Before dark, Yuan Shao finally waited for Ju Yi and Zhu Ling to return.
Zhu Ling knelt in front of Yuan Shao and said: "My lord, the Wuchao is gone, and all the food and grass are burned."
By the time they arrived at Wuchao, the entire camp had been reduced to a sea of flames.
No one dared to rush into the raging fire. Hundreds of thousands of stones of food and grass were all burned, leaving not a single bag.
Even though he had realized it before, at the end of the day, Yuan Shao still held a trace of luck in his heart.
At this moment, it was finally confirmed from Zhu Ling that Wuchao was burned, and all the strength in Yuan Shao's body seemed to be drained out at this moment.
Yuan Shao said helplessly: "If anyone spreads the news about Wuchao being burned, he will be executed immediately."
Zhu Ling whispered: "Here."
It's just that he and Ju Yi brought three thousand cavalry, so how could they keep everyone tight-lipped.
There are also more than 10,000 remaining troops in Wuchao. Although they have not returned to Guandu yet, some of these remaining troops will definitely return tomorrow.
Because Zhu Ling and Ju Yi were in a hurry to come back, they had not yet gathered the remnants of Wuchao's troops.
The two of them accepted the order, but felt very uneasy in their hearts.
I am worried that if the news is leaked, I will be punished by Yuan Shao.
After the two men retreated, Yuan Shao summoned all the counselors including Jushou Xu Youxunchen and Guo Tufengji.
Yuan Shao said: "All the grain and grass in Wuchao have been burned. What should we do now?"
At this moment, Yuan Shao felt that he had no master and it was difficult to make a decision.
At this moment, he could only rely on Ju Shou, Xun Chen and others to give him advice.
But at this moment, even if Jushou Xunchen and others had plans to take action, Yuan Shao was even more confused about how to choose.
Xu You said that he would fight to the bitter end and decide the winner with Wang Ding tonight.
However, Xun Chen suggested that Yuan Shao withdraw his troops overnight and return to Jizhou.
Guo Tuze said that if we retreat now, we may be chased by Wang Ding. I am afraid that less than half of the 200,000 troops can return to Jizhou safely.
In response to the situation, Yuan Shao led an army of 100,000 people to retreat overnight, leaving Ju Yi, Zhang He and other generals to lead an army of 100,000 people to stay in Guandu to cut off Yuan Shao's rear.
Yuan Shao had a headache.
What everyone said made sense. This made Yuan Shao increasingly confused as to how to choose.
But one thing is still very clear to Yuan Shao. Time is running out now and he can no longer delay it.
At least before dawn, he must make a decision.
It wasn't until his childhood that Yuan Shaozai finally made up his mind.
He said: "Withdraw troops."
Jushou's eyes darkened. Although Wuchao's food and grass had been burned, in his opinion, as long as Yuan Shao could show off his overwhelming momentum, he would not be incapable of fighting Wang Ding.
They didn't even need to hide the fact that the grain and grass were burned, and directly told all the soldiers that Wuchao's grain and grass were burned, and they had no way to retreat. If they wanted to return to Jizhou alive, they had to defeat Wang Ding.
But Yuan Shao is not Xiang Yu, and he does not have the courage to fight against the odds.
Moreover, Yuan Shao now has an army of 200,000 under his command. After Wuchao's grain and grass were burned, it will be difficult for him to gather military morale.
Among the 200,000 people, perhaps 150,000 are willing to fight with Yuan Shao.
But if the other 50,000 people try to escape, the other 150,000 people will easily be dispersed together, making it difficult for military orders to be reached.
If Yuan Shao was still just a Bohai governor, he might choose to fight to the death.
But now, he has too many things to worry about.
He would rather seek stability than take too many risks.
"Order Ju Yi to lead an army of 50,000 and continue to be stationed in Wuchao."
In the end, Yuan Shao only planned to keep 50,000 people.
The fate of those left behind in Guandu is almost sealed.
They were abandoned by Yuan Shao.
Those who are lucky may be able to return to Jizhou, but most people will be buried here.
Guo Tu said: "Lord, wouldn't 50,000 people be enough?"
On the surface, Guo Tu was worried about Yuan Shao, but in fact, Guo Tu was worried that there were too few people left behind, not enough for Wang Ding to swallow.
This time Yuan Shao retreated, Guo Tu had already planned to look for opportunities to stay.
Yuan Shao said: "I believe in Ju Yi's ability. Fifty thousand people are enough."
Yuan Shao seemed to trust Ju Yi, but in fact he was already wary.
Ju Yi fought against Gongsun Zan in Youzhou before. He made many meritorious deeds and was very prestigious in the army. Yuan Shao was very afraid of him.
This time he intended to keep Ju Yi and use Wang Ding's help to get rid of Ju Yi.
Guo Tudao: "Lord, I am willing to stay and resist Wang Ding with Ju Yi."
Yuan Shao glanced at Guo Tu in surprise.
With Guo Tu's intelligence, he should have understood the consequences of staying at this time. He did not expect that Guo Tu would be so loyal to him and dare to stay voluntarily at this time.
Yuan Shao thought for a moment and did not refuse. He was not worried about Ju Yi.
With Guo Tu staying behind to help keep an eye on Ju Yi, Yuan Shao felt more at ease.
"If you are willing to stay, sir, it is best. I will give you three thousand more elite soldiers to ensure your safety," Yuan Shao said.
Guo Tu said with a loyal face: "Thank you, lord. If I am in trouble, please take more care of my wife and children."
Yuan Shao said: "Sir, don't worry. If something cannot be done, you can surrender to the king for the time being. I will never blame you."
Guo Tu was elated, but he didn't show it at all on his face. Instead, he said with a loyal look: "Don't worry, my lord, I will definitely hold off Wang Ding's son."
Feng Ji felt a little angry, but he didn't expect Guo Tu to take the lead.
Ju taught Xu You and Xun Chen a few people, but they never thought of staying.
They are just counselors, and there is not much significance in staying.
Yuan Shao was only willing to keep 50,000 people, and only one general, Ju Yi.
It is almost impossible to defeat Wang Ding with this.
In the dark night, Yuan Jun's military camp was brightly lit.
Zhang He, Zhu Ling and other generals had already begun to assemble their soldiers and then quietly withdrew from the military camp.
Yuan Shao had already left, and Ju Yi was sitting in Yuan Shao's handsome tent with a gloomy look on his face.
He is not stupid.
If you are left behind at this time, life or death is uncertain.
Ju Yi was naturally unwilling to give in.
But now when facing Yuan Shao, he could only obey orders.
If he is still in Youzhou, Ju Yi has a way to stand on his own feet.
But there is no way here. All the soldiers under his command have been replaced by Yuan Shao.
"General Ju Yi, my lord has left. Is there any way the general can resist Wang Ding's troops?" Guo Tu asked.
Ju Yidao: "What else can we do except to die on the battlefield?"
Guo Tudao: "The general has this intention, the lord must be very pleased."
Ju Yi said nothing.
He didn't know that Guo Tu had secretly taken refuge with Wang Ding. At this moment, he just thought that Yuan Shao specifically asked Guo Tu to stay just to keep an eye on his every move.
Guo Tudao said: "General, it is better to be careful. Now I am also tied to the general's life. If I can live, the general can live."
Ju Yi felt a little strange. Shouldn't he have said this?
After all, next year, he will be the commander-in-chief of this 50,000-strong army.
But thinking that Guo Tu stayed to monitor him, Ju Yi seemed to understand what Guo Tu meant.
But at this point, can Yuan Shao still be able to intimidate him? A cold light flashed in Ju Yi's eyes, and a thought came to his mind.