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

The Wei soldiers on either side were still immersed in the shock and fear of Huchuquan's death and did not respond to Xiahou Dun's orders.

"I told you to shoot that Han dog, are you all deaf? Why haven't you done it yet?"

Xiahou Dun was furious and roared at the Wei soldiers on his left and right.

The Wei soldiers then realized what was happening, and the archers hurriedly drew their bows and prepared to fire at Chen Dao outside the city.

Chen Dao had expected this, and after giving a cold snort, he turned his horse around and rode away.

More than a hundred Han cavalrymen turned their horses around, laughing loudly as they rode away.

When the Wei army's arrows fell, Chen Dao and his men had already retreated to a distance of one arrow's length, leaving the Wei army with only a cloud of dust.

Arrows rained down.

Not a single Han soldier was hit.

Several arrows even struck Huchuquan's corpse.

Chen Dao then calmly returned to the main camp and reported back to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei smiled with satisfaction, then turned to his generals and soldiers and said:
"All troops, listen to my command! Rest for three days, then attack Jiexiu again!"

The entire camp of soldiers cheered and jumped for joy, their shouts shaking the heavens and the earth.

In contrast to the high morale of the Han troops, the Wei army on Jiexiu Pass was demoralized and dispirited.

Xiahou Dun watched the Han soldiers march away, and saw Huchuquan's head hanging high. He could do nothing but grit his teeth in a helpless rage.

"With 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry wiped out, our last source of external support has been cut off. The situation in Bingzhou has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and 100,000 Han troops are about to attack the city!"

"General, what should we do?"

Wang Ling's voice trembled as she looked at Xiahou Dun with a panicked and helpless expression.

"What should I do? How should I know what to do?"

Xiahou Dun was so provoked that he lost his composure and was helpless in the face of Wang Ling's questioning, except for his impotent rage.

Guo Huai sighed, hesitated for a long time, then gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and said:

"General, the Xiongnu army has been annihilated, and our morale has been severely damaged. We absolutely cannot hold this pass."

"Not to mention Jiexiu Pass, I'm afraid the entire Bingzhou region will be in danger."

"The situation is hopeless. I believe it is time to face reality, abandon Bingzhou, and save the emperor's 80,000 precious soldiers."

Xiahou Dun, enraged, shuddered and suddenly fell silent.

This time, surprisingly, he did not fly into a rage at Guo Huai.

If Guo Huai had dared to advise him to abandon Jiexiu Pass or even Bingzhou before Huchuquan was killed, he would have angrily denounced Guo Huai for undermining the morale of the army.

But now, he, who was originally furious, suddenly calmed down.

Liu Bei easily wiped out 40,000 Xiongnu, shattering their last hope!

With such a small force, how could he possibly defend Jiexiu Pass?

The hope of holding Bingzhou vanished once again with the destruction of the Xiongnu.

Xiahou Dun knew very well that Guo Huai's suggestion was the most rational and the most beneficial choice for Wei.

But now, he simply cannot choose to be rational.

He was the one who acted arbitrarily, ceding territory and borrowing troops from the Xiongnu without consulting Cao Cao.

He sent his only two sons to the Xiongnu as hostages, thus ending his own lineage.

It was he who handed over Bingzhou, the hope for the survival of the Wei Kingdom, to the Han Kingdom.

He accomplished so much, earning the shame of posterity, the ridicule of the world, and the resentment of the Wei people for his incompetence…

If what Guo Huai said is true, even if he escaped back to Guanzhong with 80,000 Wei troops, how could he face the elders of Wei?
How could they possibly face Cao Cao?
Considering all these factors, Xiahou Dun was torn between wanting to abandon Bingzhou and flee, and also struggling with his pride and dignity, making it difficult for him to make a decision.

"General, the situation has come to this point, how can you still hesitate?" "If we can preserve these 80,000 troops, to put it bluntly, at least our Great Wei can survive for a few more days."

"If we lose these 80,000 troops and also lose Bingzhou, how will the Emperor defend the remaining two prefectures of Yong and Liang?"

"If it gets to that point, our Great Wei will truly be finished!"

"General, I implore you, for the sake of the survival of Wei, to abandon Bingzhou and retreat westward!"

Guo Huai no longer cared about Xiahou Dun's feelings and knelt down on the ground, pleading with great indignation and grief.

Xiahou Dun stiffened, and for a moment, he was almost persuaded by Guo Huai.

Even the order to abandon the passes of Bingzhou and retreat to Lin County to cross the Yellow River to the west was almost at the tip of his tongue.

At the last moment, Xiahou Dun forced him to swallow his words back.

After much hesitation and deliberation,

Xiahou Dun sighed and waved his hand, saying:
"Bingzhou is related to the gains and losses of Great Wei, and the survival of those 80,000 troops is also related to the gains and losses of Great Wei."

"This matter is of great importance, and I cannot make a decision so easily in a short time."

"Whether to defend or abandon, I still need to carefully consider."

Guo Huai was greatly disappointed.

He never expected that this great general of Wei would be so irresponsible, so indecisive, and so hesitant at such a critical moment for the survival of the nation.

Guo Huai jumped up and hurriedly urged again:
"General, the main force of the Xiongnu has been annihilated, and the Xihe Commandery is now sparsely populated. Liu Bei may send troops into Xihe at any time."

“Once Xihe is captured by the Han army, we will have no chance to retreat to Guanzhong.”

"The situation is changing rapidly, General, now is not the time to hesitate..."

Xiahou Dun waved his hand, interrupting Guo Huai's persuasion, and said unhappily:

"As I have already said, this matter is of great importance, concerning the survival of the nation, and how can I make a decision on my own?"

"Stop your incessant nagging and pressuring me. I said I would consider it carefully, and I will. Don't say another word!"

Guo Huai's well-intentioned words of persuasion were abruptly shut down by Xiahou Dun's cold and reproachful remarks.

Guo Huai was speechless.

Looking at Xiahou Dun's stubborn and resolute attitude, he felt endless disappointment, yet there was nothing he could do.

After holding it in for a long time, he could only shake his head helplessly and let out a long, dejected sigh.

After Xiahou Dun subdued Guo Huai, he swept his gaze across the generals and said in an unquestionable tone:

"You must quickly go and appease the troops, and tell the soldiers that although the Xiongnu army has been annihilated, His Majesty is still launching a fierce attack on Puban!"

"His Majesty has not abandoned us, and Bingzhou will surely be able to be defended. Let them not be swayed by the petty tricks of the Big Ears traitor."

"Furthermore, transport all the remaining gold and silver from the Jinyang Treasury to Jiexiu Pass and distribute them to all the soldiers."

"Tell them to be on their toes and defend the border with me to the death, without retreating a single step!"

"As long as we can defend the pass and Bingzhou, I'll give them mountains of gold and silver!"

Xiahou Dun was not simply waiting to be killed; he attempted to win over the army's morale with rewards of gold and silver, hoping to ignite the fighting spirit of the Wei soldiers.

Whether it was Guo Huai or Wang Ling, all the Wei generals with some insight sighed inwardly.

While a generous reward may attract brave men, morale boosted solely by bribery and monetary incentives is unlikely to last.

Xiahou Dun's move was a drop in the ocean; it would only prolong his predicament for a few more days and would not change the overall situation at all.

Everyone knew the truth, but dared not expose Xiahou Dun's new clothes. They could only shake their heads and sigh inwardly, silently accepting the order.

"Our Great General of Wei is such a person; how can our dynasty not perish..."

Guo Huai, having received his orders, looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh as he walked out of the main hall. (End of Chapter)