Chapter 146: The Arduous Western Retreat

With Cai Yang dead, Cao's army instantly collapsed. Shen Chen and Gan Ning scattered the remaining forces and withdrew their troops back into Yingyin City.

After resting for a single day, they did not linger, but marched from Yingyin and Xiangcheng to Kunyang. At that time, the original garrison forces of Xiangcheng and Linying had all gone south to Yinqiang County to entangle with Liu Bei's main force, making the route exceptionally safe.

On July 12th, Cao Cao finally received the news of Shen Chen's incursion. However, this was already after Shen Chen's retreat on the night of July 11th, rendering the information somewhat delayed. Because the situation on the Guandu frontline was quite critical, with Yuan Shao already locked in a stalemate against him, Cao Cao was unable to personally lead his troops south. Instead, he ordered Cao Hong to provide rescue.

Historically, Cao Cao had dispatched Cao Ren. Whether in the early, middle, or late periods of the Cao-Wei regime, Cao Ren could be considered a foundational pillar; during the Battle of Guandu, he defeated Han Meng in the north and smashed Liu Bei in the south, guarding the rear for Cao Cao. Now, because Cao Ren had died in battle in Nanyang, and Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun both had other battlefields requiring their attention, among Cao Cao's four most trusted personal generals, only Cao Hong was left able to take the field.

Consequently, Cao Hong, who had originally been stationed around Mount Jiluo in Mixian to prevent Yuan's army from detouring from the western line of Luoyang to launch a southern strike against Xuchang, was transferred back to Yingchuan for defense. However, by the time he returned, it was already two days later, and by then Shen Chen had already returned to Kunyang City to rest and reorganize. Therefore, Cao Hong immediately headed south again toward Yinqiang for rescue.

Meanwhile, in Yinqiang County:

Liu Bei was still keeping the city under siege. Three days prior, scouts had observed Cai Yang departing northward. Liu Bei immediately deduced that this was Shen Chen attacking Xuchang and forcing Cai Yang to retreat for reinforcement. Thus, in order to help alleviate the pressure on Shen Chen, Liu Bei continued his fierce assaults on Yinqiang.

Unfortunately, his soldiers were purely a mob of rabble. Historically, after defeating Cai Yang, he was quickly routed by Cao Ren, which clearly showed that the combat effectiveness of the troops he had gathered was exceedingly poor. After two days of siege, not only had the city walls barely been shaken, but army morale and spirits had also plummeted significantly, with a large number of deserters appearing within the ranks. For instance, Li Tong's troops were hardly loyal servants to Liu Bei's army; not only did they fail to help, but they also caused trouble, resulting in half of them running away over the course of a few days.

By July 14th, Cao Hong had arrived at Xuchang, which was only a little over thirty kilometers away from Yinqiang. Concurrently, inside Liu Bei's camp, a letter from Shen Chen was received.

All the officers and men gathered together. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, Mi Fang, Shi Ren, Liu Yan, Yuan Chen, Xiahou Zuan, and other generals and strategists were all present.

Liu Bei put down the letter just handed to him by the messenger sent by Shen Chen, and said with a worried expression: "I have failed the Young Scholar. Originally, I intended for us to advance along two routes to take Yinqiang County as quickly as possible and rendezvous with the Young Scholar at Xuchang. As a result, he has already fought all the way to the western city of Xuchang and was ultimately forced back by reinforcements, while I am still stuck here."

"I told you that kid is useless; he even fought all the way outside the walls of Xuchang and still couldn't break in," Zhang Fei blurted out.

He was extremely displeased with Shen Chen's attitude toward him previously. Primarily, Shen Chen was not from a gentry lineage, but rather originated from the lower strata of commoners. Zhang Fei had always respected the educated elite while looking down on petty individuals, so it was quite normal for him to despise Shen Chen. Conversely, Guan Yu held Shen Chen in high respect.

Therefore, upon hearing Zhang Fei's words, before Liu Bei could scold him, Guan Yu spoke up: "The Young Scholar is both courageous and resourceful, having defeated Cao's army time and again. Third Brother, you must not show him disrespect!"

"Second Brother..." Zhang Fei was about to say something when Liu Bei interrupted sternly: "Third Brother, hold your tongue! The Young Scholar has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, and as he grew up, his plans were well-ordered, displaying loyalty and fierce bravery. There is no hero in this world who surpasses him. In the future, you must treat him as you would treat me."

"I even saved his life once; clearly, it was he who showed disrespect to me first," Zhang Fei muttered under his breath before falling silent.

At this moment, Jian Yong said: "My Lord need not blame himself for failing to capture Yinqiang. After all, Shen Chen led a small, lightly-equipped force on a surprise raid against Xuchang, while we are tangling with the enemy's main force and besieging a walled city. It is entirely normal that we could not conquer it in a short time. The most crucial matter right now is still the issue of army morale and spirits."

"Indeed," Liu Bei nodded and said, "The Young Scholar stated in his letter that since the attack on Xuchang was unfavorable, Cao Cao will inevitably dispatch reinforcements. We must make plans as early as possible. He invites us to move to Kunyang, garrisoning Wuyang, Yexian, and other places, while waiting for an opportunity."

"Withdraw the troops?"

Everyone looked at each other, a trace of sorrow flashing in their eyes. How could they not know the state of the troops under their command these days, given what they had experienced?

After Liu Bei was defeated by Cao Cao, he fled alone to Hebei. Coincidentally, Zhao Yun came to pledge his allegiance at that time, prompting Liu Bei to let Zhao Yun recruit five hundred brave men. Aside from these five hundred men, Yuan Shao also gave him two or three thousand elite soldiers—this was roughly Liu Bei's best foundation.

Beyond that, there were the remaining old subordinates of the Runan Yuan clan. These people, including the two thousand-plus men Man Chong left behind in Dingying, were all considered remnants of the Yuan clan. Liu Bei was merely their nominal leader; in reality, they were all controlled by the retainers and former officials of the Yuan clan.

At present, the main force within the army consisted of these people. If they chose to withdraw, Liu Bei's orders might not take effect. Those retainers and former officials of the Yuan clan would likely refuse to comply, and parting ways with them at that juncture would spell trouble.

Then there were Li Tong's surrendered soldiers. Over the course of a few days, nearly half of these surrendered soldiers had already fled. Although strict surveillance had been maintained, these people possessed no loyalty to speak of and certainly would not follow Liu Bei to Nanyang.

Moreover, even the soldiers given by Yuan Shao were not necessarily reliable. They were all Hebei natives, merely accompanying Liu Bei on an expedition temporarily, with their families remaining in Hebei. If they were to garrison Nanyang for a short time, it might be manageable, but if it were prolonged, troop morale would likely become unstable.

Thus, analyzed this way, even if they withdrew in the direction of Nanyang, it remained an unknown how many troops they would ultimately be able to bring along.

"We still need to discuss this with the powerful local clans," Liu Yan suggested. Although he was a native of Lu Kingdom, he was deeply familiar with the situation in Runan. Most of Yuan Shao's retainers and former officials were local county gentry and officials whose roots were all in Runan. Asking them to leave Runan would probably not be easy.

Liu Bei nodded and said, "Xianhe, Gongyou, I must trouble you both to go and lobby the various camps."

"Understood." The two men stepped forward to accept the command.

For the primary commander to lead his soldiers in a retreat while having to lobby the commanders of various camps was indeed a bizarre state of affairs. Yet there was no alternative.

To put it simply, at that time, the aristocratic families of Yingchuan mostly supported Cao Cao, which was why Cao Cao established his base in Yingchuan. Meanwhile, Yuan Shao originated from the Runan Yuan clan, whose roots ran deep in Runan; the gentry and powerful clans of the various counties had deep entanglements with the Yuan family, so the moment Yuan Shao marched south, they immediately responded.

The aristocratic families of Runan supported Yuan Shao, and Liu Bei had used Yuan Shao's orders to unite them, gathering them temporarily under his banner. However, their foundations and clan troops were all in Runan. Fighting within Runan was fine, but once they left Runan, they would not necessarily be willing to follow. Therefore, Jian Yong and Sun Qian had to be dispatched as lobbyists in the hope that they could be persuaded to accompany him to Nanyang.

The argument was simple: Cao Cao's reinforcements had arrived, so they should first go to garrison the area around Kunyang and Wuyang, and then wait until Yuan Shao and Cao Cao fought their decisive battle at Guandu to launch a surprise attack on Xuchang.

Yet things still did not go smoothly. Upon hearing that Liu Bei intended to withdraw the main army to Nanyang—even though it was only the Yexian area at the gateway to Nanyang—the various gentry and powerful clans still felt extreme resistance. It was not that they no longer wanted to serve Yuan Shao, but rather that once they left, what would happen if Cao's army attacked their clans and fields back in their respective counties? Everyone had their own concerns.

The roots of the gentry and powerful clans in a single county lay entirely within that county; the lands and populations they possessed were also localized there. Leaving Runan meant leaving their foundations behind, so having such worries was entirely normal.

For this reason, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, and others exhausted their eloquence trying to persuade them to leave, telling them this was merely a short-term relocation. They explained that once triumphant reports arrived from the Guandu frontline, placing strain on Cao's army's front while leaving their rear undefended, they could immediately strike Xuchang; if they could actually capture Xuchang, it would undoubtedly be a monumental merit.

Unfortunately, most people still lacked such insight and foresight. No matter how they were persuaded, they refused to listen.

In the end, Liu Bei had no choice. After lingering for another day, he prepared to withdraw with the two to three thousand soldiers given by Yuan Shao, along with a small fraction of people who heeded the persuasion and were willing to leave, totaling slightly over six thousand men.

However, precisely because of this one-day delay, Cao Hong had already arrived at Yinqiang.

When he defeated Han Meng around Mount Jiluo in the north, he already had five thousand men. Adding the routed soldiers of Cai Yang whom he incorporated, as well as Han Hao's troops, he commanded a grand total of over ten thousand men as he marched imposingly south to Yinqiang County.

Originally, Liu Bei's total troop strength had been around seventeen or eighteen thousand, but with over a thousand deserters running away and some casualties in battle, he now had only about fifteen thousand left. Yet inside the city, Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian still held four or five thousand men.

Thus, the two sides were nearly matched in troop numbers, while in terms of military quality and elite status, there was a vast gulf of difference. Consequently, even before Liu Bei could set out, Cao Hong launched a fierce assault on his encampment.

The next day:

Around the third quarter of the morning meal time, Liu Bei had intended to eat breakfast and then lead the six thousand-plus men willing to follow him westward toward Dingling. But at that moment, Cao Hong had already crossed the Xun River, sitting within a stone's throw of Yinqiang.

Cao Hong was no stranger to this city. The previous year, when the local powerful clan of Yinqiang, the Zhu clan, rebelled, Cao Hong and Xu Huang had come to suppress them, putting the entire Zhu family to the sword.

As the grand army impressively crossed the Xun River, Cao Hong dispatched cavalry to Yinqiang County to inform Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian of his arrival, instructing them to make preparations for battle.

By the end of the morning meal time, Liu Bei's army had just finished breakfast and was preparing to assemble, abandon the camp outside the city, and head toward Dingling.

Just at that moment, scouts rushed in to report that a massive force of Cao's army had appeared north of Yinqiang.

"What?" Inside Liu Bei's tent, as he was packing his belongings in preparation for departure, upon receiving this news, a sinking feeling of ill omen gripped him. He exclaimed, "Cao's army has arrived with astonishing speed."

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and the others were not inside the tent at the moment; instead, they were each commanding troops to prepare for the retreat. The tent only contained Jian Yong, Sun Qian, Mi Zhu, and others.

Sun Qian said, "My Lord, the enemy has arrived; we must formulate a response."

"Damnable," Liu Bei slammed his fist against the table, nursing bitter resentment as he said, "If not for those gentry and powerful clans of Runan hesitating and looking backward, we would have reached Dingying long ago. How could today's crisis have come to pass?"

Mi Zhu said, "My Lord, we can no longer retreat. We can only defend our positions."

"Agreed," Liu Bei concurred with Mi Zhu's perspective, instructing, "Quickly notify the various camps to guard themselves with caution. Let us first stand our ground in strict array and act according to circumstances."

"Understood." Everyone immediately rushed out to transmit the orders to the respective camps.

Soon, the entire army of Liu Bei descended into chaos, with uproar echoing everywhere across the camps. None of them had expected the main force of Cao's army to arrive so suddenly, plunging the unprepared camps into total disarray.

Because Liu Bei had intended to retreat westward to Kunyang, the aristocratic and powerful clans had also planned to take their clan troops back to their home counties in Runan to fortify and hold their ground. Consequently, no one had made adequate preparations for a sudden, full-scale battle.

The result was that when Cao Hong's main force crossed the Ying River and reached the northern walls of Yinqiang, coming within four or five li of Liu Bei's camp, the formations here were still completely unarranged.

There were even those who flinched in the face of battle; numerous members of gentry lineages, leading their clan troops, did not come out to meet the enemy, but instead fled in panic, plunging the encampment into utter chaos.

Very quickly, Cao Hong arrived beneath the walls of Yinqiang. Seeing from a distance that inside and outside Liu Bei's encampment, soldiers were running about in total disorder amidst a scene reminiscent of a war-torn wasteland, he did not hesitate in the least and immediately issued the order: "All forces, attack! Cut down Liu Bei!"

"Woo—woo—woo—woo!"

The high-pitched sound of horns wailed for a long time, drums thundered in rhythm, and battle cries shook the heavens and earth.

Cao Hong's army of over ten thousand men, divided into several columns respectively commanded by Han Hao, Cao Xi, and others, launched a fierce assault on Liu Bei's various encampments. Meanwhile, Liu Bei's main camp was attacked directly by Cao Hong leading his personal troops, closely followed by Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, and others who rushed forward to assist.

For a time, shouts and killings, the clashing clatter of weapons, the muffled groans and long gasps of men struck by blades and spears—all manner of sounds filled the entire battlefield.

Originally, Liu Bei's army was merely a hastily pieced-together rabble that could barely bully the outnumbered forces of Xiahou Yuan and Li Dian. Now, encountering the main elite force of Cao's army under conditions of roughly equal numbers, they were shattered right down the middle almost instantly.

The various encampments failed to hold out for long before their formations were completely disrupted. Liu Bei personally led his core troops to steadfastly defend his primary commander's camp.

Alas, his subordinates were uncooperative. Just past noon, the troops of the surrounding gentry and powerful clans were either killed, fled, or surrendered, while Li Tong's surrendered soldiers turned their spears around to strike back at the very first opportunity. In less than the span of a single hour, the front lines were left with only Liu Bei's isolated army standing alone.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, and others fought fiercely with their blades, but being heavily outnumbered, they could only struggle bitterly to hold on.

Guan Yu had been commanding an independent unit at the time. When his camp was breached, he had no choice but to break through the encirclement and head toward the primary commander's camp to find Liu Bei. However, the enemies swarming the main camp were simply too numerous; unable to cut his way in, he was beaten back while fighting and forced to retreat eastward.

Taishi Ci experienced a similar fate. Positioned somewhat further south, his forces were battered and driven fleeing southward.

As for Zhang Fei, he had commanded around two to three hundred cavalry and actually managed to reach the main commander's camp. Yet by dusk, the main camp was ultimately breached as well. Zhang Fei was nearly swallowed up by Cao's army; charging back and forth through the melee, he managed a narrow breakthrough, but ultimately lost track of Liu Bei's whereabouts.

Liu Bei led two to three thousand of his core elite troops, fighting and retreating simultaneously. With the assistance of Zhao Yun, Chen Dao, and others, he escorted his wife and children as they broke through the encirclement westward with the utmost difficulty. The various leaders had their forces scattered, losing contact with one another across the battlefield.

Pity the Imperial Uncle—he was either getting beaten or on his way to getting beaten. Truly miserable.

*(Author's Note: Some readers might ask if the protagonist's surprise raid would exhaust the subordinates to the point of rebellion. Note carefully: the protagonist spent two days covering over 70 kilometers and did not reach Xuchang. On the first day, he covered over 40 kilometers; on the second day, over 30 kilometers. Both Sima Yi and Xiahou Yuan moved faster than the protagonist, which was because Gan Ning's army dragged down the pace. Otherwise, if the protagonist had led only the Huangmenting troops, the speed would have been even greater. Most importantly, in our history, elite troops making forced marches of over 100 kilometers in a day was a common occurrence. Marching 30 to 40 kilometers a day like the protagonist—excluding time spent eating and sleeping, calculating based on 12 hours of travel—actually averages a modest speed of only about 3 to 4 kilometers per hour. It is hardly enough to exhaust subordinates to the point of rebellion.)*

*(End of Chapter)*