Three Kingdoms: Wolong's brother-in-law, tricking Liu Bei into seizing Jingzhou

Cao Cao was furious.

He had made numerous calculations, but he had not expected that Lueyang City would be lost due to Yan Xing's treason.

Yu Jin had reminded him at the beginning that people from Xiliang could not be trusted.

He was full of confidence and believed that Yan Xing had a grudge against Ma Chao, so he dared not surrender to Liu Bei.

However, he did not expect that the facts would ruthlessly slap him in the face.

Cao Cao was roaring and cursing, and all the ministers looked at each other, shaking their heads and sighing.

They knew best what the fall of Lueyang City meant.

This means that Liu Bei's 300,000 troops will be able to march unimpeded straight to Jicheng.

Perhaps, the Han army's cavalry vanguard is already on the way.

The last remaining line of defense for Jicheng was the Wei River.

The Wei River is not the Yangtze River, and Longxi is not Guanzhong.

When Cao Cao had not yet lost Guanzhong, he was unable to stop Liu Bei in the Battle of Weishui.

What's more, now?
A sense of fear rose in the hearts of Qin's counselors and generals.

If we continue to defend Jicheng, I'm afraid all of us will be destroyed here!
The same thought emerged in everyone's mind.

All eyes turned to Cao Cao at the same time.

Cao Cao cursed for a long time, and only stopped when he was exhausted.

"Your Majesty, the situation has come to this point. I have a word of advice. I wonder if I should say it or not?"

General Xiahou Dun walked forward with a serious look on his face.

Cao Cao raised his hand weakly, indicating that he could speak if he had anything to say.

Xiahou Dun took a deep breath and said with a heavy face:

"Liu Bei's army of 300,000 will arrive soon, and we only have less than 70,000 people left. It is impossible for us to stop the Han army with only the Wei River."

"If Your Majesty is still determined to defend Jicheng, we will lose more than just Jicheng and Longxi."

"If our entire army is wiped out here, our Great Qin Empire will be finished!"

As he spoke, Xiahou Dun bowed deeply and said in an almost pleading tone:
"So I beg Your Majesty to face the reality and put the survival of our Great Qin State first. Please order us to abandon Longxi and retreat to Yizhou!"

Cao Cao was startled and looked up at Xiahou Dun.

He obviously couldn't believe that Xiahou Dun openly advised him to give up Longxi in front of all the ministers.

Although Xiahou Dun was a general, he almost never expressed his opinions on military and national affairs.

In all military and political matters, he was the one to follow.

Even if he wanted to jump into the fire bed, Xiahou Dun would accompany him to the end.

Today, Xiahou Dun unexpectedly went against his usual behavior and urged him to retreat to Yizhou!

He even used words that were so serious and almost offensive that they advised him to face reality.

Cao Cao was stunned and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"Your Majesty, the general is right!"

"We can no longer defend Jicheng or even Longxi. Your Majesty, please consider the survival of our Great Qin and lead us to retreat to Yizhou!"

Huang Quan immediately knelt on the ground, sadly and angrily asking for advice.

"Your Majesty, if we retreat to Yizhou, we may not have no chance to recover the Central Plains."

"We have Yizhou in our hands, and the King of Rencheng still holds the counties in northern Liang. In the north of the Great Wall, the Xianbei people are rising up on the grasslands. In Liaodong, Gongsun Du has 100,000 cavalrymen."

"Inside the Pseudo-Han, the drawbacks of the imperial examination system have gradually become apparent. The interests of the aristocratic families are being taken away by the common people. There are countless people who are dissatisfied with Liu Bei and complain about him."

"As long as we retreat to Yizhou, Your Majesty will work hard to govern the country and conserve your strength. When the foreign enemies of the Pseudo-Han invade and civil strife breaks out, Your Majesty will lead the army north to Qinchuan and recapture Guanlong in no time!"

"Your Majesty, we are retreating to Yizhou today to prepare for the recovery of Guanzhong tomorrow!"

Zhang Song also knelt down and made a bitter appeal. He also drew a big cake for Cao Cao and laid a big ladder.

Once General Xiahou Dun took the lead, the ministers no longer had any worries, their mouths were completely opened, and all kinds of advice and remonstrances came pouring in.

"Your Majesty, for the sake of the Great Qin State, and for the survival of the Cao and Xiahou clans, please order us to withdraw to Yizhou!"

Even Dian Wei knelt down and tried to persuade him.

Cao Cao once ordered him to send a secret order to Cao Pi, ordering him to store more food and grass and set up a temporary camp on the road from Qishan to Yangping Pass in preparation for retreating to Hanzhong.

Cao Cao also confided his true feelings to him, claiming that for the survival of the Cao and Xiahou families, he was ready to give up Longxi.

Dian Wei knew Cao Cao's intention, so he went with the flow and joined the other ministers in admonishing him.

The atmosphere had already been set to such a point that Cao Cao had both face and a way out, so there was naturally no need for him to persist any further.

So after a helpless sigh, Cao Cao said with a bitter face:

"Forget it, forget it. I will follow your request and retreat to Yizhou!"

The ministers were delighted.

Zhang Song was overjoyed and clenched his fists in excitement.

He seemed to have seen the glory of Cao Cao when he retreated to Yizhou and appointed him as prime minister in order to win over the people of Yizhou and commanded all civil and military officials.

Cheng Gongying was dejected, stamping his feet and sighing, unwilling to flee his hometown and go to Yizhou to live under someone else's roof.

Except for the people from Liangzhou, most of the Qin officials were excited and began to discuss the evacuation.

At this time, scouts came from the north and brought news that shocked everyone:

The 50,000-strong Han army infantry and cavalry vanguard is galloping towards Jicheng, which is only thirty miles away!

When the news came out, all the ministers were shocked.

"The Han army is coming too fast. They will reach the north bank of the Wei River tomorrow at the latest."

"Our army hastily retreated southwards. We had to carry not only soldiers but also a large number of officials and civilians' families. The march was bound to be slow."

"If we abandon Jicheng now, the Han army will be able to cross the river easily, and Liu Bei will chase us with his cavalry. He will catch up with us in less than two days."

"By then, this retreat will probably turn into a major rout, with disastrous consequences!"

Huang Quan realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately gave a warning.

Cao Cao's nerves, which had originally relaxed, tensed up again.

After a moment of hesitation, Cao Cao said in a deep voice:
"Gong Heng's words make sense. We need to retreat southward, but we cannot retreat completely. We need to leave about 30,000 soldiers and horses behind to protect the main force and families as they retreat southward."

"Who among you is willing to stay and defend Jicheng, delay Liu Bei's pursuit, and buy time for my main force to retreat southward?"

All the ministers remained silent and no one dared to volunteer.

How dangerous is it to hold back 300,000 Han troops with only 30,000 troops?
Seeing this, Xiahou Dun could only bow:

"Your Majesty, at this point, I am the only one left to personally escort Your Majesty to the south."

Cao Cao sighed and said:

"It seems that at the critical moment, I still have to rely on my Cao and Xiahou clansmen."

His words clearly implied that he was blaming the generals from other families for not daring to take risks and sacrifice themselves for the country.

Besides, the life and death of those who stayed behind to cover the retreat was uncertain, and he was reluctant to let Xiahou Dun take the risk.

"Your Majesty, although I am of a different surname, I am willing to die for you!"

Yu Jin was stimulated and bowed with emotion:

"I am willing to stay and defend Jicheng for Your Majesty and hold back the pursuers of the big-eared thief!"

Cheng Gongying gritted his teeth and volunteered:

"Your Majesty, I am also willing to stay and help the general to hold back Liu Bei and buy time for Your Majesty to retreat south!" (End of this chapter)