After the great victory in the Jingxiang campaign, Huang Zhong and Guan Ping were stationed together at Duyang City.
This place sat at the junction of Jing and Yu provinces. To the north and south were the natural barriers of Funiu Mountain and Fuyu Mountain.
It controlled the choke point between the two provinces. The road narrowed to just over forty li. Whether marching north or south, this was a must-fight battleground.
When Huang Zhong and Guan Ping first arrived, there was only a small county town here. It was nowhere near enough to truly lock down the road and block Cao forces.
As a local, Huang Zhong understood this very well. But in the past, Jing and Yu rarely fought directly, so there was no real need to build a strong pass here.
Besides, for Jing Province, places like Xiangfan, Jiangling, and Jiangxia were all far more dangerous and important than Duyang.
But now things were completely different.
So last year, after sweeping away Cao forces here, Guan Ping and Huang Zhong copied Guan Yu's playbook from Jiangling.
Fight while building. Build while fighting.
They pushed back Cao troops while constructing a new city to store supplies and prepare for a strong enemy.
"The Cao army is about to make a big move again."
The fresh earth on Duyang's walls was still clearly visible. Standing on top, Huang Zhong's expression was a little heavy.
Guan Ping stood beside him, silent, only nodding slightly.
During this time, their cooperation at Duyang had been smooth. Guan Ping focused on training troops and building fortifications. Huang Zhong handled defense and pursuit.
Old and young worked together, and Duyang had remained solid as a rock.
But starting in July, Cao troops from Yu Province went quiet.
Huang Zhong, who used to ride out daily with bow and horse to harass them, had suddenly been idle for a long time.
Both men were veterans on the front line of the Cao-Liu struggle. They understood exactly what this meant.
Scouts reported joint troop movements, lines pulling back, sealing off information.
The longer the silence, the worse it felt.
Finally, close to September, one morning, that silence was broken by Huang Zhong's scouts.
"General Huang. Cao troops."
Huang Zhong and Guan Ping rushed to the walls and both sucked in a breath of cool morning air.
Cao troops came from the east like a tidal wave, roaring forward like surf crashing against the shore. As far as the eye could see, it was just endless soldiers.
Even though Cao forces had suffered repeated defeats over the past year, what they saw with their own eyes made one thing painfully clear.
This was what later generations would call one mine versus nine mines.
Completely outnumbered.
"General, the enemy is moving in mass and will grow arrogant. Why not strike them outside the city?"
"If they surround Duyang in anger, we can hold and wait to coordinate with General Yunchang. If they ignore Duyang and rush to Wancheng, we can follow and harass their rear, wearing down their morale."
Despite the overwhelming enemy, someone stepped forward without fear and asked to fight.
"Liu Min, you've got guts." Huang Zhong did not hide his appreciation.
This cousin of Jiang Gongyan was no empty talker. Since joining Huang Zhong, he had fought at Xiangyang and Xinye, with solid performance every time.
After arriving at Duyang, he also showed real insight into city defense and earned Guan Ping's praise.
His plan was not random talk either.
Duyang's stability also relied on Guan Yunchang holding heavy forces in the rear at Bowang County. The two cities supported each other like linked shields.
So Liu Min's suggestion fit perfectly.
If Cao troops focused on Duyang, they would coordinate inside and out with Guan Yunchang. If Cao troops ignored Duyang, they would harass from behind and still coordinate.
No matter what, it was team play.
But what disappointed Liu Min was that after praising him, Huang Zhong did not adopt his plan.
Instead, Huang Zhong personally led cavalry out of the city, roaming close to the Cao army and launching harassment attacks.
"That's Huang Zhong?"
Watching the white-bearded general at the front. Every time he drew his bow, Cao soldiers fell. Xiahou Yuan hissed and ducked lower, asking the men beside him.
This cavalry unit was not large, but every rider could shoot from horseback.
They always kept a perfect distance from Cao troops. Cao scouts sent to drive them away were shot down. Infantry tried to surround them, but their movements were too slow and always missed.
For a moment, Xiahou Yuan felt completely overwhelmed.
Mixed in with that was a weird sense of grievance.
This army marching through Duyang toward Wancheng had six divisions.
Why did Huang Zhong have to pick the one division he was in?
While staring at Huang Zhong, Xiahou Yuan's mind flashed with Zhang Fei's words.
Delivering your own head.
He did not want to admit it, but watching Huang Zhong's powerful bow force everyone to dodge, and thinking about Yue Jin's death, Xiahou Yuan honestly lowered his head again.
Strong bow, limited arrows.
Huang Zhong's roaming cavalry were still few in number.
After Xiahou Yuan repeatedly adjusted formations, closed in, and used longbows to suppress, they finally forced Huang Zhong's riders to retreat back to Duyang.
Letting out a breath, Xiahou Yuan looked at Duyang once more, then led his troops west toward Wancheng without hesitation.
This old general was terrifying.
They were about the same age. Xiahou Yuan could barely handle a three-stone bow now, yet Huang Zhong could still ride and shoot, killing on release.
Yue Jin's death suddenly felt completely justified.
Before setting out, the overall commander Cao Ren had suggested that Xiahou Yuan take a force to besiege Duyang.
Xiahou Yuan had refused without hesitation.
Rather than lead troops alone against Huang Zhong and Guan Yu's son Guan Ping, he would rather serve under Cao Ren and face the infamous Guan Yu.
Between the two choices, Xiahou Yuan was very clear which was worse.
Now, watching Duyang fade behind him, Xiahou Yuan almost wanted to laugh.
That whole delivering your own head joke.
It felt like it was getting farther and farther away.
Back inside Duyang, Huang Zhong did not even remove his armor before climbing the walls again.
From above, he watched Cao troops flow past like a massive river, heading behind Duyang.
They clearly had no intention of wasting time here.
Their target was General Yunchang.
But Cao troops also clearly did not plan to let Duyang threaten their rear.
Dozens of strange-looking siege machines were pushed with great effort to below Duyang's walls. Cao soldiers rushed around, adjusting and preparing them.
This scene immediately made Huang Zhong and Guan Ping tense.
And it made sense.
Among Liu Bei's forces, no one was more aware of how terrifying engineering and military devices could be.
Even Lei Xu, who stayed in the rear maintaining order, would casually quote lines while drinking, praising Military Advisor Zhuge and Madam Huang's inventions.
Very soon, after adjustments were complete, the Cao siege machines fired.
A stone about one foot in size was launched high after more than a dozen men pulled together.
It slammed into the middle of Duyang's wall.
And left a shallow mark.
The Cao troops responsible for surrounding Duyang immediately erupted in cheers.
Huang Zhong went silent.
Not even getting the stone into the city.
At least make a dent in the wall, okay.
Guan Ping said uncertainly.
"This thing… could it be the thunder car that defeated Yuan Benchu?"
After the rise of engineering at Gong'an County, Military Advisor Zhuge and Madam Huang had tried replicating and dismantling many siege weapons, including the thunder car used at Guandu.
So Guan Ping recognized the concept.
But seeing it now, he felt deeply disappointed.
Huang Zhong's response was even simpler.
"Bring up the heavy crossbows."