Chapter 428 Cutting off my aorta? I can’t bear it! I have a plan that may turn the tide!

Everyone.

Including Cao Cao.

The Qin king and his ministers felt as if struck by five thunderbolts, and were instantly struck to a crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, with everyone bursting into an uproar of horror.

Cao Cao, who was originally sitting upright, was struck by the sword and jumped up.

"What did you say? Say it to me again!"

Cao Cao held the table with one hand and pointed at the guard with the other, and asked in a ferocious roar that was almost like a hysteria.

The information given by the guards was so shocking that for a moment he thought his ears were broken and he was just hallucinating.

Just a moment ago, Guo Jia gave a serious analysis and declared that "there is no big problem."

In the blink of an eye, Cao Ren was defeated and fled.

Not only did they fail to recapture Anyi, they even lost Baibo Pass and fled back to Jinyang like a stray dog.

How is this possible!
That’s 50,000 Hun cavalry.

Even if there were 50,000 pigs, it would take seven days and seven nights to catch them. How could they all be wiped out overnight?

Even God can’t do it!

Cao Cao naturally didn't believe it.

The guard was so frightened that his face turned pale and he dared not say another word. He knelt hurriedly and handed over the silk letter with trembling hands.

Cao Cao snatched it away, opened it impatiently with his trembling hands, and read it in a panic.

The entire process of the Huns' demise was written clearly in black and white.

Cao Cao's expression gradually changed from doubt to surprise, and finally froze in a moment of shock.

"Fire Bull Formation?"

After a shuddering cry, Cao Cao fell to the ground as if his soul had been taken away, and the silk book in his hand fell out of his hand.

Guo Jia, Cao Hong and other ministers who were equally shocked and puzzled rushed forward, snatched the silk book on the ground and vied to read it.

There were sounds of people sucking in their breaths of cold air.

Exclamations of horror and surprise were heard one after another.

The ministers of Qin were also thrown into shock and uproar.

"Fire Bull Formation? Wasn't that the plan used by Tian Dan to defeat the Qi army and restore his country during the Warring States Period?"

"This plan is just a legend. How dare Liu Bei use it to deal with the Xiongnu cavalry?"

"This Fire Bull Formation has been used by some people in later generations, but they all failed. Some people were even burned by the Fire Bulls. How could Liu Bei succeed?"

"Five thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen, just like the Wuhuan cavalrymen back then, were destroyed by Liu Bei just like that?"

"Now that the Xiongnu cavalry is gone and even Baibo Pass has been lost, what can the General of the Cavalry use to defend Bingzhou?"

"It seems that the fall of Bingzhou is inevitable. I'm afraid that the 70,000 Bingzhou troops of General Huoqi will be completely wiped out."

"What should I do? What should I do..."

Discussions of panic, confusion, and even despair echoed throughout the hall.

The Qin elites were now in a state of confusion and panic.

"Zixiao, ah Zixiao, you have failed the country and me, you really disappoint me!"

"So disappointed, so disappointed!"

Cao Cao, who had a dull look in his eyes, suddenly came to his senses and let out a roar of extreme grief, anger and disappointment.

He was truly extremely disappointed with Cao Ren.

You forged an imperial decree and ceded land to the Huns in exchange for marriage. It doesn't matter if you ruin my reputation. I won't say anything as long as you can keep Bingzhou.

But the key is that you are useless.

Your reputation has been ruined, and Bingzhou is on the verge of collapse. You have lost both your wife and your soldiers. This move has left me with nothing left!

How could Cao Cao not be furious and extremely disappointed with Cao Ren?

"Alas, I didn't expect Liu Bei to defeat the Xiongnu cavalry with the Fire Bull Formation. This is really similar to the Que Yue Formation he used to defeat the Wuhuan cavalry in the Battle of Yishui that year."

"Who is the mastermind behind this unpredictable plan?"

"Could it be Xiao Fang again? Or is it someone else?"

"Xun Gongda was in Bingzhou, why didn't he warn the General of the Cavalry and see through Liu Bei's trick?"

"Forget it. Xiao Fang is such a cunning and calculating person. Who in the world has ever seen through his schemes?"

"Ah~~"

Guo Jia's face was extremely bitter. He shook his head and sighed helplessly. An unprecedented feeling of helplessness had enveloped his whole body.

"Cough cough~~"

Amidst a chorus of helpless sighs, Jia Xu in the corner finally spoke.

After he coughed a few times, he saluted and said:

"Your Majesty, I think that now that things have come to this, nothing can be done to help."

"Now Liu Bei has broken through Baibo Pass, and will soon surround Jinyang with his troops. Our Bingzhou is in danger."

"I think we should make plans early to avoid losing both people and land."

Jia Xu could no longer remain silent, and for the first time, he took the initiative to remind Cao Cao without him having to interrogate him.

There was no way out, he was also forced into a corner.

He was the best at protecting himself throughout his life, and every time he offered advice at a critical moment, his original intention was to protect himself.

The situation in Bingzhou is now taking a sharp turn. If Bingzhou is lost, the countdown to the demise of the Qin State will begin.

The Qin State was destroyed. As a minister of Qin, how could he stay out of it?

What's more, he has a special identity and is responsible for the crime of disrupting the country!

When Dong Zhuo was executed, the generals in Xiliang were leaderless and had planned to flee to Xiliang.

Once the Western Liang Army was dispersed, Liu Xie in Chang'an would have the opportunity to regain power and have a glimmer of hope of reviving the Han Dynasty.

At the critical moment, it was he who, out of self-protection, advised Dong Zhuo's generals to return to Chang'an, avenge Dong Zhuo and regain control of the court.

The result is known to everyone. Generals Guo and Li returned to Chang'an, killed Wang Yun, forced Lu Bu to leave, and once again held the emperor hostage and took control of the court.

At this point, the hope of the Han Dynasty's revival under Liu Xie was completely cut off.

In terms of crime, Jia Xu was one of the traitors who brought disaster to the Han Dynasty.

If the Qin Dynasty was destroyed, could Liu Bei, the leader of the Han Dynasty's revival, let go of this criminal who caused chaos in the Han Dynasty?

Of course not!
So for Jia Xu, Qin was his last refuge. If Qin perished, he would not be able to escape death.

In order to protect himself, he had no choice but to speak out and save the Qin State from danger.

The phrase "so as to avoid losing both people and land" was obviously hinting to Cao Cao that Bingzhou could no longer be defended, so he should quickly make drastic measures to save people and lose land and withdraw Cao Ren's Bingzhou Army.

By then, Bingzhou would be lost, but at least Cao Ren’s 70,000 Qin troops could be saved.

These 70,000 troops were a considerable force even for the powerful Han Dynasty, let alone the weak Qin State.

Preserving this force would at least be of some help in defending Guanzhong.

Cao Cao fell silent.

Naturally, he could hear Jia Xu's hint.

He naturally understood the principle of losing land but saving people.

But, that's an entire state.

The Qin State was not like the Han State, which had few national responsibilities and owned nine states, so losing one or two states was no big deal.

He only had four states, and giving up one would be like breaking a bone and cutting his aorta.

Cao Cao couldn't bear to do it.

What's more, Bingzhou has mountains and rivers both inside and outside, and has a geographical advantage of being high above both Jizhou and Guanzhong.

Once Bingzhou is lost, the Han State will have the advantage of overlooking Guanzhong, and the strategic advantages of Guanzhong on all sides will no longer exist.

Can we just abandon such a vital state?

"Fengxiao, what do you think?"

Cao Cao did not respond to Jia Xu's reminder and turned his gaze to Guo Jia.

Guo Jia could naturally guess that Cao Cao did not want to abandon Bingzhou and wanted to seek his support.

Emotionally, of course he wanted to support Cao Cao, but his reason told him that Bingzhou could not be defended and that Jia Xu was right.

For the survival of Qin, as an important official of Qin, he must support Jia Xu.

"Ahem, Your Majesty, I think Wenhe's words make sense."

"I think the war in Bingzhou has reached such a point that it is irreversible. Rather than losing both the people and the land, it is better to save the people and lose the land."

"Seventy thousand soldiers and horses are extremely precious to our Great Qin..."

Guo Jia gritted his teeth and went against Cao Cao's wishes and agreed to Jia Xu's proposal.

Cao Cao frowned, and a hint of disappointment flashed across his eyes.

He slowly stood up, paced in the hall with his hands behind his back, and fell into silence for a long time.

After a long time.

Cao Cao gritted his teeth, made up his mind, waved his hand and shouted:

"Pass the order down, draw more troops from Liangzhou and Yizhou, and quickly come to Puban Pass to join us."

"From today on, all the troops must be alert and attack Pubanjin day and night!"

"I will cross the Yellow River no matter what, retake Pubanjin, and force the big-eared thief to return to rescue us!"

"Send someone to tell Zixiao and the others that no matter how much it costs, they must defend Bingzhou for me!"

"Bingzhou is related to the survival of the Qin Dynasty. I will never let it fail!"

Jia Xu and Guo Jia were slightly shocked.

Cao Cao made a decision, but he was still reluctant to give up Bingzhou and wanted to continue holding on to it with a glimmer of hope.

"Ah~~"

The two were helpless and shook their heads and sighed at the same time.

...

South of Jinyang, Pingtao City.

In the county government office, Cao Ren sat in the upper seat with his brows furrowed, eyes closed, and his forehead supported by his hand.

"Liu Bei gathered an army of 100,000 and occupied Baibo Pass before continuing northward. He has now captured Jiexiu City and is hot on our trail."

"At Jingxing Pass, Zhang Fei's army is attacking fiercely. Li Dian is running out of manpower and can no longer hold on. Please ask General Huoqi to send reinforcements as soon as possible."

"An urgent report came from Yanmen County. It seems that Zhang Fei has divided 30,000 troops and is about to attack Yanmen from Youzhou. Please ask the General of Cavalry to send reinforcements."

"Huguan Zhu Ling came to report that it was..."

Guo Huai read out emergency documents one after another, as if the situation in Bingzhou had taken a sharp turn for the worse overnight and there was danger everywhere.

"Reinforcements, reinforcements, just ask me for reinforcements!"

"I only have more than 20,000 soldiers and horses, which are not enough to deal with Liu Bei's main force. Where can I get the troops to rescue them?"

"Reply to them, tell them to find a way to defend the city. If anyone fails to do so, they will be beheaded!"

Cao Ren slammed the table and shouted angrily.

Guo Huai didn't dare to say anything and could only accept the order silently.

Cao Zhi, who was standing by, hesitated for a while, but then he came closer and said in a low voice:
"Uncle Zixiao, the situation in Bingzhou has reached this point. If we continue to hold on, I'm afraid we will all be trapped and die here."

"Should we..."

Cao Zhi was afraid of being trapped to death in Bingzhou, so he wanted to persuade Cao Ren to give up Bingzhou and lead his troops back to Guanzhong.

Yang Xiu, who was standing by, was surprised.

Cao Cao has not yet issued an order to abandon Bingzhou, but you dared to persuade Cao Ren to abandon Bingzhou and retreat westward. If Cao Cao holds Cao Ren responsible for the loss of territory, won't you be the one to take the blame?
Yang Xiu's eyes turned rapidly, and suddenly a gleam of light flashed.

Without waiting for Cao Zhi to say anything to persuade him to leave, he shouted:
"General of the Cavalry, Prince of Chenliu!"

"Xiu has a plan that may be able to defeat Liu Bei's main force and turn the tide in one fell swoop!"

(End of this chapter)