Chapter 384: I'm Out of Options, Do as You See Fit...

To be honest, even though Fan Qin was making fun of Xun Yu, he had been shocked when he first guessed Xun Yu’s strategy. Xun Yu’s plan was flawless, accounting for everything. When Fan Qin realized the full scope of the strategy, he couldn’t help but respect Xun Yu’s brilliance.

However, no matter how meticulous the planning, fate still had the final say. Xun Yu never anticipated that Cao Cao would lose all his soldiers in one fell swoop on the plains of Xuzhou. As a result, all of their plans became a joke.

"Xiubo, do you have any good ideas?" Xun Yu asked, regaining his composure. "As a loyal subject of our lord, don’t hold back."

"There’s nothing I can do," Fan Qin said with a helpless shrug. "At this point, words are meaningless. Unless Yuan Benchu is willing to lend us troops, we’re no match for Lu Bu. This isn’t about strategy anymore; it’s purely a matter of strength. But Yuan Benchu..."

Xun Yu frowned, already knowing what conditions Yuan Shao would likely demand. It would involve sending their entire family to Ye and becoming Yuan Shao’s subordinates. That was unacceptable.

"If we hold the cities, we can manage for a while, but we won’t last long," Fan Qin said, his expression one of exaggerated concern, which only deepened Xun Yu’s displeasure.

"Our biggest problem right now is that we have no troops. Unlike Yuan Gonglu’s infantry-focused army, Lu Bu’s Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry makes it impossible for us to fight in open battles," Xun Yu sighed. Lu Bu didn’t have many soldiers, but his cavalry was a deadly threat to Yanzhou. Other units could be held back with effort, but the Wolf Cavalry was too much to handle. Could they afford to abandon most of Yanzhou’s cities?

"It’s not that we can’t fight in the open; it’s that our new recruits can’t handle it," Xi Zhicai said as he walked in, his expression grim. "We still have sixty thousand veterans. With some effort, we could surround and defeat the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. But right now, can our new recruits even stand up to a probing charge from them without breaking?"

"Zhicai, you’re well?" Xun Yu asked, surprised.

"Well or not, I had to come down. If I didn’t, there’d be nothing left of Yanzhou but Chenliu," Xi Zhicai replied, frowning.

"Do you have any good ideas?" Xun Yu sighed, not expecting much.

"No great ideas. We need to hold off Lu Bu for now. Our Yanzhou militia may not be good for battle, but they can still work the fields. If that’s the case, we can dig trenches and channels to hinder the Wolf Cavalry’s speed. It’s a stopgap measure, but it’s better than nothing," Xi Zhicai said with a bitter smile. He was running out of options. Without troops, what could he do?

"That’s all we can do for now. We’ll have to draw some soldiers from Wancheng, but that will leave Nanyang vulnerable," Xun Yu sighed, feeling the strain of their stretched resources.

"We’ll take it one step at a time. If we can’t stop Lu Bu and Chen Gong, then all is lost," Xi Zhicai said, shaking his head. "If things get worse, we might have to turn to Yuan Benchu. What a waste of a good situation!"

Xi Zhicai’s tone was one of frustration. He had only been away from Cao Cao’s side for a few months, and now that he was back, everything had gone wrong. The situation was so dire that it nearly made him vomit blood.

Knowing Xun Yu well, Xi Zhicai could guess what his original plans were. But now, no matter how brilliant those plans were, they were useless. Cao Cao had successfully squandered everything—experienced soldiers, weapons, and all the assets they had built up for their future.

"This was my mistake," Xun Yu sighed.

"It’s not about mistakes. We never imagined things would go this badly. What were Gongda and Zhongde thinking? Six thousand troops, not elite, but still veterans—how could they be utterly defeated? Even if they lost to Liu Xuande, they shouldn’t have been routed like this. Now it’s a total collapse!" Xi Zhicai said, barely containing his anger. He couldn’t understand how Cao Cao’s forces, which had been so well-prepared, could suffer such a devastating defeat.

"..." Xun Yu could only offer a bitter smile. He couldn’t understand it either. With Xun You and Cheng Yu as strategists, Zhao Yan managing logistics, Cao Cao commanding the troops, Xiahou Yuan leading the vanguard, Xiahou Dun at the center, and generals like Cao Hong, Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, Mao Jie, Lu Qian, Shi Huan, and Han Hao, how could they lose so badly? No matter what strategy Liu Bei employed, they should have been able to counter it.

"Let’s not dwell on it. Maybe they were too eager for victory," Xi Zhicai sighed. "I’ll focus on slowing down Lu Bu’s advance. You work on keeping order internally and strengthening the militia’s training. We’ll have to rely on the Wei family for grain. This is a tough situation, Wenruo. Be prepared."

Xun Yu remained silent. They had indeed miscalculated. While others thrived, Cao Cao had suffered a devastating blow. The road ahead would be difficult, even if they managed to fend off Lu Bu. It would take at least a year or two to recover to where they had been before marching on Xuzhou.

After giving Xun Yu his instructions, Xi Zhicai left immediately. There was no time to waste; every moment counted. Whether they could withstand Lu Bu’s assault depended on how well Xi Zhicai could prepare. But without enough troops, it was a daunting task.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao finally began his journey back from Yuzhou’s Pei County. Unfortunately, just as he thought he had escaped danger, he learned through rumors that most of Yanzhou had already fallen to Lu Bu.

The news hit Cao Cao hard. Already reeling from his losses, he felt a wave of dizziness. Though the information came from fragmented rumors, he pieced together enough to realize that Yanzhou was indeed in deep trouble.

Left with no other choice, Cao Cao abandoned his plan to return to Yanzhou’s Shanyang Commandery and instead made his way toward Yuzhou’s Yingchuan, where he still held territory. There, he would assess the situation and plan his next move.

At the same time, Yuan Shu’s only son, inspired by tales of his father’s youthful heroism in aiding disaster victims and determined to demonstrate his own chivalry and concern for the people, set out for Yuzhou’s Pei County with a group of escorts. He brought along a cart full of medicinal supplies—ginseng, deer antler, bear bile, all kinds of tonics—ready to save lives.

"Young Master, we shouldn’t go to Pei County. The plague is rampant there. It’s no place for someone of your noble status," one of his escorts warned, trying to stop the determined Yuan Yao from entering the county.

"Hmph! Don’t worry. I’ve inherited Brother Bofu’s internal energy. I’m in excellent health now," Yuan Yao boasted, waving his sword in satisfaction. Having been frail for most of his life, Yuan Yao was thrilled to have gained inner strength, thanks to Sun Ce’s teachings. His admiration for Sun Ce had only grown since then.