Chapter 318: I gave you a chance but you didn't use it. You are a waste! Say goodbye to unifying the world!
Camp wall line

When Yuan Tan arrived on horseback, gun in hand, with a heart full of revenge, his heart instantly sank.

Looking into the distance, I saw countless torches outside the camp, as endless as a sky full of stars.

Along the line of the camp wall that stretched for a hundred steps, the six Han armies were approaching like fire dragons, with deafening murderous shouts.

The soldiers of their own army who hurried to the camp wall to set up defenses were all looking terrified and nervous, and their hands that were tightly gripping their swords and guns were trembling.

Before the Chu army arrived, they were already unconsciously moving backwards, looking around as if they were looking for a way to escape.

Military morale.

Yuan Tan suddenly realized that he had overlooked the biggest factor that determines victory or defeat:
Morale.

His 100,000 Wei soldiers were obviously still shrouded in the shadow of the disastrous defeat at Xiangcheng, with low morale and unstable military spirit.

With low morale, even if there are 100,000 troops, how can they resist the attack of the high-spirited Chu army?

"Damn it, I was too confident and shouldn't have boasted to my father..."

Yuan Shao secretly gritted his teeth and blamed himself, feeling guilty.

At this time.

Wen Chou had already arrived on horseback, looking at the situation in front of him with a serious expression, and said coldly:
"My Lord, the King has ordered us to obey your orders."

"How should we defend? Please give us the order, Master."

Wen Chou's tone seemed to imply that he was making fun of him, which made Yuan Tan feel very unhappy.

Yuan Tan did feel some regret in his heart, but at this point, he was in a dilemma and could only go ahead.

"How else can we defend? Each of you must gather your troops and defend the camp wall to the death!"

"Anyone who takes even a single step back without my command will be killed!"

Yuan Tan drew his sword and gave orders in a domineering manner.

Wen Chou swallowed his saliva, said "yes", and rode away.

All the generals were in place, and the 100,000 Wei soldiers were trembling with fear as they prepared to fight against the attack from the Chu army.

A moment later, the Chu army arrived.

Countless sharp arrows came pouring down, countless blades slashed at the camp walls, and countless spears stabbed at them...

The six armies of Chu launched an unprecedentedly fierce attack.

The crucial importance of morale was clearly demonstrated in this offensive and defensive battle.

The morale of the Chu army was high, and everyone was willing to fight forward and risk their lives.

When one soldier fell, the soldier behind him rushed forward without hesitation and continued to attack like crazy.

In stark contrast to the Chu army, the Wei army had no fighting spirit at all, but when faced with the Chu army's offensive, they all retreated at the first touch.

In less than a quarter of an hour, several points of the camp wall were breached, and the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

"My Lord, the enemy's attack is too fierce. Our army's morale is low and we can't resist it at all!"

"Guling can no longer be defended. We must abandon the camp and retreat northwards!"

Zhang He came running over and shouted excitedly.

Yuan Tan's face was ashen at this time. His previous determination to seek revenge on Liu Bei was replaced by a face full of unwillingness and regret.

"I actually overlooked such a crucial matter as the low morale of our troops!"

"I boasted to my father, but if I abandon the camp and retreat north, wouldn't I disappoint my father even more?"

Yuan Tan gritted his teeth secretly, his mind was in turmoil, and he was reluctant to make a decision.

Zhang He was very anxious.

He knew that the eldest son was too proud to give the order to abandon the camp.

But if Yuan Tan delays any longer, once the Chu army breaks through on all fronts, their 100,000-strong army will be finished!

Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhang He had to hide it from Yuan Tan and sent someone to ask Yuan Shao for help.

Inside the king's tent.

Yuan Shao's face turned ashen, and he sat there stiffly like a statue, his fists clenched until they crackled, and the veins on his forehead were faintly visible.

"Your Majesty, the wall of our east wing camp has been breached by the Chu army!"

"Your Majesty, our right wing fought hard but was defeated, and the Chu army broke through the camp wall!"

"Your Majesty, the enemy's attack is too fierce, and our main gate wall can't hold it!"

"Your Majesty..."

Urgent reports of snow were continuously delivered to the king's tent and into Yuan Shao's hands.

Every piece of urgent news was like a hammer, hitting Yuan Shao's heart hard.

"waste!"

"I gave you a hundred thousand troops, but you couldn't even defend the camp. You are such a waste!"

"You really disappoint me, extremely disappointing!"

Yuan Shao gritted his teeth, veins on his face bulged and his eyes were filled with utter disappointment.

He was disappointed with Yuan Tan again.

"The eldest son's ability to lead an army is still far behind the third son's. If the third son were here, he would definitely be able to protect the camp wall!"

"Don't say that Liu Bei only has 80,000 men. Even if he had a million men, he would never be able to break into my camp!"

Feng Ji naturally seized the opportunity and, in a sarcastic tone, belittled Yuan Tan while also praising Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shao's heart moved slightly, and the disappointment and regret in his eyes became more and more serious.

"This must be because our army's morale was frustrated and their fighting spirit was low. Everyone was afraid of death and did not dare to fight to the death against the Chu army, which led to the loss of the camp wall."

"Even with the eldest son's ability to lead the army, they can't resist. If the third son is in charge, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for even a quarter of an hour!"

"This is really because our army's morale is too low, not because the eldest master is incompetent."

Guo Tu could not sit still and immediately spoke up to defend Yuan Tan.

Feng Ji glanced at him and snorted coldly:
"If you hadn't been playing tricks on us by Xiao Fang, causing us to fall into the trap of the big-eared thief, causing us to lose our main camp and 40,000 troops, how could our army's morale have suffered such a heavy blow?"

"Mr. Guo, if you want to talk about the low morale of the army, it is also your fault." Guo Tu was ridiculed and embarrassed, so he immediately retorted:
"That Xiao Fang is known as a strategist, but how cunning he is. Under the circumstances at that time, who would have thought that the big-eared thief only sent 3,000 cavalrymen to feint an attack?"

"I miscalculated, but why didn't you, Feng Yuantu, see that this was Xiao Fang's trick? Why didn't you warn the king earlier?"

"As for the failure of the Xiangcheng Campaign, I, Guo Tu, certainly bear the blame, but can you, Feng Ji, escape responsibility?"

Feng Ji was speechless and was rendered speechless. He was unable to utter a word for a while.

Faced with a powerful enemy and a critical situation, the two counselors ignored the current situation and attacked and blamed each other in front of Yuan Shao.

Even at this time, his important ministers were still scheming against each other. Yuan Shao saw it and felt disappointed.

"enough!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Yuan Shao finally exploded and slammed the table in anger:

"It's already this late, and you guys are still scheming against each other for your own selfish interests!"

"Where have you left me? Where have you left my 100,000 soldiers? Where have you left my Great Wei Empire?"

Guo Tu and Feng Ji were startled and fell silent for a moment. They both lowered their heads and dared not say another word.

Yuan Shao raised his head tremblingly, wanting to scold the two of them, but he was so exhausted that he didn't have the strength to utter the words.

He had no choice but to cover his chest and sit down weakly, looking very painful.

"Your Majesty!"

Ju Su, who had been silent all this time, finally stood up.

"Based on the current situation, our army's morale has collapsed. The soldiers have no will to fight to the death. Guling will definitely not be able to be defended."

"The camp walls are being breached everywhere. The fall of the camp is inevitable. If we continue to hold on, I'm afraid my 100,000-man army will be in danger of being wiped out."

"I beg the king to prioritize preserving our strength and order the camp to be abandoned!"

Abandon camp!

Ju Su said what everyone wanted to say.

Guo Tu and Feng Ji stopped arguing and looked at Yuan Shao eagerly.

Obviously, no matter how the two attacked each other, they had the same consensus on abandoning the camp and retreating northward.

Yuan Shao, however, covered his chest with his hands, his face twisted with unwillingness, and his heart was broken.

Having lost 40,000 troops previously, the offensive and defensive situation between the two countries has been reversed.

But at least the main force of the 100,000-strong army is still there, and the Guling grain camp is still there.

If we retreat again now, it will be a complete defeat.

The 160,000-strong army was defeated by Liu Bei, suffered heavy casualties and territory, and fled back to Xuchang in a panic. The whole Wei State was shocked.

His reputation as the King of Wei will also be wiped out.

If Liu Bei continues to advance northwards while taking advantage of his victory, Xuchang might be lost, and all the states south of the Yellow River would be in danger of being lost!
He will also be driven out of the Central Plains by Liu Bei and sent back to Hebei, and will say goodbye to the words "unify the world" in his lifetime!
How can we be willing to do so?

"I will never abandon the camp!"

Yuan Shao struggled to stand up, his face distorted to a terrifying degree, and shouted:

"I am the King of Wei, the ruler of six states, and I command an army of 160,000. How could I be defeated by a mat weaver and shoe seller?"

"I will never abandon Guling. I will personally lead the army and fight to the death with that big-eared thief!"

Amid the roar, Yuan Shao grabbed his crutches, stumbled out of the tent, and rushed to the camp wall to take charge of the situation.

Everyone was shocked.

"Your Majesty, the situation is hopeless. Please order us to abandon the camp!"

"If we abandon the camp and retreat now, we can still save our 100,000-man army. If we don't leave, we will be in danger of being wiped out!"

"My king, you must not act on impulse now!"

Guo Tu and Feng Ji did not dare to stay out of the matter any longer, and they stood up to persuade them.

"You are all fools who are afraid of death and only want me to run away in times of crisis. Not a single one of you can help me turn the tide!"

"What's the point of raising a bunch of you useless people?"

Yuan Shao drew his sword angrily and shouted:

"I will fight the big-eared thief to the death. Anyone who dares to abandon the camp will be killed by me!"

Everyone was terrified, and no one dared to say a word despite their full words of advice.

Our king is now extremely angry and has lost his mind. He may really kill someone.

Yuan Shaowei convinced all his ministers, and with a sword in one hand and a crutch in the other, he stumbled out of the tent.

"Everyone follow me to the camp wall to fight to the death with the big-eared thief—"

The word war has not yet been uttered.

The countless Wei soldiers in front were like frightened birds, and they fled in panic.

Not one person, but thousands!

The 100,000-strong Wei army had completely collapsed and fled at the sight of the enemy.

Behind them, countless Chu army flags, leading countless Chu troops, were chasing after them like tigers and wolves.

Yuan Shao froze in place, sword raised in the air, the rage on his face gradually solidified into astonishment.

"Father, the enemy's attack is too rapid. Our army has lost all morale and cannot resist!"

"I tried my best, but I still couldn't hold the camp wall!"

"Father, please abandon the camp and retreat north immediately!"

Yuan Tan, who came on horseback, cried out to Yuan Shao with shame and panic on his face.

"Bang bang!"

The long sword in the left hand and the crutch in the right hand fell to the ground at the same time.

Yuan Shao's legs went weak and he could no longer stand, so he fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)