When Yuan Tan opened his eyes again, his eyes were blurred and he couldn't see anything. After a while, he slowly calmed down and recognized the people in front of him. Mao Jie, Wang Yu, Yuan Yi and others were all there, and there was a strange face, but he didn't see Xin Pi.

"Where is George?"

"The chief of the army is not in trouble, it's just some skin injuries and excessive blood loss. It will be cured in a few days."

"You are..." Yuan Tan looked at the middle-aged man wearing a Jinxian crown and long beard in front of him, but he didn't react for a moment.

Cao Ang hurriedly explained: "Eunuch, he is my hometown party Hua Tuo, whose courtesy name is Yuanhua. He is not only proficient in classics, but also good at medical skills. When he learned that the eunuch was exhausted, I took the liberty to bring him to diagnose the eunuch, and please forgive me."

"So you are the genius doctor Hua Tuo. You have been admired for a long time." Yuan Tan heard Cao Ang mention this person and treated Mrs. Ding's illness, so he quickly said a few polite words. "What injuries did Georgia suffer?"

"He was cut off a piece of scalp by Sun Ce and he shed a lot of blood, but nothing big, he could only leave a scar."

Yuan Tan was relieved after hearing Hua Tuo's explanation. Hua Tuo was a miraculous doctor and his judgment was credible. He forced himself to sit up, his eyes swept across the faces with different expressions but somewhat frightened and uneasy. He forced himself to feel disappointed and smiled and said, "I'll be frightened, ashamed."

Seeing Yuan Tan wake up, although his face was pale and his spirit was calm, he was awake. Everyone's hearts, which were in their throats, finally fell back. They bowed and bowed and said politely. Yuan Tan knew that he should say a few more words at this moment to show that although he was frustrated, he was not confused. He was in a mess and didn't know what to say, so he had to let the generals go back to the camp first, strengthen their defense, and not let Sun Ce take advantage of the loopholes.

The generals were noisy and left one after another. Cao Ang wanted to wait for Hua Tuo and stay at the end. Yuan Tan grabbed him and signaled him to sit next to the couch.

"Zi Xiu, I was negligent and was humiliated by Sun Ce. Now that I am in a position of progress and retreat, does Zi Xiu have a plan to teach me?"

Cao Ang was prepared. Before he came, Chen Gong said that Yuan Tan might ask him for advice. Among the civil and military officials under Yuan Tan, Xin Pi was a military strategist with military capabilities and was the most trusted by Yuan Tan. Secondly, Chen Gong was considered Chen Gong. Mao Jie's strength was government affairs and personnel, and military power was not his director. Now Xin Pi was injured, Yuan Tan could only ask Chen Gong for advice. Chen Gong was not Yuan Tan's subordinate, so he would use Cao Ang's mouth. This was Cao Ang's opportunity. When Yuan Tan was in a coma, Chen Gong had already made plans and instructed Cao Ang.

"Emporter, victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists. Sun Ce is brave and good at using surprise to win. It is really not to be underestimated. However, the right is the first priority in using troops and the strange is the last. Otherwise, even victory is only a temporary victory or defeat and will not affect the overall situation. This is a clear proof that Sun Jian is still in the siege."

Yuan Tan let out a sigh of relief and smiled bitterly: "I am very grateful for Zixiu's good intentions. However, I am already confused, and I still hope to hear Zixiu's heartfelt words and solutions to the problem."

Cao Ang pondered for a moment. "The envoy, the food and grass are destroyed and it is difficult to last. Spring farming is approaching, so it is not a good idea to continue confrontation. It is better to retreat as advance, defend instead of attacking, stabilize the formation first, and then make a plan later."

Yuan Tan thought for a moment. "Zi Xiu said in detail. How to retreat to advance, and how to defend instead of attack?"

"The envoy retreated to Changyi and sent all the generals to guard Dingtao, Kangfu, and Rencheng, and persisted without fighting."

"Will Sun Ce... retreat?"

"Yes, Liu He is in Xia Pi, and he can threaten Yuzhou at any time. Liu Yao, a high-ranking official in Yuzhou, and Yangzhou is far from pacified. For Sun Ce, these are the concerns he is in. If he misses the farming season, he cannot afford to suffer losses. As long as our army defends Zhucheng and makes him go without anything, he will inevitably retreat."

Yuan Tan nodded slowly. "Although Zixiu is young, he is a mature saying. This plan is very safe."

"I praised you. This is a plan I discussed with the official and Taiwan, and it is not something I can plan alone. However, I have to pay attention to one thing."

Yuan Tan's favor for Cao Ang increased greatly and said with a smile: "You said."

"Sun Ce is good at using strange things and can find fighter opportunities in impossible places. Our army's food and grass are destroyed and people are in panic. If we are not planning well and retreat hastily, Sun Ce will seize the opportunity and make breakthroughs in each place. In addition, Guo Jia is coming. If there is any mistake in the lake and land, Guo Jia and Sun Jian will be allowed to join. With nearly 20,000 to 30,000 main forces, they still have the power to fight, which may pose a major threat to our defense line."

Yuan Tan frowned, pondered for a while, and nodded gently. "What Zi Xiu said is very much. The defense line of Dingtao, Changyi, and Rencheng is not enough. We need to make the worst plan and deploy the second line of defense. Zi Xiu, is your loss great?"

"Fortunately, I didn't encounter Sun Jian's main force. The losses were not serious. I could recover after half a month of rest."

"Okay, I want to transfer you, Ren Lu, to lead Ren Cheng and Dongping military. If you can defend Ren Cheng, of course it's better. If you can't defend Ren Cheng, you must defend Dongping and Lu. Do you think it's okay?"

Cao Ang was right in the middle of his heart. Chen Gong made it clear that his goal was to lead the Jibei and Dongping areas. Now Yuan Tan’s arrangement is exactly what they hoped for, and of course it was also in Chen Gong’s plan.

"I wish to serve the envoy."

Yuan Tan smiled and reached out to put his hand on Cao Ang's hand and patted it gently. "Zi Xiu, Dongfang will entrust it to you."

At the Nimu Pavilion, Sun Ce stood in front of Li Gang's stele, looking at the name on the stele, couldn't help laughing out loud, and felt a little sad.

He had an impression of this name, but it was not the governor of Jingzhou in this era, but the official who was cheated by his son in that era. Before he knew it, he was a little unfamiliar with that world. The battles and planning over the past few days made him have no time to recall it, and he seemed to be a part of this era.

"General, Yuan Tan has withdrew his troops." Xu Sheng rushed over and said loudly.

Sun Ce turned his head and threw all the sadness and nostalgia out of his mind. He hooked his fingers. Chen Wu understood and immediately took out the map from his bag and spread it on the stone table where the offerings were placed in front of Li Gang's tomb.

"In which direction, how many people, who is the front-hand drive, and who is the back-hand?" Sun Ce asked several questions in one breath.

Xu Sheng squatted down and slid his fingers across the map. "Yuan Tan walked very carefully. They crossed the Ji River and walked along the north bank. It seemed that they were going to Kangfu first. Now they don't know who was the front driver, but later refused to be the general's surname Cheng, which should be Cheng Yu and the other surname Li. What is the name of it? It's not clear yet. However, his subordinates are very meticulous and seem to have suffered no losses."

Sun Ce nodded and said, "What else is there?"

"Cao Ang goes northeast and may go to Gaoping."

Sun Ce frowned and smacked his lips. This is not good news. Lu Su and the others were planning to enter Rencheng from Zou County. Cao Ang went to Gaoping and would likely meet Lu Su and others. Cao Ang had not only generals like Cao Ren, but also Le Jin and Yu Jin. The losses in this battle were not great. Whether Lu Su and Dong Xi could defeat them and successfully complete the predetermined goal is really a question.

I don’t know who this plan was made, but it’s very tricky. It’s very old to retreat to advance and defend instead of attacking.
Chapter completed!