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

This statement came out.

Guo Huai's gloomy and helpless expression was instantly transformed into one of euphoria, as if injected with a powerful stimulant.

The generals on both sides were greatly encouraged, as if they had grasped a lifeline.

Cao Cao's edict was truly a timely help.

Given the current situation, all the generals knew that Bingzhou was indefensible and that retreating westward was the only way to survive.

But who would have thought that Xiahou Dun was so proud that he would suffer for it, stubbornly refusing to give up Bingzhou and leading them all into a fire pit.

Seeing the fierce offensive of the Han army and the imminent collapse of Jiexiu Pass, everyone was anxious.

At this critical moment, Cao Cao's edict arrived.

With the emperor's decree, what face or dignity do you, Xiahou Dun, still care about?
Naturally, they obeyed the imperial edict to abandon Bingzhou and immediately fled with their group.

How could the generals not be overjoyed, each feeling as if they had been granted a pardon?

Xiahou Dun also stiffened, abruptly raising his head to look at the imperial edict in Yang Fu's hand.

However, the imperial edict was not received for a long time.

"General, this is an imperial edict. Please accept it immediately."

Yang Fu had no choice but to bend down and present the imperial edict to Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun rose shakily, hesitated for a long time, and then reached out and reluctantly accepted the imperial edict.

Take a deep breath and slowly unpack it.

Every word was imprinted in Xiahou Dun's eyes.

Just as Yang Fu said, the imperial edict ordered him to save the people and lose the land, to immediately abandon Bingzhou, and to bring 80,000 soldiers back to Guanzhong.

Xiahou Dun let out a long breath and slumped back onto the ground.

Looking at the imperial edict in his hand, his feelings were incredibly complex.

With Cao Cao's edict, it meant that he no longer had to live and die with Bingzhou, and could finally retreat to Guanzhong with a legitimate reason.

Who wouldn't be grateful to be alive?

But bearing the infamy of ceding territory to the Xiongnu, he ultimately failed to hold onto Bingzhou, becoming a sinner not only to the Wei state but also to history...

Even if they returned to Guanzhong alive, how could they face Cao Cao?

"General, the Emperor is wise; he knows that saving lives while losing territory is the best course of action!"

"Since it is an imperial edict, what else does the general have to worry about? Please issue the order immediately to abandon the passes in Bingzhou, have all troops retreat to Lin County, cross the Yellow River to the west, and return to Guanzhong."

Guo Huai was excited and immediately tried to persuade Xiahou Dun again.

The generals were in an uproar and rushed forward to persuade Xiahou Dun that there was no need to worry about angering him.

Xiahou Dun obeyed Cao Cao's orders without question.

No matter how much he cared about his reputation, no matter how stubborn he was, now that Cao Cao's edict had arrived, he no longer had the courage to persist.

"Very well, since the Emperor has issued an edict, how can I disobey it?"

"By my order, command the generals guarding Jingxing, Pingcheng, Huguan and other places to abandon their posts and retreat westward, shrinking towards Linxian and crossing the river to retreat westward."

Xiahou Dun respectfully put the imperial edict into his robes and waved his hand listlessly.

Guo Huai, Wang Ling, and the other generals all breathed a sigh of relief.

Guo Huai's eyes flickered, but he then reminded him:
"General, this blind retreat is not advisable. I fear not only will we fail to retreat, but we will also be annihilated by the Han army in Bingzhou." Xiahou Dun frowned, displeased.
"I have already ordered the abandonment of Bingzhou, why are you spreading alarmist rumors and making it impossible to withdraw?"

Guo Huai's heart skipped a beat.

Judging from Xiahou Dun's tone, he had clearly harbored resentment towards him for a long time and had accumulated a lot of pent-up anger.

However, since it concerned life and death, Guo Huai could not take Xiahou Dun's feelings into consideration and could only offer his honest advice.

After taking a deep breath, Guo Huai pointed to the south and said:
"Currently, south of Jiexiu Pass, 100,000 Han troops are still fiercely attacking our pass. In addition to Pingcheng, Huguan, and Jingxing Pass, there are still more than 200,000 Han troops."

“Once our army abandons the pass, the various Han armies will surely follow and pursue us relentlessly.”

"However, the ferry crossing in Linxian County has limited capacity, and it is impossible to ferry all 80,000 of our soldiers to the west bank of the Yellow River in a short period of time."

"When our army is crowded at the ferry and unable to cross the river, and 300,000 Han troops follow in pursuit, our army will still be in danger of being completely annihilated, General!"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Dun, who was originally displeased, suddenly changed his expression and broke out in a cold sweat.

He stood up abruptly, rushed to the map, and quickly scanned it.

"You're right. If we retreat hastily, our 80,000 soldiers will still be in danger of being wiped out!"

Xiahou Dun pointed emphatically to the location of Linxian Ferry, then his gaze shifted sharply to Guo Huai, his eyes no longer filled with resentment, and he asked urgently:
"Guo Boji, in your opinion, how should I safely lead the 80,000 troops back to Guanzhong?"

Guo Huai breathed a slight sigh of relief, then pointed to the map:
“Pingcheng, Jingxing Pass, and Huguan Pass are protected by the Taihang Mountains, making travel difficult.”

"The General can order the garrison commanders of each pass to destroy the passes and cut down trees and dig pits to block the mountain roads during the retreat, so as to slow down and block the speed of the Han army's pursuit."

“These three routes have the natural defenses of the Taihang Mountains, which can block the Han army’s pursuit in this way. However, the area to the north of Jiexiu Pass is flat and there is no way to stop the Han army.”

"Therefore, I believe that we still need to hold the line at Jiexiu Pass to the death to block Liu Bei's main force from pursuing northward and to buy enough time for most of our troops to cross the river."

Xiahou Dun let out a soft breath, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

Guo Huai is quite shrewd when it comes to strategy.

This retreat strategy astutely grasped the key point. Although it was not foolproof, it was the only feasible solution under the current circumstances.

"Well, it seems we have no choice but to do as you say."

Xiahou Dun nodded slightly, having no choice but to acknowledge Guo Huai's strategy.

At this moment, Wang Ling said:
"As Boji said, the key to whether our Bingzhou army can successfully retreat westward lies in how long we can hold out at Jiexiu Pass."

"But the Han army's offensive is extremely fierce right now, and the situation at Jiexiu Pass is already far from optimistic. I'm afraid..."

Wang Ling didn't continue speaking, but glanced up at Xiahou Dun.

His implication was quite clear:

With Liu Bei's offensive so fierce, General, are you sure you can hold Jiexiu Pass and hold out until all 80,000 Wei troops cross the river?
Xiahou Dun understood his implication, and paced back and forth, lost in thought.

After much deliberation, finding no perfect solution, he had no choice but to turn to Guo Huai again:

"Boji, do you have any other good ideas to help me defend Jiexiu Pass and hold off the Big-Eared Bandit?"

Guo Huai was speechless, his expression revealing his inner helplessness.

Having reached this point, he clearly couldn't think of any better strategy to hold Jiexiu Pass and withstand the Han army's increasingly fierce attacks.

The atmosphere was dead silent.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, breaking the silence.

"General, I have a plan, though it's not exactly brilliant, but it might delay the enemy's attack on the city and buy our army three to five more days to retreat westward!" (End of Chapter)