Yuan Shao's allied forces gathered south of Xingyang. Gazing at the towering walls of the fortified city, Yuan Shao could not help sighing. "How many great battles has Xingyang witnessed since the Xia and Shang? In those days, Emperor Gao held King Xiang here for a year, buying Marquis Martial and Reverent the time to sweep away the Feudal Lords of the North. Now that we have come here, what outcome awaits us?"
Hearing Yuan Shao's words, everyone exchanged looks. Why had he suddenly started lamenting history at a time like this, and in such an inauspicious way?
Cao Cao immediately took up the conversation with a loud laugh. "That Zhang Jue of the Taiping Army is merely a fellow with little wit and no strategy. How could he compare with Emperor Gao?
"We Feudal Lords are all heroes of All Under Heaven. Surely we are no less than King Xiang.
"Lord Benchu, do not worry. This battle can end only in victory, not defeat."
In the late Han, when appearances were widely valued, Cao Cao's looks were considered quite poor, but he had been born with a surging heroic spirit.
Anyone who saw him would feel that he must be a heroic figure. Especially when he stood among others, he was almost impossible to overlook. Very few could stand out beneath the force of his presence.
Yuan Shao felt as though he had awakened from a dream and thought to himself, Suppressing the Taiping is such an important undertaking. Why do I keep losing focus?
Then he looked at Cao Cao again, drew a breath, and declared, "Mengde, you have heroic spirit! When we swore our blood oath before, I promised to make you the vanguard.
"Now it is time to fulfill that promise. Your own troops will serve