I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 314 Every Second Counts!

Who?
Xu You?

When Liu Miao heard this name, it felt like he had been punched in the head!
Upon hearing that Xu You had assassinated Xun Yu and that Cao Cao had abandoned the Battle of Guandu, Liu Miao's mind went completely blank!

Liu Miao's current actions, as well as the tactics and strategies he will implement, are all based on one principle.

The principle is that Cao Cao was able to hold off Yuan Shao at Guandu!

Although this was a difficult task, Liu Miao always believed that Cao Cao could accomplish it.

Especially after the news of Cao Cao's slaying of Yan Liang and killing of Wen Chou arrived, Liu Miao was even more confident in Cao Cao's ability to resist Yuan Shao.

If Cao Cao can hold Yuan Shao at Guandu, and if Cao Cao can hold out until spring, then Liu Miao can send troops from Hedong to deliver a thunderous blow to Yuan Shao, rendering him unable to advance south for a short period of time.

But who could have imagined that Cao Cao would abandon Guandu so quickly?
However, considering that it was Xun Yu who was assassinated, Liu Miao was not surprised.

Xun Yu was to Cao Cao what a pillar supporting the sky was!

If this pillar falls, Cao Cao will be crushed to death by the sky!
If we rush back to Xuchang, we can still delay things a little longer.

If he doesn't return to Xuchang, Cao Cao's rear will explode instantly! He'll be sandwiched between Yuan Shao and killed!

"Xu You! Xu You! Damn it! Damn it! Why didn't I just send someone to kill him back then!"

Liu Miao immediately launched into a tirade of curses!

Who would have thought that Xu You, who had betrayed them, could betray them again?
Does Xu You have any shame?

And Yuan Shao really went to such lengths to win, resorting to any means necessary?
"Damn it! Damn it all! Damn it all!!"

This was the first time Liu Miao had ever been this angry!
Liu Miao kicked over the brazier in front of the door, cursing all the while.

"My lord, what should we do now? Should we go to Cao Cao's aid?"

Taishi Ci, Huang Zhong, and Zhu Huan, who was still recovering from his injuries, also rushed over upon hearing this and gathered around Liu Miao.

"Support what?! We're clearly struggling to save ourselves!"

Liu Miao and Zhou Yu exchanged a glance, both clearly sensing each other's tension.

Cao Cao's retreat to Xuchang meant that he had surrendered the entire defense line of the Central Plains!

With only one city, how could Cao Cao possibly withstand Yuan Shao's army of 100,000?!
And there's something even more crucial!
If Yuan Shao were to bypass Xuchang and send cavalry to blockade Nanyang and cut off the Wuguan Pass, it would be fatal to Liu Miao's troops in Hedong!

Because that would mean that Yuan Shao had completely trapped Liu Miao, turning him into a caged bird unable to move in Guanzhong!
"go!"

Zhou Yu nodded emphatically at this moment!
We have to go!

We have to race against Yuan Shao!

"Absolutely! We must return to Jingzhou and Xiangyang before Yuan Shao occupies Nanyang and blocks Wuguan Pass!"

What attack, what harassment?

For Liu Miao now, escaping the encirclement that Yuan Shao was about to close in on was the greatest victory!

"Leave now!"

Zhou Tai asked, "What about the supplies and weapons?"

"Sink them all into the river!"

"Where are the sheep?"

"This is the last meal! Eat as much as you can! Any leftovers can be given to our fellow villagers in Hedong!"

Race against time!

All external things are fleeting!

Take them back! Returning alive myself is the real deal!

Fortunately, the ferry crossing has been repaired, so crossing the river is not difficult.

Moreover, a number of warhorses were captured from Yuan Tan and the Southern Xiongnu, which could help Liu Miao increase his speed.

Zhong Yao, who was in charge of guarding Guanzhong, also heard about this and quickly helped Liu Miao transfer his army.

"Yuan Chang, come with us!"

Liu Miao extended an invitation to Zhong Yao.

"Once Guandu is lost, Yuan Shao's army will have no obstacles and can arrive in Guanzhong at any time."

"As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood!"

"Leave now, and you'll be able to come back someday!"

But when faced with Liu Miao, Zhong Yao shook his head.

"Thank you for your kindness, General Liu."

"I am guarding this land on behalf of the emperor; how can I leave at will?"

Zhong Yao solemnly declared, "As long as I remain in Guanzhong, Guanzhong will remain Han territory!"

Seeing that he could not persuade Zhong Yao, Liu Miao bowed to him and said, "Respectfully!"

"Take care, General Liu!"

Although Zhong Yao tried to remain calm, a sorrowful expression still showed on his face.

"Now that Cao Cao has been defeated, the only one the world can rely on now is probably Liu Bei!"

------

Xu You's rebellion and assassination attempt on Xun Yu were like a boulder thrown into water, the enormous and terrifying waves spreading outwards in concentric circles.

When Liu Miao received the news, Xiao Pei, who was closest to the battlefield, also received the news.

The generals Liu Miao left behind to guard this place were Sun Ce and Sima Yi.

Upon hearing that Cao Cao had retreated to Xuchang, Sun Ce immediately burst into curses: "How could Cao Cao do this?"

"Without the Pu River and the Hong Canal, how can we stop Yuan Shao's cavalry?"

Sun Ce was greatly alarmed, but he had already made preparations—

"I will personally lead the cavalry to Xuchang to resist Yuan Shao!"

"No!" "What are you saying?"

It was Sima Yi who spoke up to stop Sun Ce.

Sima Yi stopped Sun Ce, saying, "The most important thing right now is not the emperor or the court, and certainly not Cao Cao!"

"What is that? Is there anything more important than the emperor?"

"Have!"

Sima Yi's face turned pale: "It's my lord!"

"Don't forget, our lord is still in Hedong!"

"Now that Yuan Shao has captured Guandu and is besieging Xuchang, he will surely think of occupying Nanyang and cutting off our lord's retreat!"

"Xuchang is beyond saving! Even if we want to save it, we must wait until our lord has successfully returned to Jingzhou before we can find a way to support Xuchang!"

Sun Ce was also in a state of utter confusion: "Then, what should we do now?"

Sima Yi did not rush to make arrangements, but instead came to the map of the Central Plains to examine it carefully.

Finally, Sima Yi realized the key.

"Shangcai!"

"It is now impossible for us to reach Nanyang before Yuan Shao!"

"But by occupying Shangcai, we can make Yuan's army, which has entered Nanyang, more cautious! They will be afraid that we will turn around and cut off their retreat."

"Moreover, Shangcai has the Ru River as its stronghold, which can be used to resist Yuan's army and contain his cavalry!"

Sun Ce looked at the map and indeed found that Shangcai was located at the eastern gateway of Nanyang, near Wuyang and Kunyang.

If a stronghold could be established here, it would indeed make Yuan's army hesitate and prevent them from rushing into Nanyang to block Liu Miao's retreat.

"General Sun."

Sima Yi instructed Sun Ce—

"This is truly a critical moment of life and death! I urge the general to act in accordance with military law!"

"Otherwise, if something happens, we may not be able to explain ourselves to our master!"

Xu You's rebellion has put everyone in a very passive position!
Not only did it wipe out all the advantages that Liu Miao and Cao Cao had painstakingly accumulated, it also completely reversed the balance of power in an instant!

It is imperative, absolutely imperative, that Liu Miao be safely evacuated!

Otherwise, the world might really have to be changed to the Yuan family!

But Sima Yi soon realized that persuading Sun Ce was only the beginning.

The more troublesome person is Lü Bu, who is located in Qingzhou!

After hearing that Cao Cao had abandoned Guandu, Lü Bu was not happy, but on Chen Gong's advice, he led a large army to Xuzhou, intending to go to the Central Plains through Xiaopei to rescue Cao Cao.

When Sima Yi saw Lü Bu appear at the gates of Xiaopei, he was completely stunned!

"My lord, what kind of mess have you left me with?"

Sima Yi was exhausted, but he could only go to Lü Bu's camp in person to ask Lü Bu to temporarily withdraw his troops and return to Qingzhou.

"Although Guandu has fallen, Xuchang still stands!"

"When our lord returns and we regroup, we may be able to rebuild our battle lines and preserve Nanyang and the lands of Qing and Xu."

"If General Lü were to head to the Central Plains now, and Yuan's army were to advance from Qingzhou, then they would be utterly routed!"

Once Guandu is lost, anyone who goes to Yuzhou now will only be throwing their lives away and will ultimately return empty-handed.

To lose Qingzhou or even Xuzhou for the sake of a Yuzhou that is already beyond saving would be a tremendous sin!

Lu Bu looked at Sima Yi with displeasure: "You are just a subordinate officer under Zhongshan, how dare you point fingers at me?"

Sima Yi lowered his head and said, "I dare not do anything presumptuous."

Immediately, Sima Yi took out the tally that Liu Miao had given him: "But before you left Xiaopei, you did give me the tally to control the troops in the east!"

"I hope that the general will consider our relationship as father-in-law and son-in-law of General Liu and not make things difficult for me."

Lü Bu was greatly surprised: "Zhongshan actually gave you his imperial seal?"

Even Zhou Yu and Lu Su, Lü Bu had never heard of Liu Miao bestowing upon them the imperial tally.

And now, Sima Yi, who is so young and holds such a low official position, has obtained Liu Miao's tally?
Lu Bu raised an eyebrow: "Are you really not allowing me to go?"

"Once the general goes to the Central Plains and Yuan Shao finds his whereabouts, Yuan's army will surely attack Qingzhou from Hebei!"

Sima Yi simply asked, "If that time comes, how will the general respond?"

"Humph!"

Sima Yi's words immediately made Lü Bu feel disgusted, as if Sima Yi was looking down on him.

But upon closer examination, this is indeed the case.

Lu Bu, along with the families of his soldiers, are all in Qingzhou.

If Qingzhou were to be taken by Yuan Shao, wouldn't Lü Bu be homeless again?

Seeing Lü Bu hesitate, Sima Yi immediately added fuel to the fire: "Besides, General, you already have a grudge against Cao Cao. Why risk the lives of your soldiers to save the enemy?"

"If you were to actually meet Cao Cao, General, could you guarantee that you would not clash with him?"

"Why would the general do something so thankless and arduous? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to return home and use your divine power to intimidate Yuan's army in Hebei?"

Lu Bu brandished his halberd: "Ha! You may be young, but you have a pleasant way of speaking!"

"Very well! Since that's the case, I'll withdraw my troops for now! As for Cao Cao... well, may he have good fortune!"

Sima Yi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Lü Bu was willing to withdraw his troops.

But there's clearly no time for him to relax now.

As long as Liu Miao has not returned to Jingzhou, the danger will not be over!
Sima Yi can only hope that Liu Miao's side will act quickly! Ideally, they should retreat to Jingzhou as soon as possible without even eating!

Otherwise, if Yuan Shao were to encircle them, then all would truly be lost!

(End of this chapter)