I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

"A report came from Hebei. Cao Cao's army attacked Yuan Shao's grain depot at Wuchao, and Hebei lost all its grain supplies. Yuan Shao suffered a great defeat, but he also broke through Cao Cao's main camp. Both armies retreated. Yuan Shao retreated to Liyang, and Cao Cao returned to Xuchang."

Xu Shu urgently summoned all the generals besieging Wancheng overnight and announced Chen Dao's urgent report.

Like a bolt from the blue, it left everyone in the tent in silence for a long time.

No one expected that the highly anticipated Battle of Guandu between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao would end in a draw, with both sides suffering heavy losses.

Zhou Cang was especially shocked.

After all that hard work, I've finally paid off. In the battles of defending Runan, Zhao Yun's ambush at Yancheng, Zhang Fei's ambush at the Ru River, and the capture of Yancheng a few days ago, I've defeated Cao Cao's army four times, which has indeed eliminated a significant force.

Although the original story changed the ending where Cao Cao won with fewer troops, events such as Xu You's defection to Cao Cao still occurred, ultimately resulting in a lose-lose situation for both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.

This variable is enough to make me forget all the subsequent developments in the book after this battle.

After a long silence, it was finally Liu Bei who broke the silence: "Strategist, the matter of Wancheng needs to be resolved quickly."

Seeing that Xu Shu remained silent, Kuai Yue anxiously reminded him, "Yuanzhi, this is the last chance to seize Wancheng; we must not miss it!"

Xu Shu still did not respond. Instead, he stood up and walked to the map, pretending to carefully examine every corner, but in reality, he was struggling with himself.

The defenses of Wancheng were not something that could be breached quickly by a mere 10,000 men.

If there were enough time, we would indeed be confident that we could completely eliminate Zhang Xiu's hopes by besieging the city, but now the huge opportunity of the stalemate between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's armies at Guandu has been lost.

If the siege continues as originally planned, and Cao Cao were to advance south and break through Yan County, he would cut off his own retreat, and the great cause of punishing the rebels by imperial decree might have to be started all over again.

To be on the safe side, we should abandon the attack on Wancheng at this time and retreat to Yanxian, holding the point of Yanxian and Rushui to block Cao Cao's army from advancing south, and then slowly take Wancheng.

But if that happens, not to mention the morale of the army, it may be difficult for Liu Biao, an ally, to continue supporting his lord in the future.

This essentially signals the failure of the slogan "winning hearts and minds," and the feudal lords will certainly question the righteousness of their lord.

Wancheng must continue to be fought for; it must be captured, and Zhang Xiu must be persuaded to surrender, even at great risk.

"My lord, if we insist on attacking Wancheng now, there is a high possibility that Cao Cao will cut off our retreat—"

Xu Shu paused for a moment, then stopped speaking and asked Liu Bei directly, "May I ask your determination to attack Cao Cao, my lord?"

Without hesitation, Liu Bei replied, "Even if there is only a slight chance of victory, I urge you, strategist, to give it your all. I swear I will never coexist with Cao Cao."

Liu Bei, of course, guessed what Xu Shu was thinking. Steady development was of course the most ideal, but now he had to fight for his own survival and the survival of the entire army.

As the commander of the three armies, if he has even the slightest thought of retreating, it will shake the resolve and morale of the entire army.

When they accepted Xu Shu's idea, they had already prepared for a situation where there was no way to retreat. Therefore, the fact that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao would both suffer heavy losses was actually a great piece of good news, even though Cao Cao might immediately take action against them.

"I understand." Xu Shu bowed respectfully to Liu Bei and then began to consider the direction of the adjustment.

"Messenger, inform the entire army that Cao Cao's army suffered a major defeat at Guandu, and there is no reinforcement coming to Wancheng." Xu Shu made his first countermeasure not long after.

"Yes, sir!" The messenger quickly wrote it down and replied to Xu Shu.

"Order General Chen Dao of Yan County to investigate Cao Cao's army's movements again and expedite the production of defensive weapons for the city."

"My lord, General Yunchang, General Wenping, General Wangwei, starting tomorrow, each camp besieging the city should send soldiers to shoot arrows into the city to report Cao Cao's defeat at Guandu. The matter of Lord Yuan must not be mentioned under any circumstances. Do this day and night without ceasing."

The generals readily accepted the order.

"If anyone in the city tries to break out and seek reinforcements, feign obstruction and allow them to pass. But if anyone outside the city attempts to enter, intercept and kill them. Those who disobey will be punished according to military law!"

"Yes, sir!"

"From today onwards, the entire army is forbidden from removing their armor or drinking alcohol. The two battalions in the east and north of the city must continue to challenge the enemy daily without ceasing."

After quickly making the arrangements, Xu Shu dismissed everyone and went to his tent to rehearse any possible scenarios.

The day after the adjustment, the psychological warfare tactic began to take effect.

Some commotion began to break out in Wancheng. That evening, ten riders each sped out from the three northern gates of the city in different directions, attempting to break through the blockade and seek help.

As planned, Zhao Yun led his troops in a feigned pursuit before letting them head towards Xia Road.

Perhaps seeing the cavalrymen who had called for reinforcements successfully break through gave the defenders inside the city confidence. On the morning of the third day, drums sounded loudly at the north gate of Wancheng, and Hu Che'er led five hundred soldiers straight to the north gate camp.

Zhao Yun led his troops into battle, but after less than five rounds, Hu Che'er realized he could not win and immediately fled into the city. Zhao Yun tried to pursue him but was driven back by a hail of arrows from below the city.

Just as the drumbeats at the North Gate had not yet ceased, Zhang Xiu personally led five hundred men to attack Guan Yu's camp at the East Gate.

Zhou Cang resolutely volunteered for battle, and Guan Yu agreed.

"You black bastard, do you recognize my golden spear, Zhang Xiu?!" Zhang Xiu shouted as soon as he saw Zhou Cang, and thrust his spear forward.

Zhou Cang didn't reply, but stepped aside to avoid the spear tip and then raised his knife to slash upwards, but Zhang Xiu quickly deflected it with the shaft of his spear.

The two horses separated and resumed fighting. Zhang Xiu feinted as if to raise his spear, and in the instant Zhou Cang parried with his sword, he struck the end of the spear with his elbow, sending the tiger-headed golden spear flying into the air and slashing it down.

Zhou Cang always remembered Zhang Xiu's nickname "King of Spears in the North" and dared not be negligent in the slightest. He left room for maneuver in every movement, so he was prepared to raise his sword high to catch the move.

With a clang, Zhang Xiu's charged attack was not completely blocked. The moment the two weapons collided, Zhou Cang's Mo Dao was heavily smashed down by the Tiger-Head Golden Spear, and the spear tip stopped just an inch away from Zhou Cang's shoulder.

Seeing that he had gained the upper hand, Zhang Xiu wanted to continue pressing down with his spear.

Zhou Cang mustered all his strength, his face flushed, and he let out a muffled "Rise..." as he suddenly raised his arms and lifted Zhang Xiu's spear.

As expected, Zhang Xiu's title of "King of Spears in the North" was well-deserved!

Zhang Xiu's spear technique is quite different from Zhao Yun's style; it is full of domineering power and he is almost certain to kill within three moves.

Taking advantage of the moment when the two horses separated and resumed fighting, Zhou Cang launched an offensive, slashing and hacking with his sword. However, he was quickly forced back into a defensive position.

Seeing that the two had fought for more than ten rounds and Zhang Xiu had gained a slight advantage, Guan Yu quickly led his troops to attack.

Seeing no hope of breaking through, Zhang Xiu had no choice but to drag his spear and run quickly back to the city gate.

Back at Guan Yu's side, Zhou Cang, panting heavily, wanted to say something, but Guan Yu stopped him: "I observe that Zhang Xiu's bravery is no less than mine. Yuanfu, rest assured, conserve your strength, and fight again another day."

Zhou Cang nodded, looking in Zhang Xiu's direction, still somewhat unconvinced.

Zhang Xiu, you wait. Another day, I'll let you stab me twice first...

Fortunately, the eastern and northern camps successfully repelled the enemy generals' charges on two separate occasions, which boosted the morale of Liu Bei's army.

Xu Shu stood alone on the watchtower, but he couldn't be happy, because just a moment ago, he finally received the urgent report that Mi Zhu had sent a few days earlier.

In this moment when no one was around, he looked helplessly to the southeast, only four words repeating in his mind—

For what?