At the same time, Cao Cao saw that the chariot formation had moved away. As soon as he sent a reserve team to support Xiahou Dun, he received news that he had been killed.

Cao Cao was shocked and heartbroken and immediately realized that with Xiahou Dun's death and the chariots leaving, the gap in the southern battlefield had been completely opened. If the Tang army sent cavalry to attack his own formation at this time, his situation would still be very grim.

Although the chariots in the north are still there, the infantry formation in front has been completely captured by the Tang army, and the cavalry on both wings have been killed and collapsed. Without the military formation and cavalry cover, those vehicles that cannot run are already a pile of rotten wood.

Without the cavalry, Cao's army was completely passive on the battlefield at this time. The Tang army's hunting method would sooner or later wipe out his infantry.

Speaking of which, from the beginning of the war to the present, except for the use of chariot formations to capture 10,000 men from Quyi, Cao's army has suffered defeat in other battlefields. Several formations have been defeated by the Tang army, including Xiahou Dun, Li Dian, Liu Yan and others.

Both Cao Ren and Cheng Pu died in the battle, and the 30,000 cavalry were almost wiped out.

What can be done now? We can only hope that Yu Jin can capture Lu Bu and the Flying Bear Army, and maybe there is a chance for a comeback.

However, before that, Cao Cao must preserve the remaining troops and his own life! Thinking of this, Cao Cao immediately asked the soldiers to blow the horn to retreat, and he quickly retreated to the camp behind him.

The 30,000 reserve troops are not far from the main camp. It is easy to withdraw the troops. As for the skirmishers who were killed on the field, they can escape as many as they can. The more troublesome thing is that the 50,000 crossbowmen are far away and there is no cavalry cover.

, if the Tang army came to pursue him, there would be almost no possibility of escape.

Cao Cao could only pray that Zhang Mo would forget about these tens of thousands of crossbowmen because he was worried about Lu Bu.

"Lord, the Tang army has sent cavalry to pursue you!" Cao Cao was praying secretly when Xun You hurried over to report,

"The Tang army sent more than 10,000 cavalry to pursue in three directions. Zhang Liao's side in the south was a little slower. The Golden Eagle Guards of the Chinese army had already chased to the chariot formation in the west. Xu Huang, who was originally under Qu Yi, led 4,000 cavalry.

Intercept from the east." Xun You paused, his face looking very ugly.

"Also, Gao Shun's troops were supposed to attack our reserve team. Now they are also surrounding the crossbow array..." The crossbow array is mainly composed of archers and has little protection. It was broken into by the cavalry.

The results of going can be imagined.

The opponent moved so fast that Cao Cao was a little confused. What should he do now? Should he send 30,000 people out to fight the opponent or should he leave the 50,000 people outside?

Can Yu Jin successfully surround and kill Lu Bu? But, with Amo here, will the Tang army be in chaos even if Lu Bu is really dead?

The answer is obvious, no! Amo is not the woman standing behind Lu Bu, but walking side by side, or even surpassing Lu Bu. Lu Bu is in charge of military affairs, and she is in charge of politics, economy, and military affairs. If Lu Bu does not have a son, then

With her current prestige, even if she became the empress, not many people would object to her.

At this moment, Cao Cao suddenly came to his senses. His decision to transfer the chariot formation was a big mistake. If the chariots had not left, Zhang Liao and Gao Shun would not have been able to escape. Even if they were killed by Lu Bu, the Chinese army would not be able to escape.

These tens of thousands of people were killed and routed. As long as he did not die, the severely damaged Tang army would be unable to launch a decent attack. It would be better to lose both sides than to be pursued unilaterally now.

In the final analysis, it was his fear of Lu Bu that caused him to make the wrong decision, leading to the current dilemma.

No, it's not a dilemma, it's a sure defeat. No matter whether we send people out or not, we can't save the 50,000 crossbowmen. After the Tang army wiped out those people, they could rest for three to five days and then attack the camp again, with only 30,000 people.

, how can one defend such a large camp?

Even if the opponent besieges him, he can be trapped to death. He has completely lost Yanzhou.

"Lord, the sun is going down soon. When Wenze gets news, we can take advantage of the chaos and leave after dark!" Xun You obviously understood that the situation was no longer under their control. Even if Yu Jin's men chased down the Feixiong Army and Lu Bu,

When they came back, the horse probably couldn't move anymore. The Tang army sent a cavalry out and easily killed the more than a thousand horses and chariot soldiers.

In the final analysis, the defeat was still due to the lack of war horses. As long as their soldiers still have strength, they will have a steady stream of prepared war horses for them to replace. It is not a problem to fight continuously for a day and night. However, they have spent huge manpower and financial resources to build chariots, and they are short of horses.

It can only be used once.

"Leave? Where to go?" Cao Cao looked a little confused. Once Yanzhou is lost, Xuzhou in the east will be gone. Can Nanyang County, which is left with Yuzhou and Jingzhou, be saved?

If Liu Bei had not lost Yizhou and was adjacent to him to the west, he could retreat to Nanyang or Yuzhou. But now Hanzhong County is also in the hands of the Tang army. The troops of Yongzhou, Yizhou and even Liangzhou of the Tang Dynasty can be continuously transported from the Mianshui Valley.

Come here, the checkpoints adjacent to Sizhou in the north are in the opponent's hands. When you want to attack, the door will open, but when you don't want to, the door will close. In addition, the cavalry can come and go freely, what can you do to defeat him?

This battle has almost used up all the horses, and without cavalry, retreating there is just a matter of lingering for breath.

If it weren't for the fact that the Tang State's policies were contrary to the powerful families of the Central Plains, Yanzhou would have surrendered as soon as it lost the other states and counties. In fact, Yanzhou would not even have a chance to survive.

"Lord, there is actually a chance..." Xun You's voice was a little low, obviously it was just words of comfort.

"Why don't Mr. Cao go to Jiangdong? You and I can work together and defend the river according to the natural dangers. We can still protect ourselves," Sun Ce advised.

Self-protection? One corner of Cao Cao's mouth raised slightly, and his smile was full of bitterness. Did he, Cao Mengde, fall to the point of relying on others just to protect himself?

He has put everything on the line, but is it just to save his life? He is afraid of death, but he is even more afraid of living a life of relying on others. Furthermore, if Yan, Xu, and Yu are all lost, and Jingzhou surrenders, how much can the remaining Soochow survive?

Year?

Instead of being defeated by Lu Bu again on someone else's territory, he would rather resist to the end in his own home!

"First retreat to Yingchuan to join forces with Miaocai, and then we can make long-term plans!"

"Yes!" Xun You got the order and hurried out to make preparations. Cao Cao looked at Sun Ce and said,

"Bo Fu, do you still want to come with me?" Sun Ce hesitated for a moment, then handed over his hand.

"Since Duke Cao has given up Xuzhou, I want to take care of Guangling County for Duke Cao before Lu Bu has any remaining strength." Cao Cao nodded.

"Indeed, I would rather give it to Bo Fu than to Lu Bu. Tang's policy is unpopular. Lu Bu will have to wait for a while in Yanzhou and Xuzhou. Besides, as long as I don't destroy you, Soochow will still be safe for a few more years."

I'll give you time to prepare." Sun Ce handed over his hand again.
Chapter completed!