The battlefield now lay around Tongguan Town in Tongling City, where there was a vast stretch of mountainous terrain. It was less than two hundred li from Huang Zhong's other battlefield. Huang Zhong had already taken Wan City and pushed as far as Jing County. This mountainous region between Jing County and Tongling was where the two sides clashed.
They had originally fought separately, but now Old Cao had arrived and taken command of the battlefield, merging the two fronts into one. His purpose was simple: expand the battle zone, spread out the forces, and divide Wang Yan's attention. Old Cao still had plenty of ideas.
This setback had begun on Huang Zhong's side, where the military reports delivered to Wang Yan had been somewhat unusual. At the same time, the fighting on Wang Yan's own front had grown tense by the afternoon. The enemy's troop deployments had suddenly become much smoother, rising to another level.
After a brief consideration, General Wang gave his orders. "Send word to Huang Zhong: advance steadily and do not be hasty. Send word to the remaining forces as well: Cao Cao's reinforcements are about to arrive. Attack fiercely, but do not fight to the death. Our rear is secure, so adapt to circumstances. Nanchang must be weakly defended now. Perhaps we can find an opportunity to slip through, disrupt the enemy's supplies, and cut off their retreat. Also, send word to the Black Armor Camp to station with us today. Finally, inform the vanguard: cease battle for today. We fight again tomorrow."
As they listened to Wang Yan's orders, his messengers swiftly recorded them with charcoal pens, stamped them with Wang Yan's general's seal, then sent men racing around the rear on fast horses to deliver the messages to each unit.
Once he had