Chapter 58 Only Nanjun

The Cao army retreated at an extremely fast pace.

For those able to flee alongside the main force included not only the cavalry bodyguards led by Cao Xiu, Xu Chu, and Cao Chun, but also prominent figures such as Jia Xu and Xun You.

After a full day of desperate flight, withdrawing by both land and water, they had already put a considerable distance between themselves and the battlefield.

Yet even at this moment, the flames and billowing black smoke along the downstream riverbanks remained visible.

The dejected Cao army had sunk to the lowest depths of despair, and once they finally halted, many could not help but break down and weep aloud.

Out of an army of over one hundred thousand men, only these tens of thousands managed to return!

Such a disastrous defeat was exceedingly rare in Cao Cao's life.

Recalling how high-spirited and filled with boundless ambition they had been when setting out—feeling as though pacifying the realm was right within their grasp—they were now, in the wake of a crushing defeat, entirely crestfallen and driven nearly to despair.

"What are you crying for?" Hearing the sound of weeping, Cao Cao rebuked them sternly. "I have roamed the north and south, and my subordinates are all warriors eager for battle. How can you behave like weeping women? Whoever is crying shall be dragged away and executed immediately!"

At this military order, everyone fell silent and swallowed their tears.

Initially, the Cao army had intended to rest for the night.

However, just as they began preparing the encampment, a scout hurried forward to report.

"Prime Minister, the pursuing enemy forces have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao immediately ordered Xu Huang, Xu Chu, and the others to engage the enemy.

Yet the morale of the Cao army was at rock bottom, and their battle formations had not yet been properly arranged.

From the opposite direction, Zhang Fei charged forward like a maddened tiger, riding his steed and leading his vanguard in a furious dash.

"Zhang Fei of Yan has arrived!"

Roaring his own name as he charged headlong, Zhang Fei did not even wait for the rear guard, plunging directly into the midst of Cao Cao's forces. The Cao troops, whose formations were incomplete, were entirely incapable of halting him.

By the time the Cao army managed to slightly stall Zhang Fei's momentum, the cavalry following closely behind him had already slammed into their lines, shattering their formation once more.

Witnessing this scene from afar, Cao Cao grew increasingly enraged. Stamping his foot, he glared at those beside him and shouted, "Fall back!"

The Cao army fled in disarray.

Zhang Fei and the others had no way to pursue relentlessly; the forces remaining around Cao Cao were still substantial. Though their morale had collapsed, they were still sufficient to block a pursuit.

Zhuge Liang arrived, overseeing the escort of prisoners.

Zhang Fei could not help but voice a doubt: "Kongming, you are a man of great strategic wisdom. Tell me, why did the Lord order Shaojie to deploy troops to Huarong Trail? Would Cao Cao actually go there? Wasn't he retreating along the river?"

Broaching this subject, Zhuge Liang was also somewhat perplexed. According to Cao Cao's line of march, he ought not to have taken the Huarong Trail.

However, he surmised that this must have been deduced by Zhao Shaojie, whose uncanny foresight truly seemed capable of divining the heavenly and earthly arts.

Only, this time, he wondered whether that prediction would come true.

"We are pursuing them along the river, but forces must also be deployed on land. The Lord merely did this to ensure absolute certainty, leaving the rebel Cao no chance of escape," Zhuge Liang answered casually.

Zhang Fei nodded. "That must be it!"

The two of them gathered the prisoners and resumed the pursuit.

After a few days of cat-and-mouse between Cao Cao, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao finally managed a brief respite.

On this day, they were already quite close to Baqiu.

Inside a rudimentary command tent, Cao Cao was sipping tea and eating brown sugar while listening to reports from his subordinates, when suddenly his expression froze, and he snapped harshly, "What? That brat Sun Quan has sent troops to attack Hefei?"

Having just suffered a devastating defeat and fled in panicked haste for days on end, Cao Cao was so infuriated that he shoved aside the low table before him, roaring angrily, "Liu Bei has contended with me for decades, blessed by the fortune of Heaven, attacking while I was plagued by illness, forcing me to retreat on my own accord. And now Sun Quan, a mere child, dares to do the same!"

His subordinates dared not utter a word.

They could only watch as Cao Cao vented his rage and sought excuses for himself.

Composing his emotions somewhat, Cao Cao looked around at the assembled men and suddenly pointed outward: "Zhang Xi, lead your troops to reinforce Hefei immediately!"

"Understood!" Zhang Xi acknowledged the command.

Cao Cao sighed, knowing that subduing Liu Bei would be impossible in the short term. In the wake of this military setback, the warlords who had previously submitted to him would undoubtedly make moves, and Sun Quan would certainly not be the only one.

Even the Central Plains and Hebei regions under the imperial court's administration were bound to experience turmoil.

Without military force to overawe them, major trouble was sure to erupt!

"Issue the order for Zhao Yan and the others to return north!" Recalling his other detachment of troops, Cao Cao issued another military command.

On the outskirts of Wulin.

Zhao Yan was commanding the seven armies of Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Li Dian, Lu Zhao, and Feng Kai, along with Cheng Yu's army—totaling tens of thousands of men—who were still advancing according to the established strategy.

Originally, under the Cao army's strategy, these forces commanded by Zhao Yan and Cheng Yu were meant to rendezvous with the main force led by Cao Cao to jointly besiege Xiakou. However, because the main Cao force was slightly delayed, Zhao Yan and his men arrived early at the Han River mouth, where they constructed bamboo rafts and launched an exploratory assault on Xiakou.

Xu庶 (Xu Shu) had long been prepared; employing fire tactics once more, he burned the bamboo rafts of Zhao Yan's army. Unable to cross, Zhao Yan's forces could only wait in place. Not long after, they received Cao Cao's command to march south to Wulin to reinforce the battle, as Liu Bei's main force had already sortied—destroy Liu Bei first, and Xiakou would fall of its own accord.

Thus, Zhao Yan, Cheng Yu, and the others led their troops southward once more.

Upon reaching the vicinity of Wulin, they suddenly beheld flames scorching the heavens, and the wind-borne black ash drifted as far as scores or even a hundred li away.

Though unaware of the exact situation, everyone knew that a massive battle had broken out, prompting them to press their march with even greater urgency.

Halfway there,

A messenger arrived.

"The Prime Minister has issued an order commanding you all to return north!" the messenger announced.

Zhao Yan and Cheng Yu exchanged glances, their hearts sinking as a cold premonition gripped them—they both knew a defeat had likely occurred.

"The main army..." Zhao Yan began.

The messenger carefully weighed his phrasing to cover for Cao Cao: "The main army reached Wulin and encountered Liu Bei. An epidemic broke out among our forces, and the Prime Minister burned the ships and withdrew!"

They looked at one another, shock written across every face. Although the account was somewhat vague, they had already guessed the truth.

"Please report to the Prime Minister that we shall immediately turn back north!" Zhao Yan declared.

...

Meanwhile, the news of Cao Cao's catastrophic defeat at Wulin also spread to Jiangxia, Changsha, and Nanjung.

In these nearby regions, the reactions were drastically different.

Over in Xiakou, Xu Shu and Shi Tao looked at each other, scarcely believing their ears.

Especially Shi Tao, who had previously tried multiple times to instigate Xu Shu into surrendering Xiakou to Cao Cao. Restrained only by his friendship with Zhuge Liang and concerns for his own reputation, he had remained endlessly hesitant.

Now, hearing of Cao Cao's crushing defeat, he felt an immense sense of lingering fortune; had he truly persuaded Xu Shu to surrender, he would have made a complete fool of himself.

Xu Shu felt much the same. In truth, he had not held high hopes for Liu Bei's prospects, yet he never expected Liu Bei to defeat Cao Cao this time around. He could not help sighing, "Zhao Shaojie truly possesses a far better eye for talent than I do!"

Recalling Zhao Shaojie's words of comfort from earlier, Xu Shu was filled with profound emotion.

As for Changsha, Han Xuan was naturally both startled and overjoyed. With Liu Bei defeating Cao Cao, he no longer needed to fear Cao Cao's retaliation.

For Liu Ba, after inducing Lingling to surrender, had immediately traveled to Changsha. Discovering that Changsha had already been captured by Liu Bei while Han Xuan remained Administrator, Liu Ba decided to take a desperate gamble, secretly seeking out Han Xuan and urging him to raise troops in rebellion against Liu Bei.

Han Xuan had hesitated, but within days, Liu Ba's whereabouts were leaked.

Deng Fang, who had been stationed there, immediately pressured Han Xuan into handing over Liu Ba.

Having surrendered Liu Ba, Han Xuan had lived in constant dread ever since, but now he finally felt at ease.

Only in Nanjung...