Chapter 69: Cao Cao's Dilemma

  Cao Cao deployed his troops in a line from Wan City, with a total of about 8,000 soldiers to guard against Liu Biao's army.

  Yan Liang defeated Cao Hong's army of over 4,000 soldiers last time, and now the Cao army in Wan City only has 4-5,000 troops under Xiahou Yuan's command.

  Now Xiahou Yuan is leading 3,000 men to rush to Guandu, which means that the Cao army on the Wan City line has at most 2,000 men.

  Wan City is the core of southern Nanyang, it was Cao Cao's key to defending Jingzhou. Now Cao Cao has withdrawn most of Wan City's troops, this can only mean that Cao Cao is in an extremely precarious state at Guandu, forcing him to withdraw troops from Nanyang.

  Yan Liang was in Xin Ye, but he closely followed the Battle of Guandu. As soon as he heard this news, he made such a judgment.

  The outcome of the Battle of Guandu will determine a major change in the entire northern situation, and the changes in the Central Plains will inevitably affect Jingzhou, and even the fate of every individual here.

  Great changes are taking place right before our eyes, and opportunities are also emerging at the same time. How can one not be excited?

  "Xing Ba, you just asked how to make up for your shortcomings, now the opportunity has arrived." Yan Liang said calmly.

  Gan Ning was stunned for a moment, and suddenly he had an epiphany.

  Without thinking much, he hastily said: "General, I understand. At present, Wan City is empty, should we take advantage of the situation and send troops north to capture Nanyang, and firmly plant a nail in the Central Plains."

  As soon as Gan Ning spoke out, everyone echoed in agreement.

  Nanyang is a prefecture that belongs to Jingzhou, but its connection with the Central Plains is even closer. To the north, it borders Luoyang; to the east, it faces Xudu; and to the west, it passes through Wuguan to connect with Guanzhong. These three places are indeed the central part of the Central Plains.

  This means that as long as Yan Liang occupies Nanyang, he can easily launch an attack on the Central Plains.

  Yan Liang was able to recognize the importance of Nanyang because he had a premonition, while Gan Ning only needed a few hints to understand it, which is truly rare and precious.

  Yan Liang's heart felt relieved, but he smiled slightly and said: "I will definitely take Wan City, but for now, there are more important things to do at this critical moment."

  Everyone's eyes couldn't help but reveal a few points of confusion, and they all thought that apart from taking Prank City and expanding their territory, what else could be more important.

  Yan Liang's gaze looked northward, his eyes gradually becoming stern, and he said in a loud voice: "Pass on the order to all troops, prepare for battle, I will lead the army to conquer Xudu tomorrow."

  Three days later, Yan Liang led 5,000 elite infantry and cavalry onto the road north towards Xuchang.

  To prevent Liu Biao from causing trouble in the rear, Yan Liang left behind Xu You, Wen Ping, Yi Ji, Man Chong and Liu Bi, leading an army of 10,000 to guard Xinye, bringing only Gan Ning and Zhou Cang, two brave generals, on the expedition.

  Yan Liang dared to advance on Xuchang with only 5,000 troops because he didn't actually want to capture the city, but rather take advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters and reap a profit.

  In his judgment, once Cao Cao's army was defeated at the Battle of Guandu, Xu Du would inevitably fall into chaos, and many civil and military officials would scatter in all directions due to the chaotic situation. These were exactly what Yan Liang lacked, and it was a good opportunity to recruit them for himself.

  Starting from Jingzhou in the north and attacking Xudu, dispatching troops from Wan city and advancing along the main road is the most ideal route.

  To achieve the effect of being unexpected and swift, Yan Liang chose to go east from Xinye, pass by Bixiang City, then turn north and take the mountain road to insert into the south of Xuchang.

  According to the intelligence provided by Zuo Xian, Cao Cao had deployed a considerable number of troops along this route to prevent Liu Bei from attacking Xu Du. However, Yan Liang's journey was smooth sailing, and he encountered almost no resistance.

  Cao Jun's resistance was weaker, Yan Liang felt more and more that Cao Cao's situation at Guandu was precarious. He then ordered the whole army to speed up their march.

  Yan Liang knew that he had to arrive before Yuan Shao took Xuchang, otherwise he would not gain any advantage.

  A few days later, at dawn, Yan Liang and his five thousand infantry and cavalry finally entered the plain after crossing the last mountain ridge.

  Xu Du, just one hundred li due north.

  Just as Yan Liang was catching his breath and planning to take a short rest, a lone scout came galloping in, raising clouds of dust.

  "Report to General, Yuan Shao's large army has broken through Cao Jun's main camp, and the entire line of Cao Jun's camps at Guandu have collapsed."

  Upon hearing this, the assembled troops subtly changed color.

  Yan Liang's butt had just touched down when he suddenly sprang up straight.

  He gazed northward, his expression grave, and said: "I didn't expect Cao Cao to be defeated so quickly. We can't wait any longer. Order the entire army to stop resting and immediately accelerate our march towards Xuchang."

  All go north.

  On the main road, countless soldiers are fleeing in a state of panic.

  A tattered and worn-out "Cao" flag was constantly being abandoned and trampled underfoot by fleeing soldiers.

  The soldiers fell like a collapsing mountain.

  Cao Cao, wrapped in a red cloak, was hastily fleeing under the protection of his personal guards, including Xu Chu.

  Following closely were Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Yu Jin and other generals, as well as advisors Xun You and Guo Jia. The troops under their command numbered only in the thousands. The rest of the officials and officers who had been stationed at the front lines before the Battle of Red Cliffs were all scattered in that complete defeat.

  As he fled, Cao Cao looked back in the direction of Guandu, but all he saw was a massive fire raging towards the sky, and the thunderous cries of the Yuan army still seemed to be echoing in his ears.

  "After a bitter struggle for a whole year, I still couldn't stop Yuan Shao. Is it really that heaven doesn't want me, Cao Cao, to succeed?"

  With a heart-wrenching pain, Cao Cao reined in his horse.

  Both sides stopped immediately.

  Zhang Liao, covered in blood, rode forward on his horse and said loudly: "Prime Minister, Yuan Shao's pursuing troops are still behind us, and ahead is not far from Xuchang, why do you want to stop?"

  Cao Cao let out a bitter laugh and sighed: "Even if we escape back to Xuchang, isn't it still a dead end?"

  Cao Cao, who was originally confident, said such desperate words for the first time.

  Both literary and military officials hang their heads in shame.

  Cao Cao glanced around at his subordinates, with bitter and scorching tears rolling in his eyes, and let out a long sigh.

  "Gentlemen, you are all talents of the current era. Cao is really unable to bear that you gentlemen should accompany Cao on a path of no return. At present, Yuan Shao has not yet caught up; if you gentlemen wish to seek a brighter future for yourselves, then go."

  Cao Cao's words were filled with sadness.

  Upon hearing this, the generals could not help but shed tears. The commander of the vanguard, Xu Chu, solemnly declared: "We swear to follow the Prime Minister to death, and even in death we will have no regrets."

  "I will follow the Prime Minister to death, and die without regret!"

  Civil and martial, in unison they harmonize, all of them with emotions stirred up.

  Hearing these words from his subordinates, Cao Cao felt a bit relieved, but the sadness on his face only increased.

  Even if these subordinates did not abandon him, now that Guandu has failed and the situation is already lost, what can he do?

  When they were at a loss, dust rose in front of them and a team of soldiers rushed over. The scout came to report that it was Shangshu Ling Xun Yu escorting Emperor Han Liu Xie and Cao Cao's family members who had arrived.

  Xun Yu arrived, Cao Cao's emotions slightly stabilized, and he hastily urged his horse forward to meet him.

  When Cao Cao saw his first strategist with white hair and beard, and a refined air about him, a flush of shame suddenly rose to his dark face.

  "Wenruo, I let you down. The battle at Guandu is lost." Cao Cao's words were filled with helplessness.

  Xun Yu slightly raised his hand and said calmly: "Victory and defeat are common things in the military, it's not just losing one battle, why should the Prime Minister be disheartened?"

  His words were light and casual, as if he hadn't lost a single bit of his usual composure.

  Xun Yu's calmness gradually rekindled Cao Cao's courage, and he couldn't help but ask: "Now that Guandu has been lost and Xuchang is in a precarious position, don't you have any plan to turn the tide?"

  "Yuan Shao may have won, but his internal conflicts are numerous. Even if he temporarily gains control of the Central Plains, he will eventually disintegrate and collapse. What the Chancellor needs to do now is to regroup and wait for the internal strife within the Yuan family, then rise again."

  Xun Yu stroked his white beard and spoke in a neither hurried nor slow tone.

  "The Central Plains are lost, how can we re-mobilize and start anew?" Cao Cao's expression gradually steadied, but he still harbored doubts.

  Xun Yu smiled and pointed west, "For now, the Chancellor should follow the Han Emperor to move west to Guanzhong, emulate the old ways of Emperor Gaozu of Han, wait for the right moment, then lead troops out of the pass, and surely can sweep across the Central Plains."

  The four words "Westward Shift of the Capital" shocked everyone present.

  Cao Cao's heart was indeed excited for a moment, but he immediately worried: "The Guanzhong is in ruins, and the Western Liang Hou Ma Han and others are standing by. These people nominally surrendered to the imperial court, but in fact they did not truly surrender. In this situation, it is difficult to stand firm, let alone resist Yuan Shao's attack."

  Cao Cao's words also expressed the thoughts of others, and everyone nodded in agreement.

  "The Chancellor worries too much. Those Western Liang nobles are most afraid of Yuan Shao, they fear that after Yuan Shao takes the Central Plains, he will threaten them. Even if they don't fully support the Chancellor in resisting Yuan Shao, they won't stop him from entering Guanzhong."

  The speaker was precisely Guo Jia.

  "As long as the Chancellor can smoothly retreat to Guanzhong, explain the pros and cons to the Western Liang nobles, treat them with kindness and generosity, and rely on the solid defense of the four passes in Guanzhong, he will surely be able to withstand Yuan Shao's attack. Moreover, after ten months of fierce battle at Guandu, Yuan's army is already exhausted, and Yuan Shao is a man who likes to plan but hesitates to act, so it's unlikely that he will hastily send troops westward in the short term. As long as the Chancellor can gain some time to catch his breath, why worry about not having an opportunity to turn the tables?"

  Having heard Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao's worried expression had vanished into thin air, and his extinguished will to fight was rekindled once again.