By the time Guan Yu led his troops to retreat, the battle at the foot of Baishan Mountain had come to an end.
After being flanked by Ma Chao and the Western Confederate Army, most of the Easterners in the south had given up resistance and were lowering their heads to accept the restraint and humiliation of the Westerners. Although it was difficult to count the number of people in a short time, looking from a distance, they were densely packed under the sunset. The crouching heads were like the dark flocks of birds on the farmland in autumn. The general made a rough estimate and knew that the number of prisoners was more than 50,000.
However, this was not all of the Eastern Army. Because the battle line was stretched too long, the damage to the left and right wings of the Western Army was not trivial. Therefore, during the chase, many troops were exhausted and could only watch the Eastern troops leave. The number of Ma Chao's troops who intercepted them in the east was only a few thousand, and it was difficult to cover everything, so many people from the East still escaped from the south.
Among the soldiers of the Eastern Army who survived, the one with the highest official position was Xia Houyuan, the governor of Youzhou. He led a few followers on foot and cavalry, shuttled back and forth between the thorny hills, and finally got rid of the pursuers behind him. One after another, more Dongren came up with their horses. They walked in the woods at dusk, sometimes turning left and sometimes right, and soon lost their way. Since there was no road back to the camp, we had to go directly east according to the direction of the setting sun. Soon, the sound of fighting behind them completely disappeared, and the setting sun fell into the earth, shrouding darkness. In this dark night, there was no pursuit, and they could only hear the constant sound of big birds flapping their wings overhead. They knew without looking that it was vultures flying in the sky.
The cold wind was blowing, which made the steps of the easter look particularly miserable. With great difficulty, he walked out of the dense forest and walked east along the path beside the forest. The sky was covered with thick clouds, and there were no stars or moon. Because I was worried about the chasing horse, I didn't dare to raise a fire, so I had to walk in the dark. Every few miles along the way, stop and look around to avoid straying into the wrong direction.
Walking and stopping like this, walking through the forest and passing obstacles, an open flat land suddenly appeared in front of us. The surrounding trees gradually became sparse, and it seemed like a smooth road. They knew they were back the way they came, but they felt even more confused about the situation. With neither the chasing horse nor friendly troops in sight, everyone was hungry, thirsty, and too tired to walk any longer, so they all stopped in unison.
Not long after, the following people followed one after another. Counting the team, there were only eight or nine hundred people and two hundred horses. The soldiers were tired and frustrated, and they all collapsed on the ground.
Xia Houyuan was exhausted and haggard. The over-excited fighting made him extremely tired, but his spirit could not calm down. The result of the defeat was mixed with regret and disappointment, which was even more torturous. He looked around, wondering whether to continue running or to stop and wait for other Dongchao troops.
Darkness covers the land and hearts.
At this time, Captain Qiwei was next to Xia Houyuan. Xia Houyuan said to him: "I still have a three-foot knife in my waist. If I don't kill the enemy, I will kill myself. I want to put an end to it. But guarding this night is worse than death." !”
The left shoulder bone of Che Wei was punctured by the sharp point of a potion. Although he was injured, he looked calm. He was well versed in classics and history. Seeing that Xia Houyuan had nowhere to vent his sorrow, he comforted him and said: "In ancient times, Ziyu of Chu State was defeated by Jin Wen in Chengpu. On the way back, he hanged himself in shame and anger. It can be said that it was a reckless loss; Meng Mingshi of Qin State was captured by Jin. Later, If he is released, he can still lead the army again and avenge his previous disgrace. It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge. Ten years is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge. The ruler, the country and himself should be patient for a while."
After hearing this, Xia Houyuan felt that it made sense. He was thinking about when to get up, but at this moment, a thunderous sound suddenly came from the ground in the dark night. Although it was dark and could not see the dust from far away, to these soldiers in the old battle formation, Xiu Di also knew that a large group of cavalry was coming on horseback. There was no obvious sound of weapons and armor clashing, indicating that this was a light cavalry unit. Everyone quickly cheered up and stood upright. Those with horses panicked, grabbing their reins and stepping on their stirrups, preparing to mount their horses to fight.
Not long after, the fire flashed, and a large group of people turned out from the forest. From a distance, I could hear the scornful and scolding sounds of the Westerners, and there was even the roar of hunting dogs, as if this was not a battle between two armies, but a game of hunters catching animals. These Westerners, who were sure of victory, suddenly caught up with them. How could the weak remnants of the Easterners resist?
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Unexpectedly, Xia Houyuan's mood relaxed. He suddenly shouted to the sky and ordered everyone not to panic and shout, but to dismount. He stuck the tip of his penis upside down on the ground and slowly turned over and dismounted. He turned around to greet Cang Tou and several others, quickly took down the packages of grain and fodder from Mashan, and started making fire with everyone.
Seeing that their leader was so calm, the soldiers from the east stopped panicking and said to each other, "It's not surprising that a horse dies on the battlefield even if it lasts a lifetime. But if you don't eat a grain of rice all day long, you should be well fed even if you die!" They all slowly gathered and sat down.
War horses and hunting dogs roared in the distance, but these people sat down and ate raw biscuits or cooked rice and millet. This made the Westerners' chasing cavalry confused. In the dark, and unable to discern the surrounding situation, the leading Army Sima was worried about an ambush or a trap for concealed crossbows, so he couldn't help but hesitate. The hooves of the Westerners' horses kept tapping the ground restlessly, but the military horses did not charge forward.
At this time, Xia Houyuan ate a few mouthfuls and said to his left and right, "How is it different to die in my hometown and die here?" Everyone shook their heads and said it was the same. So after eating calmly, he ignored the surveillance of the Westerners in the distance and ordered people to unfurl the military flag, extinguish the bonfire, and slowly retreat with the sound of horns.
Suspicious, the pursuers did not dare to press, but reined in their horses and followed slowly. Within a few miles, the Easterners put out their torches and disappeared into the dark east, while the Westerners' pursuers slowly stopped and turned their horses' heads. They met at the riverside behind the mountain shade of Mang Mountain.
This enabled Xia Houyuan and his party to successfully escape from the war. Going further east, he saw some separated Eastern soldiers, and the Eastern people also saw him. After the collapse, a team that was still organized was the beginning of reorganization, so the people around them moved closer in unison, like streams converging into a river. When Xia Houyuan saw the Eastern Army camp, there were also people following him Nearly ten thousand people.
He was not the only one who returned to the camp at this time. In addition to Xia Houyuan, Chun Yuqiong also escaped from the left army. Wei Zhong, Shen Pei and Yu Jin survived from the right army. The middle and rear armies also included Cao Cao, Cao Zhen, Wen Ji, Qu Yi, Han Hao, Xian Yutong and others escaped, but their reunion did not please everyone because more generals and officials were missing than were returning.
Among the eight Jiuwu generals who went out to fight, three of them, Ju Sue, Gao Gan, and Xiahou Dun, were alive and dead. Cao Cao himself also suffered extremely serious losses from his relatives. Xia Houshang, Cao Chun, Cao Anmin, Cao Xiu and others died in the battle, and Most of them were young heroes that Cao Cao was optimistic about. In time, they might have become famous generals in the country, but they all died here. There were countless other veteran generals who died in the battle. The ones that everyone can think of for the time being include Dian Wei, Wen Chou, Zang Ba, Le Jin, Li Zheng, Sui Yuanjin, Sun Guan, Wu Dun and others.
What worried Cao Cao the most was that Shangshu Ling Xun might not have returned. After the Chinese army was invaded by Guan Yu, he was separated from Xun or his party, and as a result, he has not received any news until now. It should be noted that in the Eastern Dynasty, there were many generals who could fight on the battlefield, and there were also many counselors who planned clever strategies in the battle formation. However, there were geniuses who could sit in the rear, draw up strategies, coordinate various ministries, and stabilize people's hearts, just like Xun Yu. , but it is only this one person. It was Xun Or who persuaded Cao Cao to prepare elite troops to fight against Liu Bei in Bohai. No wonder Uncle He asked to see him and praised him as "Wang Zuo's talented person".
At this time, many people advised Cao Cao to conserve his troops, burn the camp and retreat to Juyong Pass. However, Cao Cao persisted in his opinion and insisted on holding on in the camp until he found out Xun or's whereabouts. Seeing that they could not be persuaded, everyone had to suppress their uneasiness and planned to send a few scouts back to search. Fortunately, before the scouts left the camp, a messenger came to report that Shangshu Ling and others were back.
Cao Cao was overjoyed and quickly led everyone to the camp to greet him. However, when they got closer, they did not see Xun He. They saw Sima Yi, Zhu Le, Wu Zhi, Guo Yuan, Fei Yao, Dai Ling and others standing in a row with sleepy expressions. When they saw Cao Cao, they knelt down and bowed their heads and cried.
Hearing their hoarse cries, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel irritated. He waved his hands to let these people get up, and shouted loudly: "I just lost a battle, and I am still alive here. Why are you doing this? Get up!" But Sima Yi and his party were still kowtowing and crying on the ground, unable to say a word.
Seeing them losing their composure, an ominous premonition surged into Cao Cao's heart. He quickly shouted: "Where is your lord? Didn't I say that your lord is back? Where is he?"
Sima Yi said with a tearful voice: "Marshal, your lord, your lord, he committed suicide!" When he said this, the people who were with him burst into tears, and no one dared to look into Cao Cao's eyes.
Cao Cao felt as if he had been hit hard. He was dizzy for a moment and almost lost his balance. He put his hand on Cao Zhen's shoulder, and then reluctantly asked: "Seriously? Where is his body?" Wu Zhi said: "It's on the horse behind us." Cao Cao staggered over, and sure enough, there was A horse saw Xun or wrapped in linen. This famous scholar from Wang Zuo had a short knife stuck in his chest. Most of his robe was stained with blood, but his expression was very peaceful. Even though his face was pale, It was hard to hide the relaxation between his brows and eyes, which showed that he had indeed thought about it before committing suicide.
Cao Cao recalled the days and nights he spent with Xun He, and his heart felt like a knife, and tears welled up immediately. He held Xun's corpse's hand and turned to ask Sima Yi, "What did your Majesty say before he died?"
Sima Yi wiped his tears and replied: "Your Majesty said that once this battle is defeated, unification will be impossible. But as long as the marshal saves the people's wealth, works hard to govern, builds fortresses in Guangxi in the west, and swallows up Yanliao in the east, he may be able to separate the rule. Protect yourself.”
When Cao Cao heard this, he immediately understood that Xun might have died because his ideals were shattered! He was silent for a long time, covered Xun Yu's face with linen, and said slowly to everyone: "Don't let the news of your death be spread to the outside world for the time being. We will announce your death after you return home. Do you know that he died of a Western traitor?"
After everyone nodded, Cao Cao announced that he would burn the camp and go east. Under the light of the fire and the night, everyone looked extremely embarrassed. No one would have thought that of the mighty 200,000-strong army that came, only a few were left. To 50,000 people. But now, everyone can understand that Dongren has completely lost this battle for national destiny.
