My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 266 Trying to outwit Xiao He only leads to humiliation! Stop being stubborn, Liu Bei can't hold on anymore, it's time to cut your losses!
"Your Majesty, it was my miscalculation. If not for my plan, how could our army have... how could we have..."

Cheng Yu was so ashamed and remorseful that he couldn't even speak.

Although Cao Cao's plan to build a hill on earth was thwarted, resulting in the loss of a leg and thousands of soldiers, he still maintained the initiative.

Now look what's happened. Your so-called plan to lure the snake out of its hole has not only cost you six cities, but you've also been utterly defeated by Liu Bei's combined attack from both inside and outside.

This battle must have cost at least 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers.

The Wei army's numerical advantage will now be completely lost.

With their numerical superiority gone, and their elite and fierce troops no match for the Chu army, they abandoned six cities in quick succession…

The initiative on the battlefield will be handed over to Liu Bei.

All they could do was retreat to Chenliu City, allowing Liu Bei's army to besiege the city, and then switch from defense to offense.

As the chief strategist, Cheng Yu was deeply remorseful for causing Cao Cao such a severe blow with his plan.

Cao Cao, however, did not blame him; instead, he blamed himself, saying:

"No wonder. I forgot what I said when we went to war. I said to guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and not to underestimate Liu Bei or Xiao He."

"I should not have forgotten the lesson, and I should not have ordered you to outwit Xiao He."

"Today's defeat is entirely my own fault."

Cao Cao's spirits seemed to have been severely damaged again. Instead of blaming Cheng Yu, he began to feel sorry for himself.

Upon seeing this, Sima Yi quickly cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, things have come to this point, now is not the time to discuss blame. We should abandon the camp and retreat north immediately."

"As long as our main force is still intact, as long as we can retreat to Chenliu City, rely on the fortified city to hold our ground and wait for the opportune moment to strike, we will still have a chance."

"If we don't leave now, my entire army will be wiped out here, and the fate of our Great Wei will be sealed!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's body stiffened, and his self-pity was instantly replaced by horror.

Cheng Yu, Jiang Ji, and others also came to their senses and urged the troops to withdraw.

After taking a deep breath, Cao Cao could only weakly wave his hand:
"By my order, the entire army shall abandon Huating Ferry and retreat to Chenliu in one fell swoop!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

So the Wei elites, along with the lame Cao Cao, hurriedly descended the watchtower and retreated northward.

The sound of the retreat rang out.

The Wei soldiers, whose morale was already in disarray, heard the sound of the gong and saw that their king had left, and their remaining fighting spirit immediately collapsed.

The hundreds of thousands of Wei troops collapsed like ants in a broken nest.

The situation has now reversed!

How could Liu Bei possibly let the Wei army escape unscathed?

One hundred thousand Chu infantry and cavalry, like tigers and wolves, trampled through the Wei camp and pursued them all the way along the east bank of the Sui River.

Long trails of blood stretched for dozens of miles northward from Huating.

After suffering nearly 40,000 casualties and losing countless military equipment and supplies, Cao Cao finally escaped back to Chenliu City.

Liu Bei then led the Chu army in pursuit, capturing several cities including Yongqiu.

It was late autumn or early winter of that year.

One hundred thousand Chu troops, riding high on their great victory, besieged the city of Chenliu.

Cao Cao, who fled back to Chenliu, rallied his defeated army, which still numbered 100,000.

However, the Wei army was no match for the Chu army in terms of troop strength, combat effectiveness, and morale.

Cao Cao dared not engage the Chu army in a direct confrontation, so he ordered the establishment of a fortified camp around Chenliu, adopting a defensive posture of refusing to fight and holding Chenliu firmly.

This war between Wei and Chu thus shifted to a defensive posture for Wei and an offensive posture for Chu.

The Central Plains were greatly shaken, and the State of Wei was greatly shaken.

...

Chenliu City, the prefecture capital.

"The general was defeated by the Chu general Gan Ning at the Gaotang-Linyi line, falling into Pang Tong's trap and losing 5,000 soldiers."

"The general had no choice but to abandon Gaotang and has now retreated west to Dong'e and Dongwuyang. From there, he will switch from defense to offense."

"When Chu general Guan Yu heard that Liu Bei had won a great victory at Huating, he took advantage of the situation and launched a strong attack on our army. The General of Chariots and Cavalry and the General of the Vanguard were no match for him and lost the cities of Ye County, Wuyang and Kunyang in succession. They have now retreated to the Xiangcheng line."

“Runan, Chen and other prefectures and kingdoms in Yuzhou, and more than ten counties in the south, after hearing of our army’s defeat at Huating, continued to declare their defection to Chu.”

"Many wealthy and powerful families in Yingchuan, Chenliu, and other counties in southern Henan were also terrified and migrated north in droves to avoid the Chu army."

"In the various prefectures of Yuzhou, morale is now low..."

Jiang Ji silently read out the latest urgent reports from various fronts.

Cao Cao, leaning on his cane, stared at the map, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

The disastrous consequences of the defeat at Huating were now fully evident.

The morale of the troops in Qingzhou and Yingchuan was damaged, and they were successively defeated by the Chu army, forcing them to switch from defense to offense.

The southern commanderies and kingdoms of Yuzhou surrendered to Chu at the mere sight of it, changing their flags and banners.

The powerful and influential families in the core areas of Wei's rule also began to migrate north in droves to avoid the advance of the Chu army.

The disastrous defeat at Huating caused Wei's situation in Henan to deteriorate rapidly overnight.

Cao Cao was so worried that his temples turned mostly white overnight.

"I never imagined that the situation in Henan would deteriorate to such an extent in just one month. Gentlemen, please tell me, how should I deal with this?"

Cao Cao turned around unsteadily, his gaze sweeping over his advisors.

Cheng Yu lowered his head and remained silent.

Hua Ting's failed plan severely damaged his confidence, and he dared not offer any more suggestions, even if he had them. Jia Xu, on the other hand, kept his eyes half-open, maintaining an air of indifference.

Sima Yi, adhering to the principle that the more he did, the more mistakes he would make, also remained silent.

"You are all living off my salary, yet you are all helpless in this time of national crisis. What use are you to me?"

Cao Cao pointed his cane at the group of "mute people" and angrily questioned them.

The advisors bowed their heads, some trembling, others shaking in fear; still, no one uttered a sound.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I'm unsure whether I should!"

In the ensuing silence, Jiang Ji finally gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

Cao Cao's expression softened slightly, and he raised his cane:
"I have always been open to advice. If you have any ideas to save the country, please feel free to speak them out."

Jiang Ji took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said:

"Given the current situation, Yuzhou is already in danger of being defended. If we continue fighting, not only will we lose Yuzhou, but we will also lose hundreds of thousands of soldiers in vain."

"I believe that Your Majesty should act decisively and, while Chenliu is still in existence, immediately relocate all the people from Yingchuan, Chen, Runan and other places to the Yanzhou line."

"Then, with the courage of a warrior cutting off his own arm, we will abandon Xuchang and the counties and kingdoms south of Chenliu, and shrink our existing troops to the line of Jiyang, Dingtao, Juye, and Shouzhang, using the Ji River as a barrier, so that we can retreat and protect Yanzhou."

As soon as Jiang Ji said this, the hall erupted in chaos.

"Your Majesty, what Jiang Zitong said is truly a policy that will harm the country!"

Chen Qun was the first to jump out, his face beaming with excitement:

"Xuchang is the capital of the Han Dynasty, the seat of the emperor. How can we abandon it without a fight and hand it over to Liu Bei?"

"Yingchuan and the counties of Yuzhou are all fertile lands in the Central Plains. How can we easily abandon them to the false Chu?"

"The people of this state are utterly loyal to Your Majesty, and are all devoted men willing to sacrifice themselves to support the Great Wei. If Your Majesty were to abandon them to the enemy, wouldn't you lose the hearts of the people?"

"In my opinion, Xuchang must not be abandoned, Yingchuan must not be abandoned, and Yuzhou must not be abandoned!"

Led by Chen Qun, Gao Rou, Du Xi, and other people from Yingchuan and Yuzhou stood up one after another, expressing their righteous indignation and passionate opposition to Jiang Ji's arguments.

Cao Cao asked us how to counter Liu Bei, and we had no answer.

But if you want to abandon Yuzhou, that's absolutely not allowed!

We support you, Cao Cao, in becoming king. We've offered you grain and troops, and even gone bankrupt to follow you in fighting Liu Bei. What are we after?

Isn't it all so that you can defend Henan, Yuzhou, and Yingchuan, and prevent our ancestral land from falling into the hands of Chu?
If you now want to abandon Yuzhou without a fight, shrink your battle lines at the Ji River and retreat to Yanzhou, then haven't we supported you for nothing?
Absolutely not!

Chen Qun and other officials from Yingchuan naturally had to stand up and vehemently refute Jiang Ji's "absurd" advice, which came from a humble background.

"Your Majesty, I also believe that Yuzhou must not be abandoned."

"Although our army lost tens of thousands of soldiers in the Battle of Huating and had to switch from offense to defense, our main force still survived. We were not strong enough to attack, but we were strong enough to defend."

"In my opinion, Your Majesty should appropriately reinforce the eastern front and order the Grand General to hold the Dong'e line and not venture out, so as to ensure that the Chu army cannot enter Yanzhou and threaten to cut off the Yellow River."

"On the western front, Your Majesty can order the General of Chariots and Cavalry to shrink the battle lines and concentrate their forces to retreat and defend Xuchang."

"Given the fortifications of Xuchang and the abundance of its provisions, the General of Chariots and Cavalry should have more than enough troops to defend Xuchang with their current strength."

"Your Majesty should lead my main force to hold Chenliu and not engage in battle, so as to contain Liu Bei's main army."

"My three armies have all switched from offense to defense, resolutely refusing to engage the Chu army and giving them no opportunity to take advantage."

"Although Liu Bei's army is powerful, his national strength is not as deep as that of our Great Wei. If this stalemate continues, Liu Bei will eventually run out of food and retreat because he will not be able to conquer the country after a long time."

"If we then switch from defense to offense, we might be able to recover lost territory and regain the initiative."

Cheng Yu had no choice but to step forward and devise a comprehensive strategy.

There was no other way. Although he was from Yanzhou, Yanzhou and Yuzhou were both located in Henan Province, so the saying "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" applies.

He naturally couldn't sit idly by and watch Yuzhou fall, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to offer his advice.

His so-called strategy, despite all his lengthy explanations, boils down to just two words:
Stubbornly.

There's no hope of defeating Liu Bei; the only option is to hold out until Liu Bei runs out of supplies and retreats.

Cao Cao pondered for a long time, sighed, and waved his hand, saying:
“You are right. Xuchang should not be abandoned lightly. Yingchuan and Yuzhou should not be handed over to the big-eared thief.”

"Let's follow Zhongde's plan and switch to a defensive posture in all directions to fight the big-eared thief."

Chen Qun and other scholars from Yingchuan all breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that Cao Cao was unwilling to give up Yuzhou, Jiang Ji had no choice but to settle for second best. He suggested that Cao Cao use the pretext of a hunting expedition to temporarily move the emperor to Luoyang in order to avoid the Chu army's advance.

Cao Cao thought it made sense. If the southern troops were to be withdrawn to Xuchang, the emperor would be in danger of falling into the hands of the Chu army.

Although the role of that "son of the young emperor" is already limited, this card can still be used to determine whether he can legitimately and legally usurp the throne from the Han dynasty in the future.

With this in mind, Cao Cao granted Jiang Ji's request, ordering Cao Pi and Xu Chu to lead a Tiger Guard army south to temporarily move the emperor from Xuchang to Luoyang.

At this point, the Wei army shifted to a full defensive posture along a battlefront stretching from Dong'e in the east to Xuchang in the west, covering a distance of a thousand miles.

Yingchuan area.

After Cao Chun and Xu Huang withdrew their troops from Xuchang, Guan Yu quickly led a large army north, capturing Xiangcheng, Yingyin and other cities without bloodshed, and his army advanced directly towards Xuchang.

Night fell that day.

Inside the central command tent.

Guan Yu, Xu Shu, Fa Zheng, Wei Yan, Guan Ping, and others were already discussing strategies to capture Xuchang.

Just as they were discussing this, the curtain was lifted, and a figure in a flowing blue robe stepped in.

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they hurriedly stood up, bowed, and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Grand Commandant Xiao!"

Guan Yu also rose to greet him, and asked in surprise:
"Bowen, what brings you here?"

(End of this chapter)