Cao Cao knew how powerful Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were, and he would not be able to gain an advantage against them.
The best way to deal with this is to stay on the defensive and attract them, so that Xu Huang and Wen Chou can easily cut off their retreat.
The person in charge of commanding the troops in the front formation was Lu Qian. He rode on horseback and stood behind the formation. After receiving orders, he ordered the soldiers to resist the incoming enemy.
Guan Yu and Gan Ning clapped their horses in advance, separated their left and right sides, and rushed straight towards the enemy's front line, followed closely by their soldiers.
"Fire the arrow."
Lu Qian gave an order and shot arrows at Guan Yu and others.
Guan Yu and Gan Ning wielded their swords and swatted to dodge incoming arrows. Many cavalrymen behind them were shot and fell off their horses.
Gan Ning was also hit by an arrow, but he was protected by armor. The arrow did not penetrate deeply through the armor and only wounded his flesh.
He and Guan Yu quickly rushed to the enemy's formation. At this time, the enemy's arrows were useless. The crossbowmen retreated and the spearmen and halberdmen stepped forward to resist.
Guan Yu and Gan Ning wielded their swords to kill the enemy soldiers, and the soldiers and horses behind them also rushed towards the enemy soldiers to fight.
"Keep the formation and don't mess up!"
Lu Qian shouted, telling the soldiers not to disrupt their formation.
Guan Yu rushed into the enemy formation, but he also felt that he seemed to have encountered a very thick wall and it was difficult to move forward.
Gan Ning felt the same as Guan Yu. These enemy soldiers were not necessarily very brave, but they held fast to their positions. Those in front fell, and those behind immediately took over. There was always someone standing in front of Guan Yu, Gan Ning and others.
"Who is the commander of the enemy's front line?"
When Liu Bei saw this scene, he couldn't help but ask.
"This is Lu Qian," Zhou Ping replied. "This man is from Rencheng, Yanzhou. His personal strength is average, but he is also a rare talent in Cao Cao's army."
"He is guarding the front formation. Yun Chang and Xing Ba are advancing at the same time, but it is so difficult to push forward. It will be difficult to break his formation. Cao Cao may have to send troops from the center to assist."
Liu Bei began to worry.
If Guan Yu, Gan Ning and others can break through the enemy's front line with one attack, victory will be assured.
It is so difficult to break through the enemy's front line now, and it will be even harder to break through the enemy's line once the enemy's center line comes up with reinforcements.
Because it was difficult for Guan Yu, Gan Ning and others to advance forward with their troops, Zhang Fei's troops and horses were blocked behind, making it difficult to engage the enemy. He was anxious and shouted: "Come up quickly, what are you doing blocking here?"
Cao Cao also saw the scene in front of him and was very satisfied. With Lu Qian leading the troops to block Guan Yu's sudden attack, it would be easier later.
"Left and right formations, advance troops."
Cao Cao ordered.
The flag was waved, and five thousand men on each side of the front formation were ordered to advance. They rushed forward from the left and right sides of the front formation, threatening to surround Guan Yu's troops.
Because it was difficult to advance from the front, Zhang Fei had to rush forward from both wings with his troops and horses, just in time to meet Cao Cao's advancing troops.
"Anyone who stands in my way will die!"
Zhang Fei roared loudly and stabbed randomly with his snake spear, stabbing down more than a dozen people in the blink of an eye.
But he was similar to Guan Yu Gan Ning. Although these enemy soldiers did not dare to get close, they did not retreat, let alone make way for him. Instead, they formed a thick human wall and blocked his way.
.
Zhang Fei roared and fought, and after a while he finally managed to kill them back, and then he took a dozen steps forward.
Guan Yu and Gan Ning were similar. Although they pushed forward, their advancing speed was very slow. At the same time, the troops following them were blocked by enemy soldiers.
Looking at the situation outside the city, Liu Bei became more and more worried. If the fight continued like this, it would be difficult for Guan Yu and the others to win, and there was a risk of being surrounded by enemy soldiers.
"Lord, there are five thousand soldiers from the North City rushing toward the West City. The leader is Xu Huang."
"Lord, there are five thousand soldiers in the south city rushing towards the west city. The leader is Wen Chou."
At this time, the guards from the northern and southern cities came to report almost at the same time.
Not to mention Zhou Ping, even Liu Bei knew that Xu Huang had fought Guan Yu for more than a hundred rounds without losing, and Wen Chou was one of the most powerful generals under Yuan Shao, and was a famous general in Jizhou along with Yan Liang.
With these two men leading troops to help, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others were in an even more difficult situation.
"Lord, quickly call for gold and withdraw the troops."
Zhou Ping said anxiously, the most important thing now is to protect the three powerful generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Gan Ning.
Especially Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, if one of them died in battle, it would be a huge blow to the morale of the guards in the city.
Liu Bei heard this but did not agree immediately, his face looked very hesitant.
In this situation, if we withdraw our troops, we will be defeated in the battle, which will seriously affect the fighting spirit and morale of the soldiers in the city, and the people in the city will also lose confidence in defending the city.
Without morale and confidence in defending the city, and facing the pressure of enemy soldiers outside the city sieging the city from all sides, the city will definitely be in chaos.
Once the city is in chaos, it will be difficult to defend Xiapi.
But if they don't withdraw their troops, it will be difficult for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to retreat to the city once Xu Huang and Wen Chou's reinforcements arrive.
"Lord, don't hesitate any longer, call the gold and retreat your troops!"
Zhou Ping advised again.
At this time, Mi Zhu and Zhuge Jin also persuaded Liu Bei to withdraw his troops. They knew that reinforcements were coming from the north and south cities. Even if Xu Ding and Xu Chu led 6,000 troops out of the city to respond, it would be difficult to stop them.
Moreover, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Gan Ning and others did not have an advantage now. Instead, they were defeated. It was difficult to advance, but they were surrounded by enemy soldiers step by step.
"Oh, I should have listened to my husband and only sent a thousand men to fight. Then I'll pay the money and withdraw the troops! Let Bo Jian and Zhong Kang lead the troops out of the city to respond."
Liu Bei had no choice but to save Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others first, and talk about the rest later.
"Dang-dang-dang-dang..."
The golden sound sounded.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei Gan Ning had no idea that not long after they came out to fight, the city would start asking them to withdraw their troops.
They didn't know that enemy troops were coming to the north and south cities for reinforcements.
"Retreat and return to the city."
Guan Yu shouted loudly, although he didn't know why Liu Bei asked them to retreat, but this was a military order and could not be disobeyed.
The soldiers who were charging forward heard the sound of Ming Jin retreating and immediately turned around and fled towards the city.
When Cao Cao saw this, he said anxiously: "The enemy wants to escape, hurry up, all the Chinese troops and horses will advance, so that the left and right formations will quickly go around the enemy's rear and block the enemy's retreat."
Xiahou Dun quickly agreed and led a central formation of 10,000 soldiers to charge forward.
The soldiers and horses leading the left and right formations received military orders at this time, asking them to go around behind the enemy soldiers and block the enemy soldiers' retreat.
"No, Cao Cao wants to cut off Yunchang's retreat, so Bo Jian and Zhong Kang must protect their retreat."
Zhou Ping saw the movements of the enemy soldiers and knew that Cao Cao's intention was to hold Guan Yu and others back until Xu Huang and Wen Chou's troops arrived.
Zhang Fei was fighting vigorously when he suddenly heard the order to retreat. He felt unhappy, but he also knew that it would be difficult for him to move forward. He shouted: "What do you think, brother, let me go to fight, but don't let me kill him happily..." …Hurry, retreat!”
Although he felt unhappy, Guan Yu, Gan Ning and others had already started to retreat, so he could only follow them.
Xu Ding and Xu Chu each rushed out of the city with 3,000 men. Xu Chu's 3,000 men guarded the city gate, while Xu Ding's 3,000 men rushed directly outside the city to block the retreat.
The enemy soldiers were beaten away.
According to frequent reports from soldiers, Xu Huang and Wen Chou's reinforcements could not arrive at this time, but if they were delayed for too long and they arrived with their troops, it would be difficult for Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others to retreat.
"Dang-dang-dang-dang..."
The golden sound keeps ringing.
At this time, Guan Yu and Gan Ning were resisting the approaching enemy soldiers while retreating step by step.
Liu Bei stood on the city gate tower and watched nervously, seeing that Xu Ding had led his men to clear the retreat, and Zhang Fei was leading his troops to retreat first, keeping the retreat open.
"Where are the enemy reinforcements in the North and South City?" Liu Bei asked urgently.
"They have already circled to the west of the city and will be here soon."
There was a soldier nearby who was responsible for communicating and replied.
"Sir, can Yun Chang and the others return safely?"
Liu Bei was really unsure and asked Zhou Ping.
Zhou Ping was not sure whether Guan Yu and others could retreat safely. It depended on whether they were willing to abandon their troops and retreat first.
However, it seems that neither Guan Yu nor Zhang Fei and Gan Ning want to retreat first, but stay behind to protect the soldiers and retreat first.
What is most scary now is the arrival of reinforcements from Xu Huang and Wen Chou.
"My lord, with Bo Jian and Zhong Kang leading the troops to support them outside the city, Yunchang, Yide Xingba and the others will definitely be able to retreat safely." Zhou Ping could only comfort Liu Bei in this way.
"Fortunately, the enemy troops on the other three sides did not attack the city, otherwise the consequences would be unpredictable!" Liu Bei sighed.
Indeed, the soldiers besieging the city on the other three sides were just shouting and cursing Chen Bing, but they did not attack the city.
However, they do not yet have large-scale siege equipment. Even if they attack the city, there will be four thousand soldiers stationed on each side of the city. With Gao Shun, Chen Dao and Xu Sheng leading the troops, they will definitely be able to defend it.
"Lord, look, Yide has retreated to the city gate."
Zhou Ping pointed to the outside of the city. Zhang Fei had already retreated outside the city gate, but he did not enter the city immediately. Instead, he and Xu Chu joined the troops behind.
At this time, Guan Yu and Gan Ning were retreating step by step with their troops. Although the enemy troops were pressing forward step by step, they seemed to be unable to gain much advantage. Many of those who were approaching were cut down by Guan Yu and Gan Ning's troops.
fall down.
Cao Cao immediately stood still. This method of fighting with more enemies and fewer enemies did not require him to rush to the front to boost morale.
"Don't General Xu and General Wen's troops arrive yet?"
Cao Cao saw that Guan Yu and others were retreating closer and closer to the city gate. However, Xu Huang and Wen Chou's reinforcements had not arrived. No matter how late it was, they would not be able to be retained and they were forced to retreat to the city.
"The reinforcements from General Xu and General Wen will arrive in just a moment."
A soldier nearby replied.
"Ming Gong, I'm afraid it will be too late for them to arrive. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei will retreat to the city."
Guo Jia seemed quite disappointed.
"Alas, I didn't expect that Liu Bei would withdraw his troops early. It would be great if he could withdraw his troops later!"
Cao Cao originally thought that he could defeat Guan Yu this time, but now it seems that although he can win, it is not a great victory, which is a pity.
"That's fine. Liu Bei knows he is invincible and will not dare to send troops to fight anymore. The morale in the city will drop. As long as we tighten the siege, the city will collapse in less than a month. The one Ming Gong has to worry about now is Liu Bei.
He will abandon the city and flee. If he flees, he will flee to Yangzhou. The troops besieging the city in the south are very important!"
"Well, Liu Bei must go south if he escapes. Zhang Xiu's troops from Nanyang can arrive in a few days. Once he arrives, he can lead his troops to camp in the south and camp behind Ju Gong and his army. It will not be easy for Liu Bei to escape.
Already."
"Ming Gong is very far-sighted. If Zhang Xiu's troops and horses are stationed behind General Ju, it will not only prevent Liu Bei from escaping south, but also prevent Xuyi's troops from coming to rescue. Liu Bei will be trapped and die in Xiapi!" Guo Jia said with great joy.
Lu Qian knew Guan Yu's power and did not dare to get too close. He just supervised the troops behind him and urged his troops to pursue him.
However, as Guan Yu and others retreated closer and closer to the city, the crossbowmen on the city were already holding arrows and were ready to shoot. Lu Qian's troops did not dare to pursue too closely anymore, thus widening the distance.
In the end, they could only watch as Guan Yu and others retreated to the city gate, and then retreated into the city.
At this time, Xu Huang and Wen Chou arrived with their troops, but they saw Guan Yu and others entering the city. They had no choice but to rush to the city gate to fight.
Liu Bei felt relieved and said to the people around him: "It's so dangerous! If it's a step too late, Yun Chang and others may not be able to retreat!"
"My lord, I must pay the gold and withdraw the troops in time, so that we can avoid a huge defeat!" Mi Zhu said immediately.
"No, it was sir who reminded me in time, otherwise...it's just that although Yunchang and others have returned safely, the situation behind them will probably be just as difficult!"
Liu Bei had already thought that after this battle, the officers and people in the city would no longer have much confidence in defending the city.
"Lord, as long as Yunchang, Yide Xingba and other generals are still there, we still have a chance to retreat from the enemy." Zhou Ping consoled him.
Soon, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Gan Ning all retreated to the city, and the three of them came to the top of the city gate.
Liu Bei rushed up to meet him and saw that Gan Ning still had arrows stuck in his armor and had many wounds on his body.
Guan Yu also had several wounds on his body, but they were all minor injuries. Only Zhang Fei had no injuries.
"It's great that you can come back! Cao Cao has prepared reinforcements. There are 5,000 people from the north and the south coming to help. He wants to cut off your retreat. If I call the gold to withdraw my troops later, you may not be able to come back!"
Liu Bei went up and grabbed Guan Yu and Gan Ning's hands and said emotionally.
"Brother, it's a pity that I...I failed to behead Cao Cao!"
Guan Yu felt guilty that he could not quickly break through the enemy's formation.
"General Guan, Cao Cao personally commanded the troops this time. He knew the general's bravery, so he did not rush into battle with the general. Instead, he defended and waited for the attack. His troops were numerous, and the enemy's army of 100,000 surrounded the city. The army was very powerful.
It is difficult for the general to break through his formation quickly, so it is reasonable and the general cannot blame himself!" Zhou Ping comforted.
"Brother, if we can't win this battle, how should we defeat the enemy?"
Zhang Fei didn't think so much, he just wanted to know how to make Cao Cao retreat.
Liu Bei wondered: "We can only think of a better solution for this matter."
After counting, it was found that after leading 10,000 soldiers to fight this time, only more than 8,000 soldiers were able to return to the city, and more than 1,000 soldiers were killed or captured.
Among the more than 8,000 people who returned, more than 700 were injured.
Liu Bei continued to let Gan Ning lead 5,000 troops to guard the west city. The troops originally transferred from the other three sides were returned, leaving 5,000 troops on each side of the city.
But at this time, there were only more than 7,000 mobile troops and horses.
Outside the city, although Cao Cao regretted that he could not capture Guan Yu and defeated the enemy soldiers, with this victory, he became more and more confident that he could defeat Xia Pi.
After letting Xu Huang and Wen Chou lead their troops back to camp, he continued to guard outside the city, trying to find ways to put more pressure on the city and make the troops in the city collapse.