If we had started the fire earlier, we would have been completely wiped out!

Nangjun, Jiangling.

Cao Cao, setting out on his expedition, was brimming with confidence, and Cao Ren, left behind to guard the rear, was equally full of assurance.

Cao Cao feasted and drank all day at the front lines, while Cao Ren feasted and drank all day in Jiangling.

Suddenly, however, news arrived: the Cao army had suffered a crushing defeat at Wulin, and Cao Cao was in the midst of a disheveled and desperate retreat.

At that moment, Cao Ren felt as though he had been struck by lightning, rendered almost entirely speechless. Out of an army of more than one hundred thousand, only tens of thousands remained to retreat with Cao Cao, and even these were relentlessly pursued along the way by Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang, terrified and frantic like stray dogs.

He initially wanted to dispatch troops to reinforce them, but Cao Cao’s messenger informed him that Cao Cao ordered him to hold Jiangling firmly, for Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, and their forces would surely come to contest it.

Daring not to slacken for a moment, Cao Ren immediately halted all banquets, repaired the city walls, drilled the soldiers, and prepared for the impending great battle.

Yet, Nanling and Jiangling remained deeply unsettled.

The entire Jingzhou region had been painstakingly cultivated by Liu Bei for many years, and the hearts of the people rested entirely with him.

How could Cao Ren simply stand by and watch? He immediately raised the executioner's blade, directly slaying anyone he suspected might surrender to Liu Bei.

This brought a temporary semblance of stability to Jiangling city, but he could clearly see that such measures merely pushed the danger into the shadows; at least until Liu Bei was defeated, the root of the peril could not be eradicated.

"Prime Minister, how could you suffer such a disastrous defeat? Your opponent is merely Liu Bei—when has he ever bested you?!" Cao Ren cried out to the heavens in a frenzied rage when he was alone.

……

At the same time.

Another major crisis struck the Cao army!

The northern ferry crossing at Baqiu.

When the Cao army first arrived, they had encamped here. As the main force proceeded down the river, they left a contingent of troops at this location to stand in opposition to the Baqiu southern naval camp on the opposite bank.

Cao Cao retreated to this place, granting a brief respite to both his civilian strategists and his military officers and soldiers.

Yet, on this very night, not a single soul managed even half a night of peaceful sleep.

In the dead of night.

While Cao Cao was still fast asleep, a subordinate commander rushed in to report: "Prime Minister! A plague has broken out. Thousands of men have fallen ill tonight, and dozens have died on the spot..."

"The enemy forces from the opposite bank at Baqiu have launched a night raid!"

"Furthermore, Zhang Fei and the others are about to catch up."

Hearing these nightmarish tidings in a hazy stupor, Cao Cao felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He froze on his soft couch, unable to move for a long time.

The subordinate general stood bowed in place, equally too terrified to utter a sound.

After a long while.

Cao Cao turned his head back, his eyes splitting with rage, and slammed his palm fiercely against the bed frame. He had originally intended to reorganize his troops after a period of rest, stage a comeback, and fight a proper battle against Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang, but he never expected—the plague had broken out once more!

Was Heaven truly refusing to bless him?!

……

He could not help but think of those who had passed away.

"If Guo Fengxiao were still here, I would surely never have suffered such a crushing defeat!" Cao Cao sighed heavily as he thought of Guo Jia.

After a little longer, Cao Cao finally regained control of his emotions.

"Retreat!" Cao Cao commanded with supreme fury. "Abandon all those infected with the plague, and let the army make haste for Jiangling!"

The subordinate general cast a glance at Cao Cao and spoke in a low voice: "The number of infected soldiers is exceedingly vast. If we force them behind, they are bound to cause trouble, and right now, everyone is aboard the ships!"

The implication was clear: wanting to drive the plague-infected soldiers off the ships and sail away would undoubtedly spark a mutiny and internal bloodshed!

A flash of cold light crossed Cao Cao’s eyes. Were the situation not so critical and fraught with the plague, he surely would have slaughtered them all. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Retreat by the land route! This place is no longer far from Jiangling!"

Pausing for a moment, he added, "Send men to burn the ships in secret. We must not leave a single vessel for Liu Bei!"

"Understood!" The subordinate acknowledged the order.

The Cao army fled in panic once more, this time abandoning their naval forces. Those who remained by Cao Cao's side now numbered a mere ten thousand and odd men.

However, his attempt to secretly burn the ships did not go as planned. The moment the flames caught, they were discovered by the plague-stricken soldiers. Those who still possessed a shred of physical strength immediately rushed to extinguish the fire, while the pursuing forces of Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang also hurried forward to investigate the situation.

Nevertheless, this brief delay bought Cao Cao enough time to put some further distance between them.

Even so, the Cao army encountered yet another major setback.

After departing Baqiu, the Cao army dashed frantically in the direction of Jiangling, only to find themselves suddenly enveloped by a thick morning fog that caused them to lose their bearings entirely.

Having chosen their path in blind panic, they stumbled right into the Yunmeng Marsh.

The soldiers began to weep anew. Their suffering was beyond measure; not a single thing had gone their way ever since Wulin.

Cao Cao, on the other hand, rallied his spirits at this juncture. Refusing to panic, he gathered all the remaining Jingzhou soldiers in the army, along with figures like Cai Mao and other men of Jingzhou, to deliberate on a countermeasure. The consensus was to take the Huarong Trail.

……

The Huarong Trail.

Zhao Shaojie, leading Huang Zhong, Liu Yan, and others, had already arrived. They pitched camp in utmost secrecy so as not to alert Huarong County.

"Shaojie, tell me, why did the Lord order us to intercept here? Cao Cao will certainly never come this way!" Huang Zhong was a native of Jingzhou who had served as a soldier there for many years. Well-acquainted with the geography of Nanling, Xiangyang, Changsha, and other regions, he believed that even if beaten to death, Cao Cao would never flee into the Huarong Trail.

Zhao Shaojie smiled mysteriously. "General Huang, you must trust the Lord. How could the Lord possibly be wrong?"

Huang Zhong curled his lip; this was utter nonsense!

Liu Bei was no immortal; how could he direct Cao Cao to abandon a perfectly good main road and flee to this desolate, sparsely populated place?

They were retreating, after all, not setting an ambush.

Several days later.

As Zhao Shaojie was chatting and drinking tea with Huang Zhong and the others, a scout suddenly rushed in to report: "General Zhao, a group of people has entered the Huarong Trail!"

Huang Zhong sprang directly to his feet, saying in sheer disbelief: "Impossible... Could Cao Cao actually have come here?"

Zhao Shaojie laughed aloud. "Very well, rally the troops and prepare to give Cao Cao a proper thrashing!"

Deep within the Huarong Trail.

Gale-force winds howled, and torrential rain poured down.

The path, hardly suitable for the passage of a large army to begin with, had become all the more muddy, riddled with hidden mire akin to treacherous swamps.

The Cao army found themselves completely unable to press forward.

"Once we pass the Huarong Trail, the road ahead will be smooth and unobstructed. Lend your lives to the cause, gentlemen!" Several officers were ordering soldiers afflicted with illness to lay bundles of brushwood across the muddy track.

Standing to the rear, Cao Cao gazed out at the road ahead, his eyes filled with anxiety. The exit of the Huarong Trail was right before their eyes, yet impassable?

Jia Xu spoke up. "Prime Minister, given our present plight, we must evacuate as swiftly as possible..."

Sharing Jia Xu's view, and recalling his previous counsel, Cao Cao immediately issued his command: "Move out!"

Cao Cao spurred his horse forward.

Paying not the slightest heed to the soldiers laboring to lay brushwood upon the earth.

The officers and men took up the order and advanced, likewise treating the soldiers on the ground as if they did not exist.

Hundreds, thousands of men served as human stepping-stones to allow the army to pass.

Cries of agony and curses echoed endlessly without cease.

Having crossed the path of human flesh, the Cao army finally reached a main road better suited for travel. Here, the wind died down, and the rain grew lighter.

The multitude breathed sighs of relief and counted themselves fortunate.

Cao Cao cheerfully remarked to those on his left and right: "This Liu Bei is a man of capability on par with my own, but he was a bit slow in devising his stratagem. Had he set fire to the waters a moment sooner, our entire army would have been annihilated!"

The surrounding officers stared blankly at Cao Cao.

Your heart is truly broader than the oceans!

At a time like this, you are actually waxing nostalgic about Liu Bei's competence?!

What if the entire army really had been wiped out?

Just as everyone was wondering how best to flatter Cao Cao, the thunderous sounds of battle suddenly erupted from all directions.

Zhao Shaojie, leading Huang Zhong and the rest, emerged before Cao Cao.

The smile froze upon Cao Cao's face!