Chapter 397: Advance by Retreating

g sisters at the shop might be affected by the sword energy, which would have disastrous consequences!If you can't even protect your own staff when something happens, what's the point of having a figh...Huo Qubing and Zhao Yun raided Cao Ying's camp.

Before the Yu Lin cavalry could reach their camp, they fled at full speed. Liu Bei dispatched the general Zhang Fei to intercept them before they escaped successfully.

Meanwhile, the ghost bestowed upon Lu Bu the power of black and white impermanence, allowing him to almost match Dian Wei in strength.

But in the end, Xiahou Dun, who arrived late, failed to catch up with Huo Qubing and instead joined the fight among the fierce generals at Changban Forest. With Xiahou Dun's arrival, it was almost impossible to encircle and kill Dian Wei. The two sides fought for thirty rounds, and Lu Cheng was clearly at a disadvantage. Afterwards, Cao Ying was attacked, and both sides stopped fighting and returned to their camps.

Liu Bei successfully escaped by water, Guan Yu took him back to Liu Qi's place, but the two would soon lead their troops west to Xichuan.

While Lü Bu and陸承 failed to kill Dian Wei, they were surrounded by the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. The two fought their way out, clashing with Hua Xiong who had just defeated Xiahou Yuan. Together, the three broke through Changbanpo and finally met up with Huo Qubing, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Fei.

Then comes the escape.

Under the rule of Doujiang, Lu Cheng is temporarily unable to counter-summon cards. He can only lead his team to evacuate.

Luckily, the Cao army only pursued for three days before ceasing to follow up, seemingly retreating completely.

The war is over.

Zhuge Yun and Zhang Fei did not return to Xichuan. Liu Bei and Guan Yu left from the river first, attracting some Cao's army. Zhang Fei received an order to break off, while Zhao Yun could leave after the battle was over.

Then the two of them followed along with the Imperial Guards, of course, and Ah Dou.

Lu Cheng equipped this white card in Qianji City.

Sleeping soundly!

Lü Bu also did not return to Youzhou.

He fought Dian Wei on Changbanpo and almost got defeated. Three against one, he couldn't win. How could he stand that Even one-on-one, he still lost. He was Lu Bu!

!

How could you possibly be upset about this

Evening.

Lu Cheng and the other generals sat under a tree.

"Master Jia, you expended a lot of energy this time and even summoned the ghost general Lü Bu from the Netherworld. Both sides were caught off guard and failed to defeat Cao's army. It was truly a wasted effort." Lu Cheng shook his head.

Originally, I was still thinking about trying to create an atmosphere of alchemy. Now it seems there's absolutely no hope.

"Humph." Lu Bu shook his head. "Next time I see him, I'll definitely cut him down!"

"Cut it out." Zhang Fei seemed somewhat unconvinced.

"That's nothing," Jia Xu, with his hands clasped behind his back, stared solemnly at the distant river. "The Xuan bird reports that the Cao army has completely retreated, giving up any intention of capturing Jingzhou. They have even relinquished Xinye, which they had just captured."

"Who did you give it to" Lu Cheng suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Jiangdong," Jia Xu uttered a word. "I don't know what agreement Cao Cao has reached with Jiangdong. The Xuanbird cavalry have already discovered Sun family warships on the river. And Liu Cong and Liu Qi are also preparing for battle."

This is completely different from the book!

The situation has changed dramatically!

"Sun Jia and Liu Biao are fighting over a worthless place right under Cao Cao's nose" Lu Cheng frowned.

This is a surprise.

Cao Boss didn't follow the script.

After pacifying Jizhou as promised, Cao Cao's power grew significantly. Determined to swiftly advance south and eliminate Liu Biao and the two Qiao sisters who were held captive across the river, what would he do

"The Sun family and Liu Biao have always been at odds. Now that Cao Cao is yielding, there is no reason not to take advantage of this," Jia Xu said.

“Look at Cao Cao now, he’s at the peak of his power! Don't they fear him at all” To be honest, Lü Cheng couldn’t understand.

After defeating Yuan Shao, Cao Cao had countless advisors and generals under his command. He controlled the granaries of Central Plains and Jizhou, making his military potential seemingly limitless.

Is this not enough to cause alarm for everyone

"How can we tell that Cao Cao is at the peak of his power" Jia Xu suddenly turned his head: "If Cao Cao conquers Jizhou and then sets his sights on Liu Biao, marching south with a large army, then he would indeed be at the zenith. But in the eyes of those in Jiangdong, Cao Cao suffered heavy losses after the Battle of Xuchang. I'm afraid the advisors in Jiangdong believe that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are locked in a struggle where both will be severely weakened, presenting a golden opportunity."

Cao Cao lacked vision and suddenly changed the entire strategic plan.

Lu Cheng thought for a moment. He had crossed swords with Cao Boss before and knew that the other party was powerful, even far exceeding what was written in the books.

The legendary generals Huo Qubing, the ghost general Lü Bu, Hua Xiong, the governor of Xiliang, plus Liu Guan Zhang, and Zhao Zilong, the god of war from Changbanpo, barely managed to tie with Cao Cao under the rules of the fighting generals.

Besides 【霍去病】 and 【趙雲】’s surprise attack on Cao Ying, they got over thirty 【兵家騎行鎧】, six 【桑甚酒】 and three 【官銀】. They made a profit, but the rest of the family lost money.

Especially Land Cheng, this card master himself, spent all his savings pulling cards in Qianji City.

But

Jian Dong and Liu Bie might not actually think that way.

Because Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had fought for ten years, the people of Central Plains were exhausted, and it was easy for both sides to be defeated.

"If Cao Cao only pretended to be defeated this time, regrouped his forces, and feigned weakness, then both Jiangdong and Liu Biao would immediately become restless."

"That's really shameless." Lu Cheng said helplessly, "Cao Cao clearly took Xinxiao City effortlessly and won, but now his entire force has come to a standstill!"

Now Cao Cao is not prepared to fight another battle at Red Cliffs. Instead, he decisively abandoned his plans for an advance, choosing retreat as a way to gain the upper hand.

Let Jiangdong face each other, and Cao Cao will focus on farming and confronting himself.

I didn't expect that.

Cao Cao, after this battle, considered Lü Cheng as his biggest rival and was willing to change his strategy. He truly is a ruthless and ambitious leader.

"Our strategies in Xichuan and Xiliang have been played, but they were only half successful." Jia Xu stroked his beard.

"This won't do. If Cao Cao fought against Jiangdong according to the script, our strategy could succeed completely. Now that Cao Cao has retreated and given up his southward advance, he's instead facing us head-on after a single battle. He's so powerful; we would undoubtedly lose in the end." Lu Cheng quickly realized this.

"Cao Cao will definitely develop extensively, building ships and carriages." Jia Xu shook his head.

"Qianjicheng's industrial capacity isn't that high, and I still have debts to pay. We can't win an arms race." Lu Cheng only needed to think for a moment to understand the situation.

Although Lu Cheng didn't think he would be outmatched technically by Cao Cao, after all, with two masters at his command, the Hundred Families could still change hands, but his financial situation was dire. He still had a pile of bad debts. If Cao Cao hadn't attacked, facing an army shortage, the situation would have taken a sharp turn for the worse.

"Cao Cao probably understood part of our hidden strategy this time. If he heads down the Yangtze River, our army will benefit, and in the end, he will surely be defeated. However, if he abandons his southward advance and remains inactive, facing us head-on as General Lu said, we are the ones with weaker resources. He is forcing us to make the first move." Jia Xu pondered for a moment.

"Our army contacted Liu Bei to borrow the cavalry from the Ma family of Xichuan and Xiliang. Even if we strike first, our chances of victory aren't high," Lu Cheng frowned and said.

"Even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory, and our strength will be greatly depleted." Jia Xu calculated for a moment and said, "Therefore, we cannot fight."gaze.The summoned war spirit card of the ghost door was actually...A renowned warrior from the East China Sea, with the spirit of Lingzhu!ButThe Mysterious Hall.Lu Cheng shook the old man wildly."Mast...