The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

When Ju Shou questioned him in return, Yuan Tan felt a surge of anger, but at that moment his mind was entirely focused on entrusting Shen Pei with the sword and seal of the Grand General. He had no time to argue with Ju Shou.

He immediately waved his hand impatiently: "You may take the families of the officers and soldiers with you! There is only one condition: the families may go, but the officers and soldiers must remain! As for the people and civilians in the city, if any of them wish to flee north with you, you may do so as you see fit!"

In Yuan Tan's view, as long as the troops were still under his control, he had the resources to fight Cao Cao; and with the Grand General's sword and seal, which symbolized power, in hand, even if he suffered a temporary defeat, he could return to Pingyuan and plan a comeback.

This proposal only caused distress to Shen Pei.

He originally intended to use the power of Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan to suppress Ju Shou, but Yuan Shang pretended to be deaf and dumb out of fear of death, and Yuan Tan was so engrossed in seeing the general's sword seal that he lost his mind and had no time to care about anything else.

Without the support of Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, no matter how fiercely Shen Pei opposed, it was all in vain. He could only suppress his anger, keep the humiliation he had suffered today to himself, and grit his teeth and silently vowed: This hatred will be repaid a hundredfold!
The officials and generals, upon hearing this decision, felt a sense of relief.

Although they had to stay behind and could not accompany their families, it was already a great blessing for the generals of Ye City to be able to save their lives and allow them to retreat north with Ju Shou.

The outcome of the decisive battle with Cao Cao was uncertain. If their families remained in the deadly city of Ye, they would most likely not survive. Evacuating their families relieved the generals and officers of their worries.

At the same time, it also made some opportunists secretly think: if their families fall into Cao Cao's hands in the future, they might be able to surrender to Cao Cao in the name of filial piety.

After all, the power of the two Yuan brothers was already waning, and there were very few generals and officials who truly believed that Cao Cao would be defeated. The vast majority were thinking about their own way out.

During the Battle of Guandu, many of Cao Cao's generals and officials secretly colluded with Yuan Shao. Now that the balance of power has reversed, it is only natural that Yuan Shao's generals and officials would want to serve a different, more righteous ruler.

As Ju Shou organized the families of his officers and soldiers to gather in the city, news of Yuan Shang's intention to lead them and their families to evacuate Ye City spread like wildfire, quickly stirring up a huge uproar among the people of Ye City.

"Is the general already planning to flee before the war has even begun?"

"Even the great general has abandoned the city and fled; what guarantee is there for the lives of us commoners?"

"If all these high-ranking officials and nobles have fled, what is the point of us commoners staying behind?"

"I've heard that Cao Cao slaughters everyone he captures. Now that the siege has dragged on for so long and the general has fled, we're certain to die if we stay. We might as well run away too!"

"Run? Where can we run to? My ancestors' legacy is all in Ye City. If we flee, won't we lose our livelihood?"

"We're about to lose our lives, what's the point of worrying about making a living! If we stay in the city, we won't live to enjoy the money. Quickly pack your valuables, take as much as you can, survival is the most important thing!"

"."

Driven by the strong instinct for survival, a large number of scholars and commoners in the city packed their belongings and eagerly requested to join Ju Shou's northward journey. In a short time, there were many people responding, creating a great momentum.

Seeing this situation, Yuan Shang was deeply worried and went to Ju Shou: "If we take so many people with their families north with us, our progress will be as slow as an ox, and we will be easily overtaken by Cao Cao's pursuing troops!"

Even in such a critical situation, Yuan Shang was still thinking of himself. Ju Shou couldn't help but shake his head inwardly and replied decisively, "Young Master Shang need not worry. You can quickly lead the officers, officials, and their families to travel light and do not need to travel with the civilians."

Ju Shou knew that Yuan Shang was no different from Liu Bei, and that it was wishful thinking to expect Yuan Shang to emulate Liu Bei's approach of leading the people through thick and thin and sharing their joys and sorrows.

If Yuan Shang truly had this intention, he would have stayed in Ye City and fought Cao Cao to the death long ago. Why would he have fled north in such a panic?
A person who values ​​his life would never share the hardships of the people. Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

If they only bring their officers and their families and travel light, they can reach the safe city of Handan in a day and a night, and Cao Cao will never be able to catch up with them.

As for those city dwellers who insisted on following him? They weren't summoned by Yuan Shang, so there was no need to worry about whether they could reach Handan City.

Three days later at dawn, Yuan Shang, indeed impatient, led only his officers, officials, and their families, traveling light, and sped straight to Handan City, completely forgetting the large crowd of soldiers and civilians.

Ju Shou chose to stay behind, personally guiding and protecting the vast and slow-moving procession of soldiers and civilians that stretched like a long dragon.

Ju Shou's mind was as clear as a mirror. Liu Bei was willing to send troops to help him because he wanted the hearts of the thousands of people in Hebei!
Therefore, Ju Shou had to do his utmost to protect the people who followed him north, under the pretext of "General Liu Bei's aid to the people of Ye City".

Upon learning that it was none other than the renowned "benevolent and righteous" General Liu Bei who was personally providing support from behind, the anxious people were indeed reassured.

Although the road ahead is long and worries are hard to dispel, at least the team is relatively stable and no one is causing any more chaos for Ju Shou.

Such a huge upheaval in Ye City naturally did not escape Cao Cao's notice.

Those officers and generals who were unwilling to follow Ju Shou northward and had no confidence in defending Ye City seized the opportunity to lower their families down the city walls and head straight for Cao Cao's camp. They reported to Cao Cao in great detail all the changes that had occurred in Ye City, including Ju Shou's withdrawal, the demoralization of the army, and the panicked flight of the soldiers and civilians to the north.

This sudden intelligence surprised Cao Cao, but also filled him with a surge of joy.

Cao Cao spoke with a hint of sarcasm, sighing to his advisors, "Shen Pei is utterly foolish and stubborn! He can't even control his own officers and the people in the city, yet he dares to imitate Xiang Yu's 'burning the boats' strategy? It's truly laughable!"

Guo Jia's eyes were like lightning, and his grasp of the opportunity in battle was always exceptionally sharp.

Upon hearing this, he immediately analyzed, "My lord, Ju Shou led his troops north, and Liu Bei received them in Handan, intending to take in these tens of thousands of people from Yecheng! If he gains both population and popular support, his power will be greatly enhanced, and the consequences will be endless! We must pursue them!"

Cao Cao's mocking expression vanished instantly, and his brows furrowed deeply.

Liu Bei's foundation in Hebei is still weak. If he can suddenly increase such a large population and popular support, the threat will increase sharply.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he sneered, "Fengxiao's words are exactly what I wanted! Liu Bei's plan is indeed brilliant, trying to seize the hearts and minds of the people while I am attacking Ye City! He's just showing off his skills in front of an expert; how can I allow him to succeed so easily!"

After speaking, Cao Cao turned around abruptly, and the atmosphere in the tent suddenly became tense and suffocating: "Where are Xiahou Yuan and Xu Huang?"

Two valiant generals stepped forward in response: "Your subordinates are here!"

"I order you two to lead two thousand light cavalry and depart immediately!" Cao Cao's tone was resolute. "Bypass Shen Pei's garrison at Ye City and head straight for Ju Shou's rear guard! Those soldiers and civilians with their families and heavy baggage will be moving slowly. Don't hesitate to inflict casualties; your goal is to scatter and intercept them, disrupting their northward journey! As for Ju Shou, capture him if you can, and if you can't..."

Cao Cao paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, "We must not allow him to reach Handan safely!"

"Yes, sir!" The two generals clasped their hands in obeisance, their voices as firm as metal. (End of Chapter)