Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun thought, and Xu Huang saw with his own eyes that Guan Yu only had three or four thousand men, but now the enemy soldiers were rushing out from around the corner in a steady stream, far more than three or four thousand men.
Because Guan Yu's troops had been defeated once, they now wanted to earn face in front of Gan Ning's people, and Guan Yu told them that only by repelling the enemy troops would they have something to eat.
Therefore, although these people were hungry, they all tried their best and rushed forward regardless of their own safety.
Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren were already disrupted by enemy troops before they formed a military formation, and now they can only fight on their own.
In the darkness, it seemed that all they saw were enemy soldiers. Seeing their own people falling down one by one, they became afraid and began to run back.
"Zixiao, it's too chaotic, leave quickly."
Xiahou Dun shouted to Cao Ren.
When Cao Ren saw an enemy soldier running in front of his horse, he chopped him down and said, "Okay, let's go back to Pengcheng first."
The two men quickly ordered the people around them to convey the order to the soldiers to return to Pengcheng.
In fact, there was no need for them to give orders, and now their men and horses were retreating.
Xu Huang knew that his men and horses would never be able to withstand the current situation, so he patted his horse and ran behind.
"Hurry up and chase."
Guan Yu refused to let them go and chased them with his troops.
However, it was too dark and they had been hungry for so long. After several fights, after chasing for three or four miles, they had no energy to pursue anymore, so they had to stop.
"I'll guard you, you can eat without worry."
Gan Ning led his troops to guard the front to guard against a sudden return attack by the enemy, allowing Guan Yu's men to enjoy the food left by the enemy.
It's getting brighter.
Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and others ran for nearly ten miles and stopped when they found that there were no pursuers behind them. They slowly gathered their troops and horses and returned to Pengcheng. After counting the number of people, they found that there were more than 2,000 people missing.
"Fortunately we retreated quickly, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. I didn't expect Guan Yu to have reinforcements, so we still underestimated the enemy!"
"Guan Yu is indeed fierce, and his soldiers are also brave. If you want to win, you must use tactics." Xu Huang continued.
Cao Ren nodded: "Now let's explore the news about Guan Yu and see how many reinforcements he has arrived. We are waiting for the army here. If the army arrives, even ten Guan Yu will not be able to resist it!"
They guarded Pengcheng and sent people to report to Cao Cao what happened here.
Guan Yu and Gan Ning were guarding the corner, and the scouts reported that Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren had led their troops back to Pengcheng.
"The enemy soldiers must be waiting for Cao Cao's army when they return to Pengcheng. They should not pursue them in the next two days." Guan Yu said.
Although he had a small victory last night, Gan Ning's help was a thorn in his heart and made it difficult for him to feel at ease.
"General Guan, since the enemy soldiers dare not come and the people have gone far away, do we still want to stay here?" Gan Ning asked.
"Let's go too."
Guan Yu sent out scouts to closely monitor the enemies guarding Pengcheng, reporting back as soon as they left the city. Then he and Gan Ning led their troops to Xiapi.
Cao Cao first heard that Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun defeated Guan Yu and killed five or six thousand enemy soldiers. He narrowed his eyes and laughed with joy: "Hahaha... With Zixiao and Yuanrang leading the troops, and Gongming helping them, how can they not defeat Guan Yu!"
It's a pity that I couldn't kill Guan Yu and avenge Miao Cai!"
"Ming Gong, with this victory over Guan Yu, morale will be boosted, and Liu Bei will be frightened. We know that Xuzhou cannot stop him!" Guo Jia agreed.
However, one day later, when we were only thirty or forty miles away from Pengcheng, another soldier came to report that it was Guan Yu who attacked at night. Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and others were defeated, and they lost more than 2,000 soldiers and horses.
Cao Cao was shocked: "After Guan Yu's defeat, he still dared to counterattack?"
"Guan Yu only dares to attack at night if he has reinforcements." The soldier replied.
"It seems that this man's bravery cannot be underestimated!" Cao Cao sighed slightly.
"Ming Gong, once Xiapi is defeated and Guan Yu is captured, if he is willing to surrender, he can surrender. If he is unwilling to surrender, he will be killed," Guo Jia said.
Cao Cao sighed again: "It's a pity to kill such a brave general! I wonder what happened to Qingzhou's soldiers and horses going south?"
Guo Jia smiled slightly: "Does Duke Ming actually hope that Qingzhou soldiers and horses can capture Langya?"
"Haha, even if we can't take it, we just need to hold Zang Ba back and prevent him from coming to help Xia Pi. When I destroy Liu Bei, Zang Ba will surrender to me and be used by me."
"Ming Gong turned out to have had foresight!" Guo Jia flattered him again.
Cao Cao ordered his troops to continue marching toward Pengcheng.
Liu Bei and Zhou Ping also received news of Guan Yu's defeat, but they had not yet returned to Xiapi.
"Cao Cao also has many capable people under his command!"
Liu Bei understood Cao Cao's strength and knew that he was far behind Yuan Shu. Although he was better than him, now that he and Yuan Shao had joined forces, it would not be easy to defend Xuzhou this time!
Zhou Ping had a better understanding of the abilities of Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun, especially Xu Huang.
In Zhou Ping's eyes, Xu Huang was second only to Zhang Liao. With these three people joining forces and having more troops than Guan Yu, it was normal for him to defeat Guan Yu.
As long as Guan Yu is not dead, things will be easy to handle.
"My lord, Yun Chang killed Xia Houyuan. They came with anger, so they can win."
Zhou Ping could only comfort Liu Bei in this way, giving him the confidence to defend Xuzhou.
However, not long after, they received news that Guan Yu and Gan Ning attacked the enemy troops at night and drove Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and others back to Pengcheng.
Liu Bei finally felt relieved, at least the people who left would not suffer.
However, after Guan Yu's defeat this time, we can see how strong Cao Cao's soldiers and horses are. If he fails to defend Xiapi, he must have a way out.
He persuaded Liu Bei to let Tian Yu lead the troops and horses to continue escorting the people back to Guangling, and let Tian Yu and Chen Deng guard Xuyi together.
In this way, Xuyi's garrison has 10,000 troops. If Cao Cao divides his troops to attack, it will be easy for them to defend.
Even if Liu Bei couldn't defend Xiapi and wanted to retreat, they could help him.
Liu Bei thought for a long time and felt that if Tian Yu led troops to defend Xuyi, the number of troops in Xiapi would be reduced. Facing Cao Cao's 100,000 troops, it would not be easy to defend.
But considering that Xuyi only has 5,000 soldiers stationed by Chen Deng, and Cao Cao divides his troops to attack, it will be easy to break through, and the people of Guangling may be massacred by Cao Cao.
Thinking of the people, Liu Bei agreed to let Tian Yu lead his troops to retreat to Xuyi and guard the Huaihe River.
Liu Bei sent someone to convey an order to Tian Yu, asking him to lead troops and horses to escort the people across the Huaihe River, and then guard Xuyi with Chen Deng.
At this time, many people in Xiapi also hid in Xiapi City, or left their hometowns to avoid Guangling.
No one knew Cao Cao better than they did. They knew what Cao Cao would do, and they left with their families without the need for Mi Zhu to send people to persuade him.
Seeing the people carrying the old and the young on their backs and fleeing in a panic, Liu Bei stopped his horse and cried secretly.
"Lord, they are only leaving temporarily. When we destroy Cao Cao one day, they will not have to leave their hometown again." Zhou Ping said from the side.
"As a shepherd in Xuzhou, I failed to make the people of Xuzhou live in peace and were so displaced. I feel ashamed!" Liu Bei wiped away his tears.
"My lord, as long as we hold Xuzhou this time, after Cao Cao retreats, we must first try to destroy Cao Cao before making other plans."
Zhou Ping knew that if Cao Cao was kept, it would be difficult for Liu Bei to develop. Only by destroying him would things be easier to handle.
Two days later, Liu Bei led his troops back to Xiapi.
Mi Zhu, Zhuge Jin, Chen Dao, Xu Sheng and others went out of the city to meet them.
After entering the city and returning to the Prefectural Mufu, Mi Zhu quickly asked: "Cao Cao and Yuan Shao have joined forces with hundreds of thousands of troops to attack. How can we resist?"
Liu Bei did not answer directly and looked at Zhou Ping.
Zhou Ping replied: "Defend the city. If you defend Xiapi, Cao Cao will retreat."
"But how many soldiers and horses do we have to defend the city?"
Zhou Ping couldn't answer at once.
Originally, he imagined that Xiapi already had 10,000 people led by Xu Sheng and Chen Dao, 20,000 people brought by Guan Yu and Tian Yu, and 18,000 people brought back by Liu Bei. There would be more than 40,000 troops, and he could completely defend it.
Xiapi.
But now that Guan Yu was defeated and there were very few troops left, Tian Yu sent Xuyi again. Even if Guan Yu and Gan Ning led their troops back to Xiapi, there would only be more than 30,000 people in Xiapi City.
It is estimated that Cao Cao's troops and horses came to surround Xiapi at 100,000.
Although Zhang Liao only had 7,000 men when he defended Hefei, he and Yue Jin Li Dian defended Hefei when Sun Quan's 100,000 troops besieged the city.
Now it is Cao Cao who leads the troops to attack the city, as well as powerful generals such as Xu Huang and Yan Liangwen Chou. It is indeed not easy to defend Xiapi.
But think about it again, now that Xiapi has abundant food and grass, the more soldiers and horses the opponent has, the less able he is to surround him for a long time. As long as he defends it, the opponent will definitely retreat automatically.
"Don't worry, Prime Minister Mi. Although Cao Cao has brought 100,000 troops, not all of them will obey his orders. We will defend Xiapi." Zhou Ping replied with a smile.
Mi Zhu said nothing more, but the others thought the same as him and felt that it was too difficult to defend Xiapi.
Even Liu Bei did not have firm enough confidence in his heart that he could defend Xiapi.
But he had no choice but to defend Xiapi and could not just retreat.
Zhou Ping returned home and introduced Da Qiao to Gan Qian.
Gan Qian seemed happy to see Da Qiao, at least she wouldn't be so bored at home alone in the future.
Two days later, Guan Yu and Gan Ning returned to Xiapi with their troops, and Tian Yu escorted the people past Xia Qiu.
Cao Cao led his troops to Pengcheng, stayed for two days, and then set off again, with a hundred thousand troops marching toward Xia Pi.
The 20,000 soldiers and horses led by Zhang Xiu have also arrived in Pei State and will soon enter Xuzhou territory.
The 30,000 Qingzhou soldiers led by Yuan Tan had already entered the city of Ju County, but Zang Ba led his troops to hold on to the city and refused to fight. They had no choice but to think of ways to attack the city.
Liu Bei was originally worried that Zang Ba would not be able to defend Langya. After hearing the news, he knew that with Yuan Tan's ability, it would be difficult to conquer Ju County, so Langya didn't need to worry for the time being.
"My lord, Cao Cao's army has passed Lucheng, and his advance army can reach Xiapi tomorrow."
The scouts reported that Cao Cao's army was finally arriving.
Liu Bei currently has more than 30,000 soldiers in Xiapi City. Considering that Cao Cao has brought so many soldiers and horses, it is very likely that he will be surrounded on all sides. Therefore, he arranged for Xu Sheng to guard the east of the city, Chen Dao to guard the north, Gao Shun to guard the south, and Gan
Ning guarded the west side of the city, each with five thousand men and horses.
The rest of the troops can be mobilized to support the four sides, led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
"The enemy troops are approaching, do you have any strategies to retreat from them?"
Liu Bei asked everyone.
"Brother, when his front army arrives, let me go out and charge him and take Cao Ren's head."
When Zhang Fei heard about Guan Yu's defeat to Cao Ren, he was very angry and wanted to avenge his second brother.
"If he dares to get to the bottom of the city, the general can leave the city and charge into the battle. I'm afraid he will be too timid and have to camp first to wait for Cao Cao's army."
Zhou Ping heard that Cao Ren and Xu Huang led 10,000 troops as the front army.
If they dare to go directly to the city and call for battle, it will be a good opportunity to attack and win.
At that time, we can let Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Gan Ning, Xu Chu and others fight together. As long as Cao Ren is defeated, just like Zhang Liao's eight hundred against one hundred thousand, let the opponent know that it is difficult to break the city, and they will retreat on their own.
If they don't dare to go directly to the city to call for battle, Zhou Ping's words now can give the people in the city more confidence.
"Hahaha... what you said is right, but I'm afraid he is too timid to fight."
Zhang Fei laughed and said.
"Yi De, don't underestimate the enemy. Cao Ren and Xu Huang are also good at commanding troops. Let's see what they say. If he dares to reach the city, of course we will go to war."
Liu Bei thought that even Guan Yu had been defeated by Cao Ren and Xu Huang. Of course, such people should not be looked down upon.
Guan Yu had a sullen expression and said nothing. He half-closed his eyes and seemed not to have heard what others said.
This defeat caused him great loss of face, but to save his face, he had to kill Cao Ren or Xiahou Dun.
If they really go to the city first to call for battle, they can lead the troops to fight without Zhang Fei, and they must behead Cao Ren.
"Zizhong, how are the people in the city?" Liu Bei asked Mi Zhu.
"Cao Cao led an army of hundreds of thousands to attack this time, and the people in the city were terrified. Although Cao Cao came to besiege Xiapi last time, there were only 50,000 troops at that time, but this time there were as many as 100,000.
The people in the city all say that it is difficult to defend the city. We urgently need to win for a while before we can stabilize the hearts of the people in the city!" Mi Zhu replied.
Cao Cao has attacked Xuzhou several times. It is reasonable to say that the people in Xiapi are used to it, but Cao Cao brought too many troops and horses this time. They have never seen such a large formation.
Moreover, Cao Cao is a man who likes to massacre cities. If the city is destroyed, then they will all become victims of the sword. Who would not be afraid!
"Don't worry, the people. I, Liu Bei, are here, and they are here. We have so many brave generals and so many soldiers and horses guarding the city. Even if Cao Cao has more than 100,000 soldiers, he will not be able to break the city!"
Liu Bei looked impassioned.
He was encouraging Mi Zhu and others, and he was also encouraging himself.
"Lord, as long as we are here, the city can be defended!"
Chen Dao, Xu Sheng and others spoke in unison.
Liu Bei was quite satisfied and asked everyone to pay attention to patrolling the city defenses, especially the city gates. They must not let Cao Cao capture Xiapi like he did when he captured Wancheng.
In addition to the generals patrolling the city, Liu Bei, Zhou Ping, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others gathered in the state capital, waiting for news from all parties.
One day later, the scouts reported that the enemy's advance army had arrived ten miles outside the city, and then stopped. It seemed that they had no intention of going directly to the city.
"Hahaha... It seems that they are really afraid and dare not go directly to the city to call for war!" Liu Bei laughed.
This is more important to him, as it can give the people and soldiers in the city more confidence in defending the city.