Cao Cao was never going to sit back and watch Liu Bei take Hanzhong.
Not a chance.
Back in the founding days of the Han, Liu Bang had relied on Bashu and Hanzhong as his rear base—retreating there to catch his breath, rebuild his strength, and then turn around to crush Xiang Yu and seize the empire.
If you spoke in Han-era terms, Hanzhong wasn't just land.
It was a "dragon-rising ground."
So even purely from a propaganda standpoint, Cao Cao had to hold it.
[Almost at the same moment Xiahou Yuan was killed, Cao Cao's main army set out from Chang'an, marched through the Baoxie Road, and drove straight toward Hanzhong.
Liu Bei saw the situation turning ugly and immediately did what he did best—he retreated, once again climbing back up Mount Dingjun.
Cao Cao chased him relentlessly, setting camp at the foot of the mountain, fully intending to pin this unkillable cockroach right here and grind him down to dust.
Liu Bei, of course, was just as determined. If he missed this chance, who knew when the next opportunity would come?]
"What's a cockroach?" Jian Yong asked curiously, latching onto yet another unfamiliar term.
"It must be a divine creature," Liu Bei said confidently.
"Something famously impossible to kill. Clearly they're praising my resilience."
Zhang Fei snorted. "If Big Brother could just pin Cao Cao here and squash him instead, that'd be even better."
He was in a foul mood.
The decisive battle was unfolding, and he was stuck in Wudu, locked in a long-distance staring contest. It was torture.
"The garrison at Yangping Pass will move soon," Guan Yu said calmly, already running the campaign in his head from Cao Cao's perspective.
"Big Brother crossed the Micang Mountains with only Zhao Yun and General Huang. His force must be limited. Cao Cao, advancing through Baoxie Road, has secure supply lines along the Han River. He'll come with overwhelming numbers."
"Strike where we're weak. Yangping Pass empties out, crushes Gao Xiang, cuts Big Brother's retreat."
"Then encircle Mount Dingjun and starve him out."
Liu Bei's heart skipped.
His second brother was rarely wrong.
Cao Cao wouldn't be that ruthless… would he?
[The first thing Liu Bei did after climbing Mount Dingjun was send emergency messages nonstop:
'Kongming! Save me!'
Cao Cao surrounded the mountain passes, then ordered Xu Huang to attack Gao Xiang from Yangping Pass.
Gao Xiang was defeated and fell back. Xu Huang pursued aggressively.
At the narrow choke point of the Golden Ox Road, Gao Xiang stabilized his formation—and repelled Xu Huang's attack.]
"Yes!" Liu Bei exhaled sharply.
Even knowing the outcome, the moment still made his pulse race.
If Gao Xiang had collapsed completely, Liu Bei's supply line—and escape route—would've been gone. Even victory against Cao Cao would've been ruinous.
The generals studied the terrain of Ba Commandery in silence.
Steep mountains. Narrow roads.
Everywhere you looked, the land itself favored defense.
[Cao Cao didn't dwell on Xu Huang's setback. He waved his hand.
'Attack.'
The assault on Mount Dingjun was textbook methodical: shield walls advancing in formation, arrow fire covering the rear.
Liu Bei clearly sensed the life-or-death stakes. He personally stood at the front lines, shouting orders, refusing to retreat.]
"Big Brother is brave!" Zhang Fei praised loudly.
This was the Liu Bei he knew—battle-hardened, fearless.
Guan Yu frowned slightly. "But a commander must not expose himself. If Big Brother is wounded, morale will collapse."
Liu Bei waved him off. "You're telling me this? Go tell the future version of me."
Watching from outside the scene was one thing.
Being in it was another.
[Liu Bei charged so far forward that no one dared stop him—until Fa Zheng suddenly sprinted past him and planted himself in front.
Liu Bei shouted, 'Xiaozhi, avoid the arrows!'
Fa Zheng replied calmly, 'If my lord faces the arrows himself, how could I retreat?'
Liu Bei froze—then immediately retreated with him.]
"…Ah."
An awkward silence fell.
"Big Brother deeply values his strategists!" Zhang Fei said quickly, laying down a lifeline.
Others piled on.
"The lord feared for Fa Zheng's safety!"
"If Big Brother stayed up front, Cao Cao might've been beheaded!"
"Huang Zhong slew Xiahou Yuan—if only the lord had slain Cao Cao, what a story that'd be!"
"Enough, enough!" Liu Bei cut them off. "Please act normal."
[Of course, we know this was Fa Zheng's way of remonstrating.
Still, it's hilarious to read.
Liu Bei's troops fought fiercely, forcing Cao Cao's army back down the mountain.
Cao Cao changed tactics, refusing further engagement—he'd starve Liu Bei out instead.
That panicked Liu Bei.
So he sent his eldest son, Liu Feng, every single day to stand outside Cao Cao's camp and hurl insults—creative ones. Truly vicious ones.
So vicious that Cao Cao himself lost his temper and shouted back:
'Shoemaker's whelp! You dare send an adopted son to block me? Call my Yellow-Bearded boy—let him beat you!'
Unfortunately, Liu Feng's insults were apparently too spicy, because history never recorded them. A real loss.]
"Who's this Yellow-Bearded one?" Liu Bei asked.
"Cao Zhang," Jian Yong answered smoothly.
"Known for archery and chariots. Said to wrestle tigers barehanded. His beard was yellow—people called it an omen."
"Omen of dying early?" Zhang Fei blinked.
"None of Cao Cao's kids live long, right?"
He started counting on his fingers.
"Cao Pi—declared himself emperor, died six years later. Cao Zhi—lost the throne fight, probably got 'same-root stew.' Cao Chong died young. Cao Ang's grave weeds are taller than me. Now Cao Zhang?"
Jian Yong and Mi Zhu stared. "Declared emperor? Throne fight?"
Zhang Fei waved it off. "Minor Three Kingdoms trivia."
Then he grinned. "But I didn't expect my nephew to be such a trash-talking prodigy."
Guan Yu nodded solemnly. "With a mouth like that, he could be a vanguard."
This wasn't a joke.
In siege warfare, someone who could provoke the enemy commander into reckless action was worth as much as a general who could take a city.
Liu Bei: "…I raised a professional heckler?"
[The stalemate dragged on.
Cao Cao's army had full supplies—meat, wine, roasted lamb, braised beef.
Liu Bei's troops gnawed on dry rations atop the mountain.
This could not continue.
After long deliberation, Liu Bei decided to strike first.
Thus, the Hanzhong Campaign entered its final decisive clash—the Battle of the Han River.
Boss Cao, your Changban-Slope Special Edition 'Seven Charges Zhao Zilong' is now queued.
Are you ready?]
Cao Cao had twenty-five sons.
Eleven died before adulthood.
Honestly—was something wrong with the Cao family genetics?