thousand ragtag White Horse Cavalry!" Cao Xiu said confidently.
The Eight Gates Golden Lock formation of the Cao family was indeed formidable, but unfortunately, no one had fully mastered it. It was still a dead formation, but it was intimidating enough to scare the enemy. Cao Chun's plan was to use the dead formation to hold off Zhao Yun.
In Cao Chun's view, Zhao Yun was just a martial fanatic, and such a person was only good for charging into battle. A small tactical maneuver should be enough to make him fall here. Even Lü Bu, if trapped by three thousand soldiers in the Eight Gates Golden Lock, would have no way out!
A general doesn't need to have unparalleled martial skills, but they must have a clear mind. No matter how brave, even a warrior like Xiang Yu was trapped at Gaixia. Brave as he was, without strategy, he would eventually be toyed with by others.
"Since the general is so confident, I will carry out the orders. I will lead a thousand men to hide in the snow-covered ditches on both sides," Li Zheng said expressionlessly. He had done his duty; whether Cao Chun listened or not was up to him.
Cao Chun glanced at Li Zheng. This man came from a prestigious family, and his father, Li Qian, was a veteran who had followed Cao Cao in battles across the land. It was because of this background that Li Zheng, at just twenty years old, could command a battalion. Of course, it couldn't be denied that the young man did have some ability; otherwise, Cao Cao wouldn't have entrusted five hundred men to him.
"In that case, you will lead your men to hide in the snow-covered ditches. When I intercept the White Horse Cavalry, you will seize the opportunity to attack and work with me to compress their maneuvering space, exposing their most vulnerable side. Then we will completely annihilate them," Cao Chun nodded and said.
Li Zheng didn't say anything more. He led his five hundred men to hide in a ditch beneath the snow and ordered another five hundred men to hide in another direction. To be honest, he didn't believe that Cao Chun could block Zhao Yun. Although he had heard that the Cao family had an ancient formation called the Eight Gates Golden Lock, he wasn't entirely convinced.
It was precisely because he knew the formation was called the Eight Gates Golden Lock that Li Zheng was uneasy. He had a cousin who, out of boredom, had once told him some secrets and even taught him about various mystical arts. From what he had learned from his cousin, the Eight Gates Golden Lock couldn't be truly mastered without a fundamental elevation of one's spiritual essence.
Of course, almost everyone in their family believed that his cousin was just boasting. After all, when his cousin returned from his travels, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about him; in fact, he seemed to have seen through the world and was more indifferent.
But others' disbelief was their business. Li Zheng and his younger brother Li Dian had witnessed their cousin Li Jin's miraculous abilities firsthand. Because of this, Li Zheng remembered everything his cousin had said, even if it sounded like idle chatter.
As Li Zheng reflected on his cousin's knowledge, he quietly settled into his hiding spot. He believed what his cousin had said, so he knew that the White Horse Cavalry wasn't as easy to defeat as it seemed. The fact that heavy infantry and assault troops had won before couldn't have been that simple.
Just as Li Zheng was lost in thought, a white line appeared on the horizon, moving smoothly like a wave.
"They're here!" Cao Chun watched the wave, focusing on the man leading the charge, squinting slightly. There was no mistake; it was indeed Zhao Yun.
"Form up!" Cao Chun shouted, his voice carrying to Zhao Yun, while his troops quickly moved into formation. A misty aura rose, enveloping Cao Chun and his men.
"Eight Gates Golden Lock?" Zhao Yun sneered. Those in Mount Tai had sparred countless times with Hua Xiong using this formation. Even though they hadn't fully understood its intricacies, Zhao Yun knew that the formation in front of him was a dead formation. He planned to probe it, find the death gate, and break through it quickly, just as he had done in practice over two hundred times.
The key to breaking this formation was to be fast. The death gate was the strongest defense, but also the hardest to maneuver. If he could strike before the gate closed, disrupting the formation, it would collapse.
"Ready the crossbows." Zhao Yun led his cavalry forward as if he didn't even see Cao Chun. When he was close enough, Cao Chun smirked. "What a reckless brute!"
As Zhao Yun charged with his White Horse Cavalry, a pure white cloud of energy mixed with a hint of silver-blue threads burst forth. Their speed surged, and in an instant, they were within fifty paces of Cao Chun's formation. But instead of crashing into the formation, the cavalry veered off like a dance, circling around and releasing a volley of arrows into the mist-covered formation.
"Clang, clang, clang!" The arrows had minimal effect, but Zhao Yun remained undeterred. His cavalry split into two groups, circling the formation and unleashing wave after wave of arrows.
"Humph!" Cao Chun had to admit that Zhao Yun was an excellent cavalry commander. There was no intention of charging the formation; instead, he aimed to whittle them down with arrows. However, with the protection of the Eight Gates Golden Lock, only a few of his soldiers were falling to the barrage.
"Fire!" As Zhao Yun led another probing attack, Cao Chun saw his chance and ordered a volley of arrows in return. But Zhao Yun's troops deftly dodged the majority of the arrows with a smooth maneuver, showcasing the White Horse Cavalry's agility.
Seeing this, Cao Chun realized that relying on archers to counter Zhao Yun was futile.