Chapter 34 - A Turn for the Better (2) (1/2)
Translator: Scar, Tchu
“Retreat?!” Old Cao felt slightly bitter. Xu Province would fall as soon as Lu Bu perished from this world. He had never expected that Lu Bu would manage a breakthrough. I really should have ended your life in Kaiyang! Cao Cao thought.
He did not expect that his unintentional act would push down old Chen and provoke an invasion of a Chen army. Furthermore, right now it was attacking Xia Pi.
If he pulled out now, Lu Bu would be able to escape. It was like letting calamity breed in the future, just like releasing a tiger back to the mountain. Then all of his efforts until now would vanish to nothing like a broken bubble. His childhood friend Yuan Benchu* was about to conquer Liao Dong in the north before long. As soon as Yuan Benchu achieved this goal, he would aim to swallow up Cao Cao’s territory Yan Province.
TL: Benchu is the courtesy name of Yuan Shao, a famous warlord in late Eastern Han dynasty.
If he let Lu Bu escape, he will be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I am not willing to retreat!
“We cannot pull out!”Guo Jia said while shaking his head. ”Though Chen Deng has besieged Xia Pi, it will take a while before he can breach the city.” There are military supplies for one hundred thousand soldiers restored in Xia Pi. But if the city fell, Old Cao would have to go back with his pants down!
“Tomorrow, we have to conquer Kaiyang tomorrow!” Cao Cao issued the order after awakening from his thoughts.
Tonight, many people could not close their eyes.
On the wall of Kaiyang, Lu Bu’s army had been fully prepared to fight to death tomorrow.
Under the wall, Cao Cao was intended to kill Lu Bu no matter how much casualty it was going to cost him. After which Cao’s army would go back to Xia Pi and attack Guangling.
”The Cao army is breaking camp?!” Zhang Liao got confused by the big moves of the army under the wall. He immediately reported the Cao army’s movement to Lu Bu.
“There are some changes to the camp of Cao army? Are they leaving?!”Lu Bu was surprised as well. What the h.e.l.l is Cao Cao going to do? Is he really leaving or…?
If it was true that Cao Cao decided not to attack Kaiyang, the rest of the Lu Bu army would be ecstatic.
“Wait a second!” Only Chen Gong’s face became serious, “There must be some problems happening in the rear of the Cao army!” Chen Gong a.n.a.lysed. ”The situation in Xu Province has become soothed after the Cao army took down Xia Pi. There are only two possible explanations to the disturbing factors in the rear of his army!”
“What are the two possible explanations?” Lu Bu asked in doubt.
“The first explanation is that Yuan Shao landed in the harbour of Mengjing or is invading from the direction of Puyang. In that cause, the Cao army has to retreat! That means, that the whole Hebei was pacified by Yuan Benchu. What is now left is the fight of supremacy between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao and perhaps we have a slim chance of surviving! Before Cao Cao besieged Xia Pi, Yuan Shao was not able to crush Hebei or else Cao Cao wouldn’t march his army without worry to Xu Province!” If at that time Yuan Shao had conquered Hebei, it was highly possible that Cao Cao and Lu Bu might have become allies now.
“The second reason!” Chen Gong did not even finish his sentence before Lu Bu knew the answer. “Food supplies!”
“Exactly, it’s the food supplies! Before an army marches, the food supplies need to move ahead! There is an army of a hundred thousand, but it needs a lot of food to sustain it. Therefore, Cao Cao would certainly prepare his food supplies on the rear. Before laying siege to Xia Pi they might have been stored near Xia Pi, but after conquering Xia Pi they will certainly be stored inside!” Chen Gong declared.
“Someone is attacking Xia Pi?!” Gao Shun, Zhang Liao and Zang Ba all looked puzzled. Inside Xu Province, except Lu Bu who else would invade Xia Pi? Even Lu Bu has no more than a several thousand soldiers right now.
“Yes, there is such a force that can!” Chen Gong replied.